Katen N. Patel, ELFA Director Region 9 , I am currently President of K10 Inc., and VK Northwest Investments, both of which are real estate, and hospitality companies based in Portland, Oregon. I graduated from Portland State University in Economics and Finance. I have been in the Hospitality industry for the past 3 years, and have been progressively transitioning to eventually take over my father’s business operations, who has been in the hospitality industry for the past 32 years. Having an experienced mentor, my father, has helped me gain valuable hands-on experience, which is a key in the hospitality industry. Currently I am the youngest ELFA Region 9 Director, I am proud of the success I have made to date as an Econo Lodge owner/operator, and am looking forward to future growth.