Jason Porter wins 2025 WHLA Spirit of Hospitality award

Rich Palzewic

Staff

December 1, 2025

FISH CREEK – Each year, the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association (WHLA) recognizes those making a difference in the state’s hospitality industry with a variety of awards.

One such recognition is the Spirit of Hospitality award, which – according to wisconsinlodging.org – honors lodging employees who are exemplary role models of the true spirit of hospitality in the Badger State.

For this year’s recipient – Jason Porter – the award marks the culmination of 30 dedicated years to the industry.

Porter said he spent the last 27 years with the property – currently called Parkwood Lodge – located at 3775 State Highway 42 in Fish Creek.

“We’ve been joking around the office that the door frames need to be bigger to get my big head inside,” Porter, the director of operations at Parkwood, laughed. “Seriously, winning the award was a huge honor. I’ve been doing this for a long while, and I like to think I’m good at what I do. To have my peers recognize me as excelling in the field is definitely a huge honor.”

Amy Boston, the presenter of the award on behalf of the WHLA, said Porter’s qualities make him a deserving recipient.

“Jason has dedication, leadership and passion for hospitality,” she said.

Porter said he credits his natural ability to connect with others as a key factor in receiving the award.

“Whether that’s guests or employees, I feel I have the natural talents to make people happy – it’s something I enjoy doing,” he said.

Over the years, Porter said he has honed his ability to work effectively with people, a skill that has been valuable in his role at Parkwood.

“I’ve mellowed out a bit – that comes with age,” he laughed. “I’m also a lot more confident than I ever was. That comes down to working with [the current owners, Greg and Denise Stillman]. They’ve shown a lot of confidence in me, and that definitely translates to being confident in what you do. They are very involved in all of the different aspects of lodging in Wisconsin, so we don’t just live in our own little world up here in Door County.”

To keep up to date on the Wisconsin hospitality industry, Porter said the Parkwood team travels to the WHLA conference and other events yearly.

“We also attend the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference every year, and it’s an eye-opening experience for me to hang around with other colleagues from different parts of the state,” he said. “I have learned new technologies and best practices on how to handle issues with guests or employees – it’s fascinating and great. These are all things I feel helped me earn the award.”

Forever grateful

Porter said he has worked with the Stillman family since they purchased the property in 2008, and they were the ones who nominated him for the hospitality award.

“We’ve had a good long while to get to know one another,” he said. “Being with the property since 1998 [when it was called the Beowulf Lodge], I often joke with the Stillmans, saying, ‘When they purchased the property, they purchased me as well.’”

Beyond their nomination, Porter said he believes the Stillmans played a significant role in his receiving the hospitality award as well.

“Obviously, they nominated me, but they’ve been great to work for since taking over in 2008,” he said. “I came with a lot of preloaded knowledge of the property itself. Greg and Denise are wonderful owners and have put a lot of money back into the property over the years. It’s basically completely different from when I was there originally. I’ve been growing with them and have learned quite a bit as far as managing property.”

Porter said the Stillmans have remodeled the interiors of all of the rooms and redid the tennis/pickleball courts.

“Other improvements include replacing all our doors in our suites and doing some landscaping to better deal with some water issues we had,” he said. “Door County is naturally humid in the summertime, so we have installed new systems to combat some of the humidity in our units.”

Porter said other upgrades include redoing the front side of the office, replacing roofs, expanding parking for boats/trailers and installing smart TVs.

“The Stillmans are constantly doing huge projects and working on something fantastic,” he said.

A life of hospitality

After previously living in the northeast and southeast regions of the country, Porter said he moved to Door County in the summer of 1995 and “never left.”

“I grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, but when I finished my sophomore year in high school, my parents moved to Florida – I was kind of dragged along,” he laughed. “I finished high school in Florida and eventually made my way up to Door County. My first job in Door County was working at a marina that was part of this giant hotel complex, the Wagon Wheel.”

Porter said working at the Wagon Wheel – which eventually became known as Rowleys Bay Resort – gave him his first experience working with people.

“In the winter, when the marina closed, I worked in the bakery, and then eventually I was doing night audits and got a feel for front desk stuff,” he said. “That’s what I really enjoyed doing – working with people.”

Porter said he made the move to Beowulf Lodge in 1998.

“Unfortunately, Rowleys suffered a huge fire [in September 2023] and is no longer in operation,” he said.

Porter said that although he grew up in or near cities, he prefers life in the country.

“I love Door County,” he said. “Sure, I miss some of the conveniences of city life, but I definitely don’t miss the crowds. I was able to raise two kids here, and it’s super safe. I’m aware of the worries the rest of the world has, but it’s much safer compared to other parts of the country.”

After three decades of Door County residency, Porter said he feels like a local.

“There are so many great people who live up here who have roots that go back forever,” he said. “It’s fascinating to me.”

For more information on Parkwood Lodge, visit parkwoodlodge.com.