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Downtown Traverse City’s Formative Fitness is under new ownership. Owner and founder Sebastian Garbsch recently sold the 15-year-old boutique personal training center to long-time employee Brenden Booth. Garbsch is staying on as co-lead trainer.
The Traverse City Freshwater Research & Innovation Center on West Grand Traverse Bay will receive $15 million as part of Michigan’s fiscal year 2024 budget.
Once complete, the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center will establish the Grand Traverse region as a global hub for applied freshwater innovation, offering research, education, commercialization, new business incubation, and startup accelerator programs. The project is a collaborative effort of 20Fathoms, Discovery Center & Pier, Michigan Technological University, Northwestern Michigan College, and Traverse Connect.
NOW OPEN
Lakeview Hill Farm , a certified organic produce farm in Leelanau County, has opened its new Lakeview Hill Farm & Market located in the historical Pleasant Valley Schoolhouse, an 1890era one-room schoolhouse at 8236 E. Lakeview Hills Road. The new market offers Lakeview Hill Farm produce, fruits and vegetables from other farms, as well as other local goods and products, including meat, eggs, dairy, grab and go beverages, pastries, and more. It is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Venture North Funding and Development in Traverse City recently received a $50,000 grant from the DTE Energy Foundation. Funds will be used for no-cost professional consultations to small businesses, removing gaps and barriers that are hindering growth. “The grant will build the capacity of small businesses, the economic background of our region, through one-on-one consultation,” said Laura Galbraith, president of Venture North. “Based on the priorities of the business, we can deploy consultants aimed at addressing challenges involving legal and bookkeeping needs, marketing and selling, business and financial planning, inventory, acquisitions, client agreements, product development and more.”
Joelle Louisignau-Dunne and Toby Dunne have opened De Food Truck in downtown Frankfort. The couple previously operated the Muy Loco Tacos food truck at Stormcloud Brewing, before selling it in 2020. The truck features all gluten-free food including specialties from The Netherlands, where Chef Toby was born and raised. The truck’s home base is Stormcloud, but also travels around the area. Follow it on Facebook for upcoming locations.
Leelanau County’s Ciccone Vineyard & Winery has hit the market, listed at just over $4.9 million. The property on E. Hilltop Road includes 78.37 acres on three parcels, a 3,520 square-foot home and a 7,750 squarefoot tasting room, winery, historic barn and event space. The vineyard is planted in 13 acres of primarily cool-climate vinifera grapes with the opportunity to plant up to ten more acres.
Anders Gillis, an employment attorney with Parker Harvey PLC in Traverse City, recently announced the publication of his new book, “Employment Law & Remote Work.” The book is designed to equip human resource professionals and business owners with the knowledge and insights they need to avoid common traps, when to get counsel involved, proactively problem-solve and protect company culture. “Like it or not, most of us are remote in some form,” Gillis said. “But the legal implications are often overlooked, especially when employees are in multiple states. That’s where my book comes in.” It sells for $12.95 on Amazon.
Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY) recently announced that the company is raising $105 million in capital from existing strategic investors including State Farm, Markel Group and the Hagerty family. This capital raise is comprised of $80 million of convertible preferred equity, which closed on June 23, 2023, as well as a $25 million commitment of long-term debt financing for Hagerty Reinsurance Limited. The funds will help support the company’s profitable growth initiatives focused on serving the car enthusiast community. “We have been working diligently over the last six months to deliver improved profitability and margin expansion, while making the investments necessary to sustain our growth trajectory for many years to come,” said Hagerty’s Chief Executive Officer McKeel Hagerty. “We believe that the additional capital positions us well during uncertain economic times to execute against our significant growth opportunities.” The capital raise consists of $50 million from State Farm, $15 million from Markel, and $15 million from the Hagerty family, and an additional $25 million in Tier 2 capital from State Farm.
After an extensive national search, the City Opera House has selected Chad Lindsey as its new executive director,
succeeding retiring Diana Baribeau. He will take the lead Aug. 1. “Chad’s passion for the arts stems from years in the industry, both as a professional actor and the head of a theater and mixeduse arts complex for the Entertainment Community Fund (ECF – formerly The Actors Fund and one of New York’s oldest and revered 501c3s). He also served as the artistic director of Hook & Eye Theater (an avant garde theater company), according to Jeremy Harnish, chair of the COHHA Board. “City Opera House is a unique artistic and community force,” Lindsey said. “I’m honored to be taking over where Di left off, and guiding the next chapter of such a historic and loved space...”
AUG. 15
Traverse Connect is hosting a Coffee Connection event Aug. 15. Guest speakers will include:
•Abby Baudry, project lead for Michigan’s Creative Coast, will highlight the Grand Traverse Region as an exceptional place to live, explore, and fulfill careers.
•Henry Wolf, director of government advocacy, will provide updates to the Fresh Water Research and Innovation Center.
•David Brownback from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce will share more about the Utility Bill Review program and how it significantly reduces utility and telecommunication costs with real savings, refunds and credits.
•Terry Vandercook, CEO of Networks Northwest, will provide information surrounding grant opportunities available to employers, employees and job seekers.
The 2020 Census resulted in the Traverse City area exceeding the population threshold to become a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The Traverse City MPO, known as Traverse Transportation Coordinating Initiative (TTCI), establishes a collaborative and coordinating body that supports discussion and consensus for transportation projects utilizing federal funding and new grant opportunities. TTCI will be developing long-range and short-range plans that support projects within the MPO boundaries. As part of the work to establish the MPO, the public was invited to attend three sessions in July to provide input on all modes of transportation in the greater Traverse City area. For those unable to attend the sessions, an online survey is still open until Aug. 25. The survey and an MPO FAQ can be found on the Networks Northwest TTCI webpage at nwm.org/TTCI.
Last month my younger sister and her husband purchased a new home in Traverse City. That statement should not be remarkable, but it is. For nearly three years, this couple – both with professional careers in healthcare and engineering –were losing hope of finding a larger home for their growing young family.
While the purchase is good news, it was only possible because they found an unlisted home through a friend of a friend.
In recent years, the topic of housing affordability and availability has become a national concern, impacting communities across the United States. The Grand Traverse region is no exception, and as this story indicates, the challenges are even more acute here. The issue of housing inevitably takes center stage in any conversation about operating and staffing businesses in this region.
Thankfully, improvements are on the horizon. In response to this challenge, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, municipalities and state policy makers have come together to find innovative ways to address the region’s housing needs.
This collaborative effort aims to tackle key areas such as affordability, availability, policy and workforce development.
Lead advocate Housing North and its local partners identified the most pressing priorities and are working diligently towards viable solutions.
Advocates and their partners are actively engaged in expanding housing policy ideas tailored to northern and rural communities in Michigan, and their collective efforts have resulted in significant
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progress. Last year, the Housing Michigan Coalition successfully advanced legislation, opening new opportunities for local municipalities and developers to leverage these tools in their quest to provide more workforce housing.
Several noteworthy initiatives have emerged in the Grand Traverse region, demonstrating a concerted commitment by public and private entities to address the housing challenge. Some prominent examples include Breakwater in Traverse
ing or rehabilitating more than 75,000 housing units in the next five years, fostering sustainable growth and aligning economic development efforts with housing initiatives.
To foster greater diversity and participation in housing solutions, there is a growing emphasis on encouraging small-scale developers and small-scale developments.
These efforts are especially important in the Grand Traverse region and across northern Michigan. By providing oppor-
talent to construct and develop housing projects.
City, a multi-family rental housing development from Wallick Communities in Blair Township, the second phase of Annika Place in Traverse City, and The Village at Garfield at Garfield and Hammond roads in Garfield Township. We have much to do, but stakeholders are actively confronting our need for housing to accommodate the region’s expanding workforce.
Recognizing the intrinsic link between economic development and housing, cross-agency collaboration has also gained momentum at the state level. The Michigan Strategic Fund has announced $20 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to be awarded to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). This funding will support the goals of the 2022 Statewide Housing Plan, with a target of construct-
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tunities for smaller businesses to contribute to the housing ecosystem, more varied and attainable housing options can be created.
Increasing the housing stock in the Grand Traverse region requires a skilled workforce capable of meeting the demand. Admittedly, we still face the conundrum of not having enough skilled trades workers, which then limits housing options for these workers. Efforts are underway to promote and foster the skilled trades in middle schools, exposing students to career options at an early age.
After-school enrichment, like the Skilled Trades Explorers Program at Kingsley Middle School, offer hands-on training, internships, job shadowing and work experience opportunities. While it’s a longer-term solution, the focus on skilled trades will develop a pipeline of
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Addressing the housing challenges in the Grand Traverse region demands a multifaceted approach. A recent regional housing needs assessment conducted by Bowen National Research for Housing North highlights the scale of the problem. Over the next five years, Grand Traverse County alone requires 7,792 for-sale housing units and 3,569 rental housing units. For the wider 10-county region, the total need is estimated at 22,455 units. To effect real change for both the workforce and the regional economy, all public and private stakeholders must continue to take creative and sustained action, and be willing to say no to the NIMBY-ism of those who falsely believe this region can remain immune from change and growth.
The housing challenge in the Grand Traverse region is a critical issue with far-reaching implications for the local economy and community well-being. We need young families, like my sister’s, to be able to live and work here. Through collaborative efforts between private businesses, nonprofit organizations, municipalities and state government agencies, progress is being made. With expanded housing policy ideas, increased cross-agency collaboration, support for small-scale developers and a focus on developing a skilled workforce, the region is moving closer to finding viable solutions that support the growth and prosperity of the region’s workforce and economy.
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A recent housing needs assessment by Housing North concluded that the 10-county northwest Michigan region – which includes Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee and Wexford counties – will face a housing gap of 8,813 rental units and 22,455 for-sale units within the next five years.
While those numbers indicate that northern Michigan’s housing shortage isn’t going away any time soon, there is at least some silver lining: There is a lot of residential development pending or currently under way in the region. From individual houses to fullfledged subdivisions, and from affordable apartments to luxury condos, the housing hubs of tomorrow are being built today.
But which of these developments are changing the game most? Below, the Traverse City Business News highlighted four mustwatch residential projects and why they matter to northern Michigan’s housing equation.
The Development: Kchi-noodin Kaamdaakiing (translated to “Windy Hills”) is a housing project being spearheaded by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians that will ultimately bring 173 units to tribal-owned trust land off Herkner Road in Garfield Township.
The Details: When all is said and done, the Kchi-noodin Kaamdaakiing development will span 173 units in a variety of configurations, including 33 single-family homes, 23 single-family cottages, 34 duplexes intended for GTB elders, 43 townhouses, and 40 apartments. Units will be available in a variety of different floorplan configurations, in terms of size and number of bedrooms/bathrooms.
There are currently 16 units on the site, and Nicki Basch – the tribe’s housing manager – said that “project 1” is currently underway to bring another 36 units to the site by next spring. Other phases will follow to build out the full 72-acre site.
The Gamechanger: Per Basch, Kchi-noodin Kaamdaakiing is unique for two primary reasons: First, the development – at least for now – is intended specifically for GTB tribal members and members of other federally recognized tribes. Second, the development is funded in part by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, something that GTB has been pursuing for more than a decade. The development is the first 100% tribal housing project to be awarded those tax credits in Michigan, which Basch said will allow for affordable rents based in part on family/household income levels.
The Development: Annika Place is a new multi-family residential development bound for 1020 Hastings St., within the City of Traverse City limits. Developed by Woda Cooper Companies, Inc., the project will add 52 new residential units to the city’s housing stock. The project is an extension to Annika Place, an adjacent multi-family development that itself is expected to bring 53 new units to 947 South Garfield Ave.
The Details: Annika II is a four-story, 56,146 square-foot project with 52 apartments split between 28 one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units. Per city documents, the project will emphasize both accessibility (six of the units will be barrier-free, which means they are designed to be accessible to all regardless of age, body size, or ability level) and affordability (22 units are targeted for residents earning 70-80% of area median income, or AMI). Annika II is set to break ground next year and should be completed by summer 2025.
Meanwhile, Annika Place – which broke ground in December – will have 34 units for income levels in the 70-80% AMI range. That project is set to be completed by next summer.
The Gamechanger: According to Ashley Halladay-Schmandt, who serves as director of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness, Annika II represents a leap forward for housing advocacy in the region. Woda has agreed to work with Goodwill Northern Michigan to set aside 19 of the project’s 52 units for individuals experiencing homelessness. Specifically, Halladay-Schmandt recently told TCBN sister publication Northern Express that the set-aside units will be geared toward “our most chronic homeless individuals.”
