Christopher White is the president, co-owner and operator of Fenton Farms Golf Club, affectionately known as “The Friendly Place.” White is an entrepreneur and business owner whose career began in the film and television industry. After graduating from Eisenhower High School in Utica, Michigan in 1987, he briefly attended the University of Oregon before transferring to Columbia College Hollywood to pursue film production. He later refined his commercial directorial craft at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, a prestigious program known for producing industry leaders such as Michael Bay and Zack Snyder. At just 21 years old, White launched his professional career as a production assistant after landing an opportunity as an extra in Jet Li’s first American film, “The Masters.” He quickly distinguished himself, earning a full-time role with CineTech Production Group, an international production company with offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Beijing, where he began rising through the ranks.
From 1991 to 2002, White built an impressive production career, advancing from location manager to executive producer and working with major global brands including Puma, ExxonMobil, AT&T, and Coca-Cola. He spent time in Hong Kong managing Pacific Rim advertising campaigns for Sprite before returning to the United States to start a family and found his own production company, Spot Boy Films, a nod to his early days producing 30-second commercial “spots.”
Following the uncertainty of international business after September 11, 2001, White returned to Michigan to take on a new challenge: revitalizing a struggling golf course. Today, more than two decades later, he is the owner of Fenton Farms Golf Club, which has been transformed into a thriving and continually evolving destination.
While White and his crew at Fenton Farms work around the clock to get the course ready for members and guests this spring, he took a few moments to answer the following questions for this My City Magazine feature.
1. What/where/when was your very first job?
If we’re going all the way back, my first job was in elementary school. I was paid a penny for every fern I pulled out of my grandfather’s field. I ended up pulling around 6,000 ferns that summer and earned a grand total of $60. My first non-family job was shoveling horse stalls for $4 a day, which was low even for the 1980s. In fairness, it was probably only four hours of work, but it definitely started to build a strong work ethic early on. From there, I worked my way through a variety of jobs, dishwasher on Mackinac Island, busboy at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles, and eventually broke into the film industry with my first job on the set of The Masters.
2, What career advice would you give to your younger self?
The short answer? Give yourself more Ferris Bueller’s days off. There were times when I was filming in Europe, we’d just wrapped production, and instead of taking a day to explore, jumping over to Venice or staying an extra day in Paris, I’d rush straight back to the office in Los Angeles because that was expected. Looking back, I wish I had said “no” to others a little more often and “yes” to myself. I’m still working on that. In the service industry, people love hearing “yes.” They don’t always love hearing “no,” but learning when to say it is just as important.
3. What are you most excited about in your life right now?
The most important thing in my life is always family. But if we’re talking about what I’m most excited about right now, it’s Fenton Farms and continuing to build it into something special. I spend most of my waking hours focused on improving every aspect of the experience, from the welcome at the front door to the tables people sit at, all the way down to the smallest details.It’s been about elevating everything. From those small touches to building a brand-new halfway house, Jack’s Shack, named after my grandfather, every improvement has been intentional.Seeing it all come together and watching the place reach its potential has been incredibly Rewarding. That said, nothing quite compares to being out on the water—whether it’s in the Florida Keys or on Lake Fenton, early in the morning with calm water and a line in. Even better if there’s a grouper or a big bass on the other end.
4. What’s one thing you wish you had more time to do?
Everything.
Christopher White, with Doug McManus, CTO and Kathlene (Kat) Smith, food & beverage director/ executive chef, on a past golf trip.
5. What task do you procrastinate most about doing?
Anything administrative, paperwork, tracking receipts, expense reports. I’d much rather be creating, working on projects, making improvements, or interacting with members and guests. I like being out there in the mix.
6. Describe your typical weekend.
Working. Take the last 24 hours, for example. I was up at 4:30 a.m., on the road by 5 a.m. picking up doughnuts for an outing, and back at Fenton Farms by 6 a.m. setting up breakfast for the Rusty Open. From there, it’s a full day, running around getting everything ready, a 10 a.m. shotgun start, opening Jack’s Shack, grilling food, serving lunch to 128 people, then resetting for dinner and the awards presentation. After that, it’s cleaning up, getting everything ready for the next day, and finally getting home around 7:30 p.m. That’s a typical Saturday. Sunday is usually more of the same, or catching up on paperwork and administrative work.
7. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Super memory, mental clarity, and unlimited energy. Those three things would go a long way.
If you’re asking what my superpower is today, I’d say it’s making people feel welcome and knowing how to make just about any situation more fun.
