Charlie VanLuven and Carroll Cady are each a fixture in their own right at the Park Place Hotel, both having been employed there since 1968. For the past 31 years each, they have helped the hotel run smoothly and kept the thousands of guests and diners that come through every year happy. As dishroom supervisor, VanLuven is master of his domain, which he just happened to design in 1976. Rinse, wash, dry and stack, he and his crew can clean the dishes for a dinner serving 600 in two hours. Marie who in the past has worked in road construction and as a builder on the Mackinaw Bridge.
Dishes are the most important part.
For his boss, executive chef Jim Buck, having an employee with such motivation, knowledge and reliability makes for one less headache in a high-pressure job. He knows all the functions and how everything works. Cady started in January of 1968 as a snow shoveler. Just 16 years old, he worked part-time in outdoor maintenance until he graduated from Traverse City Senior High School. He then came onboard full time and on rainy days he helped clean the hotel inside.