03.03.26
How Outsourcing HR to PRO Resources Helped Suite Shots Launch with Confidence
By Pro Resources staff
Mark Johnson, founder of Suite Shots, inside the region’s premier golf entertainment venue.
Outsourcing HR gave Suite Shots peace of mind. Learn how PRO Resources helped power its successful launch.
Launching a large-scale entertainment venue requires more than vision and capital, it requires operational infrastructure. For Mark Johnson, founder of Suite Shots, building a high-tech sports entertainment complex meant assembling dozens of employees while navigating payroll, compliance, benefits and labor laws from day one. Rather than allowing HR responsibilities to slow momentum, Johnson partnered with PRO Resources to outsource human resources through a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) model.
Below, Johnson shares how that decision helped him launch and scale Suite Shots with confidence.
Starting a business is stressful enough. Starting a sports entertainment complex—one with high-tech golf games, food, drinks, events and dozens of employees—takes that stress to a whole new level. But surprisingly, the hardest part wasn’t the technology, the building or even the money.
It was the HR.
“Hiring people, handling payroll, staying compliant with labor laws, dealing with workers’ comp and managing all the paperwork that comes with a fast-moving entertainment business… it’s a lot.” And for Mark Johnson founder of Suite Shots, it quickly became clear that doing all of it alone would slow the business down before it even opened.
So, he made one of the smartest decisions an owner can make: He outsourced HR to PRO Resources —a Professional Employer Organization (PEO).
A big vision that needed big support
“I didn’t set out to build a typical driving range. I wanted a place where anyone could EXPERIENCE GOLF ENTERTAINMENT—kids, adults, serious golfers, beginners and even people who had never picked up a club before,” said Mark. “It wasn’t SO MUCH ABOUT PLAYING GOLF, it was about creating an experience.”
To run a place like Suite Shots, though, you need a lot more than golf balls and computers. It takes:
- a full food and beverage team
- guest service staff
- event hosts
- coaches or bay assistants
- maintenance and facility workers
- seasonal staff for busy months
- and more
And when you have that many people, HR becomes a giant responsibility very quickly. Mark knew a lot about the entertainment experience he wanted to create—but not much about HR paperwork or labor rules. And he didn’t want to spend his time researching employee laws or fixing payroll mistakes. That’s where the pro’s at PRO Resources came in.
What the HR problem really looked like
People outside of business often think human resources is just about hiring people. But in reality, it’s much more complicated—especially in an environment with lots of hourly workers and constantly shifting schedules.
Here are just a few things Mark would’ve had to handle alone:
- running payroll correctly every single week
- filing payroll taxes and staying compliant
- making sure employees are classified properly
- handling workers’ compensation and safety plans
- keeping up with state and federal labor laws
- writing an employee handbook
- tracking onboarding paperwork
- managing benefits packages
- helping supervisors deal with performance issues
- handling employee injuries, claims or disputes
- One mistake in any of these areas could get a business fined or even sued. Not something Mark was going to gamble his dream on.
What the PRO actually did
“PRO Resources is basically an all-in-one HR partner. They take care of payroll, benefits, workers’ comp, safety, compliance and a lot more. Instead of using separate companies for each task, I could rely on PRO,” said Mark.
Here’s what changed immediately when hiring PRO Resources:
- Payroll and taxes were no longer his problem: PRO Resources handled every paycheck and every tax form. No errors. No headaches.
- He got a full set of policies and employee handbooks: They built professional, legally correct documents so the business was protected from day one.
- Workers’ comp was covered: PRO managed claims, premiums and audits—something most new owners dread.
- Recruiting and onboarding became smooth: Before opening, dozens of employees needed to be hired quickly. PRO’s HR systems made it painless.
- Employees got better benefits: Normally, small businesses can’t offer great benefits. But through PRO Resources, employees got access to large-company benefit plans—helping with hiring and retention.
The focus was on guests and strategy, not HR paperwork. Instead of sitting in an office fixing HR issues, Mark spent his time building the experience people were actually paying for.
From construction to opening day— and beyond
Before the first customer ever walked through the door, there was a mountain of HR setup needed and PRO Resources was there to help Suite Shots:
- create job descriptions
- set pay rates based on market data
- build a training plan
- set up onboarding
- write safety procedures
- comply with all required labor laws
As employees started coming in, everything worked like clockwork. People were hired, trained and set up quickly—something many hospitality venues struggle with during launch. Instead of scrambling, Mark opened his business with confidence.
Growing without growing pains
Once the business was open, the real challenge began: keeping it running smoothly. In hospitality, turnover can be high, schedules can change daily and customer experience depends heavily on employees. But with a PRO Resources, scaling was much easier.
Predictable labor costs
By outsourcing, PRO Resources helped Suite Shots stabilize labor-related expenses by reducing variability in HR, payroll, benefits, compliance and risk-management costs. Instead of unpredictable spikes and surprise bills, they get consistent, forecastable, bundled pricing.
Better employee retention
With access to better benefits, employees stayed longer—reducing turnover and improving guest consistency.
Less risk
Laws change constantly and PRO Resources kept the business compliant and helped handle any employee issues safely and legally.
Stress-free expansion
When Suite Shotes added new games, new spaces or new programs, Mark didn’t have to rebuild HR systems. Everything scaled with him.
The end result: HR became the easiest part of the business. By outsourcing human resources, benefits, payroll, safety and wellness— Mark got something priceless: peace of mind.
The best part— Mark didn’t have to fix payroll problems, worry about safety audits, stress about hiring seasons, read labor law updates, manage workers’ comp claims or lose sleep over compliance.
He could finally focus on what he loved:
- improving the guest experience
- adding new game features
- hosting events and parties
- building a great team culture
- In the end, PRO Resources wasn’t just a human resource outsourcing provider. It was a partner that made the entire operation possible.
And Mark’s biggest realization?
He didn’t have to worry about human resources at all.
Continue Reading in The Bridge
This article was originally published in the January–March 2026 issue of The Bridge. To read more stories highlighting regional businesses, leadership insights and strategic growth across our community, continue reading in the full magazine.
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