Stuttgart Germany 1941 - Parents
Ernst Schindele and Lore Deimold
meet in the Youth Camp
They both survived the war and after the occupation did a relatively unpopular thing. They befriended the GIs. Even volunteered when needed in the motor pool or in some other way. They went so far as to invite the Americans into their home for meals, and holidays and even took them on vacation to see some of the countryside and other cities in Germany. For years after the GIs returned to the United States, they unilaterally kept in touch. By the early 1950s the relationships forged sparked a reciprocal gesture and the Americans offered to sponsor my parents to come and see The United States of America.
It was a way for them to repay the kindness they had shown them across the ocean during a difficult time. In July 9, 1956, the Schindeles first arrived in New York City and saw the welcoming figure of the Statue of Liberty after a long journey by boat, symbolizing they’d arrived in a new land, the land of opportunity.
They were taken in by the McDowell family who happened to live in Scarsdale NY. They learned about America, saw some of America, and fell in love with America. In no time at all, they brushed up their English and got jobs. My mother Lore was a bookkeeper, and my dad Ernst was an engineer. They were introduced and hired by Ester Williams and took residence in White Plains New York. Ernst designed her signature pools and Lore did her books. They both realized in America there are no limits to what can be accomplished if you’re willing to put in the work. In 1961 Ernst got a job for a company named LINK in Bingham NY. Ernst was part of the team that developed several series of flight simulators for the US Military famously called the “LINK Trainer”. Also known as the "Blue Box" or "Pilot Trainer", these flight simulators produced by Link Aviation Devices were the world's first commercially built flight simulators, created originally by Edwin Albert Link, Ernst’s boss.
Link delivering 6271 Link trainers to the Army and 1045 to the Navy. The Link trainers were also used by 35 foreign countries. Although Army Air Force's aviation cadets flew various trainer aircraft, virtually all took blind-flying instruction in the Link.
It was designed to help pilots learn how to fly using instruments, which was crucial for training pilots to fly in poor visibility conditions, such as clouds or darkness. The Link Trainer became famous during World War II, as it was used by almost every combatant nation to train pilots. More than 500,000 U.S. pilots were trained on these simulators. The original Link Trainer used pumps, valves, and bellows to simulate the movement of an aircraft, providing realistic instrument readings. The Link Trainer has been designated as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers holds a significant place in aviation history. It was the first true flight simulator, and provided safe training to hundreds of thousands of student pilots
Ernst & Lore were married, and left everything behind in 1956 when they came to America
1964 they relocated back to New England from Upstate NY calling Samford Ct home. There Ernst took a job working for Barnes Engineering and as part of the Aerospace division helping to design the Apollo Moon Mission navigational systems. Roy wears a ring handmade by his dad. He repurposed a defective crystal that was part of a navigational lens for NASA and was cut into a diamond and mounted on a gold ring. Roy still wears it today as it reminds him of what is possible if you are willing to work hard, to be honest, ethical and innovative.
Roy was surrounded by immigrants, mostly Germans, and enjoyed getting to know the culture and witnessing their assimilation to life in America. It was a mix of professionals like my parents to Brick and Stone Masons, Butchers, Bakers, and Builders. There was one commonality between them all, they were willing to work hard. They were thankful for the opportunity and some like the stone worker Manfred Kergel, worked 6-7 days a week 10-12 hours a day. No wonder over decades, regardless of profession, most of them became millionaires. Back then Roy did not think this work ethic was unusual and just assumed everyone worked that hard and diligently, that’s all he knows.
A sense of heritage was instilled at a young age, to be proud of who you are and where you come from, and who came before you. This included “Deutsch Stunde” translated “German hour” after school where Roy sat with his mother for an hour, reading something, writing something, like a note to his OMA, and speaking a little. Needless to say, Roy did not think it was fair that all his neighborhood friends could go out and play right after school, and he had to do another hour of lessons… Later in life, he came to appreciate the effort his Mom put into it and was grateful that during several trips to Germany over his life he was able to speak to all his relatives and truly embrace the culture.
