New Owner of Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd Focusing on the Future

Since 1940, Cragun’s Resort has been a staple of the Brainerd Lakes community, bringing in thousands of tourists every year to experience the various outdoor amenities that the resort has to offer. And now, under new ownership after a sale last month, the resort is looking to keep that tradition going.

“Dutch [Cragun’s] family has owned it for 85 years and they’ve done a tremendous job over the years developing it from a small few cabins to what you see today,” said Jamie Tatge, General Partner at Cragun’s Resort and President of Leisure Hotels & Resorts.

The resort had been owned by the Cragun family since it opened, but after the sale, Baxter-based company Leisure Hotels & Resorts has assumed ownership. Despite the magnitude of the sale, the deal was completed without brokers, being facilitated based on the relationship between the Craguns and the company.

“Dutch and I have been having conversations for a number of years about what the plan of the resort was to be,” continued Tatge. “I think it was, you know, obviously we had interest. It was critical that he was comfortable with the resort operator and what was going to happen going forward. And that’s kind of how we got to the deal that we put together.”

While the resort is under new ownership, Tatge says the staff is here to stay.

“What’s critical is that, you know, we are keeping all the staff in place,” he emphasized. “You know, the leadership team is staying in place. That was a big part, you know, for both the seller and the buyer. We wanted the leadership team in place, we wanted the players to stay. You know, change is always a little bit fearful. But we look at it and say, you know, we are going to continue to enhance the overall experience.”

The new ownership group is turning its focus to the future, taking 2025 to learn how the resort operates and see where they should invest funds in the future.

“Really, our focus is, this first summer, is to understand how it works and functions,” said Tatge. “As a resort operator, what I’ve learned over the years is each one of these things is different. So you can’t just come in and say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do.’ Over the last five years, Dutch and his team have put over $25 million into improving it and we continue to put money in to improve it as we go forward.”

Leisure Hotels & Resorts recognizes that Cragun’s is a staple in the community and wants to continue its legacy for years to come.

“There’s so many cool things about about Cragun’s,” Tatge added. “You start from the location on the south side of the lake, the mile of sand beach that you have in front of it. The team here is unbelievably wonderful. And you add the golf and again, it’s just a full-service property, that the opportunity—what they’ve done has been incredible and the opportunities are untapped.”

While the terms of the deal are not being released, the sale is believed to be the largest resort transaction in Minnesota history.