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Eight years ago, George Robbins called Fenwick home. But after escaping the rat race of Niagara Falls into the wilds of Markstay, just outside of Sudbury, he’s not returning any day soon.
“I wouldn’t go back—not a chance,” laughed Robbins, owner of the Sportsman’s Lodge. “It’s a way different lifestyle. Here, you’re working, but you’re playing as well.”
A mechanic by trade, Robbins was newly retired in 2001 and looking for a change in lifestyle when he found the lodge for sale online.
He had spent a few weeks every year vacationing in Northern Ontario and decided he’d like to buy a “little resort” here to while away his retirement years.
The Sportsman’s Lodge is actually one of the larger facilities on Kukagami Lake. In operation since the 1940s, it was severely run down when Robbins purchased it, and he spent his first four years there renovating, hauling garbage out by the truckload.
Today, the rustic charm of the original facility shines through, and it’s attracting a good crowd of corporate clients looking for a private, quiet place to do business. Located a 45-minute drive east of Sudbury along Highway 17, the serene, 5.3-acre property is positioned on more than 1,500 feet of waterfront. Buildings include a series of wooden cabins, along with the main lodge, which includes the dining room and a large meeting and conference room that opens up onto an outdoor patio overlooking the lake for a total of 1,500 square feet of open space.
The lodge can accommodate up to 80 people, while the meeting and dining rooms each have a capacity of 100.
Its close location to the city makes the lodge convenient enough that it’s not too far a drive, but still far enough that visitors can leave the pressures of the city behind.
“It’s just a unique atmosphere for companies,” Robbins said. “The atmosphere here fosters communication here between people, just because of the type of facility it is. They let their guard down and they’re more relaxed. They have to be; it’s not like they can just jump in the car and go down the street or go home, because it’s 45 minutes from home.”
Groups looking for team-building activities have access to canoeing, hiking, fishing, boating and bonfires at night. And, with its own chefs on staff, the lodge supplies all meals and snacks throughout the day, freshly made on site. Robbins has even been known to don the chef ’s hat on occasion to help out in the kitchen.
The lodge has full wireless Internet access, but cell coverage is only good “in certain spots, at certain times of the day,” said Robbins, who’s happy to tailor the visit to the needs of the client. Many companies combine activities during their stay, conducting business on the first two days, and hosting a year-end staff party on the third.
“Most like it because if you do it in town, once the meeting’s over, everybody goes back to their individual rooms,” Robbins said. “Now, they have that here, but it’s much more of a group setting, so it creates more interaction between employees.”
When not hosting corporate retreats and business meetings, Robbins’ main clientele is comprised of snowmobilers, who stop over in the wintertime to take advantage of the kilometres of pristine trails that lead visitors on multi-day trips to Cochrane and the Abitibi Canyon, or on day trips up to Shining Tree. Open year-round, the lodge offers comfortable accommodations with a variety of activities to suit the season.
In the past, Robbins has hosted clients from industry, the education sector, and the private sector. Most come for an average of two or three days, and several have become repeat customers, returning year after year. “We don’t get many complaints,” Robbins smiled.
