Colorado Luxury Ranch Resort | Vista Verde Ranch

Ben Martin

General Manager
Wilderness First Responder
Hometown: Terre Hill, PA

This is Ben’s 15th year at the helm of Vista Verde Ranch, where he oversees ranch operations and keeps the staff focused on the VVR ethos of servant leadership and life change. When he is not at the ranch working, as he says, “with the best folks a guy could ever ask for,” Ben enjoys time at home with his wife of 23 years, Holly. These days, they are empty nesters, with two kids off in college and two living and working in Denver. In addition to VVR, and his golden retriever Finn, Ben loves his Philadelphia sports teams, listening to and playing music, coaching track and field at Steamboat Springs High School, and playing on the North Routt softball team. Fun Fact: Ben is the youngest of 49 grandkids.

Charlie Cammer

Director of Ranch Operations
CPR Certified
Hometown: Windham, NY

Charlie has been in Colorado since he was 24 years old and gradually worked his way up to Clark. Before coming to Vista, Charlie was the manager of Round Mountain Ranch. Charlie has been a part of the VVR team since the late-90′s and quietly keeps the ranch running as the master organizer of our team. He and his wife Barb enjoy spending time with their grand kids, as well as road biking. Charlie rides a brown 1974 Motobécane and his wife rides a silver 1975 Motobécane. He also enjoys barbecues outside on the patio of their timber frame house he built looking out on Farwell Mountain.

Stephanie Wilson

Director of Hospitality
Hometown: Woodside, CA

Steph takes care of all things related to getting you here, and then making your experience as wonderful as possible at the ranch. A California native who came to Colorado for a summer to escape the classrooms of UC Davis with plans to stay a season or two, and has never left. She found the perfect combination of her background in the horse world along with an agricultural business degree in the dude ranch industry. As a mother of two, Steph loves to spend time with her daughters, as well as riding horses, mountain biking, practicing yoga, and skiing. Steph’s husband, Todd, is a former Olympic skier and now coaches ski jumpers in Steamboat Springs.

Bill Backer

Properties Manager
Hometown: Clark, CO

Bill has been around Vista Verde for upwards of 25 years now! In his free time, Bill enjoys fixing up old, damaged cars and is also very skilled at making furniture. Much of the furniture located in the ranch’s accommodations was created by Bill. If you want to make friends with Bill, make him a pie. His favorite is rhubarb pie, and you should see the rhubarb he grows in the ranch gardens!

Nate Margason

Safety Manager
CMC EMT Program
Hometown: Elgin, TX

Nate is officially our Safety Manager, but that is just the start of what he does at the ranch! When not fixing things or overseeing our fleet of 14 hot tubs, or guiding, or wrangling, he finds time to pursue his hobbies that include hiking, playing softball, dancing, and horseback riding. Nate really enjoys playing on Vista Verde’s intramural softball team during the summer and volleyball during the winter. For his first job, Nate was involved in restoring a 1939 Cadillac LaSalle. He is a volunteer with North Routt Fire Department as an EMT and Firefighter type 2. Finally, Nate married our own lovely Melissa in October 2016 in VVR’s Great Room!

Zach Wingo

Human Resource Manager
Wilderness First Responder, USCG Certified Captain, CPR, AED
Hometown: Annapolis, MD

Zach is a dedicated outdoorsman who has been chasing anything with a set of gills or pair of antlers since he was 2 years old. Growing up on a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, he enjoys fishing for striped bass and sailing during the summer months. In the fall, he can be found bowhunting for whitetails and sika deer. Zach is also a proud USC Gamecock and looking forward to an awesome summer at VVR! Fun Fact: Before joining us at VVR, Zach sailed 1,900 nautical miles from Annapolis, MD to the Bahamas with his father.

Devyn Cordes

Reservations & Front Office Manager, Yoga Instructor
Hometown: Louisville, CO

This is Devyn’s 13th season at VVR! In grade school she was constantly reprimanded for too much chit chat and now she gets paid to talk to people! Devyn is a certified RYT 200 hour Baptiste Yoga instructor. She is also a Colorado native who spends her winters skiing and summers hiking and fishing. A graduate of Boston Conservatory, Devyn is a singer and loves to sing the Star Spangled Banner.

