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Private Club Radio Show
398: The Transition From F&B to Membership & Communication w/ Chelsie Foltz
In this episode, we sit down with Chelsie Foltz, who went from working in food & beverage to leading membership and communications at Vasari Country Club. She’s all about balancing a busy family life with an equally dynamic role in the club world. Chelsie shares how she made the jump, why she’s passionate about creating great member experiences, and how she’s built a supportive culture with her team and board.
If you’re curious about navigating career shifts, advocating for yourself, or just looking for fresh ideas on member engagement, Chelsie’s story has plenty of inspiration (and real talk) to offer. Don’t miss it!
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Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club Radio Show, where we give you the scoop on all things private golf and country clubs, from mastering, leadership and management, food and beverage, excellence, member engagement, secrets, board governance and everything in between, all while keeping it fun and light. Whether you're a club veteran just getting your feet wet or somewhere in the middle, you are in the right place. I'm your host, denny Corby. Welcome to the show. In this episode I am chatting with a friend of mine, chelsea Foltz, and she's the Director of Membership Communications and Events at Vasari Country Club and we go into her role. Going from food and beverage, her and her husband came up in the food and beverage and then was in food and beverage for clubs and her shift from food and beverage to membership and we talk about her journey there, what it was like and how she made that transition and why she made that transition. And it was leading to our next thing, which is building. She wants to build a family, so we talk about how she balances a family life with club responsibilities, which is a very important thing. Now to more of a hot topic of conversation meeting people where they're at, and it's not about being at the club 70, 180 hours a week. It's about finding that balance and she and we talk about that, which is which is really cool and really fun, and we share how she's able to balance it all and her husband owns a restaurant, so it is a very family, centric, hospitality, hospitable family and, seeing as she's been in the industry for so long in so many capacities, you know we talk about the evolution of communications and the roles of the communications, communication roles and what that's been like over the past couple of years, because it's not just about websites and events. You know. It can now encompass video content, editing, social media, different platforms, different softwares and kind of the evolving tech demands and what that means. And then, on the same token, in the same area, you know, navigating membership sales. But it's a really good Marcom story. Marcom episode story, marcom episode.
Speaker 1:And speaking of Marcom, next week the PCMA annual retreats hosted by yours truly is going to be happening. It is going to be a blast. If you want to learn more, link in the comments below. But it is a full day of Marcom membership marketing sales, you name it. Um, we have some fantastic speakers. Uh, we have CMA speakers, we have CMAA credits. You can get all the credits you want. It's going to be a blast and it's only 75 bucks. It's going to be up in Neshotic Country Club, new England, november 7th. Link in comments below. I think we have about five more seats left. Big thanks to our show partners Kenneth's member vetting concert golf partners and golf life navigators and myself. The Denny Corby experience. There's excitement, there's mystery. Also there's magic, mind reading and comedy. The most fun you guys are going to have guaranteed. Let's welcome to the show, Chelsea Foltz. So how do you go from food and beverage to membership?
Speaker 2:to membership. Um, you know, at the time it was like, obviously I love people because both involve people, the whole industry involves people. But at the time that it was happening, um, I was getting married and my husband and I have been together for years, like 17 years, 10 years at the point that we were getting married and we are both doing food and beverage in clubs, so obviously very demanding. No, we never saw each other. The days off that we had, like you know, during the summer, never matched, so it was very rare. And and then we wanted kids, obviously, and we have four of them now. But, um, at the time it was like, how are? Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:That's a lot.
Speaker 2:It's a lot.
Speaker 1:Healthy pack.
Speaker 2:It's a lot, um. So it was like how, how do we manage that? Cause all of our family, um, doesn't live in Florida. They all live in Pennsylvania and, um, and now, four kids later and seven years later, uh, my in-laws are here seasonally, but still it's not constant, um. So it was like how, how do we do that? And at the time that we were getting married, so before we even like we're having kids, it was like right, as we were getting married, um, there is, uh, a girl in the position of communications and social here at Vasari and she it was the week of my wedding. Irma had happened three weeks before. We were all crazy because we had to move all of our wedding stuff. And she's announcing that at that time that when she has a baby in December, that she's not coming back.
