Leelanau County’s population tends to skew older, so Paul Bardenhagen — a specialist at Bonek Insurance Agency in Suttons Bay who just celebrated his 30th birthday Friday – stands out somewhat among county residents.
Bardenhagen was born and raised in Cedar, near the nowclosed Sugar Loaf ski resort. His parents, Karen and Peter Bardenhagen, owned Sugarfoot Saloon, a Mexican American restaurant that attracted much business from skiers during the resort’s lifetime.
Bardenhagen was 6 years-old when the resort closed in 2000. He recalls that his parents ran into more challenges during the offseason. Eventually he started helping his parents operate the restaurant, starting with the down-and-dirty work as a dishwasher and “working (his) way up the totem pole” and becoming a bartender. He cites his years working at the restaurant as the source of his work ethic.
Bardenhagen attended Leland Public Schools, where he graduated in 2012. He then went downstate to earn his business management degree at Hope College in Holland. But he never intended to stay away from the Leelanau Peninsula for long.
“I made lots of great friends and connections and moved back up here to help the parents out with the family business. I didn’t really have a clear direction on what I wanted to do, just knew I wanted to move back here where I had close relationships and family ties. I’m more of a country mouse than a city guy,” Bardenhagen said.
As everyone who’s recently purchased a home in the county is aware, Michigan’s wealthiest county has some high property values, and it’s difficult for a 30-year-old young professional like Bardenhagen to cover the cost of living. Bardenhagen currently rents a place from his grandmother, and without family connections, he admits that living in the county would be “extremely difficult and almost impossible.”
However, he hopes to purchase his own home in 2024 using the money he earns working at Bonek in Suttons Bay. Bardenhagen specializes in life insurance, and he began working at the longstanding local insurance agency in 2021 after juggling several part-time jobs out of college.
“My goal was to find the best job in the Leelanau/Grand Traverse area, and I think I did. It took me a little bit, but I think I found the best one – for me, at least,” Bardenhagen said.
The many outdoor recreational activities available in the peninsula were another thing that drew Bardenhagen back home — especially the many local golf courses. Bardenhagen participated in Leland Schools’ co-op golf program with St. Mary Catholic School, which won the state championshipin2012. Hecontinued golfing in college.
Now things have come full circle for Bardenhagen, as he’s coach for the Leland High School boys’ varsity golf team. 2024 will be his third year of coaching, and that he’s looking forward to a great year with new talent aging up from middle school. He’s grateful to his employers at Bonek for accommodating the time investment that he requires to coach.
To Bardenhagen, coaching boys’ golf is not only an opportunity to share his passion for the game and pass the baton to younger generations of students at his alma mater, but a chance to impart some valuable life lessons to the program’s participants.
“I get to teach the kids all the great life lessons that golf has to offer. You never hit every shot how you imagined you would … and that teaches you dealing with adversity and to keep going and pushing forward to get what you want,” Bardenhagen said.
Bardenhagen is also active in local organizations, including the Rotary Club of Suttons Bay-Leelanau County and the local referral group Business Networking International, which meets at the Suttons Bay-Bingham fire station at 7 a.m. every Thursday.
