340: The Employee Oasis: Rethinking Employee Spaces w/ Billy Panagiotopoulos - Country Club Of Darien

0:00 all of our hourly employees were eating off of this like afterthought of small little buffet and our leaders were ordering off of the restaurant menus. So you have this person eating the eggs with the bacon wrapped scallops from like two days ago and you have this, the manager, walking in with a quinoa salad with a beautiful piece of salmon on top. It's like two classes of citizens, right, which I thought was totally wrong. So what I did was my second board meeting. I asked the president. I said I would like to have the board meeting in the employee lounge. Hey everyone, welcome back to this episode of Private Club Radio, your industry source for conversations, news, trends and updates.

0:46 I'm your host, denny Corby. As always, welcome back. Thank you all so much for being here. It means the absolute world. This episode I have a chat with a new fun friend of mine. We've been LinkedIn buddies for a bit and connected more when we were at CMAA World Conference, billy Panagiotopoulos, general manager of the Country Club of Darien, over in Darien, connecticut. He was definitely one of the best dressed, some of the best suiting at World Conference and I'm not just saying that because he also wears suit supply suits, just like I do. Worst name in the world but love their suits and their tailoring. And I knew he was a suit supply guy. I saw it a mile away and I brought him on because I saw what he posted on social media and I thought it'd be a cool episode, cool content, because he was a very big advocate for a brand new employee lounge hangout, eat and workspace at his club.

1:43 He's only been there a year and was a project that he saw and wanted to do almost immediately and was given the support and the ability to do it by his board and his club and I thought that was really great, really important. It's not just like they redid it, thought that was really great, really important. It's not just like they redid it, like it's not and because when I saw it, it's not like they just put in, you know, maybe some new floors and some new tables. He and the team, they went out of their way there is branding to it, there's, there's a, there's a music area where they put in a? Um, a keyboard and a guitar so people can, on their breaks, get a little creative and do what they love and what brings people together more than than music.

2:29 It's great, uh, a great food area. It's very well cleaned, um, new paints, there's, encouragement, there's it's. It's amazing to see and hear and I love learning and hearing from the leaders and the people who know and want to take this serious and then also have a club that allows them to do things like this. In the conversation, what came up a lot is the importance of and how he helped develop core values in a very positive work culture. He helped develop core values and a very positive work culture and he also talks about some of the employee benefits and programs that he has implemented at his club in a very short time and also the recognition and awards given to outstanding employees, which is something that he also brought in as well.

3:24 And this is more. It was more just about you know what it's like building and making a nice new employee area and what that means on morale and how that also affects the members as well, because now the staff feels a little bit more cared for and appreciated and that is definitely going to get past. You know that that emotion, in that caring that the staff gives the employees, is definitely going to translate to how the staff treats the members and hones that experience there. So before we get to the episode, a quick little word for some of our show partners. It's 2024 and it's time to change the way you vet your new members.

4:06 Some traditions are worth modifying. The new member process hasn't changed really in the past 150 years, relying almost solely on social relationships and casual interactions but lacking in factual data. And this is where Kennis comes in, because the traditional application process tells you very little about someone's behaviors and character until now. Kennis has created an innovative and confidential comprehensive applicant information gathering process that provides an unraveled depth of information. The world of member vetting has evolved to a new standard and Kennis is your turnkey solution to meet this new industry best practice. You can rely on Kenes to provide the facts that you need to make fully educated member decisions, because what you don't know can hurt your club and your members.

4:55 To learn a little bit more, or to set up a call, head on over to membervettingcom. Fill out the form. You're going to have a chat with Paul Dank. It's going to be good. He's a great guy. Also, be sure to check out our episodes of member vetting here on Private Club Radio. Concert Golf Partners is changing the game, one club at a time. Since their inception in 2001, they've been on a mission to preserve and elevate private clubs, pouring capital into enhancements that matter. But what sets them apart? These aren't your run-of-the-mill operators. They are a dedicated team with a passion for enhancing the private club experience, both on and off the green. It's their commitment to maintaining the club's unique identity while executing strategic improvements that boost the overall experience and financial health.

