GEORGETOWN — At long last, cabin manufacturer Great Outdoor Cottages opens for business.
Great Outdoor Cottages was temporarily working out of Millsboro until it built and opened a 45,000-square-foot facility in the Delaware Coastal Business Park, expanding its operations after demand for affordable vacation spots during the first year of the pandemic continues to hold strong. Great Outdoor Cottages cut the ribbon on its facility on Dec. 8.
Great Outdoor Cottages, founded by Ocean City, Md., hospitality group Blue Water Development, began operations in late 2020 with a small management team. The company has since grown to 110 employees and plans to add another 100 staff members over time.
“For the community, it means more jobs and more stimulus and employment for a long time to come,” Blue Water and Great Outdoor Cottages CEO Todd Burbage said in a statement. “We plan to grow right here in our own footprint. We purchased the acreage right next door and already have plans to expand because it’s been so successful, and we feel so welcomed by the community.”
Blue Water purchases some of the cabins directly, but others have been shipped to clients in locations in Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. Since the cottages all have a similar layout, the manufacturing process operates as an assembly line.
The 400-square-foot, coastal-vibe cabins are fully equipped with plumbing and electric and each includes two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchenette, a sitting area and a screened-in porch.
With work inside the facility starting as early as November, Great Outdoor Cottages officials hope to build between 560 and 580 units in 2023.
The latest ribbon cutting also symbolizes yet another win for the rising Delaware Coastal Business Park, as it’s the fourth to open its doors. Current tenants include injection-molded plastics manufacturer Atlantis, flooring supply company Creative Floors South Inc. and international lighting company JAYKAL LED Solutions. Custom signs manufacturer JennyGems signed a lease to move her Harbeson shop to the business park as well.
“Great Outdoor Cottages could have selected any site, but they chose our park for its availability and proximity to their customer market,” Sussex County Economic Development Director Bill Pfaff said in a statement. “Theirs is a success story, and Great Outdoor Cottages is a perfect example of the type of manufacturing client – and jobs – we want to bring to Sussex County.
“We look forward to their continued growth in the hospitality and housing sectors, which will only serve to boost our local economy right here in southern Delaware,” he added.
