Meet the faces behind some of your favorite places. We sat down with General Managers from The Cliffs Lake Region for a quick Q&A.
Kyle Caudill
General Manager, The Cliffs at Keowee Falls
Background: Kyle Caudill joined The Cliffs in March 2018, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in the country club industry. His resume includes a variety of positions—everything from head golf pro to general manager—with Walt Disney Company and ClubCorp, where his work earned eight national awards. A graduate of the University of Florida, he is pursuing the designation of Certified Club Manager.
What advice would you give someone launching a career in luxury club management? Build a team with a sincere dedication to service and hospitality. A strong, united culture and associates with servants’ hearts are the foundation of this industry.
If you could work in a different position at one of the other six clubs within The Cliffs, what and where would it be? I love my job as general manager at Keowee Falls; however, there is an old adage that all of us will eventually be “put out to pasture” and when that happens, I see myself mowing fairways on the top of beautiful Glassy Mountain.
You can bring three things to a deserted island. What are they? My golf clubs, my fishing pole, and my family—my wife Emma and our two boys, Camden and Cooper.
What’s something people are surprised to learn about you? I became a scratch golfer just three years after learning to play at age 17.
Jim Killion
General Manager, The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards
Background: With a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Jim Killion sets the stage for an engaging member experience at The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards. He has worked in the hospitality industry for more than a quarter century, beginning as a server and ultimately becoming a GM at Rehoboth Beach Country Club in Delaware, a position he held for 14 years prior to joining The Cliffs in 2016. He holds the Certified Club Manager designation. 
What’s your favorite tradition at Keowee Vineyards? Progressive dinners on the golf course—these are gorgeous crowd-pleasers.
What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve been given? Work smart, with humor and humility.
You’re on a reality show—what’s it about? Theater kids take over the corporate world … and achieve world peace.
What’s something people are surprised to learn about you? On stage I’ve played R.P. McMurphy in “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Riff Raff in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
James Scott
General Manager, The Cliffs at Keowee Springs
Background: James Scott joined The Cliffs in October 2020. After playing football at Valdosta State University, he built a strong career in hospitality and private club management, notably as opening general manager at Canoe in Atlanta—a high-end restaurant concept tapped as a James Beard nominee for Best New Restaurant in the Country—and the Ford Plantation in Savannah, Georgia. He holds the Certified Club Manager designation. 
What’s a small thing you do every day that has a big impact at The Cliffs? Treat everyone as ladies and gentlemen.
What celebrity would you most like to have join The Cliffs at Keowee Springs, and why? Bear Grylls. He has a spirit and determination to keep going despite overwhelming odds.
Have you ever had a side gig? I collaborated with a three-star general to improve the culinary programs for the U.S. Army. To prepare for the U.S. Armed Forces Joint Culinary Training Exercise [the largest military culinary competition in North America] the Army’s team trained with our team at the Ford over several years of events—and they took home a gold medal.
What’s something people are surprised to learn about you? I come from a long line of preachers: my father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all Methodist ministers.
This story was featured in Cliffs Living magazine. To read more stories like this one and learn more about The Cliffs, subscribe here.
