Speaker Bios
 Chic Thompson - NGCOA Keynote Speaker
Chic’s passion is inspiring executives, MBA students and children to be “curious first… critical second” while creative problem solving.
Chic Thompson is founding partner of Creative Management Group, a Fellow at the University of Virginia’s Darden Business School and adjunct faculty at American College of Physician Executives, The YPO University (Young Presidents’ Organization) and The Brookings Institution.
Chic’s first book, What a Great Idea!, published by HarperCollins, was a main selection of the Executive Book Club and published in Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and Spanish. What a Great Idea! 2.0 was just released in February by Barnes & Noble. Chic’s second book, “Yes, But...” is a guide to overcoming the bureaucratic language that stifles continuous innovation. He wrote this book after consulting with GE to design their successful continuous improvement process called “Work-Out.”
In 2001, Harvard Business School released a case study on the speaking career of Chic Thompson entitled “What a Great Idea!®.” In 2004, Darden Business School awarded Thompson a Batten Fellowship in Entrepreneurship.
Chic received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Delaware and his Masters in Education from the University of Virginia. He then worked in new product development and marketing for W.L. Gore and Associates (Gore-Tex®), Johnson & Johnson and Walt Disney.
During the last 25 years, Chic has given over 3000 presentations and has teamed up with talent ranging from Tony Robbins and Stephen Covey to Cirque du Soleil and Second City Improv.
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 Lisa Bodell - NGCOA General Session Keynote
Lisa Bodell is the founder and CEO of futurethink, an internationally recognized innovation research and training firm that helps businesses become world-class innovators.
Ms. Bodell founded futurethink on the premise that everyone has the power to innovate—they just need to know how. Her company, futurethink, has spent years working with hundreds of leading innovators to create the largest database of innovation research and tools in the world. Clients such as Citigroup, 3M, GE, and Johnson & Johnson look to futurethink to develop new thinking styles and generate innovative ideas.
In addition to running futurethink and lecturing, Lisa currently serves on the boards of the Institute of Direct Marketing in London, The Women’s Congress, and the Association of Professional Futurists. She is an active member of the World Future Society and the Urban Pioneer Project. Lisa has taught marketing and creativity at American University, and serves as a faculty member of the American Management Association. Most recently, she was asked to sit on the prestigious Institute for Triple Helix Innovation think tank, which is funded by Senator Inouye of Hawaii and is the only innovation initiative of its kind within the U.S. government.
Audiences appreciate her ability to provide relevant, real-life experiences, awe-inspiring best practices, and practical tips and techniques they can use right away to start innovating.
A seasoned communicator on innovation, Bodell has appeared on FOX News, and in publications such as Crain’s, Investor’s Business Daily, Successful Meetings, Harvard Business Review, and The Futurist.
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 Stephen Covey - Golf Industry Show Team Day Keynote
As the former CEO of the Covey Leadership Center, Stephen Covey directed it to the largest leadership company in the world. Covey personally led the strategy that propelled his father's book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. Under his guidance, the company nearly doubled revenues to $110 million while increasing profits by 12 times. The company was valued at only $2.4 million when Covey was named CEO, and, within three years, he grew shareholder value to $160 million in a merger he orchestrated with then Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.
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 Leon and Terrance Resnick
Resnick Associates
Wednesday, Feb. 4 , 1:45 - 2:45 pm
Leon B. Resnick and Terrance K. Resnick, identical twins, are partners in Resnick Associates, a nationally recognized estate, business succession, and life insurance planning firm with offices in Kansas City and Harrisburg, PA. Resnick Associates has spoken before and worked extensively with a large number of business and trade associations and their members throughout the United States. The Resnicks have been featured in the book, Streetwise Marketing Plan. Resnick Associates has worked with the Wharton Business School at The University of Pennsylvania, executives of Fortune 500 companies, and individuals in professional sports and entertainment. Resnick Associates is a co-founder of the Elizabethtown College Family Business Center in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, one of the largest college based family business centers in the United States.
