Dear Members
We are very pleased to inform you that the search for our new General Manager is now complete. We would like to introduce you to Tim Foster who will be assuming the role on December 1st.
Tim is an outstanding person to take on the GM role. For the past ten years, Tim has been successful in all facets of his role as General Manager at Mount Baldy Ski Corp. in Oliver, BC. Mount Baldy was operated as a semi-private, not for profit ski club (until 2005 after which the members sold the club to developers) and interestingly enough, has personality traits that are similar to Beaver Valley. In total, Tim brings 20 years experience in the ski industry with extensive management experience and progressive levels of responsibility. He holds Diploma’s from Selkirk College in Nelson BC (Diploma in Ski Resort Operations and Management) and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Administration). Tim then went on to work at Shames Mountain, BC; Hidden Valley, Alta and Grouse Mountain, BC where he held increasing levels of responsibility. Tim then went on to the GM position at Mount Baldy. In addition to Tim being well known and respected in the Western Canada ski world, Tim holds his Level III CSIA certification (Ski Instruction) and Level II CSCF certification (Ski Race Coaching).
Tim was selected from a pool of over thirty candidates that expressed interest in the GM position. This number of candidates in itself is a very positive indicator of the brand that the Club has developed. To understand how this pool was created, it is important to spend a moment on our selection process.
The Process:
In August, your Board of Directors created a sub-committee of the Board to conduct a full and comprehensive search. The sub-committee was comprised of Michael Sproule, George Cancilla, Jennifer Smith, Diane Evans and Doug Christie. After discussing their recent search experiences with some of the other escarpment clubs, we decided to engage professional assistance and retained Larry Hall of Foothills Management Consulting.
Larry is a management and executive search consultant with over thirty five years of experience including senior executive roles at Mercer Management Consulting and Russell Reynolds Associates. Larry is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario (FCMC). Larry, who sits on several commercial, community and not-for-profit Boards, provided to the Committee valuable advice and leadership throughout the entire search process. He is a resident of the Thornbury area, a Member at Alpine Ski Club and has in recent years conducted the GM searches for Georgian Peaks, Osler Bluff, Devil’s Glen and Caledon ski clubs as well as Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club and OslerBrook Golf and Country Club.
To begin the assignment, Larry met with all of the committee, as well various focus groups made up of both members and staff. This helped to shape most completely the key attributes that would be required in our new General Manager. From the information gathered, Larry developed a job description and candidate’s package that described and marketed the Beaver Valley GM position to potential candidates.
To recruit candidates, we advertised and sent email notices through the Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM), the Ontario Ski Resorts Association (OSRA) and the Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA). Larry also reached out to many of his industry connections and solicited from them their views of strong candidates and personally approached these people. The result of all these efforts, Foothills presented a candidate slate of over thirty, three of which were closely associated with our BVSC family.
Larry discussed the opportunity with the full slate of candidates and presented the slate fairly to the selection committee. Of this pool, seven candidates were selected for first round interviews based on their fit against the job description specifications. You’ll recall the full job specifications were also posted for all on the BVSC Blog. Where possible, these interviews were held face to face. Where geography prohibited, they were conducted over the phone. From these candidates, three were selected for final round interviews by the Committee…all of which were face to face and involved a full tour of Beaver Valley. Between each round the committee met to discuss candidates and select those for next round interviews.
During this process, The Board of Directors was kept apprised of progress and fully supports our final selection. Our selection process was designed to cast the widest net possible in order to select the best candidate. The quality and caliber of our candidates made the job very difficult, and we sincerely thank all those who applied for the position.
Tim, his wife Cheryl and their three children (ages 5, 8 and 12) will be relocating from BC to Ontario. Tim will arrive for his start date on December 1st and the rest of the family will follow in the new year. Please come and introduce your self to Tim and show him that Beaver Valley hospitality that we all enjoy so much. We are truly thrilled to welcome the Foster’s into the Beaver Valley Family.
Should you have any questions or comments please feel free to address them to Michael at michaelsproule@cogeco.ca.
Best Regards,
Michael Sproule and Jennifer Smith
On behalf of the Board
