June 2, 2021–
Area residents will be thrilled to hear the much-loved lodge, cabins, gift shop, and restaurant at White Pines Forest State Park will be opening their doors once again later this spring. With a touch of old and a little bit of new, the cabins and restaurant will be largely operated in a style customers have grown to love during the past 82 years. One notable change is the name, now White Pines Lodge. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) was instrumental in the name choice as it allows for consistency with the other Lodges in the state park system.
The new concessionaire is a subsidiary company owned by Nolan Capital, Inc., a family business. Nolan Capital Inc. has ownership interests in numerous national, state, and local concession operations, retail endeavors, restaurant operations, manufacturing and real estate investments.
“We are so pleased to be bringing this state treasure back to Ogle County residents,” said Peter Nolan, Chairman of Nolan Capital. “We are proud to add White Pines Lodge to our family of managed companies.”
“We’re thrilled to see the services at White Pines Forest State Park open for business again,” said IDNR Director Colleen Callahan. “What’s more, we’re looking forward to partnering with Nolan Capital to bring these services back to our park visitors. We know they bring the necessary skill and know-how to ensure our park visitors have the best experience possible.”
Nolan Capital has relationships with both Amy Trimble, the current concessionaire of Starved Rock Lodge at Starved Rock State Park and Beth (Henderson) George who operated White Pines Resort for more than 30 years. Both women were longtime residents of the Oregon area and were very involved in the community, establishing the Oregon Trail Days Festival several years ago. Trimble and George will be working as consultants to help prepare White Pines Lodge for opening. Additionally, many of the familiar White Pines employees will join the team, including Troy Derrer who will serve as the General Manager.
About White Pines Lodge
White Pines Forest State Park, located two hours west of Chicago, is a 385-acre park perfect for family getaways to enjoy hiking, fishing, camping, and picnicking. White Pines Lodge, originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, has 23 guest cabins for rent, a restaurant featuring homemade delicacies, banquet facilities, and a dinner theatre. Guests can look for more information and updates on reservations on the White Pines Facebook page, facebook.com/WhitePinesLodge and on their website www.VisitWhitePines.com.
For more information on Illinois State Parks and historic sites, visit www2.illinois.gov/dnr/parks.
About Nolan Capital, Inc.
Nolan Capital is the family office for Peter Nolan. Peter has over 39 years of investing experience and was the former Managing Partner of Leonard Green and Partners in Los Angeles, California. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Leonard Green. Peter has investment experience in a variety of sectors, such as consumer products and services, retail and restaurants, manufacturing, distribution, industrial products, business services, government services and healthcare. Nolan Capital is the owner of Ortega National Parks, a local, state, and national park concessionaire as well as Rocky Mountain Recreation Company, a campground and marina management company. Nolan Capital partners with leading middle-market companies that have proven management teams. Led by Peter J. Nolan, Nolan Capital executes and manages private equity, real estate and other investments on behalf of the Nolan family.
