Tennessee Williams said, “Redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person.” A Bend father and son began www.Propaloo.com as a dedication to the life of Christopher Ryan Smith, who died June 4, 2010.
Steve Smith and his son Paul are finding a measure of redemption after loss by sharing the things that Christopher was passionate about with the community their family loves. The recently-launched website is the product of over three years of work and planning and offers a “one-stop-shop” marketplace that lets visitors search for the Central Oregon vacation rentals, recreational equipment or tours at the location and price they want.
Propaloo provides local vacation home and recreational equipment owners and tour operators with what they say is an easy, inexpensive way to find customers, while making fun more accessible to those seeking these items.
“Most of us subscribe to the ‘Buy Local’ ethic,” says co-owner, Paul Smith. “We are thrilled to help support our local economy with a site that enables you to list and rent locally, instead of through a non-local source like VRBO.”
Paul and Steve have teamed with Intrepid Marketing of Bend to spread the word about their adventure travel and recreation marketplace. As an incentive for local businesses and rental owners to list on Propaloo, the company is offering a six-month FREE membership: clients don’t pay a dime for any listings they add to the Propaloo marketplace or for any inquiries they receive for their listings. After six months, listing with Propaloo is still FREE—clients only pay for leads when they come in.
Details on the free listing special can be found at www.propaloo.com/free-listing. Other benefits of Propaloo include:
• It’s FREE to sign up, add listings and upload photos
• Listings remain free of charge until members receive their first lead/inquiry
• Once a listing receives its first inquiry, their fee is less than half what one would pay on VRBO or other sites.
• Quick and easy listing process with bulk photo upload ability
• Robust and easy-to-use internal communication system for engaging with property owners and/or travelers
• Fun and easy-to-use dashboard for managing rentals, inquiries, bookings, and more
“When you list on Propaloo.com, you’re helping support the local economy, from listing to rental,” according to Paul. “As a family-owned business, we love Central Oregon, so we’re thrilled to help you find the right people to enjoy your vacation rentals, recreational equipment, boat, motorhome and other property to rent. Keeping it local from listing to rental is just another way to say ‘I love Central Oregon!’”
Christopher loved to travel and get into the great outdoors to do the things he loved, like surfing, biking, skydiving, free diving and wakeboarding. Propaloo was birthed out of his family’s love for him and desire to build something in his remembrance.
The Smith family says Propaloo is all about making the most of today by helping people get out and PLAY! Christopher would approve.
