Kevin G. Whitfield, President
Kevin is President of Drury Southwest, Inc. along with Drury Construction Company (Drury’s in-house construction operation). He is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the company by working with the Board and other management to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies. Kevin has 34 years of experience in construction management and project development, including entitlements, estimating, architectural plan development, design and décor, materials selection, and LEED feasibility programming. Kevin received his B.S. in Education from Southeast Missouri State University in 1982 with a minor in Architectural Drawing and has completed post graduate work in Architecture at the University of Texas – San Antonio. He serves on the Board of Directors for Drury Southwest, Inc. and Drury Hotels Company, LLC.
Dennis J. Vollink, Vice President Flight Operations
Beginning with his hiring in 1981, Dennis has served as Pilot, Mechanical and Civil Engineer, and from 2002-2018, President of Drury Southwest, Inc. Dennis is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served as an instructor pilot at Randolph Air Force Base. As the Vice President of Flight Operations Dennis oversees the daily operations of the flight department, two company pilots and two company aircraft. He has a commercial pilot license and type rating for a Cessna 525 and Cirrus SF50 Vision jet and over 9,000 hours of flight time.
Dennis is a mechanical engineer and mentors the mechanical engineering team in designing HVAC, plumbing, and sewer systems for our hotel projects. Over the past 38 years he has prepared site planning and grading for more than 60 hotels and other sites, and prepared storm water management plans. Dennis is licensed as a Professional Engineer in 18 states and is also a LEED AP.
He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Drury Southwest, Inc. and as an advisory director for Drury Hotels Company, LLC
Carolyn F. Bohnert, Senior Vice President/Treasurer
Carolyn has been part of the Drury team for more than 46 years. She is responsible for the Company’s financing and treasury management, among many other family and company responsibilities. Having closely supported Company Founder Bob Drury for many years, Carolyn now shares in the day-to-day cash flow management responsibilities and the overall financial stewardship of the Company. Carolyn serves on the Board of Directors of Drury Southwest, Inc.
Larry J. Westrich, Senior Vice President
Larry has been with the Drury family of companies since 1978. Larry leads Drury Southwest, Inc.’s hotel site acquisition and development team. He is the company’s representative in finding, identifying and negotiating locations for new developments. He leads the due diligence teams through survey, environmental, geotechnical and easement agreements prior to closing on a site. He is also responsible for the leasing, management and development of all non-hotel related assets – from bowling alleys, C- stores, retail and residential to national call centers and big-box anchor tenants. Larry serves on the Board of Directors for Drury Southwest, Inc. Larry received his B.S. in Accounting from Southeast Missouri State University in 1984 and his Missouri Real Estate License in 2007.
J. Steven Schmittzehe, Senior Vice President/Controller
Steve is responsible for oversight of all accounting, job costing, tax and IT functions. He grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1986. Steve joined the Company in 1989 and has for most of his career worked closely with Company Founder Bob Drury on the feasibility of various developments and projects, continuing that role today with the development team. He serves on the Board of Directors of Drury Southwest, Inc. and also represents the company as Employee Benefits Administrator.
Herbert J. Wedemeier, Senior Vice President/Secretary/General Counsel
Herb oversees the legal function of Drury Southwest, Inc.’s activities and closely supports the development team in pursuing and closing site and asset transactions. He is also responsible for capital sourcing and debt management – from conventional bank, CMBS and life insurance borrowing, equity and joint venture relationships, to multi-layered public incentive projects involving federal and state historic tax credits, New Market Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds, TIF and community improvement districts, real estate and sales tax incentives, local grants and loans, and §1031 like-kind exchanges. A graduate of St. Louis University and Washington University School of Law, Herb joined the Drury Southwest, Inc. team in 1998 and serves on the Board of Directors of both Drury Southwest, Inc. and Drury Hotels Company, LLC.
Richard G. Drury, Director and Special Counsel
Rick is involved in a variety of areas including development and operations, with an emphasis on oversight and macro conditions. Rick serves on the Board of Directors of Drury Southwest, Inc. as well as Drury Hotels Company, LLC. A third generation family business member who grew up in the hospitality and construction business, Rick has rich experience throughout all aspects of the construction and hotel development business. Rick has a B.A. in Finance from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and earned his Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1998.
Mark L. Stevens, P.E., Vice President/Director of Construction
Mark is responsible for overseeing the construction of new hotel developments as well as the commercial subcontracting division. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and is responsible for the structural designs of new and existing buildings. Mark has also performed many roles in addition to engineering, including field inspector, estimator, superintendent and project manager since his employment with Drury in 1983. Mark attended Southeast Missouri State University and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla.
S. Darin Halter, Vice President of Construction Management
Darin joined Drury Southwest in 2014 after 20 years of various engineering and management positions in a manufacturing facility. He has BS Mechanical Engineering and MS Engineering Management degrees from Missouri S&T (Rolla). His responsibilities include managing the budgets and schedules for hotel construction. Darin is also a licensed Professional Engineer and coordinates the design of hotel mechanical and plumbing systems with the rest of the Drury Southwest design team.
Dave Alberson, Vice President of Architecture and Design
Dave leads Drury Southwest, Inc.’s Architecture and Interior Design team in the development of building programs and plans for the design and renovation of the company’s hotels and commercial properties. His responsibilities also include coordinating with the company’s Real Estate Development, Engineering, Construction, Operations and Legal Executive Teams during project development and construction. Dave received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Southeast Missouri State University in 1977 and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Arkansas in 1982, joining the Drury organization in 1998. He has over 34 years’ experience as a registered architect and is currently licensed in 24 states. Dave is accredited by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and is certified by the US Green Building Council as a LEED Accredited Professional.