Broker Associate
I have called this area home for my entire life, I grew up and went to school in Spirit Lake and moved back to Okoboji after college. I am a 2003 graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in finance. Before starting at RE/MAX, I worked at a local bank in several different areas of banking, this experience has become helpful to my real estate clients.
In 2006 I joined RE/MAX, essentially joining the family business with my parents and sister who taught me the business. I am the only remaining Lippon team member actively selling real estate. In 2014 I obtained my brokers license and I am licensed in Iowa and Minnesota. I received Hall of Fame status from RE/MAX for my production over the years.
I am married with three daughters. Outside of work I like to spend time with my kids and also enjoy golfing, fishing, hunting and following my favorite sports teams.
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Okoboji Bible Conference Ministries
7 S. Highway 71
Arnolds Park, IA 51331
Every summer the Okoboji Bible Conference is held in the heart of the Lakes Area, drawing in thousands of Christians of all ages to the area. The conference has a number of speakers as well as musicians. 2017 will be the 83rd year of the Okoboji Bible Conference.
2017 schedule- July 30 - August 7, 2017
First Lutheran Church
Three Cross Road- West Okoboji
1525 Three Cross Road
Milford, IA 51351
Services
Winter
Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Summer
Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Sunday at 8:30 a.m.- OUTDOOR WORSHIP
and at 9:30 a.m.
Bomgaars
2201 Hwy 71
Spirit Lake, IA 51360
Bomgaars offers a great selection and a convenient location in Spirit Lake. Open at 7 am Monday through Saturday and 10 am on Sunday.
Bomgaars is great for pretty much any of your home improvement projects.
New Testament Baptist Church
2105 Gary Ave
Spirit Lake, IA 51360
Services
Sunday at 11 a.m and 6 p.m.
Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Spirit Lake Spillway
Looking for some entertainment with the kids on a nice summer weekend, come check out the Spillway. The Spillway connects Big Spirit Lake to East Lake Okoboji allowing overflow water to move from Big Spirit Lake to the chain of lakes. This helps keep water levels under control on Big Spirit.
Depending on the time of year you visit, you may see hundreds, if not thousands of fish, mostly carp swimming upstream, it’s a neat site to see.
While you are here, you can launch your boat for a day on the lake, or you can visit Orleans Beach next door. Or you can grab lunch at the Spillway Drive In.
Spirit Lake United Methodist Church
1812 Gary Ave
Spirit Lake, IA 51360
Services
Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (Traditional)
Sunday at 10:30 a.m. (Contemporary)
Welcome to Okoboji High School. At OHS we are Pioneering Pathways for Every Student by building on the outstanding foundation and diverse learning opportunities available to students at Okoboji Elementary and Middle Schools through high expectations, caring and supportive teachers, world class learning opportunities, and a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities.
High Expectations - We speak of, model, and expect Pioneer Pride from every member of our learning community. Pioneers hold themselves to high standards in all aspects of life. Whether it is in academics, extracurriculars, or just in the way we treat one another, Pioneers lead the way.
Caring and Supportive Staff - Our staff believes that every member of this learning community is important and deserving of respect and care. Our staff comes to school each day looking for ways to positively impact the lives of our students and families and truly care about our students both inside and outside the building and beyond. Students who have graduated often come back to thank teachers and staff members who made a positive difference in their lives.
World Class Learning Opportunities - OHS is committed to preparing students for a productive life in a changing world. This means a focus on constant improvement, integration of technology to support learning, and ever changing opportunities. Some of these include new courses in computer coding, engineering, and more. In order to be successful, students need knowledge and the skills to apply it. OHS is focused on Universal Constructs such as creativity, complex communication, adaptability, productivity, collaboration, and other skills that will enable students to apply their knowledge to new and changing situations throughout their adult lives.
Wide Variety of Extracurricular Opportunities - Our students are encouraged to get involved in a wide variety of sports, fine arts such as speech, debate, and music, and school clubs and organizations. More than 85% of our students are involved in our extracurricular programs. Whatever a student’s passion, they can plug into a team or organization here at OHS. Our size also allows students to explore multiple passions in many different areas with
We are very proud of the past, present, and future of Okoboji High School, and even more proud of the students, families, and community we serve. We would love to help you arrange a visit to learn more. We believe you too will see why we are proud to be Pioneers!
Yours in Education,
Brian Downing
Okoboji High School Principal
Healthy Living Program Center Spirit Lake
802 Lake Street
Spirit Lake, IA 51360
One of the many convenient locations offered by the Bedell Family YMCA is conveniently located in downtown Spirit Lake on the corner of Hill Ave and Lake Street.
Offered at this Center are exercise equipment, cardio machines, free weights for ages 14 and up. Personal Training is also offered.
