Brett Oetting: From Applebee's to CEO of Visit Corpus Christi
Growing up in a small town in Kansas, Brett Oetting was no stranger to hard work. Aside from working at his parent’s bar and grill, his first taste of the hospitality industry came at the age of 16 when he landed a job as a busser at Applebee’s in Salina, Kansas. This was the beginning of a remarkable journey in the tourism and hospitality industry, marked by dedication, perseverance, and a knack for excellence.
Brett’s commitment to delivering exceptional service did not go unnoticed during his time at Applebee’s, and he transitioned from being a busser to a server, and eventually, a bartender over the course of 5 years. Shortly after, he earned a position as Divisional Trainer, where he was responsible for training new staff at Applebee’s locations across the country.
His ambitions didn’t end there. Brett loved working with people, so he moved on to work in a more fast-paced environment at Red Lobster. Although he was only working as a server at the time, he continued to excel, and 6 months in, he rose to management. After 2 years, he was offered a job as General Manager of a much larger Red Lobster in Topeka, and under his leadership, the restaurant achieved remarkable success earning the prestigious Red Lobster Diamond Award for being the top-performing restaurant in the United States.
Despite his success in the restaurant industry, he sought out new challenges and opportunities within the dynamic nature of the tourism and hospitality industry and transitioned into the hotel business where he spent the next 10 years working for the Parrish Hotel Corporation in various capacities. The first 3 years he worked as the Food and Beverage Director of the Holiday Inn Topeka Conference Center before being promoted to General Manager of the Ramada Topeka Downtown Convention Center, where he worked an additional 3 years. During his time as General Manager of the Ramada Topeka Downtown Convention Center, the hotel won national awards for the Best Wyndham brand hotel in the nation, for two consecutive years.
“Working in hotels is great,” says Brett. “There’s always different people coming in and everyone’s always in a good mood, whether they’re in town for a conference or vacation.”
His love of working with people and dedication to the hospitality industry did not go unnoticed and he eventually landed a corporate position as Executive Vice President of the Parrish Hotel Corporation, overseeing multiple hotels. In this position, Brett played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the company, doubling its size within the 4 years of his employment, and lead corporate marketing, accounting, and sales teams for these properties.
Brett’s passion for community engagement and customer service remained steadfast. He took another leap in his career, but this time, he would become the CEO of Visit Topeka for five years. During this time, he was able to put his people and customer service skills to full use while focusing on enhancing the city’s tourism industry and economic development initiatives. After a couple years, Visit Topeka, along with multiple organizations, felt that it was in the city’s best interest if they joined together, forming The Greater Topeka Partnership. Brett enjoyed this new venture and recalls the many great things happening in Topeka at the time, but he was now in charge of many different things and wasn’t as involved in the hospitality industry as he was before the partnership.
When the job as CEO of Visit Corpus Christi opened, Brett was contacted by a recruiting company. He wasn’t interested in leaving Kansas, but upon learning that he would be able to re-start everything as a brand-new organization, he decided to consider his options. After meeting with the board of directors and spending time as a tourist in the city, Brett was awestruck by all the opportunities in Corpus Christi. He then brought his wife down to spend a weekend in the city, and they both decided that being in Corpus Christi felt right.
While reflecting on his journey in the tourism and hospitality industry, Brett identifies communicating with people that are having an important moment in their life whether it’s a yearly vacation, conference, or sporting event as his favorite part of this field.
“All the best moments of my life growing up centered around traveling and being in the customer service industry,” says Brett. “I grew up in a trailer on a dirt road in a small town of 300 people, so when we took our annual road trips, everyone was so nice and made us feel special.”
Remembering how these experiences made him feel, fueled his goal for his career and his journey has been filled with figuring out new and innovative ways to continue making people feel special when they’re on a vacation.
For anyone considering a career in the tourism and hospitality industry, Brett offers sage advice.
“It’s a misconception that you can’t have a well-paying job in this industry. There are entry level positions that make minimum wage, but there is also opportunity for improvement. Strong people skills and hard work don’t go unnoticed, and you can end up in a high paying position, even though you started out in an entry level position,” he explains. “According to statistics from the US Travel Association and American Hotel Lodging Association, the tourism and hospitality industry has the highest percentage of people that make over $80,000 a year that have never had a formal education.”
As Brett continues to lead Visit Corpus Christi towards new heights of success, his journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring professionals in the hospitality industry, highlighting the endless possibilities for growth and achievement within this dynamic field.