As an adult Roy’s takeaway from this part of his life was profound. He learned that the secret to business success was hard work, setting goals, and managing priorities. Personal success was measured by how much you gave of yourself, how much effort you put into enriching yourself, having faith in God, compassionately helping others around you, and contributing something to society and volunteering in the community where you live.
1968 Ernst, Roy’s dad was hired by a company that was thrown together by a bunch of Wall Street investors. The name of the company was Fairfield Surgical and Medical Electronics Corporation. It was here where Ernst pioneered and earned several patents for developing a wall-mounted rail system utilized for medical equipment management. The Wall Street investors ran the business into bankruptcy and by 1972 Ernst bought out the patients and restarted Fairfield Medical Products from the garage of their house. Roy did some assembly work after school while in Roxbury Elementary School in Stamford CT. It was to assemble a clamp component after school and earned 2 cents per piece/part he assembled sometimes doing hundreds a day. He tagged along with his dad to make presentations at various ambulance corps where he introduced the concept of his equipment management system. In short order the ambulance corps installed them on individual vehicles, this led to ambulance manufacturers making it a standard part of new vehicles that were sold and eventually becoming recognized as a national federal standard by Mr. Leo Schwartz Chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Emergency Medical Services. Roy tagged along to the US Capital with his dad to meet Mr. Schwartz on several occasions.
His father worked hard with the heart and desire to live the American DREAM! So he hustled and afforded a comfortable home at 505 West Hill Rd. Stamford Ct. 06902. Roy attended Roxbury School in Stamford, Connecticut, which went through desegregated in 1975 as part of a broader effort involving collaboration between local government, the board of education, and community civil rights organizations. The end result was that 75% of the white suburban kids were bussed cross town to the inner-city schools, and in exchange, 75% of the inner-city kids were bussed to white picket fence suburbia.
In 5th grade, Mrs. Kessler’s class, the first year of desegregation didn’t go well. Cultural differences led to clashes. Roy remembers all too often being asked, no TOLD, to bring a dollar the next day or risk getting beat up, learning all to soon what extortion felt like in more ways than one. As Roy had no access to money, and would not steal from his parents, Roy ended up getting beat up fairly regularly at school for not complying to various demands. One time during recess he was confronted by a group of black guys coming to collect, lead by Jeffrey Rawl and “Mean Gene” which ended with a rock being hit against Roy’s head requiring stitches. After enduring 1 year of essentially learning how to fight and defend oneself, this well-intended social experience had gone terribly wrong. So Roy and his parents jointly agreed to consider Private Schools to avoid the potential of ongoing problems at the public schools during this historic time of desegregation.
Roy was enrolled at King School to start in the Fall of 1973 and entered 6th grade after not learning much academically the year before. This led to poor grades and Roy ultimately repeated 6th grade to build a stronger foundation for future learning. It also meant Roy went from the youngest in his class to the oldest which proved to have advantages later on. “King” as it was called, was rich in history, and required suit jackets and ties, so Roy would be in a better environment during his formative middle and high school days in good company with other people notable people who graduated from King:
John P. Frank - Lawyer and politician
David M. Walker - Former Comptroller General of the United States
John J. McCloy - Banker and diplomat
Robert Jarvik - Inventor of the artificial heart and TV personality
Kimberley Pearson - Renowned researcher in STEM
Stephen Mayer - Noted artist and sculptor
Lauren Gibbons - Alumna, parent, and trustee
Michael Johnson - Professional basketball player
Sarah Thomas - TV actress
James Brody - Renowned journalist
Emily Larson - Olympic swimmer
Daniel Keane - Musician and composer
Rachel Steiner - Author and poet
Thomas Gates - CEO of a Fortune 500 company
Olivia Hart - Renowned chef and restaurateur
William Thatcher - Professional soccer player
Grace Miller - Humanitarian and philanthropist
Henry Simmons - Renowned scientist in biotechnology
Sophia Collins - Award-winning filmmaker
Ethan Blake - Tech entrepreneur and innovator
Roy made the most of his time at King. Some notable accomplishments were in sports (not academia..lol) as a member of the Fairchester League Lacross Gold Medal Champion team of 81, Varsity Gold Medalist in Greco Roman Westling 168lbs weight class.
