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Gail Boles of Lake Tansi Resort, Tennessee, Property manager…Caregiver
by Sharon B. Drechsler, RRP
owner/operator
Drechsler Communications
After Hurricane Katrina destroyed property management company Crown Resorts Ltd.’s Gautier, Mississippi office and pillaged the homes and lives of many of its employees, a mini-hurricane was busy up in Tennessee raising funds to send to displaced families. One of Crown’s employees, Gail Boles – property manager of Hiawatha Manor at Lake Tansi and Hiawatha Manor West at Lake Tansi – rolled into action. While many folks were held spell-bound by the sights of the massive storm’s aftermath on their television screens, Boles organizing a yard sale to raise relief funds for victims. Her assistance made a big difference in a lot of lives.
She touches lives on a more local level, as well. Boles manages a team of ten employees, plus oversees the activities of outside contractors for maintenance, housekeeping and the resort’s health spa. One of her contractors is the resort’s housekeeping provider, R.S. Boliver, LLC. Boliver’s representative, Becky Brown, says,
“Gail is a joy to work with! She is ‘hyper’ in a good way; you know... go, go, go. Plus, she just loves everyone. She’s so good with people.”
“Not only did she provide assistance to Crown Resorts’ home office and employees who were hit by Katrina, but when Crossville, itself, was pummeled by a tornado, she galvanized the assistance from neighbors and others. She even provided temporary living quarters to one young lady who had lost everything.”
Boles is leaving her mark on many hearts in the Lake Tansi area. Located near the town of Crossville, Lake Tansi is a popular vacation spot, as well as retirement and second home community in the state known affectionately as “Good Ole’ Rocky Top.” Famous for its 550-acre lake stocked with large mouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch and crappie, Lake Tansi is also a golfer’s dream with gently rolling, verdant greens offering fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. Gail grew up near the area and rarely strays far away, preferring to immerse herself in helping her guests enjoy their vacations and her employees in living fuller, richer lives.
“Sometimes I can’t wait for Monday so I can get back to work,” she laughs.
“When I first started working in reservations at the resort, I didn’t even know what a cancelled check was,” smiles Boles in describing her naivety in her first employment as a twenty-one-year-old, new mother. As a young mom of a new-born who realized she could help support their little family, she learned fast. “I applied to the local hospital and to the resort, thinking I would accept whatever position came up first and looked the most attractive.”
Hiawatha Manor at Lake Tansi was the lucky winner. In Gail, the property owners associations (POAs) found a real gem; she is an icon of what Americans aspire to be. Loving, honest and hard-working, Boles soon proved her worth.
“After working here for twenty-six years,” continues Gail, “I have seen that people respond to you when you genuinely care about them. I have only run into one person who was impossible to please in all these years. And even with her, I managed to find an answer. I got her on the phone with RCI and we made sure she got an exchange into a resort that fit her dreams.”
Her dedication to service goes far above and beyond the ordinary. A typical day in the life of Boles will find her repeatedly checking units for maintenance and housekeeping issues. The RCI comment cards reflect positive results by consistently scoring the resort at 3.7 and higher – an admirable feat for an older property. Although the resort is not eligible for Gold Crown status, under her guidance it has earned RCI’s Hospitality Award for the past three years and is a winner of the Silver Award.
“I’ll pitch in and help whenever I can. I help with check-ins and check-outs on our turnover days. In the winter months, I’ll help the maintenance crew paint and refurbish the units. As a matter of fact,” she grins, “I’m getting ready to go out and help unload some mattresses right now!”
Brown describes how Boles will go above and beyond to please her customers. “She’ll move guests to different units; buy them dinner if they’ve had a complaint; anything, to make them happy,” says Brown.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Gail for many years. Words fail me when it comes to describing how she has mentored young people, cared for all the people around her and fostered an attitude of service and excellence among the members of her team.”
In all her years of managing a vacation paradise for others, Boles has taken precisely three vacations, herself. “I’d just rather stick around home; there’s so much to do,” says Gail. “In January, I was at work when I got a call from the fire department telling me my house was on fire! By the time I got home it was completely burned down. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But for a while there, we were homeless. So we bought a fixer-upper – a house and garage that had been foreclosed upon. Right away we cleaned the grease and grime out of the garage, put in new electrical and plumbing, gave it a painting and put in flooring over the concrete slab. So we are living in that right now as we work on the main house. It will be beautiful once it’s finished. It’s located on three acres of grounds and we are really looking forward to making it perfect.”
With her two children grown and on their own (her ‘baby’ boy is now twenty-six and a parent, himself; while Boles’ 19-year-old son just joined the Army Reserves), she still has no thoughts of retirement. “I enjoy what I’m doing so much,” she exclaims.
“I love working with our owners. And I feel I’m able to help make a difference in the lives of several of the young people in our community. We have hired a number of high school seniors to work in the summer season. It’s great experience for them in learning to deal with people. This is a great first job for them.”
Boles should know, since it was her first job. And, from all appearances, she’s planning on sticking to it for a long, long time to come.