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Benefits are Many for HFTP Members
An exclusive interview with Frank Agnello, CMA, CHAE, and Frank Wolfe, CAE - both
represent HFTP, a member-based association that provides continuing education and networking for hospitality financial and
technology professionals. Agnello is controller of The Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester Hills, Mich. and vice president of
HFTP's executive committee. Frank Wolfe, CAE, is HFTP's executive vice president and CEO.
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| Starting his career as a teenaged management trainee at the Knollwood Country Club, Agnello is a long-time veteran
of the Michigan club scene. While still working in clubs, Agnello went to Michigan State University to earn a degree in
hotel, restaurant and institutional management. He continued his education at Wayne State University earning an M.B.A. in
accounting. Agnello has held a controller position at the Detroit Golf Club and the Oakland Hills Country Club, both
900-plus member clubs. In 1997, Agnello decided to take on a new challenge by accepting the job as controller of the
just-opening Wyndgate Country Club. There he was given the opportunity to manage all financial affairs of the 18-hole
private country club and its related companies, which include a new upscale 18-hole semi-private facility. He remains
currently in this position as controller of The Wyndgate Country Club and its related companies. |
| Agnello has been a member of HFTP's Greater Detroit Chapter for 24 years, and serves on HFTP's executive committee,
a five-year volunteer commitment. He is currently HFTP's vice president and will become president at HFTP's Annual
Convention & Tradeshow in October. |
| Frank Wolfe joined HFTP in 1991 and in 1994 became its executive vice president/CEO, making him one of the youngest
association CEOs in North America at the time. Frank Wolfe is not just an association CEO; he is a leader in the hospitality
industry. Frank is known by many and has assisted the association by building a number of alliances within the hospitality
industry. He continues to elevate HFTP because of his quest for excellence. |
| In 2000, Wolfe was honored as one of the Who's Who of 75 individuals who have made major contributions to the
hospitality industry in Lodging magazine. In October 2002, Wolfe received the HFTP Paragon Award for his significant and
lasting contribution to both HFTP and the hospitality industry. |
| In this exclusive interview, Agnello and Wolfe speak about the association, its goals and objectives and the
services and benefits HFTP provides to its many club members. |
| Who is HFTP? |
| FW: HFTP is the professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, resorts, clubs,
casinos, restaurants and other hospitality-related businesses. We provide continuing education and networking opportunities
to more than 4,000 members around the world. |
| Can you give some examples of the type of benefits you offer? |
| FW: You can divide our services into four parts: resources, research and information; education and professional
development; leadership and recognition; and HFTP's family of web sites |
| Examples of our resources and research work are the publications HFTP produces year-round. HFTP publishes a
bimonthly magazine that features articles written by professionals working in hospitality, a monthly e-newsletter featuring
association news, an annual member directory and numerous reference texts. |
| Besides its publishing efforts, HFTP has a research institute based out of the University of Houston's Conrad N.
Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. The institute does pertinent research for HFTP, like a biannual salary
survey, as well as industry benchmark surveys. Members can also take advantage of the institute by making specific research
requests for free. |
| Our two biggest educational offerings are HITEC and the HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow. HITEC is the largest and
most comprehensive showcase of hospitality technology, featuring an education conference with over 35 education sessions,
including many geared towards club technology. In addition, it has a tradeshow with over 250 companies exhibiting. The HFTP
Annual Convention & Tradeshow is a three-day meeting with education sessions focusing on practical, up-to-date information
about all aspects of financial and technology management. Besides those, we also have two club and hotel controllers'
conferences in the spring, plus other educational offerings including online education sessions. |
| Frank Agnello, as a club professional, what are some club-specific HFTP benefits? |
| FA: I've been a member for quite a while, and one major aspect that has kept me coming is the network of club
professionals I've become a part of through HFTP. Through my local chapter meetings and through the international meetings
I've remained connected to industry progress and changes, and have gotten valuable ideas just from the one-on-one
discussions I've had with other members. |
| Narrowing in on the club-specific benefits, HFTP has numerous education options that focus on clubs. At HITEC, HFTP
has established with CMAA, a half-day Club Technology Boot Camp. The boot camp is designed to bring attendees up-to-speed
on the current technology available. This way when participants walk in to HITEC's exhibit hall, which is huge, they will
be well informed of the technologies on the show floor. Our other education programs all have club-focused tracks, whether
they concern finance or technology. These include the HFTP Annual Convention & Tradeshow, the Hospitality Technology
Professionals Forum, and the Club and Hotel Controllers conferences. Industry experts, who have a lot of experience,
present all of these sessions. |
| Besides the benefits of an ongoing education, attending these sessions helps me keep up with my continuing
education points, which I need to maintain my CHAE designation. |
| CHAE? What's that? |
| The CHAE is one of two certifications offered by HFTP. The CHAE is the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive,
and the other is the CHTP, the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional. To earn either one you must pass an exam
covering a wide range of either hospitality technology or finance topics. Once you do earn a designation, you must also
maintain it by taking a number of continuing education credits annually. The benefits make the hard work worth it, because
having the designation shows that you have a high level of competence and shows that you are committed to your profession. |
| One positive result revealed by our 2002 salary survey is that those who do have either of the certifications
generally have a higher salary than those who don't. I am curious to know what the results show in the upcoming 2004 salary
FA: I am looking forward to the full integration of ProLinks. This is a group of online topic-specific communities that
take part in discussion forums, document sharing, resources and educational sessions, giving participants the chance to
connect with HFTP members around the globe. It made its debut in January 2004 for HFTP direct members, members who do not
live near an HFTP chapter. Just this summer though, we opened ProLinks to all members. survey report that will be released
this October. |
| Frank Agnello, this October, you will start your term as HFTP president. What new
HFTP offerings are you excited about in the coming year? |
| FA: I am looking forward to the full integration of ProLinks. This is a group of online topic-specific communities
that take part in discussion forums, document sharing, resources and educational sessions, giving participants the chance
to connect with HFTP members around the globe. It made its debut in January 2004 for HFTP direct members, members who do not
live near an HFTP chapter. Just this summer though, we opened ProLinks to all members. |
| What's really exciting is that education sessions will be delivered using the most current web conferencing technology.
The real-time sessions over the Internet will have live question and answer sessions, live audio and video broadcasts,
slide presentations, file downloads, guided web browsing and real-time participant polls. Plus, members can earn continuing
education credits towards either their CHAE or CHTP by attending these webinar sessions. |
| Frank Wolfe, what kind of work does HFTP do for the club industry as a whole? |
| FW: Well just last year we published in conjunction with CMAA, the Uniform System of Financial Reporting for Clubs,
6th Edition. In addition, we are working together with CMAA to create technology standards for the club industry. This will
help push the development of more cohesive technology throughout the industry. |
| We're also reaching out to other areas of the club industry by providing news and financial and technology information in
club publications. The BoardRoom is one, where we will contribute a regular column discussing either club finance or
technology. The other is Club Management, where we will publish HFTP news. |
| What are some proud moments from the past year? |
| Well, we have certainly taken steps towards accomplishing our "Big Audacious Goal," a goal established by our board of directors
last summer. The goal is to have HFTP recognized by industry stakeholders as the authoritative resource and a standard for
excellence in hospitality finance and technology. |
| This past spring we received the Champions of Industry 300 Award in honor of what we've done to help professionals within
the hospitality industry achieve their goals, and have a positive impact on their profession. The award is sponsored by Pat
Summeral Productions and 300 organizations are invited for consideration. We were chosen as a potential candidate because of
our repeated coverage in industry news. |
| The selection process was very involved but I was enthused by the opportunity because I was confident HFTP was a
favorable contender. |
| We were also selected for the Association of the Year Award for The BoardRoom's annual Excellence in Achievement
Awards. These two recognitions gave us a spring of which we could be proud. |