August 25, 2025 • 53 mins
What happens when chandeliers, mahogany bars, and 150 years of tradition collide with TikTok and influencers? That’s the story unfolding at The Austin Club under the leadership of Paul Kornfeind, MCM, CCE.
In this episode of Private Club Radio, Paul explains how he’s reimagining a historic city club for Gen Z and Millennials, while still honoring its rich legacy. From “Bingo After Dark” and “Gourmet Dinners Under the Stars” to collaborating with Austin’s top food and lifestyle influencers, The Austin Club is proving that private clubs can be both relevant and timeless.
We dig into the details: why influencer partnerships work, how flexible membership tiers attract young professionals, and what every GM should consider when blending history with modern content strategies.
If you’re wondering how to make your club attractive to the next generation without losing its soul, this conversation delivers the blueprint.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club
Radio Show, where we give youthe scoop on all things private
golf and country clubs Frommastering, leadership and
management, food and beverageexcellence, member engagement
secrets, board governance andeverything in between, all while
keeping it fun and light.
Whether you're a club veteranjust getting your feet wet or
somewhere in the middle, you arein the right place.
(00:20):
I'm your host, denny Corby.
Welcome to the show.
In this episode we are talkingwith Paul Kornfein, who is one
of the very few certified masterclub managers CCM and the guy
who's taking a 150-year-old clubin downtown Austin and making
it TikTok worthy.
We're talking tradition meetsdisruption in the best way
(00:42):
possible, because in thisepisode, paul is peeling back
the curtain on how the AustinClub is using content creators
to spark buzz, how Gen Z isactually responding to private
clubs and the creative eventsthey are doing.
That's getting people talkingand coming into the club.
We're talking selling outevents at the club midweek.
We walk through Paul's historyand a little bit of what got him
(01:05):
into the clubs to hear wherehe's at now rethinking outdated
club rules, injecting energyinto old spaces and why.
The future of clubs depends onhow well we tell our stories,
and not just the club stories,but also our own personal
stories as well.
And what prompted all of thisis his use of influencers and
(01:27):
social media and being active ondifferent platforms to showcase
not just himself and his ownpersonal brand, but also the
club and the Austin Club andwhat they are doing to attract,
retain and get members.
And the crazy part and the bestpart is everybody is on board,
everybody.
And the best part is everybodyis on board Everybody, from the
staff to the members to theboard, everybody.
(01:47):
I love this episode.
I love Paul.
He's such a great guy, such agreat dude, full of energy and
insight, and I cannot wait foryou all to dive in Before we do.
Big thanks to our show partnersand if you are interested in
any of our show partners, if andwhen you reach out, just let
them know.
Hey, you appreciate themsupporting us here on Private
(02:07):
Club Radio.
Also.
Real quick, my 2025 isbasically booked.
I might have two dates left,but right now currently booking
for 2026, my comedy, magic andmind reading show, the Denny
Corby experience.
There's excitement, there'smystery.
Also there's magic, mindreading and comedy.
A ton of laughs, gasps and holycraps.
I perform for well over 350clubs and would love to come to
(02:29):
yours next.
So if you're looking for 2026events, so if you're interested,
let's have a conversation.
And if you wanna have a ton offun with me and about 50 other
club people club professionalsI'm hosting Management in Motion
at the Monticello Motor Club.
This is a well-crafted, curatedleadership event for you, the
club professional, where we aregoing to rip up BMWs, m2s, 3s
(02:51):
and 4s, drag racing, skid pad,go karts, all the works, all
while learning relevantinformation from other club
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that relates to what we're doing.
It is going to be an absoluteblast.
You get three CMAA credits andit's only 820 bucks.
(03:13):
If you want to learn more, headon over to privateclubradiocom
slash MIM for Management inMotion, or just
privateclubradiocom slashManagement in Motion.
Enough about that, let's get tothe episode.
Private Club Radio listeners.
Let's welcome to the show myfriend Paul Kornfein.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
So I will trade the Chicago and the Green Bay
winters any day for thesetemperatures here.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Brutal, brutal.
I think when I was up there,when you and I first met, I
remember it was like chilling,like it was freezing.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well, like six months solid, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So it's yeah, I have no issues being down dude, you
have been crushing it with theaustin club and the content and
your social media and all ofthat.
It's been so cool to watch ithas.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I've had a lot of help.
We brought in a gal who's 20years old.
She's a student at UT and she'sthe brain, she's the driving
force.
I come up with the ideas andthe thoughts and she takes it
and puts it to action.
But it's a collaboration of all.
It's my entire teamcollaborating, so it's really
(04:23):
kind of exciting.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Did you bring her in?
For that reason I did.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
She wants to be a wedding planner and my catering
gal ran into her at a networkingevent and she's just like why
don't you come talk to Paul?
This is a great club, this is agreat opportunity.
He's a great guy to work withand you know, we sat down and
(04:49):
and it was a perfect, it was aright off the bat.
You know it was a good hit andshe's delivered.
She has delivered and, but it'severybody.
It's the chefs in the kitchen,it's the bartenders, it's Alex,
my assistant, it's me, it's thewhole leadership team, but she's
(05:10):
been the one to pull it alltogether and, like they, started
an Austin Club events page topromote our weddings and our
outside events, because we needtwo to three big events a month
to make budget.
So that's an area that we'redragging in a little bit, but
(05:31):
we've had a great year so far.
Financially we're rock solid.
Membership is up.
You don't hear that.
We're running a profit in foodand beverage, which in this
industry is next to nearimpossible.
We are coming off of a goodlegislative session.
Every two years we go into alegislative session and we had a
(05:56):
lot of support from that.
We had a lot of, you know,fundraisers and political events
and political events.
And boy, there was days whereit was all three floors, all
rooms, just rocking and rolling,Wow, and some of them flipped
three, four times a day.
So we've had a real good 2025.
(06:18):
You know, I came out ofretirement when Penn called me
and he says you know what?
I'm getting ready to retire.
He says this is a pretty goodgig and he goes I know you still
got more gas in the tank and Isaid, all right, Ken, I'll come
take a look.
And I actually fell in love.
I fell in love with the cluband I've never managing a city
(06:40):
club before.
It's been a real culture shockto the positive.
I don't have the golf course, Idon't have the pool, I don't
have the tennis, I don't havethe stairs, all the stress.
I don't have to haul coolers andkegs of beer to the 14th tee
you know what I mean and I don'thave 400 or 500 little kids
running around, which I enjoybeing a little kid that I am.
(07:02):
I tried that adulthood.
That was the worst two weeks ofmy life, but it's nice.
We're right around the cornerfrom the Capitol.
Most of our members arepoliticians, are lobbyists.
The governor, the mayor, comeshere every week.
(07:22):
The lieutenant governor's got abig event tomorrow night for
200, 300 people.
Ted Cruz did a book signing hereabout four or five months ago.
So we're not affiliated withany political affiliations, but
we're kind of side by side withthe Capitol and the folks that
(07:44):
work up at the Capitol and it'sexciting to be downtown.
I was down here for the protest, the positive, supportive
protest that happened a month orso, maybe two months ago, and
we actually had a wedding, a250-person wedding, that night.
So I basically stood at thefront door as a bouncer.
(08:06):
So I was no longer GM, I was abouncer in charge and we were
able to, but it was a peacefuldemonstration.
It was really nice to see thepeople coming out, and I mean
there was thousands, I couldn'ttell you how many people were
downtown here.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Were you able to convert any of those people to
members?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
No.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
You guys go walk out.
Here we got applications.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
The thing here in Austin is keep Austin weird.
And the weird came out ofAustin and they were some of the
signs and some of the outfitsand some of the bicycle
decorating.
Oh, it was just a reallyinteresting day and very, very
(08:54):
fun.
But it's nice to work downtown.
It's kind of a beast to getdown here, but it's something
also different.
I'm used to working in acountry club which are located,
you know, outside of the city.
So this was another change and,as you know, Austin is just
exploding and it has been andthe roads are expanding.
(09:18):
The roads finally, a lot of themare under construction.
But the growth and you look upwhen you're coming into the city
, you look at the skyline andthe amount of cranes that are
just throughout the city.
It's really kind of exciting tobe part of a town that's
growing and developing andexploding and just to be down
(09:40):
there for a really cool time andagain, no snow.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
You spent most of your career up north, right yeah
most of them.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I was born and raised in Chicago, moved out to
Northbrook where I startedcaddying and then I worked at a
holiday inn in the kitchen andcame up to the dishwasher for
five days and the chef the cookdidn't show up.
So the chef says, hey, paul,you want to learn how to cook?
And I said you know what Araise and a promotion.
This is the industry for me andI never really looked back.
(10:09):
So I've been in it, you know,my whole life and my whole
career, went to University ofWisconsin-Stout, studied hotel
restaurant management and gotinto club management by fluke.
And Doc Watson, the GM atBarton Hills, went back to
Sunset Ridge where he was the GMfor 25 years and he says you
(10:32):
know, I'm looking for somebodyyoung and up and coming and
somebody green that I can moldright out of school and I had
done my summer internship there.
And they all said, oh, paul,paul, paul.
So I'm up at school and thephone rings and I pick it up.
I'm like hello, and he goesPaul, this is Doc Watson.
I'm like okay, and he goes.
I just had lunch with DieterBurns and the staff from Sunset
(10:56):
Ridge.
I sat up and I said okay, nowyou got my attention and he says
would you like to come out toBarton Hills in Ann Arbor,
michigan, and check the placeout and see if this would be a
fit for you?
And I still had another fullsemester to go.
I said but I need to do amanagement internship, would you
consider that?
He said sure.
(11:16):
So I went out, fell in lovewith the town and fell in love
with the club and Doc Watson,until the day he passed, was a
mentor and a friend and somebodywho I, who I, while my entire
career because he really got mefunneled into private clubs,
which is such a niche industryand unless you know about it,
(11:36):
you don't know about it.
Yeah, so it's really kind ofexciting, uh, and then, yeah, so
so most of my career was in andaround Chicago and we went out
to Leesburg, indiana, toTippecanoe Lake Country Club and
then out to the East Coast forthree years, chester Valley Golf
Club.
That was fun.
But after three years of beingout East my wife got a little
(11:59):
homesick and Julie got ablessing.
She says you know what, can wego home?
And I said sure.
So we went back and that's whenI worked up in Appleton,
wisconsin, right down inMelbourne at North Shore Golf
Club.
And then my grandson was bornand my son has lived down here
(12:24):
for 16, 17 years at the time andlittle Sebastian was born and
Julie and I flew down there andI held Sebastian, I looked at
him, I looked at my wife.
I looked at him, I looked at mywife.
30 days later, we had a poorsale sign in front of our home.
