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Fairfield Glade
Community Club
Focus Groups Report March 11 – 13, 2018
By
Henry DeLozier, Principal, Global Golf Advisors
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Executive Summary On March,11th through 13th, 2018, Henry DeLozier, partner and principal of Global Golf Advisors (“GGA”) hosted 15 focus groups made up of members of Fairfield Glade Community Club (“Fairfield” or “the Club”). The purpose of the focus groups was to identify the primary points of qualitative emphasis for an upcoming attitudinal survey of the Fairfield Community and its member / residents. More than 100 (112) Fairfield Glade residents participated; the names of participants are recognized on pages 12 and 13 of this report.
Participants in the focus groups were members who requested to be included in order to provide a broad and deep profile of members’ viewpoints. Members were randomly organized into groups of six to eight members. Each focus group session extended from 60 to 75 minutes in length. All of the focus group sessions took place in the clubhouse conference room within the Druid Hills clubhouse.
Engagement and satisfaction appeared to be genuine and mixed, respectively. From the cross-section of Fairfield residents participating in the focus groups, it appears that people share significant differences of opinion on key mission, vision, and core values. These key differences appear to have caused manifest divineness and general concern over several issues that appear to hinge on the economic performance and profile of the Community.
Seven recurring points of emphasis arose in the focus groups, as shown below, in no order of importance:
• Fairfield Glade Mission and Vision – “We need to decide who and what we are.” This simple statement arose repeatedly within the focus groups. Some participants preferred to ask “Are we a resort or a retirement community?” Genuine division was evident among focus group participants on these two points when comments supporting positions behind each topic devolved to economic – rather than quintessential – answers and explanations.
• Cost of Living at Fairfield Glade – It appears that some residents are fearful that they will not be able to afford living in the Community into the future. Other residents expressed concerns with lifestyle, the sense of community, and neighborliness. It appears that Fairfield Glade is at a crossroads.
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Executive Summary
• Community Leadership – Every focus group focused criticism of Fairfield’s servant leaders. Expressions of distrust, dissatisfaction, and support were made. Certain ad hominem statements intended to criticize community management were made in several focus groups. Community residents desire a higher standard of communication and accountability from their leaders.
• Access to Emergency Healthcare – Many focus groups addressed concern for limitations of emergency healthcare and expect the Fairfield Glade to address this issue.
• Fiscal Accountability and Control – A minority of the focus group participants expressed dissatisfaction with current financial practices and most participants addressed expectations that Community leaders will act responsibly and transparently in prioritizing the use and deployment of capital for Community needs.
• Food and Beverage Experience – Most focus groups addressed concerns and dissatisfaction concerning dining options, quality, and service within existing restaurant outlets. A clearer understanding of wants, needs and expectations is needed.
• Sense of Divided Community – Some focus group participants demonstrated and / or expressed frustration that their viewpoints are overlooked and disregarded. Other participants expressed the sense of disharmony and loss of neighborliness.
Consistent with the workflow plan shown on the following page, GGA will release the attitudinal survey to Fairfield members in early May and report findings from the survey at a Town Hall meeting in early June.
The credentials of the Global Golf Advisors and its principal, Henry DeLozier, are shown on pages 13 and 14 of this report.
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Overview and Background
In January 2018, the Board of Directors for Fairfield Glade Club Community engaged Global Golf Advisors (“GGA”) to execute an attitudinal survey of the Fairfield Glade community in order to guide the Board as it develops going-forward strategy and considers future capital needs for the Community.
The process being implemented by GGA calls for several steps in developing a qualitative and then quantitative approach to develop and attitudinal survey of Fairfield Glade residents’ expectations, anxieties, wants, and needs. The GGA approach is to implement the steps shown below.
The members survey is to provided to Fairfield Glade residents / members in early May and results are to be reported by early Juner
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Focus Groups
Focus Group
Report
Member Survey
Survey Report
Town Hall Discussion
Research Method
GGA executes several dozen attitudinal surveys of club communities each year in addition to similar surveys of club managers, boards of directors and golf professionals. The methods used at Fairfield Glade required 75-minute focus groups of six to eight participants each who were gathered randomly from the general population of the Community..
Each focus group implemented a similar method and series of questions as guided by the GGA facilitator:
• What are the most important issues at Fairfield Glade currently?
