Tim and Tina Chapman, owners of Chapman’s Mille Lacs Resort & Guide Service, explored many opportunities before deciding to make Isle their destination. Tina was an office manager for a firm in Edina, MN and Tim was the working foreman in a machine shop in Golden Valley. They have been married for 32 years.
The Chapmans looked at resorts and bait shops for over 5 years, but when Tim got laid off, their search went into high gear. They came close to buying a bait shop on Lake Osakis, but Tim had fished Mille Lacs since he was a teenager and always dreamed of having a resort on the Lake. Tim’s ties to Mille Lacs go even further back since his family vacationed at Wolf’s Resort which was just north of Isle, so Mille Lacs was in his blood.
Tim saw an ad in the Star Tribune for a resort on Mille Lacs, and he and Tina immediately drove up to check it out. After visiting a couple more times they purchased Scenic Bay Resort in August of 1993. A year later they purchased the little resort next to Scenic Bay known as Nick Eggert’s Resort.
Tim and Tina did not have children, it was them and their dog, so if things didn’t work out they could land on their feet doing something else. They jumped in running and never looked back, although they admit being totally clueless about running a resort at the time.
The resorts consisted of 9 cabins, 6 motel rooms, 12 RV spots, Launch Fishing Service, Guide Service, Boat Rental and Ice Fishing business. They ran the resort themselves, only hiring a bait boy on the Launch.
In 2003 the resort was prime to sell and the Chapmans decided to sell the Scenic Bay part of the Resort while keeping the Eggert part of the resort which consisted of 5 cabins, boat rental, summer/winter guide service and minimal fish house rental.
Tina also became Executive Director of Mille Lacs Tourism in 2010 after her predecessor, Judy Cain, passed away. The Chapmans have a long time history and dedication to Isle and the Mille Lacs area and they are active members of the Isle Area Chamber of Commerce.