28 and a half hours after that,we had a signed contract True
story.
30 days, 32 hours after that,we had a signed contract true
(12:47):
story.
Thirty-two days after that, I'mcrossing the Red River into
Texas.
That's wild.
It was just a miracle how I gota job.
I went on LinkedIn and Googled,you know, austin Club Managers,
and found a great guy, mr LarryHarper.
God rest his soul.
And I said hey, larry, you got10 minutes, 20 minutes for a
(13:08):
conversation, and sure, well, wefinally hooked up with time and
we were chatting and 20 minutesturned into two and a half
hours.
And after that time I saidLarry, you know, and he was
president of the chapter downhere I said can I send you my
resume in case something comesup?
Sure, paul, send it to me.
So I sent it to him, didn'thear it.
Didn't hear it.
About a week and a half laterthe phone rings.
(13:29):
He goes Paul, it's Larry Harper.
Hey, mr Harper, what's going on?
He says I got a job for you.
He says where he goes here,create a house with me.
So in the really needed aconnection and the network truly
came through and thank you,linkedin for putting us together
(13:52):
.
Here we are and we ended updown here and was there for
about four years, retired for areal short time and I think I
was retired about two days andKen Richardson, he called me up.
He goes, you're not ready.
Come on, man, he goes.
You're not ready.
Come on, man, he goes.
You're kidding me.
And here we are at probably oneof the greatest clubs that I've
had in my entire career.
(14:13):
And it was just funny how again, and just how important it is
to you know and just how funnythe world works and how life
works.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
People are sleeping on LinkedIn, whether they like
it or not.
There is so much opportunitythere and just to be seen, just
to have an active profile thatyou update, and I mean if you
can post, I mean you post a lotwhich is impressive, both you
and the club.
But I mean just posting, justhaving something up there, just
staying front of mind.
(14:56):
You just never know when you'regoing to need help and when you
have the algorithm on your side.
You know people always want toget on or do stuff when, when
they need it.
But, like you have to, you haveto give to receive also, so so
you got to, like, feed the beasta little bit in order to keep
keep the ball rolling.
Now you've been in the clubspace for so long, being in the
(15:18):
club space for you know, allthese years you have your CCM,
your MCM, which you know.
We could probably do a wholewhole episode just on that,
because there's not too too toomany MCMs.
You know what.
You know from your point ofview, your perspective, working
different parts of the country.
What sort of shifts have youseen changing in club leadership
since you first started to now?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I would say the biggest.
And it's funny.
I was just at the Texas chapterSummer Meeting and I looked
around the room and the amountof females there was probably 60
to 65 percent of the attendeeswere female, where back 20, 30
(15:58):
years ago there might have beenthree people, three or four
women in club management.
Three people, three or fourwomen in club management.
So that's been a huge, hugeshift which I embrace and I love
it.
I encourage it.
I think it's fantastic.
Covid.
Covid absolutely flipped thisindustry on its end.
(16:23):
It's now very employee-driven,where you know there's the tail
wagging the dog.
They want that, that Uberdriver.
They have that Uber drivermentality.
They want to work when theywant to work, where they want to
work, how they want to work.
You know, if I want to take athree-hour lunch, ooh, you know
it drops into the wind.
(16:43):
And I've just seen a big shiftin loyalty.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
In good or bad.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
In bad.
People aren't loyal like theyused to be to companies.
I mean even you know I'mfortunate here and what
attracted me here was there's alot of 30, 40 year employees.
You know Ken Richardson wasthere 30 years.
I've got people on staff.
I've got waiters that you know26, 29 years.
(17:15):
My building engineer 30 years,my controller 26 years.
You don't find that kind ofloyalty anymore.
And when I was looking attaking this position I looked at
that and I said you know what,for these people to be at this
club for this long, that there'sgot to be something going on
here.
And I was right.
(17:35):
You know, here we are two onhere.
And I was right.
You know, here we are two yearsalready and loving every day,
very excited.
Back to your question.
I'm sorry I got a littletangent there no good.
Yeah, women in management, theshift, technology, how
(17:55):
technology now is making it alot easier but yet a lot harder.
In the same vein, because nowyou've got to build and keep up
the apps, you've got to buildand keep up the websites, you've
got to build the onlinereservations for tennis, for
pickleball, for this, for that.
So technology is a friend and afoe.
(18:19):
It does make things a loteasier at times, but then it
makes it a lot more challenging.
The shift in now, now, now, now, now the Gen well, we're not
Gen Z isn't really quite membersyet.
They're starting to, but it'smore the.
I mean, they want everythingnow and fast and quick.
(18:40):
And again, with COVID there wasa shift, a huge shift to goers
and there's still a demand forthat, you know.
But it's all the grab and go.
It's the instant gratification,it's the online reservations,
it's the.
You know, but it's the instantgratification, it's the online
(19:00):
reservations, it's the.
You know, but it's so funnythat you have.
You got LinkedIn, you gotTikTok, you got this, you got
that.
You could still put thecalendar over the urinals and
you still.
I didn't know about this event,I didn't, you know, nobody told
me.
You know, but yet we're hittingthem from now 15 different
angles, where before it was oneor two.
(19:21):
But I would say those are thebig three.
Those are the big three, Iwould think, in my opinion, also
the competition, especially ina town like Austin.
This is a food city, this is afood city, chicago is a food
city, the whole country is afood city and you know we're
(19:44):
even competing with the foodtrucks.
You know, here in Austin it'shuge.
I think we're the food truckcapital of the world.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Well, there's people.
That will be a line down theblock for people to wait for
food trucks, the barbecue joints.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
My Lord, if you don't get there.
You got to get in line at eightin the morning, seven, eight
o'clock in the morning and hopethere's still food left at 11,
30, 12 o'clock when you get upto the front of the line, uh, so
I just think that you know the,the demand for, uh, you know
for for food and and for goodfood, for good service, for that
(20:17):
instant gratification for.
You know for food and for goodfood, for good service, for that
instant gratification for youknow for technology.
There's just a it's a lotharder to be a club manager now
than it was 30 years ago.
You have to be so much moreadvanced and you're really.
This is where CMA comes intoplay and I'm so grateful for CMA
and they're not sponsoring thispodcast, but they're continuing
(20:42):
the education and thediversification and the
educational seminars and all theofferings and all the different
levels and they keep, like theBMIs.
When I went through theBusiness Management Institutes,
the know, the one through fiveand international.
They've completely reinventedthem since I've gone through and
(21:04):
they're staying up with thetimes.
They're staying up with thetechnology and God bless CMA for
what they're doing bothnationally and locally here, our
Texas chapter, san Brewster,probably the finest, and I've
worked with some real, real goodones over the.
You know, in the three or fourdifferent chapters I've been in
with San Brewster down here theTexas Lone Star chapter takes it
(21:27):
to the next level.
He really does a real nice job.
The Texas chapter is big andstrong.
A little more challenging herebecause the meetings are so
spread out Back in Chicago.
It's such a concentrationYou've got 120 clubs within the
greater Chicago area For Texas.
(21:49):
Sometimes you've got to drivefour, five, six hours to get to
a meeting or to get to a statemeeting.
But that's okay.
But I think CMA is doing well.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, there you go, there's a lot of good.
Yeah, just competition witheverything.
Everywhere is just competition.
Now, people are just fightingfor attention because it's so
easy to get and start up.
But the good ones aremaintaining and rolling through
and the ones that you can tellbecause people are very quick to
(22:22):
.
They spend their money and youcan see where they're spending
their money.
And they're a little bit morenow.
Cautious isn't the word, butthey're blanking on the word,
but just conscious of wherethey're spending their money.
Blanking on the word, but just,uh, conscious of where they're
spending their money and whereit's going so yeah.
Yeah.
(22:43):
So I want to go back and touchon your content, marketing, um,
and the stuff that you're doingwith the club.
So when, uh, cause I know yousaid you brought somebody on for
that, did you?
How long before you broughtthem on, were you guys starting
to have those conversations andgo?
You know, we should really bedoing more and I like what
(23:05):
you're doing because you alsosaid how everybody is involved.
A lot of clubs want to do stuff.
Or, like the marketing, youknow, marcom person is going,
hey, this is stuff we have to bedoing.
And sometimes even the boardsare going, hey, this is stuff we
have to be doing.
And sometimes even the boardsare going, hey, this is stuff we
have to be doing.
But then, when push comes toshove, and now it's time to go
do stuff, the chef, I don't wantto do this, I don't want to be
on, I don't want to do that, Idon't want to.
(23:25):
And you know how did you geteverybody on board?
Were they already on board?
Like, did everyone?
Did everyone just see thelandscape of what was happening
and either buckle up or get off?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Ken Richardson was the GM for 30 years Older
gentleman, great guy, totalrespect, mad respect for the guy
, but wasn't really into socialmedia.
It was not a high priority.
I worked with Ken for 16 monthsbefore he retired.
So I had 16 months to build ateam, to get a game plan, to
(24:04):
know what I wanted to do.
So when January 1st hit of 2025, this last year we hit the
ground running.
I had, you know, the last threeor four months he said just do
what you do, and I was able tohire the people I wanted to hire
.
You know, back to Jim Collins,put the right people on the bus
and in the right seats andeverybody moving in the right
(24:26):
direction, everybody looking outthe windshield and, you know,
got rid of the baggage, thepeople that were riding
underneath the bus got rid ofthem.
And I've had a vision and Iknow where I want to take.
This club and city clubs ingeneral are on the decline.
So I knew this was a bigchallenge.
(24:48):
So I wanted to bring all myyears of experience in my MCM
and really and this is my lastrun, this is it.
You know, I'm going to takethis to 65, 67 maybe.
So I want to definitely go outon top and I want to make a
difference, and it would bereally easy to coast.
But I saw the need, I saw thedemand, I saw and I've got a
(25:13):
real passion for, uh, for socialmedia, and for posting and and
uh, and giving back to theindustry that I love so much and
and has given me so much uh,both personally and
professionally.
And um, uh, it was just there,was the need, was there, uh, we
(25:35):
had the right person at theright time and it was lightning
in a ball and it all worked outjust perfectly.
Faith has been with us for, oh,coming up on three months and
just crushing it, you know.
And just the positive attitude,and just you know I've
surrounded myself with goodpeople.
That's the trick.
(25:55):
And you know it's like a motorthe piston doesn't work.
You take out that piston, youput in a new piston and you know
, you replace pistons until thatmotor's humming.
And even if you put in a newpiston which happened, you know
that piston wasn't working boom,we took that piston out, put in
a new piston and I think nowwe're firing on all eight
(26:19):
cylinders and, um, I think,coming in with a positive
attitude, coming in with a newleadership style.
