Management - The Players Club & Spa

Email: [email protected]

Denise Murphy started with Stock Development in 2001 and worked as their Corporate Controller before joining the team at The Players Club & Spa in 2012. She is a Florida native who attended Edison College, Southern New Hampshire University and eCornell University and has various accounting, leadership and managerial certifications. She has over 20 years of accounting, hospitality and management experience. Denise is an avid volunteer in the community and a strong supporter for education. Denise was mentor for over 10 years with the Champions for Learning program which helps make a difference in the lives of children and teens in Collier County.

Denise is passionate about education and youth advocacy and is currently serving on the Board of Trustees for Florida Southwestern State College, Board of Directors for Friends of Foster Children, Advisory Board for Empowerment Farm, Secretary for the Board of Directors for Champions for Learning Foundation, Citizens for Foster Care Review Board and the Leadership Collier Foundation Board of Directors. She has also served as the Past President on the Board of Youth Haven and the Treasurer for AMI Kids and also spends her time supporting programs such as; Guadalupe Social Services, St. Matthews House and Collier County Public Schools.

She is a graduate of the 2015 GAIN program and 2020 Leadership Collier program with the Chamber of Commerce and is a Leadership Collier Alumni. She was honored by the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce Leadership Collier Foundation as the 2017 Volunteer of the Year and in the same year featured in the Ebella magazine for her work and passion involving mentoring. In 2018 she received The Distinguished Volunteer Award from Youth Haven. In 2020 Denise received the prestigious Glass Slipper Award from Champions for Learning and was also awarded the Spirit of Community Award from Florida Commission on the Status of Women. Most recently she was published in a book from the New York Times bestselling author, Tommy Spaulding. In the book Denise was recognized for her leadership at The Players Club & Spa. Under her leadership, The Club has hired over 60 high school students and provided many with internship opportunities.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her two children and watching her youngest play and compete in soccer. She also has a passion for cooking, loves fishing and reading a good mystery book and traveling whenever possible. Experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated, she is happy to be a member of the team at The Players Club & Spa and proud to be an employee of Stock Development.

William C Hoever - Executive Chef

Email: [email protected]

Executive Chef William C. Hoever (Bill) has spent the last 32 years in the hospitality industry. His culinary apprenticeship has included working with classically trained European chefs and studying at the Culinary Institute of America, where he earned his professional Chef Certification and is a Certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation.

While mastering his cooking styles, he has also studied new and old-world classic wine and wine making in Napa Valley at the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at Graystone. He has traveled throughout the United States, Caribbean, Central America, and Europe, honing his culinary knowledge and skills. Prior to joining The Players Club & Spa, Chef Hoever was the Chef Owner of Coastal Cuisine, Executive Chef at Wyndemere Country Club, Edgewater Beach Hotel and a Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. Chef Hoever has been honored as one of North America’s Outstanding Chefs. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Ruby, and son, Ryan.

Jeff Jerome - Director of Food & Beverage Operations

Email: [email protected]

Jeff began his career in Naples with the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce where he worked in membership & business development. After the Chamber, Jeff joined the Naples Daily News as their Multi-Media Advertising Director leading a sales team for their online initiatives. Later Jeff joined the hospitality world with the Hilton Naples/Shula’s Steak House as their Director of Marketing & Sales. He spent over ten years working at the Hilton/Shula’s in assisting individuals, businesses, and non-profits in event planning from large to small.

Jeff is Board Member with the Naples Therapeutic Riding Center and is their Co-Chair for their Development Committee. He also serves as President to the NAPLES Group where he has been a member for ten years. Jeff also volunteers as a Wish Granter for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida and is Past President for the Advisory Board. He is a graduate from Leadership Collier Foundation and was recognized as a 40 Under 40 Professional from Gulfshore Business. Jeff has called Naples home for over 25 years. He is originally from Central New York State and graduated from Syracuse University.

Jeff is a highly successful and productive event professional with a proven track record of achieving and surpassing all goals. He is extremely engaging with members and co-workers. His passion is in creating memories and is member relationship driven.

Bryan Gezella - Director of Wellness

Email [email protected]

Born and raised in Green Bay, WI, Bryan has worked in the Fitness and Wellness industry for 27 years in various positions. Joining the Players Club & Spa during its inception in March of 2005, Bryan now is responsible for overseeing over 12,000+ square feet of health & wellness facilities, court sport operations, as well as Corporate Director of Fitness & Spa Operations for Stock Development. Bryan looks forward to exceeding your expectations with high quality sports & wellness services, and providing exceptional experiences by skilled and caring professionals.

