Premier Welcomes New Senior Vice President of Procurement

Richard Oakes Brings His Vast Hospitality Experience to Lead the Firm’s Procurement Team

DALLAS – July 11, 2023 – Premier, an end-to-end architecture, design, procurement, and project management and development firm, is pleased to announce the hire of Richard Oakes as Senior Vice President of Procurement. Having previously held roles at well-known hotel brands, Oakes brings 35 years of experience working across multiple disciplines including operations, procurement, sales and marketing, franchise services, and revenue management. At Premier, he will be responsible for developing and implementing procurement strategies to optimize the acquisition of goods and services while ensuring cost savings, quality, and efficiency for the world’s leading hotel brands. 

“Richard’s trusted relationships and desire to lead highly successful teams will further strengthen the procurement team’s stellar track record of providing cost-saving solutions for our clients,” said Hector Sanchez, Chief Executive Officer of Premier. “His strategic vision and leadership will ensure efficient and effective processes that support Premier’s business objectives.” 

Oakes brings with him extensive knowledge that spans all product and service categories and a delivery of organizational initiatives for design, construction, operations, and asset management teams. The new SVP will lead the procurement team to drive value to Premier’s internal and external customers through brand buying power, purchasing efficiencies, and timely execution to drive successful project purchasing. Oakes will be responsible for enhancing the purchasing team, the strategies put into place, and the delivery of exceptional value to all clients. 

“What drew me to the Premier team was the firm’s unique business model and the caliber of the leadership team,” said Oakes. “In my new role, I hope to expand upon Premier’s exceptionally strong procurement model and leverage the strength of Ashford’s portfolio to utilize our collective buying power and provide unparalleled results for our clients.” 

Before joining Premier, Oakes held positions at Omni Hotels & Resorts, Zoës Kitchen, Gaylord Entertainment, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, and other notable hospitality brands. Throughout his career, Oakes led teams across the globe to help them perform efficiently and profitably while mentoring colleagues and businesses to guide them in moving to the next level. He also helped devise solutions through the impacts of the September 11th attacks, SARs, Bali Bombings, and other international challenges. He has effectively brought teams together to work quickly when needed to solve resource and logistical constraints. 

With experience working within Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and the United States to drive brand growth, Oakes will continue to lead highly successful teams with a deep understanding of the hospitality industry at Premier. He will also create and execute strategies that will drive real change and bring exceptional value to the entire portfolio of clients.

About Premier 

Dallas-based Premier is a full-service firm with over 25 years of expertise across architecture, interior design, procurement, project management, construction development and contract administration. With all services yielded under one roof, Premier’s team is in constant pursuit of finding innovative solutions to the hospitality, multifamily and student housing industry’s increasingly complex problems; from straightforward soft goods refreshes to transformative custom designs for renovations, redevelopments and new developments, their team of professionals is dedicated to excellence across a multitude of market sectors. From concept to completion, Premier provides consultative services that are unmatched, bringing their clients’ vision for the built environment to life. For more information, please visit www.premierpm.com.

Premier is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ashford Inc. (NYSE American: AINC).  Certain statements and assumptions in this press release contain or are based upon “forward-looking” information and are being made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements about Premier’s client development and growth. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Such statements are also subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control.