They say you can learn a lot about the culture and philosophy of an organization by talking to its leader.
If that is the case, then my recent conversation with J. Craig Madison, president and CEO of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C., qualifies as an eye-opening education.
Madison, more than being the organizational leader of one of the grandest resorts in America, is a gifted storyteller whose command of history and knowledge of biography are virtually unmatched in the lofty ranks of the C-suite.
From Henry Kissinger and Mikhail Baryshnikov to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Daniel Day Lewis, Madison spoke eloquently and emotionally about the storied history of the Grove Park Inn, the host venue of the Spring 2009 Professional Forum of IAMC.
For a man who shoulders the responsibility of housing 200,000 hotel guests per year and overseeing a staff of more than 1,000, Madison displays an attention to detail that even an accomplished artist would love.
It's easy to see why. He loves his home.
J. Craig Madison
"Our company culture can be summed up with one short phrase — 'On with the revolution.' We are a company totally committed to our mission, vision and values," says Madison. "They are published and placed everywhere. They are at every meeting. Every single day at the Grove Park Inn, we discuss the value of the day. It is my passion. We are a culture-driven company."
Lest you think those words are lip service, the staff lives them out 365 days a year. "We have a Culture Council, and it is comprised of various staff members at the Grove Park Inn," Madison notes. "They serve for 18 months. We promote and teach it every day. People even joke that they came to Grove Park and drank our Kool-Aid."
The culture is no laughing matter, however, especially when times are tough. When two hurricanes ripped through the North Carolina mountains about 10 years ago, the property was evacuated for 48 hours.
"We were actually forced to abandon the operation of the Inn for two days," Madison says. "I walked through the entire resort devoid of people. I love the Grove Park Inn, and 10 years ago I realized that, without the people, it was just a big pile of rocks."
The people make the place special, he says. "Last Thursday, I was in Dallas. Our third-shift supervisor had a heart attack and died," he recounts. "I attended his funeral today, and 75 members of the Grove Park Inn were there, because everyone here is family."
It's hard to fathom now, but as recently as 1984 the Inn employed only 37 people. In fact, the property that first opened in the summer of 1913 wasn't even open year-round.
For 71 years, the Inn remained closed from November through April, but all that changed in 1984 when the GPI opened the Sammons Wing and entered a new era of hospitality.
Grove Park Inn under construction in 1913
The expansion hasn't stopped since. "The most dramatic change was the addition of our spa in the past decade," the CEO adds. "It is world class. We are ranked fifth in the world and tops in the nation. It has totally changed the dynamics of our property. We took a 70,000-square-foot building and redid it. When it opened in 2001, it gave everyone a new reason to come and stay here."
For the past 95 years, many of the most famous people in the world have chosen to stay at the Grove Park. F. Scott Fitzgerald lived there for several months while his ailing wife received treatment at a local sanitarium. "He was so despondent over the death of his wife that he got drunk one night and shot a hole in the roof of his room," Madison says. "Al Jolson stayed here and made amateur movies and showed them to our guests."
Shirley Jones was a visitor in the 1970s when "The Partridge Family" was captivating TV viewers all over America. Grace Kelly, Daniel Day Lewis, Jack Lemmon, Don Knotts and Tim Conway all took turns either recreating at the Inn or making movies there.
Remember the famous skit in which the irrepressible Conway pulls the table cloth out from under the fine china? "He did it right in the middle of our main dining room," says Madison.
Henry Kissinger would hold press conferences at the Inn and pontificate on everything from U.S.-Russian relations to the ongoing strife in the Middle East.
More recently, President-Elect Barack Obama took advantage of the relative seclusion of the Inn to prepare for his second debate with John McCain. Apparently, it served him well.
Counting Obama, the Inn can boast that it has housed 10 Presidents of the United States — a guest list that includes Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, FDR and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Other famous guests over the years included Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Will Rogers and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. During World War II, the U.S. government housed guests of another stripe there — Axis diplomats.
Madison, who has spent more than half of his life inside the walls of the Inn, says he takes great pride in the fact that the "Grand Lady" never locks her doors. "We operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year," he says. "We are like mayors of small cities. Our place never sleeps, and there are workers here all the time."
Evening view of Grove Park Inn
The work of expansion continues to this day. On Oct. 16, 2007, the GPI received city clearance to build a second property in downtown Asheville, just 1.5 miles from the Inn. "Soon, we will open our expansion of a neo-classical hotel and condominiums," Madison says. The 52 condos, called the Fitzgerald, will open in the second quarter of 2009. The hotel, called the Ellington, will feature 125 rooms.
Altogether, the 395,000-square-foot complex will rise 22 stories above Asheville and offer yet another beacon to travelers looking for either a restful stay or permanent home in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Change has been the one constant over the Inn's 95 years. In 1955, Texas businessman Charles Sammons bought the property and restored it. Today, his widow, Elaine Sammons, serves as chairman of the board of Sammons Enterprises and remains the matriarch of the Inn. "She is the reason we have survived and thrived," notes Madison.
In short, the granite structure has stood the test of time, just as William Jennings Bryan said it would. Speaking at the hotel's opening in 1913, he declared that the Grove Park Inn was "built for the ages."
"We have co-existed with Asheville and grown with the city over the years," Madison adds. "The Inn is always under renovation. We have no choice but to continue to grow and change."
One thing that will not change, says Madison, is the culture of the property. "This Grand Lady has a mysterious hold over us," he writes in the foreword to a book about the history of the Inn.
That hold may be mysterious, but as Madison's tireless passion so vividly illustrates, the Grand Lady's grip is as strong as ever.
IAMC Notes