Michigan Expats

"Beer City" Means Business

2013-03-12T23:28:00.003-04:00

Michigan Expats - News - See All News

By Doctor

The craft beer industry has been great for the state of Michigan, particularly in West Michigan and Grand Rapids which looks to defend its title “Beer City U.S.A.” this spring. Michigan breweries and beers have become internationally renowned and made parts of Michigan travel destinations for craft beer enthusiasts. The industry has become not only a great sense of pride but it also means big business.

Recently, I got to attend a panel discussion hosted by the Michigan State University Broad College of Business titled “Food and Entertainment Entrepreneurship in West Michigan” that basically focused entirely on craft beer industry, specifically on the economic and business impact.

Of course, this should have been too surprising given the make-up of the panel who each offered unique and valuable insight on the craft beer industry in West Michigan. Our panelists:

Bonnie Knutson – MSU hospitality professor at The School of Hospitality Business

Mark Sellers – Owner of BarFly Ventures including Grand Rapids Brewing Company, Hopcat, and Stella’s

Kara Wood –director of Economic Development for Grand Rapids

Dan Slate – co-founder of the Brewers Professional Alliance

John Zwarensteyn – panel moderator and president and CEO of Gemini Publications which The Grand Rapids Business Journal

It was a fun and informative panel. I learned a few things about the history and impact of the Michigan craft beer industry that are definitely worth sharing.

Why Grand Rapids/Michigan?

The Water: Yes, water makes a big difference and Grand Rapids has excellent high quality water for brewing beer without having to overly treat it.
Cheap Real Estate: Grand Rapids also had lots of affordable space available downtown. Breweries, particularly fermenting tanks require a lot space, and Grand Rapids happened to have a lot of old space available at reasonable for rates for breweries to locate here. Founder’s Brewing Company started out in the Brass Works Building because “it was the cheapest place in town.”
Tax Incentives: Breweries in Grand Rapids have taken advantage of state and local tax incentives and redevelopment program funds. The former Renaissance Zone tax credit program saved Founder’s $20,000 - $25,000 annually in local and state business taxes early in their business. Breweries continue to do so, Founder’s will receive a $2 million grant as part of their recently announced $26 million expansion and Arcadia Brewing Company will receive $1 million in state grants to assist their expansion in Kalamazoo.
Passion: Mark Sellars appropriately acknowledged the huge influence of Larry Bell who paved the way through educating and inspiring many of the home turned professional brewers in Michigan.
Innovation: There was no better example than the Michigan Winter Beer Festival in February of the incredible innovation currently underway in Michigan beer. All you have to do is try Bell’s Hopslam, Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout, or anything from Short’s Brewing Co. (Carrot Cake beer anyone) to taste the innovation. Of course, that is if you can actually get your hands on some of the best renowned and in-demand beer in the world. It’s a stark contrast to Germany which is famous for their beer (e.g. Oktoberfest) yet strict “Purity Laws” state that only water, barley, hops, and yeast are allowed in beer production. I guess that’d be a no to using smoked Mangalitsa pig heads in the brew (seriously, it smells like bacon).

The impact:

Place Making: Place making is the NOW economic buzzword (think Hansel in Zoolander – we’re so over “cool cities”). Wood used Founder’s as great example – it’s a place people congregate towards, not just for happy hour, but residents, businesses, and transit benefit from its location in downtown Grand Rapids.
Employment: Grand Rapids’ newest brewery and BarFly venture, the revived Grand Rapids Brewing Company, has 85 employees. After its recent expansion, Bell’s now employs roughly 250 people. The Founder’s expansion is expected to add another 50 employees. These jobs go beyond bartenders and servers; expanding breweries require engineers, administrators, and other professional employees.
Growth: Michigan outpaced the nationally expanding craft beer industry last year as 17 new breweries opened their doors and the state craft beer industry grew 20%.
Repatriates: The craft beer industry has helped promote Michigan pride has begun to help retain college graduates and lure people back home (myself included).

What’s next?

More Growth: Expect more breweries to emerge as barriers to entry remain low; consumers become more educated and demand increases. The panel suggested that towns with as little as 4,000 people can support a brewpub – hello, Lowell, the Next Place to Be.
Support Industries: The state has allocated funds to researching hops growing in Michigan which could be another great cash crop for Michigan farmers and help lower the cost of an essential beer ingredient for Michigan brewers. Also, expect more companies like Beer City Glass to emerge providing products (e.g. pint glasses and growlers) and services for Michigan’s craft beer industry.
Distilleries: As the beer industry has followed the wine industry, expect micro-distilled spirits to continue to emerge in Michigan like New Holland Brewing Co. and Michigan owned Blue Nectar Tequila. Just as consumers have become more educated and expect better quality beer and wine, spirits are sure to follow suit.
Legal Changes: Many of Michigan’s alcohol beverage control laws (ABC laws) date back to prohibition, and are hindering the growth of the industry. Especially the current distinction of brewpubs and breweries. Brewpubs can have a liquor license and sell other beer and spirits on-site at the brewpub but cannot distribute to other bars or retailers. Breweries can distribute to other bars and retails (through a distributor) but can only serve the beer they make themselves. For example, Mark Sellars cannot sell beer he makes at HopCat down the street at Grand Rapids Brewing Company and vice versa despite the fact he owns both establishments because they are classified at brewpubs. Likewise, Michigan ABC laws prevent any one individual from having ownership in more than three breweries which is an obstacle for Sellars who owns two (HopCat & GRBC), is opening another HopCat in East Lansing, and wants to open another brewery in Lansing but to do so needs the law to be changed. Needless to say, eliminating those legal barriers are important to the growth of the industry.
Unique Experiences: While the craft beer market hasn’t become oversaturated, the brewpubs and breweries that continue to succeed and grow will still need to different themselves and offer unique experiences for the consumers. Expect for beer and food pairings, brewery tours, themed brewpubs, and partnerships with other industries that will help them educate new craft beer drinkers and create a special experience for those who are already craft beer enthusiasts.

Wow. That really escalated quickly. I mean that really got out of hand. Brick killed a guy with a trident, and I just wrote over 1100 words on Michigan craft beer. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something.

Please share any additional questions or comments here, on Facebook, or on Twitter @MichiganExpats.

A Winter Beer Festival Hail Mary Play

2013-02-24T19:25:00.002-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

Time was running out. The Eighth Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest was that afternoon. I was so close. Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park was only a 20 minute drive away. Alas, no ticket.

What do you do when time’s running out and you need a miracle? You run a Hail Mary play.

It was a Pure Michigan day for a beer festival

It was a long shot, but I sent out a note on the Michigan Craft Beer Yahoo! Group Saturday morning that I was looking for one ticket.

TOUCHDOWN!

Just like Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol, my Hail Mary came through. Less than five minutes after my call went out, I received a text from someone with an extra ticket. I went from bummed to giddy like a school boy (how many Indiana Jones references can I toss in this post?) in mere minutes. We met up in line at the festival. Thanks, Joe. Hope you had a good time.

The last minute desperation play prevented me from following all of my own Beer Festival guidelines. I may not have had time to make a pretzel necklace or have a wingman (no Goose, to my Maverick), but I still had an awesome time. How could I not? It was WINTER BEER FEST.

The Ice Guru's Winter Beer Festival Ice Bar

Featuring 74 breweries pouring over 600 different beers and 6000 craft beer enthusiasts all outside on a Michigan winter day complete with snow and temperatures in the low 30’s, it is a fun filled event. Throw in live music, ice sculptures, good food, and creative outfits and it’s definitely a Pure Michigan event that’s not to be missed.

The beer is the draw, but I also love the Winter Beer Festival because of the people you meet. The Michigan craft beer community is a filled with fun and friendly people and it’s always a pleasure to meet new people and re-connect with others at the beer festival.

I finally got to meet the gals of DrinkMichigan.org!

It was great chatting with “Ice Guru” Randy Finch who was kind enough to take my picture with his Ice Brigade team ice sculptures including an ice bar complete with ice mugs. Of course, Chaz from Schmohz was there sporting his coyote skin hat and massive flask filled with Bone Crusher Stout. Joel, NewHolland Brewing Company’s “Beer Doctor” is always fun to catch up with and did me well by recommending the MI Nightmare Sour Ale. Kevin Peil, the Founder of Tri City Brewing is one of the nicest guys in the business; it was great chatting with Kevin and Tri City’s Mon Tressor Belgian Lavender Tripel was the beer of the festival for me.

The Filling Station gals rocked it out in Pink wigs

Having grown up in Traverse City, I had to check in with Russ and the Right Brain Brewery team who represented with the CEO Stout and Steve the Imperial Brown. This was the first Winter Beer Fest for The Filling Station Microbrewery which impressed on my visit last fall. They came in style with all the gals sporting matching pink wigs and Amanda celebrating a birthday and had as much fun as any brewery at the festival.

Speaking of beer lovin’ girls, I finally got to meet the gals behind DrinkMichigan.org after years of conversing on social media. It was also good to catch up with Andrew from MittenBrew.com after meeting him earlier this month at the Pistons Craft Beer Night.

I didn’t go through the entire beer list prior to the festival, so I basically ended up going with the flow of the festival which was a lot of fun and I still managed to discover plenty of new and interesting brews. I won’t delve into all of them here, but I will highlight my top three beers from the festival:

Death to Flying Things Bourbon Imperial Stout – The MittenBrewing Company: There were a lot of bourbon barrel aged beers served up yesterday and I definitely tried my share, but this entry from the new Grand Rapids brewery stood out and earns this spot. It also deserves recognition for having an awesome name.
Mayan Midnight Chocolate Stout – 57 Brewpub: I’m not sure how many patrons sought out the booth of this new small Greenville brewpub, but those that did were rewarded this delicious smooth hot chocolate flavored milk stout. It was the surprise of the festival for me and it’s only heightened my need to make a trip up to Greenville.
Mon Tressor Belgian Lavender Tripel – Tri City Brewing: As I mentioned above, this was my beer of the day. On a day I spent drinking mostly bourbon barrel aged stouts, this unique lavender infused Belgian Tripel blew me away.

Be safe. Always have a designated driver.

My Hail Mary paid off Saturday and had an awesome day with fellow Michigan craft beer enthusiasts. Congrats to the Michigan Brewers Guild and Fifth Third Ballpark for another fantastic festival.

Were you there? What were your favorite beers? Best outfits? Let us know.

See more festival photos on Google + or on Facebook. And follow us on Twitter @MichiganExpats

DIY Michigan Beer Fest

2013-02-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

Probably not going to be you tomorrow.

The Eighth Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest is tomorrow at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, MI (home of the Tigers Class A affiliate White Caps just north of Grand Rapids). Now, I don’t have tickets to tomorrow’s Winter Beer Fest (admitted disappointment), but this blog is intended for Michigan Expats so most of you probably don’t have tickets either. However it is an awesome event highlighting one of Michigan’s booming markets, craft beer, and an excellent opportunity to talk about the industry (and drive blog traffic).

This was going to be a post on the Top Ten beers I would like to seek out at the festival tomorrow. I replaced that idea as soon as I started looking at the list (635 beers!) and realized that it isn’t much fun to come out with a festival beer bucket list when I’m not even going to the festival. Instead I’m going to write again on the great Michigan beers available outside of Michigan that Expats can seek out and enjoy their own Michigan Beer Fest/Party. Don't worry, there's Winter Beer Fest links at the bottom.

Arcadia Ales (Battle Creek): Arcadia Ales are available across the Mid-West. Whitsun is primed to surpass Oberon as the unofficial beer of Michigan summer. Also check out Sky High Rye and the Cocoa Locoa Stout. Distributors list.
Atwater Brewery (Detroit): I really enjoy the Vanilla Java Porter, but keep an eye out for the Grand Circus IPA now available in cans. For something different, try the VooDoo Vator Doppelbock. Find it near you.
Bell’s Brewery (Kalamazoo): Bell’s does IPA’s as well as anyone. You may have to beg, borrow, and steal to get your hands on Hopslam outside of the Mitten, but it’s worth it for one of Michigan’s most hype beers. Of course, Two Hearted IPA is pretty damn good too if you miss out on Hopslam. Oh yeah, the 2013 Oberon release is less than a month away. Bell’s offers a Beer Finder to help you track down their beer and they also host events across the country which allows you to try some of their specialty brews.
Brewery Vivant (Grand Rapids): Congratulations, Chi-Towners, Beer City USA’s unique Belgium style brewery is now available in the Windy City. Seek out Farmhand, a French Style Farmhouse Ale, and go from there. Events.
Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids): I cannot emphasize to you enough to become best-buddies with your local beer store/distributor to have them knock down doors to get you a bottle of the soon-to-be released Kentucky Breakfast Stout. This past week, beer enthusiasts crashed a server to buy tickets to have the opportunity to purchase a limited quantity. Is it that good? Pretty much. Their Porter and Breakfast Stout are also fantastic and may be easier to find. Be sure to check out if Founders is going to be at an event near you.
New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland): If you try one beer from NHBC, it must be the Dragons Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout. Fortunately, it is brewed year round and readily available. If NHBC released Dragons Milk on a limited basis, it would be just as hyped and in demand as Founders KBS and Bell’s Hopslam. Not into hoppy or heavy beers, go with the Full Circle, a refreshing and session kolsch-style. Beer Finder and Events page.

More Beer Fest Links

NHBC Elvis and I had fun last year.

Follow the Festival on Twitter. MLive compiled a list of all the participating breweries Twitter handles and the official festival hashtag is #MIWBF13.
How to prepare for a winter beer fest from DrinkMichigan.org, MLive, and your official MIExpats Beer Fest Preppers Guide.
2012 Festival Recap
MittenBrew offers their Festival prep notes.
New breweries.
Top Ten from John Serba (MLive)
I’m a Beer Hound’s “Most Wanted” List

Craft Beer Night at The Palace

2013-02-18T14:41:00.003-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

It’s NBA All-Star weekend which I understand may not mean much to many of our readers, but it does provide a lead for me to recap my experience at The Palace for the Pistons victory over the San Antonio Spurs last week and the craft beer event.