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 Lisa Langas
Golf Retail Consultant
Wednesday, Feb. 4 , 1:45 - 2:45 pm and Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:15 pm
As a buyer for May Company stores, Lisa learned the importance of implementing proven retail management strategies. This experience and her creative approach to successful retailing, has established her as the top retail consultant in the golf industry. For the past 16 years Lisa has worked with hundreds of golf shops, helping them attain greater profitability and improved merchandising standards. From financial services to visual merchandising, staff training and operations manuals, Lisa provides comprehensive retail consulting services focusing on easy implementation and long term success. Additionally, Lisa provides superior education and training to course operators, club managers, PGA professionals, and golf shop buyers via seminars and on site workshops.
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 Mike Holtzman
Profitable Food Facilities
Wednesday, Feb. 4 , 1:45 - 2:45 pm and Thursday, Feb. 5, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Michael Holtzman received his BS in Restaurant Management from California Polytechnic University, and now has over 28 years of restaurant industry experience. His focus has been on improving the sales, quality, and profitability of food service operations. Mike is a hands-on operator with experience in all aspects of food service. In particular, he has worked with more than 320 facilities in 42 states, Canada, England and the Middle East. Profitable Food Facilities is a company specializing in captive market restaurant locations including golf courses, private country clubs, high end daily fee courses, golf resorts, ski resorts, aquatic centers, theme parks, wellness centers and day spas. Mike’s projects include designing the new clubhouse kitchen for Kemper Sports in California, Cog Hill Golf Club, opening the new Trilogy course in La Quinta, and Baltusrol CC. The most recent remodel is Poppy Hills Golf Club in Pebble Beach, host of the AT&T championship. PFF has also completed nearly 100 consulting projects with golf courses to improve their operations and their bottom line by millions of dollars in profits over the past 10 years. Mike’s next big venture is a project in Dubai, designing the Greg Norman clubhouse kitchens for the first 120,000 square foot clubhouse and two other clubhouses in the next 12 months.
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 John Huggins
Tournament Players Club
Wednesday, Feb. 4 , 1:45 - 2:45 pm
John Huggins has more than 20 years of leadership experience and has played a major role in the strategic development and growth of the TPC organization. John joined TPC Sawgrass as and assistant golf professional in 1984 and has served as head golf professional, general manager/director of golf at several TPC properties, and as a Regional Director of Operations and in TPC development. He assumed his current Senior Vice President for TPC Operations responsibilities in 2004. John is a graduate of Auburn University, and has been a Class A member of the PGA of America since 1985. He and his wife, Mona, have three children, Leanne, Thomas, and Karlin.
PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties, Inc. owns and/or operates the facilities that comprise the internationally renowned Tournament Players Club (TPCs) Network, a subsidiary of PGA TOUR, Inc. The TPC Network is a diverse representation of high-end resort, daily fee, and private membership facilities, and each club adheres to the TOUR’s demanding standards of operation, guaranteeing an outstanding experience for members and guests alike.
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 Archie Lemon
Burroughs & Chapin
Wednesday, Feb. 4 , 1:45 - 2:45 pm
Archie Lemon is currently employed as Senior Director of Golf, Sports and Hospitality for Burroughs and Chapin Company, a Myrtle Beach based Real Estate Development Company. His primary focus is over-sight of B&C Golf Management which is comprised of nine golf courses (five owned and four managed). Other responsibilities include Myrtlewood Villas Rental Management (650 units), Entertainment Golf Division (five mini-golf, two Par 3’s and driving range) and f&b and retail for Ripken Baseball, Myrtle Beach. Collectively, these operations exceed $45M in annual revenue.
Archie’s current golf industry volunteer service includes: Board of Directors for Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owner’s Association, Board of Directors Myrtle Beach Tee Time Network and Golf Holiday Marketing Committee. He served as President of the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association from 2004 – 2007.
Mr. Lemon has been a Class A PGA Member since 1986 and in his 30-year golf career has served the PGA as both Chapter and Section officer, Section chairman of Tournament, Membership and Ethics committees as well as various Section and Chapter committees. Archie has also served on PGA National Membership committee and was awarded by his peers of Resort Merchandiser of the Year for the Carolinas PGA in 2000.
Prior to working for B&C, Archie has served as either General Manager, Director of Golf or Head Golf Professional at a virtual who’s-who in the Middle Atlantic and South-East Regions of the U.S. and includes such facilities as: The Landings Club on Skidaway Island, Savannah, Ga., The Golf Club of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga., Kingsmill Golf Resort, Williamsburg, Va., Legend’s Golf Properties in Williamsburg, Va. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Vast PGA Tournament experience was also garnered during Archie’s tenure at Kingsmill as they hosted the Anheuser Busch Golf Championship in 1994 and 1995 and the Michelob Championship in ’96 and ’97.
