Mr. Urgo received his undergraduate and law degrees from Fordham University in New York and began his law practice in 1962 with the New York law firm of Hughes, Hubbard and Reed.  He developed a specialty in international business transactions with emphasis on the hotel and airlines industries.

In 1972, Mr. Urgo was retained by the Marriott Corporation to spearhead an effort to expand the Company's operations throughout the world.  During the next 15 years, he was directly responsible for a number of key acquisitions and joint ventures including the acquisition of the Sun Line Cruise Line; the acquisition of the Howard Johnson Company and divestment of the Howard Johnson franchise group to Prime Motors Inns; and the development and acquisition of numerous hotels and air catering facilities throughout the world.  Mr. Urgo also played a key role in the conversion of the Essex House Tower in New York and the Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona to condominium hotels.

In addition to his work for Marriott, Mr. Urgo has acted as counsel and advisor to a number of law firms, institutional, development and operating clients including, among others, Howard Johnson, the Trammel Crow Organization, Ted Lerner Enterprises, Americana Hotels and Realty Corporation, the Bank of New York, Riggs National Bank of Washington, DC, the Travelers Insurance Company and Merrill Lynch.

Throughout his career, Mr. Urgo has also rendered professional services regarding hotel and other matters to a number of airline clients including TWA, Northwest, Pan American, Aer Lingus, SAS, and BWIA.

As an integral part of his comprehensive range of advisory and investment services, Mr. Urgo co-founded a hotel management company whose primary role has been to manage hotel assets for clients and investment partnerships in which he participates.

During the past several years, Mr. Urgo has concentrated on the development and management of Marriott Residence Inn, Courtyard and Fairfield Inn hotels with emphasis on entering key markets in major metropolitan areas in the north eastern U.S. and Canada.

The Long Island, Westchester, West Orange, Bethesda, and Montreal Residence Inns are among the most successful of the nearly 400 Marriott Residence Inns throughout the United States.  From their inception several years ago, the Long Island and Westchester properties have achieved the highest occupancies, average rates and revenue per available room within the Residence Inn System.

The Marriott Fairfield Inn, located in Syosset, NY, is the rate leader (with the exception of a resort in Key West, FL) year-after-year within the Marriott Fairfield Inn System of more than 300 hotels.

In addition to his involvement with Marriott limited service hotels, Mr. Urgo is a managing general partner in the entity that developed and currently owns the 620-room, full service Long Island Marriott. His 220-room DoubleTree Park Terrace Hotel in Washington, DC was sold in April 2001.

While over the years Mr. Urgo has maintained a close working relationship with Marriott that has enabled his firm to maximize the value of the Marriott hotels in which he is involved, he also has established solid relationships with executive management throughout the hotel industry which enhance his ability to develop and operate additional brands when and where appropriate.