Work day at The Captain Joseph House
Community engagement has always been an important part of my company’s operational philosophy. Our Black Bear Diner regularly gives a portion of its daily revenue to local non-profits through its Dine-to-Donate program and during the holiday season supports Make-A-Wish. Our Holiday Inn Express hires employees with disabilities who bring an infectious joy to their jobs. Our Papago Inn has begun to support historic preservation. Our Quality Inn has been a long-time advocate of working with local companies to promote recreational tourism and supporting Olympic National Park through the Washington’s National Park Fund.
Together, we also support a local foundation, The Captain Joseph House. The foundation is located in a century old mansion, that when remodeled, will provide a continuum of care for military families who have lost a loved one and made the ultimate sacrifice. Yesterday a dozen of our employees spent their day-off cleaning and organizing the house to get it ready for the plumbing crew. It was hard, but it felt good to give back. The newest buzz-word in the hospitality industry is developing engaged employees – all meaningless unless you are providing an opportunity for that engagement in the community. Or as a wise man said many, many years ago – Just be love.