The National Alliance to End Homelessness uses the term “chronic homelessness” to describe people “who have experienced homelessness for at least a year – or repeatedly – while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability.” Per Halladay-Schmandt, the 10-county northwest Lower Michigan region currently has around 70 people who meet this definition. She described the partnership with Woda as “huge progress” toward her organization’s current mission of bringing that number down to zero by the end of 2028.
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The Development: Last fall, Graceland Fruit and Habitat for Humanity Benzie County announced a new alliance aimed at addressing the critical shortage of affordable housing in Benzie County. The proposed project would build 23 homes to start, each around 1,100 square feet. Graceland Fruit’s website notes that the plan shows room for 65 quarter-acre lots, which would allow the partners wiggle room to expand the project over time based on demand.
The Details: The development would be built on a 40-acre parcel located off Grace Road in Gilmore Township. The land is currently a Benzie County Christmas tree farm. Graceland Fruit, a fruit processing company with an adjacent processing facility on Forrester Road, owns the land and plans to donate it to the local Habitat for the development. In addition to construction, Habitat would then also be responsible for things like family selection and mortgage arrangements, as is typical for the projects the organization undertakes.
To build on that property, the partners would need a zoning amendment: The land is currently zoned rural preservation, which doesn’t allow new housing
development. Late last year, Habitat and Graceland Fruit were working with the township zoning administration to see if the property could be rezoned to allow for future housing construction. However, those conversations drew pushback from some township officials and community members, who have raised concerns about both housing density on the property and groundwater contamination.
On the density front, the Gilmore Township zoning ordinance calls for minimum five-acre lot sizes – significantly larger than what would be possible with up to 65 homes on a 40-acre lot. Some nearby residents have decried the proposal as running contrary to the area’s rural character.
As for contamination, groundwater tests on and near the land in question have previously indicated elevated levels of arsenic, iron and manganese – issues that have led some in the community to question whether the land is the right spot for a housing development.
In January, Gilmore Township approved a six-month zoning moratorium, which temporarily blocks alternative developments, including projects like the Graceland/Habitat partnership, that would require zoning changes. The moratorium could be extended to 12 months if township officials see fit, and has halted the Grace Road development for the time being.
The Gamechanger: Like many other
local employers, Graceland Fruit has been vocal about the difficulties it has faced in recent years with finding and retaining talent, and has cited housing availability (or lack thereof) as one of the primary challenges. Per the recent Housing Needs Assessment by Housing North, Benzie County currently has a housing gap of 1,508 units, including 214 rental units and 1,294 for-sale units. Much of that need clusters toward the lower end of the price range, but affordable housing has become especially difficult to develop in the wake of the pandemic due to supply chain issues, inflation, rising labor costs,
and other factors that have increased the cost of construction.
A partnership like the one between Graceland Fruit and Habitat for Humanity could offer a unique workaround for some of the challenges that make affordable housing difficult to develop. As both parties have noted, this particular arrangement would entirely eliminate one huge upfront cost that developers face (the land, which Graceland Fruit would donate to the cause) while significantly reducing another (the labor, given that Habitat relies in large part on volunteer workers).
Oryana Community Co-Op would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your patronage throughout the past 50 years. We are incredibly honored to have reached this milestone, and we couldn't have done it without the love and support of our community.
Because of you, Oryana has been able to help many local farms and businesses prosper by providing an eager shopper base for their products, in addition to creating jobs. Because of you, Oryana has been able to nourish our community and provide millions of dollars of support to dozens of local organizations.
Your loyalty and commitment has helped us grow to become the largest food co-op in Michigan. You have sustained us and helped us become an integral part of the community and for that we are humbled.
We will always be grateful for the ongoing relationships we have built and the connections we have made through our mutual love for fresh, locally-sourced food. We look forward to many more years of working together toward a stronger and more sustainable community.
With Love, Oryana Community Co-OpThe Development: A brand-new, under-construction housing subdivision off Rusch Road in Garfield Township, which will eventually include 127 new single-family homes.
The Details: In fall 2021, TCBN sister publication The Ticker broke the news that local real estate company Mitten Real Estate Group had purchased 80 acres south of Traverse City to build its own housing development. The project has now officially commenced, with Sam Flamont recently telling The Ticker that Mitten had broken ground on the project and put in the roads that will eventually connect the subdivision and its homes. Foundations and basements are currently underway, with more construction to come as the year moves on. Flamont said the first phase will include the buildout of 35 homes, with up to eight potentially done by the end of this year. Those first homes will include model homes to give prospective buyers a better idea
of what to expect from the project.
Per Flamont, homes will have basements, sit on 0.35-0.50-acre lots, and be two-story ranch-style homes. Basements will be unfinished, but some homes could have as much as 4,000 square feet of living space, should buyers choose to finish the basements. Price points for the development will likely range from $475,000 to $650,000, depending on square footage and floorplan.
The Gamechanger: When Flamont made the leap into the development side of the real estate business, he gave The Ticker a simple reason for his decision.
“There’s a complete and utter lack of housing,” he said.
Rather than wait for the problem to solve itself, Flamont momentarily hung up his real estate agent hat and took up the development mantle. Now, Flamont and the Mitten Real Estate Group are not only bringing Wildflower Acres to life, but have also recently completed a housing project at the old Shadowland Motel on Munson Avenue, are in the finishing stages of Eastside One, a new 50-unit condo development on Eighth Street, and are collaborating with Georgina’s owner, Tony Craig, on another new condo building to be built at 531 West Front St.
Are tiny houses the next big thing?
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on who you ask and where you are, as regulations differ from township to township, county to county.
Tom Adair hopes that’s the case. The owner of Eden Mini Homes said he sees them as at least part of the solution to the housing crunch.
“I’ve always been interested in affordable housing,” said the Rapid City resident.
As a public school teacher, he saw his summers as an opportunity to pursue his passion with his builder brother-in-law and at the same time help invigorate his hometown.
“I want to see Rapid City grow like Bellaire did,” he said.
Down the road in East Jordan, builder Aaron Weaver echoes these sentiments. Weaver’s Innovative Tiny Houses has a shop in East Jordan and one in Ohio. The website touts their Amish craftsmanship (he grew up in an Amish/Mennonite culture) and they can be built either on a foundation or a trailer.
“We’ve built a handful of tinies on wheels,” he said, with some built on a foundation in the Torch Lake, Boyne City and Leelanau areas.
Weaver’s average sized tiny is 500 to 900 square feet. A one-bedroom, onebath studio on a foundation can cost $120,000.
In spite of tiny homes’ potential to ease housing pressure, both Weaver and Adair report that zoning regulations are a sticking point.
“The only problem is where you put them,” said Adair.
He said some communities are accepting, others are less so.
“There are hoops to jump through,” he said.
Lauren Tucker, the executive director of the Home Builders Association Grand Traverse Area, agreed that zoning rules can make it tough for tiny homes.
“Zoning issues and setbacks (mean) you can’t necessarily build multiple units on the same parcel,” she said.
Another challenge: Builders see more profit in larger properties.
“When you look at the time (involved), will it be profitable? It’s not necessarily that they wouldn’t do it, but it’s the payoff,” she said. “When you look at land as a commodity, it makes more sense to build apartments.”
Architect Dwayne Johnson of Beag+Haus says while his company is headquartered in Grand Rapids and Ashburn, Virginia, the Traverse City native and his business partner, Marc O’Grady from Suttons Bay, build homes
all over the country. That includes their first project, which was in the Traverse City area.
Their homes typically start around 900 square feet, which seems to relegate them to the small category rather than tiny. As Tucker noted, he said builders must be willing to take a smaller profit than on large projects.
Despite that, he said the firm is busier than he anticipated. While Tennessee and Virginia, where O’Grady now lives, are hot spots, Beag+Haus (Irish for small house) has built homes in Bellaire, and now has homes under construction on Spider Lake, Lime Lake and Little Traverse Lake.
“I thought we might do one or two projects a year,” he said. “Now it’s 15 to 20.”
Tucker also said some common tiny home projects, like those made from shipping containers or 3D printed, are not feasible. Others, such as those on trailers, have a hard time standing up to northern Michigan winters.
“Where tiny homes have been successful has been in more temperate climates. The heating and HVAC side is tough here,” she noted.
Tucker referenced the KOTI development in Acme Township as an example. Dan Kelly’s original vision for his Williamsburg property along M-72 was to build 156 single-unit condos, which he described as “microflats.” Owners could live in them and/or rent them out. The concept changed over time, and when KOTI debuted, it was as cozy two- and three-bedroom homes that Kelly and his company owned and rented out.
Garfield Charter Township doesn’t have a minimum size but does require a minimum cross-section of 24 feet.
Planning Director John Sych said in the five years he’s been in the position he has not had a request for a variance for a tiny home.
“People have talked about it, but no con-
cepts have come across my desk,” he said. As for those on wheels, he said there are zoning regulations on how the land is used and acceptable living structures. For example, he noted that the Garfield Oaks mobile home community includes some smaller units that could potentially be called tiny homes. That gets to one of the real challenges, and it’s the one thing
everyone seems to agree on: There’s no real definition for a tiny home. State regulations only require a domicile to have 85 square feet of living space, but local regulations are all over the place.
Shawn Winter, planning director for Traverse City, said the city does not have a minimum size for a home, but
those on wheels are not considered an RV, not a residence, and cannot be on the same site on a property for more than 30 days.
On the other hand, those that are stick-built have more leeway. That includes those built as an ADU (additional dwelling unit) on the same property as an extant house. They have to meet the same standards as any other stick-built structure. Winter said the city has approved fewer than 100 ADUs in the past eight years.
Architect Sarah Susanka, author of the popular Not-So-Big House books, posited the theory that smaller homes with more details would give buyers greater pleasure and livability. The tiny homes seen
on programs like “Tiny House Nation” often showcase styles and materials that would price many out of the market if used in the larger quantities required in a bigger home.
That fits with the Beag+Haus concept. Johnson said he and O’Grady, who grew
up in the construction industry, are dedicated to building small, efficient and attractive homes that are integrated with
wherever they want, the big attraction is the lower cost.
“It’s more affordable,” said Johnson. That cost saving was in part the appeal for one local builder and tiny home owner who prefers to remain anonymous, because of zoning issues.
The cost savings appealed to him and his wife, and they are currently living in a tiny home. He said the 170 square-foot home with two lofts is actually a hybrid design, built on wheels but currently set on a foundation.
innovative technology.
While those on TV often tout the mobility of homes built on trailers, which allow the owners to move them
“It’s constructed exactly like a normal stick-built home,” he said.
Why the anonymity?
“Tiny homes have run into problems with authorities,” he said.
“I thought we might do one or two projects a year ... (now) it’s 15 to 20.”
Dwayne Johnson, co-owner, Beag+Haus
You know
The ultimate goal of the Architect... is to create a paradise.
The ultimate goal of the Architect... is to create a paradise.
Every house, every product of Architecture... should be a fruit of our endeavor to build an earthly paradise for people.
Every house, every product of Architecture... should be a fruit of our endeavor to build an earthly paradise for people.
“Architecture should speak of its time and place,
“Architecture should speak of its time and place,
Nestled on the corner of Carver Street and Woodmere Avenue is a seemingly quiet warehouse. Yet, TC Millworks at lunchtime on a Friday is buzzing with activity.
“There’s nothing like Friday lunches at the mill,” said Tim Pulliam, president of Keen Technical Solutions and one of TC Millworks’ new owners.
The warehouse is bustling, and Keen’s Vice President Bob Underhill is in his element – surrounded by generations of Underhill kids, co-workers, carpenters and their families, customers, and contractors. Laughter, stories, and a smorgasbord of grilled goodies are shared.
According to Underhill, it’s a deliberately new tradition for the mill.
“We want to bring our community together,” he said. “Not just our work cultures, but our families, friends, and community partners.”
For nearly 40 years, TC Millworks has been a carpentry mainstay for the Grand Traverse region. Such offerings remain since the mill was purchased by Keen Technical Solutions a year ago, and continuing that legacy was a top
priority for new owners Steve Morse, Underhill and Pulliam.
“Mark Glenn had over 30 years of growing this business organically here in town. (He) serviced all the restoration and renovation projects in the historic districts, doing the right things for these old homes,” Underhill said. “Steve, Tim and I agreed that we would preserve what this company had been doing.”
