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I’m stepping into Thanksgiving week with a grateful heart, a full plate ahead, and, most importantly, pants that look like dress slacks but stretch like a warm hug. Shoutout to Lululemon for engineering the only trousers capable of surviving mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, turkey gravy, and whatever “just one more bite” becomes sometime around 4 p.m. Thursday. Toss in a day full of football and grazing, and we’re in peak American operating mode.
We’re also rolling out something new for readers: polling. Real, interactive, “your vote actually shapes what we do next” polling. Each week, you’ll be able to weigh in, help us improve the newsletter, and nudge us toward stories you want more of. Consider it Toledo Money’s version of market sentiment, without the Federal Reserve-level drama.
And finally, a note on how we work. Toledo Money has always relied on a network of plugged-in professionals who quietly pass along what they’re seeing and hearing. We don’t chase noise, and we don’t publish rumors for sport. We whisper, we verify, and then we share. This week, we’re bringing a follow-up to the biggest whisper we’ve reported so far: the developing situation around Fallen Timbers Mall in Maumee. Check the Money Snacks section.
Grab your stretchy pants. Let’s dig in.
👨🏼 This Week’s Shoutout: This week, we’re spotlighting Jason Hood, President of DMC Technology Group. Jason has been a longtime supporter of Toledo Money, and we’re grateful to have a leader of his caliber tuning in every week.
At DMC, Jason guides a team that’s pushing innovation forward, delivering tailored IT and business process solutions for companies across NW Ohio.
Appreciate you, Jason. Wishing you and the DMC team a great Thanksgiving.
Local Stock Market | 📈
Owens Corning | $OC ( ▲ 2.37% )
Dana Incorporated | $DAN ( ▲ 2.81% )
The Andersons | $ANDE ( ▲ 0.34% )
Owens Illinois | $OI ( 0.0% )
Welltower Inc. | $WELL ( ▼ 0.96% )
Marathon Petroleum Corporation | $MPC ( ▼ 2.46% )
First Solar | $FSLR ( ▲ 3.7% )
From Toledo to the Desert: How One Local Turned Bubble Tents Into a High-Performing Airbnb Business
Williams, AZ Dome at Night
Most people who say they want to “get into real estate” start with a duplex.
Not Bernie Patton, owner of Versatile Properties. (P.S. check out this awesome rental they currently have in their portfolio: Here)
Bernie learned Airbnb arbitrage in Toledo, convincing landlords to let him run short-term rentals for a premium. It worked, but it wasn’t big enough.
Then his business partner Tyler made a wild suggestion: “Let’s go to Arizona and build a bubble tent.”
And somehow… it wasn’t a joke. In October 2018, Tyler drove from Ohio to Williams, Arizona, bought a one-acre parcel on the spot, which would soon be home to one bubble tent…better yet, the first bubble tent would be booked 22 out of 30 nights in Month One. Is that proof of concept or what?? That one inflatable dome covered their travel costs and nearly the land payment.
The business was born.
Photograph provided by Bernie of one of the two bubbles.
Building a Bubble Business
Early 2019, they returned and built out the first two bubbles: decks, shower houses, composting toilets, solar, generators the full off-grid glamping setup.
The math was unbeatable:
~$20,000 to build each bubble
90–100% occupancy once listed
~$330 per night
So they kept building.
By the end of 2019: two bubbles
By the end of 2020: two domes + more acreage
(COVID actually helped, as isolated glamping became the safest vacation in America.)
By 2021 they owned four acres with six domes and two bubbles, running near full occupancy with a loyal following. The domes quickly became the pivot as they were more structurally sound as you will see below:
Picture of Dome. Notice the difference between that and a bubble.
And then they made the big bet:
They purchased 40 more acres, planning to turn it into a fully permitted hospitality site — domes, cabins, everything.
The Zoning Nightmare
That’s when the county stepped in. Technically, their domes counted as an unpermitted campground in a residential zone, and fixing it required expensive, slow-moving approvals that didn’t pencil out. After months of back-and-forth, they made the painful call to sell:
All domes
All bubbles
All four original acres
A clean exit, but a reset.
The Partnership Ends and Bernie Doubles Down
Through 2023–2024, as they explored developing the 40 acres correctly, Bernie’s partner decided he wanted out. Too much uncertainty. Time to move on.
Bernie went the other direction: He bought his partner out, re-located from Holland, OH to Arizona full-time, and started designing something entirely new for the land.
He hired an architect.
Planned fully compliant, higher-end desert homes.
And began reconstructing the business from the ground up. Deliberately, and with long-term scalability.
What’s Next
Images of the new houses on 40 acres in Williams, AZ.
