Texas folks sure are hospitable. They even allowed a NY Giants fan on the Texas Stadium turf, where an everlasting memory will be kicking a 30-yard field goal in my dress shoes. And speaking of hospitality, Burt Cabañas' mastery of the art began years ago poolside at the Shelbourne Hotel in Miami Beach.

An emigree from Cuba as a child, Cabañas took the classic teenager's South Beach after-school job--cleaning the beach and the pool, plus lifeguarding. In five years, he saved four people--all in one day.

A subsequent front desk job and the mentorship of the hotel's general manager sealed the deal on his future in the industry; after serving in the Marine Corps and earning his hospitality management degree from Florida International University, he rose through the managerial ranks with stints at former Nestle holding Stouffer Hotels and other name brands.

In 1979, he arrived in The Woodlands, a master-planned community north of Houston, TX, and began working with the hospitality subsidiary of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. (eventually the $3.5 billion acquiree of oil and gas giant Devon Energy). After single-handedly turning around the under-performing Benchmark Management Company, he purchased the unit from Mitchell Energy in 1986.

Today, his Benchmark Hospitality International--of which Cabañas is chairman and CEO--is one of the world's largest independent management companies, with 2007 revenues of $385 million. Specializing in the development and operation of resorts, conference centers, conference hotels and golf clubs, Benchmark delivers its signature Living, Learning and Leisure services at 30 properties from Arizona to West Virginia, with one property in Japan and another under development in Panama.

Wall Street-area firms know the quality of the Benchmark brand--formerly in WTC Tower One, the Downtown Conference Center has 30 meeting rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space in the heart of the Financial District, including a 22nd floor penthouse board room.

Jeff Heilman

5/27/08