PleasureLand RV Outlet is employing two employees who transferred from St. Cloud and is in the process of filling five to six more positions at its new site off Highway 371 North by Acorn landscaping.
Dan Pearson, president of the St. Cloud-based PleasureLand RV Center, said the company is still interviewing and beyond the seven to eight full-time jobs will be hiring seasonal employees.
PleasureLand will carry what the company describes as a full selection of park trailers, travel trailers, fifth wheels, truck campers and folding trailers. The selection includes new and used vehicles. Customers may also rent travel trailers.
Pearson said the move to the Brainerd area came after about seven years of researching the market. Then the recession hit and business expansions plans were put on hold, including PleasureLand’s move to the lakes area. But Pearson said a manufacturing increase was seen in the industry last year, boding well for the travel trailer market’s post recession recovery.
“We wanted to make our presence here at the beginning of the recovery,” Pearson said. “I think a lot of industries are going to see it next.
“Recreation is Minnesota’s lifeblood and we are feeling strong with the things we saw last summer and double-digit increase in our sales.”
This is PleasureLand’s 40th year in St. Cloud. Along with Brainerd, the family-owned company added an outlet in Willmar. The company also has PleasureLand RV Center-North Metro in Ramsey.
At the Brainerd outlet, the inventory is limited to towable trailers. PleasureLand opened Feb. 1 but isn’t fully staffed yet.
“We’ll be able to expand as we go,” Pearson said. “We’ve looked at this market for a long time. If the market hadn’t hiccuped a few years ago, we would have been there long ago. It’s a good market.”
Pearson said there are good dealerships already here. Lewie’s RV center, a long-time area business, is also on Highway 371 across from Book World.
“I think all we’ll do is simply complement each other,” Pearson said.
GameStop, a national chain store with new and used video games, will be opening soon in the North Pointe Centre by Kuepers Inc.
Kuepers shrunk its office space in the North Pointe Centre and is creating room for GameStop on the north end and Pizza Ranch in the center. Computer One Plus and Buffalo Wild Wings are at the other end of the commercial building, which is off Edgewood Drive along Highway 371 North in Baxter.
Denny Hecker’s Crosslake compound has a new owner as of this winter. It wasn’t exactly a fire sale, but if you had more than a few coins in the bank, the property may have looked like a pretty good deal. Hecker was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Friday on fraud charges.
In May 2010, a foreclosure sale had Hecker’s property going for $7.01 million to TCF National Bank. This winter, Cross Lake Holding, a Minnesota limited liability company based in Eagan, purchased the Crosslake mansion compound — a main house and two guest houses — for $5.4 million.
The estimated market value for all three properties, buildings and land, is $11,808,800, according to 2010 Crow Wing County tax records. The latest property sale documents, filed with the Crow Wing County Recorder’s office note the tax statement should go to Carrie Hart, Cross Lake Holding.
Hecker, the former auto mogul, who had the Toyota dealership in Baxter that later became Lake County Toyota, declared bankruptcy in 2009. Hecker tried to list his Crosslake vacation residence as his main home to save it from the foreclosure, but the court disagreed. Last summer, TCF National Bank also agreed to pay $70,000 for Hecker’s personal property inside the Crosslake mansion.
Hecker’s property included a life-size Elvis Presley statue, a Harley-Davidson jukebox, a Waterford wine opener and numbered Jack Nicklaus golf clubs. Those items were with the expected furniture, TVs, exercise equipment, artwork, pool tables, pinball machines one might expect in a lakeside mansion where money was once not an issue.
The Associated Press reported before his very public fall, Hecker was one of Minnesota’s largest auto dealers, at one point claiming a reported $6.8 billion in annual auto sales and service.
“As recently as 2008, he owned 26 dealerships as well as leasing and fleet businesses, a mortgage brokerage business, Advantage Rent A Car, and multiple real estate and restaurant holdings,” The AP reported. “Hecker lived the high life, with a 52-foot yacht and private jet, fancy cars and multimillion-dollar homes. He traveled to luxurious destinations, hit Las Vegas casinos, and bought furs, jewelry and other extravagant gifts for friends.”
When Hecker filed for bankruptcy, he claimed $787 million in debt and $18.5 million in assets.
Fantastic Sams is opening a salon at 516 C Street in Brainerd in March with expectations to hire eight to 10 people. The owners operate Fantastic Sams in Baxter, Alexandria and Bemidji.
The Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport was the scene for a homecoming this past week as three soldiers returned home from Afghanistan for a 16-day leave.
Crow Wing County had 27 sheriff’s certificates, or foreclosure sales, filed in January as compared to 36 in January of 2010 and 21 in January of 2009.
The Notices of Pendency, meaning a foreclosure sale is pending, for January were 40 as compared to 51 in January of 2010 and 60 in January of 2009.
The Minnesota Home Ownership Center released its full report on foreclosures in the state Thursday. In its report, it lists 25,673 foreclosures in Minnesota in 2010, an increase of 11 percent from 2009 and the second highest year for foreclosures on record.
“Even with the slowdown in the number of foreclosure sales that were completed in the fourth quarter, the number of Minnesota families losing their home to foreclosure in 2010 was still four to five times higher than what we saw before the start of the crisis,” said Julie Gugin, Minnesota Home Ownership Center executive director, in a news release. “We know lenders slowed their pace of foreclosures at the end of 2010 while they worked out their legal and paperwork related issues. In 2011, unless we see a dramatic improvement in the state’s economic conditions, we’ll continue to see elevated numbers of foreclosures.”
Greater Minnesota experienced an increase in the rate of foreclosure sales — up 16 percent — with 9,884 in 2010 compared to 8,560 in 2009. The metro had a 9 percent increase — up from 14,532 in 2009 to 15,779 in 2010.
The Sears store in Little Falls, 210 S.E. First St., has new owners in Dan and Nancy Drilling, the Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce reported. The Drillings are originally from Long Prairie and have experience in retail sales and service. Julie Wellen is the store manager.
Speer Chiropractic, operated by Brett Speer, doctor of chiropractic, moved its office to 114 N.E. First Street in Little Falls. Kim Johnson is the manager. The business treats all ages and has a focus on sports related injuries.
Great River Arts Association, Little Falls, has a new executive director in Cynthia French. Originally from California, French has a master’s of fine arts in writing from Hamlin University. Previously, French was the National Poetry Slam event coordinator, a self-employed artist and teacher, events manager for Cara Irish Pubs and Hamlin University assistant director of admissions.
RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
