Editorial Board   Guest Author

Ms. Kula

Stacy Kula

Chair of the Alcohol & Hospitality Department, Stoll Keenon Ogden, PLLC

Stacy Kula is the Chair of the Alcohol and Hospitality Department at the law firm of Stoll Keenon Ogden, PLLC. She practices law through out the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Although Ms. Kula has a wide range of experience, she focuses her practice on liquor licensing, hospitality law, mergers and acquisitions, entity formation, real estate purchases and leases, and general contract law.

She works closely with the alcoholic beverage industry, representing, among others, hotels, national franchises, night clubs, restaurants, bars and alcohol manufacturers. Ms. Kula regularly applies for all types of alcoholic beverage licenses with state regulatory agencies and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and works with licensees through all phases of their business. She has acted as lead ABC counsel to a number of licensees in multi-state transactions, obtaining licenses in numerous jurisdictions. She also defends licensees against allegations of misconduct and alcohol violations.

She is a second term elected member of the Board of Directors of Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys (AHIA). She is also a member of the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys (NAABLA) and the National Association of Licensing Compliance Professional (NALCP).

She has published a number of articles about the alcohol industry and is a regular contributor to the Distiller magazine. She speaks frequently at national conventions about relevant issues in the alcohol industry.

Despite practicing in the Bourbon epicenter, Ms. Kula's favorite alcohols are spiced rum, gin and limoncello - but she's always willing to sample the newest product on the market!

She graduated with a B.S. from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University. In addition, Ms. Kula received her LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida.


Please visit http://www.skofirm.com for more information.

Ms. Kula can be contacted at 859-231-3054 or stacy.kula@skofirm.com

Coming up in March 2019...

Human Resources: An Era of Transition

Traditionally, the human resource department administers five key areas within a hotel operation - compliance, compensation and benefits, organizational dynamics, selection and retention, and training and development. However, HR professionals are also presently involved in culture-building activities, as well as implementing new employee on-boarding practices and engagement initiatives. As a result, HR professionals have been elevated to senior leadership status, creating value and profit within their organization. Still, they continue to face some intractable issues, including a shrinking talent pool and the need to recruit top-notch employees who are empowered to provide outstanding customer service. In order to attract top-tier talent, one option is to take advantage of recruitment opportunities offered through colleges and universities, especially if they have a hospitality major. This pool of prospective employees is likely to be better educated and more enthusiastic than walk-in hires. Also, once hired, there could be additional training and development opportunities that stem from an association with a college or university. Continuing education courses, business conferences, seminars and online instruction - all can be a valuable source of employee development opportunities. In addition to meeting recruitment demands in the present, HR professionals must also be forward-thinking, anticipating the skills that will be needed in the future to meet guest expectations. One such skill that is becoming increasingly valued is “resilience”, the ability to “go with the flow” and not become overwhelmed by the disruptive influences  of change and reinvention. In an era of transition—new technologies, expanding markets, consolidation of brands and businesses, and modifications in people's values and lifestyles - the capacity to remain flexible, nimble and resilient is a valuable skill to possess. The March Hotel Business Review will examine some of the strategies that HR professionals are employing to ensure that their hotel operations continue to thrive.

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