SPEAKERS

Ed Baker | Sr. Account Executive | foreUP

Ed started his career in golf technology in 1994 as an Account Executive with MSI Club Management Systems after working in a busy pro shop in Metro Detroit. With the explosion of the internet, he went on to co-found two widely used POS/Tee Sheet companies: Guarantee Time (later known as LinksTime in 1995), and GolfeNetwork (later known as Active GEN or GNR-2 in 2001). After years in various technology roles, Ed joined the foreUP Sales team in 2019, returning to his roots in sales, where he remains today, helping course operators navigate the arduous task of choosing the right software.

Jason Boaz, PGA | PGA of America Career Consultant | Southwest PGA Section

Jason Boaz, PGA serves as the PGA Career Consultant for the Southwest PGA Section. Boaz is a Certified PGA Golf Professional in Golf Operations, Executive Management, Player Development and is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

​Boaz started his career at his home course, Gates Park Golf Course, in 1995. He started the Golf Professional Training Program in 1997 and earned PGA Class A status in 1999. Boaz quickly became the PGA Head Golf Professional at Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course in Marion, IA. He served on the council for mentoring Assistant Golf Professionals and was selected for the President’s Counsel in his first year at Grand Geneva Resort and Spa of Marcus Hotels and Resorts.

He has worked in all types of facilities in the golf business, public, private, and resort and has extensive knowledge of each type of facility. He has been a General Manager, Director of Golf, Head Golf Professional, and Director of Membership prior to transitioning into his current role. Boaz was instrumental in growing Junior Golf, PGA Junior League, Player Development as well as teaching programs at every facility.

Caitlyn Doyle, PGA | PGA of America Career Consultant | Northern California PGA Section

Caitlin Doyle is a 2014 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University Professional Golf Management program. She completed internships at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, MD, North Shore Country Club in Glen Head, NY, Pebble Beach Golf Links/Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach, CA, and The PGA of America Headquarters Office in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. She gained her Class A PGA Membership in 2015 and most recently was the Assistant Executive Director at the Northern California PGA Section Office.

Matt Ginella | Founder & Chief Executive Officer | The Fire Pit Collective

Matt Ginella is the founder and CEO of The Fire Pit Collective and the host of Journeys with Matt Ginella and The Fire Pit Podcast. Matt has been covering golf for 25 years — first at Sports Illustrated, then Golf Digest and Golf World magazines and most recently for Golf Channel, where he appeared as the Travel Insider for Morning Drive and wrote for Golf Advisor.com.

Alex Goodman | Sr. Director, North America | Toptracer

Alex oversees sales and business development efforts for Toptracer’s North American market, leads the outside sales team, and manages partnerships including PGA of America, Troon, KemperSports, Omni, and many more.

Goodman brings 15 years of golf and sales experience, as well as international development and non-endemic partnerships. While at Topgolf, he also helped lead the development of Partnerships for Topgolf Media as Director of Global Partnerships for Topgolf. During his time, he was responsible for connecting brands like Mastercard, Hertz, Under Armour, FanDuel, and others to Topgolf via comprehensive partnership deals.

Prior to Topgolf, Goodman spent 7 years at Reed Exhibitions where he led sales for the Global PGA Show Portfolio including spearheading the acquisition and growth of the PGA Show China and PGA Show Asia. Alex graduated from James Madison University and is on the Faculty for the CMAA Business Management Institute.

Kevin Imes | Founder and CEO | HIO Media, Inc.

Kevin Imes is the Founder and CEO of HIO Media Inc., the creator of ReelGOLF™. He is the visionary of the company and oversees design, development, engineering and operations. ReelGOLF™ was created during a brief sabbatical from the tech sector while Kevin reengaged one of his passions, golf. During this time, he recognized the golf industry lacked a way to preserve the memories he created. As an innovator and entrepreneur who previously founded and exited three startups, he quickly identified a technology solution to capture and share on-course experiences for daily golfers via ReelGOLF™. Kevin holds a Master of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He also earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a prolific inventor with more than 100 U.S. and international patents across multiple industries, including smart phones, mobile music, IoT, digital imaging, alternative energy, AI videography and golf.

Jay Karen | Chief Executive Officer | NGCOA

Jay Karen is the CEO of National Golf Course Owners Association, where he leads the golf industry’s trade association and initiatives to support the success of the golf course business. In his role at NGCOA, he has chaired the board of the industry-wide advocacy coalition, We Are Golf, and served on the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition board, a joint initiative with the PGA of America, and the advisory board of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CBS Radio, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, the Golf Channel, Golf Digest and many others call upon Jay for his insights on the golf industry. Jay has also served as CEO of two associations in the lodging and hospitality industry, and he is a certified association executive by the American Society of Association Executives. Jay currently serves on the board of directors of the US Travel Association and ASAE. Jay is an Honorary Commander for the Joint Military Base in Charleston and a mentor in the College of Charleston’s MBA program.

