Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Exiles from LA and Chicago, High Tech and Low Tech Jobs, Unemployed Sociologists, and Lug Nuts
THE DEAL TO sell the Landmark Inn, announced a few months ago, still hasn't been finalized but it's getting closer. The transfer of the liquor license and a few other minor details are all that need to be ironed out.
Graves Hospitality, which is buying the hotel, hopes to have it done in January...or by March at the latest.
Meantime, they're going ahead with transition plans. The Landmark's senior managers have undergone Graves training, the corporate chef has come in to take a look at the Landmark, and Graves executives are planning changes at the Landmark's upscale restaurant, Capers.
They won't be specific about their plans yet, but they do anticipate a significant change in the physical layout of the restaurant, as well as in the menu and the price point.
Translation: Graves wants Capers (Will they change the name?) to be younger, hipper, more welcoming, and less expensive.
Let's be honest. Even those of us who love the current Capers have to admit it's a little staid and stodgy, entirely appropriate for special occasions and big budgets, but less so for the younger, on-the-town crowd who are seeking an appealing destination for food and drink.
The man who will be managing the new food and beverage operations at the Landmark is Mike Mering. He's a local boy who's coming home after a decade in Chicago where he's most recently been the general manager of The Bedford, a highly-regarded "New American" restaurant.
Why the return to the U.P? He wants a lifestyle change--the outdoors, the friendliness, the ease of getting around. Yeah, we can relate to that.
---------------------------------------------
A SIMILAR STORY over on Third Street.
Superior Productions, a video production house, has been bought by B.J. and Kristen Alden. They've renamed it Northcoast Post.
The Aldens have family here in Marquette and also downstate but for the last 15 years or so, they've lived in Atlanta, where B.J. worked as a producer on CNN's Larry King Live, and in Los Angeles where he worked at FUSE, a video music channel.
Enough of the big city life, they say, enough of the glitz, glamor and insecurity.
They'll jointly operate Northcoast Post where B.J. will produce and edit, and Kristen will be art director and graphic designer. They'll continue to work with Superior's local clients--weddings and such--but they've also lined up corporate and institutional clients from across the nation. They can offer them high end design, graphics, and animation.
The Aldens are young, talented and energetic.
And what do they like about Marquette? Life is easy here. Their home, work, and children's school are all within blocks of each other.
Can't really say that about Los Angeles and Atlanta.
-------------------------------------------------------
WE SENSE A trend here.
Young people re-locating to a spot that, ten years ago, was considered too remote to offer a rewarding professional challenge.
That's what the new Smartzone will be all about--luring young, web-savvy, high-tech entrepreneurs to Marquette with the promise of resources, counsel, and networking that might ensure success.
Next step for the Smartzone is appointing a board of directors and finding an executive director. That should come within the next few months. After that comes the push to find the smart young guys and gals with great ideas and a little bit of money.
Can high-tech and web-related businesses succeed in Marquette? Hell, yeah. Take a look at 906 Technologies, Elegant Seagulls, Stang Decision Systems, RTI Surgical, Frontier Medical Devices, Biotech Navigators, Devicepatent. com, and others.
Yes, you can make money here, and live within five minutes of where you work, and buy a nice house for under $200,000...if you can put up with five months of winter.
----------------------------------------------------
ANOTHER TREND.
Making technical education sexy and appealing here.
There are too many college graduates out there with sociology and literature degrees, and heavy student debt, who can't find appropriate jobs. You'll see them working at box stores, selling computers and TV's, or working as baristas at Starbucks.
The jobs simply aren't out there for them. But there are jobs, here in the U.P, for plumbers, auto technicians, and heavy equipment operators. Jobs that can pay $50,000 a year and more, and allow you to stay here where you want to live.
That's where the Career Technical Education (CTE) committee comes in. They got together a year ago--five of them--to get schools and colleges in the U.P. to focus more on good technical training because that's what local companies said they wanted and needed. They had the jobs but they couldn't find trained people to fill those jobs!
Now CTE has 19 members and about 30 companies working with them, and they're busy.
Ishpeming High School now offers a Geometry in Construction class that has students building and renovating structures. Marquette High School will offer the same class next year. NMU offers an auto technician program that gives the students paid internships at car dealers. An HVAC program may be next.
Programs at Negaunee High School, Marquette High School and NMU offer students the opportunity to get their high school degrees while simultaneously getting college credit in clinical science or industrial maintenance, tuition free.
And these kids will find jobs and make some money, enabling them to buy their computers from those frustrated sociology majors at the box stores.
-----------------------------------------------------------
REMEMBER THE DOUG Garrison Show?
It was a slick, locally produced interview show that ran on TV6 for more than two years but then went off the air about a year ago.
