Tech Upsurge in Marquette--RevForce, Lee In I.T. and Myconaut, Canale Retires After a Half Century, Election Excitement and Election Nightmares

The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

IS MARQUETTE BECOMING a tech hub? Uhh, not quite, but increasingly, techsters are setting up shop here…The latest is RevForce, the brainchild of Mike and Jazmin Gorski, who met at NMU several years ago and discovered they shared an abiding interest in technology…Most recently, they managed and owned Campfire Coworks downtown, but now, after moving a few blocks west on Washington Street, they’ve opened RevForce.

It’s designed to help businesses cut their digital costs and increase revenue. “What Salesforce (a huge tech company based in California) does for enterprise businesses, we do for small to medium-sized businesses,” says Michael Gorski…Currently, the Gorskis are the only full-time employees, but they also employ eight sub-contractors in Michigan, Minnesota, and New Jersey.

Another feature: they’ll be conducting workshops at their downtown headquarters—what they’re calling Masterclasses in Small Business Digital Transformation. Initially, they’re serving clients just in the Upper Peninsula, but eventually they expect to expand far beyond the U.P.

LEE FRANCISCO, WHO was one of the tech pioneers here when he founded 906 Technologies 19 years ago, is back at it with a new business—Lee In I.T….He sold 906 Technologies in 2018, and was prevented from starting another similar business for five years because of a No Compete clause in the sale…But now, five years is up, so he’s opened a new shop in a strip mall near Target, next to Jill Leonard’s State Farm Insurance agency.

He’ll provide Information Technology expertise in set-up, servicing and repairs for businesses and residences…“Within five years, I’m expecting to have five full-time employees serving clients all over the U.P.,” Francisco says.

AND THEN THERE’S Myconaut—a new biotech firm…Partners Ryan Iacovacci and Joe Lane met in 2016 and started the business in 2022 at Marquette’s SmartZone…Their goal? To help eliminate PFA’s from our environment. PFA’s are cancer-causing synthetic chemicals that can be found in dozens of consumer products—most notably in non-stick cookware, cleaning solutions, and water-resistant rain gear.

The Myconaut solution for getting rid of PFA’s? Fungi…“They have the remarkable potential to break down PFA’s,” says Iocavacci. “Over the next two years, we hope to develop a probiotic for soil in polluted sites. We know the power of fungi and its importance to the ecosystem.”…The National Science Foundation apparently has faith in Myconaut; it recently awarded the Marquette start-up a $250,000 grant.

AMERICANS AREN’T MOVING as much as we used to, according to the Brookings Institution…Back in the 1950s, about 20% of us moved each year. In 2022, fewer than 9% of us were changing homes. Why? 1) Young people are living with their parents longer and delaying marriage and families. 2) America is older. Old folks are less likely to move. 3) Labor markets have changed. Techies don’t have to move to Silicon Valley anymore, autoworkers don’t have to live in Detroit. 4) Most households have two wage-earners, and looking for two jobs in a new place is harder than looking for just one. 5) Housing prices are sky-high.

“I’VE LOVED MY ministry so much, but I don’t miss calls in the middle of the night, and working on weekends.” That’s funeral home owner Mark Canale reflecting on his life after selling his two funeral homes earlier this year…He spent 51 years in the business, but at age 67, he decided it was time of move on to the next phase of his life. “I still get up at 5:20 every morning and work out five days a week,” he says, “but now I don’t have to look at the clock and get ready for work. Now I can enjoy an extra cup of coffee, go on bike rides, go to my cottage, and have lunch with friends.” And he’s got a lot of them. A half century in his business introduced him to thousands of families at critical, grief-stricken times of their lives. He comforted them with grace, humility, and class…He’s earned his retirement, and that extra cup of coffee.

LOOKS LIKE WE’RE getting excited about the upcoming election. Polling by Gallup tells us voter enthusiasm is the highest it’s been in 24 years…A few months back, only 55% of Democrats said they were enthusiastic about the election. Now, it’s 78%…Among Republicans, 59% said they were enthusiastic a few months ago. Now it’s climbed to 64%.

ON THE OTHER hand…According to a study published by the Brennan Center for Justice, 54% of election workers say they now fear for their or their colleagues’ safety, and 34% stay they know someone who has quit because of their concerns for their safety…That’s an ugly stain on what many have considered to be the world’s greatest democracy.

Back in 2020, seven days after the Presidential election, Tina Barton, the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, received a phone call. She picked up the phone and hit the flashing button. A man’s voice said, “We will f#####g take you out. F##k your family, f##k your life, and you deserve the f#####g throat to the knife. Watch your f#####g back.” The man proceeded to blame her for her role in what he called a fraudulent election.

He was never identified. (Correction: Marquette City Clerk Kyle Whitney informs us that the man was, in fact, identified, and recently sentenced to 14 months in prison.) Needless to say, Ms. Barton, who was just doing her job, was shaken to the core, fearing for herself, her husband and her children…Let us hope that calmer, more respectful voices prevail this November.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters."
— Abraham Lincoln