Milestone’s Back Office Support Scales With Growing Small Business

“I never felt like we were just one piece in a large puzzle. We have always felt cared for by the people at Milestone as if they were full-time employees themselves.”   Chad Schultenover, Meridian Hills Country Club – GM & COO

Situation

Meridian Hills Country Club (MHCC) needed to find a replacement for their retiring outsourced Controller.  They were looking not only to find a team with the experience to cover the tactical day-to-day needs of the organization, but also strategic guidance to enhance the operational efficiencies of the accounting department and improve overall financial reporting and analytics.

Solution

MHCC engaged Milestone initially to perform a comprehensive Accounting and Financial Operations Assessment.  Based on the success of the initial assessment, Milestone was then hired to provide on-going fractional Controllership and CFO services, including an important liaison role with the Board and Finance Committee. 

Outcome

Milestone led the strategic initiatives around process improvement and audit preparation. The team worked diligently and responded quickly to the club’s needs. GM and COO Chad Schultenover was impressed by their ability to quickly fill the gap left by their previous accountant, and improve the overall operational efficiency and effectiveness of the department. He also hailed Milestone’s personal touch and investment in his organization.   

Meridian Hills Country Club (MHCC) is an iconic private member club located in the Meridian Hills neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. The Club offers a number of amenities to its members including golf, tennis, pickleball, swimming, dining, and social events. In 2023, the club celebrated its 100th year anniversary. 

For over twelve years, MHCC used a part-time Controller to oversee the financial operations of the organization.  When that individual announced his retirement,  MHCC was looking for a firm that could handle a wide spectrum of responsibilities.  In addition to covering the tactical day-to-day needs of the Club, they were also looking for experienced leadership that would provide some strategic guidance to improve operational efficiency and overall financial reporting and analytics.  “Milestone was a perfect choice for us”, noted Chad Schultenover, the General Manager and Chief Operating officer of MHCC.  “The Controller and CFO on the engagement did an outstanding job and quickly came up to speed to ensure that nothing got dropped”.

Schultenover described the transition to Milestone in this way: “They’ve been absolutely fantastic. Milestone not only picked up where we left off but truly improved the process.” Schultenover highlighted that Milestone identified operational inefficiencies in the initial assessment process and then executed a plan to address those weaknesses.  Specifically, Schultenover noted improvements in the month-end close, member billing and collections, and payroll processing.  

The transition to Milestone also came at a critical time, as MHCC was in the middle of a major capital improvement initiative called the Centennial Project.  Milestone was asked to not only provide the accounting for the Centennial Project, but to provide CFO level leadership to ensure full transparency to the board of directors.  Schultenover highlighted the financial leadership saying, “Had Milestone not been there, I’m fearful we may have made decisions that would’ve been costly for the organization.”

Finally, Schultenover commented on the benefits of using a fractional solution by saying, “We were able to leverage the Milestone team to provide the experience we needed in a cost-effective solution.  They have been great partners.”