|
|
Post by kzrooster on Jan 19, 2024 11:46:20 GMT -5
Thanks for keeping up with the latest updates!
Will the pond be open for swimming or fishing? I suspect that the depth of the pond would come into play for the fishing aspect?
|
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Jan 20, 2024 16:37:44 GMT -5
Hey kzrooster - good to see you! Our plan is to use the pond for catch-and-release fishing as well as small boats. It is technically a stormwater pond, so no swimming or consuming anything from the pond. That still gives us a lot of flexibility for boating in particular. Kayaks, canoes, small electric boats all should be fine. I intend to have some of these available as rentals for another revenue stream. So this photo shows the pond in more or less current state (as of last weekend). It is about 10% of the total that will be excavated for the full 3+ acre pond. That should make the full 3+ acre pond itself around 4% of the total property. I actually went back to the original soil analysis mapping to try to wrap my head around that for sizing.  The little pink dot is roughly the area shown in the pond photo above. It's not exactly to scale, but pretty close.  That's helpful, because while we may not have them this year, very high on the list of things to add once revenue is coming in is a small fleet of these fantastic little electric boats for the pond. Don't they look fun?? I should add that I talked with the Go Float boat makers last year. If I remember right, they only make the 3 person versions now. That's fine, that's the best fit for what I have in mind. DH may have figured out how to give me the bridge I also wanted around the pond. It's too early to say for sure and likely will need engineering before we decide to do it, but that's one of the fun possibilities we are playing with now. |
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Jan 22, 2024 18:23:51 GMT -5
We keep making steady progress. Fingers crossed we keep the closing date currently scheduled with the bank for the loan. That's the big deal. Several other moving pieces are going well - GC is great, pond is now ~40% excavated, grading for clubhouse & pool is almost done, overall site grading is coming along well, the two big tanks for the sewer system are complete and waiting for us to verify preferred delivery date. The annual BOD updates last week went well as I mostly had good news to share this time. Now I've got a fairly long laundry list of January admin items to finish by next week. Joy.
The state campground owner association conference is coming up in early February. One of my friends is going with me as DH is going to stay home and keep an eye on construction. I'm looking forward to meeting people, learning best practices and generally enjoying a good time in Myrtle Beach with a close friend who's interested in the business. Either she and/or her daughter may wind up working for Standing Pines at some point, so this should be a good experience to see how we do working together. We've been friends for decades, so we are both tip-toeing our way around the possibility of her working for the campground. This is a bit of a way to try interacting with others with her on the team in a very low risk environment to see how it goes for both of us.
Some time next week I want to put some quality thinking time into homeschool for DD next year. She's loving the flexibility and very much wants to continue.
|
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Jan 30, 2024 18:04:44 GMT -5
If all goes well, we close the construction loan in 3 weeks. Following up with the closing coordinator at the bank, we seem to be well on track. Fingers crossed still!
The actual construction is moving right along. The pond is about 30% excavated now. The crew has moved 50 dump truck loads of dirt to the back for DH to create the pump track. Today, we agreed on another location near the future pollinator field for another dirt dump for the future grass amphitheater. Both of these are especially exciting as they are very low cost solutions for additional guest attractions. On Saturday, a local beekeeper is coming to walk the proposed pollinator field with me. He is excited about the project. I think I have a potential triple win with the bees. Beekeeper gets additional land for colonies. There's a local small business that makes custom soaps, with honey as a primary ingredient. I had some initial discussions with her about carrying her line in the store. Now I'm considering talking to her about creating a custom mix for Standing Pines Resort, using honey collected on the property as the base ingredient for the soap. The beekeeper reminded me that wax is also a very useful product from the hives, so somewhere on my to-do list is seeing if there is a local candle making business that might be interested in working with us as well.