Speaker 2:And in the midst of all of this, I'm like, hey, um, I don't have a lot of time to talk about it Cause there's like things, other things going on, but when I get back from my honeymoon, if you haven't made a decision, I want to tell you that I'm really interested in switching positions. Um, because part of the position was like the event side, so it still had that food and beverage aspect, and I don't know if you've ever worked food and beverage, but food and beverage is addicting, like I love it. I still love it. Um, it took a while to like kind of like move myself like out of it as much as I have because I love to dabble in it. Um, and on the side my husband and I own a restaurant anyway, it's pizzeria so like I get to dabble in it. Yeah, so very busy Um.
Speaker 2:So like I had said that I was interested and, um, and really the only I shouldn't say the only thing there's a lot to learn. But like I already knew systems, I already knew the people. Um, the biggest thing was the communications aspect and like, um, running the website. So like I had kind of done it, but not not to the extent, um, but you know I got to learn, I got to self-learn and like spend a lot of time on webinars and stuff to learn it and, um, but it was mainly to have a better balance work life Um, I mean, my club already provides a really good one. But again, like, when you're in food and beverage, you know that you're working crazy hours. So switching to a for the most part Monday through Friday, like eight 30 to five job. Um was necessary, um again, both being in the careers. But the fact that I still get to stay close to it, I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So what were some of the biggest challenges, going from food and beverage dining room manager to now communications and social media?
Speaker 2:Um again, um really pulling back from that and like cause those the things that I do, I, I, I have to spend a lot of time in my office. Um, so like not going around and like talking to some of the members and like spending that time on the floor, um checking for food and things and kind of like in some ways taking my opinion out of it because I'm not in there anymore, but putting my opinion into somewhere else. Um the movement and having to to the desk job, which I love, and I love working on computers, um, but the sometimes the social part of it too, and like I have the membership side on in my position so I get to talk to members, but like in the beginning stages, um so like expanding on those relationships sometimes is easier in food and beverage than the initial. So just pulling back was was hard at first.
Speaker 1:But what does the role of communications entail? At the sorry, it's like what are your responsibilities? What are you handling? What are what, what? What falls under you?
Speaker 2:And yeah, so just communications are my entire position.
Speaker 1:So not currently for director of membership, but like going back to when you were going from food and beverage to communications.
Speaker 2:Communications going back to when you were going from food and beverage to communications, communications, so the communications, just it was the website. Um, and managing the website they had, just shortly before I had started in the position, had switched from I think it was called flex gate I had never worked with it um to club essential um, so, uh, helping figure that out, teaching members how to use it. We did tech classes, so website in general, the emails, flyers for events, helping with menus. We hadn't really dabbled into video at that time, um, but it was shortly after that we were starting to talk about doing a renovation, which then started me into learning how to do video, which was fun and it's still something that I really love to get into and just kind of learn. I remember the first time that they had asked me to do a video, I had Adobe, so I used what, what was that Adobe premiere? And I spent like days watching YouTube videos to learn how to use it. And then I had a committee at the time and the one member was like she was, she was a huge Mac user, um, and she goes you need a Mac book. And I was like I'm not going to argue with you. And she goes final cut is just so much easier to use and I said okay, so they got me a Mac book, um, and I again spent time on YouTube and also went to Apple to have some classes to learn how to use that and that's what I've been using ever since. So, um and I, when we went through renovation, we did videos constantly. We kind of got to get back into that. But, um, so that was like it kind of progressed.
Speaker 2:And social media when I first started majority of my time and it took a while and I'm sure many people that have ever messed with like Facebook pages and all that to try to figure out how to get them, because it had been previous management that started them and never like left information for it. So to like, like, at one point there was a Facebook page that you could log into. That wasn't run by like um, a personal account, because you have to have the personal account right now, but there was like this page and I remember at one point someone was like yeah, we, we took some video and it's on the page, and I was like, no, it's not. And there it was on like this. I was like, yeah, we, we took some video and it's on the page and I was like, no, it's not. And there it was on like this.
Speaker 2:I was like, how did you even get into that? Um, getting the LinkedIn page back? I had to figure out who had that access and thankfully, uh, a head golf professional was one of, like, the admins. Somehow he didn't even know he was. So a lot of time was like spent trying to to get those pieces back, um, and then slowly start to to utilize them, um, and then figure out how to best utilize them Um. So that's, that was the beginning of the job.