It was my first Pistons game at the Palace since Joe Dumars, Isaiah Thomas, and Dennis Rodman were on the roster Friday night. I’ve seen more Pistons games at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. then I have on their home court in Auburn Hills. It’s not that I wasn’t a Pistons fan growing up, but living on the West side of the Mitten, we didn’t go to a lot of sporting events in Detroit. We went to more sporting events in East Lansing to watch the Spartans; my dad had Spartan football season tickets growing up.

I was excited to hear that I won tickets to last Friday’s Pistons game against the Spurs via MittenBrew.com. Why was MittenBrew giving away Pistons tickets, you ask? Well, the Pistons were hosting craft beer night in Club 300, that’s why. Therefore thank you to MittenBrew and the Pistons for the tickets, and on to game night.

The "birds eye" view from Club 300

Tickets included entrance into Club 300 in the Palace, food, and ten tickets for the beer tasting (2 once pours). Club 300 is about as far away from the action on the court you can get in The Palace, but it is a cool place to take in an event at The Palace. It is bookended by a couple of bars, features couches and big screen TV’s, and high top tables to eat and watch the game action.

It was even better since the area was well stocked for the Craft Beer Event. No, not all of the beers were Michigan beers, but that’s OK. Life and beer does exist outside of Michigan. It was a solid and diverse beer and cider line-up regardless of your familiarity of craft beer. Of the ten brews selected, I had three stand outs:

North Peak Brewing Company Diabolical IPA – Don’t drink this Traverse City brew enough. Good and hoppy.
Leininkugel’s Big Eddy Stout – Favorite of the night, I was really impressed with this full-body stout.
Vandermill’s Totally Roasted Hard Cider – This was the surprise of the night. I’ve never had a cider with such a complex flavor profile. Made in Spring Lake, MI, I’m going to be seeking this out.

The Game

No, the Pistons are not very good. They are a young deal trying to recover from bad drafts (Darko, Carlos Delfino, other guys you can’t name) and bad contracts (Charlie Villanueva and smartly traded Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince). The good news is that recent picks Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight, and Andre Drummnond (out 4-6 weeks) are all solid NBA players with upside that can form a solid core going forward (particularly Drummond).

It didn’t matter Friday night. The Pistons played arguably their best game of the season winning 119-109. It wasn't that close as the Pistons couldn’t miss (52% from the field/46% from 3), and the Spurs were without Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili. Charlie Villanueva even played well, scoring over 20 points and grabbing a handful of rebounds. I even got to boo Stephen Jackson at The Palace (Jackson and Ron Artest a.k.a. Metta World Peace will always be booed at The Palace - brawl video below the jump).

Overall it was a great night at The Palace although the Tone Loc half-time concert show was disappointing. Good beer, food, great club atmosphere, and a big Pistons victory. I’ll be sure not to let another 20 years pass before my next Pistons game at the Palace.

(click down to watch the Malice at the Palace video)

A New Podcast is born.

2013-02-09T20:13:00.001-05:00

MichiganExpats – Culture – See All Culture

By Mr. Sig

Download this MP3 - (Right Click)

That’s right, everyone. After nearly a year, I finally got back to the podcast. You can listen to it below and, of course, it is on iTunes.

If you don’t want to listen to me blabber, we have a great lineup including the ever-entertaining Electric Six and a couple of artists with very interesting stories.

As always, if you have song suggestions, send them to michiganexpats@gmail.com or mention it to us on twitter @michiganexpats.

It’s a Shame – The Spinners

Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Naked Pictures (Of Your Mother) – Electric Six

Shake it Baby – John Lee Hooker

I’ve Got to Use My Imagination – Gladys Knight & The Pips

Convoy – Rev. Righttime and the First Cousins of Funk

Sugar Man - Sixto Rodriguez

When My Love Hands Come Down – The Ruffin Brothers

Winter Beer Fest Preppers

2013-02-08T14:00:00.001-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

It's February in Michigan which means that 1) there's snow on the ground and 2) it's the perfect time to gather in large groups and drink Michigan craft beer. Yes, the Traverse City Winter Microbrew and Music Festival is tomorrow, and the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest is now only two weeks away.

Both are well organized, fun events, featuring dozens of Michigan breweries, but it is important to properly prepared in order to maximize your experience. Therefore, here is the official 2013 Michigan Expats Winter Beer Fest Preppers Guide (updated from the 2012 version).

1. Transportation - It's a beer festival, so you'll be drinking. Arrange for someone to drop you off and pick you up after the festival. Being safe is priority number 1.

2. Arrive Early - The smart ones are the Brewers Guild Enthusiast Members and those who purchase the VIP tickets to the Traverse Festival which grant them entrance an hour before general admission. There's a lot of beer to sample and the lines can get long. If you're craft beer hardcore, that first hour with shorter lines are worth it.

3. Food/Petzel Necklaces - Be sure to have a good meal base before the festival. You'll want to sample a lot of beer and no one recommends this on an empty stomach. Make a Petzel Necklace - simply string pretzels on a string and tie it around your neck providing an easily accessible tasty snack while you're waiting in line and drinking beer. These festivals also have great food vendors. Support the vendors and treat yourself to some of the delicious food.

4. Water - The festivals run for five hours and feature hundreds of beers. It's a marathon. Just as important as food will be (see above), so is staying hydrated. However, since one hand will already be occupied by beer and you don't want to carry around a water bottle all day, fill up a CamelPack with water. I did this last year for the Winter Beer Fest and it worked extremely well. Along with helping hydration this also has the probable secondary benefits of 1) being a conversation starter and 2) that there's the slight (read: likely) chance that later in the festival I'll try and convince one of the pourers/brewers to fill out the CamelPack with beer (this unfortunately did not happen last year).

Coyote skin hat keep Chaz warm

5. Tactleneck - OK, I stole that from the world's most dangerous spy, Sterling Archer, but it's going to be cold out there folks. "What do you think this is, Miami Beach." "Not hardly." It's February in Michigan, so that base layer Under Armour cold gear mock turtleneck is essential although I'm going with Spartan green instead of black or slightly darker black. Patti at I'm a Beer Hound even recommends an extra pair of socks in case you step in slush: "Look out for that first step. It's a doozy." Momma Needs a Beer also has specific tips for the ladies at the festival. I'm not sure about the socks, but I may stick an extra hat and gloves in my parka in case of wet heavy snow or tragic beer spillage.

6. Attack Plan - With hundreds of beers on tap, and no federal agency telling you which beers you can and can't drink, one is left make their own game plan. Yes, you'll be walking around and can see what most of the breweries have on tap, but it can be easy to miss a particular brewery or beer. Especially with certain breweries tapping special beers at specific times. Both festivals post site-maps ahead of time, and with a little effort you can find the lists of beers the breweries will have available. Make a victory attack plan, rifling through the beer lists and trying to come up with a somewhat just less than reasonable goal of beers to target Saturday.

With Kim from Mount Pleasant Brewing Co.

7. Meet the Brewers - What I love about the TC and Brewers Guild festivals is that the breweries supply their own staff and the brewers are also in attendance. This provides an excellent opportunity to learn about beer and breweries that you're not familiar with or don't visit that often. These are entrepreneurial individuals with great passion for their breweries and their beers. The beer's right there. Let them tell you about it while you enjoy it.

8. Wingman - Han and Chewie, BBQ Bob and Joppie, Maverick and Goose, and Jay and Silent Bob. Quintessential wing men and partners that help each other make good decisions or make bad decisions epic, but definitely help make the stories better and clearer the next day.

I guess I have 8 main tips, a few more than last year. I hope the guide helps and that everyone has a great time at the festivals. Please let us know if you're going and what your favorite breweries and beers are at each event. We're also still looking for tickets to both festivals, so if you've got extra drop us a line.

Talking Traverse City

2013-02-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

I grew up in Traverse City: going to the beach on East and West Grand Traverse Bay; skiing at Mt. Holiday; biking along the VASA and TART Trails and up and down the peninsula; and of course, spending hours and hours each July at Cherry Festival functions. Even though my family moved “South” to the Grand Rapids area fifteen years ago, due to the many memories and friends and family that reside there, Traverse City remains near and dear to me and I still consider it home.

Therefore, that February is National Cherry Month and that Traverse City is the Cherry Capital of the World combined with that this week is also Traverse City Beer Week which culminates in the Winter Microbrew and Music Festival on Saturday that I have enough to justify talking about Traverse City. If that wasn't enough February Traverse awesomeness, Traverse City is also hosting a Winter Comedy Festival this month featuring Jeff Garlin, Colin Quinn, and others. Put it all together, it's a great month to head Up North to Traverse City, but then again, when is it not.

Last year was very difficult for Michigan farmers, especially cherry farmers, so National Cherry Month gives us excellent reason to be hopeful and optimistic that 2013 will be a bounce back year for fruit farmers and offer a bountiful harvest of cherries for the Traverse region whose economy and identify is closely tied to the delicious fruit. Just typing this makes me hungry for my next slice(s) of Cherry Crumb pie from the Grand Traverse Pie Company and the Sara Lee cherry sundae which is an annual Cherry Festival tradition for thousands. Fortunately, I have some Cherry Republic cherry salsa and cherry pepper jelly to carry me over for a bit. And yes, both GT Pie and Cherry Republic have online stores and deliver.

The Filling Station

ON TO THE BEER
There’s much to celebrate at the Traverse City Beer Week and more places. Two breweries (The Filling Station and Brewery Ferment) opened in Traverse City last year and another, Right Brain Brewery, moved into a new larger facility. In November, I was fortunate to visit each of the new breweries, and I’m still working to figure out if I can swing a trip to Traverse yet this week for the events and festival. (My TC Food & Brew Recap, Part I & Part II).

I attended the Festival last year and had a fantastic time. The brewery line-up this year once again is top flight and there are still tickets available for those who missed out on the sold out Michigan Winter Beer Festival. Porterhouse Productions does an excellent job organizing and promoting the festival and coordinates the fantastic Beer Week that kicked off this weekend. Seriously, check out this beer week event line-up.

There are presently still tickets available and if you’re looking for a first class Northern Michigan food, beer, and hospitality package, check out the weekend package my buddies, The Grillin’ Guys, have put together with Leelanau Sands Casino and Resort featuring lodging and transportation to and from the Resort and the beer festival (VIP tickets included). Yes, we proudly plug our friend’s Michigan businesses here at Michigan Expats.

FOOD
Traverse City is not only known for its beaches, beer, and cherries, but it has an excellent food scene as well that has received a lot of national attention as a "foodie haven." I may not be a famous chef, but I can share a few personal favorite spots to check out.

Soul Hole – I sought out this eatery last time I was in Traverse and was not disappointed. Yes, you can now find delicious southern style food in Northern Michigan: BBQ ribs, southern fried chicken, gumbo, and fantastic cornbread. Limited seating gives it a hometown hole-in-the-wall feeling. They don’t serve alcohol, but that’s not a problem since Brewery Ferment is just a few spots down across the street and they don’t serve food. It’s a win win.
Red Mesa Grill – A family favorite spot across from East Bay featuring in-house made chips and salsa and the region’s best tequila selection. I personally recommend Michigan owned, Blue Nectar.
Burgers – Of course, few things go as well with beer as a hearty greasy burger. Don’s Drive In is a pure Americana Traverse City institution with its 50’s décor and while it is a tourist stop, the burgers and onion rings are worth the trip. For a more local feel, pop into Brady’s Bar downtown which is a local dive, but the burgers made with beef from Maxbauer’s Meat Market next door are excellent.

Definitely plan to come hungry and thirsty next time you’re in Traverse. Park along or near Front Street and spend a couple hours walking in and out of the many great small local shops and pop in for coffee, desserts, food, or a drink along the way.

What's your favorite Traverse City event, brewery, or restaurant? We want to hear from you.

Celebrating #176YearsofAwesome

2013-01-28T17:52:00.003-05:00

Michigan Expats - News - See All News

By Doctor

Our favorite state celebrated a birthday on Saturday. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Great Lake State, Michigan joined the Union as the 26^th state on January 26, 1837 when President Andrew Jackson signed his John Hancock.

How to celebrate such an occasion? Well, we at Michigan Expats at here to help. We’ve shared ideas on how to throw a Michigan themed party before – while it’s late for the birthday, it’s always a great theme party idea.

How’d I celebrate Michigan’s birthday? Well, I’m back in Michigan, so I decided to participate in one of the six Tweetup birthday celebrations hosted by Awesome Mitten across the state including Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Marquette.

176 years of having the upper hand on Ohio

The events were a part of a fun campaign by Awesome Mitten to promote what we love about Michigan through celebrating the birthday. They also hosted a Michigan birthday bake-off, collected warm weather clothing items for those in need through local organizations, and sponsored the hashtag #176YearsofAwesome on Twitter for Michiganders to share what it is they think makes Michigan awesome (like not being Ohio).

I attended the Tweetup at The Mitten Brewing Company in Grand Rapids a.k.a. “Beer City, U.S.A.”, so naturally it had to be at a brewery.

Beyond beer and delicious pizza, Awesome Mitten had dry erase boards for people to write their own birthday card to Michigan and share it on Twitter – check them out at #176YearsofAwesome.

They word spread as the brewery was standing room only all afternoon and Awesome Mitten collected dozens of hats, gloves, and jackets at Mitten Brewing Co. for In The Image to provide to those in need.

As a bonus, Awesome Mitten also had door prizes from MichiganAwesome.org, The Mitten Brewing Co., and other local businesses. I’m proud to say I came away with another Michigan Awesome t-shirt (“Lake Effective”) to go along with the “Smitten with the Mitten” shirt I wore to the event.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon. It was awesome to meet fellow Michigan bloggers, Kristen from Awesome Mitten and Bryan from Mitten Brew, and look forward to seeing them around Grand Rapids and other Michigan themed events across the Mitten.

And yes, the pizza and beer were excellent. The Mitten makes coal fired flat bread artisan pizzas, and I went with the Pesto Chicken with red onions and artichoke hearts (I love artichoke hearts on pizza). I look forward to future visits to try the Thai and Chicken BBQ pizzas, especially now receive 10% off food with my new membership card from I’m a Beer Hound. In fact, I’m planning to go back this Thursday for a Grand Rapids Young Professionals event, so I may have to finally devote a full post to a comprehensive review.

I hope your Michigan birthday also went well. Now that you’ve read all of our post, please take the time to check out the other Michigan blogs and websites I’ve linked to above.

Happy Birthday, Michigan, "the most recognizable destination from space."

Right to Work Battle Not Over

2013-01-10T16:16:00.001-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

Last month, Michigan's lame-duck session legislature passed a host of bills, many controversial, especially Right-to-Work legislation. There are numerous political and economic reasons why it happened, particularly when it happened, but the fact is that moving forward employers in Michigan are now free from compulsory union membership...and a lot of people are still pissed off about it.

Today, Right to Work (RTW) opponents were riled up because they hate RTW. It just so happened that RTW has been tied to something they like ("Pure Michigan" ad campaign) in a full page ad that ran in the Wall Street Journal and it gives them to talk about how much they hate RTW.

This latest bout of outrage from those who opposed RTW has prompted MLive to ask "Is the 'Pure Michigan' brand being misused?"

Here's the ad in question.

"The perfect storm of opportunity, resources and passion is Pure Michigan.” - The Horror.

Seven points...

The obvious

1. The Pure Michigan campaign has been an effective tool in boosting state tourism and consequently has become a very recognizable and valuable brand.

2. One of the goals of the new Right-to-Work legislation along with expanding liberty is to improve the economic climate in Michigan. It is one less obstacle to doing business.

3. The Wall Street Journal is one of the most read and respected news outlets in the world, particularly in business circles.

Therefore, it would makes sense that...

#4. If you are going to promote Michigan as open for business with an improving and welcoming business climate, then the Wall Street Journal is one of the top places to place such an advertisement.

#5. Using the already well established and highly recognized Pure Michigan campaign also makes total sense because A) It's already a well established and recognizable brand & B)You don't have to spend additional time and tax dollars coming up with an entirely new campaign.

But unfortunately...

#6. Those who oppose the Right to Work legislation, particularly unions, don't want Michigan's economy to bounce back and grow while RTW is the law of that land and any credit can be given to its impact. This uproar demonstrates that unions and their political allies are not eager to change and become relevant in the 21st century. Some are so resistant to change and eager to maintain the old status quo, that they'll happily destroy the Pure Michigan brand, hinder Michigan economic growth and tourism industry as a means to repeal the law. Further divisiveness will be driven be RTW opponents, not supporters.

And finally...

#7. That RTW opponents seem willing to destroy the Pure Michigan campaign to even a political score is more despicable than the MEDC using it's most recognizable brand to encourage investment and new jobs in the state which is a big part of the MEDC mission. The recent Right to Work legislation is merely one more selling point to new businesses and not the only one listed in the ad. Michigan will move forward because of increasing opportunity and passion - RTW is a part of that.

Moving forward. Not backward. That's Pure Michigan.

Old is New in Downtown: The Grand Rapids Brewing Company Returns

2012-12-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

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By Doctor

Grand Rapids has fully embraced the craft beer resurgence and proudly carries the title “Beer City U.S.A.” it earned through an impressive online campaign earlier this year. There is even an exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Thank You, Beer! that celebrates the history of beer and specifically the beer tradition in Grand Rapids. Prominent in the exhibit is a painting on the original Grand Rapids Brewing Co. that was once the largest brewery in the city and encompassed an entire city block, but it didn’t survive prohibition.

The original GRBC

The namesake and brewing reemerged in 1993 as the Grand Rapids Brewing Company opened as a brewpub and restaurant on 28^th Street. It helped launch the beer culture in “Beer City U.S.A.”, but poor management and an inability to keep up with the innovative local beer scene caused GRBC to close its doors in 2011.

Until last week when Grand Rapids Brewing Company opened its doors once again, under new ownership, having returned to downtown Grand Rapids under the ownership of the Sellers and StellaFly that also operate HopCat, Stella’s, and McFadden’s in the downtown Arena District.

I thought about going down for the opening last week Wednesday, but decided against battling the crowds who lined up outside an hour before it open. I made my first visit on Saturday with BBQ Bob and Jop of The Grillin’ Guys and Cory and Shasta, owners of Old World Olive Press after we broadcast the morning show at their downtown location. We managed to pull together a pair of bistro tables by the door and beat the rush of families leaving the Van Andel Arena next door following the Grand Valley State University graduation.

THE BEER

The hype and crowds are neither surprising nor unwarranted. GRBC had five house made brews on tap on Saturday: I enjoyed pints of the John Ball Brown, 09 Campau’s $90Pale, and Senator Lyon Stout – most brews are named after influential individuals from West Michigan. Other house made brews included a Mango Hefeweizen and the Silver Foam (“a new take on an old classic”). I must not have been the only one that enjoyed the Brown as brewer Nick Roelofs visited our table and shared that they were down to their last two kegs.

THE FOOD

Our group ordered a round of small plates to snack on and I must admit that we weren’t as impressed with the food as much as we were the beer. We ordered the kale chips (disappointing), Michigan Cheddar Cheese Curds (OK), poutine (a mess), Brewer’s Chips N’ Dip (I enjoyed it the most of the group), and the in-house Hand-Cranked Duck Sausage (good), and Sweet & Spicy Italian Sausage (excellent, best thing we ordered). It seemed that they are being a little over ambitious with the menu with creative small plates instead of focusing on offering excellent simple bar food which would seem to be a better fit for the location and vibe. I give them credit for aiming high, but that means that you're likely to have some swings and misses, especially early on.

ALL ORGANIC

It must be noted that GRBC is the first certified all-organic brewery in the Mid-West. It is a great marketing item and I know that there are a lot of pro-organic people out there, but I’m just indifferent about it. Just make good food and beer.

THE DÉCOR

I was really impressed with the layout and décor. High ceilings, large windows along Fulton and Ionia Streets and two separate bars make for an open and vibrant atmosphere. They also did an excellent job in repurposing materials that add a lot to the décor. Most of the tables were made with the original wood floors from the building that were pulled up to open the basement for the brewing equipment; likewise bricks from the original structure were used to build the back bar; an old barn wall was refurbished and re-purposed as an inside wall with the GRBC logo painted across it; and an old metal door repainting the logo above the back bar really stands out.

EXPERIENCE

We also had great service on our visit. We had a great server; the general manager stopped by our table as did brewer Nick Roelofs while the owner, Mark Sellars bought our group a round. Yes, it’s nice to visit breweries with radio hosts and others involved in the local food scene, but we definitely weren't the only one's there having a good time.

Overall we had a great visit and I look forward to going back to GRBC to continue to see what’s on tap. It’s another great addition to “Beer City U.S.A.”

Are Unions Relevant in the 21st Century?

2012-12-11T12:03:00.001-05:00

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By Doctor

Right-to-Work legislation is up for a final vote in the Michigan legislature today. It is a historic and newsworthy vote by any and all accounts. Instead of focusing on the argument over the economic benefits or the politics and means to how it arrived to a vote today, I want to address the relevancy of labor union in the 21^st century.

What is happening in Lansing is a big political defeat for organized labor - of course others have a more optimistic appraisal of the situation. But the broader concern of union leadership must be to stop living in the past and move into the present to find a way for organized labor to be a productive economic partner in the 21^st century global economy.

There's been statements among union supporters along the lines of Michael Moore's tweet to the right that all non-union workers need to go back to 19^th century working conditions. Yes, labor unions were very important in 20^th century America improving working conditions and workers rights, but all those have been passed into law for decades. To make the argument that all workers need to continue to pay dues for the successes of the past is akin to making the argument that all African-Americans should still vote Republican because Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party freed the slaves almost 150 years ago. It’s ridiculous.

Organized labor response to declining private sector membership has not been to innovate and become partners with employers by any sort of value addition. Rather, labor has pursued purely political avenues to increase power, revenue, and influence with the intention to stay powerful, well funded, and influential.

But if the true intention and value of organized labor is to be a powerful, well funded, and influential political lobby then why should workers be compelled by law to join and financially support it?

If labor unions want to continue to be relevant into the 21^st century, they need to identify what value they can bring as a partner in a competitive global economy. More specifically, the goals of organized labor need to focus less on political influence and more on being a positive economic influence.

Instead of enacting legal challenges to prevent losingexisting jobs and forced new memberships, union leadership should be looking at how they can work with employers to improve work culture and productivity.

Maintaining a completely antagonistic view against employers and business is not a very productive way to engage in a voluntary partnership. And, "Hello, McFly," employment is a voluntary agreement between parties to exchange labor, time, and productivity for compensation. Individuals are not entitled to a job and employers are not entitled to happy productive workers; both parties have to work together to be successful.

There’s a reason companies are focusing more and more on workplace culture and employee appreciation and recognition. Google makesheadlines about their creative workplace culture. OneUpWeb in Traverse City places a huge emphasis on having a fun but relentlessly engaged workforce. Employee recognition is what Baudville, Inc. in Grand Rapids does. Those businesses all place an emphasis on employee recognition beyond wages and monetized benefits. Another example, Gordon Food Service, #4 on Forbes Best Family Businesses, just opened an incredible new headquartersbuilding south of Grand Rapids. GFS employees may not have gotten a raise from moving into the new space, but from speaking with them, they sure feel more appreciated.

That is the new frontier in employee-employer relationships in the modern economy. Union shops and collective bargaining contracts make the employee appreciation and recognition programs of those companies much more difficult. Union contracts are designed to equalize the workplace: everyone works the same hours for the same pay and benefits which consequently leaves little room for bonuses or addition recognition.

A large part why companies don’t want unionized employees and avoid forced unionized shop states is because unionized workers offer very few benefits compared to all the costs and hassles.

That’s why Governor Snyder’s comments that right-to-work might actually help unions is not merely a slap in the face (although there certainly is a bit of that). Ending compulsory union membership puts the burden on the unions to evolve and innovate to become relevant in the 21^st century. Unions now have to make the argument to the workers what the value is being a union member and what benefits they receive from paying dues.

Unions fear right-to-work because they fear that they can’t convince employees and employers on the merits of union membership and partnership. That’s why they are focused on using political influence to legally coerce individuals into joining and paying dues. Just this year unions spent tens millions of millions on two proposals on the Michigan ballot last month (#2 & #4) to secure legally compulsory membership. Proposal 4 was a pure money grab to use the ballot system to force thousands of home care workers to pay union dues without their consent through putting it into the state constitution after a similar law was ruled unconstitutional.

Unfortunately, I fear that unions that will continue to focus their efforts on being antagonistic and continue to spend millions legally challenging any legislation that challenges their present legal privileges. They will continue to do everything possible to continue to cling to the status quo of the previous century and resist change.

The lack of vision and stubbornness to innovate and move forward will continue to weaken organize labor. Not just evil big business and Republicans.

What's your take on the debate? Are unions still relevant? What is the role of organized labor in the global economy? Is this a step forward or backward for Michigan and Michigan workers? Let us know, but please keep it civil.

Michigan Musings: Links & Commentary

2012-12-06T13:30:00.003-05:00

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By Doctor

There's a lot going on in Michigan at the moment. It's also Christmas time, so everyone's got tons of stuff to do. It makes it a great time for some Michigan Musings - a one stop place for links to top stories coming out of Michigan with brief comments of wisdom and humor from yours truly.

Right-to-Work/Right-to-Work-for-Less/Freedom-to-Work

It's happening, today. After the overreach/getting-their-asses-handed-to-them by the Michigan unions on the November ballot, it was bound to happen (more here). Unions have been a strong part of Michigan history and the growth of the middle class, but unions like other special interests have been more interested in power and influence than doing what makes sense and betters workers and society. It makes sense. Give the workers the freedom to choose.

Will Detroit Go Bankrupt?

No, Mitt Romney isn't involved. Instead, Detroit city leaders seem determined to steer the city off the cliff into bankruptcy (the city can't afford toilet paper for firefighters). A financial manager could still happen, but a complicated bankruptcy may be coming. Or will President Obama fly in and save the day again?

New Detroit Arena

The city may be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, but that didn't stop Mike Illitch from releasing preliminary plans for a new arena in Downtown Detroit to possibly play home to both the Red Wings and the Pistons. It has a long way to go with the city financial situation and that it is a $650 million proposal that'll require lots of public funding.

MichAgain
We attended a MichAgain reception in Grand Rapids the night before Thanksgiving which is part of a greater effort from a collaboration of Michigan organizations and businesses to lure Michigan Expats back home. There's an upcoming event in Detroit on December 27. I've recently run into people who've moved back from Florida, New York, and Washington D.C., and hopefully the trend will continue. Shoot us questions and comments.

Winter Beer Festival Scalper Scandal
The 8th Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival set for February 23 at Fifth Third Ballpark just north of Grand Rapids sold out in less than 14 hours on Saturday. What's the problem? A handful of scalpers scooped up a bunch of tickets and now the Guild is trying to void those sales and maintain brand management after lots of Enthusiast Members did not get tickets. Laws of supply and demand need not apply.

More Beer (City U.S.A.) News

The Grand Rapids Brewery Co. v. 3.0 opened yesterday. It's the first certified organic brewery in the Midwest if that means anything to you - we're indifferent as long as the beer tastes good. We'll be visiting soon and a detailed recap is sure to follow.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum currently has an exhibit, Thank You, Beer! focused on the history of beer, particularly in Grand Rapids. We got a private tour last week. It's pretty cool.
The American Homebrewers Association just picked Grand Rapids as the site for their 2014 National Homebrewers Conference.

I think that's enough for me, for now. I think I've got one more Traverse City Food & Brew post in me from my November plus I'll be visiting the Grand Rapids Brewing Co. soon. The Right-to-Work debate needs to be addressed more fully and I may use the Scalper Scandal as an excuse to write an economics lesson on supply and demand. However, next may be a list of awesome Christmas gift ideas highlighting all things Michigan.

Comment, email us (michiganexpats@gmail.com), or send us a shout out on Facebook or Twitter (@MichiganExpats) as to what you'd like us to write about with any questions you'd like us to answer.