You know, less management, moreleadership in me.
Oh it kind of inspired.
I think I've inspired thesepeople.
I've got a very, very positiveyoung man that I'm working with.
(26:40):
Dennis Pettish was GM here inAustin for 20, 30 years.
His son, alex, now works for me.
He was under dad's wing for 10,12 years and then he went to
Houston, tried a few clubs andthen this opportunity opened up
and I know Dennis.
So again, the network.
(27:02):
And I said, what about thatyoung man here?
What's he up to?
And he says, well, he's lookingto get back to Austin.
And so I brought Alex back andhe brings that youth and that
enthusiasm and it reinvigoratedmy purpose.
I now am the mentor.
You know, when I came upthrough the ranks, I had three
(27:23):
or four outstanding mentors thathelped shape me, be the leader
that I am.
And now it's my turn to giveback.
So I've got a young crew whichis nice, to give back.
So I've got a young crew whichis nice and again being young at
heart and again refusing togrow up, it kind of helps me
(27:46):
generate excitement with amongstthem and keep them excited and
keep them motivated.
And we're starting to seeresults.
When we started this it was, youknow, at first it was and I
kept telling him guys, we'refarming, we're farming, we're
not, we're planting seeds, we'regoing to give it love, we're
going to give it nourishment,we're going to give it sunlight
and air and everything thatthese plants need to grow manure
(28:10):
sprouts.
And then they were pretty.
So now we're starting to seethis, this again.
Our, our likes are up.
Our numbers are jumping.
The people following us arejumping, the people responding
to our the people sharing ourTikTok videos, some of them.
We got one that was 20 or 30million people that they picked
(28:31):
up and they shared our TikTokand it was about a wedding.
So now we're starting tofinally see you know, 30, you
know we're 100 days into it um,uh, the fruits of the labor and
and, and you just got to keepexpressing to them hey, stay
with it, guys, this is gonnawork.
And the members come in and theytalk it up.
(28:51):
So they're hearing it from themembers, they're hearing it from
the vendors, they're hearing itfrom you know, on the street
they're.
They're hearing it from themembers, they're hearing it from
the vendors, they're hearing itfrom you know, on the street
they're.
They're reading about it onsocial media and it's just a
real exciting collaboration andI'm just so thrilled to the team
that I've built because it'severybody rowing in the same
(29:12):
direction, everybody doing thesame thing, everybody to a
common goal, and they're treatedwith love, they're treated with
respect and the big brotherthat I am, you know, so I
protect them and they like that,and the board is recognizing it
, the members are recognizingand appreciating it and it's
(29:34):
just all coming together.
It's a really exciting time andyou know we are turning this
club around and I keep, you know, the old tugboat analogy.
You can't come in and you knowI look at a private club as a
cruise ship.
They're all partying, they'reall having a good time, they're
all eating and drinking and boy,as a GM, you can't come in and
(29:57):
ram the side of the boat and getit going the way you want to go
right away.
You got to be that tugboat andyou got to nudge the side of the
cruise ship and slowly make theturn.
And it's been very slow, verymethodical, very.
All the moves and the changesI've made have been very
surgical because we're in ahistorical landmark.
This was the Millett OperaHouse.
(30:18):
This building was built in 1878.
For 40 years it was Austin'sfirst music venue.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
It was the social home.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
They did operas, they did magicettes, they did
vaudeville, they did singing,dancing.
It was the bee's knees, youname it, yeah, it was.
And it was the bees knees, youname it, yeah it was.
And this was the place to beback then.
And and it was for 40 years.
And uh, and, and then the uh.
Then in no particular order, itwas a hardware store, it was a
lumber yard, it was a bookbindery, it was a printing press
(30:52):
.
They actually put the second,you know, the middle floor in.
It was a two-story building.
They put a middle floor in andmade it a roller skating rink,
so for five cents you couldskate all day.
This was back in the early1900s.
And then the austin schooldistrict.
Um, uh, it was donated to theaustin school district.
They didn't use it for 40 years.
(31:12):
It's that the Austin Club,which was across the street,
found it in 1978.
They made a deal.
They took two years to renovateit and in 1980 they moved in
here.
The Austin Club has been inexistence for 76 years.
We've been here 50 years.
(31:37):
Just an outstanding building,just full of history, and we're
a working art museum.
We are a historical landmark,we're a museum.
We have our own ghosts.
We have Priscilla.
We have our own ghosts.
We have Priscilla.
We have our own ghost.
Rumor has it that?
(31:57):
Or legend has it that she wasone of the actresses and on the
last performance of the lastnight, before they were shutting
the opera house down, she foundout that her fiancé was
supposed to be married.
The next day she found out herfiancé was cheating on her and
she was walking across thecatwalk and we don't know if she
jumped, was pushed or fell offthe catwalk.
(32:20):
Two stories to her demise.
Now Priscilla has lived heresince.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
I got the chills.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
No, no, no.
She's a friendly ghost, she'svery.
She's a prankster.
She likes to move things around, she likes to knock over books,
play with the drapes.
There's times you could be hereand you're the only one you
could hear running aroundupstairs.
She used to hawk all threefloors.
(32:47):
Mr Richardson said enough.
He said you haven't paid a dimeof rent and you've lived here
all this time.
He banished her to the thirdfloor, up into the loony suite.
So she's banned to the thirdfloor.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
No capital dues, no assessments.
She's been a freeloader.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yes, she's been a freeloader, so we are actually a
stop on the Haunted Ghost Tourof Austin, and so we're
legendary for that.
This building has so muchhistory and just so many good.
Legendary for that.
This building has so muchhistory and just so much.
So many good things for it.
And I tell you what for being150 years old the building, it
is in tip-top shape.
(33:25):
The engineer that I talked toyou about he's been here 30
years.
He keeps this building going,so the 18 air conditioning units
and the dishwashers, and heknows how every circuit is.
And it's these professionals,and even the old school time,
you know, like you.
You come in and, oh, what doyou know?
(33:45):
Oh, you're the new guy.
You know you'll be gone andwhatever, whatever, it's just,
we all pull together and and youknow the, the older crew, the
younger crew, the new crew, andthey all rallied around me and
my vision, and we're churningman, we're churning, we're
burning, we're doing real good.
So the club's in great shape,going in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
I noticed you're inviting influencers into your
club and to me I'm all for likeanything progressive and moving
things forward.
But you know, from anoutsider's point of view,
inviting influencers into aprivate club feels very bold.
Uh, where did that who you know?
When did that all come about?
And then, how did you and howdo you all choose who you work
(34:33):
with and what you look for inthat kind of influencer partner?
Speaker 2 (34:38):
It was a.
That was a group collaboration.
To be honest with you, I thinkmy catering director and and
Faith, my graphic designer,social media goddess, and we all
kind of we were like, why not?
We've got a good product, weknow what we're doing.
We're firing on all cylinders.
(34:59):
We need the exposure.
We're having an open house thisSunday.
We've got over 200 peoplecoming.
We've got 20 or 30.
I think they cut it off at 20vendors.
They didn't want it to be a zoo.
So we've got 20 very selectvendors coming in and about 200
people everyone from brides toinfluencers to performers, you
(35:23):
name it.
We've got a lot of peoplecoming and we made it free to
the vendors.
We're going to serve somebeverages and some snacks and we
just want the positive exposure.
We want to get out there and wewant these influencers to be
part of it.
I did reach out to food criticshere in town.
(35:43):
That's bold, actually.
I've got to make myself a note.
I've got a follow-up.
It was about a week and a halfago.
You know.
I Googled.
I said, well, who's the top 10food critics in Austin?
And I got their names and theiraddresses and I reached out to
them and you know what You'vegot to roll the dice.
You've got to roll the dice.
(36:04):
We'll see if any of them takeus up on it.
I don't know if they will, butyou've got to try new things.
You've got to, you know, beingthat it is a city club, and, and
, and, and we want to continuethis forward progress.
That, um, uh, you know we'rejust trying new things.
(36:26):
Throw the spaghetti against thewall, see if it sticks yeah you
know, and any new ideas, freshideas, uh, any help that the
influence could have on us, uh,any help the food critics could
have on us, any, any, anypositive messaging out there
will help our cause.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
What's been the response from working with the
influencers?
Have you seen anything?
Have you seen any correlationbetween working with them?
I realize it's still newer-ish,but just from a 30,000-foot
view, was there any substantialincrease?
Were you able to run anymetrics?
Was there any you know?
Did it drive any inquiries?
(37:05):
Did it bring in some newbusiness?
Did it get some more buzz?
What was, what was it like andwhat were some of the the
takeaways from working with themand starting.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
It definitely has had an impact.
Uh, we've got a lot ofinquiries about weddings.
Um, people who are there's,there's a lot of people I didn't
realize.
There's a lot of people Ididn't realize this.
There's a lot of people thatlove these old historical
buildings and there's very fewand the numbers are decreasing
here in Austin, which is sad.
But again, this is why we'retrying to keep this going and
(37:37):
keep the Austin Club going andvibrant.
And you know, the Millett OperaHouse, the memory of the
Millett Opera House, and theMillett Opera House, the memory
of the Millett Opera House.
But we've seen an uptick inweddings, big parties.
We actually got a.
This is exciting.
We got a 21-year-old kid.
I call him a kid, I've got tiesthat are older than 21 years to
(38:01):
join up and he joined about amonth and a half ago.
We put him.
He's going to be in, he knowsabout it.
He's going to be in thismonth's our journal, our
newsletter, and we'rehighlighting him and we're going
to be using him.
We've invited him and some ofhis friends to come and, you
know, have some drinks, havesome appetizers, shoot, pool in
(38:22):
the game room and just kind ofhang out, and we're going to use
him to help us with socialmedia.
We're going for younger membersand we're trying a membership
for a day.
We had two on Friday and one ofthem joined right away and the
other guy was 33.
He's thinking about it so we'llfollow up with him, but I think
(38:47):
just getting that youth andre-energizing and getting
younger members is always thekey to any club, city or country
, and our average age isdropping here, which is nice,
but we're giving them more funthings to do.
We're coming up with creativeevents.
(39:09):
We do the traditional ones, butyet we're still building some
new ones.
We're doing a happy hour.
I roll a happy hour where youwalk in you get three rolls of
the dice.
If you roll a seven, yourappetizer buffet is free.
If you roll snake eyes, you geta free drink.
If you roll box powers, you geta free entree.
(39:30):
That's cool.
We've got a putt-putt to whereif you make the putt, you get a
free drink.
I love this Just to get peoplein, get them excited.
We've got a wheel like Wheel ofFortune.
You know, if we pull yournumber you spin the wheel and
you get.
You know, brunch for two,thanksgiving for two.
