Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
INDIANAPOLIS - Bruce and Steve Shaffner were honored here Wednesday for achievements in the tourism and hospitality industries.
The Vista Award for professional achievement was presented at the end of a luncheon hosted, in part, by the Indiana Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus.
The presentation, by Gov. Frank O'Bannon and Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan, was made at the culmination of a two-day conference at the Indiana Convention Center.
The Shaffners have been a mainstay in Warsaw dining, lodging and entertainment for nearly three decades.
The Shaffners operate the newly remodeled Ramada Inn and incorporated it into an entertainment complex that now includes Wagon Wheel Theatre, 2517 Restaurant and White Hill Manor - all located on East Center Street near U.S. 30.
The Ramada, which includes 155 rooms, the ViewPoint Restaurant, Brewski's Pub, 4,000 square feet of banquet space and two pools, underwent major renovations in the past year, transforming it from a older Holiday Inn into an upscale hotel facility.
"We're trying to have something where we can take care of many, many peoples' needs and wants," said Bruce Shaffner.
"We really do have a unique property," he said. "It's definitely not the norm of any property out there."
Presentation of the award was organized as a surprise for the brothers.
Dane Miller, an investor in the Ramada project, shuttled the Shaffners to Indianapolis on his Biomet jet under the pretense of "doing lunch" with some business associates.
Instead, Miller took them to the convention center where they dined with several hundred people from the hospitality industry, many of whom are associated with county convention and visitor bureaus from Indiana.
Bruce Shaffner said he had an inkling of what was happening when the luncheon began, but was "dumfounded" when their names were announced.
The Shaffners were nominated by the Kosciusko County CVB, members of whom attended the convention and took efforts to stay out of view of the Shaffners until after the luncheon. Shaffners' family, including parents and children, attended the luncheon and sat in the back, out of the view of the brothers.
Various Vista Awards were distributed for aspects such as promotions, but the professional achievement award was one of the few honors spotlighting individuals.
In the five-year history of the award, the Shaffners are the first local winners, said local CVB director Linda Arnold.
"I see it as a long-term investment because of their belief in the community," Arnold said .
Among the organizations tied into the convention were the Restaurant and Hospitality Association of Indiana, the Indiana Hotel and Motel Association and the Indiana Tourism Division.
