Richard M. Kopplin, CMAA Fellow, Partner

Dick started KOPPLIN SEARCH, INC. in 1996 following a 35-year career as a general manager and vice president for nationally recognized clubs, like Castle Pines in Castle Rock, CO, Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ and PGA WEST in La Quinta, CA. His goal was to provide private clubs with an exemplary level of service in matching executive level candidates with private clubs and their culture through a more informed, researched, and educated process.

Dick also began a tradition for the Firm wherein a core foundation to its success is in its commitment to professional development, not only for its own Team, but more importantly for the industry and managers as a whole. In that vein, Dick has been one of the highest rated presenters at the CMAA World Conference on Club Management consistently since 2000. Drawing upon the hundreds of interviews, boardrooms and board retreats he has conducted, Dick is a sought-after keynote speaker on executive leadership, team development and the critically important “Board Dynamics/Model Clubs” program he developed many years ago to help boards and managers better identify and execute their roles and responsibilities in a successful and consistent manner.

Since that time, the firm has conducted over 1000 search assignments for many of the finest member-owned, developer-owned, golf, country, community-based, yacht, city, and athletic clubs in the country and worldwide.

Dick is the recipient of The BoardRoom Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and 2018.

Phone: 480-443-9102

Resources & Insights from Dick…

Sometimes the best laid plans end up being just that…plans! And what happens after that often is serendipitous.

Serendipity often takes us on a path we’ve never considered but a path that often leads to a passion. In a nutshell, that describes the long, illustrious career of Dick Kopplin, a mainstay of the private club industry…

Congratulations to KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE’S founder, Mr. Richard M. Kopplin, who was inducted as a CMAA Fellow at the Club Management Association of America’s virtual World Conference and Club Business Expo, March 8-12, 2021. Dick is one of six club industry leaders who was selected for the 2021 class of Fellows.

Created in 2019, the CMAA Fellows Program is an honorary recognition program distinguishing CMAA members who epitomize the leadership, integrity, involvement, and contributions of club management professionals. Each of these individuals has made a significant impact toward the betterment of the profession and CMAA throughout their active careers…

Richard Kopplin Inducted into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame

Richard Kopplin has been recognized for his career dedicated to the betterment of the private club industry and one of five new inductees to the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame held recently at the Induction Ceremony hosted at Paradise Valley Country Club.

Following a 35-year career as a general manager and vice president for nationally recognized clubs, Kopplin started Kopplin Search, Inc. over 23 years ago with the objective of assisting clubs in their search for skilled, competent staff. Today he leads KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE, a dynamic firm with a focus on executive searches, industry education and consulting…

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) play a pivotal role in the financial health and strategic direction of clubs. Their presence in the boardroom can significantly influence decision-making processes, provide essential financial knowledge and context while mitigating financial risks. CFOs can be additive in the boardroom in the following ways…

After working with hundreds of private clubs and thousands of club board members over the past 50 years, I am confident I have discovered the secret to being a great board member…

Actively challenging the status quo, not for the sake of disruption itself, but to create significant improvements, is a leadership attribute many clubs are looking for in their executive leaders. But how do you balance disruption and being disruptive in a private club environment?

I have observed that truly successful private club general managers/chief operating officers have developed the skill of tapping into the rich resource they have sitting at their board tables: each board member’s expertise…

Hospitality is an imperfect business and while you can plan to deliver the highest levels of product and service consistently, even the world’s best service providers have breakdowns.

Planning for inevitable mistakes separates the best businesses from the average ones…

Over the many years I have worked with private club boards, the annual board retreat is one common strategy that high-performing, successful clubs have in place.

Attendance is typically mandatory for board members who are serious about their leadership role as volunteers serving their fellow members.

The retreat’s purpose is for board members to take time away from their clubs to look at club issues strategically and with both future and historical perspectives…

It is the most common complaint I hear working with private club board members. “We need to improve the food and beverage service at our club.”

Notice I did not say the “profitability,” although that benefit is sometimes inherent in well-managed club dining facilities.

How can you improve the food and beverage operations at your club? The answer is easier than you might think and begins with the fundamentals…

In the course of working with club boards and search committees to identify and retain professional executive leadership (GM/CEs) for their clubs, our firm typically conducts a market compensation analysis and assists in the final agreement negotiations with the successful candidate.

I’m continually amazed at how many seemingly competent managers expect membership privileges for themselves and often their families as part of the “normal” benefits provided to them. Where does this entitlement expectation come from?

Legend has it that trouble often comes when you least expect it. And that’s what happened at our annual meeting, where the new slate of board members was elected.

The first bad piece of advice I heard was: “Find a job you are passionate about, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

What a crock that is. And yet, how often do we hear it from misguided charlatans who have more experience hawking their latest “self-help book” than actually working in any profession?

Please, be passionate about your family, your friends, your health, your home, your hobbies, your vacations, and your faith, but keep your job in perspective. Yes, there are days when we all love what we do, but let’s be realistic and understand that some days are not great. At times, we become frustrated, irritated, upset, and ready to “walk away,” which is normal…

A club president recently asked about common practices I observe at clubs that I would correct if I could. I told him about three typical behaviors I call the “myths of good club governance…”

It was one of those hot, humid nights in Minnesota when the air conditioning in my small office was simply not capable of keeping me cool.

My sleeves were rolled up and I was sweating (literally) while working on the budget projections for next year.

I suddenly realized that it was 6:30 p.m. and our Tuesday Twilight nine-hole member group would be in the middle of enjoying dinner. It was also one of the weeks when members would invite guest couples to join the event.

I walked into the dining room…