Boyne City: Small-town growth with character

There’s a lot going on in Boyne City. The city’s population surged by more than 6 percent in the last decade, new businesses are open, a factory is under construction and the list of community events never ends. Some say Boyne City is the “jewel of Charlevoix County,” but it’s irrefutable that the town bucked economic trends in recent years and found its niche as a popular place to visit, live or retire. Boyne City’s population increased by 6.6 percent since the 2000 turn-of-the-century census and now stands at 3,735 residents, more than 14 percent of the county’s total population. That bucked trends across the county and region, where population loss dominated. “I think we’re beating most of the trends out there,” said Michael Cain, city manager. Cain attributes the city’s success to community planning efforts. Boyne City keeps an active and award-winning Main Street program to benefit its downtown region, high-speed broadband Internet cables will soon run through town and persistent infrastructure upgrades all combine to poise Boyne City for continued growth, Cain said. “We’re trying to make sure we have a year-round economy that has year-round success,” he said. Full story from Petoskey News-Review. 

Boyne City downtown seeks spot on National Register of Historic Places

Commissioners in Boyne City unanimously agreed to seek recognition for a portion of downtown to be listed as a district on the National Register of Historic Places. The general study area is South Lake Street to Main Street, Water Street from Lake Street to the Dilworth Hotel, the 100-block of South Park Street and a portion of Main Street between Lake and Park streets. If approved, the proposed district would be listed among the cultural resources across the nation that are most worthy of preservation. Full story from Petoskey News-Review.

Bay Winds Credit Union breaks ground for Boyne City office

David Leusink, president/CEO of Bay Winds Federal Credit Union has announced that construction on its new Boyne City branch is underway at 308 N. Lake St. Company officials said It will “help lead the way in the revitalization of the NoBo (North Boyne) business district.” The branch will feature dialog stations, a state-of-the-art customer service concept. Construction is being facilitated through local contractors and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012 at a cost of $1.4 million. At 9,000 transactions a month Bay Winds has outgrown its current facility in the Glen’s Plaza. Dialog banking will provide an ideal mix of technological efficiency in an environment of that fosters dynamic customer service. “We feel it optimizes the best of hi-tech and hi-touch,” said Leusink. The traditional teller line is being replaced with dialog stations thereby creating a side-by-side service environment that is more flexible, functional and consumer friendly. Attending a ground-breaking ceremony on Sept. 16 were CEO David Leusink, city officials, credit union board members and members of Team Boyne, the Main Street economic restructuring committee. Bay Winds website.

Hand-crafted skis now being made in Boyne City as 2 companies move to town

Shaggy's Copper Country Skis will be hosting an Open House at its new factory/showroom on Saturday, Sept. 10. The new facility is located at 01170 M-75 South in Boyne City between Challenge Mountain Resale and the BP Gas Station. The event will start with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. and continues until 6 p.m. The Open House will feature an unveiling of the 2011/12 lineup for Shaggy's Copper Country Skis. Factory tours will be offered, detailing how each ski is handcrafted in Boyne City. Shaggy's will also be giving away free swag including T-shirts and stickers. A drawing will be held for a free pair of skis from the newly unveiled lineup. Shaggy’s is an independent ski company founded in South Lyon, Michigan in 2005. Shaggy's handcrafts snow skis from the start of the core to the layup and final tuning of the skis. Company owner Jeff Thompson said, “We are a family operation that puts our heart and soul into our product. There is no outsourcing at Shaggy’s; we are American-made and we are Pure Michigan.” For more information visit www.sccskis.com.

Additionally, John and Shari Thompson will open the doors of their construction company, Thompson Home Construction, at the same location. Moving their successful construction business of 26 years (from South Lyon) to Boyne City, the couple hopes to serve the community with fast and reliable service. Both licensed Residential Builders, John and Shari bring 26 years of experience in residential and commercial construction. Additionally, John’s 33 years of carpentry experience (rough framing and trim) allow him to accomplish virtually any carpentry job.
To contact either Shaggy's Copper Country Skis or Thompson Home Construction, call (231) 459-4322 or (231) 330-2854. 

Northwestern Bank loan center opens in Boyne City

Northwestern Bank’s Loan Center in Boyne City opened for business on Aug. 25, 2011. The storefront office is located at 104 S. Lake Street, just off Water Street in the downtown retail district and will offer commercial and residential mortgages, business loans, home equity lines of credit and other consumer loans. “We’re excited to be expanding our lending presence in Charlevoix County and in the Boyne City area,” said Northwestern Vice President Steve Weber, who will be managing the Loan Center as well as Northwestern’s Charlevoix office. Joining Weber is Northwestern Bank Mortgage Loan Officer Jessica Porter, who brings more than 10 years of mortgage lending experience. The Boyne City location also has a 24-hour full-service ATM and can accept deposits from Northwestern Bank customers. In addition to the Loan Center in Boyne City, Northwestern serves the Charlevoix and Emmet County areas with an office in Charlevoix, three locations in Petoskey, one in Bay Harbor, and one in Harbor Springs. Northwestern Bank was chartered in 1955 and is now the largest independent community bank in Northern Michigan. A growing financial institution with more than $885 million in assets, the bank is one of the leading mortgage, consumer, and commercial lenders in the region. Based in Traverse City, Northwestern Bank offers complete banking, investment and trust, and employee benefit services from 27 offices throughout northern Lower Michigan. Northwestern is known for its "I can do that!" approach to service, which empowers employees to make decisions on the spot to meet customer needs and exceed their expectations. For more information on Northwestern Bank, go to www.nwbank.com or call (231) 459-4305.

Medical equipment company to expand to Boyne City, creating up to 100 jobs

(From the Petoskey News-Review) A Michigan-based medical equipment manufacturing company is set to expand to Boyne City. Precision Edge produces high quality medical tools in Sault Ste. Marie and intends to build a new factory this year in Boyne City for a total building and equipment investment of $5.8 million. The company hopes to by January occupy the new building set to be constructed in Boyne Air Business Park and have 30 workers on the payroll to start and 75 to 100 by 2016, said John Truckey, company president. The company announced its plans at Tuesday's Boyne City Commission meeting. Full story.

Boyne City woman living in a lavender paradise

Just a bit off the beaten path where many GPS devices are rendered virtually useless, Linda Longworth has created a lavender paradise and handmade cottage industry, one fragrant plant at a time. Longworth’s cousin, Jan Ruback, wrote to tell me about the farm that features a whole line of handmade lavender-based products and offers craft classes after I put a call out to readers for “made in Michigan” destinations to visit this summer. I’m glad Ruback got in touch because a stop at Lavender Hill Farms in Boyne City during a recent vacation with my family proved to be a fabulous handmade destination. Full story from the Grand Rapids Press.