11 minute read
BUSINESS
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Gilbert firm’s gaming boosts employee morale
BY ASHLYN ROBINETTE
GSN Staff Writer
KeepWOL (Keep Wondering Out Loud), a developer of immersive learning and development solutions, recently launched a talent development gaming platform designed to maximize workplace cultural intelligence and minimize turnover. As the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Kansas’ Aerospace Engineering Department, Lauren Fitzpatrick Shanks of Gilbert, founder and CEO of KeepWOL, knows what it’s like to be the only minority and formed her company to help others who feel that way. When she entered corporate America, she thought that things would change – but they didn’t. She still felt like an outLauren Fitzpatrick Shanks is the founder and CEO of KeepWOL, which launched a gaming platform to reduce employee turnover. (Special to GSN)
sider. After over a decade of experience working at five different Fortune 500 companies in technology, Shanks witnessed other employees, and even herself at times, suffer and grow complacent at work. “When you feel unsupported, you provide less than optimal output,” she said, adding that the drive to excel can wither and die. “Companies had promises about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, but all of them were more so for vanity metrics purposes,” Shanks said. “None of the programs were geared around retention or ensuring the success of those diverse hires,” she continued. “On top of that, managers didn’t receive see TALENT page 25
Family trio acquires Mesa event center at the right time
BY PAUL MARYNIAK GSN Executive Editor
Timing can be everything in business and for Charles Cotter and his two children, buying Superstition Manor in Mesa could not have come at a better time.
While it caters to a variety of gatherings, its specialty is weddings and Cotter, his son Taylor and daughter Sharley Leavitt, acquired the 10-year-old property on the northwest corner of Signal Butte and Brown roads from the founding Burns family just as the pandemic loosened its grip on couples eager to tie the knot.
“Weddings have not only come back in full force. It is a force to be reckoned with,” Taylor said. “You had a lot of people that rescheduled or postponed their wedding for a year and then you still had the busy season on top of that. And right now, the industry is projected to have more weddings in 2022 than there has ever been in the last several years.
“So, 2022 is supposed to be crazy,” he continued. “We already have over 160 events booked for 2022 and we are projected to break 200.”
They got a taste of that level of business in October, which Taylor called “literally insane” because “it was something like 19 events in eight days….That was our welcome to the new business moment.”
And even more fortunate for them, the sprawling Superstition Manor grounds and mammoth reception center came equipped with three halls that can accommodate between 100 and 250 people, two fully equipped commercial kitchens and a half-kitchen and a staff of some 40 to 50 experienced servers, cooks and other personnel.
Beyond that, however, two features have made Superstition Manor a high-demand wedding venue, Taylor said: first, it’s pretty much a one-stop-shop for weddings; and its pristine desert grounds with an unobstructed view of the majestic Superstition Mountains.
Taylor has been in the wedding industry
The new owners of Superstition Manor in Mesa are, from left, Charles Cotter and his children, Taylor Cotter and Sharley Leavitt. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)
training on how to manage, lead, motivate and communicate with people of all different walks of life, of different identities that are not of their own.”
Shanks saw what was lacking in the workplace and noticed employees quitting or losing their drive because of it. So, she came up with a solution to keep employees supported, engaged and wanting to stay at a company.
“The lack of resources and support for managers and teams to have those complex and non-combative conversations that provide the context, detail and learning you need to really understand where each individual employee is coming from, what they need to be the most successful, and how you can support them in being the most successful – that’s really what led me to creating KeepWOL,” she said. KeepWOL’s on-demand SaaS platform offers a digital library of live multiplayer psychology-based games that cultivate employee development in various areas.
The impact of each session is tracked by data collected within the platform providing accountability and measurable change.
The games are designed to help enterprises build tight-knit inclusive, high-performing teams by embracing differences and normalizing interpersonal skills such as communication, empathy and connection at work.
KeepWOL has 10 games available in its current library with six more on the way that the company has been working with Mayo Clinic on, Shanks said.
“The games are geared around all different kinds of things that will help you to become the most successful version of you in your personal life and professional life,” she said.
WEDDINGS from page 24
for years as a photographer and videographer and his sister also is a long-time wedding photographer.
For them and their father, buying Superstition Manor was almost a no-brainer, since they were inheriting an experienced staff and a location that most couples likely will find an ideal venue for exchanging vows. “What’s really unique is where the
By using KeepWOL with teams on a recurring basis, organizations should see a more engaged workforce, better team dynamics, a boost in collaboration and innovation, and more, Shanks said. “With all of our games, we’re looking to humanize everyone,” she added. “We want to elevate the human experience to unlock that productivity within people.”
Unlike traditional platforms, KeepWOL doesn’t rely on teaching methods like panels, surveys and pre-recorded videos as these strategies often don’t change employee behavior, mainly because they occur as one-offs and don’t focus on the ins-and-outs of everyday work life.
Instead, KeepWOL enables recurring guided immersive team experiences that are powered by software but driven by humans to revitalize corporate culture.
The goal is to take diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging from passive awareness to an actionable experience for all employees. “People aren’t leaving companies, they’re leaving environments,” Shanks said. “Putting that human factor first and realizing that if you want to keep employees longer you have to build relationships first. Relationships are built on trust, they’re built on transparency, they’re built on vulnerability. That’s what KeepWOL enables people to do in an easy way.”
