A Good Night’s Rest: Motel Bear Lake Makes Profitable Use of Grant
Motel Bear Lake, a retro 1960’s-modern motel for humans and pets in northern Michigan, is turning a $4,500 grant into $40,000 in annual savings by doing something that people seem to love or hate: the wash.
In this case, it’s a full load, twenty rooms that include 30 king and queen beds.
Kendall McIntyre, motel Operations Manager, joined with owner Marta Turnbull and fellow team members to put the grant to work, buying two commercial washing machines, two commercial dryers and fresh linens and organizing and painting storage space.
“We were able to pull our entire cleaning business in- house and do the work ourselves without increasing operating expenses,” says McIntyre. “It’s how we do things – we know the job and we all jump in as needed to see that work gets done in the same way every time. In this case we know our guests are looking forward to the comfort of premium linens that support a rejuvenating, comforting rest. It’s what our guests expect.”
Operations Manager Kendall McIntyre amid the “goods” in the laundry room and taking a well-deserved break on the patio — Venture North President, Laura Galbraith, with Motel Bear Lake staff Liz Wander and Kendall McIntyre, engaging in the never-ending quest for fresh towels — A To-Do list/poster in the office helps inspire/remind the team of their 2025 goals.
20Fathoms, a Traverse City nonprofit hub created to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurs, announced in December 2024 that Motel Bear Lake was one of ten northern Michigan small businesses to receive a $4,500 grant through a highly competitive process. The grant program was the result of partnership involving 20Fathoms, the Michigan Small Business Development Center, the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, Traverse Connect and Venture North.
“The impact of the grant to Motel Bear Lake was exactly what we hoped to achieve,” said Delaney Keating, Director of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization for 20Fathoms. “They reduced operating costs, leveraged productivity and continued to build their business and customer experience through teamwork and capacity building. Perfect!”
“We are proud of what has been done since Marta bought the business three years ago,” said McIntyre. “We have nurtured and rebuilt the unique retro-feel of the motel while introducing modern systems and technology – from making reservations to ensuring safety and security. We’ve also been trained on everything to guarantee a consistently superior guest experience.”
“It’s a terrific example of what can be done when people work together with common missions in mind,” said Laura Galbraith, President of Venture North. “We were glad to provide our processes for awarding grants to businesses as part of this partnership. And Motel Bear Lake is a showcase of entrepreneurial success.”
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