Resort Trades contributor and director of marketing for Defender Resorts Kelley Ellert writes, "Jack Welch, the engineer turned executive responsible for raising General Electric's value 4,000 percent once said, 'An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.' This advice is applicable no matter what industry you work in, such as the legacy timeshare business.
"In this industry, learning and actions have to come from examining the current operations, budgets, management and marketing in place as well as the current landscape of your property. Getting by doesn't cut it."
The tidal wave of men in Hollywood, Congress and the media losing their jobs after allegations of sexual harassment has spurred many men in much less lofty positions to worry about their own pasts. Across the country, mid-level managers are racking their brains, rereading their old emails and checking their text message histories to see if they crossed a line.
Long recognized as one of the timeshare industry's most prolific visionaries and energetic entrepreneurs, Edwin H. (Ed) McMullen, Sr. has been a leading force in the foundation and growth of the industry. In 1977 (some 40 years ago), the timesharing industry was a mere blip on the real estate horizon. You could count the number of timeshare resorts on your fingers and toes when Ed and his partner Robert (Bob) Miller were introduced to the concept through their banking relationship with Keith Trowbridge and his company, Captran Resorts, and soon thereafter to Bob Taylor and Allen Ten Broek of the Mariner Group, all of whom had launched their first timeshare entries into the business with Florida resorts on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
