Special Section/ProgF

2011

ALSOINSIDE

Seventh Streetextension opensLong awaited project

PAGE 2F

Forbes recognitionMarquette ranked thirdbest city to raise a family

PAGE 3F

Web Maestromoves officeWeb design businessmoves to Marquette

PAGE 4F

Johnson’s shopPerani’s rents store spaceto keep hockey equipment

PAGE 5F

RoundaboutopensIncreases traffic flow

PAGE 6F

Bountiful BalloonsOfficially open

PAGE 7F

Switchback Students start clothingand gear exchange

PAGE 8F

Regional History CenterOpen to the public

PAGE 9F

PWPL earns honor National medal

PAGE 10F

Local jeweler Second generation

PAGE 11F

CITY DEVELO PM ENT — SECTIO N FMONdAy, MARCH 28

PROGRESSA SPECIAL SECTION OF THE MINING JOURNAL

By CHRISTOPHER DIEMJournal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — The hotel at FoundersLanding broke ground in July.

TJ and RM Larson Inc., made up of broth-ers and local hotel owners Tim and RandyLarson, plan to invest just less than $8 mil-lion into the development. The hotel willhave 84 rooms including suites, pool, fitnesscenter and other features. The hotel will em-ploy about 30 people, 25 of them full-timeemployees.

The company successfully negotiated withHampton Inn for a franchise agreement.

“We’re happy to be able to contribute tothe expansion of downtown Marquette andwe’re real happy to be in this community,”Randy Larson said.

Barry Polzin, the hotel’s architect, said thedesign of the hotel will be unique and incor-porate common design elements found inMarquette.

“Like everything we’re designing forFounders Landing, we’re using the vocabu-lary of Marquette’s architectural history,”Polzin said. “So it will be a one-of-a-kind(hotel). It won’t look like any other (hotel)anyone’s ever seen.”

Actual construction of the building will be-gin by the end of April, beginning of May. It’s

scheduled for completion before the end ofthe year.

In April 2010, TJ and RM Larson Inc.agreed to purchase 1.5 acres of the north-ern parcel of Founders Landing from theLanding Development Group II, in whichPolzin is a partner. The LDG II plans to builda mixed-use development on the remainderof the site It bought the property from the cityin 2009 for $1.5 million. The Landing Devel-opment Group, made up of the same part-ners as the LDG II, bought the middle par-cel of Founders Landing from the city in2008 for $1 million. The company is current-ly building a row of townhouses on the mid-dle parcel.

In 2010 the first building on the middle par-cel was completed and the second building,the Baraga building, was started and com-pleted. Developers recently held thegroundbreaking for the third building andplan to complete it before the end of theyear.

In addition, the city of Marquette movedforward on public construction projects nearthe Founders Landing shoreline.

In September the Marquette City Commis-sion awarded a bid for construction of a pub-lic boardwalk and seawall to Premeau Con-struction Inc. for $883,633.

“This will be an outstanding place for peo-ple to gather and enjoy the lake,” said Com-missioner Robert Niemi, adding it was a“public project that we’ll all be proud of.”

Commissioner Don Ryan said Marquette’swaterfront over the years has slowly beenchanging from an industrial waterfront to anarea that’s greatly enjoyed by the public.

“This boardwalk will be an important partof that. It gives the people of Marquette bet-ter access to Lake Superior,” he said.

To cover the cost of the project, the city willissue general obligation capital improve-ment bonds. The bonds will be paid back us-ing money generated from the FoundersLanding brownfield Tax Increment Financ-ing district. The annual debt service will beabout $72,000 over the 20-year life of thebond issue.

“The money for the project is being gener-ated by the Founders Landing TIF. It’s notcoming out of the general fund,” said Com-missioner Fred Stonehouse. “So in effectthe brownfield we established, the TIF dis-trict in the Founders Landing area is provid-ing its own funding for this type of project.”

Christopher Diem can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His e-mail address [email protected]

Founders LandingHotel breaks ground

Workers break ground at Founders Landing, startingconstruction of a planned hotel. (Journal file photo)

By CHRISTOPHERDIEMJournal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — TheSeventh Street exten-sion in Marquetteopened in August, sig-naling the end of a long-anticipated city project.

