West Virginia Executive Spring/Summer 2020 | Page 88

retail food industry by giving back to
their communities.
“I am honored to be named among the
2020 Top Women in Grocery,” says Allen.
“Living our values has been a driving
force of the The Ziegenfelder Company for
159 years, which is what helped us rally
after a challenging year and continue
outreach efforts within our Wheeling
community.”
Allen became CEO of The Ziegenfelder
Company in 2003 and majority owner
from her father in 2005. Since that time,
the frozen ice novelty maker has grown
steadily under her direction and is now
the largest producer of frozen Twin Pops
in the U.S.
In January 2019, a devastating fire at
the company’s main plant in Wheeling,
WV, destroyed the original portion of
the facility. Allen was able to activate a
leadership team that quickly managed the
crisis. Production was up and running
again within 18 days under her direction.
One of the youngest members of the
leadership team that was instrumental in
re-opening quickly was Breanna Humphries.
She is honored as a rising star among the
Top Women in Grocery. Humphries also
helped form the Zieggy Impact Group,
an employee-led donation and community
outreach organization.
“Breanna is an exemplary employee,
and she stepped up when we needed it
most,” says Allen. “Her commitment and
work ethic have advanced her quickly
within the company and the rising star
award is well-deserved.”
Charlestowne Hotels Makes
Monumental Deal with
The Thrash Group
Full-service hospitality management
group Charlestowne Hotels recently announced
a formal agreement with The
Thrash Group, a national hospitality development
company, to oversee its entire
portfolio of hotels. Under this new agreement,
Charlestowne will add 10 properties
to its portfolio—the management company’s
largest single deal in its 40-year
history—including the Hotel Morgan in
Morgantown, WV.
The partnership with The Thrash
Group adds over 1,200 keys to Charlestowne’s
portfolio count and expands the
management company’s national footprint
to 50 hotels in more than 20 states,
including the group’s first properties in
Kentucky, Colorado and Texas. With
proven success in secondary and tertiary
cities, Charlestowne Hotels will also
help Thrash develop experience-driven
independent lifestyle properties in markets
such as Morgantown. The Thrash
Group has also tapped Charlestowne
Hotels to oversee the continued development
and expansion of the Origin Hotel
brand, which is projected to grow up to
10 hotels in the next four years under
Charlestowne’s management.
“Each of our hotels, and the teams
that support them, have their own personality,
culture and guest experience.
Charlestowne’s work will act as a microphone
for these brand attributes,” says
Walker Thrash, partner of The Thrash
Group. “The Charlestowne Hotels team
doesn’t manage in a box, they hone in on
the unique identity of each property to
develop operations, marketing and revenue
strategies built to mirror each hotel’s
individual characteristics while keeping
a keen eye on guest experience.”
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE