The Semiahmoo Resort Association (SRA) board of directors has selected David Franklin to take the reins as its new general manager. Franklin, who brings over 20 years of resort and community management experience, is already looking ahead to what’s on the community’s horizon.
Franklin joined SRA February 1. Semiahmoo’s 26 homeowner associations as well as the Semiahmoo Resort, Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club and Semiahmoo marina are located within the SRA.
“Over the years, Semiahmoo has become a bigger and much more complicated community,” said Doug Woods, president of the SRA board of directors. “We felt we needed a new set of skills in capacity and experience necessary to lead SRA as we move forward.”
Challenges SRA faces as it grows include infrastructure upgrades, maintaining view preservations and recreation easements along Drayton Harbor, Woods said. SRA manages a cohesive sense of community throughout the Semiahmoo neighborhoods and the privately-owned resort areas through its standards for things such as signage, landscaping and gates.
Franklin’s first priority is to create a long-term community plan, similar to a city’s comprehensive plan, that will outline development goals for Semiahmoo and create continuity as board directors change over the years, Woods said.
Franklin’s background shows he’s just the right person to take on the challenge.
Franklin left his position as general manager of Shelter Bay Community in La Conner, where he worked since 2013, to come to Semiahmoo. He said he made the change to shorten the commute to his home in Whatcom County and spend more time with family.
Shelter Bay, located on Swinomish Indian Tribal Community land, has nearly 1,000 homes, a 300-slip marina and golf course. Franklin also oversaw an annual $4 million budget, which is three times SRA’s budget.
During his time in La Conner, Franklin said one of his proudest achievements was improving the working relationship between Shelter Bay, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and town of La Conner through things such as coming together on a regional wastewater facility.
“Relationship building was very important and I think the board felt that was something that was important that I would be able to do here,” Franklin said. “They want a more cohesive relationship with the golf course, the resort, the city of Blaine and Whatcom County.”
Before Shelter Bay, Franklin worked as Snowater Resort’s general manager in Deming from 2005 to 2013. There, he oversaw about 35 employees and a $2 million operating budget.
At 58 years old, Franklin said he sees Semiahmoo as the end of the road in his career.
“A community association manager is a crucible fire,” he said. “I look at this as a last stop.”
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