Torgerson Properties’ President Mitch Peterson Honored by the Minnesota Hospitality Association

The Minnesota Lodging Association recently honored Mitch Peterson, President of Torgerson Properties, to the Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame during its gala 2012 Awards Ceremony on December 13 at Treasure Island Resort & Casino. The award recognizes outstanding long-term contributions to Minnesota’s hospitality industry.

After graduating with an economics degree, Mitch Peterson envisioned becoming an Economics professor, but a fateful job as a van driver at a Bloomington hotel drew him into the hotel business. After working for various companies, Peterson was hired by Torgerson Properties in 1988 as the Director of Sales for the Holiday Inn of Austin. After years of hard work in various positions, Peterson was promoted to President of Torgerson Properties in 2001. His leadership in sales, strategic planning and operations has helped to grow the 28 hotels and 10 restaurants at Torgerson Properties. Peterson is closely involved with many community and industry organizations. He currently serves on the Intercontinental Hotels Group Owners Association (IHGOA), Holiday Inn Brand Committee and the Southwest State Minnesota University Culinology and Hospitality Management Advisory Board, while also serving as the Chair of its Business/Industry Committee. He is a longtime board member of both the Minnesota Lodging Association and Hospitality Minnesota, holding executive positions in both boards during critical times of change. In his acceptance speech, he recognized the many people in his life that have helped him along the way, including his family, Torgerson Properties’ President Tom Torgerson, the associates of Torgerson Properties and his industry peers.