| Community Futures
Prince Albert and District
This Family Business Caters to Families
When Gord and Melissa Bueckert began planning
Lost Creek Resort, they literally "started from scratch."
Because the resort would be located at Waskesiu in Prince Albert
National Park, there were rigorous environmental, zoning and land
use reviews to address, besides the usual business planning issues.
It took about three years from the time the Bueckerts purchased
the property until they welcomed their first guests in June 2003.
In a way, for Gord, opening Lost Creek Resort
was like coming full circle. His grandfather began operating riding
stables at Waskesiu in 1951. Gord's parents bought the stables
in 1977 and moved the business to the present location in 1980.
"Being involved with tourism with the
riding stables may have influenced my decision to come back and
start a business with my own family," Gord says. "Our
market is families on summer vacation. They're generally low maintenance
and are here to have a good time," he notes. This is in
contrast to "the work and clientele" he experienced
in his previous career as a police officer, he notes wryly.
When the Bueckerts approached the Prince Albert
and District Community Futures Development Corporation for financing
they already had a business plan, approvals and permits in place.
Because of CF maximum loan amounts, another lender became their
primary source of financing. The CF in Prince Albert is their
secondary lender.
Starting with five cottages in 2003, Gord and
Melissa added six more in 2006. Their future plan includes more
cottages, a playground area and a meeting/convention centre.
"We've made it through the tough part
of getting original financing and actually starting our business,"
says Gord. "When I'm at the stage of deciding how many cottages
to build in 2008 I can contact CF and have them look at my calculations.
I would trust Wayne and Pierre (PA and District CF General Manager
Wayne Cameron and Loans Manager Pierre LeBlanc) to help me verify
my actual and projected figures, which would be the major determining
factor."
How important is a website
to a tourism business?
"The website is huge," says Gord Bueckert of Lost
Creek Resort (www.lostcreekresort.com).
"You need to have a good website. You are dealing with customers
who are used to this way of shopping. Many of them have never
been to the area, so the first impression is critical."
(The photo on the site of a majestic moose browsing in front of
a cottage sure makes an impression!)
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