As you walk into our Camden community, every person should receive a warm welcome, handshake or a hug in some cases. It doesn’t matter if you have been a resident with us for 20 years, a coworker or a brand-new visitor to our community. A warm welcome makes you feel connected and invited into the Camden family.

Let me share with you a personal story from this past weekend that shows the power of a handshake and why we expect all our Camden associates to greet everyone with a warm welcome. This not only applies to our teams at every community when they greet our resident and visitors, but a friendly greeting should be given to anyone we meet!

Photo courtesy of Pexels

I run ultramarathons. What is that you may ask? It is classified as anything longer than a marathon, which is 26.2 miles. Ultramarathons can range from 30 miles to upwards of several hundred miles. This story is not about running, though. It goes much deeper than that.

This past weekend I was sitting inside a field tent listening to the Race Director, Kevin, go over some of the pre-race details of the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100-mile trail run. Kevin covered lots of little details ranging from the where I would get food and beverages, the hot temperatures and the fact that there was a mama bear on the trail with her three cubs. Before he finished, he stated that he would be at the finish line personally greeting every single runner with a handshake when they crossed the line. 

I’ve run lots of really long races over the years, and when you come across the finish line, the feeling of accomplishment is pretty incredible.  What makes it more special is when the race directors are there greeting every single person with a smile, a handshake or a fist bump. It fills you with great joy when they are there welcoming you back and celebrate your accomplishment.

The run started at 4 AM on Saturday and over the next 26 hours and 27 mins I ran, hiked and walked 100.6 miles.  As I made the final turn and headed to the finish line at 6:27 AM on Sunday morning, who do I see? Kevin! He is standing there welcoming me back with his hand outstretched.  I cannot begin to describe how amazing this felt.  After running for more than a day, receiving a warm welcome was exactly what I needed!

Photo courtesy of Richard Key

At Camden, we talk about joining the Camden family, and to be honest, I truly believe that we do a great job of doing this!  I cannot express enough the feeling that someone gets when you stand up and greet them with a handshake, a smile, and even a fist bump. It is incredible. Just like Kevin is the face of the MMT 100 Trail Race, our team members are the face of Camden. We strive to provide exactly what our visitors, residents, vendors, and coworkers need – a warm welcome.

Photo courtesy of Richard Key is the Regional Vice President for our North Carolina and Mid-Atlantic Camden communities. He is an avid runner and enjoys giving warm welcomes and hugs. If you would like to join the Camden team, check out our open positions across the country.