Meet the Team
Stan Kozlowski, President
During his 20+ year career in hospitality, Kozlowski has completed more than 80 hospitality transactions totaling more than $2.5 billion, including workouts and restructurings, property level investments, senior mortgages, mezzanine mortgages, strategic asset sales, private equity placement, and real estate valuations. Prior to forming CooperWynn Real Estate, he was the vice president, hotel acquisitions at Glenmont Capital Management, a private equity firm that invests in opportunistic real estate and real-estate related investments throughout the U.S. In his role, Kozlowski was responsible for procuring hotel real estate investment opportunities on behalf of the company and its institutional-grade investors. Kozlowski was also the senior vice president at CBRE Hotels Finance, where he was responsible for a variety of hospitality transactions and investment banking services for clients in the hotel sector. Prior to CBRE, Kozlowski was the founder and principal of Forestpark Capital Advisors, a hospitality-specific investment banking company, and a principal at Neptune Hospitality Advisors. In addition, he has held positions with HVS International, Hotel Partners, Sonnenblick-Goldman, and Insignia ESG. Notable transactions in Kozlowski’s career include the development financing of the Courtyard Chelsea on 56th Avenue in Manhattan; the restructuring and sale of the Le Meridien Cancun in Quintana Roo, Mexico; the restructuring and modification of the Westward Look Resort in Tucson, AZ and the Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs, CA; over $103 million of financing for Pinnacle Hotels USA and placing mezzanine construction debt on the Residence Inn in San Diego, CA. Education: Kozlowski holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in real estate and finance and is a licensed real estate broker in Utah and California. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.
W. 435.261.4485
C. 435.729.9244
Steve Kehm, Director of Regional Operations
Steve joins Guard Hospitality with a background in people - coaching people specifically. As the acting women's soccer coach for Northern State University for over 20 years, Steve understands what it takes to recruit, develop, and retain people in order to create a successful team. Additionally, Steve has an extensive background in property management, real estate, and asset ownership. Since joining Guard, Steve has helped us grow our company's portfolio to over $50 million in assets under management, and grown employees to meet the modern demands of the hospitality industry. Steve attended Jamestown College where he received a degree in English Literature.
C. 605.228.1985
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Patrick Naphin, Hotel Operations Specialist
Hailing from the Chicago Land area, Patrick attended the University of Denver where he majored in Political Sciences, with minors in Business Administration and History. While at DU, Patrick helped create and manage a new fraternity on campus, taking on various roles within the organization. An avid athlete, Patrick transitioned into the coaching world where he has coached youth and adult hockey for over 3 years. Patrick also has experience coaching youth football. Prior to joining Guard, Patrick comes from 3+ years of experience in hotel operations and customer service roles. As the Hotels Operations Specialist, Patrick is responsible for organizing hotel task force responsibilities, supporting Guard’s general managers with day-to-day operations, and tracking the hotel's daily ledgers & quality assurance reports.
James Kirkland, Vice President
Prior to joining Guard, James has held numerous “above” property sales and operations leadership roles working with both Marriott International and Hilton branded properties. Most recently James was with Midwest-based Good Hospitality Services where he led the portfolio’s revenue generation and optimization efforts for the organization and served in an operational regional leadership capacity overseeing both Marriott and Hilton branded assets. James has also worked with Peachtree Hotel Group where he served in several internal positions ranging from Senior Regional Director, Full service and Lifestyle brands to Corporate Director, Business Strategy and Analytics. Throughout James’ hospitality career he has successfully opened over 30 premium-branded select-service, extended stay, and full-service properties across the United States. James attended Texas State University where he studied Business Administration with a concentration in management.