The Summit is the only large events center on post, and Redstone’s senior commander is calling on Team Redstone tenants and Army Materiel Command elements to support it.
Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, Army Materiel Command’s deputy commanding general and acting commander, said in an Aug. 26 memorandum that the facility receives no appropriated funds and to remain open, “it must maintain its fiscal solvency solely by securing sufficient catering and conference events to cover its annual operational costs,” that is, labor, the cost of goods, and facility upkeep.
“Failing to do so puts The Summit at significant risk of closure” by the Installation Management Command commanding general, Mohan said, adding that in recent years this income stream has been compromised by the shift to telework and new venues around the local community.
“As a result, Redstone Arsenal is at risk of losing our only on-installation large events center,” Mohan said.
The Summit was previously the Officers and Civilians Club, and the venue off Goss Road has been a longtime fixture on the installation.
“This is a beautiful facility,” Robert Schumann, the business manager of The Summit at Redstone, said, pointing out the updated lighting, painting and wallpaper in the building’s 6,500-square-foot grand ballroom and new glass at the front entrance to the facility. “The Garrison does an amazing job of taking care of us.”
The ballroom comfortably seats 350 people, while the Bob Howell Room, named for the former club manager, seats 70 people and two other dining rooms combined seat 100.
“Our minimum for catered events is 30,” he said.
The Summit isn’t the only catered dining option in the club system.
“We have our lodge sitting over the (Tennessee) River, The Cliffs, that seats 120 comfortably and we have The Overlook, overlooking the (Links) golf course, that seats 140 people comfortably.” The Overlook has a covered patio.
“We have an extensive menu,” including German food, according to Schumann.
“We are extremely competitive. You’re not going to find a better deal off post, you’re just not.”
Schumann said full-service catering is “one of our big selling points. When you buy a meal from us, you’re getting everything – linen, plates, silverware, servers.
“And the food is extremely good. We are very fortunate to have two great chefs –
Josh Cagle and Kriss Underwood. If you’ve got a special request, we’ll find a way to make it happen.
“Another tool that we have in our toolbox is the Java Cafe,” for to-go catering. The cafe is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“We have five buildings, and each one has a special purpose,” Schumann said.
“Two of the buildings that we have I think are still hidden gems on Redstone.
One is Heiser Hall, which is a 260-seat auditorium, and we also have a purpose-built conference center, the Diane Campbell Conferencing Center. It has a main auditorium that comfortably seats up to 300.”
“It has six breakout rooms seating about 50 people per room and they all have IT support,” Scott Bishop, the head caterer, said.
“Our business is catering and conferencing, that’s what we do,” Schumann said.
“We’d like to drive our business up,” by focusing on retirement dinners and change of command and other official functions and conferencing. “We have a great product.”
There are also wedding packages that include the option of a wedding ceremony on the patio of The Overlook, rehearsal dinner inside The Overlook and a reception at The Summit.
Gate passes are available for guests, according to Schumann.
“It’s really been in the last year that we’ve gotten back to full form” following the COVID-19 pandemic and mask mandates, Schumann said. “We want to remind people that we’re still here.”
Schumann, who has worked in the restaurant and hotel industry since 1989, has been at Redstone since 1995 when he was hired to run the former stand-alone German restaurant Soldatenstube. Bishop has worked in restaurants, hotels and private clubs since 1985 and came here 10 years ago.
Schumann said The Summit is a significant venue for organizations like the Military Officers Association of America and the Redstone Arsenal Military and Civilians Club that continue to hold their monthly meetings here. Their plaques are even displayed in the building.
“They are definitely keeping tradition alive on Redstone,” he said. “They call this their home. That’s important.”
For pricing and to schedule tours, call Bishop at 256-842-9600 or Angela Ernst at 256-842-9610.
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