(39:51):
You get to pick one of themystery boxes.
I went to Sam's Club, costco,wrapped up.
You know.
We bought stuff 20 to 40 bucks,whatever.
Wrapped it up.
Experience, yeah, six packs ofnice beer, bottles of wine, just
to get the people here gettingexcited.
(40:12):
At first it started out realslow, but now we're packing the
bar every Wednesday night andthe people are coming out and
they're having fun and they'reposting on their social media,
which is, again, it's just thatwhole farming concept, to where
we're farming new members, moreexcitement, more energy and a
(40:33):
more youthful direction to takethis club to keep it going,
because there's only two.
I guess Mr Richardson when hetold me when he came to Austin
30 years ago, there was 11, 12,13 city clubs.
Now we're down to two.
So we've got to stay relevant,we've got to stay current.
We're engaging in a capital fundor capital campaign.
(40:56):
We want to purchase thebuilding.
We're about $2 million away.
So if you've got any extra cash, bring it all in your pocket,
denny, send it my way we'regoing to put it so we can take
control of the building and thenwhatever after that, or
whatever over $2 million,whatever we raise new carpeting,
new kitchen equipment just toget it all back to where it
(41:21):
needs to be to stay relevant.
We just redid the completeWi-Fi because that was huge.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
If you don't have a good Wi-Fi in 2025.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
I could have 60 laptops in the ballroom for a
presentation without Pat and I.
So now we've got laser Wi-Fiand very supportive.
We've got new servers, we'reapproving the lighting and the
sound and we got the chef somenew equipment in the kitchen.
(41:50):
So he's all excited.
Redid the menus, redid the winelist, anything we can get our
hands on and upgrade.
We've been doing it for thelast.
What are we down August, thelast eight months, and
everybody's excited.
You know they're.
They're excited to come to work, they're excited to be here.
Uh, you know, if they want tobring their parents or their
(42:12):
family or brunch, bring them.
I want you to show off yourclub because this is this to get
you excited.
It's them excited, it's themembers excited and and just
they, just we've created a.
You know, greg Patterson, we'vejust created the buzz and and
we've created a greatpartnership.
We've just created the buzz andit's just growing and it's
exploding and it's very excitingand this is where I want to
(42:35):
hang my hat.
This is how I want to go rightoff into the sunset and just do
good things here at the AustinCourt.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Any pushback from no zero.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
Really I've got my board or my president.
See, the difference here is,you know, at country clubs, the
president and all the countryclub managers are going to be
like what.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
LinkedIn's going to blow up.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Every year or two years they change presidents and
one-third of the board comesoff.
One-third of the board comes onand I want to make my name here
they're appointed to the boardfor life.
My current president is a great, great guy, curtis Spielberg.
He's been the president for 10years now, but he has been on
(43:24):
the board since 1988.
It's kind of like the Pope.
If you get anointed to bepresident of the Austin Club,
it's a lifetime appointment andthey've only had what was it?
Nine presidents in the 75 years.
Give or take a president, ortwo 75 years Give or take a
person there too.
But the board doesn't turn over.
(43:45):
And we've got a great board,very hands-off Ken, for 30 years
.
What are you going to tell himhow to run a club?
And then you bring in somebodybehind him.
And I got their confidenceright away.
And they're hands-off and theyjust said Paul, you do what you
do.
(44:05):
You've been doing this for along time and with your resume
and your experience, you just doyou.
And with the, you know they alltalk to the employees, they all
talk to their fellow members andthey, it's been very, very
positive.
They've been very supportive.
And they, it's been very, verypositive.
They've been very supportive.
So again, we don't have that,that, that presidential or that
(44:28):
board turnover.
We don't have the elections andall the politics and all the
all the googly goop I don't wantto use the word, but I'll use
googly goop that comes alongwith with the constant turnover,
and you know, because they getin, they get going, they get
situated and then they're, youknow I'm done.
(44:50):
Then they coast the last yearand they just want to get their
picture on the wall or theirstatue, or oh, look what I did
as president.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Their President's Day dinner.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
Yeah, exactly, we're here.
It's different.
They're very supportive,they're very hands-off and it's
just.
I have no committees.
Don't tell any of the club, Ihave zero committees.
I've got an executive committeethat I answer to.
Uh, we don't have.
I don't.
And I've spent how many days ofmy career golf committee,
(45:22):
committee, entertainmentcommittee, food and beverage,
this committee, that committee,cell phones, hats forward, hats
backwards, no hats, denim rakesin the trap, rakes out of the
trap, rakes halfway in the trapand halfway out of the trap.
I can't tell you how much of mylife has been pistol sitting
(45:43):
through these committee meetings.
And these people have no clue.
I sit there sometimes and I go.
Did you really say that?
You know, how did you become amulti-gazillionaire?
And you come up with aharebrained idea like that why
don't you let the club be run byprofessional club managers?
And they do that here.
You know, I don't Boom, youknow, know.
(46:05):
And financially we're solid,the membership wise we're solid.
There's no reason for them tostep in or interfere.
Uh, so ken ken set me up to forsuccess, but he, uh, I don't
want committees, I'll just runit.
And he ran the show and andwe've picked up up the.
He handed me the baton and wecarried it this far.
(46:27):
So so far, so good.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
As we wrap up, what advice would you have for
younger GMs, just maybe 20s, 30s, even like 40s young?
What advice do you have forpeople working their way up?
Speaker 2 (46:43):
Well, you can ask Alex.
I've been pushing him for thelast three, four weeks to beef
up his LinkedIn.
I think that is just soimportant to have a current
LinkedIn and populate it with asmuch as you can.
Get involved.
Read, write down your goals.
(47:03):
I write down my goals everyyear, uh, and I used to get
about an 82 to 87 completionrate, and if I don't finish them
, I carry them into the nextyear.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
so what is it if, uh, if you shoot for the moon,
you'll, you'll at least end upin the stars, you know?
I mean, at least you're, if youdon't you?
Speaker 2 (47:21):
you have no, you know where do I least you're if you
don't you have no, you knowwhere do I aim my arrow if you
don't have a target?
Um, you know, I challengemyself to read, uh, between 14
and 16 books a year.
I think that's important.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Healthy, uh, you know , stay healthy um um, what are,
what are, what are some of your?
What are your, what are some ofyour all-time favorite books?
And then what are some currentbooks you've read, maybe in the
last year or two, some newerbooks, so maybe a few books that
are your all-time favorites,and then a few that you've read
(47:55):
recently that you're like oh,that was good.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Well, what was funny was, if you remember, the
Philadelphia Eagle who wasreading Emotional Intelligence
on the sidelines and the camerascaught him reading the book on
the bench and I said you knowwhat?
There must be something aboutthat book.
I read it and I just finishedit, last week on the plane, and
that was outstanding Good togreat Boy, I tell you.
(48:18):
It just goes on and on and on.
I wasn't ready for thisquestion, I know I mean, it's
just so many.
That indescribable hospitality,thank you.
Indescribable hospitality, thatis huge.
That just came out a year or soago.
But anything, anything, you getyour hands on that you have an
(48:43):
interest in, that, you have apassion in.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
And even if you don't have a passion and you don't
love it, just reading it andjust having an opinion on
something and engaging with thebook.
Because I think some people arelike, ah, at least, even if
you're not 100% all in, at leastfinish or try to.
And even if you don't agreewith everything, engage with the
book, like why don't you agree?
It gets the brain going, getsit stimulated, gets your Read
one at a time.
Speaker 2 (49:07):
I have a hard time.
I can't read two books at onetime.
Boom, power through it, bang,pick it up and get the next one.
Let's go back to your questionabout advice.
Young kids learn the numbers,Accounting, accounting,
accounting.
The language of numbers is soimportant.
That's why I'm going to stressto my little grandson, Sebastian
(49:31):
, that know the numbers, learnthe numbers, understand the
numbers.
When you're in a board meeting,you're the smartest guy in the
room because you're privy to notonly the numbers but what's
behind those numbers.
And it's so brutally importantto know and know the data and
(49:52):
have the data at your disposal.
Now, with Jonas and ClubEssentials and all these
different, pick the one you want.
They've all got thesedashboards and these data.
Use them.
Mine the data, read the data,absorb the data and use the data
to make.
All your decisions should be95% data-driven and 10% driven
(50:15):
from the heart and the gut.
I think that's real important.
If you find the right club, staythere.
I've jumped for money and I'mliving proof that it didn't work
.
You know, I doubled my salaryone time and I won't name the
(50:36):
club, but it just.
They put a country, they put afamily country club manager on
the East Coast in a golf cluband it wasn't a good fit and I
went for money.
Don't go for money.
And if you find the right club,stay there, stick it out, stay
loyal, stay true.
If you want to be, eventuallyyou'll get there, because every
(51:00):
two and a half to three to fouryears the GM changes over.
And if you stick with, if youget a club that just fits like a
good old pair of blue jeans,stay there.
Please don't be jumping for thenext title or the next.
I was always I'm guilty andJulie will agree when she hears
this that I was always lookingwhat's the next opportunity,
(51:20):
what's the next?
And I always had nine toes outthe door just looking for that
next big score, that next bigclub or that next bright lights
and big.
And it doesn't have to be a bigclub.
I've been in big clubs.
I've been in little clubs.
I love the little clubs.
There's nothing.
The money might not be thatgood or you might oh, I've only
(51:43):
got eight department heads andnot 15.
But I tell you what managing asmaller club is more challenging
but yet more rewarding, and youcan be more you.
It can be more you.
You can be more hands-on andhelp mold and shape and and grow
that club and club and be partof that and be honest, Be honest
(52:06):
.
This is my final thought foryoung managers Be honest, Be
true to yourself, Be true toyour family, Make time for
yourself, have work-life balance, but always tell the truth,
because it will always come backand get you in the ass or if
you're trying to BS your way outof something.
(52:26):
The people that the membersthat we deal with are not stupid
.
They didn't becomegazillionaires overnight by not
knowing what's good, what'sright, what's wrong.
So don't try to BS your way,because they'll smell it.
They'll smell it and they'llcall you out um, that's about it
(52:48):
, dude yeah, no, that was good,that was real good.
Speaker 1 (52:51):
I actually had a really good episode with ryan
brennan, uh, from manasquanriver golf club and that was
like that's sort of like whatthe whole episode was about is.
You know, he had the, he hadthe opportunity to leave and all
this stuff, but he was like no,like this is a good opportunity
.
He knew he wasn't going to beGM in five years and 10 years.
He knew it was going to take uma little bit of time, but he,
(53:13):
you know, he just waited it outand just realized what he had.
You know how how green thegrass is and can be here Um.
So, yeah, it was really reallyreally cool to hear that.
