From the Ground Up: Best Western Plus Vineyard Hotel and Suites

Owner/developer: Pinecone Holdings LLC
General contractor: Pinecone Construction LLC
Architect: Jonathan F. Tasset, AIA
Engineers: Tate Engineering Consultants, civil; Miller Engineering PC, structural; and Conway Duncan Inc., electrical, mechanical and plumbing
Size: 43,791 square feet
Estimated cost: Over $4 million
Lender: First State Community Bank
Estimated completion: May 2018
Project description: The 61-room hotel is expected to be complete less than a year after officials broke ground in The Vineyard, a development by Thane Kifer near Southwest Baptist University. The 60-acre former cattle pasture currently has a 12-unit shopping center, a two-unit office building and an Aldi grocery store, according to SBJ archives. Kifer’s son Drew, managing director of Bolivar-based Pinecone Holdings, said the estimated economic impact is $30 million for the hotel’s first 15 years, and according to an agreement signed with the city, a portion of hotel sales taxes will be earmarked to repay Pinecone Holdings for infrastructure improvements in The Vineyard. Project architect Jonathan Tasset said the hotel’s estimated cost exceeds $4 million, which Kifer confirmed before declining to disclose a final tally.