What if your lodge’s past was the strongest marketing you have? We sit down with Willie “the Oilman” to unpack how a northern lodge thrives today by selling a lifestyle, telling its origin story with pride, and using trade shows as a stage—not a hard sell.

We start where many operators wonder: do trade shows still pull their weight? Willie explains the shift from booth-first selling to a blended strategy where a clean, portable display supports the real engine—TV segments, YouTube reels, and podcast appearances that drive measurable spikes in website traffic and bookings. He walks through smart show prep, from pull-up banners and looping promos to skipping pricey power with a battery and inverter, then makes the bigger point: shows matter when they reinforce a brand people already trust.

The heart of the episode is pure lodge lore. A single Facebook post sharing vintage maps, logos, and photos draws in the Kozak family—descendants of a former owner living across Estonia, Alberta, and the Philippines—who reveal the lodge’s hidden smoking room, original landing, and the legendary “weatherman” guide who checked an AM radio at dawn. These stories turn cabins into chapters and meals into museum tours. We connect that heritage to guest experience design: capping capacity so every guest has their own room and bath, staging fuel and supplies in winter, switching to salted shiners to cut bait waste, and recruiting an elite staff including a Keg head chef and celebrity guides. It’s a playbook that keeps calendars full years out while protecting the magic that keeps guests returning.

By the end, you’ll hear a simple truth: a lodge is not a hotel. It’s a promise you make at first contact—and keep on the dock, at dinner, and around a wall hung with real history. If you care about outdoor hospitality, backcountry logistics, or how story-driven marketing wins loyal guests, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a lodge owner who needs a spark, and leave a review telling us the one story that would make you book a trip today.