Thank you so much for coming on.
Thank you for sharing.
This was so good.
I'm so happy we were able to dothis.
Speaker 2 (53:26):
No, nothing, Appreciate it man.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Hope you all enjoyed that, paul.
Thank you so so, so much forcoming on and sharing and giving
and all you're doing for theclub industry, for your club.
It is truly great to watch.
If you want to learn more aboutManagement in Motion, head on
over to privateclubradiocomslash managementinmotion.
That's this episode.
I'm your host, denny Corby.
Until next time, catch y'all onthe Flippity Flip.
Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club
Radio Show, where we give youthe scoop on all things private
golf and country clubs Frommastering, leadership and
management, food and beverageexcellence, member engagement
secrets, board governance andeverything in between, all while
keeping it fun and light.
Whether you're a club veteranjust getting your feet wet or
somewhere in the middle, you arein the right place.
(00:20):
I'm your host, denny Corby.
Welcome to the show.
In this episode we are talkingwith Paul Kornfein, who is one
of the very few certified masterclub managers CCM and the guy
who's taking a 150-year-old clubin downtown Austin and making
it TikTok worthy.
We're talking tradition meetsdisruption in the best way
(00:42):
possible, because in thisepisode, paul is peeling back
the curtain on how the AustinClub is using content creators
to spark buzz, how Gen Z isactually responding to private
clubs and the creative eventsthey are doing.
That's getting people talkingand coming into the club.
We're talking selling outevents at the club midweek.
We walk through Paul's historyand a little bit of what got him
(01:05):
into the clubs to hear wherehe's at now rethinking outdated
club rules, injecting energyinto old spaces and why.
The future of clubs depends onhow well we tell our stories,
and not just the club stories,but also our own personal
stories as well.
And what prompted all of thisis his use of influencers and
(01:27):
social media and being active ondifferent platforms to showcase
not just himself and his ownpersonal brand, but also the
club and the Austin Club andwhat they are doing to attract,
retain and get members.
And the crazy part and the bestpart is everybody is on board,
everybody.
And the best part is everybodyis on board Everybody, from the
staff to the members to theboard, everybody.
(01:47):
I love this episode.
I love Paul.
He's such a great guy, such agreat dude, full of energy and
insight, and I cannot wait foryou all to dive in Before we do.
Big thanks to our show partnersand if you are interested in
any of our show partners, if andwhen you reach out, just let
them know.
Hey, you appreciate themsupporting us here on Private
(02:07):
Club Radio.
Also.
Real quick, my 2025 isbasically booked.
I might have two dates left,but right now currently booking
for 2026, my comedy, magic andmind reading show, the Denny
Corby experience.
There's excitement, there'smystery.
Also there's magic, mindreading and comedy.
A ton of laughs, gasps and holycraps.
I perform for well over 350clubs and would love to come to
(02:29):
yours next.
So if you're looking for 2026events, so if you're interested,
let's have a conversation.
And if you wanna have a ton offun with me and about 50 other
club people club professionalsI'm hosting Management in Motion
at the Monticello Motor Club.
This is a well-crafted, curatedleadership event for you, the
club professional, where we aregoing to rip up BMWs, m2s, 3s
(02:51):
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(03:13):
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Enough about that, let's get tothe episode.
Private Club Radio listeners.
Let's welcome to the show myfriend Paul Kornfein.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
So I will trade the Chicago and the Green Bay
winters any day for thesetemperatures here.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Brutal, brutal.
I think when I was up there,when you and I first met, I
remember it was like chilling,like it was freezing.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well, like six months solid, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So it's yeah, I have no issues being down dude, you
have been crushing it with theaustin club and the content and
your social media and all ofthat.
It's been so cool to watch ithas.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I've had a lot of help.
We brought in a gal who's 20years old.
She's a student at UT and she'sthe brain, she's the driving
force.
I come up with the ideas andthe thoughts and she takes it
and puts it to action.
But it's a collaboration of all.
It's my entire teamcollaborating, so it's really
(04:23):
kind of exciting.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Did you bring her in?
For that reason I did.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
She wants to be a wedding planner and my catering
gal ran into her at a networkingevent and she's just like why
don't you come talk to Paul?
This is a great club, this is agreat opportunity.
He's a great guy to work withand you know, we sat down and
(04:49):
and it was a perfect, it was aright off the bat.
You know it was a good hit andshe's delivered.
She has delivered and, but it'severybody.
It's the chefs in the kitchen,it's the bartenders, it's Alex,
my assistant, it's me, it's thewhole leadership team, but she's
(05:10):
been the one to pull it alltogether and, like they, started
an Austin Club events page topromote our weddings and our
outside events, because we needtwo to three big events a month
to make budget.
So that's an area that we'redragging in a little bit, but
(05:31):
we've had a great year so far.
Financially we're rock solid.
Membership is up.
You don't hear that.
We're running a profit in foodand beverage, which in this
industry is next to nearimpossible.
We are coming off of a goodlegislative session.
Every two years we go into alegislative session and we had a
(05:56):
lot of support from that.
We had a lot of, you know,fundraisers and political events
and political events.
And boy, there was days whereit was all three floors, all
rooms, just rocking and rolling,Wow, and some of them flipped
three, four times a day.
So we've had a real good 2025.
(06:18):
You know, I came out ofretirement when Penn called me
and he says you know what?
I'm getting ready to retire.
He says this is a pretty goodgig and he goes I know you still
got more gas in the tank and Isaid, all right, Ken, I'll come
take a look.
And I actually fell in love.
I fell in love with the cluband I've never managing a city
(06:40):
club before.
It's been a real culture shockto the positive.
I don't have the golf course, Idon't have the pool, I don't
have the tennis, I don't havethe stairs, all the stress.
I don't have to haul coolers andkegs of beer to the 14th tee
you know what I mean and I don'thave 400 or 500 little kids
running around, which I enjoybeing a little kid that I am.
(07:02):
I tried that adulthood.
That was the worst two weeks ofmy life, but it's nice.
We're right around the cornerfrom the Capitol.
Most of our members arepoliticians, are lobbyists.
The governor, the mayor, comeshere every week.
(07:22):
The lieutenant governor's got abig event tomorrow night for
200, 300 people.
Ted Cruz did a book signing hereabout four or five months ago.
So we're not affiliated withany political affiliations, but
we're kind of side by side withthe Capitol and the folks that
(07:44):
work up at the Capitol and it'sexciting to be downtown.
I was down here for the protest, the positive, supportive
protest that happened a month orso, maybe two months ago, and
we actually had a wedding, a250-person wedding, that night.
So I basically stood at thefront door as a bouncer.
(08:06):
So I was no longer GM, I was abouncer in charge and we were
able to, but it was a peacefuldemonstration.
It was really nice to see thepeople coming out, and I mean
there was thousands, I couldn'ttell you how many people were
downtown here.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Were you able to convert any of those people to
members?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
No.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
You guys go walk out.
Here we got applications.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
The thing here in Austin is keep Austin weird.
And the weird came out ofAustin and they were some of the
signs and some of the outfitsand some of the bicycle
decorating.
Oh, it was just a reallyinteresting day and very, very
(08:54):
fun.
But it's nice to work downtown.
It's kind of a beast to getdown here, but it's something
also different.
I'm used to working in acountry club which are located,
you know, outside of the city.
So this was another change and,as you know, Austin is just
exploding and it has been andthe roads are expanding.
(09:18):
The roads finally, a lot of themare under construction.
But the growth and you look upwhen you're coming into the city
, you look at the skyline andthe amount of cranes that are
just throughout the city.
It's really kind of exciting tobe part of a town that's
growing and developing andexploding and just to be down
(09:40):
there for a really cool time andagain, no snow.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
You spent most of your career up north, right yeah
most of them.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
I was born and raised in Chicago, moved out to
Northbrook where I startedcaddying and then I worked at a
holiday inn in the kitchen andcame up to the dishwasher for
five days and the chef the cookdidn't show up.
So the chef says, hey, paul,you want to learn how to cook?
And I said you know what Araise and a promotion.
This is the industry for me andI never really looked back.
(10:09):
So I've been in it, you know,my whole life and my whole
career, went to University ofWisconsin-Stout, studied hotel
restaurant management and gotinto club management by fluke.
And Doc Watson, the GM atBarton Hills, went back to
Sunset Ridge where he was the GMfor 25 years and he says you
(10:32):
know, I'm looking for somebodyyoung and up and coming and
somebody green that I can moldright out of school and I had
done my summer internship there.
And they all said, oh, paul,paul, paul.
So I'm up at school and thephone rings and I pick it up.
I'm like hello, and he goesPaul, this is Doc Watson.
I'm like okay, and he goes.
I just had lunch with DieterBurns and the staff from Sunset
(10:56):
Ridge.
I sat up and I said okay, nowyou got my attention and he says
would you like to come out toBarton Hills in Ann Arbor,
michigan, and check the placeout and see if this would be a
fit for you?
And I still had another fullsemester to go.
I said but I need to do amanagement internship, would you
consider that?
He said sure.
(11:16):
So I went out, fell in lovewith the town and fell in love
with the club and Doc Watson,until the day he passed, was a
mentor and a friend and somebodywho I, who I, while my entire
career because he really got mefunneled into private clubs,
which is such a niche industryand unless you know about it,
(11:36):
you don't know about it.
Yeah, so it's really kind ofexciting, uh, and then, yeah, so
so most of my career was in andaround Chicago and we went out
to Leesburg, indiana, toTippecanoe Lake Country Club and
then out to the East Coast forthree years, chester Valley Golf
Club.
That was fun.
But after three years of beingout East my wife got a little
(11:59):
homesick and Julie got ablessing.
She says you know what, can wego home?
And I said sure.
So we went back and that's whenI worked up in Appleton,
wisconsin, right down inMelbourne at North Shore Golf
Club.
And then my grandson was bornand my son has lived down here
(12:24):
for 16, 17 years at the time andlittle Sebastian was born and
Julie and I flew down there andI held Sebastian, I looked at
him, I looked at my wife.
I looked at him, I looked at mywife.
30 days later, we had a poorsale sign in front of our home.
28 and a half hours after that,we had a signed contract True
story.
30 days, 32 hours after that,we had a signed contract true
(12:47):
story.
Thirty-two days after that, I'mcrossing the Red River into
Texas.
That's wild.
It was just a miracle how I gota job.
I went on LinkedIn and Googled,you know, austin Club Managers,
and found a great guy, mr LarryHarper.
God rest his soul.
And I said hey, larry, you got10 minutes, 20 minutes for a
(13:08):
conversation, and sure, well, wefinally hooked up with time and
we were chatting and 20 minutesturned into two and a half
hours.
