Wilderness Resort

Growing a Hospitality Powerhouse with SVA as a Trusted Partner

Wilderness Resorts and Waterparks has grown from a local Wisconsin Dells resort into a multi-state hospitality brand with more than 2,000 guest rooms, indoor and outdoor waterparks, food and beverage outlets, and signature attractions. Behind that growth has been a need for strategic planning, tax efficiency, and operational support, and for the past 15-plus years, SVA has been a trusted partner helping guide that journey.

The relationship began when Wilderness was operating a single Wisconsin property with about 800 rooms. As the business expanded to more than 1,200 rooms in Wisconsin and added a second resort in Tennessee, the financial and operational complexity grew just as fast.

SVA supported the company through multiple expansion phases, including the acquisition of the Tennessee property. With less than a year to complete the transaction, Wilderness needed a partner who could keep pace with the timing demands of year-end financials, banking, and deal execution. SVA worked directly with the internal team to manage the fast-moving acquisition while staying aligned with shareholder needs.

“When we worked with SVA to acquire our Tennessee properties, we had under a year to pull that project off and to get the acquisition done,” said Joe Eck, Chief Operating Officer. “In order to do that, SVA had to really come in-house and help us work at a fast pace to time things out with our calendar year.”

As Wilderness scaled, so did its reliance on specialized financial services. SVA provided audit and assurance services, tax planning, and cost segregation studies to help accelerate depreciation and improve returns for shareholders. The company’s CFO, TJ Van Wie, says these services helped leadership present the financial benefits of new projects to both shareholders and lenders. The insights SVA provided allowed Wilderness leadership to clearly demonstrate the financial return of new projects, both in terms of tax savings for shareholders and projected ROI for lenders, strengthening their case for expansion financing, according to Van Wie.

To support operational efficiency across its locations, Wilderness also partnered with SVA Consulting to unify its accounting systems. The resorts were initially using two separate platforms, one of which was approaching end-of-life. With guidance from SVA’s tax and audit professionals, and hands-on support from the consulting team, Wilderness selected and implemented a new cloud-based ERP system that met the needs of both properties.

That system is now being used across the organization, providing better financial visibility and alignment between the two locations. SVA Consulting remained involved from selection to implementation and continues to support the team with post-launch questions and refinements.

As a multi-state operator, Wilderness also faces varying tax laws and regulatory environments. SVA provides guidance on navigating state-level differences in areas like franchise taxes, liquor laws, and corporate structures. These insights help the Wilderness team stay compliant and reduce exposure to tax inefficiencies, something especially important in a business with numerous entities and over 10 tax returns filed annually.

According to Van Wie, the value of the relationship comes down to reliability.

“At least from my standpoint, I can trust SVA,” he said. “I know what product I’m going to get in the end, and I know it’s going to be timely.”

From one-on-one guidance to shareholder-level planning, the team at SVA continues to support Wilderness Resorts as it grows its footprint and delivers memorable experiences for families, business travelers, and sports teams alike.

“If someone were to ask me if they should work with SVA,” said Van Wie. “I would say absolutely 100%... it’s been a wonderful relationship and partnership that I would do a thousand times over.”