Forty Under 40: Alex Jerde

Alex Jerde, 37, has spent 21 years in the hotel industry and the last six as general manager of The Hilton Fayetteville.

A native of St. Cloud, Minn., Jerde joined the Hilton after working his way up through the ranks of his hometown’s Sunwood Inn & Convention Center. He now oversees the general operations of the 235-room downtown Hilton at 70 N. East Ave. in Fayetteville.

He has directed the hotel’s change in focus from individual business travelers to groups and conventions. “With Fayetteville’s new town center coming in, and the University of Arkansas’ Tyson Track and Field facility being built, those two facilities are going to help the city greatly,” Jerde says.

Jerde’s duties include everything from meeting with food and beverage sales people to handling the hotel’s budgetary process. He says his job is different every day.

“So many interesting and comical things happen every day when you’re running a hotel,” Jerde says. “I remember when they were filming the movie “Frank & Jesse” with Rob Lowe here in Fayetteville, and the crew was using a stuffed pig as a prop.

“The cast and crew moved it around all night one night, propping up against people’s doors so it would fall into their rooms until we could get our hands on it. It was just insane.”

Jerde received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and earth science from St. Cloud (Minn.) State.