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“Employee party?” I questioned. “Like a GI Party? That’s what we called a weekly cleanup crew.”
JJ laughed again. “No, son, like apartyparty. We like to treat the staff well, and employee satisfaction has sort of become Izzy’s baby. Most of them are college kids. We want them to have a good time working for us. We always have an end of the season party for summer and winter, our two biggest seasons. Besides the parties, we organize a lot of mixers and events throughout the year. We work hard, but we play hard, too. Izzy likes to plan them. She is pretty much friends with all the kids… which I suppose is part of the problem.”
“Is that what you are hoping I can fix, for her to be less friendly with the staff?” I really wanted to get a better understanding of what I was here to do, as it had all been rather vague up until now.
“Yes, and no. We want them to feel cared for, but I think sometimes Isabelle forgets that she’s not one of them anymore. She can’t be going to keggers in the dorms with the kids at night and then giving their bosses performance reviews the next day, you know what I mean? She’s got to start pulling back, acting more like a manager and less like their buddy, before I can consider handing the reins over. Aspen Ridge employs nearly a thousand people in lodging alone, so she needs to get a wider view.”
I nodded seriously. “I know exactly what you mean. It’s like when we promote a Senior Airman to Staff Sergeant. Suddenly they’re a non-commissioned officer and they can’t get away with acting like Airmen fresh from basic training anymore. For some of them, it’s a hard transition.”
“Sounds like I hired just the man for the job.” JJ grinned as the elevator doors opened. “This is our main hotel lobby, but there are seven in total that span the base of the ski resort.”
For the rest of the day, I followed along as JJ gave me a thorough tour of the main resort highlights. It was daunting to realize how many teams he had, which started with a network of VPs, plus a manager for each site, then each building, of the extensive resort. JJ filled me in on the other family he shared ownership of the resort with, which included the events center, stables, and ski hills. He and Robert Blackwell had equal shares in the business and, as they came of age, passed management onto their children with the plan of eventually handing over the reins entirely.
“So, how many kids do you plan to hand this off to? It sounds like you’ve expanded quite a bit on what your parents built with the Blackwells.”
“Indeed.” JJ leaned back in his seat and stretched. We’d stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant on the resort, and the remains of a savoury meal cooled on the plates in front of us. “My sister, Lily, didn’t want much to do with the place. She’s on the books, but really in name only. I don’t hold out much hope for her son, Blaise, either. Bit of a flake, that kid. But my eldest, James the third, is already managing mountain operations, and Robert’s eldest, Reece, works with the events center. Robert’s daughter, Estelle, seems to prefer riding the powder to working, but Robert’s certain she’ll step up, eventually.”
“And Isabelle is primed to take over all of lodging?” I asked. “Based on what you’ve shown me, that seems like more than one person’s work. Especially for someone who likes to be so hands on.”
“I think we manage pretty well with our team of VPs, but that’s where I need you to help her, Jake.” He leaned in and slapped me on the shoulder. “She needs to be less hands on, and try as I might, I can’t seem to get that into her head. She’s almost never in her office. If she wants to take over for me, she’s got to be in meetings with the VPs, approving payroll, signing off renovation projects. Instead, I’m far more likely to find her out with the landscaping crew planting flowers.”
“Right,” I nodded. “She needs to transition to a macro view of the business, and right now she’s fully in the micro.”
“You’ve got it.” JJ checked his watch, then wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. “Well, I’ve got some meetings to attend tonight. Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off? Or even better, go to the employee party tonight. I’ll have Larissa at the desk send you the address. It’ll give you a chance to see how we run things here, maybe make a few friends. It’s sort of a send-off for seasonal workers, but most of our full-time staff should be there as well.”
“Okay, what time would you like me in tomorrow?” I followed him outside to the golf cart we’d used for the tour, and we zipped off toward the offices the second I claimed my seat.
“Tomorrow?” He guffawed. “Son, tomorrow’s Saturday. I’m going to be working on my golf swing. We’ll see you first thing Monday.”
“Don’t I need to sign forms with HR, or fill out a payslip?” I clung to the side of the cart to avoid spilling out. It didn’t seem pertinent to mention that I assumed he wanted me to start on Friday because I’d be there through the weekend. Hence why I’d sent my kids to their grandparents.
“Nah, we already started your salary, and you can fill out paperwork on Monday. Go to the party and have a good time. Make some friends! We want everyone to feel like part of the family here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I told you, stop making me feel old. JJ is fine.”
“Yes, s—JJ.”
“Better.” He grinned and gave me a twinkly blue-eyed wink.
JJ dropped me directly at my truck, insisting there was no need for me to get my briefcase before I left.
I drove home in a daze, my mind churning on how I could make myself invaluable and earn a permanent place here. Aspen Ridge was a dream come true when it came to working environments. Everyone seemed genuinely happy, and JJ greeted everyone we passed, a lot of them by name. It was easy to see what he meant about it being a family business.
A text popped up on my phone just as I pulled into the drive, with a detailed message from Larissa about how to get to the employee party. Obviously the suit would not be appropriate, but I honestly didn’t know what to wear for an end of season employee party at a billion-dollar resort. I concluded neat jeans and a button-down shirt were appropriate for the brand new five-million dollar events center.
It’s always better to be a little overdressed as opposed to under dressed.
Even if it was a little uncomfortable.
* * *
The doubts started as soonas I parked in the lot. All the crowd heading toward the fancy events center was young—like fresh out of high school young—and the dress code appeared to be flip-flops and backwards baseball caps. The sun had long since disappeared behind the mountains, and twilight shadows were verging on darkness, stars already appearing in the sky.
Although I wasn’t sure what I was expected to do here, JJ had asked me to attend and make friends. Honestly, I had nothing better to do on a Friday night, and the kids were happy at their grandparents’ house. I decided it was an opportunity to see more about this ‘treating staff as family’ thing JJ was so proud of. I steeled myself for the culture shock and followed the others from the parking lot toward the building.
Once I got through the main doors, I glanced around at the stunning facility. They had built a marvel—it was modern and clean in the lobby, but it still had a decidedly cozy mountain feel. The employees streamed through a second set of double doors with loud rhythmic music pouring out.
