Business Leader of the Year: Lori Rabon, Nassau Inn

Lori Rabon has done a bit of everything in the hotel business.

She’s driven a shuttle bus between a hotel’s front door and the parking lot, manned a parking booth, answered phones, made reservations and worked in sales, conference services and human resources. She also worked on the financial side of the business.

Today, Rabon, 48, is the general manager of the Nassau Inn, located at 10 Palmer Square.

She has been named 2011 Business Leader of the Year by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. She and three other award winners will be honored at the Chamber's 2011 Business Leadership Awards Gala on Nov. 30. 

The honor was not one Rabon was expecting when Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Peter Crowley called to tell her in late August.

“I said ‘I’m sure you have someone else who is more worthy, are you sure you want to do this?’” Rabon remembers saying.

“He said ‘Of course we do,’” she said.

At the Nassau Inn, Rabon oversees the executive team in charge of all hotel operations, including 170 employees, banquet and guest services, sales and the restaurant, Yankee Doodle Tap Room. She also handles long-term planning and capital projects.

Rabon, who lives in Freehold, moved to New Jersey in 1998 as an employee of Omni Hotels Management. When the Nassau Inn ceased to be an Omni property, Rabon stayed on.

She has been general manager in Princeton for more than 15 years.

“I’m blessed in that no day is ever the same as the day before,” Rabon said. “It’s my passion and this is my second home and home and I love what I do.”

She credits her success to the support of her husband and five children, the owners of the Nassau Inn and her coworkers and employees.

“I’ve got a wonderful team that I work with, they deserve the credit,” Rabon said. “This is as much about them as about me.”

Each year the chamber recognizes regional business leaders through its long-running program, which begins with member nominations. The top three candidates in each category are then referred to the Chamber’s Executive Board, which selects the final recipients. This year the chamber received 45 total nominations.

Rabon is active in the chamber, serving on its board of directors and as steering committee chairwoman for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

All of the winners are actively involved in their communities, Crowley said.

“Our challenge is picking from an amazing group of nominees,” he said.

Other 2011 award recipients are:

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Tracey Syphax, President & CEO, Capital City Contracting, Inc.
• Innovator of the Year: Debbie Schaeffer, President, Mrs. G TV & Appliance, Lawrenceville.
• Community Leader of the Year: Nancy Kieling, President, Princeton Area Community Foundation, Lawrenceville.

For information on the Nov. 30 awards gala at Tournament Players Club, Jasna Polana, contact the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce at 609-924-1776.