Salt School Graduates 2019 Class Ahead Of Asbury Ocean Club Opening
Hotelier David Bowd Will Roll Out Locally Developed Hospitality Training Program Across The Nation
Salt School, the hospitality training program created locally by David Bowd of Salt Hotels, graduated its fourth class of students Saturday and now has plans to roll the program out across the nation.
“David Bowd and Jenni Loughman continue to do an amazing job with the Salt School; training, working with, and hiring people from Asbury Park,” Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said. “Their fourth year was no different. Kudos to the Salt School team and all of this year’s graduates.”
Bowd has three decades of experience and has worked with industry legends
The success of the Salt School has led Bowd to extend the program to his other properties: Salt House Inn, Eben House and The Chequit. And now, as a principal of west elm Hotels, Bowd [shown below] will roll out a similar training program – entitled the west elm Academy – in time for the slated 2020 hotel openings in more than seven cities, which includes Detroit, Minneapolis, and Oakland.
The free training program was held ahead of the upcoming Asbury Ocean Club Surfside Resort & Residences, a boutique hotel, luxury condominiums, and commercial project by the city’s master waterfront redeveloper iStar, set to open its doors this summer.
Funded by iStar, the program was conceived with the goal of giving anyone in the community – of any background, experience level, age, race, and orientation, the opportunity to receive training by the best in the business. The curriculum included tutorials centered on the business of hospitality, the guest experience, food and beverage management, talent and human resources, revenue management, hospitality and the law, sales and marketing and social media.
“We’ve seen nearly 300 locals receive diplomas from Salt School over the years,” said Brian Cheripka, Senior Vice President of Land and Development at iStar. “As the master developer for the Asbury Park waterfront and sponsor of the School, we’re proud to offer employment opportunities and support the community in this way.”
This year, the list of industry professionals included Salt Hotel executives; Tim Kirkpatrick, known for his work at The New York Palace Hotel, Morgans Hotel Group and Boston Park Plaza Hotel; Hospitality Executive Recruiter Suzanne McIntosh; and James Bryant, known for his work at the Morgans Hotel Group and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Locally, Cheripka; Tina Kerekes of David Clinch’s Transparent Gallery; and representatives from Asbury Park Brewery and Asbury Park Distillery, also led tutorials during the 8-week training, held Saturdays at the Boys and Girls Club on Monroe Avenue.
“The core program remained the same, with a heavy focus on service elements, understanding hotel operations and how they function to create great guest experiences,” Bowd said. “We spent time on what makes employees great [and] the importance of community to our company and our industry. Based on feedback from prior years, we also spent a little more time with all our speakers and management sharing their stories of how they got into the industry and where they are today. It’s a great illustration that there are many varied paths to success in this industry.”
With the state losing 2,600 jobs in December 2018, Salt School serves as a strong force for fueling jobs within the community, program organizers said in a written statement. The program is a testament to iStar’s investment in the community, dating back a decade with initiatives that include the Summer Experience Crew training program and community service contributions alongside vendor partners that total close to a quarter of a million dollars to local nonprofits like the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County in Asbury Park.
Salt School launched in tandem with The Asbury’s May 2016 opening, ultimately employing over 100 graduates, Bowd said. Over the years, close to 300 locals have obtained diplomas.
“We have a very high retention of Salt School graduates currently employed at The Asbury and at the Lanes; I would estimate over 80 percent,” he said. “Many are year round and many come back each season. We have several incredible success stories and Salt School graduates who are now in supervisory and management positions. We have also been very proud to see some people move on to further their careers in our industry and others. That makes us very happy too, as the school was designed to create opportunities for people and to better our industry as a whole.”
This round offered hospitality training to 220 applicants; 140 accepted; and 89 [41 from Asbury Park] – ages 16 to 65, graduated Saturday. The goal will be to hire over 80 percent of the graduates for Asbury Ocean Club Surfside Resort and additional staff for The Asbury and Asbury Lanes, Bowd said.
“We offer an alternative approach to training in that our only requirement for enrollment is a passion for hospitality,” Bowd said. “Enthusiasm for the job is the foundation of success in our field, and after eight weeks of intensive hospitality courses, it has been a pleasure to watch our students transform into talented professionals.”
When asked, what makes a great employee, Bowd said:
“Someone who genuinely cares about other people, who goes out of their way to make others feel more comfortable; someone who is hungry for knowledge and wants to be part of a highly functioning and passionate team. We look for helpers. In week two, someone dropped a cup of coffee in the gym and it was fascinating to see those that walked away and those that rushed to help. In the many group activities throughout Salt School, you see how people work as a team, interact with each other and contribute. Very often you can see from these day to day interactions who will make a great hotel employee, as hospitality comes naturally to them.”
To further support the community, Salt School will put on a job fair for remaining graduates and alumni, equipping local businesses with trained staff. Hiring for the Asbury Ocean Club is ongoing. Those interested in jobs at Asbury Ocean Club can email joinus@salthotels.com.
[Photos courtesy of Salt School]
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