Yahoo! Google is Coming to Michigan!

Excellent news on the job front today in Michigan. Google Inc. (yes, as in I better google that), the search engine that is now in the dictionary as a verb, is looking to hire up to 1,000 people over the next five years to run their new Ann Arbor headquarters for their Google Adwords division. A quick look at the Google Jobs site does not appear to show results for the upcoming Google Adwords positions. There are currently positions open for Google's controversial Book Scanning operations in Ann Arbor and Advertising Sales positions in the Detroit area. Supposedly the new Ann Arbor jobs could be listed as early today. If you are interested you should check it out sometime today.

With average salaries anticipated at $47,000 this is a great day for Michigan and its beleaguered economy. I have to be honest, this news has me giddy and delighted for the state of Michigan this morning. Day after day all we see, hear, and read about are all of the job losses in the automobile industry.

Hearing that such a well known company from the technology sector is expanding in Michigan is like hearing we get an extra month of summer. Until now, it seemed that all we had to feel uplifted about in Michigan lately was the excellent play of the Detroit Tigers.

Can you imagine what might happen if things go well for Google in Michigan? We just might shift our economic image from the auto industry to the technology sector. Wouldn't that be something?

Read Tom Walsh's article in the Detroit Free Press.

Video of J.W. Westcott Delivering Mail on Detroit River

Did you know that freighters traveling the Great Lakes receive their mail by a pail on the Detroit River? The J.W. Westcott Company has been delivering the mail by boat for over 100 years. Today, the mail is sent up the side of freighters via a five gallon bucket - affectionately known as "Mail by the Pail!" I found a nice little documentary on YouTube that gives some history of the J.W. Westcott Company as well as video of a typical mail delivery. It is pretty neat stuff and the video is right around four minutes long.

Some quick facts about the J.W. Westcott II -

• First ship issued its own zip code 48222
• Only non-military vessel to have a zip code
• High traffic days see about 60 deliveries made
• The ship and crew deliver mail 24 hours a day

While looking up information about the J.W. Westcott Company and the ship, J.W. Westcott II, I had forgotten that it had capsized and sank in October of 2001. The sinking took the lives of the ship's Captain and deckhand and the J.W. Westcott II was later salvaged and put back into service. Find the U.S. Coast Guard's report on the investigation of the sinking from the here.

You might also like to see a nice photo display of the J.W. Westcott II along with notes and some history. The photos and documentation were put together by James W. Hebert. Head on over to continuouswave.com/boats/westcott/index.html.

Wal-Mart is not a Small Business Killer

Contrary to what a lot of small town citizens might think, Wal-Mart does not crush thriving local businesses. Wal-Mart and other Big Box retailers carry the stigma of being small business killers in every town they set up shop. Wal-Mart merely exposes fatal flaws in the businesses that go under when the "big boys" come to town. Any small business that is going to thrive under any circumstances must serve a niche and offer knowledgeable service that the mega-retailers never will. Recently a Home Cheapo (or Depot if you prefer) came to Three Rivers. I rarely go in there and can even more rarely find what I need or a salesperson that can help me.

Case in point, a couple of weeks ago my brother-in-law had a plumbing emergency and I suggested he go to the local hardware store in White Pigeon instead of Home Cheapo. My reasoning came from my personal experience of always receiving helpful and knowledgeable service at the local White Pigeon hardware store. Well, he went to Home Cheapo and wasted his time trying to get all of the fittings he needed and having a clueless salesperson that was no help whatsoever.

He then went to the White Pigeon hardware store and received knowledgeable and friendly service as soon as he walked in the door. They might not have the cheapest prices (actually, their prices are quite competitive considering the gas you waste driving to bigger stores), but they find what you need quick and even offer tips and suggestions on installation.

On a side note, every man knows that barber shops and hardware stores are the best places to stay up-to-date on the local community news and happenings. I suggest that whenever you are new to a town you should stop by the local hardware store or barber shop to find out what a town is all about.

Now, back to my opinions. The other thing that small businesses offer (I'll keep using the hardware store example, but this really translates across the board to all kinds of businesses) is a smaller selection. What, a smaller selection is a good thing? Well, yes it is.

The White Pigeon hardware store carries less products, but the key is that they carry the essential products without all the extras that Home Cheapo carries like lawn mowers, grills, patio furniture, etc. They have a far larger selection of plumbing, electric, and hardware supplies than Home Cheapo because that is their niche. They don't try to have a little bit of everything like the big box store.

Does anyone like having to go up and down every isle of a huge store trying to find one little product? I sure don't.

So, now we have the keys to beating Wal-Mart and the other chain retailers. Product selection, service, and serving a niche. If your small business does those three things you will never have to worry about Wal-Mart putting you out of business.

Just my $.02 for today :)

Michigan Barn Preservation Network

Growing up in the country it is always sad to see grand old barns in disrepair when I am traveling around Michigan. There are numerous sagging and collapsing barns that are mere shadows of their former selves everywhere you look. Some are merely skeletons with all of the planking and roofing salvaged for other construction projects. Those new-fangled pole barns with their steel roofs and siding sure are functional, but they aren't much for looks. They just don't compare to the rough-hewn beams and thick pine planks of the barns from yesterday. The Michigan Barn Preservation Network (MBPN) is working toward changing that one barn at a time.

The MBPN is a non-profit organization that seeks to restore and preserve Michigan's barns. Their mission statement is as follows -

Promoting appreciation, preservation and rehabilitation of Michigan Barns, farmsteads and rural communities.

U.P. Paper to be Delivered by USPS

The Ironwood Daily Globe is shifting from traditional paper carriers to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery of the newspaper. The Globe cited troubles with delays and a shortage of carriers which caused people to miss the paper sometimes as the driving force behind the decision. I am writing about this because the only paper I ever received in the mail was the Wall Street Journal and I had not heard of smaller localized papers doing this for their immediate customers. I know you can have other major newspapers delivered through the mail, but the concept of dropping all of your local delivery struck me as interesting.

The upside to this is that the efficient post offices in Michigan's Upper Peninsula stated that they have all mail delivered by 4 pm. Some subscribers wouldn't receive their paper until the evening before this switch was made.

Rising gas prices were making it more and more difficult for the independent contractors who use their own vehicles. The newspaper is paying the carriers a bonus if they continue their route through June 19. Part-time jobs created by the change in the paper's production will be offered to the carriers first out of consideration for their positions being eliminated.

Now, if only my Beaners coffee and Sweetwaters donuts could be delivered in the mail every morning. Man, that would be great! :)

Detroit Free Press Turns 175 on May 5, 2006

As Cliff Clavin (from the popular Cheers television show) might say - it's a little known fact that the Detroit Free Press will celebrate it's 175th year of existence on May 5, 2006. All week long the Free Press will be featuring bits of trivia from its history. A quick piece of trivia from today's article -

"the Detroit Free Press has outlasted nearly all its peers, becoming the second-oldest continuously operated business in Michigan."