Sims Foster

If you read some recent press on Sims Foster and his work in the Catskills you will likely find more than one reference to this being a passion project. That much is very true. He is passionate about the Catskills and passionate about being part of positive change in an area where his family has lived for over 100 years. He’s a hometown boy looking to do good.

Sims has built a long career in hospitality and is recognized nationally for his efforts. He likes to say that he started his career with a lie. When he was 13 he fudged his records to say he was 14 so that he could get a job washing dishes in a restaurant in Livingston Manor. From there he worked his way through every service level job in the restaurant business. After studying music and playing professionally for a time he turned back to hospitality. General Manager of Lotus, Director of Operations of Country, Owner of 3 restaurants during that same time back in Livingston Manor, Vice President – Restaurants and Bars with Denihan Hospitality Group and Senior Vice President – Restaurants, Bars, and Nightlife with Commune Hotels & Resorts are all titles he has held. Sims has opened over 40 restaurants, bars and hotels in his career. He is an entity in the inner circle of the Chef and Restaurant world. He has been involved intimately with lifestyle brands like The James, Affinia, Joie de Vivre, Thompson and tommie as well as with many independent boutique hotels. He is at the highest echelon of his industry and is now applying all he has experienced and learned to Foster Supply Hospitality.

Sims is Co-Founder of the company’s not-for-profit, A Single Bite, addressing food insecurity and health in Sullivan County. He is also a Board Member of the Sullivan County Visitors Association, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center, the Sullivan County Land Bank, and the Lazarre and Charlotte Kaplan Foundation.  Sims holds a BA from Shepherd University.  He grew up in Livingston Manor and resides in Youngsville, NY with his wife Kirsten and their two children. 

Kirsten Harlow Foster

Kirsten Harlow Foster is a co-founder, along with her husband and partner Sims Foster, of Foster Supply Hospitality, which operates five hotels and four restaurants in New York’s Sullivan Catskills.

Prior to launching Foster Supply Hospitality with the opening of the Arnold House in 2014, Kirsten spent 10 years working as a Senior Policy Advisor at The Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  With a Masters Degree in Development Economics and International Policy, Kirsten’s career has also taken her to developing countries to assist in setting up small, rural micro-lending programs, to advising foreign officials on economics and health policy, and to serve as an advisor to the US Treasury Department. Throughout her career, she has always been dedicated to making a difference and ensuring her work makes an impact.

This passion carries through to her role in co-founding Foster Supply Hospitality, with the brand’s efforts helping to define the renaissance of this storied region of the Catskills. Kirsten oversees and executes all design & purchasing for all properties, as well as leads all Marketing, Revenue, & Sales efforts, as well as ensuring the brand’s programming strategy is focused on guest values and local partnerships.

Kirsten is also Co-Founder, along with Sims of A Single Bite, a not-for-profit organization that the couple founded to address food insecurity in their community.  She is also President of the Board of Trustees for WJFF Radio Catskill and a member of the Community Foundation Board.  She graduated from Barnard College with a BA in Political Economics & German Literature, followed by securing a MA in Development Economics and International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University. Kirsten resides in Youngsville, NY with her husband Sims and their two children, who are proud to be 5th generation Sullivan County.