When Charles Rateliff and Doug Sperber first rode their horses over the 580 acres they had recently purchased, they could not believe their good fortune.  Hidden behind the overgrown pastures, neglected fencerows, dilapidated outbuildings and abundance of blackberry thickets, they discovered acres of hardwood forests, small lakes, year around live streams, numerous springs and an abundance of wildlife.  With the growth of Northwest Arkansas they had assumed that such undisturbed Ozark wilderness was no longer available.  After much thought and discussion it became apparent that this property was a special place and that it warranted a much more meaningful result.  So combining over 40 years of shared business experience from the Wal-Mart corporate world with over 80 years of shared love and respect for Mother Nature the idea for The Cabins at Big Springs was born.
 
“We have been involved with tens of millions of square feet of corporate development throughout the years” says Charles.  “Never before have we felt such a deep responsibility and stewardship attached to developing such a place.”  From the beginning the question Doug was asking was “How do we do this, and how do we do it right?”  This question led to the motto of “less is more”.  Less disturbance, less cabin sites, less pressure on the land, less wildlife impact means more natural settings, more undisturbed common areas, more natural vegetation, more wildlife.

In addition to working together at Wal-Mart for many years, Charles and Doug are aligned in their values of family, faith, integrity and respect.  Teaming up to share the value of conservation and preservation seemed only natural.  Both have been faithful for many years to the conservation efforts of organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

  Charles and Doug believe that their current experience with private development, fund management and private equity investments together with their past corporate experience in real estate, construction, design, finance, loss prevention and insurance are healthy attributes to bring to The Cabins at Big Springs.  More importantly, their vision, dedication, sensitivity and proactive environmentalism approach are what make The Cabins at Big Springs that special place.