Meet The Disruptors: James Gelfand Of Citrus Club On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
Inconsistencies in service delivery will ruin a member’s experience and increase your member attrition rate. First impressions matter every time and consistency of good service thereafter.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing James Gelfand.
James Gelfand brings over 45 years of experience in the golf and hospitality industry to his current role as general manager of Citrus Club in Orlando, FL. His professional success and personal joy stem from a passion for service, team leadership, and mentoring associates. Emphasizing communication and collaboration, James believes that accessibility and building strong professional relationships on all levels are crucial for a successful operation, embodying the mantra “friendly is free.”
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory? What led you to this particular career path?
I grew up in Connecticut. My first job was washing dishes in an Italian restaurant, and I loved that kitchen’s energy and fast-paced atmosphere. After graduating high school, I wanted to experience life in another part of the country, so I attended college in Atlanta at Georgia State University. I was originally a finance major, but while attending school, work was a necessity, so I obtained a position at The Atlanta Hilton and Towers. I was hooked on the business; I’m still in the hospitality game four and a half decades later.
I was drawn to this career path for many reasons, including my love of interacting with people, my servant-type heart, the ability to travel, live and work in different destinations and the opportunity to gain unique perspectives relating to the hospitality industry. Once this industry gets into your blood, you’re done. I’ve been fortunate to have held leadership roles in many disciplines within our industry. This has allowed me to look at things from many different perspectives.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
As general manager of Citrus Club, I pride myself on thinking outside the box. This social club is steeped in rich history and tradition and has been an iconic establishment in Orlando for 52 years. I am constantly challenged with honoring this tradition while incorporating new elements that best cater to our Members, keeping the club invigorated.
We recently announced plans for a multimillion-dollar renovation. The introduction of the refreshed brand reflects the Club’s commitment to elegance, innovation, and unparalleled excellence. Slated to be completed in March 2024, the renovation project marks a significant milestone in the Club’s storied history, elevating its interiors to new heights of sophistication and modernity. Yet, amidst all the exciting changes, the Club remains deeply rooted in tradition and the spirit of the beautiful citrus flowers and fruits that inspired its name. Once construction is complete next March, Citrus Club’s Members and guests will enjoy fresh private club experiences, including state-of-the-art amenities, brand-new dining concepts, powerful community impact opportunities, and a lively social calendar.
Being creative and challenging the status quo is my mantra. I also believe in the quote, “If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.” Ultimately, we are creating a collaborative relationship with our Members and our employee partners and allowing them to help set the course for our future together.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you first started? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Not funny, but painful. I was the director of food and beverage at a large hotel in Dallas in the mid-1980s. We were hired to produce a preview party for a huge office building that was under construction. The event encompassed five floors and five different themes. You could only imagine everything that went into planning this off-site event. The party was brilliant. Two thousand people attended, but I didn’t plan well enough for the post-party teardown and removal. It was a disaster. This taught me that the ending is just as important as the beginning. Throughout my many years as a catering and conference services director, this experience taught me to think and plan through each experience created from start to finish.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Perhaps the most influential group of individuals who shaped and molded my hospitality persona were those I worked alongside at The Registry Resort in Naples, FL. Mr. Padro Prado, Manuel Blanco, Kaliegh Grover, and Victor Browing are mentors, friends, and family. They taught me so much. These people are some of the finest professionals I have ever worked with.
There have been so many others throughout my career, including Joe DeMille, Jonathan Litvack, Kathy Rice, and Eric Opron. You don’t spend four and a half decades in this industry without the help, support, guidance and learnings from others.
These colleagues allowed me to prosper, grow and develop. They taught me so much about our industry. There were many wins and successes with these people, but there were also missteps along the way. Sharing these experiences with these people taught me to analyze the wins just as much as the failures, learn from each opportunity, and adjust accordingly.
Being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disruption can be both positive and negative. I once joined a club as general manager, and on my very first day, I did a detailed walk-through of the kitchen and walk-ins. I closed that kitchen the very next day for a week to deep clean and fix all that was broken. You can imagine the disruption that it caused short term to our ala carte operation. That is an example of how disruption is negative. However, that disruption turned into a positive moment, because everything that was broken was now operational, employee morale received a much-needed boost, and our culinary team had a new sense of pride. Additionally, this led to decreased ticket times, and increased food quality, better plate presentations and consistency. Disruption strictly for the sake of disruption is counterproductive, period. Disruption to change our employee partner behaviors to provide a better Member experience or to provide a more positive financial or operating efficiency is always a good thing.
If it is not broken, if it isn’t causing a drain on financial or operating performance, and if members are happy, leave it be. I firmly believe that “some things are about income, and others are about the outcome.”
Can you please share 5 ideas one needs to shake up their industry?
Organizations fail for three reasons — inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and non-team players on the team. (Eric Affeldt taught me this).
Inefficiencies include not utilizing technology platforms that integrate. Imagine having to utilize four different programs that didn’t speak to each other to accomplish a task. Think about the time wasted and the frustration caused by utilizing a process and systems that weren’t streamlined and efficient.
Inconsistencies in service delivery will ruin a member’s experience and increase your member attrition rate. First impressions matter every time and consistency of good service thereafter.
Non-team players on the team bring the entire team down. I once had a member experience director who members loved, but behind the scenes was disruptive and a nightmare to her coworkers. Her negatives outweighed the positives. We parted ways with her, and there were complaints from members. However, the team prospered without her and achieved excellent results.
Eliminate these three reasons, and I promise you the shake-up caused will yield positive results.
How are you going to shake things up next?
As mentioned earlier, the Citrus Club will be undergoing a renovation very soon, set to be completed in March 2024. As part of this process, we look forward to sharing new dining concepts and nonprofit partnerships with our members in addition to new state-of-the-art amenities and lively programming. Our goal is to bring arts and culture into the Club like never before.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
The book “Pitch Anything” by Oren Klaff impacted me by changing my way of thinking. A few quotes that really resonated with me include “People want what they can’t have,” “People chase that which moves away from them,” and “People value that which they pay for.” These takeaways proved beneficial when I was in a sales role. I played hard to get with one particular booking, and it turned the tables. Instead of being the stereotypical aggressive salesperson looking to close a deal, I took a much more relaxed, “not everyone can have this” approach in my presentation, and I closed a $50,000 deal.
Another great book is “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.” It was Barnes & Noble’s book of the year a few years back, and it is well worth the read. If you haven’t read it, you must, and once you read it, you will understand why it was the book of the year.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote would be, “Attitude Determines Altitude.” This means that your achievements are limitless if you only get out of your own way. I was once the opening director of catering for this huge new hotel in Florida. I worked hard and blew away my numbers, but I wanted more. I kept grinding, delivering the goods day after day, night after night, weekend after weekend. The pace was taking its toll, but I never let it show. One day, after six months of nonstop work, I was offered the director of sales role. The quality of my work life improved dramatically after that, and so did my income.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
For me, it’s simple. Champion kindness and mutual respect. The opportunities would be endless if this were everyone’s mission.
How can our readers follow you online?
I invite readers to connect with me on LinkedIn and follow along with the Citrus Club renovation and grand opening on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