The extension hasbeen on the city’s to-dolist for 30 years. Per-haps as an acknowl-edgement of the longtime between inceptionand completion, the city

asked Harold St. Ar-nauld, who was on theMarquette City PlanningCommission in the1970s when the exten-sion was first proposed,to cut the ribbon.

“I think a vision comes

true,” St. Arnauld said.“It certainly is for the bet-terment of the city.”

Mayor John Kivelasaid the extension bene-fits the city in severalways.

“It provides a routecoming in directly toNorthern Michigan Uni-versity, to MarquetteGeneral Hospital, obvi-ously our two biggestemployers — also two ofthe biggest draws to ourcommunity,” he said.

The extension also al-leviates some traffic andcongestion on Washing-ton Street, Kivela said.

City Engineer KeithWhittington said Sev-enth Street is a throughstreet from Washington

Street to the U.S. 41 by-pass. Traffic on Springand Fisher streets nowhave to stop at the inter-sections with Seventh.

In addition, a left-handturn lane was construct-ed between Rock andFisher on SeventhStreet to alleviate trafficcongestion.

“People need to beaware of that and keeptheir eyes open forwhere the stop signs

are,” Whittington said.The contractor, Hebert

Construction, beganworking on the projecton June 21 and complet-ed the $340,000 projectabout two weeks aheadof schedule, accordingto city officials.

Christopher Diem canbe reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His e-mailaddress is [email protected]

2F -— The Mining Journal Monday, March 28 PROGRESS2011

Seventh Street extension opens

City officials said the Seventh Street extension will provide a direct route from U.S. 41 to Northern Michigan University and Marquette General Hospital and will alleviatetraffic congestion elsewhere in the city. (Journal photo by Christopher Diem)

It provides a route com-ing in directly to NorthernMichigan University, toMarquette General Hospi-tal, obviously our twobiggest employers — alsotwo of the biggest draws toour community

“

- JOHN KIVELAMayor of Marquette

”

By CHRISTOPHERDIEMJournal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — Mar-quette is the third bestsmall city in America inwhich to raise a family,Forbes.com announcedin November.

To determine its rank-ings Forbes looked at126 cities with popula-tions under 100,000 andranked each city oncommute time, highschool graduation rate,median household in-come, home ownershiprate and cost of living.

“We’ve been fortunateto garner a lot of awardsin the recent past, butthis one to me really rep-resents what we’ve beentrying to accomplish,which is a communitypeople want to live andraise their kids in,” saidMayor John Kivela. “Tobe named number threein the United States isjust an incredible ac-complishment. I’m veryproud of the community.”

He said the designa-tion will attract employ-ers and families to thearea.

“When people are look-ing to move their compa-ny or to move their fami-ly and they see that thisis one of the best smallcities in the country tolive, I think that means alot,” he said.

Forbes bestowed the

designation on the city ofMarquette but Kivelasaid the distinction be-longs to the entire area,including the surround-ing townships.

“We’re all one Mar-quette, that’s the way Ifeel about it,” he said.

Marquette ranked 24thin commute time, 12th inhigh school graduationrate, 35th in medianhousehold income, 31stin home ownership rateand 13th in cost of living.

Other cities on the listinclude Dubuque, Iowa,Manitowoc, Wis., Mid-land, Marshfield, Wis.,and Stevens Point, Wis.Forbes used the most re-cent data available fromthe U.S. Census Bureauon all metropolitan andmicropolitan statistical ar-eas. Forbes.com staffsaid short commute times

give working parentsmore time to spend withtheir kids, improving fam-ily life. Graduation ratewas looked at becauseeducation is very impor-tant to families looking torelocate. Forbes alsoranked cities on medianhousehold income, therate of home ownershipand housing affordability,using median housingcosts as a percentage ofincome as a proxy. Finalscores were determinedby averaging the rankingsacross those measures.

For more information go torealestate.yahoo.com/promo/the-best-small-cities-to-raise-a-family.html


Magazine says it’ s third best small cityin the nation in which to raise a family

The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 3FPROGRESS2011

M arquette recognized by Forbes

Brad and Holly Muscoe of Marquette walk their daughters Aubrey, six months old,and Mylee, 2, along the bike path in Marquette. (Journal file photo by Andy Nelson-Zaleski)

Todd Romenesko, of Appleton, Wis., left, and Dayton Amundson, of Green Bay, Wis.,sit along a section of the Black Rocks at Presque Isle Park as the sun sets. (Journalfile photo by Andy Nelson-Zaleski)

4F — The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 PROGRESS2011


MARQUETTE — Mar-quette Web Maestro,

which specializes in web-site design, hosting, do-main names, e-commerceand online marketing,moved to a new office in

downtown Marquette in2010.