Well, it's back on Local 3, the CBS station, and Garrison, who's talented and ambitious, hopes and thinks this time he'll get solid support from his employer. At TV6, he had to buy the half hour of time from the station, pay all the employees and then go out and sell commercials.
At Local 3, all he has to do is produce and host the show. The station picks up the costs and sells the commercials.
The show has aired a only couple of times so far, at 6:30 pm on Sundays before 60 Minutes--a great time slot but it's been irregular because it's frequently pre-empted by NFL football. After football season, it should air regularly.
The UP needs locally produced shows about the UP, but they need to make money. Maybe this will work.
Oh, rumor has it that some clown from Word on the Street will be on this Sunday's edition of the show.
(Correction: Garrison's show aired on TV6's sister station, Fox UP.)
-----------------------------------------------
CALLING ALL CONTRACTORS.
The city needs someone to build a brand new, relocated Municipal Services Center. The old one's being torn down to make way for the new hospital.
The budget for the new building is $18 million, so if you've got a power saw and a hammer and some nails, you might want to put in a bid.
The city hopes to narrow it down to five companies a little later this month, then choose the builder by the end of January.
Site of the new building is still undetermined. City officials say they'll hold a town hall meeting before they make a final decision on the site. Understandably, they don't want to step on too many toes here in town.
-------------------------------------------------
A FINAL NOTE that may further help explain why big city boys and girls are fleeing to remote outposts like the Upper Peninsula.
Reporter takes his vehicle into Pomp's Tires suspecting he needs new tires for the winter. At the very least, he'll get them rotated.
After ten minutes, reporter is informed by Pomp's employee that tires still have plenty of tread. No need to buy new ones.
Great. Reporter saves a few hundred bucks. So just rotate them.
Twenty minutes later, car is ready, tires are rotated. Mechanic reminds reporter to bring the car in after 50 miles to get lug nuts adjusted.
Great. Will do. The bill says $24.00.
Reporter: "Okay, how about I pay by debit card?"
Mechanic: "Oh no, it's free. You owe nothing. You bought the tires a couple years ago so it's free. Don't forget about the lug nuts."
Reporter, his wallet untouched, leaves shop thinking, Golly, we sure live in a nice community.
You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com
If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Tell Doug Garrison to get a Youtube channel. What more do you really need?
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your work, but you could have reported on the Career Technical Education project without throwing in a slam about studying literature or sociology. Education is not just about getting a job--it's about becoming a more interesting person and building a richer life.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading you're word on the street articles;) thanks!
ReplyDeletePomps is a great place. I have been going there for 4 years and they are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI disagree about your "slam" on lit and soc degrees...there are too many of them. What this culture lacks these days is a curriculum to teach young people about construction related and automotive related careers. Everyone cannot be a liberal arts major, or a tech. It is rare to find a young person to hire who knows how to use tools or read a tape measure! With too many single parent homes, or homes with 2 working parents, kids today only know how to play video games, and that doesn't get one a job.
Regarding the Municipal center: What the city does here baffles me. They are giving away the "farm" and then have to go buy another at many times the price? Are you kidding me? The city is not thinking this one out. One major question is: what are they going to do with the antiquated, outdated and labyrinthal mass of mismatched buildings they call Marquette General? Is the city going to be on the hook for that aberration? We already pay WAY too much in taxes, and with the Lakeshore Blvd relocation looming on the horizon, bad roads like Werner, Fair, and others, and now the Municipal building demo, relocation and building, there is tremendous bills ahead for this city. I just have to wonder where the common sense and fiscal responsibility has gone.
And finally, "a nice house for under $200,000". Really??? This is a small town. I don't know of too many people making 50 grand or more except professionals like doctors, lawyers and large business and contracting company owners. Maybe I don't get out much but 200 grand for a house is outrageous. Most of the housing stock in town are rentals or 1800's houses needing almost that much more in improvements to bring it up to modern standards. There are few homes in town, a few more out of town, falling in that price range. When you look at listings, places are on the market for months and even years! I used to say that there was nothing but junk under 100 grand but now that is creeping up to nothing but junk under 175 grand. With the median income of 26 grand, not many people can buy those fixer-uppers, so that is why we have a 50% rental rate in town, and a whole lot of younger people living together to try to make it here. Unless you are one of the aforementioned professionals or techies, affordable housing is hard to come by.
Yes we have a nice location, but try going shopping. I never realized at how limited we are here in terms of shopping. No wonder people go to Green Bay. The limited selection of wearable goods, furniture, and even automobiles, makes for culture shock to any of the " young, web-savvy, high-tech entrepreneurs" they are trying to lure here. My wife and I tried to buy curtains for our house, and went everywhere in town that sells curtains, and I found the same brand at every store! I tried to find an affordable wool jacket, (at anywhere but Getz's), and it was hilarious- Kohls and Target had the same jacket with different brand names, and vastly different prices!
