The Chairman of the Selection Committee for the Excellence in Club Management Awards describes the process that leads to the industry’s most prestigious recognition.
With the nomination and judging process for the 2025 ECM Awards now underway, Club Trends spoke with Joe Krenn, CCM, CCE, ECM, Chief Executive Officer & General Manager of Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va. and the 2017 winner of The James H. Brewer Award, to gain more insight into how the ECM Awards have come to be known as the preeminent recognition of exemplary performance in the club industry. Krenn is serving as Chairman of the 2025 Selection Committee, which is comprised of leading general managers and industry executives from throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2025 ECM Awards is March 21, 2025; more information on how to nominate a candidate can be found at clubmanageraward.com.
Q: Joe, what distinguishes the Excellence in Club Management Awards from other honors and recognition that managers in the club industry can achieve?
A: The separation of the Excellence in Club Management Awards from other industry awards is on several fronts. First, the nominations come from the clubs themselves. The application and information required is extensive, and selection of winners is solely by managers’ peers in the industry; McMahon Group and the National Club Association are not involved in the judging.
Q: The winners are then recognized nationally at a special awards dinner held in conjunction with the National Club Association’s annual conference, where they have the opportunity to include their families, as well as board members and staff from their clubs, as part of the awards ceremony. All winners are profiled in Club Trends magazine and presentations are also made at each individual winner’s club.
Q: What have you, as an ECM winner yourself, and your peers in the industry who have earned ECM recognition over the years learned about the impact in can have on your careers and how you manage your clubs after receiving the award?
A: The recognition is rewarding and confirms the managers’ accomplishments to their membership, peers and the club industry. I believe it is a satisfying experience to the managers, and they are very proud of the accomplishment. Having their families and clubs involved in the awards ceremonies is a dynamic and emotional experience.
On a personal note, winning the 2017 Excellence in Club Management Award was a meaningful moment for me, both professionally and personally.
While it was an award given to me, it was really a powerful validation of the hard work, leadership, and dedication of my entire team at Farmington Country Club. The recognition not only reinforced my passion for the club management industry, it inspired me to continue growing, pushing boundaries, and setting new standards for success. It was a moment of reflection on what we’ve achieved together and a reminder of the responsibility I carry to lead by example, motivate those around me, and continue driving the club forward.
Q: What is involved for the nomination and final decision-making processes for the ECM awards?
A: Well, it is a process—as it should be. It starts with the club president nominating his or her general manager. The nomination application is detailed
and specific, and it requires a great deal of work to accurately communicate the accomplishments during the manager’s tenure and the impact and
results of those achievements. These are not “lifetime achievement” awards—they relate specifically to a manager’s performance at his or her current club.
Once the applications have been completed and submitted, the committee starts its process. I have been fortunate to work with some of the top GMs in the country on the committee. My first experience on the committee was eye-opening, because the majority of applicants have had spectacular careers, making the judging of nominations very difficult.
Once the committee has made its selections of the final candidates, the process can get stressful. The decision-making at this point is splitting hairs, and you understand what your vote means for the manager and the clubs involved. At the end of the process, the committee selects one manager for each of the four Awards categories, which are based on size and type of club. At that point, it is a rewarding feeling to know we have done our best to identify “the best of the best” from among so many impressive nominations.
Q: Why should club presidents want to submit nominations for their general managers?
A: For a couple of reasons: First, it allows the club to recognize and reward their manager for the job they have done at their club. Secondly, it gives the club national exposure on what makes their club so special for its members and the club industry.
Q: When the Committee is reviewing ECM nominations, what are the most common characteristics and accomplishments that seem to distinguish those who emerge as award winners?
A: Most often, the list of accomplishments is long and over a period of years. It identifies higher services, member value, capital improvements, team building, etc. The managers are proactive in nature and are constantly trying to improve their club.
Q: Screening ECM nominations can be fairly involved and time- consuming. Why do those on the Committee feel it’s important to devote time and effort to the process?
A: It is our industry, and what we do for a living. Club managers take a great deal of pride in what we do and are dedicated to excellence both in our own work and our industry. So it is extremely important that if we are going to select a manager who performs at such a high level and reward them with this award, we need to do our part in the selection process.
Q: The Awards also include “Rising Star” recognition for an Assistant Manager, from nominations submitted by General Managers. What’s the value of achieving this recognition for someone on your staff?
A: I think the Rising Star award is the most rewarding for the committee to select. It represents the future of the industry and clearly helps the award winner along their career path to become a GM one day. Assistant managers want to work at a club where they can learn and develop, and ultimately run their own club. Clubs that get involved in the “Rising Star” part of the ECM Awards understand that.
I am very fortunate to have experienced this first- hand when Brandon Johnson, CCM, our assistant general manager at Farmington Country Club, was awarded the 2019 Rising Star Award. All of us at the club felt an immense sense of pride when one of our managers received the Rising Star Award;
It was a testament to the hard work, growth, and dedication Brandon has contributed to our club’s success. Watching Brandon develop into a leader and be recognized by our peers reaffirmed my belief in the importance of nurturing talent within our team. Moments like this remind me how rewarding it is to support and mentor others, knowing that their success reflects not only their potential but also the collaborative culture we’ve built together
Honored by Their Peers
The Excellence in Club Management (ECM) Awards were established by the McMahon Group, Inc., the St. Louis-based consulting firm, in 1997 and have been co-sponsored by the National Club Association since 2018.
The annual awards are selected through nominations submitted on behalf of qualified candidates by other parties. Award recipients are selected solely on the basis of their achievements at the club they currently manage.
Awards in these categories are given each year:
- The James H. Brewer Award, for a manager of a Country/Golf Club with 600 or more full- privilege members
- The Mead Grady Award, for a manager of a Country/Golf Club with fewer than 600 full- privilege members
- The Mel Rex Award, for a manager of a City, Athletic or Specialty (Non-Golf) Club
- The John Furlong Award, for excellence in management of a club property in Canada
- The “Rising Star” Award for an assistant club manager
Lifetime Achievement Awards for retiring managers are also included as part of some years’ ECM honors.
A Selection Committee comprised of a peer group of leading club managers conducts the judging for the ECM Awards. A full listing of the judges, in addition to information on past winners and on how to nominate candidates for the 2025 awards, can be found at clubmanageraward.com.
The 2024 recipients of ECM Awards profiled in the following pages were honored at a special ceremony and dinner, sponsored by KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE, held during the National Club Conference at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort at the end of April. Individual presentations were then made at the winners’ clubs.
The 2025 winners will be honored during the National Club Association’s National Club Conference at The New York Athletic Club in April 2025.