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Cobblestone Hotel open
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Keep your eyes wide open and ye shall see the dramatic emergence of one of the great small town success stories in the recent history of America.
I'm talking about the blossoming in the Golden Plains of America of the Cobblestone Hotels & Suites.
Almost overnight, it seems, luxurious new Cobblestone lodging facilities have arisen in Oberlin, Kansas, and Cambridge and McCook, Nebraska.
What's going on, anyway? The regional manager for this part of America, Jennifer Conrad of Sutherland, Nebraska, tells the story.
"It all started with one man, our founder, Brian Wogernese of Neenah, Wisconsin. "Having worked in the lodging industry, but having lived in and loved small towns, Brian decided it was time to bring a philosophy to the industry which is now our motto: 'Big City Quality ... Small Town Values."
Since starting in 2008, Cobblestone Hotels & Suites have quickly spread across the national landscape, with 81 hotels & suites now open and 50 under development in 16 states.
The latest jewel in the Cobblestone crown is the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites lodging complex at 1301 North Highway 83 in McCook.
Since the new lodge's soft opening and quick roll-out on June 30th, the Cobblestone of McCook has already assembled a 10-person staff and housed hundreds of guests.
"We are already so very, very blessed," says Natalie Alred, the newly named general manager of the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites of McCook. "It's great to join McCook and the surrounding region in the quest to make the Golden Plains a destination for tourists and regional and state-wide meetings," she said.
Alred, a long-time coach and college instructor, says she is excited about her new career in the lodging industry. "I couldn't have picked a better company. Cobblestone's mission coincides with mine: to bring quality and value to everything we do."
Still assembling the staff, the general manager and the regional manager have hired ten staffers to date, including front desk personnel, night auditors and housekeeping team members. "We still are looking for maintenance people and hope to level off at about a dozen employees for the McCook operation," said Conrad, the regional manager.
The impressive McCook facility, which stands along a growing series of enterprises on the North 83 corridor, is predominantly beige in color, with accents of blue and green. There are a total of 54 rooms, of which more than half are suites, Conrad said.
In this region, as the regional manager, Conrad oversees hotels & suites in McCook, Cambridge and Ord in Nebraska; Oberlin, Quinter and Lakin in Kansas; and Eaton, Kersey, Holyoke, Wray and Eads in Colorado.
"It's hard to guess what will come next," Conrad said. "Cobblestone is discovering that there's a wide world of opportunity in Small Town, America."