Nathan Lyle, owner andmanaging director, said he

moved his company down-town for its accessability.

“With web design wedon’t need storefront, obvi-ously, so it was mostly just

ease of access for ourclients. It’s easier for themto stop in,” he said.

Lyle started the compa-ny about 10 years agoand has more than 240active clients.

Most of them are in theMarquette area but someare spread out across 11states.

For more informationgo to www.webmae-stro.biz.

Christopher Diem canbe reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His e-mail address [email protected]

W eb M aestromoves office to Marquette

With web design we don’tneed storefront, obviously,so it was mostly just ease ofaccess for our clients. It’seasier for them to stop in.

“

- Nathan LyleOwner of Web Maestro

”

Above, North Michigan Land’s website which was created by Web Maestro. Aboveright, Border Grill’s new website, which was produced by Web Maestro. (Journalfile photo)


MARQUETTE — Late2009, John Thomsen,co-owner of Johnson’sSport Shop in Marquette,was facing a dilemma.

Thomsen was consid-ering closing the hockeydepartment of his store— which has sold hockeyequipment in Marquettesince 1946 — due to thepoor economy and a de-creasing number of kidsenrolled in the sport.

"We were unable to fillthe needs, inventorywise, that the customershad. We were toostrapped," Thomsensaid. “And it was begin-ning to effect my shoebusiness, which is really,really strong.”

However, shortly afterhe decided to close thehockey department per-manently, he had anoth-er idea. He sought outrepresentatives ofPerani's Hockey World,the world's largest inde-pendent retailer of hock-ey equipment.

After Perani's officialsvisited the store in Jan-uary, they agreed tolease about 70 percent ofthe store's floor space to

sell hockey equipment.In April, Thomsen's son

Kevin became an em-ployee of Perani's andwas put in charge of thehockey department.

Thomsen continues tosell athletic shoes andpedorthic footwear,shoes that aid with podi-atry problems. In addi-tion, Thomsen, who has37 years of experienceselling hockey equip-ment, helps out as need-ed in the hockey depart-ment.

Thomsen said Perani'scarries every brand ofhockey equipment.

"Because they're so bigthey kind of set the mar-ket. Their prices are verycompetitive .... if some-thing is out of stock we'llhave it the next day," hesaid.

The arrangement al-lows Thomsen to focuson shoe sales. He saidhe sold 5,000 pairs ofshoes in 2009, with cus-tomers coming fromaround the Upper Penin-sula and northern Wis-consin.

Thomsen said it is awin-win-win situation forhim, Perani's and hiscustomers.

"When the word wasout that we were going toclose our hockey depart-ment, there was a lot ofdistressed people," hesaid. “So not only willthey get the selection butthey're going to get theservice they've alwaysknown and the traditionthat Johnson’s has es-tablished over more thansix decades.”

The store droppedbaseball and golf mer-chandise as part of thetransition but still offerstennis and swimmingequipment.

He said customerswere supportive through-out the transition.

"There was a gal whocame in to do what shethought was the lastskate sharpening ever atJohnson’s. She didn'tknow. We told her andshe started to cry. It's re-ally an emotional deal,"Thomsen said. “Usuallybusiness is cold andhard but we're kind of aunique business be-cause our customers arefamily.”

Perani's, based indownstate Flint, wasstarted in 1976. It has 15locations across the

U.S. and Canada. It is asponsor of the DetroitRed Wings and the Cen-tral Collegiate Hockey

Association.

Christopher Diem canbe reached at 906-228-

2500, ext. 242. His e-mail address [email protected]

The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 5FPROGRESS2011

Johnson’s sport shopPerani’s Hockey World leasing store space

Above, John Thomsen, co-owner of Johnson’s Sport Shop in Marquette holds dif-ferent styles of shoes. (Journal file photo)



MARQUETTE — Alllanes of Marquette’sroundabout opened to traf-fic in August, marking theend of a sometimes con-troversial project.

