Month: March 2022

In 2020, the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust, a statewide agricultural land conservation organization, invited Duerr to serve on their board of directors. Prior board appointments include positions with the Teton Board of Realtors® and Teton County Planning Commission. Duerr’s dedication to local organizations has extended to service as the Executive Director for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and for The Murie Center within Grand Teton National Park.

The Chamber of Commerce honored Duerr with the prestigious Power of Place trophy for his decades of dedication, working in Teton County to strike the right balance between commerce and conservation. This was exemplified by his work to successfully rename the North Park at the Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center to The Murie Family Park, in honor of Mardy and Olaus Murie. The renaming recognized their leadership legacy in founding the Wilderness Society, passing the Wilderness Act, and creating the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Duerr has practiced law for 42 years and is a member of the bar in Wyoming and in his former home state of Minnesota. He is serving in his 33^rd year as General Counsel for Lower Valley Energy, the member-owned regional energy cooperative. He previously served as General Counsel for Paul McCollister, the founder of the Jackson Hole Ski Corp., and as Senior Vice President for a regional bank.

Professionally, Duerr has been frequently recognized as a top-producing agent by annual sales volume. A selection of his notable recent farm and ranch transactions includes:

Dodge Ranch | Medicine Bow, WY | Listed for $23M
VandeWater Ranch | Wilson, WY | Listed for $56M
Trails End Ranch | Wilson WY | Listed for $6.6M
Beaver Creek Ranch | Daniel, WY | Listed for $28M
Bear River Ranch | Georgetown, ID | Listed for $6M
Thunder River Ranch | Laramie, WY | Listed for $22.5M
Heart K Ranch | Livingston, MT | Listed for $32M

Duerr attributes his ranch success in part to living close to the land on a big cow-calf ranch near Eureka, Nevada and on his former horse ranch near Cora, Wyoming. Also, while working for a large regional law firm, he has used his tax law degree to help farm and ranch clients with business, tax, estate, family succession and conservation easement planning. He has just completed the rigorous course work to become an Accredited Land Consultant (“ALC”) as designated by the Realtors® Land Institute.

Duerr has climbed the highest peaks in most of the states of the Northern Rockies. Also, horses and rodeo have been a passion of his family for decades. Steve and his wife Emy can often be found traveling from their home in Buffalo Valley to be with their seven grown children and eight grandchildren.

“There has been a lot of confusion among the public regarding the upcoming closure at the Jackson Hole Airport,” said Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty Associate Broker Ed Liebzeit, who also currently serves as Vice President of the Jackson Hole Airport Board—among numerous other appointments within the valley.

Those who have travelled in or out of JAC during the last several months are likely to have noticed that updates, repairs and prep work are already underway in various locations of the airport’s grounds in advance of the highly-publicized runway closure which will occur from April 11 through June 27.

The existing runway, which has been repaired four times since the 1970’s, is due for a full reconstruction. Contrary to some rumors, the runway is not being lengthened in the process and will maintain its current footprint. The project is anticipated to cost approximately $40M, and will be paid for exclusively via a combination of airport operations funds and federal grants.

Prep work for the project began during the summer of 2021. In an effort to increase efficiency for the project—and decrease some of the truck traffic necessitated by it—Jackson Hole Airport has invested in on-site asphalt and concrete facilities. As an additional incentive to ensure on-time completion of the project, the airport has guaranteed a $1M bonus to the contractor if the scope of work is accomplished by the June 27 deadline. Crews will be working twenty-four hours a day throughout the reconstruction project.

“It was essential to replace the runway, so we are using this time that the airport must be closed for significant improvements in both security screening and food service operations—all of which will provide a better experience for those using the airport…locals and visitors, alike.”

–Ed Liebzeit
Vice President, Jackson Hole Airport Board

Concurrent improvement projects at the airport are underway, including the expansion of the security checkpoint facilities which began in January of this year. When complete, the expansion will add an additional screening lane and will allow for future incorporation of next-generation security equipment. Other improvements to the terminal will include the construction of two additional gates, which are anticipated to open in the late fall.

The airport terminal will remain open during construction in order to facilitate rental car operations, and terminal food service operations via the recently-introduced “Marketplace” in the southwest corner of the baggage claim area. April will see the demolition and reconstruction of larger restaurant facilities located behind security to allow for additional seating for Jedediah’s restaurant, which has operated within the Airport since 2006.

2021 narrowly eclipsed the overall sales volume of the previous year, albeit on fewer transactions, to once again tally a new benchmark within the Jackson Hole real estate market. The frenetic pace of transactions accompanied a robust surge in tourism that aligned with an easing of pandemic restrictions across the country. Pent-up demand quickly absorbed already-reduced inventory levels and bolstered the existing seller’s market.

The latest collaborative, annual Resort Report from Sotheby’s International Realty affiliates provides a deeper look into the current market environments of the nation’s top ski resort communities—with a focus on single-family home and condominium sales. Trends witnessed in Teton County were echoed throughout the West.

---

Across the country, demand for resort living has continued to surge over the last two years. Brought on by the events of 2020 and pandemic lifestyle changes, consumers have begun to put a premium on their living situations, choosing to live where they want rather than where they need to. This shift in mentality and the ability to work and stay connected remotely led to a major migration from the city to resort regions throughout the Western United States…