Hours open are
Monday - Thursday 5 am to 11 pm
Friday 5 am to 9 pm
Saturday 6 am to 9 pm
Sunday closed
Okoboji Youth Basketball Association (OYBA)
The Okoboji School system and basketball program is really blessed to have such a great nucleus of coaches and a system in place designed to really build the children through team work and skill building. OYBA has put together a board and a mission that is really great for the kids and is designed to develop the kids to prepare them for High School Basketball.
Each winter, OYBA puts out teams ranging from 3rd grade up to 8th grade, both girls teams and boys teams.
I am one of the coaches for the 5th grade girls team, we have 24 kids out for basketball, for such a small class, those numbers are amazing.
We put together 3 traveling teams and each of our teams is signed up for 5 tournaments this winter season, the kids love it.
Whether you are new to town or have been here for a long time, if you have kids going to the Okoboji School system and want to play some ball, check out the website, call one of the board members or give me a call and I'll point you in the right direction.
An exceptional thrift store located in Milford that supports the programs and services of the Cherish Center. Great selection of furniture, decor, kitchen items, children's clothes, toys and more! Located on 22nd Street in Milford. Just 2 blocks South of Perkins.
“Working with Bertie was an absolute pleasure. I found her to be warm, pleasant, and honest. She is also a very knowledgeable realtor with many years of experience, and it shows in her work ethic. Bertie was very helpful to me and my family when answering any questions that I had or my family had about renting, buying, or selling. She also returned calls and emails in a timely matter and made herself available whenever we needed to reach out to her. There is no doubt in my mind that if you work with Bertie you will be anything less than pleased.” -Vanessa Zelaya, March 29, 2016
She was very knowledgeable and always dependable whenever we needed clarity. I'd recommend her to anyone who's looking to own or rent a home. She's very polite and professional, she's easy to talk to and not as intimidating as her counterparts.
Miss Bertie Ali-Cooke is an extremely knowledgeable person. She knows all the oranges like the back of her hand. She is always on time and very honest. Miss Bertie Ali-Cooke defiantly made this property buying experience a delight.
I would highly recommend Bertie Ali-Cooke to anyone looking for an agent that has a keen knowledge of her industry and that will provide the research and expertise needed in selecting the real estate properties to match your desires. We were searching for a property that would serve a multipurpose need. We required a building that would provide both office and transitional living space in addition to multiple storage units for our inventory. Ms. Ali-Cooke, within a week was able to identify a property that met our present and future needs. After a walk through, it became clear that the owner's asking price exceeded it true market value and we decided to continue our search. We were pleased with her attention to details such areas that would not meet code standards and would require a significant financial outlay to bring those areas into compliance. We were able to talk with the current tenants who shared their concerns. We always felt that Ms. Ali-Cooke was truly working in our best interest and we are looking forward to working with her as we continue our search. I would highly recommend Ms. Ali-Cooke to families we serve that has lost their homes to a fire.
Bertie took a challenging property on a challenging block a not only found a great buyer, but managed every aspect of the transaction from listing to post closing. With the perfect blend of professionalism and a friendly demeanor you can't help be drawn to, we' re already planning our next listing with her. A great find for a Realtor.
I am the Family Self Sufficiency Program (FSS) Coordinator for OHA. My program is assigned to Section 8 families residing in the City of Orange. Through the FSS program, Section 8 families may be awarded the opportunity to purchase a home under the Housing Assistance Program.I refer my FSS clients to Mrs. Cooke for guidance on the real estate market, the process of purchasing their first home and actually showing them available units/houses, so that they may explore their different options.Mrs. Cooke is professional, knowledgeable of the Field of Real estate, dependable, understanding and a people person. She is a wonderful, wonderful person to work with. I am so very pleased and happy to have her as a part of our community.Thank you,Susan Moore, CoordinatorFamily Self Sufficiency Program
Great service super effective super friendly and genuine person would recommend her to anybody doing business with her was like doing business with my own family that's how comfortable she made me feel excellent service!!!!!!
Berti is very knowledgeable and resourceful. I was all but ready to give up renting out my proprerty and she talked me off the ledge. Was very professional and gave me solid advice on what I needed to do. She guided me through the process and kept me on point. She made it the process of getting it rented seem easy. I will definitely work with Bertie again for my next real estate investment.
Very great agent, Communication skills are A+ when following up with buyer/seller & all involved to get the deal closed. Bertie sold a property for me that was listed & sold within 1 month. That's the fasted I've ever had a property sold. I will definitely be listing with Bertie & Jordan Baris to buy & sell properties in the future. This agent doesn't lack like some agents I've dealt with in the past that just list your property & forgets about it. If you want to get a property sold this is the person to see.