January 29, 2014 at 3:23 p.m.
New GM at Black Bear Lodge hoping to bring young crowd to the Northwoods
New GM at Black Bear Lodge hoping to bring young crowd to the Northwoods
Barbian, 26, said he's got a lot on his mind when it comes to his goals for the resort but, first and foremost, he needs to learn the ins and outs of the position before he starts making changes.
"First, I want to learn a lot. This is my first GM position - I've had a couple other management positions in hotels before - but this is my first big, big position, so learning is a big one," Barbian said.
"Other than that, I'm looking to bring in new customers while retaining the customers that we have."
In terms of new customers, Barbian said he is hoping to attract a younger crowd to the Northwoods.
"I've noticed over the last couple of years that a lot of my friends that are my age have been choosing to travel elsewhere rather than coming up north to northern Wisconsin, so one of my big targets is to try and bring the younger market back up here to the Northwoods," Barbian said.
To accomplish that goal, Barbian said he's hoping to start incorporating some packages and specials geared toward a younger demographic.
"We're going to start doing some specials and putting some packages together that might appeal to a little bit of a younger crowd," Barbian said.
That doesn't mean that Barbian wants the Black Bear to become solely a young-crowd hot spot. He said the lodge will still cater to the demographic that has always brought it success.
"We absolutely love to have our guests come back every year. We have some that have been coming and staying with us for over 20 years and they love to come up here," Barbian said.
"We're just going to keep doing the same things that we have been that have worked for us in the past to keep them here."
Barbian said his previous experience, especially his time spent with the Wilderness Lodge in Wisconsin Dells, should come in handy as he settles in at the Black Bear. Many see the Northwoods as a more natural version of the Dells, with lakes and nature as opposed to water parks, and Barbian said he would be able to use that experience now that he's working in Wisconsin's all-natural water park.
"It was a pleasure to work there and I loved every minute of it. I've worked multiple jobs there ... and from what I've seen, we get clients from the same area. A lot of the business, I've learned, comes from Chicago or is Illinois-based, which is what we had a lot of in the Dells, so I have already had experience with customers from there," Barbian said.
"That's going to be one of the big things. I've already had experience with it, but in the Dells, everything was very quick, very on-your-toes which taught me a lot when I was down there that I'll be able to use up here."
For more information on the Black Bear Lodge and what it offers, visit www.blackbearlodge.com.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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