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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; The Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort may be <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/732452/the-woodlands-announces-series-of-events-to-celebrate-50th-anniversary" target="_blank">marking its 50th anniversary this </a><a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/732452/the-woodlands-announces-series-of-events-to-celebrate-50th-anniversary" target="_blank">year</a>, but the resort complex&#8217;s roots run much deeper.</p><p>During a celebratory cocktail reception at the property&#8217;s Executive Lounge on Thursday night, co-owner Mitch Kornfeld regaled guests with tales of days gone by &#8212; tales that might surprise many Wyoming Valley residents who are only old enough to know the Woodlands for its hotel, conference and entertainment facilities.</p><p>The family-run business actually traces its beginnings to a downtown Wilkes-Barre eatery founded during the Great Depression.</p><p>&#8220;My grandmother (Esther) and her sister started S&amp;B Restaurant around 1930, on North Washington and Northampton,&#8221; said Kornfeld, who co-owns the business with his brother Ross following a consolidation of family ownership several years ago.</p><p>Their late father, Mark, then 21, and uncle Gary, then 16, were suddenly thrust into the spotlight in 1960 when their mother, Esther, died suddenly.</p><p>&#8220;Everybody thought, &#8216;what&#8217;s this little kid going to do with this business that&#8217;s been around for 30 years,&#8217;&#8221; Kornfeld said. &#8220;My father was only about 5-foot-3, but he was tough. His vision and perseverance and knock &#8217;em dead kind of attitude is why we&#8217;re here today.&#8221;</p><p>The brothers hustled up and down eastern Pennsylvania, giving a broad regional reach to what had been a successful local kosher restaurant and catering operation.</p><p>&#8220;Well let me tell you, they took that business from $50,000 a year to about $500,000,&#8221; Kornfeld said.</p><p><strong>New location</strong></p><p>In 1968, however, the original building burned down.</p><p>&#8220;It was a blessing,&#8221; Kornfeld said.</p><p>His father wanted to build a catering hall on property alongside Laurel Run. Lenders weren&#8217;t willing to invest in such a venture that didn&#8217;t also hotel rooms attached, Kornfeld said.</p><p>&#8220;He knew nothing about the hotel business. He reached out to different franchises. They laughed at him. The only franchise that would work with him was the Treadway Inn, which was based in New England.&#8221;</p><p>With Treadway&#8217;s cooperation, the project got off the ground, but the early years were not easy.</p><p>&#8220;It was a struggle at first. He would work until 2 in the morning, sleep for four hours and be back to work for breakfast. He was struggling to sell rooms for $10,&#8221; Kornfeld said.</p><p>With hard work from many family members, The Woodlands gradually began to grow.</p><p>Then came Agnes.</p><p>The 1972 hurricane and subsequent flood devastated low-lying areas of the Wyoming Valley. Located safely on higher ground, The Woodlands was safe &#8212; and began to flourish not just as a hotel but as an entertainment venue as so many other properties had been damaged.</p><p>&#8220;Everybody came to the Woodlands,&#8221; Kornfeld.</p><p>Those heady years saw the Kornfelds expanding and experimenting with new concepts: An early combination restaurant/nightclub was succeeded by The Left Bank restaurant and The Penny Arcade lounge. By the end of the decade The Penny Arcade was succeeded by a disco, The 25th Hour, inspired by Manhattan&#8217;s famous Studio 54. It later morphed into Club Evolution.</p><p>Cabins in the surrounding woods were added for extended stays, meanwhile, along with more hotel rooms overlooking the stream and a rooftop garden.</p><p>&#8220;He was ahead of his time,&#8221; Kornfeld said of his father, who died in 2014 at the age of 75.</p><p>By the early 1980s, business was booming enough to justify addition of a multi-story tower.</p><p>&#8220;We are all here today because of the vision of my father and Gary,&#8221; he added.</p><p><strong>A year to celebrate</strong></p><p>This year, the business will celebrate the fruits of that vision with a series of special events, including a public anniversary gala on June 21.</p><p>Thursday was very much about celebrating the efforts of vendors and dedicated staff members who have helped make the 50th a reality.