COLUMBIA Md. The Restaurant Association of Maryland has tapped Paul P. Hartgen to assume the roles of president and chief executive. He succeeds Marcia S. Harris, who died last fall.
Hartgen is currently president and CEO of the Nevada Restaurant Association and is a former chief of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association. He also is president of the International Society of Restaurant Association Executives and is an industry representative to the board of the National Restaurant Association.
RAM said that Hartgen has more than 25 years experience in the hospitality and restaurant industry, including management roles at the Ashworth by the Sea Hotel in Hampton, N.H.
"[Hartgen's] hands-on, managerial experience will make all the difference as we continue efforts in making RAM the most effective and influential hospitality organization in Maryland and the region," said Lynn Martins, chairman of RAM's board and owner of Seibel's Restaurant in Burtonsville, Md.
Harris joined the organization in 1986 and helped steer it to become the largest membership-based trade association in the Baltimore region with more than 3,000 members, 25 staff workers and an annual budget of more than $3 million. She died last September at age 67.
