EPISODE 114

Casey I remember calling my dad and saying, You know, I think I want to be a club manager, and he told me I was crazy. But then I thought about the life that I’ve had because of his career and just how special it is, and the meaningful relationships, and I thought that sounds like something I might want for myself. So, I worked my way up through the ranks, worked in almost every type of club possible, city club, urban club, country club, and worked through every position from introductory food and beverage positions, hostess, food runner, all the way up through the typical kind of club manager route. I took a left-hand turn and spent some time in communications. And then ultimately ended up achieving this dream as general manager just over three years ago.

Derek Your title is General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. And I see that a lot in club manager titles. That’s a lot of letters. That’s a big title to me. What is that? I know you lead, I know that encompasses a lot, but when running a club or leading a team, you’re probably talking to a group of your peers who are very familiar with it. But for people coming into this industry for the first time, what does that position look like on a day-to-day basis?

Casey Never boring. I was actually reflecting on this this week, and I think the general manager side of my title says it all. I think on Tuesday, my day went something like, I picked the color that we were going to stain a new fence behind the pool, I made a decision where we were going to put a wall at the entrance of the club, got on a marketing call for a special bottling of wine to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Club, finalized a new relationship with a 401k broker. What else did I do? I ended the day with a finance and board meeting. And so you really do wear a lot of hats. And I truly am never bored. And in fact, if I am, I probably become less motivated just because the nature of staying busy is challenging, but I think it’s also just very fun. And my number one job is to make people feel good, whether that’s membership or keeping my board in line and committed to their mission, or our employees. The COO side of it, I think, was really a move in our industry, probably 10 or 15 years ago, where they started to see individuals in a general manager role as more of that C-suite officer, someone who really kind of guides the vision and implements the mission, works hand-in-hand with the board. So, really elevated the title from just managing things generally to really kind of having a strategic vision. So it blends it all. Sometimes it’s more one-sided than it is the other, but like I said, you wear a lot of hats and your day just runs the gamut of all the things. But it’s very fun.

Derek Would it be fair to say that the COO role is working on the organization, and the general manager role is working in the organization?

Casey Very, very astute assessment. Yes.

Derek Awecome. One of the reasons that I was excited to talk with you today is because your club is in the middle of celebrating its 75th milestone, that 75th year. Some of the clubs that I see have milestones, maybe not 75, maybe 40 years or 50 years, and they celebrate it subtly. Maybe they develop a logo and put it on napkins. Some clubs have a one-night gala. You’re doing this a little bit differently, and you’re spreading this out a little more apprehensively. How did your team come to approach and put together a plan of what this year should feel like, and not only all the extra work that that was creating for your team, but the impact that that would have on your membership?

Casey So first and foremost, I think we just didn’t want to let this milestone pass by quietly. Honestly, starting three years ago, it was already in my frame of mind that it was on the horizon, and it came so quickly. So we were probably honestly a little behind the ball getting it going, but nonetheless motivated to make it special. Lakeside has experienced a tremendous amount over the past decade. The clubhouse and many of our facilities were a total loss after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. And our members made a significant investment to rebuild this club. And then not long after reopening in 2019, the world changed as we know it with the pandemic. And so there’s been a lot of change and a lot of progression and a lot of doing things differently. And the club looks very different than it did in 2017 or 10 years ago. And so we got past the pandemic and then started a total golf course renovation at the end of 2022. I started in 2023. But all of that to say that the membership has made a significant investment in maintaining Lakeside. I think what’s probably more notable than the financial investment is just the pride that is continued behind these investments and behind their membership. And that has certainly given us a perspective that’s maybe a little bit different. It was very important for us to celebrate new beginnings, to turn the page, if you will, while also honoring what our members have built together. And this has really just become a badge of honor to us. It’s like, wow, look how far we’ve come. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the resilience of this membership and to reinforce the pride and just look positively towards the future. We really leaned into the idea that it needed to be a special milestone, kind of a pivotal moment for the club, and that’s what we’ve tried to do.

Derek There are two sides of the membership. There are the members before Hurricane Harvey, and then there are the numbers that have joined since. I think of the ones that have gone through it, stayed, and are members today versus the ones that didn’t go through that traumatic experience, but still understand and maybe even have a deeper respect for the club and the resilience that it took to come through. Now you’re celebrating the 75th. How is that through line resonating specifically with the people that were there before and the ones that joined after?

