Karl Hoagland
Chairman and CEO
Karl Hoagland co-founded Larkspur Hotels and Restaurants in 1996. Hoagland oversees the long term strategic direction, capital raising activities, hotel acquisitions, hotel development sites and is ultimately responsible for ensuring successful execution of the companies' vision, mission and core values.

Prior to developing Larkspur Hotels and Restaurants Company, Hoagland was an investment banker for nine years. From 1989 to 1996 he managed public and private offerings and mergers and acquisition transactions for corporate clients in the consumer, healthcare and high technology industries. From 1991 to 1995 he was responsible for the firm's lodging and gaming investment banking activities, working with clients such as Doubletree Corporation, Mirage Resorts, HFS, Studio Plus, Red Lion, La Quinta and Host Marriott. During this period Montgomery was the largest underwriter of public equity and debt for the hospitality industry, completing transactions that raised over $5 billion of public equity and debt capital. From 1987 to 1989 Hoagland was an analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions department of Goldman, Sachs and Co.

Hoagland is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the San Francisco Society of Financial Analysts. He holds a B.A. with honors in organizational behavior and management and business economics from Brown University.

Dennis Markus
President and Chief Financial Officer
Dennis Markus oversees the day to day operations of the company and is responsible for the company's accounting finance, legal, IT and marketing departments.

Prior to joining Larkspur, Markus held a variety of positions with Transamerica Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Transamerica's Treasury, Corporate Development and Investor Relations Departments and operating responsibility for Transamerica HomeFirst and Transamerica Senior Living. Markus also worked in Product Marketing for Progressive Insurance.

Markus holds an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School as well as a B.A. from Stanford University.

James Hansen
Executive Vice President
Jim Hansen is responsible for the expansion, development, design and construction, renovation and maintenance of the company's assets. This includes capital projects and purchasing, as well as making sure that all of the company's hotels remain in a "like-new" condition and competitive within the industry.

Formerly, Hansen served as the General Manager of Wiese Contractors, which focused on hotel design and construction. In this position, Hansen increased the company's revenues from $1.5 million to $20 million. From 1985 to 1989, he was the Executive Vice President at Days of the West/Tollman-Hanley Hotels and was directly responsible for the development of 23 of the company's hotels in California and Washington.

Hansen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from California State University, Sacramento and is a licensed civil engineer in California. Additionally, he holds a Masters degree in construction engineering and management from Stanford University in Northern California.

Ken Leone, Jr. CHA
Executive Vice President - Hotel Management Division
Ken Leone is responsible for overseeing all hotel-related management functions. This includes Operations, People Resources, and Sales.

Leone brings 25 years of hotel operations management experience, with a background managing multiple brands and leading successful teams. He has a proven track record of increasing the operational and financial performance of hotel portfolios, with significant expertise and relationships in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Most recently, Leone served as the Vice President of the Hotel Division for Win Ship Properties. His expansive hotel management career is comprised of key positions including Regional Director of Operations for MeriStar Hotels and Resorts, vice president and General Manager for JG Enterprises and Vice President of Hotels for Mattco Investment Corporation/Spectrum Hospitality Services.

In 1982, Leone received his Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), the American Hotel and Motel Association's highest educational designation. He also earned a B.A. from Chico State University.