Club Management - September/October 2007 - (Page 34) “We recently had to go in front of our local planning board, and one thing that helped us through the process is that they know we have an environmentally friendly approach to what we do. All the projects had a component meant to improve the environment that, after completed, would have a positive impact on our property.” Burton Ward, CCM General Manager, Century Country Club Purchase, New York $80,000 initiation fee and a year’s wait to get in. But he said that’s at the top of the fee range; fees have leveled off. Grady manages a budget each year, and the board is responsible for providing the income to manage the club, through dues and initiation fees. To improve capital spending, income must exceed expenses. “Initiation fees are probably the same as the Atlanta Athletic Club and are used for capital expenditures,” he said. Even when General Manager Jesse Thorpe, CCM, started at Skyline Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, 25 years ago, the club operated as a business, and he’s always been a financial management proponent. In his first general manager job, members were charged assessments to fund operations. “Changing to proper business principles was a shock to them. But one of the top issues for clubs is that they need money, either from members or nonmembers. Clubs don’t have a lot of assets they can sell off, and in the wake of Enron, there are more audits and harder looks at inventories and controls, even though the pervasive philoso- phy is that without money, clubs can’t do much,” he said. Thorpe also worked for clubs in such cities as Las Vegas where, he noted, a little more than 10 years ago there were four private clubs; today, there are 12 or 13. The demand for members meant you had to handle finances well to give them the most bang for their buck. Some clubs use fees to pay for improvements they’ve already made, he noted, and some feel the more they charge for initiation fees, the more quality or status that implies. For some "Why Settle for Less When the Best is So Affordable?" t vs en , In on O ! ev ionsstati H Pr ect fe ve nr I n f & I nse Co t: ea s Tr asion & ! WOOD SEATING SPECIALISTS WITH CUSTOM CAPABILITIES P Box 2427, Hickory, NC 28603 .O. 203 Simpson Street, Covover, NC 28613 www.sttimothychair.com (828) 322-7125 • Fax (828) 322-9156 St. Timothy is proud to be a part of a vertically integrated manufacturing company. Our furniture is produced in the U.S.A. MERCURY GOLF / SPORT SHOE CLEANING SYSTEMS www.mercurymarketing-inc.biz 800 • 569 • 1454 e-mail: mmisales@www.mercurymarketing-inc.biz 34 • CLUB MANAGEMENT 338600_ST_Timothy.indd 1 9/6/07 2:31:14 PM 337975_Mercury.indd 1 8/2/07 8:25:35 PM http://www.mercurymarketing-inc.biz http://www.sttimothychair.com
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