So I think if there are " young, web-savvy, high-tech entrepreneurs" being lured to Marquette, they should be well aware that Marquette is still a very small town, far away from the city lights and it's conveniences, with very limited selection of stores and goods. They should know that if they want particular brands and quality, without high prices, they are going to have to order on-line, or go Green Bay, eh?
And Doug Garrison? You go Doug! Congrats on getting a good deal and getting your show back on the air!
The median income in Marquette County is over $40,000 a year. (See the Lake Superior Community Partnership website). An entry-level general laborer at Cliffs makes almost that much before overtime.
DeleteMqt County yes... it includes Cliffs and lots of high paying professional services positions. The city though, it has college students, recent grads, and lots of restaurant min wage positions with high turnover. Not many restaurant owners can even claim $50,000 salary.
DeleteThe whole shopping thing baffles me. Mqt is a small city so yeah, not as many choices as Green Bay, and surprise...quality costs money. Getz's and Washington Shoe Store do a great job at offering a selection of higher quality products and great service. Show me the "non-clearance" store in a large city that does any better.
DeleteHave to agree with you. I recently bought a pair of Sorel's here in town for the same price that Zappo's was asking. I think people often assume the local price is higher when, in fact, it's not.
Deletelol, 906 tech pay you enough to make a living? Maybe the other places do.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Paul about the city "giving away the farm" in regard to the municiple bldg. It makes no sense. And they're giving a three quarter of a million dollar piece of lakeshore to a private club to build what is essentially a clubhouse. I wonder if future generations of residents and visitors will say, "What a great job they did with this lovely city."
ReplyDeleteCronyism. A doctor/mayor facilitating a new hospital, with a direct drive to the golf course. Interesting that we taxpayers are about to spend close to $40 million on a project that isn't even designed yet.
DeleteMqt getting the screwing two ways: horrible healthcare & buildings that will sit like the orphanage.
DeleteWhat is the 3/4 million plot of land being sold? Founders landing?
DeleteIts at founders landing. . the last bit of sand beach just south of the hotel. And its not being sold. The city is essentially giving it to the rowing club so they can build a "boat storage facility" for their members. Go to savefounderslandingbeach.com for note info.
DeleteHey Veronica you are spreading MISINFORMATION about the rowing club. First of all the city is LEASING the the parcel of land to the rowing club....nothing else. So no the rowing club will not be OWNING the land. Next the rowing club is not PRIVATE it is OPEN to everyone in the community if they are interested in using the facility for a fee. Finally a boathouse designed by an archtect that is well designed can add alot of charm and character to a shoreline. Perhaps you should google images of boathouse which are scattered along parts of New England. well designed/architectureboathouse can add alot of character. Finally the savefounderslandingbeach.com is an ABJECT lie get the facts and not biased nonsense from this persons purposeful lies about the boathouse. Thanks
DeleteSo I've looked into boathouse designs on the east coast, all of them enter the water with a ramp. Is the new one going to have water access? Will that interfere with the Bottom Lands Agreement for the lakeshore?
DeleteI hope this doesn't downgrade into a boathouse battle. I for one am all for it BTW. Yes it will add to our downtown. I commend the people who are putting the plan together and I don't even row, but I sure like seeing them out there. It really does add to our city. The C.A.V.E. people (citizens against virtually everything ) can be a bit much sometimes with their misinformation and falsehoods.
DeleteI agree. The rowing club is adding to the city's waterfront, have compromised and deserve credit for their vision. They do have flaws too but nothing like the mud being slung at them. The anti-boathouse folks are playing a nasty game. They are not good people.
DeleteIt is actually an ideal spot for it. The design looks nice and I welcome the public space addition to the city waterfront. Where can I donate to help them raise the funds?
DeleteWhy are you all anonymous? Have the courage of your convictions and tell us who you are. I'm Veronica Varney, a lifelong resident of this city. Introduce yourselves.
DeleteI'm up here by design and I am just awed at the way it works. And those condo's are a stick in the eye of the Queen City and if we want tourism, we need to bone up.
ReplyDeleteMore than once the residents of the city were told that the buildings constructed there would not block the view of the lake. . .that elevations would not exceed the height of the guardrail.
ReplyDeleteVeronica, my name is Luke Alexander, a fellow lifelong resident of this city. The view of the lake is not obstructed at all. Public beach gives way to public path which gives way to public roadway (each of which is fully accessible); the fact that the condos are set back from the lake is a blessing. I don't know if viewing the lake from an interstate junction/roundabout is wise in the first place.