While preserving the culture and history of TC Millworks was important to the team, creativity and innovation are tenets of Keen Technical Solutions. Those are the principles leading TC Millworks to new endeavors, like the collaborative Urban Wood Rescue project aimed at finding new and creative reuse for urban trees that need to be felled.
“I think that these trees have enough value to them,” he said. “In some regards, they were kind of like members of our community for 200 years. So, let’s turn them into something beautiful.”
Disease, damage, and public safety top the list of reasons urban trees face removal. While makers across the world have found new uses for felled urban trees for decades, TC Millworks’ collaborative partnership with SEEDS and the
Maple slabs from a felled tree in Slabtown.
For Pulliam and Underhill, creating an urban wood reuse collaborative came about naturally.
“We started talking to SEEDS about how we can grow what we already have and integrate that with our community. The work they do and the work we do just felt like a natural fit,” said Pulliam.
Underhill says that sourcing the wood locally is an environmentally sound practice that saves money.
“We want to honor these trees, but at the end of the day, most decisions are made because of the black ink at the end of the spreadsheet,” he said.
The process of urban wood rescue includes felling, slabbing and drying the wood before bringing the tree new life in creative reuse. According to Pulliam, TC Millworks had most of the infrastructure in place to make urban wood rescue and reuse happen.
“We have the shop, we have the craft, and we have the partnerships,” he said.
However, creating drying kilns for 10foot slabs can be both a challenge and an expense. To solve this issue, Pulliam conceptualized creating a low-energy-use drying kiln by repurposing a large shipping container and vacuum system.
Underhill says the inaugural urban wood project began with a single maple tree in Slabtown.
“Working with SEEDS and the City, we received a beautiful maple tree that had to come down,” he said. “It just so happens that we were finishing up a project for NoBo Mrkt and the general manager asked about creating a piece of furniture with a story.”
That’s when Underhill mentioned the maple.
“I said, ‘I can actually put the footprint of where this tree actually came from in Slabtown and have the whole history – how old it was, the diameter and what we did with it,’” he said.
Soon, the Slabtown tree will have new life as a community table.
While the partnership with the City of Traverse City is a crucial component, reuse projects don’t have to come solely from trees removed on city property. Pulliam says private landowners in the area who have trees that need to come down can now explore new life options that fit their needs.
“If you have a tree that means something to you, but it needs to come down, we can help you make something from that tree,” he said. “It’s a great way to honor trees while making something your family will love.”
TC Millworks’ collaborative partnership with SEEDS and the City of Traverse City is one of only six organized urban wood rescue programs in Michigan.
By Christal Frost
Since 1999, Jason LaVanture has reimagined real estate marketing through targeted virtual tours.
His first venture used video tapes of home interiors, which were used by Realtors to market homes. As technology morphed, so did LaVanture’s business strategy, which dropped the video tapes in favor of virtual to entice prospective home buyers.
Now, with business partner Jim Blue, LaVanture has launched “DeScribe AI,” a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that instantly creates unique property descriptions for real estate agents.
After surveying local Realtors at Century 21 Northland, LaVanture realized that one of the most tedious and time-consuming components of the job is writing property descriptions.
“Pretty much everyone hated writing them,” he said.
By using existing technology, LaVanture quickly realized he could alleviate the tedium.
“It wasn’t much of a stretch for me to say, ‘Wait a minute, it’s crazy if we don’t let this thing write property descriptions,’” he said.
“This thing” – Chat GPT API – is a paid tool that allows for the integration of AI technology into applications. Such access enables users to generate authentic-sounding written content for their own businesses and product needs.
After gaining access, LaVanture tasked a programmer from his business, Real Tour Vision, to create the software.
LaVanture says that gaining access to the AI was the easy part.
“It’s so easy, you literally grab the technology when you plug into API,” he said.
Making it user-friendly was vitally important for LaVanture.
“I wanted it to be really easy for any Realtor to use very quickly,” he said.
The result is a simplified and easy-to-navigate site where Realtors can upload photos, enter information about properties, including number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, and price before selecting any number of unique and attractive amenities from a provided list, or easily add new amenities not included in the list.
After selecting a listing length of up to 1,000 words (100-200 words are recommended), a skillfully written, grammatically correct property description appears in seconds.
LaVanture says in addition to the time-saving component, the ability to create error-free listings can prevent Realtors from losing listings.
“Any inaccuracy is not a good thing when it comes to (real estate),” LaVanture said.
LaVanture says written errors can potentially cost Realtors a listing.
“If you listed with a seller and they’ve got a million-dollar home, and you spell ‘stories’ wrong, or make other embarrassing mistakes, it can cost you the listing,” he said. “(DeScribe AI) takes that all off the table, and it really adds a polished look and feel to the listing.”
So far, LaVanture says DeScribe AI has been a hit with his clients.
“It takes an agent between 10-40 minutes to write a property description for a new listing,” LaVanture said. “So if you have 60 listings every year, and it takes you 15 minutes a listing – which is on the short end – that’s 900 minutes or 15 hours just writing property descriptions.”
LaVanture says his passion lies with helping his clients succeed.
“We want to solve problems and remove the pain points for our clients,” he said.
“It wasn’t much of a stretch for me to say, ‘Wait a minute, it’s crazy if we don’t let this thing write property descriptions.’”
– Jason LaVanture, founder and executive vice president, Real Tour Vision; co-founder, BlueLaVa
“If they don’t like writing property descriptions, if this can help them be more successful, we want to do it.”
While he hasn’t heard of another real estate photography or videography company utilizing AI technology in this way, he anticipates other companies will soon start.
“I would be very surprised if we didn’t see two or three of my competitors not programming something like this, because it’s not a difficult thing to program,” he said.
The home sale process is filled with uncertainties.
How long it will take to sell? Will you get your asking price? But there’s one question that doesn’t have to remain a mystery: whether you will owe taxes on the sale of your home.
The answer depends on your eligibility for the home sale tax exclusion. Here’s what you need to know about this valuable tax break.
What is the home sale tax exclusion?
The home sale tax exclusion helps homeowners save on taxes by allowing them to exclude a certain amount of profit from capital gains taxes when they sell their home.
Under the current law, individuals can exclude up to $250,000 of capital gains from the sale of their primary residence, provided certain conditions are met.
Couples filing a joint tax return can exclude up to $500,000 of capital gains. Widowed homeowners may also qualify for the $500,000 exclusion amount if they sell their house within two years of their spouse’s death and fulfill the other eligibility requirements.
How to qualify for the home sale tax exclusion.
There are two main ways to determine your eligibility for the home sale tax exclusion: the ownership test and the use test. Here’s a breakdown of each: Ownership test: You need to be the legal owner of a property to qualify for the home sale tax exclusion. To pass the ownership test, you must have owned your home for two of the last five years before the sale date.
This offers flexibility to homeowners that rent out their homes. For example, if a person lived in their house for a year, moved somewhere else, rented the home for another year, and moved back for a final year before selling, they would still qualify for the exclusion.
You may need some or all of the following documents to prove home ownership: Deed, mortgage statements, property tax
bill and homeowners insurance contract.
Use test: The home sale tax exclusion is only available for the sale of a primary residence. The IRS considers a primary residence to be a home you have lived in for at least two of the previous five years before selling the home. The two years don’t have to be successive, but you must show that you lived in the house for a total of 24 months, or 730 days, in the past five years.
If you don’t pass the use test, you may still qualify for the home sale tax exclusion in certain situations. For example, if you’re selling your home due to a change in employment, health or other unforeseen circumstances, you may still be eligible for a partial exclusion.
If you meet the ownership and use requirements, you can take the home sale tax exclusion as many times as you want, but not more than once every two years.
How the home sale tax exclusion works in real life: Let’s say you purchase a home for $700,000 that is now worth $800,000. If you sell the home for that amount, it’s considered a $100,000 profit ($800,000 - $700,000.) Individuals can exclude up to $250,000 of profit from a home sale, which means you won’t owe any capital gains taxes. If you don’t qualify for the home sale tax exclusion, you would be responsible for paying capital gains taxes on the entire $100,000.
However, if you purchase a home for $700,000 and sell it for $1,000,000, that
is a $300,000 profit. Any gain above the exclusion amount—in this case, $50,000 ($300,000 - $250,000) is subject to capital gains tax. If you’re married and file a joint tax return with your spouse, you wouldn’t owe any taxes since the exclusion amount for couples is $500,000.
Understanding the home sale tax exclusion can help alleviate some of the uncertainty around selling your home.
Not all homeowners qualify for the home sale tax exclusion.
You may not be eligible for the tax break if:
• You haven’t owned and used the property as your primary residence for at least two of the previous five years.
• You have already used the home sale tax exclusion within the past two years.
• You acquired your home through a 1031 exchange within five years.
Even if you don’t qualify, there are other ways to reduce the taxes from selling your home. Tallying up the costs of
home improvement projects is one way to reduce your taxable gain.
Deductible home improvements include:
• Bedroom or bathroom additions
• Replacing walls and floors
• Updating heating and cooling systems
• Any other major projects that add value to your home
Understanding the home sale tax exclusion can help alleviate some of the uncertainty around selling your home. It’s important to note that many factors can impact your eligibility for the home sale tax exclusion, and you should consult a tax professional for advice on your specific situation.
Eric Braund, CFP®, CRPC® is the founder and CFO at Black Walnut Wealth Management, a financial advisory firm providing counsel and fiduciary financial services to individuals, families, and private foundations throughout the Traverse City and northern Michigan region. Contact him at (231) 4217711 or visit BlackWalnutWM.com
Braund is an investment advisor representative with Dynamic Wealth Advisors, dba Black Walnut Wealth Management. All investment advisory services are offered through Dynamic Wealth Advisors.
This March, as conversation around ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies heated up, Forbes highlighted four industries that were particularly likely to see significant disruption from AI.
At the top of the list? Banking and finance.
Per Forbes, 56% of banks “claim they’ve implemented (AI) technology into their business domains like management,” while 52% say they’ve embraced it for purposes of revenue generation.
As these cutting-edge technologies infiltrate the banking sector, the question becomes less of who is using AI and more about its impacts. Specifically, is AI going to be immediately eliminating jobs in the finance space? Or will banks use it more to gain new efficiencies and customer service advantages?
To find out, the TCBN sat down with a pair of local experts in banking technology: Jack Martin, chief innovation officer for 4Front Credit Union; and Norm Plumstead, president and CEO of Honor Bank, both of whom shared five key points about AI and banking.
While much of the talk around AI right now is about which jobs it will eliminate the fastest, Martin said the goal right now – at least for 4Front – has nothing to do with trimming the workforce.
“The reality is, our greatest asset is always going to be our people,” he said, adding there are no strategic plans to replace team members with AI.
Instead, Martin sees AI as a way to make life easier and more productive for finance workers by eliminating menial parts of their jobs.
“We have a lot of repetitive processes in banking, and robotic process automation (RPA) technology that has been around for a little while now helping us automate those processes,” he said. “If that type of technology is there and is going to reduce errors and take less time to implement, of course, we’re going to go after that.”
Martin says he always looks at AI not so much as a way to eliminate workers, but as a tool to help free up time for
deeper capabilities.
“What are the really important things that our people need to focus on? Is that a task that has to be done every single day? Or is it something else that’s evolving strategically and bringing new capability to our members that we didn’t currently have?” he said. “If we can free up our employees to focus on the latter, that would be phenomenal.”
Per Plumstead, perhaps the biggest advantage banks are gaining thanks to recent leaps forward in AI technology is an improvement in fraud detection capabilities.
“AI can definitely help mitigate and decrease risk of fraud,” he explained.
Plumstead says Honor Bank uses a version of this technology right now, but that there are many other iterations to come, possibly detecting anomalous spending patterns that a customer may have, which can tip the bank off to the possibility that the customer’s account was hacked or taken over.
“AI can look at large data sets and pull out key details, and then alert a banker who can then reach out to the customer and potentially head off fraud before it affects them,” he said.
Martin says that the technology can
“We’re putting controls in place to not allow staff to access things like ChatGPT and Bard until we can have a coherent strategy around how to use it, but at the same time, we as a management team have been discussing how we could leverage tools like ChatGPT to make our lives a little bit easier.”
– Norm Plumstead, president and CEO, Honor BankPlumstead
help Honor Bank’s customers potentially avoid the proliferating “bad actors” that crawl the web.