Adam Lane - Director of Court Sports

Email [email protected]

Adam Lane is originally from Ohio, but his professional tennis career has provided him the unique opportunity to travel the world. His experience includes resorts and clubs in Florida, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and as far away as China & Australia. For the past seven years, Adam has been the Director of Instruction at The Bonita Bay Club. He comes to us with an extensive background and experience, making him the perfect fit for the position.

Among Adam's career highlights, he recently had the honor and distinction of being named Southwest Florida's 2022 USPTA Pro of the Year. Among other positions held, he has been Director at two of the top 75 resorts as named by Tennis Resorts online and he was the coach for Puerto Rico's Junior Fed Cup team. Adam has a career high ranking of #23 in the world in the mixed doubles division for the 45-and-over age group. He holds 3 senior ITF doubles titles in Ecuador and Puerto Rico. He was the 2018 5.0 singles champion at the local Clay in May tournament. Adam attended Belmont University where he was named an All-Conference player four times in both singles and doubles.

Having traveled extensively, Adam now calls Southwest Florida his home where he resides with his wife Alison and two children, Kayden and Wyatt. Alison is also a certified tennis professional and is the current Director at Collier's Reserve Country Club.

Among his other credentials, Adam is both a PTR Certified Tennis Professional as well as a certified USPTA Elite Professional, and an IPTPA Pickleball Certified Coach.

Melissa C Speach - Director of Lifestyle

Email [email protected]

Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Melissa graduated from Radford University with a degree in Fashion Merchandising/Business. She has an extensive background as a Buyer and Merchandise Coordinator in the New York City fashion industry and has carried that experience with her throughout her career. After relocating to Naples, Melissa was employed by Stock Development in 2004 as Director of Lifestyle and Member Services for The Players Club & Spa.

Throughout her tenure, she has worked with The Players Club team to create an extremely active and social lifestyle, and a very reputable Concierge Program for Stock Development.

In her personal time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her three children, granddaughter, and two grandsons. She is on the Board of Directors for PACE Center for Girls, chaired their annual Love That Dress fundraiser in Collier County for several years, and is now chairing their annual Crazy Pantz fundraiser. She is also an honorary Board Member of Ambers Antibodies, a non-profit foundation helping local families fighting cancer.

Melissa prides herself on creating memorable experiences for our membership and believes that "activities foster friendships and friendships foster healthy lifestyles!"

Chantel Torres - Club Controller

Email [email protected]

Chantel Torres is originally from Brooklyn, NY. In 2005 she received her B.S. from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Utica, NY. After enjoying a vacation in Naples, she decided that this is where she wanted to learn and grow her career. Six months later, she relocated to Naples and her career began to blossom. Chantel joined Stock Development as an Accountant in the corporate office, she was then promoted to Controller at The Club at Grandezza. From 2009-2018 Chantel furthered her career gaining experience from Baron Collier Companies and Tiburon. In 2018, Chantel was very happy to rejoin the Stock Development family as the Controller of The Players Club & Spa and brings with her over 10 years of accounting experience in the club industry. She also received her M.S. in Accounting and Taxation from Florida Gulf Coast University, in 2015.

As the Club Controller, Chantel, oversees the financial wellbeing and capital assets of The Club. Chantel is also The Club’s Human Resources liaison and helps recruit international workers for their H2B programs. Working with this program Chantel has seen the needs and challenges for workers in Naples.

Chantel enjoys watching her two beautiful boys, Giovanni and Francisco compete in their sports. Giovanni plays baseball and Cisco plays soccer. She has volunteered with different organizations throughout Naples. She is also a graduate of Associate Leadership Collier class of 2023. By joining ALC Chantel hopes she will be able to help in creating new opportunities for the community and its future.

April Burruss - Director of Membership

Email [email protected]

April Burruss is originally from Spotsylvania, VA. She attended Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA and Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. April first began her career in Food & Beverage, working in the industry for over 26 years. April began managing restaurants at the age of 22 and has worked in the Club industry for over 13 years. April moved to Naples in 2008 and joined our team at The Players Club & Spa in 2015, previously working for Grey Oaks Country Club and Moorings Park. April enjoys spending her spare time with her daughter Elaina, family, friends, and dog Rocket.

Ayerim Benitez - Office Manager

Email: [email protected]

Ayerim is originally from Cuba and moved to Naples in 2014 from the Cayman Islands. She joined our Players Club & Spa family in November of 2021, bringing over 7 years of experience and extensive knowledge in the hospitality business to our team. She is member and guest-service-oriented and fluent in both Spanish and English. She enjoys spending time with her family and dogs in her free time.