Ready to promote Cook County! The folks who will be staffing the Cook County Visitors Bureau in Grand Marais are (L-R) Sally Nankivell, Maggie Barnard, Sue Weber, and Diane Brostrom. The door opens at the new visitors bureau officeat Highway 61 and 5th Avenue West on May 1.
Although visitors to local tourism information centers will likely not notice it, big changes are coming to the Cook County tourism industry on May 1, 2010. That is when the Cook County Visitors Bureau (CCVB) will officially open its doors in the former Sue Hakes Realty building at the corner of 5th Avenue West and Highway 61 in Grand Marais. And that is when an alliance of tourism entities will start working together to promote Cook County as the remarkable tourism destination they believe it to be.
Partners in CCVB are the Lutsen- Tofte Tourism Association, Gunflint Trail Association, Grand Marais Area Tourism Association, Grand Portage Tribal Council, and Lutsen Mountains Corporation.
When county residents hear about the opening of the Visitors Bureau office, one of the first questions raised is, “What will happen to the existing tourism offices?”—the tourist information centers at Grand Marais City Hall and in the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum in Tofte.
Good news for locals and visitors who are familiar with those facilities— they will remain the same, with existing staff, signage, and website presence. The Visitors Bureau, according to newly hired Executive Director Sally Nankivell, will simply be “a mechanism to promote Cook County as a whole.”
A team to welcome visitors
Nankivell brings a wealth of knowledge about Cook County to her new position. She was formerly the executive director of the Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association (LTTA). She also has over 20 years of experience in non-profit management. In March, Nankivell celebrated her 10th anniversary as a Cook County resident.
She said, “During the past 10 years I have lived in Hovland and Lutsen, and worked in Grand Marais, Lutsen, and Tofte. I have enjoyed the beauty and cultural heritage of Grand Portage and I treasure my annual trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness via the Gunflint Trail. I am passionate about all areas of Cook County and am delighted to have been asked to lead this new era of tourism promotion and enhancement.”
Nankivell is also very happy about the visitors bureau team that has been assembled, starting with Maggie Barnard who will continue in her role as visitors bureau events director. She was hired in August 2009, coming to the visitors bureau from a 28-year career with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Corporation, 15 years as a director of catering and convention services. Her hotel experiences gave her the opportunity to live in many different states and the Caribbean.
However, her attachment to the north woods kept bringing her back to the North Shore. Her first visit to Cook County was as a teen at Voyageur’s Landing, formerly operated at Hungry Jack Lake. She became more familiar with Cook County as an adult when her parents retired to Grand Marais in 1994. She moved to Cook County in July 2007.
“Maggie has been with the visitors bureau for just over six months and during that time she has demonstrated a strong commitment to growing tourism in Cook County,” said Nankivell.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the new organization and working to advance the tourism business for Cook County,” said Barnard. “I have enjoyed meeting and working with members of the community on a variety of events the CCVB sponsors.”
Diane Brostrom has been hired to serve as visitors bureau marketing coordinator. She comes to the visitors bureau from her position as director of the Grand Marais Area Tourism Association. Prior to her service as GMATA director, she served for two years on the GMATA board of directors and was the program director for the North Shore Music Association. She brings an additional tourism perspective as the owner of the Antler Inn Guesthouse in Grand Marais.
“I’m feeling truly lucky to continue to be involved in tourism in Cook County,” said Brostrom. “This represents even a larger opportunity to positively impact the economy of the area, while living in such a wonderful place. I’m eager to contribute to the efforts of the new board and team.”
Another member of the visitors bureau team is Sue Weber, who will provide a variety of contract services, including grant writing and grants management, website programming, and special projects.
Weber has been involved in Cook County tourism for many years, including as previous owner of Hungry Jack Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail and the Dream Catcher Bed & Breakfast in Grand Marais. Weber was a founder of local internet provider Boreal Access and for many years has provided contract services for the Gunflint Trail Association (GTA).
Remaining with the existing tourism offices will be Alicia Kangas, Bill Wehseler, and Mary Jane Huggins at the Tofte fishing museum and Bob LaMettry, Judy Boots, Mandy Theiner, and Carolyn Higgins at the Grand Marais visitor’s center.
“All of our staff knows a lot about all of Cook County,” said Brostrom.
Marketing Director sought
The visitors bureau has a position yet to be filled: marketing director. Jim Vick of Lutsen Mountains is filling that role in the interim. “It’s a very busy time of year for everyone. Jim is stepping in to help with preparing marketing plans, doing ad buys. His coming on board in the interim is a ‘godsend,’” said Nankivell.
“We wanted to hit the ground running,” said Nankivell, noting that the visitors bureau is looking for a long-term marketing director. Applications will be accepted until May 15.
“We’re looking for someone with experience in destination marketing,” she added, ” noting that the goal of the visitors bureau is to “brand” Cook County. “We want to get people used to the idea that there is so much to see and do in Cook County—that Cook County is Grand Marais, Lutsen, Grand Portage and more.”
However, Nankivell said, “We also don’t want each community to lose its individuality. The flavor of each community—that’s an asset to the county overall.”
Brostrom agreed, “We’re looking for a combination of elements that will be successful.”
An example of how the visitors bureau will work for the county is in advertising placement. Explore Minnesota,
a statewide tourism magazine, is very expensive to advertise in, yet it is a very important method to reach potential visitors. “We can now pool our funds and have a large presence as Cook County,” explained Nankivell.
And the visitors bureau will leverage efforts for promoting the various festivals and events that take place in the county— especially during the slower “shoulder” seasons.
Visitors Bureau funding
All of the staffers will work under the visitors bureau board of directors, which includes representation from each tourism partner. How many representatives each tourism organization has is based on the amount each entity contributes to the Cook County Events & Visitors Bureau (CCEVB) via the 1% lodging tax implemented in December 2008. Tourism partners such as Lutsen Mountains also make a voluntary contribution.
The additional 1% lodging tax was authorized by the MN legislature in 2008. According to Cook County Financial Coordinator John Peterson, the amount collected from the 1% lodging tax from December 2008 – November 2009 was $251,351.01, which was paid to the CCEVB.
Additional voluntary contributions for the visitors bureau resulted in total revenue for CCEVB of $357,328, according to the budget presented to the Cook County commissioners last summer. At that time, the CCEVB budget projected revenue for 2009-2010 was $408,938.
Three of the tourism partners—LTTA, GTA, GMATA—have been receiving proceeds from an existing 3% lodging tax for many years. They have all agreed to turn over those funds to the CCEVB as of May 1.
According to County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers, the countywide 3% lodging tax collection was $752,318.65 from December 2008 – November 2009. Some of that, $50,000 allocated to LTTA is applied toward the revenue bonds for Superior National at Lutsen golf course, leaving approximately 702,318.65 for the visitors bureau’s operations.
The CCEVB disburses funding to each member organization in proportion to the amount it has contributed.
The visitors bureau board of directors is Erik Humphrey, Amber Pratt and Mark Sandbo of GMATA; Mike Prom and Bob McCloughan of GTA; Frank Vecchio of Grand Portage; Dennis Rysdahl, Nancy Burns, Mike Larson, and Michael O’Phelan of LTTA and Jim Vick and Charles Skinner of Lutsen Mountains.
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