KeepWOL is designed for SMBs with at least 10 employees and enterprise organizations looking to build or shift corporate culture. Monthly subscriptions start at $10 per user, with certification available and required for those employees interested in becoming KeepWOL facilitators.
Information: keepwol.com.
property is situated,” Taylor said. “Across the street is actually a part of Usery Park Preserve and so from a couple of our ceremony yards where people get married, the backdrop is literally raw desert and Superstition Mountains. That’s one of the really unique things about the property: the view is unmatched. If you look out
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26 BUSINESS WEDDINGS from page 25 across the street, you don’t see houses. You don’t see development. You don’t see anything except just straight desert and Superstition Mountain.”
“Then there are lots of places on site as well,” he continued. “The previous owner did an amazing job of landscaping. And even without that view, you could stay just on the property and there is a ridiculous amount of places that you can go and couples can go to take gorgeous photos in a very well-maintained, landscaped area.”
While Arizona currently is between the state’s two biggest wedding seasons of October-November and March-April, this is no time for the Cotter family to relax – and only partly because Superstition manor also caters to charity events, sports banquets for schools and other celebrations.
They are more at a lull because in a few weeks, more than one man will be posing the big question with a holiday-wrapped engagement ring in hand.
And that means, Taylor said, the next big busy period will be January and February, when those couples will hunt for venues. Above: Superstition Manor has three ballrooms that can each accommodate different sizes of wedding and other kinds of parties.
(Photos by David Minton/GSN Photographer)
Taylor Cotter said the Superstition Mountains form a romantic backdrop to the grounds at Superstition Manor.
“So all those engagement rings that are going to be given at Christmas time, people better move fast if they don’t want to lose out,” he said. “We will have more people come and do tours of the venue in January-February in those two months alone than we’ll probably have in any other six to eight-month segment of the year.”
“It is very, very busy. Everyone gets engaged over the holidays and then there’s a big Wedding Expo that happens in the Phoenix Convention every year at the beginning of January. So we’re at that. I mean, there’s literally thousands of couples. We’re already booking for 2023.”
As almost a one-stop shop, the venue offers everything except wedding cakes and flowers and the Cotters have a list of recommended bakers and florists. Video and photography can be added on to the venue’s package.
Those packages include with all-day access to bride and groom suites, a DJ, a pro wedding coordinator a wide variety of décor, chairs, linens, tableware and centerpieces. From Italian to BBQ and beer and wines to top shelf alcohol.
As the Cotters say on their website, “All that’s left for you and your guests to do is party.”
Info: superstitionmanor.com
Cigna Medical makes healthcare convenient in Gilbert
BY ASHLYN ROBINETTE
GSN Staff Writer
Cigna Medical Group officials say their new offices in Gilbert will make it easier for local residents to get quality healthcare.
“The new center is easy to access and conveniently located in a growing area of the East Valley,” said Matthew Bennett, president of Cigna Medical Group, in a press release. “The interior features an open, comfortable setting for patients and provides more space for our team of skilled, compassionate health care professionals to care for current and new patients.” The new center at 3717 S. Rome St. – off Val Vista just south of the 202 SanTan Freeway – which is less than a mile away from its previous location. The center was relocated to expand its health care services and provide a modernized facility with advanced equipment and spacious rooms.
“With the expansion of our new Gilbert location we are providing more space to provide even more services to the growing community in Gilbert,” said Arett Zartarian, chief operating officer of Cigna Medical Group. “We’re also providing a refreshed and more state-ofthe-art space to deliver care.”
The team at Gilbert currently provides care for nearly 3,000 patients and looks forward to welcoming even more members of the community.
The two physicians on the Gilbert center team are Maria Angeli Del Mundo, M.D., who has been with Cigna Medical Group for 20 years, and Mitchell Gadow, M.D., who has been with the company for 13 years. The new 7,500-square-foot-medical office has nine exam rooms, a treatment room for minor in-office procedures, and even features a virtual care exam room that patients can use for appointments with specialists and clinicians who are located at a different office.
“From that space, patients can actually come in to see their care team at the Gilbert health care center while also meeting virtually with other specialists or behavioral health services without having to leave the building,” Zartarian said of the virtual exam room.
Offerings at the Gilbert center include primary care, pediatrics, laboratory, behavioral health, pharmacy services and more, according to Cigna Medical Group’s website. “Our focus is first and foremost on quality,” Zartarian said. “Everything that Cigna Medical Group does has the patient at the center of it. “It’s all about coordinating the patient health care journey,” he continued. “Not only the work and care they receive within our four walls, but also the health care experience that they have when they leave our clinic or if they should have some sort of an experience outside of the building that we would still be supporting them through that journey.” Gilbert’s opening coincides with Cigna Medical Group’s anniversary of providing high quality health care to generations of families for five decades.
“Opening the Gilbert health center during Cigna Medical Group’s 50th anniversary year is a great way to celebrate our continued commitment to providing high quality medical care and services to individuals and families across the Valley,” Bennett said in a press release. Cigna Medical Group is one of the Valley’s largest multi-specialty group practices with over 20 health care centers located throughout the greater Phoenix area.
Cigna Medical Group is constantly reviewing their centers and may open more next year, Zartarian said. Gilbert’s health care center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Virtual appointments are also available. Information: cignamedicalgroup. com.
