The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort: Named Sauk County 2008 Large Business of the Year

The Sauk County Development Corporation (SCDC) is pleased to announce the selection of, The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort located in Village of Lake Delton, as the 2008 Large Businesses of the Year. Other winners in the competition where Four Elements Herbals, located in the Town of Freedom, as the 2008 Small Business of the Year, and St. Clare Hospital & Health Services, located in Baraboo and Lake Delton, and Wisconsin Dells as the 2008 Non-Profit Business of the Year.

This is the seventeenth year that SCDC has sponsored the Businesses of the Year competition. “Our 2008 Small, Large and Non-Profit Business winners are all home-grown businesses that showcase the very best of what Sauk County has to offer,” said Karna Hanna, Executive Director of the Sauk County Development Corporation. “The employees of all three of the corporations that we are honoring have worked long hours to make their organizations successful, while always generously remembering and giving back to their communities.”

The winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by the Sauk County Development Corporation Board of Directors. The celebration will take place starting at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2009, at The Wilderness Hotel in Lake Delton.

Since its creation in 1995, The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort has grown from 75 rooms and a 35,000 square foot water park to a property that features 444 guest rooms, 40 Vacation Villas, 76 Frontier condominiums and 35 Cabins & Retreats which are all part of Wilderness Territory. This 60 acre property also is home to Wilderness on the Lake and Glacier Canyon Lodge. Combined, these three properties offer four indoor and three outdoor waterparks that total over 12 football fields of water fun – making it America’s Largest Waterpark Resort. The Territory is also home to the new Wild Rock Golf Club and which was recently named as the #5 best new courses in America for 2008 by Golf Magazine.

The Wilderness Resort employs approximately 1,500 employees during the summer and 750 during the off season. Approximates 550 employees reside in Sauk County. The Wilderness Territory is a major tourist destination in the Midwest bringing in approximately 1.5 million guests. Through payroll and patrons, the business is a major contributor to the Sauk County economy. In 2008, Wilderness Territory also doubled the size of the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center bringing the space up to 55,661 square feet and allowing for the attraction of larger meetings and conventions.

The Wilderness Territory also believes strongly in giving back to the community and this year was no exception. When devastating rains struck the region in June, Wilderness officials created a Family Fun Day to benefit the victims of this terrible flooding. In day, the resort raised over $23,500 helping many in the region. The Wilderness also purchased $100,000 of Tommy Bartlett Show tickets in a show of support for one of businesses that was most impacted by the floods and passed the tickets out to Wilderness Territory Guests free of charge.

The Wilderness Territory regularly provides discount certificates for all area non-profits to use as fundraisers and has a special school fundraiser program. In 2008 Wilderness Resort donated over $20,000 to various deserving organizations. The Wilderness Territory also sponsors local youth teams, supports the local fire department, helps to sponsor the local Wozawa Festival, and partners with Christmas Mountain and Trappers Turn to run a Junior Golf program for area children.