New business gives back

By Susan Hofforth

Dan and Franni Welter bought the Admiral Inn in February renaming it Whitecourt Conference Centre & Suites. They have been busy renovating and upgrading it to ensure it becomes an integral and important part of the downtown core.

Dan was born in Saskatchewan where he owned a few different hotels before relocating to Fort Saskatchewan in 1992. Franni was born and grew up in Fort Saskatchewan where the majority of their six children and grandchildren still reside. Their last hotel was in Big Valley where Dan worked closely with the community organizing and holding fundraisers to support the needs of the local minor sports association, school, and the historic society.

Although they have only been in Whitecourt a short time, they are already gearing up for their first charity fundraiser. This event will be a dinner, dance, and silent auction to be held on May 22. Working on behalf of the community is important for both of them. “We have been blessed with healthy children and grandchildren. We have been very fortunate,” said Dan. “Since we are the lucky ones, we want to give back to the world around us.” Both Dan and Franni have a passion to help people and always start with the needs directly surrounding the community they do business in.

Most of the renovations on the hotel should be finished in the next two weeks. The Whitecourt Conference Centre & Suites is a full service hotel with a good variety of 74 large rooms, a ballroom for up to 300 people, three conference rooms which can accommodate 80 people, a liquor store, and The Legends Bar & Grill restaurant and lounge. The kitchen has the capacity to feed up to 1,200 people. The lounge will serve a hot breakfast buffet for guests of the hotel and will also make bagged lunches available for their guests. You can view a sneak peak of the upgrades and the menu on the website at www.whitecourtccsuites.com.

A great deal of renovating is going towards turning the lounge into a sports bar. When it is completed, the new sports bar, The Legends Bar and Grill, will feature memorabilia from many different sports legends, 16 big-screen TVs, a full wall projection TV, and an eight-well draft beer system.

The fundraiser for Tennille’s Hope will be held on May 22 and is set to be something special. A dinner, dance, and live auction is planned with entertainment by Doug and the Slugs, and local group Joe Public to open. The event will be emceed by Gary Myer, president of the Edmonton Oilers Alumni Association. There will be an amazing variety of items available for both live and silent auction including memorabilia from the Oilers and other sports memorabilia. Ticket information will be available soon.

The highlight of the auction is the 1972 Summit Series Hockey Card Collection. All are autographed. Dan says there are only two of these in existence and the other one is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The other prize on the auction block are Nascar packages. This includes the chance to drive a Nascar, flights to anywhere the Nascar races are held in the US, and accommodation.

Helping out in the community where they live and work is very important to Dan and Franni Welter. They are definitely open to being a part of any upcoming events. “If you are looking to put on an event, and need help, give us a call,” said Dan.