“There are so many scams that are happening, and we have a lot of members that fall prey to these sophisticated attacks, and then we have to work with them to try to recover funds,” he said. “So, if there’s a way that we could help people in any way, shape, or form to prevent those types of frauds and scams from happening, that’s a huge win.”
Another win for AI in finance, Martin said, is the potential for the technology to not only increase the numbers of approved loans, but also bring about a fairer process for deciding who has the credit worthiness to be approved for a loan.
“It’ll be a completely different algorithm that will decide who to lend to,” he said.
Evolutions in those algorithms, Martin continued, are already happening, with fintech and credit reporting agencies tweaking their algorithms in ways that “allow us to learn deeper and help those that are truly in need,” he said.
The idea, ultimately, is to have AI-driven algorithms that can take a much more nuanced look at people’s financial histories than has traditionally been possible. Such an approach would not only help banks better manage the risks of lending, but would make loans and credit lines more accessible to more people at lower interest rates.
Some experts, for instance, say the technology could help reduce gender, race, and ethnicity bias in lending. Others suggest that AI could make it easier for banks to extend credit to unbanked individuals, largely by using alternative types of data to assess credit worthiness.
Most banks are already using AI technology in some capacities, and many are looking at high-potential areas for improvement, such as the examples of fraud prevention and lending approval. However, while the technology presents numerous appealing facets to financial institutions, Plumstead warned that adoption will likely be slower in most areas than many people – customers included – might assume.
One challenge, Plumstead noted, is the number of AI tools that are hitting the market right now – both specifically geared toward financial institutions and for broader use. Because banks have a responsibility to protect customer information, accounts, finances, and more, any decision to implement a new tool can’t be made without considerations about any risks or unintended consequences that tool might pose.
Even ChatGPT, the writing AI, is something Honor Bank has tiptoed around because of the complicated risk-reward proposition it brings.
“We’re putting controls in place to not allow staff to access things like ChatGPT and Bard until we can have a coherent strategy around how to use it,” he said, “but at the same time, we as a management team have been discussing how we could leverage tools like ChatGPT to make our lives a little bit easier. So, we are very much paying attention to all this technology, but it’s still really at the opening innings of how it’s going to affect the finance industry.”
As for tools more specific to banking – including AI-driven loan approval mechanisms – Plumstead said there are risks there because of the “black box” problem with AI.
“Regulators and examiners – as well as just the general public – expect and should expect that there is a coherent, defensible reason for a loan decision, whether it’s to approve a loan or to deny a loan, and right now, it is virtually impossible to look inside the decisioning process of an AI system and for it to tell you why it came up with that answer,” he said.
If an AI system doesn’t have that kind of check and balance and it can’t explain why it came up with the answer, “then lenders won’t use and shouldn’t use AI to make those decisions,” Plumstead said.
Ultimately, Martin said that decisions around the adoption of AI technologies in finance are going to be made based on the answer to a single question: Would this technology have a positive impact on the overall customer experience?
“At 4Front, our strategy (with AI) is all-around the member and the member experience,” Martin said.
For that reason, one of the credit union’s biggest new AI investments this year will be the addition of a natural language processing technology to the 4Front call center. The tech, Martin said, will replace legacy interactive voice response units the institution has used for years to direct phone traffic. It will be one of the first and most noticeable impacts 4Front members will see from the credit union’s AI adoption because of the elimination of robots and waiting on the phone for a customer service representative
“Instead, the natural language processing will automatically start interacting with you, and it will actually be able to solve like 80-90% of the questions that our members have when they call in,” he said. “So that’s something that’s happening right now with 4Front, and it’s really all about improving that member experience.”
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These days, Marc Hudson makes a good living as a financial advisor, but the beginning of his career was humbling.
Required by his new employer in Lansing to come in with a list of 200-300 friends and family as business prospects, Hudson said it made things “difficult.”
“People started avoiding you,” said the now-owner of Hudson Wealth Management.
A move from Lansing to Traverse City didn’t help matters, he says.
“There were some rough bumps; I did a lot of cold calling,” he said.
He hung in there, making phone calls from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
“It was a great opportunity to get my feet wet,” he said.
After surviving all the bruises and rejections along the way, Hudson started his own firm in 2015. He said working to help clients achieve their financial goals is immensely satisfying.
“In the beginning you’re eating ramen noodles ... but it’s an amazing career if you get through the early years,” he said.
Hudson’s experience is not uncommon. Being a financial advisor is a demanding profession that requires, in most cases, a bachelor’s degree in a financial area, a lot of grit and a strong desire to serve clients.
It’s also a career where the successful ones say there is much opportunity. That’s
due to a lack of new recruits to replace a growing number of retiring advisors, and a heightened need for financial advice by workers being forced to take on more financial planning responsibilities.
“It used to be everyone had Social Security and a pension. They didn’t need a financial planner,” said Debbie Craig, owner of Craig Wealth Advisors in Traverse City. “Now there aren’t pensions anymore and people are taking Social Security early. Everyone’s been forced to plan for their retirements themselves.”
Last year, 18,207 new financial advisors entered the business nationwide, but
Stanley’s Traverse City Wealth Management office. “You need to have a very disciplined work ethic.”
Many firms are looking to hire people who are certified financial planners or who are working toward the designation. Getting that certification requires earning a bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting, passing a six-hour-long test after months of studying and gaining two-tothree years of work experience.
Over the past decade or so, universities have begun to offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in financial planning and wealth management. Michigan State
Possessing emotional intelligence –the ability to understand, interpret and respond to the emotions of others – is crucial to succeeding in the business, he said.
“You can be really good with the numbers, but not so great working with clients,” Braund said.
Hudson said new advisors often come from other occupations, including teaching, engineering and even bartending. But they must have an aptitude for financial concepts and a desire to help people.
Dave Knight, an independent advisor who works under the umbrella of Stonepath Wealth Management in Traverse City, started out working as a teller at a local bank while studying to become a certified financial planner. He stayed for seven years, eventually becoming a personal banker before joining a local advisory firm.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was developing a very good network that would eventually be my client base,” said Knight, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University’s personal financial planning program.
13,169 advisors washed out – a 72% failure rate, according to Cerulli Associates, a financial services information firm.
Meanwhile, Cerulli predicts that more than 100,000 advisors – 37% of the industry’s total – will retire in the next decade.
“It is extremely hard to crack into this industry and stay alive,” said Mark Lundmark, executive director of Morgan
University’s master’s program, for example, is an eight-month curriculum that qualifies graduates to immediately sit for the certified financial planner exam.
“Having a master’s degree separates you from the rest,” said Eric Braund, who is currently looking to hire an advisor at his firm, Black Walnut Wealth Management in Traverse City.
Craig become a certified financial planner after a career in corporate finance at the former Oldsmobile division of General Motors in Lansing. She decided to switch to personal finance as a way of having more independence and flexibility while raising a young family.
She and her husband, who also had high-stress job, wanted off the corporate
“In the beginning you’re eating ramen noodles ... but it’s an amazing career if you get through the early years.”
– Marc Hudson, president, Hudson Wealth Management
Wealth advisors muse on the difficulties – and rewards – of their field
Short’s Thirst Mutilator Hop Water treadmill and relocated to Traverse City in 2000.
“We were always moving for one of our jobs,” Craig said. “I was 38 and thought there’s probably a better way to live. We moved up north for the quality of life.”
Craig worked for several other local advisory firms before starting her own business in 2004. Nationally, she’s part of a small percentage of woman working in the financial advisory industry; one reason why there’s a shortage of advisors.
Experts cite a variety of reasons why so few women are financial advisors, including gender bias, lack of mentors and unsteady pay. That hurts the entire industry because women control about 40% of wealth in the United States and many of them want to deal with women advisors.
The industry’s largely commission-based pay structure and low starting pay also deters people from entering the business.
“You might work 60 hours a week and make less than the year before,” Craig said.
Michigan financial planners are among the lowest paid in the country, according to a recent survey by online job website ZipRecruiter. Michigan ranks 40th in the country with average financial planner pay of $75,212 a year. Many starting out make less than $35,000 a year.
Lundmark of Morgan Stanley said the financial advisory business has changed
a lot since he started 37 years ago, with cold calling and luring potential clients to investment luncheons becoming relics of the past.
“Today you probably don’t even answer your phone unless you know who’s calling you,” he said.
Lundmark said the best way for someone to become a financial advisor
is to join a reputable firm that offers comprehensive training, mentorships and financial support along the way – something Lundmark said he’s doing with a recently-hired advisor.
“That is truly the ticket in my view for these new people,” he said. “It’s almost impossible as a young person to start out on your own.”
Despite all the struggles of getting established, local advisors agree that the field can be a financially and professionally satisfying one.
“I really, really like how involved we get with our clients,” Craig said. “When you’re their financial advisor, you’re in their family, something you shouldn’t take lightly. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
“It is extremely hard to crack into this industry and stay alive. You need to have a very disciplined work ethic.”
– Mark Lundmark, executive director, Morgan Stanley-Traverse City’s wealth management officeHudson and family Knight Craig
Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA) is on a mission to uplift local communities.
The organization serves 10 counties across northern Michigan by connecting them with valuable services, resources, and programs that foster financial growth and stability. One of these programs is the Individual Development Account (IDA).
For nearly 20 years, this matched savings program has assisted local lowto moderate-income households and business owners in building their assets. It was initiated in 2000 by Karen Emerson, the organization’s financial management services department manager, after she first learned about these types of savings accounts at a conference called “Untangling The Funding Jungle.”
The conference, hosted by Michigan Community Action, another nonprofit focused on economic stability and poverty reduction, was Emerson’s first in her new role.
She says she was immediately interested in how matched savings accounts could propel families and business owners forward in their goals. After the conference, she spoke with her executive director and took steps to attend statewide meetings and apply for funding.
In a couple short years, NMCAA became the Michigan IDA Partnership regional co-
ordinating organization, helping more than 12 other IDA program sites from Claire to Houghton-Hancock, she says.
The program enables participants to save money while receiving guidance from budget coaches. NMCAA matches each dollar saved by the participants, providing a boost to their savings and momentum toward their goals, which might be the purchase of a home, paying for higher education, or funding a small business start-up or expansion.
Once the program requirements are completed per the participant agreement, the participant will receive a 3-1 match for homeownership at the closing after all appropriate paperwork is received.
“That means after saving $1,000, the match will be $3,000, she said, adding that it gives the participant $4,000 to use for down payment, closing costs or principal reduction.”
For those seeking education or business support, their savings of $1,000 will be matched with $2,000.
To qualify for the program, which is financed through private donations and grants secured by NMCAA through fundraising efforts, participants must have earned income from wages and fall below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
The application process is done via a simple online form through the organization’s website. They also provide in-person application support.
Once participants are selected, they are then required to save consistently for a minimum of six months after enrollment and are given flexibility on which financial institution they choose for their savings deposits. They’ll also attend asset-specific education sessions like homeownership workshops, money management workshops, and monthly meetings with a budget coach to meet their program requirements.
The IDA program hopes to act as a catalyst for economic growth and development by integrating low- to moderate-income individuals into the mainstream financial system. Emerson says that the program creates a snowball effect by cultivating educated home and business owners who make informed financial decisions which can lead to more stable and prosperous communities.
In an economic environment of increased inflation and rising home interest rates, the factors that contribute to financial instability may run deeper than financial literacy alone, but Emerson believes that there’s a positive impact brought on by pointed education and support.
“People learn new skills, become more self-confident in being able to manage their finances, and (become) better stewards of their resources.”
She continues to explain that during NMCAA’s history of hosting the program, over 500 qualifying households have
achieved homeownership, funded their education, or started or expanded their business, while leveraging over $37 million in total assets purchased. These are numbers that Emerson says are a “huge indicator” of how, when given the opportunity, “people can overcome barriers in generational or situational poverty by saving money, receiving financial education, and coaching.”
The organization has also recently submitted a grant proposal that, if awarded, will allow for the expansion of IDAs to include transportation accounts.
For those focused on their business startups or expansions, NMCAA provides money management education and resources, along with a match of $2,000
for the participant’s savings of $1,000. It’s a financial boost that’s meant to simultaneously help entrepreneurs establish a solid foundation for their ventures while supporting a stronger local economy as the potential for more employment and spending grows.
