Benchmark Appoints Eric Terry VP of Sales and Marketing

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. October 14, 2008

HOUSTON, TX, March 26, 2007. Benchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Eric Terry as vice president of sales and marketing for the leading hospitality management company. Sam Haigh, president and chief operating officer, made the announcement. Mr. Terry will be based at the company's Home Office, located near Houston.

"It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome Eric to Benchmark Hospitality," said Mr. Haigh. "He is a proven leader who brings significant experience in hospitality to his new role, as well as demonstrated success in diverse entrepreneurial sales and marketing initiatives. He is a great addition to Benchmark's leadership team."

A hotelier with an extraordinary record of accomplishments, Eric Terry comes to Benchmark with over three decades of experience and business success within the entertainment, hotel, casino resort and events marketing industries. He was most recently president of Xelerate Group, a marketing agency he launched in 2002, based in Dallas. Mr. Terry grew the enterprise into an organization with a recognized specialty in national events marketing, sponsorship partnering, media buying, and celebrity appearances. Throughout his tenure as president, the company experienced significant growth, expanding at an annual rate of more than 60 percent per year.

Before launching his company, Eric Terry served as vice president of sales and marketing for Malibu Entertainment Worldwide, Inc., of Dallas, which operates 35 family-oriented entertainment parks in locations throughout the United States. While there, he was enormously successful in developing national sponsorship programs through partnerships with major consumer products brands, in addition to overseeing sales and marketing programming for the company.

Mr. Terry has also served as corporate marketing director for Hollywood Casino Corporation of Dallas, where he was responsible for sales and marketing initiatives as well as government affairs for casinos and resorts throughout Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, in Atlantic City and Puerto Rico. While there, Terry rapidly advanced within the organization and within a decade was appointed to six positions of increasing responsibility. These included general manager, regional director of sales and marketing, vice president of sales and marketing, vice president operations and director of casino development, culminating with his appointment as corporate marketing director.

Eric Terry has also served in sales leadership positions within Bristol Hotels - Harvey Hotel Corporation, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, and for Anheuser Busch's "Busch Gardens" of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Mr. Terry is a graduate of Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. Recognized as "An Outstanding Alumnus," he previously served as president of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter. He is an active member of Meeting Professionals International and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. He is a former president and vice president of the Crowne Plaza Marketing Association.

Eric Terry is also actively involved in community service. He is a board member of The Texas Music Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening and restoring music education to Texas schools. He served as vice chairman of Senior Adult Services of Dallas, a non-profit organization committed to caring for seniors as they face changes in abilities caused by illness or age, until his move to the Houston area. Mr. Terry, his wife Leslie, and their young son Reed have relocated to The Woodlands.