Jon Last | President | Sports and Leisure Research Group

Jon Last is founder and President of Sports and Leisure Research Group. Last’s 25+ years of professional experience includes seven years as VP Corporate Marketing for Golf Digest Companies, and eight years at the PGA of America, where he oversaw marketing research, consumer marketing, and retailing. He holds an M.B.A. from Wharton and a B.A. from Tufts. He is a former national president of the U.S. Marketing Research Association (MRA) and served on the national board of directors for the Executive Women’s Golf Association. Last has been recognized by Golf, Inc. as both one of the top innovators in the golf industry as well as one of the top advisors in golf. He is a former President of Marketing Research Institute International and continues to serve on their board of directors as Marketing Chair. He is one of the creators of the highly acclaimed “Back to Normal Barometer” in March of 2020, which has continuously pulsed public opinion surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic.

Mike Loustalot | Co-Founder & Chief Evangelist | Sagacity Golf

Mike is a stalwart champion of the golf industry. Raised in a family of PGA Golf Professionals, he was born with a mission to give back to the game. He introduced the first electronic tee sheets to golf courses. He connected golf courses to wholesalers and packagers creating regional reservation networks. He pioneered the online sales of tee time inventory on golf course websites and 3rd Party marketplaces. He created the industry’s only benchmarking report, ORCA. At Sagacity, Mike continues to help managers and owners see their course’s performance in a new way. When he’s not wrestling golf course data, Mike can be found speaking at industry events, taking road trips and daydreaming about good things to come.

A.J. McGahee​ | YamaTrack Product Manager | Yamaha Golf-Car Company

A.J. McGahee has spent the last six years with Yamaha Golf Car (YGC) as the YamaTrack Product Manager. YamaTrack is Yamaha’s complete golf course management solution, featuring GPS-enabled golf car fleet management. Prior to joining YGC, A.J. was the general manager at several private clubs around the metro Atlanta area, including Atlanta National Golf Club. He has used his GM experience to customize the YamaTrack experience for golf courses and resorts across North America. A.J. graduated from Cornell University in 2001 with a degree from the School of Hotel Administration.

Chris May | Senior Vice President | Supreme Golf Solutions

Chris joined the Supreme Golf Solutions team after almost 15 years at American Golf. In his role as Vice President of Revenue Management at AGC, Chris was responsible for formulating strategy and driving top-line results across the entire AGC portfolio.

Brent Miller | Chief Information Officer | GolfBack

Brent Miller serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of GolfBack, a leading revenue optimization platform offering comprehensive digital solutions for golf courses. Bringing an extensive background in golf course management, technology solutions, and digital marketing, Brent is instrumental in harnessing cutting-edge technologies to enhance the golf experience for both courses and players. Under Brent’s leadership, GolfBack has not only carved out a niche but has also expanded its clientele to an impressive number of over 100 golf courses. His unwavering dedication to innovation, coupled with his in-depth knowledge of the golf industry, positions him at the forefront of merging technology with the sport of golf. Before GolfBack, Brent held multiple roles at Brown Golf Management and GreatLIFE Golf. It was during this phase that the seed for GolfBack’s groundbreaking technology was sown and first implemented.

Michael Naccarelli | National Sales Director | Club Prophet

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Michael has spent the last seven years working in the golf industry with Club Prophet. Along with this, Michael also has over 15 years of experience working with other tech-based companies in various other industries including medical, legal, and construction. Working closely with clients to find solutions for their operations and leveraging strong technology to make that happen is one of the great pleasures of what he does. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, traveling with his wife Elizabeth, and is an avid music and baseball enthusiast.

Jason Pearsall | Chief Executive Officer | Club Caddie

Jason Pearsall grew up in a golf operations family in West Michigan and has worked every job at a club. After founding and selling an e-commerce company in 2010, Pearsall went on to invest in and become a managing partner of Flushing Valley Golf and Country Club near Flint, Michigan. In 2015, Pearsall started Golfler, a mobile and tee-sheet system for golf courses acquired by Supreme Golf. Pearsall went on to co-found Club Caddie — one of North America’s leading golf course management SaaS solutions. Club Caddie services public and private golf courses, and their clients include single-course operators like Pete Dye and Palm Beach Golf Club and multi-course operators like Great Life, Arcis, Touchstone Golf, and X-Golf America. Jonas Software acquired Club Caddie in 2020, which retained Pearsall as CEO. In addition to leading Club Caddie, Pearsall took over the restoration and management of a Donald Ross-designed golf course in metro Detroit called Warren Valley in August of 2022. Warren Valley reopened to the public in the Spring of 2023 after being closed for two years.

