Thank you, Tom Scaramellino!

A Lesson in Leadership

There’s an old saying “I’ve never met a stranger, only a friend I haven’t met before”. It means that person shows kindness to all people. Once you meet, you are no longer strangers. You treat others the way you would want to be treated. That’s how Tom Scaramellino treated me – any to many – not like a stranger, but like an old friend. That’s what comes to mind when I think of Tom.

Tom is the General Manager at the Westin Golf and Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage Ca. Like a seasoned fire chief, Tom always keeps his employees and guests at the Westin a priority. And it shows. But the true testimonial is the employees hold Tom in the highest regard. He is a great General Manager. You can tell he takes pride in what he does, and common to see him sweeping or washing down areas around the hotel, while greeting guests and assures they feel welcome and important.

Tom’s hotel career started in Las Vegas attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas Hotel and Restaurant Program. After graduation, Tom opened and managed hotels in Dallas, Charleston, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Rancho Mirage.

Tom put’s his heart (literally) in everything he does. That’s why, when approached to be the volunteer chair of the Coachella Valley Heart Walk in 2018, Tom didn’t give it a second thought before saying yes. He’s been at the head of the Westin Heart Walk teams. He’s in good company because Westin associates have been organizing annual Coachella Valley Heart Walk teams and raising lots of money for American Heart Association (AHA) heart disease research and education programs for many years. This hits home for us firefighters as heart disease is a leading cause of death among firefighters.

We held the first California State Firefighters Association in 2018 at the Westin Resort binged.it/4fTdYyr Tom and his Staff went out of their way to accommodate our needs for the event. Naturally, because of Tom and Staff, we will be holding the conference once again in February 2025. Tom and his staff are already taking care of us for our 2025 conference and we’re a few months out. But that’s Tom’s style, taking care of employees and guests. When the employees are happy, the guests are the recipients.

Thanks to Tom, the Westin Resort and Spa is no stranger to public safety and first responders as the Westin has hosted other public safety conferences as well as the Folds of Honors Golf tournament for our Veterans. We all had that sinking feeling in the heart as Tom has announced his retirement at the end of 2024. As first responders, we’ve seen miracles. Maybe we’ll see a miracle and Tom will stay?

Tom, there are no ends or beginnings, just transitions that take us where we’re meant to go next. Happy journey, happy everything and thank you for all you do. Not just for first responders, but for all that enjoy the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort and Spa.

Tom, you’re a Class Act & We Can Learn from Your Leadership Style. Thank you – You’ll Be Missed!

Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna