Henry Wallmeyer began his tenure as NCA’s President & CEO on Sept. 29. In this interview with NCA, Wallmeyer discusses his professional experience, goals and vision for NCA, including his aspirations to strengthen NCA’s influence in the club industry and its role as the advocate for private clubs.
What is your background?
I am coming to NCA as the former vice president of membership at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), a $48 million trade association advocating for manufacturers in America. The NAM was very active on many of the same advocacy issues that are important to NCA such as the Waters of the U.S. Rule as well as labor issues like health care, overtime and immigration.
Prior to the NAM, I was deputy director at the International Parking Institute and served in leadership positions with other associations, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, and for five years, at the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA). It was at CMAA where I first realized how tremendously rewarding working in an association could be, especially when it is for a dynamic industry like that of private clubs. 12 CLUB DIRECTOR
Why did you apply for and accept the President & CEO position at NCA?
With a career background focused on association management along with my experience at CMAA, this role with NCA was truly a destined opportunity for me. Throughout my career, I have been a catalyst to strengthen organizations and grow their financial and industry impact, and I look forward to doing the same for NCA.
I was also encouraged to explore this great opportunity because of how well-positioned NCA is for future success. Sue Wegrzyn has done an outstanding job leading NCA for the past two decades. I look to build upon the solid foundation that she has laid in terms of membership, advocacy and programs.
I saw a chance in this role to return to an industry that I love and admire, and to build upon existing relationships in order to make a strong organization even better.
What are you looking to accomplish during the first year at NCA?
In the first year, I look to have NCA operating as a larger, more effective, more powerful and better-positioned association in the industry and in Washington, D.C. I will build, develop and energize the best, most qualified team of professionals to deliver on stated goals. I will lead through clear direction, open communications, unwavering support of my team, and my own personal work ethic.
We will enthusiastically mark the one-year anniversary with NCA having met specific goals and objectives centered on growth, presence, programs and advocacy. Specifically, I will:
- Reach out to each NCA member thanking them for their strong support of NCA and our shared priorities. I will encourage them to always feel free to contact me and my team to offer their suggestions on how we can be a better association.
- Contact all strategic partners to thank them for their financial support and start the process of building relationships with companies that are so vitally important to NCA’s success.
- Set association goals that motivate me and the team. These goals will be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. An action plan laying out the individual steps needed to accomplish the goals will be created and used to mark progress.
- Lead the effort to create a well-defined and meaningful value proposition on NCA membership.
- Instill a model of exceptional customer service in the NCA team to fully engage members and bring in new members. Create a set of values for NCA centered on having the best people; being strategically bold, well-managed and intellectually rigorous; respecting each other and the members; taking ownership; being open; and having the highest level of integrity.
- Be a person that the board, members, allied industries and media know that they can come to as a trusted source for direct, honest and insightful information, answers and collaboration.
- Create a leadership team at NCA to serve as a driver of the changes necessary to grow the organization. This team will have direct input on how to best accomplish the stated goals and be encouraged to be creative and take strategic risks.
- Foster a culture of entrepreneurialism to encourage the team to identify new ways to accomplish stated goals and bring in additional membership dues and non-dues revenue.
- And last but not least, have fun!
Is there an aspect of NCA that you particularly would like to focus on or bring more attention to?
My priorities for NCA will be centered on Growth, Presence, Programs and Advocacy (GPPA). These are areas that I believe will lead to transformational change and make for a much stronger NCA and private club industry.
Growth will focus on membership, sponsorship, advertising, national and regional conferences, affinity programs and the NCA Foundation in terms of both revenue and numbers. NCA will have a greater presence by creating an all encompassing communications program. We will focus on becoming a stronger voice for the private club industry on Capitol Hill and throughout the country.
I will continue to build effective programs by meeting the needs of our membership and the industry with our targeted surveys, reports and publications.
I will look to have an even greater impact on Advocacy efforts through increasing NCA’s involvement on issues including: building an army of advocates for the private club industry; educating and influencing decision makers; developing a key contact campaign and database; identifying and securing achievable victories; and transforming lobbying efforts into tangible benefits.
What aspect of NCA has the biggest potential for growth?
I believe that membership not only has the biggest potential for growth, but it is also the area where growth is most imperative. All of the aspects in the GPPA plan I mentioned above are vital to NCA’s success—but cannot be achieved without membership growth.
I saw firsthand in my position at the NAM the importance of sales skills in selling memberships to a trade association. I will bring this experience and proven methods to NCA where we will use appropriate, smart and personalized outreach as an integral part of the membership recruitment efforts. With a new director of membership and a membership manager at NCA, we are sitting on a tremendous opportunity to secure and grow memberships at potentially never-seen-before levels by employing the best tactics and people.
It will be my job to make sure that our industry embraces the words that President Teddy Roosevelt once shared about the importance of supporting one’s association: “Every man owes some of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged. No man has a right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere.”
With new leadership at CMAA and NCA, what opportunities do you see on the horizon for partnership between the two associations?
I see amazing possibilities for NCA and CMAA to collaborate on many issues that impact our collective members (clubs and club managers). Both organizations should benefit by partnering for more efficient and effective efforts. A smarter use of resources and ideas can only expand the success of both organizations and the industry.
I look forward to working with Jeff Morgan and the CMAA team, including the individuals with whom I used to work at CMAA.
When you are not working, what are you doing?
When not working, I spend time with my family and participate in the kids’ activities. I have been married to my wife Jonelle for 11 years and we have a 10-year-old daughter Mary Frances and an eight-year-old son Nicklaus. The kids’ sports calendars are pretty full, but when we do have a break we enjoy visiting with the kid’s grandparents in Virginia and South Carolina, as well as going to sporting events—especially Villanova basketball games. And now with my new role, my family is excited to attend golf tournaments.
Finally, what is something interesting that people might not know about you?
Jonelle and I were on the HGTV show “House Hunters” in 2005. We weren’t the couple that was hunting for a house, but our friends were and we ended up in the last scene as guests who were at their housewarming party. Another tidbit of possible interest is that my brother-in-law is Mike Stachura, senior equipment editor at Golf Digest and Golf Channel contributor.