Commending Warren M. Thompson.

Commending Warren M. Thompson.
WHEREAS, Warren M. Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Thompson Hospitality, has embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of the Commonwealth over a long and distinguished career in the hospitality and restaurant management industries; and
WHEREAS, Warren Thompson showed gifts as an entrepreneur from a young age, purchasing his father's hog business at the age of 16 and using the business's proceeds to finance his bachelor's degree in managerial economics from Hampden-Sydney College and his master's degree from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, starting as an intern at Marriott International, Warren Thompson quickly rose through the ranks to serve as vice president of the company's airport division; and
WHEREAS, as Marriott shifted its focus from restaurants to hotels, Warren Thompson established his own company, Thompson Hospitality, which leveraged a buyout of more than 30 restaurants formerly owned by Marriott; and
WHEREAS, shortly thereafter, Warren Thompson shifted the focus of Thompson Hospitality to be a contract food services company in partnership with Compass Group USA, a subsidiary of one of the world's largest food service providers; and
WHEREAS, today, Warren Thompson's Thompson Hospitality serves major companies, universities, school districts, and hospital centers and is the largest Black-owned food service and facility management group in the United States, with more than $1 billion in revenue; and
WHEREAS, Warren Thompson has given generously of his time and resources to support his local Specially Adapted Resource Center, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Virginia State University, where the Fred & Ruby Thompson Hospitality Department was recently renamed in his parents' honor; and
WHEREAS, Warren Thompson has received numerous accolades in recognition of his achievements and service, including the 2024 Inclusion Innovator Award from the National Restaurants Association and the 2025 Community Leadership Award from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Warren M. Thompson hereby be commended for his legacy of service over his remarkable career in the hospitality and restaurant management industries; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Warren M. Thompson as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth.