Kirk Posmantur’s vigilance as a young hotel guest sparked an early interest in the hospitality business. “As a 12-year-old-kid who traveled a lot, I would write letters complaining about the quality of the sheets and other related hotel services to Howard Johnson, Bill Marriott, and others,” he says.

It’s no wonder, then, that when it came time to consider colleges, Posmantur zeroed in on a program with close ties to the hotel industry. “My father took me to visit UNLV the summer before my senior year,” says Posmantur, a native of Long Island, New York. An unexpected and very lucky meeting with Dean Jerry Vallen promptly sealed the deal. “He said, ‘You’re accepted … right now,’” laughs Posmantur. “He had my file and said, ‘You have enough credits to go to UNLV.’ And there I was at UNLV, at 17 years old. I thought I just hit the jackpot.”

As a hospitality student, Posmantur quickly championed the skill of networking. Fellow students would become “lifelong friends,” and work connections would lead to numerous professional breaks and lay the foundation for a thriving career. “Working in the [casino] pit, working in restaurants, working in housekeeping — having these experiences really gave me an incredible perspective on the business,” he says.

They also helped shape his partnership marketing firm, Axcess Worldwide, which today works with some of the biggest brands around the world.