ABOUT HOME HOSTS

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.

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.

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.

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.

I’ve operated two short term rentals since 2018 in our lovely destination of Door County. Having worked behind the scenes with HomeHosts.org for a number of years, I am excited to join publicly to help educate about vacation rentals and their owners’ integral role in supporting local communities.

My hope is to facilitate balance between tourism and year-round residents; it is no secret that our community is in need of adequate affordable and seasonal housing. Vacation rentals rely on – and provide income for – locals to clean, maintain, and manage them. Guests staying at the vacation rentals support the local business economy.  I strive to bring nuance to complex issues.

I am a retired engineer who worked 40 years internationally building oil refineries. I’m the son of Axel McGraw who grew up on an unforgiving, hardscrabble potato farm in N. Dakota. I’m from Chicago originally, went to Purdue and taught a part-time course at Northwestern University. I still do not yet live in Gills Rock full-time; but, am transitioning to be there more. I was a scuba diver who first came to Door County via On The Rocks. When I bought my home, I wrote a letter to each neighbor (Peg Morton and Jack & Sue Anderson) on either side of me apologizing for any noise-disruption while I renovated. Peg was a gem of a neighbor and my children, Lauren and Cameron, loved her; we fed her foxes, we broke bread and devoured her lemon squares. I renovated the lodge; but, kept the outside the same as it was in the 1969 Nat’l Geo article on Door County. I did this by working side-by-side on a handshake basis with hardy men like carpenter Roger Johnson and stone mason Dean Logerquist. Roger had a handshake that could crush others if the gentle man ever wanted to. Over the 90’s and 00’s, they watched my family grow. I was invited out with Jeff Weborg on his fishing boat during his 4th of July celebrations and later shoveled fish heads manure onto his fields as fertilizer. I’m not a talker, I’m a doer. My home will be passed to my children and never sold again. Although all above are passed, I honor each one, and I understand the importance of hard work and being a good neighbor. In the not to distant future, the pic of my dad is how I’ll likely look and where I’ll be … in Gills Rock!