• What attributes of the Community are of greatest importance to you?
• How do you currently use the Club and Community services and amenities?
• Do you expect that your current usage will change significantly?
Responses within the focus groups were collected orally and noted by the facilitator for use in preparing this report. To respect and protect the confidentiality of the member participants no record was made of individual comments or viewpoints. Specific terms used and examples have been minimized in the interest of confidentiality of the focus group participants.
The topical guidance provided by the focus group participants was used to create the Findings and Observations that are described within this report. The objective of GGA is to use the cross-sectional method of analysis to develop a subsequent attitudinal survey of all members of Tara
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Fairfield Glade Community Club Focus Group
Findings and Observations
Categories of Priorities Emerged
from Focus Group Discussions
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Fairfield Glade Mission and Vision
Substantial disagreement was evident among focus group attendees regarding the core purposes of Fairfield Glade.
Retirement community? Or, resort?
Although many members entered the community through the resort-style timeshare portal, there appears to be confusion regarding the retirement demographic evident in the focus groups.
The imbedded demographic profile from the pending attitudinal survey will address the retired nature of many Fairfield Glade residents. And, lifestyle preferences and expectations may reveal the expectation of a resort-style retirement.
The survey may reveal that the lack of mission clarity revolves around prioritization of capital deployment.
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Cost of Living at Fairfield Glade
Numerous references were made in focus groups concerning the cost of living at Fairfield Glade…and the worry of the cost growing to high.
This concern manifested itself in criticism of operational choices being made – which restaurant to open or close or the scope and scale of future planning, for example.
Facilities, amenities, and the planning of each were often expressed in terms of costs to build and operate while some were critical of improvements where not enough money was invested.
Expectations of improved restaurant services together with more robust social occasions were expressed, as well.
Money seemed to be at the base of most concerns expressed.
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Community Leadership
Concerns and opinions involving the quality of forward planning and leadership were voiced in each focus group. So, too, was the widespread misunderstanding of governmental jurisdictions – such as the reach of Cumberland County into matters such as care and upkeep of roads, as well as access to and reliability of emergency healthcare - or the authority of Wyndham and the new developer of undeveloped land and lots.
Much criticism was expressed of the Board and Fairfield Glade community management concerning the transparency of priorities and decision-making for the deployment of resources. It appears that many focus group participants are unreliably informed while others choose to inform only to their own viewpoints.
The volume of misinformation and conflicting descriptions of commonly-held information was notable.
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Focus Group Observations - Communication
• General confusion concerning financial matters of the Club and Community;
• Substantial misinformation concerning the Club operational performance, priorities, and limitations;
• Apprehension among some participants concerning future / potential costs of living at Fairfield Glade;
• Inconsistent understanding of “control” of issues requiring votes, voting, and asset ownership;
• Misunderstanding of Wyndham resort and timeshare operations, benefits, and features; and
• Misinformation concerning recently new ownership of undeveloped lots and open land parcels.
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Focus Group Observations - Compatibility
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• Relative affordability of Fairfield Glade;
• Convenient access to four-season location for proximity to family and grandchildren with favorable tax climate;
• Generally friendly community of like-minded people seeking pleasant and active retirement lifestyle;
• Benefit of resort guests “subsidizing” or sharing the costs for the care and upkeep of golf amenities;
• Natural beauty and uncongested roads and streets;
• Broad concern for limited or uncertain access to emergency healthcare; and
• Somewhat muted optimism by some for future enjoyment of the Community.
