Renovating an iconic 1950s-style motel in Charlevoix and staying true to the original architect’s vision isn’t easy. And it doesn’t come cheap. [caption id="attachment_15891" align="alignleft" width="300"] Rendering by Shoreline Architecture and Design[/caption] Paul Silva, downstate businessman (and summer resident of Charlevoix), plans to invest around $5 million to...
Local startup Traverse Solar is out to capture energy from the sun. But instead of buying and selling solar panels, company owner Nathan Bildeaux and his two partners have designed, tested and are now marketing their own high-tech mounting system that automatically adjusts the angle...
New owners Mark Steckly and Scott Porter. From their Central High School days as best friends, Mark Steckley and Scott Porter have come a long way. “If I’d go in a restaurant without Mark, people would say, “‘Hey, where’s your brother?’" said Porter, the new co-owner...
Chip Hoagland is a character. The website for his company, Tamarack Holdings, makes that clear: Artsy portraits of the company’s staff set an entertaining tone for a company that calls itself a "...
Hot summer days push as many as 2,000 ice cream lovers through Moomers' shop on North Long Lake Road. There are at least two good reasons for that: The award-winning ice cream is the perfect antidote to warmer temps and there are always new flavors...
Six years ago, restaurateur Ed Girrbach was thinking about starting a new business. It helps to know that the former co-owner of Pangea's Pizza in Traverse City enjoys potato chips, but when he crunched the numbers for potato chips, he really liked what he saw. Potato chips...
In two short years, something sweet on Cass Road has exploded throughout the Midwest. Big Dipper Dough Co., which produces egg-free cookie dough that can be eaten uncooked, is now available in 655 stores located in 13 states. So far, there are two flavors: Rocket Chip, which...
A little database company just landed a big fish. Traverse City's CloudLaw, Inc., which has 100,000 lawyers in four states on its database, recently signed on the American Bar Association (ABA), a national lawyer group that has more than 400,000 contacts. CEO Bob Aicher said CloudLaw addresses...
Most roofers stick to the job at hand. But Terry Umlor's entrepreneurial savvy took him through the roof. When Umlor, an Air Force vet, bought Springfield, Inc. in 1995, it was a traditional roofing business. Umlor's team tore off old roofs and put new ones on....
Joseph Gaylord has managed to assemble his own small-ish challenge to the big cable companies. It all started with his frustration over dialup. Remember dialup? (If not, then think annoying screeching sounds over your phone line, frequent downtime, and Model-T speeds.) And dialup could be expensive. In fact,...