The pads for both the Welcome Center and the pool are essentially complete. The foundation crew is scheduled to be here next week to poor the concrete foundation for the welcome center. The following week, on another part of the property and a different sub-project, the wastewater crew will be on-site doing the initial prep work, with two 10,000 gallon tanks being delivered the end of February for the heaviest part of that project. We should have a big crane on site for that installation, so I definitely plan to get some video from that work. Sometime in February, DH will move the pool equipment building into place. The pool builders have suggested we start the equipment order process now, as the latest feedback from DHEC suggests we will get the pool build permit in early March.
The local community remains engaged. It's funny to watch traffic on Bethlehem Road, which is the public road that runs along the front of the property. 90% of vehicles slow down to check out progress every time they drive by. The construction crew says they are getting drop in's occasionally now, mostly sales people handing out brochures (which they in turn give to me). I did a short live video on facebook this morning and was somewhat surprised when a few people dropped in during the live feed to follow it. Maybe I should consider doing more of those.
On the operating side, our commercial account is ready to go for credit card processing. The prework is complete for the online reservations system. Assuming we close the loan on schedule, we will turn the reservations live on March 1 for future trips starting on November 1. The system also includes point of sale processing, so that takes care of my retail too. I also made a key contact for a local plant schedule manufacturing annual outage who suggested they may have many contractors in the area from mid October to potentially the end of the year looking for lodging. I know from my background in manufacturing that many of those contractors will have RVs and expect that they will okay with our pricing. Our goal is to be ready to provide campsites to this group in order to open the business with high occupancy from Day 1. If we are really lucky and construction starts moving faster than anticipated, we may be able to do some last minute availability for the September 2024 Darlington NASCAR race weekend.
I had a very productive conversation with a state official regarding our alcohol license and the timeline for it. Basically, if we apply in May, we may be approved and ready to serve by the Nov 1 tentative opening date. DH then promptly freaked out when I casually updated him, including my plans to get the liquor as well as beer/wine license so we could do cocktails at the bar. A couple of clarifying questions revealed he thought I meant a full bar. Nope. I mean alcohol in the slushie machines for premixed frozen adult beverages. I'd love to progress to full cocktail bar over time, but don't think we will have the staff capacity to do this in the beginning. So that's all good. There's a reused restaurant equipment supply store about an hour from us. We are not ready to buy yet, but I'm thinking of a day trip over there soon to check out the quality of their equipment.
The local artist has given me what I think will be the final draft for the first illustrated book. Tomorrow, I'll jump back into my research on self publishing. I did a deep dive on this last year, so mostly simply need to refresh and make sure I'm good on next steps. I look forward to having the time to refocus on those stories, as the past several months have been so exclusively tied up with funding efforts.
Sunday, we leave for the state campground owners convention in MB. That should be a good few days of learning and networking. I'm looking forward to it!
For everyone who has been kind and followed the journey so far - - what would you like to learn more about as we start this next lap of building a campground? What kind of detail or big picture thinking would interest you? I'd love to get your thoughts!
|
|
|
|
Post by annamaria on Feb 1, 2024 6:36:52 GMT -5
Others will chime in on their thoughts, interests. Just wanted to say I am in awe of this/your project and the progress from beginning to the final product is interesting. I am looking forward to it's completion.
|
|
|
|
Post by tomandrobin on Feb 1, 2024 9:26:42 GMT -5
Either she and/or her daughter may wind up working for Standing Pines at some point, so this should be a good experience to see how we do working together. We've been friends for decades, so we are both tip-toeing our way around the possibility of her working for the campground. This is a bit of a way to try interacting with others with her on the team in a very low risk environment to see how it goes for both of us. It is hard mixing business with friends/family. There needs to be a very clear understanding and distinction between being friends and being a boss/employee relationship. I have 30 years experience as a business owner and experience first hand how difficult this can be for some people. |
|
|
|
Post by tomandrobin on Feb 1, 2024 9:30:13 GMT -5
So this photo shows the pond in more or less current state (as of last weekend). It is about 10% of the total that will be excavated for the full 3+ acre pond. That should make the full 3+ acre pond itself around 4% of the total property. I actually went back to the original soil analysis mapping to try to wrap my head around that for sizing. Three acres will be a decent size "water feature" for the property. The first year, you could get away with just having a kayak or similar, than move up to the electric boat once revenue starts coming in to the business.
|
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Feb 1, 2024 14:03:55 GMT -5
Annamaria - thank you! I really appreciate that.
