We transform opportunity
into reality.

Jerry Zeitner

CEO

Jerry Zeitner

CEO

Email Email As Chief Executive Officer, Jerry is responsible for implementing strategic goals to grow the firm’s real estate portfolio by creating capacity for innovative, efficient and effective development projects. He is focused on sourcing real estate investments, developing plans to pursue the selected strategic investment initiatives, creating and maintaining an effective acquisition team and managing the people, programs, processes, and analysis of acquiring real estate, recommending and executing financing programs for the existing portfolio, assisting in sourcing debt capital to support the activities of the real estate portfolio and overseeing the operations of the real estate portfolio.

With over 30 years of hospitality industry experience, Jerry has a broad knowledge of hotel operations, program management, procurement management, design implementation and development. During his 25+ years at The Gettys Group Companies, Jerry has held positions from Project Manager to Chief Operation Officer and has been responsible for overseeing, developing and setting the direction for the Gettys teams, leading projects worth billions of dollars, across the globe.

Jerry holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from Illinois State University.

Damir Sisirak

Sr. Director

Damir Sisirak

Sr. Director

Email Email With more than 15 years of experience in retail, residential, and hotel development, Damir analyzes development opportunities with a focus on architecture, project and construction management, and hotel feasibility. Prior to joining RDP, Damir worked for a large hospitality brokerage, operations and ownership firm where he gained experience in all aspects of hotel development. His multi-faceted background and strengths on both the creative and analytical sides of the business provide him with a uniquely holistic approach to problem solving. Damir has overseen the design and implementation of more than 130 retail, department and grocery stores; and has designed, project-managed and directed procurement for the renovations of several hotels in USA and Canada.

The father of two young children, Damir is a soccer fanatic and coffee connoisseur who enjoys traveling, especially to his homeland in Balkans. He was born in Mostar, Yugoslavia and, attended schools in Slovenia, as well as Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Mirko Schwanebeck

Sr. Controller

Angelica Acebedo-Frint

Principal
Marketing

Angelica Acebedo-Frint

Principal
Marketing

Email Email A devout believer that good design combined with evocative brand storytelling has the power to inspire and compel, Angelica is the lead creative voice of Ridgeline Development Partners and The Gettys Group.

In this role, Angelica is excited to collaborate with clients and teammates, leaning into the brand strategy that is the foundation of beautiful, purpose-driven brands.

A believer in the importance of building a culture of trust and empowerment, Angelica is known as a leader who welcomes different perspectives, encourages exploration, and believes good talent deserves the opportunity to be great. Warm and open, her leadership approach can be summarized simply: “Keep it real,” and “Never lose your sense of humor!”

In addition to serving as Gettys Branding’s Creative Director in the past, Angelica also served as Senior Manager of Global Creative Strategy at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, where she built and led the in-house creative team in their global brand refresh initiatives, launched the company’s new all-inclusive offering, and oversaw the global standards and visual guidelines for all of the company’s brands.

As Creative Director at Trunk Club, she led a team of 15 professionals, developing programs that achieved a remarkable 54% lift in brand awareness. At Nordstrom, she was responsible for the brand’s creative strategy and 360-degree digital marketing campaigns across multiple service lines.

As a member of the Gettys Group's executive committee, Angelica is empowered to not only significantly build the Marketing Department, but also support the firm overall as it moves into its next phase. Her entrepreneurialism, energy, and drive are sure to play a large part in achieving that goal.

Roger G. Hill II

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman

Roger G. Hill II

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman

Email Email With the guiding mantra of “beautiful design is good business,” Roger co-founded Ridgeline Development Partners and The Gettys Group with Andrew Fay. He now leads the development strategy and analysis for this award-winning and influential global hospitality design, procurement, branding and consulting firm.

A true hospitality visionary, Roger’s vision and forward-thinking approach has grown both into global companies. He frequently shares his industry insights on the redevelopment, renovation, and repositioning of hotels for various publications and organizations.

A graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Roger’s vast knowledge, combined with his civic work with such groups as the Urban Land Institute, the International Society for Hospitality Consultants and the White House Conference Delegate for Small Business, has earned him Hospitality Design Magazine’s prestigious Platinum Circle Award, an honor widely recognized for praising exceptional achievement in the hospitality design industry.

Andrew J. Fay

Co-Founder & Board Member

Andrew J. Fay

Co-Founder & Board Member

Email Email An Australian native who now proudly calls Chicago home, Andrew is the President and Founding Partner of Ridgeline Development Partners and The Gettys Group, where he has spearheaded nearly three decades of growth for this groundbreaking and award-winning global hospitality interior design, consulting, branding and procurement firm.

By leveraging Andrew’s diverse background in design, hotel operations, real estate finance and branding, The Gettys Group has established a worldwide reputation for having an innovative and creative approach to the hotel design and development process. The firm has also earned rankings among the top global hospitality design and procurement firms while completing several hundred hospitality projects throughout the world.

An honors graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Andrew is a noted industry speaker who is frequently engaged to share his expertise and insight about the hospitality industry, business strategy and global trends. He is also active with a number of civic groups in his adopted hometown of Chicago.

Meriem Soliman

Board Member

Daniel Del Olmo

Board Member

Daniel Del Olmo

Board Member

Email Daniel del Olmo is President for Sage Hospitality Group - a purpose-led organization that recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Daniel is responsible for leading a team of over six thousand associates across an award-winning portfolio of more than 110 lifestyle hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues across the nation. His focus is to deliver on Sage’s vision of becoming America’s favorite lifestyle hospitality company by enriching peoples’ lives, one experience at a time.

Daniel is a passionate and servant hospitality leader with more than 25 years of experience in growing hospitality brands and nurturing successful partnerships in more than 70 countries around the world. Daniel joined Sage from The Passionality Group, a company he co-founded that has a focus on growing emerging experiential lifestyle brands, such as Habitas and Rolling Stone.

Prior to the Passionality Group, Daniel was CEO of Disruptive Group, a subsidiary of lifestyle hospitality company sbe. His expansive career includes stints as President at Dine Brands Global and various executive roles with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Amadeus and Melia Hotels International.

In 2023, Daniel was named one of “the top 100 most influential people in USA hospitality and travel” by The International Hospitality Institute. He was also named to the list of most influential restaurant CEOs by Nation’s Restaurant News, was a recipient of Hotel News Now’ Hospitality Innovators’ Award and named “Rising Star” three years in a row by Travel Agent
magazine.

Daniel sits on the boards of Gettys Group, Marriott International’s owner advisory council (MINA), and Independent Lodging Congress. He is also a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

He is a Belgian native, speaks six languages, including Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian and Portuguese. He graduated from the University of Hasselt in 1996 with a degree in Applied Economic Sciences and in 1997 with a Master of Business Administration degree.

Kenneth Svendsen

Board Member

Kenneth Svendsen

Board Member

Email Kenneth Svendsen has been a senior global executive, executive board member, CEO, president, global head, and C-suite executive since 1997, with a mission, vision, value, and purpose-driven mindset to drive business transformation. He encompasses deep expertise in the global consumer-experience economy, from developing and setting strategy and vision with a relentless focus on execution. He drives scalable growth and expansion, domestically and internationally, through organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, business transformation, change management, and commercial and brand leadership while driving ESG and DEI enterprises. For Kenneth, value creation is a strategic process that involves developing human capital, building culture, and driving with purpose and alignment.

Kenneth's diverse professional engagements reflect his commitment to making a meaningful impact and tackling the world's to-do list outlined by the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is involved in Board of Directors work at The Gettys Group, Star Harbor, Living Classrooms Foundation, and Sparo Gives. He also serves as an expert in residence at think tank Toeffler Associates and as an advisor to smaller social enterprise platforms Sudara and a start-up/accelerator company RevHubOC and RevFund.