Perhaps one of the most joyful aspects of working at My Place HQ is working with our franchisees, but look a little further at our rapidly-growing network and you’ll find our circle is growing by a multitude of diverse, and as of recently, young-ish group of investors. We caught up with a couple of them following the groundbreaking for My Place Huntersville and learned how our friends at Celtic Services, Inc. are bringing them into the fold.
As a twenty-something who could pass for a thirty-something, Brad Noble was abundantly clear about how he got his start in the hotel business.
“I told the audience today that before Aaron (Lawson) became my business partner, he was my neighbor and I used to trick-or-treat at his house growing up,” Noble said. “So, I’ve known him a long time, but more importantly, Aaron is one of the best people I know. When I learned about his work with My Place and got to know the brand, I knew I had to get involved.”
While Noble may be brand new to the hotel world the impressive, upbeat entrepreneur is off to a running start developing multiple locations with construction powerhouses Celtic Services, Inc. as the general contractor. The company broke ground on its very first My Place project in Boise, Idaho in 2016 and have turned dirt on four projects since; including another hotel also currently under construction in King George, Va.
Out of the five hotels Celtic Services has worked on, its owners Aaron Lawson and Liam Hough as well as their Director of Operations Courtney Stephens have worked on all of them. But this time, Courtney will also be an owner in MP Huntersville, LLC., making her one of the youngest franchisees in our system at 25 years old.
“Over the years, we have formed into this incredibly solid working unit whose purpose is to build with a shared purpose,” said Courtney, who joined the Celtic Services team in the summer of 2016.
“It’s crazy and humbling to see how far we have progressed since then. Crazy because the days are long but the years are short; humbling because back then I knew I wanted to accomplish big things, I just couldn’t envision the possibilities–that was until Aaron and Liam showed me how.”
Courtney Stephens, Director of Operations, Celtic Services, Inc.
Fast forward three years and the trio is flanking Brad, their newest addition to the fold, along with My Place executives and local leaders at the groundbreaking of their first My Place Hotel in Huntersville.
The event kicked off with a beautiful rendition of “God Bless America” sung by Shelley Ruffin before the Huntersville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director and former Mayor Jill Swain guided the local gathering through the ceremony.
With the spirit of hospitality on full display in Huntersville, the community got to know My Place through touching and informative remarks beginning with Brad and Liam speaking for the members of MP Huntersville, LLC. while Aaron addressed Celtic Services’ momentum since 2016.
Before the group would turn earth on Huntersville’s newest hotel, the audience received a dose of both history and vision from John Aneralla, Mayor of Huntersville, as well as My Place President/CEO Ryan Rivett.
It was all smiles in the final moments before shovels hit the wet dirt in Huntersville, and cheers erupted from the audience letting us know just how welcome we were in the community.
For the remainder of the afternoon, we spent time getting to know the kindred community of Huntersville, and continued the celebration post ceremony.
To celebrate the grand occasion in Huntersville, the PR Department commissioned a kilt to be made for Pete.
We soon made our way to Killingtons Restaurant & Pub for a reception with members of MP Huntersville LLC, Celtic Services, and community members.
While celebrating the excitement of breaking ground on North Carolina’s first My Place Hotel, the group inked the franchise agreement for yet another My Place Hotel, this time in Medford, Oregon.
As we look back on our afternoon in Huntersville, we are continually reminded of how thankful we are to be able to directly connect with our partners, friends, and local community members as we continue growing.
With that, we would like to offer our special thanks to the community of Huntersville for being so welcoming and to our friends from MP Huntersville, LLC. and Celtic Services Inc. for making our afternoon a most memorable one.
We look forward to returning to North Carolina in the Spring for the hotel’s Grand Opening.
Finding My Place Sneak Peek:
While in Huntersville, Ngoc Thach got a chance to catch up with Brad Noble and Liam Hough as they discuss their paths to My Place and near-term pursuits in the upcoming episode of Finding My Place. Click here to learn more about Finding My Place!
*Special Note: We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to Mike Lamb for graciously allowing us to use a few of his photos in this recap. Make sure to check him out on Facebook!