Don Rea, PGA | Vice President, PGA of America | Owner, Augusta Ranch Golf Club

Don Rea Jr. is the Owner and General Manager of Augusta Ranch Golf Club, a public golf course, in Mesa, Arizona, which has been rated the “Best Executive Golf Course in Arizona” by the Arizona Republic and selected as “Host Club of the Year” by the Arizona Women’s Golf Association. A Member of the Southwest PGA Section, Rea served on the PGA of America’s national Board of Directors from 2016-’19. Elected as President of the Southwest PGA Section from 2013-’14, Rea also was a member of the Board of Directors for the Southwest PGA Section, National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) and the Arizona Tourism Alliance. Rea has co-hosted NGCOA’s Golf Business LIVE webcast series alongside NGCOA CEO Jay Karen since its inception in April 2020. While on the PGA Board of Directors, he chaired the Junior Golf Committee and worked with the Coaching and Player Development, and Community Golf Committees. Since 2012, Rea has owned Your Course Consulting. In addition, he founded Community Course Rescue Services, LLC in 2017. Rea spent nine years as a Minor League Baseball umpire, ascending to Triple-A. In addition, he umpired several Spring Training Games for Major League Baseball. He was awarded the 2012 Southwest PGA Section Bill Strausbaugh Award and the Section’s 2011 President’s Plaque.

Ken Reynolds | Chief Revenue Officer | aboutGOLF

aboutGOLF VP of Sales & Marketing, Ken Reynolds, began his career in the indoor golf industry in 2003 as an indoor golf center owner in New York. In the following years, Ken expanded his business and partnerships throughout New York and New England with over a dozen partner facilities and 40 aboutGOLF simulators. Ken continued to grow and focus his business as a dealer and distributor for aboutGOLF with a full team of installers, designers and sales. In 2013, Ken and his team joined aboutGOLF in an official capacity, bringing with them their knowledge of the simulator industry and aboutGOLF’s products. Since then, Ken has brought a relentlessly customer-focused approach to aG’s business with an emphasis on tailored strategies to meet the needs of both commercial and residential clients. Ken is based out of the aboutGOLF Northeast showroom/office, in Glens Falls, NY.

Paul Roetzer | Founder & CEO | Marketing AI Institute

Paul Roetzer is founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute; co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business; host of The Marketing AI Show podcast; and creator of the Marketing AI Conference (MAICON). As a speaker, Roetzer is focused on making AI approachable and actionable for marketers and business leaders. A graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Roetzer has consulted for hundreds of organizations, from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Bodo Sieber | CEO | Tagmarshal

Bodo Sieber is a German born entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Tagmarshal Golf Course Optimization Technology, which partners with 35 of Golf Digest’s Top 100 USA Golf Courses and other leading golf operations and organizations. Recognized as being one of the most innovative people in golf by Golf Inc. Magazine, Bodo has a strong understanding of process optimization, design thinking and user experience. Bodo’s focus is to enable positive changes that grow the game of golf and help golf operations into a sustainable technology and data enabled future.

He has been a keynote speaker for innovation in golf, at the Golf Business Conference, Golf Inc Innovation Summit, PGA Show, Golf Business TechCon, as well as appearing in Forbes magazine, Golf.com, PGA Magazine, Compleat Golfer and other leading industry publications.

Harvey Silverman | Consultant | Silverback Golf Marketing

Harvey Silverman is a long-time accomplished golf course marketing consultant, writer, and somewhat less-accomplished golfer. Harvey writes monthly about the golf business as a contributor for Golf Business magazine and Golf Business WEEKLY, and this year, he launched the NGCOA’s Golf Business LIVE – Tech Talks webcast series. Harvey also authored NGCOA’s Beware of Barter publication, a guide to the dangers of bartering valuable tee times and the ramifications of participating with third parties. An affinity for golf course owners and the challenges they face operating a complex business in difficult markets guides his work and words. Harvey’s clients benefit from his marketing prowess, research, and knowledge of the various technologies most effectively improving business operations. He’s presented at both NGCOA technology conferences, Golf Business Conferences and Affiliate meetings.