What you see above are the new builds, however they aren’t rentable yet, but they’re coming. And when they hit the market, they’ll be the product of:
Toledo roots
A bubble tent on one acre
A pandemic boom
A zoning nightmare
And a founder who refused to quit
A uniquely Northwest Ohio story… even if the view is now mostly red rock and stars. Checkout Bernie’s full portfolio of rentals for your next out west stay! For those visiting Grand Canyon south rim, Williams, Flagstaff OR just Looking for extremely unique stay with privacy, this is your spot and even better that is homegrown.
Coming Soon! Bookable in Spring of 26’
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The Toledo Money Index
What time does your family actually sit down for Thanksgiving dinner?
💼 The Advisor’s Desk
Welcome to The Advisor’s Desk, where the professionals of Northwest Ohio pull up a chair and share their best kept secrets; the kind that save you money, protect your business, and make you sound like the smartest person in the room. Each week, we tap into local expertise, from tax advisors and attorneys to commercial real estate pros and insurance veterans, to bring you practical tips that matter.
Do not worry, The Money Confessional will be back soon to spill the beans. For now, consider this your weekly dose of free consulting without the billable hours.
Thanksgiving According to Your Neighbor, Tom
Pull up a folding chair because this week’s advisor isn’t a tax attorney, M&A pro, or commercial real estate shark. It’s Your Neighbor Tom; the guy who waves from the mailbox, owns a leaf blower that could take down a small tree, and somehow always knows when the Lions are playing.
Tom’s advice for Thanksgiving week? Simple, practical, and annoyingly wise:
1. Be present.
Put the phone down. The emails will wait. Your family, especially the little ones sprinting around the living room like caffeinated squirrels, will not. Tom says if you need help staying present, turn off notifications or pretend your Wi-Fi “mysteriously went out again.”
2. Be thankful for what’s in front of you.
Not the future, not the wishlist, not the retirement plan, the moment. The warmth of the house. The rhythm of familiar voices. The third scoop of mashed potatoes you didn’t need. That’s the good stuff. Gratitude rarely comes from grand gestures; it comes from noticing what’s already there.
3. Enjoy the small things.
Maybe it’s the smell of gravy. Maybe it’s the kids tackling each other during the halftime show. Maybe it’s Aunt Jo-Anne not bringing those minty cookies that tasted like someone baked Crest toothpaste straight into a biscuit. Whatever it is, find the humor, find the joy.
4. Make a memory on purpose.
Tom’s rule: do one thing this weekend you’ll remember next year. A walk with your spouse after dinner. A board game meltdown. A family photo where at least three people blink. Doesn’t matter, just mark the holiday with intention.
As Tom always says at the end of the driveway:
Life moves fast. Thanksgiving slows it down. Let it.
💵 Money Snacks
Here are a few headlines we are snacking on
A record 186.9 million Americans are expected to shop between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year, up slightly from 183.4 million last year. (Honestly, with prices where they are, we’re impressed anyone is leaving the house.) But retailers aren’t exactly rolling out the red carpet of deals. Tariffs and higher costs mean shoppers will see fewer true bargains, even with the biggest turnout ever. Retailers know it too: Walmart kicked off its promos back on November 14, Amazon launched Black Friday week early, and Macy’s spun up an entire Black Friday portal. All this urgency comes as holiday sales, online and in-store—are expected to top $1 trillion for the first time, but grow slower than last year (3.7%–4.2% vs. 4.8%). Shoppers are planning to spend about $890 each on gifts and seasonal items, slightly less than last year’s $902. And maybe that’s because… am I the only one who thinks Black Friday is just companies slashing prices back to normal after raising them all year? At this point it feels less like a sale and more like a corporate apology tour.
Is your portfolio sinking in Q4… here is why:
Many hedge funds lock in their year by selling winners, turning unrealized gains into realized gains to solidify performance fees and clean up year-end reporting. This isn’t a bearish call — it’s often just operational housekeeping before annual audits, investor updates, and fee crystallization. Managers also reduce risk heading into January and raise cash for redemptions that hit on December 31. The result: widespread selling pressure in Q4 that can make the broader market feel heavier than the fundamentals suggest.Rumor has it the Fallen Timbers deal — yes, the one quietly under contract — is inching forward. The whisper on the street points to a February 1, 2026 effective date, but we’re still waiting on two key callbacks before we stamp anything as official. As soon as we get confirmation, you’ll see it first on our socials. Keep your eyes on Facebook and LinkedIn; that’s where the real-time updates will drop.
📬 Forward Thinking
We’re not just building a newsletter—we’re building a clubhouse for ambitious professionals who care about Toledo’s economic future (and their own place in it).
If you know a colleague, peer, or friend who should be part of this circle, pass this along. The more sharp minds we bring to the table, the stronger our region grows.