KemperSports Promotes Eight Leaders to New Executive Roles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

KemperSports Promotes Eight Leaders to New Executive Roles

 

NORTHBROOK, ILLINOIS, May 9, 2019 – KemperSports has promoted eight company leaders to support its growing roster of golf courses, resorts, athletic clubs and lodging venues across the United States, Caribbean and Central America. The promotions include:

• Mark Freemott has been promoted to senior vice president. One of the longest tenured executives in the company, Freemott joined the KemperSports family as an intern more than 20 years ago, rising through the ranks to most recently serve as a regional operations executive and then vice president. During his career, Freemott has led marquee properties across the KemperSports portfolio, and has also honed a deep expertise in food and beverage. In 2015, Golf Inc. named Freemott to its list of the “Top 10 most innovative people in golf.”
• Keith Hanley moves into the role of senior vice president. Since joining KemperSports more than 10 years ago, Hanley has led the growth and development of many top 100 properties including Streamsong Resort. He also leads the company’s sustainability program, Green to a Tee™. Under his direction, KemperSports properties have won notable internal and external awards including Golf Digest’s coveted Best New Course for Streamsong Black. Previously serving as vice president of operations, he has more than 25 years of industry experience, including significant involvement in the construction and management of courses in the United States, Central America and Asia
• Heather Margulis has been promoted to senior vice president of human resources, serving KemperSports and its sister company KemperLesnik. Margulis joined the organization in 2016 and during her tenure she has re-engineered the human resources department to better support the field and drive recruiting and retention efforts through enhancements to critical areas like training, staff engagement and benefits. She has more than 20 years of human resources industry experience.
• Steve Kelley has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel, advising both KemperSports and KemperLesnik. Since joining the company in 2014, Kelley has been a key player in several corporate initiatives and efforts, including leading a review of all policies and procedures, working on risk management issues, and supporting new business development activities. He has more than 25 years of legal experience spanning sports, hospitality, blue chip companies and start-ups.
• Frank Merkel has been promoted to senior vice president. During his tenure with KemperSports, Merkel has excelled as team leader, new business development executive and property operator. A versatile, dedicated leader, he currently oversees a large portfolio of KemperSports properties in both the Midwest and East regions that run the gamut from municipal courses to private clubs. Merkel has more than 20 years of experience in the golf industry and 30-plus years of experience in the hospitality management business.
• Matt Allen was elected as vice president, with responsibility for a portfolio of properties in the Pacific Northwest. He started his career with KemperSports 20 years ago as the director of golf at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, rising through the ranks to ultimately become assistant manager of the resort and playing an integral role in the property’s tremendous growth over that time. Based on his success at Bandon Dunes, Allen was tapped to become the general manager at Chambers Bay, where he led a team in hosting the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open.
• Steve Loomis has been elected as vice president. A member of the KemperSports family for 16 years, Loomis was an award-winning director of golf and general manager at several properties before becoming a regional operations executive for Midwest and Northeast properties in the portfolio. A member of the PGA of America, Loomis has nearly 30 year of experience in the golf industry, with experience spanning daily fee, private and resort properties.
• Dean Lytton has been promoted to vice president. He has been with KemperSports for nearly 20 years, starting his career with the company as a general manager at such properties as Falcon Ridge and Harborside International before moving into the role of regional operations executive, overseeing much of the Midwestern portfolio. Throughout his career with the company, Lytton has led property turnarounds and major renovations and garnered internal and external awards for his properties.

“Our company’s strength has always come from its people and their dedication to doing exceptional work on behalf of our clients,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperSports. “We are proud to recognize that exceptional work with these well-deserved promotions.”

 

About KemperSports

Northbrook, Ill.-based KemperSports builds, owns and manages golf courses, resorts, athletic clubs and lodging venues across the U.S., Caribbean and Central America. The company’s award-winning portfolio includes nationally-ranked courses and tournament venues such as Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, named the No. 1 Golf Resort in North America by Golf Digest and GOLF magazine; The Glen Club; Desert Willow Golf Resort; Harbor Shores, site of the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship; and Chambers Bay, host of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open. For more information about KemperSports, please visit http://www.kempersports.com.

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Media Contact:

B.R. Koehnemann

KemperSports

847.480.4844

brkoehnemann@kempersports.com