Chetola picked as top biz

By Scott Nicholson

From a boarding house to lakefront condominiums. Chetola Resort has long been an escape for visitors and travelers and now it’s been recognized by the business community.

The Blowing Rock resort has been selected as the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business of the Year.

Chetola is well known locally for bright light displays during the holidays. File Photo

The boarding house developed by Lot Estes in the late 1800s helped build the area’s reputation for leisure and vacation. The family estate was expanded into a lodge and retreat in 1982, with a construction of condominums. Now there are 250 condominiums on the 87-acre property, as well as the Bob Timberlake Inn, The Manor House Restaurant and Pub and a new spa.

“It was thrilling,” said Chetola Resort co-owner and manager Kent Tarbutton upon hearing the news Wednesday.

“It’s a pretty big honor because there are a lot of good businesses in our area and it’s a great community we live in.”

Tarbutton acknowledged the facility improvements that had been made, but said the employees are the reason for the resort’s success.

“One of the nicest awards I’ve ever received is when you are named by your employers as ‘Employer of the Year,’” he said.

“There’s a lot of neat places you can visit, and I think the people do make that much of a difference. We read all the comment cards. We all go through them because that is how we get what’s going on with the customer. When people remember your name, you did something special.”

The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s criteria for selecting a best business include: staying power and a substantiated history as an established business; growth and number of employees, a benchmark to judge economic impact on the area job market; increase in sales and/or unit volume, an indication of continued growth; innovativeness of products or service offered; response to adversity, based on examples of problems faced by the business and the solutions taken; evidence of contributions by nominee to community oriented projects; and use of local resources and how the business utilizes educational institutions, natural resources, goods and local services

“The chamber is pleased to recognize Chetola Resort as the 2009 Business of the Year,” said chamber president Dan Meyer.

“Over the years, Chetola has established a stellar reputation for creative expansion, customer service, community involvement, outstanding employee relations and innovative events. From the bellman to the boss. Chetola wears a smile and exemplifies enthusiasm and hospitality.”