Success Story: Planning
Combining Business and Relaxation
Celebrating Success
June 2005
Sisters' FivePine focuses on business and relaxation with new 15-acre site to integrate spa, conference center and lodging
Work began in earnest this week on the first conference center in Sisters, part of a larger project that developers hope will bring a new group of visitors to the Western-themed city. Construction crews are framing the 7,600-square-foot conference center and have begun a 12,000-square-foot, eight-room lodge and 23 small cottages on the 15-acre site known as FivePine on Sisters' eastern edge. The buildings, slated for completion in early 2007, are part of a larger campus that already includes the Sisters Athletic Club, Shibui Spa and Sisters Movie House. FivePine also plans to add shops, a restaurant and a cafe to complete the project, which is enveloped by thick stands of ponderosa pine.
The developer of the $14 million project aims to attract visitors for wellness and relaxation and to diversify the local economy. Developer Bill Willitts said FivePine will support both of Sisters' main industries: construction and tourism. "The project can only add to the city's diversity," he said. "Instead of being a drive-through town where visitors stop for the day, FivePine will give them a reason to stop and stay longer." Willitts envisioned the idea of a destination fitness and spa resort when he visited Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, with his wife, Zoe, 20 years ago. A successful California businessman, he moved to Sisters to create a health-oriented retreat.
The conference center taps into Central Oregon's thriving tourism market, said Mark Yoakum, general manager of FivePine. He doesn't anticipate it will draw business from other regional conference centers. FivePine will focus on being unique to Sisters.
"Visitors have already identified us as a cute little Western town and they come here for that," Yoakum said. "FivePine will increase the number of things they can do when they're here and give them the option to stay a while." The retreat will focus on relaxation and health, including nature hikes, creative arts and leisure. "We'll be able to integrate programs into what the galleries are doing as well as other events in town" he said.
Yoakum also anticipates that local business development could increase. "Businesses will hold their company retreats here and they'll yearn for the area full-time," he predicted. "We'll put them in touch with the right people" and try to entice them to locate their businesses in one of the city's new industrial parks, he added. Light industrial developments under way in Sisters include the Sun Ranch and Three Sisters business parks.
Local retail businesses in the area stand to benefit, too, according to Cheryl Mills, executive director of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. "Until FivePine opens, there won't be a conference or group facility in Sisters to draw business visitors," she said. "All businesses, including hotels, will benefit from the business that convention attendees will provide."
FivePine will adhere to the city's 1880s-style architecture by including stone and wood into buildings' facades. Metal work by a local metal forge also is planned. Construction crews have been careful to protect trees on the site, too. Small, intimate cottages and loft-style lodges will house small corporate retreats, weddings or private parties, Yoakum said.
Five Pine Manager, Mark Yoakum, participates in COCC’s Small Business Management program run through the Business Development Center.
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