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Responsibility into Action in New Brunswick, New Jersey |
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, April 2008 � Recently, 175 Benchmark
Hospitality Sales, Marketing, and Home Office executives, along with the
company�s General Managers, gathered during Benchmark�s National Sales
Educational Conference for an afternoon of helping a community become a
better place. The conference was held at Benchmark�s New Jersey property,
The Heldrich, located in downtown New Brunswick -- a city that is in the
midst of a highly successful downtown revitalization program. The
Heldrich opened last year and is a major anchor to New Brunswick�s remarkable
renaissance.
The initiative, which was part of Benchmark�s Hometown Hospitality Caring For Our Communities programming in effect since 2004, is in keeping with a growing national trend toward corporate socially responsible activities to enhance the quality of life for employees, their families and for local communities. Given the number of people gathered at the conference � and therefore, the number of �Helping Hands,� Benchmark and The Heldrich team wanted to do something beneficial for the community that has become so important to the company. In addition to operating The Heldrich, Benchmark�s northeast regional office has recently relocated to New Brunswick. �Our national sales force gathered at The Heldrich for a few days of
learning, coming together as a sales team, and to celebrate the successes
of the past year.� said Eric Terry, Benchmark�s vice president sales and
marketing. �Whenever we do so, we try to reach out to the local community
where we are gathering to help with special projects they need accomplished
but for one reason or another have been unable to complete. New Brunswick
responded with five needs.�
Benchmark Hospitality International executives prepare in front of The Heldrich to help New Brunswick, New Jersey, with five important Hometown Hospitality projects to benefit the community. The Benchmark Hospitality International team put on work gloves, divided into five teams, and went to work to help the New Brunswick community with five projects: Project #1 Elijah�s Promise Soup Kitchen -- where a Benchmark team constructed new shelving for food goods for this remarkable program that helps so many people, and properly stocked food products on each new shelf, organized by food type.Commenting on the Benchmark Hometown Hospitality initiative was State Theatre President & CEO Wes Brustad. �We hope to renovate the third floor space in the future and we are very grateful to Benchmark Hospitality and The Heldrich for their volunteer work in bringing us one step closer.� Mr. Brustad continued with, �It was amazing to walk into this debris-filled space and see all these helpers cleaning it up with a vengeance. This is corporate community social responsibility at its very best!� About Hometown Hospitality - Caring For Our Communities The �Hometown Hospitality - Caring For Our Communities� program of Benchmark Hospitality International advances the philanthropic endeavors of the leading hospitality management company through employee volunteer programs, in-kind donations and community outreach activities. Benchmark believes that responsible corporate citizenship recognizes the inalienable link between a healthy and vibrant community and the health and well being of a company and its employees. Hometown Hospitality - Caring for Our Communities encourages and enables Benchmark employees globally to seek leading roles in the communities in which they live and work and the world community as well by supporting social, educational, and cultural programs, either through property-developed initiatives or through partnering with existing services. Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and Personal Luxury Hotels�. |
Contact:
Ken Ellens
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