15th Anniversary: Employee Spotlight
Meet Katrina Washington: a long-standing employee at National Harbor who has been around this development since the very beginning. Check out some of her favorite places and hidden gems she has to share about this community.
What year did you start at National Harbor?
Katrina - I started working at National Harbor in 2005 in the Design and Construction office which was housed at 6710 Oxon Hill Road. We were just in the infrastructure phase of the project and there was nothing yet vertical.
Tell us something most people don’t know about National Harbor?
Katrina - The original 4 people who were hired to work on the operations team to manage and write the manual on running this small city are still here today. I guess that says something about the company we work for and the fact that we all are cut from the same cloth. We all have a great personal sense of pride regarding this property we manage and we run this place on the day to day like it’s our own home and the visitors, tenants, residents and workers are all our family. We want people to feel great while they’re here making great memories and want them to come back and do it all over again!
Your favorite change at National Harbor?
Katrina- Since I’ve been able to watch the project literally come out of the ground, I love to watch the morphing of the project’s retail, dining, and entertainment landscape. Every time we open a new tenant or watch an existing tenant grow and mature into a larger space or add additional entertainment options the environment changes. I love that we have become “That Place” in the region where people want to come and celebrate their significant life moments –Proms, Graduations, Weddings, Anniversaries, Gender Reveals, and Retirements.
What’s one place you always recommend coming to NH?
Katrina - It’s funny, working here we tend to not experience the project as patrons. When we see something that’s out of place or not as it should be, we have to fix it. My children say all the time if we happen to be here in a visitor capacity – “Mom, you’re not working today…” I had an opportunity a few years ago to greet and tour a group of Real-estate Professionals that were here for a conference at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Once we finished our tour here at National Harbor I transported them to the second leg of their regional tour via Water Taxi to The Wharf. I’d never taken the time to experience the Water-Taxi into Washington D.C. and it was an awesome experience! I hope that everyone that visits National Harbor will take advantage of the connectivity to Alexandria, Washington D.C. via the Water Taxi
What’s your favorite place to dine?
Katrina- Two of my favorite places to dine on the property are Grace’s Mandarin and Bond45. Both locations are the epitome of customer service and create an exceptional dining experience for everyone that walks through the door.
What's your favorite memory at National Harbor?
Having been here for over 15 years and watching and assisting with bringing this beautiful place into existence has been a true privilege and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Watching people return to the project following COVID-19 quarantine restrictions was an overwhelming moment. I was standing in our office window which overlooks the plaza area on the waterfront, and watching thousands of people just glad to be able to get out of their residences for some sunshine and fresh air after being in quarantine was beautiful. You could tell how appreciative they were to have a one-of-a-kind place like this in their community and region. I remember thinking this is what our Founder meant this place to be. Somewhere for families and people of all cultures and nationalities to be able to come out and enjoy this beautiful place. This was how it was meant to be.
