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Nicole Sanchez was first exposed to the world of human resources (HR) during her junior year in college, when she worked as a team leader at direct-to-consumer mattress retailer Saatva. Right away, she noticed the critical role her HR colleagues played in giving employees a voice. Every interaction she had with them left her feeling empowered, engaged, and listened to.
She wanted to do that for others, so much so that she made a bold move. “I put myself in front of the CEO and said that I’d love to join the HR team and intern for free,” Sanchez recalls. “After I presented my plan, he gave me a shot. Three months later, I was given a full-time role.”
From then on, Sanchez worked closely with a director who showed her the ropes for all things HR. She was able to help oversee and shadow benefits, employee relations, off-boarding, on-boarding, and was present in key meetings with business leaders. Six months later, that exposure and visibility earned her a promotion to assistant director of HR.
Sanchez later left Saatva and spent two years as an HR manager at Centers Health Care, before discovering another passion of hers in an unexpected place.
“One day, I was visiting a QSR (quick-service restaurant), and a cashier was venting about their frustrations with the company,” Sanchez recalls. “She felt like they didn’t value their employees and turnover was so high that it really impacted her. She didn’t feel motivated, valued, or heard. She felt HR was out of her reach and could never get ahold of them.”
That encounter inspired Sanchez to bring her expertise to the hospitality industry and to seek roles that allowed her to address the needs of employees like the cashier she met.
In 2019, she brought her leadership to Juice Press, a company with more than eight hundred employees and eighty-five locations across the country. For nearly four years, she helped implement systems that increased retention and employee morale. She bolstered employee training and development efforts. She also learned what it took to perform all front-of and back-of-house duties so she could make significant impact and contributions from the HR side while also thinking about how operationally things can get done.
“As you hire more people, more teams, and more leaders, you need to find qualified candidates that carry the values of the culture you want to create,” Sanchez says. “I’m happy to say we achieved that.”
After achieving great things at Juice Press, Sanchez was ready for another challenge. She wanted to continue her career at a larger organization that matched her values. That’s what put City Winery on her radar. Founded in New York City in 2008 by Michael Dorf, City Winery aims to deliver a unique distinctive experience that combines a winery, restaurant, and concert space and caters to a diverse audience. The opportunity perfectly aligned with what Sanchez was seeking.
“City Winery is a complex concept,” she says. “We have our programming, our events, our restaurant, and our winery. Being able to work with four different pillars and different types of people was very intriguing. Also, one of the biggest things was that my principles matched Michael Dorf’s. He cared about his people. They were his North Star, and he wanted to bring in a leader that really leads with passion and integrity and can fully engage and motivate our people to perform to the best of their ability. That leader was me.”
“[Founder Michael Dorf]wanted to bring in a leader that really leads with passion and integrity and can fully engage and motivate our people to perform to the best of their ability. That leader was me.”
Nicole Sanchez
Today, Sanchez serves as vice president of human resources with a current focus on keeping strong compliance across all markets, developing and mentoring local leaders, and preparing the company for scalability. While the latter focus area is a challenge, it’s one that Sanchez embraces passionately.
“It’s essential for us to create an authentic experience in each market. We want to avoid a cookie-cutter approach, and we want each customer to feel the unique essence of each location. That also has implications for our people,” Sanchez says. “As an HR leader catering to each market, I analyze what it takes to keep our employees motivated. That’s not done by just being based out of New York in an office, but by visiting each location, speaking with teams, and understanding what they need to succeed.”
But how can City Winery’s culture remain strong as it scales and balances growth with the unique experiences it’s known for? Sanchez believes it starts before employees even join the company.
“It starts in recruiting when we speak about our mission, our values, and when we ensure that every candidate has that in them,” she says. “If they do and join our team, we reinforce our values and our mission through weekly calls. Our learning and development (L&D) department does an amazing job with monthly trainings designed to educate and reinforce different aspects of the business which include our mission and values.”
Looking back, Sanchez’s mother had a useful mantra that inspired the HR leader to be bold and brave: “Don’t be afraid; the worst thing people can say is no.”
Today, Sanchez offers the same advice to young Latinos navigating their careers.
“Always put yourself out there. If you have something you want to do, go for it,” Sanchez says. “Our parents took the risk of coming to the US with little to no tools and gave it their all for us to succeed. If you have ambition and the hunger to learn and to make an impact, that’s enough to get you wherever you want to go.”
Congratulations, Nicole Sanchez, on being recognized as a leading Hispanic business leader in this publication, a testament to your dedication, vision, and tireless efforts. Having had the pleasure of working with you since you’ve joined City Winery, this well-deserved recognition comes as no surprise to the team at LYNLY. As your trusted insurance and risk management partner, we’re honored to be a part of your journey, celebrating your successes, and supporting your continued growth.
LYNLY Insurance is now part of HUB International, the 5th largest insurance brokerage worldwide. We are now able to offer Nicole and City Winery our access to our expanded resources and expertise while retaining our commitment to client service, specialization, and focus. We continue to work hand in hand with them to provide first-class employee benefits, property, casualty and risk management products and services. For more information, please visit reach out to [email protected] and visit www.hubinternational.com.