5:42 With Concert Golf Partners, your club gains access to a network of enhanced properties, reciprocal play privileges and a future free from the burden of debt and outdated facilities. They're not just building better clubs, they're crafting lasting legacies for members and communities alike. If you'd like to learn more about Concert Golf Partners, or recapitalization, or learning how your members will have no more assessments, head on over to ConcertGolfPartnerscom, set up a confidential call with Peter Danula and that's it. Simple as that. Also, be sure to check out our episodes of Board Chats here on Private Club Radio, brought to you by our friends. You guessed it Concert Golf Partners.

6:22 And now let's welcome some of the best suiting one of the best names in the club world Billy Patagiotopoulos. Do me a favor how do you pronounce your last name? Oh my gosh, it's painful right, so it's Patagiotopoulos. Okay, it looks more intimidating. OK, yeah, it definitely looks worse than it is for sure. You know how that must have been difficult growing up, oh my God, you know when I mean growing up. I don't know if the kids do it now, but essentially you have the little scantron where you had to fill in the letter and shade it.

7:06 Oh my goodness, they never had enough. They never had enough bubbles for me, you know. Now wait, Never mind. I was like I'm not going to put your email, but is your email like? Can you imagine, Is your email like your first initial and your last name? It's unbelievable. I don't know why they would set it up. My last club, actually we had um. We had, like they shortened my name, it was b panagio. You know at, yeah, you know, sleepy hollow. You know that, yeah, but um. But they decided to use my uh, yeah, my full last name, which is, which means I have the most expensive business card in the industry. You got the most letters back.

7:49 You're, you're, uh, married. Right, what's that are? Are you married? Yes, I'm married. Yeah, yeah, didn't they for like, like, like wedding stuff? They would, they would charge you per like letter exactly mr and mrs they saw you came in. They're like jackpot exactly exactly. Thankfully, you know, thankfully I'm in the industry, so I asked for favors, you know excuse me, can you get your per letter down? uh but no, I'm happy to be chatting with you, one of the best dressed club professionals in the industry. I must say I appreciate that.

8:30 Always looking dapper, but I want to bring you on quick. I want to chat because I just saw what you and the club did for your staff and I absolutely love it. And now you, you did you build this employee area? Was it already there? Did you just upgrade it? What was the story behind it? Yeah, so I'll tell you. I mean, when I first started I started a little bit over a year ago. I started on Martin Luther King Day and it was a Monday I came in and I like my beverages either very, very cold or very hot. So my coffee's got to be like it's to the point where I'm not going to sue Starbucks, you know and I come in and I'm like okay, I want to got a heat of my coffee.

9:17 And there was a gentleman here, one of the maintenance guys. He was putting my name on the door, which was pretty cool, and he said well, why don't you go up to the employee lounge? There's a microwave in there. So I go up, make my way up there, and I see a couple of people eating in there and the buffet was and this was in the morning, you know. They had some eggs and they had bacon wrapped scallops. This is this is at. You know, 10 am and I'm looking at, I'm like this is very odd buffet and I noticed that it didn't look great Right. Then I open up the microwave to put my coffee in there and if you've seen the movie Gremlins, when the gremlin blows up, that's what it looked like in there and I'm like, wow, this is terrible.

10:05 And so you know, I see these guys kind of eating. And later in the day and later in the week, I noticed all of our hourly employees were eating off of this like afterthought of small little buffet and our leaders were ordering off of the restaurant menus. So you have this person eating the eggs with the bacon wrapped scallops from like two days ago and you have this, the manager, walking in with a quinoa salad with a beautiful piece of salmon on top. It's like two classes of citizens, right, which I thought was totally wrong. So what I did was my second board meeting.

10:47 I asked the president. I said I would like to have the board meeting in the employee lounge. So he said to me he's like we must be busy then. Right, I mean, we must be busy. I told him. I said well, no, we're not busy. I think that it's important that for the board to see where the employees relax and eat, you know when they take their break. So he says to me, he says OK, that's, that's fine, billy, we'll do that. Next day pops up in my office and he says, hey, do you mind taking me up there? I've never been there before. So I said absolutely take him up there, looks around, and he says you prove your point, took the executive committee there the next day and then after that, you know, we looked at like capital budget.

