ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. – The TradeWinds Island Resorts–the Island Grand Resort and RumFish Beach Resort–has announced Avi Yesawich as the property’s managing director.
In this position, Yesawich oversees all aspects of the TradeWinds operations, including strategic vision and direction, sales, marketing, finance, revenue, human resources, and all food and beverage operations. Leading the executive team, Yesawich will play a key role in upcoming capital improvements at TradeWinds, including a $500 million, 20-year expansion project recently approved by the City of St. Pete Beach.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for TradeWinds and we’re certain Avi brings the perfect combination of experience, creativity, and radiating enthusiasm to lead the resort through this exciting expansion,” says Joe Smith, CEO of 1754 Properties and owner of TradeWinds Island Resorts. “His resume speaks for itself, but his energy and passion for the project are sure to inspire and motivate everyone around him.”
Yesawich has extensive experience with Highgate Hotels, which manages TradeWinds Island Resorts. He was most recently area managing director for Highgate’s luxury and lifestyle hotel division in Miami, where he oversaw operations for three diverse properties, totaling more than 1,000 rooms. Yesawich also spent several years working in New York City’s hospitality industry at a variety of large, complex branded, and independent hotels with the firm, serving in key leadership positions. He also spent time with IHG Hotels as resident manager of the InterContinental David Tel Aviv in Israel, significantly improving all the properties’ key financial and operational metrics.
Yesawich has a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Tel Aviv University in conflict resolution, mediation, and negotiation. A mixed native of Florida, New York, and Israel, Yesawich resides in St. Petersburg with his family.
