The "How we do small things" Podcast
All things hospitality, most things Countryside. True hospitality is about making big impacts from small actions. This podcast explores the world of service to others, hospitality, private clubs and everything big and small that makes serving others special and meaningful. Memorable experiences are created in the details, the small things…because “How we do small things is how we do all things”…
Episodes
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Sean Bleyl
Always a pleasure to sit with Sean from MembersFirst. He's always got some unique insights - marketing, communications, AI.... Our conversation covers a number of "conference topics" but Sean really honed in on the education, speakers and the ever popular topic of AI. He picked a very aligned question from the "Ritz Ice Bucket of Knowledge"....Sean and the Jonas team prese
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Steve Malvinni & Bryan Rosich
This episode was a fun one with Steve and Bryan from The Nest in Bonita Springs FL..and Denny Corby!..as expected they shared some thoughtful conversation about conference...
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - LuAnn Giovannelli & Gerard Pontarelli
What an awesome conversation with LuAnn and Gerard, both from Bay Colony Beach Club...And another that we were joined by Denny Corby. Fun chat in this one.....
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Tony D'Errico & John Lyberger
These two need no introductions....Tony and John are industry veterans who have (and continue to be), mentors, guides and way finders to all of us. They've both moved from the operations side to the design and architecture side with Peacock and Lewis. Had an interesting conversation on the shift and the tremendous value they will bring representing operations and how clubs function - somethin
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Richlyn Radcliff & Mario Luis Crespo
More from the FLCMAA Summer Conference....this conversation is with Richlyn Radcliff and Mario Crespo both from Colonial Country Club in Ft Myers, FL. Richlyn is the Hospitality and Lifestyle Manager and Mario is the CFO. Enjoyed chatting with these two young rockstars!
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Melissa Hansen
Melissa Hansen is the creative mastermind behind the brand of Olde Cypress....She's been on the pod before...and she's all over the industry sharing her wisdom...She needs no introduction. True pleasure to chat with her at the FLCMAA Summer Conference...and find out how she answers "The FLCMAA is......."
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Kimberly Hill
Holy cow this one was fun....Literally! Kimberly Hill is the Director of Fun at Naples Lakes...Yep, thats her title. She joined the club as a hostess and now oversees all things fun. Really enjoyed chatting with her at conference and learning all about what a Director Fun does!Enjoy....and have fun!!
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Corey Saban
Corey Saban is a chameleon! He is all about making others comfortable, he is a champion of inclusivity, he embraces each person's uniqueness and most importantly he's an expert at communication. He knows how to tell a story and be genuine doing it. He knows how to prepare leaders and teams to communicate with clarity, credibility and impact in the boardroom, on stage and under pressure.C
FLCMAA Conference Conversations - Kelly Grabowsky & Rob Martin
The August 2026 Summer Conference was one to remember! What a pleasure to chat with our fearless leader, Kelly Grabowsky. Kelly absolutely killed it at conference this year - the education and presenters were amazing, the thought and planning was evident and the venue was unbeatable. Perhaps the biggest thing we all noticed was all of the small details that went into making this year's August
Spencer Potter & ClubGrub
Spencer saw an opportunity to revolutionize the club F&B business that happens outside of your clubhouse...Clubs are very different today than 20 years ago. Golf is important, but not the main thing...Members now want to connect with their club in different ways - activity and lively resort pool areas, racquet sports, take out and delivery and on course delivery....ClubGrub connects your food
Alan Gregerman - The power of curiosity!
This was an episode that was recorded at the FLCMAA Summer Conference held in Sarasota, FL. I had the privilege of chatting with Alan Gregerman who was one of our keynote speakers and from what I and many others felt - the best session of the conference! Alan shared the power of curiosity, creativity and looking at things with a beginners mind and stay open to seeing how new ideas and concepts can
Chef 2 Chef Jay Herman and Matthew Gilbert
What does it really take to create an extraordinary hospitality experience?In the Season 2 premiere of How We Do Small Things, Joe and Executive Chef Jay sit down with Matthew Gilbert of Medinah Country Club for a wide-ranging conversation about food, leadership, creativity, culture, and the relationships that make private clubs special.Despite operating at very different clubs, the conversation q
Season 2 - Teaser
Stay tuned!
