John- Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

I first came to Alaska in 1995 for a summer vacation with my brother Charlie. My first couple of years in Alaska I was an independent gold miner with a serious case of gold fever. I never seemed to strike it rich and I was hurting for cash. My brother Charlie had been hired as a catering server at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge and suggested that it might be time for me to get a real job that paid. So I cut my dread locks off and went to the job interview which back then was “when can you start”. The first day on the job was a 21st birthday party and the guests grabbed the servers and made them dance a couple of songs. I really enjoyed throwing parties for a living and it also gave me extra time to work on my Michael Jackson dance moves. I knew early on that Princess was the company I wanted to work for. Customer service is their number one priority and making people happy makes me happy. In my second month on the job I met the woman that would become my wife (Princess truly is the love boat!) We have had many exciting events here at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge, hundreds of weddings, thousands of business meeting, scores of proms , and even a World Clown Convention. Over the years my job has changed from throwing the parties to booking and supervising the events. I don’t have as much dance floor time, but still make sure the staff can do “Thriller” in a moments notice.