In the Spotlight...
Carmella Ruggiero, Cactus and Pine GCSA executive director
 Tell us a little bit about your background.
I’m Italian through and through! My father moved to the United States from Italy, and my mother is a second generation Italian. I spent my early years in Buffalo, NY in a very ethnic community. This helped me understand the value of close family ties and camaraderie. I continue this tradition by inviting my neighbors to my home every holiday. You definitely don’t leave my house hungry. I love to bake and cook.
I moved to Phoenix when I was 11. I turned my love of cooking into a catering business. The business was exclusive to providing to entertainers. This led to an opportunity to work in the entertainment touring industry. For more than 12 years, I worked in the touring industry for a multiple of celebrities. New Kids on the Block, Luther Vandross, ZZ Top, Madonna, Clint Black and Ringo Starr are just a few. While touring with these celebrities, we spent many a day on golf courses around the world. I truly feel that there is no better place to be than on a golf course. Life on the road is not conducive to building and maintaining relationships, so I returned home to Scottsdale, Ariz.
One of my dear friends is the executive director of the Southwest Section of the Club Managers Association of America. They presented my résumé to the general manager of Troon Golf & Country Club. I worked there for eight years as the membership director.
How did you get started with the Cactus and Pine GCSA?
Lynn Cannon, former executive director of the Cactus and Pine GCSA, was getting ready to retire. We had become acquaintances through her association with Troon for the golf tournaments held there. She approached me and asked me to submit my résumé to the board of directors. The rest is history.
What is one of your strengths?
It’s my passion, devotion and love of people, and I bring warmth and closeness to any situation! I try and bring a personal touch to all my interactions with members.
What is one of your favorite programs or services that the Cactus and Pine GCSA offers?
The Cactus and Pine GCSA really concentrates on trying to keep our programs affordable. This allows our members to come to many of our events and advance their education. One way that we keep our programs affordable is by creating and maintaining relationships. That might sound odd, but it is our relationships with local CMAA members that allow us access to some wonderful golf clubs at a reduced rate. We charge $35/person for a seminar with a meal provided. The rate our members pay for education, a meal and golf is $55. I truly believe we are able to do this because we strive to create relationships that are beneficial to all.
We often hear from chapters that are struggling with meeting attendance. How has the Cactus and Pine GCSA overcome this obstacle? You cover an entire state, yet seem to continually have great meeting participation. Any tips?
- We make sure that we have meetings at a member’s facility.
- The Cactus and Pine GCSA board and staff attend most of the CMAA monthly meetings and participate in their golf tournaments. This helps us get to know the general managers, and they in turn give us a break to use their clubs.
- The barter-system is alive and well here! When we needed a sponsor for our hospitality event in Anaheim, I traded ad space in our newsletter for the sponsorship dollars.
- We get locations that are prime golf facilities that our members are dying to see and play.
- We try to have our meetings near freeways. This makes for easy access from all directions.
- We have our events throughout the state. We will have three up north, three down south, etc.
- We also try and have events in unusual locations, or locations that we have helped in the past. For instance, St. Peter’s Indian Mission where we donate much of our time, product and services is one location. We will also try and hold meetings at Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks) or HoHoKam Field (Chicago Cubs spring training facility). These are free and interesting facilities that our members appreciate seeing.
- We now start our seminars and meetings at 7 a.m. The golf course superintendent has time to go to the facility and get work started, get to the seminar and beat traffic both ways. This has really helped!
Share your stories by emailing them to Leann Cooper.
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