Meet Mary Ruth and Greg Vincent | Glen-Isle proprietors

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Ruth and Greg Vincent and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary Ruth and Greg, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My husband, Greg and I found Glen-Isle Resort for sale in July of 2016. We made an offer the following month, and we didn’t close on the property until July 21, 2017. Greg and I had successful careers in education. I was a middle school teacher, and Greg was a high school principal. We had benefits, retirement accounts, and very safe and successful careers. When we found Glen-Isle in the state of disrepair, to the point that many banks declined loaning money to restore the property, our attorney told us that we would be foolish to pursue the dream of seeing Glen-Isle restored. The risk was overwhelming, and definitely scary. However, the dream to see the property brought back to the life as it once was, and to pour light and love back into a place that thousands of guests had been coming to since 1901 was worth the risk. We often say the idea of NOT taking the risk, and looking back at the end of our lives and having regrets, was more terrifying than pursuing the dream to see Glen-Isle restored. We wake up every morning and believe we live in paradise…despite the problems that continuously come with owning a property that is over 100 years old, each day we wake up and see Glen-Isle alive and thriving and it makes it worth the sacrifice.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Having the opportunity to restore and resurrect Glen-Isle has been the most empowering experience.. We believe that all the jobs we did before purchasing Glen-Isle were preparing us for this incredible once in a lifetime opportunity. Greg and I have worked in education, with every socioeconomic group, we were leaders within our careers, and those experiences have given us a tremendous advantage in helping pursue extraordinary customer service. I was a theatre teacher for 10 years, and when I’m out cleaning a cabin, or decorating one of them, I envision it as a stage, and I am preparing it for the guests to enjoy. I don’t think anyone really understands why I love to clean the cabins, but there is something so satisfying in preparing the space for the next family that will come to Glen Isle and make life-long wonderful memories. I think what sets us apart in stewarding Glen-Isle, is the amount of life and love that went into saving it. Watching each cabin transform was like watching a caterpillar in a cocoon, and transforming into a butterfly. I think the biggest challenge is when we have a guest that doesn’t really grasp the extraordinary transformation, and they don’t understand that many of the cabins and lodge are over 100 years old. That history invites guests to sit down and absorb the layers. But, I am learning that Glen-Isle isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok! I want the world to know that this property is layered with the most amazing stories and historical value is , and to be on property is such an honor as guests walk in the footsteps of those before us. We look forward to expanding each season, and partnering with others who want to contribute to the growth of Glen-Isle. The possibilities are endless, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Glen-Isle.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am so blessed to have lifelong friends that come to Glen-Isle throughout the year to visit, so it’s always fun to plan what we are going to do. I love sharing our mountains with them, We would start with breakfast at Shaggy Sheep, and then drive over Guenella Pass to Georgetown. In Georgetown we would take a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad, and if it were open, eat at Lucha Cantina, and have a coconut margarita! We would definitely visit the shops in Georgetown. We would head back to Glen Isle and go to The Point to watch the sunset. Afterwards, we would go to the rock fire ring circle, and roast marshmallows for s’mores and tell the Mushroom Man ghost story. The next day we would go to Breckenridge to visit Isak Heartstone, and take in the town of Breckenridge. But, on the way to Breckenridge we would stop in Fairplay at Southpark. We would have lunch at Salado’s. In the winter, we would shoot on over to the Leadville area and either ski Cooper or do some snowmobiling in the area. On the way back we would eat at Wesley and Rose in Buena Vista, and then if we had time, we would need to stop at Mt. Princeton for a dip in the hot springs. Oh, and we are so close to St. Elmo ghost town, we should probably drive up and see it. The next day, we would stick to staying around Glen Isle, so we would hang out at the Treehouse Adventure Park, and head over to Aspen Peak Cellars or Mad Jacks. We would go over to McGraw Park, eat at Favi and Gershon’s Taco Truck and then back to Glen Isle to horseback ride at Payne Gulch/Brookside trail. We would definitely try out the new disc golf course at Glen Isle. Before they had to head out, we would go over to Evergreen and take in the beauty and eat at the Blackbird Cafe. The list is endless of things to do near Glen Isle, and we have so many AMAZING restaurants that I could be squeezed in!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Barbara and Gordon Tripp started running Glen-Isle Resort in the 1950’s. The two of them, along with their five children, created a vacation paradise that truly enchanted families from all over the world. They offered horseback riding, all-day picnics, bingo night, square dances, movie nights, and Chuckwagon Dinners. I started coming to Glen Isle with my family in the early 1970’s, and fell in love with the magic of Glen-Isle. The Tripp family created the model for what we strive for Glen-Isle to be. We love watching families come to Glen-Isle, unplug from technology, play games, disc golf, fish on the river, interact with our horses, hike, and find the peace of the beautiful mountains. We are also incredible grateful for the support that we receive within the community. We are blessed to have our efforts cheered on by other business owners, and locals who love Glen-Isle and want to see her protected and restored. We are also incredibly grateful for Matt Dambrosky for bringing to our attention the Native American history of the Glen Isle property. His guidance helped us find many friends who have educated and opened our eyes to the Native Americans long history with Glen-Isle. We would also like to honor our faithful employees, that share our vision of restoration and seeing Glen-Isle move forward with new beginnings.

Website: www.glenisleresort.com

Facebook: Glen Isle Resort, LLC

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Rv-hDyDWBeg

Image Credits
Mike Taggert Lisa Holland