Good Time Guru - Event planner creates memorable itineraries

Whitefish resident Billee Reis calls herself and her travel business the Good Time Guru. Just don’t call her a concierge.

“It’s so much more than that,” said the 33-year-old who has spent most of her life in the Flathead Valley. “We’re a full-service maker of lifetime memories. If you can dream it, we’ll make it happen.”

While tourism has long been a driver of the local economy, Reis appears to have found a new angle into the industry. Imagine a wedding planner, but for your vacation. Give her your budget and some idea of what you would like to do, and she will use her intimate local knowledge to craft a custom itinerary for you, complete with turn-by-turn directions, phone numbers, helpful tips and suggestions, and a direct hotline to her for any and all questions that may arise. Whether your vacation calls for backpacking in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, sailing Flathead Lake, exploring the finest dining in the area or seeking the dive bar with the best burger – or all of the above – she has you covered for $40 for a half day and $75 for a full day.

Or, for something more elaborate, say a marriage proposal under the stars at Red Meadow Lake, or a catered party featuring local food and drink, she has connections with local vendors to make that happen as well.

“The only limit really is your budget, and your imagination,” she said.

Reis moved to Montana at the age of 5 and lived in the Kalispell area until graduating from Flathead High School in 2001. She considered a career in nursing when she went to college, but “found out it wasn’t my thing.”

Instead, she pursued her musical talent, singing in a blues band all over the region until it led to opportunities farther away. Her career took her to recording studios in California, Washington, D.C., and, most recently, Portland, Oregon. By then Reis had a daughter, and found herself again longing for the Flathead.

“I wanted her to grow up in a good place,” she said. “And, as a single parent, I also wanted the freedom to have the time to raise her.”

The only remaining question was what she would do upon returning. The idea of starting her own business appealed to her, thanks to the independence and creative freedom she enjoyed while singing everything from blues to soul to country to rock, so she spent months plotting out her ideas and strengths and researching how she could carve her own niche into the local economy. It couldn’t be too complicated, or require the large amount of capital needed for a traditional goods-based startup. She had always been the go-to resource for friends and family coming into town looking for things to do – was it possible that strangers would pay her to do the same?

After a very busy inaugural summer as the Good Time Guru that is just now slowing down, the answer is clearly yes.

“Lucky for me, I’m the first to be doing it,” she said. “It takes years of living here to build the knowledge base to do something like this. And I want to use my business connections to help promote other local businesses as well. That’s how it should work.”

With only a Facebook page and word-of-mouth to publicize her venture, the business grew even faster than expected. She is now using the fall shoulder season to work on bookings for winter ski season that already are rolling in.

Reis isn’t doing it all alone, though. Her “partner-in-fun” is Mary Gustafson, 60, an Ohio native and traveling speaker who moved to the Flathead a decade ago.

“She’s the kind of person who everyone wants to hang out with,” Reis said.

The two met a couple of years ago through mutual friends, and when the idea for the business started to get legs, Gustafson said Reis “drafted” her to be a sort of tour guide for vacationers who want a more personalized experience.

In other words, “I get paid to party!” Gustafson said. “My job is to make sure our clients have a good time. I’ve taken them sailing, to Oktoberfest, out for drinks and tastings, to live music, hiking – whatever people want to do, I lead the way and give my expertise.”

Over the summer Gustafson entertained five to 10 clients a week, and, although not a skier herself, she hopes to continue doing all the rest of the fun stuff throughout the winter.

As for Reis, now that she has found her niche, she plans to keep doing what she loves. “That’s my philosophy,” she says. “I’m having a blast. And I want to go above and beyond to make people happy.”

Staff writer Russell Wilson may be reached at 758-4433 or by email at rwilson@dailyinterlake.com.