In July of last year, after serving as the Director of Golf here at Cordillera Ranch, I was fortunate to move into my current role as General Manager. One of the things that attracted me to this position was the incredible culture that had already been established here at The Club and throughout the community. My predecessor, Monty Becton, helped establish that culture by creating “The 4 Main Things” which I truly believe have been very well received by our employees. I did not see a need to change that and have learned more than ever before the invaluable resource we have with our Employee Partners.  

“The 4 Main Things” have served as an integral part of the culture for our Employee Partners for many years. New employees go through a New Hire Orientation where these items are discussed in detail and why each one is so important to the success of The Club. They are all tied together and when one of the 4 lags behind, The Club suffers. Each employee is given a card to always carry with them and to serve as a reminder to always keep these things in the forefront of everything they do at The Club.  

The 4 Main Things at Cordillera Ranch

• Be the friendliest and most engaging Club in the world: I have always said that what makes Cordillera Ranch so special are the people. We have some of the kindest and most generous Club members I have ever been around in almost 30 years in the industry. Our Employee Partners recognize this and one of the things that is so enjoyable for me is watching them build relationships and serving our members. It is quite a goal and focus to be the friendliest and most engaging Club in the world but I can tell you we truly strive to serve our members with this in mind.  

• Create unique products, services and programming designed to provide a world-class lifestyle. (Life is better out here.):  We have some amazing people on the team that love to create special and unique events for our members. We are so fortunate to have seven Clubs here on the Ranch and strive to utilize them all in a way that our members will enjoy. This means both Club events and private events operated with outstanding attention to detail and working to go above and beyond expectations. It has been fun to think outside the box and continue to push the envelope and as we are always looking for new ways to engage with our members.

• Deliver a financial return to our partners: It is always interesting for me to listen to our members when they travel elsewhere and get back to Cordillera Ranch and they tell me how proud they are to be a Member and live in the community. While I always understand The Club is a business, I truly believe we have a great product that has tremendous value. 2018 was an outstanding year for The Club and community and those of you that attended the “State of the Community” address back in February by President and COO Charlie Hill know that more real estate was sold last year than at any point in our history. We have a very successful Club that is well capitalized with only limited short-term debt, allowing for continued reinvestment in the facilities. Given the challenges with other high-end Clubs around the country, this is something I never take for granted.

• Become the employer of choice in Boerne and San Antonio: There are lots of things that make Cordillera Ranch an attractive place to work — many of them are mentioned in this article. Take a look at the Employee Recognition Program in place and some of the 2018 highlights.

2018 Cordillera Ranch Employee Partner Recognition 

The Cordillera Ranch Employee Recognition Program is an important element to attracting and retaining great people to serve our members at Cordillera Ranch. Senior staff and Department Heads are not eligible to participate in the recognition program but they do have a say in determining where employees fit into each category and the special award winners monthly and annually. Here are some highlights from the year-end party which was held in January:

Employee Categories

• 28 Ranch Hand employees

• 28 Wrangler employees

• 22 Trail Boss employees

10 Year Service Awards

Nick Menger  ::  Trevor LaBorde

Employee of the Year  ::  Dillon Rios

Thank you for the continued support you give our employees every year. We look forward to continuing to serve you and to a great 2019!

Purpose: To help create a rewarding and enthusiastic work environment by recognizing those employee partners for their continued commitment to Cordillera Ranch.

Ranch Hand (Bronze Star)

• Minimum 3 months of service

• Employee has completed new hire orientation 

• Demonstrates the ability to be on time and complete shifts as scheduled

• Uniform is worn correctly with nametag displayed at all times

Wrangler (Silver Star)

• Minimum 6 months of service

• Has not had any unexcused or excessive absences from scheduled shifts

• Demonstrates the ability to be competent, enthusiastic and sincere when interacting with members, their guests and  other Employee Partners

• Has the ability to work well with others, and contribute to a healthy and exciting work environment

Trail Boss (Gold Star)

• Minimum 12 months of service

• Demonstrates the ability to lead other Employee Partners in completing tasks

• Shows the ability to form relationships with other departments of Cordillera Ranch in order to ensure that outstanding customer service is provided seamlessly to members and their guests 

• Can be trusted to help other Employee Partners to learn the skills and methods required of their position with Dordillera Ranch

Marc DeWall, PGA, is the General Manager of The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at mdewall@cordilleraranch.com or 830.336.9000.