Making employees a top priority is a business investment for the operators of Tanque Verde Ranch.
“If we take care of our people, they are happy and will take care of our guests and they will return and tell others,†said Terry Hanley, managing director of the 100-year-old guest ranch on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s east side. “I always tell the new people coming on board, ‘We could work at the 2,000-room Sheraton in downtown Chicago but here we get to go to the ranch every day.’ â€
Terry Hanley
Prioritizing its people has earned the ranch the No. 1 spot in the 2024 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Top Workplace awards for mid-size employers.
“I take a great pride in providing the best service I can in housekeeping, and there is such a great reward knowing I am part of the team that presents the rooms to guests in perfect order,†one employee wrote.
“I have never met a group of people that work so hard for others and each other,†said another.
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The ranch, at 14301 E. Speedway, has about 150 employees with duties of cooking, housekeeping, grounds keeping, activity coordinating and horse wrangling.
Wrangler Jerry Heredia, center, leads tourists back into the ranch at Tanque Verde Ranch, which received high marks for collaboration and support from its employees.
Activities for guests range from archery, fishing, ax throwing and riding.
“We don’t sit in the office very often,†said Hanley, who has worked in the hospitality industry for over 50 years. “We’re out and about, helping where there’s a need and on site at 10 p.m. to help with an event if that’s what is necessary.â€
The ranch was bought by the Cote family in 1957.
The family company also owns the Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, Minnesota.
Merrick Dresnin, Cote’s chief people officer, said the business mantra has always been to put people first.
“Our vision is enriching lives, whether for our guests, our owners or our employees,†he said. “We’re going to listen and listen a lot to what employees have to say.â€
Efforts include town hall meetings with the employees and top managers.
Cat Hines, a wrangler, sorts through blankets at Tanque Verde Ranch. The business prides itself on listening to what employees think.
The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ranch has benefitted by the feedback of its workers.
At the grove, where the ranch hosts its famous barbecues, staff would haul a speaker system up and down the trail for music.
An employee approached managers and said for about $1,000 he could get the equipment to wire a sound system that was available anytime.
One of the servers in the barn, where the ranch holds gatherings with margaritas made by hand, suggested a decorative beer keg could serve as a receptacle for the cocktail to stock up and not keep guests waiting for a new batch.
“They’ve taken corporate speak and turned it into reality,†Dresnin said. “Our goal is putting our own people above of all else.â€
Bill Cremen, a wrangler, brushes down a horse after a ride at Tanque Verde Ranch. The ranch is one of America's oldest dude ranches.
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