Joseph R. Hyman Founder and CEO
Since he established the company in 1998, Joe Hyman has led the remarkable growth of VIZERGY™ as it has evolved from a software company into a comprehensive Internet marketing-services firm exclusively for hotels and resorts. With a broad and rich background in the online-travel industry, Joe provides experienced leadership in the disciplines of building website traffic and brand development.
Joe’s long background in sales, marketing and operations development have given him the skills and tools needed to create scalable organizations with highly acclaimed success.
Of the company’s founding, Joe said, “We recognized a need among hotels and resorts that was not being met. That need was to promote a hotel’s individual property website, to allow the Internet shopper to book directly without paying excessive distribution costs, and supply deeply discounted rates to third-party merchant sites.”
Under Joe’s leadership, the company was a pioneer in the Internet hospitality-marketing field, creating effective solutions and reservation tools combined with the highest levels of personalized service.
Before establishing VIZERGY, Joe operated an independent company that represented Johnson & Johnson and Depuy Orthopedics. In that capacity, he promoted more than 15,000 surgical products in addition to providing technical expertise to surgeons; organizing local educational programs; and forecasting, planning and developing sales strategies.
Joe’s combined experience in marketing and technology has given him the insights to transform the former SECURE-RES into VIZERGY, the leader in Internet marketing services for the hospitality industry.
Steve Million Chief Technology Officer
As leader of the programming and technical-development teams for VIZERGY™, Steve is responsible for constantly upgrading and enhancing the advanced, sophisticated programs and services we offer our clients. His work assures clients that they are benefiting from the most flexible, up-to-date technology available to help them maximize revenue and profitability while minimizing costs.
Before joining VIZERGY™, Steve managed sales and administrative support for sixteen outside sales representatives of a major medical-sales office in Tampa. He also maintained and executed all corporate-budget objectives and coordinated the technology implementation for the company’s satellite offices. The instrument-tracking program he wrote for the company remains in use today.
Mike Murray Chief Operations Officer
A twenty-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Mike directs VIZERGY™’s overall operations, including customer service, administrative support and the financial department. Since joining the company, he has redefined operational services, incorporating project-management and best-practices principles into our daily operations. An active contributor to the management team’s strategic-planning initiatives, Mike as reshaped the company’s delivery process, client-reporting platform and accounting systems.
Mike is an alumnus of Florida State University and throughout his long hospitality-industry career has held a wide variety of roles in both independent and publicly held companies throughout the nation.
Joel Carver Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Joel Carver serves as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for VIZERGY™ formerly SECURE-RES where he is responsible for all areas of sales, marketing, and public relations. With over 23 years of sales management experience in both franchise and fortune 500 companies with a focus in hospitality including: Westin, Hilton, Omni, Wyndam Hotel Group, Marriott and InterContinental Hotels Group; he has managed sales teams as large as 75 people and designed and implemented a rebranding, national direct sales campaign, and is well known for his powerful and motivational speaking ability.
Carver has honed a unique skill for sales and marketing and is recognized by his peers as a strategic and dynamic leader; naming him one of HSMAI’s “Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing” for 2007.
While serving the hospitality industry in a number of key leadership roles, Joel also found time to sit on the Board of Directors for Virginia Hospitality and Tourism Association; as well as maintain the positions of President for the Northern Virginia Chapter, and as Co-Chair of the Association Marketing Committee. He has served on the Partner Council for EMC Venues, and the hotel committee for the National Defense Transportation Association. Additional key relationships include: National Business Travel Association, Virginia Tourism Corporation, the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) and the Potomac Executives Network. Carver was also recently appointed as Association of Starwood Franchises & Owners- North America (ASFONA) Board member
Joel served B. F. Saul Company - Hotel Division as AVP-Sales and Marketing with division wide responsibility for the strategic development and coordination of marketing and promotional programs, collateral production, public relations development and management, sales and catering training, as well as, sales skills development. In addition, he was tasked with providing direct sales effort support by property visits, open position recruitment and development, leadership in the trade show effort, key relationship development; and support to General Managers, Regional Operations and Sales teams. During his tenure, many new programs were developed, including an In-House Public Relations Agency, On-Line Marketing Calendars, On-Line RPF‘s, E-Mail Marketing Campaigns, and the development of multiple proprietary websites, designed to increase traffic and visibility to hotels and conference centers, and through partnership marketing opportunities.
