As our membership gathered on Monday, March 9th we learned of the extraordinary story and journey of Laura Richards, General Manager of Hanalei Colony Resort on Kauai.
Laura’s succession in Hospitality from front office clerk to GM has spanned 40 years and several locations and companies on the US Mainland. It was a cross-country drive-share in a limousine that brought Laura from her home in Lynchburg, VA to San Diego, CA where she attended classes in Hospitality and eventually started working in the business. Her hospitality experience has spanned several different locations, from San Diego to Fayetteville, Arkansas and properties from ski resorts to her current client owned resort community on Kauai.
As General Manager of Kauai’s beautiful Hanalei Colony Resort, Laura and her team have witnessed three major natural disasters, Hurricane Iniki, a flood and later, a fire that destroyed most of the operations/infrastructure for the resort. Due to road closures, the resort was closed for 15 months and Laura and her staff offered the Colony to the community as a meeting and gathering place. She worked with Governor Ige, the Air and Army National Guard(s) and other businesses to combine resources (food and water pick up, meeting rooms and later – a school) for the community.
During her presentation, Laura outlined that her driving force comes from, “just doing what needs to be done”, but encouraged our membership to actively seek and find mentors and advocates who can help pump new enthusiasm and help professional women gain a new perspective when challenges arise. Her own cadre of supporters included a retired Military General, a retired Engineer and a Performance Coach and she shared with us several quotes, including a favorite from leadership coach, Margaret Wheatley, “Leadership is a series of behaviors, rather than a role for heroes.”