Palm-Aire welcomes new club manager

PALM AIRE — Thirty years after Joseph Sumner left the Sarasota/Bradenton area, his dream of returning has come true — this time as the new general manager and chief operating officer for the Palm-Aire Country Club.

“I’m looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship with the members and staff of Palm-Aire,” Sumner said. “It’s kind of like (coming) full circle for me. I relished the opportunity (to come back).”

Sumner was hired to replace former general manager John Costello, who left earlier this month to work at the Audubon Country Club in Naples. Sumner officially starts work Sept. 1 but already has been busy getting to know his new staff and making other preparations.

Sumner started his career in the food and beverage industry 30 years ago at St. Armands Circle’s Café L’Europe. When the restaurant prepared to open a second location on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Sumner, then a corporate trainer, made the move. It was in Palm Beach that Sumner met his wife of 25 years, Sharon.

After finishing his role at Café L’Europe, Sumner worked at several other exclusive private dinner clubs before transitioning into the private country club business in 1992.

Since then, he has worked for clubs such as High Ridge Country Club in Boynton Beach, Frenchman’s Creek Country Club at Palm Beach Gardens, the Falls Country Club in Lake Worth and, most recently, at Stonebridge Golf & Country Club in Boca Raton.

“I’ve been looking to relocate to the West Coast,” Sumner said of his decision to join Palm-Aire’s team. “My wife and I enjoy the area here. We feel it’s less congested and a more engaging environment.”

Already the couple is enjoying new restaurants, the beaches and catching up with old friends who live in the area.

As the Palm-Aire Country Club’s new general manager, Sumner said he plans to get to know the club’s membership and culture and build on successes the club already has achieved. Then, after careful consideration, he plans to throw a little of his own innovation into the mix.

He said he envisions the club hosting wine seminars and wine tasting events, and expanding the club’s ability to host weddings and other outside events, among other possibilities.

“We also look forward to holding some unique and special events, not only at the clubhouse, but also on the course,” Sumner said, noting he hopes to hold golf tournaments for charities in the near future.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].