Membership
What is the Community of Minnesota Resorts All About?
Our Mission:
The Community of Minnesota Resorts (CMR) exists to help family owned and operated resorts in Minnesota to continue as a viable segment of the Minnesota tourism industry.
Our Motto:
The Community of Minnesota Resorts’ motto is “Resorters Helping Resorters.” We believe that none of us alone is as smart as all of us together.
The Community of Minnesota Resorts is an industry association dedicated to the mission of helping family owned and operated resorts in Minnesota to continue as a viable segment of the Minnesota tourism industry. The association is entirely volunteer supported. We assist members in marketing and education and assure a voice at the MN state capitol. Every year we offer scholarships to member’s children or grandchildren, give an annual “Resorter of the Year Award”, and offer vendors an opportunity to connect with resorts through our Associate Member Program.
Join the CMR, or Renew Your Membership Today
There are multiple ways for you to Join, or Renew your membership.
Fill Out our Online Application.
Call 320-212-5107 or email us.
Or, print and fill out a CMR Membership Application.
MAIL TO: CMR – Community of Minnesota Resorts
PO Box 61
Dent, MN 56528
Attn: Membership Division
Are you a vendor who would like to be an Associate Member of the CMR? Just fill out our Associate Member Application and Mail to the above address.
Associate Membership Application
Retired Membership Application
Benefits of Being A Member of the CMR
Vendor Discounts
Special discounts are offered to CMR members (i.e. low rates on credit card processing, special wholesale pricing on log furniture, 10% off reservation software, 5% off lawn equipment, etc.)
Workshops and Conferences
Fall Conference, November 3-5, 2019
Sugar Lake Lodge, 37584 Otis Lane, Cohasset (near Grand Rapids), MN 55721
Mark your calendars for November 3rd through the 5th for our 2019 Fall Conference! This year’s conference will be held at Sugar Lake Lodge! The invite is in the mail. You can download and print the invitation by clicking the form below.
CMR Fall Conference brochure 2019
This year, again, your CMR Education Committee did a great job putting together speakers to talk about topics of interest for resorters. Some of the topics include:
► Succession Planning from All Angles: You should be thinking about your exit strategy at any stage of your resorting career. We have three professionals that will help you be ready.
► Employment Law Essentials: Your questions will be answered: Overtime pay, hiring questions, federal and state forms, background checks, employee benefits…..
► Effective Communication: This is a topic is good for all of us to hear about
► Loony Talk: Let’s hear what the MN DNR has to say about loons,
► Dealing with County and Local Government Approvals.
► MN Tourism, Today and Tomorrow. The Explore MN Tourism (EMT) director will tell us how they promote our state.
► Panel of Resorters: Raising Children on a Resort
► Much more including: Crackerbarrels, Annual Meeting, Legislative Update, Silent Auction and Vendor Show
Spring Workshop 2020
Planning has begun for the Spring Workshop. Stay tuned for more details as they are finalized!
Annual Fall Resort Tour
This past September we toured in the Cass Lake/Blackduck Area.
Thank you to our host resorts 
Lost Acres Resort, Cass Lake Lodge and Joe’s Lodge, and Sah Kah Tay Beach Resort.
Over 50 of your fellow resorters saw how these resorts operate and gathered new ideas, shared stories from the season and learned from other resorters.
It is always a great time to see old friends or make new friends and just spend a relaxing day away from your resort after a busy summer season.
School of Resorting
Day On the Hill
Mark Your Calendars!!!!
The 2020 CMR Day On The Hill will be February 25th and 26th at the Minnesota State Capitol. Never been to the Day On The Hill? Please view the above video to get insight as to what occurs.
Resorts are an integral part of the Minnesota “up north” vacation tradition. To continue to remain a viable segment of the Minnesota tourism industry, resorts need legislation in place to protect their legacy and longevity. Day On The Hill allows us to communicate to legislators how best to implement legislation that allows resorts to function in the best business environment possible so that the tradition of the “up north” Minnesota lake side vacation exists for generations to come.
We focus our efforts on legislative issues impacting resorts across the state. Items such as property and sales taxes, lodging regulations, game and fish rules, funding for Explore Minnesota and protecting the state wide post Labor Day school start. Last year there were a number of pieces of legislation proposed that would of allowed schools to start before Labor Day, and these were again soundly defeated.
However, it is not all work. The ride on the bus to and from the Capitol, and time spent at dinner building relationships and interaction with fellow resorters is invaluable. It is always a time for sharing and questions and answers. So won’t you please join us!
