Diane Jones Konihowski. International track and field star. Canadian Olympic Hall of Famer. Olympic executive. Amateur sports booster. Tireless sports volunteer. Recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada.

And now you can add another impressive title to the distinguished career of one of Canada’s most enduring sports heroes – president of the Calgary operations of Premiere Executive Suites.

Jones Konihowski’s husband, former Canadian Football League star John Konihowski, is also an officer and shareholder in the company.

During her illustrious career as an athlete on the world stage, Jones Konihowski’s success was a product of grit, desire and an unyielding work ethic.

Today, as Jones Konihowski raises the bar in her latest venture, she promises to bring the same qualities as a leader and partner in Premiere Executive Suites, which provides corporate condos in downtown Calgary as an alternative to traditional hotel accommodations.

1. How did you become involved with Premiere Executive Suites?

“Tim Moore, with whom I had become good friends, is the gentleman who created AMJ Campbell Van Lines. He created Premiere Executives Suites about two-and-a-half years ago in Halifax. He would phone me on his cell and he’d be on his knees making beds. He’d say: ‘Oh, Diane, you’ve got to get into this and try it in Calgary.’ Anyways, he got me at a weak moment . . . I said yes before I knew the business and went to Halifax to train. It has turned into a 24/7 type of job. We basically purchase condos, furnish them and then rent them out.”

2. Is this business tougher than competing in a gruelling pentathlon?

“Yeah, it is, only because I entered it really not understanding the business. You leap in. It’s a fun business, simply because it’s people-oriented and I enjoy that because I’m a people kind of person. We’re a small enough operation so that we’re able to very successfully go beyond the call of duty in terms of giving our clients personal service.”

3. What has the transition been like after spending almost your entire life in sports?

“I have been involved in sports for 45 years and I’m still very passionate about sport and Olympic sport, but I was just burnt out. I had just given so much of myself and felt that I had been a part of some major change in sport in this country. But I felt it was just time to move on. I’m a big believer in not hanging around too long and having new blood and new ideas come to the table. And I guess there’s a new level of passion as well.”

4. So the time was ripe to move on from sports?

“Yes. For me, coming full circle was the 2000 Sydney Olympics as the team leader (chef de mission of the Canadian team). After competing in three Olympics starting with Munich in 1972, I had the honour of leading the team in Sydney. That just closedit for me. I just was at real peace. I thought: ‘What else is there?’ The only links to sport I have right now is as a director of the Canadian Olympic Association, and I’ve also volunteered provincially with the Kids Sport organization.”

5. Reflecting on your athletic career, what character trait made you a champion? “I loved what I was doing. Athletes have a hard time explaining that kind of passion. I just feel blessed that I had this immense love of what I was doing. Once I found out what I really loved to do, then I wanted to be the best in the world at it. I think the first thing is finding something you really, really love to do. There are so many people who wake up every day and don’t like going to work. I feel sorry for those people. There has not been a day in my life where I’ve not woken up and thought: ‘Wow, I just want to go and do it.’ ”

6. So have you been able to channel the same passion into this job?

“Yes, it is much the same with this business. There’s this intense passion and love for doing it. It’s very stressful and it’s hard work. But I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m not afraid to get down on my knees and make a bed or clean a unit or oversee the entire operation. People like Tim Moore who go into the trenches to get the job done really impress me. And I’m not afraid to get into the trenches. I was the sole operator for the first eight months. It’s good to do everything because I need to know all aspects of the business so when I hire people, I can tell them exactly what to expect.”

7. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far?

“Humbleness – being on your knees making a bed is a pretty humbling experience.”

8. Describe your business philosophy?

“Number one, to offer the best products and the best services, and to do it with a smile, with sincerity and with passion. And in order to accomplish that and be successful, you can’t sit back and let it happen. You have to work hard.”

9. What sets Premiere Executive Suites apart from hotels?

“I think our tag line – home away from home – says it all. We have a wonderful interior decorator, and we’re getting great response from our clients. A hotel is a hotel is a hotel, whether it’s the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa or the MacDonald in Edmonton or the Travelodge on Calgary Trail in Edmonton. Our clients are people who want to relax on the road. They can put on a bowl of soup or a grilled sandwich, put their feet up and do the remote thing. We’ll have 20 suites in Calgary by the end of the month. We have lots of competition in Calgary, so we’ve worked very hard to create a reputation for quality of service and quality of accommodation.”

10. What is your goal for Premiere Executive Suites?

“Our goal is to acquire more units and become the number one provider of extended-stay accommodation (in Calgary). We are going to accumulate units monthly and build our business that way.”

11. How has your business been impacted by the post-Sept. 11 travel slump?

“In October, it was felt everywhere. November picked up. December was a little slow. But now we’re going great guns. We’re booking for the summer. A lot of that has to do with the G8 Summit, of course.”

12. Of course, track and field is your claim to fame. Are your daughters following in your footsteps?

“My eldest daughter (Janna, 19) hates it. Yet she’s so talented, a coach’s dream. She did track (in high school) to humour me, but now she plays volleyball (with the University of Alberta Pandas), and that’s fine. It was tough because every one of her coaches mentioned my career. I’m coaching my younger daughter (Alana, 13) in volleyball (junior high). She’s going to go out for track in the spring.”

13. Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

“My parents. I have so many of my mom’s traits and I have so many of my dad’s traits that get me through the day. My mom (Joan Jones, who lives in Saskatoon) sort of ran everything in the family. She wore the pants, made the decisions and took the initiative. And my dad (the late Hugh Jones) just cruised through life. And I have the ability to do both. I think the cruising through life is a great de-stresser. I often say: ‘Thank you, dad, for giving me this ability for not feeling guilty when I just want to cruise.’ Looking back, you really realize what powerful role models your parents are. I had a good upbringing. We didn’t have a lot of money, but I can’t ever remember having Kraft dinner. Mom always found something good to put on the table, even when I came home late after working out.”

14. What was the most memorable moment of your athletic career?

“I have to mention two. Walking into the Big O (Montreal’s Olympic Stadium) for the 1976 Olympics. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

And then I’d have to say the 1978 Commonwealth Games. I had a perfect day where every event (in winning the pentathlon gold medal) went perfect. It was perfect weather, I had the top score in the world that year, it was in front of the home crowd. It was a great confidence builder that really confirmed that in Moscow (1980 Olympics) I was a legitimate medal favourite.”

15. But because of Canada’s boycott of the Moscow Olympics, you didn’t get that opportunity. Do you still have a bitter taste over the political boycott?

“That was very difficult. It didn’t make sense to me. It was a stupid political decision (the U.S. boycott, which Canada followed) and only because President (Jimmy) Carter made the decision after allowing the Russians to come to his Games (Winter Olympics in Lake Placid). I would have been supportive of the boycott if he had said no to the Russians for Lake Placid. I could have lived with it if they had kept the Russians from Lake Placid. But the way it was, we were just political pawns. With Canada following suit, I was disappointed in the Canadian Olympic Association’s decision to go with our government’s decision.”

16. How did you feel about having to compete in an environment dominated by athletes on performance-enhancing drugs?

“While I was competing, I had no idea what was going on. It was only after I became more educated about those drugs that I realized that I was probably the only drug-free pentathlete in the world. I was so naive. I showered with girls from other countries who were shaving (facial hair, a side effect of steroids) and over the years their voices would drop and their bodies would get more muscular. I thought: ‘Gee, they must work harder than I do.’

I don’t think that even if someone offered me a million dollars that I would have taken anything (to enhance performance).”

17. How do you expect Canada to fare in the upcoming Salt Lake Olympics?

“Canada’s going to do very well. The best ever.”

18. How important is ethics in business to you?

“I’m too honest. I’ve been asked to run for politics many times. There’s just no way. I can’t play the political games. I’m not a political animal. I am truly a squeaky-clean person. I know that’s boring. People say: ‘Why don’t you have a book written about you?’

What would they write? There’s no scandal in my life. I’ve made love twice, I’ve got two kids . . . no, really, it’s a pretty squeaky-clean life. I don’t have a story to tell that’s any more interesting than anybody else’s. I had a wonderful career as an athlete, but, hell, I worked damned hard for it. But I didn’t do anything special.”

19. How do you deal with stress?

“Because I have a lot of my dad in me, I have the ability to just park things, crank up the CD, relax with a glass of wine and spend time with my kids. And I keep active. I’ll park the car 10 blocks away from a meeting and I’ll take 10 flights of stairs instead of the elevator.”

20. What do you see in your life’s crystal ball?

“We’ll be doing this for the next couple of years and then see what happens. My (self-employed) husband would love to retire tomorrow. But I love working. I like keeping busy. And this opportunity may lead to something new as well.”

IN PROFILE: Diane Jones Konihowski

* Born/raised/age: Vancouver, Saskatoon, Sask.; 51.

* Title: President, Premiere Executive Suites (Calgary operation).

* Education: Bachelor of Education, University of Saskatchewan.

* Family: Husband John Konihowski, daughters Alana, 13, and Janna, 19.

* Career: After a star-studded 16-year career on the Canadian track and field team, Jones Konihowski was a driving force behind Canadian amateur sports and the Olympics until a year ago, when she severed most of her ties to sports to become president of Premiere Executive Suites. Prior to joining Premiere Executive Suites, she was vice-president of marketing for the Calgary-based National Sports Centre.

* Directorships: Jones Konihowski is a director of the Canadian Olympic Association and has been a director of the Coaching Association of Canada, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, Calgary Olympic Development Association and has been an honorary chair for the Alberta Terry Fox Run. She was chef de mission (team leader) for Canada's 2000 Olympic team.

* Highlights/Awards: Jones Konihowski won the pentathlon gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games. She was a three-time Olympian, won more than 60 national championships in pentathlon, high jump and long jump and was the world's No.1-ranked pentathlete in 1975 and 1978. She was Canada's female athlete of the year in 1975 (co-winner) and 1978, was awarded the Order of Canada in 1978 and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

* Passions: Watching her daughters play volleyball, classic movies, fitness.

THE COMPANY: Premiere Executive Suites

* Brass: Diane Jones Konihowski, president, Calgary operations.

* Profile: Premiere provides fully equipped, furnished luxury condos and apartments for short-term and long-term stays. The company is focused on marketing an alternative to hotel accommodations to the corporate market. The Calgary suites are in Eau Claire and the west end of downtown. The private company also operates out of Montreal and Halifax.

* Slogan: ‘Your home away from home.’

* Website: www.premiereexecutivesuites.com

* Address: #1900, 440 2nd Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 5E9.

* Phone/Fax: 509-6440, 509-6442.