Speaker 1:What were some of your biggest learning takeaways, and maybe learning moments or just things that you took in that maybe you still use today from that position of communications?
Speaker 2:um, I mean everything. I still do all of the communications. My, my title is like if you would go on, it would be director of membership communications and like an events. Yeah, so I do, I do um, yeah, I do the membership here. Um, and we're a bundled community so you have to buy property to be the member. Uh, but the still there's all the same aspects of trying to sell the club. I do all the communications and then I do our member events, of trying to sell the club. I do all the communications and then I do our member events. So not any of the outside weddings, luncheons, like outside bookings, but all of member events. That's a lot of work. So I wear a lot of hats and thankfully, my managers in the last year have had really pushed to get me an assistant. So I have an assistant that helps with um, social media, um and my events. So that's been a person huge in person. Yes, yes, she is amazing. Full-time, yes, Wow, yes, yes. So that position is good.
Speaker 1:I want to say how, how long and how hard did you fight for that and at what point were you like okay, this is now like a. This needs to be a more serious conversation, because I think it says that they need an assistant, and when you really break it down, a lot of people can use it, because we spend a lot of time doing non what's the word I'm looking for, like non good revenue. You know, the time is not well spent doing what. What are, yes, are wow. I'm horrible with the words today, uh, but I get what you're saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so go ahead no, I was just gonna say, like um, I've been for about four years, at least four years, especially when we started to get into the video, and it was like I'm going, depending on where you all see this position going, if it's going to stay all together, I'm going to need some assistance, because already by that point I had been pulling in one of my coworkers who her her title is an HOA administrator, but she was helping with some of the membership stuff, and then it was again. They're asking for more video, more this, more that, and I'm like I'm I'm one person. You're also asking, like this committee is asking for more things in the communication side. You want more video. This committee for social activities is asking for more events. Um, I, I'm only one person, um. So it started with kind of keeping track of what they're asking for, what time it takes to do certain things, um, because other like, for example, our body, um was becoming, it was growing, and then they wanted me to help with that. So it's like I can say yes, but I can't give 100% to all three of those positions. So we just started to keep track of that and now, two years ago, we tried on the front of adding a communications manager and then, unfortunately, the finance committee shut that down right away. Um, and then, unfortunately, the finance committee like, shut that down right away.
Speaker 2:And then, um, my current assistant had started as our front desk receptionist and it was a season of where there was a lot of change. Um, our food and beverage director was leaving, who had been there for a long period of time. Our head golf professional was leaving, um, with the food and beverage director, our assistant F&B director had left too was leaving what the food and beverage director, our assistant F&B director, had left to. And again, pulling in from that food and beverage background, they're asking me to help, which was fine, except for then I needed assistance. So her name's Kelly, kelly.
Speaker 2:Whenever she had come in and taken the receptionist job was, like you know, I'm really interested in events, so I want to know what I can learn from you. And so I had started to pull her in to help with certain things and it started with flyers, um, and just registrations and then floor plans, and it just kind of grew from there and at that time we are also making again lists of what events that I have every year. And then we took that and like. From the time I started until like that point of that year I think I had increased our events and the bookings that I had to do by like 60 something percent, and it's like 60, six, zero, six, zero. So and like, and that could be something as simple as like just doing like an afternoon game, but that still takes my time. So it kind of started to push the envelope. For this is what we need, this is what I need, and my bosses were both behind it, cause, you know, again, this committee is asking for more. This committee is asking for more. The board is asking for this, which is all great, and they should absolutely have more. The board is asking for this, which is all great and they should absolutely have.
Speaker 2:And I will be honest, social activities kind of took like that top tier for a while, cause that's like the member experience, that's physical. So you know, a video is nice and it's great and it's fun, but like they can sit and dab bingo cards and win money and that's a lot more fun for them than watching something that I might be able to produce. So she stepped in full-time, it got approved, she stepped in full-time in November and then unfortunately she had to go back to the front desk for a little bit because the person we hired had left. So she got stuck till around February up there doing a little bit of both. But ever since she's been great.
