Bruce White, who died at age 70 in January 2023 after a brief bout with cancer, was a visionary, not only charting his success as a respected czar of hotel and hospitality, but also a man with an eye for talent.
Reader Pam Grass Dow, a 1976 graduate of Gavit High School in Hammond, remembers seeing the late great singer Whitney Houston, who died in 2012 at age 48, as the opening act for Jeffrey Osbourne at Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville in 1985, and she has her ticket to prove it. However, Houston was such an unknown at the time, her name doesn’t even appear on the printed ticket.
It should be noted her mother Cissy Houston, who died last year at age 91, and cousin Dionne Warwick, now age 84, both also performed on the Star Plaza stage.
It was Bruce and his talent buyer team who had a fine-tuned ability to book “up and coming stars.”
In May, a new hardcover biography was released about hard-working yet humble Bruce.
The 240-page biography showcases the life and legacy of Bruce White, founder of White Lodging and visionary in the hospitality industry. Titled “Hospitalitarian: Bruce White’s Legacy” ($44, Spectrum Creative LLC), it was written and compiled with the help of author Kathi Ann Brown, and the book’s foreword is written by hospitality legend J.W. ‘Bill’ Marriott Jr. The paperback version is available for $31, with both editions sold on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble.
Now, the new documentary version of the book is already complete and ready to stream on Amazon Prime for $2.99 or purchase for $9.99, and free on Roku, as well as a free viewing link on the White Lodging website.
The documentary, officially released Sept. 3, is narrated by Mike Rowe, the familiar face and vocals of the hit Discovery Channel series “Dirty Jobs.”
Any income from the sale of the book or documentary distribution will be matched with donations from White Family foundations. The book and documentary release will coincide with White Lodging’s 40th anniversary. Father Dean died at the age of 93 in 2016 and, at the time of his death, was among the 15 oldest billionaires in the world, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $2.5 billion. Matriarch Barbara White died at age 92 in April 2018.
One World Digital, LLC, Z2 Productions and White Lodging are the trio of producers of “Bruce: Begin with the End in Mind,” best described as a powerful documentary chronicling the life of Bruce, “the prince of property” and founder of White Lodging, and the entrepreneurial journey that transformed a single hotel opportunity in Northwest Indiana into what Bill Marriott Jr., age 93, describes as one of Marriott’s most trusted partners.
The 40-minute film can be accessed at no cost and with no subscription on White Lodging’s website at https://www.whitelodging.com/about/our-founder.
The documentary weaves together archival footage, interviews with family, friends, and business leaders, and Bruce’s own words to illustrate the principles that fueled his relentless pursuit of excellence and his belief in values-based leadership.
He founded White Lodging in 1985 and led the company with visionary determination until his death. Today, White Lodging remains one of the largest privately-owned companies focused on the development and management of urban and lifestyle hotels and restaurants across the United States, including the 1,000-plus room JW Marriott properties in Indianapolis and Austin.
In describing why he agreed to narrate the film, TV personality Mike Rowe said: “Our country needs to hear more stories about more Americans like Bruce who are hard-working, relentless perfectionists who were never satisfied with the status quo, yet always humble.”
Bruce’s vision for White Lodging continues through the leadership of his wife Beth, their children — who now play active roles in the company’s governance — and the many associates who carry on his mission.
“This film is more than a tribute to Bruce,” said Beth White, Bruce’s widow and chair of White Lodging.
“It’s a roadmap for how values-driven leadership can shape a company, a community, and an industry.
“Bruce’s true legacy lies in the culture he built — one rooted in hard work, ethics, lifelong learning and the idea that leadership is best measured by what endures after you’re gone. We hope that every current and future associate at White Lodging, and people well beyond its reach, will carry forward the inspiration of how it all began — and why its meaning will outlast us.”
In addition to sharing Bruce White and White Lodging’s story with the world and further cementing him into hospitality history, I’m told the book and documentary will play an important role in sustaining the culture he cultivated at the company.
All 6,000-plus associates at White Lodging previewed the documentary at a private event on April 3 on the Purdue University-West Lafayette campus, hosted by the Purdue Dean V. White Real Estate Society.
The film will be used as part of the onboarding of new associates and will also be available to guests on in-room TVs in many White Lodging hotels using a promotional tease and verbiage: “Bruce’s life triggered his love for the hospitality industry, his family, and his Purdue alma mater. Learn what made a boy from Northwest Indiana into one of the most significant entrepreneurs in the state’s history and the namesake of Purdue’s undergraduate institute within the Mitch Daniels School of Business and the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.”
The book and documentary will also be used to help ensure students and faculty at Purdue’s White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Bruce White Undergraduate Institute (within the Mitch Daniels School of Business) will forever know the namesake’s story and legacy.
Town of Merrillville community leaders heralded the new documentary and urged residents to screen the film with the following endorsement shared on social media: “Take a moment to watch ‘Bruce: Begin with the End in Mind,’ an inspiring documentary showcasing the journey of Bruce White and the incredible history of White Lodging, which is proudly headquartered right here in The Heart of the Region. The White Family has been a driving force behind Merrillville’s growth, supporting our community in powerful ways. Over the years, that generosity has included funding new police vehicles, sponsoring town events and a $10 million donation that made the Dean & Barbara White Community Center a reality on Broadway. We’re grateful for the White family’s vision, leadership and commitment to making Merrillville an amazing community.”
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at philpotempa@gmail.com.