Power Players: Southwest Airlines VP Ginger Hardage helps fun take flight (Video)

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Jake Dean

Ginger Hardage oversees the culture ambassadors and employee recognition. She also is in charge of the airline’s communication team.

Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

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I n the corner of Ginger Hardage's office at Southwest Airlines headquarters stands a life-size cut out of former CEO Herb Kelleher wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

For Hardage, Southwest's senior vice president of culture and communications, the beaming smile of Southwest's co-founder is a constant reminder not to take herself too seriously.

After all, a big part of her job is about having fun. She oversees the culture ambassadors who throw the Southwest employee parties. She also handles employee recognition and is in charge of the airline's communication team.

But her job can get serious fast. When a hurricane hit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Southwest (NYSE: LUV) flew eight relief flights to evacuate U.S. citizens, some of whom weren't Southwest travelers. She oversaw that effort, something Southwest had never done before on that scale.

It's all in a day's work for the 59-year-old Hardage, a Dallas resident who has been with the airline since 1990.

How do you promote Southwest's culture? Just really nurturing and continuing to foster this unique culture that Southwest Airlines has. We do that through appreciation, celebration, recognition and preservation. We want to create activities where employees can live out that purpose.

How did you and your group plan the massive party when the Wright Amendment was repealed on Oct. 13? This team can execute terrific events. I try to give them leadership and then stay out of the way. They're just an incredible group. We had 8,500 people attend a celebration on campus. We're big on celebrations and creating milestone events that everybody can feel ownership in.

Nicholas covers the energy, manufacturing, aviation and transportation beats for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe the Energy Inc. newsletter