Tom Strutz
Senior Vice President
Hailing from the Los Angeles area, Tom left sunny Southern California at the ripe old age of 17 to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering, he spent 11 years on active duty in the Army and then another 11 years in the Army Reserves, eventually retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Along the way, Tom earned a Master’s Degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Florida International University in Miami. During his 22-years in the Army, he had a chance to see the world, with assignments in South Korea, Germany, the Pentagon, Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Alabama, Maryland and Washington state.
Tom has been with the McMahon Group since 1990, serving as head of the survey and market research division. During that time, he has worked with over 1,500 private clubs on a wide variety of survey and research projects, achieving the rank of “Survey Guru” at McMahon.
Over the years, Tom has been a jack of many sports – golf, tennis, racquetball, squash, water skiing, snow skiing, running – but a master of none. His current pastime passions are gardening, cycling and nature photography – often combining the latter two on rides at a lake near his home in suburban St. Louis.
Tom and his wife Marlene have two children in their 20’s. Katy is an artist working at an animation studio in Portland, Oregon, and Marcus is studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Posts by Tom Strutz
Why a Membership Survey Is the Essential First Step in a Successful Capital Improvement Program
Successful capital improvement programs at private clubs begin and end with building consensus, both among the Club’s membership and its leadership, and a critical first step in consensus building is an effective membership survey.
Read MoreThe Dining Survey
Our survey research has shown that among all types of private clubs, member dining is consistently ranked as the most important club activity to members. Even at traditional golf and country clubs, member dining ranks up there with golf in its importance to members. Our research has also shown that there is a very strong…
Read MoreThe Capital Improvement Program Opinion Survey
You’ve involved the membership in the facility planning process through focus groups and possibly a comprehensive membership survey. Your Long-Range Planning Committee has worked hard for months, with the assistance of a club planning consultant, assessing member priorities and using the results of the member research to develop an improvement program that will meet with…
Read MoreComprehensive Membership Survey
In McMahon Group’s arsenal of survey and research tools for private clubs, the mainstay is the Comprehensive Membership Survey. Clubs tend to initiate Comprehensive Surveys in cycles of three to five years. In many cases, the initial impetus to conduct such a survey is a major issue the Club is facing, perhaps at the outset…
Read MoreMcMahon Surveys & Research Tools
McMahon Group offers a wide variety of survey and market research products designed to meet the diverse needs of private clubs: Comprehensive Surveys Typically done every three to five years (and as the name implies) covers all aspects of a club’s facilities, operations and services; while also collecting input from the membership on strategic issues…
Read MoreTop 10 Reasons to Consider a Membership Survey
Receiving timely feedback from members is an essential component of a successful club. Whether it’s been two or 20 years since your last survey, here are the top 10 reasons why it may be time to survey your members again: Determine Member Satisfaction: Get a report card, department by department, on all aspects of the…
Read MoreStrategic Planning & the Membership Survey
McMahon Group defines club strategic planning as: “The leadership-initiated process of internal and external analysis of a club’s membership, operations, governance, facilities and marketplace for the purpose of identifying a mission and vision, and establishing strategic goals and action plans that assure a club attains maximum success.” Clubs are membership organizations, and a key component…
Read MoreNot All Membership Surveys Are Equal A McMahon Group Survey vs. an In-House Survey
Recently, we have seen an increase in clubs conducting in-house member surveys. This is due to the availability of survey tools online and embedded in club software. When McMahon Group begins a survey assignment, the club often provides us with their last in-house survey results. More often than not, the results are based on low…
Read MoreWhere to Dine? The Importance of Factors in the Decision Process
When dining out for the evening, what drives the decision process on where to go? Over the past year, McMahon Group surveyed over 2,200 private club members across the country to understand this thought process. We asked members to rate the importance of various factors when they are deciding where to go, whether it is…
Read MoreA Membership Survey – The Essential First Step
Whether it is developing a long-range strategic plan, attracting new members, retaining existing ones or gaining approval for a major facility project, the best first step is always a membership survey. While it may be expedient to conduct a survey in-house, using an off-the-shelf online survey product, such an approach may cause more problems than…
Read MoreThe REAL Secret to Club Success
After serving almost 2,000 private clubs of all types and sizes, the one thing we have learned is that clubs must deliver the highest satisfaction with the offerings most important to members. The problem, however, is most boards and managers don’t really know what is most important to their members. Sure, we assume golf is…
Read MoreThe McMahon Group Mini-Survey™
Tom Strutz Not all surveys are the same and McMahon Group offers a variety of them. Our most common is a comprehensive membership survey that our clients undertake every three to five years. It typically addresses in-depth strategic and long-range planning issues while testing member satisfaction with all aspects of a club’s existing facilities, operations and services.Another is a facility opinion survey. This…
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