Bryan and Sue both grew up in Detroit Lakes and attended Concordia College in Moorhead. They began dating not long after they started working together at Fair Hills Resort. Sue earned a teaching degree and Bryan was a plumber, but they decided to pursue the hospitality industry. They became managers of a hotel in Grand Marais. After a year, they realized resorting was what they really wanted to do. They fell in love with Eagle Nest Lodge on Lake Cut Foot Sioux, purchasing it in 1994.
Eagle Nest Lodge was established in 1924 and has had multiple owners. The resort now boasts 14 log cabins, many of which have been remodeled or built in the Harris’ 24 years as owners. Bryan and Sue also own Eagle Nest Log Homes, which provides the milled logs for new cabins. The couple incorporates many small touches for their guests, from a weekly ice cream social to writing “good morning” notes on birch bark tied to the Sunday paper. They host weddings, receptions, graduation parties, retreats and family reunions.
Both Sue and Bryan are active in their communities and church. Bryan has served on the board of directors for the Minnesota Resort & Campground Association for many years and was president in 2014.