And after that time I saidLarry, you know, and he was
president of the chapter downhere I said can I send you my
resume in case something comesup?
Sure, paul, send it to me.
So I sent it to him, didn'thear it.
Didn't hear it.
About a week and a half laterthe phone rings.
(13:29):
He goes Paul, it's Larry Harper.
Hey, mr Harper, what's going on?
He says I got a job for you.
He says where he goes here,create a house with me.
So in the really needed aconnection and the network truly
came through and thank you,linkedin for putting us together
(13:52):
.
Here we are and we ended updown here and was there for
about four years, retired for areal short time and I think I
was retired about two days andKen Richardson, he called me up.
He goes, you're not ready.
Come on, man, he goes.
You're not ready.
Come on, man, he goes.
You're kidding me.
And here we are at probably oneof the greatest clubs that I've
had in my entire career.
(14:13):
And it was just funny how again, and just how important it is
to you know and just how funnythe world works and how life
works.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
People are sleeping on LinkedIn, whether they like
it or not.
There is so much opportunitythere and just to be seen, just
to have an active profile thatyou update, and I mean if you
can post, I mean you post a lotwhich is impressive, both you
and the club.
But I mean just posting, justhaving something up there, just
staying front of mind.
(14:56):
You just never know when you'regoing to need help and when you
have the algorithm on your side.
You know people always want toget on or do stuff when, when
they need it.
But, like you have to, you haveto give to receive also, so so
you got to, like, feed the beasta little bit in order to keep
keep the ball rolling.
Now you've been in the clubspace for so long, being in the
(15:18):
club space for you know, allthese years you have your CCM,
your MCM, which you know.
We could probably do a wholewhole episode just on that,
because there's not too too toomany MCMs.
You know what.
You know from your point ofview, your perspective, working
different parts of the country.
What sort of shifts have youseen changing in club leadership
since you first started to now?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I would say the biggest.
And it's funny.
I was just at the Texas chapterSummer Meeting and I looked
around the room and the amountof females there was probably 60
to 65 percent of the attendeeswere female, where back 20, 30
(15:58):
years ago there might have beenthree people, three or four
women in club management.
Three people, three or fourwomen in club management.
So that's been a huge, hugeshift which I embrace and I love
it.
I encourage it.
I think it's fantastic.
Covid.
Covid absolutely flipped thisindustry on its end.
(16:23):
It's now very employee-driven,where you know there's the tail
wagging the dog.
They want that, that Uberdriver.
They have that Uber drivermentality.
They want to work when theywant to work, where they want to
work, how they want to work.
You know, if I want to take athree-hour lunch, ooh, you know
it drops into the wind.
(16:43):
And I've just seen a big shiftin loyalty.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
In good or bad.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
In bad.
People aren't loyal like theyused to be to companies.
I mean even you know I'mfortunate here and what
attracted me here was there's alot of 30, 40 year employees.
You know Ken Richardson wasthere 30 years.
I've got people on staff.
I've got waiters that you know26, 29 years.
(17:15):
My building engineer 30 years,my controller 26 years.
You don't find that kind ofloyalty anymore.
And when I was looking attaking this position I looked at
that and I said you know what,for these people to be at this
club for this long, that there'sgot to be something going on
here.
And I was right.
(17:35):
You know, here we are two onhere.
And I was right.
You know, here we are two yearsalready and loving every day,
very excited.
Back to your question.
I'm sorry I got a littletangent there no good.
Yeah, women in management, theshift, technology, how
(17:55):
technology now is making it alot easier but yet a lot harder.
In the same vein, because nowyou've got to build and keep up
the apps, you've got to buildand keep up the websites, you've
got to build the onlinereservations for tennis, for
pickleball, for this, for that.
So technology is a friend and afoe.
(18:19):
It does make things a loteasier at times, but then it
makes it a lot more challenging.
The shift in now, now, now, now, now the Gen well, we're not
Gen Z isn't really quite membersyet.
They're starting to, but it'smore the.
I mean, they want everythingnow and fast and quick.
(18:40):
And again, with COVID there wasa shift, a huge shift to goers
and there's still a demand forthat, you know.
But it's all the grab and go.
It's the instant gratification,it's the online reservations,
it's the.
You know, but it's the instantgratification, it's the online
(19:00):
reservations, it's the.
You know, but it's so funnythat you have.
You got LinkedIn, you gotTikTok, you got this, you got
that.
You could still put thecalendar over the urinals and
you still.
I didn't know about this event,I didn't, you know, nobody told
me.
You know, but yet we're hittingthem from now 15 different
angles, where before it was oneor two.
(19:21):
But I would say those are thebig three.
Those are the big three, Iwould think, in my opinion, also
the competition, especially ina town like Austin.
This is a food city, this is afood city, chicago is a food
city, the whole country is afood city and you know we're
(19:44):
even competing with the foodtrucks.
You know, here in Austin it'shuge.
I think we're the food truckcapital of the world.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Well, there's people.
That will be a line down theblock for people to wait for
food trucks, the barbecue joints.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
My Lord, if you don't get there.
You got to get in line at eightin the morning, seven, eight
o'clock in the morning and hopethere's still food left at 11,
30, 12 o'clock when you get upto the front of the line, uh, so
I just think that you know the,the demand for, uh, you know
for for food and and for goodfood, for good service, for that
(20:17):
instant gratification for.
You know for food and for goodfood, for good service, for that
instant gratification for youknow for technology.
There's just a it's a lotharder to be a club manager now
than it was 30 years ago.
You have to be so much moreadvanced and you're really.
This is where CMA comes intoplay and I'm so grateful for CMA
and they're not sponsoring thispodcast, but they're continuing
(20:42):
the education and thediversification and the
educational seminars and all theofferings and all the different
levels and they keep, like theBMIs.
When I went through theBusiness Management Institutes,
the know, the one through fiveand international.
They've completely reinventedthem since I've gone through and
(21:04):
they're staying up with thetimes.
They're staying up with thetechnology and God bless CMA for
what they're doing bothnationally and locally here, our
Texas chapter, san Brewster,probably the finest, and I've
worked with some real, real goodones over the.
You know, in the three or fourdifferent chapters I've been in
with San Brewster down here theTexas Lone Star chapter takes it
(21:27):
to the next level.
He really does a real nice job.
The Texas chapter is big andstrong.
A little more challenging herebecause the meetings are so
spread out Back in Chicago.
It's such a concentrationYou've got 120 clubs within the
greater Chicago area For Texas.
(21:49):
Sometimes you've got to drivefour, five, six hours to get to
a meeting or to get to a statemeeting.
But that's okay.
But I think CMA is doing well.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Yeah, there you go, there's a lot of good.
Yeah, just competition witheverything.
Everywhere is just competition.
Now, people are just fightingfor attention because it's so
easy to get and start up.
But the good ones aremaintaining and rolling through
and the ones that you can tellbecause people are very quick to
(22:22):
.
They spend their money and youcan see where they're spending
their money.
And they're a little bit morenow.
Cautious isn't the word, butthey're blanking on the word,
but just conscious of wherethey're spending their money.
Blanking on the word, but just,uh, conscious of where they're
spending their money and whereit's going so yeah.
Yeah.
(22:43):
So I want to go back and touchon your content, marketing, um,
and the stuff that you're doingwith the club.
So when, uh, cause I know yousaid you brought somebody on for
that, did you?
How long before you broughtthem on, were you guys starting
to have those conversations andgo?
You know, we should really bedoing more and I like what
(23:05):
you're doing because you alsosaid how everybody is involved.
A lot of clubs want to do stuff.
Or, like the marketing, youknow, marcom person is going,
hey, this is stuff we have to bedoing.
And sometimes even the boardsare going, hey, this is stuff we
have to be doing.
And sometimes even the boardsare going, hey, this is stuff we
have to be doing.
But then, when push comes toshove, and now it's time to go
do stuff, the chef, I don't wantto do this, I don't want to be
on, I don't want to do that, Idon't want to.
(23:25):
And you know how did you geteverybody on board?
Were they already on board?
Like, did everyone?
Did everyone just see thelandscape of what was happening
and either buckle up or get off?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Ken Richardson was the GM for 30 years Older
gentleman, great guy, totalrespect, mad respect for the guy
, but wasn't really into socialmedia.
It was not a high priority.
I worked with Ken for 16 monthsbefore he retired.
So I had 16 months to build ateam, to get a game plan, to
(24:04):
know what I wanted to do.
So when January 1st hit of 2025, this last year we hit the
ground running.
I had, you know, the last threeor four months he said just do
what you do, and I was able tohire the people I wanted to hire
.
You know, back to Jim Collins,put the right people on the bus
and in the right seats andeverybody moving in the right
(24:26):
direction, everybody looking outthe windshield and, you know,
got rid of the baggage, thepeople that were riding
underneath the bus got rid ofthem.
And I've had a vision and Iknow where I want to take.
This club and city clubs ingeneral are on the decline.
So I knew this was a bigchallenge.
(24:48):
So I wanted to bring all myyears of experience in my MCM
and really and this is my lastrun, this is it.
You know, I'm going to takethis to 65, 67 maybe.
So I want to definitely go outon top and I want to make a
difference, and it would bereally easy to coast.
But I saw the need, I saw thedemand, I saw and I've got a
(25:13):
real passion for, uh, for socialmedia, and for posting and and
uh, and giving back to theindustry that I love so much and
and has given me so much uh,both personally and
professionally.
And um, uh, it was just there,was the need, was there, uh, we
(25:35):
had the right person at theright time and it was lightning
in a ball and it all worked outjust perfectly.
Faith has been with us for, oh,coming up on three months and
just crushing it, you know.
And just the positive attitude,and just you know I've
surrounded myself with goodpeople.
That's the trick.
(25:55):
And you know it's like a motorthe piston doesn't work.
You take out that piston, youput in a new piston and you know
, you replace pistons until thatmotor's humming.
And even if you put in a newpiston which happened, you know
that piston wasn't working boom,we took that piston out, put in
a new piston and I think nowwe're firing on all eight
(26:19):
cylinders and, um, I think,coming in with a positive
attitude, coming in with a newleadership style.
You know, less management, moreleadership in me.
Oh it kind of inspired.
I think I've inspired thesepeople.
I've got a very, very positiveyoung man that I'm working with.
(26:40):
Dennis Pettish was GM here inAustin for 20, 30 years.
His son, alex, now works for me.
He was under dad's wing for 10,12 years and then he went to
Houston, tried a few clubs andthen this opportunity opened up
and I know Dennis.
So again, the network.
(27:02):
And I said, what about thatyoung man here?
What's he up to?
And he says, well, he's lookingto get back to Austin.
