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Neil
Castaldi
General Manager
With his wealth of
hospitality experience, ranging from the luxury cruise
ship industry to resorts and hotels, Neil Castaldi brings
to Nottoway Plantation not only a long history of significantly
enhanced sales and ratings, but also an impressive
talent for securing once-in-a-lifetime experiences
for his venues.
Neil's creativity and enthusiasm have attracted both
celebrities and presidents. Not only has he furnished
luxury accommodations for stars such as Tony Bennett,
Cher, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, but he has also hosted
presidential banquets for Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan,
George H. Bush and Bill Clinton. In addition to
this, Neil created a popular chain of upscale Italian
restaurants, Castaldi's Market & Grill, located in 6
states and featuring opera-trained singing servers.
His last assignment before joining Nottoway was as the
VP of Hotel Operations for a NYC-based hotel company,
overseeing 10 hotels, from Hiltons to Sheratons, in 4
states.
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Susan
Ringwald, CMP
Director of Sales
Susan’s distinguished career began in 1987 with the former Conventions a la
Carte Destination Management in New Orleans. Her event
planning and hospitality sales experience includes Delta
Queen Steamboat Company, Dietrich Destination
Consultants, Carlson Wagonlit, Houmas House Plantation,
and the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel New Orleans.
At Nottoway she is hand-picking an experienced support
staff to insure top planning, design and execution of
corporate events, small meetings, large conferences,
incentive programs, and group tours. Within her vast
network of professional meeting planners and clients are
many of her dearest friends.
Susan has maintained the credentials of Certified
Meeting Professional since 2001. She has held leadership
roles in numerous business and volunteer organizations
including MPI, Hotel Sales Marketing Association
International, Louisiana Society of Association
Executives, Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, the
Ascension Parish Tourist Commission, and Kairos Prison
Ministry International.
Susan’s goal is to elevate Nottoway Plantation to a new
level of distinction for both the domestic and
international group traveler.
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Daniel
Thompson
Executive Chef
Chef Daniel graduated from the prestigious Culinary
Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1999 and has
been a rising star in the culinary world ever since. He
has held key culinary positions at some of the top
restaurants in New Orleans, including the Commanders
Palace and the Grill Room at Windsor Court Hotel.
Daniel then
landed the position of Executive Sous Chef at the highly
regarded Baton Rouge Country Club. It was here that he
was discovered by world-renowned Chef John Folse.
Under Chef Folse's tutelage, Daniel became the Executive
Chef at White Oak Plantation, where he worked for the
last five years, fine-tuning his passion for classical
Louisiana cooking.
Daniel
was spotlighted on the cover of Louisiana Cooking
Magazine as one of the “Chefs to Watch” and has also
been featured in many other magazines as well as on TV
shows. Nottoway is very proud to have him leading
our talented culinary team.
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Mary Dixon
Controller
Mary Dixon has over
23 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She
was personally involved in the opening of over 34 full
service restaurant locations across the country and has
worked for a variety of large chains and local
restaurants alike. Mary’s career began in 1987 with
Chili’s in Baton Rouge as the Quality Assurance
Director. She then spent over eight years with Outback
Steakhouse, including five years as the Regional
Director of Administration for franchisee Tedesco-KPH
Partnership, which opened 21 locations in five years.
For the last five years, Mary was the Controller for
Burtons Grill, LLC, a Massachusetts based start-up
restaurant company with five locations in three states.
She was personally responsible for financial operations,
human resources, administration and systems management,
as well as a shareholder in the concept. Mary’s years of
experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry
makes her a valuable addition to the Nottoway team.
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Jennifer
Donald
Guest
Services Manager
Jennifer arrived from her hometown in Costa Mesa,
California to join the Nottoway team in 2010. From the
minute she arrived, she has demonstrated her abilities
and customer relations skills, honed through her long
career history in the hospitality industry, by holding
several key positions at our Plantation.
In
her short time with us, Jennifer has always
distinguished herself, to the point of earning numerous
promotions along the way. After first joining us as a
tour guide, she was quickly promoted to Assistant
Restaurant Manager and eventually to Restaurant Manager.
This past year, she has assumed control and
responsibility over the entire Guest Services
department, from front desk staff to bellmen to the
reservations department. She is also responsible for all
our guests’ needs and communications as well as being in
charge of all of the Plantation's special events, from
planning to execution.
We
are fortunate to have Jennifer as part of our team as we
continue to distinguish ourselves as the premier
destination in the South East.
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Randy
LaPrairie
Director of Maintenance & Facilities
For 25 years Randy
has been the go-to person for all things related to
utilities, maintenance and construction. He joined
Nottoway’s staff in 1986 as an accomplished finish
carpenter, and has played an active role in past
renovations to the plantation, as well as in the most
recent improvements and additions. Randy’s knowledge and
commitment are invaluable, as he knows every pipe, wire,
drain, nook and cranny throughout the property.
Randy is also a talented artist and painter, and works
in oils, charcoals, watercolor and pen and ink. His work
is popular among the locals and beyond and adorns the
walls of the restaurant and the mansion. It is also for
sale in Nottoway’s gift shop. Another hobby,
taxidermy, brings together Randy's love for the outdoors and
his talent for creating art from nature.
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225-545-2730
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866-527-6884
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