nmNathan McPherson
About Nathan

Professional experience / 02

Oaklake Trails Resort

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Dates
July 2023–September 2025
Location
Depew, Oklahoma
Focus
Brand transformation, interiors & operational systems

I joined Oaklake Trails at the front desk and progressed to Chief Operating Officer. In just over two years, I created and implemented hundreds of changes on a lean budget: personally designing cabin interiors, refreshing the website and brand, redesigning the office experience, and introducing software, phone systems, onboarding procedures, and staff training.

See the transformation & cabin before-and-after

Career progression.

  1. Chief Operating Officer

    May 2024–September 2025

  2. Interim Chief Operating Officer

    January–April 2024

  3. Front Desk Agent

    July–December 2023

Brand & resort transformation.

  • Personally designed the cabin interiors and drove a resort-wide refresh of the website, branding, and office experience with very limited spending.
  • Took the resort from no operational software to CampLife for reservations and member services; independently learned the platform, implemented it, and trained staff.
  • Introduced new phone systems and created onboarding procedures and SOPs to turn operational improvements into everyday practice.

Selected achievements.

  • Helped grow active membership from approximately 600 to more than 750 through responsive service, clearer expectations, and stronger member relationships.
  • Reduced missed incoming calls to under 1% by rebuilding communication workflows and accountability around guest inquiries.
  • Implemented reservations and member-management software, created operating procedures, and trained staff to use the new system.

Operating responsibility.

  • Led daily operations across front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, food service, and events, coordinating staff, contractors, vendors, and board priorities.
  • Managed purchasing, inventory, scheduling, operating budgets, vendor performance, and facilities follow-up while responding to time-sensitive service issues.
  • Supported members, overnight guests, event attendees, and property owners with different needs, balancing a welcoming experience with clear operating policies.
  • Kept departments aligned through clearer expectations, communication practices, and follow-through on work that crossed team boundaries.

Systems, implementation & adoption.

  • Turned recurring guest and employee frustrations into practical process improvements and software requirements.
  • Rewrote procedures, clarified role-specific expectations, and trained staff on changes rather than relying on a new tool alone to solve a workflow problem.
  • Monitored adoption and adjusted processes around how the front desk and operating teams actually worked.
  • Connected reservations, member information, communication, and daily service so staff could provide more consistent answers and follow-through.

Guest experience & event delivery.

  • Planned and delivered weddings, conventions, board meetings, and member activities, coordinating schedules, vendors, materials, and on-site execution.
  • Handled sensitive guest and member situations with discretion, empathy, and clear policy communication.
  • Worked across departments to resolve service problems while maintaining a polished hospitality experience under competing priorities.

Skills & tools.

  • Hospitality operations
  • Software implementation
  • Staff training
  • Process documentation
  • Guest experience
  • Event delivery
  • Vendor management
  • Change adoption

Tools & systemsCampLife · Business phone systems · Microsoft 365 · Google Workspace