Kent Johnson, General Manager/COO of the Baltimore (Md.) Country Club takes a different approach to maintain proper staffing and service levels. “As the challenges mount to find and select the quality of people we want and need, we have had to get creative and try new things,” he says.
By M. Kent Johnson, CCM, General Manager/COO, Baltimore (Md.) Country Club
As club activity not only resumed but accelerated after the initial shock of the pandemic eased, Kent Johnson realized, like many of his colleagues throughout the country, that new and different approaches were needed to maintain proper staffing and service levels.
“So many of us are experiencing a significant shortage of labor in the hospitality industry that doesn’t seem to have an identifiable end in sight,” Johnson said in a message he posted on LinkedIn near the end of October 2021. “As the challenges mount to find and select the quality of people we want and need, we have had to get creative and try new things.”
A new approach that has proved effective for Baltimore CC, Johnson added, was to “source the help of a Maryland-based public relations firm, Maroon PR, to help make sure we were highly visible and appropriately positioned for jobseekers in our local market. One part of their overall strategy was to help us tell the story of why people should consider private clubs, and specifically BCC, for employment.”
As 2021 came to a close, we asked Johnson for some insights into how this strategy was conceived and implemented, and for an update on how it has helped Baltimore CC address its hiring and staffing needs.
C+RB: Private clubs by their nature and tradition keep low profiles and try to handle areas like staffing in-house, or through services that are tailored to the club industry. What led you to think of trying this different approach?
Johnson: We first engaged Maroon PR to help us with communicating about a sale of 20 acres of land that had been a tumultuous issue in the past. Maroon was extremely helpful in their guidance and proactive approach in addressing this issue and coordinating contacts with the media.
When it was clear that our traditional means of attracting staff were no longer as effective, we reached out to them again for help in that area.
C+RB: Once the decision was made to engage outside help, how did you go about identifying a firm that would have a proper understanding of the special nature of private clubs and how your story and needs should be conveyed?
Johnson: Maroon PR was a local firm that we had already worked with and trusted. They shared their approach to help us achieve our goal and were familiar with clubs and very understanding of our concerns.
Maroon’s approach was to review our “owned” media first, meaning all of our social-media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and the BCC website. They helped ensure we were conveying the right messages and posting the right things, including carousel ads and video, while also leveraging sponsored ads.
We also used some “paid” advertisements in our local Baltimore Business Journal, and Maroon was instrumental in utilizing their relationships with local TV stations to arrange “earned” spots.
C+RB: Once you selected Maroon PR, what key messages were identified as part of the strategy for raising BCC’s visibility and highlighting the benefits of working in a private-club environment? And what did you feel you had to address in terms of common misconceptions or barriers to attracting good candidates?
Johnson: The most important thing for us was to demonstrate the culture at BCC, what “Great People Make Favorite Places” really means, and why job seekers should choose to work with us.
We have been voted a “Best Place to Work” three years in a row for large employers in our market, but we still weren’t attracting the number and quality of candidates we should have been. In talking to a local restaurant group that indicated they were fully staffed at the height of the shortage, it really struck me that we needed to do a better job telling our story.
I don’t believe that job seekers think about private clubs for opportunities in restaurants, landscaping, caddying, golf, etc., but that is a large part of what we do. Our pay is competitive and our environment is better, and for some there’s the opportunity to earn an Evans Scholarship. Why wouldn’t they choose to work with us?
C+RB: Your LinkedIn post said that one key step in getting your message out was a video spot on “Midday Maryland,” a local television program. What are the details about how this came about, and what was the content of what aired?
Johnson: This was all Maroon PR, as a followup to our needing to do a better job of telling our story. Maroon was able to leverage their relationships with two local TV stations. WBFF Fox 45 showcased BCC as the “Job of the Day,” and WMAR showcased us twice on their “Midday Maryland” program.
We were certainly nervous about being on TV, because as many in our industry know, the press isn’t always kind to clubs. I spoke to WMAR about our culture and two other people from our staff spoke about what working at BCC means to them and the opportunities it has provided to them. There was no script, and one take only. I think our two staff members who were featured, Cynthia (Raebiger) and Shaneeka (Moonesar), did a great job in highlighting why jobseekers should work here.
Editor’s Note: To view the “Midday Maryland” program featuring BCC click HERE.
Examples of the club’s Facebook and Instagram postings can be seen via the following links:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreCountryClub/videos/3171472389764248
https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreCountryClub/videos/598778327945666
https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreCountryClub/videos/524327942206376
https://www.facebook.com/BaltimoreCountryClub/videos/259459005727532
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSZ-ID2lDxv/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTFsIQxFv_0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2sYgaF5bA/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU8DMPwleS-/
C+RB: What sort of reaction did you receive to that spot specifically, and to other initiatives that Maroon PR has helped you with?
Johnson: The spot did very well the first time, which led to it airing a second time. It was also picked up by two local Facebook groups, so it definitely made its way around.
We are now looking at other creative ways of attracting staff, including sponsoring ads during local universities’ sporting events and buying ad time on the screens you see while filling up your car with gas.
There is no one approach that solves everything. Maroon PR has been so helpful to us in identifying ways and providing opportunities I’m not sure we would have found on our own.
C+RB: Has all of this helped you find and hire people you don’t think would have ever found their way to BCC otherwise? Can you cite any specific examples?
Johnson: Definitely! We noticed a meaningful uptick in applications and were able to make a number of selections to join our team. We were able to bring in all of the staff we needed for 2021, and it’s going to be more important for us to find and select great people to be part of our team for 2022, because BCC is a two-campus club, and our Five Farms clubhouse is undergoing a major renovation that will add significant square footage, including additional dining and bar spaces.
C+RB: Do you envision continuing these efforts going forward, or was this just conceived primarily as something to try to help fill an especially large and immediate gap? And if the approach will continue, what other forms or avenues might it take?
Johnson: We have definitely learned a lot from engaging Maroon PR, particularly as we get better at leveraging our “owned” opportunities. This has really helped us bridge a significant gap, but we need to make sure we are out in the marketplace telling folks why they and/or their children should consider working in clubs.
We employ over 400 people between both campuses, so our work is far from finished. We have discussed other opportunities, including radio ads and TV commercials, in addition to the things we’ve done that have already been mentioned.
C+RB: What would you advise other club managers about the “dos and don’ts” for making an approach like this work most effectively?
Johnson: Talk to your Board first. Advertising in non-traditional ways can cause concern, as clubs are largely conservative.
Once you have the approval, start small, but be creative and don’t be afraid to try new things. Take advantage of things that are only in your market. Make sure you look closely at the firm you will use to help you with these efforts, and ask about their ideas and contacts in your market and how they can help you. If you have in-house communications and HR teams, make sure you include them in the process.
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