Episode 23 - Thoughts on the National Restaurant Show....
2.5 million square feet of convention space....to say the National Restaurant Show was overwhelming is an understatement. But we're glad we had the opportunity to attend. We had some quality time discussing pizza, sampling new food and products and brainstorming what's possible in the future...
Episode 22 - We "Mayde" it!!!
What was it like the first season back in the clubhouse? That's the discussion on the table in this episode with Scott, Chef Jay and Joe. Yes....We made it. Season started in July with members over the top excited to get back into the club and experience what they've waited two years for - an extra long year but overall it was incredibly successful. Members were patient - nearly everythi
Episode 21 - 40 Years of Marketing and Communications
Three questions...1. How has marketing and communications changed in 40 years?2. How has communications at Countryside changed in 20 years?3. How do you continue growing a 20 year solid foundation of communications?Mary Groesser, Countryside's Director of Communication for the past 20 years reflects on you her 40 year career in the marketing, advertising and graphic design industry - you won
Episode 20 - March Madness in Golf Operations
Another busy month. Another month of record golf rounds. We chat all things golf with our golf ops leadership. We're finishing up our first season back in the club and as expected activity was an all time high. The team discusses the ingredients that led to a successful year and high member satisfaction. We also discuss culture, expectations and how empowerment means the most in tough situati
Episode 19 - February 2026 Recap with Scott, Jay, Mike & Joe
In this episode we talk about all kinds of stuff....We recap February, the shortest / longest month of the year. We share some very impressive, almost unbelievable stats...listen closely to learn how many range balls get hit at Countryside...It's alot of balls....And our historical averages across all departments have been shattered...The team is setting records everyday and doing it with pri
Episode 18 - Membership Marketing w/ Melissa Hansen
Melissa Hansen is the Director of Marketing and Membership at the Olde Cypress in Napes, FL. Throughout her 15+ career in the South Florida Club scene she's become the expert and trendsetter in all things that make joining a club a special experience. She knows how to turn first impressions into life-long members and keep those members deeply engaged and connected in the club. We talk about a
Episode 17 - January recap & Food and Beverage Insanity
This one is for all of our F&B peers in the business and for club members (and really anyone who visits restaurants) this time of year in south Florida...To our peers - you are not alone! We are all knee deep in the toughest part of the season...but it's also the most rewarding part. February is often referred to the longest - shortest month. Covers are off the charts, team members are ge
Episode 16 - All things FLCMAA with Kelly Grabowsky
Kelly Grabowsky brings a unique perspective as the new Managing Director for the Florida Chapter CMAA. As a Johnson and Wales Culinary graduate, her career has led her through some unique transitions that have given her a different perspective on the club industry. From Executive Chef to General Manager and now Managing Director. She's a leader who understands our industry from various roles
Episode 15 - Leadership Truths w/ Billy Sparacio of True Victory Consulting
What does the hospitality have in common with high school athletics? Quite a bit. Especially leadership and the responsibility that comes along with it. Billy Sparacio is the founder of True Victory Consulting and the former Athletic Director of First Baptist Academy where he took a non-existent athletic program and built it into something truly special, changing lives along the way to a state foo
Episode 14 - Happy 2026 from the CS Team - it's the year of fluidity!
2025 was awesome! And 2026 sounds like it's going to be even more awesome. In this episode, we start off talking about Fer's big news, Scott's love of hazelnuts and whether or not we set New Year's resolutions... Later in the segment, we shift gears to talk about setting expectations being willing to adjust, staying fluid with life and learning from past challenges.As usual we
Episode 13 - Turf Talk with Todd Lowe & JD Varon
This episode was a treat! JD Varon, CGCS has been the Superintendent at Countryside for 26 years! He's an expert in his field and has provided our Members with incredible playing conditions for nearly 3 decades. In 2019 he led a $5.5m complete course renovation. Todd Lowe began consulting with Countryside in 2024, primarily to provide further expertise advice on our agronomical practices. Tod
Episode 12 - Club Tech Talk with Sean Bleyl & Taylor Lochte
If you're interested in club tech, marketing and anything that is "member facing" Sean and Taylor are your guys. Sean works for MembersFirst as the Client Development Exec.. MembersFirst helps hundreds of member-based organizations attract, engage and retain a vibrant and actively involved membership. We deliver the industry's premier end-to-end technology solution by combining
Episode 11.....2025 - A year in review and a Christmas debate....
