How Bonita Bay Club Invests in Employees to Build Long-Term Success - Club + Resort Business
Fred Fung’s philosophy on employees can be summed up in a single sentence. “Hire the right people, give them purpose, and treat them well,” says the CEO/General Manager of Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs,. . .
Fred Fung’s philosophy on employees can be summed up in a single sentence. “Hire the right people, give them purpose, and treat them well,” says the CEO/General Manager of Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Fla. At the Southwest Florida club, that belief has been reinforced through decisions that touch nearly every aspect of the employee experience. Over the past several years, the club has built employee housing within walking distance of the property, opened a dedicated employee fitness center, expanded scheduling flexibility, and watched members raise more than $1 million to support employees during the pandemic and Hurricane Ian. Viewed individually, those initiatives address different challenges. Together, they reflect a broader belief that employee experience deserves the same level of attention as member experience. Fung believes those investments begin with the people the club chooses to hire. “We prioritize attitude over experience,” he says. “With the right attitude and aptitude, there is no limit to an individual’s success here. ”The club’s leadership team offers several examples. Bonita Bay Club’s Director of Golf began cleaning golf clubs. Its Assistant General Manager started as a food busser. For Fung, those career paths reinforce the value of investing in employees overthe long term. “Employees are proud to work at Bonita Bay Club,” says Fung. “They know their mission and believe that their work is important to the success of the club. They care for their co-workers and the members they serve, which is what happens when people feel valued by the organization they work for. ”Joanna DeChellis, Editorial Director, Club + Resort BusinessAs Editorial Director of Club + Resort Business and Club + Resort Chef, Joanna DeChellis takes an audience-first approach that combines sound journalistic and story-telling principles with an appreciation for and deep knowledge of the intricacies of the club and resort chef market. She oversees the content strategy and programming for Club + Resort Business, Club + Resort Chef and its various platforms including the Chef to Chef Conference and PlateCraft. She has penned award-winning pieces about the many intricacies within club and resort operations as well as culinary trends, profiles and breaking news. She is co-host of the award-winning podcast Club + Resort Talks, and has served in various content-development roles over the course of her career, including digital, marketing, print, and in-person events. Prior to these roles, she was the Editor-in-Chief of Club + Resort Chef, Managing Editor of Club + Resort Business, Associate Editor of Food Management Magazine and a contributing writer for Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News, Gayot, Cleveland Scene Magazine, and Duetto. Contact her at[email protected].