Traverse City Food & Brew Tour: Part II - Right Brain Brewery

2012-12-02T16:17:00.002-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

I'm slowly rolling out my recap of my last visit to Traverse City in November where I attended the BRIM conference (recap here and here) as well as a personal mini-food and brew tour of the Cherry Capital. In Part I, I wrote about my first visit to The Filling Station microbrewery. Today I'm highlighting my visit to Right Brain Brewery, a personal favorite, and my first visit to their new location in TC.

Right Brain Brewery

A family favorite spot for a few years now, I’ve been looking forwarding to a return visit to Right Brain for months to see how Traverse City’s most interesting brewery fit into their new space just south of downtown.

In many ways, Right Brain hasn’t changed much. The original concept and inspiration Salon Saloon relocated along with the brewery and you can still have a beer and get your haircut. The pub still doubles as a local art gallery propagated by fun and creative works by local artists. There is still a table full of board games that you and your friends can set out and play while you sit and enjoy your beer. Yes, the beer is still fantastic (more on that in a bit) and with over twenty taps on site, there is always something new to try.

But the space is cavernous. The good news is that you shouldn’t have a tough time finding a seat, but it does lose the coziness that the original brewpub had, but it wasn’t quite as bad sitting at the bar.

I was able to catch Right Brain founder, Russ Springsteen, and ask for a beer recommendation. He quickly suggested I try Steve the Imperial Brown, a cask conditioned imperial brown ale, and noted that it may be the best beer they’ve ever brewed. I can’t comment on whether it’s their best ever, but it was damn good, a strong, yet surprisingly smooth, flavorful imperial brown.

I also had to try a small sample of the Mangalista Pig Porter. Right Brain puts smoked mangalista pig headed right into the brew. The result, the beer won a gold medal at the Great American Brew Festival. My impression: the porter has an incredible aroma. It smells like bacon. Yes, bacon beer. You have to try it to believe it.

I also want to congratulate Right Brain and their C.E.O. Stout (Coffee. Espresso. Oatmeal) for being voted Michigan’s #1 stout on DrinkMichigan.org on Stout Day, November 8. I was actually talking with Leif Kolt, Right Brain’s Kickdog (Michigan brewer employees have the best titles, Leif does events, branding, and marketing) about the poll that night at the BRIM reception where he was serving up WILLpower Pale Ale and how Right Brain was excited to have C.E.O. in the top 5. Then the next morning, I see that C.E.O. Stout made a late push to come out top in the poll.

Congrats to Right Brain Brewery on the Michigan Stout title and the new space. I look forward to my next visit to Traverse and the brewpub which should come around Christmas time. I’ll definitely stop by for some C.E.O. Stout.

West MichAgain: Bringing Talent Back to the Region

2012-11-29T14:46:00.002-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

Two years ago when Mr. Sig and I started Michigan Expats we did so to focus and draw attention to the many folks born in Michigan who had left to pursue job opportunities but really want to come home to Michigan. For over two years, we’ve written and talked about what we love about Michigan and discuss the issues that have pushed so many to leave the state and prevent them from coming home.

We like to think we were on to something.

Last week I attended MichAgain West Michigan: BringingTalent Back to the Region, a reception at the B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids where state, regional, and local organizations and businesses made a pitch for Michigan Expats who were home for the Thanksgiving Holiday to give moving back home some more thought, particularly West Michigan.

The Pitch

The goal of the event was to highlight why West Michigan is a good place to live, that it is a fun and exciting area, and that there are opportunities available so you can come back and enjoy the good quality of life. It was a good pitch.

The B.O.B. (aka Big Old Building) was a great venue for the event. The food was good (hor d'oeuvres, small plates) and each attendee was given a free drink coupon that included the B.O.B. Brewery’s in house hand crafted brews. The space was appropriate for the size of the event and provided a great atmosphere for employee representatives and attendees to chat and network.

There was a brief program amidst the networking where the event organizers (see below) and business representatives got to introduce themselves which was helpful because it allowed attendees to see and hear from the potential individuals they may have wanted to seek out and speak with that evening.

From Art Prize to LaughFest to being voted “Beer City U.S.A.”, Grand Rapids has transformed itself into a much more vibrant and engaged community, particularly downtown than it was just a decade ago. One no longer needs to go elsewhere to seek art, culture, and a nightlife scene. Plus it is an affordable place to live with access to Michigan’s abundant natural resources. Did we mention beautiful and fun?

Collaboration

I feel like I’ve been using this term almost too much, but when it comes to economic development, wealth creation, and entrepreneurial spirits, “collaboration” is a good term to be using frequently and the MichAgain reception is another example of good leadership and Michigan organizations and businesses collaborating toward the common goal of improving Michigan.

First, is the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) which has helped fuel the Michigan Pride enthusiasm through the Pure Michigan ad campaign (a couple ads were played) as well as worked to improve the business climate in Michigan in recent years. I’ve got some Pure Michigan swag as a result that I plan to give away (details forthcoming).

Locally the event was organized and promoted by Experience Grand Rapids, Hello West Michigan, and The Right Place. I continue to be impressed with ExperienceGR and The Right Place and was introduced to Hello West Michigan, but all are interesting organizations impacting West Michigan, so here’s a quick primer.

ExperienceGR is the city Convention and Visitors Bureau that has stepped up its game to help highlight Grand Rapids as a destination with the DeVos Place Convention Center as well as promote the fantastic events such as Art Prize and LaughFest that have emerged in recent years.
Hello West Michigan was an organization that I was not familiar with prior to the event, but is a small business that serves as an advocate to help attract talent and support the transition to West Michigan. Essentially helping make the decision to relocate or stay in West Michigan easier. The fact that this is a functional business is representative alone of the emerging opportunities in Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas.
The Right Place is a non-profit economic development organization focused on creating economic opportunity in West Michigan including investment, jobs, business attraction, retention, and expansion. It’s one of a handful of unique and exciting organizations working extremely to generate wealth generation in the region.

Good news. Bad news. More good news

The good news is that these organizations have been successful in contributing to the renewed sense of Michigan pride and are leading Michigan economically out the recession.

The bad news is that one of the issues stalling some of the growth in West Michigan and across the state is rebounding from the brain drain, particularly from the past decade. The Right Place can help regional businesses find the investment to build or expand, but those businesses still need the talent to succeed and grow.

The good news is that West Michigan and Grand Rapids are a better place to live than Expats remember and that there are positions to filled to the point that all of these organizations are collaborating to market to Expats to come home.

The news is even better if you’re an engineer and are considering coming home. Most of the businesses present at the reception – Bissell, GE Aviation, Herman Miller, and Steelcase – are in need of engineers. Other businesses present included 5/3 Bank, Gordon Food Service, and Macatawa Bank.

I won’t go as far as to tell you to pack up and come home to Michigan for good, but I am more enthusiastic about the progress in Michigan to becoming a destination to work as well as live than we were two years ago when we started MichiganExpats.com.

There are real grassroots efforts to spur entrepreneurship innovation, and economic growth in the state. Better leadership has and continues to emerge (well, for the most part). It may be time Michigan’s expats to take another long look at what they love and miss about the Michigan and whether it is time to come home.

Each of the organizations discussed above has additional information to help make that decision. There is another MichAgain event scheduled for Thursday, December 27 at the Detroit Renaissance Center for those who will be home in South East Michigan around Christmas. You can also follow MichAgain on Twitter @GoMichAgain for information on similar events across the country,

Traverse City Food & Brew Tour: Part I - The Filling Station

2012-11-26T16:30:00.004-05:00

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By Doctor

The Logo is Awesome

I still consider Traverse City the town I grew up in. I may have been born and returned to go to high school outside of Grand Rapids (Lowell, MI), but Traverse City is where I spent my formative years.

Consequently, I always why I look forward to going to Traverse City; I still have family and friends there, nostalgia, and duh, it’s beautiful Northern Michigan. So naturally I looked forward to going up to Traverse City for BRIM (Bringing Relentless Innovation to Michigan) – I did a two part recap summary check it out here and here.

I saw friends and family which is always nice, but I doubt our readers want to read about my visit with my grandmother or how my uncle feels about the latest Star Trek movie. If you’re here, you’re probably interested in the food and beer scene in Michigan and therefore Traverse City. I may have spent just under 48 hours in Traverse and most of that at a conference, but I still managed to visit three breweries, two restaurants, and a brew pub. Here's the first of the series of my Traverse City Food & Brew Tour.

Part I: The Filling Station Microbrewery
Ales by the Rails

I’ve been looking forward to visiting The Filling Station all year or as soon as it came on my radar: new brewery in Traverse, unique location in the old train depot, delicious sounding flat bread pizzas, and oh yeah, a new brewery in Traverse City. Yes, my visit was about seven months overdue since their spring opening. I’m ashamed I haven’t made it to Traverse sooner, but I did talk my dad into visiting sooner.

Good beer. Cool bistro tables.

Was it worth the wait? Yes. Located in the old Traverse City train depot along the northeast corner of Boardman Lake is a great unique location for a brewery. Inside features a welcoming renovated depot décor of the brick walls, hardwood floors, bistro tables made out of old railroad ties, and the original depot lights hanging over the bar. I look forward to coming back on a warmer day and sitting outside on the platform where you can sit and enjoy a locomotive sampler tray and look out over Boardman Lake.

Mr. Sig and I founded Michigan Expats because we wanted to represent the Michiganders who left the Mitten State to pursue economic opportunities, but ultimately would like to return home. Well, I must admit, the story behind The Filling Station may well be the best story of attracted Michiganders to return home I’ve heard yet.

The brewery is an idea of a retired of a mechanical engineer who missed his daughters who had both pursued careers outside of Michigan. What’s a paterfamilias to do? Buy his baker/part-time brewer son-in-law a thirteen barrel brewing system to start a brewing in Traverse City, that’s what.

That’s right, the dad’s the owner, the son-in-law, David Cannizzaro, is the brewer and, I didn’t confirm, but also the head chef, while one daughter, Amanda, was the one behind the bar, and from the picture of the new-born baby on the bulletin board next to the bar, the other daughter had responsibilities at home but that hasn’t stopped the little one from stopping bye. I’ve heard a lot of cool stories about the founding of Michigan breweries, but this is now my favorite. Re-uniting daughters from opposite coasts to return home to Michigan to run a brewery. Now, that’s a way to re-patriot Michigan.

I was bummed I had a late big breakfast

Now, the moment I saw the pizza oven, I was disappointed that I had eaten a big lunch late in the morning. The pizza and the descriptions looked delicious. My dad and I each had an IPA (between us sampling two of three IPA’s available), but since we were on our way out of town didn’t have much time to get through the other ten beers on tap. I look forward to visiting The Filling Station again and I will be sure to come hungry and thirsty.

I may also have to pick up some merchandise. I really like the logo. Check out The Filling Station for yourself next time your in TC.

Still coming up from my Traverse City food and brew tour: a visit to the new Right Brain Brewery location; new Traverse City brewery, Brewery Ferment; and soul food finds a home in Northern Michigan at the Soul Hole.

More BRIM: Insights and Analysis

2012-11-13T14:06:00.001-05:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, time for more BRIM. Again, for those scoring at home, BRIM stands for Bringing Relentless Innovation to Michigan, and was the title to an informative and inspirational conference last week at the OneUpWeb office in Traverse City. If you missed it, please check out my summary/recap of theevent.

Today, I want to delve more into the content of the conference and what was discussed beyond the general theme of the importance of entrepreneurship.

We’ll begin with a quick review of Rick DeVos’ keynote address. “I start things” was how Rick introduced himself and what he does. Of course, when those things include Art Prize, the world’s largest open art competition, and Start Garden, a fresh new venture capital firm, well then, that’s how you get invited to give the keynote at events such as BRIM.

Rick described entrepreneurship as analogous to sea exploration in a talk titled “Launch the Ships.” It is an apt metaphor, Dr. House would approve. We are just as must in an age of exploration as when Columbus sailed west, and we must foster a dynamic culture of entrepreneurship to drive that exploration. To that end, Rick had three points.

“Get Curious” – Continually ask yourself and others, “What if…?” and “What if we…?” Use that curiosity and those questions to initiate action. At some point, someone asked, “what if we built a ship?” Centuries later, Columbus asked “What if the world was round and I could sail ships around the world?”
“Make Failure Survivable” – Columbus sailed west with three ships, but the Santa Maria had to be abandoned in the new world. For venture capital firms, such as Start Garden, only a few big successes will pay for the investment in all the others.
“Launch the Ships (and hope some come back)” – Eventually you have to set sail on your ideas and see where they lead you. It may be profit and fulfillment or it may likely be failure, but you won’t know until you cast off. Columbus was looking for a passage to the Indies. Instead he came upon two continents and another ocean in the way. No models or projections had North or South America in the way.

Those points go beyond entrepreneurship and starting a business, but also reflect public policy tendencies. People, particularly in Michigan, have a tendency to try and plan our way out of everything. Nowhere is this more prevalent in politics, “if only we had a better plan” or someone else in charge. The truth is that there is not a white knight with “one plan to rule them all” to ride in and make all our problems go away. It takes local knowledge and solutions; entrepreneurial solutions.

And yes, people other than Rick DeVos spoke at BRIM. Here are more insights from an informative and inspirational day in Traverse City:

Business Plans – A few people brought business plans receiving too much emphasis. Remember, it’s a piece of literature; it does not need to be comprehensive. Yes, it’s still important, but it is more important to focus on your business, your idea implementation and generation, not spreadsheets and made up projections. When asked, even Rick DeVos stressed that it is more important to get marketplace validation than obsess over market share projections. Unlike the lottery, costs and payoffs cannot be calculated in life.

New Economy – Another tidbit that was discussed at BRIM, that I’ve heard more and more of these days is that we are entering a 1099 or self-employed economy. We may already be there. Look around, people aren’t in jobs that they expect to be in for the next 30-40 years. It is even more important to be creative and entrepreneurial in how you market yourself. Don’t focus on how to operate in the existing model. Look to change the model.

More bits from the panel discussions after the jump...

All well and good, but what are the top skills of an entrepreneur?

