LORIE THOMAS
Lorie A. Thomas, the Chief Financial Officer of EHR, is a certified public accountant and MBA with almost a decade and a half of accounting experience, including thirteen years at top level accounting firms. Thomas has served as CFO of the company since the decision was made to open the hotel in more than six years ago, and has also overseen all major capital improvements in the building since that time. During the critical first year after the hotel opened, Thomas acted as its general manager as well. Thomas and her husband also own a unit in the building, having purchased one when the units were on the market as condominiums in 2006. In addition to her positions with EHR, Thomas serves as a director of the Eastonian Condominium Association and is chief financial officer of that organization.
Thomas’ financial and business expertise and her drive for accountability, together with her unique role as an officer of EHR and representative of the individual condominium owners, made her a pivotal figure in addressing the challenges the building was facing when she came on board. Had she not taken the leadership role she did, EHR would not be in the position it is in presently, when revenues are essentially sufficient to cover annual operating expenses, nor is it even clear that the hotel or building would have survived. If, moreover, Thomas were paid for her services at the rate she earned in her prior jobs, EHR would still be losing money today. Fortunately, she has served the company throughout in a virtual pro bono capacity, her principal reward being the satisfaction of helping to save the building and help the town.
Prior to joining EHR, Thomas worked as a Senior-level Corporate Tax Professional and CPA in public accounting at KPMG, one of the largest professional service companies in the world, and Anderson, then one of the top five accounting firms in the country. Her duties included consulting for and advising Fortune 500 companies in tax matters and managing multi-million dollar consulting projects. During the last three years of her public accounting career she was in charge of the northeast region tax credit consulting practice. Thomas has also taught university level accounting at Kutztown University, and served as Treasurer and an Executive Committee member of Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley for several years. Thomas holds a Masters in Business Administration from Lehigh University and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, Economics and Business Administration from Gordon College.