Culture: The Competitive Advantage

One of the most amazing creations I have ever witnessed is how the body reacts to a foreign

being. It first identifies if that being is a threat or an ally. Threat: it works and works until that

being is expelled from it in its entirety, except for the new antibodies that have formed to make

the body stronger and protect it from such beings in the future. Ally: it works in mutualism, both

working toward the same goal - a healthy, thriving body. Thus, it grows stronger and healthier

with both its threats and its allies.

Ashford Acres, even as a young business, has a way of attracting the most viable candidates

from near and far for a trial on its team. And those candidates are quickly identified as beneficial

or harmful for the “body,” not by a person, but by the culture. Those that are symbiotic with

Ashford Acres thrive, and often grow to their greatest potential, gleaning more from their

experience than they could have hoped. They may even be “lifers” with Ashford Acres, staying

in a career field they may not have even known they were interested in BECAUSE of the

culture. It’s the root of Ashford Acres’ competitive edge. Those that are not symbiotic may leave

Ashford Acres never knowing what they have missed. This is not to say that everyone who is no

longer with Ashford Acres was harmful to its being. I, myself, worked at Ashford Acres for years

in most positions offered by the business and loved every minute of it until motherhood pulled

me away for another great joy in my life. I still love Ashford Acres to my core and that is why I’m

writing to you today. To share how significantly I have been impacted by the culture of Ashford

Acres and how grateful I am to be part of the Ashford Acres family, currently employed or not.

The Heart of Hospitality: People First

Should you have the privilege to be part of the Ashford Acres family, you will hear repeatedly

how important “the Disney Experience” is to a successful business. Creating magical moments

for guests from Cynthiana to Sri Lanka is no easy feat, but it is made easier by a culture that

supports hospitality from the inside out. Annastasia and the management team, that once

included myself, consistently put people first, knowing them as humans; their interests, their

motivations, their needs, and their goals. As part of the team, you are not just an employee but

truly part of the family. I know how cliche that sounds and I’ve been a part of entities that use it

without meaning, but Ashford Acres is not one of those entities. It is no uncommon experience

for employees to want to stay beyond their shift to help a coworker or to simply be present in the

culture that has been built for them and by them. That internally experienced hospitality is

reflected in how each guest is treated when they visit Ashford Acres and it is why they return. A

culture that fosters hospitality for its team breeds hospitality for its business. It is this high

standard for hospitality that first drew me to its doors.

Growing Together

As aforementioned, there have been plenty of “ally” employees come and go from Ashford

Acres who feel as fondly about their experience as I do. Some in culinary school, others in

retirement, and some, like me, doing the mom thing. From top to bottom, that’s not because

there is anything so significantly gratifying about waiting tables or planning an event (aside from

the obvious gratification of seeing people experience the joy from their momentous occasions of

course), but rather because you are truly part of the beating heart of the business. There is no

position too small to be significant. Each position from the bottom to the top has meaning and it

is felt (trust me, I’ve done them all). When you are able to buy into the business as I did, it is

easy to go to work and feel as though you are simply at home, doing what you love, valued for

the work that you are doing, however small it may seem from the outside looking in. You may

ask ‘how much growth can really happen if I’m a dishwasher?’ But it isn’t necessarily the tasks

you complete that foster growth at AAI. The atmosphere you are working in where leaders are

motivating you, encouraging you, and pushing you forces the growth required to maintain the

Ashford Acres culture, one of value shown for each team member. I stepped away from

teaching when my position was being cut and took on a larger role with Ashford Acres and I will

never forget someone saying to me, “you’re going to leave teaching to be a manager?” And my

immediate thought, having already been working with Ashford Acres part time was, “No, I am

leaving teaching for Ashford Acres.” The leadership experience with AAI (Ashford Acres Inn)

was exceedingly beneficial, and I owe that to the culture that was so carefully crafted to help

you grow alongside the business, but more importantly as an individual.

Faithful Partnership

It was never lost on me that I was working at, first and foremost, a wedding venue, where each

weekend people pledged themselves to another for a lifelong commitment. In so many ways I

feel the same love for Ashford Acres. In the last 7 years I have been employed by AAI in some

capacity for 4 and a half. But for all 7 I have been faithfully committed to supporting them in any

way I can. Not because I am some great, ‘yes man’ employee who just buys into anything, but

because that is what you do when you love something and that love is reciprocated. You

support it, challenge it, help it grow both when together and when apart, and it does the same

for you. AAI has never been just a place to work but a mutual, faithful partnership since the

moment I turned in my application. I’m not one to easily feel comfortable in a new setting or to

open myself up to others but they make you their business. They take you on and help you grow

as much as you are willing to grow with them. Their unwavering trust in you, your abilities, and

your success makes for a culture of faithful partnership that continues well beyond the

paperwork of employment.

To my point: culture is either a killer or a competitive edge. It either makes people leave or gives

them the space to move on but never let go. A positive culture, such as that of Ashford Acres, is

one that stays with you creating a comparison for all future endeavors and a love that never

leaves. What better place to get married than the place that is the love story itself?

-Chelsea Hill