For Immediate Release
Two New Awards Established at the Club Management Association of Canada National Conference
TORONTO, Ontario (October 15, 2023) The Club Management Association of Canada (CMAC) announced the creation of the Excellence Through Innovation Award and the Denzil Palmer Mentor of the Year Award at their 2023 National Conference today, held at the Toronto InterContinental Centre Hotel.
The Excellence Through Innovation Award recognizes exemplary club professionals and club programs while sharing innovative practices across CMAC Branches. The award will celebrate ‘above-and-beyond’ contributions towards CMAC’s vision of creating great leaders through excellence in professional club management.
The Denzil Palmer Mentor of the Year Award will recognize a CMAC professional member that has mentored fellow industry professionals through guidance, support, and inspiration. The award is named after Denzil Palmer, who was the General Manager and Secretary at The Royal Montreal Golf Club for 28 years, and most recently a club consultant with the McMahon Group and Palmer & Associates Executive Search. Denzil was the consummate professional, an honourary member of CMAC, and the 2017 CMAC President’s Award winner. He was an industry icon and mentor to so many CMAC members; you can read more in this recent CMAC article. Denzil’s daughter, Stephanie McIntyre, was present at the award ceremony in Toronto and indicated, “Our father would be deeply touched by this recognition. Beyond his professional achievements, his real passion lay in an innate desire to guide and inspire others. Our family experienced firsthand his commitment to mentorship and his vision for nurturing the next generation of club leaders. This award, in his name, is a true testament to his legacy and his unwavering dedication to CMAC and its members.”
Chris Serré, CCM, CMAC’s Awards Committee Chair remarked, “CMAC is delighted to have brought these two awards to fruition. It is critical for the Association to remain relevant to our members and to encourage more individuals to join our esteemed profession. We believe these two awards reflect CMAC’s changing demographics and add even more credibility to an already healthy awards program.”
CMAC’s Annual Awards Program honours members who have made a significant contribution to the Association and the profession of club management in Canada, supporting CMAC’s mission to offer quality education and networking opportunities for its members. These new awards will be added to the list of existing categories such as Club of the Year, Club Manager of the Year, Excellence in Teaching, and Young Professional and will be bestowed for the first time at the 2024 CMAC National Conference to be held in Kelowna, BC.
For further details regarding the CMAC Awards Program & Application Process, please visit: CMAC Awards Program
About the Club Management Association of Canada
The Club Management Association of Canada is the national professional association for individuals involved in the club management profession in Canada. Since 1957, the association has been supporting members with education, certification, networking and member events to facilitate them being the best in the industry. Members include general managers, chief operating officers, assistant general managers, clubhouse managers, golf superintendents, chefs, controllers, food and beverage supervisors, golf professionals, as well as students interested in pursuing a career in club management. CMAC professionals work at private, semi-private and public golf clubs, country clubs, city clubs, faculty clubs and recreation and leisure clubs.
CMAC is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario with over 670 members and 11 branches across Canada.
For more information, please visit www.thecmac.ca or follow @clubmgmtcanada on X, formerly known as Twitter, @clubmgmtcanada on Instagram and The Club Management Association of Canada on LinkedIn.
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