The $1.3 million Michi-gan Department of Trans-portation project started inMay. MDOT officials saidthe previous intersectionwas confusing and if unal-tered would lead to exten-sive traffic backups in thefuture. They said a round-about is safer and willkeep traffic flowing.

“When the original inter-section was designed theprimary traffic flow was go-ing downtown. But now wehave more traffic on U.S.41 that’s just drivingthrough Marquette andtraveling to MarquetteTownship. What this doesis give all those differenttraffic streams an equalchance to enter the inter-section without having touse signalization,” saidAndy Sikkema, managerof MDOT's TransportationService Center in Ishpem-ing.

When the project wasfirst proposed many arearesidents said the round-about would be confusingand cause accidents, es-

pecially in winter. But ac-cording to the MarquetteCity Police Department,between August andMarch there have beenonly four minor accidentscompared with 16 at theprevious intersection in2009.

“The statistics show itworks,” said DetectiveCapt. Gordie Warchock.“As people get more usedto it I think it will go evensmoother. We’re pleasedwith how the roundabouthas worked out.”

Following construction,the city planted smallshrubs and bushes on theisland. The MarquetteBeautification andRestoration Committeespent $11,000 on a sprin-

kler system for the round-about’s island and commit-tee members plantedtulips and daffodils on itsperimeter. Committeemember Barb Kelly saidthe annual planting projecthas been named “Round-about Razzmatazz.”

Kelly said the committeeis looking for communitysupport and those thatwish to make a tax-de-ductible donation can sendit to P.O. Box 334, Mar-quette MI 49855, go towww.mqtbeautification.orgor call her at 225-5077.

Christopher Diem can bereached at 906-228-2500,ext. 242. His e-mail ad-dress is [email protected]

M arquette roundabout opens

Above, the finishing stages of the construction on the roundabout project in Marquette earlier this past year. (Journal photo by Andy Nelson-Zaleski)

Increasing traffic flow and decreasing confusion

The statistics show itworks. As people getmore used to it I thinkit will go evensmoother. We’repleased with how theroundabout hasworked out.

“

- GORDIE WARCHOCKDetective Captain

”


MARQUETTE — Infla-tion is a good thing atBountiful Balloons andEvents.

Debbie Fuller and KarenBenstrom started thebusiness in June 2010. Itsservices include balloonsculptures, balloon bou-quets, event decorating,costume rentals andtheme parties.

The company also cre-ates gift baskets.

“People will bring initems they want in the giftbasket and then we canprovide the basket andwrap it up and make it allnice and fancy,” Fullersaid.

The business, located inthe same store as GalaxyGamers in downtownMarquette, can either hosttheme parties or decoratethem. The theme partiescan either be at the storeor at the client’s home.The business can alsoprovide characters, suchas a princess, clown ormagician, who provide en-tertainment for children.Bountiful Balloons can al-so provide tableware, par-ty favors, balloons andother items.

“I’ve been interested inballoons for the past 15years and actually owneda balloon store based outof my home about 15years ago in a differentstate. I just kind of dab-bled in it the past 15years,” Fuller said. “Myhusband and I ownGamers Galaxy so I de-cided we’ve got the space

here I might as well bringthe balloons back. Then Imet Karen, my businesspartner, and she had doneballoons before as welland we decided it wouldbe a good fit.”

The store is open from10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday and 10a.m. to 4 p.m. on Satur-day. Bountiful Balloons

has a page on Facebookand Fuller said she isworking on a website. Formore information call 228-6602 or e-mail them [email protected].


PROGRESS2011 The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 7F

Not just for adults, kids also found fun things to do at the U.P. Builders show. Here Zach Stone, 8, of Marquette, son of Diane Stone, was fitted for a balloon hat from Boun-tiful Balloons and Events. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

Bountiful Balloons

Journal Staff MARQUETTE — Influ-

enced by gear shops inmountain towns out westand seeing a void in theMarquette community,Northern Michigan Uni-versity student husbandand wife team Mike andRachel Posthumus be-gan to think up a store oftheir own. Within only afew months, SwitchbackGear Exchange andOutfitter was born out ofa storefront on FrontStreet. The shop sellsgently used and newoutdoor gear and cloth-ing with the goal of offer-ing great deals and acommitment to servingthe community.

“It’s all about offeringpeople really greatstuff,” Mike Posthumussaid. “So far we havehad an overwhelming re-sponse from the commu-nity.”

