NEWH - Summer 2016 - 30

Q&A

Chatting with
Mary Blanchard

Arizona chapter president and owner
of the Material Collective

How did you become involved in NEWH?
Ultimately, I joined NEWH because of the networking
opportunities that were available. Since joining, I have become
very passionate about elevating the work of our board to increase
the exposure of our events to the design, culinary, and hotel
management communities, keeping in mind that the main goal is
raising money for our scholarships.
What has NEWH done for you, both personally and professionally?
NEWH has given me the opportunity to see the bigger picture
of the hospitality industry by being able to connect with other
professionals on a national level. By participating on the board
of our local chapter, I have developed my leadership abilities and
leveraged my local relationships to build a great team, which in
turn, helps our chapter be successful in reaching our goals.
What do you have planned for 2016?
Th is April, our chapter debuted a new event, Wine & Dine Under
the Stars-it was a huge success! Five culinary students competed
for a $1,500 scholarship. Th is event was also our 20th anniversary
celebration. Several former board members attended, including a
few from our founding board. We are also busy planning a tour of
Harkins Theater, designed by Bar Napkin Productions, and soon
we will be starting to plan our golf fundraiser for the fall.
What were some of the highlights from 2015?
Last year, we held a program with Tziporah Salamon, a woman
featured in the book and documentary Advanced Style. We learned
of her spirited life story through the presentation of her unique
vintage clothing collection. And during our second annual golf
event, we tripled our profits from the year before, allowing our
chapter to offer more generous scholarship awards in 2016.

30 www.newh.org

Tell us a bit about your company. Any recent initiatives or
new launches?
I am the owner of the Material Collective, an independent sales
agency. I represent several hospitality design manufacturers
throughout the Arizona, New Mexico, and Las Vegas markets.
A few notable projects that I've been a part of in 2016 include: the
Hotel Syracuse in Scottsdale, Arizona; Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque;
and the Polo Towers lobby remodel in Las Vegas.
Latest travel highlight or plans?
In March, I went to Europe for eight days. I spent a day touring
the Chelsom headquarters in Blackpool, England, where I had a
preview of the new collections that were introduced at HD Expo
in Las Vegas. Then I headed to Spain to participate in the Andreu
World 60th anniversary celebration at their headquarters in
Valencia and met founder Francisco Andreu Marti, toured the
seating and table factories, and took in the sights and celebrations
of Las Fallas, a popular fiesta to welcome the spring.
When you aren't working or at an NEWH event, where can we
find you?
Our family recently joined Phoenix Country Club. My kids like
the pool, I like the weekend tennis clinics, and my husband is on
the golf course. We've started a family tradition of playing nine
holes as a family each weekend. ❙❘❚
http://www.newh.org
NEWH - Summer 2016

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