STAFF FOCUS: Tony Greene

Tony Greene has been part of the Common House family for quite a while now. The Virginia native started in the Charlottesville House before moving to Chattanooga to help open our third House here. As the Club and Events Manager, he has a knack for crafting unique experiences for members and guests, as well as brides and grooms on their biggest day. In a delightful conversation with Tony, he reflected on his time with Common House and what he enjoys most about his role. 

Could you start by talking a little bit about your journey with Common House and how you came to be part of the team?

So, it was 2019 and I was moving from Richmond, Virginia, back home to Charlottesville at the same time my friend was moving back to Richmond. He was just leaving his role at Common House and sent through my resume. So basically my best friend moved to Richmond, I moved back to Charlottesville and took his spot at Common House. I stayed with Common House Charlottesville until I moved to Chattanooga to help open this one. 

I visited Chattanooga in January of 2020, scoped out the city a little bit, and was like, ‘yeah, I think Chattanooga would be the next move. I came here as the Event Captain, then eventually became the Event Coordinator and then after that, a Club Manager, and then the Event Manager. So it's been a nice, congruent journey. Being at the original location has been helpful. But also, every city and every demographic is so different. We’ll tweak things based on the membership and the city in order to make it comfortable and unique, which is really important. 

That’s great. Can you elaborate a bit on how you help cater to the interests of the members and match Common House’s programming and events with the vibe of the city and the community?

I would say one of the biggest things is inclusivity and acceptance – in any of our locations. And it's bringing that into a city and testing the waters to see how things go with different programming events that could be considered obscure or that they haven't seen before. And then, along with that, finding ways to facilitate conversation between the members and between the community. It's interesting and exciting to see the conversations that get started and the ideas that are spread based on the unique programming events that we host. 

What does a typical day or week look like for you?

Typically, during the week it's club managing and going through the day to day club operations, like programming. And sometimes we'll have a couple of different corporate events in Pennybacker, like luncheons, and things of that nature. And then gearing up for the weekend, especially if we have a wedding, which involves lots of planning. My role includes thinking through whether the wedding reception is plated or family style; if they're going to have the ceremony here or if it's off-site; and then envisioning the flow of the guests for the event, while also keeping in mind the membership base and building that cohesive and symbiotic relationship.

One of my favorite things to do before a big wedding is to remind my staff that this is likely the most important day of the couples’ lives to date. So we will not mess it up. But that also fuels an excitement among the team of “they've trusted us with one of the most important days of their lives.” So we do enjoy guiding them through the day and through the space. Afterall, we know the space better than everybody else.

Speaking of spaces and the character of the building, what are some of your favorite spaces or features of Common House?

Definitely the Pennybacker fireplace. It just frames the room so well. And then having that as a backdrop to many different types of weddings. I'm a sap and I often have to excuse myself during the ceremony. I do love weddings, and I love love. So whenever I'm watching a small ceremony in Pennybacker with the fireplace and the beautiful architecture of the building in the background, I get a little bit misty-eyed.

What have you enjoyed about the city of Chattanooga compared to Charlottesville?

I really enjoy the fact that hiking and outdoors are within 10 minutes or so. Back in Charlottesville, it was really similar since we had the Appalachian Trail just down the road. It’s very grounding that if I need to get away for a second that I could find a trail to hike. I used to kayak a lot in Charlottesville. I haven't had the opportunity to find some good spots around here because my kayak is back home in Charlottesville, so we'll get to that. But I definitely enjoy the fact that Chattanooga is simple and that it has beautiful hills around the city and a lot of natural beauty that you can tap into, but also close to the hustle and bustle.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention about your role or Common House?

I think specifically this location is special. The fact that we are in a 100-year-old building and have been able to keep a lot of the original architecture – it just adds so much character to the space. I'm often the point of contact with the wedding planners and people choose this location because it's unlike any other. People come here and appreciate the architecture, originality, and natural beauty. And it just aligns very much with what Common House is. We're lucky the building goes hand in hand with our mission.