By Michael Ferraresi
GCU News Bureau
The demands from GCU Arena visitors can get a little ridiculous, but like any savvy guest services professional, Christopher Biles simply smiles and focuses on making the customer happy.
Biles, the Arena’s 19-year-old guest services supervisor, once volunteered to go on a “manhunt” for a purple pompon to appease a frustrated guest who refused to leave without the 'Lopes giveaway item. He enjoys the challenge of helping people enjoy their Arena experience, no matter what it takes.
“Usually, I try to calm them down so I can fix the problem or suit their needs,” said Biles, a sophomore who earned October’s Student Worker of the Month for his hustle, kindness and leadership among other Arena student workers.
“I like that the job teaches me a lot of patience. It’s helping me understand problem-solving and how to fix things fast,” Biles said.
Biles, a dance education major, wound up working at the Arena because he chose not to follow many of his friends to Technical Support jobs on campus. He wanted to work face-to-face with people.
“Christopher never stops offering his assistance to help out,” his supervisor, Michael Mueller, wrote in his Student Worker of the Month nomination form.
“He always comes to me with new ideas and strategies to provide better customer service,” Mueller said. “Also, he is always looking for new ways to help the communication between Arena employees and student workers.”
Biles said his hope is to land at a dance company in New York after graduation, with the plan to become a professional dance choreographer. He works with the student-led National Dance Education Organization chapter on campus and performed last semester in the College of Fine Arts and Production’s series of dance pieces titled “@.”
He started working as a supervisor after serving as a guest services representative as a freshman, making him one of the younger student worker supervisors on campus.
“I actually didn’t like basketball until I started working here,” Biles said. “It’s also really cool to see the ice shows in here, to see our Arena transformed into something new.”
Contact Michael Ferraresi at 639.7030 or [email protected].
