Mountain Creek Cabins
The problem was, I was turning away customers every weekend. We needed four more cabins and their loan made it happen.
People
Mark Jenkins owned an office-cleaning business for 12 years, but he wanted to work close to the land. So in 2003, he and his wife, Sheila, opened three rental cabins on their wooded, 173-acre property. With hot tubs, gas grills and fireplaces, fully equipped kitchens and log furniture, the cabins were a hit. “I was turning away customers every weekend,” says Mark. They decided to build four more cabins.
Progress
The bank that financed the first three cabins could only lend about half the cost of another four. Mark and Sheila contacted The Progress Fund, which immediately sent a loan officer and soon agreed to lend the balance needed.
Impact
Mark and Sheila use local suppliers, partner with area whitewater rafting firms, and house skiers and visitors to nearby Cooper’s Rock State Forest. An impact study by the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau shows that Mountain Creek Cabins added $288,000 to the local economy during its first year. That impact should double with the expansion. “This kind of development is nice, because you’re not building a mall,” says Mark. “You keep the character of the land.”
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