We are lucky to host WVU students every so often.
Dr. Ding has been bringing students here or having me speak to his class in Morgantown for about a decade.
The first time I went to WVU and spoke to Dr. Ding’s class, complete with a massive Power Point, I did not get a standing ovation. In my defense, it was early in the day, and they are mostly teenagers. I did get a lot of good questions and discussion, and The Ding asked if we could do it again. When I suggested bringing the students on a field trip to Opossum Creek Retreat for a firsthand look and conversation with an “ecotourism” business, The Good Dr. said, “Great idea, can you make us lunch?” (Oh, can we make lunch!)
I did not set out to be an “ecotourism” business. We did not know such a thing existed. We just did what we felt was the right thing: build a quality product, treat people fairly and be a good neighbor. And as it turns out, that is what ecotourism, in my opinion, boils down to.
I am sure that a year-long class at WVU requires a longer explanation, but for the day that they are here at OCR, that will be our triple-bottom line.
Making people happy feels good.
