Truly Telluride, sneak peek

08 Nov Truly Telluride, sneak peek

The late Steve Butts, who fell victim to an avalanche while skiing in Canada in 2005, dreamed of introducing people to the unique lifestyle of Telluride. Telluride Properties became his means to that end. Steve’s spirit remains top of mind as his brokers/friends continue to carry the torch he lit.

Now 22 years old, Telluride Properties has long been recognized as a marketing innovator among industry leaders and its peers. “Truly Telluride” is the company’s award-winning publication.

The magazine began modestly as a 20-page booklet. Today, “Truly Telluride” features 50 pages of the region’s finest real estate offerings and candid stories about residents who spice up the town.

For its fourth issue, Telluride Properties’ marketing director, Wendy McKeever, asked me to write about three part-time locals: Richard Holbrooke, Ed Barlow, and Bonnie Cohen. “Full-Time Change Makers, Part-Time Telluriders” profiles three extraordinary individuals, who have lived very different lives and have strikingly different personalities, but share an understanding that blessings come with obligations: each is a dedicated philanthropist/activist committed to making a difference in the world.   

Look for “Truly Telluride” on the newsstands around Thanksgiving.

Ambassador Richard Holbrooke

His no-nonsense personality is stamped on every word he speaks and writes. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke is an elegant, eloquent man and a powerful national leader with a reputation for not pulling his punches.

Read his articles  – the one he wrote recently for the September/October edition of Foreign Affairs magazine about the global challenges our new president will face is particularly compelling. Sit in the audience at one of his talks  – the one he gave at this year’s Telluride Mountainfilm brought the packed house at the Palm to its feet – and it becomes abundantly clear that the business end of Holbrooke’s rhetoric hits hard, going straight to the heart of whatever issue has grabbed his attention in the moment.

Holbrooke is a guy who walks onto a plane and automatically turns left: first class all the way.

In 1994, President Clinton nominated him to be Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs and Chief U.S. Envoy to the former Yugoslavia.

In 1999, Holbrooke was appointed Permanent United States Representative to the United Nations.
He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times.

In addition to diplomat, Holbrooke’s distinguished resume lists magazine editor (Newsweek, Foreign Affairs), author (“To End A War,” “Counsel to the President,” the memoirs of Clark Clifford), Peace Corps director, investment banker, and driving force in the non-profit sector (president/CEO Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Asia Society).

Clearly no kitchen sink category can capture the breadth and depth of such a man. However, Holbrooke himself parsed the details to uncover the leitmotif.

“Public service is the thread. I believe people who live in a community and love it – the world community, Telluride – should give something back. Locally, that’s why I serve on the Telluride Foundation,” he explained.

Holbrooke’s long history with our town dates back 20 years, when part-time locals Dick Ebersol and Susan St. James first brought him to town. Since then, Telluride has become one of the few places on the planet this peripatetic public figure can kick back and exhale.

“Telluride is my sanctuary. Once I arrive in town, I am never in a car. I love the fact someone like me can walk down Main Street, run into people I know, and enjoy a casual conversation. A strong sense of community and generosity of spirit are high on the list of things that distinguish Telluride from other great ski resorts such as Aspen and Vail, St. Moritz and St. Anton, anonymous places, where people think nothing of trampling one another to get onto the lifts.”

Holbrooke feels that protecting the Telluride “brand” requires hyper vigilance during the tough times ahead.

“No question the backlash from this economic crisis will hit Telluride too, and we should all be prepared for the consequences reflected in real estate and retail. While it will be hair-raising to see people forced to put their houses up for sale in a down market, ups and downs are an inevitable part of the cycles of business and do not last forever. I see this particular downturn lasting at least a year or two. In the end, however, Telluride will be fine – but only if we hold fast to our values and discourage new arrivals from importing their city manners. I am from a big city, but have no interest in recreating New York in a mountain setting.”

Holbrooke clearly lives large: his circle of friends wraps around the world. Mike “Shimmy” Shimkonis, however, is at the top of any short list that includes local hanging buddies. How the two met is a shaggy dog story involving one of the world’s most famous bloodhounds: Disney’s Goofy.

“The first sighting of Shimmy occurred in a previous chapter of my wife Kati’s life,” Holbrooke explained. “Vacationing in Vail, one night she and her family saw him as Goofy at the Beaver Creek Children’s Theatre.”

Fifteen years later, when Kati Marton, now married to Holbrooke, was reintroduced to Shimmy, at first she had no idea who he was, until he reminded her of that night. According to Shimmy, “Kati told me the night she met Goofy was one of the highlights of the Vail trip, because the dog’s antics had thrown then husband Peter Jennings off guard more than once – something that did not happen too often.”

In 1995, Holbrooke was the chief architect of the historic Dayton Peace Accords, which effectively ended the Bosnian War. After wrapping up the agreement, the tired negotiator scheduled a well-deserved time-out in Telluride, with NBC, CBS and ABC hot on his heels. From Goofy to White Knight: Shimmy to the rescue.

