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Written By Megin Potter | Photos Provided (Unless Noted)

The day I spoke to Charles (Charlie) Wheeler, he was bidding adieu to his wife, Mary Lou, who was off to help coordinate details for the Saratoga Springs Rotary Club Home Show. Before she left, he rattled off a quick to-do list for the day. 

This casual, organized, efficiency isn’t unusual for Charlie, it’s his modus operandi.

During Charlie’s more than 40-year hospitality career, he was responsible for deciding how millions of dollars were spent in the building and operations of huge venues. 

In his free time, he has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable organizations.

That is, when he’s not driving his tractor, meeting with other arms historians, or shooting clays with vintage doubles.

 

One Cool Character

A native of Loudonville, Charlie took on leadership roles at an early age. 

He is the seventh generation to attend Albany Academy and was surrounded by WWII 10th Mountain Div. veterans as a youngster. Charlie’s education was interrupted upon his mother’s passing when he was eight years old but he went on to graduate from Shaker High School before earning his Bachelors from Utica College of Syracuse University. 

Following infantry training, Charlie graduated from Combat Engineers Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. A year later, he served in Vietnam (as a 3rd generation 1st Lieutenant in the army) where he received commendations for his service. 

Returning to civilian life in the summer of 1971, Charlie joined Hyatt Hotels in Albany as a management trainee. Within two and a half years, he’d advanced to Director of Sales.

The Capital’s Champion

After seven years (and following a stint in North Carolina) Charlie left the Hyatt to become the first Director of the Empire State Plaza Convention & Arts Center. He worked for nearly two decades with the NYS Office of General Services, and was co-founder of the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Empire State Society of Association Executives. 

Managing public venues provided Charlie the opportunity to assist in the planning of events with headlining entertainers, actors, dignitaries, numerous presidential candidates, including Jimmy Carter, and sports figures such as, Mike Tyson, Mickey Mantle, and Phil Simms. 

To further promote regional tourism, Charlie served on the Albany County Convention Bureau board (for 14 years) and worked with multiple tourism promotion agencies in the region. 

Let’s Do This

Next, Charlie left the Capital District to oversee the construction and startup operations of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center (where he stayed for a decade).

“When I got to Covington, which is located across the Ohio River from the Reds and Bengals stadiums in Cincinnati, there were two roles of blueprints and a two-acre empty lot,” he said.  

The $30.5 million construction project was completed and operational two-and-a half
years later. 

“Tying it all together and having it all work efficiently in this 200,000 sq ft building was demanding, but when an opening day review came out in the newspaper saying that the venue was ‘easy to find, the staff was friendly, and the food was great,’ I cried. Talk about investing heart and soul.” 

Serving Saratoga

In 2006, Charlie returned to the area as the Saratoga Race Course’s Facilities Manager and was involved in millions of dollars in capital construction projects. 

Also serving as the track’s Community Relations and Planning Manager, he pursued the goal of sharing the historic venue with nonprofits for fundraisers beyond track season. 

Charlie served on the city’s Preservation Foundation, City Center, Rotary Club, and Convention and Tourism Bureau boards. He has also volunteered with the Saratoga Hospital Foundation, Life Works Community Action (formerly the EOC), and area non-profit groups. 

“It’s just wonderful that I’ve had the privilege of living here,” he said. 

Charlie and Mary Lou have six children, and 11 grandchildren between them. Their Brittany Spaniel is named “Saratoga’s Brandy Alexander,” …or “Brandy,” to those that love her.