It was 1958, when a young man donned the Howe Caverns tie and blazer for his first day as a tour guide.

Nearly 50 years later, John Sagendorf greets patrons of Schoharie County's premier tourist attraction with the same warm smile and comfortable, certain tone that were his stock in trade during those formative first few years.

Although as General Manager his responsibilities are well beyond those of a tour guide, Sagendorf attributes much of his success to those skills honed while guiding tourists through the caverns.

"In those days," he says "the majority of the tour was entertainment with a little bit of education thrown in," unlike today, where the expectations of the customers are much different.

"They all want to know more when they leave here than they did when they arrived," he explains. "They're more interested in the educational value that we can provide, versus the entertainment value."

But while the expectations and experiences of the attraction's several thousand annual visitors have evolved over Howe Caverns' 77 years of operation, the definition of customer service has not.

Whether that interaction comes as a tour guide, business office professional, receptionist, maintenance person, or food service or accommodations employee, the standards for customer service and social skills remain the same.

As Sagendorf makes clear, "In any tourism or hospitality business, social skills are absolutely paramount. We are dealing with guests every day who come here and spend their hard-earned money for an extraordinary experience. It's up to us to provide that."

"It's an attitude we look for. We work when other people play, and we work so that other people can play. That means we work nights. We work weekends. We work every holiday. That kind of flexibility and interest is critically important."

The person who joins the Howe Caverns staff, albeit typically seasonal employment, reaps benefits beyond those in his or her pay envelope.

"Because we are every day speaking with and serving people," Sagendorf confides, "our folks who work here - especially our young folks - are going to gain public speaking skills. They're going to add to their social skills. They're going to learn how to deal with happy people and unhappy people and how to specifically meet their needs. They're going to learn manners as part of their social skills. They're going to learn how to dress and why it's important that we dress that way. They're going to learn the importance of being to work on time, and being flexible. They're going to learn lifetime skills here that will serve them for the rest of their lives and serve them well.

Just as they've served John Sagendorf.

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