Nathan Rihm has lived and worked all over the globe — managing dining halls on cruise ships and yachts, in hotels and breweries. But, with that line of work, the customers are always changing. There’s no chance to develop relationships with regulars, to connect on a deeper level.

In mid-September, Rihm became Ardenwoods’ new food and beverage director, managing both front-of-house and back-of-house staff and ensuring dining services run smoothly and safely, delivering meals of the highest quality. He said he’s thrilled to take on this new role for many reasons. For one, though it may be different than his most recent job, where he managed a brewery, that’s exactly the kind of change he had been looking for.

“My favorite part is that I get to serve the same people all the time and really impact people’s lives, instead of just their evenings or week while on vacation,” he said. “And all the residents have been wonderful to me. They’ve been so welcoming and engaging, and I’ve felt welcomed in like a member of the family.”

In addition to meeting and developing personal connections with the residents and other staff members, Rihm said he’s fallen in love with the mountains in the few short months he’s lived in the area.

“Ardenwoods is such a beautiful place, with such a sense of community,” he explained. “I moved here for the mountains and all the outdoor recreation opportunities. My fiancée and I love to hike and get outdoors, so we’ve traveled through the area a number of times and visited places like Lake Jocassee [in Upstate South Carolina] and hiked all over the area.”

In addition to the scenery, he added, the region is not all that far from his home state of Indiana, making it relatively easy to drive home and see family — or easier than it was when he lived in Hawaii and the Virgin Islands, anyway.

When asked about his goals as Ardenwoods’ new food and beverage director, he said he aspires to provide each resident with an elevated dining experience, to continue improving food quality and service, and to always look for ways to improve the quality of life for his new, extended “family” in whatever ways possible.

“Honestly, customer service has always been a big passion of mine,” he said. “I really enjoy working with people. It’s important to me to have work that allows me to be social, so that’s what brought me to Ardenwoods. I just want the residents to know that I’m always here to engage with them — that they’re more than welcome to approach me, and that I always greatly enjoy hearing their stories. Being part of this community is my favorite part of the position.”

When Rihm isn’t on-site at Ardenwoods, he’s likely to be found in the Blue Ridge Mountains, hiking a scenic ridge, kayaking, hunting or fishing. He’s also passionate about volunteering, and, being new to the area, he’s interested in finding the right organization to dedicate his spare time.

Christy Hull fell in love with Ardenwoods the moment she arrived on campus. Arriving to work each day surrounded by 48 acres of lush woodlands, overlooking sweeping mountain views, the new human resources director calls her job “a dream.”

“I’m serious!” Hull reiterated, laughing. “I’m a sap when it comes to this. I had no idea I was going to like working here so much, but I fell in love with everything from the start — with the residents, the other employees, my boss, the beautiful mountain location. It’s the honest truth.”

Though Hull is new to her role as the head of HR, she’s not new to Ardenwoods entirely. After moving to the area from Atlanta, she worked as a staffing coordinator for the community’s home healthcare vendor, working on campus to help facilitate any care that residents may need.

More than four years later, when the HR position at Ardenwoods opened up, Hull jumped at the chance to officially join the team.

“It’s exciting for me, because I get to do orientations for all the new employees — and I also get to see them on the job and check in on a regular basis,” she explained. “I like having those connections with people and to see them helping others, and to be able to help myself too.”

Since starting her new role on Aug. 15, Hull said she’s learned so much, both about the job and about the community, and she’s excited to continue learning more each day.

“I’m settling in now, and I have a great team around me who are so helpful,” she said. “There’s a really good support system at Ardenwoods, and I’m incredibly happy to be here.”

In addition to working alongside the rest of the staff, “what I love about this job is seeing the residents in a different capacity than before,” Hull continued. “I even get to help out with events — like [in October], we [had] a murder mystery party, and we all [helped] out in some capacity. Everyone gets to have fun with the activities, even if it’s not part of our official job descriptions. I love being around the residents as much as I can.”

When asked if she hopes to live at Ardenwoods one day in the future, Hull gave an enthusiastic “absolutely!”

“Honestly, it’s kind of a joke we have around here,” she continued. “We’re always asking [Executive Director] Pam Pate: ‘When can we put our names on the list?’”

In her spare time, Hull enjoys theater, film and music — her favorite movie is 1967’s “The Graduate.” She has a psychology degree from Wofford College and a 21-year-old son in Georgia, who is now in college himself.

If you see Christy on your next walk around Ardenwoods, don’t hesitate to say hello!