1985-09-26 Thu Leaders of Business.pdf

7th year for
AAA 4 diamond
at Chalet Centre
GAYLORD — The Chalet Centre has
received the prestigous AAA Four Diamond
award for the seventh consecutive year.
Only 7.3 percent of all accommodations
rated by AAA nationally receive this award
for excellence, according to Ted Engel Jr.,
who with his parents began the operation in
1964 with a 28-unit motel and a 35-seat
restaurant.
The present facility includes the 89-room
Motor Lodge, the Chalet Restaurant and the
Chalet Athletic Qub.
The restaurant includes the new
Greenhouse Coffee Shop completed in June.
It is owned and operated by Bud Lewis, who
has recently re-joined the Chalet Centre.
Engel has also returned to the operation of
the Centre after an absence. He and his wife
Joyce own the Chalet Motor Lodge. They
are co-owners of the athletic club with their
son Dave and his wife Kerri and Denny and
Kris Turbin.
At the athletic club, managed by Tim
Sigafoose, raquetball, wallyball and the
Nautilus are the most popular activities.
"Those are our main events," Ted Engel
said.
HE NOTED THAT the Chalet Centre has
gradually developed and grown over a
period of time. The name Chalet Centre, he
said, was chosen to incorporate the three
properties and to indicate that Gaylord is
the center of the area and central for
meetings and tourism.
Engel said be encouraged about business
because it has been steady.
"It's been at least par or a little better
over the last few years," he said.
He added that this fall looks particularly
good with a constant increase in meetings
and conferences booked at the facility.
Chalet Centre has six regular meeting
areas that seat from 10 to 300 people. Many
days, all the rooms are used, Engel said.
The motel employs 30-35 people as does
the restaurant, with total employment at
Chalet Centre averaging 70-60.
Gaylord's location
aids Wernig's car sales
GAYLORD — The central location of
Gaylord is one reason Gene Skiba thinks
automotive sales at Jim Wernig Inc. continue
to improve.
Skiba, general manager and co-owner of
the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile dealership
with Wernig, said sales are up about 20 percent
this year.
"With Gaylord centrally located, we see
people, traveling from as far away as
Traverse City, Alpena and Sault Ste.
Marie," he said. "There is a huge amount of
traffic coming this way."
Skiba said that the lower interest rates
have resulted in Wernig's inventory of 1985
cars being nearly exhausted.
"We have sold out of six different car lines
that qualified for 7.7 percent financing," he
said. "The volume of customers has been
tremendous and buyers are more aggressive
than we have seen them in a long
time."
Skiba added that rental and leasing of
automobiles continue to be strong.
"Because of the low cost of lease money,
leasing has become more popular and less
expensive than owning in a lot of different
ways," he explained.
Wernig's has expanded its sales staff to
six full-time employees. The service department,
which features an indoor write-up
area, is headed by new service manager
Roger Walesky, who has 18 years of experience.
Wernig's also has the only GM authorized
body shop in Otsego County.
The dealership employs about 30 people
with 16-20 of these in the service area.
Skiba noted that Chevrolet and
Oldsmobile's 1986 models will be introduced
on Oct. 3. Two of the new models are the
Chevrolet Sprint and Spectrum, subcompacts
for which EPA miles per gallon
ratings on some models are as high as the
mid-60s.
Newly designed models include the
Chevrolet Nova and Oldsmobile Delta 88.
Both cars are down-sized, front-wheel drive
models, following the trend of front-wheel
drive for better gas mileage, more interior
room, better handling and improved
drivabilty, Skiba said.
Real Estate One stresses
investment property
GAYLORD — New emphasis on the investment
and commercial property market
has helped boost Real Estate One's sales by
150 percent over last year.
Ed Jansen, owner of the franchise since
1961, said it has been a wonderful year.
"Business this summer is the best I've seen
tt in 10 years," he said.
He attributed much of the increase to the
new commercial - investment division that
specializes in the sale of commercial and Investment
properties.
He added that tbe resort market has
returned and there has been a resurgence of
thfi second-home
"The resort market is as strong as I have
ever seen it," Jansen said. He attributed
this to the economy and the Gaylord area's
"sustained positive attitude toward tfie
resort and tourism community."
Jansen said he thinks the real estate
business will continue to do well, as long as
interest rates do not climb sharply.
"I feel that real estate values are going to
continue to grow significantly," he said.
Although tbe number of employees on his
staff has declined in the past year, Jansen
said that the staff of eight remaining fulltime
workers is more qualified and more
Thursday, September 24, 1965 HERALD TIMES 7A
Main Office
Aspen Park Office
Waters Office
Otsego County has been
very good to us.
Gaylord and Otsego County have been very
good to us. Our assets have grown from
$5,000,000 in 1977 to $25,000,000 today. That's an
impressive growth record.
And, we're trying hard to help in return. As
Gaylord's only independently operated and
locally owned bank, our emphasis is on people.
We're here to help people with their financial
needs and plans. From automotive loans to savings
accounts to checking accounts to home improvement
loans and real estate mortgages, we
provide a full range of banking services to help
people achieve their dreams.
We're growing here ... you can, too. We're
making things happen in Gaylord and Otsego
County. Come grow with us.
n NATIONAL BANK OF
(517) 732-3502 member: fdic