A company based in St. Cloud, Minnesota has been selected to manage the new Honey Creek Resort State Park at Rathbun Lake in south-central Iowa. Iowa DNR Project Administrator Terry Montgomery says Central Group Companies has 17 years of experience in resort management.
He says Central Group manages several Cabela’s resorts in the midwest. The company will oversee Honey Creek’s 105-room lodge, restaurant, indoor water park, convention center, and golf course. "They’re going to get paid a fixed fee that’s going to be approximately four percent of the revenues from the park," Montgomery says.
Central Group Companies replace Regency Hotel Management of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after that company and the Iowa DNR failed to reach an agreement. Montgomery says Central Group will be hiring workers from Appanoose, Monroe and surrounding counties.
He expects around 130 employees will be needed during peak seasons. Montgomery says the Honey Creek lodge is currently under construction and the golf course is nearly done. The $50 million resort will open sometime next summer and will eventually include cabins and a bridge linking the resort to the state park.