Al Gonzalez

Fossil Rim Gets New Lodgings Director

In 1979 he took a job in California with a company that did research for the Air Force. By 1981 Al decided to take some time away from his chosen field to “find himself”. He was familiar with the restaurant and hotel industry since that is how he worked his way through college. He got a job with Marriott and quickly realized that he missed being around more people than just his chemical cohorts. When Marriott offered him a training program in management he took it.

Al progressed through management of the Dining Room, Food and Beverage, Sales and Marketing and then became the Food and Beverage Director. From there he joined the Red Onion Restaurant International as a general manager. His duties included overseeing the restaurant, sports bar and entertainment. From the Red Onion he joined Teasers International, a similar establishment, as a general manager.

His next avenue led to his being hired by Delaware North Parks and Resorts. They placed him as Food and Beverage manager at Yosemite Lodge at Yosemite National Park. He held this position for 8 months and was promoted to General Manager of the Wawona hotel where he remained for 5 years. A lateral move within the same company had him building a team to run the Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon. From there, still within the same company he moved to the historical Old Town State Park in San Diego as a General Manager/Director of Operations. Where he spent the last three years with the Delaware North Company.

With this extensive background Fossil Rim feels fortunate that Al has now agreed to come join forces with us to make a great experience even greater. We are excited at the prospect of changes that will take place at the Lodge, Safari Camp, and food and beverage service at the Pavillion. Al says he is very excited to be here and wants to make our guests feel even more engaged in the conservation experiences we offer.