Alum talks about ‘Entrepreneurial Path to Success’

PULLMAN – Navin C. Dimond, founder of Stonebridge Companies and a WSU alumnus, will speak on “Creating an Entrepreneurial Path to Success” as part of the Constructing America lecture series. The event will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, in Smith CUE 203.

Dimond is the founder of Stonebridge Companies, located in Englewood, Colo. As president and chief executive officer, he directs the company’s development and investment functions. Under his vision and leadership, Stonebridge Companies has experienced substantial, positive growth. The company owns and operates 41 hotels in the United States, 21 of which are in Colorado, with approximately 6,000 rooms.
Sponsored by the WSU School of Architecture and Construction Management, the Constructing America lecture series was established in 2004 to provide a forum for industry leaders to present current topics that affect the built environment and project life cycle in the development, design and construction of America’s infrastructure. The series’ goal is to bring together the university, community and industry to network and open a dialogue on critical issues that affect the fields of construction management and business development.
Stonebridge Companies has received numerous recognitions, including the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Platinum Management Company of the Year award.
Dimond is the recipient of the Award of Excellence from the American Asian Hotel Owners Association, the Hotelier of the Year award from the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association, and the Hilton Hotels Multi-brand Developer of the Year award.

In 2007 he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the real estate and hospitality category for the Rocky Mountain region. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses.

Dimond serves on the franchise advisory council for Hampton Inn Hotels by Hilton, Marriott’s Residence Inn advisory board and the Starwood Hotels’ Aloft & Elements Advisory Council. He is a board member of the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association (CH&LA), where he served as chairman in 2003. Last year he was inducted into the CH & LA Hall of Fame.

He is a founding member of iSherpa Capital, a venture capital group focusing on wireless technologies. He also has an interest in areas such as banking, pharmaceuticals, defense and alternative energy.

Dimond is involved in community ventures, where he serves on the boards of the Metropolitan State College of Denver, the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Metro Denver Sports Commission.

He graduated from WSU with a B.A. in business administration and a B.S. in construction management. He earned his MBA in real estate/construction management from the University of Denver.

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