11:37 There was some reallocation of some funds to get it done. And then I designed it Essentially. I knocked down some walls, I, you know, just kind of set the whole thing up. And then I worked with a um, with a company that that actually built the kitchen area as well. Yeah, it's. I mean you did a fantastic job from the, from the signage to the uh to, to, to the actual details of putting, like the, the, the values and everything of the club and the club and what's expected of the staff and everybody. That's all up on the walls. So you didn't just do part of it, you took it and ran. Yeah, I mean, that whole setup was created from scratch, right, so what we said is we need to develop a vision and a mission and our core values, who we are, um, as a brand.

12:30 We didn't have that here. Um, so, really from yeah, we didn't have any of that here, so this is all new, oh so, so, so this is way more than just, uh, just an employee area. This was, this was a slightly bigger thing going on, wow. Yeah, so this was, this was big and and you know, I think that you know, in clubs, you know there's some clubs that really do it well, and then there's some other clubs that really it's an afterthought, right, but I come from I come from luxury hotels, which I'm fortunate to have been a part of some really amazing cultures. I've also been a part of toxic cultures as well, so I've learned what to do and what not to do, and I've been a part of three employee space renovations in my career, but this one was the most important because I was the GM.

13:22 My voice was the one that was able to push this narrative that we have to make sure that not only keep the employees we have, but we want to find new ones. Right, but in sales they teach you keep the customers you have before you find new ones. And you really got to look at it at your employee base that way as well, because people have options these days, right, and hospitality, like the labor market is, it's tough to deal with. Right, you're competing with everyone, right, so it's definitely difficult, so it's important to create that culture. Well, and I think people know people who aren't in the hospitality industry know to look at the hospitality industry for to for like their own.

14:08 You know greedy, you know company reasons, so it's not just about having good people there. But so you know you, they don't get poached by, you know, like your, your, your members or somebody else or you know, whoever you're right, you're right, you're. You're in competition. You're in competition with everyone, especially people want hospitality facing people Right. I mean people that love what they do and and create great experiences. And there's no different in in the local deli Right, or or hotel Right, hospitality is everywhere. Yeah, and you guys have you put a little little music area there and you guys have. Do you put a little little music area there? What's that? Did you put like a little, like a little music area or like some musical instruments?

14:50 Yes, yeah, we put like an eat and play area. So we put a a keyboard, we put a guitar and you know just a little kind of fun area there that people can go up there play a little music if they'd like Tickle the ivories. Yeah, well, you know we're doing. We're doing things like we do this other thing called swap and drop, where if there's something that you have that you know some people like hold onto things constantly, they're not really using it. They may get a gift that they they don't use. You bring it in, you put it in this swap and drop area and then someone else picks it up and takes it and kind of goes from there. We use this lounge.

15:31 This lounge is going to be the hub and the energy of where the employees eat too right, and where they just get to know one another, because you're dealing with seasonal employees as well, so it's their breaking bread together and that's huge, I think, for the camaraderie when you get out on the floor. We're going to be doing lunch and learns in there, so we're rolling out some employee benefits like medical benefits and things that we're doing. So we have representatives from the companies come in yesterday in the cafeteria and kind of walk them through what the benefit packages are and what the renewals are. So there's a lot of things that you can do out of that lounge.

16:11 It's not just going there and having a meal. How about? How much did the whole project cost? It cost close to close to six figures. I mean, the kitchen equipment alone was half that. We have hot and cold stations, we have coffee stations, fridges, so you have snacks there all day. Summertime there'll be ice cream, you know. So it's almost. You know it's one of those places. We also have residents here that live on property, so we have employees that live here, so they have a place to go and get a meal throughout the entire day Gotcha.

16:53 How many employees do you have? Total? So we get in season, we'll get about 230. Oh snap, yeah, and then how many do you have now? Now we have about 100. That's still a healthy number. Yeah, and then, how many do you do you have now? Now, we have about a hundred. That's still still a healthy number. Yeah, we, a lot of our members live in the area, so our club never closes. So we are, we're always open. You know, mondays is is one of the days that we do close, but we don't close for a long period of time. A lot of clubs do close for routine maintenance just to give the staff a break. We're one of those clubs where our members live in the area, so we're constantly keeping our F&B outlets open, our gym open.