Relationships – Be a builder. Make friends. Be a good friend.
Listen – Be a keen and active listener.
Deliver on your promises – “Do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it, to the best of your ability.” (Lisa Wehr)
Be relentless – Most businesses fail. Raising cash is tough and it is scary to go out on your own. Entrepreneurs need to push through the “no’s”. How one handles obstacles and pushes through defines them.
Be curious – Ask “what if” and “what if we” questions.
Know your core strengths – Surround yourself with people who challenge and compliment you with their skill sets. Have outside council that will hold your feet to the fire.

On Michigan

The automotive industry is still incredibly important. Entrepreneurs need to leverage the infrastructure and market of the car industry. There is still run for innovation and value in the automotive industry that entrepreneurs can help create, particularly in Michigan.
The tax environment remains an obstacle to growth for Michigan businesses and their ability to flourish.
Entrepreneurship needs to be nourished. It is easier to nourish and help small businesses grow than it is to attract big employers. And even easier than it is to start all over again.
The Michigan brand (Pure Michigan) and Michigan pride is at an all time high. Yes, the MEDC has done an incredible job with the Pure Michigan campaign, but more importantly, the brand and that sense of pride has grown organically.

Branding

Authentic Branding – Do some soul searching and identify who you are and what you offer before you put yourself out there. OneUpWeb concluded that “Relentless” was a key word to their identity and what they offer, and have branded themselves as such.
Listen – In leading up to the Pure Michigan campaign, the MEDC conducted a lot of research into the value Michigan has to offer. One of the key comments they received was that “Michigan is like Alaska, but closer.” That comment had a huge impact on the campaign and the focus on Michigan’s authentic, unique, and natural resources and attractions. Social media is another great tool to listen, learn, answer questions such as who and where your customers are?
Guerrilla Tactics – Get your idea, product, and service out in front of real people. Use tools and resources readily and cheaply available. Radio and local news love highlighting new businesses and products (plus free stuff). Drop off samples. Utilize that interest; the potential in public relations is huge for start ups.
Digital Tools – Use the digital tools (e.g. social media) not only to connect, but to maximize face time the face time of your customers with your product/business. Use it to direct them to visit you at events and trade shows. Give your brand a face and a personality to make an emotionally compelling connection.

Marketing to a Mobile Audience

More and more people have smart phones and mobile devices which makes it more important to have goals and a strategy as to how you hope to connect with your customers. Before you delve into the mobile market, define your goals be it lead generation, sales, social media followers, or feedback. Once you define your goals, you can identify strategies and channels.

Big Buttons – There’s a good Spinal Tap Big Bottoms joke in here somewhere let me find it. Oh wait, I can’t because I have huge fingers and I can’t click the little tiny link in the middle of your email on my smart phone. If you want people to click on something in an email or on a website they are likely to be viewing on a handheld device, use a button big enough that it is easy to see and click on.
Direct Messaging – Email remains a great way to stay on top of the mind of your customers. SMS (short messaging) is another option. Offer customers the opportunity to sign-up or opt in to your email list or “exclusive texting clubs.”
Mobile Websites – Coding matters as more and more people view websites on mobile devices. Do you have a responsive design website or a separately coded mobile website? Discuss this coders when you approach them to help build your site and make sure you see their portfolios.
QR Codes – Apparently not everyone is on board with QR Codes or has caught. Part of that may be due to how it has been used and another is that while a lot of people have smart phones, it isn’t everybody and not everyone is using them yet. First lesson, don’t use a QR code to just send people to your homepage. Use QR codes for a specific and unique purpose; you need to make it worthwhile for the person to get their phone out, open the app, and scan the code.
Track Everything – The metrics are there. Use them.

Social Media

As I mentioned yesterday, this was the liveliest panel, and an impressive group. Social media can be a valuable tool for marketing, public relations, recruitment, customer relations, and even for engineering and design (GM). There are risks involved because you can’t always control the conversation, but if done well you can direct the conservation and use it to great advantage. The biggest take away from the panel is that social media is a part of everything you do.

Passion – Customers can be extremely passionate; use that passion to your advantage by leveraging emotional touchpoints (sounds dirty). Let your customers be your advocates.
Humanize Your Brand – Acknowledge mistakes, and more importantly use mistakes to publically address and solve problems and rectify mistakes. If something needs to go offline, return later to publically identify how it was addressed.
Flexibility to React – Planned content is very important, but you need to retain the ability to react to the conservation, direct it, and stay engaged.
Share-able Content – Create content that your audience can relate to and is easy to share.
Track Everything – The metrics are there. Use them.

(I apologize for not having directly attributed quotes from all of the panel members. These were pulled from my notes; I'm not a professional journalist, nor did I have official transcripts or a recording to pull quotes from. I hope you enjoy the insights. You can see the full list of panelists on the BRIM page.)

Bringing Relentless Innovation to Michigan

2012-11-12T14:37:00.001-05:00

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By Doctor

“BRIM (Bringing Relentless Innovation to Michigan) is designed to deliver inspiration, education, and networking to business owners and entrepreneurs from the shores of Grand Traverse Bay, in Traverse City, MI.”

For two years, I’ve written about the resurgent sense of pride of Michiganders. Most popularly represented in the “Pure Michigan” ad campaign, I’d argue that the true driving force of this renewed Michigan enthusiasm lies in the recent focus and ascension of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity in the Mitten State.

Therefore, naturally I was curious to learn about BRIM (Bringing Relentless Innovation to Michigan), and excited when I received my invitation to attend.

I was not disappointed. I left BRIM more informed and inspired and with new networking opportunities if I relentlessly pursue those relationships.

Tremendous thanks and props to Lisa Wehr and the OneUpWeb team who organized an excellent conference. Lisa is the founder and CEO of OneUpWeb, a digital marketing agency based in Traverse City with close to 50 employees and an impressive nationwide client base (it’s a cool agency, check them out).

With the express purpose of supporting entrepreneurs, particularly in Michigan, OneUpWeb planned, organized, and hosted BRIM. It was not a small undertaking. They put together five panels, brought in Rick DeVos as the keynote speaker, hosted a pitch session with a $2500 award, marketed it to attract 100 attendees from across Michigan, and the recruited sponsorships so that the conference was free to attendees. It is a big commitment of resources, not to mention emptying the office space for an entire day to host the conference and accommodate those 100 guests.

OneUpWeb has a great space to host such an event, and the view out over West Grand Traverse Bay is a nice (understatement) bonus. Everyone in the same room, without a raised stage for the panelists and speakers, created a cozy, comfortable, and friendly environment that helped foster discussion and networking during the paneled discussions, Q&A, breaks, at lunch, and the cocktail hour.

Panelists were knowledgeable, personable, and approachable. The last adjective cannot be understated, since the key to these types of events is that they need to foster dialogue and a sense of collaboration. The purpose of the event is to inspire, educate, and allow for networking and that works best when people unite around that goal and share ideas, knowledge, experience, and their stories. It was evident at BRIM and it says a lot about the people in attendance, the moderators, and panelists.

Yes, the panelists. The day was broken up into five paneled discussions, lunch, keynote address from Rick DeVos, a pitch session, and the always important cocktail hour to wrap things up with beverages from Right Brain Brewery and Chateau de Leelanau. Paneled discussion topics:

Navigating a Changing Business Environment
Turning Entrepreneurial Passion into Success
Creating Buzz for Your Brand
Marketing to a Mobile Audience
Growing Customer Relationships through Social Media

There was value in each of the paneled discussions. None dragged on or were dull. The social media panel was the liveliest, but then again you’re dealing with people who spend most of their day on Twitter and Facebook engaged with interesting people such as a Brazilian insistent of his need for a papaya colored chair to match the rest of his papaya colored home or business (seriously).

During the Q&A following Rick DeVos’ keynote address where he spoke about the projects he’s started such as Art Prize, 5x5 Night, Start Garden, and more broadly of fostering a dynamic culture of entrepreneurship, one of the attendees commented how Start Garden and BRIM are representative of the future of capitalism, of entrepreneurial collaboration at the grassroots level. I don’t agree specifically with that statement because the voluntary exchange of goods and services particularly at the grassroots level has always been the foundation of a free market place and capitalism. However, it is that foundation that Michigan (and America) must return to improve our communities and the economy.

Entrepreneurialism and (relative) free markets remain America’s primary comparative advantage in a globalized world. And even as we continue to adjust in a globalized world and marketplace, we are beginning to understand once again that most problems and solutions are local. One can connect, create value, and profit in our local communities. Entrepreneurs understand that and address those problems, needs, and create that value.

That is why BRIM was such a unique, informational, and inspiring event. It brought people together to inspire and foster entrepreneurial spirit and share experience, knowledge, and networking to help it succeed with the goal of improving the community.

More and more, I see that local entrepreneurial approaches in Michigan are the most innovative and successful in both the business and non-profit sectors. It is continuing to fuel to enthusiasm and pride in Michigan, particularly in West Michigan (northwards all the way to Traverse).

I’m finishing this up on Monday after Thursday’s conference and I am still enthused about it. I look forward to following up with OneUpWeb and the other individuals and businesses I was introduced to at BRIM to see what they accomplish in the future. And I hope that BRIM can continue (this was year 2) to be an annual event and possibly grow because I see great value in those discussions and collaborations.

Obviously, much more was discussed, but I’m trying to reign in my tendency for 2000-3000 word posts, so I think I’m going to break down my BRIM/TC trip into three posts. Look for another BRIM post tomorrow focused on more on the insights .

Bond in the Mitten

2012-11-09T16:22:00.001-05:00

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By Doctor

This week marks the 50^th anniversary of James Bond debut on the big screen (official Bond canon) in Dr. No introducing the world to Sean Connery as 007 (and of course Ursula Andress). Now I love the Bond films. I’ve seen them all and appreciate each of the actors that have carried a license to kill on the big screen. I own the James Bond Scene It? trivia game, but have yet to find anyone to play me, so the game sits tragically underused (I’m pretty sure that would qualify as a first world problem).

I wanted to honor this Bond milestone and express my anticipation for Bond’s 23 big screen outing, SkyFall, hitting screens in November. However, this is a blog about Michigan, so how do I tie in the British super spy into the Mitten State? Good question. Answer: by coming up with three hypothetical story lines for a Bond movie to be set in Michigan.

Bond defeats Eco-Terrorist on Mackinac Island
In thinking of potential Michigan locations for a Bond movie, Mackinac Island immediately came to mind as the most logical place. It is the best combination of exotic location and luxury featured in Bond films. Imagine Bond in a tuxedo drinking a martini confronting the evil villain on the Grand Hotel Front Porch as the sun set over the Mackinac Bridge in the background – it’d immediately become an iconic image in Bond lore.

Mackinac Island would serve as an excellent location for a Bond plot featuring an eco-terrorist who plans to rid the world of man who is killing the earth with our cars and aerosol cans. Where better for an eco-terrorist to hole up than an island that prohibits motorized vehicles representing the type of pure world the villain is striving to bring about and is on an island and therefore isolation from the (insert global threat here). Since it’s a movie, viewers need not smell all the horse shit or be bothered that suffering through a Mackinac Island winter would make it a less than ideal location to weather the apocalypse (pun intended – exception of maybe a zombie apocalypse).

Imagine the potential awesome Bond scenes beyond the iconic Front Porch scene.

A moonlight shoot out in Fort Mackinac – originally a British Fort.
The potential for Bond on horseback. Possibly alongside or at least in a carriage with the Bond girl (we nominate Olivia Wilde).
Bond turns the villains’ main squeeze by strolling along the Mackinac Island Main Street and buying her fudge before bedding her and getting her to switch sides.
Remember we’re on an island which means yachts, speedboats, maybe a submarine, and maybe a boat chase among the Mackinac Bridge pillars.
Bond stopping and giving a second glance to a photo of Jane Seymour (Live & Let Die Bond girl, Solitaire) located in the Grand Hotel in homage to Somewhere in Time.

I seriously thinks that this needs to happen. The following ideas are more of a stretch, but were fun to think up

Bond Saves Art Prize
Bond is on the trail of a deranged terrorist who engages in acts of terror because he sees the mayhem he creates as works of art. What better target for a young eccentric deranged terrorist who views his mayhem as artwork than the worlds’ largest open art competition? After following the villain through other traditional exotic Bond locals, 007 tracks the terrorist to Grand Rapids, MI where the villain has entered a bomb as an Art Prize entry. Bond has to track down the villain, identify the bomb, and diffuse it.

Along the way, Bond enlists the help of a young beautiful artist (Olivia Wilde, again, get the idea that I'd like to see Wilde as a Bond girl) who assists him do reconnaissance of artists and art across the city. During the course of the movie, Bond is captured and is ensnared in one of the bad guys sculptures that doubles as a torture/death device in front of enthralled crowds who don’t realize the true severity of the situation (the contemporary art entry sculpture/torture device wins the top juried prize). Of course, our hero survives, kills the bad guy, and diffuses the bomb before it explodes in the B.O.B. parking lot.

Bond Saves Detroit from a RoboCop Remake

As hope for a Detroit recovery continues to diminish, the city continues to descend into the dystopian and crime-ridden city imagined in Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 film.

Bond is sent to the motor city to investigate after a big corporation (e.g. OCP) announces a deal with the city that would bring thousands of jobs and a huge tax base to the shattered city. Bond discovers that Detroit’s corruption and lawlessness has created the perfect scenario for the SPECTRE/OCP type company to conduct illegal weapons research, development, and manufacturing shop. City leaders retain their positions, are paid directly by the evil corporation.

Bond is sent in to tear down the evil corporate/statism structure and succeeds by finally defeating the villain using Joe Louis' fist. Wait, sorry, there is already a RoboCop reboot in the works. Oh well, I'm still stoked to see Bond tonight.

World Series Thoughts and Look To the Tigers Off-Season

2012-11-02T15:23:00.004-04:00

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By Doctor

It’s time for the highly anticipated MichiganExpats.com Tigers season review and off-season preview. Why so anticipated, you ask? Because the other options are reading Mitch Albom and Drew Sharp in the Free Press and listening to “Huge” moron Bill Simonson spout ignoramus on Michigan sports talk radio.

