Purdue News

September 11, 1998 Career fair features jobs in restaurant, hotel industry WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Representatives from more than 50 companies in the hospitality industry will take part in a career fair to be held on the Purdue University campus Sept. 22. The event will be held in the South Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Both the career fair and a morning session with industry leaders are free and open to all Purdue students and the general public. The career fair is sponsored by the Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism Management Department (RHIT). The event is part of the department's Career Day activities. During the career fair representatives will discuss their companies and interview RHIT students interested in hospitality industry management careers. The morning session will feature two industry leaders sharing their insights on the future of the hospitality industry. Gene Rupnik, past president of the American Hotel & Motel Association, will speak at 9:30 a.m. in Room 302 of Stewart Center followed by Joe Fassler, chief executive officer and president of the National Restaurant Association, who will speak at 11 a.m. Rupnik is the president of Rupnik Hospitality Management and the owner of Days Inn of Springfield, Ill. His management company has operated hotels in central Illinois and has developed a quality assurance program for seven lodges operated by the state of Illinois. Fassler is president and chief executive officer of Restaura, Inc., one of the nation's leading dining service companies and a subsidiary of Viad Corp. Fassler is responsible for all Restaura operations including Restaura Dining Services, Restaura Fast Food, which is a franchisee of Burger King Restaurants, and Glacier Park, Inc., which operates lodging facilities at Glacier National Park in Montana and its Canadian counterpart, Waterton Lakes National Park. CONTACT: Ray Kavanaugh, RHIT department head, (765) 494-4643 or Maureen Tate, administrative assistant, (765) 494-4735. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page