17:36 Paddle right now is very popular, so we have a separate paddle area. So there's a lot of member activities still all year round here. What was it like? So you've been at the club a year, yeah, a little over a year. What's it like going into a new club and helping develop its core values? What was that process like? Because that's got to be a slight bit challenging because you probably have employees who've been there for years. You know how do you come in as this newcomer and, you know, change all this stuff up and then how do you create these core values?

18:17 Well, you know, the challenge is when you come in to a place new, no one knows you. You're not proven. They don't trust you. They're not sure what you're going to do. Knows you right? You're not proven, they don't trust you, they're not sure what you're going to do. I had a position that when I first got here there was an open position for communications role, and when I got here I kind of looked at the HR concept. We didn't have human resources and I felt that, hey, I'm going to be able to live without a communications person for a year, but I'm going to add a director of human resources because it's important Not only for you know knowing the rules, not only for accountability and being able to build those types of things, but also helping me push culture change.

19:00 Now what happens is it goes both ways, though. Right, because in one sense, you are setting up these metrics of accountability You're putting in, we're doing annual reviews. There's a little bit more of the structure to the organization where people fear that. Now you're new. My first hire is hr. If you don't understand what hr is your initial thought at least long tenure employees. Oh, this guy's gonna clean house, he's gonna fire everybody. That's why he's bringing the hr directorate. So it kind of the narrative was was was switched up because I really thought you know what is human resources are pretty simple, right, you break down the word.

19:45 Human is all about human capital. It's all about the people, right? Resources is having a resource and a neutral area that you can go to and, you know, just talk about whatever issues you may have. Right, that we can remedy. But I think the challenge was initially was okay. Well, they took it the opposite way where it was going to be a negative impact on them and that's because they didn't understand what human resources really means in an organization. The only thing that fixes that is time where they start to see the programs that are coming, the benefits for employees and developing the core values. For me and the vision and the mission of the club is talking to the executive leaders and getting a feel of what this club has been, and then that's also composed with hey, what's our mission and what's our vision?

20:40 Where do we want to go? First thing, if I ask you right now, denny, jump in the car. First thing you're going to ask me is where we're going. Right, I have to be transparent and let you know where you go, where we're going. So you have the opportunity to either come with me or jump out. And I think that organizations have to develop a standard and say, hey, this is the standard, here's the benchmark. It's going to be up here. I will put you on my back and carry you up to that benchmark, but I will not take a step down for anyone. And I think the core values, while they're personalized to this organization, they can bode well in any organization.

21:22 Engaging new members is a breeze with the award-winning new member onboarding program by our friends over at Members First. Now this is a unique welcome center and customized microsite aligned with carefully curated emails that make your new members feel appreciated and engaged. This program delivers a consistent process of familiarizing your new members with their club's amenities and programs to ensure that they're engaged by your club early and often. And this whole thing is custom and done in-house. There isn't any templates, there aren't any stock procedures. This is to ensure the right voice and tone for your club. The members first. New member onboarding program is the real deal and not a big time commitment for you or your club.

22:05 How, what was your process of finding the core values? I'm sure there was probably a bunch of interviewing the staff and the members and all of that stuff, right? I kept this more staff centric and member centric right. Obviously, you know, you know not really getting member feedback, so to speak, but obviously just knowing myself what the member expectation is going to be. But sitting down with my core leaders, getting to know the staff, getting to know the culture of this club Every culture obviously is slightly different as you go, whether it's state to state or club this club, every culture obviously is slightly different as you go, whether it's state to state or club to club.

22:49 But you also want to have your hand on what do you want it to be? What's our identity? And you know, honestly, I think we had a little bit of an identity crisis. So I felt it was my responsibility to kind of bring it all together and lead the way of where we're going with their input. And where did you get the line? Hospitality is not a skill, it's a spirit. You know I don't it. Just I feel that every day I wake up I had an old boss that said, bill, you wake up determined, you go to bed satisfied.

23:31 That's the only way you do it right. And I've done every job in a hotel. I started, I was a doorman, I was front desk, I was concierge, I made beds, I was housekeeping, I worked in F&B, I worked in sales. And all the people across the board whether it was someone washing dishes alongside me or a general manager who's speaking to over 100 leaders they all had a spirit. They all had this energy and this positivity that pushed what hospitality was. Skill can always be taught right.

