Janeen Sprague
Founder, Owner, Chief Executive Officer, Sprague Hotel Developers
Columbus, IN 47201
Phone (812) 379-2173
Property Types
Hospitality
Bio
Janeen M. Sprague is the founder, owner, and Chief Executive Officer. Janeen's passion for hospitality, service, and entrepreneurship developed at an early age. Her parents were charter members of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), and she grew up working in her family's KFCs and other restaurant ventures. Soon after graduating from Franklin College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she purchased her own KFC restaurant in Taylorsville, Indiana near Interstate 65. She later owned a second KFC and a Dairy Queen restaurant, before building her first hotel, a Holiday Inn Express in Indianapolis, Indiana. Through the years, Janeen has developed, owned, and operated 17 hotels under franchise brands Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Comfort Inn, and Hilton Garden Inn. She is currently developing Sprague Hotels first Residence Inn by Marriott hotel.
Janeen's approach has been to design, build, and operate the best hotel product in the market. Janeen takes great pride in the long list of awards and accomplishments of Sprague Hotel Developers and her employees. In 2014, Sprague Hotel Developers was certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE).
Janeen also has business interests outside of the hospitality industry. She started a billboard advertising company to promote her KFC restaurant. When she later married Richard L. Sprague, she formed JR Promotions, LLC with her husband. Richard now oversees the daily operations of JR Promotions, LLC as his primary occupation. Currently, JR Promotions has approximately 1000 billboard faces.
Janeen is also a real estate investor and licensed real estate broker. She has been involved in the purchase and development of large commercial parcels in Greenwood, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Seymour, Indiana. Janeen, along with her husband, own approximately 55+ apartment rental units in Columbus, Indiana, as well as commercial units in Columbus, Greenwood, and Brownsburg, Indiana. The Spragues have also received notoriety for their restoration of historic buildings including awards for the “Best State Restoration Project” and “Best State Tax Rehab Project.”
Janeen has been actively involved in the community. She has served on the Columbus Indiana Visitors Center Executive Committee and the Board of the Directors of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. She was also Treasurer of the Bartholomew County Visitors Information Promotion Committee, which oversees the allocation of innkeepers' tax for hotels in Columbus area. She was a Big Sister in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program for 4 years. She also has served as the middle school boys' tennis coach for the 4 years and the Columbus East High School Girls Tennis Assistant Coach for 3 years. She is a strong advocate for her alma mater Franklin College, the USO, and Volunteers in Medicine.
Education
