Betty Anne Latrace Henderson, President of Saskatoon-based Airline Hotels and Resorts, is aptly described as “a teacher, an entrepreneur, an aggressive and focused businesswoman as well as the torch bearer of the company values, vision and ethics.” Airline Hotels and Resorts was started by Betty Anne’s father, Harold Latrace, in 1972. She joined the company in 1994 and became President in 2000. In nine years, Betty Anne expanded the family business from owning and operating two properties – Travelodge Hotels in Saskatoon and Regina – to ownership of four, large, full-scale hotels from Edmonton to Thunder Bay, as well as a hotel management division. For the year ended October 31, 2008, Airline Hotel’s annual revenue was $45.5 million, up 109 per cent from $18 million three years earlier. Heading up a team of 660 employees, it is little wonder Betty Anne was named Canada’s top female entrepreneur in 2009 by Profit magazine. The Betty Anne Latrace Henderson Fund was established at the Foundation by Betty Anne’s family to celebrate her stellar leadership and accomplishments.
In addition to her work with Airline Hotels and Resorts, Betty Anne has served on the boards of Saskatchewan Mutual Insurance and the Saskatoon Airport Authority. She has volunteered and supported the Saskatoon and District Chamber of Commerce. The Partnership and the North Saskatoon Business Association. Betty Anne’s volunteer works extends further into our community with involvement with Third Avenue United Church, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan, and the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation.
Betty Anne holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan and dedicated herself to teaching, with a special interest in at-risk children, prior to entering the business arena full-time. At Betty Anne’s request, annual income from her endowed fund will support children and youth at risk in our community. The Latrace legacy of support for children in Saskatoon began at the Foundation in 2000 when the Latrace Family Fund for Children, honouring the late Harold Latrace, was established. It is the sincere hope and wish that future generations will excel and embrace the values held dearly by Betty Anne and the team at Airline Hotels and Resorts: Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, and Entrepreneurship.