TS Today - Creating a Vision for the Future of Vacation Ownership Issue #142, Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 30

GREETIN FROM GS day Page 30 the prior board that has evolved—or disintegrated— into a court battle. To learn about her cause online, Google the “Campaign to Save Bay Club.” • Lester Macklin, board president at the Village of Winnipesaukee in North Laconia, NH, described a four-year turnaround triggered by the termination of the resort’s management company. Now the association is operating in the black and trying to sell 300 weeks of up-to-date inventory. • Several resort managers said their properties were exploring a trust regime to allow conversion of deeded weeks to a WKUHHRU¿YH\HDUSURGXFW Brian Heller, vice president of Tricom Management Inc. in Anaheim, CA, advised that such changes aren’t an automatic panacea: “You’ve got to have a sophisticated marketing program to explain the product,” he said. “You need trained salespeople who know what they’re selling.” • Clark Stough, board president at WKH:\QGKDP 5HVRUW DW )DLU¿HOG *ODGH LQ Crossville, TN, talked about coping with $500,000 in bad debt, a 20-percent foreclosure rate, and needing $6.8 million in external funding for the resort. • Corinne E. Peltier, general manager at Cold Spring Resort in Ashland, NH, expressed concern about the evolution of rentals into a vacation-club presence. “We don’t know who these people are,” she said. “If the clubs gain enough inventory, they could take over the board and gain control.” • Jerry Abee, insurance chair for Club Chalet in Gatlinburg, TN, cheerfully informed his colleagues that he’s “made money” for his 30-unit cabin resort by using ideas picked up at the last two TBMA meetings. He said the association made $50,000 by improving collections and $100,000 on a deed-back program where owners pay three years of maintenance fees to get out of their timeshare. After Providence, he added, “I have to come back with something (new) because every year a cabin burns down.” • David Wolf, board president for The Ponds at Foxhollow in Lenox, MA, explained that the units there are leased, not Jul/Aug, 2015 deeded. Managed by Defender Resorts, Inc., the resort recently used $1 million in UHVHUYHVWR¿QDQFHDVL[ZHHNVKXWGRZQWR replace roofs and kitchens. The association also implemented a take-back program to reclaim 300 units and avoid foreclosures. Wolf attributes the +2$¶V ³JRRG ¿QDQFLDO VKDSH´ DQG HLJKW percent delinquency rate to the board’s commitment to owners. “The biggest issue for us is customer service,” he said. • Bob Allen, board president at Barrier Island Station in Duck, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, also offered good news. After getting rid of the original developer and hiring SPM Resorts, Inc., to manage the 118-unit property, the oceanfront resort HPEDUNHG RQ D VHOI¿QDQFHG UHFRQVWUXFtion project of eight buildings and started working on termination provisions for its 5,000 members. • Mark McCarthy, general manager at the Village of Winnipesaukee, and Annette Bartlett, assistant resort manager at Harbor Ridge in Southwest Harbor, ME, shared their success with hiring international students who are in the U.S. on J-1 student visas to staff the resorts during the peak summer tourist season. “They’re here to work. They’re motivated,” McCarthy declared. • George Manley, board member from Ocean View Island Club in Hilton Head, SC, surprised his TBMA colleagues by ofIHULQJ GHDGSDQ ³:H KDYH QR ¿QDQFLDO problems, but no ocean view, either.” • The biggest grin in the room, however, belonged to Phil Hixson, board treasurer at Stoneridge Resort in Blanchard, ID. He was smiling because, by planning ahead— strategically—the board set aside enough PRQH\ WR ¿QDQFH WKH LQVWDOODWLRQ RI H[WUD large elevators and other major upgrades that will reward its 5,000 owners and make the 146-unit resort ADA-compliant. The next TBMA meeting will take place Oct. 25-27, 2015, in Denver, CO. Registration is free. Board members and resort managers should RSVP by sending complete contact information to [email protected]. www.tstoday.com for back issues, Resort Report Cards, articles on resorts and much more