The Sotherly Experience Sotherly Foundation Our People

The Sotherly Experience

At Sotherly, we are dedicated to understanding and serving our guests better than anyone else because we believe guests are the heart of every hotel. That’s why we’ve made delivering true Southern Hospitality our central mission. Because to us, Southern Hospitality isn’t a regional curiosity; it’s an authentic experience that helps our guests see, feel, taste, and enjoy everything the local culture has to offer, both during their stay and after they leave.

Our generations of hospitality experience have taught us that guests want their hotel to feel like a natural extension of the city they’re visiting – they want it to blend seamlessly into its surroundings like a front porch into a Southern summer night.

We’ve designed our hotels with our guests in mind, weaving our trademark Southern charm into every corner of the guest experience to make sure that guests feel so connected to the local area and so refreshed by its culture that they’ll soon forget where the city ends and the hotel walls begin.

At the end of the day, our guests are like our family – and we treat them as such.  Our ultimate goal is to turn moments into lasting memories that will keep guests coming back time and time again, and it’s our belief that happy guests lead to happy shareholders.

Sotherly Foundation

The Sotherly Foundation is the community outreach arm of Sotherly Hotels. We created the Foundation in 2015 because we wanted to take a more hands-on approach to making a difference in the communities surrounding our hotels, one family at a time.

Each year, the Sotherly Foundation will provide significant aid to one or more American veterans living in the communities around its hotels. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we work directly with the veteran and his or her family to find out what they need most and to determine a strategy for meeting that need in the most lasting and meaningful way possible. All recipients are chosen by the Sotherly Foundation Board of Directors with assistance from qualified organizations like the United States Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment.

The majority of all funds raised comes from the hard work and caring dedication of the employees of our hotels, although the Foundation does accept donations from the general public as well. As a 501(c)3 registered non-profit, all contributions to the Sotherly Foundation are tax-deductible.

For more information on the Sotherly Foundation, visit our site at sotherlyfoundation.com or send us an email anytime at foundation@sotherlyhotels.com.





 

 

Our People

Management Team

Andrew Sims

Andrew Sims

CHAIRMAN

Drew Sims is Chairman of Sotherly Hotels Inc. Before his appointment to his current role, Mr. Sims served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since leading the company’s initial public offering in 2004 as MHI Hospitality Corporation through 2019. Previously, Mr. Sims had served as president of MHI Hotels Services following a seven year term as Vice President of Finance and Development, during which he was instrumental in the purchase and renovation of several properties that drove the growth of MHI Hotels Services in the 1990s. Mr. Sims’ association with Sotherly Hotels and MHI Hotels Services continues a family tradition in the hotel industry which began with his father, Edgar Sims Jr., who founded MHI Hotels Services as Maryland Hospitality, Inc. in 1957.

Mr. Sims is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, with a bachelor’s degree in commerce. Mr. Sims currently serves as a director for Chesapeake Hospitality and previously served on the Franchise Advisory Board for Hilton Hotels. He is also involved in the community as a former trustee and basketball coach for Walsingham Academy.

David Folsom

David Folsom

PRESIDENT & CEO

Dave Folsom is President & CEO of Sotherly Hotels, Inc. Mr. Folsom joined Sotherly in 2006, serving as President & COO until assuming his current role in early 2020.  Before joining the Sotherly team, Mr. Folsom served as Vice President of Paragon Real Estate, a Cleveland-based early-stage commercial real estate venture specializing in the acquisition and renovation of multifamily assets. Prior to his tenure at Paragon, Mr. Folsom spent several years as an investment banker at BB&T Capital Markets, where he served on the lead underwriting team in MHI’s initial public offering in 2004. While at BB&T, Mr. Folsom participated in more than 70 equity, debt and preferred stock underwritings, as well as financial advisory transactions across many industries. He acted concurrently in the Real Estate Securities Group and Debt Capital Markets Group while at BB&T. Mr. Folsom served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and received his master’s degree in business from Georgetown University.  He currently serves as Executive Director of the Georgetown MBA Alumni Advisory Council and acts as adjunct professor at the Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary.

Anthony Domalski

Anthony Domalski

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & SECRETARY

Tony Domalski is Chief Financial Officer & Secretary of Sotherly Hotels, Inc. Mr. Domalski previously served the Company as CFO & VP as well as Chief Accounting Officer since joining Sotherly in 2005. Previously, Mr. Domalski served as chief financial officer for SwissFone, Inc., a Washington, D.C.- based telecommunications company. While at SwissFone, Mr. Domalski assisted in a management-led buyout of the U.S.-based international wholesale division of Swisscom AG. Prior to his tenure at SwissFone, Inc., Mr. Domalski held several other senior financial positions in the telecommunications and hospitality industry and spent nine years at a local public accounting firm. Mr. Domalski is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a graduate of the University of Maryland, from which he received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance.

Scott Kucinski

Scott Kucinski

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Scott Kucinski is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Sotherly Hotels Inc. Mr. Kucinski has served in a variety of roles since joining Sotherly in 2004, including Director of Construction Services and, most recently, Vice President of Operations and Investor Relations. Mr. Kucinski holds an MBA from the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary and a BA from Washington and Lee University.