</p><p>&#8220;In those days, Mark and Gary worked side by side with everybody,&#8221; recalled Scott Serafin, who started out as a busboy in 1974 and went on to work several other positions during two years with The Woodlands at the height of The Penny Arcade&#8217;s popularity.</p><p>&#8220;I learned a lot from them and their work ethic,&#8221; Serafin added.</p><p>General Manager Michelle Valenti, who has been with The Woodlands for 15 years, said she recently calculated for an employee appreciation event that 54 of the property&#8217;s 160 staff members have at least five years of service, and many have more than that.</p><p>&#8220;Collectively our staff has more than 1,000 years of experience,&#8221; Valenti said.</p><p>What has kept Valenti there for that many years?</p><p>&#8220;The family,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They just make this such a great place to work.&#8221;</p><p>Marketing and entertainment director Jason Harris, who started out as a busboy and bar-back more than a quarter-century ago, agreed.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the family atmosphere,&#8221; Harris said.</p><p>&#8220;You saw Mitch up there on stage? That&#8217;s how he is to work with,&#8221; Harris added, referencing Kornfeld&#8217;s lively and impassioned remarks to the crowd.</p><p>&#8220;At 26 years (of service), I am one of the newer guys, as far as managers go,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;The bar manager has been here 44 years.&#8221;</p><p>Kornfeld returned the compliments.</p><p>&#8220;I speak for my whole family: We are so proud of all the individuals here,&#8221; he said.</p><p>More on the resort and its year of events can be found at <a href="https://www.thewoodlandsresort.com/" target="_blank">www.thewoodlandsresort.com</a>.</p><p><em>Editor&#8217;s Note: An earlier version of this story referred to Mark Kornfeld by the wrong name. The Times Leader regrets the error.</em></p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Co-owner Mitch Kornfeld, right, introduces Jason Harris, marketing and entertainment director for Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort. Harris has worked for the Kornfelds for 26 years.  </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Co-owner Mitch Kornfeld, right, introduces Jason Harris, marketing and entertainment director for Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort. Harris has worked for the Kornfelds for 26 years.  </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort co-owner Mitch Kornfeld, at the podium, addresses the audience with his administration staff behind him Thursday evening at a party kicking off the resort&#8217;s 50th anniversary celebrations this year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort co-owner Mitch Kornfeld, at the podium, addresses the audience with his administration staff behind him Thursday evening at a party kicking off the resort&#8217;s 50th anniversary celebrations this year. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Former Woodlands employee Scott Serafin, right, chats with Sandy Goldman, mother of Woodlands co-owners Mitch and Ross Kornfeld. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Former Woodlands employee Scott Serafin, right, chats with Sandy Goldman, mother of Woodlands co-owners Mitch and Ross Kornfeld. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ruby Littlejohn takes a photo of her husband David, center, with Mitch Kornfeld at the Woodlands&#8217; 50th anniversary cocktail reception Thursday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Ruby Littlejohn takes a photo of her husband David, center, with Mitch Kornfeld at the Woodlands&#8217; 50th anniversary cocktail reception Thursday night. </caption3><photoCredit3>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mitch Kornfeld, co-owner of the Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort, reminisces about the business&#8217; 50 years of operation during a celebratory cocktail reception Thursday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Woodlands-50th-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Mitch Kornfeld, co-owner of the Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort, reminisces about the business&#8217; 50 years of operation during a celebratory cocktail reception Thursday night. </caption4><photoCredit4>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Kornfeld toasts family, staff at celebratory reception</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Roger DuPuis</p><p>rdupuis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta></factboxMeta></div>

The Woodlands at 50: Kornfeld toasts family, staff at celebratory reception