What is your day job?
Director of People (HR) and Space (Facilities), AKA DOPAS at TentCraft
How long have you lived in the Grand Traverse area?
Grew up in TC, moved West after college in 2007 and then relocated back to TC with my wife in 2016
What is your favorite thing about living/working in the Traverse City area?
Accessibility to nature and the diversity of the seasons.
What do you do for fun?
Being a dad to my 2 little boys and exposing them to hunting, fishing, biking, beaches, boating, farmers markets, and of course, playgrounds! Additionally, we live downtown, so my wife and I enjoy walks or bikes to dinner and breweries any chance we get.
How do you get involved in the community?
I am the President Elect of the Traverse Area Human Resource Association where we have over 150 members working to help evolve the working environment across our region to better attract and retain talent. I am also a Board Trustee for the Great Lakes Children’s Museum and Co-Chair of Traverse Connect’s Talent Attraction Committee.
What is your favorite local business (restaurant, shop, service,etc.) and why?
I am going to double dip here. Stanley Steemer is a premium service, they are locally owned 2nd generation run family business who have grown year over year for over 35 years and they always put the customer first. Amical has the most amazing tomato bisque with a pastry popover that is absolutely spectacular.
What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?
In college I made homemade marinara and alfredo sauces from scratch in commercial cooking pans the size of a horse trough for the Universities catering services.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I have a separate deep freezer in my basement just for venison. I harvest 3-4 deer a year in Northern Michigan and butcher them myself.
What is something you learned in the last week?
I learned that a toddlers bathing suit sort of doubles as a diaper because it has the mesh lining…
How can other TCYP members support you (personally or professionally)?
I love hosting casual one on one coffee meet and greets at TentCraft where I can show people what we do here, these conversations always turn into people operations conversations and I get to learn about how other companies attract, retain, and engage their talent and vice versa. We need more of that! You can connect with me by emailing – RHanel@tentcraft.com
