A 10-year career in the US Army has made Ashlie Gorton a driving force behind the success of the Treasure Club brand.
(NOTE: This story appears in the March 2025 issue of ED Magazine.)
Treasure Club’s Corporate GM Ashlie Gorton’s journey into the adult nightclub industry was anything but planned. After serving in the US Army for a decade as a small arms artillery repairer, she found herself searching for direction upon leaving the military. Like many veterans, she quickly realized the transition wasn’t as seamless as promised. Without a clear career path, she stumbled into the adult nightclub industry, only to discover a male-dominated field where she was determined to rise to the top.
Starting at the bottom as an assistant manager at one of Joey Bien’s Treasure Clubs, Gorton worked her way up by learning from others’ mistakes and proving her ability to lead. She takes pride in ensuring every club maintains its unique identity while upholding a consistent corporate philosophy.
In this interview with ED Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan, Ashlie Gorton talks about how her military background instilled in her the discipline, structure and leadership skills that make her a driving force behind the Treasure Club’s success.
ED: Tell me about your role as Treasure Club Corporate GM.
GORTON: I train every club manager who comes into our company. I constantly preach that I want to be able to move my managers to any location and know everything will be the same. Each club has a separate identity but still follows our corporate philosophy.
ED: Tell me about your typical work week.
GORTON: Seven days a week, I wake up and evaluate each club’s end-of-night numbers to ensure that we’re on track. I wear quite a few different hats in this company. Besides Corporate GM, I’m also the payroll manager and I handle HR, unemployment and chargebacks. So, I try to space out my duties to maintain my sanity. Joey and I meet with the GMs from each location weekly to discuss upcoming events and any issues or concerns we may have. Every entertainer in our company has my phone number, and I reach out to them every Wednesday to get their schedules and try to accommodate their needs. It’s important that I reach out to them individually. I always want them to know that we have an open line of communication available.
ED: That’s so critical. So, after you left the military, you decided to tackle this industry. How did you go about that?
GORTON: I didn’t have a plan when I exited the military. The army doesn’t set you up like they say they will. They wish you good luck, and that’s it. I just trickled into the industry. After I met Joey and had several interviews with him, I started as an assistant manager and moved up from there. I always say people kept messing up, making it easy to take their job. I moved up, learning from everybody else’s mistakes.
The army doesn’t set you up like they say they will. They wish you good luck, and that’s it.
— Ashlie Gorton
ED: Tell me about your markets. What challenges does each market present for you?
GORTON: The gentleman’s club industry is constantly evolving, and if you’re not keeping up with the trends, you can quickly get run over. All of our locations have to adapt to different crowds. For example, our Greensboro location is right next to the airport, so we get a lot of travelers from all over. So, we strive to communicate that anyone is welcome at the club. Our Myrtle Beach club is our largest location so far, and it’s such a different game. Tourists drive everything in Myrtle. You must know about the seasons, the golf industry, the festivals and hurricane preparation. But there’s also a local market. Cultivating that local market is one of the challenges we face regularly.
ED: What’s the best part of your job, and what’s most challenging?
GORTON: This may sound like a cliche, but the best part of my job is working with some amazing entertainers and staff and helping them meet their goals. Some entertainers going to school are trying to reevaluate their lives and get in a good spot, and I’m happy to be a part of the process. I always want our clubs to be a positive space. This industry is challenging enough, so I strive to be the change. My biggest challenge is that everyone has different wants and needs, and I want to be able to manage all the different types of personalities. I tell everybody who works for us that you do not have to like someone, but you will respect them inside this building.
ED: How is working for Joey different from working for people who supervised you in the military?
GORTON: When I left the military and met Joey, I was immediately impressed that he felt strongly about giving every military first responder a chance. I’ve applied many things I learned from the military to my current role because it wasn’t that different. I just went from supervising men to supervising women. All the rules are the same, and they all apply. You’ve got to have respect, be on time, do what you need to do, be where you need to be and that’s pretty much it. I quickly realized I could do this job, as it was drilled into me for 10 years.
ED: What qualities have you acquired or refined working with Joey that helped you become a better GM?
GORTON: Joey is an incredible mentor. I tell everybody that I’m successful because of Joey. He took hours out of his day to lead me in the right direction and always pushed me to be a better person and manager. I’ve met some fantastic people through him. I’ve also been able to attend some extraordinary training seminars to enhance my skills, such as the annual Excel Training Conference examining conflicts and employment laws in Washington, DC. Joey taught me that somebody always wants your job or thinks they can do your job, so you just have to be constantly moving.
I’ve applied many things I learned from the military to my current role because it wasn’t that different. I just went from supervising men to supervising women.
— Ashlie Gorton
ED: What’s one aspect of your job that’s an unexpected reality you wouldn’t have fathomed before becoming a GM?
GORTON: I didn’t realizes that entertainers are sometimes treated poorly by the outside world and are thought of negatively. It’s disappointing that the prejudice against the adult industry still exists.
ED: Is there anything you can point to with pride that you’re responsible for with the Treasure Clubs?
GORTON: I think I brought my ability to train people and ensure they are all trained the same to the Treasure Clubs standards. And I never fail to follow up. I make sure that I am everywhere I need to be. I’ve learned how to do every job we have inside our buildings because I refuse to be handcuffed by someone who thinks I need them. I’ve been a DJ, a bartender, a door hostess and security. I’ve done it all. I can’t stress enough how important it is for our people to understand that you must learn everything. Know how to do everything inside your building and know how to do it well.
Larry Kaplan has been the legal correspondent for ED Magazine for 24 years. Mr. Kaplan is a broker in the sales and purchase of adult nightclubs and adult retail stores and the Executive Director of the ACE of Michigan adult nightclub state trade association. Contact Larry Kaplan at 313-815-3311 or larry@kaplanclubsales.com.