Prior to joining B. F. Saul Company, Joel served Wyndham Hotel Group (previously Cendant Corporation) for six years in areas of increasing responsibility. During this time, he was instrumental in developing the revenue enhancement program superSOAR, now the model for over 6,000 Wyndham Hotel Group branded hotels and motels and inns worldwide. He is the co-author of two hotel sales and marketing texts, developed and utilized by Cendant (now Wyndham Hotel Group) Hotel Division, Marketing For the Year 2000, TODAY! and Marketing For The Next Millennium. A dynamic educator and public speaker, Joel has traveled over 200,000 miles per year as a speaker and educator on these subjects.
Joel holds a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration, and as participated as Adjunct Professor and the Visiting Professor Program at the University of Houston, Prince Georges College, and Northern Virginia Community College.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Carver is available to speak to journalists about hospitality and Internet marketing.
Susan Hart Vice President of Operations and Finance
Susan brings more than twenty years of experience in financial management to her leadership role at VIZERGY™. Over the course of her career, she has served in a wide range of positions, including operations and integration management for several specialty retailers. She has also served as a member of a consulting firm providing IT-management services to retailers and distributors.
As Controller for VIZERGY™, Susan is responsible for the firm’s financial information systems, human-resource management and for supporting business-systems designs. She brings a wide range of skills and experience to the VIZERGY™ team.
A Certified Public Accountant, Susan received an MBA degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University.
Jennifer Myers Vice President, Brand Development
Jennifer Myers serves as Vice President of Brand Development for VIZERGY™ and is responsible for strengthening VIZERGY™’s relationships with major hotel brands and property management groups, both clients and prospects alike. Jennifer’s progressively successful career includes hands-on experience in sales, marketing, operations management, revenue management, quality assurance, analytical reporting, group facilitation and maintaining strategic industry and community alliances.
Over the last 13 years, she has worked directly with a variety of hotel brands including Marriott, Hilton and IHG. Jennifer also worked for McKibbon Hotel Management Inc. in Savannah, GA and for B.F. Saul Company Hotel Division as the Regional Director of Sales and Marketing. In addition to leading a team of nine sales professionals at B.F. Saul, Jennifer was responsible for total account management of top producing accounts. She oversaw hotel room and catering budgets, annual business plans, quarterly marketing plans, revenue management and cooperative relationships with all general managers and corporate officers that assisted in increasing profitability. Jennifer has received numerous sales and marketing awards including the prestigious Courtyard by Marriott “Sales Leader of the Year Award.”
Jennifer also served on the Fairfax County, Virginia Convention and Visitors Association Marketing Council and, over the last six years, has been active on the board of directors of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). Currently, she is serving as president and also participates in the Chapter Presidents Council of NBTA.
Jennifer’s knowledge and wide-ranging background in hospitality sales and marketing bring key insight to VIZERGY™’s marketing and client relations.
Kristi Wilder Director, Operations
Kristi Wilder has worked for VIZERGY™ almost since its inception, establishing herself in the industry for the past eight years. Once an office manager, she worked her way up through the ranks, holding several different positions before being named director of operations.
Prior to managing VIZERGY™’s daily operations, Kristi managed over 35 accounts as an account manager, including many top clients. Bed & Breakfasts of Savannah and Royale Parc Suites, two of her accounts, earned VIZERGY™ Adrian Awards for Web site design. She has also been the project manager of numerous Web site designs and re-designs that resulted in significant revenue increases for clients. Additionally, she has helped develop and implement various daily procedures for the company and trained new employees on internal systems and VIZERGY™ product and service offerings.
Kristi’s combination of management experience and tenure with different capacities at the company make her a valuable member of VIZERGY™’s dynamic team.
