Happenings

Start your engines for an exciting night of fun. Sundance Vacations Speedway is holding an Employee Day on Saturday, April 18.

Employees - FREE ADMISSION
Guests: Adult - $10
Children 10 & Under – Free

The employee sign in will take place from 4:30-6pm. The grandstands will open at 5pm. Racing will follow. Please make sure you sign up with your manager. We hope to see you there!

Do you have a favorite local driver that you’re excited to see?

A few Sundance Vacations employees including Founder Tina Dowd have been working on core values and designing a corporate culture that will be beneficial to the company. While at a conference in Las Vegas, Tina attended a seminar given by CEO Tony Hsieh from Zappos. Mr. Hsieh explained 10 solid core values that act as a formalized definition of their company culture. Zappos core values weren’t formed by a few people from senior management that sat around in a room at a company offsite. Instead, they invited every employee at Zappos to participate in the process. That’s what we hope to accomplish at Sundance Vacations. What matters to you? What values do you live by daily?

The final list Zappos collectively came up with include:
1) Deliver WOW Through Service
2) Embrace and Drive Change
3) Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4) Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5) Pursue Growth and Learning
6) Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7) Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
Do More With Less
9) Be Passionate and Determined
10) Be Humble

The cool thing about the Zappos core values is that they can be used as personal values as well. The Zappos CEO explained that his core values work because, his employees live by them. We want you to come up with a set of core values, or even just one. If you live your life by a certain value and you think it would benefit the company, we want to hear from you! According to Robert Bundy, “If there are no common values, there can be no image of the future.” Please be an image of the future for Sundance Vacations!

What core values are important to you?

Sundance Vacations Founders John and Tina Dowd are currently attending the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) conference in Orlando, Florida.

ARDA promotes the growth and development of the travel industry through a variety of capacities: Advocacy, Networking, Business Partnerships/Bridge-Building, Outreach, Knowledge, and Support/ Development. ARDA and its members are committed to the highest standards and ethics in resort, vacation, recreational, residential and community development for the benefit of the public.

The Dowd’s are at the conference receiving the latest industry news and learning new techniques that might be valuable to the company. While many companies have been forced to close their doors due to the recession and banking crisis, Sundance Vacations remains thankful for our position in the market. We value our customers and strive to ensure their happiness with our product.

Have you heard any good stories about the travel industry lately? Do you have any fresh ideas for Sundance Vacations?

Sundance Vacations experienced a huge loss on Thursday March 5th. A long term employee Helen Koval passed away from an illness. Helen was employed as the Assistant General Manager of Sundance Vacations. After running the Wilkes-Barre dayshift for many years she soon took over the Inbound and Confirmations Department. Helen touched the lives of many employees and everyone was deeply saddened by the news. “You don’t meet someone like Helen Koval every day. She was so much more than a coworker, she was a best friend. We shared secrets, dreams, and goals. I’m very fortunate to have worked with her for so many years. I’ll miss her more than words will allow me to express,” said Christina Allen.

There will be a memorial service in Helen’s honor on Tuesday, March 10th at 2:30. The service will be held at the corporate office, and all employees are invited to attend. If you have any memories or stories of Helen that you would like to share, please do.

Sundance Vacations sends their deepest condolences to the Koval family during this difficult time. “As a GM, Helen touched nearly every employee. She had incredible natural talent for managing people which made her extremely well loved at every level. We are distraught and saddened by the loss of this extraordinary woman. We ask for our customers understanding as we regain our composure and say goodbye during the memorial service set for Tuesday,” said Sundance Vacations Founders John and Tina Dowd.

Helen Koval and Christina Allen pictured at a Sundance Vacations Cristmas Party.

PA State Representative Dave Argall recently visited our Sundance Vacations Tamaqua office. Representative Argall is running for PA State Senator. He explained how important the March 3rd election is, coming after the tragic and sad death of Senator James Rhoades. Argall explained to the Tamaqua staff what he planned to purpose if elected. “With the governor predicting a $2.3 billion deficit, there is little doubt that our state is facing significant financial challenges. However, Pennsylvania families are also facing their own difficulties. Because of this, the governor’s call for tax increases is misguided. Pennsylvania taxpayers simply cannot afford to pay more in taxes. Instead, state government must find a way to bring spending in line with existing state revenues,” said Argall.

