Club Management - January/February 2008 - (Page 70) Club Wrap We began turning off gas-fired kitchen appliances between shifts and leaving them off if they were not needed, and we tuned up our two steam boiler systems to burn efficiently. These actions saved the club around 13.5 percent against last year’s fuel expense. Also, water saving in Atlanta these days is a full-time job. We have taken action with some very simple steps: installing faucet aerators and automatic shut-off faucets in the kitchen, and reducing flush capacities on all bathroom appliances wherever possible. We also water our in-house plants and outdoor landscaping with recycled water from our dining rooms and banquet facilities. Our last two consumption bills were reduced by 22 and 42 percent. HUGO WELCH, CCM CLUB MANAGER CAPITAL CITY CLUB, ATLANTA My best cost-saving idea is training, training, training! Staffi ng issues that the club industry faces are only going to get worse. You need to train and retain staff at all levels. The single most costly item in every club is staff turnover. MICHAEL REDMOND, CEC, AAC ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER, FOOD AND BEVERAGE THE METROPOLITAN CLUB OF THE CITY OF WASHINGTON, D.C. We installed a deduct water meter at our pool a few years ago at a cost of $800. It takes 200,000 gallons of water to fill our pool. When the pool is emptied, the water goes to the storm drains and not the city sewer drains. Our chief engineer reads the meter once a month, completes a water deduct form and mails it to the city’s water department, which then deducts it from our sewer charge. This past year we saved $2,800. VINCENT TRACY, CCM GENERAL MANAGER TOWN & COUNTRY CLUB ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA In 2007 we started going to more of an e-mail and Web site style of communication with members. We reduced postal mailings (savings in postage and labor was about $3,000). In 2008, the club will publish its last hardcopy yearbook. Future issues will be available on the club Web site (savings in printing and postage will be about $4,000). One other small tip was going to a direct deposit format for employees, which we started in 2007 (savings in hard checks and more efficient labor is about $1,000 per year). ROBERT TREGONING, CCM GENERAL MANAGER ISLAND BAY YACHT CLUB SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS Being a relatively new manager at Milwaukee Country Club, I think the one thing that has helped me get a handle on costs this past year is simply asking “why?” Why are we using this vendor/partner? Why are we not bidding that out? Why can’t we try this new product or service? Complacency can be our nemesis. I have encouraged our department managers to ask themselves “why?” We have recently looked at many systems and vendor/partners with an approach of best product, best service and best price – in that order. At the end of the day, they really are partners in the service, partners in the procurement of goods, and partners in the happiness of our membership. “Why” is not a bad word, but a cost-savings requirement. CHRISTOPHER A BOETTCHER, CCM GENERAL MANAGER MILWAUKEE COUNTRY CLUB In 2007, the county reassessed all property values and we were faced with a 123 percent property value increase. After a thorough review, we realized the county had been evaluating our golf course property as if it could be subdivided and sold as residential property (development covenants forbid that). The count was not using a business valuation method to determine our tax liability. We refi nanced our mortgage in 2004, and in the process the bank conducted a business appraisal that priced the value of the club and its facilities at 50 percent below the county’s old property valuation. We appealed to the county tax office and won the appeal. Our property tax liability has decreased by more than 50 percent since the county’s property valuation decreased and the county decided to drop its tax rate. We can take past practices for granted and assume they were researched properly. If not for the recent revaluation, we would have continued to pay our tax liability based on a flawed method of calculation. ANONYMOUS CLUB MANAGER 70 • CLUB MANAGEMENT ©i St oc kp ho W to. c om hat is your greatest cost-saving tip for the year?
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