Got Culture?

It begins with Lane, Chef Bill and Tracy

By Dave Short - Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales

I recently got a call from Lane Singleton. 

Lane is the superintendent responsible for all six of our courses and the grounds for a Club and community that is only a few hundred acres smaller than Manhattan Island. Needless to say, right up there with the Chef, it is as important a position as exists here, or in any private golf club for that matter. Because Reynolds is still in a growth mode and frequently hosts referrals from Members, as well as other guests who are considering real estate and Membership, Lane had a specific purpose in mind when he called me that day. Lane suggested that because of the rye grass overseed on the fairways this time of year on two of the courses, the guests’ golf experience would be enhanced by allowing them to play these courses on their visit, as opposed to the others who are out of the ryegrass rotation, which can only be done every other year. I’m pretty sure that during Lane’s interview for the job, that level of forethought about the golf experience for potential new Members wasn’t one of the questions that he was evaluated on.

A few months back, a group of Members and their guests were having dinner at The Preserve clubhouse when their dinner was interrupted by an electrical storm and an accompanying power outage. Having just sipped their first drink, they started to pack it up when Chef Bill Greenwald cheerfully told them to sit tight. They then noticed a whiff of charcoal drifting in from outside the window. In an instant, Chef Bill had pulled rib eyes and tuna steaks out, along with a panful of fresh vegetables, and they soon found themselves enveloped in the aroma of a spontaneous mixed grill, along with a healthy dose of genuine care and comfort. I’m pretty sure the ability to think that fast and act that quickly wasn’t an interview question for Chef Bill.

One Member in the process of building their home stays in a cottage here during their progress visits, and has a special type of flat pillow that they need. Tracy Johnson, a stellar 20-year employee in our housekeeping department, stores these special pillows separately for them and routinely checks the arrival list to see that the pillows are traded out in whichever cottage they might be in for that visit. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a flat pillow test during her interview.

At Reynolds, every employee is a member of the sales team, and we are top heavy with successes like those referenced above. While we have seasoned real estate professionals who have been on station for an average of 12 years and who all enjoy Membership themselves, long after the new Members’ transponder is issued and their pictures are hung, the promise of the real estate agents’ handshake is in the hands of these fine employees.

After all, the portal through which great experience is delivered is not marble floors or fine art, but rather Lane, Chef Bill, and Tracy. Always has been, probably always will be. In our recruiting processes and our new hire orientation, which is a robust curriculum that spreads out over two full days, we conclude….and have a lot of fun with the idea that everyone is in sales here regardless of the job description against which you may have been hired. It doesn’t hurt that we are also in a region of the country that is hard wired for genuine and authentic hospitality, and while that’s a lot, it isn’t enough. We joyfully celebrate stories like the above daily, weekly, annually like no place I’ve ever seen. Daily huddles celebrate such forethought and service heroics; employee outings are regular for golf or fishing events, as are all employee lunches…for over 600 employees. Leaders of the month and quarter are celebrated even more publically at a special luncheon where the nominee is introduced by the person nominating them.

For us, such recognition has become as much a part of living and working here as the lake itself, the towering Georgia Pines, or the rolling hills that lead down to the lakeshore, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Every company has a culture and it’s up to them to decide what theirs is, whether it’s good or bad. At Reynolds Lake Oconee, we choose to make ours good and invest the time, energy, and resources from the outset to do so. Because of that, when a Reynolds employee says “Good Morning” to you, you can bet that they really mean it.