Germantown, TN-based McNeill Hotel Company (MHC) and McNeill Investment Group (MIG) have established the Mark A. Ricketts Memorial Scholarship at The University of Memphis Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management. Born in Arkansas, but raised in Memphis from the age of two, Kemmons Wilson was the founder of the hotel chain Holiday Inn in the 1950s and other business enterprises.
Dedicated to the memory of Mark Ricketts, who cofounded McNeill Hotel Company in 2014 with Phillip H. McNeill, Jr., the scholarship will aid at least one undergraduate student, beginning in 2025, committed to a career in hospitality. A courageous and most loved leader, Ricketts passed away on Nov. 2, 2022, after a brave battle with ALS.
Working with the hospitality school, the scholarship was established through the devoted efforts of Brent McDowell, MIG EVP, business development; and Rick West, long-time friend of Mark Ricketts and VP sales/partner at hospitality consultant Commercial Green Solutions.
“Mark was a lifelong partner and friend, as well as an exceptional, inspirational leader. He believed in empowering all people in our industry and society. In his memory, we hope this scholarship contributes to the next generation of hospitality leaders,” said Phillip H. McNeill Jr., executive chairman, McNeill Investment Group LLC and McNeill Hotel Company LLC.
“I never remember him not being kind. Anyone with whom he ever came in contact was better for having known him,” West said. “He would be humbled and thrilled by this scholarship in his memory. He loved the hotel industry and never tired of trying to better it through a unique mix of high-level experience and openness to change. An amazing hotelier, but a better man.”
