The owners and employees of four local businesses received statewide recognition for their dedication to customer service last week.
Representatives of Hilton Garden Inn Columbus/Edinburgh and Franklin businesses Electric Key Records, Roux-Ga-Roux’s and Toodleydoo Toys were presented with Hoosier Hospitality Awards by Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation, or IDDC, during a Dec. 8 event at Newfields in Indianapolis, according to a news release.
Sixteen tourism industry representatives received the Hoosier Hospitality Award for their high level of service in tourism-related jobs at hotels, restaurants, attractions and other destinations. Nominations for the awards are submitted by community members and destination patrons before being reviewed and selected by the IDDC. Outstanding service is a significant factor in determining whether a customer returns to an individual business or destination, IDCC officials said.
“These individuals dedicate their time and service to showcase to visitors and their communities what a great place Indiana is to work, live and visit,” IDDC secretary and CEO Elaine Bedel said in a statement.
Toodleydoo Toys
The owner and staff of Franklin’s Toodleydoo Toys were nominated by Festival Country Indiana Executive Director Ken Kosky for exemplifying Hoosier hospitality when a customer suffered a medical emergency. The specialty toy store has been in Franklin for over eight years and replaced the Imagination Station.
When a customer was attending one of the store’s play classes with their baby when she had a medical emergency, and couldn’t reach her husband. Employees had already called an ambulance for her, and they told her they would take care of the baby while she was in the hospital, said Debi Pierson, the owner of Toodleydoo Toys.
When the woman was ready to leave the hospital, Toodleydoo Toys employees picked her up from the hospital and reunited her with her baby.
“It’s not every day that somebody leaves you with a baby while you’re also running a business,” Pierson said Wednesday. “But that was just like, what else was there to do? We had to help her in this way. She didn’t have anybody else at the moment to help her.”
While this was the example used for Toodleydoo Toys’ nomination, Pierson doesn’t think this was the most important example of the store’s hospitality. It’s how she and her employees treat the customers that walk into the store every day that is, she said.
Employees try to get to know the people customers, find out why they’re there and who they’re shopping for to help them in the best way possible. For visitors, they also give recommendations for dinner and other places to shop, Pierson said.
Some of Pierson’s employees have been with her since Imagination Station, and while some are newer, she can trust them to run the business in her absence, she said.
“I know I can trust these people to behave as if this is their own business, so I am so fortunate,” Pierson said. “… I’m very fortunate to have people who believe in what I’m doing and who are a real blessing to my store and the community that we’re serving.”
Electric Key Records and Roux-Ga-Roux’s
The owner of two popular Franklin small businesses, Cory O’Sullivan has his hands full. He owns both Electric Key Records and Roux-Ga-Roux’s but he still finds time to go above and beyond for his customers, IDDC officials say.
Electric Key Records has been in business for over four years, starting out in a small section of 1823 Bakehouse before moving into its own space twice since then. A few months ago O’Sullivan expanded his footprint in downtown Franklin with the opening of Roux-Ga-Roux’s, a Cajun and Creole restaurant, inside The Mint’s cocktail lounge.
At Electric Key Records, customers may sometimes see O’Sullivan tracking down hard-to-find records. He goes above and beyond by doing home installations of new record players, He has also been known to buy a customer’s record collection to help them out in a time of need, IDDC officials said.
O’Sullivan gives that personal touch because he knows record players have a learning curve, with so many different variations and things people need to keep in mind to keep them operating properly, he said Wednesday. Sometimes it’s better to just go there in person and show someone why the record player is working the way it is, he said.
“I enjoy watching somebody see what they pictured in their mind kind of come to life. … It’s satisfying to see somebody really embrace the thing that I’ve completely embraced,” he said.
When O’Sullivan was nominated for the Hoosier Hospitality Award earlier this year via email, he was taken aback. While he was aware of it, it was a pleasant surprise, he said.
O’Sullivan wants Electric Key Records to be a place where people can come and share the music that moves them, regardless of genre. He feels he can always learn more from somebody else than he can teach them, he said.
“That’s why the couch is up here so that somebody can come in and just sit down and chat about music and/or whatever,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan is proud of the recognition from the state, and is happy to see it put a spotlight on Franklin, he said.
Hilton Garden Inn Columbus/Edinburgh
For more than three decades, Hilton Garden Inn Columbus/Edinburgh Banquet Captain Linda Meek has been serving Hoosiers and visitors in Bartholomew County as an employee of the Edinburgh hotel. Her efforts led to her being nominated for the 2022 Hoosier Hospitality Award.
Janeen Sprague, Sprague Hotel Developers’ president and CEO, expressed her gratitude for Meek in a news release, saying she was proud to have Meek on her team. The Hilton Garden Inn was developed and is managed by the Columbus-based company, which has also developed multiple hotels across central Indiana, including properties in Franklin, Greenwood and Edinburgh.
“It means a lot to our company that Linda has earned this award and is recognized for her excellent hospitality she gives to our guests,” Sprague said in a statement.
Meek started as a banquet manager at the hotel in 2018 and has been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. She is a pivotal reason why the hotel has been ranked as the No. 1 Hilton Garden Inn in Indiana, Daniel Arnold, the hotel’s general manager, said in a statement.
The hotel is lucky to have Meek, who is often behind the scenes as a “hidden gem” of the hotel’s hospitality efforts, Arnold said.
“Linda is never concerned about individual credit, and she regularly dedicates countless hours, often after regular office hours, helping at the hotel, helping the staff at the Garden Grille & Bar restaurant, and looking for creative ways to make events at our hotel memorable for guests. She has been a blessing to our hotel,” he said.
A request to Sprague Hotel Developers to speak to Meek was not returned before deadline.
AT A GLANCE
Local Hospitality Award Winners
Here’s a quick look at the local businesses whose owners or employees received the Indiana Destination Development Corporation’s 2022 Hoosier Hospitality Award:
Electric Key Records
What: A store that sells records, record players and accessories.
Where: 65 E. Jefferson St., Franklin.
Website: electrickeyrecords.com
Hilton Garden Inn Columbus/Edinburgh
What: A 125-room hotel with a business center, restaurant, indoor pool, hot tub and more.
Where: 12210 N. Executive Drive, Edinburgh.
Website: hilton.com
Roux-Ga-Roux’s
What: A Cajun and Creole restaurant located inside The Mint’s cocktail lounge.
Where: 40 N. Water St., Franklin.
Website: facebook.com/rouxgarouxsfranklin
Toodleydoo Toys
What: A speciality toy store that sells toys, books, games and more.
Where: 1 W. Jefferson St., Franklin.
Website: toodleydootoys.com
