Excellence Wins

Horst Schulze is Founder, Chairman & CEO of the Capella Hotel Group, and Co-founder & Former COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.  Schulze is a legendary leader and global titan of business.  His visionary and disruptive principles have reshaped the concepts of excellence, service, and competitive advantage, transcending divisions of industry across the business landscape.Upon co-founding the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. in 1983, Schulze singlehandedly set the business operation and service standards that made the Ritz-Carlton brand globally elite and world-famous.  Under Schulze’s prodigious leadership, The Ritz-Carlton, a multi-billion dollar international enterprise, was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice—an unprecedented achievement, as The Ritz-Carlton remains the only hotel company to ever receive the prestigious award.In 2002, Schulze founded a second company, The Capella Hotel Group, raising the bar set at the Ritz-Carlton even higher to pioneer the first “ultraluxury” guest experience.Horst Schulze is a highly sought after keynote speaker for numerous global businesses and organizations.  He and his wife, Sheri, live in Atlanta, Georgia.Dean Merrill is the author and coauthor of 46 books, including Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church and three other Jim Cymbala titles: Fresh Faith, Fresh Power, and You Were Made for More. He and his wife live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.