Board of Directors Update to Co-workers 2/18/21

Dear Capon Co-Workers,

Last Friday, several members of the Board met with the management team to discuss the plan for Brian’s departure.  We are so thankful to Brian for his dedication and care for Capon, especially in helping us navigate the challenges associated with COVID.  We will miss Brian and are wishing him and his family well in their future endeavors.  Brian’s last day will be March 12.

We have started the search for a new Director of Operations to fill Brian’s spot.  We are also searching for a General Manager who will oversee all of Capon’s business.  Our hope is that this position will add an additional layer of support to the business, the management team and all the coworkers.  We hope to have both roles filled before opening, but our focus is on finding the best candidates who are a good fit for Capon, and we will not rush into hiring someone if we do not believe they are a “Capon person.”  You can view the job descriptions for these positions on the Careers page of our website.

During the transition period, we have formed a task force of four Board members to answer questions and assist in decision-making.  The task force will be Dan (taking the lead on operations issues), Megan (working with Serena on hiring and staffing), Chris Caesar (longtime guest, taking the lead on financial issues), and Chris Dorsey (taking the lead on everything else).

In addition, we will be restructuring our management to more closely match other hotel businesses.  We will be shifting the Spa and Reservations roles to report to Jonathan as the Director of Guest Services, in addition to the Recreation and Sales/Marketing roles already reporting to Jonathan.  These roles are grouped because of their direct guest focus, and which represent the most frequent direct interactions with guests.  When we hire a new Director of Operations, that person will oversee Dining, Facilities, Golf Course Maintenance, Housekeeping, and the Kitchen.  These roles are grouped because they are the things that make Capon tick, even if not always front and center to the guests.  The HR, Finance, and Land managers will all report to the GM once he or she is hired.

Last but not least, there are two other management transitions in process.  First, Sam will be transitioning from the Farm to interim Facilities Manager overseeing Maintenance and Grounds.  Sam has agreed to serve in the role starting immediately through the end of the season, at which point leadership can confer with Sam to determine the future direction for that role.  We have full confidence that Sam will succeed in this new role.  While this means farm activities will be reduced, we will still have pigs at Hog Heaven. Second, Shelia informed us on Saturday that she had submitted her resignation effective February 26.   As you all know, Shelia stepped into the Reservations Manager role upon Courtney’s departure, and ensured we had a seamless transition.  Shelia was also key in our transition to the new reservation system, helped us develop protocols to deal with the challenges presented by COVID, took on additional responsibility on the POS system, store, and training new staff.  We thank Shelia for her dedication to Capon, and wish her well (and lots of time with her grandbaby!).

We want to thank the management team and each of you for your continued work and dedication to Capon.  We are here to support you during this time and we will continue to provide you with regular updates.  We look forward to working with you as we gear up for our 89th season!

~The Capon Springs Board of Directors

(Dan Budnyk, Chris Dorsey, Lou Gilmore, Stephen Hott, Megan James, Jerry Putt, Chris Caesar, and Jimmy Ervin)