Focus Group Participants A
Richard Albins
Don Alverson
Scott Amis
Marc Anderson
Patricia Arbuckle
B
Elizabeth Bauer
David Bell
Leeberta Bellville
Peter Bilodeau
Joe Birmingham
Bill Bischoff
Regina Blakely
Diana Brown
Donna Brunner
Chuck Buck
Trish Budzik
C
Tim Case
Bill Cahill
Tom Carlson
Bob Christian
Don Chrobot
Larry Cook
Bill Craig
D
Mae Davis
Ted DeWolf
Mark Dilley
Diane Dolan
Jim Dolan
Mike Donovan
Neil Donovan
E /F
Bob Emrick
Ted English
Fred Fusco
G
Steve Gawlik
Bill Goldring
John Greene
H / I / J
Jim Hansen
Roger Hardin
Glenn Harper
Jim Hellerman
Ruth Hughes
Candy Johnson
K
Barbara Kalmer
Chris Kindschi
Dale Klein
John Kohmetscher
Karen Kolinsky
James Kubacki
L
Andrea LaCombe
Ken Lamonda
Larry Lanzerotti
Dan Larisey
Jacquie Larisey
Christine Lawrence
Craig Leeper
Carmen Lync
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Focus Group Participants
M
Marla Marsh
Buck Martin
Norma Maxwell
Carl MacLeod
Steve McColley
Phil McDowell
Bill Meyrahn
Gerry Miller
Peggy Mitchell
Charles Moakley
Roger Molina
Sharon Moore
Gail Mueller
Bill Murphy
N / O / P
Bill Nissen
Mary Nissen
Beverly Olin
Bill Penn
Cynthia Picard
Glenn Polson
Bill Prather
R
Sharon Regnier
Cyd Reide
Rick Reies
Judy Rich
Mark Richie
Bernardo Rico
Mike Rideout
Philip Riley
Keith Robinson
Mary Ann Rowe
Harold Runner
S
Michelle Scianna
Frank Seehofer
Mike Sharp
Gary Smith
Nancy Smith
David Stanevich
Dick Stinchcomb
Dave Stout
Rose Marie Swanger
T / U V
Cathy Tipton
Larry Tolbert
Clyde Van Haren
Bonnie Vanderheide
W / X /Y
Dwight Wages
John Wedgeworth
Timothy West
Smitty Westfall
Charles Wilson
Dan Wind
Doyle Winters
Z
Susan Zavecky
John Zelling
Mary Ziegler
Casey Zingham
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Background Description of Facilitator
Henry B. DeLozier is a principal and partner in Global Golf Advisors, the international specialist providing consulting services to the investment banking, real estate development and golf asset ownership and operations business segments. Mr. DeLozier joined Global Golf Advisors in 2008 after nine years as the Vice President – Golf of Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM).
Given his background with residential real estate development and lifestyle strategy, he serves GGA clients throughout the world to identify and refine strategic options and to accelerate tactical solutions and financial returns. During his tenure at Pulte Homes the company became the largest developer of golf communities and of golf courses in the USA, having invested more than $500 million in the development of golf assets and building 27 new golf courses within ten states. In addition, Mr. DeLozier was responsible for the financial performance of more than 20 Pulte golf courses, the replacement value of which exceeded $300 million with annual revenues greater than $90 million.
Currently he serves Chairman of the Board of Directors for Audubon International. He is a Past President of the Board of Directors for the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) in America. Mr. DeLozier has served for many years on the Employers Advisory Council for the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA). He is known across the globe for his thought leadership in golf-related businesses, he is called one of the “Most Influential People in Golf” since 1999 by the Crittenden publications. He was honored by Board Room magazine in receiving its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr. DeLozier is acknowledged within the golf and club categories for his uncommon understanding of the interrelationship of golf and residential properties. He is known as a no-nonsense profit producer, as an innovative marketer, and as an advocate of exceptional customer service. His career history reflects new concept introductions and numerous successful business turnarounds.
A ‘go to’ resource on matters of golf-related resort and residential investment and development, Mr. DeLozier is often called upon for comment on social and economic trends particular to golf business segments. He serves as a subject-matter expert source for Bloomberg News, Business Week, CNBC-Squawk Box, the Financial Times of London, GOLF magazine, Golf Digest, Golf Business, the New York Times, PGA Tour Network, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Mr. DeLozier is a graduate of Oklahoma State University (B.A. – English) where he was an All- American golfer.
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About Global Golf Advisors
Global Golf Advisors (formerly KPMG Golf Industry Practice) is the largest consulting firm in the world dedicated to golf-related businesses. GGA provides advisory and support services to more than 2,900 clients worldwide from offices in Sydney (Australia), Dublin (Ireland), Phoenix (USA) and Toronto (Canada).
GGA specializes in strategic planning, transaction structuring and business valuations, market and feasibility studies, non-profit governance, and operational performance analysis.
Clients of the firm are private clubs of all types, investors, bankers, lawyers, government entities, and golf course owners.
Please visit www.globalgolfadvisors.com for more information
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