ROBERT SHUSTAK—Q&A
WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE CHANGES IN THE WAY WE AND THE BOARD MANAGES OUR AFFAIRS AT FC AND WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU PROPOSE TO MAKE?
There are significant opportunities to improve clarity, communication, operational performance, and capi- tal planning at Frenchman ’ s Creek. If I had to prioritize three changes that would have the most immedi- ate and lasting impact, they would be governance alignment, management accountability, and financial discipline. 1. Clarify Governance and Committee Structure : The Board sets strategic direction. Management exe- cutes. Committees provide structured member input. Those roles must be clearly defined, not blurred. I would establish a Board-chaired Operations Committee focused on operational performance and member satisfaction, creating a direct feedback loop between membership and management on eve- rything from food and beverage quality to racket sports issues to staff responsiveness. This com- mittee would meet regularly, track metrics, and report directly to the Board. The Strategic Planning Committee should concentrate on capital priorities, rigorous Long-Term Capital Plan oversight, com- petitive benchmarking, and designing targeted member surveys that actually inform decisions, not validate predetermined conclusions. Before any major project advances, scope must be clearly de- fined based on data, genuine member input, and realistic sizing for a 600-home community, not aspi- rations from clubs twice our size. We must stop approving concepts and discovering true costs mid- stream. 2. Strengthen GM Direction and Accountability : The Board ’ s single most important responsibility is hir- ing, directing, and evaluating the General Manager. If we get that right, most other issues resolve themselves. With a new GM, we have a rare opportunity to reset expectations. Operational excel- lence and member satisfaction must receive equal, if not greater, focus than capital initiatives. Capital projects do not matter if members are frustrated with daily operations or service quality is incon- sistent. Real accountability requires defined performance expectations tied to compensation and ten- ure; measurable metrics connected to member satisfaction, operational benchmarks, financial perfor- mance, and staff retention; regular evaluation of senior staff effectiveness to ensure the right people are in the right positions; and transparent reporting to the Board, including both successes and chal- lenges. The Board must ask hard questions, demand straight answers, and act decisively when perfor- mance falls short. That is what members expect. 3. Restore Financial Discipline — Capital and Operating: Everything at this Club has a cost. Our fiduciary responsibility is to ensure members receive appropriate value for every dollar spent. On the capital side, we must validate and stress-test the Long-Term Capital Plan using realistic assumptions, build conservatism into projections, define scope before approval through detailed specifications and com- petitive bids, and educate membership on tradeoffs and long-term financial implications. On the oper- ating side, we must evaluate how dollars translate into member experience, benchmark our cost structure against comparable clubs, eliminate wasteful spending, and deploy resources effectively to not require unnecessary dues increases or assessments. Financial discipline is not about spending less. It is about spending wisely, transparently, and in alignment with member priorities. It is about in- formed tradeoffs, long-term sustainability, and ensuring Frenchman ’ s Creek is an attractive value proposition. Conclusion : These three priorities — governance clarity, management accountability, and financial disci- pline — are interconnected. Effective governance requires accountability. Accountability requires financial discipline. Financial discipline requires transparency. Together, they form the foundation of a well- managed club that serves members effectively, operates efficiently, and plans thoughtfully for the future. That is the standard I would bring to the Board, and that is the change Frenchman ’ s Creek deserves.
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