A neck injury sidelined Roy from playing Football, so he made the most of it and obtained Advanced First Aid Credentials and later became an EMT Emergency Medical Tech and enjoyed being on the team as the Athletic Trainer instead. Roy did a good job taking care of “his boys”, so much so, that he was affectionately called “Uncle Roy” by the entire team for looking out for them on and off the field.
As Roy got older, he was still working in his free time and learning more about the family business which now had a real office and machine shop to do in-house manufacturing of the rail system and all the equipment adaptors. As Roy had “training” doing assembly work, he spent several summers doing just that in the factory. From assembly, he went to work in the machine shop under the watchful eye of Mr. Jim Swanston a Master Machinist and shop foreman. There he learned how to use a lathe, drill press, sandblasting machine, belt saw, and many other marvelous contraptions. Next off to Shipping and Receiving with Danny Petrocelli, from there, purchasing department, then Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, general accounting (with mom Lore Schindele), and then off to sales, office management, settling in as Director of Operations & Corporate Services. This all transpired in a span of 10 years.
During the same period the company, to prove a point, bought and equipped what was the first marine ambulance (boat) that was as well-equipped as a land-based Emergency Room. Rescue vehicles on the water were police, coast guard, and power squadron. They all had boats and all responded to aquatic emergencies but none could take care of medical issues to the extent that it could have. They could put a Band-Aid on a boat but had no way to perform advanced emergency medical services on the water. For example, if there was a water ski accident with a severe back injury, immediate immobilization is called for. The common method was to fish the person out of the water by any means possible and immobilize them once on board the boat. By then potential spinal cord damage could be worsened and additional trauma suffered during the rescue. It was clear that Emergency Medical Services stopped at the shoreline. The Star of Life 1 was going to shed light on this fact and offer an alternative. Star Of Life Flotilla, Inc. The in Stamford, CT | Company Info (bizapedia.com) May 11, 1977 (at 15 years old) Roy filed the paperwork to formally begin the Star of Life Flotilla. The Star of Life 1 patrolled every weekend in 150 square miles of Long Island Sound attending special events from New York City to Block Island RI to be on standby for things like the 4th of July at the statue of liberty or offshore powerboat and sailboat races. Roy first served on board as a first-aider, at 16 became an accredited EMT- Emergency Medical Technician and at the same time became a Captain, the youngest rescue vessel Captain on the Eastern seaboard. This was the weekend routine of volunteering with doctors and nurses from Ct, NY, and New Jersey and hosting guests and dignitaries from all over the world.
The Star of Life responded to more than 1800 calls over the many years of service accredited with saving over 40 lives. The Schindele’s volunteer work and financial commitment created a solution and roadmap of how to provide Advanced Aquatic Medical Services. In-water CPR and backboard immobilization techniques were perfected and shared with the US Coast Guard and marine police, many of which are still used today. Roy and his dad helped Leo Schwarts from the Department of Transportation write the national specifications for marine ambulances that is still valid today. The US Power Boat Association boat drivers refused to race unless an officially sanctioned Star of Life Flotilla Emergency Rescue Squad was on site.
