MSM 660 Tom Johnson - A Career in Corporate Training - a podcast by USM Center for Oral History

Tom Johnson was a student at Baylor University when he started working for his father as a hotel manager. In this episode, he recalls how that job led him to pursue a career as a corporate trainer for Holiday Inns in Memphis. By the early 1970s, Holiday Inns, Inc. had grown from a few dozen hotels to over 1300 locations worldwide.  Johnson remembers the decision to build the company’s new training facility in Olive Branch.

As the travel industry evolved during the 1960s and 70s, the skills needed to run a hotel changed as well. Johnson explains how Holiday Inns expanded the training they offered company employees.

The Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at the University of Memphis prepares students for a variety of careers in the hotel industry. Johnson discusses his decision to become the General Manager of the school’s hotel and conference center.

Further episodes of Mississippi Moments Podcast

Further podcasts by USM Center for Oral History

Website of USM Center for Oral History