Construction at Outlanders, Marquette Nutrition Expansion, Our $8.5 Million Tech Company, Goose Poop, Golf Club Revival, and Old Folks Coming Alive

The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

“I STARTED OUT just squeezing juices and making smoothies, and now it’s become so much more.” Truer words were never spoken by Jenna Neaves, the owner of Marquette Nutrition, the little health food shop and cafe on Third Street that she opened back in 2016…It’s grown so much that, not only did she buy the former Outlanders restaurant on West Washington a year ago, she’s now having it expanded to handle the increased demand for catering services and meal preparation.

Meals such as Pad Thai, BBQ meatballs, a Quinoa Power Bowl, and Blueberry Almond Protein Pancakes…and dog treats.

Neaves, by the way, is a personal trainer with four kids, including a three-month-old. Slowing her down? No way…

You gotta wonder, especially with the expansion of the former Outlanders building, if Neaves is going to turn that building into a sit- down restaurant. “People are asking us that, and the answer is no,” she insists. “But I guess I’d say ‘Never say never.’” And the Marquette Nutrition shop on Third Street is absolutely remaining as is, she says. Two locations, a growing business, 20 employees, four kids at home? She can handle it.

MAYBE WE’RE FURTHER along as a center of tech entrepreneurship than we had thought…“We’re seeing the first signs of an emerging tech hub in Marquette,” says Joe Thiel, the CEO of Innovate Marquette SmartZone. “Resources are in place to accelerate that development over the next ten years.” By our unofficial count, there are about a dozen tech companies in and around Marquette—companies that are either holding or seeking patents…In addition, there are as many as 20 other companies that provide tech services…And then there are the scores of remote tech workers that reside here but work for larger companies in other parts of the U.S…So yeah, Marquette is becoming a tech hub—just nine years after the SmartZone was founded.

THE BRIGHTEST TECHNOLOGY star in Marquette currently is Syncurrent, a two- year-old company that helps tribal communities across the nation find funding for roads, schools, and hospitals. Its current value? $8.5 million…Not too shabby…Dhruv Patel, the 24-year-old CEO and cofounder (with Matthew Jaquez) of Syncurrent, says he came to NMU with the intention of becoming a physicist but then had an epiphany. “I realized I wasn’t smart enough,” he explains modestly, “and not only that, but scientists don’t make much money. And I wanted to actually build something.” He and Jaquez have done just that.

Come November, Syncurrent’s customer base will be expanding exponentially—the company will be offering its services to not just tribal communities, but virtually all municipalities across the nation…It’s easy to see why investors are excited about Syncurrent’s future.

ONE OF MARQUETTE’S newest tech companies is Invivus Technologies. Justin Carlson (who’s also the administrator of Man About Town) founded the company six months ago…“We want to accelerate healing people dealing with chronic illness,”
Carlson explains. “In particular, people who are suffering from environmentally caused toxins.” Carlson, himself, is one of those, and he claims there are millions more like him.

He’s now in the process of assembling a “mold map”—a listing of hotels, motels, airbnbs, offices, gyms and other buildings across the U.S. that either 1) have been reported as containing mold or 2) have been declared mold-free…In collaboration with NMU and Michigan Tech, he’s also hoping to come up with a mold sensor—a piece of hardware.

He’s been working with Marquette’s SmartZone and is also in talks with venture capitalists in hopes of boosting funding for Invivus.

SO WITH THIS growing population of tech workers—many of them remotely, it seems like a good idea to bring them together for socializing and networking. That’s the idea behind the MQT Tech Meetup group which will be meeting monthly, starting October 3rd, 6:30-8:30 pm at Barrel and Beam. “A lot of these workers feel isolated, and they shouldn’t be,” says Amy Bedinghaus, who cofounded the group with Cody Lyon.

TIRED OF ALL the goose poop? So are Michigan regulators, according to Axios, and starting next year, they’ll allow some lake associations, golf courses, municipalities and other landowners to hire crews from the US Department of Agriculture to kill the geese…Officials say the geese were nearly extinct in Michigan in the 1960s; now there are 281,000, well above the target population of 225,000….The bigger problem is that they congregate near waterfront lawns and parks, leaving a mess…The new regulation will likely draw opposition from animal activists….A word of warning: the new regulation will not allow regular citizens to shoot the geese.

SPEAKING OF GOOSE poop, the Marquette Golf Club, which was teetering on the verge of insolvency five or six years ago, has enjoyed another banner year. “We’ve come a long way in the last few years,” says Bob Raica, the President of the Marquette Golf Club…They’ve paid down the debt by a million dollars even while investing heavily in the infrastructure and making improvements in the pro shop….How did they make it happen? 1) A reduced interest rate, 2) More efficient and prudent management, and 3) An overwhelmingly successful Stay-and-Play arrangement with the Island Resort and Casino…Last year, Stay-and-Play golfers played 3800 rounds on the renowned Greywalls course; this year, it’s been more than 5000 rounds. That’s a 33% increase in one year…That’ll help pay a few bills.

A GOOD REASON to celebrate at the Upper Peninsula Health Plan…It’s just been recognized as the highest rated Medicaid health plan in Michigan by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in its ratings of Medicaid health plans in 2024…The rating is based on patient satisfaction, preventive care, and treatment outcomes.

HERE’S A MAJOR reason our kids are falling behind in school: Almost 30% of them in Michigan missed at least 18 days of school last year…The numbers in Marquette were 26%, in Negaunee 11%, and in Ishpeming 26%…Before the pandemic, the absentee numbers were much lower. Why the high rates? Officials blame poverty, health, transportation, and lack of access to online course materials.

A STRANGE SIGN of the times—the Burger King on US 41 in L’Anse was open only for drive-thru service last Friday afternoon. The doors were locked. Why? The large sign on the window—HIRING $14 AN HOUR—kinda gave you a clue…You ask the lady working at a store across the street what the problem was, and she replied that they just didn’t have enough employees. She said she, herself, was making only $12 an hour, but she wouldn’t consider switching jobs because BK treated their employees like “crap.” Two extra bucks an hour wasn’t worth it.

WHAT THE HELL?! You’re peacefully cruising the Keweenaw Bay on a motorized boat with nine other people, all of them 60-plus, drinks in hand…A pleasant senior outing on a lovely afternoon with the sun shining through a light haze, the occasional seagull gliding past, a calm sea, a light breeze…And then suddenly, one of the men, 70ish, says it’s a good day to go waterskiing. Huh? He dons a wetsuit, jumps overboard into 65 degree water, grabs hold of the handle on the tow rope, the boat takes off, and off he goes, slicing through the water, back and forth, back and forth…He gets back on the boat with a big smile on his face, and then another senior, in his 60s, jumps overboard—without a wetsuit!—grabs the handle, and off he goes! He climbs back aboard, smiling, and then his wife, in her 60s, jumps overboard, and off she goes on the skis!! Seriously, what the hell?!…It may be a cliche, but 60 does seem to be the new 40, and 70 is the new 50…Or maybe it’s just a UP thing.

POEM OF THE WEEK

“The Folks Inside”

Inside you, boy,

There’s an old man sleepin’,

Dreamin’ waitin’ for his chance.

Inside you, girl,

There’s an old lady dozin’,

Wantin’ to show you a slower dance.

So keep on playin’,

Keep on runnin’,

Keep on jumpin’, til the day

That those old folks

Down inside you

Wake up … and come out and play.

—Shel Silverstein