Meet Jade McBride | President, Ted Turner Reserves

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jade McBride and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jade, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
We believe that, by sharing the restored and healthy ecosystems of Ted Turner‘s properties, we can educate, inspire, and even transform our visitors to have a deeper appreciation and love of nature. The solution to many of the challenges we face in this world boils down to us as humans. And when we reconnect ourselves with nature, it makes better people out of us.

What should our readers know about your business?

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. I’m the President of Ted Turner Reserves, a hospitality brand grounded in conservation of land and species, with a mission to connect people with nature. “It’s such an honor to be part of Ted Turner’s team and to help to create his legacy,” McBride said.

I found my true calling in life, working in hospitality and sharing life-changing experiences with others, at Amangiri in Southern Utah. As part of the pre-opening team there, I built a world-renowned activity program with adventures fit for every skill-level and personality which helped to propel the property to record-breaking occupancy and revenue levels.

The Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana was the next stop on my hospitality journey. Here, I served as the General Manager at the world’s first Forbes Travel Guide five-star guest ranch during its biggest growth period so far.

Ted Turner Reserves is a company I am proud to represent. With Ted’s goal to “Save Everything” as a guiding force, it is a never-ending joy to find new ways to help people feel the inspiring and rejuvenating power of nature.

“It’s all about putting people in those moments when memories are made. It’s that moment when you’re looking out at a majestic landscape and you feel it more than you see it, the moment when you can’t find the words to describe the emotion that seems to fill every part of your soul. I make those moments happen, every time you’re in my back yard.”

Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

Of course, there are plenty of challenges in any career. I truly feel so blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the best thought leaders in the hospitality world. Learning and growth is always a little painful, and some days you just keep pushing that boulder up the mountain, but I truly feel like I won the “job lottery” when I got the opportunity to work with Ted Turner. Having the larger purpose of conserving our planet behind every decision I make is so fulfilling, and I love getting to share Ted’s story and his stunning properties with others.
What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

There are so many lessons to learn in the hospitality business. One of the biggest is that the most important thigs we can do is to “take care” of our team members first. We have lots of priorities to juggle in business, the needs of our guests, our owners, our communities, the land, and wildlife, but if we make sure that we’re prioritizing the needs of our teammates ahead of everything else, the rest falls into place. If you’re ever in a room with Ted Turner and you say something about “working for him” he will remind you, “No, you’re working ‘with’ me.” I love that lesson I’ve learned from Ted.

Another lesson I’m so grateful I’ve learned is that sometimes we humans think and act as if we are masters of nature. Working with Ted and these amazing landscapes, side-by-side with scientists who spend their days working to save species from extinction, I witness the evidence again and again, that we are not masters of nature, we are part of it. And we rely on all the other parts for our survival. That is a really humbling experience.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I guess the most important thing I want people to know, is that there is hope. The game is not over yet. Often, I think we are overwhelmed by the size and scale of the problems we are facing in our world today. When guests come to a Ted Turner Reserves property, I hope that they leave feeling inspired and hopeful, that we in fact can save the planet and humanity, if we all work together and do what we can in our homes and communities.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
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. In your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?

Oh my gosh, this is such a fun question to answer! My favorite thing is taking people out and sharing special places and experiences with them. If you’re at Vermejo – well you’re kind of stuck at Vermejo. Our driveway is 40 miles long – so it’s quite a drive to get anywhere else. But it’s easy to spend a week at Vermejo and only scratch the surface of things to see and do. First, my favorite, you’ll want to hike up to Casias Lakes and see the work of Mother Nature in a place so pure and gorgeous you’ll never forget it, and if you’re up for even more adventure go all the way up to Ptarmigan peak, the highest peak on Vermejo. Either way you should take time to explore the area around the four glacier lakes, quietly gaze out at the mountains as far as you can see and sit by the second lake long enough to see the Rio Grande Cutthroat trout swimming in the crystal-clear water. Breathe in the crisp mountain air and be silent so that you can hear nature’s symphony. Don’t forget to look for the cool purple pinecones on the Bristle Cone Pines up there. Wow, I’ve used so many words on just the first activity!

In addition to hiking (there are limitless places to hike and explore, 558,000 acres worth) probably the most important thing to do is get out on a tour with a guide who will take you to prime wildlife viewing areas where you’ll see bison, elk, mule deer, pronghorn and maybe a bear or even a mountain lion if you are super lucky. Your guide will tell you about some of Ted’s conservation projects along the way. You’ll also want to take an e-bike out for a spin, or a mountain bike if you’re a purist, go fishing on lakes and streams, take a horseback ride, check out the via ferrata climbing park followed by a short hike up to the peak behind Merrick Lake. Don’t forget to learn about the people who’ve lived at Vermejo with history tours to Catskill or Koehler, and take a tour of Casa Grande, even if you’re staying there, to learn it’s stories. Alsom tour the greenhouse and gardens…Which leads me to food!

The lodge dining room features mouthwatering choices fish, bison, elk and other local game, along with vegetarian and vegan selections that are delicious and lots of the produce comes right out of our greenhouse. My favorite is the bison tenderloin and baby carrots! The menu changes a bit each day, and at least weekly, we have a cookout, when you’ll smell the woodfired grill working on your dinner all day long. Some of the best meals are the ones you’ll eat out in nature, curated picnics, cowboy breakfasts cooked over a campfire, lakeside fish fries, there are so many choices. You can even have a private wine-paired opulence dinner if that suits your fancy.

Speaking of fun people, I can’t wait for you to meet the members of our team! They are my very favorite part of Vermejo.

On your second visit to a Ted Turner Reserve, you’ll want to head to Southern New Mexico. If you have a whole week, you can visit both the Ladder and Armendaris properties. They are both stunning and so different from one another.

At the Ladder, you’ll stay at the cozy Country House where you’ll want to spend time sipping lemonade on the front porch and watching all of the brightly colored birds. My favorite activity is the Seco Creek hike. You start out in a high-desert landscape, studded with giant Prickly Pear, Ocotillo, and Cholla cactus, and then descend into a shady, leafy, green canyon where you wade in and out of the creek. Every time, I’m amazed that this cool canyon is right there in the middle of the desert. And there are actually four tributaries to the Rio Grande river on Ladder so the environment alternates back and forth between the two types of climates. Animas Creek is the place to see the biggest Arizona Sycamores, some of the trunks are as big as a car! It’s stunningly gorgeous. Ladder is also home to conservation projects for Mexican Grey Wolves, Chiricahua Leopard Frogs, Bolson Tortoises and more. The land is rich with the artifacts of indigenous people who once lived there as well as homesteads left behind by pioneers during the Westward expansion.

At Armendaris the Hacienda is total desert luxury with an open-air courtyard where you’ll want to spend time sitting by the giant firepit. If it’s summer, you won’t want to miss witnessing the two million bats emerging each evening from caves formed by lava tubes. It’s truly awesome. Looking out at the view from the top of the Fra Cristobals is a must, but my favorite thing to do at Armendaris is simple stargazing. The skies are so dark and wide, it’s my favorite place to enjoy the night sky.

In between the two Reserves in Southern New Mexico is the Sierra Grande Resort. Charming and serene you’ll definitely want to stop in for a soak in the healing geothermal baths followed by a soothing massage.

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?
Ted Turner is an icon and an inspiration to many people. But for me, personally, my love for him as much deeper. It’s been an incredible blessing in my life to have so much exposure, communication and guidance from him. I’m in a position today, where almost weekly, I have the opportunity to talk to Ted and ask for his guidance and counsel in many things. He’s truly one of my heroes.

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Image Credits
courtesy Ted Turner Reserves