Our Team
Magnus Hotel Management's excellence in multi-unit hotel management comes from our highly experienced team and our wealth of industry experience.
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John Potter
Chief Executive Officer
Founder and majority owner of Magnus Hotel Management, John brings hotel and business development and management experience to our company. His responsibilities at MHM center on strategic planning and general oversight of the properties in areas from profitability to guest satisfaction. As CEO, he takes responsibility in constantly reviewing and analyzing QA scores, financial reports and records, and industry reports. John directly oversees the Executive Vice President and Director of Real Estate Development and Business Management. He steers the team, directing areas as needed while encouraging team
members to lead in their areas of responsibility.
John is involved in major decisions at all managed properties, and meets at least monthly to discuss each property in depth. Any major decision from MHM that would impact on-site staff, such as key staff hiring decisions, accounting and revenue management practices, HR policies, and major goals, must be approved by John. His business and real estate ownership and business management background, including the hotel sector, is the foundation of his focus at MHM as he works to make certain we are continuing toward our primary goal.
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Erik Biggs
Executive Vice President
Co-founder, minority owner of MHM, and Executive Vice President, Erik is an award-winning second generation hotelier who possesses more than 16 years of experience in hotel management, General Manager, Rooms Division, Revenue Management and Sales and Marketing. Progressing up through on-site management, Erik's attention to detail on-site has served him well from sales position to general manager and now in hotel management.
Erik represents MHM and its policies in overseeing all operations at the hotel level. He ensures our hotels meet or exceed brand standards and legal compliance hurdles including HR, ADA, and financial rules. He hires and trains GMs in all areas of their responsibilities. He is responsible for leading review and implementation of our Franchise and in-house revenue management and sales and marketing programs. Erik is also a key member of MHM's accounting team in the central office. Erik directs and supports on-site staff in all of these areas through weekly on-site meetings, implementation tools, reporting, and open communication.
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Jacob Larsen
Director of Real Estate Development and Business Management
With over 13 years in the hospitality sector, Jake has worked in and overseen diverse departments and improved their ability to work with each other to achieve a common goal. Through his background in hospitality accounting, he has built his experience in administrative and project management.
Jake is our lead project manager for all new real estate development and overseas all administrative operations at the Magnus corporate office.
In operational phases, Jake safeguards ownership interests and manages risk proactively. From Pre-Construction through the sale of the asset, Jake does anything needed to ensure a high level of success along all phases of a project.
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Joel Biggs
Management & Strategy Advisor
In his long career in the hotel management business, including many decades as head and owner of his own hotel management company, HMG, Joel has had great success and gained great knowledge and experience. He and his companies have been approved to manage hotels in all major hotel Franchise companies and their different brands within Hilton, Marriott, Choice Hotels, Wyndham, Intercontinental Hotel Group, IHG and others. He has managed over 90 Hotels, from 500-room full service hotels to 20-room Boutique Inns.
Joel works with the Magnus Hotel Management team on a daily basis to maintain superior levels of customer satisfaction, profitability and risk mitigation and assists the Executive Vice President with all hotel areas needing attention.
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Dan Sutherland
Accounting Manager
Dan Sutherland is an experienced accountant who began his career in the real estate industry, working closely with John and Jacob. With a solid foundation in real estate, Dan has been a core member of the MHM team since the incorporation. As an integral part of the accounting team, Dan has been instrumental in setting up accounting practices, procedures, and software systems to provide accurate and timely financial reporting. He is proficient in M3 Accounting and QuickBooks, which are vital tools for maintaining the company's financial records.
Aside from his primary role in accounting, Dan is an active contributor to various projects and provides valuable insight to the executive team and the hotels' general managers. His experience in the real estate industry has proven to be a valuable asset to the MHM team, and his proficiency in accounting software ensures that the company's financial reporting is always up-to-date and accurate.
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Soraya Snipes
HR Manager
Soraya Snipes joins the Magnus team with extensive experience in hospitality, human resource management, and culture development. She holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Soraya is a US Navy veteran, having served her country for 8 years as an Aviation Electronics Technician.
With over 5 years of experience in human resource management, Soraya provides straightforward direction and training to employees based on MHM's policies and procedures. She can often be found at the hotel working directly with the General Managers on coaching, safety, payroll, and benefits, as well as the occasional hotel inspection. Since joining the team, she has made a point to be available to every member of the team regardless of their position. Soraya's experience beyond Human Resources in accounting, hotel development, renovation, and operations all contribute to her success at Magnus.
Soraya moved to Utah from Washington State in 2020 and is married with a son. She is passionate about giving back to the community and has a heart for developing others.
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Tyler Livingston
Controller
Tyler Livingston graduated from Utah State University with a Masters of Accounting. While in school he began his accounting career with a property management company training under experienced personnel. After graduating he obtained employment with the largest professional services firm in the world, Deloitte and Touché. His main client there was a real estate investment fund where he learned and practiced the ins and outs of the accounting for real estate and property management.
Tyler has been instrumental in implementing and maintaining Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry. His attention to detail and knowledge of accounting provide accurate and detailed reports which aid in operations decision making, owner reporting, and performance tracking. Tyler is our lead accountant and manages our accounting department and all outsourced accounting and tax services.