Management
Leadership
BLAIR TANNER
Chief Executive Officer
BLAIR TANNER
Chief Executive Officer
Blair Tanner has built a distinguished career based on his ability to see the possibilities and pursue them, always with a focus anchored in the sharing of knowledge and the creation of value. A student of real estate development and entrepreneurship from an early age, Blair gained valuable insight from industry mentors and teachers—insight that would become the foundation of his success.
Blair Tanner is the sole owner of Woodside, who took responsibility for the business from his father and original founder of the Club. As President and CEO, Blair oversees all functions of the business and guides teams across all departments. His dedication to unique and unparalleled design combined with his unmatched passion for health and wellness is what drives his vision for the health club and its members.
JEFF YOWELL
Chief Business Officer
JEFF YOWELL
Chief Business Officer
Jeff was the founder, owner, President and Chief Executive Officer of DataCore Marketing, LLC from 1992 – 2007. WPP plc purchased DataCore Marketing, LLC in 2007; however, Jeff continued to serve as President and CEO of DataCore until 2012. Having been a member of Woodside for 10+ years prior to becoming Chief Business Officer in 2014, Jeff has a unique perspective on Woodside’s challenges and opportunities. Jeff is responsible for providing advice, expertise and experience related to Woodside business strategy, infrastructure and organizational structure. Jeff’s overall focus is on improving Woodside’s quantitative and qualitative performance.
Jeff stays active by working out at Woodside each weekday morning and doing a variety of farm work on the weekends.
KATIE SWETALA
General Manager
KATIE SWETALA
General Manager
Katie Swetala is intimately involved in all areas of Woodside and oversees the day to day business functions. She provides oversight on club processes and policies and provides support to all departments to develop and help drive Woodside to be a leader in health, fitness and wellness. Katie’s long history and diverse roles with Woodside have made her uniquely qualified for her position.
Katie truly practices what she preaches. She is passionate about health and wellness and enjoys a wide range of fitness activities from group fitness classes to indoor cycling to yoga and beyond. Katie enjoys traveling to new places and spending time with her friends and family.
JUSTIN HAMMER
Vice President, Accounting
Justin is brings a wide array of experience to the Woodside team. He is responsible for overseeing the accounting, finance and IT functions at Woodside as well as entities owned by Tanner & White Properties, Inc.
JUSTIN HAMMER
Vice President, Accounting
Justin is a native of Kansas City and brings a wide array of experience to the Woodside team. He is responsible for overseeing the accounting, finance and IT functions at Woodside as well as entities owned by Tanner & White Properties, Inc. Justin has gravitated toward smaller entities where he can be a hands-on leader involved with many aspects of company administration. Through collaboration with his fellow management team members, Justin focuses on ways to maximize profitability, increase efficiency and develop the next generation of leaders.
In his free time, Justin enjoys time with his wife and three young daughters and staying active by playing basketball and tennis.
Directors
TARA ZAHNER
Director of Membership
TARA ZAHNER
Director of Membership
Born and raised in Kansas City, Tara joined Woodside after many successful years in national and local sales and marketing in health and wellness. As a former personal trainer, she is committed to teaching others how to achieve and commit to a fit and healthy lifestyle. Tara is responsible for sales at Woodside, and leads the sales team to introduce prospective members to all Woodside has to offer.
Inspired by her son’s rare genetic condition. Tara has served on several boards for non-profit organizations, giving a voice to under-served populations. She is very involved in her community and enjoys volunteering and serving on boards of advocacy for organizations like Children’s Mercy PFAC and Rare KC.
Tara and her husband enjoy a busy life with friends and family, including their two young children.
CHRISTIAN NONI
Director of Group Fitness
CHRISTIAN NONI
Director of Group Fitness
Since 2007, Christian Noni has been recognized as a national leader in the Fitness industry and has been sponsored by a number of charities and companies such as NIKE, ASICS and Hurley. Christian specializes in mentoring and career development for fitness professionals nationwide as well as developing unparalleled signature classes.
As Woodside’s Director of Group Fitness, Christian continually aims to provide members with cutting edge group fitness class experiences that offer results, untouchable music and the most inspiring Instructors. Additionally, Christian provides steady support for his entire team of instructors with continuing education in human anatomy and physiology, exercise movement, program development and extensive career growth.
In his personal time, Christian is passionate about oceanic wildlife conservation, nutrition and enjoys spending time with his family, spouse and three chihuahuas.
Dave Gary
Director of Tennis
DAVE GARY
Director of Tennis
As Director of Tennis, Dave oversees all adult and youth tennis programming at Woodside, ensuring that players at all levels and ages receive the best instruction and programming in all of Kansas City, while having fun and meeting other players in Woodside’s tennis community.
Dave came to Woodside after serving seven years as the Director of Tennis at Midtown Athletic Club. While at Midtown, Dave oversaw a robust tennis program that included a staff of up to 13 tennis professionals, and he was the USTA Tournament Director for the historical USTA Women’s Senior National 65, 75 and 85 Category I event. Before that, Dave was the General Manager at The Peachtree City Tennis Center in Peachtree City, Georgia – a 24 court facility that hosted 60 ALTA and USTA teams. They were invited to be a USTA Quickstart Pilot Program and a USPTA Regional Tennis Coach Certification Testing Center. He received the USPTA Southern Division, a seven state section and Facility Manager of the Year.
