Get to know us
NEW WATERLOO HQ
Bart Knaggs
Chief Executive Officer + Partner
FOOD PATRONUS | Pizza. I can always eat pizza.
ROOTS | Born and raised in Austin, Texas. Grew up turning over rocks looking for fossils and crawdads in a creek behind my house that I could walk all the way to Lake Austin. Been...
morePatrick Jeffers
Chief Development Officer + Partner
FOOD PATRONUS | Fresh baked bread (and butter...)
ORIGIN STORY | Born in Fort Campbell, KY (on the Army Base) and raised in Fort Worth, TX. I fell in love with hospitality the first time I was finally deemed old...
moreDelfo Trombetta
Chief Financial Officer + Partner
FOOD PATRONUS | Octopus. I like mine boiled, served cold with fresh Italian parsley, a good extra virgin olive oil, plenty of fresh garlic, and a touch of lemon. If I caught it myself, I like it even better.
EARLY YEARS | I was born...
moreDavid Lang
Vice President of Operations
FOOD PATRONUS | Texas BBQ
EARLY DAYS | Born in Pasadena, Texas. 7th generation Texan whose family traces back to the founding of the republic.
Fell in love with hospitality in college when I realized that I could have a...
moreJustin Spencer
Head of Food + Beverage
FOOD PATRONUS | Brisket
street cred | I started in the biz at 13 as a dishwasher at Shades Cafe on Lake Travis and have been working in hospitality ever since. I've worked almost every role in a restaurant from server to service...
moreStacie Colbert
CORPORATE Director of Sales
FOOD PATRONUS | Biscuits and gravy
ROOTS | Born and raised in Longview, Texas, and a quick study in dance and theatre. Entertaining others has always come naturally.
SMARTS | Studied Sociology at UT Tyler and fell in love with the...
moreJennifer Spradling
CORPORATE Director of Revenue STRATEGY
FOOD PATRONUS | Jalapeño chips—I cannot resist them or stop once I start.
EARLY DAYS | Born and raised in Austin, Texas, and attended Westlake High School. I played competitive fast-pitch softball until I graduated.
I've been pursuing a career in...
moreJohn Thompson
Director of Impact
FOOD PATRONUS | Hangover noodles. It’s basically aglio olio made by someone who loves you when you can’t make it for yourself.
EARLY DAYS | I grew like corn in the fields of Midlothian, TX until 3rd grade when my mom took a stress-free vacation to Las...
moreVin Flores
Director of Restaurant Operations
FOOD PATRONUS | Daquiri; it's my favorite drink. So simple to make but difficult to master. I think that describes my approach to just about everything.
EARLY DAYS | Born and raised in Houston, Texas. I fell in love with hospitality when I developed...
moreErin Maley
Taskforce F&B General Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | Ramen
EARLY DAYS | I grew up in Upstate New York: Clifton Park. I fell in love with cooking as a kid making pizzas and cookies with my mom and papi. I remember asking for knives and blenders as Christmas presents in elementary school. At...
moreMaria Vivas
Director of Digital Marketing
FOOD PATRONUS | It’s ice cream for me. Super sweet, and can turn any rough day around.
EARLY DAYS | Born in Quito, Ecuador, and raised in the suburbs of Boston. Fried plantains and yucca were my comfort foods growing up. My first job in...
moreMolly Deering
Creative Project Manager + SR. Graphic Designer
FOOD PATRONUS | Curry Ramen / Som Tam
EARLY DAYS | I grew up in Manchaca, Texas, running around outside barefoot searching for pretty bugs.
EDUCATION | I attended a few different small colleges across Texas, driven by a passion for...
moreJordan Pierce
Brand Experience + Partnerships Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | A Richard's Rainwater with a squeeze of lime :)
EARLY DAYS | I was born in Dallas, TX, and got to Austin as soon as I could. I first fell in love with hospitality while helping with food, merchandise, and music at private concerts around...
moreMichelle Ballesteros
Digital Marketing Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | A martini. I've never had a bad meal with a martini.
