EDMOND—Armstrong International Cultural Foundation marketing director Shane Granger received the Greater Oklahoma City area Certified Tourism Ambassadors Gold Star Award on May 6. The award recognizes a cta who “exemplifies excellence in hospitality and customer service,” according to the Greater Oklahoma City cta program.

Certified Tourism Ambassadors is a national tourism certification program with more than 10,000 certified members. Armstrong Auditorium has been involved with the program since it came to Oklahoma in 2012.

Granger was nominated for the award by the Edmond Convention and Visitors Bureau director, Cathy Williams-White, and by marketing director Terry Lanham.

“Shane has taken on this program more than anyone I have seen since the beginning,” Lanham said in a letter of recommendation.

She added that Granger actively participates in local tourism and attends every local cta event. In the past year, these events included a dinner and glass-blowing demonstration at an Edmond restaurant, a social at an Oklahoma City street festival, and a tour of the Oklahoma National Memorial. Armstrong hosted its own cta event on January 27, when Granger gave 50 ctas and guests a private tour of the auditorium before they watched a performance of Swan Lake.

“I attended with my granddaughter and this absolutely was a night she will remember forever,” Lanham said.

Williams-White said that Granger understands the benefits from “networking, partnering and working together cooperatively.”

She said that Granger responds to every request for a tour. The foundation’s head usher, Edwin Trebels, said that he and Granger immediately organize tours and try to accommodate patrons even if the building is normally closed, such as on Fridays.

Lanham said that Granger makes everyone he meets feel “special and important.”

“He’s interested in other people’s stories,” Trebels said.

Lanham mentioned that Granger and Trebels use social media effectively to promote the auditorium. The auditorium staff uses Facebook and Twitter to advertise events and to quote patrons. At concerts, the auditorium has a dedicated social media assistant, who posts a photo and a sentence or two of willing patrons, in exchange for a complimentary cookie and coffee from the concert’s concessions station. Trebels said that he and Granger are also considering new social media outlets, such as Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

Williams-White said that Granger believes in training the staff to provide excellent customer service. The auditorium staff, comprised of mostly AC students, memorizes a fact sheet with more than 100 facts about the auditorium and takes a test before each season begins. In addition, staff members hear a pre-season lecture and read a manual about providing professional customer service, setting a high standard in dress and grooming, exceeding customer expectations, answering questions, and requirements for each specific job. Before each concert, Granger briefs the staff about the evening’s performance and reviews principles of customer service.

Granger worked as an usher and tour guide at the prestigious Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, California, in the 1980s. The auditorium hosted world-class performers, including Vladimir Horowitz and Luciano Pavarotti.

“[Granger] is spot-on in his product knowledge and presentation, and he transfers that intentional level of excellence to his staff,” Williams-White said.

Granger said that it’s nice to see Armstrong recognized in the community like it was with the Red Bud Award. He added that this award could have gone to any of the staff working at Armstrong.

“It really does belong to all of God’s people, collectively, because without their support, we could not do what we do here,” he said. “And ultimately, God gets the credit because it’s His way of life. It’s God’s hospitality and customer service.”