Recent industry hires and promotions include new General Managers at Downingtown (Pa.) Country Club and Stonington (Conn.) Country Club; a new Head Golf Professional at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga.; and Executive Chefs at Primland in Meadows of Dan, Va. and Indian River Colony Club in Viera, Fla.
Here are some of the recent new hires and promotions announced by club and resort properties and other companies in the club industry. Announcements and photos for this regular People on the Move report can be submitted at https://clubandresortbusiness.com/submit-industry-news/.
Downingtown (Pa.) Country Club named Jim Coffey as General Manager. Coffey most recently served as GM of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club in Lafayette Hill, Pa. Prior to that, Coffey had been the Clubhouse Manager at Green Valley Country Club, also in Lafayette Hill.
Stonington (Conn.) Country Club named Robin Rasch as General Manager. Prior to Stonington, Rasch was General Manager at Willow Creek Golf and Country Club in Mount Sinai, N.Y.
Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Ark. named Cody Lack as General Manager and Socorro Gill as Executive Chef. Lack most recently served as Head Golf Professional for the City of Wichita, Kansas. Gill most recently served as Sous Chef at The Griffin Restaurant in El Dorado.
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga. named Bill Daggett, MBA, PGA, as Head Golf Professional. Daggett was most recently PGA Golf Professional at The River Golf Club in North Augusta, S.C.
The PGA of America announced that Kevin Swan, PGA Director of Golf Operations at the Club at Mediterra in Naples, Fla., and Craig Trahan, PGA Director of Instruction at Denton (Texas) Country Club, have earned PGA Master Professional status—the highest educational designation that can be obtained by a PGA Member.
Primland in Meadows of Dan, Va. named Elliot Cunniff as Executive Chef. Cunniff was most recently at The Soho House, an upscale, private club in New York City, where he served as Executive Chef. Primland also introduced the opening of the new Schlumberger Wine Cellar, located in The Lodge. An intimate space, the cellar was designed by Parisian architect Didier Benderli of Kerylos Interiors, featuring walls paneled with wormy chestnut.
Indian River Colony Club in Viera, Fla. named Frank Weiland, CEC, CCA, as Executive Chef. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Weiland is now responsible for the daily food service for the At Ease Club restaurant, as well as onsite events catering for the 55+ golf community for military veterans. Weiland has previously worked for Sunspree Resorts, Hilton Hotels, Embassy Suites Golf Resort and the Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla.
The Club Management Association of America (CMAA) announced its elected 2021 Officers and Board of Directors. The 2021 Board will be led by the Executive Committee including: Chairman Brian Kroh, CCM, General Manager, John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Fla.; Vice Chairman Mitchell Platt, MCM, CCE, General Manager, Cosmos Club in Washington, DC; Secretary–Treasurer Michael Seabrook, CCM, CCE, General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, Belle Meade Country Club in Nashville, Tenn.; and Immediate Past Chairman Mark Bado, MCM, CCE, General Manager, Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. Newly elected as Directors are: John Dorman, CCM, General Manager, The University Club in New York, N.Y.; and Casey Newman, CCM, Club Manager, River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. Re-elected as Directors are: Richard LaRocca, CCM, CCE, General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, Beechmont Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio; and Michael S. Wheeler, MCM, CCE, General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, Cherokee Town & Country Club in Atlanta, Ga. Directors continuing to serve on the CMAA Board are: Janine Budzius, CCM, CCE, General Manager/COO, Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne, Pa.; Eric Dietz, CCM, CCE, PGA, Chief Operating Officer,Mountain Lake in Lake Wales, Fla.; Joseph Krenn, CCM, CCE, General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va.; Joe Mendez, CCM, CCE, General Manager, Riverton Country Club in Cinnaminson, N.J.; and William Shonk, CCM, CCE, General Manager, Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach, Va.
The Club Management Association of America (CMAA) announced its 2020 Chapter of the Year award recipients. These Chapters excelled in membership operations, recruitment, and educational programming during an unprecedented year. The winning Chapters were named on March 10 at the Awards Session of the 2021 World Conference and Club Business Expo, held virtually. The Chapter of the Year Award competition recognizes outstanding work, participation, and successful accomplishments of chapters within the Association. Chapters are judged on their Chapter and National Education and CMAA Involvement. A $3,000 Education grant funded by The Club Foundation is awarded to each winning Chapter. Nebraska was named the Small Chapter of the Year; Wisconsin Badger was named the Medium Chapter of the Year; and New Jersey was named the Large Chapter of the Year. In the Medium Chapter Category, the second and third place winners were the Upper Midwest and Pittsburgh Chapters. In the Large Chapter Category, the Carolinas and Florida Chapters were the second and third place winners. Each will also receive a grant funded by The Club Foundation.
The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) welcomed Trey Kemp of Dallas to its ranks. His election keeps the number of ASGCA members who practice around the world to 175. Kemp is currently a golf course architect with Kimley-Horn and Associates of Fort Worth, Texas.
KemperSports named Jeremy Goldblatt as Executive Vice President, Managed and Leased Services Division, which includes golf and hospitality operations at more than 100 golf courses and resorts in more than 24 states. Goldblatt most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Professional Sports Catering, a division of Levy, a hospitality company.
TUUCI, the Miami-based manufacturer of nautically inspired shade, shelter and open-air furnishings, announced the addition of David Schutte as President. Most recently, Schutte served as Executive Vice President and Corporate Officer with Knoll, Inc. Tom Parker, President of TUUCI since 2000, will continue with the company in a new leadership position as General Counsel, and will also continue to serve on the company’s Board of Directors.
In Memoriam
David W. Fearis, CGCS Retired, passed away March 10. He was 74. Fearis, a 53-year GCSAA member, served as association president in 1999 and was the Director of Membership for GCSAA from 2005 to 2010. From 1985 to 2000, Fearis oversaw Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City, Mo. A graduate of Purdue University, Fearis’ first Superintendent job was at the Country Club of Peoria (Ill.). Later on, at Blue Hills CC, he hosted numerous Children’s Mercy Classics, the annual charity event of major champion Tom Watson. Fearis received GCSAA’s Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award in 2016 and was inducted into the Kansas City Golf Hall of Fame in 2020.
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