And so I brought Alex back andhe brings that youth and that
enthusiasm and it reinvigoratedmy purpose.
I now am the mentor.
You know, when I came upthrough the ranks, I had three
(27:23):
or four outstanding mentors thathelped shape me, be the leader
that I am.
And now it's my turn to giveback.
So I've got a young crew whichis nice, to give back.
So I've got a young crew whichis nice and again being young at
heart and again refusing togrow up, it kind of helps me
(27:46):
generate excitement with amongstthem and keep them excited and
keep them motivated.
And we're starting to seeresults.
When we started this it was, youknow, at first it was and I
kept telling him guys, we'refarming, we're farming, we're
not, we're planting seeds, we'regoing to give it love, we're
going to give it nourishment,we're going to give it sunlight
and air and everything thatthese plants need to grow manure
(28:10):
sprouts.
And then they were pretty.
So now we're starting to seethis, this again.
Our, our likes are up.
Our numbers are jumping.
The people following us arejumping, the people responding
to our the people sharing ourTikTok videos, some of them.
We got one that was 20 or 30million people that they picked
(28:31):
up and they shared our TikTokand it was about a wedding.
So now we're starting tofinally see you know, 30, you
know we're 100 days into it um,uh, the fruits of the labor and
and, and you just got to keepexpressing to them hey, stay
with it, guys, this is gonnawork.
And the members come in and theytalk it up.
(28:51):
So they're hearing it from themembers, they're hearing it from
the vendors, they're hearing itfrom you know, on the street
they're.
They're hearing it from themembers, they're hearing it from
the vendors, they're hearing itfrom you know, on the street
they're.
They're reading about it onsocial media and it's just a
real exciting collaboration andI'm just so thrilled to the team
that I've built because it'severybody rowing in the same
(29:12):
direction, everybody doing thesame thing, everybody to a
common goal, and they're treatedwith love, they're treated with
respect and the big brotherthat I am, you know, so I
protect them and they like that,and the board is recognizing it
, the members are recognizingand appreciating it and it's
(29:34):
just all coming together.
It's a really exciting time andyou know we are turning this
club around and I keep, you know, the old tugboat analogy.
You can't come in and you knowI look at a private club as a
cruise ship.
They're all partying, they'reall having a good time, they're
all eating and drinking and boy,as a GM, you can't come in and
(29:57):
ram the side of the boat and getit going the way you want to go
right away.
You got to be that tugboat andyou got to nudge the side of the
cruise ship and slowly make theturn.
And it's been very slow, verymethodical, very.
All the moves and the changesI've made have been very
surgical because we're in ahistorical landmark.
This was the Millett OperaHouse.
(30:18):
This building was built in 1878.
For 40 years it was Austin'sfirst music venue.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
It was the social home.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
They did operas, they did magicettes, they did
vaudeville, they did singing,dancing.
It was the bee's knees, youname it, yeah, it was.
And it was the bees knees, youname it, yeah it was.
And this was the place to beback then.
And and it was for 40 years.
And uh, and, and then the uh.
Then in no particular order, itwas a hardware store, it was a
lumber yard, it was a bookbindery, it was a printing press
(30:52):
.
They actually put the second,you know, the middle floor in.
It was a two-story building.
They put a middle floor in andmade it a roller skating rink,
so for five cents you couldskate all day.
This was back in the early1900s.
And then the austin schooldistrict.
Um, uh, it was donated to theaustin school district.
They didn't use it for 40 years.
(31:12):
It's that the Austin Club,which was across the street,
found it in 1978.
They made a deal.
They took two years to renovateit and in 1980 they moved in
here.
The Austin Club has been inexistence for 76 years.
We've been here 50 years.
(31:37):
Just an outstanding building,just full of history, and we're
a working art museum.
We are a historical landmark,we're a museum.
We have our own ghosts.
We have Priscilla.
We have our own ghosts.
We have Priscilla.
We have our own ghost.
Rumor has it that?
(31:57):
Or legend has it that she wasone of the actresses and on the
last performance of the lastnight, before they were shutting
the opera house down, she foundout that her fiancé was
supposed to be married.
The next day she found out herfiancé was cheating on her and
she was walking across thecatwalk and we don't know if she
jumped, was pushed or fell offthe catwalk.
(32:20):
Two stories to her demise.
Now Priscilla has lived heresince.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
I got the chills.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
No, no, no.
She's a friendly ghost, she'svery.
She's a prankster.
She likes to move things around, she likes to knock over books,
play with the drapes.
There's times you could be hereand you're the only one you
could hear running aroundupstairs.
She used to hawk all threefloors.
(32:47):
Mr Richardson said enough.
He said you haven't paid a dimeof rent and you've lived here
all this time.
He banished her to the thirdfloor, up into the loony suite.
So she's banned to the thirdfloor.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
No capital dues, no assessments.
She's been a freeloader.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yes, she's been a freeloader, so we are actually a
stop on the Haunted Ghost Tourof Austin, and so we're
legendary for that.
This building has so muchhistory and just so many good.
Legendary for that.
This building has so muchhistory and just so much.
So many good things for it.
And I tell you what for being150 years old the building, it
is in tip-top shape.
(33:25):
The engineer that I talked toyou about he's been here 30
years.
He keeps this building going,so the 18 air conditioning units
and the dishwashers, and heknows how every circuit is.
And it's these professionals,and even the old school time,
you know, like you.
You come in and, oh, what doyou know?
(33:45):
Oh, you're the new guy.
You know you'll be gone andwhatever, whatever, it's just,
we all pull together and and youknow the, the older crew, the
younger crew, the new crew, andthey all rallied around me and
my vision, and we're churningman, we're churning, we're
burning, we're doing real good.
So the club's in great shape,going in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
I noticed you're inviting influencers into your
club and to me I'm all for likeanything progressive and moving
things forward.
But you know, from anoutsider's point of view,
inviting influencers into aprivate club feels very bold.
Uh, where did that who you know?
When did that all come about?
And then, how did you and howdo you all choose who you work
(34:33):
with and what you look for inthat kind of influencer partner?
Speaker 2 (34:38):
It was a.
That was a group collaboration.
To be honest with you, I thinkmy catering director and and
Faith, my graphic designer,social media goddess, and we all
kind of we were like, why not?
We've got a good product, weknow what we're doing.
We're firing on all cylinders.
(34:59):
We need the exposure.
We're having an open house thisSunday.
We've got over 200 peoplecoming.
We've got 20 or 30.
I think they cut it off at 20vendors.
They didn't want it to be a zoo.
So we've got 20 very selectvendors coming in and about 200
people everyone from brides toinfluencers to performers, you
(35:23):
name it.
We've got a lot of peoplecoming and we made it free to
the vendors.
We're going to serve somebeverages and some snacks and we
just want the positive exposure.
We want to get out there and wewant these influencers to be
part of it.
I did reach out to food criticshere in town.
(35:43):
That's bold, actually.
I've got to make myself a note.
I've got a follow-up.
It was about a week and a halfago.
You know.
I Googled.
I said, well, who's the top 10food critics in Austin?
And I got their names and theiraddresses and I reached out to
them and you know what You'vegot to roll the dice.
You've got to roll the dice.
(36:04):
We'll see if any of them takeus up on it.
I don't know if they will, butyou've got to try new things.
You've got to, you know, beingthat it is a city club, and, and
, and, and we want to continuethis forward progress.
That, um, uh, you know we'rejust trying new things.
(36:26):
Throw the spaghetti against thewall, see if it sticks yeah you
know, and any new ideas, freshideas, uh, any help that the
influence could have on us, uh,any help the food critics could
have on us, any, any, anypositive messaging out there
will help our cause.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
What's been the response from working with the
influencers?
Have you seen anything?
Have you seen any correlationbetween working with them?
I realize it's still newer-ish,but just from a 30,000-foot
view, was there any substantialincrease?
Were you able to run anymetrics?
Was there any you know?
Did it drive any inquiries?
(37:05):
Did it bring in some newbusiness?
Did it get some more buzz?
What was, what was it like andwhat were some of the the
takeaways from working with themand starting.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
It definitely has had an impact.
Uh, we've got a lot ofinquiries about weddings.
Um, people who are there's,there's a lot of people I didn't
realize.
There's a lot of people Ididn't realize this.
There's a lot of people thatlove these old historical
buildings and there's very fewand the numbers are decreasing
here in Austin, which is sad.
But again, this is why we'retrying to keep this going and
(37:37):
keep the Austin Club going andvibrant.
And you know, the Millett OperaHouse, the memory of the
Millett Opera House, and theMillett Opera House, the memory
of the Millett Opera House.
But we've seen an uptick inweddings, big parties.
We actually got a.
This is exciting.
We got a 21-year-old kid.
I call him a kid, I've got tiesthat are older than 21 years to
(38:01):
join up and he joined about amonth and a half ago.
We put him.
He's going to be in, he knowsabout it.
He's going to be in thismonth's our journal, our
newsletter, and we'rehighlighting him and we're going
to be using him.
We've invited him and some ofhis friends to come and, you
know, have some drinks, havesome appetizers, shoot, pool in
(38:22):
the game room and just kind ofhang out, and we're going to use
him to help us with socialmedia.
We're going for younger membersand we're trying a membership
for a day.
We had two on Friday and one ofthem joined right away and the
other guy was 33.
He's thinking about it so we'llfollow up with him, but I think
(38:47):
just getting that youth andre-energizing and getting
younger members is always thekey to any club, city or country
, and our average age isdropping here, which is nice,
but we're giving them more funthings to do.
We're coming up with creativeevents.
(39:09):
We do the traditional ones, butyet we're still building some
new ones.
We're doing a happy hour.
I roll a happy hour where youwalk in you get three rolls of
the dice.
If you roll a seven, yourappetizer buffet is free.
If you roll snake eyes, you geta free drink.
If you roll box powers, you geta free entree.
(39:30):
That's cool.
We've got a putt-putt to whereif you make the putt, you get a
free drink.
I love this Just to get peoplein, get them excited.
We've got a wheel like Wheel ofFortune.
You know, if we pull yournumber you spin the wheel and
you get.
You know, brunch for two,thanksgiving for two.
(39:51):
You get to pick one of themystery boxes.
I went to Sam's Club, costco,wrapped up.
You know.
We bought stuff 20 to 40 bucks,whatever.
Wrapped it up.
Experience, yeah, six packs ofnice beer, bottles of wine, just
to get the people here gettingexcited.
(40:12):
At first it started out realslow, but now we're packing the
bar every Wednesday night andthe people are coming out and
they're having fun and they'reposting on their social media,
which is, again, it's just thatwhole farming concept, to where
we're farming new members, moreexcitement, more energy and a
(40:33):
more youthful direction to takethis club to keep it going,
because there's only two.
