About Us

ShopTalk2000 is a hotel sales evaluation and sales skills development company. The company was developed in 1988 drawing expertise from the principals and owners who offer many years of hotel sales and management experience. The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and Marriott Hotels are part of the broad background of experience that the leaders of ShopTalk2000 have to offer each of its clients.

Laurie Milnor - Principal

Laurie earned her B.S. from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, from where she went on to pursue an 11-year career with Marriott International. During her time at Marriott, she took on responsibilities as Sales Manager, Director of Sales, and Director of Marketing. In 1988, the industry expertise she acquired and her ongoing passion for Hospitality Sales led her to co-found ShopTalk2000 with Nancy Bloch. Since then, Laurie's energetic and customer-focused leadership style has helped steer the company towards enduring success and growth based on the quality of its product. Her present responsibilities at ShopTalk2000 include overseeing the management of operations, including Human Resources and Finance. Outside of the company, Laurie enjoys volunteering in her local community and is involved with a variety of school parent organizations. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Great Rivers Land Trust and volunteers as a board member and officer of the J.D. Hayner Association Foundation. She is also a member of the President's Council of Cornell Women. Laurie lives in Alton, Illinois with her husband George and the youngest of their four children.

Nancy Bloch - Principal

Raised at Pennsylvania ' s Woodloch Pines Resort, where she also worked through the age of 22, Nancy's life has been colored by her knowledge of and passion for Hospitality Sales. After receiving her B.S. from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, she went on to gain over a decade of experience at Marriott International, where her career blossomed from Sales Manager, to Director of Sales, to National Sales Manager, to Director of Marketing for Hotels in the Northeast. In 1988, her accomplishments coalesced when she became a principal and co-owner of ShopTalk2000. She continues in this position to this day, where her expertise guides the company along an ongoing path of expansion and improvement. When she is not at work, Nancy enjoys serving as a Board Member for The Mountain Laurel Center for Performing Arts. She also served on the Grand Opening Committee for the Jacob Burns Film Center and as President of the Pleasantville Community Scholarship Fund Committee. Nancy is the mother of two children and currently resides in Pleasantville, New York.

Cheryl Franko

Cheryl graduated from Skidmore College with a B.S. in Business and has spent 17 years in the hospitality industry. She worked for various independent hotel companies as a Sales Manager, Director of Sales, and Regional Sales Director. Cheryl began her career with ShopTalk2000 in 1997, working her way through the company as a Shopper, a Reviewer, and a Trainer. Cheryl brings her strong commitment to accuracy, thoroughness, and customer satisfaction to the training and research that her work involves. She enjoys engaging with her customers, whether assisting them with specific questions about their shops or helping them improve their shop scores during conference call training sessions. In her spare time, Cheryl likes to play tennis and spend time with her husband Garry and two boys. She is originally from Chicago and currently resides in Bradenton, Florida.

Amy Kristynik - Client Development Manager

After graduating from Texas State University with a B.A. in Journalism specializing in Public Relations and Business Administration, Amy began her career with an Advertising/PR Firm. There, she worked directly with the hospitality industry, conducting market research to better understand their clients' hospitality needs. This led her to an opportunity to work for Sheraton Hotels, and from there she joined a Stouffer hotel (which later became a Renaissance managed by Marriott International). During this time, she worked in the positions of Sales Manager, Senior Sales Manager, Assistant Director of Sales, and Director of Sales and Marketing. In 2001, Amy came onboard the ShopTalk2000 team as a Shopper. Owing to her strong performance and shrewd grasp of her customers' needs, she soon worked her way up to become a Reviewer and a Trainer. The compassionate support and understanding she brings to her work are invaluable assets to the ShopTalk2000 team. Amy currently resides in Houston, Texas with her husband Jerome and two children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and is especially involved with scouts, football, baseball, and various school activities.