Working at Great Wolf Resorts | Jobs & Careers

Murph

's Story

Chief Executive Officer

Meet your Great Wolf Lodge

PACK

Members

Meet a few of our enthusiastic, resourceful, and creative workers and learn why they connected with—and committed to—our mission of bringing joy to families.

Ramki

's Story

Chief Digital & IT Officer

Brooke

's Story

Chief Brand Officer

John Murphy—“Murph”

Chief Executive Officer

Murph is a people person, who is energized by his engagement with Pack members, both in the corporate support office as well as with those in the lodges…he’s constantly looking for ways to connect at a personal level. He is keenly focused on being “vertically flexible”, striving to understand when to be at 30,000 feet (thinking about high-level strategy for the business), at 15,000 feet (providing inspirational leadership), or at 5 feet (rolling his sleeves up and digging into the details of an issue with his colleagues). Murph is constantly looking to help people reach their full potential and believes the proper balance of celebrating success along with providing positive tension will deliver strong results and engagement. He can often be heard saying “What gets measured, gets done” and “Sometimes you have to drop the firehose and go kill the arsonist” which highlights his unwavering passion for proactivity and attention to detail.

Murph has been married to his wife and best friend Heidi for 34 years. They have a very tight-knit family which includes their three adult children and five grandchildren who come together around Heidi’s amazing cooking; they collectively relish spending time together as a three-generation family around a table, eating, drinking, and laughing. When not in Chicago, Murph and Heidi spend time at their home in Solana Beach, CA and their second home in St Helena, in the Napa Valley where they are very active and love their time going on long walks, either on the beach or in the vineyards, with both Triton and Nashville (Nash), their two very spoiled Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

Experience:

Murph started his career in the hospitality business as a busboy when he was 15, and worked through many line-level positions while in high school and attending college. After landing his first management job at 23 in Scottsdale AZ, he moved to Denver, Southern California, Central California, Central Florida and ultimately San Diego, in various mid-level, General Manager, and Senior Vice President positions, ultimately culminating in him founding Evolution Hospitality in 2011. The company was sold to Aimbridge Hospitality and after a 10-year run, growing the portfolio from 10-100, Murph left as Founder/CEO. In 2021 he and his business partner started another group, Triton Hospitality, focused on the acquisition of over leveraged/under-performing hotels where they acquired a full service hotel in Minneapolis, the Marquette. In the Summer of 2022 he took a call from Blackstone and ultimately accepted the role as CEO of Great Wolf Resorts where he’s enjoying leading an amazing brand and incredibly smart and caring Pack members.

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Brad Weissman

Regional Vice President

Brad believes that the key to business success is to focus on creating a positive experience for employees, guests, and shareholders. This is because a satisfied workforce is more likely to provide excellent customer service, which leads to happy customers and increased profits. Prioritizing what’s right for the Pack, guests, and shareholders is paramount: He believes that all decisions should be made with the best interests of all three groups in mind. He values collaboration and team alignment, which are essential for driving business forward. Brad works to create a culture of openness and trust, and he encourages team members to share ideas and work together to achieve common goals.

Brad has been married to his Wife Wendy for 13 years, and has two boys Nathan and Louis. Lucky for Brad, his wife and children are enormously supportive of his work, embracing the Great Wolf brand and all he does for it. (“I’ve hit the family jackpot!” is something he’s said more than once.) Family vacations to the beach are a favorite activity, when he’s not busy attending the many sporting activities in which his kids participate, though he’s also happy just watching college football on the couch with his wife. Also, it seems a life in the hospitality industry may have been destiny for Brad: As a young child, he developed a passion for cooking that only grew stronger as he began to cook for friends and family, rewarded by the smiles on their faces from a particularly good dish.

Brad’s life hasn’t been without its difficulties. He cites having worked at a hotel across the street from the World Trade Center on 9/11 as a defining moment that both strengthened his crisis management skills and cemented his belief in the necessity of teamwork. As a result, he considers it a privilege every day to wake up and get to do what he loves—while maybe playing a few rounds of golf in the meantime, as well.

