SOUTH WINDSOR, CT- A woman named Deb Apolczer works at a local golf course called Willowbrook as a restaurant manager. The course is a par 3 with a beautiful café that has a big welcoming dining area with a handmade wooden bar and great outdoor seating that faces the golfing range.
Apolczer has done customer service her whole working life. She started very young when she got her first job, she was 16 years old and worked at a movie theater. This is where she decided that she wanted to work with others. After her job at the theaters, she started work at the Steak Club in Vernon, Connecticut as a banquet employee, bartender, and server. She stayed there for 24 years and absolutely loved it. After that her next Job was at the golf course.
Apolczer has worked at the course for 16 years now at this golf course. She says “In the past 40 years I’ve had 2 jobs” based off of her work experience you can see that she is dedicated to what she does.
Willowbrook Golf Course offers many things besides just golf. There are banquets, birthday parties, weddings, and meetings, and a café open during the golf season. Apolczer is in charge of getting all of these things prepared. What people may not know is that this job requires lot of skills and responsibilities.
When asked what her tasks were to prepare for these events, she says that her responsibilities are to speak with the person who wants the event, discuss menus and food options, get liquor orders, get the food, physically do the set up, and find staff.
When she’s not setting up events, she’s doing other important things that keep this business running. She is in charge of hiring, payroll, stock and inventory, finding entertainment- such as live bands, and scheduling. She has been doing this for so long its just usual routine for her now.
This job can be stressful at times; she says that sometimes there are some customers that can be difficult to deal with. She remains positive by saying, “You can’t let it get to you. You have to let it bounce off you and smile.”
When asked about her job she says “I like being a manager, my favorite thing I love about work is it takes my mind off of anything stressful going on outside of work. We have some great customers that I love. And for every bad customer, there’s at least 10 good ones.”
Her co- worker and assistant manager, Audrey Butler from East Windsor, has worked with Apolczer for 10 years. They both have had to do these these jobs together, through the tough times and the fun times explains that “Deb is very easy going and fun. She makes it fun so that it doesn’t even seem like work.” Apolczer has made a difference at the course by boosting morale and working hard so that Willowbrook can be a great place to work at.
Erin McTeague COM 