Tim Ummel | Founder & CEO | IZON Technology

Tim is the Founder & CEO of IZON Technology and has over 25 years of experience in the technology, golf, sports, and development industries, including the launch of several golf related companies. Previously, Tim founded and served as a Managing Partner in Innovative Sports Ventures, a boutique venture capital company with an investment focus in the sports, lifestyle and luxury markets. In addition, he founded and ran The GOLF Tank, as an early stage investment and boutique incubator for all things golf, technology and sport. Tim has traveled extensively around the globe working on private club/golf developments and provided strategic leadership to top sports agencies, oversaw and assisted the portfolios of some of the biggest names in professional golf, baseball, instructors and commentators. Tim is well versed in concept, design, marketing, branding, public relations and the creation of B2B relationships which has proven to be a valuable resource throughout his career. Long-term established relationships with leading media channels, retail chains, big box stores, numerous advertising agencies, multiple golf associations and golf management companies provides IZON numerous outlets in which to leverage its network. Tim oversees the overall growth of IZON, its strategic direction and five key internal vertical focuses.

Ian Versaw | Vice President of Sales | Club Prophet

For over 25 years, Ian Versaw has helped build Club Prophet into the industry’s trusted partner for golf management solutions. As an avid golfer, he believes the tradition and integrity of the game also applies to the business of golf. Ian has been a passionate supporter of golf operators especially in the areas of data security and the dangers of the barter model and was enlisted by the NGCOA to help present their “Beware of Barter” white paper. Ian splits time between Oakmont, Pennsylvania and Copenhagen, Denmark to ensure he’s cold year-round.

Bryce Voisin | Director of Revenue | GolfBack

Bryce Voisin is the Director of Revenue for Brown Golf Management and GolfBack. Bryce has a passion for building tools to help golf course operators maximize green fee and cart fee revenues. Having worked as both a golf course operator and for GolfNow.com, he understands the business from both the golf course and vendor perspective. Bryce is focused on helping operators drive direct bookings and own the direct relationship with their customer.

Michael Williams | Executive Director, Cyrano Communications | Contributor, Golf Business

Michael has had success in industries ranging from High Tech companies to foreign exchange banking. But his life has been defined by his abilities in the media and communications, for his experience in world affairs and his passion for the game of golf.

Michael has established himself as a leading voice for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. His “Open Letter to the Golf Industry from a Black Man Who Loves the Game” became a template that inspired the leadership of the game to implement long-needed change. In addition, Michael’s article for ESPN about his handling of a PGA Tour professional who admitted to dressing up in blackface garnered praise from around the world and was recently recognized as one of the best articles of 2020 by the Golf Writers Association of America.

Michael is also known as one of the political world’s most astute commentators as the moderator of “Issues in the News”, the flagship political and current events program for Voice of America. A sought-after speaker and communications expert, Michael has counseled some of the most influential individuals and organizations in the world on topics including crisis management, corporate re-branding and diversity/inclusivity issues.

In 2005, Michael launched his first radio show on FOX News Radio, “Sticks and Stones”. Since that launch, Michael has established a reputation as a savvy broadcaster and as an incisive interviewer and writer. An avid golfer himself, Michael has covered the game of golf and the golf lifestyle including courses, restaurants, business, travel and sports marketing for publications all over the world.

In his first year as host of The 19th Hole Golf Radio Show on CBS Radio in Washington, D.C., Michael led the show to becoming the top-rated golf show in the 7th largest market in the United States and was named the recipient of the 2014 Middle Atlantic PGA Earle Hellen Award for the Outstanding Media Person of the Year. The 19th Hole with Michael Williams is now a podcast with 40 thousand listeners per week on GolfWRX.com.

Michael is a member of the United States Golf Association, the Golf Writers Association of America and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Gideon Yu | Member of PGA of America’s Board of Directors | Co-owner & Former President of the San Francisco 49ers | Former CFO of Facebook & YouTube

Gideon Yu, currently serving as an Independent Director on PGA of America’s Board of Directors, is the co-owner of the San Francisco 49ers. Yu, a Korean-American residing in Los Angeles, became the first person of color to serve as president of any team in the history of the National Football League, when he was named President and Co-Owner of the 49ers in 2012. He led the financing and construction of Levi’s Stadium, and during his tenure, the 49ers appeared in three consecutive NFC Championship games and Super Bowl XLVII.

Yu served as Chief Financial Officer of both Facebook and YouTube, the first two internet companies to achieve over one billion active users. As a venture capitalist, Yu led the founding investment in Jack Dorsey’s Square and was its first outside board member, and has been an early investor/advisor in many notable unicorns. He was also named to the “Executive Dream Team, Startup Edition” by Fortune and listed among the “Names You Need To Know” by Forbes.

Yu earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is on the Board of Trustees of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the National Leadership Council of the Navy SEAL Foundation.