Welcome! It’s nice to meet you.
ABOUT HOME HOSTS
The STR Community for Door County
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
Home Hosts of Door County began as a Facebook Group of hosts and property managers with a vested interest in home sharing (short-term rentals) in Door County. Our goal today is the same as when we began: to support and advocate for home sharing hosts who own or manage short-term rentals within the county. Today, our Facebook Group has over 600 members.
As the years progressed, state along with local legislation around short-term rentals evolved, and the group formed into an association whose mission became advocacy and education based for short-term rental owners in the Door County area.
OUR MISSION:
Home Hosts of Door County exists to enhance members’ home-sharing experience through education, professional standards, marketing, political advocacy and industry networking. We strive to promote the Door County community, contribute to its economy and, above all, be good neighbors.
WHAT WE DO:
Advocacy
We stand up for responsible short-term rentals at all levels of government, and we provide hosts and managers resources to advocate for yourselves.
Regulatory support
We provide regular updates on the latest in ordinances and laws, as well as support tools to help you get your permits, pay taxes, and more.
Best practices & education
We create content and events for hosts and managers of all experience levels to professionalize and improve your hosting business.
Community & Networking
We foster opportunities to grow your network. Whether you’re looking for a vendor or business partner, or you just want to connect with other hosts, Home Hosts of Door County is your community.
MEET THE BOARD:
Janet Slater,
President
Our family has had a home in Jacksonport for 45 years. For 15 of those years, I’ve served as a host to families wanting to enjoy Door County in a home setting. We founded Home Hosts to engage the community on the many benefits of home sharing and to partner with community leadership and homeowners to successfully manage this lodging sector. We currently work with our over 500 members of our Facebook Group to achieve these objectives.
My experience as a part of the leadership team of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations helps me contribute solutions to the unique challenges of our home sharing.
Karen Jacobson Berndt,
Vice President
My love of Door County started many years ago as we sailed the beautiful waters of Green Bay and we still have a sailboat in Fish Creek. Until recently, I owned Harbor Fish Market & Grille, Baileys Harbor and businesses in Fish Creek and Baileys Harbor for 23 years. I understand the challenges and privileges of living and working here, in our beautiful Door County. I live full time in Baileys Harbor and I love and know all of the communities of Door County. I continue to volunteer my time with many organizations and sit on a number of boards. For over 15 years I have owned STRs in Sister Bay, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek and Baileys Harbor. I firmly believe that our businesses and residents understand the importance of offering a family friendly, home-like stay in our county – no matter the season. I believe short term rental owners want to provide our Door County guests with a terrific, eco friendly and exceptional experience. As STR owners, we encourage visitors to be great guests in our county and “leave no trace”. I am proud to serve on the Home Hosts board and am happy that our STR tax dollars are contributing in a substantial way to the growth and sustainability of our county.
Punkaj Gupta,
Secretary
Although my husband and I were both born and raised in Wisconsin, we didn’t start coming to Door County regularly until we had children. With 2 small kids in tow, the thought of staying in a hotel room for several weeks at a time, wasn’t going to be as relaxing and convenient as we needed. That’s when we discovered a wonderful home for rent in Bailey’s Harbor where we stayed for 2 weeks and knew we wanted to purchase our own. However, this was only made possible knowing that we’d be able to rent our house out to other families. We feel so fortunate to offer our houses to other families who can also create beautiful memories in Door County. I look forward to serving on the Home Hosts board to preserve these opportunities for families to continue to enjoy all that Door County offers.
Holli Kohls,
Treasurer
I am the owner of Kohls Property Services, LLC, and have great respect and understanding for our unique industry. I currently work with more than 30 STR owners. I was born and raised in Door County and have worked in the tourism industry my entire life so I have insight into the attitudes (and connections to) the local community. My background helps with strategic planning, education of owners, knowing the locals, and connecting with leaders who can assist STR owners in the best possible way.
Michael Servais,
Director At Large
My wife and I are year-round residents of Door County, and we own two short-term rental properties. This is our full-time business. My involvement with the Gibraltar (Fish Creek) Board of Trustees this past year, made me realize when we work together, we can develop fair legislation meeting the needs of all involved.
I want to improve the image of short-term rentals. I feel a small percentage of problem properties have tainted the image of the vast majority that are responsible hosts. By developing relationships with municipal board members, they will have a better understanding of what STRs bring to the community.
Elizabeth Scheckel,
Communications
Liz earned her BA in Communication and Media from St. Norbert College. Her journey led her to meet her husband, Eric, in Baileys Harbor, and the couple lived in Egg Harbor for more than four years before settling in New Franken. Liz enjoys exploring Door County’s state parks with her daughter, Isla, and their Boxer, Angus.
With over seven years of experience in destination and event marketing, Liz has built a strong foundation in the tourism industry. She began her career as a Visitor Information Specialist with Destination Door County, where she also supported the Certified Tourism Ambassador Program. Liz later served as Partnership Sales Manager at Discover Green Bay, expanding her expertise in regional tourism promotion. She now serves as Marketing and Business Development Director at Simple Life Hospitality, a full-service vacation rental management company overseeing more than 100 homes in Door County.
Liz’s passion for Door County and its growth is unmistakable. When she talks about the community, her enthusiasm shines through – so much so that she often laughs and says, “Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox.” Her commitment to the region’s success is both inspiring and contagious.
Heather Heezen,
Director At Large
I’m Mom to our 7 year old son Jack (and our 3 year old fur baby Indy). My husband is native to the Green Bay whereas I just hit my 11 year anniversary living here. I transplanted to northeastern Wisconsin via the Twin Cities, but I am a cheesehead born and raised! I grew up in Janesville, I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (where I met my husband), I spent some time living on the French Riviera, and I wound up in the Twin Cities post-college for nearly a dozen years.
My husband and I started visiting Door County when we were dating, and we fell in love! We have made countless day trips and weekend stays, and this summer will mark our 8th annual family vacation. In 2022, we decided that Baileys Harbor will be our future place of residence, and we purchased a home which we currently leverage as a short term rental (STR). It is our intention to continue leveraging as a STR until we are able to move permanently in about 10-ish years.
I truly care about the Door County community and getting involved. Currently, in Green Bay, I serve as a board member for Junior Achievement (JA) Northeast Wisconsin. I have volunteered with JA continuously for the past 15 years. I also volunteer at my son’s school, and I serve as a liaison for Humana with the House of Hope and the Salvation Army Green Bay. I am a 2022 graduate of Leadership Green Bay.
Professionally, I serve as Associate Director, Project Management Office for the Primary Care Organization with Humana. I lead a team of project managers who partner closely on medium-sized projects to large-sized programs with IT and a slew of other workstreams (i.e. Marketing, Sales, Risk Management, Legal, Credentialing, Recruiting, etc.) to open new, or enhance existing, primary care practices focused on senior care across the country. We work in a Value-Based Care organization where the patient is in the center of what we do, and I get the opportunity to oversee / implement some really great initiatives that directly impact health outcomes of our patients. I am further fortunate to travel throughout the year to our clinics and see the work my team and I have implemented and witness impact first hand.