He’s house manager to lifestyles of rich and famous
By Joshua Balling
I&M Assistant Editor
Ben Goldberg got his big break by chance. He was working for a family with a
large waterfront summer home when their caterer turned down a party. Not just any party, but a 110-person sit-down dinner in honor of former president Jimmy Carter.
Goldberg, then just 21 and a UMass-Amherst graduate who had studied hospitality and catering, offered to do the job.
He pulled it off, flawlessly coordinating the dinner as well as other meals and logistics during Carter’s stay. Three weeks later, he did the same thing when George Bush (41) visited.
That was a decade ago, and today, Goldberg and his wife Jenny
run Enjoy Nantucket, providing “house management” services for a number of wealthy, prominent families with homes on the island, and offering concierge services to those renting for the summer.
They still work year-round for the family (who Goldberg asked not be named to protect their privacy) who gave him his chance, and he said the relationship is more than just a financial one.
He hopes all his clients see him – and the services he offers – in the same light. It’s the only way it will work, he said.
“It feels really comfortable to me. We’re in the kitchen with them, we’re getting to know them on a friend level. It doesn’t seem like we’re working for them. We’re
having meals with them,” he said. “We add normalcy into these people’s lives,” he said.
What Goldberg offers his clients – some of the most powerful figures in finance, government and industry, as well as others well- heeled enough to buy or rent a Nantucket vacation home – is peace of mind, discretion and the ability to enjoy their island respite without worrying about the details.
“I know when they are coming and have their cars ready at the airport. I know which rooms all the guests are staying in. I plan all the meals during their stay, which usually ends with a big dinner with friends. Then they leave, they drop the car at the airport, we bring it back, the house is perfect
Working: Organization and privacy key
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“I like to keep everything I do private. No one needs to know who is staying here, or what they are doing. If they did, the trust would be broken. In essence, it’s kind of like running a
private hotel . . .”
— Ben Goldberg House manager
again, they return, and it’s like nothing ever happened,” he said.
“They don’t even have to think or worry one second when they are not here. They know it will be perfect. That is huge. Their time is short here. I work for the family, and everyone who works at the house works for me: the land- scaper, the housekeeper, the pool guy. One call from the family, and I take care of it” Goldberg said.
“Every situation is different. I have to adapt to what their needs are. Before they get here, I make sure the flowers are done, the food and drinks are in the fridge, all the guests are taken care of and the house is clean. The homeowner doesn’t have to worry about it.”
In a nutshell, it all boils down to trust.
“I like to keep everything I do private. No one needs to know who is staying here, or what they are doing. If they did, the trust would be broken. In essence, it’s kind of like running a private hotel, or a private resort,” Goldberg said. “I get to that point through being with them, figuring out what they like and dislike. I’m here, I make sure no one’s taking advantage of these people when they are not. They need eyes around. It’s good for the people working to know that, too. I’m always looking out for a client’s best interest.”
Goldberg is most happy in the kitchen, however, and said what differentiates his job from that of a caretaker is his coordination of a client’s entertainment and dining needs while they are on the island.
“The kitchen is my office,” he said. “I started in entertaining, and it’s still what I enjoy the most.”
Goldberg grew up in Longmeadow, Mass. and began working summers on the island while in college. He got a job caddying at the Nantucket Golf Club, and was in the right place at the right time, during the height of the nation’s – and Nantucket’s – most recent economic boom. He started making connections.
He was staying with friends in a house next door to his first clients, and started working for them while they were building their current home.
“This industry built around me, while I was working at the golf club. These people wanted to show up, and have everything perfect. I saw that, and recognized the opportunity. I knew I could blend in to their families. When we’re here, with this family especially, we’re like part of the family. I’m with these people more than I am with my own family. It has to be comfortable,” he said.
Outside of the occasional presidential dinner party, Goldberg said his clients, despite their wealth and power, very rarely stand on formality, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Our clients have certain standards, of course, but they are comfortable with us. These people are used to the best. But the best doesn’t mean fancy. It’s casual, laidback Nantucket. We have barbecues on the beach. Most of the food at parties is buffet-style. It’s fun, casual Nantucket. We’re not fancy. No one I work for is fancy,” he said. “It has to be a good match. It never really feels like what I do, is working. I love it be- cause I love the vacation atmos- phere, I love helping people with all the tedious, day-to-day stuff so they can enjoy their family and friends.”
Nor is he fazed by the stature of his clients.
“I haven’t changed anything I do. There are just slightly more im- portant people in the room. You can’t be star-struck,” he said.
Today, Goldberg has expanded his business to cater to vacation renters as well, offering to coordinate the services they’ll need during their island stay. That includes providing quality baby equipment required by young families who can’t bring it all with them.
“We have relationships with many, many families who rent for a month, or the whole summer,
who we know like family. We know what they want every summer,” he said.
For his clients who own homes, he often works year-round, over- seeing construction, renovation and maintenance projects in the off-season and when the property- owners are off-island. He charges clients a mutually-agreed-upon yearly or seasonal fee negotiated in advance, and handles all the negotiations with landscapers and island contractors on their behalf, passing along any trade discounts he may be able to secure.
“My team consists of people who are of great quality but also of good value. I make sure that the people I work for don’t get taken advantage of. My eyes are everywhere. I’m constantly vigilant. In the long run, I think I’m probably saving them money,” he said.
Staying sane, and keeping his clients satisfied, boils down to organization. At any given time, he’s got several teams of chefs, landscapers and housekeepers working around the island, and keeping on top of it all is a job in and of itself. Just as his clients trust him, he trusts his teams, he said.
“We have two full-time people and Jenny. She is kind of like the front of the house. There is one girl who basically organizes everything, all the concierge work for families who rent. I have to show my face, so it’s nice to know I don’t have to worry about that. I need to coordinate with the subcontractors. At any time, I may have five dinner parties going on. But in those homes, we have full-time chefs, and landscapers at the houses where I know on certain days the lawns will be cut. I have teams of people I can trust. I don’t really need to micromanage. The less I hear from them, the better. The key for me is to get the right people in there from the beginning,” he said.
He also strives to make his clients feel like they have his undivided attention.
“Each one is special. Each one is the most important. My goal or motto is ‘one client at a time.’ I try to make them happy and build from there. It has to be like that. I’ve been doing this for 10 years. I know when to grow.”
As for the future, Goldberg said it often has a way of taking care of itself.
“These things just seem to work out,” he said. “Right now we’re really enjoying ourselves.”
