Upon Another Pandemic Milestone, Here’s What We’ve Learned So Far

Starting today (Monday, April 5), all Michigans aged 16 and over are officially eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. To mark the milestone, The Ticker hears from local executives who share the biggest lessons they have learned in the past 13 months, from missing restaurants to new passions to perseverance for the goodness of the local community.

Matthew Bryant, General Manager, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
The hospitality industry is not going to stop. We will do everything we can to safely open our doors to loyal guests. We thrive professionally and personally when our hotel rooms, meeting rooms, restaurants, and facilities are filled with happy guests and hardworking employees. We work in this business because we love to serve others and create special moments.

What I learned about myself
How happy I am to work where I work and with the resort staff. From the directors, managers and supervisors to the seasonal support to interns we had over the summer. I’ve learned how important it is to surround yourself with supportive people because you can’t get through difficult times on your own.

Glen Chown, General Manager of Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
While people have always appreciated visiting safe outdoor areas and finding hiking trails, these became essential during the pandemic. Seeing our work as essential, not just for natural resources, but also for people – for the health and wellbeing of our community – has really encouraged us to accelerate our efforts towards land conservation, path construction and universal access to nature.

What I learned about myself
The conservatory employs 26 people and we have been in operation for 30 years. Therefore, there are many systems that take care of our employees. However, this year I became so concerned about my team that I slowed down and started spending more time with my co-workers: spending more time listening and thinking about their physical and mental health, adjusting to their needs, and really myself to focus on the need for a healthy work-life balance. Management at a time of crisis made me a better leader and for that I am grateful.

Nate Crane, co-owner, Rare Bird Brewpub
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
The gastronomy is incredibly resilient. We have constantly changed our business model to accommodate the latest executive orders.

What I learned about myself
I can get creative in the face of adversity. We implemented a strong take-out system and significantly expanded our outdoor seating. Both are great additions that we will keep after COVID.

Jean Derenzy, CEO of the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA)
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
The pandemic was a reminder of the creativity and resilience of our downtown family. The merchants in the city center and the employees of the DDA had to change course quickly and remained positive, motivated and determined. I learned that Traverse City comes together to help and help to be healthier and stronger and to persevere.

What I learned about myself
I surround myself with people who are innovative and who work hard to make our inner city a real travel destination. From my board members and my employees to the companies in the city center and the owners of real estate: In a time of uncertainty, we were all able to find solutions that benefit our community in the city center.

Jessica Edson, owner of Edson Farms Natural Foods
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
One thing I’ve learned is the incredible ability to persevere in times of crisis and fear. Food workers have been inundated with challenges from the start of the pandemic and I am so proud to be a part of the industry that has shown such an attitude and perseverance.

What I learned about myself
I like to go to dinner! I learned how much I took for granted the human connection that was missing during the pandemic. All of our social facilities have been taken away and doing without them has been a great personal challenge.

Chris Fredrickson, Co-Founder and Distillery of Traverse City Whiskey Co.
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
I’m a fan of the writer and public speaker Simon Sinek, and one of his favorite quotes is: “People don’t buy what you do. they buy why you do it. ‘That really translated for us internally because [the pandemic] showed the importance of having a meaningful mission. During the hand sanitizer craze, we went from shipping five orders a week to north of 1,000 orders a day. We were doing 20 to 30 or more hours of overtime a week and our team believed in the cause and supported it with all their available energy.

What I learned about myself
The pandemic added value to family, relationships and human communication. As a startup, we’ve worked hard over the past decade and that has put us in a position where we’ve missed out on some social opportunities in the name of building the business. What I’ve learned is that there has to be a good work-life balance to build and maintain relationships, but also physical and mental health.

McKenzie Gallagher, co-owner of Rove Estate Vineyard & Winery
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
The wine industry is a unique combination of agriculture, hospitality and tourism. As a farming business, survival has made it even more difficult in the past year because, in addition to the service restrictions and regulations in the tasting room on the farm, we work with Mother Nature and we don’t even have the option of stopping operations when the world “closes”. The farm has very time sensitive needs, so we had to keep moving forward no matter what.

What I learned about myself
Adrenaline and anxiety can really work to your advantage. What doesn’t break you makes you stronger.

Karen Hilt, owner of My Secret Stash
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
The only thing I learned about our business was to be flexible to be quick to respond to the needs of our community. We made a few leaps in faith [such as pivoting to stock masks] and they really paid off.

What I learned about myself
Personally, I’ve learned that it’s okay to panic for a brief moment, take a breath, and put everything back together.

Ryan Kennedy, CEO of Britten Inc.
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
I learned something about our flexibility and adaptability. When the events industry closed – which had a huge impact on our business – we had to turn around and find other sources of income. In April last year, we started making dresses from scratch to support the medical industry. It turned into a $ 2 million deal for us last year. When we move away from that, it’s cool to reflect and say, “No matter what is thrown at us, we’ll find a way.”

What I learned about myself
I usually try to think about the road whether it’s 30 days, 90 days, a year, or five years. [With COVID]There was so much uncertainty that it was impossible to look down the street. I had to switch from a very short term to a long term focus and I think it was good for me mentally.

Kevin Klein, director of Cherry Capital Airport
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
The reliability of all airport employees. These wonderful people took responsibility and were committed to making travel safe. From reducing airport contact points to aircraft with HEPA filters, our industry has been a top priority from day one.

What I learned about myself
That my industry can be best one day and worst the next, but it will always be the people who bring the industry back to its strength.

Nick Nissley, President of Northwestern Michigan College
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
While the pandemic forced us to work virtually, it also gave us the freedom to try new things and re-imagine how we want to do business. The experience allowed us to question our assumptions and reevaluate what is best for the college, our staff, and our learners. I think this mental shift will be a good starting point for our strategic planning ahead as we envision the future of college.

What I learned about myself
The pandemic was a reminder that the family is even more important than I previously thought. As I saw my loved ones struggle with fears of isolation and feel separate and alone, I became much more aware that we needed to create a sense of belonging, starting with our families.

Becky Tranchell, owner, Rose and Fern Cafe
What I’ve learned about my organization or industry
As a result of a pandemic, the catering industry recorded an all-time high in customer demands. This industry has always been one that endured abuse from demands from unreasonable or unsuspecting customers. However, being an “essential” business only made it clear how far removed the public is from working with groceries and restaurants. Restaurants, one of the highest exposure risks that remains important to feed the public during a global pandemic, has only proven how far the public is from food and cooking, due to a processed food based culture.

What I learned about myself
My passion is not eating and cooking. It is in the people who create the food and the environment in which we eat. For me, food was simply the medium for discussing ethical issues related to working in a restaurant.

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