Tom - Thanks for posting this. I hear you clearly and understand this is extremely good advice.
It is a family project, with DH and I all in on Standing Pines and DD on deck to work for us as soon as we open and she's old enough to be employed. Two of my closest friends are involved with the project. One is on BOD and an investor. She's been a rock of support, gently steering me away from some things while encouraging others. It may help that we both went through grad school with a focus on HR together back in the day. She's also a top level exec who knows how to coach leaders effectively. The boundaries are clear there. This project is my baby and she's here to support making it a success.
My other friend, interestingly also from college (undergrad) days, is the one who may work for Standing Pines. She's smart, capable and has owned her own small business for over a decade. She could add a lot of value. There are a lot of reasons it could work. There are also a handful of critical reasons it might not work. This conference experience should be a good test.
----------
Other Updates
----------
Construction loan closing: I've turned in all my documents/info. Insurance agent sent over relevant back up documentation this week. Title search is in progress. Bank contact asked me to set up a business checking account with them to handle disbursements for the loan. I'm crossing my toes and and am tentatively optimistic we will close on schedule.
Overall, construction continues. Every day there is more progress. We took the drone out the morning. It's really something to see the changes from the air. I am uploading the raw, unedited footage to youTube now. I'll insert that video link here. This is unlisted, so only those who have the exact link will be able to view it. I'm doing that with a lot of the video I am posting, with the vague thought it may become more interesting as achieve material after we open. The first minute of this footage is just staring down at the future main entry area. The orange dirt shows the pads for the clubhouse and pool. The ranger is parked in what will be one of 3 staging lanes for RVs for check in. It gets more dynamic starting at minute two, when we start driving and the drone follows us around the property.
I want to write an update newsletter and get that out soon. I was thinking today, but have not put the time in to create it yet. Soon! I'll share it here when I write it.
|
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Feb 5, 2024 17:33:13 GMT -5
Hello from the Carolina's Campground Conference! I'm having a blast here. The speakers were interesting this morning, the vendor fair was helpful this afternoon and there is another good day planned tomorrow. There is a big social event tonight, but I plan to opt out in order to chill. I want to enjoy the amazing ocean front vibe of this two bedroom condo with 4 private balconies.  The one disappointment of the trip is my friend's last minute cancellation. Obviously that simplifies the staffing decision there. While the first speaker was a generic motivational presenter who almost put me to sleep, the attorney who spoke next was sharp and very on point. She grew up in the campground industry and has developed a niche firm with this expertise. I spoke with her this afternoon. I believe we will sign up for a basic retainer type situation. I don't anticipate any immediate needs but want to make sure we have this area covered well before we might need it. So that's a definite win! The next speaker was an industry thought leader who invited me to be on his weekly podcast for one episode a few months back. He's super smart, with a very interesting data driven insight into the industry. I took down 5 action items to improve our business from his 45 minute talk. That was a hard act to follow, but I did make friends at the table during the next speaker. A couple we first ran into last year at this event opened their 20-site campground 2 months ago. It was so cool to chat with them and hear what it was like during the run up and opening days! They are only ~90 minutes from us, so I suspect we will stay in touch. Then I met a couple of great guys from a new campground in GA at lunch. Again, good contacts and I suspect we will be chatting over the coming months. While there were a ton of vendors here, we have already made a number of choices and decisions on support so I was able to focus in on the few needs we have not yet locked down. One was a contact at US Foods, which may simplify our snack bar menu & operations. It's still a bit too soon for any final decisions, but good to have someone to call when I'm ready to have that discussion. I also made a point to stop by the booth for our bank to say "thank you" in person to the sales guy for the loan. Not sure that really