Richard J. Halsted, of the New York State Dept. of Labor reads a letter of congratulations to American Hotel owners Patrick and Rose Reynolds. Photo by Rebecca McKeown.
The Livingston County Chamber of Commerce awarded the 2009 Small Business of the Year Award to the American Hotel in Lima Wednesday.
Chamber president, Cynthia Oswald, presented owner Patrick Reynolds and his sister Rose Reynolds with balloons and flowers. Richard J. Halsted, New York State Department of Labor Business Services Consultant, read them a congratulatory letter.
Patrick Reynolds said he was “overwhelmed” by the award and believes they won it through longevity, hard work and determination, as well as by keeping the menu fresh and interesting for costumers.
Though the Reynolds family has run the hotel for 90 years, an American Hotel has been at the corner of Routes 5 and 20 and 15A since around 1790. The present building was built in 1840 and rebuilt in 1861 after two fires in the 1850’s. Patrick has been working in the historic hotel since 1974, while Rose has been there since 1984. Patrick became the owner in 1992, after the death of his mother Aretha.
The American Hotel employs six to eight people, depending on the time of the year. Most of the employees have worked at the hotel for an average of ten years.
Complete story appears in our Aug. 20 print edition.