August 23, 2024
Professional Development
Get Election Insight with Analyst David Wasserman at the Leadership/Legislative Conference
Don’t miss the opportunity to get the latest pulse on the 2024 elections! Hear Legislative keynote David Wasserman on Tuesday, September 17 at the 2024 Leadership/Legislative Conference.
Sought-after Senior Editor & Elections Analyst for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Wasserman regularly appears on NBC News and other major media outlets to share expert political commentary. Wasserman is widely respected for his non-partisan analysis and impartial insights into the current political environment.
Highly praised for his data-driven forecasting, Wasserman delivers lively and entertaining presentations, using thoughtful and relatable analogies to break down complex political scenarios, illustrate the evolution of voting trends, and provide useful insights.
Annually, the LLC unites aspiring, current, and sustaining CMAA Leaders. Be part of this vibrant and boutique educational and networking opportunity in Washington, DC, September 15-17. The Nation’s Capital and the host property, The Mayflower Hotel, provide a historical backdrop for the event.
Learn more and register today!
Register and make your hotel reservation by August 26
Students: Register for the 2024 National Student Education Conference
Join CMAA at the 2024 National Student Education Conference, taking place in the vibrant city of Charlotte, NC, November 9-11! This event is designed exclusively for student members to enhance the CMAA experience and set the stage for a successful future in the club industry.
Why Attend?
- Curated Education: Dive into a curriculum tailored specifically for students, featuring sessions that teach valuable life skills and industry-specific tips and tricks. Gain insights from experts and leaders in the field and take your knowledge to the next level.
- Hands-On Learning: Engage in sessions designed to provide real-world insight. Whether you're looking to sharpen your skills, learn about the latest industry trends, or network with peers and professionals, there's something for everyone.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow students, professionals, and industry leaders. Build relationships that will last throughout your career and open doors to exciting opportunities.
Advance Your Career at the Mid-Management Conference
Offered in the fall, the Mid-Management Conference began as a grassroots effort in 1991 by the Greater Chicago Chapter to provide quality educational and networking opportunities for club management professionals who do not serve in the general manager/chief operating officer role. Education is focused on developing new skills, broadening horizons, and advancing career and certification goals.
This year’s event will take place in Philadelphia, PA, September 29 – October 2. Attend and explore sessions on personal branding, developing a powerful network, and club governance.
Membership and Member Benefits
President and CEO’s Perspective: Updates from the 2024 Summer Board Meeting
President & CEO Jeff Morgan, FASAE, CAE, shares insights into the recent Board of Directors meeting including governance, the 2025 budget and fees, ways to improve the CMAA member experience, and much more.
Renew Your CMAA Membership Today
CMAA’s 2024 membership year ends on October 31, which is right around the corner. Have you renewed your membership for 2025? If not, there is no time to waste. Renew your membership now so you do not incur any late fees.
Please proceed directly to the new online renewal service; have your email address and password ready. Please also be sure to verify your personal, club, and chapter information. You can make any necessary changes by filling out the Organization Change Request form.
Thank you and we look forward to another wonderful year ahead!
Make a Smaller Donation
A small donation to The Club Foundation can’t really make a difference, right? The Foundation can fund scholarships and grants only through the generosity of thousands of members who donate each year. Many of our donors contribute large amounts, but critical to our ability to fulfill our mission are also many small donations—and those contributors often make their donations more powerful by making them automatic, monthly, subscription donations.
For the cost of the average American household streaming expense, The Club Foundation could afford to fund nearly three Student Chapter Grants (per year), helping students afford to attend the annual conference. Americans spend about $2,000 per year on coffee, which could fund one Second-Place Chapter of the Year Award, providing funds for education at the Chapter level. We’re not suggesting that you give up your coffee and streaming but think how far a small percentage of those dollars could go when combined with the power and generosity of others in our club industry family.
If you donate now and again and would like to have a greater impact, think about making your donation smaller, but committing to donating on a recurring, regular basis. This allows The Club Foundation to count on a steady income and reliably give away scholarships and grants each year. To sign up for recurring donations visit our donation form or fill out a pledge form!