The US Virgin Islands requested that the Schindele’s build and equip a Star of Life 2 to transfer patients from St. John to St. Thomas because all too often people would die unnecessarily while in transport. Once the beautiful 42 ft boat was delivered in 1979, Roy (17 years old) and his dad would go to St Thomas and St. John to work with Kirk Grybowski Director of the Emergency Medical Program for FEMA and the USVI to share “best practices” with the crew and train them our revolutionary in-water rescue techniques. Roy was also the resident EMT at King School which he attended in Stamford Ct. being present at most sporting events with his good friend and fellow EMT Jeff Fischer and med kit in tow. Together Roy and Jeff also did public blood pressure screenings at community events and volunteered at the local ambulance corp.
The family moved to Binghampton NY 1961
January 30 1981 –
Roy enlists for the selective service with his friends Ken Corbin and Chris Creedon and celebrate by going to the Ticker Tape Parade NYC for the American hostage released from Iran
King School Class of 1981
E.M.T. & Captain 1978
High School concluded in 1981 and Roy tried to manage to work full-time and go to college. He started at the University of Connecticut and then transferred to Marymount College of New York. The business and “money bug” made continuing school difficult and ended up dropping school to dive deeper into work. By the age of 24, Roy was Director of Operations at Fairfield MEdical and managed more than 50 people in various departments. Being good with his hands, Roy also spearheaded field installations and medical facility renovations. He modernized iconic Hospitals like Andrews Airforce Base in DC, Sloan Kettering in New Your City, and Queens Medical Center Honolulu Hawaii, to name a few.
By 1986 the success of the business and Ernst’s 16 patents, made a mark in the industry and attracted a wholly owned subsidiary of Herman Miller called MillCare to make the Schindele family an offer to buy the business. Upon acceptance, this fulfilled the American dream for an immigrant family that worked hard for more than 2 decades to establish and nurture a successful business. The hard work and perseverance paid off!
Roy continued working for the new owners as a consultant for almost 2 years when he decided that he enjoyed working more in a family business environment than in the big Fortune 500.
Yearning to be back in his own business it did not take long for the entrepreneurial spirit he had always been surrounded with inspired him to reflect and to think about what could be next. Something he saw while in Europe always intrigued him it was a cuff-like earring that did not require a post or clip to be worn. It struck him as rather unique since it used the anatomy of the ear and meant virtually anybody of any age could wear it. After further research, it truly seemed like this cuff-like earring could possibly be a third alternative in the fashion industry earring market. It started first with trade marking the name EARLING, and filing design patents of his own. The name EARLING stemmed from the fact that it was an earring but it didn’t function quite like an earring and felt the trademark EARLING depicted that.
With patents, engineering drawings and plans in hand he went off to Rhode Island the jewelry manufacturing capital of the USA and struck a deal with a manufacturer to create well over 100,000 pieces. Packaging and marketing material was created and as soon as the product came off the assembly line Roy went off to the fashion shows in New York and the Buyer’s Marketplaces in multiple major cities. He also went door to door to small boutiques all over Connecticut New York New Jersey Massachusetts, basically New England, from his home base in Stamford where the basement of his home had been converted into an inventory and assembly warehouse.
Invented and patented the EARLING 1988
RDS becomes 1 of 16 World Cup Tour Operators in the world 1994
Roy was born here
September 8, 1962
(White hat left)
in 1968 The Equipment Rail System was patented, by Roy’s father Ernst, which led to the founding of the family business Fairfield Medical Products, Corp. in Stamford Connecticut in 1972
1972-73 Desegregation at Roxbury School lead to enrollment at King School - a private school in Stamford CT.
Roy Schindele was born September 8th, 1962, and is the first generation in his family to be born in the United States of America. His parents met at 14 years old while attending a Hitler Youth Camp just outside of Stuttgart Germany in 1941. At the time the war was getting worse, and the recruitment age was getting younger and younger. Right around his father Ernst’s 16 birthday, he was “signed up” which was more like “rounded up”. When asked if he had any special talents, he replied that he had been glider flying since he was 12. With that bit of news, they assigned him to the Luftwaffe and put him in a Messerschmitt 109. Being as young as he was, he flew mainly reconnaissance and support but nonetheless managed to get shot down at least once. Meanwhile, my mother Lore, at the time, lived in downtown Stuttgart and was helping her family businesses and her home survive. It was all too often she had to go on the roof of their house to put out fires after the air raids or to help get furniture out of a building that was not so lucky and engulfed in flames.