We try and script most of our episodes and though this one might not seem like, we did have a rough outline...We discuss some of our favorite memories from 2025 and go deep down the rabbit hole of our favorite Christmas movies and non-Christmas Christmas movies. Which begs the question, Is Die Hard a Christmas movie???? There's probably some talk about holiday traditions also...As usual there
Episode 10 - Joe Basso, General Manager at Naples Lakes
Joe Basso is not only the GM / COO at our neighboring community, Naples Lakes Golf & Country Club, he's also one of only 26 General Managers in the Country to hold the very prestigious MCM certification - often referred to as the "doctorate" in Club Management. Joe has had an impressive career in which he led clubs in Missouri, Michigan, Del-Ray Beach before taking the helm at N
Episode 9....Recap of the Grand Re-Opening and a chat with Chef Jay!!!
How do you pull off a 600+ member Grand Re-Opening that is arguably the most important event in our club's history??? You plan it for 2 years.....and have leaders like Chef Jay, Scott Ortiz and many others involved...In this episode we debrief the Grand Re-Opening, discuss some upcoming events, talk a little bit about leadership, get an update on Chef's recovery and or course.......we sh
Episode 8 - Kid's tables & unique Thanksgiving dishes....
This one is full of laughs and conversation on all things November....Mike and Joe welcome two first timers to the show, Joe Herbstrieth, our Director of Golf, and Andy Meunier, our F&B Manager. We've got some great "small thing" examples at the end of the show and some deep discussion on how to graduate from the kid's table....Enjoy!
Episode 7 - A look back at 36 years of club audits with Phil Newman
What an absolute honor to sit with Phil Newman of RSM to discuss all things club related and some things not. Phil has been a staple in our industry for nearly 4 decades and has been focused in the Naples/South Florida market for 20 years. Countryside was one of Phil's first clubs when we relocated to this area in 2006 and we've been a client ever since. Aside from his focus on club audi
Episode 6 - Halloween fun!!!
What's your favorite Halloween candy? What's your favorite halloween costume? More importantly what's your LEAST favorite candy? In this episode the team explores Chef Jay's odd preference in candy meaning he prefers the candy that (we believe) a majority of people dislike the most. We also chat about our upcoming 7th annual pumpkin carving contest which has become a staple emp
Renovation War Stories with Tim Jones, Joe Foster and Joe Smith
We're super excited to chat with Tim Jones, General Manager / COO and Joe Foster, Assistant General Manager of Stonebridge Golf & Country Club. This is our first episode featuring some industry peers giving a little peak behind the club management curtain....Tim has led Stonebridge for over 20 years and has taken the community through more than one renovation. Joe has held leadership posi
Episode 4 - Two AWESOME special guests and some meaningful "small things"
We've got Maria on the show - one of our long tenured AMAZING team members and Joe chats with Marci Foster, a Countryside Member and Board Member who has done so much for our community. We talk about what we're looking forward to most this season, some sneak peaks into upcoming events and of course....we share some small things that made BIG impacts. Enjoy!
Episode 3 - Shotguns, Fresh Fish, learn the difference between 86 and 68 and much more!
This one was so much fun! After some technical difficulties and few sips of Cuban coffee, we get right into our Friday Fresh Fish specials, what's to come on the new wine list, the best social media posts and we share how we all got started in the business. Not to mention, we talk about some industry jargon and recap our first shotgun in 2 years with some on the spot commentary by Mike Badder
Episode 2 - Looking back at 2021 and how the small things started
Chef Jay, Scott and Joe discuss how the focus on "small things" started and how one small thing....led to a big thing several years later. This is a fun conversation. What small thing did you see, experience or do recently that made a big impact??Want more to the story? Joe published this article below in 2021 which elaborates on the importance of the small things.https://www.linkedin.co
Episode 1 - Teaser
Scott, Fer, Mike and Joe talk a little bit about what this podcast thing is all about........
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