Colorado Springs, CO – (August 4, 2022) – Garden of the Gods Resort and Club announces two high-level resort appointments. Ante Kulusic will head the resort’s food and beverage operations as Vice President of Food & Beverage. Tennis Pro Greg Heartt will bring his expertise and love of the game as Director of Racquet Sports.
“We are delighted to welcome two outstanding professionals to our team’s leadership,” states James Gibson, President and CEO of Garden of the Gods Resort and Club. “Both Ante and Greg bring exceptional skills to their new positions, plus in-depth experience in developing tennis camps, food festivals, tournaments and special events. Both are committed to the importance of education, ongoing training and development for our team members and our guests.”
Garden of the Gods Resort and Club is pleased to announce the addition of Ante Kulusic as Vice President of Food & Beverage. Originally from Croatia, Kulusic brings culinary leadership and expertise from his time aboard major cruise lines, resorts, and attractions. Accumulating an impressive 26 years of experience aboard cruises, Kulusic began as server and worked his way to the Senior Maître d ’Hotel position. He later rose to the position of Director of Restaurants through three cruise lines including Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival Cruise. In this role, Kulusic launched major events and innovative new services. He developed 5 Star White Glove service for Celebrity 5 Star Ships. He was also selected to manage the successful opening of the cruise line’s largest ship, the Adventure of the Seas, overseeing a team of 450 wait staff and accommodating 5,000 guests on world cruises. In an increasingly competitive and rapidly evolving industry, Kulusic recognized the need for ongoing training and team building. He implemented training for two Michelin Star and Master Chef restaurants aboard Celebrity ships. At Royal Caribbean he oversaw training of all restaurant staff for seven different ships.
Completing his tenure aboard cruise lines and coming ashore, Kulusic worked as the Restaurant General Manager for the Amatista Restaurant at the Four Diamond Loews Sapphire Resort in Orlando, Florida. Prior to his new role, Kulusic served as the Food and Beverage Director for all Sea World’s operations in Florida, overseeing many high-profile events while managing daily food and beverage service in the park for their seventeen outlets.
A seasoned professional in quality tennis instruction, Greg Heartt brings proven expertise and enthusiasm to his new role as Director of Racquet Sports. Florida native Heartt picked up his first racquet at the age of three and was a highly ranked junior player throughout his adolescent career. He went on to play at the collegiate level for Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida reaching ‘Top 10’ Division II rankings each season he played.
Most recently, Heartt served as Head Tennis Professional at Florida’s prestigious Isleworth Golf & Country Club. During this time, he was responsible for developing the resort’s Junior and Men’s tennis programs and advanced the Women’s program from three teams to 15. Heartt also served as USPTA Central Florida District President for the past six years, overseeing the development of 200+ certified professionals in the area. Committed to professional development through continuing education, Heartt’s imaginative programs were recognized in 2019 with the USPTA National U-30 Professional of the Year award for his work in connecting Central Florida schools with certified tennis professionals.
