The Profiles in Leadership series features conversations with organizational leadership experts to discuss important lessons they have learned and what “Hiring for Good” means to them. This series helps us better understand how leadership drives positive transformations and growth for people, organizations, and the world.
This episode features a conversation with Karen Anderson. Karen is the owner/operator of Navarra Gardens, an event venue featuring both indoor and outdoor spaces along the picturesque Willamina River, where she hosts weddings and a variety of celebrations. Before launching Navarra Gardens, Karen built a dynamic career in business development, working across the media, healthcare, and executive search industries. Her experience in these sectors sharpened her strategic vision and passion for helping organizations and individuals reach their fullest potential.
Karen is dedicated to helping others overcome challenges and supporting professional growth, bringing creativity and insight to everything she pursues—whether in her work or her personal interests, like gardening and the arts. She actively lives her philosophy of “Anything is Possible,” infusing optimism and possibility into all aspects of her life and career.
Karen’s Contact Information: Ka***@************ns.com | 503-307-9219 | https://www.navarragendens.com/
Recording at: https://youtu.be/M2l0NQiPbh4
Profiles in Leadership Transcript:
Suzanne Hanifin: Welcome. I am Suzanne Hanifin with Acumen Executive Search and I am so thrilled to have my good friend and colleague Karen Anderson joining us at Hiring for Good. So, welcome Karen.
Karen Anderson: Thank you. It’s such a thrill to be back at the Acumen offices.
Suzanne Hanifin: I know it’s been a while and in fact that’s probably the best segue into really kind of sharing with us your journey and how you got where you are today. And I should probably do an introduction before we get there though. So, Karen Anderson as many of you know once was part of Aman’s team.
Karen Anderson: Yes.
Suzanne Hanifin: She left us 2019 2018
Karen Anderson: 2017ish.
Suzanne Hanifin: Okay. And started her own organization. It’s an event um destination amazing place called Navara Gardens where she now hosts weddings, corporate events, and celebrations of life. Anything that getting people together in the most spectacular location and the beauty of your garden.
Karen Anderson: We truly have the most beautiful retreat. In fact, it’s designed for a retreat. I’m very much into self-development and we have breakout places all over the property by the pond.
Suzanne Hanifin: Hold on Karen, you’re you’re jumping ahead of the questions. So, first, why don’t you share with us how you became an owner of a very large 14 acre event center?
Karen Anderson: Well, I have a very dear friend Margie who is in England and she and I were friends when I was 14 15 and she came to visit Navara Gardens in 2019 and said you have always talked about this place. So, this is the result of a 50-year dream, a vision without details for many years and then finally I said a goal without action is BS. it’s time to do something. And so that’s when the criteria was figured out and it’s time to take action.
Suzanne Hanifin: Well, and I have to say, Karen, I’ve known you for hate to say 20 about 20 years and you have talked about owning an event or a dude ranch, something about a gathering place for others and and celebration of people.
Karen Anderson: Yes.
Suzanne Hanifin: And so here you’ve started that again 2017. Got Navara Gardens and now you’ve grown and let’s kind of talk about because this is hiring for good about hiring teams and and what your philosophy and leadership and management.
Karen Anderson: Okay. Well, I purchased the property November 2017. I took a year and a half for renovations and in 2019 I opened. And I had a very skeleton crew at that time helping me. Um and then um of course we we know what happened with COVID. And then my business started to flourish and my business is all about people. It’s about being kind, loving on people, giving them what they need to succeed. And so that was my philosophy when hiring people is who complements my skills, who shines in their own fashion, what what can you bring to the table? And I now I’m so proud to say I have two best team members I could hope for. They know their jobs. They execute. They don’t need to be micromanaged. And it starts with obviously clear communication upfront and realistic expectations and an open door policy.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah. And I think it actually starts, you know, we always say culture is top down and it’s about you creating that vision and having that commitment. Share with us a little bit about your journey and your learnings in vision and commitment.
Karen Anderson: My learnings. Um well, I um…you know had this goal, this idea and I shared it with many people and reinforced it. I did even did a vision board. And it, my vision board had a potting shed with a purple door. Guess what? I bought a property with a potting shed with a purple door.
Suzanne Hanifin: I did not know that.
Karen Anderson: It’s amazing! And a full-size closet, which I love. Um, so being clear on your vision is paramount to success and focusing on what is important. Let the little stuff go. Keep your eyes focused on the future, what you’re trying to create.
Suzanne Hanifin: I think that’s a great reminder. And I think it’s also the commitment. Because you mentioned COVID. Here comes 2020. Holy cow for an event, a a newly established event venue.
Karen Anderson: Was rough.
Suzanne Hanifin: COVID, fires….
Karen Anderson: Ice storms.
Suzanne Hanifin: Ice storms.
Karen Anderson: Flood. We had it. And we were shut down essentially for two years. And so just and and I had got final funding for the final construction phase the month before COVID hit. So, not only did I have no business coming in for two years, but I had a $2,800 loan payment.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah.