“I provided him with logistical support on the mountain and in town when he was producing stories for ‘The Today Show,’ and we became friends.  One year later, Richard called at his son’s suggestion asking me to coordinate his interviews. Next thing I know I was on the phone with the State Department, coordinating the media en route to town.”

Shimmy has been advising Holbrooke on local investments ever since.

“Once Brian O’Neill and I teamed up, the two of us have been providing Richard and Kati with real estate information and negotiating deals on lots, houses, and condos. In exchange, Richard provides us with an insider’s global perspective.”

“As a negotiator, Shimmy is better than Henry Kissinger,” concluded Holbrooke… laughing.

Entrepreneur Edward Barlow

His signature song should be the 1933 pop hit, “I’ve got the world on a string.” Edward Barlow embraces life with the enthusiasm of a young boy finding his first lucky penny on the ground. And he is a real free wheel nothing and no one slows down.

True to form, this part-time local has managed to elevate his mountain escape to the level of a sustained revolt against the status quo: he is a man who lives his life outside the box even inside our box canyon.

Blue-eyed candor, generosity of spirit, and an unedited sense of wonder and adventure fuel Ed’s irresistible charisma. What floats his boat is an abiding and unbridled curiosity: “I am deeply invested in people and places and what makes them tick,” he explained. Bottom line: Ed is as cool as a high mountain stream after a snowmelt.

Back in New York, the guy masquerades as a “suit.” His day job is senior partner at Whitcom Partners. John Hay Whitney founded Whitney Communications Company and Whitcom Partners in 1946. He brought Ed, then a young corporate lawyer, into the business in 1968. Today the company’s primary focus is community newspapers & cable TV. “I am privileged to be involved in a very tasty, very animating businesses.”

The line between work and play blurs for someone like Ed who only does what he likes and almost always likes what he does.

In Telluride, Ed is a business partner of Jake Linzinmeir, the chef/owner/operator of three of the town’s most popular watering holes: Excelsior, Blue Point, and ‘X’ Café.

But as soon as Ed loosens his tie, the guy morphs into his other persona: globetrotting gentleman of leisure. In the past few months alone, he has visited Italy, Croatia, and Chile. Just after the New Year, he is en route to Dubai. A man as smart as Ed, however, understands there is no free lunch: the quid pro quo for the good life is giving back.

The long list of philanthropic and civic causes on his resume reflects Ed’s wide-ranging interests.

The mission of the Leakey Foundation is to increase scientific knowledge and public understanding of human origins and evolution.

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory is the largest coldwater research facility in the Eastern U.S. Founded in Maine in 1898, the nonprofit is dedicated to research and education in the field of marine biology towards a greater understanding and preservation of the environment and advancing human health.

Several other of Ed’s nonprofit commitments, past and present, focus on saving the world one child at a time through education. “I have spent lots of time and effort on charitable causes, particularly those involving young people.

In 1970, he became the president and later chairman of Vocational Foundation, Inc. which offers job training to challenged teens to help them get out of trouble and find a new way of life.”

I Have a Dream Foundation is an initiative Ed spearheaded at his alma mater, Yale. That nonprofit pays the tab on four years of college for an entire classroom of kids simply for completing high school.

“Fourteen years ago, for example, we tested the program on 50 fourth-graders at New Haven East Rock Community School. Not only did my classmates and I agree to pay for their college education, we managed to get additional government funding from Bill Clinton’s administration to support the work of teachers hired to coach the kids. In the end, 88 percent went on to college, proof positive of what can happen when a little attention is paid.”

Locally, Ed is a founding donor of The Telluride Foundation. Since its inception in 2000, thanks to the largesse of its members like Ed, the Foundation has established itself as the largest supporter of community groups and nonprofits in the region. In 2008 alone, the organization gifted $802,000, plus an additional $350,000 in special initiative grants, to 85 non-profits. The goal for 2009 is a cool $1 million.

“As a member of the grants committee, I get an up close and personal view of our many beneficiaries, whom I have found to be benevolent, concerned, dedicated individuals. The grassroots initiatives they work for add breadth and depth to our resort economy. Serving on the Foundation with co-chairs Ron Allred and Mark Dalton and executive director Paul Major, I have gotten back a lot more than I have given.”

Ed is married to Frances Hill Barlow. Thirteen years ago, the couple stumbled onto Telluride while looking for a place out West to ski. Ed liked Vail. Frances wanted Aspen – until their friends Peter and Deedee Decker, long-time Ridgway residents, told them to check out Telluride.

“Like so many others, we experienced a coup de foudre – French for ‘thunderbolt’  – the minute we laid eyes on the place. That same day we bought our first piece of property, just out of town in Elk Run. Over time, Telluride has become very important to our family: it is the place we all want to be, filled with people we want to be with.”

Among Ed’s closest friends is Damon Demas. “Because I am not a full-time local, I have to come to rely on Damon’s sound judgment and resourcefulness.” Business aside, Ed regards Damon and his wife Elaine as two very special people. “Damon and Elaine are the salt of the earth. They spend time & energy thinking up ways to help their friends.”

