The company is pursuing a FedEx Small Business Grant to help with expansion plans as it works to restore and convert the old Casanova-Morosini Farm along U.S. 8.

But to be a finalist for the contest, they must draw enough votes by the end of Monday to rank among the top applicants.

The business is run by Nate Alwine, Austin Kalcec, Dan Okerlund and Evan Blagec. It offers whitewater rafting, mountain biking, indoor rock climbing and guided wilderness excursions.

As part of entering the FedEx competition, they had to make a 90-second video pitch explaining what they’d do with the prize.

Jason Pientka works on the exterior of the True North Outpost/Northwoods Adventure building in Norway Township. To support the business in its quest for a FedEx Small Business Grant, visit www.truenorthoutpost.com.

When they purchased the farm and its building last August, “basically everyone said we should tear it down, but we really wanted to save it,” Kalcec says in the video.

“We have poured everything we can into restoring this old landmark, from our savings to every bit of creative engineering we could throw at the problem,” Kalcec said.

The first obstacle was wading through red tape from city and township officials convinced the aging structure was beyond repair, co-owner Alwine said. The property had been zoned commercial but that changed when the Piers Gorge area was turned into a state park.

Alwine said this actually worked in their favor because it made them take their time to do everything correctly. The late winter helped as well, allowing them to do more outside work, he said.

Alwine said they first had to clean out dirt and debris from the foundation, repair the foundation walls and create new supports. The lower 2 feet of the first-floor walls had rotted and needed to be replaced.

But they couldn’t jack up the house for this work until they secured the second-story walls, which were leaning out several feet, he said. After knocking out all the upstairs windows, straps were used to hold the second-story walls in place while sections of the house were jacked up to replace the damaged lower walls, working 8 feet at a time.

Roof rafters had to be rebuilt and the most damaged portion of the roof replaced from the eves up, amid freezing rain and sleet, Alwine said.

Now, 90 percent of the inside has been finished using repurposed materials. The floors and walls have lumber from a house torn down in Iron Mountain and a defunct sawmill in Kingsford. A decommissioned industrial site in Escanaba provided material for the new porch and window sills. A hospital slated for demolition provided lighting fixtures, electrical plates, cabinets — anything they could salvage, he said.

They are trying to save as much of the outside siding as possible.

“We’ve rebuilt this place by our own hands, and have managed to keep one or all of us on site working almost around the clock since last August,” Alwine said.

He regrets they were unable to complete the septic and well drilling last fall, but they hope to have that done in April. They hope to be open Memorial Day weekend, but are planning an open house in early May.

The site also now includes the only indoor rock-climbing facility between Marquette and Milwaukee, Alwine said.

“If we get the grant we intend to make the changes necessary to offer year-round access to the climbing center, expand our fat tire bike rentals — we purchase these bikes through Bike Therapy in Kingsford — expand our canoe and kayak rental fleet, make some very desirable site improvements at the Outpost, and offer a new rafting adventure on the Quiver Falls unit of the Menominee River State Recreation Area,” he said.

To vote for True North Outpost/Northwoods Adventure, go to their website at https://www.truenorthoutpost.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/truenorthoutpost/

The FedEx contest includes a $50,000 grand prize with $7,500 in FedEx Office print and business services; a $30,000 silver prize with $5,000 in FedEx Office print and business services; and eight $15,000 bronze prizes with $1,000 in FedEx Office print and business services.

Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 42, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.