Butler Twp woman checks in as manager
Tricia Sheakley, manager of the Butler Days Inn, spends her days roaming the hotel with a Las Vegas pit boss' eye on every part of the operation.
After working stints as an accountant and an educator, she found her calling at the 143-room hotel, overseeing its 70 employees and all events that occur under its roof.
“Working in a hotel is definitely different from working anywhere else. I can't even think of what to compare it to,” Sheakley said.
She started working for her father's Butler accounting firm, Michael J. Zima Jr., CPA, on Freeport Road, as a young woman, but knew that was not to be her permanent career path.
“I had worked for him off and on for years. But it just wasn't for me,” Sheakley said.
She graduated from Butler High School in 1992, later attending Butler County Community College and earning an associate degree in early childhood education in 2000.
“I was going to be a teacher, but I just never finished,” Sheakley said.
She married Mark Sheakley, a laborer for E V Products in Saxonburg, in 2003, and the couple soon had a pair of twin boys, Aidan and Damon.
After several years away from the working world, Sheakley returned in 2006 to a job she had held in the past at the Days Inn.
“I worked here before, at posts like dining room manager and the front desk,” she said.
“I came back part-time on the weekends, but that didn't last too long before I was full-time”
For the past five years, Sheakley has been the hotel manager.
“It's a big property and we have a lot going on. It's fun, it's interesting. It's definitely not a boring job,” she said.
Sheakley has nine other managers to oversee individual departments, and Days Inn's corporate office regulates everything from staff uniforms to the size of coffee cups. But Sheakley said, “We can always do things better.”
In addition to pleasing night-by-night guests, the hotel is a booming convention center and a second home to a few long-term guests.
“Monster Bash (a horror convention held each October) is a lot of fun,” Sheakley said.
Most recently, Ice Jammers held its annual bluegrass music convention at the hotel in January. “They fiddle, pick and play bluegrass all weekend long,” Sheakley said.“Some of the guests leave their room doors open the whole time, and they'll set up and play wherever they can find room. It's like one big open house.”The 2012 event has already filled the hotel for next January, with rooms selling out in about three hours.“They've been here every year and you really get to know them,” Sheakley said.“There is a lot to do, but (the staff are) all here for conventions. Everybody goes above and beyond.”Although regular events coordinators are in constant contact with the hotel, stipulating exactly how they would like things set up, from meeting rooms to the event hall, planning new events is still an exciting challenge for Sheakley and her staff.“We do a great wedding here, so we're trying to get that word out a little more,” Sheakley said.When asked just how good weddings at the Days Inn are, she responded, “the best in town, or at least I think so.”Brew Fest 2010, which invited home beer brewers to sample their wares to the public and for judging, was among the hotel's newest attractions.“Going in, I didn't know anything,” Sheakley joked.“But we had a big turnout and a wonderful response and it was great.“It got bigger than I thought for the first run.”From first-time guests to near residents, the hotel is constantly adapting its service.Long-term guests include several employees from Rex Energy and Western Land Services.“They do become a part of the hotel. The guys we have now, we know their names and even what they like to eat or drink at the bar,” Sheakley said.The hotel staff tries to make the long-term guests' rooms more comfortable by adding or removing furniture such as chairs or tables to make the room feel more like a home.Those guests reciprocate when they can, with one even carving pumpkins for the hotel bar, Playmakers Sports Bar and Grill, for Halloween.Sheakley said attracting more long-term guests is always a goal, and the hotel relishes the opportunity to welcome gas drilling company employees working the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposits. Sheakley said she isn't much worried about competition from other proposed hotels, downtown or otherwise.“For our hotel and what we offer and the price, I feel we are the best in town,” she said.“You get so many different people in here, from employees to people from around the world. It's never dull, and there's always something to learn.”Yet, for all of the wonderful guests that pass through the hotel's doors, there are a few bad eggs. But Sheakley is mum on their antics.“I can't say much about that stuff,” she said with a laugh. “We haven't had any major damages.”The hotel has its own security to ensure nobody gets too out of hand, though.“There isn't a lot people can get away with that we can't find out about,” Sheakley said.Despite putting in anywhere from 45 to 60 hours per week at the hotel, Sheakley still finds time to enjoy the world outside.“I'm with my family a lot, and I'm part of the Junior Women's Club of Butler,” she said.Sheakley joined the organization a few months ago and participates in its efforts to support scholarship programs, fundraising for charities and gift wrapping for Habitat for Humanity.“My husband is great about it,” she said.“I have great family support, too. You would have thought (my parents) had the kids for how attached they are.”Sheakley also leaves her charitable stamp on the Days Inn on Fridays when for a $5 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation employees may wear jeans for the day.“Two staff had children go through the program, and they just had phenomenal things to say about it,” Sheakley said.“This just gives a nicer take on a casual Friday. I wanted to do a little bit more that employees could be a part of, rather than just a corporate donation.”
<B>Age: </B>37<B>Address: </B>Elizabeth Drive in Butler Township<B>Family: </B>Husband Mark and twin 6-year-old sons, Aidan and Damon<B>Employment: </B>Manager, Butler Days Inn<B>Education: </B>Butler High School 1992 graduate, associate degree in early childhood education in 2000 from Butler County Community College<B>Interests:</B> Family activities, volunteer work<B>Quote: </B>“You get so many different people in here, from employees to people from around the world. It’s never dull, and there’s always something to learn.”— Sheakley on managing the Butler Days Inn
