Brian Casey

Brian CaseyMotor Service Inc. #1309250 Washington St.Auburn, MA, 01501-3225(508)832-6291 ...(508)832-7195 faxmsbc9090@aol.combcasey9090@aol.com
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Brian Casey, Motor Service Inc

With a background mostly learned in the family business in Door County, and the fact that her husband, Brian Casey, already works in Appleton, Casey was a good fit for the job.

Primarily, Casey markets the Copperleaf's one- and two-room suites, each of which contains whirlpool tubs, mini-bars, overstuffed chairs and flat-screen televisions.
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But in fact, it is operated separately," Casey said.

Door County backgroundIn addition to her schooling, Casey came by her hotel experience through hard work.She spent a decade, until 2001, managing the 46-unit Country House Resort in Sister Bay.Her parents own the resort.Casey also worked for Bay Lakes Information System in 2001-2002 to help develop and standardize pricing, marketing, customer service and other practices for the software company.

Casey's on-the-job experience often has been put to work on behalf of the tourism industry in Door County and Wisconsin.She served on the board of directors for the Door County Chamber of Commerce in 1995 and, at one point, was president of the Door County Innkeepers Association and the Sister Bay Advancement Association.She served briefly on the village Plan Commission.

Casey was president of the board of directors for the Door County Chamber in 1999, when its headquarters was destroyed by fire and the decision was made to rebuild the current office building.

Casey "never hesitated to roll her sleeves up and get her arms dirty," said Karen Raymore, executive director of the chamber.
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Raymore described Casey as a "consensus builder" and "strategic thinker."
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"One of the things we agonized over was the fireplace," Casey said, recalling the discussions about plans for the new building."But we really felt that was going to give a lot of warmth and charm and comfort to the area."

A member of the Governor's Council on Tourism from 1996 to 2002, Casey headed the subcommittees on leisure marketing and legislative issues.She dealt head-on with issues such as room taxes, an issue she refers to as "the big ugly."The room tax debate in Door County ended with the city of Sturgeon Bay becoming the only Door County municipality to have a room tax, a surcharge on lodging.

The problem was, Casey explained, that Door County is marketed as a single entity, and if a municipality adopted the tax on lodging, it would be giving away price advantage to its competitors in municipalities that did not impose a room tax.

If the village of Sister Bay, for example, imposed a room tax, visitors to the Country House Resort would have had to pay the extra money, she said.At the same time, visitors to the nearby Hotel Du Nord, which has a Sister Bay mailing address but is located in the town of Liberty Grove, would not have to pay the tax because their lodging was outside the village jurisdiction.

In addition, there was some concern during the Door County debate over how room tax revenue would be spent, Casey said.
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Recently, Casey became a member of the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau's Capital Development Committee, which reviews applications for using dollars generated by room tax.
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Casey appears to be gaining acceptance from her Appleton peers, even the the biggest competitor, the Paper Valley Hotel, located across College Avenue from the Copperleaf.Other businesses in the Valley seem a bit taken aback by Casey's willingness to work with them.

"Coming from my Door County background," Casey said, "I don't necessarily see them (competing hotels) as a threat.I think we each have a role to play and we can work together on things.It's a different culture here."

For Casey, rewards come in seemingly small and unexpected ways.When President Bush was in Appleton recently, she overheard a couple of Secret Service agents comment about how surprised they were to find a place like the Copperleaf in a city as small as Appleton.

"It's those types of experiences," Casey said, "particularly when they're unsolicited, that makes you think, 'Wow, we really do make a difference.' Those are the things that keep you going when you think, 'What am I doing here?'"

Facing 10- or 11-hour days as general manager, Casey admitted it would be easy to get burned out.A hotel is open every day of the year, including every holiday.To deal with the unexpected, she has learned to think creatively - and encourages her staff to continue to do the same.

"I can't tell them what's going to happen every day, or the next minute," Casey said."And you can't be here every day yourself."

One of the first weeks the Copperleaf was open, for example, a guest called about whether a dress shirt that had been dropped off had been dry-cleaned.The clerk on duty had forgotten it, but the guest still needed the shirt.Between Casey and Judy, one of her housekeepers, they hand-washed the shirt, dried and pressed it, presenting a clean shirt to the guest in the nick of time.

In another example, Casey explained how a scheduling blunder was avoided after operators realized they overbooked the Copperleaf's meeting rooms.By partitioning off an area of the main lobby, and incorporating draperies for more privacy, Casey was able to give the customers what they needed.The clients later said they were thrilled with the results, a room that seemed less "meeting-ish."

The challenges of meeting the ever-increasing demands of corporate and leisure customers are never far away, though.Fifteen years ago, continental breakfast was an exception, Casey recalled.Now, it's practically an expectation.

"If you want to be told their stay was exceptional, you have to exceed their expectations, and the average guests' expectations continue to grow," Casey said.

Vibrant leader skills, cemented by a willingness to hunt down creative solutions helped Casey parlay her experience with the Door County brand of tourism and her involvement in her parents' resort into a unique management style.Although she has no ownership interest in the Copperleaf, she treats every property she manages as her very own.

"It's the only way I've ever known how to do business and I wouldn't dream of doing it any other way," Casey said.