Let's Talk Club Management

In this episode, we’re joined by Stephanie Gallo, Gallo’s Chief Marketing Officer. We talk balancing tradition with evolving consumer expectations, especially in clubs where members value both heritage and new experiences, the trends we are seeing in wine preferences right now, and how technology can be used to improve wine education, service, and storytelling for members. Gallo is a CMAA Alliance Partner.

We are thrilled to welcome back to our podcast, our favorite cybersecurity experts at Pulsar Security, a CMAA Education Partner, for answers to our questions about current cybersecurity trends. Pulsar is a company whose mission extends to protect clubs and their members against malicious attacks. The company is a Veteran, privately owned business built on vision and trust, whose leadership has extensive military experience enabling it to think strategically and plan beyond the problems at hand. We are excited to welcome back the CEO and Founder of Pulsar Security, Patrick Hynds and Chief Technology Officer Duane Laflotte.

When you think about golf cars and personal transport vehicles, your first thought probably centers on transportation. But there is a lot more to consider – golf cars can improve the member experience, expand accessibility, enhance your service opportunities, and provide vital support for maintenance and other daily operations. In this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Brad Schaufert, one of our partners at E-Z-GO, to talk about this important club component. E-Z-GO is a globally renowned leader in the design and manufacture of golf cars and personal transport vehicles, known for its innovation in sustainable electric vehicles and powertrain technology.

You may have seen the social media trend where individuals are asked to try to identify different voices. We’ve seen it with supervisors, teachers, coaches, among others. And it’s now made it to the club industry. Melissa was recently catching up with members on LinkedIn and caught a cool take from Grace Mwirigi, CCM, the Assistant Manager at Northmoor Country Club in Highland Park, IL. Beyond creating the video, Grace turned this TikTok trend into a leadership lesson. We asked Grace to join us to talk about what she learned from this activity and her goals as a leader. Watch Grace’s take here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/grace-muchiri-ccm-rethinking-culture-through-strategic-poa9c/?trackingId=uqU0zch0ET9gtJFndVzPrA%3D%3D

On July 4, HR 1, the 2025 tax legislation was signed into law. The measure features the extension of several expiring tax cuts passed in 2017 and new tax reductions including new federal tax exemptions for qualifying tip and overtime income. There’s a lot to unpack here for clubs. In this episode, we’re joined by Brad Steele, a longtime collaborator, to talk more about what this means for the club industry. We’ll explore what we know about these two impactful changes and learn what details remain to be released with further regulatory guidance.

In June, GGA Partners and CMAA released the 2025 Club Leaders Perspective Report, a report that benchmarks operational data and examines current trends across a wide spectrum of private club facilities. On this episode of the podcast, we dive into that report and other research with Michael Gregory from GGA Partners. Access the full report on CMAA Connect: https://connect.cmaa.org/viewdocument/gga-partnerscmaa-club-leaders-per-1?CommunityKey=43e436dc-e513-4cc6-94b0-34a8e734968f&tab=librarydocuments

It is Hurricane season for our members on the Atlantic coast, running from June 1 to November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. It’s the perfect time to talk about disaster preparedness specifically when it comes to communications. Marc Ray, MCM, CCE, CHAE, is an expert in this area and we are so glad to have the opportunity to tap into his knowledge today. His monograph, Hurricane Communications with Internal Audiences in Private Gated Communities, provides communication guidance outlining recommendations for general managers to use in the event of a hurricane and addresses communication before and after a hurricane event. You can read Marc’s monograph here: https://connect.cmaa.org/browse/mcmdocs Advocate for the PAR Act: www.clubindustryvotes.org

In this episode, we’re joined by our 2025 Shark Tank competition winners: Molly Passow and Katherine Foerg from Niagara University. Their entry, Schedule Genie, uses Artificial Intelligence to assist in schedule coordination and management. You can view their whole presentation at World Conference (along with the other finalists’ presentations) on CMAA’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYkor-0fuvM