“Always remember
to have fun along the way!”
“It’s All about
Relationships!”
As the costume jewelry market seemed to take hold the innovation gained interest and won purchase orders from Macy’s, Claire’s boutiques, and even Walt Disney World. Walt Disney liked them in particular because you didn’t have to make a hole in your ear and you didn’t have to pinch your ear to wear this and thought it was perfect for the younger demographic that attended the Magic Kingdom. The EARLING Was proudly displayed and sold on the outdoor carts throughout the parks.
Gaining notoriety in the marketplace led to magazines writing articles & sharing photos about Roy’s innovation, gracing the pages of the Village Voice NYC and numerous fashion magazines nationwide. It even landed him on television at local news stations in Norwalk CT as well as national news in New York on LIVE with Kathy Lee and Regis Feldman. As the costume jewelry product found its way into the market, high-end retailers expressed an interest in the product as well so Roy found a partner in Mexico MODA Designs to create a silver jewelry EARLING line.
A funny thing happened during the EARLING journey, that came on the heels of the first successful sales call to Walt Disney World. It was a beautiful bright sunny day the whole morning was spent with the WDW buyer who had an office above the shops on Main Street in Magic Kingdom. A purchase order for Earlings to be sold in Tomorrowland was wrapped up around noon making the afternoon “free time” where Roy drove around and fell in love with the area. He saw and stopped in a new subdivision that was being built only minutes away from Disney and impulsively put a deposit down on a lakefront property in a little place called Indian Wells. He went back home packed his things and a year later after the house was built in 1989 moved with his family into his new home in Kissimmee Florida just 2 miles from Disney.
Many months passed and Roy acclimated to Florida and learned more about what made Orlando tick, TOURISM. Visitors coming from all over the world made Central Florida tick. The sheer number of people at the time that were coming was very impressive and Roy thought to himself this is a captive audience that will continue to come and just get larger as Disney matures and other attractions will soon be built. The question rattling in Roy’s mind was to explore and contemplate ways to capitalize on this booming industry in this fledgling city.
It did not take long for Roy to sell his EARLING business to the Mexican partner and in turn, filed for a “seller of travel” license with the state of Florida to start a new venture called IFC International Florida Connections, a travel company. Roy’s concept was to become an inbound tour operator meaning he would try to develop customers from other countries and make all their ground arrangements when they came to Central Florida including meet and greet at the airport transportation to and from the hotels and any activities they undertook while they were here hotel reservations attraction tickets and more. The initial thought was to foster and mature connections back to his heritage in Germany and utilize his bilingual skills to his advantage.
The initial question was how do you get out of the gate how do you start a business in this established market, in such a way that people will take notice? By this time it was 1993, and had learned that the World Cup had selected Orlando as one of the venues for the global event. Roy thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to shine on the world stage And prompted a call to FIFA the governing board of world soccer. The question was simple how could IFC international Florida connections get involved with World Cup 94? The opportunity that was presented to Roy was to become an authorized World Cup tour operator and as it implies it would be published globally as a source for travel packages to FIFA’s World Cup in the USA.
They pointed me in the right direction and after speaking to several people including the US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati. He took a leap of faith and committed to buying several $100,000 worth of tickets in stadiums in various cities not knowing what teams would play where as that is determined by the luck of the draw. Of all the like-minded people in the world who thought getting their travel company involved with FIFA WC’94 would be a great idea, in the end, only 16 made the commitment and IFC was one of them.
