Springfield business icon and philanthropist John Q. Hammons died May 26 at the Manor at Elfindale, where he had resided since 2010. He was 94.
The founder of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts developed 210 hotel properties in 40 states throughout his 50-plus year lodging-industry career, according to a May 26 company news release.
“Hammons was a giant in the hospitality industry and was unwavering in his commitment to exceptional quality and service and to giving back to the community,” JQH Hotels CEO Jacquie Dowdy said in the release. “He was a great mentor and friend and will be missed by all who came to know him, but his legacy will live on forever.”
Hammons also was widely known for his philanthropy. Starting in the mid-1970s, Hammons helped his alma mater, Missouri State University, develop one of the school’s key athletic venues, Hammons Student Center. He also donated funds for the construction of Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, named after his wife of 64 years, and he gifted $30 million to the school for the 11,000-seat JQH Arena, which opened in 2008.
Brent Dunn, executive director of the MSU Foundation, said Hammons’ contributions to the university reach far and wide.
“He has had a major impact on our school,” Dunn said. “Not all schools have that type of benefactor.”
Dunn said Hammons’ $30 million gift remains the largest donation in school history.
“There’s been such a breadth of projects during the years for the university, and then there’s what he’s done for the community,” Dunn said. “He didn’t have to do any of those things.”
Hammons, a former junior high school teacher and Springfield-area real estate developer, began his career in the hotel industry in 1958 when he worked with Roy Winegardner to purchase their first 10 properties under the Holiday Inn franchise. Winegardner & Hammons would construct nearly three dozen Holiday Inns before Hammons formed JQH Hotels in 1969. Today, the company manages 78 hotels with brands including Embassy Suites, Marriott, Radisson and Holiday Inn, and employs more than 8,500 associates in 24 states, according to the release.
Although his given name is James Quentin, Hammons became known as “John Q” after introducing himself to city leaders as such throughout his development career in an effort to convey he was representing the interest of the general public.
In Springfield, Hammons is known for developing or partnering on development projects including Southern Hills, Country Club Plaza, Glen Isle Shopping Center and Brentwood South. His company developed the 22-story Hammons Tower, the tallest building in Springfield, and Hammons is widely credited with bringing the St. Louis Double-A affiliate to town after building the $32 million Hammons Field downtown.
Described in 2011 by Phill Burgess, vice president of sales and revenue management for JQH Hotels, as highly competitive and a lover of sports, Hammons was known to mix business and sports metaphors in his training and personnel development.
“His gifting was as a basketball coach,” Burgess said in a
2011 interview with Springfield Business Journal. “He loved sports, and really the way he was a leader here, he was like, ‘Coach.’ He expected excellence, and he had a lot of tenacity.”
In 2010, hotel-veteran Dowdy took over daily operations while CEO as Hammons fought multiple cardiovascular, lung and pulmonary disorders. Dowdy taking the reins led to a
2012 lawsuit filed by Atrium TRS LLC and affiliates, which claimed Dowdy violated a management contract by appointing herself to the company’s top post.
Atrium, led by principal Jonathan Eilian, in 2005 entered a minority shareholder buyout of $132 million in JQH Hotels stock, effectively privatizing the the once-public company, according to SBJ archives.
Hammons' move to Elfindale also
was scrutinized, as it led to a petition brought by several friends of the hotelier, who were concerned about his private seclusion. The issues were resolved in May 2011, when a Greene County probate judge appointed Dr. James Coulter as Hammons’ legal guardian.
This morning, JQH Hotels Senior Vice President and General Counsel Gregg Groves said Hammons’ death is not expected to impact the operations of the company.
“I don’t see any change in the immediate future,” Groves said. “Mr. Hammons has always been and will always be at the heart of the company, but for the last two-and-a-half (to) three years, Jacquie Dowdy has been the chief executive officer of the company.
“Today, we manage 78 hotels … and as far as I know, we will be managing 78 hotels next year,” he said.
Hammons’ interest in the company remains with a trust the hotelier established years ago, according to Groves.
“Mr. Hammons has had a trust for a long time. We are not able to disclose his private-estate issues,” Groves said.
Hammons was preceded in death by his parents, James O. and Hortense Bass Hammons, and his sister, Wrenna Quentilla Hammons. He is survived by his wife, Juanita K. Hammons, the release said.[[In-content Ad]]