amounts to anything, but always a good idea to stay in touch. There was one very pleasant vendor surprise, the FarmtasticFun team. This was my first time hearing about this vendor. DH and I have very different thoughts for the playground(s) for SPR. This vendor may have a product that fits somewhere in the middle of what we both would prefer. Specifically, I like their low ropes course. It is modular and DH can do part of the build, but is backed by their product guarantee for the parts most likely to have problems over time. I also really like like that it's different than the standard playground equipment. Plus the fact that we can start small and build it out over time is extremely appealing to me. So now I just have to convince DH this is what he wants too!  Here's a look at the full layout schematic. I like the variety a lot. And again, it's just hard to argue with something that we can grow over time as a good place to start.  And here's a look at one of their layouts at a tourist farm. I think this one is in NY somewhere.  Hum. Looking back over that schematic, I suspect one of the reasons I really like this concept is that it reminds me of the playground between the Dumbo rides at the Magic Kingdom. I mean, clearly it is not the same. Low ropes instead of high, outdoor instead of indoor, rustic and simple instead of colorful and themed. But I can visualize it appealing to kids in much the same way that play area appeals. Tomorrow closes out with 3 speakers. Two are marketing experts and the other is a newcomer to the industry who built and opened his first park last year in NC to great acclaim, including the "new park of the year" award. I am very interested in hearing his story. Obviously I've already checked out the website for that park and am curious to hear more on the backstory. I debated coming to this conference this year. Budgeting is such a concern, I was not entirely certain about spending the money on attending. But for the relatively low cost (well under $1,000 all in), the contacts for fellow owners, the niche attorney and the new direction on the playground I think we will see a good return on this cost. |
|
|
|
Post by disneyteach on Feb 6, 2024 6:06:59 GMT -5
Glad you're finding the conference worthwhile! The playground looks amazing. My kids would love it!
|
|
|
|
Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 6, 2024 6:44:55 GMT -5
Hope you have umbrella insurance for your home and business.
Definitely consider this I saw recently on a really nice playground at the Marriott Resort on Bonnet Creek .
WARNING Installation on a hard surface such as concrete, asphalt , packed earth may result in serious injury…
Drawstrings have entangled on playground equipment causing strangulation
Remove drawstrings scarves and other accessories around the neck prior to playing on this playground
Play surfaces may become HOT and cause serious burns . Check for hot surfaces
WET surfaces may be slippery. Use with caution to avoid falls
ADULT Supervision is strongly recommended …
And that is the shortened version !
Oh well Have a fun day everyday no matter what the warning sign says .
I hope this makes you laugh when you wake up and read this but it is truly sent with Best Wishes .
|
|
|
|
Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 6, 2024 7:05:22 GMT -5
Also really like that you mentioned Disney design playgrounds .
I love the Riviera that offers the swinging bench and the large oversized chessboard for families to play together .
I would also want a child/adult size scale HopScotch painted on my playground and an assortment of different size paintbrushes and brooms like we see for water artwork by Disney castmembers on that dangerous hard surface (haha) ….
|
|
|
|
Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 6, 2024 7:21:48 GMT -5
And…that view from your 2 bedroom condo with 4 balconies … Amazing …
Where exactly was that conference and how did you find that condo? North or South Carolina ?
Were you just one person in that luxury ?
WOW
|
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Feb 6, 2024 14:26:45 GMT -5
disneyteach - thanks! Also, really appreciate the comment that your kids would enjoy a playground like this. That's very helpful!
dlwdwdvc - good points! Yes, I still plan to visit that Marriott on a future visit. There are so many great places to benchmark! One watch out from our insurance company is not overly benchmarking Disney. And yes, there will be plenty of warning, including required waivers and releases on line prior to a reservation being accepted. I do remember the housewarming discussion from when we bought a vacation place in Orlando. IIRC, covid kinda put the kibosh on that. Maybe it transitions to a special celebration at Standing Pines Resort (SPR) for MOs who can make it!