Speaker 2:And it's funny because when I told her I said you do know, one of the reasons that you were hired is not only planning events but doing them and some of the things you have to speak to the members. You have to talk on a microphone and she goes Chelsea. I'm definitely afraid of a microphone and I was like sorry, um, and my my boss was like just throw her into it and I said I'm not, I can't do that because I want her to stay. So I remember that one of the first games that we ran, I said I'm going to do, you're going to sit with me. And then the second time we did it, I did half of it, she finished it and then ever since she's been doing it herself. So thankful for that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, where did you. So we're going to come back to this a little bit more and more, like the membership stuff, because you you, from what I'm understanding, you've got your assistant, but you didn't just ask for it. You put together a plan almost and said like, okay, I knew I can't just go and ask, and if I do they're going to say no. So you start putting together how long tasks take, getting all that information ready to present to them to go. Hey, to show your case when you're, is it Kelly? You said, mm-hmm, yes, so you have Kelly and you knew you wanted her to do well, and instead of just throwing her right in going, you know, hey, come and sit with me, come and do you have these steps?
Speaker 1:It was this a learned thing. Did you learn this in school? I mean, is it like a, a mate, like a mom thing? Is it like your upbringing? Like, were you always like this? Was it learned? Was it taught? Like, where did this come from? Because a lot of people it's not like a first instinct. They just be like, oh, yeah, just put them on the mic and they'll be fine, but you're like, oh, like, let's take it a little bit slower.
Speaker 2:Like let's. You know, I honestly I don't know. I feel like I've just always been that kind of manager Cause even like it's been a while since I've had someone to manage, like seven years in between, like food and beverage and me getting the assistant, so I think it was just, I mean, it was that was me even before being a mom. So I the mom thing is probably correct um, with the continuation and not wanting to throw her into it, because I feel like there was sometimes in my career that I was just thrown into things and, you know, come out successful. I'm still here, I'm still standing, I'm still doing what I'm doing, um, but wanting like someone to help me along the way. And I've had, I've had some really great managers like they're to just help and teach and show or at least be there, even if they're not like standing physically there with me doing something I know I can go to them. I still remember um, one of um I it was, I was late, I was um, I was late, I was.
Speaker 2:I was working at the Waldorf um in Naples it's now called something else, but I still remember like I overslept Um. I worked like the six o'clock morning shift and it was a continuous like and it was great. But I overslept and there was, uh, there was a breakfast shift or breakfast like meeting. There was something I can't remember specifics, but I remember being late for whatever it was and when I got there I felt so guilty Because at that point my bosses aren't there but the staff is there and I had called them. I was like, hey, I'm on my way. But I still felt guilty Because, again, unless they go and tell my bosses, no one's going to know that I'm late. But I remember going to my my boss's name was Eddie and I was like you know, I'm so sorry I was late. I know that there was like these few people that were supposed to be at breakfast, um, and I had called and I talked to so-and-so and and they said everything was great. And he was like it's okay, it happens. And I was like you know, that's so nice to like, just have that support, even though I felt so guilty.
Speaker 2:But just having those kinds of managers that were tough, I mean he was a tough boss but he was good and he was understanding and you know, I think, having that, and then leading into, I had my boss, I have a new GM. He's been here for a couple weeks, but for the past almost 9 years I had a gentleman named Steve and Steve has been an amazing boss and he has been the same way. You just go and talk to him about whatever you need and he will be there. And he does like to throw you into some things, but he's also there and that's why he was like you know, you're here, so if you just throw her onto a mic, you're still here, which is true, um, but the way that she had been talking about how she was scared about it, I was like I again, I don't want to lose you and if I throw you onto a mic, you know I might not see you tomorrow, you might walk out before I give you that mic.
Speaker 2:So you know, just kind of being aware of the situations, I feel like I've always been pretty decent about that and just helping guide people. Yeah, I don't know decent about that and just helping guide people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know. You can call it a mom instinct mummery um, yes, mummery, I like that so now. So, director of membership what is that like and how did that come about? You know so, was somebody pregnant again and didn't want to come back, or no, we never had a director.
Speaker 2:No, no, um no, we actually never had a director of membership.
Speaker 1:Asking who's getting pregnant to see like what. What positions are coming up?
