2009 Fall Conference is History. . . 
But Learning, Friendship and Memories Remain

It's safe to say that "a good time was had by all" at the Minnesota Resort & Campground Association's 2009 Fall Conference & Expo in Glenwood. Sixty-plus operators attended the conference, which was held at the Lakeside Ballroom and Peters' Sunset Beach Resort. Participants enjoyed resort and campground tours, relevant seminars, a great expo featuring some of the best industry suppliers, informative crackerbarrels and much, much more. Click the links below to see photos from various conference activities:

2009 RESORTER OF THE YEAR:
Chris Ruttger, Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge, Deerwood

Chris Ruttger of Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge, Deerwood, was named 2009 Minnesota Resorter of the Year. Ruttger represents the fourth generation to operate Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge. His great grandparents, Joe and Josephine, started the resort in 1898. His grandparents, Alec and Myrle, took over the operation in the early 1920s and his parents, Jack and Ann, took over in 1955. Chris Ruttger grew up on the resort and worked a variety of jobs there from a young age, including serving as the resident magician. He graduated from Brainerd High School in 1980 and graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY in 1984 with a B.S. degree in hotel administration. During college, he interned one summer at the famed Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
 
After graduating from Cornell, he worked at the Normandy Inn in Minneapolis, but returned to the resort as the assistant manager in 1985. He became general manager in 1995 and today serves as vice president. Ruttger is a Certified Hotel Administrator and currently serves on the Resort Committee of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He is a past chairman of the board of Hospitality Minnesota and past president of the Minnesota Resort & Campground Association. He is also active locally in arts and tourism organizations.
 
Ruttger follows in the footsteps of his father, who not only served as MRCA president in 1966, but was the first recipient of the Resorter of the Year Award in 1981. His grandfather, Alec, was the MRCA's first president in 1943 and 1944. 

>>Click here for more photos of Chris and his family! 
>>Click here for a list of past recipients of the Resorter of the Year Award!
 

 2009 MINNESOTA HOSPITALITY HALL OF FAME:
Bill Peters, Peters' Sunset Beach Resort, Glenwood

Bill Peters of Peters' Sunset Beach Resort, Glenwood, was inducted into the Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame. The Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame Award is bestowed upon individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of the resort and campground industry in the state and are deemed "legends" by a collective group of their peers.
 
Peters is a third generation resorter. His grandparents, Henry and Maude, started the resort in 1915, and the original hotel building is still the centerpiece of the resort. Peters' parents, Pierce and Maxine, were active in the business until 1973. Peters received a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and after serving as a commissioned officer in Fort Benning, GA, he returned home to the family business full time in 1958. The following year, he married his favorite waitress, Mary, who still waitresses today.
 
Peters served as a board member of the MRCA for 10 years and served as its president in 1984. He was named Resorter of the Year in 1991. His father, Pierce, helped form the association and was its president in 1949. The family says the resort was a good place to raise their three children. Sons David and Jim are both in the family business. Seven grandchildren roam the property and the five older ones were fifth generation employees this summer. Bill and Mary still maintain a seven-day work week in the summer. Bill's goal is to stay involved with the business until the Centennial celebration of the resort in 2015. 

>>Click here for more photos of Bill and his family! 
>>Click here for a list of past MRCA inductees in the Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame!
 

 2010 MRCA PRESIDENT:
Harold Kraft, Canary Beach Resort, Villard

Outgoing President Ron Rykken, left, passes the MRCA gavel to incoming President Harold Kraft

During the MRCA Annual Meeting, Harold Kraft (Canary Beach Resort, Villard) was elected as MRCA President for 2010. He succeeds Ron Rykken (Timber Bay Lodge & Houseboats, Babbitt). New to the board for next year is Jeff Kitterman (Minnesota National Agency, Long Prairie). Retiring from the board is Harriet Williams (Fun Ta Boot Resort, Park Rapids).

Serving as officers for 2010, besides Kraft and Rykken, are President-Elect David Langhoff (Shady Rest Resort, Villard), Vice President Tom Kavanugh (Kavanaugh's Sylvan Lake Lodge, Brainerd) and Treasurer Dan Berg (Lakecrest Resort, Detroit Lakes).

>>For the full board list, click here!

 2009 FRIENDS OF MINNESOTA TOURISM:

Atkins	Howes
Seifert	Skogen
	Ward

The Minnesota Resort and Campground Association honored five state legislators with "Friends of Minnesota Tourism" awards:

Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights)
Rep. Larry Howes (R-Walker)
Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall)
Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt)
Rep. John Ward (DFL-Brainerd)

The annual recognition honors legislators and/or public policy makers who have demonstrated support of tourism or the resort and campground industry. This year's honorees were selected for their engagement in industry issues such as the post Labor Day school start, vacation home rentals and the dedicated lodging tax:

MRCA Executive Vice President Dave Siegel thanked the legislators for their support of Minnesota tourism, noting that they have a difficult job. "Everyone who comes to see them wants something," Siegel said. "All too often, we fail to give them the recognition they deserve. We are pleased today to be able to recognize legislators who understand the importance of this huge industry in Minnesota and work to make the industry successful."

Tourism is an $11 billion dollar industry in Minnesota and generates 15% of all state sales tax revenue. State tourism employs a workforce of 247,000, which translates to about one in 10 Minnesotans. Tourism affects every corner of the state.