Since its launch in 2001, the IDA program has facilitated the growth of 46 small businesses across the region. Through their dedication and savings, program participants have accumulated a total of $47,529, leading to an impressive asset price of $154,935. Emerson says some of the program’s success stories include a dog walking service, a print shop, and a logo wear company.
She also notes the particularly successful expansion of the chocolate croissant hub 9 Bean Rows in Suttons Bay, who say that the program was “instrumental” in starting their business. The matched funds from the IDA allowed the bakery to participate in the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s conservation program, EQIP, so that they could add a large hoophouse to protect their crops and expand their farm production into what it is today.
NMCAA has also forged partnerships with key stakeholders in the community to enhance their IDA program including Huntington Bank, which has been a major supporter, working closely with the organization’s Homeownership and
Financial Empowerment Center. The agency is also actively seeking additional partnerships to expand the reach and impact of IDAs across their 10-county region.
Looking ahead, Emerson says they’re aiming to establish a “pool of funds” contributed by local employers, which would enable area workers to apply for IDAs. Emerson explains that this collaborative approach would help foster a symbiotic relationship between businesses and their employees by providing workers.
The collaboration would provide these employees with the opportunity to purchase homes and create financial stability in the same communities they work within, instead of living and working in two separate places – an idea that wraps back around to NMCAA’s mission of building better communities by supporting economic security.
“It’s so important for employees to have the ability to live near where they work and become a stakeholder in their community,” she said.
Meanwhile, the organization, which also provides programming like Meals on Wheels and Early Head Start, continues to expand their education opportunities as an investment in northern Michigan’s future economy.
“Money management education, individual coaching, plus monetary incentives will help create a roadmap of success for
the households (that qualify),” Emerson said, adding that this learned ability to navigate fiscal nuances is a trait that trickles down to local children whose parents qualify for an IDA.
“Giving households a foundation of education and a jump start into wealth-building,” she says, “has a significant impact on the parents and second generation of savers, their children.”
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When Honest Hospitality got its start in 2016, with the opening of a modern-day taco shop called Mama Lu’s in downtown Traverse City, Adrienne Brunette says the name of the company was nearly as important to her as all the specifics of the actual restaurant.
“We really wanted to create this hospitality company to make sure that people understood what our values are and why they should work for us,” Brunette said of how she and her three business partners – her husband John Larson and their collaborators Heather and Dallas Dziedzic – hit upon the name for their company.
“We knew that this was an industry where a lot of businesses were struggling to find employees, so we wanted to build a hospitality company that really valued its employees,” she said.
Just seven years later, Honest Hospitality has grown from one Traverse City restaurant to three – Mama Lu’s, The Flying Noodle, and The Burrow – with the possibility for a fourth on the not-so-distant horizon. The company has pulled off that growth in the midst of an immensely trying time for
restaurants – one not only plagued by a global pandemic, but also by historic employee churn across all industries and by general inflation rates that have resulted in many Americans eating out less frequently.
How did Honest Hospitality grow so fast, and what can other restaurants – or perhaps just other businesses, regardless of sector – learn from this homegrown success story?
For Brunette, the secret to success is no secret at all, but is rather baked right into the name and values that Honest Hospitality adopted on day one. The goal, she said, was always about creating a place where employees felt supported, respected and nourished in a kind and forthright fashion.
“We worked backwards from that end goal,” Brunette said of the process for designing the Honest Hospitality mission and values set.
Brunette and her partners had always worked as frontline employees. She started as a busser at the Riverside Inn in Leland when she was 14; John started as a dishwasher at a pizza place in Pennsylvania.
“So we’ve worked every position, we’ve worn every hat,” she said, adding that that work experience helped them
understand what their own values were.
“So, we asked, ‘If I were someone on this team, what would I want out of this job?’” she said. “And then we took that idea, of what we think is the perfect
place to work, and we worked backwards to make sure that we checked all those boxes.”
Right at the center of the Honest Hospitality values system are two tenets
that Brunette considers particularly vital. The first is an extremely team-oriented mentality.
“We don’t consider them employees,” she said of the people who work at the three restaurants. “We don’t even use the word ‘employee,’ or the word ‘staff.’ We’re really a family, and everybody’s in it together. We’re all on the same team, so the question becomes how can we make it good for everybody involved?”
The other piece of the puzzle is the thing that has arguably become Honest Hospitality’s local calling card (at least beyond its food) and the thing that has allowed the business to open a trio of restaurants so quickly. Where many people think of restaurant work as a summer job or a stopgap way to make money on the way to doing something else, the Honest Hospitality restaurants work on a system of professional development and growth.
There are no dead-end positions, Brunette said. Instead, every worker who is interested in working their way up is given the opportunity to do so.
“We really want people to know that working in hospitality is a profession and not just a job,” Brunette said. “Not everybody knows what it takes to be a chef, or what it takes to be a restaurant owner, or a manager, or even a server. Those positions can be career and lifelong. We want to emphasize that.”
That approach has created quick advancement pathways for Honest Hospitality team members, which in turn has become a centerpiece for the company in terms of employer branding. In a time when many local restaurants are facing staffing shortages, Brunette said all three Honest Hospitality restaurants are fully staffed.
In its first year, The Burrow – which opened its doors on West Bay Shore Drive in June 2022 – saw an employee retention rate of more than 70%, and that number didn’t even include employees who moved over to other Honest Hospitality restaurants. For reference, the average restaurant experiences 51-75% annual turnover, according to data from Toast, a company that makes cloud-based restaurant management software. For most restaurants, turnover has skewed toward the higher end of that range since the start of the pandemic, but not for Honest Hospitality’s brands.
“We don’t have a ton of new faces this year,” Brunette noted. “This time of year, we always get new faces, just with being a seasonal industry. But we really just have a core group of team members at each restaurant.”
In a business where team members stick around due in part to the promise of advancement and growth, the model only works if there are higher-level posi -
tions for employees to move into. That reasoning explains why and how Honest Hospitality has opened three restaurants since 2016.
“We started with great talent, and then it just snowballed,” Brunette said.
“I didn’t think that we would be opening a third restaurant as soon as we did,
but we really needed a place to put these people that want a career in hospitality and that are growing with us.”
The first big growth spurt happened at an inopportune time: TCBN’s sister publication broke the news in February 2020 that the Honest Hospitality partners, after a year-long search for the
“We asked, ‘If I were someone on this team, what would I want out of this job?’ And then we took that idea, of what we think is the perfect place to work, and we worked backwards to make sure that we checked all those boxes.”
- Adrienne Brunette, co-founder, Honest Hospitality
Our business is caring for yours.
right location, would soon be opening their second restaurant, the pasta-centric Flying Noodle. The plan at the time was for the restaurant to open in April of that same year. But March brought COVID lockdowns and delayed those plans. The Flying Noodle didn’t end up opening until July 2020, and wasn’t able to have a day at full capacity until June 2021.
Despite the pandemic setback, Brunette said Honest Hospitality was able to retain its talent and stay true to the promises it had made its team members. Keeping that promise ultimately meant opening a third restaurant – The Burrow, which specializes in California-inspired American cuisine – in June 2022.
“The pandemic brought a million different facets to the industry, but one of them was that the people that really wanted to be in hospitality hung on for dear life,” Brunette explained. “And so we had this core group of really talented people, and they were ready to do bigger and better things, and I wanted to make sure it was with us. So I said, ‘Okay, give me a minute to come up with a plan.’”
That plan was The Burrow.
The “add restaurants to provide advancement opportunities” approach has created some notable success stories among the Honest Hospitality team. One is Austin Burt, who started as a dishwasher at Mama Lu’s in 2016
and who now oversees the bar programs at all three restaurants as Honest Hospitality’s beverage director. Another is Lauren Fraser-Lee, who moved to Traverse City in 2018 and took a job at Mama Lu’s as a server and bartender; she’s now the company’s director of catering.
Those types of quick career progressions, Brunette said, aren’t something people often expect in the restaurant business, but are a top priority for her and her business partners.
“Again, it’s working backwards from a goal,” she said. “So when we learn, ‘Oh, Austin wants to run bars for a living,’ our mentality is ‘Let’s figure out how we can do that and keep him on our team.’”
Of course, the big question then becomes this: If keeping members on the team means constantly opening new opportunities for them to grow into, does that mean another Honest Hospitality restaurant could be coming sooner rather than later?
“There’s always a next step,” Brunette said. “I have an entire folder I call my ‘Someday, maybe’ box. But being that we’re a growth company, it’s part of our strategy to give people those new opportunities, and that really only comes from new ventures. It’s a little too soon to talk about any specifics yet, but 2024 will be a good year.”
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By Kierstin Gunsberg
For local restaurateurs, sustainability is not just a conversation, it’s a business model.
Built out from the skeleton of the former Ham Bonz building along Traverse City’s East Eighth Street corridor, Leslie Bilbey and her husband/business partner Josh Gray have renovated the former breakfast hot spot into an equally hopping burger joint, Oakwood Proper Burgers.
During the peak summer months, Bilbey says they easily sling out between 800 and 900 patties a week, along with sides of hand-cut garlic parmesan fries and peanut butter milkshakes.
Behind the menu items, however, Bilbey lists off local ingredients in place of traditionally sourced ones that include Michigan-raised pork bacon and their signature brioche buns, baked fresh daily just across the street at Common Good Bakery.
Even their shakes get the local treatment – peanut butter from Detroit’s iconic Velvet Peanut Butter is spun into ice cream from Michigan’s single-source MOO-ville Creamery, where the wholesale dairy products are made using milk from the creamery’s cows.
Across town, Lake Street Coffee Co. owner Leslie Elsen is also sourcing from MOOville Creamery for all of her milk-based beverages and creamers.
“We use local vendors wherever possible, even as a small mobile espresso cart. No impact is too small,” she said.
Elsen has been integrating sustainable practices into her new business from the start, partnering with local bean roaster Fortunate Coffee Co. for all of her brews along with Light of Day Tea and Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate for specialty drinks.
Sustainability in the local food and beverage industry doesn’t end with locally sourced ingredients. According to a 2023 estimate by ReFED, a national nonprofit
that’s working toward food waste reduction, 33% of all food in the U.S. goes to waste. That’s why local industry leaders like Elsen and Bilbey factor the goal of zero-waste into their business models.
“We cross-utilize many of our ingredients to have nearly zero food waste. Everything is fresh and other than the ice cream – never frozen,” Bilby said. “This allows us flexibility in our weekly orders and to have a nearly net-zero carryover each week.”
Overlooking Crystal River, recently-opened cafe The Mill Glen Arbor curates an entire menu of chilled soups, straightfrom-the-farm salads, and whole-grain hand pies around the zero-waste concept.
Head Baker Miriam Geenan and Executive Chef Bobby Thoits say there’s no such thing as a bi-product in their kitchen. Instead, extra ingredients are repurposed into a fresh item, something that inspired Geenan’s cinnamon and cardamom spiced “bread crumb granola,” featuring breadcrumbs from the cafe’s unused loaves that are thrown into a dehydrator before being baked into crunchy clusters.
Thoits says that the dehydrator is one of the Mill’s most important tools in eliminating kitchen waste.
“Every time we juice citrus, we save the peels and dehydrate them to make spice blends,” he said.
Thoits says another way The Mill is mitigating food waste is by utilizing in-season fruits and veggies from local producers
like Lakeview Hill Farm before they spoil.
“If one of our farms has a beautiful piece of produce for only a week or two, then we will put a dish on for two weeks, while simultaneously finding creative ways to preserve ingredients at the peak of their flavor for use later on down the line,” he said.
Using ingredients at their peak to reduce waste and their carbon footprint is a practice Stephanie Lee Wiitala and Jonathan Dayton have been implementing in their Traverse City breakfast hub Sugar 2 Salt (S2S) since they opened in 2017.
“We use everything from the greens on carrot and beet tops to the herb stems to make infused oils,” said Wiitala. “We work with a local farmer who picks up all of our food scraps that we collect daily.”
In an area where the agricultural season is limited, and fresh local produce isn’t exactly abundant, they admit that they get tired of using root vegetables and frozen fruits in the off-season.
“By April we are ready for the hoop houses to be offering the first lettuces and microgreens,” she said.
Wiitala says that S2S also opts for products with minimal packaging.
“We hardly ever use a can opener or use products that are coming out of boxes or bags or (are) pre-made,” she said.
Lake Street Coffee Co has also prioritized minimal and sustainable packaging, with Elsen purchasing her cups and lids from Bay Area Recycling for Community
(formerly Bay Area Recycling for Charity), a local nonprofit that offers recycling services and compostable products to promote an environmentally conscious northern Michigan.