DH likes the playground concept! I thought it would be a hard sell. Nope. He looked at the website and liked it. Looks like we have a winner!
The speakers today were not as strong as yesterday. But I made another great contract. She's new to campgrounds, but has a deep background in food service. That's a place I'm weak, so we have make plans to connect. She will help me with thinking about food services. I will help her think about marketing and trends. Plus this is a neat lady. She's a manager at a small campground now, not an owner. So the HR person in me always is thinking about possible future hires!
I booked three nights in this room, thinking there would be a full day of conference today. The conference wrapped up at 2pm. So now I have several hours of a simply delightful workplace this afternoon. I'm smiling as I listen to the sound of crashing waves typing this. The room is part of Kingston Plantation in north Myrtle Beach. I got a deal with this - three nights for less than $500 for the two bedroom condo! Yes, it's far too much for one person. But I booked it because it was less than booking a standard room in the adjacent Embassy Suites hosting the conference and at the time I thought I'd have someone else with me.
Now I'll go work on organizing my contacts and sending some initial follow ups from this conference, then work on the newsletter for SPR that goes out later this week, then play with the stories for the Forrest Friends. Fun!
|
|
|
|
Post by MinnieMom on Feb 7, 2024 8:08:19 GMT -5
DH called me with interesting news last night. One of our neighbors stopped by yesterday to give us first option to buy their land. They own the 96 acres directly behind us. It is ag land, primarily used for cows in recent years. This is the longest shared property line and also the very best adjacent land for us to purchase for future development. This initial conversation/offer was to sell to us at the same price per acres we paid for our current property. I absolutely want to buy this. It gives us many more options for the future and also prevents anyone else from putting something in right behind us that might hurt our business over time. I need to think about the price some. My gut reaction is that is a fair price. My secondary reaction, after checking the tax map, is that this land is almost land locked. There is one very narrow strip that connects to a public road. So while it is potentially valuable to us, not sure it would hold the same value for anyone else. Except, of course, the one other neighbor who has wanted the land for years. Long story there. I can't tell the story, because I don't know it. But clearly the current owners do not want to sell to that other neighbor for whatever reason. This is worst possible time for us to buy more land though. I'm not going to negotiate price or terms or anything until after we close on our construction loan. That does not need any more complications. Instead, I'm thinking about different options for how to approach this. My first preference might be some kind of intent to buy, with agreed terms and timeline so that we get ~3 years to exercise a purchase or forfeit the deposit. A different route might be partnering with my brother and his wife (or one of my friends/investors) to buy that land now using an ag loan or conventional mortgage, than either sell or lease it to the business in future when we are ready to develop it. Yet another different possibility might be linking the future purchase of this 96 acre tract with the one I might want even more, which is 30 acres, has the public road access and is the other long continuous shared property line. Those two tracts are owned by two members of the same family. Yes, the same family that sold us our property. That family is basically like the local land barons. Even if they sold these two tracts to us, they'd still own thousands of acres in the area. They like what we are doing with Standing Pines Resort, which is the biggest reason I think our neighbor approached us with this offer. Obviously this is a lot to digest. Does anyone have any thoughts on some kind of an approach we haven't thought about? Oh, and as a purely fun thing, while I was looking at the online tax map this morning to do more research on these properties, I saw that the planned roads have been added to our tax map for the campground! How fun is this!!  I'm laughing in part because the roads are in the wrong location on the property. They used our current driveway instead of the correct future commercial entrance (now technically a construction driveway entrance) which puts all the roads in the wrong location by a few hundred feet. Oh well. Tax maps are only approximations anyway. |
|
