EMS in the News Keeping people happy AUGUSTA, GA. - “It’s been a great year,” Lewis Blanchard said. The president of Executive Marketing Services stands by the door of the Executive Club, one of his two large hospitality houses on Azalea Drive. I’ve caught him at a lull on Friday morning, but it’s not much of a lull. Cars are arriving. People are lined up at the buffet. Others are walking out to the course. A woman asks Blanchard if she can take her purse inside the gates of Augusta National. Blanchard gently steers her to several staff at the reception table. “They’ll have the exact measurements allowed,” Blanchard said. He’s following one of the principles he instills in his staff: Give people the correct information. Service is key in his industry. Judging by the flow of roughly 1,000 people through the EMS hospitality houses, whatever he’s doing is working. There’s no hint of recession here. But, Blanchard points out, this week has been eight months in the planning. Corporations made their decisions to come here last fall, before any thought of an economic slowdown. If the economy is going to affect the hospitality business, it will be next year, Blanchard said. Of course, over the past 12 years, Blanchard has seen little but growth in his hospitality business. He now employs 10 people full-time, and as many as 300 for an event like the Masters Tournament. The business now includes hospitality at other major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl. His corporate clients have been so pleased with some of the EMS workers at the Masters that they request them at other events. The lull is ending. Blanchard needs to move on. “Anything you need, let me know” he says, and smiles. He knows how to keep people happy. CLICK HERE to see the story as it appeared in the online edition of The Metro Spirit." |