Suburban man had passions for hotels
The newly renovated Crowne Plaza hotel in Glen Ellyn is scheduled to open in July, but one of its key developers won't be on hand to celebrate its transformation.
Charles J. "Chick" Cervenka, had been working with the hotel's new sales and marketing staff to position the venue prominently in the Western suburbs, even accompanying them on cold calls in the area.
He passed away March 31 after a long illness. Mr. Cervenka, a longtime Winfield resident, was 50.
Most recently, Mr. Cervenka was vice president of hotel sales for F&F Realty, based in Skokie, which manages six nationally franchised hotels.
They include the Crowne Plaza North Shore in Mundelein, the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro, the DoubleTree in Arlington Heights, the Holiday Inn Express in Palatine, the Holiday Inn in Itasca and the Crowne Plaza in Glen Ellyn.
"Two of our newest hotels, the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro and the DoubleTree in Arlington Heights are performing at the top of their competition sets," says Leslie Colman, senior vice president of asset management for F & F Realty, "and that is a direct result of the strategic planning Chick put into place."
Prior to that, Mr. Cervenka worked in marketing and sales for Radisson Hotels and Resorts, the Swiss Grand Hotel in Chicago, Four Seasons Hotels in Boston and Austin, with Hyatt Hotels Corp.
Colman had worked with Mr. Cervenka for years before she was able to recruit him to join F & F Realty last year. She said drawing on all of Mr. Cervenka's experience -- and optimism -- was invaluable for her hotel managers, and sales and marketing teams.
"We were so fortunate to have him in our company," Colman said. "He was larger than life, a charismatic person who had such a strong presence in any room he was in."
When Mr. Cervenka wasn't working with hotels, he was promoting them, and the western suburbs as an entertainment destination.
From 1995 to 1998, he served on the board of directors of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, including acting as its chairman from 1994 to 1996. At the time, he served as general manager of the Radisson Hotel in Downers Grove.
"He brought real leadership and a passion for the industry to the board," says Skip Strittmatter, president, "that was instrumental in helping us grow."
Mr. Cervenka brought just as much passion and enthusiasm to the youth sports his son Wade participated in, including serving as a coach for the Winfield in Action and Wheaton Park District teams, as well as the Winfield Wolves travel baseball team.
Besides his son, Mr. Cervenka is survived by his wife, Karen, as well as his mother, Marie S. (Kenneth) Gerler of Plainfield; and siblings Robert A. Cervenka of Plainfield; Linda (Thomas) Mathre of Newark, Ill., and Debbie (David) Nies of Aurora.
Services have been held.