(DALLAS-FORT WORTH) April 18, 2007 - Bearfire Resorts LLC. is elated to announce the most recent developments in its audacious plan to deliver world-class skiing to Texas year-round.
New location, new name, bold new concept
After careful consideration, the company has decided to shift its plans for a winter-themed entertainment destination from Dallas to Fort Worth, TX. Bearfire Resorts LLC. executives feel they have found an ideal location in a large piece of property situated midway between the Dallas and Fort Worth airports.
Along with the move comes an important change in the entertainment concept. Formerly envisioned as a theme park using the working name "Coolzone Winterplex," the new project will be known as the "Bearfire Resort" and will feature ski slopes spread over a total skiable area of an unbelievable 650,000 square feet. Additionally, Bearfire Resort will include a 600-room hotel, a convention center, and a world-class spa at the base of the ski mountain.
Bearfire's year-round winter theme will be made possible due to a virtual ski surface technology called Snowflex created by Brian Thomas of Briton Engineering in the U.K. and currently used successfully at more than 30 locations in Europe. When complete, Bearfire Resort will be six times larger than any existing Snowflex facility in the world.
"We are ecstatic to be leading the charge to provide such an unprecedented entertainment experience in such a seemingly improbable place," said Charlie Aaron, president of Bearfire Resorts LLC. "It gives the team a thrill to think that in just a few years, we will have made possible the scenario in which people book their year-round ski vacations to Texas."
What a ski resort in Texas will look like
Bearfire Resort will bring the charm and sport of an alpine skiing village to the heart of Texas. The resort's main attraction will be its outdoor ski and snowboard mountain, complete with ski runs, chair lifts, competition half-pipes, toboggans, snow tubing, and ski caves. Fun for families will include ice rinks, rides, a snowy winter wonder-park for children, an outdoor concert venue, and opportunities for rock climbing. To appeal to the less athletically inclined -- or the merely pleasantly exhausted -- Bearfire also will offer several retail and fine dining experiences.
When complete, this man-made mountain range will rank among the world's largest buildings, so of course it is no surprise that this project is unfolding in Texas, the land where everything is bigger and better. The addition of the world class hotel and spa, larger ski slopes, a retail village and other new amenities to the master plan will no doubt enhance the overall guest experience and make Bearfire Resort a must-visit destination for families, vacationers, and corporate events.
Investing in the dream
A highly committed group of individual and corporate investors will provide the funding necessary to transform Bearfire Resort from schematic drawings to reality.
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is an advisor to the project and assists in identifying equity investors.
"Not only will Bearfire Resort be a huge economic boost to North Texas, but its innovative approach may prove to be a trendsetter for other cities around the country looking for ways to spur their local economies," said Armey.
Wendell, Gene, and Evan Jacobson of The Jacobson Group of Management Solutions Inc. (MSI) will oversee the financing aspect of the Bearfire Resort including the organizing of the debt instruments and the equity funding. The Jacobsons have nearly 30 years of history in the Texas real estate market and are experienced in putting together large real estate transactions. MSI, one of their property management companies, has corporate offices in Dallas and in Utah.
"The Jacobson Group of MSI has a long history of investing in Texas," explained MSI partner Wendell Jacobson. "It seemed fitting that we would become part of a revolutionary project that will introduce a new concept in entertainment to Texas, the country and the world."
The team that will make it happen
Based in the North Dallas area of Texas, Bearfire Resorts LLC. was formed in late 2004 with the mission of bringing year-round winter-themed outdoor entertainment to Texas. Since that time the company has gathered to its project team a group of individuals and businesses collectively representing more than 200 years of leisure entertainment experience. Bearfire Resorts, LLC will be directly involved with the daily oversight of the planned Bearfire project, interfacing with all disciplines to bring the resort to fruition.
One of the goals of the Bearfire Resort project is to ensure that it is built and operated utiliziing environmentally friendly and natural resource-conserving technologies. Bearfire's website is http://www.bearfireresorts.com/.
The Bearfire Resort master plan, developed by Greg Damron Design, is the foundation from which the project will move forward.
Baker Leisure Group, the company behind such high-profile venues as Coca-Cola's Olympic City at the 1996 Centennial Games in Atlanta, GA, and Al Shallal, the largest theme park in the Middle East, developed the feasibility study and business plan for Bearfire Resort and will provide operational consulting and management for the project.
The project manager for Bearfire Resort will be McGillivray Consulting Group (MCG), specialists in themed entertainment, attraction, and hospitality projects. MCG provides project, cost, and construction management services to both public and private clients worldwide. With over 200 projects completed globally, clients include the majority of major entertainment, gaming and hospitality companies. MCG has provided services on projects with budgets ranging from under $1 million to more than $5 billion.
The project team benefits from the addition of Utah's Park City Olympic Parks Director Rex Dabling.
"I am a complete supporter of the concept and design." said Dabling, "I believe it will be an absolutely fabulous sports and recreation venue. I look forward to lending my experience in the ski and sport industry towards the final product."
What's next
"Bearfire Resort is an unprecedented project that will be a wonderful complement to an already booming part of our great city," said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. "We are very proud of what we've accomplished in north Fort Worth. The Alliance developments have far exceeded our expectations, the Texas Motor Speedway has been a terrific success, and Cabela's was another significant win for Fort Worth. Bearfire Resort will be yet another outstanding entertainment venue for Fort Worth residents and visitors."
Several key elements related to design and funding now in place, Bearfire Resorts LLC. expects to be in a position make an announcement regarding the resort's new grand opening date in the next few months.
Looking even further into the future, the company also has plans for additional locations domestically and internationally upon the successful completion of the Fort Worth Bearfire Resort.
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Jeannine Schechter, Fresh PR, 4134 Del Rey Ave., Marina del Rey, CA, 90292, 310.482.3461, F 310.482.3463
