The McCreery House transitioned from owner, Linda Stotz, to new owner, Julie Marsh, on Friday, March 17, 2017. The transition is going smooth as silk. Linda will be helping Julie to “learn the ropes” through the end of the year. There is quite a bit to learn with the bed and breakfast; also serving as a well-known wedding and event venue. Linda has events booked out until October, 2017 and will be at each of those events to support Julie.
I visited with Julie and Linda as they were updating information at the Loveland Chamber of Commerce for the transfer of the business. Linda is quite happy that the right person came along to take over the business that she has poured her heart and soul into. If I hadn’t known each of the women I would have sworn they were related. You can see they already have great affection for each other.
Julie grew up in Berthoud and has lived in Loveland, CO since 2001. She was an Interior Design student, graduating from CSU. Julie worked at Loveland Design for 22 years doing custom residential restoration, project management and estimating. All these skills will help her in her new endeavor.
I asked Julie what motivated her to purchase McCreery House. She said, “It has always been a dream of mine to do a wedding venue business.” And then she told me a sweet story about the details of the journey getting to that point of purchase.
Julie and her husband, Chris, took a road trip about a year ago, traveling to Florida. She had never stayed in a B & B before and ended up staying in two during this trip. Upon leaving one of the B & B’s in Savannah, GA, she turned to her husband and said, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could own a B & B.” Nothing came of that conversation, it was just a thought in her mind.
Last summer, Julie began doing research on starting a business. She didn’t have a clear direction on what that business would be. A friend of hers, Carolyn, introduced her to Linda Stotz. Julie had no idea that Linda was interested in selling her business. As Linda and Julie started talking, they both realized that this was truly a match made in heaven.
Julie has jumped into her new business with both feet. There are events lined up and so many details to navigate with the transition. Although Chris may be a silent partner, he is there supporting Julie 100%.
The Loveland Business Development Center wishes you all the best as you grow your business. We have full confidence that McCreery House will continue to be a success with you at the helm. It is so evident that you have the passion and desire for running this type of business.