I guess Mr Richardson when hetold me when he came to Austin
30 years ago, there was 11, 12,13 city clubs.
Now we're down to two.
So we've got to stay relevant,we've got to stay current.
We're engaging in a capital fundor capital campaign.
(40:56):
We want to purchase thebuilding.
We're about $2 million away.
So if you've got any extra cash, bring it all in your pocket,
denny, send it my way we'regoing to put it so we can take
control of the building and thenwhatever after that, or
whatever over $2 million,whatever we raise new carpeting,
new kitchen equipment just toget it all back to where it
(41:21):
needs to be to stay relevant.
We just redid the completeWi-Fi because that was huge.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
If you don't have a good Wi-Fi in 2025.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
I could have 60 laptops in the ballroom for a
presentation without Pat and I.
So now we've got laser Wi-Fiand very supportive.
We've got new servers, we'reapproving the lighting and the
sound and we got the chef somenew equipment in the kitchen.
(41:50):
So he's all excited.
Redid the menus, redid the winelist, anything we can get our
hands on and upgrade.
We've been doing it for thelast.
What are we down August, thelast eight months, and
everybody's excited.
You know they're.
They're excited to come to work, they're excited to be here.
Uh, you know, if they want tobring their parents or their
(42:12):
family or brunch, bring them.
I want you to show off yourclub because this is this to get
you excited.
It's them excited, it's themembers excited and and just
they, just we've created a.
You know, greg Patterson, we'vejust created the buzz and and
we've created a greatpartnership.
We've just created the buzz andit's just growing and it's
exploding and it's very excitingand this is where I want to
(42:35):
hang my hat.
This is how I want to go rightoff into the sunset and just do
good things here at the AustinCourt.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
Any pushback from no zero.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
Really I've got my board or my president.
See, the difference here is,you know, at country clubs, the
president and all the countryclub managers are going to be
like what.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
LinkedIn's going to blow up.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Every year or two years they change presidents and
one-third of the board comesoff.
One-third of the board comes onand I want to make my name here
they're appointed to the boardfor life.
My current president is a great, great guy, curtis Spielberg.
He's been the president for 10years now, but he has been on
(43:24):
the board since 1988.
It's kind of like the Pope.
If you get anointed to bepresident of the Austin Club,
it's a lifetime appointment andthey've only had what was it?
Nine presidents in the 75 years.
Give or take a president, ortwo 75 years Give or take a
person there too.
But the board doesn't turn over.
(43:45):
And we've got a great board,very hands-off Ken, for 30 years
.
What are you going to tell himhow to run a club?
And then you bring in somebodybehind him.
And I got their confidenceright away.
And they're hands-off and theyjust said Paul, you do what you
do.
(44:05):
You've been doing this for along time and with your resume
and your experience, you just doyou.
And with the, you know they alltalk to the employees, they all
talk to their fellow members andthey, it's been very, very
positive.
They've been very supportive.
And they, it's been very, verypositive.
They've been very supportive.
So again, we don't have that,that, that presidential or that
(44:28):
board turnover.
We don't have the elections andall the politics and all the
all the googly goop I don't wantto use the word, but I'll use
googly goop that comes alongwith with the constant turnover,
and you know, because they getin, they get going, they get
situated and then they're, youknow I'm done.
(44:50):
Then they coast the last yearand they just want to get their
picture on the wall or theirstatue, or oh, look what I did
as president.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Their President's Day dinner.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
Yeah, exactly, we're here.
It's different.
They're very supportive,they're very hands-off and it's
just.
I have no committees.
Don't tell any of the club, Ihave zero committees.
I've got an executive committeethat I answer to.
Uh, we don't have.
I don't.
And I've spent how many days ofmy career golf committee,
(45:22):
committee, entertainmentcommittee, food and beverage,
this committee, that committee,cell phones, hats forward, hats
backwards, no hats, denim rakesin the trap, rakes out of the
trap, rakes halfway in the trapand halfway out of the trap.
I can't tell you how much of mylife has been pistol sitting
(45:43):
through these committee meetings.
And these people have no clue.
I sit there sometimes and I go.
Did you really say that?
You know, how did you become amulti-gazillionaire?
And you come up with aharebrained idea like that why
don't you let the club be run byprofessional club managers?
And they do that here.
You know, I don't Boom, youknow, know.
(46:05):
And financially we're solid,the membership wise we're solid.
There's no reason for them tostep in or interfere.
Uh, so ken ken set me up to forsuccess, but he, uh, I don't
want committees, I'll just runit.
And he ran the show and andwe've picked up up the.
He handed me the baton and wecarried it this far.
(46:27):
So so far, so good.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
As we wrap up, what advice would you have for
younger GMs, just maybe 20s, 30s, even like 40s young?
What advice do you have forpeople working their way up?
Speaker 2 (46:43):
Well, you can ask Alex.
I've been pushing him for thelast three, four weeks to beef
up his LinkedIn.
I think that is just soimportant to have a current
LinkedIn and populate it with asmuch as you can.
Get involved.
Read, write down your goals.
(47:03):
I write down my goals everyyear, uh, and I used to get
about an 82 to 87 completionrate, and if I don't finish them
, I carry them into the nextyear.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
so what is it if, uh, if you shoot for the moon,
you'll, you'll at least end upin the stars, you know?
I mean, at least you're, if youdon't you?
Speaker 2 (47:21):
you have no, you know where do I least you're if you
don't you have no, you knowwhere do I aim my arrow if you
don't have a target?
Um, you know, I challengemyself to read, uh, between 14
and 16 books a year.
I think that's important.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
Healthy, uh, you know , stay healthy um um, what are,
what are, what are some of your?
What are your, what are some ofyour all-time favorite books?
And then what are some currentbooks you've read, maybe in the
last year or two, some newerbooks, so maybe a few books that
are your all-time favorites,and then a few that you've read
(47:55):
recently that you're like oh,that was good.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Well, what was funny was, if you remember, the
Philadelphia Eagle who wasreading Emotional Intelligence
on the sidelines and the camerascaught him reading the book on
the bench and I said you knowwhat?
There must be something aboutthat book.
I read it and I just finishedit, last week on the plane, and
that was outstanding Good togreat Boy, I tell you.
(48:18):
It just goes on and on and on.
I wasn't ready for thisquestion, I know I mean, it's
just so many.
That indescribable hospitality,thank you.
Indescribable hospitality, thatis huge.
That just came out a year or soago.
But anything, anything, you getyour hands on that you have an
(48:43):
interest in, that, you have apassion in.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
And even if you don't have a passion and you don't
love it, just reading it andjust having an opinion on
something and engaging with thebook.
Because I think some people arelike, ah, at least, even if
you're not 100% all in, at leastfinish or try to.
And even if you don't agreewith everything, engage with the
book, like why don't you agree?
It gets the brain going, getsit stimulated, gets your Read
one at a time.
Speaker 2 (49:07):
I have a hard time.
I can't read two books at onetime.
Boom, power through it, bang,pick it up and get the next one.
Let's go back to your questionabout advice.
Young kids learn the numbers,Accounting, accounting,
accounting.
The language of numbers is soimportant.
That's why I'm going to stressto my little grandson, Sebastian
(49:31):
, that know the numbers, learnthe numbers, understand the
numbers.
When you're in a board meeting,you're the smartest guy in the
room because you're privy to notonly the numbers but what's
behind those numbers.
And it's so brutally importantto know and know the data and
(49:52):
have the data at your disposal.
Now, with Jonas and ClubEssentials and all these
different, pick the one you want.
They've all got thesedashboards and these data.
Use them.
Mine the data, read the data,absorb the data and use the data
to make.
All your decisions should be95% data-driven and 10% driven
(50:15):
from the heart and the gut.
I think that's real important.
If you find the right club, staythere.
I've jumped for money and I'mliving proof that it didn't work
.
You know, I doubled my salaryone time and I won't name the
(50:36):
club, but it just.
They put a country, they put afamily country club manager on
the East Coast in a golf cluband it wasn't a good fit and I
went for money.
Don't go for money.
And if you find the right club,stay there, stick it out, stay
loyal, stay true.
If you want to be, eventuallyyou'll get there, because every
(51:00):
two and a half to three to fouryears the GM changes over.
And if you stick with, if youget a club that just fits like a
good old pair of blue jeans,stay there.
Please don't be jumping for thenext title or the next.
I was always I'm guilty andJulie will agree when she hears
this that I was always lookingwhat's the next opportunity,
(51:20):
what's the next?
And I always had nine toes outthe door just looking for that
next big score, that next bigclub or that next bright lights
and big.
And it doesn't have to be a bigclub.
I've been in big clubs.
I've been in little clubs.
I love the little clubs.
There's nothing.
The money might not be thatgood or you might oh, I've only
(51:43):
got eight department heads andnot 15.
But I tell you what managing asmaller club is more challenging
but yet more rewarding, and youcan be more you.
It can be more you.
You can be more hands-on andhelp mold and shape and and grow
that club and club and be partof that and be honest, Be honest
(52:06):
.
This is my final thought foryoung managers Be honest, Be
true to yourself, Be true toyour family, Make time for
yourself, have work-life balance, but always tell the truth,
because it will always come backand get you in the ass or if
you're trying to BS your way outof something.
(52:26):
The people that the membersthat we deal with are not stupid
.
They didn't becomegazillionaires overnight by not
knowing what's good, what'sright, what's wrong.
So don't try to BS your way,because they'll smell it.
They'll smell it and they'llcall you out um, that's about it
(52:48):
, dude yeah, no, that was good,that was real good.
Speaker 1 (52:51):
I actually had a really good episode with ryan
brennan, uh, from manasquanriver golf club and that was
like that's sort of like whatthe whole episode was about is.
You know, he had the, he hadthe opportunity to leave and all
this stuff, but he was like no,like this is a good opportunity
.
He knew he wasn't going to beGM in five years and 10 years.
He knew it was going to take uma little bit of time, but he,
(53:13):
you know, he just waited it outand just realized what he had.
You know how how green thegrass is and can be here Um.
So, yeah, it was really reallyreally cool to hear that.
Thank you so much for coming on.
Thank you for sharing.
This was so good.
I'm so happy we were able to dothis.
Speaker 2 (53:26):
No, nothing, Appreciate it man.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Hope you all enjoyed that, paul.
Thank you so so, so much forcoming on and sharing and giving
and all you're doing for theclub industry, for your club.
It is truly great to watch.
If you want to learn more aboutManagement in Motion, head on
over to privateclubradiocomslash managementinmotion.
That's this episode.
I'm your host, denny Corby.
Until next time, catch y'all onthe Flippity Flip.
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