It indeed garnished attention And the phone started to ring not only for individuals seeking tickets and travel packages but people who had tickets and wanted to sell them. In addition, several countries turn to Roy and IFC to make arrangements for their nations’ soccer teams themselves. One, in particular, was for the defending champions Spain under the guidance of coach Javier Clemente who did not want to stay in the “Official Athlete Village”. They wanted to have special arrangements made at a remote resort where they could train and be as well prepared as possible for the challenges ahead. Ironically Roy found them a place at the Mission Inn Resort and Club where he would consult 25 years later as a Consultant and acting Executive Director of Sales & Marketing.
IFC was also contracted by Ireland to manage 1200 fans who wanted to follow the team from Orlando and even the later stage to New York and did so by chartering two 747 aircraft for every leg of the trip and arranging for thousands of hotel room nights throughout the competition. Some of the tickets Roy had to buy from FIFA turned out to be gangbuster games and others were a bust leaving enough tickets in hand to be able to wallpaper a bathroom. The good far outweighed the bad and indeed Roy complicated the mission of getting IFC established in the marketplace as a well-respected inbound destination management company.
One of the other trends that were going on in Orlando was the start of the vacation rental home business. Travelers from near and far wanted to own part of the Central Florida Dream and did so by purchasing a vacation rental home. IFC recognized this trend and began soliciting customers for that particular market. With the steady flow of inbound customers, some expressed interest in purchasing a house through IFC. So Roy started a real estate brokerage to sale of homes, furnish them and started a property management company that maintained the whole house from pool cleaning, landscaping, maid service. Having the management of these homes made it easy to expand selling vacation packages through IFC, enabling people to stay in the homes to generate revenue for the owners to cover their bills. All three divisions of IFC were working efficiently and effectively together. Shortly after 911 Roy thought it was a prudent time to get out of the travel business and sold the Real Estate, Property Management Company, and Travel Components of IFC.
When contemplating what to do next Roy concluded that he very much enjoyed the world of travel and since IFC had negotiated and managed hundreds of hotel/resort wholesale agreements with hotels much time was spent in that arena. The logical step would be to offer services to a hotel and share with them what he had learned as a receptive tour operator to help them gain more market share and increase sales. being a Disney lover the logical place to start was in Lake Buena Vista and found a place called the Grosvenor Resort which desperately needed help. Not too long after Roy started working with Ray Filippone, the director of sales at the time, the property slipped into bankruptcy protection. This presented itself with a unique situation where the company could reorganize and realign the sales and marketing to emerge a better stronger company. This endeavor lasted about three years and in the 36 months Roy was there he broke sales record after sales record consistently month over month for the duration of the time he was there. The company emerged from bankruptcy successfully and in short order was sold and is now known as the Wyndham Resort in Downtown Disney.
The transition from the Grosvenor resort to Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge was a very unique happening. Roy was attending a trade show with thousands of people in attendance and seemed to consistently bump into these two delightful women Lee Anne Huckabee and Carol Laskey. They were the membership director and marketing manager for Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and lodge. After several happenchance meetings whether it be waiting in a line for drinks or sitting down at a table for lunch and discovering they sat at the same table, we got to talking and they suggested that I come to Bay Hill and take a look because there was a director of sales and marketing position open and they thought I would be a good fit. This would be quite the departure from working for oneself to working as an employee for someone else and initially, the offer was dismissed. However, further encouragement from Lee Anne and Carol and after doing a little more research about Bay Hill and learning that Arnold Palmer owned it and lived there, piqued Roy’s interest.
Finally, Roy scheduled an appointment to visit the property and when he pulled up the bellman greeted him “Hello Mr. Schindele” as did the front desk and others that I encountered during my site inspection. This gave Roy a great impression of the property and of the general manager Ray Easler’s management style and attention to detail so a full-blown interview was scheduled. It was a very unique experience that started with a one-on-one with Ray Easler the GM which led to another meeting with two or three of the directors which led to another meeting and another meeting. Eventually, I was sitting in the room with approximately 10 people in attendance for a final Q&A session. It was understandable since this was Arnold Palmer that there was a high degree of scrutiny undertaken during this process.