The Sundance Vacations Tamaqua staff asked a lot of questions, all that were eloquently answered by PA State Representative Dave Argall. For more information, please visit www.daveargall.com Don’t forget to go out and vote March 3rd!

A few employees from Sundance Vacations including: VP of Marketing Joe Molitoris, Wilkes-Barre Sales Director Jerry Sisk, Administrative Assistants Natalie Cassarella, and Pam Fantaskey, and Communications Director Amanda Miller recently attended a Lincoln Day Dinner to support local PA candidates running for office. The dinner was held at the East Penn Sportsman Club, in Lehighton, PA. The featured speakers were Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, and State Senate Candidate, Representative David Argall. Sundance Vacations employees were proud to attend the meet and greet and catch up on state and local politics. “It is always an honor to be in the company of the PA Attorney General and other candidates who are passionate about doing their very best to improve local issues that affect us every day,” explained Administrative Asst. Natalie Cassarella.

(L-R) PA State Representative David Argall, VP of Marketing Joe Molitoris, Communications Director Amanda Miller, and PA Attorney General Tom Corbett

The Sundance Vacations Dowers Grove office was selected as a finalist for the Charity Contribution Award by the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce.

The award will be judged by the company’s unique or innovative approaches, community involvement, employee empowerment, and the vision and mission of the selected company.

The award luncheon will be held on Wednesday, February 11th at the Doubletree Guest Suites and Conference Center in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Congratulations to everyone at the Downers Grove office! Keep up all of the great work!

Sundance Vacations was selected as one of the best places to work in Pennsylvania on December 2nd, 2008. This was the second year the company participated in the program. Sundance Vacations placed twelfth in a statewide poll for the top 50 large companies. Competition was fierce as employees anxiously awaited the ranking alongside Sundance Vacations founders John and Tina Dowd. Nearly 45,000 Pennsylvania employees (a 100% increase over last year) filled out the survey. The combined scores determined the top company’s final ranking. The ceremony was held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, PA. The attendance at the dinner topped over 1,100 people from 100 companies throughout Pennsylvania. “There are many companies who are disappointed, because they did not make the list,” said Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, John Blake. Sundance Vacations is pleased with their ranking, but let’s keep striving for the number one spot!!

What do you think would improve our ranking for next year? We would love to hear some of your suggestions!

Need to score a pair of free World Series tickets? Call Sundance Vacations today to ask how you can qualify to get two free World Series tickets; 1-800-309-7000.

As a corporate sponsor of the Philadelphia Phillies Sundance Vacations has the distinct privilege of interacting with the fans during regular season home games. As you may guess, many Sundance Vacations customers are die hard Phillies fans. So, when we had the opportunity to purchase a pair of World Series tickets, we jumped on it.

One lucky customer who visits a Sundance Vacations office in Rockaway, Princeton, King of Prussia, Harrisburg or Wilkes Barre office between Wednesday October 22 and Saturday October 25th will be randomly chosen to receive a pair of World Series tickets for the 8pm Sunday game at Citizens Bank Park! No purchase is necessary to get a pair of free World Series tickets, so what are you waiting for, call 1-800-309-7000.

The response has already been amazing from both customers and employees. Many staff members are begging to be eligible….sorry gang, two lower level World Series tickets are worth $500-$700 each, so this giveaway is just for customers.

Congratulations team, we did it!! For the second year in a row, Sundance Vacations was named as one of the Best Places to Work in PA. Hundreds of employees anonymously participated in the survey process. Participation levels were so significant, that Sundance Vacations proves to be one of the best places to work, because of the employees.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the 100 Best Places to Work in PA. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophies, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. Nearly 45,000 Pennsylvania employees filled out the survey. The combined scores determine the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process.

This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Pennsylvania, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. Last year Sundance Vacations was named #8 Best Place to Work in PA. However, the company was #1 Best Place to Work locally.

Sundance Vacations will be recognized and honored at the Best Places to Work in PA evening awards ceremony on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center. The final rankings will be revealed at the ceremony. Stay tuned!