PEOPLE: Mark Michie

His work: General manager of the Summit Club. The Baltimore, Ma., native previously managed the 191 Club in downtown Atlanta.

On working in Birmingham: Having also managed other primary-market properties in Texas and Florida, “this is my first stint in a secondary market. It’s been a nice transition from Atlanta to here. It was different at first because there aren’t as many options in the area of entertainment and culture as there are in Atlanta, but there’s a lot less congestion and traffic, a lot more greenery, and a nice quality of life here. It’s been great.”

The Summit Club: Founded in 1989, the 1,940-member club is located downtown on the 31^st and 32^nd floors of the AmSouth-Harbert Plaza, offering one of the best views of the city, as the accompanying photos attest. Membership is by invitation. The Summit Club is one of 200 business, athletic, and resort properties owned by Club Corp.

Summit Club Service: “Three steps: warm welcomes, memorable moments, and fond farewells. The most important thing is that we exceed our members’ expectations. Our members pay dues, and they do have certain expectations, so it’s up to us to ensure that they and their guests have a quality experience every time they come to the club. That starts with having great employee partners.”

Club staff: It includes 75 employee partners, plus Michie’s senior staff. “I like to work with competent managers, very capable, self-driven individuals, and I have a very good senior staff here. It’s really helped us grow our membership.”

His typical week: “The club is closed Sundays except for Mother’s Day, so I usually keep a 7-to-7 schedule weekdays and float in on Saturdays.”

The most challenging part of his job: “Balancing my time. I have to make sure I’m spending enough time with members while juggling initiatives from the corporate office, capital improvements, landlord issues, and the marketing, financial, and budget aspects of running the business from behind the scenes. I’m autonomous in regard to club growth and new member initiatives, and I love the creative aspect of the business and the opportunity to think outside the box.”

The best part of his job: “Creating unforgettable moments in people’s lives is probably the most rewarding. There are not a whole lot of rewards in this industry, and to be successful, you have to have a servant’s heart. When we host a reception of party for our members, we want to ensure that we give them an experience they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. I also enjoy the opportunity to see our employee partners grow and go on to successful careers. Professional mentoring has been very enjoyable for me during my 20-plus years in the industry.”

His beginnings in the business: “I worked as a bartender when I was in college, and I fell in love with the people and entertainment aspect of the hospitality industry.” After earning a degree in hospitality management, “I worked in some high-volume, upscale night clubs in the early 80s and from there worked my way through fine dining, resort property management, and other aspects of the industry. For a while, I owned a restaurant management company in Atlanta, creating and developing restaurant concepts, but I decided to come back to corporate life.”

On downtown development: “Birmingham is growing, and downtown is really coming alive. Operation New Birmingham is responsible for that. They’ve renovated a lot of vacant buildings, turned them into office and residential properties, and done an incredible job to help Birmingham compete with other Southeastern cities like Memphis, Nashville, and Charlotte. They won’t let go of their dream and vision, which has been good for the city and good for the club.”

His favorite leisure activities: Working out (“It helps me deal with the mental aspects of the industry”), golf (he once scored a hole-in-one), and reading (“I’m a James Patterson fan, and, of course, I try to soak up as much from industry magazines as I can”).

His philosophy for success: “It’s been said that if you stand in the middle of the road, you become roadkill. Plan your work, and work your plan. Without doing that, you can’t be successful.”