Wendy, Pucci and Florian
As many of our members know, Florian Riedel, our VP of Operations for the Club, will be leaving and heading to the Four Seasons in Palo Alto. I caught up with Florian yesterday to ask some questions and find out some specifics about his move.
Please tell me a little more about the reasons for your move?
“The move is directly related to the fact that Wendy has finally become pregnant and we are going to have a baby boy in March. It has taken many years to achieve this pregnancy. It was the San Diego Fertility Clinic that finally helped make this possible, and Wendy has been living with her mom in San Diego because she is not allowed to fly. I have been traveling back and forth for some time now on weekends, but being closer as we approach the birth of our baby would clearly be a good thing.
Is this the only reason you are leaving?
“Yes, this is the only reason why I am leaving Hualalai for now. I am saying for now, because someday I would love to return to work here again. I am still gravitating to the residential component of Four Seasons, which has been my focus for many years now, opening the residential units in Beijing, Seattle and running San Diego and, of course Hualalai”
What are the next steps for you and for us, at Hualalai?
“It’s only in the past couple of weeks that I have been offered the General Manager position at Four Seasons Silicon Valley. Since they currently don’t have a General Manager we have arranged for me to head over there at the end of this week. I will spend a couple of weeks there to get to know the team and the operation, then I will return to Hualalai to wrap up things here. We have been actively looking for my replacement. We have interviewed some of the top employment agencies in the field and have already received some quality resumes of candidates. We agreed with the MAB that we needed to look for someone who has had experience working in existing private clubs.
“In the short term, Helen Barry Cooper will be available to members to answer questions and oversee the club operation. We are excited to be moving her office up to Ke ‘Olu to be more accessible to our membership. Other members of the management team will be stepping up too to assist running the club in the interim, including Jason Ray our Assistant Director of Food and Beverage, who oversees all Club outlets and will be our main point of contact in regards to all things F+B.
Robert Whitfield will be taking on the various improvement projects that I have been overseeing including updates to the Canoe Club, resurfacing the tennis courts, etc”
Any further thoughts you would like to share?
“I have been with Hualalai for 5 years now, two of which has been spent in overseeing the management of the club. It’s been a very challenging job, but I have loved it. The members have been supportive of me even while challenging me in the best of ways. I hope to be back to see folks periodically and I hope they will stop by if they are in the Bay Area and say Aloha to me. Hualalai will always be a unique and superlative resort with exceptional members. Mahalo for all your help and friendship.”
We wish Florian and Wendy a Hana Hou and the wonderful joy of their new family and the job in Palo Alto.
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