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Company Name: Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company
Industry: Hospitality Company with an Amusement Park, Entertainment Venues and Resort Properties
Founded in 1927, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) honors the legacy of its founder, Milton S. Hershey, by giving back to Milton Hershey School, the school and home he and his wife founded for children in need, and supporting the communities where its team members live. HE&R’s seasonal workforce includes 450+ international college students who require access to U.S.-based bank accounts while working at HE&R properties during the summer tourism season.
Need
HE&R operates multiple leisure and entertainment venues in Hershey, Pa., including Hersheypark, The Hotel Hershey and Hershey Country Club. Thousands of seasonal team members help serve an influx of guests, tourists and amusement park enthusiasts each summer. Many seasonal workers are non-U.S. college students participating in the U.S. Department of State’s J-1 Visa Summer Work Travel (J-1 SWT) Program.
Program participants live and work in the Hershey region for up to four months, sharing their culture with others and learning more about American life. For many, it is their first time traveling outside their home countries. J-1 SWT participants working at HE&R properties need a U.S.-based bank account to receive direct payroll payments, manage personal funds and access money during their stay.
Solution
In 2017, HE&R engaged PNC Organizational Financial Wellness to streamline processes for paying J-1 SWT participants and introduce them to the U.S. banking system. During HE&R’s seasonal team member onboarding, a team of PNC WorkPlace Banking® representatives meet directly with participants to help them open bank accounts that can be accessed quickly, safely and efficiently.
PNC mobile branches – trucks and vans that provide ATM and teller services – are made available on HE&R properties to assist students with in-person banking needs and transactions like cash withdrawal. PNC also provides onsite financial wellness sessions twice a week. Topics include navigating the U.S. banking system and what tools and resources are available to help students access accounts while in the U.S. and when they return home.
Results
For J-1 SWT participants, PNC WorkPlace Banking provides a safe and convenient solution for accessing money they earn. Students have nearly immediate access to payments due to streamlined payroll direct deposit, with no wait times. PNC WorkPlace Banking has also helped HE&R continuously improve its J-1 SWT Program recruiting and retention rates and provide international students with a positive cultural experience.
There are many facets to our staffing solutions, and the J-1 SWT Program is a critical component. We pride ourselves on having strong program retention and we’ve received feedback from students that our partnership with PNC creates a welcoming, lower-stress experience.
