Changing Industries

Britany Gavriel retreated from her office in tears dialing the number of a Pastor friend to ask for prayer. She paced the parking lot of the hotel where she worked as the General Manager while clutching the phone to her ear. Gavriel was seeking the encouragement and endurance she needed to keep going in her career. Once she had composed herself, she stepped back into the lobby where the concierge notified her that she had a phone call, the caller had agreed to wait on hold for the chance to visit with her. She was stunned to find that the answer to her prayers was waiting on the other line. The call was from a recruiter who asked her, “Have you ever heard of MRC?”

After obtaining a Master’s degree in hospitality, Greg Rossi was fully aligned for a long and successful career in hotel work. What he didn’t fully count on was the up and downs the industry would bring. The successes certainly came his way, but so did the long hours and uncertainty with a business model that required regular cutbacks to hit revenue projections. He was finding that, despite the advice of his father, hard work didn’t always pay off. He knew it might be time to shake things up and see what else is out there.

Kristi Baird felt the questions mounting within her as she listened to the announcement that the nation would be under stay-at-home orders and Americans would be required to observe a multitude of new travel restrictions. It wouldn’t be long before the reports crossing Baird’s desk became more and more red while guest rooms remained mostly empty. With no hope of travel trends rebounding in the near future, she was forced to bring in dedicated team members to let them know that they must go on leave for an unknown period of time. Feeling the full weight of this, Baird knew that it was time for her to make a change.

Britany, Greg and Kristi, now MRC Executive Directors, each report the change to be exceptionally fulfilling. When asked about her journey, Gavriel is quick to point back to God’s divine intervention, “I had surrendered to the ministry back in 1996 but could never really figure out how God planned to use me until now. This is exactly where I need to be.”

Greg and Kristi are also quick to add that they too have found a much deeper connection to their own purpose and feel they are more aligned with a career that is positively impacting the lives of others. As each attempt to describe the feeling they have in their work, they can’t seem to avoid using the word family. From the residents to the team members, the overarching feeling is one of relationship that is far deeper and more impactful than any other venture in their careers. When asked about regrets, they each said the same thing that seems to echo through the halls of each and every MRC community, from residents and staff alike, “I only wish I had come sooner.”

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