Shannon Neff

Activities Coordinator
CPR & First Aid Certified
Hometown: Fort Collins, CO

We are so excited to welcome Shannon back for her third season here at Vista Verde! Shannon graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Natural Resource Tourism and she is so happy to call the ranch home. She loves to travel and is passionate about music. She can frequently be found drinking coffee and petting dogs. Last winter Shannon fell in love with down hill skiing. This summer you will find her enjoying the sunshine, reading, hiking, and camping!

Katie Grosso

Reservations
Hometown: Whiting, NJ

Katie has a bachelor’s degree in Women and Gender Studies from Rutgers University. She is also a certified Mind Body Eating Coach through the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. When she’s not serving in the dining room, you’ll likely find her out in the sun reading, working on a screenplay or poem, or pondering life’s deep questions. When she grows up, she either wants to be a philosopher queen or Marion Cotillard.

Holly Martin

Store Manager
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

Holly grew up in Colorado Springs, CO, and attended Colorado State University where she obtained a degree in social sciences and criminal justice. She went on to receive her law degree from the University of Arizona. After focusing on the kids for the past few years, Holly is enjoying working alongside her husband, Ben, at the ranch. They have four children: Amanda, Chelsea, Annie, and Jack, and a son-in-law, David, as well as two dogs, Finn and Hazel. Holly’s favorite thing is when all the kids are back home.

Vista Verde Ranch Staff is the Best! Colorado Vacation Luxury Ranch

Jennifer Haskett

Bookkeeper
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

While Jennifer is originally from Philadelphia, she has been living in Steamboat Springs for the past ten years! Her son is currently a student at Steamboat Springs High School and her daughter is studying veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia. One of Jen’s true passions is art and she attended the Academy of Art University at San Francisco. She loves to draw and paint, especially the beautiful scenes around the area. Jen also loves to explore the mountains by means of hiking, horseback riding or even stand-up paddle boarding. Fun Fact: Jen was a contender on American Gladiator!

Ranch Hands

Michael Kristensen

Ranch Hand Manager
Hometown: Vesloes, Denmark

Michael is from a small town in the North of Denmark called Vesloes. He has spent much of his time working with his hands and doing various jobs in and out of the country. After his time in the Danish Military’s Royal Lifeguard he took a short education in Outdoor and Sports studies. Later he joined another branch of the Danish Military and spent a few year working in Greenland. He found his way to Clark after meeting his wife, Beka, while they were travelling in South America. This season he is heading up the ranch hand department. He likes running, camping, tele and skate skiing, travelling, and enjoying good food and wine. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their little girls; Clara and Elsa!

Patrick Davis

Ranch Hand
CPR
Hometown: Eureka, KS

This winter marks Patrick’s 4th season at VVR. When not helping with the many behind-the-scenes tasks the ranch hands do to keep things running smoothly, you can find him skiing or hiking. In the off season, Patrick works as a hunting guide in Montana for big game–yes, including bears and mountain lions! Patrick’s love of the outdoors inspired him to study wildlife and outdoor enterprise management at KSU. Fun Fact: Patrick lived in Germany for four years!

Stephanie Shreve

Ranch Hand
First Aid, CPR, AED
Hometown: Oakland, MD

Steph is joining the ranch hands for her fourth season at VVR! Steph has also worked in reservations and as a wrangler. Before coming to the ranch she graduated from West Virginia University. She then worked for an organization called Young Life in Buena Vista, CO. This winter you will find her learning how to skate ski and reading as many books as she can.

Dora Robel

Ranch Hand
Hometown: Greeley, CO

Before coming to the ranch, Dora was pursuing her degree in Interior Design and Architecture at Aims Community College. She will be continuing her studies this fall at Colorado State University. Dora wants to be design and be apart of the building process for houses focusing on their kitchens and bathrooms. This summer she is excited to explore all Clark and Steamboat have to offer. Fun Fact: Dora is the youngest of 5 siblings!

Jake Waldrop

Ranch Hand
Hometown: Moseley, VA

Jake is a recent graduate of Hampton-Sydney College in Virginia. He loves hunting, fishing, and anything that involved sports and nature. Some of Jake’s passions are spending time with his family, developing intentional relationships, and figuring out how things work. Jake is excited to spend his first season at the ranch exploring and learning.

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