Hopefully everyone had a chance to meet the Peanuts-loving Norma Jarman last week, and today we’re happy to introduce you to yet another one of our wonderful Training Account Managers, our very own Florida Gator, Mr. Scott Merrick.
Where’s your hometown?
Elmira, NY.
Educational Background:
Corning Community College and University of Florida.
Tell us a little about yourself…and by a little, we mean a lot!
My name is Scott Merrick, I am 41 years old in a couple of days. When I was in High School I was going to be the next Tom Brokaw, and interned at WETM channel 18 for almost four years. While in College I auditioned for the Walt Disney College Program and was one of 200 among 200,000 to be chosen to work for Disney. I was lucky because the one who interviewed me was a part of the New Mickey Mouse Club and I was chosen to be on the show. I was on for two seasons but decided that acting wasn’t as great as I thought it was and moved into the parks and from there the hotels and I was hooked. After leaving Disney I moved back to NY and interviewed for a job at a small Inn in Aurora NY, and met Holly Zoba and it was love at first site. She challenged me, saw my passion in the industry and ended up being one of the best bosses I have ever had. After Holly and I ran screaming in terror from the Aurora Inn (that’s another story), I came to work for Signature and have loved every minute of it.
If you were a major league baseball player, what would be your ‘at-bat’ song and why?
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns and Roses because you should never judge a book by its cover.
Top Five All-time favorite TV Shows:
- Six Feet Under
- Roseanne
- The Facts of Life
- Family Guy
- True Blood
What keeps you excited about training?
I love love love meeting new people, but what’s even better is watching an employee “Get it”. When they understand that they have so much power to help their hotel be successful; that is so gratifying. Watching someone become a “FAN” of Signature and look forward to training is a great job bonus.
It’s Friday and you just cashed your paycheck….what’s your first splurge?
MUSIC, I am a music junky, I love it all. I thank my parents for my love of music, It is the one gift they gave me that makes me the happiest.
What’s your customer service philosophy?
Treat people as you would like to be treated.
Top 5 Place You’re dying to visit:
- Australia
- Italy (I want to explore my mother’s family history)
- Scotland (I want to explore my father’s family history)
- Greece
- Egypt
What is your most memorable training success story?
When I first started with Signature I met a young man working at the front desk and he was brand new to the hotel and the industry. He looked so nervous but ended up doing a great job during the training, and at the end he asked me for feedback on how he did in training. I told him he asked great questions and had great answers and that I noticed he was taking a lot of notes. He smiled and thanked me and left the room. When I went back to train he was all smiles because he had been acing all of his signature calls. The next time I returned he was proud to let me know he was FOM, a couple of trips later he met me at my car to let me know he was now Assistant General Manager. At my last training he waited until the end of my class to let me know that the hotel was being sold and he didn’t know if he would be staying on with the new owners; I said to take it day by day and he responded with “I’m not worried, with my Signature Training I know another hotel will hire me, I’m ready to help them sell their rooms”. I could have cried, I was so proud of this young man who was such a success story, and I couldn’t have been more proud when he called me to tell me that the company who had sold the hotel had decided to keep him on and move him to corporate and into the Revenue department.