Karen Anderson: So those were very brutal days and it taught me a lot in overcoming adversity. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah.
Karen Anderson: Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. You have to focus on your goal and creating what you can create. Um in my mind it was an opportunity to make the place amazing and we did. We now have four beaches. We have gardens, manicured gardens, water features. We have so much more than when I started. And it’s um it’s about creating a place that people can stop, literally smell the roses, but also allow themselves the peace and quiet to be able to create their own dreams, formulate their own solutions to whatever problems they have. And I’ve got a lot of feedback about that, that the place lends itself to just being still for a moment, getting clarity.
Suzanne Hanifin: I love that. And and let’s talk about that because you’ve had huge growth in the last year. And there is….
Karen Anderson: 338% growth on my end.
Suzanne Hanifin: There you go.
Karen Anderson: With new re..revenue streams.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah, I was going to talk about that of not only managing growth because that’s hard, but how did you grow 300 plus percent?
Karen Anderson: Our reputation started to, um, get word-of-mouth traction. In fact, today, uh, eight, um, one is from a Google review, and eight clients come organically, which is a huge success story. I hired a great marketing manager who who does a great job for us and just getting the word out. This..we truly have a unique property. We have, like I said, four beaches on riverfront. Nobody has that. So, we have, like, at least 15 breakout places for corporate retreats or personal retreats or corporate, uh, strategic planning sessions, board retreats. Um. so I..I created that in ahead of what I was trying to accomplish. So, um, when we were past COVID the stage was set for success. And then I added um some more revenue streams just to bolster the bottom line. Uh, rental items, uh, particularly for weddings. We have two Airbnbs on property. We have, uh, we provide, uh, rehearsal dinners or night before the meeting dinners, where people can just get together socially, sit by the river with a glass of wine and just enjoy being still and then connecting with each other because human kindness and human connection it’s essential in any relationship.
Suzanne Hanifin: Oh, absolutely. And and I think it’s also again not just having this vision but hiring the right team, diversifying revenue, being creative, but I still go back. It starts with that ultimate vision, and you had that for like you said 50 years.
Karen Anderson: 50 years.
Suzanne Hanifin: So. So what advice, looking back, Karen would you give your younger self?
Karen Anderson: If I had to do things over again, I would have, um, kicked myself in the rear earlier and.. and started my steps towards my my goal sooner. Um, you know, when I thought about buying this property on the waterfront, I went, “Oh my gosh, I can’t afford that.” And I cheated myself for two years by doing what I tell everyone not to do. Don’t settle on your dreams. I went south and looked south because I thought it would be cheaper. I wasted two years and when I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t find anything appropriate, um, I was introduced to a lady who listened, actually listened to what I wanted and 10 days, 9, 10 days later she came back with literally just a handful of properties and Navara Gardens was the first property she took me to and that was it. One visit one sale.
Suzanne Hanifin: Is that amazing, when you, you know.
Karen Anderson: I knew.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah. And we talk about it a lot, being recruiters about listening to your in..intuition, listening to your gut and really again aligning that with, that vision.
Karen Anderson: Yeah. Keeping the self-defeating language out of your head. We all have it. But don’t listen to it. Focus on the goal. Don’t listen to coulda shoulda or woulda. Just go forward, step by step, incrementally, build build build.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah. And so, you know, this podcast is called Hiring for Good, and we always like to add…end with what does hiring for good mean for you?
Karen Anderson: Well, this doesn’t quite answer the question, but we had for four years, I was trying to entice the largest employer in the..in the area to come and have a company picnic at Navara Gardens – because it speaks to that. And they finally took me up on it and they came last year, before the afternoon-midafter-afternoon, before the event was over, they already insisted that they come back this year or next year, I should say. So again, they procrastinated for three years. They didn’t check it out. So check out possibilities. It might be the perfect thing. And take care of your team. Communicate. Apology. Apologize when you need to apologize. Believe me, I’ve said the wrong thing. Um, but I try and, be, um, attentive to how words can be received and um, sometimes what we intend t..comes out of your mouth doesn’t always come out the right way. All you’ve got to do is apologize, be humble. Um, I said I..my team is great. They’re coming to, uh, we’re doing a season-end-of-season celebration. I’m taking them overnight to a destination and we’re going to celebrate because it’s really important not only to listen to your employees, be humble when humility is called for but also celebrate and and connect reconnect with them on that human level. So.
Suzanne Hanifin: Yeah, no, I love it because I think we forget the celebration. I think as leaders you can say I have vision, I have a strategy, I have diversified revenue, I have revenue growth. It’s a celebration. How wonderful to end it on celebration and so so you Karen. So…awesome. So please visit navargardens.com. All the information will be at the end and the beginning of this podcast and reach out to Karen. It truly is a spectacular place.
Karen Anderson: Come visit. We treat every guest as a VIP and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Suzanne Hanifin: Awesome. Thank you, Karen.Karen Anderson: You’re welcome. Bye.