Two men in their second successful careers ”“ John Royce and Thomas Montague ”“ will receive the 2014 Macricostas Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Western Connecticut State University at a lunch Oct. 15, 11:30 a.m., at The Ethan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Ave. Extension, Danbury.
Royce and Montague founded and operate the catering business that provides wedding venues at The Fox Hill Inn and The Candlewood Inn, both in Brookfield, The Waterview in Monroe and The Riverview in Simsbury.
The four facilities bill themselves as among the most popular wedding destinations in western Connecticut, “known for impeccable service in beautiful settings.”
The award is sponsored by the foundation of Brookfield industrialist and philanthropist Constantine “Deno” Macricostas and his wife, Marie.
Royce and Montague met while working in international shipping, Royce as a broker and Montague as a ship operator. They worked together on deals that helped open markets in Brazil and China in the 1970s and 1980s and then formed their own shipping business. “We started doing really, really well,” Royce said. “And then we lost everything.”
The business rebounded but the pair looked for new opportunities and in 1985 bought the Fox Hill Inn as a real estate investment and began running the restaurant in the building. After a year, they realized a daily restaurant operation wasn’t to be.
Instead, they converted the operation to catering, with weddings a specialty. In 1999, they purchased and renovated the Candlewood Inn, followed in 2004 by The Waterview and The Riverview in Simsbury, which they designed and built in 2008.
“Being in the right place at the right time is useful. But luck is just as important,” Montague said.
A key to their success, they say, is their ability to bring business discipline to an industry where much of the competition consists of people who are excellent chefs or event planners but who do not have experience running a complex enterprise.
They extend their services to several nonprofits, offering their venues and services at no charge to Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Connecticut, The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury and Interval House, a domestic abuse prevention facility in Hartford.
Lunch reservations ($60 per person) may be made online at wcsu.edu/eoy or by calling the Office of Institutional Advancement at 203-837-8279.