Finally, last year we got a fantastic opportunity to discuss some of the issues facing resorts with Governor Walz. We appreciate the time the governor took to visit with us, share some of his vision, and hear those items important to us as resorters. We want to take this opportunity to thank those who participated in Day On The Hill last year, and encourage all resorts from across the state to join us on February 25th and 26 2020! Contact Jim Wherley Legislative Chairperson at CMR@Minnesota-Resorts.com to register! Bus route and hotel information will be provided once we have them finalized.
Resorter of the Year
Resorter Of The Year Nomination Packet
2019 — Clint and Patty Mueller, Balsam Beach Resort, Bemidji, MN
This year’s Resorters of the Year, interestingly enough, had never stayed at a resort prior to owning one. Before life in resorting, she ran a daycare and he was Mr. Fixit at a creamery, eventually becoming manager. When the dynamics of management became dicey, they started looking for a new career.
Upon their 2nd site visit to their current resort, HE was strongly encouraged by the owner to take a boat out fishing for a bit. SHE saw his gleeful face when her husband returned with a bursting stringer of 3 walleyes, several jumbo perch, northern pike, and a couple of muskies. She then nudged her sister who’d come along to look, shook her head and said, “I think we just bought a resort.”
Fast forward 24 years. They still enjoy resorting and have no regrets. Maybe they only go fishing twice a year now, but they make those times COUNT. They were able to raise their two sons (aged 6 and 11 at the beginning) in a meaningful lifestyle and now have started discussions with one of the sons about his interest in taking over someday.
A true Mom & Pop establishment, (with the exception of two cleaning helpers) they run everything themselves. The resort now has 8 cabins, 4 overnight full hook-up RV campsites, and 26 seasonal sites. Over the years they’ve rebuilt several cabins from the ground up. They’ve continually upgraded the rest and all cabins now have dishwashers, air conditioning, fireplaces, TV’s, gas grills and soft water. Along with these more modern cabin amenities in which to appeal to more of a family clientele (rather than strictly fishermen as had previously been the case), they’ve also added an outdoor heated swimming pool, a fitness room and all kinds of unique hand-made kids playground equipment. They are currently in the process of developing 10 – 12 additional seasonal sites.
This couple says some of their keys to their longevity and success are truth in advertising, immediate guest service (taking care of maintenance issues promptly), and dividing confrontations with guests between both spouses. They say it’s also helped that they’ve been self-motivated, creative, and ambitious while continually setting new goals.
If they had to give advice to potential resorters: they would say “do your research!” Investigate the locale, the lake, and crunch the numbers.
They are active with their community church. They’ve been involved on a local chamber board of directors, a Cenex Co-op board and have served 24 years with their Lake Association in various officer positions, hand-making wooden chairs for their silent auctions, and testifying at the state legislature for specific local issues.
Over their many years of membership in the Community of Minnesota Resorts, they have served more than 3 terms on the board. Between the two of them, they’ve worked on all committees: Legislative, Marketing, Education and Membership. They regularly go to Day on the Hill, attend most Workshops, Conferences, Resort Tours and School of Resorting classes. They have been rather visible and approachable at these events and via the group chatline. Apparently, it’s a frequent occurrence to have other resorts call them up to ask for advice or to share ideas. He’s been known to plan trips to collect big equipment items, like RAVE water toys, as example, and invited other resorts in their area if they’d like him to pick up their items in same trip for a nominal fee to save everyone hundreds of dollars in shipping fees. He even delivered the items right to their doors.
Another resorter recounted them driving 100 miles out of their way to personally drop off a hand-made anchor specially made to secure a Bongo.
Resorters helping resorters is a motto this couple has taken to heart. They believe that if we want the resort industry to stay viable, we all have to be involved and put a little time in.
We’ve certainly appreciated the time and energy they’ve spent with this group, and look forward to more creative gimmicks for Day on the Hill, bidding on their handcrafted silent auction items, continuing to ask them to share their resort wisdom and watching their adorable bickering during board meetings and crackerbarrels.
We just want to say we see you, we thank you for your contributions, and it is my great pleasure to award this year’s 2019 Resorter of the Year Award to Clint & Patty Mueller of Balsam Beach Resort.
For more information about Karen and Tim or previous ROY Award Winners, click on View Resorter of the Year Award Recipients link below.
Contact Information: 51155 219th Avenue, Bemidji, MN 56601, clintm@paulbunyan.net