“Full compostable products are important to us from a sustainability standpoint,” said Elsen. “There is a big difference between compostable vs. biodegradable vs. recyclable.”
The consumer cost and a shrinking profit margin
When it comes to balancing the financial cost of sustainable practices against the environmental cost, Oakwood’s Bilbey says they spend around 50 cents more per locally sourced bun than they would from a traditional restaurant supplier. Meanwhile their craft beef, which they get from Moraine Park Farms in southern Michigan, is around $2 more per pound.
“We pay just over $8,000-$9,450 more over the course of our 12-week peak summer season just to source our beef and buns,” she said.
It’s a cost that Bilbey says trickles down to their customers, adding that most are not only understanding but supportive of paying a little more for a product that’s both high quality and more sustainable.
She also says that the smashburger joint is intentionally avoiding single-use products like plastic straws, which most of her customers appreciate.
Except some.
“Once, a staff member had a shake thrown at them because we don’t have lids for our shakes,” she said.
Although there are compostable lids, Bilbey says they are interested in challenging paradigms.
“Is a lid even necessary with a thick shake such as ours?” she said. “I mean, if you drop a shake with a lid or without a lid, it’s going to spill no matter what.”
For Elsen’s coffee cart, lids are a must for serving up piping hot beverages on-thego, and she’s willing to spend more on compostables, even if it means an increase in her product’s price point.
But even as some local restaurants raise their prices to accommodate the increased cost of implementing sustainable practices, their profit margin shrinks in comparison to those businesses that use cheaper, traditionally sourced ingredients and single-use products.
For these restaurateurs, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword.
“Our responsibility is not only to our guests tomorrow but also the guests 100 years from now. Our thoughtful practices ensure a fighting chance to save as much biodiversity as we possibly can,” said The Mill’s Geenan.
For more insight into farm-to-table practices, Leslie Bilbey will host a Meet the Farmer event at Oakwood Proper Burgers on Saturday, August 12 at 11 a.m. Tom Dykstra of Moraine
The employee cafeteria is a special place for Grand Traverse Resort & Spa employees.
There, they can grab a hot meal for $5, something to drink and take a load off.
“We have a 365-day, 24-hour business, so having an area dedicated for employees is huge,” said Caroline Rizzo, spokesperson for the resort.
Rizzo says it’s a great benefit, especially for the large amount of workers they host from other countries.
“It’s a perk for them,” she said.
At Team Elmer’s on Rennie School Road, the DoMor Café offers a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, grain bowls, salads, beverages and snacks, all priced per item.
For some, freshly ground coffee is the ticket. The Grind at Tentcraft has two high-
end coffee makers. Company spokesperson Andrew Dodson says it’s a big hit. Munson Medical Center’s cafeteria is often patronized by those who are visiting patients as well as community members, but 90% of its business is for the 1,000-plus staff members at the hospital, says Munson spokesperson Dale Killingbeck.
“There are specials every day,” he said, adding that one of the biggest hits is the sushi on Fridays.
The menu varies daily, and Killingbeck says staff can check that day’s menu through the Munson intranet. He believes the staff see the cafeteria as a perk of working there.
It serves 2,000 meals a day. Killingbeck says the quality of the food is excellent, noting that he eats there when he’s on campus and not working remotely.
“It’s all made from scratch,” he said.
According to Killingbeck, among the most popular items are the balsamic glazed chicken breast, reduced sodium tomato basil soup and the Italian beef sandwich.
And don’t forget the weekly specials.
“As an employee I do,” he said.
Hours are 7am-3pm daily, though employees can use it at any time, with access granted via their employee badge. In offhours, the selections are more limited, though there are pre-prepared items that can be heated in the microwave.
One other difference at Munson is the fact the cafeteria is operated by a contracted company, Sodexo, which supplies food and cafeteria service to 100 million consumers daily in 53 countries. Killing-
beck says the chefs onsite at Munson are actually employed by Sodexo.
Because it is a health center, it is heavily regulated, which extends to the foods prepared for patients, including those who might have dietary restrictions.
At Interlochen Center for the Arts, business is booming in the summer, when the campus welcomes 3,230 camp students from 40 countries and 52 U.S. states and territories, about 1,470 students each week. It also hosts more than 1,300 employees as well.
Interlochen’s main dining center is Stone Cafeteria, located in the heart of campus. Two other cafeterias, Lochaven and Pinecrest, are open in the summer to accommodate the influx of students and employees. The cafeteria is provided free of charge to students, parents of
students, and hotel guests, and free shift meals are provided to staff and volunteers. Family members of employees may eat at the cafeteria for a nominal fee.
Paul Hickman, the director of dining services, says Interlochen’s cafeterias offer a variety of stations: hot entrees, soup options, salad and deli bars, and a wok station. Individuals with food allergies and other dietary needs can enjoy a wide variety of clearly-labeled menu items that are gluten free, vegetarian, or vegan.
With both staff and students living on the premises, Interlochen provides three meals a day to its 576 academy students and the nearly 1,500 student campers each week. If patrons are feeling creative, they can avail themselves of the wok station with flavorful veggie options like bean sprouts, edamame, or water chestnuts, and season them with everything from curry to soy sauce. Ramen enthusiasts can choose a broth, protein, noodles, and other add-ins.
Perhaps unique among employee cafeterias, Interlochen grows some of its own food.
“Many entrees and soups are made
from scratch, and menus are updated weekly to feature fresh local produce, including vegetables and greens from our on-campus garden,” said Hickman.
In 2022, Interlochen harvested 1,900 pounds of fresh, organic produce from its greenhouses for use in its cafeterias.
“We also work with many local farmers and food suppliers, including Cherry Capital Foods,” he said.
During the summer, the cafeterias are open 7am-9am for breakfast, 11am-2pm for lunch and 5pm-7:30pm for dinner.
In the fall, the academy hours are 7am9:30am, 11am-1:30pm and 5pm-7pm.
Hickman says the ramen station is very popular during the academy year.
“Other popular items include anything grilled, breakfast for lunch and French fries,” he said.
Given the nature of its business, the employee cafeteria at Grand Traverse Resort is open for two different shifts, 11am-2pm and 3pm-5pm, seven days a week. Rizzo says that allows employees from nearly all shifts an opportunity to get something to eat. For a $5 ticket, an
employee can partake of the salad bar, a hot food item, and two sides, plus bakery items such as muffins or scones. With 10 booths and a couple different TV sets, it allows employees to catch up on the day’s news, socialize or simply relax for a bit.
Rizzo says among the most popular items are the lasagna and burgers. The resort also offers a special one day each week when the lunch is free. The same is true on holidays, providing a perk for those employees who have to work on Christmas, the Fourth of July or the like.
When the cafeteria proper isn’t open, an Avanti market offers grab and go items, from sandwiches and snacks to beverages.
Grab and go is also a staple at Team Elmer’s DoMor Café, which started as a way for its crews to grab breakfast or lunch quickly before or during the work day. It’s staffed by two women who co-owner and company spokesperson Tonya Wildfong says keep the wheels turning.
“If you’re looking for a hot Italian sandwich that is oh-so gooey with cheesy deliciousness, or a hot and spicy pulled chicken sandwich that makes you want
another – or maybe no-bake cookies that are better than your Mom’s – Cathy and Kim get it done,” Wildfong said.
The café was retooled and renamed in the wake of COVID and inflation as a way to meet the company’s needs, bringing in Louie’s meats and a custom Team Elmer’s DoMor cream cheese.
“The cafe is named after one of our pieces of equipment used to grade driveways and parking lots. It’s also a play on words as we believe our crews can ‘do more’ regardless of the project,” she said. “They are skilled, extreme problem-solvers, and like to serve by building better communities.”
While many take their food and run, there are some tables where workers can take a quick break. Given the nature of the company’s business, it’s no surprise it opens early: the hours are 5am-1:30pm. So it’s also not surprising that the breakfast items are among its most popular items, as are the hot cheesy spicy Italian sandwich and the chicken bacon ranch wrap.
Like at Munson, the public is welcome. It also offers catering services, and both in-person and online ordering.
Buying or selling a Michigan winery is a unique journey, where passion, business acumen, and an appreciation for the winery lifestyle converge.
Wineries possess distinct characteristics that set them apart from other businesses, as their focus extends beyond profitability and value creation.
While most businesses strive to provide exceptional products or services, owners of wineries are deeply committed to producing fine wines. They invest significant time, effort, and expertise into perfecting their craft, ensuring every bottle carries the essence of their passion and dedication.
There are a diverse array of individuals who are drawn to winery ownership:
Wine enthusiasts turned entrepreneurs. Many prospective buyers are wine enthusiasts who have found their passion for the grape evolving into a desire to create their own wines. These individuals seek the joy of producing fine wines that can
By Curtis D. Kuttnauer, columnist
be shared with others, combining their entrepreneurial spirit with a deep appreciation for the artistry of wine making. Lifestyle seekers. Some prospective buyers are enticed by the romantic lifestyle associated with winery ownership. The draw of vineyards, stunning landscapes, and the tranquility of rural living beckon those seeking a change of pace. Partnerships of high net worth individuals. In the realm of winery acquisitions, partnerships of high net worth individuals often come into play. While their primary focus may not be generating significant profits, they understand the value of the real estate will appreciate over time, making it a sound investment. These partnerships seek a balance between enjoyment, capital infusion, and the long-term potential of the winery.
Strategic acquirers. Existing winery owners seeking expansion opportunities are another type of buyer. These strategic acquirers recognize the value of adding additional brands, accessing more productive vineyard capacity, expanding production capabilities, or establishing presence in new locations. They bring with them a deep understanding of the wine making industry and a vision for growth.
Wineries place immense importance on growing high-quality grapes. Some even prioritize organic and/or SIP
(sustainability in practice) certification, aiming to cultivate vineyards that harmonize with the environment. These priorities usually are at the expense of achieving higher profitability, as the costs are greater and there is a price elasticity to wine being sold.
ings multiples, and projected cash flows. However, when it comes to wineries, value extends beyond these traditional measures. While some wineries boast profitability, many operate on thin margins or even face losses.
Assessing the value of a winery requires
Moreover, many wineries have diversified their revenue streams beyond wine sales. From vineyard Airbnb accommodations to hosting private events, winery owners have tapped into these resources to build value in their enterprise. These additional streams contribute to the overall valuation, infusing depth and resilience into the winery’s financial landscape.
In the realm of Michigan wineries, buying or selling is not just a business transaction – it is a journey infused with passion, creativity, and a love for all things wine. The distinct characteristics of wineries, including their commitment to excellence, devotion to grape cultivation, and the tasting room experiences set them apart from other businesses.
The tasting room is also a unique cost center. Winery owners create spaces where guests can immerse themselves in the world of wine. From knowledgeable staff to breathtaking views, the sensory journey gives visitors unforgettable memories. For these factors, winery ownership offers a unique lifestyle, combining work and pleasure in a way that few other businesses can match.
Winery valuation beyond numbers.
In the realm of business, valuation often revolves around numbers, earn -
a different approach that balances assets and intangible elements. Tangible assets, such as land, fixed assets, and inventory are the major elements of a winery’s valuation. However, goodwill also contributes to its ultimate valuation.
Goodwill encompasses the carefully crafted brand reputation, the unwavering loyalty of customers – especially those within wine clubs – and the established distribution channels that bring their wines to enthusiasts far and wide. This intangible asset weaves together trust, admiration, and anticipation, giving a winery its unique position in the market.
Valuing a winery encompasses the interplay of assets, goodwill, and diverse revenue channels, painting a unique picture of its worth. So, raise a glass to the Michigan wineries and the stories they hold.
Curtis D. Kuttnauer is co-founder and senior partner of Golden Circle Advisors, Inc. (GCA), with offices in both the Traverse City and the Plymouth areas. The business intermediary advisory firm specializes in working with small- to mid-sized privately held businesses, focusing on positioning, and marketing their businesses for sale. Visit goldencircleadvisors.com.
The distinct characteristics of wineries, including their commitment to excellence, devotion to grape cultivation, and the tasting room experiences set them apart from other businesses.By Cortney Danbrook, columnist
Today alcohol consumption remains one of the world’s oldest vices – but oh how it has grown since the first evidence of alcoholic beverages was found in China in 7000 BC. Nationwide, the alcohol industry now generates more than $238 billion in annual revenue.
