Chad Perney: Transforming a Chaotic Facilities Rental System into a Revenue-Generating Powerhouse

Chad Perney has been Stony Brook School's Director of Auxiliary Programs for just over a year, and he's the first in the school's history. He came in with a background in Student Life and had run the school's program for three years.

“I’d never actually done anything in auxiliary before. Student Life was really about student experience, the boarding program, community service, activities, all that stuff,” he says.

Like many schools, Stony Brook had begun to question whether there was a more strategic and intentional approach to generating non-tuition revenue and engaged SPARC for help. With beautiful campus, a great location, and a pervasive positive spirit and energy, the school is deeply entrepreneurial and open to innovation and new ideas. Through SPARC's guidance, Stony Brook realized that consolidating a thoughtfully curated set of revenue generating programs under a newly created Director of Auxiliary would justify the expense to build successful auxiliary revenue streams. 

The timing was perfect for Chad. After getting married, he wanted a new challenge, but one with steadier hours. “Working 12- to 16-hour days doesn't fly when you're a newlywed, so I looked for something a little more stable." He applied and eventually was hired as the school's first auxiliary director.

"Little did I know the auxiliary world is not stable. Joke’s on me!” Still, he found auxiliary work more predictable. “The learning curve is steeper, but the hours are more manageable, and I’m not getting calls at midnight about a student who’s homesick.”

“My gut told me to start there. If we set consistent rates and secured reliable renters for a year or two, my boss would see real revenue while I built summer offerings”

When Chad started in his new position, Stony Brook’s summer program had been “dead in the water” since COVID. The departing summer director had only been part-time, and summer enrollments had been dropping off. In COVID’s wake, school leadership had prioritized school enrollment, student experience, and retention.

This had left their facilities rental system neglected and chaotic with inconsistent, below-market rates, lack of documentation for agreements or insurance, and frequent scheduling conflicts.

“There were no consistent rates, even for the same facility. If one person advocated for themselves more than another, they just got a lower rate. One coach would pay one rate and the next coach would pay another. There was no rhyme or reason," Chad says.

Knowing it would take time to relaunch summer programs, Chad focused his initial effort on stabilizing facilities rentals. “My gut told me to start there. If we set consistent rates and secured reliable renters for a year or two, my boss would see real revenue while I built summer offerings,” he says. That strategic choice paid off. What had been a $100,000-a-year program is now on track to bring in at least $350,000 this fiscal year.

"I'm glad I trusted my gut," Chad says.

To stabilize the rentals system, Chad targeted each problem to find a strategic solution.

Identify Renters

Chad began with and inventory of who was renting campus facilities, whether written agreements existed, and what each group was being charged. That baseline let him find gaps and inconsistent pricing. He then met with stakeholders to explain coming changes and how they would be impacted. 

Shift to Year-Long Contracts

Even if anchor tenants only planned to use the campus in fall and spring, Chad negotiated year-long agreements with each of them. This stabilized the scheduling process and made budgeting easier.

“People call and say, I’ve already looked at the site, I’m ready to pay, how do I sign an agreement and move forward?”

Build a Website 

Rather than putting money toward marketing, Chad created a clear, information-rich web page with pricing, facility availability, and an FAQ page. “Immediately we had traffic. We went from zero inquiries to one to three a week,” he says. And initial conversations are easier. “People call and say, I’ve already looked at the site, I’m ready to pay, how do I sign an agreement and move forward?”

Outsource Scheduling

As the sole full-time auxiliary employee handling a wide portfolio, Chad hired SportsKey and had their scheduling system integrated into the facilities rental website. This practically eliminated conflicts, such as having three groups scheduled to use the pool at the same time. This new system also allows coaches and other stakeholders to view availability and book directly on the landing page. Scheduling conflicts that once occurred weekly have fallen to one or two per year.

“By having a great experience and seeing our beautiful campus, hopefully now a participant thinks ‘Let’s take a campus tour. Now I’m a student."

Elevate the Rental Experience for Families

Chad wanted rentals to create revenue, but he also knew they could be an impactful force for recruitment. He installed wayfinding signs on campus, something the school had never done, and hired a part-time facilities attendant dedicated to the rental experience who opens buildings, manages restrooms, and assists visiting families. “By having a great experience and seeing our beautiful campus, hopefully now a participant thinks ‘Let’s take a campus tour. Now I’m a student,’ ”Chad says. “We care deeply about that, too.”

Planning the Future of Summer

Now that the rental system is stabilized, Chad is focused on summer programming. With a mandate from school leadership to build up athletics over the next 5-10 years, summer will include strategic partnerships with Nike and Atlantic United's soccer program; both will run programs on campus while hiring the school's coaches and students.

"To be clear is a form of generosity.”

Stony Brook’s own program, Summer at the Brook, will ideally capitalize on the school’s location--one mile from Long Island Sound and surrounded by forests and fields. Chad hopes to offer ecology-focused programs such as land/water/wildlife conservation, oyster harvesting, canoeing, and fishing that align with the school’s identity and mission. Historically a break-even or money-losing effort, Chad believes these offerings are “distinctly Stony Brook” experiences that should be fostered.

One standout advantage is the school's prestigious, top-ten rocketry program. This program recently secured a partnership with NASA, beating out nearby Stony Brook University. Chad envisions STEAM-focused summer offerings built around rocketry and robotics and led by their own faculty rocket scientist. They’ve partnered with high schools in Taiwan and China and to host 20–30 students who’d come to campus and learn under the guidance of this scientist. “We hope to fill those slots with these partnerships so we won’t even have to advertise,” he says.

Professional Philosophy

Chad has adopted a Brené Brown quote as his guiding philosophy.

“Clear is kind. I say that to myself all the time. If I’m clear with expectations to the community or the schedule is clear, then that's kind for the renters and the security guard and everything else. If my mind is clear, I’m being kind with myself. To be clear is a form of generosity.”

SPARC member schools gain valuable access to webinars, roundtables, reduced conference and event rates, professional development tools, and unparalleled community support though SPARC Connect. Join us today!