Terry Backlund is a Grand Marais "local." He knows just about everyone, which is very helpful when you are shopping for a home or vacation property.  He's easy to talk to and more importantly, will listen to what you have to say. When it comes to real estate he'll give you the straight scoop.

The Backlund family has lived in Grand Marais for over 100 years. Terry's grandfather, C.O. Backlund, was a contractor who's company built many of the commercial buildings and homes in Grand Marais and Cook County, including Joynes' Ben Franklin, the Cook County Hospital the Cook County High School and Sawtooth Elementary, and the Tofte Dock to name a few. Speaking of Tofte, Terry's great-grandfather, Hans Engelsen, founded Tofte in 1893.

The year 2011 is the 100 Year Anniversary for the Backlund family doing business in Grand Marais. The beginning being the construction of the Bramer Building (Leng Building) at the corner of Broadway and Wisconsin Street in 1911.

Terry has also made his own lasting contribution to the Grand Marais business scene. In 1981, when he was 19 years old, he and his brother Sid opened Sven and Ole's. Thirty years later Sven and Ole's is still tossing their world renowned pizza. In 2001, to pursue other passions, Terry sold his interest in the business to his brother Sid.

Terry and his wife, Lori, bought the Backlund family homestead a couple of years ago and look forward to fixing it up someday. "It's been in the family since 1912. There's been a lot of family history under that roof." he says. Terry has two grown boys, Ty and Seth. Ty is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Specialist with the U.S. Army and Seth is pursuing studies in Minneapolis. For relaxation, Terry enjoys riding his Harley, tennis, golf, skiing, and a keen interest in baseball statistics, "from my Strat-O-Matic Baseball days"

He also has a long standing interest in business, including day trading. In addition to founding Sven and Ole's Pizza, Terry worked in the corporate sector while living in the Twin Cities from 1998-2004. There he held various management positions with Cargill, Simon Delivers, and Krispy Kreme.

Terry's interest in real estate began when he bought his first home from Grand Marais Realtor, Evelyn Larsen, because “She made it look fun.” He got started in real estate in 2004 and learned the business from another Grand Marais Realtor, Sue Hakes. Since 2004, Terry has been a consistent multimillion dollar producer.

Buyers and sellers find Terry very easy to work with and many of his customers become friends. He truly enjoys working with first time home buyers and helping them with what is likely their biggest purchase. Many of his buyers are newcomers to the area who have fallen in love with the North Shore, and some are folks who grew up in the area and long to return to their roots. In either case, Terry can help them find a property and make the connections necessary to make a smooth transition into their new home.

In a nutshell, Terry is passionate about Grand Marais. "I truly love showing people the area and introducing them to life in and around Grand Marais."