Manor Country Club (MCC)

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1 Manor Country Club (MCC) Rockville, MD General Manager/Chief Operating Officer (GM/COO) Search Profile Manor Country Club A Brief History and Information The Piscataway Indians once hunted the land now occupied by the fairways and grounds of Manor Country Club. The trail used by these Indians when trading is now Georgia Avenue. In 1849, 925 acres were sold to Charles Abert and his wife, and the property now owned by Manor Country Club made up part of this acreage. In the 1850's the Aberts began construction of "Homewood", a manor house, which would eventually serve as Manor Country Club's first clubhouse. The estate with its mansion having been referred to as "The Manor" is the source of the Club's name. The "Homewood" and its grounds were sold in September 1921 to the Foreston Manor Club, a club newly incorporated in DC. The purchasers believed there was need for a country club to serve the eastern part of Montgomery County and the District, and they saw this property as having great potential for that purpose. It was determined that part of the acreage could accommodate a twentyseven hole golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and stables for horses and paths for riding. The remainder of the property's acreage could be developed and sub-divided into lot sites for weekend cottages or year-round homes. They believed that the sale of these lots could also be the source of capital to underwrite the improvements needed to transform the property into a recreational club. Despite its promise, members of Foreston Manor Club soon realized that additional financial resources and the assistance of others would be needed to complete what they had started. They invited other prominent men to join them. In the course of bringing in new participants, it was decided that separate corporate entities should be established for the country club and the organization that was to develop the property and the residential lots and promote club membership and lot sales. Accordingly, in August of 1922, the Sixteenth Street Highlands of Maryland was incorporated in the state of Delaware. In the fall of 1922, work began to clear the woods on part of the "Homewood" estate and to start improvements on the mansion. William S. Flynn, designer of Kopplin&Kuebler, LLC Page 1

2 some of the most famous golf courses in the United States, was hired to lay out plans for constructing twenty-seven golf holes on the property. In the early days of Manor Country Club, the clubhouse operated as an inn; the four-story building housed employees on the fourth floor, and weekend guests (members) on the third, according to Bill Jones, President of the Board during the war years. Today, Manor Country Club, with 27 holes of golf, 10 tennis courts (four of which are bubbled for year round enjoyment), and two swimming pools, still retains much of the beauty of the rolling hills, water, foliage, and trees. Its clubrooms, dining rooms, golf, tennis and swim programs are vibrant, with an active family-centric focus. With the Club now surrounded by homes, business, and highways, it still provides a quiet retreat within a tract of natural beauty. A number of capital projects have been undertaken in recent years, including the complete renovation of the course by Arthur Hills, an enlarged and improved long game practice facility, the addition and improvement of the short game practice area, various portions of the interior and exterior of the clubhouse and support areas. Manor Country Club has an excellent foundation of amenities, spread out in a campus-like setting, and enjoys great outdoor spaces for entertainment and support activities. Truly a Club for the family, Manor has a large number of activities and special events, including the annual Independence Day fireworks celebration that draws well over 1,000 members and guests! Basic Club Facts Gross Dollar Volume: approximately $8.3M in gross operating revenues Dues Revenue: $3.95M with a monthly capital charge (full member) of $125. Dues for Active Golf are $520 per month, with a number of other categories below this amount. Food & Beverage Revenue: Food - $1.6M, Beverage - $735,000 The Club has approximately 825 members in all categories, with approximately 565 in the Active Golf or Community categories. The Initiation Fee for Active Golf is $40,000, with lesser amounts for various other categories. At present, the Club has an incentive program in place, which has reduced this amount (similar % reductions in other categories) to $20,000 until October 1 st. The Club is a 501(c) (7) organization with approximately 110 FTE employees in season Approximately 20,000 rounds of golf are played annually (on the 18 hole course; the 9-hole Harry Pitt is a short course and rounds are counted separately). The Club has a $255 per quarter minimum spending requirement. GM/COO Position Overview The GM/COO has full responsibility for all aspects of operations, reporting to a 9 person Board of Governors, each serving, three-year terms. He/she will lead and represent the management team that includes a Clubhouse Manager, Executive Chef, Golf Course Superintendent, Golf Professional, Controller, Membership Director, Catering Director, Pool Manager, and Tennis Professional. The General Manager will also indirectly supervise all employees of the Club, ensuring that appropriate Kopplin&Kuebler, LLC Page 2

