TENSTRIKE, Minn. — In the words of Cedar Rapids Lodge owner Jen Bloomquist, winning the 2023 Minnesota Resorter of the Year award was a humbling and emotional experience.

In 2021, when Bloomquist unexpectedly lost not only her business partner but her life partner and father to her three children, the future of their longtime family-owned resort in Tenstrike was unclear. Not only did she have to determine what was next for the resort, but she also had to think of what was next for her family.

Jen and the late Marc Bloomquist pose for a photo with their three children, Calvin, Jillian and Nathan. Jen Bloomquist, owner of Cedar Rapids Lodge in Tenstrike, Minn., won the 2023 Minnesota Resorter of the Year award despite losing Marc unexpectedly in 2021. (Courtesy photo)

“My husband, Marc, and I bought this resort from my parents who owned it for 30 years. Our first summer was in 2017 and then he very unexpectedly passed away in 2021. It was kind of one of those situations where I didn’t know what was going to happen because this isn’t really a job that you can do by yourself,” Bloomquist said. “My mom and dad told me not to stress about that first year without him and they stepped back into that role to help however they could.”

After that summer, Bloomquist decided to keep going. Two years later, after all the hard work and hardships, Bloomquist was selected for the 2023 Resorter of the Year Award by the Community of Minnesota Resorts.

“I just decided I didn’t want to sell it. I wanted to keep it. I love it here, this is where I grew up and I’ve been here all my life — it’s such a big part of me and my family,” she said. “We’ve done two summers without my husband now and so it was a big deal (to win) just because we’ve all had to work really hard to do it without him, not just physically, but emotionally.”

Bringing home the award

According to its website, the Community of Minnesota Resorts each year selects, through nomination by its members, one resort or campground as Resorter of the Year. To be considered, the owner representative of that resort or campground has to have shown a dedication to the improvement of the Minnesota Resort Industry by adopting and conducting business policies and practices that reflect a personal pride in the industry as a whole.

Guests enjoy each other’s company and roast marshmallows around the campfire at Cedar Rapids Lodge in Tenstrike, Minn. (Courtesy of Cedar Rapids Lodge)

Nominees also have to live up to the organization’s motto of “Resorters Helping Resorters” by staying involved in community activities and by displaying a willingness to help other resort owners operate a Minnesota resort or campground successfully.

“Their motto is ‘Resorters helping resorters’ because the main goal of the association is just to have people within your same line of work so you can ask each other questions and run things by them just because it’s a unique job and we’re all in the same boat,” Bloomquist said. “It was a very humbling and emotional experience to be considered and to bring that award home.”

While taking up all of the roles within the business and in her personal life, Bloomquist continues to improve the resort to accommodate guest needs. This year, two new cabins were built, a new septic system was installed and cosmetic updates were made, further adding to an environment that their guests know, love and return to year after year.

“There are hard days for sure, especially that first summer. I was kind of in a fog those first couple months,” Bloomquist admitted. “But I think the biggest thing is that this is the kind of resort where most of our guests have been coming back for literally 30, 40, 50 and 60 years. They’re like family to us. We have felt so supported and loved by our guests and they’ve given us so much grace.”

Bloomquist learned that sometimes we will never be prepared for what comes next in life, but her dedication to her family, resort, guests and the tourism industry as a whole along with her perseverance during the most difficult times are the very qualities that make her and her resort so successful.

“I couldn’t do this without my parents, my kids and our guests. That’s what this award means to me is that all these people play a part in this place being as awesome as it is,” Bloomquist said. “We’re a family resort and from day one, we’ve all been here and we’re the ones doing everything — I think our guests like that and it’s what makes us stick out.”

The memories of Marc are kept alive through the stories that guests tell of him being so inviting and welcoming to them. As he was actively involved in the CMR Board, they recognized his ability to have “never met a stranger” and even named their fall conference hospitality room after him.

“There is a significant message for each of us to take away from the story of this year’s winner — and that is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,” a Community of Minnesota Resorts release said. “(The Bloomquists’) story and how they conquered it tells us that no matter the situation we are faced with at our resorts or in life, no matter how big or small, it can be overcome with the help of faith, friends and family.”

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