Contract in place for Holland Lake Lodge sale

Eric Jacobsen, a private equity investor who splits his time between Park City, Utah, and Whitefish, announced earlier this month that he has secured a contract to purchase Holland Lake Lodge near Condon.

In social media messages sent to some local community members and press, Jacobsen stated that he is moving forward with applying for a special use permit from the Flathead National Forest to operate the historic property on public land. He also said that due to confidentiality provisions in the contract, he was canceling two public meetings scheduled to discuss the lodge’s future with the Swan Valley community.

“The parties to the agreement are prohibited from disclosing the terms of said agreement, and we will not be able to hold any public meetings at this time as a result,” Jacobsen wrote.

Meetings were previously scheduled for Oct. 23 and Nov. 20, part of an ongoing series of community outreach events Jacobsen has organized since his interest in the property became public. Jacobsen did not return requests for comment about the recent developments. 

A spokesperson for the Flathead National Forest confirmed that on Oct. 11 the office received notification of a purchase agreement between Jacobsen and current Holland Lake Lodge owners Christian Wohlfeil and POWDR.

Holland Lake Lodge has operated for a century on the Flathead National Forest with a special-use permit that was last reissued in 2017.

The earlier proposed sale came under public scrutiny after the Forest Service announced the plan but provided inaccurate information to the public about it. Wohlfeil had sought a partnership with Utah-based “adventure lifestyle” company POWDR, which owns several ski resorts around the country, that included a development proposal jointly submitted to the U.S. Forest Service with plans to build an additional lodge on the property and 26 cabin structures.

The plan drew public outcry, including more than 6,000 submitted comments from individuals, elected officials and conservation groups. The Forest Service later rejected the plan, but said it would consider other proposals.

While Wohlfeil is still the majority owner of the property, POWDR owns a 20% share and records show the lodge’s liquor license is also owned by POWDR.

Wohlfeil listed the property for sale for $3.5 million in October 2023. He would not confirm the price in the contract with Jacobsen and declined to comment on a timeline or whether he entertained any competing offers.

In public meetings held throughout the fall, Jacobsen sought to assure members of the local community that his intentions for purchasing the lodge were to retain its historic, rustic nature and not follow the vision of expansion laid out by POWDR.

“My vision is to sustain the lodge in harmony with nature,” Jacobsen told a group of Swan Valley community members at the Condon Community Center on Sept. 25.

He spoke about growing up in Great Falls and vacationing around Holland Lake and Seeley Lake as a kid, and how his parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at the lodge — painting a picture of a personal investment in the property as opposed to a random out-of-state investor.

At meetings, Jacobsen indicated an openness to working with community stakeholders to inform his operating plan for the lodge, but stopped short of indicating his expectations for making the business viable and profitable.

However, he repeatedly stated he did not want to see large-scale development akin to the POWDR proposal and hoped greater transparency with the public would avoid the problems that previously arose with the Forest Service plan.

Jacobsen wasn’t the only party interested in purchasing the lodge. A recently-formed nonprofit called Stewards of the Swan, headed by Grace Siloti, co-owner of Mission Mountains Mercantile, announced at Jacobsen’s first public meeting that they planned to submit their own letter of intent to purchase the lodge and were in the due diligence phase. 

Bill Lombardi, board member with Stewards of the Swan, said he was disappointed that Jacobsen had shut down public conversation after repeatedly talking about wanting to be open with the community. He added that Stewards of the Swan is still going forward with preparations to make an offer, if the opportunity is there.

“We’ve been clear about keeping this in the hands of the public and that’s what we want to see happen. We want the American people to still be able to access Holland Lake and not let it get turned into a mega resort,” Lombardi said. “We still have some hopes to keep it in the community. It’s not done until it’s done.”

According to the Forest Service, a new owner automatically triggers termination of the existing Special Use Permit. A Forest Service spokesperson stated that they have not yet received an application for a new special use authorization.

Due to deficiencies in the property’s wastewater treatment system, Holland Lake Lodge did not provide public services in 2024, its 100th anniversary year.

Micah Drew is a reporter for the Daily Montanan, a nonprofit newsroom.