There’s something about sharing an adventure that bonds people for life.
This is the spirit Dallis Joiner, a student in the University of Georgia’s Professional MBA program, is bringing to his Buckhead-based St. Albans Sporting Club.
The private club, slated to open in 2026, will feature a supper club, a tavern, cigar lounge, shooting simulators and event space s in Atlanta, but will also organize hunting, fishing, and outdoor adventure experiences around the United States and the world.
“AI and technology increasingly shape how we live and work, but they haven’t changed one fundamental truth: people still crave genuine community,” Joiner said. “The outdoors has always been a catalyst for meaningful relationships. I always say that you learn so much more about someone at 4 a.m. in a duck blind than you ever will on a call or over cocktails. That’s what we’re building at St. Albans — a community where shared experiences create lasting friendships.”
Joiner, an Atlanta native who attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, traveled the world during his seven years as a special warfare officer and flight commander in the U.S. Air Force, and later as an international hunting and fishing guide with High Adventure Company.
When it was time to settle down, he knew he wanted to earn an MBA from the Terry College of Business — but he wasn’t sold on the office-based career that usually comes along with the degree. He wanted to chart his own path and start his own business. That vision has since grown into a multidisciplinary venture, bringing together leaders in hospitality, architecture, construction, technology, and outdoor travel — including The Indigo Road Hospitality Group as the Club’s hospitality partner.
“I always said that if I was ever going to do an MBA, it was going to be through UGA,” Joiner said. “I didn’t have the luxury of spending two years in Athens while I was trying to build my business, but I wanted to work in groups. I wanted to build relationships with other UGA students. Thankfully, this program was here. It was a no-brainer for me.”
At every turn, the business has been a chance to put the things he’s learning in the classroom into practice.
“It’s been exciting to tie all the concepts I’m learning in my classes to what I’m doing on a daily basis with St. Albans,” Joiner said. “In entrepreneurship, you find out every day something you were supposed to be doing. This PMBA program has really minimized that feeling for me.”