Her Story
About Bethany
I've spent about 20 years in the hospitality industry, starting when I got my first job at a place called Gandolfo's Deli. I really like interacting with people and having a job where I can have a personal side as well, not just every day Monday through Friday in a cubicle. This job gives me freedom to explore friendships and relationships. I worked in various roles like bartending and serving, and even spent four years as a government contractor in Germany because the hospitality industry is a little different in Europe than in the United States. When I moved back home less than a year ago, an old contact from a company I had previously worked for reached out and offered me a management position. I've been in my current position as operations manager for one year now. I oversee about 30 employees and handle all the day-to-day operations. I make sure employees come in on their shifts, that the store is staffed and has everything it needs for production. I do audits for cash and commissary, handle deliveries, create orders for things we need, do some cooking, and handle all the financial output when we close the day out. I'm the only one in my store that does certain tasks - if I don't do a food order, we have no food. I have to make sure I'm on top of a lot of things. My expertise is in the financial management part of the business, which comes from my bachelor's degree in finance that I earned with honors from Germany. The hospitality industry kind of feels like home to me - it's something I'm super good at and really enjoy doing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Bethany
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my husband, actually. My husband has been in the military for 21 years, and he's always kind of pushed me to do what I needed to do in the time that we were allowed to, because I was a stay-at-home mom or I worked different jobs just because we moved every 3 years. The last year that he was in the military, because he retires this month, he kind of just pushed me to go back to school and make sure that I made some changes so that I could have my career this time. He helped a lot with the kids. He was there when I had to do projects and papers, and he really, really helps me be able to succeed properly without having to struggle. I don't think I would have done it without him.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received came from my boss, who is from Africa. When I was going into a new unit that was really rough, the unit I'm in currently that I had to completely turn around, he told me that if I wanted to succeed, I needed to turn coal into a diamond. He said I'm the coal, and he was gonna place pressure on me to turn me into a diamond, but if I wanted to succeed, I needed to turn that coal into the diamond. I guess it means that even if you're under pressure, you just have to do your best and try to succeed, and then you will. Pressure makes you better, apparently.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
In my industry, don't settle. Entry-level positions can turn into career paths for you, so make sure that if you want something, you go out and get it. Anything is possible. My first time at this company, I was a server. I worked as a waitress, essentially. I went out, I reached for a little bit higher things in my life, and that turned into me now becoming an operations manager with the same company that I used to be a server previously. So anything can happen if you just set your goals, achieve them, and work hard.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My upper management is a challenge, for sure. They're brand new, so we're still working out kinks with them. The challenges also include this economy, because I'm in the hospitality industry, so my income and my success is based off economical areas within our area. I can't make money if people don't spend money. That's a big challenge. The opportunities for me are that in about 6 months, I will become a district with my company. Hopefully, 2 or 3 years after that, I will become a division, and then I'll just keep moving up the ladder, hopefully, until I become a Senior Vice President. That's my goal.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Respect is a big one. And integrity, honesty. I mean, you can't do what I do if you have people that you can't trust. Sometimes I'm not in my unit, so I gotta make sure that the people around me, the people I have working for me and with me, are those of good character that I can trust, and they respect me, and I respect them enough so that we can work together as a team. A lot of times, when you have a big unit, if not everybody's on the same page in that aspect, then you have a lot of issues that can arise.
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