Flying L’s Cowboys & Cowgirls
Buck Shannon – Cowboy Balladeer
Buck is the Flying L Ranch Resort Cowboy Balladeer. As a young man, Buck was a calf roper and found about the only way to make a living was to learn a trade. Working with horses seemed to be the best way to continue doing the things he loved. In 1966 he got a job as an apprentice Farrier and made it a career for most of forty years.
After retiring from the trade he came to the Flying L Ranch Resort until he could acquire what he calls a “real job”. That was in 2005 and Buck has been here ever since. Buck loves the people that visit the Flying L Ranch Resort and gives it all he’s got to make sure they have a real cowboy experience. Some kids that visit the Ranch have never had the opportunity to spend time in the country, feeding the deer & antelope, taking wagon rides, sitting around a campfire enjoying s’mores and music, or riding horses, and these are just some of the things everyone experiences here at the Ranch!
Don’t miss out on Buck’s cowboy songs around the campfire, a guest favorite. As well as anyone who loves being under the stars with a fire, making memories that last far after the setting sun!
Our Amazing Team
Barbie Martinez – General Manager
Barbie is the Flying L’s General Manager who enjoys making guests’ stay an enjoyable experience. With her top notch customer service experience as Front Desk Manager, Barbie strives to make sure families are creating special memories here at the Flying L Ranch Resort by making sure they are aware of all that Flying L has to offer from amenities to services. Barbie has been with the ranch for several years and loves the family atmosphere. Her leadership skills and positive attitude have proven successful guiding others to also strive for excellence.
Hilda Falciola-Cohen – Operations Manager
We are excited to welcome Hilda Falciola-Cohen to the ranch as Operations Manager. She’s coming to us with over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry ranging from full-service hotels and country clubs to the past eight years with Marriott.
Valerie Diaz – Restaurant Manager
Ken Hunt – Golf Pro Shop Manager
Ken is the Flying L Ranch Resort Golf Pro-Shop Manager. Ken started in the Pro Shop as an assistant in February 2019 and was promoted to Manager in July 2020. He and the entire Pro Shop staff strive to provide the utmost customer service and outstanding golf experiences. Prior to landing at Flying L, Ken had a very diverse work life. He started at the age of 14 bagging groceries at a local grocery store. During the next 45 years he learned electronics repair, fought forest fires, became a Security Policeman in the US Air Force, and retired from the USAF, completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management/Information Systems, became a computer software designer at USAA, became a Project Manager at USAA, retired a second time and, oh yeah, took up golf.
Ken has over 35 years’ experience playing golf, organizing tournaments and repairing golf clubs. He met his loving wife of thirty-two years (and counting!) at the Gateway Hills Golf Course Pro Shop at Lackland AFB in San Antonio. Several Years later they had a wonderful daughter who began to play golf at the age of 4! To this day she continues to play with Ken, and you can often find him out on the course competing against her!
Bruce Brookes – Maintenance Manager
Originating from The Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York, Bruce Brookes is also a U.S. Marine combat veteran that served in the Gulf War. He worked for a Paper Mill for 13 years as the Production Maintenance Supervisor. After his parents retired to Bandera, Bruce took a vacation there to visit them and absolutely loved how friendly the people were. The scenery in the Hill Country amazed him! One year later Bruce and his wife moved to Bandera where he then took a job working at Tapatio Springs Resort in Boerne as a Maintenance Supervisor for seven years. Now, Bruce enjoys working for the family-owned Flying L Ranch Resort where improvements are always being made. His goal is to ensure the guests have the most enjoyable stay.
Chuck Tondre – Golf Course Superintendent
Chuck Tondre has been in the golf course industry for 20 + years. He started at the Flying L in 1986, right out of high school. Chuck’s first experience working on a golf course was exciting and new, working there for 3 years. He moved on to installing fire protection for Young Brothers, in Helotes TX and worked there for 2 years but he missed working on the golf course. Chuck was lucky enough to find that there was a job opening at Comanche Trace in Kerrville TX and was blessed to be hired on as the Asst. Superintendent, under Scott Parker, a mentor and great friend. When he started, it was an 1,100-acre ranch that he helped turn into a 27-hole championship golf course, with 400 plus members. Chuck is thankful for the 17 years that he got to be a part of such an amazing journey.
His journey ended up leading him back to his roots in 2018, here at the Flying L as the Superintendent of the Golf Course. Fortunately for Chuck, the new ownership shared the vision that he had always had for Flying L’s golf course. Being 50 years old, the course had a lot of work to be done. The new ownership took everything that Chuck had to offer into consideration, achieving shared goals in making the Flying L Golf Course the Hill Country Destination. With three years of total rebuild and renovations, the Flying L Golf Course is a destination for golfers to enjoy from all over the world.
Bart Bird – Chef
Chef Bart Bird is a Texas native who grew up in the beautiful Hill Country. He spent his young years working and tubing the Guadalupe River in Canyon Lake. He has a great love of the outdoors but has always felt most at home in the kitchen. He believes in simple, home-cooked flavor and elegant presentation. Coming to the ranch in April of 2019, he found it to be quite enchanting, and the people and atmosphere extremely welcoming. His favorite things about the Flying L are the natural beauty it has to offer and the wonderful friends he has made among the staff and residents. When not working to deliver delectable breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates, he enjoys reading, video games, karaoke and playing music.
Joni Peterson – Timeshare Manager
Joni Peterson was born in Louisville, Kentucky and grew up and went to school in Southern California. She finally made her way to San Antonio, Texas in 2001. A couple of weeks after arriving, Joni landed a job in Bandera, working as a bookkeeper. She decided Bandera was the place to call home and moved in. One day, Joni met a young lady on the dance floor at a local dance hall who was the Entertainment Director for the Flying L at that time and asked Joni to teach a line dancing class for their guests…and as they say, the rest is history!
Joni started working in the Sales Department in January 2004 while also having the opportunity to work in many capacities around the ranch throughout the years. Although Joni had to take a short leave for about a year, she was one day introduced to the new and current owner, Cindy Stevens, and was hired back on at the ranch she loved so much. Joni now works as the Timeshare Manager, where she has come to know many of the Timeshare owners over the years. She enjoys helping them get the most out of their ownership. Joni is happy to call Flying L home!
Kristen Tomscha – Administration, Operations & Marketing Director
Kristen Tomscha was asked to join the Flying L after her parents purchased the ranch in 2018. With 15 years’ experience in education teaching elementary children, Kristen felt like she could take the challenge on as the General Manager. Moving from Corpus Christi to the Hill Country, she traded her swimsuit for a cowgirl hat. After three years in the family business, she found her passion in Administration, Operations, and Marketing. Kristen loves how unique the ranch is and how much it has to offer families, groups, or people just ready to party!
Kristen cherishes the time she spends working with her parents, brother, and amazing staff at the Flying L but when she is not multi-tasking around the ranch, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.
Doug & Cindy Stevens – Owners & Executive Directors
Doug & Cindy Stevens had only been living in Bandera for two years when Cindy saw news that Flying L was going to sell on the courthouse steps the next morning. She called her husband and the next thing they knew they were the proud new owners of the Flying L Ranch Resort!
Cindy was born and raised in Texas and loves the beautiful Hill Country. She quickly learned the business and has been working hard to make Flying L greater each day. Cindy loves working closely with her daughter, son, and husband but also sees all the employees of the ranch as a great big family.
You can find Cindy most days working at the ranch, but she also loves spending time with her family (including 9 grandchildren), traveling, or just enjoying the exotic animals at her home down the road. She even has a pet Black Buck Antelope that eats right out of her hand!