The Barlows own property in New York and California, Mexico, and Chile. However, for them, there is nothing quite like our mountain town.

“Our other homes are great, but Telluride is unique. In the winter, we return for the skiing and the Telluride AIDS Benefit fashion show and art auction, major productions not to be missed. Summer is all about hiking, and two other nonprofits: Mountainfilm and the Film Festival.

Former Undersecretary of State Bonnie Cohen

Although she is only a part-time local, Bonnie Cohen has become an integral member
of the Telluride community.

Despite the fact that she has succeeded in a wide range of pursuits – in addition to her “summer job” of hiking in the San Juan mountains, she has run U.S. embassies overseas and sits on nonprofit boards – She is also approachable, funny, and enthusiastic about Telluride’s charms and the need to preserve its unique feel for future generations.

The year Bonnie graduated from Smith College, the Harvard Business School had just opened its doors to women. “My generation of women was destined to become teachers, secretaries, or flight attendants,” she explained. “But I did not think I would be particularly good at any of those options. I was good at math, so I thought: “Why not?”

Bonnie is married to Louis Cohen, whom she met while in graduate school. Lou is a Washington, D.C. lawyer who served as Deputy Solicitor General of the U.S. during the Reagan administration. It is tempting to describe the two as a “power couple,” but they are completely unpretentious and would shrug off that title.

In the first Clinton administration, from 1992 to 1996, she was Assistant Secretary of the Interior under Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. From 1996 to 2000, Bonnie was Undersecretary of State for Management under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. 

Describing her years at the State Department, Bonnie said, “I did not set policy. I established the environment that allowed policy to work. I supervised the budget, personnel, computer systems, security around the world and the operations of our embassies. Working for Madeleine Albright was a privilege. She is a woman of great integrity, dedicated to the professionals of the Foreign Service and the role of America in the world. I have enduring respect for her and she remains a friend.”

Although no longer in government service, Bonnie was an early supporter of Senator Obama.

Today she sits on the board of Cohen & Steers Mutual Funds, a $25 billion dollar family of mutual funds, and a director at REIS, a public company that provides data on the real estate industry.

In the nonprofit sector Bonnie’s focus is on two important issues of the day: education (Posse Fund, Moriah Fund, DC Public Library) and cultural preservation (Washington National Opera and the Global Heritage Fund).

Bonnie is vice-chair of the board of the Global Heritage Fund, which works to preserve and protect mankind’s most important archaeological and cultural heritage sites in developing countries. Planned tourist development offers new, long-term economic growth opportunities for communities within these countries.

“One of our sites is Mirador in northern Guatemala, the cradle of the Mayan civilization. By teaching indigenous people in the nearby town how to preserve their heritage, we are providing long-term job opportunities for individuals who would otherwise be cutting down trees and logging to earn a living. Once the project is completed, cultural tourism should provide a long-term revenue stream.”

It was through her earlier work in the preservation field that Bonnie ended up in Telluride, introduced to the region in the mid-1980s by Architect Charles Cunniffe.

“At the time, I was senior vice president of National Trust for Historic Preservation. Lou and I were on a trip for the organization with our friend Charles. My sister-in-law and I used to meet to ski with our kids every spring, and so I suggested we meet in Aspen, where Charles had an office. He suggested Telluride, where he had just expanded.”

When Bonnie called her travel agent to book the trip, the woman had not even heard of Telluride.

“We found Telluride had no lift lines and the snow was absolutely wonderful. On our first trip, we were told that as much as we were enjoying the slopes, we really should really see the town in the summer.” 

The Cohens rented a house on Columbia for a trial year. “That June, our daughter Amanda graduated from Stanford, and we all drove to Telluride from California. Lou had never even seen the place. En route, we kept wondering where the mountains were – until we hit Montrose. When we got into town, the Valley Floor was covered with flowers and cows. Main Street was closed to traffic and the Jazz Fest was in full swing. There and then we decided to look for a home of our own.”

A year or so before their house hunt began, the Cohens asked for the name of the best fisherman in town. The answer they received from a number of sources was Steve Cieciuch. They wondered who the top skiers were. Steve Cieciuch was on that list too. “Finally, when it came to finding a great realtor, friends told us to talk to – you guessed it – Steve Cieciuch. Steve knew instinctively what we would like and gave us great advice about which investments would hold their value. After we bought our home, he gave us a perfect gift of an antique photo of the town. Over the years, we have remained very close.”

Bonnie’s favorite thing to do in Telluride is hike among the wildflowers in July and August. “This year, I did not repeat a single trail – except when I had to take friends to the classics such as Bear Creek. The fishing in the region is terrific. So are the people. You don’t see folks walking around in designer clothes and new cowboy boots. And the preservation ethic in town is very strong, which means a lot to me.”

“Where else in the country would you see people contribute from pennies to millions of dollars to prevent the development of the entrance to their town? Condemning property outside town boundaries was a bold, unprecedented move that worked – and established a new legal precedent.”