Bob Ihme Sr began Glen Arbor Outdoor (GAO) in the 1980’s as condominium associations in The Homestead were seeking interior and exterior maintenance for their buildings. By the 1990’s, Bob Sr was maintaining 7 condominium associations. At the time, Linda Ihme, Bob Sr’s wife, was working for Harris Properties in Glen Arbor, managing vacation rental properties, many being in The Homestead.

After Bob Ihme Senior’s unfortunate and abrupt passing in 1995, his son, Bob Jr, “Bobby” to many (and the current owner of Glen Arbor Outdoor) took over for his father. Bob’s girlfriend at the time, Ranae, had been cleaning condos and cottages for Linda at Harris Properties. Together, the three of them began their own rental company, born out of Glen Arbor Outdoor. This rental company was known as Leelanau Vacation Rentals.

In 1999, Bob Jr and Ranae were married.

In the late 1990’s, the demand for rentals also led to a request to buy and sell real estate, as the owners that both Glen Arbor Outdoor and Leelanau Vacation Rentals represented had a need for the service. Linda Ihme and her oldest daughter, Lorri, began the LVR Realty brokerage at that time, all from the same building in downtown Glen Arbor.

In 2002, both Bob Jr and Ranae decided to pursue their real estate licenses, as well. Bob still owned and managed Glen Arbor Outdoor, and Ranae was still assisting in management at Leelanau Vacation Rentals. As Linda was nearing retirement and Lorri was busy raising her family, it only made sense for Bob and Ranae to become adept at the real estate side of the business, too.

Ranae then passed her real estate brokers exam in 2007, taking over the brokerage management at that time.

In 2012, Linda Ihme retired, and Bob Jr and Ranae took over full management and ownership of Glen Arbor Outdoor, Leelanau Vacation Rentals, and LVR Realty.

Under Bob Sr and Linda’s direction, Bob Jr and Ranae learned to effectively manage and expand upon an already successful business. Leelanau Vacation Rentals grew to steadily rent 130-150 properties at any given time. Today, you can even find Neil (Robert Neil Ihme III), their 17 year old son, out and about snow shoveling, snow plowing, blowing leaves, and in general, learning the ways of Glen Arbor Outdoor. Their daughter, Nadia, could also be found helping out in our Leelanau Vacation Rentals laundry facility, folding linens and towels during the busy season before Leelanau Vacation Rentals sold in 2022.

As of September 1st, 2022, Leelanau Vacation Rentals was sold to Vacasa, the largest vacation rental company in North America. While it was a wonderful ride owning Leelanau Vacation Rentals, and Bob and Ranae were both very torn about the idea, they ultimately felt it was time to pass the baton along to a larger company with wider scale marketing capabilities.

Bob and Ranae Ihme still currently own LVR Realty (now known as Leelanau Vacation Realty (LVR)) and Glen Arbor Outdoor, and still happily conduct their business from the same office in downtown Glen Arbor (which they now share with Vacasa). LVR continues to top real estate sales in Glen Arbor, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse counties. Bob Jr and Glen Arbor Outdoor also now care for 15 condominium associations in The Homestead. They are pleased to say they can now put all of their focus on two companies instead of three, and most importantly, can enjoy more time with their growing children!