Switchback works in anumber of ways. First,anyone looking to get ridof gear or clothing cansell it on consignment,which allows the sellerto get the most value out

of their equipment. Orthe equipment can besold outright to the storeand the seller can walkout with money in theirpocket the same day.The shop also sells newgear and clothing, focus-ing on getting a goodvalue and quality for agood price.

“We sell gear that wewould be comfortabletaking into the out-doors,” Rachel Posthu-mus said.

And there isn’t anyneed for those new tooutdoor recreation tofeel intimidated.

“We love serving be-ginners. We have begin-ners and experts onstaff. I want people toknow that we’re here tohelp them,” he said.“The deep seated goal isto develop an apprecia-tion for the environmentaround Marquette.”

Although neither is abusiness student Mike isstudying education ad-ministration and Rachelis studying constructionmanagement they aremaking the store work

with their schedules andusing it as a learning ex-perience.

“We’re having tons offun. We care about boththings equally. We treatthis experience as school.It’s less like work andmore of an experience,”Mike Posthumus said.

WIth the aid of otherNMU students as em-ployees and helping withmarketing and graphicdesign, Switchback ismaking a go of it.

Switchback is openfrom noon to 8 p.m.Thursday through Fri-day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Saturday and noon to 6p.m. Sunday. For moreinformation on the store,check them out online atwww.goswitchback.com,on Facebook, on Twitter@goswitchback or callthem at 906-362-4327.They are located at 209S. Front St. in Mar-quette.


Students start clothingand gear exchange

Mike and Rachel Posthumus, owners of Switchback Gear Exchange and Outfitter, help a customer at their store in Marquette. (Journal photo by Claire Abent)

Customers browse through products at the Switch-back Gear Exchange and Outfitter store in Marquette .(Journal photo by Claire Abent)

Journal StaffMARQUETTE — The

Marquette Regional His-tory Center opened re-cently after a year of con-struction and transition.

The opening of the mu-seum’s new location onSpring Street marked theend of more than fouryears of planning, build-ing and relocating.

“It is just extremely ex-citing and on some level,surreal,” said KayeHiebel, the center’s exec-utive director, the weekbefore the new buildingofficially opened. “We justcan’t quite get our headsaround the fact that this isactually here now.”

The history center’snew home is nearly un-recognizable as the for-mer Marquette Trans-portation Center — a12,000-square- foot busterminal operated byMarq-Tran for decades.The building’s second-story dome rises abovethe main entrance remi-niscent of other architec-tural landmarks in thedowntown area, such asthe county courthouseand St. Peter Cathedral.

The old museum onFront Street has closedits doors and the collec-tion has been carefullymoved into the new build-ing. New offices are occu-pied and the floor hasbeen polished. The build-ing’s signature dome hasbeen completed and thearchives are organized.The exhibits in the maingallery have come togeth-er to complete the $3.8million project.

The new facility featuresa larger research facili-ties, a classroom area forvisiting school groups todo hands-on projects, alarger museum store, anarea for parking and willbe Americans with Dis-abilities Act accessible.

There's even a recep-tion area for the public

and museum events. TheC. Fred Rydholm Gather-ing Hall is available forrent on weekends forweddings, receptions,holiday parties and alltypes of special events.For $850 a night, the2,800-square-foot spacecan be transformed intojust about anything.

The mammoth transfor-mation began with thehistory museum’s boardof directors making acommitment to the projectand conducting a feasibil-ity study to figure outwhether or not it could bedone. Then, in 2007,based on the positive re-sults of that study, theproject moved forward.

From the beginning,Hiebel said, this projecthas been driven by thesame group of people.

“One of the things I’mmost proud of is this is alla grassroots hometownproject,” she said. “Itcame from our area. Andit’s going back to ourarea.

“We have a small staffand it’s a testament to adedicated group of peo-ple in a non-profit organi-zation.”

The center began in1918 as a group of citi-zens from across Mar-quette County who wereconcerned about preserv-ing the history of the localarea. The first presidentof the organization wasJohn M. Longyear andduring the early years, thegroup met at the PeterWhite Public Library andbegan to acquire artifactsfor their collection. At thetime, there were no otherhistorical societies in thelocal area.

