(Sept. 1, 2016) Bob Thompson – once the general manager and now a private citizen living in Ocean Pines – remains upbeat after being dismissed from his job by the OPA Board of Directors last week.
Thompson said he was in his office working that Friday evening when Board President Tom Herrick delivered the news. He was not surprised by it, he said.
“Any time there’s a change in a board of directors – and certainly in Ocean Pines – it opens up the opportunity for changes, either in direction or in management itself,” he said. “I think Tom Herrick dealt with it appropriately. It’s a tough situation.”
Thompson served as general manager for six years, starting in August 2010, and was an elected member of the board before that.
“Any time you live in a community for 26 years and you serve on committees, you serve on the board and ultimately serving as the GM, obviously a change like that is something that can be a bit disappointing,” Thompson said. “At the same time the board has the right to make decisions. The community voted for the new board members that were clear on the direction that they wanted to head in, and the community supported that.
“I can’t really fault anybody – it’s the process. That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” he added. “The community spoke and the board took the action they thought they were elected to do. I can’t have hard feelings about that.”
Thompson feels he is leaving the association on strong footing. Ocean Pines was again named one of the safest communities in the state, based on its low crime rate, and amenities like the yacht club were honored by several publications as “best” in the region.
He was also quick to deflect much of the credit to his staff.
“I’m encouraged by the fact that we ended the year with one of our best financial years ever,” he said. “There are a lot of things I can be real proud of, but probably the biggest thing I’m most proud of is the team we’ve built. We have a really strong group of leaders in each of the departments and I’m real proud of them. It’s not what I’ve done to get us at elevated levels – it’s really the work that each of them have done bringing it to the team that’s helped us reach those levels.
“I feel good leaving on a very high note with the community, I believe, in a better place then when I walked through the door,” he added.
During the last six years Thompson developed close working relationships with his staff, and he acknowledged the change in leadership would be difficult for some of them.
“Any time you have a change, especially with such a close group that we had, it’s hard. It’s hard for me and I think it’s hard for several of them,” he said. “But they’re strong, they’re talented and I think they’ll find a way to push through. They’ll be professional and I do believe that the strength lies more so with them than it ever did with me. They’ll be OK. We hired some really, really talented people that have stepped up and done a great job.”
As for the community itself, Thompson said he was “absolutely” upbeat about the future of Ocean Pines.
“I’ve been here a long time. For me, I support the community where I live and I think I’ve shown that over the years,” he said. “I’ve raised my kids here, I’ve been involved building playgrounds and being on all the committees. I was very active and involved, and I think I did it with integrity and being upfront. Admittedly I have a strong personality, but that’s part of what I believe a good leader has to do.”
While he was general manager, Thompson was known for not taking any vacation days. That trend, he said, would continue.
“I’m not one to sit around, so I’ll be seeking other endeavors as quickly as I can. I still have kids I have to put through college,” he said. “I like to be busy, I like to be involved, and I’ll still certainly help if there’s any questions from either the current board, any of the department heads have or if I can be of any assistance.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve the community for six years,” Thompson continued. “I feel real good from where we started to where we are. From when I arrived to when I departed, I think the community is stronger for it and I feel pretty good about that. I like to think I leave a place a little better then when I stepped into it, and with the team in place now, I feel very comfortable that’s occurred.”
Thompson said he was in his office working that Friday evening when Board President Tom Herrick delivered the news. He was not surprised by it, he said.
“Any time there’s a change in a board of directors – and certainly in Ocean Pines – it opens up the opportunity for changes, either in direction or in management itself,” he said. “I think Tom Herrick dealt with it appropriately. It’s a tough situation.”
Thompson served as general manager for six years, starting in August 2010, and was an elected member of the board before that.
“Any time you live in a community for 26 years and you serve on committees, you serve on the board and ultimately serving as the GM, obviously a change like that is something that can be a bit disappointing,” Thompson said. “At the same time the board has the right to make decisions. The community voted for the new board members that were clear on the direction that they wanted to head in, and the community supported that.
“I can’t really fault anybody – it’s the process. That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” he added. “The community spoke and the board took the action they thought they were elected to do. I can’t have hard feelings about that.”
Thompson feels he is leaving the association on strong footing. Ocean Pines was again named one of the safest communities in the state, based on its low crime rate, and amenities like the yacht club were honored by several publications as “best” in the region.
He was also quick to deflect much of the credit to his staff.
“I’m encouraged by the fact that we ended the year with one of our best financial years ever,” he said. “There are a lot of things I can be real proud of, but probably the biggest thing I’m most proud of is the team we’ve built. We have a really strong group of leaders in each of the departments and I’m real proud of them. It’s not what I’ve done to get us at elevated levels – it’s really the work that each of them have done bringing it to the team that’s helped us reach those levels.
“I feel good leaving on a very high note with the community, I believe, in a better place then when I walked through the door,” he added.
During the last six years Thompson developed close working relationships with his staff, and he acknowledged the change in leadership would be difficult for some of them.
“Any time you have a change, especially with such a close group that we had, it’s hard. It’s hard for me and I think it’s hard for several of them,” he said. “But they’re strong, they’re talented and I think they’ll find a way to push through. They’ll be professional and I do believe that the strength lies more so with them than it ever did with me. They’ll be OK. We hired some really, really talented people that have stepped up and done a great job.”
As for the community itself, Thompson said he was “absolutely” upbeat about the future of Ocean Pines.
“I’ve been here a long time. For me, I support the community where I live and I think I’ve shown that over the years,” he said. “I’ve raised my kids here, I’ve been involved building playgrounds and being on all the committees. I was very active and involved, and I think I did it with integrity and being upfront. Admittedly I have a strong personality, but that’s part of what I believe a good leader has to do.”
While he was general manager, Thompson was known for not taking any vacation days. That trend, he said, would continue.
“I’m not one to sit around, so I’ll be seeking other endeavors as quickly as I can. I still have kids I have to put through college,” he said. “I like to be busy, I like to be involved, and I’ll still certainly help if there’s any questions from either the current board, any of the department heads have or if I can be of any assistance.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve the community for six years,” Thompson continued. “I feel real good from where we started to where we are. From when I arrived to when I departed, I think the community is stronger for it and I feel pretty good about that. I like to think I leave a place a little better then when I stepped into it, and with the team in place now, I feel very comfortable that’s occurred.”