Cayuga provides a full range of consulting and management services to the private club industry. As experienced consultants and current and former operators of city, golf, tennis and yacht clubs, our counsel is both practical and innovative. We are capable of stepping into management or oversight roles to implement solutions to organizational and operational problems and to make adjustments to improve operations and profitability.

We have access to human and technological resources throughout the U.S. and the world. We are results-driven consultants serving our clients in a highly professional, cost-effective and timely manner.

Advisory Members

The following members are available through Cayuga to provide a full range of consulting services.

Scott Brush (Miami, FL)
President, Brush & Company Hospitality Advisors, offering 30+ years of experience in operations and consulting, providing a full range of services to the hospitality industry including developer-operated as well as member-owned clubs. Services include concept and project development, operational improvements, strategic repositioning, and assessment of opportunities in divestiture.

Charles Ilvento (Miami, FL)
CPA, CHA, CHAE, Real Estate Broker and member of the AH&LA’s Committee on Financial Management; Founding Professor of Florida International University’s School of Hotel Management; owner of a CPA practice specializing in the hospitality industry; and third-generation hospitality industry professional. Has provided seminars for the CMAA since 1974. Charles is a court-qualified expert, mediator, arbitrator consultant. He conducts club reviews and evaluations from the member, owner and guest viewpoints.

John Meeske (Fayetteville, NC)
Director of the Center for Resort Business, the Reeves School of Business at Methodist College. An entrepreneur, CEO and major property owner of destination resorts and resort country clubs, John has financed, operated, reegineered and started up some of the most complex and distressed resort turnarounds in the U.S. He also specializes in marketing, strategic and financial turnarounds, workouts, repositioning, business and marketing plan development, executive placement, brokerage and valuations.

Jim Petzing (Sebastian, FL)
A Cayuga Managing Director with over 30 years of private club management experience, including the 2500-member Atlanta Athletic Club and the 3000-member National Republican Club on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Past President, Club Managers Association of America. Consulting in: club project planning, development, openings and operations; contract foodservice operations; special event planning and operations; retirement facilities planning and operations; and speeches and seminars.

Frank Stover (Chicago, IL)
General Manager, The Chicago Club. Over 30 years experience managing private city clubs. Versed in organizational planning, budgeting, operations analysis, marketing, wine list development and staff training. Former President, National Club Association.

Mary Tabacchi (Ithaca, NY)
Involved in the spa movement since the early 1980s, having been mentored by the founders of Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door. As a Professor at Cornell’s Hotel School, successfully worked with the Founders of Canyon Ranch to further spa management education. Frequent speaker at spa conventions and currently President of the International Spa Association’s Education Foundation; served on the Association’s Board of Directors for numerous years. Advisor and consultant for spas throughout the world and author of numerous publications and studies regarding spa marketing, spa consumers and the spa business in general.

Don Woodworth (Cape Cod, MA)
A Founding Member of Cayuga Hospitality Advisors, offering more than 20 years of experience in managing private equity and non-equity clubs, resort clubs and recreational community clubs. Served 10 years at the National level on the USTA Facilities Commit-tee, during which period the National Tennis Center was designed and built. In-depth consulting experience includes such areas as site selection and club design, construction of recreational facilities, cost analyses of operating departments, turnaround strategies and interim management.

Ralph Woodworth (Los Angeles, CA)
CEO of Gray-Wood and Associates, a Los Angeles-based management consultancy for hotels, restaurants and clubs, offering interim management, reengineering and expert witness services. Extraordinary operations experience including: COO of Chasen’s Restaurant, a renowned Los Angeles landmark; GM of the Tucson National Resort & Spa, with full responsibility for this Four-Star golf resort; EVP of Somerset Hotels in Beverly Hills, in which he ran all operations for seven hotels in the West & Southwest, including Sante Fe and Jackson Hole; EVP of the Bel Air Sands Hotel in Los Angeles; VP of Universal Studios' Recreational Services; GM of the Santa Barbara Biltmore and Clift Hotel, both Five-Star operations; and, COO of Westin's inplant dining at Boeing Aircraft, feeding 40,000 daily.