Casey So I think whether you’ve been a member for five minutes or you’ve been a member for 50 years, there is an affinity and an appreciation for what this club means to this community. And I know that’s not unique to Lakeside. That happens with so, so many clubs. But pride is the best word I can use, I think, to describe it. And so whether you’re joining now or you joined 50 years ago, these members are so proud to be a member here. There’s a history and a culture that’s built, but even our newer members already had a connection to the club. So I think the connectivity and the pride that they feel transcends how long you’ve been a member. You may have lived in the neighborhood. You may’ve had friends who grew up at Lakeside and brought you with them. You may be a second-generation or third-generation member now, which we’re starting to see. And then we joke all the time that Houston is the biggest small town in the world. So even if your family didn’t grow up as a member at Lakesside, you probably knew it or knew of it or have a friend here. So there’s a shared sense of belonging. Again, that just kind of transcends the tenure. I don’t think we needed to focus on celebrating the longevity of one membership class versus a newer membership class. I think we just said we’ve got something special here. We can definitely nod to the past and celebrate the history, but this membership is who it is today because of the belonging and the pride in belonging, and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a member. It’s still worth celebrating.

Derek For the anniversary, the work that you’ve done, the way that you’re celebrating it, it’s temporary, it’s ephemeral, it’s meant to live for this season, and then that’s it until maybe the hundredth. Because it’s a short-term celebration and you think of all the materials that you’re creating, you created an identity around it, now you’re implementing that and activating it in all these fun ways. Is that more pressure because it is such a short lifespan, or is it less pressure because you’re not actually doing something permanent with the club’s identity? How has that thought kind of influenced you and your team’s approach to this?

Casey Yeah, not a ton of pressure. I think we wanted to make it as a team. We wanted to make it special. Again, we get to make people feel good every day. And so we really went into it with that vision of, hey, it’s something to celebrate, but let’s not overthink it. It’s not 100, not to say that 75 isn’t a huge accomplishment, but it’s kind of a middle ground. And so we wanted to honor it and do some really fun things throughout the year, but there wasn’t a lot of pressure from our membership or from my board or anything to make it stand out. That may just be because of where the club has come from in the last 10 years, that there has been so much change, they’re kind of happy with the club that it is now. And so I’ve really just embraced that and said, OK, well, if you’re happy with where it is now, let’s celebrate being 75 and just have some fun this year.

Derek Now that you’re in the middle of it, you’re in the middle of the celebration, any fun stories that have popped up so far?

Casey It’s just been easy, honestly, and maybe that’s because y’all did such a great job in creating a mark for us that was just easy for the membership to embrace. It’s really beautiful, and we’ve had some fun using it in koozies and some fun slogans and things like that, but we’re kind of teardropping it throughout the year. We’ll make one big splash in November, which everyone is looking forward to. We do a big party in November every year. That’s actually the Charter Anniversary. So we’ll use that opportunity to really do the big thing. But all along, we’ve just been able to do some new merchandise, create some programming and fitness. We’re doing a 75 challenge where there are a number of challenges throughout the year, and they have to see who can burn 75 calories the quickest. That may be doing rowing, or who can do 75 push-ups the fastest. And so Paul, our fitness director, has got a couple of things going like that. In golf, we’re using the mark in merchandising, and I smile every time I see it on someone’s golf shirt sleeve. And like I said, we’ve done some fun things in food and beverage, where we started a cocktail campaign hearkening back to the 50s with our first cocktail, and there’s a cocktail of the month that gets to tell a fun story through the decades. We’ve had fun with it, and the members have really embraced it and are just kind of going along in the journey with us.

Derek Awesome. 75 years is big. You just said, Well, it’s not a hundred. Does the number matter? Clubs that are 25 years old that don’t have as rich a history, or 50 years old, or even non-milestone-ish numbers like 40, is it the number, or is it also part of just the opportunity to celebrate the culture of the club?

Casey That’s a great question. And I thought, as soon as it came out of my mouth, maybe I made it sound like 75 wasn’t a big deal. But I think the natural milestones feel a little bit easier to celebrate. But I also subscribe to celebrating your successes every day. So I think for the clubs that are 25 or 17 or 5, or if they’ve gone through a big project, or they’ve added a new facility, or they finally got their team in place, I say it’s more based on a feeling than it is necessarily a number. Again, I think success should be celebrated daily, no matter what that looks like.

Derek At a minimum, any club that’s gone through a hurricane should have some sort of celebration.

Casey Something.

Derek There’s like a hurricane club out there, maybe. So you’ve been in the industry for 20 years. You grew up, and your dad was a long-time manager. When you think about what clubs were like when he was at the age and the level in his career that you’re in now, some of the biggest shifts in how clubs operate from then to now, and what you’re running compared to what he ran.

