Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/201657
Team Members By Bob Rupp, Human Resources & Benefits Committee Chair Giving back to team members WAC staff make the Club feel like home all year long "T here's no place like home for the holidays." We hear this line every year around this time. For most of us, going home to celebrate with family and friends reminds us of great times from our past. When we go home, we feel welcome, cared for, and grateful for the things and people we have in our lives. This is also the way I feel every time I enter the WAC. From Charles at the front door to Harry at the hotel desk and elsewhere throughout the Club, I'm greeted warmly and treated like family. WAC team members make this a special place. Not only do they treat members with the utmost respect, but they also keep our Club running with the precision of a fine watch. We are all fortunate to have such a place. The more we use it, the better it is. We work out, attend gatherings, enjoy great food and wine, relax in the Spa, get our hair cut, play sports, swim, stay overnight in the Inn, get nutritional advice, and experience an abundance of other activities too numerous to name. To be sure, our facility itself is truly first-class, but it's the staff that really gives us the service and feeling of belonging that makes our Clubhouse seem like home. We have close to 350 team members who, together, make everything work so well and give us a great experience each time we come to the Club. Most of us see only a few team members on a regular basis, but they're all working to provide the service and detail needed to make the WAC a perennial 5 Star Platinum Club of America. This is our time to say thank you to these wonderful employees. This month, you'll see a team member appreciation gift of $45 on your monthly statement. Please feel free to increase the amount if you wish, but know that the suggested level of this annual donation is needed to show our appreciation for the great job our team members do throughout the year. For many of them, this monetary token of appreciation is what gives them the ability to buy holiday gifts and celebrate with their own families. WAC executives, although very much a part of the WAC experience and the Club's success, do not take part in this pool of funds. Your donation, combined with others, is distributed to team members at the annual Team Member Holiday Party in December. Indeed, there's no place like home for the holidays. WAC members have the privilege of enjoying that feeling all year. Thank you for being a member, and thank you for your appreciation of our exceptional staff. Happy Holidays! Clockwise from top left: Building Operations Manager Mike Young; Billing Specialist Elizabeth Avila and Business Development Manager Max Reich; Pilates Instructor Marywilde Nelson; Doorman Charles Webster; Merchandising and Spa Operations Manager Suzana Sakay and Engineering Administrative Assistant Patty Smith; Deli Servers Lani Baniaga and Olga Chavarria with Sports Café Manager Anne-Marie Mennen. 16 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013