GM/COO Candidate Search Profile
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General Manager Profile: North Shore Country Club General Manager Profile: North Shore Country Club Glenview, Illinois About North Shore Country Club The popularity of established clubs like Onwentsia, Glenview and Oulimette encouraged men of means to search well- placed pastures with a potential for golf course design. Several of Oulimette's more ardent devotees did just that when they decided to form a club of their own along the shores of Lake Michigan in 1900. For a surprisingly low rental fee, they leased a large tract of land capable of accommodating their five-hole layout. Only one road ran through their new golf course and it was of small consequence. Little did they know Chicago was a burgeoning city and the lakefront was equally prodigious in its growth. Sheridan Road became one of the more popular shoreline thoroughfares and the side streets that sprung from its trunk soon threatened the tranquility of the members' play. Fortunately, Edgewater Golf Club, one of the oldest clubs in Chicago, held an option on a 170-acre piece of farmland held in the northern suburb of Glenview, which was useless for growing corn but ideally suited for a golf course. Having made this significant step to purchase the land for the future, the design of the new course and clubhouse could be entrusted to no one but the best. The prestigious British firm of Colt, MacKenzie and Allison was commissioned to do the work, and they turned out a product that has undergone relatively minor changes since opening. The golf course and clubhouse were officially opened on Decoration Day of 1924, and by the end of that first year North Shore's new home was host to some 300 members. The new North Shore was a track to be reckoned with, a stern challenge for even the best of players. In 1928, the Western Golf Association, located just a drive and a 3-iron south of North Shore in Golf, brought the Western Open Championship to the club. Now that North Shore had proved it capable of successfully conducting a major championship, the members were ready for the big show. The 1933 US Open had the name of North Shore Golf Club on the lips of golfers everywhere, and it turned into a truly historical event. For North Shore, The Championship was an unqualified success and left them with a taste for more. The USGA was obviously pleased because they awarded the 1939 U.S. Amateur Championship to the club. The North Shore of today has a different look than it did in the 1930's. While the design of Colt, MacKenzie and Allison has remained constant, the course has been lengthened with the construction of new tees and made more difficult with the addition of three strategically placed lakes. Some of the greens have been enlarged, placing a premium on putting. The 1983 Amateur Championship took place at North Shore, and in more recent years the 2011 Western Amateur was played at the Club. For the past two years and this coming summer 2015, the Encompass Championship (a Champions Tour event) calls North Shore Country Club home. This is an important stop on the Champions Tour and is a significant highlighting of North Shore Country Club in general. While golf is clearly the Club’s primary “gem,” its expansive clubhouse overlooks the course and is adjacent to a large family pool complex, the platform and tennis operation, and provides a large number of family programs and activities for its members and their guests. The Club has a very active swim team that has been highly competitive for the past many years. In the past year, a Long-Term Facilities Master Plan was created and the Club recently proposed a $17.0M capital project that includes significant renovation/restoration work to the golf course, pool and clubhouse. The members are currently voting on the project with results expected in mid- February. If approved, phased improvements would begin in September 2015 with clubhouse and site work, with construction throughout the next year. The golf course work would begin in June 2016 and run for about a year (a large number of reciprocals have been arranged for member play). Finally, pool work would commence in September 2015 and run through May of 2016. North Shore Country Club is consistently cited as being amongst the top clubs in the Midwest, and with the proposed enhancements currently being considered, it will continue to secure this preeminent positon. Club Facts: At present, there are approximately 425 total Members Regular (Full) membership initiation fees are $85,000 and Social membership initiation is $40,000. Dues are $9,000 and $4,800, respectively. Food sales are approximately $1.6M, with Beverage sales running approximately $750K annually. Overall operations at the Club, including dues, sales, golf and recreational fees, etc., are approximately $7.6M. The Club is organized as a 501(C) 7, tax exempt, not for profit entity. There are approximately 19,000 rounds of golf played annually. The Club Board consists of 9 Directors each generally serving three-year