Welcome to CFO at 6am, where CFOs share how they start their days and tackle the tasks ahead. Today, Edgewood Resort CFO Aaron Hartwig shares how his father continues to inspire his professional life, his favorite desk calendar and how he best uses Twitter.
Edgewood, like many hospitality companies, faced crippling crises in recent years, but Hartwig’s leadership helped it emerge unscathed from real grace. Read more about Hartwig’s impact on Edgewood here.
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The Edgewood Companies
Edgewood Companies is a privately held real estate company in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada that includes Edgewood Tahoe Resort, a 154-room resort with a top 100 golf course.
Years in business: 125
Size: 500+ employees
- Annual revenue: $70 million
Morning routine
Weekday wake up time and first thing I like to do: I usually wake up at 5:45 am with my wife Jessica to go to the gym for 45 minutes to an hour. As we wake up, we get a dirty look from the Basset Hound, who is in denial about waking up. In the gym, we try to get in a good variety of exercises and some core work. To be honest, this is all to help my golf game, as I need all the help I can get.
Time I send my first email: Man, I’m not a fan of email. I much prefer a chat if possible. I know there is a time and place for email, but I try to limit this to sharing information, data, reports, or a message intended for many people.
Top tip for writing an effective email: Never write an email when you’re upset and grumpy – never a good idea. I think you should be short and to the point. I don’t believe long emails are read.
Start time of the working day: I have an hour commute, so I generally start between 8:30 and 9:00 am. I try to take advantage of travel to have conversations – both business and personal.
Coffee, tea or other morning drinks?: I’m a little embarrassed to say it, but I love a Monster energy drink, practically any color. I know it’s bad for me.
How I usually spend the first hour of my day: Mainly reviewing reports and dashboards. I try to maximize that first hour with an understanding of the previous day’s operations and activity. It helps dictate the conversations of the day.
The first panel I review: Daily operation report. This is a review of all income streams and all work expenses for the previous day, compared to the previous year and the budget.
Snack of choice at noon: I try to do intermittent fasting, meaning I don’t eat until noon. So, no snacking.
Leadership and inspiration
Favorite quote or mantra: My father, who is and has always been in my life, said: “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” I can’t tell you who said it first, but if you ask me, there’s only one person who said it – my dad!
I truly believe that the harder you work at anything, the luckier you will be. I heard another one, which is, “luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” and if you think about the two sayings, they are reciprocal. You work hard or prepare hard and when this opportunity presents itself, you will be lucky to take the opportunity.
Favorite leadership lesson: Be real and connect with your team. I love that I have worked my way up in the industry and have done many of the tasks within finance. It lets me understand what a team is going through, but it also lets me see when the wool is trying to be pulled over my eyes.
Something important to know about me that you wouldn’t know from my business bio: I spent my first three years in Las Vegas going to school full time and working full time without a vehicle and just riding my bike to get around. Next, I started dating my wife while she was riding my bike – talk about her giving someone a chance!
Favorite number: 53 — was always my number playing basketball in school. It’s the first two digits of my debit card pin. Now you just have to guess the last two digits and no, it’s not 53 again.
Most important items in my workspace: I have hand made Chicago Bears, University of Illinois, UNLV and Fresno State signs my dad made me and a calendar my wife made me of all our special moments over the past year.
Favorite non-business app on my phone: Twitter for me. I stay away from political “junk” but I like the updates I can get on the Chicago Bears and all the college teams I love. Also, I love the golf info and stats on Twitter.
When do you take time to learn/read?: I’m definitely better in the afternoon.