Deadlines:
Mark your calendars with the following scholarship and grant deadlines:
- Sally Burns Rambo Scholarship - Due Date: September 1
- James B. Singerling Scholarship - Due Date: October 1
- Warren Arseneaux Honorary Scholarship – Due Date: October 7
- Willmoore H. Kendall Scholarship - Due Date: November 1
- LaRocca Family Executive Scholarship - Due Date: November 1
Club Executive of the Year Deadline Ahead
Help honor an extraordinary club management professional who has truly raised the bar at their club and in the club management industry. Annually, Club Management magazine recognizes excellence in club leadership with the Club Executive of the Year Award. Originally known as the Club Manager of the Year, this distinction was created in 1985 by Club Management magazine to honor an individual who by his or her achievements best represents the qualities found in hard-working, dedicated club management leaders. In 2008, the award was re-titled to mirror the evolution of the profession.
Today, the distinction highlights one club management professional annually who demonstrates mentoring, creates a supportive club culture, and sustains ongoing engagement with their local CMAA Chapter.
CMAA welcomes and encourages nominations from diverse backgrounds and work experiences.
2024 Nominations must include specifics on how the nominee has fostered and embraced the three criteria in the past one to three years:
- Mentoring;
- Creating a club culture which supports the staff team through on-going educational opportunities and crisis assistance; and
- Demonstrating sustained engagement with their local CMAA Chapter.
Review the full criteria, judging process, and notification process
Help us honor an extraordinary club management professional who has truly raised the bar in club management and within the CMAA community.
All Nominations must be received by September 10.
Features
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Resources
Capital Improvements Handbook Now Available
The CMAA Capital Improvements Handbook serves as a comprehensive guide for club decision-makers embarking on capital improvement projects. By adopting a strategic and collaborative approach, engaging stakeholders, ensuring robust financial planning, and adhering to regulatory requirements, clubs can successfully navigate the complexities of capital improvements.
The Handbook delves into common pitfalls such as lack of strategy and leadership, unanticipated costs, and inexperienced project management. Emphasizing the necessity of time, patience, and strategic planning, this Handbook aims to equip club decision-makers with the knowledge required to make informed choices, ensuring each capital improvement project contributes to the club’s long-term success and reputation.
This extensive resource emphasizes the significance of building high-performing project management teams and engaging various stakeholders, including club members, throughout the journey. Available exclusively to CMAA members, the Handbook was created from the best practices and procedures explored at CMAA's Capital Improvements Symposium.
CMAA members may also access their digital copy of the Handbook through CMAA Connect in the Best Practices Exchange Community Library. Sign in is required.
Stay tuned for a four-part Let's Talk Club Management podcast series on navigating each phase of your capital improvements featuring the expertise of the Handbook's authors and experts!
Trends and News
Moving On Up: Going From Superintendent to General Manager
For superintendents, deciding to pursue a general manager position can happen in a lot of different ways. Usually, it’s a goal at the end of a five- or ten-year plan that has long been brewing in their mind. But sometimes an unexpected opportunity arises and opens up a clear path. Whatever drives the upward move, it’s a step that an increasing number of veteran greenkeepers have taken in recent years and it’s likely to be a path of advancement for many more in the next decade.
Part of the appeal of moving to the general manager’s office is financial, but there is also the knowledge that it is probably going to be less physically taxing and emotionally draining than the daily grind of tending to a golf course. The early mornings, the dependence upon the weather, the weekends at work, the lost time with family during the proverbial 100 days of midseason hell, and the inevitable burden of staff recruitment, training and retention. They all take a toll that makes an exit from the superintendent world while in one’s late 40s or early 50s a very inviting proposition for some.
Shake Shack Founder Shares the Two Interview Questions He Likes Asking Job Candidates: They Make You ‘Share the Real You’
When Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer interviews job applicants, he likes to ask a couple of his favorite questions.
First: What’s the biggest misperception other people have of you? You can’t respond “unless you’re willing to share the real you,” the restaurateur told organizational psychologist Adam Grant during a March talk at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which was released as an episode on Grant’s “WorkLife” podcast last week.
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