terms. Kopplin & Kuebler, LLC www.kopplinandkuebler.com Standing Committees include Golf, Grounds & Greens, Finance, Club Services & Minor Sports and Capital & Long Range Planning. The Club employs approximately 150 FTEs in-season and approximately 75 FTEs in the off-season. The Club also has a strong and active caddy program. For more information, please visit North Shore Country Club website at: www.north-shorecc.org The Role The General Manager at North Shore Country Club is ultimately responsible for all areas within the clubhouse, essentially being the ‘face’ of these operations, as well as other clubhouse operations including valet, locker rooms, racquet sports and pool operations. The GM leads a team comprised of the Assistant General Manager, F & B Director, Catering Manager, Executive Chef, Men’s and Women’s Racquets Professional, Pool Manager and Facilities Supervisor and, ultimately, their respective direct reports, who include personnel in all front house areas. In the NSCC organization at present, the General Manager has dotted reporting lines to the very long tenured Director of Golf and Golf Course Superintendent. The GM is expected to be the epitome of a modern, progressive, dynamic style of club leadership, representing him/her in an exceptionally appropriate manner at all times with each constituency of Club involvement---members, guests, staff, vendors and within the greater North Shore community at large. The GM is the primary coordinator of all non-golf operations, including food and beverage budgeting, hiring, training, orientations and teammate ‘culturization,’ and supervision of associates. Working with appropriate team members, he/she will therefore be utilizing and applying relevant and necessary marketing techniques to drive member usage of food and beverage operations along, assuring member and guest needs and desires are consistently met and often exceeded. Club member and guest satisfaction and enjoyment of the culinary and service experience at North Shore are key ‘drivers’ to its overall Club success. The General Manager, as a strong and highly visible and respectful presence with the membership, must be an exceptional communicator, have adroit personal interactive skills and the maturity to instinctively know how to make members and guests feel that they are known and appreciated. Further, he/she must be able to communicate these expectations to a diverse background staff and get them to understand and execute to those expectations. The NSCC membership represents a varied demographic age range and the GM is the key influence to ensure that these groups are engaged from a food and beverage programming, activities, servicing and experience perspective. Members are exceptionally social and active, and are trending younger with more family involvement, and the quality golf experience has been a hallmark at North Shore for many years. The GM must be intuitively engaged an in tune with this very family-centric, fiscally responsible environment, as well as the long tenured Kopplin & Kuebler, LLC www.kopplinandkuebler.com members who have supported the Club for many years. Initial Priorities of the General Manager Employee training and development, looking to ensure that the “end to end” experience, especially in but not limited to F & B, is at a consistently high level. Sincere and significant engagement of members, guests and staff, listening to their concerns and suggestions and working closely with the Board to implement appropriate and necessary improvements. Assist in designing and instilling a ‘culture’ where all staff are committed to consistently “doing it better every day.” Observing, assessing and evaluating the food and beverage operation, working with the Executive Chef and other F & B management staff to identify, create and execute a plan for significant improvement. Food and beverage operations are of critical importance to the overall membership satisfaction and notable improvements to consistency, quality and service are anticipated within a reasonable period of time. Ensuring that preparations and plans for executing the final Encompass Championship are in place and well-conceived. Performance Metrics Membership satisfaction Food and beverage operations financial performance Employee performance evaluations and satisfaction and overall development General Manager - Business Sense Well-aligned candidates will possess excellent operational, financial and analytic skills and have experience with shaping and elevating club programming and food and dining operations to increase member satisfaction and participation. Ensuring that appropriate and necessary internal controls and developing structure around and maintaining standards and operating procedures aligned with club policies and industry best practices will be critical measures of success. Candidates who effectively demonstrate an understanding and current use of and success in implementing technology systems and solutions to improve member communications and membership recruitment and retention will be highly regarded.