Business View Magazine | Volume 9, Issue 1

119 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 come back. The kids that grew up here are now bringing their kids back because they enjoyed it so much they want that same summer experience for their own kids.” Located six miles outside of the City of Flagstaff, Forest Highlands is almost completely self-sufficient, operating its own water and wastewater reclamation companies. “We’ve really come to think of ourselves as a small town because of everything that we have and that we provide to our community members,” says Ashbrook. The community is governed by a Home Owners Association through a nine-member board of directors. Forest Highlands operates year-round administrative services with just over 100 full- time staff, including year-round security staff and water utility employees. In the spring and summer months, they add an additional 300 seasonal staff, often hired from Northern Arizona University’s Hotel and Restaurant Management FOREST HIGHLANDS GOLF CLUB Program, through the recreation program and culinary program. “We have great retention in terms of seeing our same staff members come back year after year,” says Ashbrook. “For our seasonal staff we get a good three to five years, and for our full-time staff, our average tenure is well over 10 years.” The dedicated team of full-timers works year- round to ensure the club is running successfully each summer, with new improvements and activities to keep residents entertained. As Ashbrook explains, “The hallmark of a vibrant and healthy club is to continue to improve what we are doing for our members to bring enhanced value to them. We always have the goal of coming up with either enhancements or new facilities – anything that we can do to improve the experience for our membership.” One of their current projects is expanding their pickleball offerings at the club. “We know that pickleball is a tremendously growing sport in