Golf was an inherent part of growing up as Archie’s parents have collectively won over 20 club championships. In 1974, Archie won the Virginia 2A State High School Golf Championship and was awarded a golf scholarship to attend Virginia Tech. He and his younger sister, Sandy, played on the high school golf team together. She went to Southern Illinois on a golf scholarship and is currently a PGA and LPGA teaching professional in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Archie and Karen (his wife of 28 years) reside in Conway, South Carolina. There daughter Jenna is a sophomore at Coastal Carolina University and their son Jarrod is married and has provided Archie and Karen with two grand-daughters.
Outside of golf and athletics in general, Archie’s favorite hobbies are hunting and fishing. In 2008, his high school in Covington, Va. inducted Archie into their high school athletic hall-of-fame.
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 Jay Ehret
The Marketing Spot
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm; Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:15 pm
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2:45 - 3:45 pm; Thursday, Feb. 5, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Jay is a former “marketing guy” who cut his small business teeth while selling and creating radio advertising for 17 years. Now Chief Steward of The Marketing Spot in Waco, Texas, Jay is a small business marketing consultant, coach, speaker, and blog author. He is a branding architect, a customer experience designer, a conversation starter, and an advertising strategist. Jay is also a wine lover, poker player, and Christian missionary.
He lives in Woodway, Texas, just outside of Waco with his wife, Carol and their two dogs, Sadie and Lucy.
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 Bill Garcia
Garcia & Associates
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Bill Garcia is a contract negotiator, negotiation trainer and worldwide motivational speaker. Garcia’s corporate career experience includes direct sales and sales management; export sales to Latin America; national sale and account management; and vice president of sales and marketing positions. His entrepreneurial experience includes being a founder and board member of a business-to-business global sourcing company, as well as several other smaller LLP ventures. Garcia has demonstrated experience in idea generation, capital raising, business development, executive level team building and execution.
Garcia & Associates began as counsel to various Fortune 100 companies during contract negotiations in 1997. He and his partners regularly sit at-the-table representing both buyers and sellers. Additionally his organization provides customized negotiation training worldwide (over 25 countries on 6 continents).
Garcia holds a Masters of International Management (MBA) from “Thunderbird”, and received his BA from the James Madison College of Michigan State University in International Relations.
When not negotiating Bill is an avid golfer (and a negotiation trainer and lecturer for the PGA Tour, LPGA and Golf Course Builders Association) and has been known to travel great distances for a challenging round.
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 Bill Yates
Grey Town Golf, LLC
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm and Thursday, Feb. 5, 2:45 - 3:45 pm
Founder and CEO of Grey Town Golf, LLC, and developer of Pace Manager Systems® and Pace Designer Systems®, Bill has worked with managers to improve their operations for more than 25 years. Widely regarded as the "guru" of pace of play, Bill addresses issues of continuously improving customer service, quality, course revenue and the pace and flow of play through staff development and training.
Bill has improved the golfing experience and increased profits on more than 120 courses in the U.S., Canada, Asia and the U.K…courses such as Harbour Town Golf Links, Bandon Dunes, the Gleneagles Hotel, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Mission Hills Country Club, Jasper Park Lodge, the Old Course at St Andrews, and many more. As the author of the NGCOA Pace of Play Manual and contributor to the USGA® Pace Rating Systems Manual, Bill brings new insights to the usefulness and accuracy of course pace ratings in helping manage play. Bill's Pace Manager Systems® has regularly been featured in Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Club Management Magazine, Executive Golfer, Golf Illustrated, Florida Golf News, Golf World and other national and international publication.
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 Forrest Richardson
American Society of Golf Course Architects and Forrect Richardson & Associates
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm and Thursday, Feb. 5, 2:45 - 3:45 pm
Forrest is the youngest in a lineage of architects beginning with Henry and W.C. Fownes, designers and founders of the famous Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh. Forrest's mentor was the late Arthur Jack Snyder, once a greenkeeper at Oakmont and then a prolific golf architect. Snyder’s father, Arthur A. Snyder, began caddying for the Fownes in 1907 and later worked on the crew to build many of Oakmont’s now-famous landmark features. Forrest is a contributor to several golf publications. He is the author of two books on golf architecture; Routing the Golf Course and Bunkers, Pits & Other Hazards, which he co-wrote with Mark Fine.