Tori Connelly
Director of Spa + Retail
TORI CONNELLY
Director of Spa + Retail
Tori serves Woodside with over a decade of experience as a leader in the luxury retail, spa and beauty industry. Her prior experience for brands like Sephora, Nordstrom and Four Seasons makes her uniquely qualified for her role as the Director of Spa + Retail. She is a Licensed Esthetician who worked in medical spas prior to transitioning to management. Tori is passionate about creating a member experience that encompasses total wellness – including self-care. She is also dedicated to developing the best service providers – Massage Therapists and Estheticians – to create a memorable and effective spa experience. As the primary buyer for the retail department of the club, she is always looking for new and exciting offerings for the member base.
In her spare time Tori is discovering new cities through food with her husband and family. Her form of self-care is regular yoga, massage and meditation.
MARK CHURCH
Director of Food + Drink
MARK CHURCH
Director of Food + Drink
Mark got his start at smaller local restaurants before getting the majority of his training at Houston’s on the Country Club Plaza. After opening and working in several restaurants for Hillstone in Colorado, New York, California and Washington D.C., he was an opening Bar Manager at Grunauer Restaurant in the Crossroads. In 2014 he started a Restaurant Consulting company with several friends in the industry and opened The Monarch Cocktail Bar and Lounge in 2017.
Starting a family and owning a bar is tricky, which led Mark to his role at Woodside as Director of Food + Drink in the Summer of 2018. He left after the Summer in 2021 and quickly realized how much he missed Woodside, all the members and his awesome crew! Mark returned in the Summer of 2022 and is excited to continue to bring the Woodside community the highest quality ingredients and friendliest service we can. As we say, “What You Put In Is What You Get Out!”
Mark and his super beautiful wife Abby, have two lovely girls Everleigh and Charlotte, and you’re sure to see them running roughshod throughout the Family Pool Deck. When he gets time, Mark enjoys any sport that involves running aimlessly with a ball and is always down for a pickup game of basketball. He’s currently terrified about paying for his daughter’s future weddings and pointlessly trying to perfect his lawn.
Craig Donner
Director of Facilities
CRAIG DONNER
Director of Facilities
As Director of Facilities, Craig is responsible for oversight of all Club facilities. He works proactively to identify and resolve any potential issues that may arise within any space at Woodside. He and his team perform maintenance and ensure systems are working properly. Craig also oversees our Housekeeping department, which consistently exceeds members’ expectations for cleanliness and sanitation.
Craig brings more than twenty years’ experience to his position. He has worked in both the public and private sectors and in both hands-on and supervisory roles. His breadth of knowledge has equipped him to handle all facility needs competently and promptly.
In his free time, Craig enjoys family time, traveling and restoring cars.
Kerstin Robertson
Training Manager
KERSTIN ROBERTSON
Training Manager
Kerstin Robertson came to the fitness industry with a passion for helping people move in ways that improve their quality of life. Rooted in the belief that functional movement and strength training serve as key components to a healthy lifestyle, Kerstin decided to pursue a career in personal training. She holds certifications in Ortho-Kinetics, NASM and STOTT Pilates. Her combined education in Pilates and personal training give her a better understanding of how to help clients build a mind/body connection that will benefit them within the context of their daily lives. Kerstin’s approach emphasizes stability and strength as a means to help members feel more energized, confident in their bodies and maintain overall wellness. Sharing this integrated approach is one of her biggest passions.
Whether training or teaching Pilates, Kerstin loves welcoming people into the Woodside training community, helping members start their fitness journeys and define their fitness goals.
Outside of the gym, Kerstin loves spending time with her husband and family, reading, listening to podcasts, and cooking.
Simon Stanberg
Training Manager
SIMON STANBERG
Training Manager
Simon Stanberg has been a full-time personal trainer at Woodside since 2012. As co-manager of the Woodside personal training team, Simon is responsible for onboarding new trainers, ensuring the training staff is providing value with their clients and staying true to the professionalism and standards that Woodside upholds.
Simon was an Infantry soldier in the Australian Army where he found his passion for being a leader. Now living in America, he has become certified with NASM, Australian Institute of Fitness, Ortho Kinetics Institute and Precision 1 Nutrition, which allows him to utilize both his passion and expertise with his clients and team of trainers every day. With his immense understanding of anatomy and biomechanics, Simon has the ability to help clients with goals ranging from fat loss, mobility, minimizing pain and injuries and muscle growth.
In his free time, Simon enjoys exploring the country, camping and off-road driving, golfing, watching any type of sport and spending time with friends.
Caitlin Tremain
Director of Marketing
CAITLIN TREMAIN
Director of Marketing
Caitlin is committed to making connections within the Woodside community – communicating events, special promotions in various departments and opportunities for each person to use their membership to its fullest. She does this through authentic photography, videography and storytelling that all come together to paint a picture of the Woodside lifestyle.
Caitlin enjoys cooking, yoga and adventuring with her husband and son.