Message from the President
By Janet Harris
Our community has experienced several changes over the last few months and I’d like to take this opportunity to update you on these changes as well as provide some background information. Jeff Schlaack, our Community Manager, resigned from his position in late March.
I’m pleased to announce that after careful consideration, the Board unanimously agreed that it was in the best interests of our community to offer the position of Community Manager to Mr. Robert Kimble.
Mr. Kimble brings to our community a wealth of experience due to his extensive and diverse background. Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Kimble enlisted in the Army and served our country for three (3) years. Stationed in Germany and trained as an army medic, he tended to the health needs of soldiers and their families including the delivery of two (2) babies. Upon returning to civilian life, Mr. Kimble worked for his brother’s roofing and construction business.
Furthering his education, Mr. Kimble utilized the GI Bill to attend college, beginning at Keystone Junior College and transferring to Bloomsburg University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting in December of 1983. Mr. Kimble achieved (Certified Public Accountant) credentials by successfully passing the national exam on his initial attempt.
Employed with Laventhol and Horwath, a national accounting firm, Mr. Kimble began his professional career in 1984. Quickly appointed as Audit Supervisor, he worked out of the Wilkes-Barre office auditing various firms ranging in size from $1 million to $100 million ventures, including hotels and resorts in the Poconos, as well as timeshare, development and construction clients. Clients included Fernwood Resorts, Treetops, Lehman Pike Development (now known as Saw Creek), and The Woodlands Inn & Resort to name a few.
In November of 1989 Mr. Kimble accepted the Chief Financial Officer position with the Woodlands Inn and Resort in Plains Township, PA. Responsible for a budget of over $25 Million and 300 employees, for 13 years he oversaw the finances of this property. In addition to the construction of two limited services hotels (a Hampton Inn and a Candlewood Suites), a $45,000 square foot office building, two restaurants, three night clubs and bars, a banquet facility, a construction company and various other ventures involving the Kornfeld family.
After being recruited in 2002 by Zavada and Associates, Mr. Kimble returned to the public accounting arena where he audited various Associations including A Pocono Country Place. After serving as our auditor with Zavada and Associates since 2003, Mr. Kimble has been working for APCPPOA in the position of Controller since November.
Mr. Kimble has been doing an exceptional job with the finances of the Association, and in the time he has taken over as Community Manager he has been implementing many positive changes. We look forward to the continued success of our community under his leadership. If you have not done so yet, please stop by to meet your new Community Manager.
I am also pleased to announce that we have reclassified Ms. Kristen O’Neil’s position to the Director of Administration to better reflect the work that she has been performing for the Association. She had been working as the Assistant to the Community Manager since last May. Ms. O’Neil received her Bachelors degree from Penn State in 1993 and her Masters degree from Iona College in 2008. After graduating from college she moved to Washington, DC, and worked at Georgetown University Medical Center for four years. Moving to New York City, Ms. O’Neil continued her career in the medical field working for Continuum Health Partners, Inc., at Beth Israel Medical Center. In her last position of Administrator of the Otolaryngology Department she oversaw six divisions – ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Speech Pathology, Audiology, Dental Medicine and Sign Language Interpreting.
Ms. O’Neil routinely worked with all levels of management within the hospital. Responsible for day to day operations of the department, she also oversaw renovation projects, developed and implemented hospital-wide policies and programs with clinical directors and served as the departmental representative at management meetings. Her work in healthcare administration has given her extensive experience in administrative operations. She left her position at the hospital to stay at home after the birth of her twins before returning to work and joining our Association. Congratulations on this title change.
On behalf of the Board, I’d like to express our thanks to both Mr. Kimble and Ms. O’Neil. They have proven their abilities in their new positions and have shown how dedicated they are to the continual growth of our community.
It is important to note that tremendous strides have been made on behalf of our entire staff to move our community in a positive direction. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated employees as they are an asset to our community. Thank you to ALL.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that election time has come again. Please make an effort to attend the Meet the Candidates sessions. It is extremely important that you get to know the candidates and what their platform is for the campaign. Making an informed vote for the good of your community can only be accomplished by doing your part by getting involved and truly knowing what the candidates you’re giving your vote to stand for. Every vote counts. Good luck to all of the candidates!