“The founding fatherswanted to preserve thehistory and the social lifeof the people back then,”said Rosemary Michelin,research librarian for theJ.M. Longyear ResearchLIbrary and Archives.

The group met monthlyand continued to collectartifacts relating to thehistory of the local region,including mining, mar-itime and railroad history.

In the late 1930s, thegroup acquired the build-ing former facility onFront St. The Longyearfamily donated the mon-ey to purchase the prop-erty in 1937 and it took anumber of years to reno-vate and modernized theproperty, as it was builtas a fraternal hall in1897, but had also func-tioned as a garage, anice cream parlor and inother incarnations sincethen. The facility openedit’s doors in 1949 for thecentennial of the city, withthe name the MarquetteCounty History Museum.The museum stayed inthat spot until 2010 whenit began moving to thenew remodeled facility onSpring Street in down-town Marquette.

Since moving, the facil-

ity has changed theirname to the MarquetteRegional History Centerto reflect a collection thatshows the history of thewhole region, not justMarquette county.

PROGRESS2011 The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 9F

M arquette RegionalHistory Center

The new Marquette Regional History Center buildingin Marquette. (Journal photo by Taylor Jones)

More than 200 people attended the Light the Night Gala"sneak peek fundraiser at the Marquette Regional HistoryCenter in Marquette. (Journal photo by Andy Nelson-Zaleski)

Journal StaffMARQUETTE — In De-

cemeber the Peter WhitePublic Library was pre-sented with the presti-gious 2010 NationalMedal for Museum andLibrary Service in Wash-ington.

Only five libraries andfive museums across thecountry are selectedeach year to receive theaward — the nation'shighest honor for muse-ums and libraries thatmake extraordinary civic,education, economic, en-vironmental and socialcontributions. The awardis presented by the Insti-tute of Museum and Li-brary Service.

First lady Michelle Oba-ma presented the medalto PWPL Director PamelaChristensen during a cer-emony in the East Roomof the White House.

"You're here today be-cause you all share thesame commitment to ex-cellence, the same deter-mination to serve yourcommunities, and thesame spirit of innova-tion," Obama said."You're here becauseyou've challenged theconventional notions ofwhat a library or museumcan and should be, push-ing the boundaries ofwhat's possible, embrac-

ing new ideas and ap-proaches."

Obama singled out Pe-ter White Public Library'sefforts to reach out to thesurrounding community.

"The Peter White PublicLibrary recently hosted aseries of events to edu-cate the communityabout mental health andmental illness," Obamasaid. "I think their direc-tor, Pam Christensen, putit best when she said,'There are so many sto-ries here, and they're notall on the shelves.'"

Obama thanked andcongratulated the awardwinners, saying that li-braries can have a pow-erful local impact.

"Each of you is an inte-gral part of your commu-nity. Each of you strivesevery day to meet theneeds of the people whowalk through your doors.And that's particularlytrue in times of challengeand crisis, when many ofyou offer vital services,stepping up to be therefor folks when they needyou the most," she said.

The medal is accompa-nied by a $10,000 awardand a visit from PublicRadio's StoryCorps. Win-ners are selected annual-ly following an open nom-ination process andbased on the recommen-

dations of the NationalMuseum and Library Ser-vices Board.

PWPL was cited forproviding programs topromote acceptance andengaging people from allwalks of life, informingthe community, advocat-ing the arts and cultureand partnering with othercommunity organizations

and the city of Marquette.The library was also

recognized for circulationand attendance figuresthree times those of otherlibraries of similar size inMichigan. PWPL servesthe city of Marquette andnine surrounding town-ships for a total servicearea population of36,145.

IMLS Acting DirectorMarsha L. Semmel saidthis year's winners aremaking a difference by"asking the right ques-tions and tailoring solu-tions to enrich the lives oftheir community mem-bers.

"We honor their contri-butions to delight, sur-prise, inform and edu-

cate," Semmel said.The Institute of Muse-

um and Library Servicesis the primary source offederal support for thenation's 123,000 librariesand 17,500 museums.

A video featuring themedal winners, producedby the History Channel, isavailable for viewing on-line at www.imls.gov.

