We Act

On Ryan Perry's first official day, he was assisting at the front desk at Hampton Inn and Suites in Hammond. He had just started learning his new role and the responsibilities that come along with it, but managed to perfectly portray a core value of ours that we take very seriously. We had a walk-in international traveler from Japan come in. He was 76 and spoke very little English. Ryan used Google translate to communicate with Mr. Ota, assisting the front desk with his reservation. Not only did Ryan assist with checking Mr. Ota in, but he also gave him a tour of the property, showing him the breakfast area, fitness center, and pool, all using Google Translate. The best part is that after the tour, Ryan and Mr. Ota even played a few rounds of Pokémon Go together. Ryan went out of his way to make this guest feel important and deeply valued, no matter what difficult barriers stood in the way.

We had a client feel faint after her session. She blacked out for a moment and fell to the floor. FDA Zack Wahlstrom assisted her to the tranquility room, got her some water, and sat with her for a moment…. She did not want us to call 911 but said she would just drive herself to the hospital. We did not want her to drive so Zack volunteered to drive her. Zack and FDA Jimesa took the client to the hospital and sat with her until she was called to the back. Zack left our business card with the ER front desk and asked them to call him when she was released so he could get her. After the doctors checked her out and released her, Zack drove her back to the clinic. A big thank you to Zack for being so kind to this client.

On Saturday, we had a guest who was once a member in New Orleans scheduled for a massage. She had a medical emergency as she was pulling up. While driving in the parking lot, she hit the curb. She came into the store very distressed. Madalyn and Seneca attended to her immediately. Madelyn, who is a ULM pre-med student noticed her sensor device on her arm. She asked her if she was diabetic, and she responded that she was. They checked her sugar glucose level and realized it was too low. They got her some orange juice as well as the medical care she needed. She came back the next Monday to thank them for all they had done and even said she would be back to get a massage and become a member again.

The Hampton Inn & Suites in Grenada needed additional support at the front desk and housekeeping to prepare for our inspection this fall. Several properties had team members available and willing to make the LONG trip to spend the week away from home to help. Thank you to Max Gaudet, Irish Jefferson, and Carl Walker for assisting Grenada and being a part of our team.

With a hurricane bearing down on Louisiana, our hotel leaders, Amy & Ryan, headed into the storm to be onsite with their hotel teams. On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall as a category 4 storm in Louisiana. The devastation caused by the hurricane closed our Massage Envy clinics in New Orleans, Palm Beach Tans in Hammond and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and resulted in millions of dollars in damages to Hampton Inn & Suites Thibodaux and Hammond – both while completely full of team members, their families, and hurricane evacuees. Communication was hit or miss, and we lost contact with our teams. Sunray team members lost homes, faced injuries, and were without power for weeks in some areas. Across the company, Sunray team members immediately started asking how they could help. Jody and the amazing construction crew showed up in record time with supplies for repairs and to mitigate damage. The corporate office team divided up and hit every home improvement and hardware store within a 20-mile radius to load up generators, gas cans, dehumidifiers and other critical supplies the hotels needed to address extensive water and wind damages. Bottled water and nonperishable snacks were loaded up for the hotel evacuees due to limited supplies. Multiple team members drove hundreds of miles back and forth from Mississippi to Louisiana loading and unloading supplies for a solid week. Meanwhile, hotel team members sucked up water non-stop, pulled soaking wet carpet, stripped hallways down to the studs, and washed linens for what seemed like days. Meanwhile over in New Orleans, one of our Massage Envy managers delivered sandbags to all other clinics ahead of the storm and offered help to anyone needing it after the hurricane passed. He secured each clinic, inspected for damage, and helped with clean-up at other locations. He even went to find a team member sleeping on the side of the road in his car when he broke down trying to evacuate to family in Mississippi. He did all of this while dealing with damage to his own home and sleeping outside in a hammock during the power outage. Our Palm Beach Tan teams jumped into action and visited salons to check for damage and reopen while also navigating curfews and impacts to their own homes and families. Our Sunray teams personally reached out to every team member impacted by Hurricane Ida and checked in with them regularly. Resources were provided, and Sunray supported those most impacted in the aftermath. Tosha Smith, general manager at Hampton Inn & Suites Thibodaux, said, “Each of these people put their own duties and responsibilities on hold to help us and did it with smiles on their faces and genuine concern because they truly cared about us.”

Recently in Hammond, Francis Cook and Charlotte Landry handled an extremely stressful situation with the utmost courage and poise. The way they reacted immediately to an extremely delicate and chaotic situation with the demeanor they exhibited certainly should put them in the Sunray Hero Hall of Fame. Not only that but they approach every day with the utmost professionalism and are constantly providing mentorship to the newer members of the team. They are both examples of everything the Sunray Core Values stand for.

Massage Envy Gulfport raised money for Bridggett Singley, one of our longtime massage therapists. We deeply care about each other and always lend a helping hand when our team is going through a hard time. Bridggett has experienced some health problems and has been out of work. We collectively raised $1,152 for her and her family.

One of our team members was getting ready to clock out and head out for her weekend plans one Friday. It was pouring down rain. About 10 minutes before her shift ended, one of our regular tanners came in and told us about his car troubles. After his session, the team member walked outside with him and tried continuously to help him jump off his car IN THE RAIN. She had special plans that night that she’d been counting down all week, but she still took the time outside in the rain for over an hour to help a customer in need. She’s a superstar!