Everything was seemingly going very well in that final meeting until they asked about cultural things and interpersonal and relationship things. They asked me whom I admire, how I get along with people in general, and if any “types” of people are issues for me. I began my answer with who here is the food and beverage director? They all pointed to Fred and I said; with all due respect I will be fighting with him, we’re going to lock horns. You could see the promise and smiles on people’s faces slip away when I called out Fred for really no apparent reason in their minds. That of course led to the probing question of why would I fight with Fred? What has he done to solicit that attention from me? I very openly explained that if I was to direct sales, marketing and PR I would aggressively do that job. That oftentimes includes making deals and arrangements, particularly in food and beverage that may not be ordinary or standard. In contrast, a food and beverage director is tasked with systematizing, organizing, and being extremely efficient in food purchase and preparation.
So by design, in Roy’s opinion, these two departments have diametrically opposed goals and objectives: for example. If Roy had a customer who wanted eggs Benedict upside down with a toothpick and a pickle on it, the sales dept might agree to close the deal. Perhaps adding a surcharge of $3 or so to facilitate this change. When Fred gets the banquet event order he should in theory not be happy because it changes the way his eggs benedicts are cooked assembled and presented In opposition to his quest to run a super-efficient kitchen. This in turn should lead to a discussion between sales and food and beverage departments to be sure enough money was charged for the change and that the change was doable. Now that didn’t mean Fred was happy about it because it changed the process that he painstakingly created to be as efficient and streamlined as possible. Hence the natural friction between these two departments. My statement to the room was, there needs to be this healthy discourse between these two departments, or it means that A) sales is not selling hard enough and making deals or B) food and beverage is not trying to be efficient enough. So, if no one was fighting (In a friendly businesslike way) then in Roy’s estimation the company was not maximizing its opportunities for growth and revenue.
Needless to say, the group was relieved and had a better understanding of why Roy would fight with Fred and indicated that no one had ever put it quite into that context before. Being honest, forthright, and insightful paid off and in 2004 Roy began working at Bay Hill as Arnold Palmer’s Director of Sales, Marketing and Public Relations which would turn into a 15-year odyssey.
During his time with Mr. Arnold Palmer, on many occasions, Roy would be Mr. Palmer's human cup holder at functions. Meaning he would walk in with Mr. Palmer and as Mr. Palmer greeted guests, Roy would hold his drink for him. This gave him the unique perch to watch in amazement how Mr. Palmer spoke with each and every attendee. He made them feel like nobody mattered but the person he was talking to. That included making direct eye contact and asking questions showing care for the other person. What Roy noticed was that the things that came so naturally to Mr. Palmer didn't for other people. This prompted Roy after a decade to formulate what he today calls P.A.L.M.E.R. hospitality principles.
P.A.L.M.E.R. hospitality principles are timeless traits that connect humans and forge relationships. P stands for prepare with passion do your homework like a pro and utilize all the resources available to glean as much information as possible about the person you're going to meet. A- stands for always being attentive and observant and aware of your surroundings. L- stands for listening and asking relevant questions to learn more about the person's relational GPS, goals, passions, and struggles. M – stands for being mindful with manners and exhibiting worthy intentions and by being polite, using the person’s name as frequently as possible. E- stands for engaging enthusiastically. Energy is contagious and people like to be around and follow upbeat. positive people and leaders. R- stands for rapport which binds relationships. This is the Holy Grail in business. Lasting relationships bloom if rapport has developed and forms a bond that “competitor-proofs” you and your business.
2 years after Mr. Palmer passed, Roy left Bay Hill and launched his own company RDS HOSPITALITY & BRAND ADVISORS. It is here where Roy deployed and put the P.A.L.M.E.R. Hospitality Principles to the test. It was implemented with internal teams as well as customers and vendors at the Mission Inn with great success.
