Press Releases
Lebanon, N.H. – Oct. 5, 2006
Conference Space Combines With Community Philanthropy in New Lebanon, N.H. Courtyard by Marriott
When the 124-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel opens in Lebanon, N.H.’s Centerra Park later this month, the Upper Valley will get much more than a quality hotel and seven state of the art meeting rooms. The area will also receive a new community contributor whose gracious, philanthropic owners are as passionate about “doing good” as they are about doing well.
David Leatherwood, CEO of Norwich Partners and the general partner in the project, has had a longtime ambition of dedicating a percentage of hotel profits to charity. Leatherwood and his business partner, Eric Sachsse, president of Norwich Partners and a Dartmouth and Tuck graduate, formed a partnership in 2003 with Jenny Williams of Norwich – also a Dartmouth alumna – to purchase the Residence Inn by Marriott at Centerra and to build the Courtyard by Marriott at Centerra.
Leatherwood and Williams then established the Children’s Fund of the Upper Valley, a component fund of the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, to support projects and organizations, such as CHaD, that improve the lives of children in the local community through quality healthcare, child care, arts and educational initiatives. Through the two hotels, Leatherwood and Williams have committed to contributing at least $1 million to the fund over the next ten years.
“We hope other local businesses and entrepreneurs will follow our example,” said Williams, who has spent 20 years as a nonprofit fundraiser. Williams will lead a local advisory committee for the fund that will collaborate with the Upper Valley Region to review proposals and recommend annual grants.
The opening of the Courtyard by Marriott this fall is a celebration of the children of the Upper Valley and the nonprofits that support them. Both hotels will feature rotating exhibitions of children's art, with the AVA (Alliance for the Visual Arts) Gallery serving as the first exhibitor. In addition, renowned artist Jesse Blanchard, who grew up in Norwich and now lives and works in Santa Fe, N.M., with his wife Maggie Orem Blanchard, has donated a series of five etchings that are featured behind the front desk at the new Courtyard. Blanchard was born 12 weeks premature in 1974 and spent 10 weeks in the NICU at CHaD. As one of NICU’s very first patients, he feels a special kinship with ChaD.
Local artist and Marion Cross Elementary school art teacher Tracy Smith has made 100 “Stars of Hope” to help celebrate the opening. Smith creates the unique fused glass ornamental stars as a way of reaching out to others. She has gifted or sold at cost thousands of the ornaments to hospitals all over the country, from the DHMC breast imaging center, to the Bon Secours-Stuart Hospital in Richmond, VA. The Children’s Fund has purchased 70 Stars of Hope at cost from Smith and will gift one to each family with a child staying at CHaD the night of their opening celebration. Stars of Hope will also be sold at the hotel, with proceeds to benefit the Children’s Fund.
The Children’s Fund advisors have also recommended a number of grants to local nonprofits to celebrate the opening of the new Courtyard. Grantees include: The Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), The Child Care Center in Norwich, The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), The Family Place, Hanover Youth in Action, The Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts at Dartmouth College, The Montshire Museum of Science, and the The Upper Valley Haven, Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINs).
While these grants will go far in helping children in the Upper Valley, Leatherwood and Williams emphasize that this is only the beginning. “Over the next 12 to 18 months, we will begin reviewing proposals for grants from the Children’s Fund,” Williams explains. “We will select grantees on an annual basis, with help from a talented and diverse local advisory committee.”
The Children’s Fund is particularly interested in entrepreneurial philanthropy, which helps grantees expand their own organizational or fundraising capacity; and in programs or projects that expose children and teens to the joys of volunteerism and giving.
About the new Courtyard by Marriott
The new 124-room Courtyard by Marriott in Lebanon, N.H. is owned by Norwich Partners and managed by Kansas-based True North Hotel Group. With many local organizations and businesses traveling as far as Woodstock to find sufficient conference space, the concept of a new hotel has been enthusiastically applauded by local business leaders and by officials at Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
The hotel’s design mirrors the elegant architecture found throughout Centerra Park, and offers seven state of the art meeting rooms; shuttle service on demand; free wireless data connection; a full kitchen to accommodate conference groups; a business library featuring individual workstations with high-speed data ports and ergonomic chairs; a pantry-style, 24-hour “grab and go” food and beverage area called The Market; the Courtyard Cafe restaurant (serving breakfast); a cocktail lounge serving light snacks and an indoor swimming pool with whirlpool spa and fitness room. Courtyard guest rooms feature either a king-size bed or two queen-size beds, a seating area with sofa bed or oversized chair, a large, well-lit work desk and two telephones equipped with data ports. The new Courtyard features five suites with a king-size bed, refrigerator and microwave oven. Other in-room amenities include coffee maker, hair dryer, iron with ironing board, and full digital cable television with HBO and Cinemax channels free to guests.
Leatherwood noted, “This beautiful, upscale hotel will complement businesses that the city of Lebanon has been able to attract, like Glycofi, Fluent, Hypertherm and Teleatlas. Dartmouth, one of the premier educational institutions in the world, and DHMC, a superb tertiary care facility, also demand a top-notch facility that can cater to the needs of sophisticated business travelers and conference participants.”
Serving as general manager of the new hotel is John Harding, a 20-year hospitality industry veteran, who has opened six hotels, including three for Marriott. Harding originally worked for Jack DeBoer, who pioneered the Residence Inn concept in the mid-70s. He notes, “We are delighted to be able to respond to the diverse needs of the local market with a Courtyard by Marriott, catering to businesses and individuals requiring an upscale conference facility for a two- to three-day stay. Our sister property, the Residence Inn by Marriott, will continue to offer guests a ‘home away from home’ in an apartment-like setting, for extended stays.” Potential guests may call (603) 643-5600 for information and reservations.