The American Dream is all about taking every opportunity you’re given, and using it to build your skills and climb the ladder of success. Arnie Creinin is the embodiment of this message, starting as a soda jerk at just 8-years-old in the late 60’s, he utilized every hand-on work experience throughout his life to create a working legacy for himself. He now serves as the CEO of Coastal Lifestyles Inc., which has been assisting people find their dream luxury properties for over 17 years now. His journey is truly inspiring, and we all could take a page from his book of lessons when it comes to finding our own path to success.
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We all want to reach a point in our lives where every experience we’ve taken on can be utilized to create success for ourselves. It can be easy to become discouraged when it comes to creating a legacy for ourselves, however, it’s integral to remain determined and focused on our goals for the future, and to not let anything or anyone stop us.
Arnie Creinin is the CEO of Coastal Lifestyles Inc., a luxury property management, concierge service and vacation rental business located in South Padre Island, Texas. Coastal Lifestyles has been assisting clients find their dream properties for over 17 years now, however, Arnie’s success didn’t just fall into his lap.
Arnie has an extensive resume of work experience that has led him up the ladder of success, starting as a soda jerk at just 8-years-old, he had an early start when it came to understanding the value of hard work and providing services for others. As he grew older, so did his experiences; he even worked with past President’s like Carter, Reagan, and Bush as an executive chef at a prominent hotel. All of this led him to becoming the CEO of one of the best rental services in Texas, including private beach houses, bungalows, penthouses, and condominiums.
When it comes to pursuing our passions professionally, Arnie’s journey and advice is invaluable to those who are looking to take their next step towards success.
“For over 17 years, Coastal Lifestyles Inc. have become hospitality experts of large resorts and hotels in vacation destinations providing exceptional service to their guests and sharing their love for South Padre. Thanks to Arnie Creinin and his wife Debbie’s experience and passion, they’ve created a place with the Best in accommodations and personal service.”
To reach the point of success that Coastal Lifestyles has achieved, Arnie utilized his multitude of life and professional experiences to establish his success. From humble beginnings, Arnie’s dad owned a very successful Deli in Chicago, Illinois growing up. As a child, he began helping his dad with the business and at around 8-years-old, his dad began paying him a dollar an hour, along with all the food he wanted.
His first job was as a soda jerk in the deli, a soda jerk was a commonly used term in the 50’s and 60’s to describe the individual who would prepare and serve soft drinks and ice cream concoctions to the customers.
“I laugh when I think about those initial experiences, especially when I tell my employees who are in their 30’s and 40’s about the role of a soda jerk, as it’s not a commonly used term anymore. I feel like I’m an educator of sorts in those moments. You know I was learning how to make vanilla and cherry Coke before Coke even released those flavors.
You never stop learning, but when you’re that young you don’t have a lot of common sense, so working in a service environment for those years taught me a lot about discipline and the value of hard work,” Arnie states.
As he grew older, Arnie began taking on roles behind the counter and building what would soon become an extensive resume of experiences working with people.
“Every time an experienced individual working with me would offer to teach me something new, I was right there ready to learn and apply what was being taught. Of course I made mistakes, I was a kid, but you need to make mistakes in order to learn, grow, and develop as a person.”
Arnie Creinin with actor and model Sebastián Rulli
Arnie learned a lot from his great uncle Sam during those years, as he was his dad Jerry’s business partner. He always had the attitude that if you’re going to do something, you do it right, but also efficiently. Arnie reflected on how enlightening it was to learn from so many experienced individuals in the industry, and his family, from a young age. At the time, food businesses were some of the biggest and most popular establishments throughout the nation, so not only was Arnie learning about the proper ways to serve a customer, he was learning about how a successful business runs.
“By the time I was about 16-years-old, I got a job working as a bellman at a local Inn. My experiences from working in my dad’s deli kind of pushed me to gravitate towards the kitchen. So as I continued working and developing a relationship with the chef, I was able to move on to become a prep-cook for the Inn.”
This is one of the first instances of Arnie using the experiences he previously gained to advance his skills professionally, and personally.
He continued to take on new roles within the Inn he was working at, becoming a line cook and taking on more serious responsibilities within the kitchen at just 16-years-old.
“The interesting part about all of these initial experiences is you learn so much about how the world really works quickly. During the late 50’s, early 60’s, conversations surrounding equality and the Civil Rights Movement were all anyone talked about. My dad was the type of individual who didn’t care about race, especially when it came to his business, he cared about who was the most qualified to take on a certain position, and that’s always who would get hired. So it’s moments like that which instill these values in you from a young age that you may not even realize you carry with you well into adulthood.”
Growing up in Chicago, Arnie and his brother Steve would visit his dad and spend their free time going to Cubs games at Wrigley Field, a tradition that would hold a lot of value for Arnie in the future.
By 2003, Arnie was managing a resort in South Padre Island, Texas, a resort town off the southern coast of the state. This is around the time where Jimmy Buffett released his Margaritaville liquor, which Arnie ended up buying a massive supply of for his resort. As a result, Jimmy Buffett flew him, and other major customers, out for a promotional concert he was hosting at Wrigley Field, and Arnie got to experience it as a VIP member.
These experiences and lessons are just a few small examples of how Arnie utilized the skills to create moments of success throughout his life. As he continued to grow older, the titles he would hold gave him everything he needed to run Coastal Lifestyles, and is arguably one of the biggest reasons the business has had consistent success for over four decades now.
“Growing up in Chicago, in my opinion, showed me the best food this country has to offer, and I’ve been to a lot of cities. This foundation was integral for my growth in the industry, but also in life. Food is what brought me to where I am today, I was an executive chef for more than 20 years before going on to become the Director of Food and Beverages, and more authoritative positions as well, which I wouldn’t have been prepared for if it wasn’t for the experiences I gained growing up.”
