Independent consultant and owner of several Berkshire-based businesses, Wendy Vittori is the consummate WAMazon, a busy, successful, creative woman with energy and vision. She has sponsored WAM through her Garden Gables Inn in Lenox, where she also kindly donated housing for Holy Laughter director Megan Sandberg-Zakian. In addition, she and her brother, John, have collaborated with us to host our 2015 Stars in the Orchard Benefit and other events at their Hilltop Orchards in Richmond. We sat down last fall with her to find out what inspires her work and what attracted her to WAM.
WAM Theatre: How did you first learn about WAM Theatre?
Wendy Vittori: WAM came into my consciousness through seeing your posters over time while I was in the Berkshires; then at some point I started to look into what WAM was all about. This was when we were in the process of opening our Bed & Breakfast at Garden Gables, about ten years ago. We were already established here with Hilltop Orchards and Furnace Brook Winery and I was spending more time there in Richmond, where my brother lives full time on a farm we have owned for thirty years. He is very active in town affairs and he got to know Bruce Garlow, who was the Town Manager in Richmond for many years. I had already been in touch with Kristen about some WAM interests when Bruce contacted me to ask if I was interested in becoming a WAM sponsor.
WAM: You are a busy woman! Tell us about your career.
Wendy: I do all my work with great enthusiasm and everything is always happening concurrently! I worked as an executive in the tech industry for many years, then I retired from from my corporate career in 2007 and sharing my expertise. I was a professor earlier in my career, and I really feel that sharing skills is my role in the world. At any point in time I am doing some consulting and running our businesses in the Berkshires in partnership with my brother. I love the variety of it. If more people could organize their lives around what gives them enjoyment, this would be a better world. Find ways to find enjoyment in what you’re doing, seek out what can provide enjoyment to you now.
WAM: How did you come to own an apple orchard and winery?
Wendy: We see our Berkshire businesses as very much connected. We bought Hilltop Orchards in 1987 because we wanted to focus on land and agriculture and family farming. I have been really impressed over the course of my life in the importance of those things and I am so glad that people are rediscovering the value of this way of life. I had been looking for some time for the right place. I didn’t set out to have an apple orchard but this place happened to have an orchard on it so I turned to my brother who had a background in hospitality for assistance and over the years we really found that we love the place, the atmosphere, the culture. So much has evolved over the 30 years we’ve been in Richmond. It is gratifying to see the growth of the region and the awareness of all it has to offer. We are delighted that we can be a part of it and that we are able to put people in touch with the Berkshires – the land, open spaces, farming, and lifestyle. Whether people come to the orchard or the inn or our cross country center for x-c skiing and hiking, when people come to the Berkshires for the first time they are able to discover what’s here and it’s wonderful. We try in our own way to make it a positive contribution to their lives.
WAM: And now you are innkeepers at Garden Gables!
Wendy: The core of the Garden Gables property is the 1787 home which was originally built further up Main Street. A Miss Carey from New York City bought property where it sits now and moved the cottage there. She was part of the “carriage set” here in Lenox, and there was a large barn where she kept her horses that burned down. A previous owner built several additions to the cottage in the 1990s and did further expansion. We’ve focused on upgrading and redesigning the main building to make it into a small hotel that feels like home, with a high level of personalized service – a country house where things are done for you. We’ve added spa rooms, spa treatments, and an outdoor patio for dining. Our guests have responded so positively! We have many repeat customers and we feel so fortunate that people choose to come back to stay with us.
WAM: So why have you chosen to support WAM?
Wendy: I was impressed from the beginning with the WAM mission to highlight the contributions of women in the theatre arts, not to the exclusion of men, but as a worthy thing. I liked the spirit of how Kristen organized the company with the double philanthropic model of giving back to groups in need. That really helps focus attention on various causes in an interesting way, and is unusual for a non-profit. I’m on the board of some nonprofits and consult with others and that’s not the first thing they think about. WAM is not just another theatre company.
I am very impressed with Kristen’s energy and passion. I can see the gleam in her eye that is the key to success in any new venture – for profit or nonprofit – that “I’m just gonna make it happen” attitude that she has. Without that attitude the chances of success are small. I learned a lot about Kristen and WAM by talking with her about what she went through in considering and choosing In Darfur, and when she explained that my donation would enable WAM to do these education programs around this choice, I liked it even better.
It is interesting that there are not a lot of conventional thinkers involved in the success of the Berkshires, and I believe our sense of place enables that trend. It is important to what the Berkshires are as a place. People are bombarded with opportunities to go places and do things, the more we can highlight the quality and the diversity of our communities and culture, the stronger our region can be. I encourage people to take a look at WAM and see what it is contributing to the region – they will find lots of reasons to support it.