Tamara Lawson
Sales Manager
Soaring Eagle Waterpark & Hotel
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan - U.S.A.
Featured in
World Waterpark Magazine, May 2022
WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE?
I believe education should be ongoing and never-ending! I am enrolled at Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, where I am finishing my degree in business with a focus on hospitality; I am currently carrying a 4.0 GPA. The majority of my professional experience is in hospitality, mainly in hotel and restaurant operations. When I was at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, I was part of the resort yield team creating hotel, golf and gam- ing packages and worked in group reservations for sales and the entertainment and marketing departments. After 17 years with the SECR, I decided to make a career change where I could take on different challenges, increase revenue at the waterpark and develop stronger leadership skills.
WHAT CERTIFICATION OR LICENSING DO YOU HAVE?
When I joined the Soaring Eagle Waterpark & Hotel family, I had the opportunity to obtain my ServSafe license. After not being in food & beverage hospitality for over a decade, it was a relief to have the chance to learn new practices before serving our guests or helping in the kitchen during busy times. All team members at Soaring Eagle Waterpark & Hotel become certified through IBCCES Autism Certifications for Autism Awareness and I am in the process of becoming a certified trainer in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
WHAT HONORS, AWARDS OR SPECIAL RECOGNITION HAVE YOU ACHIEVED?
I received a 2004 Guest Service Award and a 2019 Service Excellence Recognition.
WHAT MADE YOU GO INTO THIS FIELD?
I have always been interested in guest service and making people feel welcome. I was excited to move to a more family-friendly entertainment establishment and already had familiarity with the property and some of the team. When I joined the waterpark team, we had a par 3 executive golf course property I had worked with in past and I was looking forward to being part of golf events and tournaments, unfortunately the pandemic led to its closure.
WHAT ASPECT OF THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY DO YOU LIKE BEST?
I love how our park tells the story of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Nokomis (Grandmother) is our resident storyteller. Nokomis shares traditional stories of her youth in the Tribe that have been passed down and are still observed to this day. Our park mascot, Gizi, is a baby eagle and Migizi means eagle in Ojibwa, the native language for the Anishinaabe.
WHO HAS MOST INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR CAREER?
My boss, our General Manager Bonnie Sprague. She has given me the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. Bonnie has been very supportive in the many years I have known her. The guidance she provides has helped me be more diplomatic and have more patience when dealing with difficult situations.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR WATERPARK CAREER?
The greatest challenge I have faced has been getting the buy-in on some revenue-generating ideas and our technology needs. We are a small but mighty sales and catering team and we are still reporting manually.
HOW DO YOU KEEP FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED?
I wear many hats some days, so I try to keep focused by using the alarm clocks on my phone and a daily checklist where I prioritize the three most important tasks that need to be completed (for the day or week) depending on the time frame. I listen to lo-fi beats and Hz frequency binaural beats to help with focus and clarity, and practice deep breathing when I really need to focus or for grounding.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN WORKING IN THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY?
Be proactive and show motivation in what you do. Gain as much knowledge and experience as you can in all departments!
WHAT BOOKS OR PUBLICATIONS DO YOU RELY ON MOST FOR INSPIRATION OR MOTIVATION?
I listen to a lot of hospitality and marketing podcasts like Hospitality Digital Marketing with Loren Gray and Hospitality Live with Rupesh. Both podcasts have guests from the industry and report on the U.S. economy, U.S. tourism and hospitality trends. Some of my favorite webinars are from WWA and IAAPA. I try to sign up for as many as I can!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?
I love to see the smiles of the team when they reach their goals. I also love hearing the kids scream with delight and seeing the gigantic smiles on their faces.
WHAT CAREER OR BUSINESS WOULD YOU CONSIDER IF YOU WERE STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN?
I love hospitality but if I were to start over, I would go into travel and recreational/eco-tourism or outdoor recreation.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH THE WWA?
When I was hired, one of the first things our Revenue Manager told me was that if I ever got the opportunity to attend WWA, then to do it! I attended in person in 2019 with our General Manager and Aquatics Manager; we were online in 2020; and in 2021, I volunteered for the WWA Show. I am looking forward to 2022! I love learning more about the business, network- ing and traveling!
WHAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOU THAT FEW KNOW OR WOULD GUESS?
I love to play Scrabble, Jeopardy and Dungeons & Dragons.