Magazine Mar/Apr 2018

FROM THE General Manager

As the newly appointedGeneral Manager of The American Club, I am thrilled and honored to have this exciting opportunity to work with a fantastic group of managers, terrific staff across The Club’s operations, a stellar General Committee, and a very loyal and supportive membership. With TAC rapidly approaching the end of its renovations as well as its 70th anniversary, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on where The Club has been, and what it has meant to Singapore and the American community in particular. But more importantly, this will be a test of our ability to set a successful course for The Club’s future. I first arrived in Asia in 1992 and became a Singapore resident in 1995, so I’ve seen the region grow, prosper, and drastically change for the better. Where there was once a triangle comprising the American School at Ulu Pandan, McDonald’s at Far East Plaza, and The American Club at Claymore Hill defining the American community, the American School now sits in Woodlands and has been joined by a host of other educational options, while Singapore today boasts 38 Michelin-star restaurants. While The Club has remained at its current location for close to seven decades, upon the completion of the redevelopment project, we will virtually be a new club. Although Singapore would be nearly unrecognizable by a modern-day Rip Van Winkle, the reconfigured, reworked, and rebranded club must remain an anchor for the American community here, and be imbued by the better angels of its nature of tolerance, inclusion, family, and easy-going fun, all while embracing the best of what both America and Singapore have to offer. I am lucky to be given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some excellent club GMs. Josie Tulipano, Kathleen McGuire Urquhart, and Martin Rudden have been in charge of The Club’s operations during the years my family and I have been Members. I have been most impressed with the organization they have built. Over the last few months I also had the opportunity to meet with several TAC managers who have amazed me with their dedication, and in many cases, their five, ten, fifteen, and more years of service. Even those who are new to the team showed much passion for their jobs and colleagues. This speaks volumes to the excellence of The Club’s leadership over the years, and for that I am inspired and grateful.

The Club is, moreover, not just a business. It was founded by and for its members and the evident care, concern, and consideration shown by the volunteers who make up the General Committee, its various subcommittees, and by the Members at large who have engaged in the GM selection process, have greatly impressed me – their desire for continual improvement of services is interlaced with their great concern for the wellbeing of the employees of The Club. The challenges facing The Club abound. Some of the most difficult days of the renovation are immediately ahead of us, and just as the noise and dust begin to settle, we will need to hire a significant number of people to staff new outlets like Grillhouse, re-establish the Banquet department, man the larger Union Bar, etc., and all this by drawing from a labor pool that has very few employees to offer. With my over 20 years in Singapore, involvement in building a multi-unit F&B and brewery operation with over 200 employees, membership on boards and participation in several organizations serving the American community in Singapore, I will certainly be bringing all of my connections and experience to bear in solving the problems facing The Club in the near future, and in the years ahead. Above all, I count myself more than lucky that I will be working with a terrific group of managers, wonderful staff, and a General Committee and membership that truly want The American Club to fulfill its vision – “To create a vibrant community with a distinct American culture; a place families can proudly call their home away from home.”

Devin

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MAR / APR 2018 THE AMERICAN CLUB