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DickRICHARD M. FARRELL, PRINCIPAL

Mr. Farrell is founding principal of GSI Executive Search with successful placements of senior level management within the private club, resort, real estate development sectors. He has a diverse management background that encompasses over 25 years of experience as an executive in the hospitality and real estate development industries.

His experience includes:

  • President and CEO of a Tampa Bay based Development Company; developed two planned communities featuring 2200 residences, a commercial office park, 54 holes of golf and the world acclaimed “Harry Hopman Tennis Resort”.
  • President of PGI Developers; a Florida based developer of multiple large scale planned golf communities on Florida’s West Coast.
  • Senior Vice President of Nicklaus-Sierra Development; nationally acclaimed developer of country club communities in Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, Baton Rogue, New Orleans and Tampa.
  • Founding principal of Pinnacle Golf, Inc; management and development company of golf clubs.
  • Graduate of Florida State University; Past Board Member of the Seminole Booster’s Club and Past Vice President of the FSU Alumni Association.
  • Member of the Urban Land Institute.
  • Former member of the Young President's Organization.
  • Active Member of the “Leadership Florida” Alumni.
  • Member of the Association of Florida Community Developers.

CharlieCHARLIE HOARE, CCM, PRINCIPAL

Mr. Hoare is a founding principal of GSI Executive Search, with successful placements of a variety of senior level executives in the private club, resort and real estate industries. Mr. Hoare has a diverse background in the management of exclusive private country clubs and executive search.

His background and experience includes:

  • General Manager and COO of The Country Club of Birmingham, Alabama, Lakeside Country Club in Houston, The Country Club of Orlando, and Thornblade Club in Greenville, South Carolina.
  • Graduate of Florida State University School of Business/Hospitality Administration. Past President of the “Society of Hosts” alumni association.
  • Graduate of the University of Florida School of Fine Arts.
  • Member of the Club Managers Association of America. Past President of the Texas Lone Star Chapter.
  • Past member of the National Club Association’s “Advisory Council.”
  • Founding member of the Greater Houston Council of Hospitality Executives at the University of Houston.
  • Advisory Board – Florida State University College of Business

CharlieG. SCOTT McNETT, PRINCIPAL

Mr. McNett is a principal of GSI Executive Search and is based in the firm’s Midwest office in St. Louis. He has executed many successful placements of senior and mid-level management in private clubs, resorts, hotels, gated communities, recreational facilities, and real estate development. He has a diverse background that covers 20 years of experience spanning executive search, professional sports, sports marketing and management, health and tennis club operations and community service.

His experience includes:

  • Principal with Conley & Company, St. Louis, Missouri; a national executive search firm headquartered in Boston and focused on hospitality, financial services, corporate, and non-profit senior management positions.
  • Vice President of John Sibbald Associates, a leading national executive search firm for the hospitality industry. Executed 100 senior level assignments in the club and hospitality sector.
  • Owner and operator of South Hampshire Racquet Club in St. Louis; a full service health club with fitness, tennis, and food and beverage operations.
  • Account Executive with Kemper Sports Management in Chicago; a national sports marketing and management firm. Managed corporate marketing assignments and sponsorships with the PGA Tour.
  • Graduate of Denison University, Granville, Ohio.
  • Master of Science in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
  • Past Board member of the United States Tennis Association. Current member of National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), Community Association Institute (CAI), and International Spa Association (ISPA).
  • Active member of the Alumni Board of Directors of John Burroughs School and Community School, both in St. Louis.
  • Current owner of Frontenac Racquet Club, a leading tennis club in St. Louis.

DAVID LACEYDavid

David Lacey is a Vice President and the head of Human Resource Business Development for VIST Insurance, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His consulting practice focuses on mid-market organizations, including private clubs. Mr. Lacey’s clients range in workforce size from 50 to 600 employees. He specializes in conducting “Human Resource Audits” to assess an organization’s level of compliance with applicable state and federal statutes, holding management seminars on varied topics and using “best practice” assessments and development tools to enhance the effectiveness of an organization’s executives and key managers. His consulting work has a strong operational focus that balances the effectiveness of the Senior Management Team with their efficiency, including cost, of achieving results.

