Cayuga provides a full range of consulting and management services to the private club industry. As experienced consultants and current and former operators of country, 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.
Cayuga’s Clubs Services
Club Development and Construction Management - Facilities Design
- Equipment Design and Procurement
- Organizational Planning
- Management Recruiting
- Interim Management
- Turnaround/Crisis Management
- Operational Reviews
- Marketing and Promotion
- Special Events Planning
- Financial Planning and Analysis
- Capital Projects Planning
- Menu Planning and Development
- Wine List Development
- Staff Training
- Web Site Development and Maintenance
- Expert Witness Testimony
- Business Brokerage
- Real Estate Brokerage
Advisory Members
The following members are available through Cayuga to provide a full range of consulting services.
Keith Underwood, CCM, CCE (Scottsdale)
Founding Partner of Interim Club Management, providing owners, boards and committees of golf courses, country clubs and private clubs with the club industry knowledge, expertise, resources and direction needed to manage transition. Keith offers 29 years experience managing some of America’s finest and most exclusive clubs, including: The Jupiter Island Club in Jupiter, Florida; The Club at Point O’ Woods in New York; Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey; The Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix; the Estancia Club in Scottsdale; and, Briarwood Country Club in Sun City West, Arizona. His areas of strength are providing financial analysis, operational analysis, team building and staff development. Keith is Group Leader of Cayuga’s Services for Country, City and Tennis Clubs Group.
Scott
Brush (Miami)
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.
Gary
Henkin (Rockville, MD)
President of WTS International, one of the world's leading leisure consulting
and management firms providing conceptual planning, feasibility studies,
design consultation, pre-opening preparation and daily operations/ management
services for fitness facilities, spas and multi-faceted recreation/ leisure
complexes. Clients include private golf and country clubs, luxury hotels
and resorts, residential and mixed-use projects and a wide array of real
estate developments throughout the U.S. and abroad. Currently, WTS is
working either in a consulting or operational capacity at over 100 fitness,
spa and leisure projects throughout the world. Their client list includes:
Dallas Country Club, The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, Palo Alto Hills
and Country Club, Columba Country Club in Chevy Chase, MD, The Metropolitan
Club in San Francisco, The PGA TOUR Laterra Spa in St. Augustine, Ironwood
Country Club in Palm Desert, CA and The Southern Highlands Golf Club
in Las Vegas. Corporate Headquarters located in Rockville, MD, with offices
in Torrance, CA and Dubai.
Charles
Ilvento (Miami)
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. Charles is
a court-qualified expert, mediator, arbitrator and hospitality industry consultant
offering broad expertise as a CPA and/or economist either individually or as
part of an expert team.
Deke Kastner (Granite Bay, CA)
Founding Partner of Interim Club Management, providing owners, boards and committees of golf courses, country clubs and private clubs with the club industry knowledge, expertise, resources and direction needed to manage transition. Deke’s 27-year career within the hospitality, food & beverage and club industries has included managerial positions with Le Mondrain Hotel in Los Angeles, Harvey Hotels, the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Milepost Industries, where he served as VP Operations, overseeing multi-unit profit centers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For the past 12 years he has served as GM & COO for both The University Club of San Francisco and Catta Verdera Country Club, northern California’s only 4 1/2 Star semi-private country club as rated by Golf Digest. Deke’s areas of expertise include financial analysis, member relations, team building, operational analysis, marketing, food & beverage operations and business growth.
John
Meeske (Bellaire, MI)
CEO of Resorts & Clubs, Inc, a consulting, investment banking and marketing firm focused on repositioning, refinancing and reengineering destination resorts, country clubs, leisure and primary real estate projects. The primary focus of Resorts and Clubs, Inc. is raising capitol in order to reposition resort and country club properties in financial trouble into successful “Resort Country Clubs” –– a new financial model which works in today’s economic environment. With more than 35 years of direct experience in the industry, John’s professional career has largely been focused on the ownership, management, marketing, financing and repositioning of troubled destination resorts, country clubs, sports facilities and leisure real estate projects. He is particularly skilled in repositioning properties to attract a broader market by creating a destination resort atmosphere. His areas of concentration have included golf, ski, tennis, conference and marina resorts, resort clubs, resort development projects, sports facilities, athletic clubs and destination restaurants at a variety of market levels. John is the former Director of the Center for Resort & Club Business, which he helped create for the Reeves School of Business at Methodist College, and is presently serving as the school’s Executive in Residence.
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.
Steve Sewell (Wake Forest)
President of Professional Golf Resources LLC, offering total golf services: site selection, permitting, design and construction; marketing; real estate; interim, short and long term management; operations and analysis; partnership options; and, property management. Steve’s formal training and over 30 years experience in all facets of the golf industry have powered PGR’s success throughout the U.S., Europe, N. Africa and the Caribbean. PGR has repeatedly demonstrated improved profitability for golf resorts and their related properties, including restaurants, residential components, hotels, spas and health clubs and marinas. Member, PGA of America, Egypt and Italy.
Frank
Stover (Chicago)
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.
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
Committee, 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)
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.