Some of the many roles Arnie took on growing up included being a sous chef for the Americana Hotels in Palm Springs, Great Gorge, New Jersey, and Executive Chef in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then the Americana Disney Resort in Florida from 1980 to 1988. He was then made the Executive Chef for the Kahler corporation located in Rochester, Minnesota, adjacent to the Mayo Clinic from 1988 to 1992.
As Executive Chef, he had the opportunity to cater for President and Mrs. Reagan, President George Bush, Jimmy Carter, His Royal Highness King Hussein of Jordan, and Her Majesty Queen Noor. Then he was off to the Hilton in Destin, Florida where he was the Executive Chef then promoted to Food and Beverage director, then again promoted to Hotel Manager from 1992 to 2001. Until 2006, he worked on consultancy projects for the above mentioned and other projects.
After about a year, Arnie had another moment where he realized that everything truly happens for a reason. One of his roles in consultancy projects took him to Kentucky, where the figure heads that were working alongside Arnie, and who convinced him to take the role in the first place, gave him a sense of accomplishment, and acknowledgment over the skills he’s gained and lessons learned. While he knew moving states to take over a new resort would be a big task, he figured he had nothing to lose and only more to gain, which would quickly prove true, as he ended up meeting his wife shortly after while there.
Arnie’s journey in South Padre Island started when he was hired by a gentleman to get his resort back to a level of prominence and profitability. One of the main requirements Arnie had before taking on this position was a promise that once the resort started making money again, the money would be put back into the resort to ensure it continues down a path of success. After about four months, their hard work paid off, and not only was the resort busy, but the employees were happier, “walking around with a genuine skip in their step.”
It was here in South Padre Island where Arnie would also meet the realtor who would convince him to take on a property and run his own property rental and management company. This is where Coastal Lifestyles was born.
Then, 10-years-later, Arnie was married to his wife Debbie, Vice President of Operations at Coastal Lifestyles Inc. and the two became joint partners of Coastal Lifestyles.
Arnie with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan
As the CEO of Coastal Lifestyles Inc., Arnie Creinin makes certain his guests and customers experience an outcome that exceeds their expectations. In addition to finding a dream vacation property, Coastal Lifestyles Inc., offers and curates unique amenities such as pre-arrival shopping, babysitting, rental car options and security services.
Arnie and Debbie Creinin on their wedding day: 11/11/11, officially tying the knot at 11:11 am, in front of 111 guests, and celebrating for exactly 11 hours and 11 minutes.
“For over 17 years, Coastal Lifestyles have become hospitality experts of large resorts and hotels in vacation destinations providing exceptional service to their guests and sharing their love for selecting the perfect vacation rentals, private beach houses, bungalows, penthouses, and condominiums in South Padre.
Our well-experienced team members will guide you through the process of selecting the perfect vacation rental from our quality inventory of condominiums, homes, bungalows and Beachside and Bayside Mansions for your next vacation. Our goal is simply to provide the Best in accommodations and personal service.
There are plenty of pet-friendly rental options for that special family member, and if you’re searching for a last minute deal on South Padre Island, we’ve got you covered there too! Choose amenities that matter to you such as private pools, hot tubs, boat docks, and health clubs. Every one of our properties have well-equipped kitchens, high-speed internet, WiFi, and quality TVs,” according to their website.
“What I’ve learned over the years is that the best part about working in these specific industries, for me, is helping people. I’ve held pretty much every position imaginable in a food service, hospitality, resort, etc. business. I knew the ins and outs, and knew what I had to do to give my customers the best experience possible, while also giving my employees the best working environment possible, which I carried with me into Coastal Lifestyles.”
“The most personal gratification that I’ve ever received is a culmination of individuals from over the years who have worked for me, with me, or hired me, who have praised not only the work I’ve done, but the dedication I had as a person. They didn’t just see me for the work I contributed, they saw me for the person I am that led me to where I’ve been and where I am now.”
Arnie is truly an inspiration for everyone who’s on their own path towards success. While we may not all be lucky enough to find our passion as early as he did, his ability to utilize even the smallest lessons learned when he was a child helped him run Coastal Lifestyle Inc., and every other hat he’s worn, is inspiring. The successes, failures, mistakes, movement, and thrill of life are unpredictable, but we all have experiences that give us a foundation for life, it’s how we choose to use them that’s important. He continues to utilize these skills and experiences as he sits on the Board of South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“Everything I’ve done in my career up until now, I don’t regret. Even the bad times when things don’t go exactly your way, you have to look at those as lessons learned. Work hard, do your job, don’t project ugliness onto others, remain positive, that’s how you get respect, and respect is how you get others to magnetize towards you.
When I look back, and look at my journey, it’s not something that can be bought. When you go to a community to establish yourself, get involved in something that will help that community, and you’ll be surprised how much it helps you in return. Do something not just to honor yourself, but for the business you work for, look at the larger picture.
When you have a job that you like, focus on what makes you passionate about it. Build the connections within your workplace and let the people around you know why you have that passion and where you’d like to eventually go, professionally. Also, importantly, be patient.
A lot of people can become discouraged and lose their patience when it comes to work, but success isn’t built overnight. It’s about going through the experience. You have to endure a multitude of experiences to have the knowledge to grow, so hold onto that passion when it appears and follow it to the end.”
This past year Arnie was featured in Fortune Magazine, Forbes Magazine, and was honored as CEO of year for 2022 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) which he was featured on Planet Hollywood billboard for.
To learn more about the wonders of Coastal Lifestyles Inc. and the amazing work Arnie Creinin put into it, check out their website by clicking here!
Arnie and his son Jon, “the good looking one,” at his Planet Hollywood Billboard
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
