MAY 14, 2009 ISSUE
Chetola Resort Is 2009 Boone Chamber Business of the Year
“It’s nice to have some sunshine not only in our day but also in the midst of a recession,” said Kent Tarbutton, Chetola Resort co-owner and manager, in reference to the most recent award bestowed upon his enterprise.
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce selected Chetola Resort as the recipient of its 2009 Business of the Year award.
“There are lots of great businesses in Boone and Blowing Rock, so it’s an honor,” Tarbutton said.
The motto for Chetola Resort is to “create great memories,” and the employees’ dedication to their work, guests and each other lines up perfectly with this ideal. Employees regularly call Tarbutton and donate some of their vacation hours to sick coworkers, he said.
A woman who had her wedding at Chetola shared one of her most treasured memories from that day with Tarbutton—saying that a waiter had noticed her mother looked cold and took the time to turn the heater toward her and bring her a blanket. She told Tarbutton he didn’t know how much that one gesture meant to her, he said.
“We read every comment card, and it’s amazing the little things the staff does to make it a good experience,” he added, joking that they make him look good and he just serves as the figurehead.
In addition to the outstanding employees, Tarbutton attributes the award to Chetola’s involvement in the community. “We stay active in our community because we’re a part of it,” he said.
Their continual additions to the resort—such as the 150-seat reception facility for banquets and gatherings that was finished earlier this month—also contributed to them winning the award.
“We stay active in our community because we’re a part of it,” Tarbutton said.
The first recorded owner of the property was Lot Estes, who built a family home not long after the Civil War.
During the property’s “golden age,” owner Luther Snyder, who operated Coca-Cola bottling plants in and around Charlotte, expanded upon the estate in the 1920s. Snyder built the dam and the stone wall in the middle of the Great Depression, Tarbutton said.
“Lots of people left their mark here,” he added. “I’m just glad to be one of them.”
For more information on the resort’s history, click to www.chetola.com.
Tarbutton said he appreciates the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce creating the Business of the Year award and their dedication to looking at all the businesses each year and notifying the winner. “I give a hats off to the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce,” he said.
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