Forrest Richardson & Associates has completed numerous award-winning golf course projects. Their clients have been honored with Renovation of the Year and Development of the Year awards, as well as numerous top honors from various golf magazines. The Phoenix, Arizona-based firm has current projects in Arizona, California, Utah, Hawaii, Sonora, Mexico and Alberta, Canada.
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 Phil Green
OB Sports
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm
As President of OB Sports, Phil oversees all corporate affairs in addition to supervising the operations for all courses managed by the company. Phil also helps to create long-term business plans for prospective management or development projects. Phil has a proven background in operational excellence and sound business skills with more than 25 years as a prominent leader in the golf industry. He has guided the direction of more than 45 courses in 16 U.S. states and Mexico. Recognized by the golf industry on numerous occasions for his leadership including a cover article in GolfInc Magazine. Phil studied Business Administration at both Arizona State and Grand Canyon Universities respectively.
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 Bobby Heath
Western Golf
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm
By developing partnerships with Owners, Bobby Heath provides the knowledge and guidance to create and implement financial and operational goals. Bobby adheres to the philosophy of providing a custom tailored management approach to each course as to not fill a pre-determined mold creating an individuality that sets each owners’ courses apart from the masses. His experience and expertise also extends into the development side of the industry by working on strategic planning for golf courses and their communities. During his tenure as President & CEO, Western Golf Properties earned recognition as one of the fastest growing management companies of 2005.
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 Sam Fried
Flights of Fancy Adventures, Inc.
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:15 pm
The author of Water Quality Testing – The Agony and the Ecstasy for the USGA Green Section Record, as well as Conservation Comrades: Golf Courses and the Environment, Sam has had over 38 feature articles in such publications as National Audubon and Birder’s World, and has written several chapters of the Insight Guides, published by The Discovery Channel.
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 Kun Li
CITIC Forward Golf Management Company
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Kun Li is Chief Representative of Forward Management Group (FMG). Kun received his Masters and Ph.D. degree in Turfgrass Management/Environmental Soil Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was the Director of Agronomist and Science for FMG. He directed and consulted 30 + golf courses in China and helped to develop multiple new projects. He also establishes the cooperation relationship with world leading golf contractors and architects in USA, and introduces golf course construction and management standard into China’s industry. Kun also has served as guest speaker in various training and education workshops to golf course manager. Right now, he is board member of Course Management Committee of China Golf Association.
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 Eric Affeldt
ClubCorp
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Eric L. Affeldt is the chief executive officer and president of ClubCorp. Eric is responsible for all aspects of domestic and international operations for “The World Leader in Private Clubs.”
Dallas-based ClubCorp and its affiliates own or operate more than 150 golf courses, country clubs, private business and sports clubs and resorts. Among ClubCorp’s nationally recognized golf properties are Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio (site of the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational) and Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California (home of the Kraft Nabisco Championship). The renowned collection of business and business sports clubs include the Columbia Tower Club in Seattle; Metropolitan Club in Chicago and the City Club of Washington, D.C. Eric was a key player one of the biggest deals in golf history, when KSL Capital Partners, a private equity firm, purchased ClubCorp for $1.8 billion in 2006. In addition, Eric was ranked third in Golf Inc.’s “Most Powerful People in Golf” listing in 2007 and was instrumental in establishing the ClubCorp Charity Classic, the world’s largest one-day golf and dining event. The event raised more than $1.6 million for MDA’s Augie’s Quest, the PGA Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the ClubCorp Employee Partners Care Foundation. Prior to joining ClubCorp, Eric served as a principal of KSL Capital Partners. Eric also previously served as president and CEO of KSL’s former golf division, KSL Fairways; vice president and general manager of Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami and the combined PGA West and La Quinta Resort and Club in California; and was a founding partner of KSL Recreation. In addition, Eric was president of General Aviation Holdings, Inc. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), serves on the Boards of First Rate Investment Systems, Avendra, Freemont College, Youth With a Mission/Baja, and the YPO Fellowship Forum, and is the former manager of the Belgian National Baseball team.
Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and religion from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.
