FelCor Lands Its Top Pick: Wyndham CFO, EVP

Smith's departure from Wyndham wasn't related to yesterday's announced cuts, but happenstance brought it at the same time. The Irving-based FelCor has been in the market since April to replace Richard J. O'Brien who returned to Connecticut after three years as CFO and EVP.

Smith tells GlobeSt.com that he was first contacted in early May by the REIT's recruiter. The decision to move was based on "opportunity," he says. "The opportunity for growth at FelCor was one of the driving factors...and growth personally and for my family."Smith will begin reviewing FelCor's non-public operation as he transitions out of Wyndham. The plan, he says, "is I should be able to hit the ground running Nov. 15."

Smith joined Dallas-based Wyndham in 1999 as senior vice president and treasurer, working with chairman and CEO Fred J. Kleisner, who's now assuming the CFO duties in the ongoing push to trim the operation and transition into a hotel management company with a select portfolio of resort-style assets. For yesterday's story, click here. The 42-year-old Smith's resume includes a stint as vice president of corporate finance with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. of White Plains, NY, and executive roles at Atlantic Richfield Co. and Coopers & Lybrand.

"We are extremely pleased to name Rick as the chief financial officer," Thomas J. Corcoran Jr., FelCor's president and CEO, says in a press release. "I expect Rick to partner with me in the execution of our strategic plan to grow revenues and profits as the lodging industry continues to recover."

Equally important is whether Smith can cook. The lodging REIT's monthly employee luncheons, prepared by the executive team, is a longstanding tradition in Dallas/Fort Worth circles. And if he can't, he will be learning just like others who've joined Corcoran's camp.