Derick Rackham, President

Derick Rackham’s career has been one of professional drive and achievement. As Heartland’s founder and President, he sets the management style for every property in the system.

Beginning in Great Britain, Rackham has served in a variety of management positions throughout Europe. He was a Food and Beverage Director for the Rotterdam Hilton, assistant manager of the 550 room Berlin Hilton, and Corporate Manager at the Athens Hilton.

In 1968, Derick capitalized on his international experience and joined the Colonial Hilton Inns of New England as General Manager. During the two years he held this position, he coordinated planning, development, and opening of four full-service hotels. This experience led to his accepting the position of Southern District Director for Ramada Inns.

In 1977, he joined Jack Tar Hotels as Vice-President of Operations-Caribbean Division. In this capacity, he was in charge of resort hotels and other luxury properties in tourist areas such as Jamaica and the Bahamas. Derick’s next position was with Holiday Inns, Inc. as the Franchise District Director for a four-state region.

Prior to founding Heartland, Derick was the Chief Operating Officer of Larken, Inc., the nation’s largest Holiday Inn franchisee. He developed the internal controls and management policies while Larken grew from 10 hotels to over 70 hotels during a ten year period.

Key to the success of expanding Heartland is Rackham’s ability to find and retain skilled and experienced hoteliers for all positions. Heartland’s senior staff members each have over 20 years of industry experience. This team has the requisite skills to expand the Heartland portfolio while maintaining all necessary qualities and financial checks and balances.

James R. Smith, Vice-President

James Smith serves as Vice President of Heartland Hotel Corporation. Smith’s primary focus and responsibilities are also inclusive of capital and financial requirements involving acquisitions and investments.

Smith obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri Hotel and Restaurant School in 1974. After graduation, Smith received management training from Westin Hotel Corporation. Smith subsequently held General Manager positions at the Hilton and the Holiday Inn Riverfront, both in St. Louis, Mo., and the Roosevelt Hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During his management tenures, Smith began to focus on the specialized problems in telecommunications and energy management that are unique to the lodging industry.

In 1981, Smith founded IEM, Inc., a leading provider of telecommunication equipment and services to the hospitality industry. IEM, under Smith’s direction, installed telecommunication systems in over 600 hotel properties across the United States. Smith was a major stockholder and sat on the Board of Directors of UNIREZ, an international reservations service company until it sold in 2003.

Tony Dzianott, Director of Operations

The first employee of the Heartland Hotels Corporation, Dzianott operated the 378 room Hilton in Houston. In 1991 his position was expanded to add duties and responsibilities for takeovers and acquisitions. In 1993, he was promoted to Director of Operations for Heartland.

Tony’s preparation for a career in the hotel industry began in 1971 at Stouffers Oak Brook, Illinois, where he developed an affinity for food and beverage while learning about rooms. In 1977, he joined Flaggs, a young California-based restaurant company that was an early proponent of fresh foods prepared on-site. Within two years he was promoted to District Manager with supervisory responsibilities for restaurants in several states.

In 1983, Rackham hired Tony to work for the Larken Hotel Company. His first hotel for Larken was a 76 room independent in Waco, Texas, the weakest property in the company’s portfolio. After proving himself by making that hotel profitable, he was steadily promoted over the next seven years. He ran hotels in resort and commercial areas, small towns and major metropolitan areas, and ultimately rose to District Director, a position he left to join Heartland Hotels Corporation.

Dzianott is involved in acquisitions and opening newly constructed properties. He is also a partner in properties owned by Heartland. His philosophy is “Trust but Verify” and the people working for him know that he will stand behind them.