First, a sad yet necessary look back at the World Series sweep to the San Francisco Giants. The least said the better, but it was obvious that the almost week-long layoff hurt the Tigers. Major League Baseball is a game played every day. From April through October, the players are locked in and focused. It’s difficult to finish off a sweep of the New York Yankees to advance to the World Series, spend the next week shagging fly balls and taking batting practice, and be mentally and physically ready to take on a team that was as locked in as the Giants were following winning three straight possible elimination games against the Cardinals.

Don’t let the World Series sweep diminish what this Tigers team accomplished. This was the Tigers third trip to the World Series in my lifetime, and I don’t remember anything about the first. They swept the New York Yankees in the ALCS, at home no less, to win the pennant after holding off the team of destiny Oakland A’s in five games in the ALDS.

They left the lights on at 5/3 Ballpark for the Series

It was a remarkable run. In Grand Rapids, the Celebration! North movie theatre showed each of the ALCS and World Series games on the big screen. Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the Tigers Class-A affiliate West Michigan White Caps, opened up the ballpark for fans to watch the Tigers postseason games on their huge outfield screen or in the comfy confines of their outfield Pepsi Stadium Club. I watched Game 1 at the ballpark, and I admit that it definitely had a Field of Dreams type feeling sitting just beyond the outfield wall with the lights glistening on the outfield watching the game on the video board with the game audio coming through the ballpark PA system.

The World Series also provided a great atmosphere for the opening of Grand Rapids newest brewery, The Mitten Brewery. I attended there opening night during Game 2 with a standing room only crowd, just about all in Tigers gear, in an old firehouse GR’s North West side retrofitted as a brewery with a Tigers theme including bleacher seats from Old Tigers Stadium. They even had a Peanut & Cracker Jack Porter on tap – a light porter with a great peanut butter flavored finish.

Of course, the Tigers kept fans captivated all season long. Following last season’s Central Division title and ALCS run, the Tigers went out and signed Prince Fielder to join the headlining act of Miguel Cabrera and the reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander.

The Mitten Brewing Co.

From opening day, fans filled the stands, not just at Comerica Park which drew over 3 million fans this year, but on the road as well. I saw the Tigers play the Cubs at Wrigley Field on my birthday in June. On the train into Chicago, the Windy City streets, and the L to Wrigleyville, we were surrounded by Tigers fans. The scene was similar in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and numerous cities this season.

It wasn’t as easy as most people expected it would be. That week in June just before that trip to Chicago was the low point. The Tigers were 26-32 and trailing the White Sox in the Central Division that they won by 15 games the year before and everyone handed to them before a game was played in 2012.

Eventually the Tigers had to fight and earn that Division title and playoff spot. They did it behind the incredible Triple Crown performance of Miguel Cabrera and another Cy Young caliber season from Verlander. Austin Jackson had a breakout season at the plate and a stellar defensive year in center field. Fielder made the transition from the National League to the American League look easy batting over .300 with 30 home runs, 100+ RBI, and an OBS over .400. Max Scherzer overcame the sudden death of his brother and performed as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball for most of the year and finished only second to Verlander in the majors in strikeouts.

They had to overcome being a below average defense and limited offensive productivity from the bottom of their lineup. The lineup, Jim Leyland’s lineup, always a fun discussion among Tigers fans and even more so by second guessing radio talk show hosts. The Tigers didn’t get much offensive production from second base or the corner outfield spots regardless of who the Skipper penciled in there. GM Dave Dombrowski addressed second base and shored up the starting rotation with the acquisition of Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins in July.

Looking Ahead – Off-Season Priorities (after the jump)

As I mentioned, 2012 was a fun at-times-frustrating season for the Tigers who again fell just short of a World Series title (I’m going to call making the World Series “just short” despite of the sweep).

Not returning Free Agents: Delmon Young, Jose Valverde, Ryan Raburn

Free Agents that Detroit may re-sign: Anibal Sanchez, Gerald Laird

Returning

Starting Pitchers: Verlander, Scherzer, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello, Drew Smyly

Relief Pitchers: Octavio Dotel, Phil Coke, Al Alberqurque, Joaquin Benoit

Catcher: Alex Avila

First Base: Prince Fielder

Second Base: Omar Infante (will be recovered from broken hand)

Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta

Third Base: Miguel Cabrera

Left Field:

Center Field: Austin Jackson

Right Field:

DH: Victor Martinez

(the above list leaves out guys that would need to be re-signed or earn starting spots)

The Tigers biggest concerns headed into 2013 are at the corner outfield spots. Brennan Boesch is not the answer. Quentin Berry is not the answer. Neither Delmon Young or Ryan Raburn are coming back. It’s more likely that Avisail Garcia starts the season in Triple-A than manning right field at Comerica. Andy Dirks likely begins the season as one of the starters; he keeps it or it becomes a platoon.

All this means that Dombrowski will be in the market for a corner outfielder or two this off-season. My favorite FA target is Torii Hunter. Hunter could play either corner outfield spot, improve the Tigers team defense and speed, provide veteran leadership, and he conveniently slides into that #2 spot in the line-up in front of Cabrera where his .800+ OPS would be a big improvement.

Another intriguing target is fresh off a 50-game PED suspension, 2012 All-Star MVP, ~~2012 NL Batting Champ~~, and not activated for the post-season, Melky Cabrera. Following the drug suspension, Cabrera could be available for a reasonable short term deal.

A lot of people will be calling for Dombrowski to swing a trade for Justin Upton who may have fallen out of favor in Arizona. Yes, it sounds awesome until people realize that Detroit is on Upton’s no-trade short list, and, two, the Tigers would have to trade top prospect Nick Castellanos to get Upton. For the record, no, a trade package featuring Rick Porcello is not enough to pry Upton from the young pitching rich Diamondbacks.

Just say no to Nick Swisher. He was a Yankee, he hits worse than A-Rod in the post-season, and he might get annoying.

For a longer list of available free agents, see here.

I may be more surprised if Dombrowski and the Tigers don't do something surprising this off-season as they try to make the final move that will get them and owner Mike Illitch a World Series title (e.g. trading for Miguel Cabrera, trading Curtis Granderson, signing Prince Fielder). I just don't think it will involve Justin Upton.

There’s work to be done. The players need to recover, rest, and get ready for another long grind that is the MLB season. Some need to get healthy (V-Mart, Infante, Avila, Scherzer). Dombrowski and the front office has to fill out a roster. Meanwhile, we the fans have the most difficult job of coming up with free agent wish lists, second guessing, and sharing our superior wisdom on sports talk radio and MLive message boards.

Spring training is just over three months away.

Football Previews Michigan/Michigan State

2012-10-19T16:48:00.005-04:00

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By Doctor

Hi, it’s Football, remember me? Yes, that’s right, America’s favorite sport. Yeah, that guy. Now I know everyone has been extremely excited and distracted watching Baseball this past week as the Detroit Tigers kinda swept the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series for only the 11^th time in franchise history. I get that. I just don’t want you to forget that I’m in mid-season form and hosting some pretty intense rivalry games this weekend that you might be interested in.

First off, Michigan (4-2, 2-0) hosts Michigan State (4-3, 1-2) in the Big House Saturday afternoon. That’s right, the big in-state rivalry game that pits friend against friend and often family against family. Yeah, it’s kinda a big deal and it happens tomorrow.

Now, I know that it isn’t as big of a game that many expected at the beginning of the season. The Wolverines started their season being humbled by Alabama beneath Jerry Jones Giant Ego Screen in Texas and also suffered a turn-over mess of a loss at Notre Dame, but hey the winningest college football program is undefeated in Big Ten Conference play (not as impressive a statement this year, but we gotta take what we can get) and is in the driving seat to win the Legends Division and play in the Big Ten Championship game for a chance to go to the Rose Bowl. Oh, and another thing, the Wolverines still have some kid nicknamed “Shoelace” who is pretty fast and might just be the most exciting player in college football. So I’ve got the Big House, the winged helmets, Denard Robinson, and the driver seat to a trip to Pasadena on the line tomorrow. Just a few reasons to tune in, no big deal.

Bleed Green instead? I’ll be the first to admit that the Spartans have been a bit of a disappointment this fall, not just to Michigan State fans, but to me personally as well. You see, the Spartans were my best hope this year for a Big Ten team to help fans located outside of the Great Lakes watershed to pay attention to the Big Ten beyond the shameful story still emerging out of State College and remind everyone that a running game and stingy defense can compete against the crazy uniforms of the Pacific Northwest and big d-line athletic freaks from the South.

So it is with all honesty that I say that few have been as disappointed by the Spartans as me. Hopes were so high after a monster performance by running back LeVeon Bell who can leap defenders in a single bound and carried his team to a Friday Night Lights victory over Boise State to start the season. Of course things went downhill fast for Sparty. It’s been embarrassing for me. There was the underwhelming performance at home against an Eastern Michigan team that had no business being in the game; then there was the no offense display against Notre Dame; the complete team no show for a half against Indiana (Indiana!); and most recently, a devastating Homecoming overtime loss to Iowa with obvious coaching miscues. Oh, not to mention all those dropped passes. Embarrassing

Of course, I've been around for a while, so I know that it’s tough to replace talented veteran players, but it’s been offensive line injuries that have really devastating the Spartans this season. Everybody always seems to forget to talk about the big guys up front when they talk about me, but they are as important as anyone. Losing their starting right tackle (Fou Fonoti), center (Travis Jackson), and big blocking tight end and best pass catcher (Dion Sims) have severely hindered Michigan State from playing the type of smash mouth brand of football that I’ve been known for in the Big Ten for decades. It’s made it difficult to keep the pressure off first year quarterback, Andrew Maxwell, maintain drives, and it’s a big reason the Spartans are 4-3 (1-2 Big Ten).

But this weekend will highlight one of my best qualities: The Rivalry Game. Michigan State’s down year can be partially salvaged with a win over hated rival, Michigan. It would be the 5^th straight win in the rivalry for the Spartans, something that they have never accomplished.

On the other hand, for the Wolverines, a win would mean more than snapping the current losing streak to the Spartans, return the Paul Bunyan trophy to Ann Arbor, and clear them a path to the Big Ten Championship game. More importantly, this is a win Michigan needs to make a statement that the school is back to playing Michigan football under Brady Hoke by putting the upstart Spartans back in their place.

See, remember how many great story lines I give fans every weekend. And none of them involve A-Rod or Jose Valverde. I didn't even have time to talk about my NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE and the Detroit Lions divisional rivalry game on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. You’ll have to tune in again on Monday to see if I have an update on the pros and maybe some bonus coverage of some of my best moments. Yes, that’s right folks, tonight is my final chance to shine in the regular season under the Friday Night Lights at high schools across Michigan. Conference titles and playoff spots are at stake all across Michigan’s two peninsulas tonight. Playoff brackets are announced Sunday night for the journey to Ford Field Thanksgiving weekend.

Ah, Football. I know you missed me. Enjoy me this weekend before Baseball picks it up again next week.

Live Blogging Game 2 of the ALCS, Go Tigers!

2012-10-15T16:01:00.001-04:00

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By Doctor

After staying up for each of the Tigers postseason games equaling clued to the TV (ballgame), Facebook page (dialogue with fellow Michigander/Tiger fan), and Twitter feed (satirical Tigers fans handles and writers), I decided to pull a page out of the “Sports Guy” Bill Simmons playbook and live blog the Tigers ALCS Game 2 against the Yankees yesterday.

I thought it would be a fun writing exercise (stream of consciousness type thing) instead of continually to post on Twitter. It was difficult than I thought I’d be, part play-by-play, part analyst, while also trying to through in a few zingers and be funny as well.

Of course, I also had to battle numerous thunderstorm fronts that moved through during the game periodically knocking out the satellite reception as well as hunger as the game ran through dinner. Anywho, I digress, here is the result of my first live blogging experience. I hope you enjoy it for the ability to relive yesterday’s Tigers (and Lions) wins and possibly find a joke or satirical analysis funny. Plus more in depth analysis at the end of the post.

We pick things up in the bottom of the first, since I was distracted by the Lions came going into OT and had to remember I was going to do this. OK. And here we go....

10/14/2012 4:26 PM – Delayed in starting my live blog. Sanchez just snagged a comeback to the mound to end the Yankee threat in the bottom of the first. The Lions have the ball at the 2 minute warning trailing 23-20 to the Eagles. Stafford completes to Megatron who throws a defender off him to get into Eagles territory. Screen pass to Leshoure goes for a loss. Lions TO.

4:29 PM – Calvin ruled out of bounds. Don’t know about that one. Under review.

4:30 PM – Your all-time post-season Tigers franchise home run leader, Delmon Young! Swing and miss. Young strikes out and that damn founded Yankee Stadium whistle goes off in the background.

4:32 PM – Turn back to the Lions game to find a complete signal loss for the Satellite. Back to the Tigers and Dirks strikes out to end the half inning.

4:33 PM – Call overturned. It’s a Johnson catch and a Lions first down. Lions now with a good chance to win with a touchdown instead of settling for a long field goal attempt to tie. A QB draw with Stafford with no TO’s. WTF Lions. Then he almost throws an interception. Pass interference. First and goal one yard line, 13 seconds. Incomplete. 9 seconds remaining. Incomplete to Calvin Johnson. Jason Hanson time.

4:38 PM – The Lions tie the game with a Jason Hanson field goal. If the Lions can somehow avoid giving up a kick off return for a touchdown, we’re going to overtime.

rest after the jump...

4:40 PM – Cut back to baseball with a shot of A-Rod in the dugout after another failed at bat (strikeout). Followed by Sanchez striking out Granderson.

4:42PM – Lions loss the toss and start OT kicking off to the Eagles. Lions defense steps it up with back to back sacks of Vick by Cliff Avril and Nick Fairly. Lions force a 3 and out and should get good field position. Logan fumbles on the punt return but somehow recovers as it bounces right back into his lap. Lions with the ball at mid-field. A field goal will win it.

