On Top of the World
Renowned throughout Southern California as the highest point in Los Angeles County, Mt. Baldy towers 10,064 feet over breathtaking views of the Mojave Desert, surrounding mountains, and even Catalina Island. For this month’s Client Spotlight, we had the opportunity to sit down with Jessica Ellingson, Human Resource Manager of Mt. Baldy Resort. Established in 1952, Mt. Baldy Resort works closely with the United States Forest Service to steward and protect the mountain as well as provide a welcoming gateway to the Wilderness year-round.
Paradise in the Sky
For over sixty years, Mt. Baldy Resort has been a dream destination for skiers and snowboarders in the winter months. Boasting the “best natural skiing and snowboarding terrain” in Southern California, the Resort’s ski lifts are often the first thing to come to mind after the words “Mt. Baldy.” What many don’t realize is that the Resort has even more to offer in the warmer months, including hiking, tent cabin camping, a thrilling zipline course, live music, and quality dining at Mt. Baldy Resort’s Top of the Notch restaurant.
Throughout the years, Mt. Baldy Resort has worked to not only bring visitors a memorable experience, but to also carefully craft the establishment’s own unique culture: adventure-loving, laid back, humble. As the Resort continues to invest in development and expand its range of hosted events, Jessica shares how important it is to the organization to stay true to their values. She explains:
We want to host events that serve our visitors and community well. We try to focus on small private events and group bookings in addition to our signature events. For example, our monthly Moonlight Hikes are a fun way to get outdoors, enjoy great food and drinks, and connect with community – from the canyon to the foothills to the coast.
It is this kind of attitude – focusing on the unique needs of the Resort’s guests and always returning to their core values – that makes Mt. Baldy so special and makes any trip to the mountain feel like an escape to paradise.
More than Meets the Eye
A client of Southland Data Processing since 2014, Jessica is always pleasantly surprised to learn about the additional services that SDP has to offer – just as many skiers and snowboarders are often ecstatic to learn of Mt. Baldy Resort’s summer activities! In a discussion of her experience with SDP’s HR solutions, Jessica remarks,
It has been great to get to know all of SDP’s other offerings… I feel like I’m learning from the HR Pros all the time! I have sincerely appreciated having SDP as a partner while working to build an HR department.
Jessica started out on our HR On Demand service, which gives users unlimited access to our team of licensed HR Professionals (the HR “Pros”). She explains that in her first few years working as the Resort’s HR Manager, it was very clear what was needed HR-wise, and many of her tasks were dedicated to putting out small fires that would pop up and soaking in as much knowledge as possible. While working with our HR team, Jessica was able to connect with one of our Pros with prior ski area experience. She was thrilled to receive tailored advice and insights that were relevant to the Resort’s unique business.
Just this past month, Mt. Baldy Resort decided to upgrade to our HR Complete service, including a full HR audit and roadmap to reach the business’ compliance goals, with a designated HR Pro to guide them along the way (you guessed it, the one with ski area experience!). Jessica continues,
We’re now at a point where we can prioritize and look at things with a broader view. It’s no longer catching things – it’s proactive vs. reactive.
All of this comes at the perfect time as the Resort continues to streamline its process for hiring seasonal employees, is working to embed its core values into the DNA of their employee handbook to focus on values from the very beginning of someone’s career at Mt. Baldy Resort, and strives to keep everyone moving towards the same direction and goals for the business.
Through the Gateway
When was your last trip up Mt. Baldy? Whether you’ve been up the mountain dozens of times or have never made the trip, we’d like to invite you to step through the gateway and experience this natural wonder firsthand. For all our readers, Mt. Baldy Resort is extending a 25% discount off any purchase or booking made at mtbaldyresort.com for the rest of 2018 with promo code SDPPerks2018! What are you waiting for? Plan your next trip today!
SDP Client Spotlights: Celebrating Our Clients
Every month, we highlight one of our amazing clients with the SDP Client Spotlight. Here at Southland Data Processing, we’re in the people business, and strive to always put our clients first. If you or your organization is interested in becoming our next Client Spotlight, please contact us at [email protected] and we’d love to hear your story!
Photo by Mt. Baldy Resort