PROGRESS2011

PW PL earns honor10F — The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28

Michelle Obama presents a National Medal for Muse-um and Library Service to Pamela R. Christensen, the di-rector of Peter White Public Library of Marquette, andcommunity member Jane Ryan. The National Medal isthe nation's highest honor for museums and librariesthat make extraordinary civic, educational, economic,environmental and social contributions. (AP Photo)

National award bestowed on library for community involvement


MARQUETTE — It wasa year of highs and lowsfor Wattsson and Watts-son Jewelers in down-town Marquette.

The business celebrat-ed its 25th anniversary onSept. 8, but did so withoutfounder Ron Wattsson,who passed away in April.The jewelry store is nowin the hands of a newgeneration, Ron’s chil-dren — Chris Wattssonand Ruby WattssonRodes.

Chris already had ex-tensive experience in thejewelry business — heworked at the store withhis father for 10 years.The transition was madeeven easier when KathyGreer, who helped Ronstart the store, becamethe general manager.

“Right off the bat, fromthe beginning, I knew howto do just about every-thing,” Chris said. “Theonly thing I didn’t know awhole lot about was thewhole bookkeeping side.So we brought Kathy outto help with that and it’sbeen growing ever since.”

The store continues toevolve, with new technol-ogy playing an ever-in-creasing role. Chris saidthe store’s laser welder,which it got two yearsago, provides a stronger,more precise weld thansolder and takes half thetime. In addition, the storerecently upgraded itscomputer system andlaunched its website,wandwjewelers.com/in-dex-2.php. The store alsohas a Facebook page.

Despite the changesand new technology,Greer said the store’s ap-proach to customer ser-vice is the same. She saidRon’s vision was to makejewelry shopping fun.

“It’s about having agood time and enjoyingthe history of the area,being part of the area andrealizing you’re creatingmemories. Jewelry is

memorabilia, it’s an emo-tional piece and with eachpiece of jewelry comesthe attachments andemotions that go with it,”she said.

Greer said the store is asmall business and willremain a family businessbut will definitely thriveand grow.

The store has a gemol-ogist on staff, available byappointment, and Ruby iscurrently working to be-come certified by theGemological Institute ofAmerica.

Chris said unlike indus-trial jewelry stores wherea piece of jewelry goesthrough an assembly lineprocess and might bemade in steps by severaldifferent people, jewelryfrom Wattsson and Watts-son is usually handled byone person from start tofinish.

“So you get a wide vari-ety of experience and youcan do just about any-thing,” he said.

Greer fondly remem-bered helping start thestore that would becomea Marquette institution.She said the display cas-es in the store came fromthe old Jean’s Jewelrystore downtown.

“We literally put the cas-es on a dolly and hauledthem up the street, pieceby piece. We had to stoptraffic and roll them intothe store,” she said.

Building the walk-through mine inside thestore was a volunteer ef-fort requiring the work ofstaff, friends and family.

“When we built the minewe had to put a main sup-port system in the floor,”Greer said. “There wasthree tons of plaster andwe sprayed it on and wehammered it out and wepainted it ... and we wouldwork nights and we wouldwork weekends and itwas an interesting pro-cess.”

When the store openedRon created custom goldpiece with gold from the

Ropes Gold Mine in Ish-peming. The mine closedin 1989, but there wasenough gold left to contin-ue creating pieces forabout five years. There’sstill some gold from themine but it’s very expen-sive. Now the store main-ly gets its gold from fourdifferent gold companiesfrom outside the area.

When President BarackObama visited Marquettein February, the city ofMarquette selectedWattsson and Wattssonto include the store’s orig-inal U.P. pendant in thewelcome gifts given tohim and his family.

Greer said one of thestore’s biggest accom-plishments happened in2004, when it was named“America’s Coolest Store”by In Store Magazine, adistinction she said wasone of the highest honorsin the jewelry industry.

“That was one of Ron’sbiggest accomplishmentsand legacies,” Greer said.


PROGRESS2011

Continuing the legacyThe Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 11F

Second generation takes the lead at Wattsson and Wattsson

Ruby Wattsson Rodes stands at one of the display cases at Wattsson and Watts-son Jewelers. She is currently working to become certified by the Gemological In-stitute of America. (Journal photo by Christopher Diem)

Chris Wattsson works with the laser welder at Wattsson and Wattsson Jewelersin downtown Marquette. He said it provides a stronger, more precise weld than sol-der and takes half the time. (Journal photo by Christopher Diem)

PROGRESS201112F — The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28

Special Section/ProgF

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