Deletehttp://www.uprowing.com/boathouse.html has a ton of information that answered many of the questions I (and posters above) had. For one thing, the sand beach seems safe, which was one of my concerns as well. I belive saying the city is "…giving away…" anything is an innappropriate representation of reality.
Hi Luke. The RC is being given the parcel of land for 25 years, no charge. The land belongs to the citizens of the city and we should be able to vote on this issue. I have no problem with a boathouse, only this location.
DeleteDoes anyone remember what the properties in question looked like 10 years ago? Try using Google Earth's historical imagery feature… 10 years from now when people pass through on the interstate they will see public shoreline, development that balanced the desires of various interests, and the transformation of industrial waste into state of the art medical facilities. And with a growing university next door, it seems outrageous to imagine the former MGH buildings will simply sit like the orphanage… Thank you to those wihtin the city who have worked to make this all happen.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an interstate. And yes I do remember what it looked like ten years ago, even longer than that too. I will suggest that other passers-through might think we packed in a whole bunch of stuff on the highway, made it harder to drive through, more dangerous with all of the parking, turning and traffic jams, and in general may make a southern route around the city more inviting, removing any benefit of such developments. If we put any more developments along the highway, we may need to expand to three lanes and add streetlights!
DeleteWell, as you asked, I looked into the designs... and here's my take.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of changes for a space that could be considered NATURALLY beautiful. Which is how it is described in the "Master Plan". But here is another viewpoint. This is just another building along lakeshore. Nothing more or less. Just because it has storage and a deck in the water doesn't make it "All That". I am a water sport enthusiast and see really only one advantage to this, indoor storage. The launch area is not really any bigger than what could be accomplished at the Hampton Inn off the boardwalk.
I will point out that it is not public space if there is a fee for use. Also, if you were to walk along the beach from the other observation deck to the Hampton Inn boardwalk, you will have to cross over some man made materials. That, by definition, is not leaving the shoreline alone as it is stated in our Master Plan for the area that was created by residents, but seems to be ignored by developers.
Look, I want the boat launch, I want the storage, I do not want to disrupt the shoreline anymore than we already have. That area of the beach is contaminated with ALL of the years worth of waste (that we all seem to remember). The sand is saturated with broken glass, bits of metal, and pockets of sludge under the surface of the water. We may have scraped the soil for the construction, but never dredged the waterline. I am concerned that the increased use may bring lawsuits if not addressed properly by the harbor master and commissioners.
Instead of creating a new building on this side of the hotel, what is happening on the other side with the huge hole in the ground? Could this go there, with access to both the boardwalk, and the city moorings?
Lastly, this is a huge project for a one season sport, and i enjoy the sport!!!!
Umm, Paul the other side "hole in the ground " is privately owned......
DeleteIf you mean me, PJ, yes I know it is privately owned, did you know it is by some of the same people who are members of the Rowing Club. And for the record, I am not against a private clubhouse. I am against another hole in the ground construction project when there already is one in place to handle the job perfectly.
DeleteSo anon, what's your point? Private mall-to-be, or public bottomlands agreement violations? Which would you like our city to undertake?
Build it.....Build It Tall!
DeleteExcellent take, PJ. I, too, remember the storage tanks and railroad tracks and "bum's jungle.". In a way that presentation of Marquette was more appealing than the backs of the condos. We're starting to take on a cookie cutter, just like any other city look. Resident advisory recommendations have been ignored by the people elected to represent us at the city level. How sad.
ReplyDeleteThe hole in the ground represented a fantastic opportunity for the rowing club corporation to build up a new clubhouse and spur development on that privately owned site.
ReplyDeleteThey have plans already
DeleteWhat are they? Keep a fence up until the city gives them enough money to clean up the soil. We sold property off to a private developer, what would happen if the rowing club unveils that the soil isn't strong enough right there on the beach after digging in, which is what happened with that other founders landing hole. Get the city to pressure the developer to start working or give it back so someone else can rework it into something useable. A hole in the ground for 4 years is not a valid business plan, we should question why this group was selected. But I digress, the point is that we have many different locations that are suitable and useable today without additional digging. Too bad too, there are a lot of parcels that need work, this one has had work done already, leave it alone.
DeleteYes indeed. And I'm curious as to why the club moved from Teal Lake, which seems like the perfect spot for their sport. I would think there would be several more days per year for rowing up there.
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected. I was misinformed about the rc using teal lake as their main launch site in the past. But it does seem it would be a preferable body of water since no motorized boats are allowed.
DeleteThey are an asset to marquette!
DeleteI don't disagree. It is only the location of the boathouse that is at issue here, "anonymous".
ReplyDelete