On Monday, July 27, 2020 at 1:02:15 PM UTC-4, Christopher Schrader wrote:
Maybe the Owner should try to sell the assets and a reasonable degree of goodwill to a consortium at fair market value? If you can't afford to own it outright maybe you shouldn't control it or propose an impasse.

As a Florida Native I would hate to see this gliderport close its doors and become another sleepy airport community (unless it were a gliding community open to visitors).

- Chris Schrader

The key is finding a consortium willing to buy the property and business. In an economy such as the one we are now facing there is less disposable income and therefore less participation in many endeavors, soaring and gliding being among them. Any real attempt at selling part or all of SLGP will need to wait until the economy comes back unless one is willing to sell at a significantly depressed price.

What really confused me during my several years participating as a student, a rental pilot, a volunteer hooking up and launching gliders and later 2 years and 8 months as tow pilot was a lack of any significant attempt at marketing the business. I lived in Orlando for 30 years before I heard of SLGP and that was by accident. With the exception of Mihai's oldest daughter who seemed to at least attempt to market the facility locally I saw little else done. Yes, they have an ad in Soaring Magazine and a web site, passive at best. Having done rotations in the marketing department of a multibillion dollar, multinational corporation (25 years at Novartis) I learned the importance of knowing your target audience and how to influence them. It doesn't matter how big or small your company is, without marketing you will be floundering. I identified 3 target audiences that could have been exploited but this fell on deaf ears. Sure, it would have taken a few bucks but no bucks, no Buck Rogers. The helicopter flight school I attend constantly advertises their rides and school on a local TV channel and it is quite effective. The owner has an MBA, go figure.

Walt