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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 18, 2005 Hoteliers figure out what’s next Meeting focuses on loss from firm that left town By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings A number of Ashland business owners met last week to decide what course of action they should take to recoup the money they lost when Southern Oregon Reservations Center closed its doors and moved from town while owing at least $15,000 to more than 10 local hotels, bed and breakfasts and other tourism related businesses. Michael Gibbs, owner of the Winchester Inn, which is owed $8,500, said the group is looking into pressing civil and criminal charges against SORC’s former principals, Teri and Henry Koerner, shortly after skipping out on its accounts payable for the month of October. Melinda Cauvin, attorney for the Windmill Inn & Suites, which is owed $4,892, believes “theft by conversion” laws would assure that the Koerners would not be protected by filing for bankruptcy. “She was a transfer agent,” Cauvin said. “The money is supposed to go through her and should have been turned over to us.” The Koerners sold their house in September and have moved to Uvaldi, Texas, where Teri has taken a job as the director of the local chamber of commerce. She said last week that if her debtors pursue legal options against her she would be forced to file for bankruptcy. “If they think I’ve got the money hidden away they are wrong,” Koerner told the Tidings last week. “I don’t have any extra cash.” She said she used the money she owes to the local businesses to pay off the debts that her business incurred. “We incurred more expenses than we anticipated,” she said. “We came up short.” The aggrieved business owners, however, have a hard time believing that the Koerner’s didn’t make any money on the sale of their house. They bought the property at 87 Third St. on April 11, 2000, for $167,950. They sold it on Sept. 16, 2004, for $379,000. When asked where the difference went to, Koerner said, “I’m not going to go into a discussion about my personal business records. I’m not going there.” Koerner had said she owes approximately $12,000 to $15,000 to about 12 local businesses. However, at the meeting earlier last week, just four of the aggrieved businesses could account for $14,600 in accounts payable. They suspect the amount owed is much higher than Koerner is letting on. Gibbs said he is willing to agree to a very reasonable payment plan and Koerner said she is also willing to agree to pay off her debts in installments. However, for some reason, the two have stopped contacting each other. Initially, Gibbs thought the Koerners were gone for good. But, he said, he was able to track them to the west Texas town of Uvlade with the help of Google. Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Free Musick Downloads Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress tcg student loan consolidation home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms Tatoos student loans African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Student Loans Tatoo Poker Games Homeschooling Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams