At its 2021 North American Convention, BWH Hotel Group named Larry Cuculic as the company's new president and CEO. Cuculic will take over in December after the departure of longstanding leader David Kong.
Cuculic has been serving as SVP and general counsel for the company for 12 years and will assume his new role as president and CEO on Dec. 1.
Taking the stage at the conference, Cuculic thanked Best Western’s board of directors for their confidence. “I will work hard and do my best,” he said. When he met with the board regarding the position, he told the attendees, he assured them he would serve them and the company’s members. “I also assured them I would serve humbly and with integrity and honor. I will keep my word.”
Best Western’s members and leadership count on each other for success, he continued: “Recognizing this, and recognizing we are a membership association and every member has a voice that deserves to be heard and considered, we will guide this iconic brand together.”
Six Promises
Cuculic then made six promises to the assembled members. First, he would hear and consider those voices. “In January, I will travel and conduct a listening tour. I want to meet with you in your backyard and have an honest and open dialogue. I want you to tell us what we're doing well and what we can do to improve.”
Second, he made a commitment to “work hard with honesty, integrity and fairness,” and to lead by example. Third, the company’s leadership team will be focused on driving superior revenue to its members. “As they say in the military, that's our mission—why we exist and what we can never forget,” he said. Fourth, the company will spend its income—generated by membership fees—“wisely” as it invests in marketing and technology. “Money spent will be spent prudently and intelligently,” he said.
Fifth, he promised to “strategically grow” the Best Western brand through measured development in a way that would not negatively impact members’ hotels. “Sixth: Together, we have an obligation to protect Best Western's reputation and goodwill so that the more guests stay at Best Western hotels, the more likely they are to return.”
The Selection
After the general session, several Best Western executives shared their thoughts on the selection and the process of determining who would inherit Kong’s legacy.
Kong himself said that he had told the board of directors “about a year ago” that he was ready to move on, but was only involved in the selection process in the very beginning of the initiative. “I would find it awkward to be involved because we have such qualified internal candidates and I can't be showing preference to anybody,” he said. He did, however, work with the board to outline the qualifications the board would use when qualifying potential candidates
Ishwar Naran, board chairman of BWH Hotel Group, said that over the course of eight months, the board hired a consulting firm and began interviewing internal applicants for the job before expanding the search to external applicants. From 24 external applications, the consulting team and the board narrowed the selection to six before reducing it to three after further interviews. In September, the board interviewed three of the internal candidates before agreeing unanimously on Cuculic. “All the qualities that we were looking for we found in Larry and I have no doubt—and the whole board has no doubt—that we have made the right decision,” Naran said.
Ron Pohl, SVP and COO at Best Western, was among the internal candidates for the position, and said he and Cuculic knew they would support one another if either got the top spot. “We're even beyond colleagues,” he said. “We're best friends outside of work.”
Greg Adams, SVP and chief digital officer, said some of the names he heard rumored for the position were laughable. “It definitely demonstrated a lack of understanding of Best Western,” he said. “Best Western is very unique. Most people don't realize we're not for profit. We don't have a profit-type mentality. We're not public [and] we don't have shareholders.” His customers, he said, are the company’s members. “That type of environment creates a much closer, more aligned, more focused type of environment for everybody involved.”
As such, Adams believes an external candidate would have had a hard time getting up to speed quickly. “You have to learn the culture,” he said. Best Western’s leadership does not make major decisions without member input. In fact, members vote on any major change. “There’s a ballot, which means there is so much less telling and a lot more selling, and it makes us better,” Adams said. “Our members have the opportunity to ask any of the executive team and the board a question, or to actually tell them where they're wrong—which happens as well.”
Cuculic's CV
As SVP and general counsel, Cuculic provided counsel, leadership and guidance on all legal issues relating to Best Western's corporate environment and membership. He also has been responsible for setting and managing strategic direction and for providing guidance on corporate legal issues, including board and governance matters. Additionally, he provided advice and assistance to the board of directors and to Best Western’s membership regarding Best Western’s regulatory documents, and membership rights, duties and obligations.
Cuculic was also responsible for Best Western’s human resources functions, reservations and customer care voice channel operations, and administrative support of hotel development.
Cuculic is a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s General Counsel Committee and is a director on the board of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association.
Before joining Best Western, Cuculic was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Wabash National Corp. Previously, Cuculic served as vice president legal and corporate secretary for American Commercial Lines and was a partner in the law firm Gambs, Mucker & Bauman. Before retiring from the U.S. Army, Cuculic served as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer in various legal positions, including appointment as a military judge.
Cuculic received his bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his law degree from Notre Dame Law School. He also earned a Master of Laws degree from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School and graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.