24:13 I meet people all the time and maybe they don't have the experience on a resume, but they have a great attitude and they're willing to help. They see a piece of paper on the ground, they it up. You know, even when you're not looking, and and that to me is a spirit like you're there, you're, you're just wanting to take care of things and take care of people. And then the skill of the trade and the trade of the job. We can teach you and and kind of put those together and that's and that's where uh, where that little tagline came from no, I like that because you have it and super nice, nice and big on the on the wall of your new uh yes area.

24:54 So yeah, that was my hr director. I don't want to. I don't want to be too narcissistic. Right, putting my own name up on the wall and what type of stuff do you put up on your wall of fame? Is that all just a bunch of different awards, is it? What type of stuff would you put up there? So essentially what we did we started at. You know, a lot of hotels and a lot of clubs have this established, but we do an employee of the quarter we started this year employee of the quarter, leader of the quarter and those for those employees that go above and beyond. It's not about just doing your job, it's going that extra mile, doing those extraordinary things that make an experience special or make the business better, and we look at that, celebrate that on a employee level, also on a leadership level.

25:48 So we do it four quarters and whoever wins either leader of the quarter or employee of the quarter at the end of the year wins could win leader of the year or employee of the year or employee of the year, and they get a $5,000 vacation. So we pay for their flight. Okay, put that out there. Um, and you know, it just gives people motivation, gives them, you know, and I think that the the club is, you know, is happy to do it right, because they know that you push these great employee programs.

26:28 Their member experience is going to be better because you just have happy employees. And then at that point. they're going to have great stories and, of course, the the the members are going to want to hear you know. To try to take it to another level Right. So I took a new, I created a newsletter, I call it the Herd H-E-R-D, and in the Herd we put a, we put a letter in there that's called the heart of the house, and we focus on an employee here and we, we, we basically let the employee tell their story.

27:18 How do they get here today? Right, and uh, there's some fantastic stories. Obviously they are, they are, they are very moving. Yeah, moving there you go. I like that, I like that I have. It's funny, I I've got a food truck. I've got a food truck here that I purchased. It's called the Moo Bar and it's by our halfway house. Everything's black and white, the branding is all cowhide, but you know, kind of going on that theme, but that heart of the house essentially focuses and highlights one employee and their story, because everybody has a story. Everybody does you know how they got here today and everybody's story is different. So it's great for the members to to really get to know employees on that level.

28:04 Yeah that, that, that's, that's amazing. Um, so I I've gotten, I've gotten clubs from all over asking me to come see it. Um, ask me how I did it. Ask me which is great, which is really nice. It's moving for people to reach out and say you know, I was recently at a trade show and a lot of people were stopping me and I had one of my employees, my director of F&B, come to me and said you know, someone looked, they would look at her name tag and they would see the Country Club of Darien. They're like you guys are crushing it over there and that lounge is amazing, which was nice to hear. I think she felt she felt spectacular because people were noticing her and then she worked there, right.

28:49 So it's, that's, that's always. You know, that's the payback. It's, it's, it's, it's one of those Like. So for me, you know, from the entertainment standpoint, you know when the audience goes, you know like the muggles go like oh good job. But when somebody in your industry goes like yo good set or something you're like, thank you thank you like it's like when like, like like one of your own like game, a recognized game, you're like okay, good thanks, thank you, yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, well, you know that's what, it is right, you're? like, okay, good, thanks, yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, well, you know that's what it is right. If you're, if your peers are saying to you I love what you're doing, you're doing great and and you know, like I'll go to when you go to conference, right, I'll talk to these guys and I and I look at what they do and they're long tenured and they're so smart and they they're so successful and they'll come over to me and say I love, I love all the stuff you're doing.