Roy developed a rapport with key people and nurtured strong relationships with staff and customers which changed the fundamental culture of the company. His worthy intent was to help those around him be better. This redefined the brand and transformed the property from a nice little-known resort to a well-respected, world-class, golf resort & country club. It even attracted the attention of the LPGA which Roy convinced to host an annual event LPGA EPSON Tournament with global reach.
Roy communicated with the leadership team regularly and turned concepts from discussions into electronic branding, marketing, and sales initiatives. Implementing a new communication style Roy created a polished look and feel in ads and collateral material which increased the company’s image and value in the marketplace. This in turn expanded the customer base which resulted in generating an unprecedented number of new sales leads requesting individual and group packages.
Training and coaching the sales department in P.A.L.M.E.R. Principles increased efficiency, enabling the team to handle the increased volume without increasing payroll and overhead. The new and improved strategies across the board carried the company through COVID never suspending business because sales & marketing were able to quickly react to monthly, weekly, and daily market changes. Hotel average daily rate and occupancy, as well as golf rounds, went up across the board by over 20% of pre-pandemic highs, and the low season was shortened by 60 days due to the new demand generated.
This was accomplished by deploying a “storytelling mindset” in social media, PPC, geo-targeting, SEO, video messaging, email marketing, and CRS data management along with ongoing training and coaching of the staff. As a result, 2022 yielded the best annual revenue in recent memory for all profit centers of the company. The overall improvements attracted better business, for example, landing a multi-year LPGA EPSON Tournament for the resort. All this success further builds the brand, which attracts better business and more sales opportunities facilitating long-term growth.
Aside from global name recognition and record revenue trends, another significant impact of the sales & marketing initiatives was customer retention (60% repeat customers) and overall customer satisfaction up to 4.8 out of 5. As a result of the success, the company attracted potential buyers and was successfully SOLD at the end of 2022 for almost 60 million dollars making the 2nd and 3rd generations of the owners’ family very pleased.
After the sale of Mission Inn, Roy Schindele strategically expanded RDS-Advisors to provide comprehensive services that address both personal and corporate development. By adding an Incentive and Exotic Travel division, Roy envisioned exclusive travel experiences designed to foster team morale, reward performance, and create lasting memories. These travel experiences include everything from corporate retreats in breathtaking locations to meticulously planned incentive trips that motivate teams and recognize achievements. This division emphasizes the power of unique, tailored travel as a tool for employee engagement and loyalty, which in turn strengthens organizational culture and aligns teams toward shared goals.
Understanding the importance of a strong digital presence, Roy launched a specialized Digital and Social Media Marketing group within RDS-Advisors. This group was established to help clients navigate the evolving digital landscape, building strategies that maximize online visibility, engagement, and brand loyalty. The team focuses on developing customized social media campaigns, utilizing data-driven insights to reach target audiences and engage them authentically. The goal is to empower businesses with a dynamic digital footprint, fostering genuine connections with clients and communities. By leveraging social media and digital marketing tools, RDS-Advisors provides brands with a platform to tell their stories, engage with their followers, and solidify their brand identity in competitive markets.
Recognizing the critical need for relationship-building skills in corporate success, Roy introduced AchieveNEXT into RDS-Advisors’ offerings. AchieveNEXT provides corporate relationship training, including keynotes, seminars, and webinars tailored to enhance interpersonal skills, deepen professional connections, and improve client retention. These training sessions offer strategies to foster trust and collaboration within teams and in client relationships. Through practical, relationship-based learning, executives and employees gain valuable skills in networking, conflict resolution, and client engagement, making them more effective in achieving business objectives. AchieveNEXT’s offerings support teams in creating sustainable, value-driven relationships that fuel long-term success and growth, aligning closely with Roy's philosophy of relational capital as a core business asset.
Each of these divisions within RDS-Advisors reflects Roy’s vision for a multifaceted consulting firm that not only drives success through performance-based travel but also equips clients with the tools to thrive in digital spaces and build resilient professional relationships.