Category: Why we do this

We gathered at Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens to say goodbye to Marina "Nina" Torres Casas. She was 69 years old. She spent more than twenty years at Mountain Laurel Chalets, folding towels and sheets in our laundry department and cleaning cabins. She was the mother of Jazmin Hawks, who leads our entire housekeeping operation. She was the mother-in-law of Corey Hawks, our COO. She was, in every way that matters, family. ...

Fifty-four years of legacy doesn't produce quick wins. What it produces are deep wins — the kind that settle into you slowly and remind you exactly why you got into this business. This is one of those stories. ...