Casey It is totally different. In some ways, the problems that he was probably managing through 40 years ago are a lot of the same problems we manage through today. However, our ability to face those things is different. And I think specifically, at least as I can reflect, in the last decade, our industry in general has experienced remarkable growth. We’ve had a lot of things that have positively impacted the club industry. Thank you to the pandemic for allowing us to really have an excuse to do it differently and to really be creative and to be innovative and to hire people from outside the club industry. So I think what I’ve seen specifically is that there are a lot of different individuals drawn to private clubs now, and that’s both from a staff and a member perspective. There’s more diversity, skill sets, and specifically hiring. I think about my team now. Probably half of them did not come from the private club industry. 20 years ago, when I started, and certainly when my dad was running clubs, it was like, if you didn’t grow up in a private club, you don’t know what you’re doing. And now we’ve kind of embraced the people that may bring a different skill set to the table. I think we’re also honoring individual skill sets in the way that if you look at CMAA, it’s no longer just the club managers association – it’s the club management, because that means a lot of different things. As a fitness director, you are a club manager. As a director of golf, you are a club manager. As a membership or marketing professional, you were managing something in a private club. So I think we’ve really embraced the diversity of roles and how special those roles are to our operation. I think we’ve grown in relevance. I think we’ve grown in innovation. I think we’re consistent because of how connected in some ways the world is. Whether it’s magazines or social media, you kind of get to keep up with each other more. So we’re challenging ourselves to be the best version of that and to continue evolving and just being the best we can. Personally, it’s no longer the old boys’ club. You see a ton of women joining the industry. You see a ton of women in roles like mine. That was certainly not the case 40 years ago. And even in my journey in CMAA, I have four years left serving this amazing association through the national board. I was having a conversation earlier this week, and I think there have been only five women who have been chair of the Association in its 100 years. So that’s different. And there’s a good pipeline of women coming up through it. There’s been a lot of change. I’m just so proud of how this industry is embracing it and how we continue to evolve and honor the traditions and how we got here, but really kind of embrace all the positive changes that have happened in the last decade and what that means for our future.

Derek I think a lot of the clubs, just in general, that’s a key challenge. How do we appropriately celebrate our history? How do we appropriately honor 75 years, yet not be so reliant on a story of just what happened in the past, but rather look at what we’re celebrating today? We’re making history right now, today, at this moment. And the people that are here, our staff, our members, that’s why they’re here. They’re here for being present in this, and also for what that future starts to look like. And I think that’s one thing that you guys have done a really impressive job with, or your approach to kind of finding that appropriate balance of who we were, what we’ve done, but also what we’re doing today and what we are looking to do. You talk nicely about the positive impact that’s had on the team and on the people who are working on the management side. How about from a membership experience? You don’t have to go all the way back to when your dad was young, but even in your 20 years, how’s the member experience evolved, especially as the demographic of members has probably gotten younger?

Casey Definitely changing demographics, especially in newer clubs. A lot more family-friendly, a lot more focus on wellness, a diversity in offerings. The world is just changing at such a quick pace, too, in the expectation of how service is delivered, the expectation of how you’re treated, the expectation about how easy it is to do things. That all has an impact on how we treat our members and how we run our clubs. And then from a member perspective, their expectation is, I’m going to come to my club. I’m going to write a big check, and I’m going to pay dues every month, and I want my experience to be amazing. I think their expectations are high, but not unfairly so. But clubs have had to shift from just being a golf and dining club or maybe doing those two things very well to doing 10 things really well, to having a subject matter expert who can build and run a youth program, someone who is incredibly proficient at communications and marketing. By the way, when I started that role – I took that job in 2011, and I think I was one of like 10 in the United States. There was no book for it, there was no guidance, and there was nobody really doing it. And now it’s a critical position in a lot of clubs. And again, another key point of providing an experience for your membership beyond just them coming to the club is how you communicate with them, how you keep them tethered to the club experiences outside of what they experience here inside the gate. So, having membership professionals, and a more robust food and beverage program. Some clubs have wine programs that are better than any hotel and restaurant in the world. And so we’ve had to kind of get better at it all. And that’s because our members have gotten better. They’re more savvy, they’re more traveled, they earn an incredible amount of money, and they make incredible investments in the club. And their expectation is that they get all of that when they come to your club, too. It’s a lot to keep up with, but again, it’s a blessing to be able to do so. It’s very fun.

Derek The evolution, to your point, of the communications roles, I wasn’t aware of how quickly that’s become a much more common role in clubs. I just attended the CMAA Communications Summit. Somebody was telling me the story of maybe 10, 15 years ago, it was a couple of people that would get together. Now it’s sold out. There are actually more people who would like to attend than they currently have room for. Super, super impressive the way that’s grown.

Casey And not just one person in that position. Some have departments of two and three because of the expansiveness that I think communications requires nowadays, with photography and social media and all the things.

Derek Yeah, it’s communications. We could have a whole other conversation on how that’s not just sending an email once a week to members anymore. It’s an incredible role. You have a deep network. You’re well-connected through all the roles that you’ve served on and serve on locally and nationally with the CMAA. You’ve worked at several clubs. If you pulled out a crystal ball and you were able to see around the corner a little bit, what are some of the things nobody could have foreseen – COVID, of course – but what are some of the ways that you’re seeing the private industry headed? What are some things that maybe you’re excited about as the club industry continues to evolve?