Experience:

Prior to his time at Great Wolf, Brad was the Executive VP of Operations for Gold Key Resorts, as well as spending several years serving in a multi-unit leadership role as Director of Hotel Operations for both Caesars Entertainment Corporation and Cooper Hotels. With a degree in Travel and Tourism Management Services from Arizona State University and holding an MBA from Tulane University Brad spent the first decade of his post-collegiate career as a General Manager for Hilton Worldwide, mastering the on-the-ground skills he now oversees throughout the company.

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Ramki Srinivasan

Chief Digital and Information Officer

Ramki truly believes in the power of the Pack. Whether fostering teamwork within his professional circle or engaging with stakeholders, he recognizes the value of collective effort. To him, technology serves not only as a means to drive business output but as the paramount tool to address challenges in a scalable, efficient, and optimal manner.

Emphasizing the pivotal role of technology in gaining a competitive edge, Ramki is driven by the belief that it can significantly enhance revenue, reduce costs, and elevate both guest and employee experiences. His unwavering commitment to agility and speed is reflected in his mantra—a constant reminder of the importance of swift, agile solutions.

Ramki finds immense joy in working with small, cross-functional teams to craft innovative solutions for complex business problems. His approach involves driving rapid experimentation, a process that allows for continuous learning and the refinement of solutions, ultimately leading to impactful business outcomes within tight timelines.

Ramki has always preferred life as part of a pack. When not working alongside his fellow Pack Members at Great Wolf Lodge (six years and counting), Ramki’s days are filled with the activities of his own pack—himself, his wife Carol, and their three children under the age of 13. Most days that means cheering on his kids from the sidelines: sports, music, culture, and more. But they also love traveling together, filling their days with new experiences and new cultures.

Experience:

Ramki started his career as a software developer after completing his graduate studies in computer science. Very quickly he realized his passion was more on the business side of things coupled with a big intersection to technology. He took on a role of a product manager and over the next few years took roles of increasing responsibility in digital marketing, CRM and analytics. He then led large P&Ls for ecommerce businesses including being the GM for Kmart’s $300M+ business and heading up global ecommerce operations for Motorola before running Revenue Management for Groupon. Ramki has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Chicago respectively and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

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Brooke Patterson

Chief Brand Officer

As the Chief Brand Officer, Brooke Patterson is exceptionally focused on driving the Great Wolf brand and corporate vision. She views her role as not only an innovator, but a catalyst to improve the lives of families with unique encounters built through creative marketing programs, memorable guest experiences, and product initiatives. Meaningful quality time spent with family and friends, combined with Brooke's dedication to team sports as a competitive athlete, shows how her "pack" has always been the cornerstone of her life. Traveling with family, gathering for summer reunions, or simply spending time together brought a realization that a life and career spent connecting families would be a fulfilling one.

Her value of teamwork and appreciation of collaborative endeavors played a large role in her decision to become part of the Pack at Great Wolf. She brings her same commitment and desire to collaborate into her daily responsibilities. She has a keen focus on innovation and creativity, while always mindfully improving; these are the hallmarks of her philosophy.

During times of leisure, Brooke loves to read, attend concerts, explore new cuisines, and enjoys the theater. (Not to mention any chance to root for her beloved Green Bay Packers!) Travel with family and friends remains her favorite pastime. Brooke is also an enthusiast of daily sunrises: They represent the perfect metaphor for both life and business. Each day is a fresh opportunity for growth, a chance to look forward and think ahead, and a moment to dream of what lies beyond the horizon.

Experience:

Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, Brooke Patterson has more than fifteen years of industry experience, with an exceptionally broad range of knowledge from her time at both Starwood Hotels and Celebrity Cruises. She has been a valued member of leadership with Great Wolf Lodge since 2017, becoming Chief Brand Officer in 2023.

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