New Hill Crest owners to add a true ?Touch of Dutch?

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JULIE ANDERSON
Coming from a Dutch background, the new owner of the Hill Crest Motel,

Jeroen Heijne and his wife, Zerrin, and son Jeffrey, 9 months,
feel at

home in Hillsboro where the town claims a ?Touch of Dutch? for its

heritage.



The Heijnes arrived in Hillsboro May 16 from their home country of
The

Netherlands and officially took over operation of the motel May
23.



?We liked Hillsboro,? Jeroen said. ?There is a good school for the

baby. You have everything here, like hotels, doctors, banks and

supermarkets.?



They looked at several motels throughout the United States before

deciding on the Hill Crest.



?Last January, we had a six-week trip through different states,?

Jeroen said.



A broker found the Hill Crest for them?as well as a few others?on
the

Internet and went to look at them.



The Heijnes became interested in running a motel during their
trips in

the United States. They started talking to the owners of the
motels in

which they stayed.



Jeroen said motels are not as common in Europe. He said smaller
towns

generally do not have them, only the big cities.



?We wanted to own our own business, but something different,?
Zerrin

said.



They had owned their own business in The Netherlands. They sold it

when they moved to this country.



The Heijnes were familiar with the United States because they came

here frequently for vacations.



Jeroen said they fell in love with the country and decided to
stay.



Zerrin had lived in Detroit previously when she worked as an au
pair.



They first visited Hillsboro in January. They stayed for a couple
of

days, which gave them a chance to see the town.



?It?s a nice small town but not too small,? Zerrin said.



?Hillsboro feels a little bit like home,? Jeroen said. ?Like a
little

bit of Dutch.?



But there are differences as well.



Jeroen and Zerrin commented on the amount of open space here. They

said in The Netherlands, everything is ?side by side.?



They also commented on the weather, because it rains a lot in The

Netherlands, as well as the number of trees and flowers in
Hillsboro.



?I think the lifestyle is not so much hurried,? Jeroen said.



Jeroen said anyone who has any questions or comments about the
Hill

Crest should talk to him because his door is always open.



The Heijnes do not plan any major changes for the motel.



Jeroen said they just want to keep it clean and provide the best

service possible.



?We just want to keep up the good work,? he said.



To help teach them about running the business, Timothy Kuo, the

previous owner, has been showing them how everything works, as
well as

introducing them to people and showing them places around town.



?He was very good in introducing us to everybody,? Jeroen said.



Kuo said he hopes the community supports them like he was
supported.



After retiring, Kuo plans to remain in the area, but is not sure

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