EARLY DAYS | I was born and raised in Austin, TX, and I don't think I am ever leaving. I love the food and live music here, this city has my whole heart! I grew up helping my dad with his...
moreOlenka Hand
Design Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | Potatoes and butter
EARLY DAYS | Born in Dublin and raised in Austin—call both places home. Would be the one running barefoot on a cold Irish beach and roasting in the sun at Deep Eddy. Grew up attuned to my...
moreAmity Flanders
Global Sales Director
FOOD PATRONUS | I will never turn down a glass of champagne but love a good cheeseburger!
EARLY DAYS | As a proud Colorado native, I have had the privilege of calling various parts of this beautiful state my home. I found a love for hospitality when I...
moreSara Ruddle
Director of Events
FOOD PATRONUS | Dessert of any kind (but specifically chocolate)
ROOTS | A Colorado native who fell in love with Austin
SMARTS | Studied Tourism & Hospitality in Colorado and am obsessed with hosting, planning, and helping with...
moreErica Kilps
Director of Hotel Accounting
FOOD PATRONUS | Avocado — versatile, good at brunch, and goes well with everything.
EARLY DAYS | Born and raised in southern Wisconsin (Go Pack). Started my F+B journey serving alongside my sister at a small town cafe in my early teenage years. Switched...
moreIlse Soloranzo
Property Controller
FOOD PATRONUS | Ice Cream
roots | Born in Mexico / raised in Austin. I fell in love with hospitality the moment I learned it involved food and talking to people.
the stats | All my jobs involved customer...
moreHeather Seiter
Director of People
FOOD PATRONUS | Some kind of a comfort food—whether it's someone's favorite ice cream, pasta, or tacos, I would be the thing that brings comfort to someone at a time when they need it. For me, it's a gourmet cheeseburger or chicken enchiladas.
...
moreJimena Forn
Talent Development + HRIS Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | Chilaquiles. A little crunchy at first, but let the (awesome) sauce soak in and enjoy the complexity in every bite.
origin story | Born in Costa Rica, moved to Katy, TX at age 9. Worked at a small mom & pop...
moreAlyssa Scott
Regional HR Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | Detroit-style pizza.
EARLY DAYS | Born and raised in southern Michigan.
EDUCATION | Attended Michigan State University where I studied Psychology and hosted a downtempo electronic radio show called “The Afterglow.”...
moreEllie Bond
Benefits Manager
FOOD PATRONUS | A Margarita- salty, Mexican, and fun!
EARLY DAYS | Born and Raised in Mexico. I am blessed with a very supportive family that has helped me achieve, nurture and cultivate my personal + professional goals, even though that meant being away...
moreHOTELS
Mindi Marshall
Area Managing Director, Texas
FOOD PATRONUS | A warm bowl of gumbo with a cool scoop of potato salad (trust me!) - a little weird to some, but makes you feel good!
EARLY DAYS | I was raised in Lockport, LA, a small town about 40 minutes outside of New Orleans. Growing up in Southern...
moreMike Bolick
General Manager, Albert Hotel
FOOD PATRONUS | Food: Sushi, you just lay on a blanket of rice all day. Bev: Coffee, it's ritualistic, comforting, and kicks your ass into gear.
EARLY DAYS | I've lived all over...born in Arizona, lived in California, Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Texas. My...
moreRobin Donovan
Managing Director, El Capitan Hotel
FOOD PATRONUS | A M&M, hard exterior shell, but soft and sweet inside.
EARLY DAYS | I was born in Hanover, NH, and raised in Franconia and Lincoln NH. New Hampshire is an amazing state to grow up in. Hiking, skiing, fishing, and boating were part of my...
moreEric Conrad
General Manager, Fidelity Hotel
FOOD PATRONUS | A local craft beer
EARLY DAYS | Grew up in the small town of Alliance, OH. I played almost every sport I could try growing up and got pretty good at some of them. I also enjoyed singing and acting in local plays and musicals. I needed a...
moreFOOD + BEVERAGE + GOLF
Rick Lopez
Executive Chef, La Condesa
FOOD PATRONUS | Crunchy.
