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Gayle Starke

General Manager, Club

 

Gayle Starke was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland and has found her way to what feels like home in the mountains of North Carolina. Her journey into hospitality began after a successful career as a professional dancer touring the world with a renowned Irish step-dancing production, an experience that ultimately led her to The Walt Disney Company, where she spent nearly six years learning the true foundations of service excellence and hospitality.

Her transition into the private club industry has been both rapid and rewarding. Gayle brings over a decade of experience in private club leadership, including the past five years at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, where she served as Member Services Director, Clubhouse Manager, and ultimately General Manager.

Throughout her career, Gayle’s path has been defined by passion, dedication, and purpose. Navigating challenges with heart and resilience, she has built a reputation for fostering a culture of excellence and belonging—creating environments where both members and staff are proud to call the club home.

Gayle and her husband, Dave, reside in Waynesville, North Carolina, with their beloved West Highland Terrier, Bear.

Sean McLaughlin

Director of Sales

Sean has been working in the luxury real estate industry for over 15 years. From selling at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove from 2007 to 2013, developing Nanuku Auberge residences in Fiji from 2014 – 2018 to selling oceanfront real estate at Four Seasons Caye Chapel in Belize, Sean has sold over $250 million in homes and land throughout his career.

Sean is also Partner at Mountain Oak properties since its original start in 2013. Sean graduated from the University of Michigan Business School but resides in Asheville, NC, with his Australian wife and step-daughter! As a family, they enjoy boating, skiing, hiking, and everything that the western North Carolina area offers. Sean looks forward to enriching both the community and the team at Balsam Mountain Preserve!

Chris Duprey

Director of Operations

Chris is an accomplished Project Executive with more than 30 years’ experience spanning construction, real estate development, golf course development, and brokerage. Throughout his career, he has successfully led complex, high-value projects from conceptual planning and permitting through construction, asset management, and sales. Chris most recently served as Project Executive at Southworth Development, where he provided strategic oversight and leadership across several multifaceted development initiatives. Most recently, he managed the development of Meredith Bay, New Hampshire’s premier Lakes Region resort-amenitized community, overseeing all development activities from initial concept to completion. Chris also led the development and ultimately the sale of the Starr Pass Resort, a multi-faceted residential project in Tucson, Arizona, which included our development of the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa and Starr Pass Country Club & Spa.

A seasoned leader who’s recognized for his expertise in project management, asset strategy, and client relations, Chris brings discipline and careful execution to every project he undertakes. When he’s not working, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife of 44 years, Louise, their children, and grandchildren. An avid outdoorsman, he can often be found in the northern woods of Maine chasing trophy whitetails, fly fishing for tarpon and bonefish, or sailing throughout the Caribbean.

Gavin Baldwin

Fitness Director

Our Fitness Director provides members with a variety of Wellness Programs such as aqua aerobics, boot camp, mobility training, and personal training — his favorite. Gavin grew up a short drive from Balsam Mountain in Nantahala, NC. He studied Health and Physical Education at Western Carolina University, where he was given the opportunity to work with and train student athletes across a broad spectrum of sports including golf, track, basketball, tennis, and football. Through this experience, he developed a passion for health, fitness, and helping others achieve their goals. He has been on staff at Balsam Mountain Preserve for almost two years, and he looks forward to helping the wellness program grow while helping the members stay healthy and active.

Lila

Equestrian Manager

A Greenville, SC, native, Lila was bitten by the horse bug at a young age. She took lessons from several trainers in her area, and her love for the equestrian lifestyle continued to grow. After completing her bachelor’s in Animal Science at Clemson University, she took a job working for a hunter/jumper veterinarian during the 2016 show season. While life on the road had its adventures, she was anxious to reestablish a home base. Lila has always loved facilitating the human/equine bond and what better way to do that than with a program like Balsam’s? From pony rides to scenic trails, kids camp to Pinot and Ponies, Lila loves getting people down to the stables to
meet the horses.

Travis Wilson

HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL

A Certified Professional in Golf Operations with the PGA of America and currently pursuing a PGA Master Professional Status, Travis has over 20 years of club and teaching experience working with a broad range of students from beginners who have never touched a club to PGA Tour Latin America Professionals. When he’s not on the course, Travis lives on a small farm in Haywood County with his wife, Deanna, and their three young children.

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Terms of Use Effective Date: Apr 1, 2021
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Accessibility STATEMENT:
The Preserve at Balsam Mountain is committed to facilitating the accessibility and usability of its website. Our goal is to provide an accessible and barrier-free environment for our website, online services and other technology.

We will be updating our website over time to implement the relevant portions of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA (WCAG 2.0 AA), which will also bring our website into further conformance with the Section 508 Web Accessibility Standards developed by the United States Access Board (Section 508).

Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. If, at any time, you require assistance please contact us directly at 828.631.1040.
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ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE.
Presented plans, materials and specifications are subject to architectural and other revisions at the sole discretion of the developer, builder or architect, or as may be requested by law. Floor plans may not be to scale. Any furniture, appliances or decorator ready items depicted herein are shown for artistic and illustrative purposes only and are not included in the purchase and sale of the residence. There are various methods for calculating the total square footage of a residence and the quoted square footage of a unit may vary. All conditions and descriptions of amenities and facilities are subject to the Developer’s continuing quality improvement programs. For more information about the Balsam Mountain Trust please visit https://bmtrust.org/.
Obtain a Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits of value, if any, of this property. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any jurisdiction where prior registration is required and has not been completed, and eligibility for purchase will depend upon the state of residency of the purchase.
The Balsam Mountain Preserve map is an artist rendering and is not to scale. The map details may vary from the actual construction and the actual amenities may vary from what is shown. Floorplans and square footages for residential offerings are approximate. All representations are subject to the developer’s continuing project and product improvement programs.
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Balsam Mountain Preserve

Contact us today to schedule a visit and see for yourself what it means to spend time with the ones you love most at Balsam Mountain Preserve

Our Team

The Faces of Balsam Mountain

Gayle Starke

General Manager, Club

Sean McLaughlin

Director of Sales

Chris Duprey

Director of Operations

Gavin Baldwin

Director of Fitness

Lila Kilby

Equestrian Manager

Travis Wilson

Director of golf

Want to join the dynamic team at Balsam Mountain Preserve?

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