As for Michigan? Well, Michiganders certainly aren’t teetotalers. In fact, Michigan residents consume almost 25 million gallons of alcoholic beverages annually, with sales from spirits alone topping $2 billion on an annual basis. With such a substantial economic impact, should the alcohol industry prioritize environmental, social and economic responsibility? Consumers seem to think so.
Like many other industries, the alcohol industry is under pressure to raise the bar when it comes to sustainability. Consumers now consider the sustainable practices of an alcohol manufacturer as one of their top considerations in purchasing alcoholic beverages. So what does that mean for alcohol manufacturers?
Organic practices. Not surprisingly, consumers are increasingly on the lookout for organic alcohol choices and willing to pay a premium for it. In order for alcohol to be certified organic, it must meet certain federal guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding soil quality (including no prohibited substances and
nothing grown or handled using genetically modified organisms), pest and weed control and the use of additives. As such, alcohol manufacturers and their producers are making substantial changes to their cultural practices. Traditional synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are out; preventative, biological and mechanical methods are in. Consumers are assured that the ingredients used in production of their organic alcohol are grown and processed utilizing organic management practices. Manufacturers and producers are increasing soil health with compost and animal manures, and combating pests and disease with naturally derived substances (soaps, vinegar and oil based
herbicides), biological controls (ladybugs and roundworms) and disease-tolerant plants and trap crops. Consumers are taking note.
Packaging. You guessed it. How an alcoholic beverage is packaged matters to the consumer when it comes to sustainability. From recycled plastic to refillable growlers to the cardboard TetraPak, the choice of packaging puts the alcohol manufacturer’s sustainability efforts on full display. Innovations in alcoholic beverage packaging is now leaving traditional environmentally friendly options behind and moving toward completely biodegradable and zero-waste alternatives. Beyond the container, consumers are also focused on the efforts an alcohol manufacturer and its suppliers are taking in reducing the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing and transport of alcoholic beverages. From supporting legislation aimed at restricting single-use plastics, to use of recycled PET bottles in place of glass to reduce packaging weight, alcohol manufacturers are finding themselves well-served investing in the future of sustainable packaging.
Sourcing. Consumers want reassurance from alcohol manufacturers that the ingredients they are using in the alcoholic beverage base are being responsibly sourced – environmentally, socially and
ecologically. This doesn’t mean alcohol manufacturers can simply market their brand with buzz words such as “natural,” “eco-friendly” or “green.” It means transparency not only in the sustainable practices and behavior of alcohol manufacturers and producers, but clear identification of where and how it is produced. Consumers are seeking out al-
with local growers and vendors. Northern Michigan has long been locally focused, with its landscape being a unique patchwork of rich agricultural land bordering the home of countless small wineries, breweries and distilleries. Here, a consumer can sip a glass of wine overlooking the vineyard where the grapes used to produce that wine were grown, or enjoy a
with the consumer. A connection that is made that much stronger when that local grower or vendor is right in the consumer’s backyard.
cohol brands with organic, Demeter and fair-trade certifications on their labels as evidence that the alcohol manufacturer is truly committed to sustainability. Similarly, consumers are demanding detailed descriptions of the ingredients in alcoholic beverages, even when not required by law. It may be alcohol, but consumers still want to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.
Local partnerships. There’s a growing focus on a manufacturer’s partnerships
pint of cider crafted from apples on the adjacent farm. For alcohol manufacturers and consumers alike, that’s priceless. However, not every manufacturer is lucky enough to call northern Michigan home. Sure, partnering with a large distributor for a manufacturer’s alcohol base could ensure greater consistency and reliability, but consumers want more. They want to know who is behind the product they are consuming. By giving the grower or vendor an identity, it builds a connection
In the highly competitive (and profitable) alcoholic beverage industry, manufacturers must set themselves apart. Adoption of sustainable practices is one way to do just that. While sustainability is often described as a multi-layered issue, communicating well-thought steps to strategically implement sustainable practices over time will get the attention of consumers. The saying “infusion terroir” is often used in the craft beverage industry. It is meant to speak to a manufacturer’s goal of infusing a sense of place into the alcohol based on the soil, climate and conditions where those ingredients were grown. In the context of sustainability, infusing that sense of place for consumers into the alcohol industry as a whole seems even more fitting.
Cortney Danbrook is an attorney at Danbrook Adams Raymond, PLC in Traverse City. She provides specialized counsel to business clients on liquor licensing and regulatory compliance, and advises individuals, families and businesses in the areas of estate and succession planning. She can be reached at (231) 714-0163 or cdanbrook@darlawyers.com.
It may be alcohol, but consumers still want to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.
Traverse City’s SampleServe is streamlining the sampling process and gaining national contracts along the way.
CEO Russell Schindler says it was mild ire that first motivated him and his team to create software that would increase the accuracy and efficiency of collecting and recording data.
Founded in 2001, SampleServe started with environmental sampling, something Schindler describes as an arduous process of hand-recording with a lot of “double-handling” of data.
Data was jotted onto paper, then handwriting had to be decipered and entered into a program. Schindler figured there had to be a better way.
The company tinkered around with ways to eliminate steps while maintaining data integrity, an idea that was a gradual evolution rather than a sudden breakthrough.
“This was not like (a) flash-bulb, brilliant idea,” Schindler said. “There were little, tiny tweaks over the years where
we kept adding more software, more revisions.”
Eventually, SampleServe incorporated the technology as a perk to their sampling services.
“We realized that we had all of this data digitally and our clients would like that data,” he said. They were right.
As SampleServe’s digital capabilities grew, their clients began approaching them about purchasing the unique software. They wanted to do their own sampling while using SampleServe’s software to input and analyze the data.
Schindler, referring to his educational background, says initially he wasn’t sure.
“I’m not a software company. I’m a geologist,” he said.
He eventually embraced the idea and began offering the input and analytics technology as a standalone product, working and reworking it to fit each client’s needs.
ed web apps, websites that smartphones recognize as an app, but require full-time connectivity.
While SampleServe’s roster of these niche-specific web apps include resources for cannabis sampling, environmental sampling, and more, all of the software consolidates historical, field and analytical data into a single source, which Schindler says enable fasater educated decision-making and risk reduction between field and lab.
“I could see why people would want to use it,” he said. “And so it took us about a year to reconfigure everything so that we could allow third-party people to enter data.”
But, by 2018, the company was bootstrapped by the cost of the software development, so Schindler says they had to take on investors to finish the software before they could release separately brand-
Now, their wastewater sampling web app, SampleSWR, is attracting contracts from around the country. SampleSWR reduces the time it takes to test wastewater for the presence of COVID and flu viruses, he says.
The web app generates all the graphics, showing people where the contamination is, where it isn’t, what the concentrations are and which direction it’s headed, says Schindler.
“So we can pretty much tell them everything they need to know in terms of the current status and historical status,” he says.
“If you would have told me 12 years ago that I would own a software company, I would laugh at you. But here I am.”
- Russell Schindler, CEO, SampleServeSampleServe’s software is attracting sampling companies from around the country. Photo courtesy of SampleServe.
SampleSWR eliminates the need for paper in the field, meaning quicker results and responses. Photo courtesy of SampleServe.
If offering sampling services and accompanying software seems like it would be lucrative to a bootstrapped company during a global pandemic, Schindler says it wasn’t.
“The initial impact wasn’t good,” he said. “Having to adapt to working from home and having our customers and potential investors put everything on hold for a period essentially caused a two-yearlong slowdown in growth.”
Like most of the world, Schindler and his company spent the following months biding time. Two years into the pandemic, they partnered with a COVID testing company out of Chicago, ShieldT3, that wanted to use SampleServe’s innovations.
“Obviously from that point on, because of the level of service that we could offer and the technology available by ShieldT3, this sewer-sampling logistics software service has been expanding rapidly since then,” he said.
SampleServe’s technology, in conjunction with ShieldT3’s own testing process, cuts down the time between collecting wastewater samples from large facilities and putting precautions in place.
At the end of each day, the large facility collects a small sample from the composite container and overnights the sample to a lab.
“Within 90 minutes after receipt, the lab can determine whether or not anyone that had used that building’s facilities the previous day had a communicable disease that they were looking for,” he said.
A new agreement with ShieldT3 is going to utilize SampleServe’s technology on a much larger scale for cities and airports for reporting to the Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention’s national database.
It’s something Schindler says will result in a “substantial expansion and multiplier” to the company’s current monthly income.
In addition, ShieldT3 is now using this same type of technology at dairy farms to help detect the presence of dairy farm pathogens which could include salmonella, E. coli, and listeria.
No matter what testers are looking for, and in what species, Schindler explains that collecting test samples from wastewater vs. swabs or other more invasive means quickens the detection of and response to communicable disease.
“Both humans and animals start to excrete detectable DNA of these pathogens roughly five to seven days prior to being communicable or experiencing symptoms,” which he said allows for “an earlier response and mitigation, whatever form that may take, against further spread.”
He also says that SampleServe is finalizing a substantial contract with an undisclosed firm based in Texas. It’s a contract that should further expand SampleServe’s reach, with its software being used to facilitate the testing of over 60,000 municipal water samples throughout the Lone Star State.
Since the recent surge in new clients, Schindler says he’s divested the sampling division altogether, choosing to focus solely on demand for their software.
Although the success is unexpected, the former geologist is just fine with it.
“If you would have told me 12 years ago that I would own a software company, I would laugh at you,” he said. “But here I am.”
If you are on an entrepreneurial journey, let’s talk. We’ve been on ours for 22 years. “Be Entrepreneurial” is a core value at Nicolet Bank. Founded by entrepreneurs. Built by entrepreneurs. Supported by entrepreneurs.
Come join us.
Michael Caruso
SVP Commercial Banking
231.941.6303
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Going back to school can help you advance in your job, re-enter the workforce, or support a second act as you chart a completely new career. But what are the right strategies adults should keep in mind to help manage education expenses?
Here are some financial tips for going back to school as an adult:
See what your employer offers. Many large companies offer benefits such as tuition reimbursement through a qualified program that may be excluded from income. But even if it is taxed as income, that’s still a great strategy versus paying it yourself. Check with your employer to see if they offer any scholarships, educational discounts, or other resources that you could tap into.
Consider tax-deferred educational savings plans. If you have money in a 529 plan or Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA), it may make sense to use those funds for you to go back to school. Did the plan begin as a way to fund a child’s education? The beneficiary can often be changed to a qualified family member. Is your planned enrollment date months or years in the future? You may be able to make contributions to a 529 plan between now and then to build up funds. In the case of ESAs, however, contributions are not allowed after the beneficiary attains age 18 and the beneficiary has to be under age 30. Remember tax deductions and/or tax credits. Though not a source of direct funding, some education expenses (if you are qualified) may be tax deductible. Also, education expenses may qualify for either the American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning Credit. IRS Publication 970: Tax Benefits for Education* provides a comprehensive overview of tax benefits and tax rules related to education.
Tap into retirement funds only if you understand the rules. You can use IRA savings for “qualified higher educational expenses” and avoid penalties for early withdrawal, though you’ll still owe taxes using a traditional IRA. With a Roth IRA, you are able to access your contributions tax and penalty free. The earnings portion may be subject to tax, and like a Traditional IRA, you may be able to avoid the early withdrawal penalty if used for qualified higher education expenses. Likewise, it may be possible to borrow from your 401(k) plan. You will want to check with your plan administrator. But tapping into retirement funds should be among the last options you consider because you’re spending resources you originally invested in your future. If you feel you have to do it, make sure you’re using the money for qualified expenses.
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Two high-profile Leelanau commercial properties have hit the market.
Listing agent Blake Bernard of Home Waters Real Estate is representing the multi-use property at 5046 S. West Bay Shore (MLS #1912734; $3,700,000), the intersection of S. West Bay Shore Drive and Hilltop Road. Owners Salve and Rich VanSteenis have long operated a Thai and pizza restaurant there, along with four VRBO vacation apartments. It also includes office and/or retail space.
The property began life as a family farm. VanSteenis’s family purchased the property in 1977 and began transforming it. Rich and Salve eventually opened 22 Vines and Wine Cafe & Market, now called Hawkins Farm Cellars after the original owners.
It’s also currently home to Riske Brown & Associates insurance company and Bear Den Gallery. Other tenants have come and gone over the years, including the Leelanau County Chamber of Commerce and Manny’s Cheese Shop.