In a successful career spanning three decades, Mr. Lacey has held the top Human Resource position in two different publicly traded companies; Technitrol, Inc., an electronic component manufacturer and the Providence Washington Group, a medium-size commercial insurance carrier.

At present, David serves on the Board of Governors for the Philadelphia Cricket Club and is the Chair of the Tennis Committee. David also chaired the Search Committee for the hiring of the club’s current Director of Tennis and Paddle. He works closely with the President of the Board of Governors and the General Manager/COO on compensation and employee relations issues.

Mr. Lacey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York and holds Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Counseling and Industrial Psychology from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, David was a Salzburg Fellow based in Austria at which time he received a German Marshall Fund Grant to meet with top-level education, labor and corporate leaders in Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom..

G. RANDALL MARTIN

Randy Martin is a specialist in the recruitment of Golf Course Superintendents He brings a unique combination of business leadership and private club experience to superintendent recruiting, having served 10 years as Green Committee Chairman of Crystal Downs Country Club in Michigan as well as past Chairman of the Green Committee at Algonquin Golf Club in St. Louis. Randy is an affiliate member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and has been an active USGA Green Section Committeeman. He has made presentations at the USGA Regional Turfgrass Conferences. Some of his former clients include St. Louis CC, Milwaukee CC, CC of Detroit, Shadow Glen Golf Club, Black Diamond CC, Boca West CC, The Polo Club of Boca Raton, and Ballen Isles CC. Prior to joining GSI he was associated with John Sibbald Associates. Randy has a degree in industrial engineering from Washington University located in St. Louis.

FRANK "BUD" GARDNER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE

Mr. Gardner has over twenty-five years of experience in Human Resources and Executive Search. Prior to founding his own firm, he worked for several national consulting firms: Cole, Warren & Long, Inc., and with Laventhol & Horwath LLP as Director of the Organizational Consulting practice in the Southeast. He has also held senior corporate Human Resources positions in the Real Estate Development and Biotech industries. Bud has search expertise in a variety of functional areas including Construction, Real Estate Development , Human Resources, Sales and Marketing and finance.

Mr. Gardner has an MBA in Human Resources from Syracuse University, with a BA in Business Administration from Hamilton College. He is a member of SHRM, The Society for Human Resource Management, and EMA, The Employment Managers Association.

NANCY LEWIS, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Nancy‘s recruiting career spans over 25 years. Since joining GSI in 2005 she has focused primarily in the placement of senior-level executives in real estate development. She has also worked extensively on assignments for the club and resort industry including executive chefs, membership directors, food and beverage managers/directors, dining room managers, clubhouse managers, general managers, golf/tennis directors; and spa and fitness directors.

Nancy holds a degree in Liberal Arts from Stratford College, Danville, Virginia with advanced studies at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and The New School of Social Research, New York City.

BARBARA MURPHY, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Ms. Murphy has over twenty years of experience as Vice President of Marketing and Information Systems with a Fortune 500 Company. She was instrumental in developing the company’s award-winning web site as well as spearheading the development and training for the company’s sales force efforts. Success in spearheading sales and catering to a high-end customer base has provided her with invaluable experience in building strong relationships with her clients.

Prior corporate experience includes tenure as a Trust Investment Officer with American Security Bank in Washington, DC.

Barbara holds a degree in Liberal Arts from Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina.


Tampa Bay Office
Phone: 727-525-6562
dick@gsiexecutivesearch.com
St. Louis Office
Phone: 314-854-1321
scott@gsiexecutivesearch.com
North Florida Office
Phone: 850-997-6979
charlie@gsiexecutivesearch.com