A message from the manager of Soyuzivka: Our jewel in the Catskills (07/05/98)

A message from the manager of Soyuzivka

Our jewel in the Catskills

Dear UNA Members and Readers:

Allow me to tell you a story ... Once upon a time, there was a nation of people who suffered and endured great tragedies from famine, to war, to oppression. Many of these people left their homes and loved ones to begin new lives in a great and bountiful land. It was said that this new country offered many opportunities, freedom and justice for all. When the people arrived in this land of new promise, they discovered that things would be difficult, that they had to earn their place in this new society.

Being of strong faith and molded by hardships, they learned a difficult language, observed new customs, found work, built homes, prayed in churches, paid taxes, voted for government leaders and raised their children.

All was well in this new life, but it didn't take long for these new citizens to realize that something was missing from all they had achieved. They were sad that they could not see the relatives or the land they had left behind because of the evil empire that controlled their beloved old country.

One day, these new pioneers had a vision. They would go out and seek lands and mountains that would remind them of their lost homeland. They built upon this precious soil a place where they would find new love and friendships. They would spend their vacations, laugh, dance and sing late into the evenings here.

They brought their children to this magical place; many games were played, customs and traditions passed along, language and heritage preserved. Their children and their grandchildren fell in love and married other children and grandchildren in this splendid place. Their hopes and dreams had come true and everyone was very happy.

Then, some of the people stopped appreciating the magical land that their forefathers had given them. They began to stay away and soon a dark cloud came and threatened to shroud the place of love, music, light and laughter with darkness. We do not know this story's ending, but we do know that Soyuzivka is extremely important to a great many people.

* * *

By now, many of you have seen copies of Soyuzivka's newsletter and the color brochure. We also have a 20-minute promotional video (we'll be happy to send you a copy). I am convinced that once you review these materials, you will be very proud of the UNA's premier resort, which you helped to create and preserve.

Many of you haven't visited Soyuzivka in quite some time. The improvements over the last 10 years have been exciting. Ask your friends, associates or relatives. I guarantee you will hear glowing reviews about our weddings, services, facilities, camps and food. One-half of Soyuzivka's rooms are now deluxe with a phone, cable TV, air conditioning, new furniture and carpeting. However, as you know, there is always room for improvement.

Ideally, we would like to upgrade all of Soyuzivka's rooms, perform preventive maintenance, continue capital improvements and expand our recreational facilities so that we may become even more attractive as a year-round resort. It really does take money to make money. This is only common sense.

I will not burden you with accounting facts and figures, but I must tell you that the first six months of 1997 saw the lowest income in a long time, but that the summer and fall of 1997 at Soyuzivka saw a dramatic increase when we grossed an additional $200,000 compared to the year-end figures for 1996. Our total 1997 year-end gross income was $1,311,000, which became the highest figure in the resort's history. This year looks even more promising.

This is the type of result we must build on. Our cost-cutting methods have become more efficient, we now have a good management team and our foundation is solid. However, the fact is, our disbursements are higher than our profits. This is no great mystery ...we need to draw more people to Soyuzivka.

We are in a unique situation in that Soyuzivka is open to the public on a limited basis only. We do not have the marketing support that a national hotel chain offers its members. Our marketing consists of The Ukrainian Weekly, Svoboda, the Suzy-Q Newsletter, several Hudson Valley tourist publications and the ever-faithful word of mouth.

The 34th Convention of the UNA voted to curtail Soyuzivka's operation strictly to summer seasons. There are those who would shut it down altogether. Frankly, I don't understand why we would turn the clock back when we have gone so far forward. I can assure you that these actions would be culturally and financially devastating to all of us.

We must preserve and protect Soyuzivka. Each one of us should act as the resort's sales representative. We should remind those who have ignored our resort - and we should inform those who have never had the privilege of visiting - that the UNA has a jewel in the Catskills. We can reach out and attract corporate clients to utilize Soyuzivka for business retreats in the off-season. Soyuzivka is ideally located to serve corporations located in New York, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and all of New England. Send us, or next time you are here give us, your organization or business contact information and we'll be glad to send your corporate events planners our promotional materials.

Let us begin today by publicizing Soyuzivka among ourselves, our families, friends and associates. Let's write a happy ending to this story about our magical place

Come back to Soyuzivka or discover it for the first time.

John A. Flis
Manager
Soyuzivka Estate