Founder · President · Hospitality Entrepreneur
I build businesses around the moments people remember. From the first welcome at the curb to the experience that brings a guest back, hospitality has shaped my work for more than two decades. I started behind the wheel in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew that commitment to service into businesses serving guests and clients across the country.
Get to know me
01 / About
I’m Jermaine Butler, born in Queens, New York, and founder and president of Zenith Hospitality Group. I built my first business in Madison, Wisconsin, starting with limousine service in 2003. Driving taught me that the details people remember often happen before they reach their destination: a timely arrival, a warm greeting, and the confidence that someone is looking after them. That experience became the foundation for a hospitality company serving clients across the United States.
My work spans valet parking, guest services, technology, and food and beverage. I’ve moved between roles as a driver, attendant, operator, and business owner, learning what service requires from the people delivering it every day. Across each venture, I’m focused on building strong teams, creating opportunities, and giving people a reason to feel genuinely welcomed.
I’m proud to lead the only Black-owned national valet and hospitality company in the United States. Building Zenith has meant opening doors in an industry where representation matters, while holding our work to the standards our clients and their guests expect. I want the people coming up behind me to see a path to leadership and ownership, too.
Outside of work, I collect shoes and cars. I appreciate the design, craftsmanship, and stories behind both. My interest in vehicles has stayed with me from the earliest days behind the wheel through the businesses I lead today.
02 / The journey
Growth has rarely followed a straight line. I’ve learned to recognize an opening, show up, and do the work. Each stage of the company has asked me to learn something new, from serving the first client personally to building teams that can deliver consistently in multiple markets.
I founded the company in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2003, starting with limousine service. I loved cars, but I learned quickly that the real business was trust: arriving on time, knowing the details, and making every client feel taken care of. Those early trips taught me how to run a service operation from the ground up.
In 2007, Biaggi’s restaurant called and asked whether we could provide valet parking. They needed someone right away, so I left my desk and parked the cars myself. One urgent request became a new direction for Zenith and showed me how much opportunity could begin with a willingness to say yes and deliver.
Zenith grew from transportation and valet parking into broader hospitality operations, with service at hotels, restaurants, shopping destinations, and events. Today I also work on technology through ParkSync and on dining through Vita Bella. The settings are different, but the goal is the same: give teams the tools and leadership to make the guest experience feel effortless.
The story behind the work
I’m writing my autobiography to share the decisions, setbacks, and people who shaped the journey from chauffeur to entrepreneur. The story begins before Zenith, with the experiences that took me from Queens to Wisconsin, and follows the work of starting a business, changing direction, and learning through difficult seasons. I want to tell the whole story of the people and choices behind the company, not just its milestones.
I shared a preview in a personal essay about growing up in Queens and finding my path in Wisconsin. Writing it has given me a chance to reflect on the lessons I learned while building something that now reaches beyond one person or one city.
Read the autobiography preview ↗03 / My work
My work connects operations, people, and the way a guest feels in a place. Each venture addresses a different part of that experience, from the arrival at the curb to the meal that follows.
Zenith Hospitality GroupThe company I founded in 2003 has grown into a national hospitality operation. Zenith works with properties and partners on valet parking, guest services, and hotel support, with teams focused on making each arrival, interaction, and departure run smoothly.
Valet by ZenithOur dedicated valet brand brings curbside service to hotels, restaurants, shopping destinations, and events. Programs are shaped around each property’s traffic, staffing needs, and guest expectations, with a focus on a professional first and last impression.
ParkSyncParkSync is the technology I’m developing for modern valet operations. It helps teams track vehicle check-ins, guest requests, payments, and retrieval so attendants can stay organized and guests have a simpler experience from arrival to departure.
JORJA POSJORJA is a connected operating system for restaurants, bringing together orders, payments, kitchen flow, reservations, team tools, and reporting. I’m building it to help hospitality teams spend less time switching systems and more time serving guests.
VEYRA is a hospitality and property management platform designed to bring property operations, reservations, guest services, and payments together. I’m building it to help hotel and resort teams simplify day-to-day management and create a more connected guest experience.
Visit VEYRA ↗
Vita BellaVita Bella Italiano Ristorante brings another side of my hospitality vision to downtown Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. It is a place for handcrafted Italian food, tableside moments, and time together around a meal. The Cap Times covered its opening and the story behind the restaurant.
Coming soon · Winter 2027
I’m part of the ownership team developing Mayim + OHR in Palm Springs, California. The planned 143-room resort brings together a swim club, pools, a spa, dining, and spaces for gatherings. It is an opportunity to bring my work in guest experience and hospitality operations into a new setting.
Planned opening: winter 2027. Project details and timing may evolve as development continues.
Zenith currently operates in California, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. Working across these markets means adapting to different properties and communities while giving local teams the support to meet the same expectations for service. Our roots are in Madison, but our work now reaches guests across the country.
04 / Recognition
These awards and stories reflect different chapters of my journey: building a service business in Madison, expanding Zenith into new markets, and opening Vita Bella. Explore the reporting, company announcement, and videos below to learn more about the work and the people behind it.
Presented by the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce at its 8th annual Black Business Awards, recognizing strategic growth and resilience.
Read the Madison365 report ↗“Great service begins with people who care about the details.”
Jermaine Butler
05 / Connect
I’m always interested in thoughtful conversations with people who care about service, strong operations, and opportunities to build something lasting. Whether you’re exploring valet or hospitality support for a property, considering a partnership, or inviting me to speak about entrepreneurship, connect with me through Zenith Hospitality Group. Tell me a little about what you’re working on and where you see an opportunity to collaborate.