For the 11th year in a row, the North Carolina Chapter of Community Associations Institute (NCCAI) has selected Corolla Light Resort as the best in the state. The NCAAI is a statewide chapter of the national organization, with over 600 resort members in the state.

According to General Manager, Don Cheek, the key to the long term success the Outer Banks resort has enjoyed is in having the right people in the right place. “The key is having a great staff and a really good board of directors,” he says. “Our board of directors are very open minded. We have been doing surveys every year, determining what our homeowners and guests want.”

With the surveys in hand, the community has upgraded recreational facilities, put in a children’s pool and made innumerable other improvements.

With over 400 individual homesites on 250 acres bordering the Atlantic Ocean, the resort offers a number of small town amenities. There is a tram system to help guests get around the community, the beautiful beaches of the Currituck Outer Banks and recreational facilities geared toward the entire family--including time set aside just for the teenage children of guests. “Our guests told us we needed to do things just for the teenagers, so we have some games and tournaments that they really seem to like,” Cheek says.

In addition to winning the Community award, Don Cheek was awarded the first annual Resort Manager of the Year Award. “I was so blessed to get that,” he says. “The key to this job is it’s got to be fun.”