What is a cash mob? Started in New York and spreading across the nation, a cash mob happens when a group of people select a small, local business and set a date to spend their money, en masse, at that business to give it a little bit of targeted economic stimulus. The mob’s mission is simply to put into action the idea that buying local is key to revitalizing a community.

Generally, the group agrees to a designated amount, typically $10 to $20 per customer, and notifies the shop ahead of time so its owner can plan accordingly.         The Ticker

I recommend that we target the Town Club.    8~)

Update: Antrim Review article

 Twin Bay Medical Honored as One of the 2012 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”

Elk Rapids, Michigan – Twin Bay Medical has been recognized as one of the 2012 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

Twin Bay Medical will be honored at an awards ceremony during the eighth annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, May 3, 2012 in Lansing, MI.    Source: press release

At a special meeting of Elk Rapids Rotary on April 3 at the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall, Rotarians Bill Donberg and Jim Nothoff will be sharing the story of their recent trip to Haiti where they helped install the water filters that our local club invested in.

Social time starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is at 6, program at 6:30′ish.

If you would like to attend this meetin, please contact Julia Pollister Amos at 231-620-4300.

Even though the cost of college is skyrocketing, there is also a cost associated with not going to college — lower earnings.

Here are some findings from the International Youth Foundation’s Opportunity for Action paper and some other studies:

• The typical income gap between the a college graduate and the a high school dropout has never been higher. Today, college grads earn 80 percent more than people who don’t go to high school.
• A 2009 McKinsey report estimated that if we raised our education performance to the level of  Korea, we could improve the US economy by more than  $2 trillion. (We could, in other words, add the GDP of Italy to our economy with education reform.)
• Yet another study from NBER estimated that the benefit of a good teacher over  an average teacher could improve a student’s future lifetime earnings by $400,000.
• Finally, a study from the Hamilton Project found that $100,000 spent on college at age 18 would yield a higher lifetime return than an equal investment in corporate bonds, U.S. government debt, or  hot company stocks.

Northwest Michigan’s unemployment rate edged upward in January from the previous month, but the region’s jobless percentage remained below its year-ago level.

Unemployment statistics recently released by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the 10-county Northwest Lower Michigan labor market having an unemployment rate of 11.8 percent in January, up from 10.9 percent in December. In January 2011, the region’s jobless rate stood at 13.8 percent.    News-Review

The profile of the typical traveler in Michigan is changing. People who vacation here are increasingly educated and ethnically diverse and have interest in beaches, wineries and restaurants rather than fishing and boating, tourism researchers from Michigan State University said Tuesday.

And now, more of them are from out of state — driving a 7.8% rise in overall tourism spending in 2011 and adding to the 6% gain projected for this year.       Freep

Pure Michigan ads: Going Global

The Ready, Set, Grow! Farm and Garden Lecture Series presents: “Growing Mushrooms in Your Garden”. On Thursday, April 12 , Yvonne Stevens, Event Coordinator for ISLAND, an arts and ecology non-profit organization in  Bellaire, will demonstrate various ways to get started growing shiitake, oyster, and wine cap mushrooms.  She and her husband, Jason, have been cultivating shiitake mushrooms since 2007 and both agree that these mushrooms are not only fun to grow, but also provide a great source of protein and other nutrients.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Cherryland Middle School, 707 E. Third St., Elk Rapids. A donation of $10, at the door,  is suggested.  Proceeds raised will be used to purchase supplies needed by the volunteer leaders of the school’s Worlds of Wonder (W.O.W) After School Club Program.

For questions or to reserve a  seat, call the school at 231 264 8991 or email Sarah Pierson at spierson@erschools.com Source: press release

NYT

I spoke with Gene Veliquette, President of Shoreline Fruit today. He said that the frost has affected the local cherry crop, reducing the yield. Damage is uneven, though. He pointed out that there was no problem down state and that, even in NW lower Michigan, the Empire area seems to be unaffected. He estimated a full crop down state but only 25% in our area. Time will tell if more damage is forthcoming.

Individual industries fared very differently over the last three years: during the recession, manufacturing actually reversed its decline in employment between 2001 and 2007, whereas construction and government lost jobs they had gained pre-recession. The chart—from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta—also makes it clear that the recent employment boom in health, education, and professional and business services was simply a continuation of a trend that had long preceded the current recession.    WaPo