Co-Owner and CEO of Cedar Lakes Estates

I am a firm believer that the stronger your work ethic is, the greater your success will be.

Others don't have to lose for you to win. Bring as many people as you can with you to the top!

Key lessons I've learned throughout my career: (1) "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." (2) "The way you do anything is the way you do everything." (3) "Rising tides raise all ships."

When hiring, we look for enthusiasm, strong character, love of people, and a lack of ego. These character traits tend to lead us to inexperienced candidates, but we love that! In many instances, the greener the better. With our robust training program, we find it easier to create good habits than break bad ones.

As soon as somebody figures out how to maintain a "healthy" work/life balance in this industry, please let me know! Just kidding...kinda. I try really hard to completely pause work every day from 5:30-7:30 so I can be fully present with my husband and kids during dinner and bedtime. I also try to truly unplug at least one full day per week, so I can be present for my kids. Admittedly, I don't always succeed at this, as it takes a lot of discipline to not check emails and Slack, but I know I am a more focused, productive, and patient leader and mom when I do!

I am incredibly motivated by all of the growth and learning opportunities in this industry. I feel that my job as a hospitality leader is to understand that we are on a never ending quest for perfection and although we will never truly arrive at that destination, the journey to come close is pretty fun.

My must-reads: "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara, "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer, and "The Gold Standard" by Ari Gold.

Our team knows that they are the foundation and heart of our company. With that knowledge, their confidence grows, which emboldens uninhibited creativity, authenticity, and genuine hospitality. We encourage employees to showcase their sense of self, and to chart their own paths within the company. For example, we have a gentleman whose passion lies in guest services but also loves technology, so we created an “IT Maître d” role for him. Our Bar Manager does stand-up comedy on the side, so all of our signature cocktails are inside jokes of the company. This way, she can tell a hilarious story every night when a guest asks why our vodka gimlet is called a "Chicky Pop."

It goes without saying that almost every industry was negatively affected by 2020, but the hospitality industry, specifically those in 'events', were arguably hit the hardest of all. For more than a year, we were unable to host events, which is the core of our business. Instead of giving up and laying everybody off, we came together as a team and built a new business from scratch within weeks. We opened as a boutique hotel and became a very safe escape from NYC. Guests found solace in our vast, pastoral estate, and our entire staff was able to stay employed until we were able to host events again in 2021. It was definitely the most difficult lemonade I hope to ever make, but it taught me so much as a leader and made our team stronger than ever.