Hartford Business Journal

June 24, 2019

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www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 24, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 3 Newsmakers EDITORIAL Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139, gbordonaro@HartfordBusiness.com Gregory Seay | News Editor, ext. 144, gseay@HartfordBusiness.com Matt Pilon | News Editor, ext. 143, mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com Sean Teehan | Staff Writer, ext 145, steehan@hartfordbusiness.com Joe Cooper | Web Editor, ext. 127, jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com Stephanie Meagher | Research Director Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer BUSINESS Joe Zwiebel | Publisher, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Donna Collins | Associate Publisher, ext. 121, dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com Lauren Stroud | Events & Project Manager, ext. 137, lstroud@HartfordBusiness.com Christina Zuraw | Events Coordinator, ext. 134, czuraw@hartfordbusiness.com Shannon Vincelette | HBJ Office and Events Coordinator, ext. 122, svincelette@hartfordbusiness.com David Hartley | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Kristen P. Nickerson | Sr. Accounts Manager, ext. 133, knickerson@HartfordBusiness.com Sue Lavin | Accounts Manager, ext. 128, slavin@HartfordBusiness.com Raki Zwiebel | Credit and Collections Manager Valerie Clark | Accounting Assistant/Office Manager Jill Coran | Human Resources Manager PRODUCTION Christopher Wallace | Art Director, ext. 147, cwallace@HartfordBusiness.com Liz Saltzman | Creative Director, ext. 140, lsaltzman@HartfordBusiness.com Peter Stanton | CEO, pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Joseph Zwiebel | President, ext. 132, jzwiebel@HartfordBusiness.com Mary Rogers | COO/CFO, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: Annual subscriptions are $84.95. To subscribe, visit HartfordBusiness.com, email hartfordbusiness@cambeywest.com, or call (845) 267-3008. ADVERTISING: For advertising information, please call (860) 236-9998.Please address all correspondence to: Hartford Business Journal, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hart ford CT 06103. NEWS DEPARTMENT: If you have a news item: Call us at (860) 236-9998, fax us at (860) 570-2493, or e-mail us at news@HartfordBusiness.com. Hartford Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials and in general does not return them to the sender. Hartford Business Journal (ISSN 1083-5245) is published weekly, 49x per year - including two special issues in November and December — by new England Business Media, LLC, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06103. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and at additional entry points. Tel: (860) 236-9998 • Fax (860) 570-2493 Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hartford Business Journal P.O. Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894 www.copyright.com HartfordBusiness.com (860) 236-9998 Joe Shiman | President, Hop Meadow Country Club By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com H op Meadow Country Club in Simsbury recently debuted a new $1 million outdoor patio bar-dining space expansion. The 2,578-square-foot addition is the golf club's largest investment in 20 years, and Hop Meadow President Joe Shiman says it was important to its future. "While we know we will al- ways have a strong golf com- munity, we needed to look to the future and see how families and friends want to spend their precious leisure time," Shiman said. "This new facility gives members limitless ways to relax and unwind, and quality dining and refreshing views carefully blended with the newest tech- nologies are relevant to all generations." Shiman, a golfer himself who typically shoots between 85 and 95, says invest- ing money in non-golf amenities provides necessary appeal to non-golfers, and enables Hop Meadow to help display Sims- bury's beauty. With golf season in full swing (pun intended), how is the patio add- ing to the club so far? Club members are social, and good clubs work to provide the best venues for this. Our new facil- ity perfectly allows for flow between our tennis, golf and pool areas. Members are using the new facility as a walk- way between these areas and are stopping to chat, have lunch or grab a drink after. How important are facilities like bars and patios to members versus the actual golf course? We have always been exceedingly proud of the natural beauty and condition of our golf facility. That said, we have families that do not play golf. More than just sports, our new gathering areas provide casual gathering spaces that make it easy for friends to connect. Many have commented that they feel like they are away on vacation. Combined with our tennis and pool we are trying to create a resort-like set- ting that overlooks our championship golf course. Have you seen an uptick in membership since opening the new patio? Absolutely, membership is expanding and momentum builds. We are exceeding expectations used in the financial models we created assessing the viability of this complex project. The board of directors — mostly comprised of local business- women and men — are very happy about this. Some classes of membership are now full, while others approach levels we have not ex- perienced in years. How important are formal events like weddings to business at Hop Meadow? Great question, the simple answer is very! These event revenues help us better manage our membership dues and capital reinvest- ment. This patio can now accommodate larger, more upscale events, allowing us to be more selective, maximiz- ing club access for members. What is the most challenging aspect of running a country club that few people would expect? The number of people it takes to make this all happen. When I share with people that we are one of the largest employers in Simsbury, they are shocked. Expert operational management coupled with golf, tennis and swimming professionals, then add specialized turf management, this is a pure comprehensive entertainment venue. DESIGN/BUILD SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to manage projects from concept to completion. We are experts in: Design/Build Pre-Construction Services LEED Capabilities 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES Joe Shiman The $1 million, 2,578-square-foot patio space at Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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