Robert Kirkland IV

Robert Kirkland IV

GENERAL COUNSEL

Robert E. “Bert” Kirkland IV is the General Counsel for Sotherly Hotels Inc. Before taking on his current role, Mr. Kirkland previously served as Compliance Officer, during which time he oversaw the Company’s public company compliance program, provided legal support for various corporate transactions, acted as a conduit to outside counsel, and managed the shareholder service function of the Company. Mr. Kirkland joined the Company in 2013.

Board of Directors

Herschel Walker

Herschel Walker

Director

Herschel Walker is the founder and CEO of H. Walker Enterprises, LLC and its subsidiary Renaissance Man Food Services, LLC, which manufactures, sells, and distributes meat products to multiple major national corporate, retail, and military accounts. In addition, Mr. Walker’s 34 Promotions, a division of H. Walker Enterprises, provides Fortune 500 companies with full-service promotional products with its in-house creative design team and photo studio. Mr. Walker also owns Herschel’s Chicken and Ribs Kitchen, a full-service restaurant serving classic Southern cuisine in Athens, GA, since 2013.

Before beginning his career in business, Mr. Walker played college football at the University of Georgia, where he broke numerous school, conference, and NCAA records. He earned All-American honors in three consecutive years, won the Heisman Trophy in his junior year, and was voted into the Collegiate Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Following his college career, Mr. Walker was named MVP of the USFL before transferring to the NFL, where he led the entire league in rushing and earned All-Pro honors. On top of his success on the gridiron, Mr. Walker competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the US bobsled team and is an undefeated MMA fighter.

General Anthony Zinni

General Anthony Zinni (USMC Ret.)

DIRECTOR

General Anthony Zinni, director, retired in October 2000 from the U.S. Marine Corps after 39 years of service. During his military career, Gen. Zinni served as the Commanding General, First Marine Expeditionary Force, from 1994 to 1996, and as Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command, from 1997 to 2000. Gen. Zinni has participated in numerous humanitarian operations and presidential diplomatic missions. In November 2001, Gen. Zinni was appointed senior adviser and U.S. envoy to the Middle East by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Since November 2000, Gen. Zinni has consulted in the areas of defense, military, national security, foreign policy and regional issues. Gen.Zinni serves as a professor at The College of William & Mary and at the Virginia Military Institute, positions he has held since November 2000.

Gen. Zinni currently serves as director and member of the Compensation Committee of BAE Systems. Gen. Zinni received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Villanova University. He also earned a master’s degree in international relations from Salve Regina College, a master’s degree in management and supervision from Central Michigan University and honorary doctorate degrees from The College of William & Mary and Maine Maritime Academy.

Edward Stein

Edward Stein

Director

Edward Stein is a director and chairman of the Nominating, Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee. Mr. Stein is a founding partner of the Norfolk, Virginia law firm of Weinberg & Stein. Mr. Stein has practiced law in the areas of real estate, estate planning, probate, corporate law, business law and licensing since 1974. He is admitted to the Virginia Bar and is a member of the Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia bar associations. Mr. Stein was educated at the Lawrenceville School (1964), Harvard College (A.B. 1968) and the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D. 1974).

G. Scott Gibson IV

G. Scott Gibson IV

Director

G. Scott Gibson IV is the J. E. Zollinger Professor of Finance at the College of William & Mary Mason School of Business and currently serves on the editorial board of Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. His extensive research in hospitality, real estate, and finance has been published in top academic journals as well as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, and Bloomberg. He holds a B.S. and Ph.D. in finance from Boston College, and he previously held academic appointments at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and the University of Minnesota before joining the College of William & Mary faculty in 2005.

Maria L. Caldwell

Maria L. Caldwell

Director

Maria L. Caldwell currently serves as the Chief Legal Officer and Director of Compliance Services of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), a 110-year-old non-profit corporation that serves as a forum for the 55 boards of accountancy charged with regulating the CPA profession.  Ms. Caldwell joined NASBA in November 2003 to create an in-house legal department and subsequently created a new business development department in which she managed the development of several NASBA software application services including the Accountancy Licensing Library (ALL), NASBAregistry.org, CPE Rules Engine Service and CPE Audit Service.

Prior to joining NASBA, Ms. Caldwell served as general counsel of Sirrom Capital Corporation, a public company specializing in mezzanine debt offerings, where she managed the company’s initial public offering, numerous additional public equity and debt offerings, and over $300 million of loan closings. In addition, she developed and managed the corporate governance program, managed SEC reporting and investor relations, and advised the board on a range of matters. Ms. Caldwell has also practiced law as an associate for both Bass, Berry & Sims and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in the areas of securities law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and corporate law.

Ms. Caldwell holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Duke University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Fairfield University. In addition, Ms. Caldwell became a member of the Bar of the State of California in 1988 and a member of the Bar of the State of Tennessee in 1991.