4:47PM – Of course a holding penalty to follow a first down pass to Schreffler. A pass to Megatron cures all in. Lions back into Jason Hanson field goal range. Lions can’t gain a first down on two runs (needed three). It’s time for a long field goal attempt to win it. Let it be known that I hate the strategy of settling for long field goal attempts.

4:51PM – Hanson is good from 45 yards! Lions win! That second half comeback may have just salvaged their season.

4:57PM – First beer of the day in celebration of the Lions win and help me survive the high and lows of the Tigers game. Beer of choice: North Peak Hooligan Hoppy Pumpkin Ale. Verdict. Hoppy, but could use a fuller pumpkin flavor. This is the second Michigan pumpkin beer I’ve tried this year (yes, I’m behind). I really enjoyed the Arcadia Ales Jawjacker. I have New Holland Brewing Co.’s Ichabod Ale in the fridge yet to try. The best however, was a friend’s home brewed, pumpkin beer, that I had last night.

5:03PM – Cabrera grounds out to third to end the Tigers in the fourth as well as the always awkward in game dugout interview with Doug Fister. The Tigers are still hitless for the game with 7 strikeouts.

5:07PM – A defensive miscue. These are the Tigers we know as poor communication between Avila and Sanchez allows a catchable foul ball drop. Given new life, Raul Ibanez singles to lead off the Yankees in the fourth.

5:09PM – AVILA throws out Ibanez trying to steal second in an apparent failed hit and run. “Raul me, maybe…later” (nod to @TrippingOlney).

5:13PM – A-Rod strikes out, again. It’s easy and fun to laugh, but Tigers should be conscientious that they are likely headed to the same fate at the end of Prince Fielder’s contract (9 year, $216 million, future DH). For the moment, I am happy to ignore this horrible truth as long as I can watch Prince hit some more dingers. Hey, look who’s up to start the 5^th for the Tigers…

5:16PM – Prince flies out to A-Rod for the first out in top 5. Hurray, it’s time for the managerial interview with Joe Girardi who fortunately was not busy doing anything else.

5:18PM – Shot to a “What Would Jeter Do?” sign. Um, hustle. Call Tebow and ask him? Give them a Jeter thanks for staying the night gift basket full of #2 Yankee gear? Cano makes a beautiful play on a Dirks grounder and the Tigers are done in the 5^th. Still no base runners for the Tigers as Kuroda will go to the 6^th inning with the perfect game intact. I don’t like where this is headed. Really appreciate the effort of Tigers fans on Twitter making everyone aware of the ongoing perfecto in hopes of jinxing it.

5:24PM – Sanchez strikes out Granderson, again. Yes, Granderson hit 42 home runs this year, but he hit .232 and here’s your obligatory reminder that the Tigers turned Granderson into Austin Jackson, Phil Coke (and therefore @PhilCokesBrain), and Max Scherzer. I loved Grandy as a Tigers, but Detroit definitely has come out ahead on the deal.

5:29PM – TBS has picked up a show titled Wedding Band about a group of guys who are in a band and play at weddings. “Very funny.” No, not the show, but that TBS thinks people will watch it.

5:30PM – Johnny Peralta with a base hit. Perfect game no more. Avila grounds out on a fielder’s choice. Peralta safe at second for Omar Infante. Bunt = Fail. Fortunately it’s a failed bunt for Infante who then grounds out. Yankees fans finally show signs of life. Jackson grounds out.

5:41PM – Another defensive miscue by Sanchez and Ichiro is on first with an infield hit to leadoff the 6^th inning for the Yankees. Cano up. I have this dreadful feeling that these miscues are going to cost the Tigers dearly at some point in the post-season. Not now though, please.

5:45PM – Infield defense by Tigers is giving me flashbacks of the 2006 World Series as Sanchez softly underhand tosses from the mound to Fielder at first to retire Cano. With Ichiro at first after two ground outs, Tigers will intentionally walk Ibanez. First and third with two outs. Russell Martin up. Great barehanded play by Peralta to get Martin and end the Yankees threat in the 6^th. Peralta has played great defense in the postseason for the Tigers this year.

6:05PM – Took a break from my stream of consciousness to make myself a plate of nachos. Tigers score after a Berry double, Miggy single, and a Young fielder’s choice. 1-0 Tigers who are lucky Cano fails to turn the DP and Berry scores. Not a big inning, but the Tigers are on the board.

6:20PM – Nachos hit the spot. Know what else would hit the spot? Sanchez striking out Jayson Nix here stranding Granderson at second.

6:26PM – The third or fourth rainstorm front of the day has moved in and killed the satellite signal again, so I’m stuck going mad wondering what has happened in the baseball game. Twitter tells me that the Tigers are out of the inning. Another tremendous outing by Sanchez as he throws 7 shutout innings. Sanchez is making himself a bunch of money with these two lockdown postseason starts as he approaches free agency. Phil Coke appears ready to take the mound for the Tigers in the 8^th with lefties Ichiro and Cano due up.

6:32PM – Damn I have to get out of the boonies. Another signal loss. Wait, we’re back. Two outs. Infante on first. Jackson up.

6:35PM – Base hit. Infante overruns second. The throw. Safe. Girardi out to argue. Replay shows Yankees have a case. Infante was definitely out. Tigers catch another break. Girardi is tossed. Kuroda now done for the day as Yankees go to their bullpen with two on two out in the 8^th.

6:39PM – Mini-Miggy with a flair base hit to right field. Infante scores! 2-0 Tigers! Avisail Garcia pitch hits for Berry and delivers again in the postseason. Wow, missed call at second gives Tigers life and they make the Yankees pay with a chance for more. Cabrera is due up with runners on the corners and another Yankees pitching change.

6:45PM – Cabrera drives in Jackson with an opposite field single. 3-0 Tigers. And another Yankees pitching change with Fielder coming up and the Tigers taking advantage of the new life and trying to break this game wide open.

6:52PM – Fielder walks to load the bases for the Tigers all-time leader in postseason home runs. Yes, I’m going to beat that into the ground when speaking of the “’stache” Delmon Young. Young strikes out. I’m Jack’s complete lack of surprise.

7:10PM – Peralta leads off the 9^th inning with a single after Phil Coke worked a 1-2-3 8^th inning.

7:13PM – Avila grounds out to first, but it advances Peralta to second with Infante up with a chance to extend the Tigers lead. Please do. Please. Please. Please. The lead can’t be too large for the Tigers going into the 9^th. Just because Valverde won’t be pitching the 9^th doesn’t mean that I have complete faith in Joaquin “Gopher Ball” Benoit. Infante strikes out. Tigers are three outs away from winning Game 2 and having the opportunity to end the series in Detroit.

7:19PM – Phil Coke is back out to start the 9^th facing Ibanez. Coke strikes him out. Two outs to go. Yankees boo Ibanez for not hitting 3-run home run with the bases empty.

7:22PM – ONE OUT AWAY! Coke strikes out Russell Martin on three pitches.

7:24PM – A-Rod proves that he isn’t dead with a base hit. And neither are the Yankees. Granderson up, one on, two outs.

7:26PM – SWING AND MISS! COKE STRIKES OUT GRANDERSON! BALL GAME!

7:26PM – Everybody look forward to Game 3 in Detroit. And remember, Tuesday is Justin Verlander Day.

Next day final thoughts:

It’s amazing how things can change in less than 24 hours. After the Valverde meltdown in the 9^th inning of Game 1, numerous Tigers fans were on the ledge ready to jump certain that the Tigers World Series hopes were mere Papa Grande pipe dreams. Now here we are on Monday. The Tigers are up 2-0 in the series and headed home to Detroit with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Doug Fister scheduled to pitch at Comerica. Tigers can clinch a trip to the World Series by winning two of three at home.

Yes, the bullpen is a concern, but I think it is only a concern if the Tigers get caught up with the modern day belief that you need that one guy who is the definite closer who always gets the ball with the lead in the 9^th inning. Honestly, if the Tigers just choose to ride the hot hand in the bullpen late in games, they can win the six games they need and deliver a World Series title for Mike Illitch and Detroit. Hey, it worked in Games 1 & 2 with Drew Smyly and Phil Coke recording the final outs.

Jim Leyland drives fans nuts at times (most of the time for some), but one thing Leyland does extremely well is stick by his players and maintains his confidence in them. Smyly and Coke rewarded that confidence by getting the job done. You only have 25 guys in that dugout and you often need each and every one of them to come through at some point to win in the postseason - Don Kelly, Danny Worth, Smyly, Coke, and Avisail Garcia have all come through in key situations already and it’s why the Tigers overcame the A’s and are two games up against the Yankees.

I can’t promise you that you won’t cuss at the TV or want to throw something yet this postseason because of a Leyland decision or poor performance by a Tiger player (star or role player), but being this emotionally involved this far along in the postseason sure beats not being one of the four teams still alive with a chance to win the World Series. Go Tigers!

Art Prize 2012 - Criticisms

2012-10-15T11:01:00.001-04:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary

See All Commentary

By Doctor

Earlier this week I shared my highlights from this year’s Art Prize competition (see my Art Prize photos). One thing Art Prize as an organization has done very well is that it has been receptive to criticism and has instituted changes to reflect those criticisms to help the event grow and improve. That’s my goal with this column and my third and final Art Prize post coming up, offer criticism and propose solutions to help improve the world’s largest art competition based in Grand Rapids. Because…

I love Art Prize. You love Art Prize. We all love Art Prize together.

So here, in the spirit of an open dialogue, I present the following criticisms and proposed solutions to help improve Art Prize.

The Top 25 & Short List Announcement

This issue was brought to my attention from this letter to the editor from one of this year’s artist participants, Sylvia Rombis, who brought up the issue of people flocking to see only the entries leading in the vote tallies or this year, on one of the juried prize short lists. Now this is an issue Art Prize is continuing to find the best solution. The issue, as Rombis put it:

“As soon as the top 25 information was released, the competition was over for the almost 1500 remaining entries. Thousands of visitors wanted nothing to do with anything other than the top 25…The top 25 frenzy turned out to be one of the most disrespectful and demoralizing acts I have ever experienced in my 25 years as an arts professional.” – Sylvia Rombis, 2012 Art Prize artist - Bridging Humanity Sculptural Exhibition

It’s easy to dismiss a lot of these criticisms and complaints as the whining of a sore loser thinking – “well, if you wanted more votes, you should have made a better piece of art.” That would be a mistake. The language Rombis uses, “most disrespectful and demoralizing” represent sincere frustration with a process that still needs to improve.

Now I believe Art Prize understands this as it continues to walk this new fine line of accommodating the art community and the mass public in a truly revolutionary way. In previous years, live time voting results were available on the Art Prize website. This year, Art Prize delayed the release of the voting results to encourage people “to explore, discover ArtPrize on their own, without anyone getting any information on what to see, or what to think,” Art Prize spokesperson Brian Burch.

It’s a difficult obstacle. People like front runners, and naturally are going to want to see what everyone is talking about and leading in the vote tally. Another problem is media coverage. The media emphasized the Top 25 Announcement even though the Short List event focused more on the jurists discussing their short list choices, and I can see how that coverage could be interpreted as a first round of voting by Art Prize visitors

I attended the Short List Announcement at the Art Prize Hub this year and it was a neat event that focused more on the jurist discussing their short list choices for the respective juried prize categories. The release of the top 25 was secondary, but I can see how the media coverage of the event highlighting the Top 25 could be interpreted as a first round of voting by Art Prize visitors. It’s not definitive evidence by any means but that there was little movement in the Top 25 after the announcement.

Critiques continue after the jump...

Location. Location. Location.

Penguins in the Ford Museum fountain.

The idea of Art Prize is just as exciting to artists as it is to most people when they hear about it. An open art competition with the largest prize awarded in the world ($200,000!); over 1500 artists; 3 square miles of art; tens of thousands of people walking around enjoying, discussing, and voting for art. Artists have come from all over the world to participate.

However, that excitement can quickly become disappointment and yes, even demoralizing, depending on what venue your art is displayed. After four years of Art Prize, one thing that has been clearly demonstrated that location is essential for success in Art Prize. If you are not in one of the prime locations, your chances of success are practically zero.

For example, High Five GR, specifically curetted for Art Prize, had 1000 visitors come through the space on the opening day of Art Prize. That sounds like a lot until you hear that 10,000 people went through the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). Now compare that to the artists who stayed with my parents who were in Purple East with 30 other artists. They were fortunate if they had 100 visitors a day. Location. Location. Location.

I understand that people have a limited time to experience Art Prize, and it’s practically impossible to see all 1500+ entries in the three week period. People know this, so they are going to go to the main venues (e.g. Ford Museum, GRAM, B.O.B. parking lot) where they can see the most art in the most central location. However, it must be acknowledged that not all entries and venues are on equal footing. Art Prize distances itself a bit from this since it is the artists and venues that must play matchmaker, but it must continue to work to help attract visitors to more obscure venues. I have a proposed solution that should improve, but not eliminate, this problem that I’ll roll out tomorrow.

Transportation

Subaru's - not available for Art Prize tours

One way Art Prize can work to address this issue is better transportation during the competition. “But Art Prize has shuttles and partners with The Rapid” you reply. Yeah, about that…

I’m presently recovering from Achilles surgery, but I still wanted to still take in as much of Art Prize as I could. So I decided that I’d take advantage of the Art Prize shuttle to get around downtown.

I parked near Site-Lab, not far from the Hub, went inside and then around the corner to the Women’s Center where I decided I’d pick up the Art Prize shuttle to go to the Ford Museum. Now there were two Art Prize shuttle routes this year. I knew I would have to transfer to the other line to get to the Museum. I didn’t expect it would take 45 minutes to an hour to get from the Hub to the Museum.

The shuttle was so inconvenient that I ditched it altogether and decided that I’d rather hobble around downtown in pain than spend my entire afternoon on a bus. It’s less than a mile, roughly a 15-20 minute walk from the Hub to the Ford Museum. It is ridiculous that it can take upwards of an hour to go from the Hub to the Museum on the shuttle.

There has to be a better way to employ the shuttle routes so that they are convenient and people decide to use them. Possibly two shuttles circling around center city to the high artist concentrated venues while the other two shuttles are take on longer routes going East-West and North-South (e.g. Cathedral Square/Bus Station – Leonard) to get visitors to-and-from the outlying venues. This is something Art Prize needs to address for next year.

