Peter C. Davies, CCM – A Personal Story

Peter C. Davies, CCM – A Personal Story

I was born just outside London, England in 1951. Following an education at Bishop’s Stortford College I attended London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. At drama school I dreamed of a lifetime career as an actor on stage and screen – little did I know that my training as an actor would one day serve me in a completely different way to the one I had in mind – the distinctive drama of the private club experience!

Life after school was a voyage of discovery. Over the years I worked as a London based actor, a promotions manager for RCA Records, a personal manager for cult rock star Iggy Pop and then a return to acting in New York where work as a waiter was more easy to come by than work as an actor.

During this actor/waiter period I moved from New York to Cincinnati to be close to my 6-year old son Christian. After a few years of my usual routine of working in the theatre whenever I could and supporting myself by working in restaurants, I stepped into a country club for the first time in my life and successfully interviewed for a dining room captain position. I quickly felt at home in the private club atmosphere and enjoyed the contrast to restaurant work; members took a friendly interest in the club staff, it was fun to serve dinner one night and stage a wedding the next. It felt good to work in a magical place with its beautiful clubhouse, immaculately maintained golf course and grounds and general sense of family and celebration.

I embraced opportunities for promotion and after a few years became the club’s food & beverage director and, more importantly, a member of CMAA. I was a member of the Ohio Valley Chapter and I will never forget my experience at my first meeting. I knew no one and was standing next to the swimming pool at the host club, nibbling on a shrimp and giving serious consideration to slipping away and going home. As I was about to do this, a friendly gentleman wandered over and introduced himself he was a former Chapter President and manager of the most exclusive club in the area. He made me feel welcome, asked me about myself and explained that the value of CMAA would best be found by getting involved. He introduced me to other managers and insisted I sat with him and his wife for dinner.

I took that friendly manager’s advice and quickly became involved in CMAA. I became a director of the Ohio Valley Chapter where I served as Cincinnati District Chair, two terms as Education Chair and then terms as Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President and Chapter President. I have been honored to serve on many national committees and I am currently serving on the National Board of Directors. I am also a member of the CMAA Wine Society.

I was very proud to achieve my CCM in 2006 and Honor Society in 2009. I believe that my career path is a direct result of the education available from CMAA and after 8 years as general manager of Heritage Club in Cincinnati, I was fortunate enough to relocate to one of the most beautiful places on earth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I am somewhat awed to be the general manager for one of the great clubs of New England; the Wianno Club.

My personal journey with CMAA has bonded me to the association in such a way that I have a natural desire to serve the association and its membership. Times are changing fast and we need our association more than ever to help us find ways to embrace the opportunities of challenge and change so we can transform them into triumphs for our clubs and for our own careers. The association benefits from the ability of its directors to listen and learn from the membership. We are a grass roots organization that is supported by our wonderful chapters around the country. I have the good fortune of membership on the great Chapters of New England and the Ohio Valley and understand this well. As a director, I must continue to do all I can to make certain that the membership’s voice is clearly heard at the national level.

The lonely shrimp nibbling experience at my first Chapter meeting happened many years ago but I feel a deep gratitude to that friendly manager who reached out and encouraged me to get involved. I have never forgotten the experience and, whenever I am at a CMAA event, I always keep a watchful eye for anyone who looks in need of a warm welcome or a friendly word. As a CMAA leader, I always use every possible opportunity to reach out, listen and encourage because I have never forgotten how someone reached out to me and sealed my involvement with the association.

This year, Shelly and I will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary and count our many blessings – especially our children – Christian now 24 and pursuing an acting career in New York, Harker who is in 1st Grade and Clementine who is in pre-school. I am so thankful for the love and support of my family – nothing would exist without them. Life balance is a frequent topic of conversation for club managers, a frequent topic for association seminars and perhaps one of the most difficult things to achieve in a profession that often places many demands on our lives. As with many things in life, I haven’t found the perfect balance in life, I haven’t found a magical formula to fix all the bumps in the road but I’m still trying, still listening and thanks to CMAA: still learning!

Please help my election efforts for 2010 – I promise to keep listening and keep learning from you.

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