Burton Ward, CCM

The past year has been exciting for both me and CMAA. The year started for me prior to assuming the presidency in January, when I visited Alexandria to meet with our CEO, Jim Singerling, CCM CEC, Kathi Driggs, our COO, and all of our department heads and staff to begin planning for my year as president and to be updated on all of our ongoing initiatives.

Shortly after Conference in Hawaii (special thanks to President Bill Wagner for putting on a wonderful event), the 2007 Conference Committee met in Anaheim. Our goal was simple, to make our 80th Annual Conference the best ever, and to ensure that our first participation in the Golf Industry Show was a spectacular success for the Association and every one of our members. CMAA’s Sr. Director of Conferences, Meetings and Expositions, Guy Doria, has been back to Anaheim many times to meet with the hotel and our industry partners to make sure that this happens. I know that you will find our 2007 Conference to be an exciting opportunity to enhance your knowledge and network with friends and colleagues.

One of the great joys of being president is the opportunity to represent this Association both at home and abroad. This year was filled with several exciting and unprecedented opportunities. In April, a delegation from CMAA was invited as guests to travel to Dubai to meet with the local club managers and Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum of Golf Dubai. While there, we were interviewed by the local press, and an article featuring CMAA appeared in the Dubai Golf Magazine.

We continued on to Singapore, where we were invited to meet with members of the Singapore and Asian club community and attended the Asian Club Managers Conference. While at the conference, we met with the Singapore Club Managers Association leadership to discuss ways to help them with education and certification. It was a very rewarding meeting thanks to the fine reputation that CMAA members have maintained worldwide and the integrity of our professional development and certification programs.

I have also represented our Association at meetings with our allied associations and at various events including The Masters, The US Open, and the Ryder Cup. While at the Ryder Cup event, Jim Singerling and I met with the Irish Region of the Club Managers Association of Europe. 

Committee Weekend was held in the beginning of May. This is a time for all CMAA National Committees to meet and network with each other and our staff. I hope that you will all some day have the opportunity to serve on a National Committee – they do the work of our Association, creating programs, setting policy, and making recommendations to the Board. This year’s Committee Weekend included a meeting of the task force I appointed to investigate the impact of the Golf Industry Show on non-golf club managers. The task force made several recommendations which are being incorporated into this year’s conference. Committees are the true backbone of our Association and I want to thank the many Committee members who give of their time to assist us. 

Premier Club Services continues to grow as Premier Club Benefits expands with an increasing number of clubs participating. In addition, we launched our new Director and Officer’s Liability Insurance program in September. Many clubs have already switched to this high quality, cost saving product. Membership in Premier Club Services is strong. I urge you to investigate everything this program can do for you and your club.

This year’s Legislative and Leadership Conference was held in September. The conference was exceptionally well attended and the program was exciting and educational. During the conference, chapter officers and members had the opportunity to participate in two strategic planning sessions for chapters. I hope that this program will be the basis for charting the future course for our chapters. The Board agreed to rotate this important meeting, and next year’s conference will be held in New York City.

The Club Management Institute has been hard at work this year. Two new BMI programs were announced. The first, the Food and Wine Experience program held in October at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, was a sold out event. The members participating in the weeklong program were very enthusiastic, giving the program rave reviews. The second new BMI program is Golf Management, to be held in April of 2007 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. This program promises to be an exciting addition to our BMI offerings.
I would like to thank all of our CMAA staff for their dedication and hard work on our behalf. They are truly a wonderful group of individuals and I am thankful for the time that I have had working with them. I would also like to thank all of the CMAA members who have committed their time and efforts in support of our association. Whether you have served on a National Committee, Conference Committee, or other national program, I thank you. Also, a special thank you to all of our Chapter Officers and Board Members – your dedication makes CMAA what it is.

Most importantly I want to thank every member of CMAA who has allowed me the opportunity to serve on the Board for the past nine years. This past year as your President has been rewarding, exciting, and humbling. Thank you!