3 standards of operation are clearly set and followed. He/she will be sincerely interactive, engaged and approachable with both members and staff, and is expected to be the face of the Club, acting as a true Partner with the Board and in an active committee environment. This is a true COO model organization, and the Board is looking for a leader who can truly make a difference and take the whole organization up another notch! The successful candidate will have proven management experience in a private club setting and with a confirmed record of strong operational and team mentorship skills, and a demonstrably strong grasp and understanding of club financials and running the business including having a strong focus on and ability to drive top line revenues. Additionally important is the need to drive business decisions with strong data based metrics, which can be both clearly articulated, and support thoughtful recommendations made to the Board with the intent of successfully propagating the business. The Board, staff and membership expect a strong and confident, as well as consummately professional leader, who represents them and the Club s overall interests while helping to drive a thoughtful, dynamic strategic plan, and positioning of the Club for long term success. Successful candidates will be creative, hard working, and understanding of the need to lead by example, while willing to bring new ideas and solutions in the fine-tuning of the evolving new club business model for success. A strong understanding of the ideal member experience at MCC is critical, and candidates will need to understand and strive for excellent service and exceptional standards of quality to maintain and improve upon the current level of service that has been established. Holding the team accountable, after first clarifying expectations, is a necessary key to success for the new GM/COO at MCC. Leading with integrity and building the trust and confidence of each constituency---members, Staff, the Board, Committees---is of critical importance in doing so. And, managing by results ---setting clear goals and objectives for all key management team members, and holding the team accountable for those results is critical. Obsession for, and having an eye for detail in the service execution, member-ready staging of the clubhouse and operation, grounds, building maintenance and housekeeping areas are also critical personal success factors, as is the need to be a particularly good and intuitive listener. Of further importance is a keen ability to review and evolve the organizational structure of the operation to meet changing member expectations and improving the overall deliverables to a consistent and outstanding member experience, which in turn is the value equation a member has in his/her club. Excellent candidates will be those who display maturity, are confident and who recognize that they need to offer a reasonable, well articulated perspective as the GM/COO, and who are exceptional at the blocking and tackling aspects of operations. Working with the Board to ensure that the well-conceived strategic vision and plan for the future is evolved and executed, and being able to articulate the benefits of the strategic vision to members and prospective members, will be a critical skill set. Some Initial Primary Objectives of the new GM/COO Kopplin&Kuebler, LLC Page 3

4 Be highly visible and interactive, getting to know each key constituency---members, staff, Board, committees and external partners to the overall success of MCC. Further develop, mentor and evaluate the team, setting and/or clarifying goals and objectives while ensuring that necessary metrics are in place. As noted previously, setting accountabilities and consistently evaluating them is critical. Work with the Board and Committees to fully understand the Goal Plan for MCC s future. Review the physical plant, create a capital plan that will eventually be part of a thoughtful, well-conceived strategic plan, the creation of which will be prompted by the new GM/COO in conjunction with the Board, Committees, Management Team and with member input Evaluate service delivery in all areas, but especially in dining service, implementing clearly defined improvement plans where necessary. Help people be great at what they do! Be present and Lead by Example. Candidate Qualifications & Experience Candidates must possess a minimum of 7-10 years of progressively more responsible club or hospitality industry management positions, preferably in the top executive position. Those not yet having served in the General Manager capacity, but who have strong and verifiable experience working in a highly regarded, family oriented club and/or with a well regarded GM/COO will also be considered. The successful candidate will be a proven businessperson with exceptional financial and budgeting skills that have yielded verifiable results. A demonstrated record of success in this area is critical. In particular, the candidate must enjoy and embrace the challenge of strong fiscal management, but with an eye on top line growth, while at the same time delivering the quality and range of services and innovative activities to enable MCC to continue to attract and retain members in a highly competitive club market. The prospective GM/COO must be a charismatic, passionate, energized professional and have outstanding membership relations and communication skills, both written and verbal. He/She must have a proven record of strong operational management skills and will have a logical career path ensuring the highest standards of operation and attention to detail. The ideal candidate will have strong food and beverage experience, strategic planning experience and will have worked in an operation of a commensurate level of quality as MCC. The club is looking for a visionary, take-charge type person who is also especially diplomatic and highly approachable. The Board is not looking for a yes man or woman, but rather someone who recognizes their role to be a thought partner to Manor s long-term success. The new GM/COO will need to enjoy inspiring department managers and employees and must demonstrate proven leadership skills in team building, employee motivation and service training. The ability to work well with the Board and Committees is essential, as is a strong ability to work with the Board to further establish and memorialize clear roles, responsibilities and overall metrics for sustainable success. He/She should have good skills utilizing current technology in the club industry, and be knowledgeable as to coming trends in this area, as well as the best use of such resources in communicating with members, prospective and staff. Staying engaged and connected with members is of critical importance, and directing the use and design of the Club s website and related digital technologies is critically important. Kopplin&Kuebler, LLC Page 4

5 Previous and verifiable strategic business planning skills, and the ability to vision and articulate goals and objectives to each constituency, are considered very valuable. He/She must be a person who understands and effectively functions in a non-profit, volunteer Board and Committee environment. Someone who is a strong consensus builder and facilitator, and who embodies the behavior and skills one needs to be successful in this type of governance model. He/She must be capable of a high degree of initiative, innovation and resourcefulness in directing the activities of a very busy family oriented country club; able to present a consummately professional image to the staff, membership, and the general public at all times. A strong commitment to and proven record of consistent focus on personal professional development is desired. Continuing education, as reflects in one s resume of accomplishments, is important. He/She should have a record of community involvement and a verifiable history of working closely with local governmental constituencies in a highly cooperative, supportive manner. A college degree and the CCM are preferred. Interviews are expected to occur in mid to late October and the successful candidate is expected to be in place early in Please visit the website at: Salary: Open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Club, along with the typical CMAA benefits, offers competitive bonus and benefits package. Please a thoughtful letter of position alignment and interest, resume and professional references (IMPORTANT: Please send your information in Word or PDF format, saved as: Last Name, First Name Resume.doc, Last Name, First Name Cover Letter.pdf, Last Name, First Name References) Click this link to upload your resume and cover letter (Word or PDF format). or to: nan@kopplinandkuebler.com Lead Partner on this retained search: Kurt D. Kuebler, Partner Kopplin & Kuebler, LLC (Office) Florida (Office) - Arizona kurt@kopplinandkuebler.com Kopplin&Kuebler, LLC Page 5