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 Robert Visentin
ClubLink
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Robert has been Chief Financial Office since April 2000 and a member of the Company’s senior management team since 1997 and brings many years of public company financial management experience to the position. He has extensive real estate development experience having spent 18 years with the Brookfield group of companies. While at Brookfield Homes Limited, he held the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer before moving to ClubLink in November 1997.
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Marcel Welling
Burg Golf and The European Golf Course Owners Association
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Bio coming soon!
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John Weir
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Bio coming soon!
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 Dana Garmany
Troon Golf
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4:15 - 5:30 pm
Dana Garmany is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Troon Golf. Garmany has over 25 years industry experience developing and operating golf facilities worldwide, as well as involvement in more than 40 construction projects. Garmany has been named by both Golf Inc. and Golf Digest as one of the most powerful and influential people in golf. In the most recent rankings by Golf Inc., Garmany was rated as the second most powerful and influential person in the golf industry, behind only Jack Nicklaus. A member of the Professional Golfers Association of America since 1983, Garmany founded Troon Golf in 1990 with his first property, the renowned Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Garmany continues to lead and set standards for domestic and international high-end daily fee, resort, and private golf courses.
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 Debby Cannon
Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality, Georgia State University
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2:45 - 3:45 pm
Dr. Debby Cannon is the Director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality in the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. On the faculty since 1991, Dr. Cannon’s areas of specialization include human resources and quality service management. She has extensive industry experience including property and corporate-level positions with Hyatt Hotels and Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
Cannon was on the team that wrote the Ritz-Carlton’s first application for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Dr. Cannon is the co-author of Training and Development for the Hospitality Industry published by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Her doctorate degree, from Georgia State University, is in human resources development.
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 Dennis Johnson
Pine Meadows Golf Course
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2:45 - 3:45 pm
Dennis L. Johnsen, PGA, Club Manager/Director of Golf, Pine Meadow Golf Club A Member of the PGA’s Quarter Century Club, Dennis has been coaching and teaching since 1972. Prior to joining Pine Meadow in 2004, Dennis served as Head Professional at Pheasant Run Resort for 24 years. Selected as IL PGA golf Professional of the Year in 1999 and 2001, Dennis has received numerous awards and recognition from the Illinois PGA Section.
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 Bruce Charlton
American Society of Golf Course Architects and Robert Trent Jones, II, LLC
Thursday, Feb. 5, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Bruce Charlton, ASGCA is President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and President and Chief Design Officer of Robert Trent Jones, II, LLC, based in Palo Alto, Calif. His work includes Chambers Bay Golf Course, Pierce County, Washington, which was recently named the site for the 2015 U.S. Open as well as the 2010 U.S. Amateur. He also lists The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. and Bro Hof Slott Golf Club, Stockholm, Sweden as representative of his work. During his presidential year, his focus has been on communicating the message that “Golf is Green” and that the industry practices the responsible use of water.
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Ted Horton
Ted Horton Consulting
Thursday, Feb. 5, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
After more than 40 years of highly successful work experiences in private golf and country club, resort and public daily fee golf course maintenance operations, Ted Horton is currently a consultant to the golf course industry. His services offer proactive advice on environmental stewardship; golf course safety, security and risk management; tournament preparations; mentoring of new superintendents; long range planning, agronomic programs and administrative functions of large property maintenance. He is currently Senior Consulting Superintendent for ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance, while also serving as Executive Director of the California Golf Course Owners Association and President of the California Golf Alliance (CAG).
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 Anthony L. Williams, CGCS, CGM
Stone Mountain Golf Club
Thursday, Feb. 5, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Anthony L. Williams, CGCS, CGM is the Director of Grounds for the Stone Mountain Golf Club in Stone Mountain, Georgia and a twenty-two year Marriott Golf veteran. He is the Vice President of the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association and is the Southeastern Director of the Professional Grounds Management Society. He was the 2006 National Public Course and Overall winner of the Environmental Leaders in Golf Contest and in 2008 received Marriott’s highest honor the J.W. Marriott Award of Excellence for his efforts in environmental stewardship.
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 Beth Meister
Club Marketing & Co.
Thursday, Feb. 5, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Beth Meister is the President of Club Concepts, an innovative marketing firm working with developers and managers on the consultation, development, training and implementation of key marketing, sales and training initiatives. Over the past 20 years in the Club business, Beth has held several senior management sales and marketing positions with club industry leaders.
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