Speaker 2:yeah, no, we. We actually never had a director of membership. Um, for all the years that I've been here, the person that handled membership was the communications and social manager, and the title didn't make sense, right, that doesn't make sense if you're dealing with membership too. So, essentially, I Doing membership. Yeah, so essentially I just got a title promotion. I've been doing the same thing. I had been asking again for what seemed like a number of years to have a change in title, and I finally got that one too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, wow, I don't think I realized that. I'm so sorry, that's a lot, that's okay, that was already a lot of work. That's three positions in one and that happens a lot, I feel like, at clubs and it's becoming, from my perspective, uh, a more common topic, a more common conversation is like hey, membership, community, these are legitimate positions that require talent and people and thought, and it's not admin like this is this is a position, this is this is like gm level, like thought, thoughtfulness, you know, like deeper things to think. It's not just like, oh, you like the club, you ought to sign up. Like no, there's yeah, no like there's yeah sale.
Speaker 1:Like sales is a. That's a whole other conversation. Like sales is like a thing yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah. So whenever I first started in the membership communications position, it was back in like December of 17, I think, and the there was a realtor that came in and they wanted a tour. And the front desk person at the time was like, who gives tours? And there's a lady that was like, well, no one gives tours. And I said when I give the tour, I'm membership.
Speaker 2:And again, some things were passed through with training and some weren't. Most of it was on the website side of things. So I learned a lot as I went and I was like but if I am the one that's opening the membership, why would I not be the one to tell a prospective person that like about the club? And they're like, well, no, that's the realtor's job. And I was like, but how does the realtor know? Like the information? And like, well, they should be asking you for it? Like, okay, well, I have been giving tours while I was in food and beverage because on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, when everyone was doing an open house, they would stop by the club and they would ask for a tour. And if I was available, because it was usually in that in-between time, I would take them on a tour. So why not Selling the club? So yeah.
Speaker 2:So at first it was like no, we don't do tours. But I was like, no, I do tours. So it's kind of evolved over the years, getting more involved with realtors, getting some of their feedback on, you know, likes, dislikes, like you know, even our website, like, what would you like added to our website that you seem to be asking for. So it's it's definitely been different over the years. But again, whenever I first started it was no, you don't do tours, I was like I have to sell the club. Like the realtor sells the house, we sell the community. Like where's we are explaining that the, the lifestyle, the experience that they're going to have here at this club, like, so the realtor can't give that unless they live here or work here, you know. So that that that's been a change over the last seven years.
Speaker 1:Wow, what are what?
Speaker 2:are some of the biggest.
Speaker 1:I know. I kind of asked with you know when it when it was with a communicate, but so now you're, you know you got the title director of membership. Looking back, you know you're talking to somebody who's just getting started in communications membership, that sort of you know this sort of world. What, what advice, what have you learned? What are some things that you can share with someone who might just be getting started? That's good information to know about how to be really good at club membership.
Speaker 2:Honestly, just confidence. If you think that something will work, even though it's something that's different from what has been done previously, try it, do it, um, be all in on it and you know. If it works, that's great, um, continue with it. If it doesn't, at least you know you tried your idea, um and um. Also use all of your resources, um, because there's there's so many people, especially when you have your members. They all have had their own experiences and careers, and for me it was there's realtors that live within Vasari, that sell Vasari. So utilizing, like, what they know and what they are hearing has been to do the new member onboarding and prospective buyer aspect of it. So use those resources.
Speaker 1:I like that. What are some of your favorite resources?
Speaker 2:Some of my favorite resources, resources, my, my boss, steve well, my old boss, steve and Melissa from old Cyprus, and love all of her content. What else? I recently rejoined CMAA, so attending those kinds of conferences is nice, and I've been attending the, the communications summit, for a couple of years from CMAA, so just networking and just all the people that I can learn from. So that's it, yeah.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you coming on and sharing some wisdom and knowledge, because it is a very important position, important position and I'm happy to be coming more of in, not more of an important position, but more of an important position to the people in clubs that need it, to need to see it.
Speaker 2:The boards, the, the members, yes, um yes, yeah, my board has been pretty great and uh, expanding um their their knowledge on especially like the communications aspect aspect and kind of allowing us to run with it. I mean, they're very good at letting us do our thing and sometimes they dig deep because they want to know how it's being done, but they've been really really good in trying to expand the technology and just experiences in general. So it's nice to share.
Speaker 1:Hope you all enjoyed that. If you did a like, share, subscribe. Anything you can do to help move the channel forward means the world and costs nothing. If you haven't done so already, sign up for our newsletter and over to privateclubradiocom. That's this episode. Until next time, catch y'all on the flippity flip.