ROOTS | Born in raised in San Antonio, TX. I played city soccer as a youth and select soccer for 6 years. Hospitality hit me each time I dined out with my family. The best feelings came from dives and...
moreYoshi Okai
Executive Chef, Otoko
FOOD PATRONUS | Uni and oyster!!
STREET CRED | Grew up in Kyoto, Japan. Studied landscape architecture before becoming a chef. Head chef at Uchi + Uchiko for six years, before joining team New Waterloo at Otoko in August 2015....
moreErind Halilaj
Chef Partner, Il Brutto
Born in Albania and raised in Italy, Erind Halilaj learned the meaning of quality service at a young age. Through his mother’s role as Director of Operations for luxury hotels, Erind was introduced to a world of fine dining and 5-star service. This led to a deep...
Michael Fojtasek
Executive Chef, Butler Pitch & Putt, Maie Day + Albert Hotel
FOOD PATRONUS | Prime Rib
EARLY DAYS | Spent in Dallas, Texas - the first meal I can remember cooking on my own was fried chicken - I fell in love with hospitality at Benny's Bagels on Greenville Avenue in Dallas while working there in high school....
moreSarah Mar-Chun
Executive Chef, South Congress Hotel
FOOD PATRONUS | Black coffee in a paper cup
EARLY DAYS | I was born in Korea and adopted at about 7 months. Raised in the Pacific Northwest by my mother and father- natives of Southern California. My early days were spent exploring Puget Sound, getting...
moreFrank Harris
Executive Chef, Sway Thai
FOOD PATRONUS | Steak and taters
EARLY DAYS | I was born in Kerrville, TX and raised in Canyon Lake. From an early age I liked cooking for my family and loved ones. My mom worked a lot, so when I could help with dinner or even just cook for myself it made...
moreEvan Morrison
Executive Chef, El Capitan Hotel
FOOD PATRONUS | Braised Short Ribs
EDUCATION | I actually have a degree in Audio Engineering. I love all types of art including music. As far as cooking goes, I learned from great people I've worked with over the last 16 years.
...
moreCollin Sculley
General Manager, Butler Pitch & Putt
FOOD PATRONUS | Pizza: You can dress it up or down, and it always delivers (except DiGiorno, of course).
ROOTS | Born in Kalamazoo, raised in Phoenix, undergrad in San Luis Obispo, and a Texas resident ever since. Played soccer from age 5 through my...
moreNick Pateman
Golf Operations Manager, Butler Pitch & Putt
FOOD PATRONUS | Gin & Tonic—established in London and can solve most problems.
BACKSTORY | I was born + raised in North London, UK. I met my wife Claire, an Austinite, in a pub in South London and felt confident (...tipsy); we have a little boy named...
moreJennifer Le
General Manager, Otoko
FOOD PATRONUS | Dumplings!
EARLY DAYS | I was born in Chicago, but raised in Austin. Growing up, I was surrounded by food. My parents use to own a small Vietnamese restaurant and my (favorite) Aunt was an Executive Chef for an...
moreCharity Sadoy
Operating Partner, Il Brutto
FOOD PATRONUS | Spam Musubi—a Hawaiian twist on the Japanese classic omusubi. Yes, I like spam and you would too if you had it the way I make it!
EDUCATION | Decided around age 7, after seeing "Three Dads and a Baby," that I wanted...
moreSophia Stout
General Manager, Mañana Downtown
FOOD PATRONUS | Dark chocolate, duh.
ROOTS | Born and raised right here in Austin, Texas. My brother and I wandered Waller Creek most of our youth, played music with our dad, and sang and sewed with mom. When I first moved out of...
moreVictoria Ordonez
General Manager, Sway Aspen
FOOD PATRONUS | Without a doubt, I would be dark chocolate. Why? Because of its rich flavor, texture, aroma, and versatility. Most importantly, dark chocolate is an ingredient that, when treated with respect and understood for its uniqueness, can truly shine. And when it shines,...
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