Former Wyndham Vacation Ownership Executive to Lead Bluegreen's
Growing Vacation Ownership Business
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 2007--Bluegreen
Corporation (NYSE:BXG) ("Bluegreen"), a leading provider of Colorful
Places to Live and Play,(R) today announced the appointment of David
L. Pontius as president of Bluegreen Resorts. Mr. Pontius, a 27-year
industry veteran, joins Bluegreen(R) from Wyndham Vacation
Ownership(R), Inc., the world's largest vacation ownership business.
In his new role, Mr. Pontius, 51, will direct all facets of
Bluegreen's resort operations. He will report to John M. Maloney Jr.,
president and chief executive officer of Bluegreen. The appointment is
effective June 1, 2007.
Mr. Pontius worked at Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Inc. and its
sister company RCI Global Vacation Network (RCI) from 2002 to 2007.
Beginning in 2006, he served as executive vice president of
hospitality services, strategic planning and chief customer officer at
Wyndham Vacation Ownership. In this capacity, he authored and directed
various initiatives aimed at improving customer service and
satisfaction, and held responsibility for every facet of the
Hospitality Division including resort operations and service delivery
to more than 800,000 owners. Additionally, he led the company's
overall strategic planning activities, new program initiatives and the
development of a fractional product for the luxury segment.
In 2006 Wyndham Vacation Ownership had approximately $1.7 billion
in vacation ownership interest sales and approximately 150 vacation
ownership properties throughout the United States, Mexico, the
Caribbean and the South Pacific.
From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Pontius served as president and chief
executive officer of RCI North America where he oversaw the region's
business-to-business and business-to-consumer operations. He managed a
staff of more than 7,000 employees and facilities that served RCI's
developer clients and subscribing members. RCI is a global provider of
leisure travel services to businesses and consumers, and the worldwide
leader in vacation exchange.
John M. Maloney, Jr., president and chief executive officer of
Bluegreen, commented, "It is my great pleasure to welcome Dave to
Bluegreen Resorts. The fact that he has chosen to come to us from one
of the industry's leading vacation ownership companies is, we believe,
a validation of Bluegreen's business model and outlook. Dave has
extensive experience in sales and marketing, product development,
finance, managing organizations and creating results-driven teams. His
abilities, drive and dedication mirror those of our management team
whose efforts to date have grown Bluegreen Resorts into an
organization with over 170,000 owners, 43 in-network resorts, and 2006
sales of nearly $400 million. We believe that Dave will become an
important asset in our continuing efforts to expand our industry
presence and deliver vacation experiences that rank among the best in
the industry."
Mr. Pontius stated, "Bluegreen Resorts has experienced impressive
growth and established itself as one of the industry's premier
vacation ownership companies. It has also earned its reputation for
quality vacation destinations, benchmark customer service, innovative
marketing and fiscal responsibility. I look forward joining
Bluegreen's strong management team as we work to further strengthen
and expand the business platform, elevate the brand and leverage the
social, economic and demographic trends that are driving the growth of
our industry. I'm very excited about this opportunity to work with
Bluegreen's talented and dedicated team of managers and associates."
From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Pontius served in positions of increasing
responsibility at Hilton Grand Vacations, rising to senior vice
president of operations in 1999. Mr. Pontius was involved in the
creation and design of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club(R); managed the
company's reservations, inventory, and rental programs; and directed
retail, hotel and third party relationships. From 1992 to 1996, Mr.
Pontius was chief operating officer of Vacation Internationale in
Seattle, Wa., one of the pioneer companies in timesharing and
points-based clubs. Prior to 1992, Mr. Pontius served as senior vice
president of sales and marketing at Conrad Vacation Ownership (1990 to
1992), president of Realty Financial Resources-David Resort Group
(1985-1990) and vice president of sales and marketing at St. Georges
Club Bermuda (1980-1985).
ABOUT BLUEGREEN CORPORATION
Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG) is a leading provider of Colorful
Places to Live and Play(R) through two principal operating divisions.
With over 170,000 owners, Bluegreen Resorts markets a flexible, real
estate-based vacation ownership plan that provides access to over 40
resorts and an exchange network of over 3,700 resorts and other
vacation experiences such as cruises and hotel stays. Bluegreen
Communities has sold over 54,000 planned residential and golf
community home sites in 32 states since 1985. Founded in 1966,
Bluegreen is headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., and employs over 5,500
associates. In 2005, Bluegreen ranked No. 57 on Forbes' list of The
200 Best Small Companies and No. 48 on FORTUNE'S list of America's 100
Fastest Growing Companies. More information about Bluegreen is
available at www.bluegreencorp.com.
Statements in this release may constitute forward-looking
statements and are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provision of the
Private Securities and Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements are based largely on expectations and are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties including but not limited to the
risks and uncertainties associated with economic, competitive and
other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets,
products and services; and the risks and other factors detailed in the
Company's SEC filings, including its most recent Annual Report on Form
10-K filed on March 16, 2007.
CONTACT: INVESTOR CONTACTS:
Bluegreen Corporation
Tony Puleo
Chief Financial Officer
561-912-8270
Tony.puleo@bluegreencorp.com
or
The Equity Group Inc.
Devin Sullivan
212-836-9608
dsullivan@equityny.com
or
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bluegreen Corporation
Lisa Thornhill
Director, Corporate Communications
561-912-8251
lisa.thornhill@bluegreencorp.com
SOURCE: Bluegreen Corporation