Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Stuttler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Heritage House: In 2014, circumstances led to a family property becoming vacant. It had been passed down 5 generations and held a lot of memories and history. It also needed a lot of work. The family didn’t want to sell, but no one wanted to do the work required to make it livable. My husband, Jeff, and I fell in love with hospitality at our job with Heartland Conference and Retreat Center. Being entrepreneurs at heart, we had a dream to merge our love of hospitality with our rich family heritage and turn the house into a bed and breakfast. Our area was lacking in nice accommodations, so we sought to create a space rich in charm, with all the modern conveniences. After 13 months of remodeling, we had fully transformed the early 1800s farmhouse into a boutique hotel/bed and breakfast. My combined love of decorating and hosting got a platform for blossom. My husband learned a lot about construction, and spent countless hours bringing my dream to life.

Heritage Barn: In 2018, we decided to remodel the 1900s barn, which was on the same property as the house. We had learned a thing or two about construction at this point, but the barn was a large feat. We hired a local Amish crew to give the barn a major facelift and in the fall of 2018, we turned it into an intimate wedding and event venue. The two became the perfect pair for wedding groups looking for onsite accommodations and a atmosphere where moments are treasured. We approach each client with a hospitality mentality and work extremely hard to exceed their expectations. We host 1 wedding per weekend so our groups get our complete attention and have time to actually enjoy their wedding day.

The Village Gathering Place: In 2019, on the way to a short vacay in NYC, the idea of The Village Gathering Place was born. We had groups calling us at Heritage Barn for smaller gatherings, but we didn’t have room in the schedule for them. Another problem in the area…no small spaces available for gatherings. Some friends of ours, Ben and Lindsey Wells, recently listed a space for rent. Jeff had previously helped them purchase the space as their realtor. They worked hard to remodel the commercial property. We ended up partnering with them to create a small space for gatherings up to 50 guests. The mindset behind the space was community. We love our village, Mt Gilead, and wanted to provide a place for unity to happen. Coming together to celebrate those moments that matter.

Together, these three businesses make up Heritage Life. We are a hospitably focused company and our tagline is “Moments Matter”. I guess that’s why we felt this all would work. Everyone wants to know they matter, and that we value them and the moments that happen in our spaces. We have set out to really redefine hospitality. Exceeding guests expectations and creating place where peace, love and joy are fully felt.

Kate, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Kate: I am an RN by trade. Though I am not currently practicing, the skills I gained as a nurse in serving people has been valuable in my current line of work. I have a deep passion for hosting, welcoming people into a space, where they feel safe and loved. I love design and decorating a space that creates those feelings. I host guests at our bed and breakfast, event center, and I also coordinate weddings onsite. I am a mother of an adorable, busy, 5 yr. old boy (Elijah). Being self-employed, I am able to be with my son and do what I love. In my free time, I love to garden at home, arrange flowers for our bed and breakfast, and spend time with my family.

I am most proud of my family. We couldn’t do everything we do without family. We got into our business through a family heritage, an inheritance. Our guests become family to us because we treat them like family! Their experience at our bed and breakfast and both event spaces makes them part of our family.

Any advice for managing a team?

We have the best team! We are blessed, and recognize that our situation is rare. Most of whom we employ are family, or they are people we have known so long, they are like family. We all have each others backs. We are gracious with one another, serve one another, and it also helps that we get to celebrate with people all the time (weddings, birthdays, showers, parties).

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Last June, we experienced multiple tornadoes that hit our property. We lost so many trees in our ceremony locations, and our barn was hit as well. It was during wedding season, and we were due to have a wedding in less than 5 days. When we stepped on the grounds the following morning, the damage was extensive and overwhelming. We honestly thought we may never recover and would have to do something completely different. Within an hour, we had so many family and friends stop by to offer help cleaning up brush and debris from the storm. Over the next few days, we were able to clean up the property enough to host the wedding. The barn was unusable for another 2 months, but we were able to rent a large tent to host the wedding groups we had lined up. Thankfully, everyone was understanding and we worked hard to make their wedding days just as special. We also got blessed with great weather for the weddings! Our barn was eventually repaired and required way less work than we originally thought. It wasn’t easy, but with the help of family and friends, we pivoted and are stronger now because we weathered the storm.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heritagelifeohio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heritagelifeohio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heritagelifeohio

Image Credits
Hadassah Morrison Photography Cait Rose Photography TyNicole Photography Benjamin Wells Digital Design kaylabealsfilmphoto