Juried Prizes

After seeing the ‘juried’ prizes it doesn’t appear that the jurists know much more than the people. The juried short lists were announced less than a week after the start of Art Prize. Due to the concentration of juried selections in a handful of venues and the time allowed, it suggests that the jurors did not make a dent in seeing all of Art Prize. Granted most regular voters won’t see everything, but if Art Prize is going to award additional juried prizes than the jurists need be held accountable to do just that. Looking at the short lists selection and that it is unlikely the jurists could see everything in 5 days anyway (Art Prize started on a Wednesday and the short list selections were announced the following Monday) it is doubtful that the jurists did get to every venue.

Communications

Me in the Herman Miller chair I did not win.

I was disappointed by the Art Prize communications team on how they utilized their Twitter and Facebook accounts for most of the competition. This is it, Art Prize has 1500+ artists display art work in multiple mediums at over 150 venues and almost all of the updates from the official Art Prize accounts were hinting at what chair you need to sit in to be entered into a competition to win a chair.

Art Prize has more than 14,200 followers on Twitter and almost 65,000 Facebook “Likes” and probably the best way to communicate with people visiting the competition. Post statuses about the competition. Highlight the more out of the way venues; explain how to use Art Prize transportation/shuttle schedules; how and why people should vote; spur the dialogue; and post Art Prize artist events. Using these means of communication would go a long way to help with some of the problems listed above. Or maybe I’m just disappointed that I didn’t win one of the Herman Miller chairs.

Wow. This post really escalated quickly. I mean it really got out of hand. I hope you survived it, and I applaud and thank you if you read it all. Please add your thoughts, comments, criticisms, and solutions on the post, Art Prize, or the status of my soul for daring to criticize Art Prize in the comments below. Check back soon for my Art Prize “solutions” post.

Art Prize 2012 - The Highlights

2012-10-09T20:10:00.001-04:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

The fourth annual Art Prize competition is in the books. The big winner of the world's largest art competition, and $200,000, is Adonna Khare's carbon pencil on paper drawing "Elephants." It is a piece of immense scale (8' tall and almost 40' long), incredible technical and artistic ability, that connects with the viewer thoughts of fun, joy, sadness, and all with a hint of aloofness that made it a worthy winner of the 2012 Art Prize competition. (More Khare work here).

2012 Art Prize top winner, "Elephants", by Adonna Khare

Yes, that was the big winner and a great place to start in my 2012 Art Prize review. This post focuses on the cool aspects of Art Prize and some of my favorite entries. I will follow up with some critiques of Art Prize as well as a final post with a suggestion to improve the evolving competition. Stay tuned. Now, the good.

First, if you're not familiar with Art Prize, let me catch you up to speed (Wiki has more). The idea of social entrepreneur and Amway heir, Rick DeVos, announced in 2009, Art Prize would be the world's largest open art competition with total prize money up to $450,000 (this year $560,000 in total prizes were awarded). Any artist can register, all they need is an original work, partner with a local venue, and pay $50 to register. Even crazier, the public would vote for the winners and who would take home the prize money.

It is a brilliant idea. This year there were over 1500 entries in 161 venues throughout downtown Grand Rapids. Over 400,000 people visited the city and more than 47,000 votes were cast. Basically, for three weeks one can explore hundreds works of art in all mediums throughout downtown Grand Rapids. It’s an exploration of art, the city, and one’s self. Yes, that last part sounds corny, but it is true. As you explore, experience, and interpret the art and how it affects you, you are indeed undertaking an exploration of yourself. That is the power of art. It seeks to help us explore and examine ourselves and our condition.

Tangerine and Jealousy - Loved this piece.

It also sparks dialogue which is one of the main goals of founder, DeVos, and a key foundation of much of his other projects. During Art Prize, people across West Michigan rarely have a conversation without discussing the art, venues they've visited, venues and entries they loved or need to see. It even seemed to trump the discussion surrounding the election - a welcome reprieve in this heated election year.

Now, unfortunately, I wasn't able to see as much of Art Prize as I would have liked to or as much as I saw in previous years - it's just tough to get around when you're recovering from Achilles surgery. So what did I manage to enjoy from this year's Art Prize competition these past few weeks in downtown Grand Rapids?

The Doctor w/ "Mr. Weekend" a 15' self-aware sock puppet

The Art - Did I mention you can walk around downtown Grand Rapids and explore hundreds of pieces of artwork in all kinds of mediums? Everything from paintings to sculptures to music to photographs to puppet shows. Yes, I took in a live puppet show during Art Prize of a live reading of an illustrated children's book. So much cool stuff it's tough to cover it all here, but there are some links. (Complete List of Winners; MLive coverage index; my photos)
The Artists - Not all the artists do this, but many artists are there to discuss their entry with visitors. Now some may say that artists shouldn't need to explain their work, but I love being able to connect with the artist, even if it is just to say "hi", "good job", and "thank you". It's even better when they are there and will discuss the artist statement, their motivation/inspiration, and the process of making the art. Being able to chat with Adonna Khare and listen to Chris LaPorte describe all the intricacies of "City Band" are for me, one of the remarkable aspects of Art Prize that you often don't experience in the viewing of art.
The People - I actually like crowds. Generally there's something cool or interesting going on when there's a crowd (a crowd is different from a mob). Art Prize brings huge crowds to downtown Grand Rapids. People of all ages make an effort to come downtown and see Art Prize. The city comes alive. Hotels and restaurants are full. Last year's Art Prize competition brought $15 million to the local economy according to the Anderson Economic Group.

Chris LaPorte discusses "City Band"

Engagement - Art Prize highlights and brings out the best of Grand Rapids. It is an event that showcases city's strong philanthropic spirit from the numerous sponsors and volunteers who contribute to make Art Prize a success.
Hospitality - Along with the city's philanthropic spirit, Grand Rapids' and West Michigan's hospitality is on full display throughout Art Prize. Downtown businesses, restaurants, hotels, museums, you name it open their doors to artists to exhibit their work and more importantly to the thousands of people who wander in and out of their establishments, sometimes for a brief moment or to just use the bathroom or to linger about viewing the art. It's not business as usual in downtown Grand Rapids during Art Prize, but people carry themselves extremely well. Even more amazing, are the West Michigan families who open their homes to Art Prize artists, welcoming and connecting them to the community and often being their main source of support.

And a shout out to some of my favorite entries and venues:

Plexus no 18

[Fashion Has Heart] - The Corporal Hoffman Series. The [Fashion Has Heart] organization utilizes the medium of fashion, design, and art to support and benefit wounded heroes.They curated a powerful exhibit featuring the design work of injured veterans and their individual stories. Learn more here. And you can buy the awesome t-shirts and designs here. I was a little disappointed it did not win the "Outstanding Venue" juried award.

The Looking Box - I'll admit I'm biased since the artists are family friends who stayed with my parents during Art Prize last year and this year, but it is still an awesome concept. Artists Royce Deans (Traverse City, MI) and Tali Farchi (Netherlands) paint live to music, the music is the inspiration for the painting (their interpretation). During Art Prize they scheduled local musicians to come play live in their Art Prize venue "studio" at Purple East downtown. I attended a few of the performances including two by other Art Prize artists with music entries including Karina Wilson performing "Sad Portrait" with Fauxgrass (watch the performance/painting here) and Rick Robinson leading a quartet playing his "Highland Park MI City of Trees" entry - both beautiful songs inspiring beautiful paintings.

Wow. So much to cover. That's also what's cool about Art Prize, you can't hope to see everything or cover it all in one blog post. That's why I'll be revisiting Art Prize in at least two more posts discussing critiques and a proposed improvement to the competition. As always comments are always welcome and encouraged.

What We Know - Football in Michigan

2012-09-24T16:54:00.002-04:00

Michigan Expats - Commentary - See All Commentary

By Doctor

I did not write a football preview for the Lions, Spartans, or Wolverines this year. I didn’t get around to it, but more importantly, I didn’t think that what I had to add would provide any value to our readers. I didn’t have any special insight and I didn’t need to go on record making uninformed predictions.

However, after four weeks into the college season and three weeks of NFL action, I do have some observations and opinions of Michigan football teams that may actually be somewhat funny and informative that are worth writing down and sharing.

What We Know – Detroit Lions

We know a lot more about the Lions after week 3 than we did before the season after Sunday’s incredible wasted comeback against the Tennessee Titans. The Lions are off to an 1-2 start, but it’s not time to panic, unless Matthew Stafford’s MRI comes back with bad news and Calvin Johnson falls victim to the Madden Curse.

1. The Lions probably will not win the Super Bowl, but will be frustratingly entertaining to watch. Well, mostly frustrating if the defense and special teams don’t remarkably improve.

2. Jason Hanson is immortal. I’m pretty sure that Hanson, informed and inspired by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, lead an expedition to recover the grail and found a way to carry it across the seal. Hanson doesn’t share it since it is the first major form of comeback kickers have ever had against position players.

3. The 2012 Detroit Lions have a power running game with Mikel LeShoure which could be the difference in making the playoffs and even winning a playoff game. Once they figure this out, combined with the best red zone weapon in the game, Calvin Johnson, the Lions’ offense shouldn’t have to settle for so many field goals.

College Football After the Jump...

What We Know – Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is 2-2. They handily beat UMass, survived an Air Force drone strike, fell victim to Roll Tide, and lost an ugly game to Notre Dame, who unfortunately, may be good this year. So what do we know about the Wolverines heading into Big Ten play?

4. The Wolverines were ridiculously overrated in the preseason. Again, why I didn’t do a preseason column and why preseason polls are stupid.

5. Denard Robinson is the new Oprah: “You can an interception. YOU GET AN INTERCEPTION. And you get an interception.” If you haven’t received your Michigan logo’d football from Denard yet, don’t worry, it’ll wobbly fall into your lap sometime in the next nine weeks.

6. Denard “Shoelace” Robinson remains one of the most exciting and entertaining playmakers in college football. He won’t win the Heisman, but he could make enough big plays to lead the Wolverines to a Legends division title in an embarrassingly weak Big Ten.

What We Know – Michigan State Spartans

The 3-1 heading into Big Ten conference play this week at home against Ohio State, but still have as many questions as answers.

7. Wide Receiver U – former site of Andre Rison, Kirk Gibson, Derrick Mason, Mushin Mohammed, Plaxico Burriss, Charles Rogers, Matt Trannon, Devin Thomas, and B.J. Cunningham – doesn’t have a single wide out that can catch the football. It’s embarrassing and threatens to prevent the Spartans from returning to the Big Ten Championship game. At least we don’t have to watch Denard Robinson try to throw passes to the Michigan State wide receivers.

8. Despite playing an injured offensive line that often seems incapable of making proper line calls, Le’Veon Bell can carry the Spartans offense.

9. The defense is all it was cracked up to be in the preseason and has a chance to be great. A great defense and the running game of Bell could still be enough to carry the Spartans through a weak Big Ten and to the Rose Bowl.

What We Know – MAC & Division II Football

10. Central Michigan has the best road win of the teams in the state of Michigan after scoring 9 points in the final 45 seconds against the Iowa Hawkeyes to come away with a 32-31 win. Western Michigan also scored a big win this past weekend defeating UConn at home. Combined with Eastern Michigan’s strong showing against the Spartans on Saturday, each of Michigan MAC schools carry momentum heading into conference play.

11. The best college football player in Michigan is Hillsdale College running back Joe Glendening who has scored 6 touchdowns and is just shy of 800 all purpose yards through four games. Glendening, a senior from East Grand Rapids, is a candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy – the Division II Heisman – broke the Hillsdale career touchdowns record with his 53rd in their 63-14 win over Notre Dame College on Saturday. The victory was also historic as it was the 600^th victory in Hillsdale’s 120 years of football. Congratulations to the Chargers.

Jennifer Granholm on the Dating Game (1978)

2012-09-24T15:09:00.002-04:00

Michigan Expats - News - See All News

By Doctor

We really must apologize for not posting this sooner, it's been on the internet for almost two weeks now. Why it had not been posted sooner - say, anytime during the "cute and curvaceous" Jennifer's eight years in office as Michigan's governor is a true injustice of the internet as it would have provided needed comic relief.

Definitely take the time to check out the video for 1) Jennifer's hair 2) Jennifer's suspenders 3) the host describing Jennifer as "cute and curvaceous" 4) the late 1970's outfits and the 5) male contestants answers.

Stick around after the jump, I've piggybacked Jennifer's Dating Game clip with her speech from this year's Democratic National Convention speech where she finishes with her best Howard Dean unintelligible scream impersonation. It's even better if you imagine her with the big hair and suspenders.

Enjoy.

Michigan Expats

"Beer City" Means Business

A Winter Beer Festival Hail Mary Play

DIY Michigan Beer Fest

Craft Beer Night at The Palace

A New Podcast is born.

Winter Beer Fest Preppers

Talking Traverse City

Celebrating #176YearsofAwesome

Right to Work Battle Not Over

Old is New in Downtown: The Grand Rapids Brewing Company Returns

Are Unions Relevant in the 21st Century?

Michigan Musings: Links & Commentary

Traverse City Food & Brew Tour: Part II - Right Brain Brewery

West MichAgain: Bringing Talent Back to the Region

Traverse City Food & Brew Tour: Part I - The Filling Station

Part I: The Filling Station MicrobreweryAles by the Rails

More BRIM: Insights and Analysis

All well and good, but what are the top skills of an entrepreneur?

On Michigan

Branding

Marketing to a Mobile Audience

Social Media

Bringing Relentless Innovation to Michigan

Bond in the Mitten

World Series Thoughts and Look To the Tigers Off-Season

Football Previews Michigan/Michigan State

Live Blogging Game 2 of the ALCS, Go Tigers!

Art Prize 2012 - Criticisms

Art Prize 2012 - The Highlights

What We Know - Football in Michigan

Jennifer Granholm on the Dating Game (1978)

Part I: The Filling Station Microbrewery
Ales by the Rails