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Wednesday, July 5, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
FivePine celebrates 10th anniversary Lawmaker may try
derailing new tax
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
The inspiration came from
Rancho la Puerta, a resort spa
in Tecate, Mexico.
Bill and Zoe Willitts
thought they could cre-
ate something special on a
15-acre property at the east
end of Sisters that would
emulate the qualities of that
legendary retreat.
“You disconnect from the
world and you reconnect with
yourself or your partner,” Zoe
reflected. “The concept was a
quiet place to find yourself —
that was it.”
That concept became a
reality called FivePine —
a campus centered around
Shibui Spa and FivePine
Lodge — which has just
marked its 10th anniversary.
The dream evolved slowly.
Zoe started her massage busi-
ness in a garage on the prop-
erty, before Shibui Spa was
built.
“I feel like it’s the soul
of the property,” Zoe said of
Shibui, where locals and visi-
tors alike avail themselves
of a variety of massage and
spa treatments and special
programs.
The campus also features
Sisters Athletic Club, Sisters
Movie House, Three Creeks
Brewing Co. and a suite of
professional offices.
“The campus works so
well, and all the businesses
(are complementary),” Zoe
said.
Lodging on the cam-
pus is in 36 cabins created
with serenity and reconnec-
tion in mind. And there is
the lodge itself. The lodging
concept originated in a post-
college hiking excursion by
Bill and his son Greg in the
Swiss Alps. They appreci-
ated the communal space and
the human connection at the
By Kristena Hansen
Associated Press
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Bill and Zoe Willitts founded FivePine a decade ago. Their son Greg Wil-
litts operates the 15-acre campus.
center of that European lodg-
ing tradition. People talk to
each other, share experiences
and tips on where to hike or
ride.
“The most valuable part
of the experience is the
human experience,” said Bill.
“You’re part of the family for
the stay.”
Greg came on board when
Bill was going through a
health crisis. There wasn’t a
plan of succession.
“It was blind to that
point,” he said. “There was
no intention.”
But Greg has become
deeply embedded in the
day-to-day operation of the
lodge and the construction of
new cabins. He manages 40
employees and seeks to incul-
cate a cardinal rule: the guest
experience comes first, last
and always.
And, he says, that princi-
ple “is actually pretty easy to
follow, too.”
The operation itself hasn’t
always been easy. FivePine
has weathered the Great
Recession and battled through
the toughest winter in recent
memory. And through it, the
family has worked together.
“It keeps getting better,
I would say,” Zoe told The
Nugget. “The relationships
just keep getting better and
we’re resilient.”
The tough times are offset
by the rewards of realizing a
dream.
“In the end, whatever hap-
pens, you’ve shared some
rewards together,” Bill said.
Bill and Zoe have been
married for 51 years, and, as
Zoe says, they’re “still run-
ning, hiking and dreaming.”
Zoe is still doing massage.
“I hope to always be doing
that,” she said. “Because I
love it.”
And Bill is still the vision-
ary, the man with an idea of
what could be.
And though Greg would
like to see to it that his par-
ent can “enjoy living here as
opposed to working here,”
it seems likely that any
slowdown will be, at most,
incremental.
“There’s no pedestal, no
finish line, no quite place,”
Bill said.
For information visit
www.fivepinelodge.com.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) —
Republican Rep. Julie Parrish
says she’s launching a state-
wide effort to derail a critical
$670 million healthcare tax
approved last month to fund
Medicaid.
Parrish confirmed her
plans this week to challenge
House Bill 2391, a tax pack-
age on health insurers and
providers that was approved
by the Oregon Legislature a
week ago to sustain health
coverage for more than
350,000 local Medicaid
expansion recipients.
The bill is supposed
to kick-in within the next
three months. But as soon
as Democratic Gov. Kate
Brown signs it Parrish —
one of the bill’s most vocal
critics due to its likely cost-
shifts to patients during a
still-unfolding controversy
over Medicaid eligibility at
the Oregon Health Authority
— says she’ll file initial
paperwork to challenge the
bill.
If she successfully gathers
more than 58,000 signatures
within that 90-day window,
the fate of some Medicaid
recipients’ healthcare could
be tossed back into limbo
until voters have the final say
next year.
Three Sisters Lions Club
8th Annual
YARD SALE
Fri & Sat, July 14-15, 9 am-5 pm
Sunday, July 16, 9 am-2 pm
West end of Main Avenue, next to
Bright Spot Juice & Java and Sisters Car Wash
— Questions, call 541-419-1279 or 541-410-6831 —
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