Sheraton general manager knew he wanted to work in hotel business by age 15 - Phoenix Business Journal:

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Now, he's general managetr of the , which will be Arizona's largest hotel when it openw Oct. 1. And while it may not be the typicachildhood aspiration, Percopo says the hospitality business has turnee out to be the righf path for him. He worked as a banquer cook at a hotelin college, and he still knows how to make a mean chickenj cordon bleu and double-stuffed potato. And while he may be a suit-wearintg honcho now, he still can be seen periodically serving up mealas in the buffet line orstaff Sometimes, he'll even park a guest's car or bus a For him, it's a management strategy. He says the cafeteriaq is one of the best places to interact withhotel employees.
And by helping in the front of the houseas well, he gets to interact with "I try to practice what I preach," he "I need to create a culture of service. The hotel business isn't rocket If an employee has agreayt attitude, we can teach them the A self-proclaimed family man, Percop o likes to spend his free time with his wife, or at his kids' sporting events. His son, 14, is a freshman at Notrre Dame Preparatory and plays His daughter, Katarina, 11, plays soccer at Mountainsidew Middle School. The family lives in Nortn Scottsdale now, but they've made many hotelzs their home throughthe years.
When Percopoo took on the general manager'xs role at The in Januaru 2005, his family lived in that Scottsdale hotek for his first 12 weeks onthe job. "It'sx fun for the first five days," he "After about two weeks, it gets a bit old. You'res dying for a piece of bland Now, in managing his firsyt new hotel, he says his main goal is to creatwe a teamwork mentality fromday one. That shouldn't be difficult for him. His boss says Percopo could shake hands with everyonde from a housekeeper to the mayortof Phoenix, treating them with the same respect and "He has incredible people skills.
He's a great says Rick Suhl, vice president of operations for the Southwest division of Starwood Hotels ResortsWorldwide Inc. The White Plains, N.Y.-based companyh owns The Phoenician and thenew Sheraton. An avid Yankees fan -- Percopok grew up in New York, aftert all -- he throws aroun baseball references even in describing hisleadership role. He looksw to none other than Joe Torre, generakl manager of the Yankees from 1996to 2007, for "He was always a great manager," Percopo "Then he came to the Yankees, and all of a suddehn people said he was a genius. "Thse difference wasn't him. It wasthde talent he had around him.
" And that's the kind of leadetr Percopo says he aspirewsto be.