Author Archives: Quinn Pochekailo

April 2023 Insider | Sustainability

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Our Sustainability Program has been making strides with eco-friendly updates to lodging and condos, community initiatives, and creating awareness on what can be done locally and company-wide to make an impact. The program had to get back to basics during the pandemic, but we are thrilled to see most properties now back to providing bulk amenities, increasing their donations of soaps and linens, and ramping up cleanups. We’re also seeing the re-emergence of new initiatives that were put on hold.

We interviewed Heather Guay Yoo, Senior Director of Business Development and chair of the Sustainability Council, to get a better feel of the current state of the program and where we are headed as an organization.

 

 

Are there any new developments on the way in the next few years?

“As a food and beverage company, we have a duty and commitment to our customers to make sure we are being as sustainable as possible.  This year, and moving forward, we will really be working with the Culinary Forum and our executive chefs across the nation to make sure we are in line with our competition while also trying to take it a step further.

We have looked into ocean-friendly certifications for the food & beverage outlets that make sense, in addition to composting and other waste initiatives at various units. We also continue to partner with Bob Douglas and the Purchasing Department regarding our vendors and eco-friendly options,” says Heather.

 

Who is a part of the sustainability council?

Members are from across the country from California to Florida and consist of GMs, Area Managers, Directors, and other decision-making team members.

 

 

If managers or employees want to get more involved, how can they?

“I certainly welcome anyone that has an interest in sustainability to reach out to their VP if they are not already on the council. There are local cleanups in most areas that employees can attend in addition to various opportunities in the DMV area near our headquarters in Fairfax. Any new ideas I would certainly ask people to feel encouraged to email or call me directly!”

 

 

April 2023 Insider | DEI Updates

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Our team members LaJuana Warren, Jennifer Gafford, and Stephanie Tschohl recently attended the Forum on Workplace Inclusion Conference in Minneapolis, which marked its 35th year. The conference offered a diverse range of workshops, including sessions on Racial Justice at Work, Building Networks of Allyship, and Operationalizing a Workplace Culture of Belonging. We are thrilled to announce that our team was able to attend a wide variety of these workshops, and we are excited to share recordings of many of these sessions over the next few months via Zoom!

In May, we will celebrate AAPI-Asian American Pacific Islander Month with a special guest speaker, Lisa Ong. Lisa was a hit at last year’s event, and we are sure this year will be no exception. We will also be celebrating Jewish Heritage Month with a visit to the Holocaust Museum and lunch, and we encourage everyone to stay tuned for the dates.

If there are any topics you would like us to discuss or cover, please reach out to LaJuana Warren or the co-chairs with your suggestions and ideas.

 

25th Anniversary of The Legend at Giants Ridge

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Celebrating One of Our Most Influential Partnerships

The last five years have seen an unprecedented amount of developments on the world stage, in the United States, and in our own organization. Even during such a tumultuous time, we saw the development of one of our most influential partnerships.

On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of The Legend Golf Course at Giants Ridge. This landmark event welcomed stakeholders, media members, Guest Services leadership, and more from all over the country to honor one of America’s most renowned golf destinations.

Another ‘Giant’ Success Story

From local legislators to company execs and CEOs, all those in attendance were grateful for the course’s success and appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy The Legend.

“It was a great event. We got out to play and spend time with a lot of good people, including many of the major stakeholders and partners. It was also timely, as we are the beneficiary of a recently renewed contract there for another at least five years with the opportunity to extend,” says Nico Foris, CEO.

 

 

“It went really well. We’ve actually only seen about a fraction of the media that will result from the event. The Forbes article has been released, there’s been buzz throughout the state, and everyone I talked to, from state legislators to locals and even the course architect himself, Jeff Brauer, was grateful for it going so well,” says Steve Rahkola, Director of Sales & Marketing at Giants Ridge.

 

See the full list of excellent articles and resulting media coverage.

As the summer and fall seasons come to a close, the Giants Ridge team is looking forward to their Rock the Ridge concert and Mountain Bike Race before they start switching gears to the winter season. We look forward to building on the success of the 25th Anniversary Event!