29:40 Keep doing what you're doing. You know, and you know that like obviously motivates me, makes me feel great, right, um, but it's, it's nice to hear that there's people watch, you know there, and that's why I push marketing yourself, because I live, I, I live the brand right, like wherever I go, like you know it's behind me right now, it's, it's when I come in, my jacket has the logo what every brand that I've worked. Did you put the antlers on the on the front of your vehicle, like the the? horns, yeah, and you know. But any brand that I work for, I feel that you got to live, eat, breathe and that's the brand right that you represent and I always tell people you market that and what happens is, yes, you're marketing the brand but you're also marketing yourself, because people see that and say this guy's a company guy, this is a guy who, if he's leading my club or leading my organization, he's going to push out whatever is positive about the organization.

30:48 So everybody knows about it, which I think is which is big in an industry that doesn't really promote much. Yeah, no, it's true, that's true. That's good stuff, you're having a good hair day today, buddy. I finally had to get it cut. Uh, it was getting out of it, was. It's still a little little too long, but uh, but, yeah, it's all good what uh, what, what, what suit you are in there bud? What's that I said? What, what suit are you wearing there, bud? oh, this is suit, suit supply, buddy, oh three piece I, I love three like a good. I try. I try to get most suits three, three piece it's just something.

31:33 It's just I don't know three piece. A lot of people don't wear them anymore, though um, which which makes it more enjoyable to wear. People are like oh shit, yes, yes, yes. I love three-piece. I do love double-breasted too. I like a good double-breasted suit. I have not ventured into the double-breast. I have a double-breasted vest. I haven't done a full double-breasted suit. They're nice. I mean listen, not for all the time, but I feel like the double-breasted is a good. You know it's good. It was much better when I was 30 pounds lighter, but you know listen. Stay out of the employee lounge.

32:14 I don't have to. Yeah, exactly, I don't have to. I got nobody to impress I got. I got a beautiful wife and I got seven kids. So, no, you don't. Yeah, I got seven wait, are you serious? yeah, seriously, dude, you're a jackrabbit seven listen yeah, don't take this any offense. Same woman same, yeah, same woman, damn crazy. You know. The crazy thing is and listen, I, I shook your hand out there. You, you know I would get tested. You may be pregnant, so uh, but but my, my wife the other day, my wife the other day, she's like she's in the mirror and she's like, she's like, oh, she, oh, look.

33:00 I'm getting my abs back and I'm saying to myself I'm looking at her and I'm like I look like I delivered the kids. I'm the one that carried them for nine months. It's incredible. Now that just blew me away. Wow, I don't think I had any clue. I know, wow, I don't think I had any clue. I know, wow, what are the age range? What's the? My oldest is 12 and my youngest is seven months. And you're, how old, what's that? I'm 44. Okay, I thought you were right around there. I thought you were a little bit younger, okay. Thank God, right, I look thank God, I look younger.

33:42 That's because I don't stay home with the kids. I, I'm always working, I don't have the my, my poor wife, you know, like I leave and she's looking at me like don't leave. I need your help, you know, um. But yeah, it's a challenge. But listen, kids are a blessing, you know. And the crazy, the crazy thing is when I was dating my wife, I remember picking her up one day and she was, she was, she was crying Right. And I said to her what's wrong? Is everything OK? And she said well, went to the doctor. Doctor said that is not a good chance I'm going to be able to have children. The doctor. The doctor said that there is not a good chance I'm going to be able to have children. And I know that you want a family and I can't do that to you.

34:23 And I said to her I said look, we're in love, like if we got to adopt a kid, we'll adopt a kid. It's whatever. It is Right. Yeah and fast forward. I got seven all natural Wrong, wrong. You know. Side note, that dr pointman never happened, she was just seeing how you went. It was just a test and you passed. Yeah, my superintendent loves me though, my superintendent, because any kind of dead brush or anything I walk by it, it blooms. That's like you know I. I got that, you know I have. I hope you all enjoyed that.

35:03 Billy, thank you so much for being on and sharing all of that information. If you enjoyed that episode, you know what I always ask if you can like, share, subscribe to the content, to the information. Anything you can do to help move our channel forward means the world. You have not done so already. Sign up for the content to the information. Anything you can do to help move our channel forward means the world. If you have not done so already. Sign up for the newsletter. Head on over to privateclubradiocom right up on top. Sign up for the newsletter, get all of our updates and all of the content that we put out weekly into a nice organized email, and that's it. Until next time, catch on the flippity flip.