Bernard said a lofted barn space with 35-foot ceilings currently used for storage could be an event venue, and campers and RVs could also be housed on the property. The three one-bedroom and one two-bedroom apartments are available for rental year-round.
The property and event center known as “Nature” outside Maple City (MLS #1911109) is also for sale, this one for $2,950,000. But to realize the vision of current owner Bryan Cloninger, it will likely take an additional investment of more money than just the purchase price.
And really, he’d rather enlist a
partner than sell it. “That is my least favorite option,” Cloninger said of selling. “I’ve put everything I have into this.”
The 40-acre property includes a main lodge for hosting events, complete with an apartment; trails; a pond with beach; a reinforced concrete pad; three cabin shells; and endless potential, according to Cloninger. He says the property is appraised at $4.2 million.
Financial Analyst Tim Ketchum of Breneman Advisors is working with Steve Poole of Colliers on the potential sale of the property. But again, Cloninger is really hoping to attract the right person to partner with him to fulfill his vision, which he said is as much about community as realizing income.
“I think what Nature is trying to do is really important – developing the community, a platform for learning,
wellness, a place for people to find more unity. That’s why I’m doing it,” said Cloninger.
Cloninger said he has activated only one of five possible revenue streams, hosting weddings and receptions. The others are serving alcohol, which he said would immediately double the revenue; business rand corporate retreats; wellness services and merchandise; and food/catering. He says that with an additional $2 million investment from a partner, the income could increase by 470 percent.
“There’s a lot of room for growth,” he said, which could include not only financial gains but property too: The 37acre property has plans already designed for 25 cabins, with three started, that could easily be finished for a future partner or buyer.
For decades, the Gallup Corporation has been researching world-wide human and workforce behavior. Through its research, the company has created its own industry by providing useful data for gauging business success.
Gallup’s chairman Jim Clifton and Chief Workplace Scientist Jim Harter wrote “Culture Shock” to emphasize how the work landscape changed dramatically after the COVID pandemic.
Through a series of brief, but informative chapters, Clifton and Harter present a clear analysis of how employee engagement impacts a company’s customer satisfaction. The bottom line? Maintaining devoted customers is the key to thriving.
To keep customers happy, say the authors, it’s imperative to have employees that care about their roles and the company itself.
Creating and maintaining this level of employee and customer engagement has become a more difficult trick to turn, post-pandemic. Demographic factors created a shortage of workers prior the pandemic. The reset of priorities for workers during the pandemic – combined with companies prioritizing earnings over employees – resulted in the current workforce crisis.
“Culture Shock” points out that for employees to be onboard and dedicated, they need to be managed more effectively. This means that managers must identify their employees’ strengths and skills, mesh them with the organization’s needs, thus “…emphasizing the role that human nature plays in business outcomes.”
Having engaged employees also means that workers have a defined career path that they can imagine themselves growing forward with, as well as weekly check ins with a manager who recognizes that vision. The role the manager plays is the key piece of the equation for both employer and employee, and it’s this relationship that also forms the foundation for maintaining superior customer engagement (as well as sales and profits). Techniques for developing and maintaining a strong manager-employee dialogue are described in detail at the end of the book.
Unfortunately, the majority of organizations in the United States fail to provide this type of nurturing environment for employees. Similar to its primer for manager meetings, “Culture Shock” uses its research to generate basic points and ideas for what companies can do to create a strong workforce.
“Culture Shock” also addresses the ongoing issue of in-house, hybrid and virtual work. According to Gallup surveys, management must have an overall philosophy of trusting of its employees for its workforce to thrive. The trust component also includes organizations being flexible with employees with their
An unstoppable force is changing how we work and live. Gallup’s solution to the biggest leadership issue of our tim e
By Jim Clifton and Jim Harterschedules to address family needs and with offering options to work at home or with more hybrid work arrangements. Companies that fail to do so are behind the curve and will suffer the fallout, say the authors.
Gallup’s research reveals that offering employees flexibility builds employee loyalty for the company. Employees finding that security or trust will then have pride in their work and will strive to make their customers happy. According to “Culture Shock,” it’s this intentional managing, trust, and sustained employee engagement that will help companies reduce quiet quitting and be successful going forward.
“Culture Shock” is a different kind of business book. It’s short on anecdotes and more to the point with its useful recommendations. Near the conclusion, the authors promote their StrengthsFinder program that helps employees, managers, and teams understand their members’ individual strengths. Although I personally am a strong advocate of the StrengthsFinder program, it might be off-putting to readers who get to the end of the book and see this not so subtle turn.
Chris Wendel works for Northern Initiatives, a mission-based lending organization based in Marquette, Michigan. Northern Initiatives provides funding to businesses in Michigan and know-how to organizations throughout the United States. Wendel lives and works in Traverse City.
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Crisis Intervention Services
• 24/7 Crisis Line 1-833-295-0616
• 24/7 Crisis Welcoming Center at 105 Hall Street, Traverse City
• Mobile Crisis Teams for Adults and Children
• North Hope Crisis Home – Six new adult crisis residential beds opening in Traverse City in June with support from NLCMHA
Integrated Health Services - Northern Lakes Integrated Health Clinic
• Primary health care clinic for anyone in the community, all ages, all/no insurance. Accepting new patients. Call for appointment: 231-935-3062.
Kandu Island Drop-In Center – a safe place to be, for all, on S. Garfield.
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24/7 Crisis Line: 833-295-0616
Access to Service: 800-492-5742
Customer Service: 800-337-8598
Three things – a diverse client base, an expanding list of products, and forward-thinking leadership – explain the success of Traverse City manufacturer Plascon Group.
Started by David Peterson in 2000, and under day-to-day leadership the past five years by former Graceland Fruit CFO Troy Terwilliger, Plascon has become a global provider of polyethylene packaging. It also sells the machinery and blown film (the raw material) needed by customers to produce their own specialized products.
The company has grown. It now has 95 employees, a 58,000 square-foot plant in Traversefield Industrial Park and a two-person sales staff in the United Kingdom.
Like so many manufacturers, Plascon faced Covid-related supply chain challenges. Remarkedly, though, the company recorded 25% growth in both 2021 and 2022.
“The liners also improve flavor, extend the life of containers and reduce clean-up time,” he said. “They’re popular with quick-serve places and convenience stores around the country.”
The company also has a surprising (and reliable) revenue source – prison work programs and rehabilitation facilities that turn polyethylene film bought from Plascon into various kinds of bags used either on site or by other governmental agencies.
Recently, Terwilliger has added a twist: The company now pays inmates at Miami Correctional near Kokomo, Indiana around $15 per hour to assemble bags that are then sold by Plascon.
Terwilliger is proud of that, and it’s not just about the bottom line.
Troy Terwilliger, president & CEO, Plascon Group“We set a company record by eclipsing $20 million in sales,” Terwilliger said.
That performance is not by chance. It can be attributed in part to having hundreds of customers spread across different industries, plus Terwilliger, who says he is “constantly” looking for new markets.
He also credits the rapid growth to strong demand from the food packaging sector, which accounts for more than half of Plascon’s annual sales. Plascon also manufactures and sells various sizes of bags and liners used in agricultural harvesting.
Another bright spot has been the popularity of a new, patented product, Saftea Liners. They help prevent bacterial buildup in threeto four-gallon urns holding iced beverages such as tea, ice coffee or fruit drinks.
Sales have been brisk, Terwilliger says.
“Offenders could be sitting in their cells, just staring at their cellmate all day,” he said. “But instead, they learn to work together. And when they leave prison, they’ve built a nest egg.”
His hope is that the program will help reduce recidivism.
Going forward, Terwilliger anticipates revenue growth in the biopharma sector. Employees in Plascon’s newly enlarged clean room are already producing bags used for packaging vaccines, therapeutics and culture growth.
“We’re also focusing on growing our biodegradable film products,” Terwilliger said. “They are just as strong and have the same use characteristics as traditional products.” Interest is growing in the biodegradable sector, he says.
“We don’t want to be part of a floating pile of plastic in the ocean,” said Terwilliger.
The Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council (GTAMC) sponsors this column. Its mission is to support a sustainable and globally competitive manufacturing sector for a stronger economy; makegreatthings.org.
“We don’t want to be part of a floating pile of plastic in the ocean.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan (Bigs) recently received $2,344.41 from Oryana to support its mission, thanks to Oryana customers who participated in “Groceries for Good,” choosing to round up their bill to the nearest dollar and to Oryana for donating 2% of its profits from sales on June 15. The funds will directly benefit local children, matching them with a caring, positive adult role model to help guide them toward a successful future. Pictured are Caroline Golbeck, Cecilia Chesney, Kris Hoxie and Kirsten Harris.
Will and Bobbi Blanton opened a La Macaron franchise last month at 332 E. Front St. The couple also has a Grand Rapids location and has served and volunteered in West Michigan working with individuals with developmental disabilities. “We have always wanted to be involved in a venture that would be able to create opportunities for people with special needs and be a part of a community. The two seemed to marry together. With our expansion to Traverse City, we look forward to developing our relationships within this amazing community also.”
1 - Kat Antoine has been promoted to branch leader at TBA Credit Union’s South Airport location in Traverse City. Antoine has been with the credit union for eight years.
2 - Jim Behrmann has joined First Savings Bank Mortg age as a mortgage loan originator and recently opened an office at 830 E. Front St., Ste. 323, in Traverse City. Behrmann previously worked for Wells Fargo as a private mortgage banker for 15 years.
3 - Mary Mulvany has been promoted to branch leader at TBA Credit Union’s Front Street location in Traverse City. Mulvany has been with the credit union for three years.
Dennis, Gartland & Niergarth public accounting firm in Traverse City recently announced the following promotions :
4 - Kelly Brown is now a senior accountant. Brown joined DGN in January 2022.
5 - Courtney Guy has been promoted to senior accountant. Guy joined the DGN team in 2021 as an experienced accountant.
6 - Mickayla Munroe is now a senior accountant. Munroe joined the DGN team in January 2022.
7 - Laura E. Reinhold, CPA, has been promoted to tax manager. Reinhold joined DGN as an intern in 2004 and joined the team full-time after graduation.
8 - Karlie Acton has joined the Live Traverse City real estate team with Kyle O’Grady at Re/Max Bayshore.
9 - Rebecca Tippett has joined KW Northern Michigan in Traverse City as an agent. She is also a co-founding member of KIRE Realty Group within Keller Williams. This group was created to be an inclusive provider of real estate services, specializing in the LGBTQIA+ community.
10 - Dawn Bousamra is the new executive director of ShareCare of Leelanau. Bousamra previously worked for Benzie Senior Resources for 11 years, during
which she served as senior center coordinator and then assistant executive director.
11- Chad Lindsey is the new executive director of the City Opera House in Traverse City. Lindsey succeeds Diana Baribeau, who recently retired. His background in the arts includes time as a professional actor and head of a theater and mixed-use arts complex for the Entertainment Community Fund in New York. He also served as the artistic director of Hook & Eye Theater, also in New York.
12 - Sarah Lutz, deputy city clerk for the City of Traverse City, was recently honored with the 2023 Deputy Clerk of the Year Award from the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks. Lutz began her municipal career with Grand Traverse County in 2011. She assumed the role of chief deputy clerk in Grand Traverse County in 2013 and became the deputy city clerk for the city in 2021.
13 - Lena Vander Meulen is the new senior services director for Leelanau County. Vander Meulen’s background includes extensive experience at Medilodge of Leelanau County in Suttons Bay, holding various roles including life enrichment director/resident advocate, admissions director and administrative assistant.
14 - Darryl Washington, director of long-term care and support services for the Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority in Traverse City and the leader of its northern health care management division, has been selected to be a 2024 CQ Fellow. CQ Fellows is a one-year, elite cultural intelligence certification and will extend the training and certifications Washington has received for cultural intelligence and unconscious bias.
CLIENT: Mundos Roasting & Co.
PROJECT:
Mundos 305, W. Front Street, Traverse City
SERVICES: Site Selection, Leasing Agent, Space Assessment
Three West is ‘in the know.’There’s a reason you see their name everywhere. From the close relationships they have with local property owners, to their knowledge of structure and space. We spent two months negotiating the terms of our new lease, and without Three West’s creativity and perseverence, the deal wouldn’t have happened. I recommend them wholeheartedly. ”
commercial real estate is all we DoDan Clark Owner and Founder Mundos Roasting & Co.