Casey I think it’s a lot of the things that I said before. I’m just excited that we’re not afraid to be innovative, that we are not afraid to try something different, that we’re not afraid to create our own identities at our clubs. And there are hundreds of great clubs all over the US. And there are all these different rankings and awards and things like that. But I think there’s also some great clubs that don’t subscribe to any of that, that do it so well. And have incredible teams and budding leaders. I guess I’m most excited about just the continued progress, whether it’s more balance of life, being able to hire enough people to get the job done, and still allow you to have a life outside of work and to really enjoy this industry for as long as you can. I think 20, 30 years ago, that wasn’t the case. People were burning out. And now we’re realizing, especially from my chair, it may take two people to get that job done. But you know what? Then we’re going to have them for a long time, and our club’s going to be more stable, and we’re going to be able to provide a better experience for our members. I’m really pleased that we’re embracing innovation, embracing creativity. We’re not doing it the way that it’s always been done. We’re hiring the best. We’re keeping up with each other. We’re pushing forward. We’re becoming more educated, we’re becoming more connected, and I think in turn, we’re just offering a better experience for our employees and for our members. I don’t see that changing. In fact, I see it just becoming even better over time.

Derek For other clubs that are coming up on their key milestone, what’s a piece of advice or two that you might have for a club leader, things that they should be thinking about, considering, to help make the most of their club story?

Casey Your story isn’t something you make up. Your story is unique to your club and your members. Every club has its defining moments, be it a disaster or something they’re really proud of, a huge milestone, or a really special membership. Clubs are so unique, and that’s what makes them so special. And so just really leaning into what your story is. And that’s not dissimilar than your own personal journey. We all have a story of how we got here, and we should be proud to celebrate that. So what is so special about your club? What is unique? What is your story? It’s not something you made up. It’s built every day through your membership. It’s built every day through the things that you offer and the memories that you make. For CMAA, we’ll turn 100 next year. That’s such a cool thing to be a part of. And we’re really leaning into the people part of that because this is an industry and an association built on networking and people and the professionals that make it up. So we’re really leaning into the individual story. And certainly you can do that in your club too, but I think, at the end of it, it’s just what makes you special and tells that story. I think it has to strike a balance, and that’s something we’ve really tried to do. You can only look in the rear-view mirror so much before somebody gets tired of it. Before they’re like, okay, enough about that. What are we doing next? And so I think we’ve really tried to say, Yeah, we’ve come a long way, and the club has a lot to celebrate, and think about what Lakeside was 75 years ago. But let’s also think about what it is today and how good it’s going to be 75 years from now because of the decisions we’re making today and how we’re honoring it.

Derek Okay, one last question. Is there any specific advice from your dad that you carry with you that helps you in your work today?

Casey I love this question, because yes, I have one that comes to mind almost immediately. He’s been in the business a long time. If you don’t know Bill Langley, shout out. Hi, Dad. He is a wonderful man and probably one of the most tactful human beings on the planet. But we all have our moments, right? And I remember he had had a particularly challenging board meeting, and I was probably in middle school or maybe a teenager. And I didn’t hear the story until later in life. But he came home, and he said, You know, I had a board member tell me the first person to get mad loses. And I think that that is such a true statement, no matter if you’re in a board setting, if you are having trouble in your friendship, if it’s your marriage, whatever it is, it’s the first person that really gets mad, the first person that doesn’t take a minute and just think about the impact of their words and think about the impact of the actions, you often lose. And so there are challenging moments, be it with staff or in board meetings, that you’re like, man, how have we gotten off the rails like this? But just a reminder that if I get mad, I’m going to go south. And so just keeping that composure, finding ways to really target it in the best way, and that’s just stuck with me both professionally and personally throughout my career.

Derek Well said. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate your time this morning.

Casey You’re welcome. Thanks, Derek. Always a pleasure.

Derek This conversation’s a great reminder that milestones are only as meaningful as the intention behind them. Casey’s approach at Lakeside, treating the 75th as a living experience that members feel ownership of, that the team is involved in, is a model for any club with an anniversary that’s coming up. And the deeper thread here is that when a club knows its story, when it understands what it’s been through, what it stands for, its identity, the milestone becomes more than that number. It becomes a chance to strengthen the connection between a club, its members, and its team. And one more thing. We’ve launched Clubs Made Meaningful Insights, and we’d love to have you as one of our readers. Original content, frameworks, perspectives, ideas on identity, belonging, member experience, and club culture, weekly insights in your inbox that you can share with your board or your leadership team. Sign up at clubsmademeaningful.com. At Sussner, we help private clubs build brands that create belonging. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone in your club world. And until next time, let’s create something worth celebrating.