top of page
IMG_1192.jpeg

BLOG & MUSINGS

Here at GD Placemaking, our heads are full of useful (and useless) knowledge, and we need a place to share some of it. The goal of our musings will be to share enriching, thought-provoking, or, at the very least, entertaining information that will help inform for the greater good of the whole.

Let Her Speak

Dec 20, 20242 min read

Updated: Dec 24, 2024

Thanks to an opportunity through the Small Business Association of Michigan's Small Business Support Hub Grant Program, I have been participating in a class called "Let Her Speak," taught by the INCREDIBLE Dana Black. This class is meant to help female-identifying business leaders learn how to speak in their authentic voice and have fun doing it - and boy, has it done that and MORE in the short time I've been participating. I have met some of the most INSPIRING and intelligent women who have made me cry every month with their raw, powerful, heartfelt speeches, and all of our stories are so unique and wonderful I feel fate brought us together for a reason.


Last night, we had a make-up class because snow messed with our regular December class schedule, and with a small turnout, we still learned SO much. The participants presented remarks about our business in front of a camera, with no notes in hand, all in under 3 minutes, and it was glorious!  We all survived to tell the tale. Heather (who I now call Denise because she looks like Denise Jonas - the mother of the Jonas Brothers LOL) even brought Santa earrings, and we put them on for the class. Jack, our videographer, even got into the action! Then we all went out to celebrate.

Photo of a group of people showing off their matching sparkly Santa Claus earrings.

I am so grateful for this experience, and we aren't even halfway through the course! I will cherish this photo forever - we all have our Santa earrings on and are looking fly!  This is the community that I have been needing, the tribe that I have been missing since I moved to Northern Michigan.


Pictured: (In summary - a bunch of badasses) Cortrice (who drives from Detroit every month), owner of Meal Prep by Cort, Jenny who works in Real Estate but is also a life coach (www.jennybremercoaching.com); Heather, who is a real estate broker but will be opening up a boutique with her daughter soon, Dana who is a public speaking and performance coach, TEDx Chicago speaker delivery coach, emcee, moderator, SAG-AFTRA actor, and Jack, filmographer and create of Flabocce which is made in Traverse City!


And then little ole me, Co-Founder and CEO of G. D. Placemaking. I've learned that my strength in speaking and using my authentic voice is when I use humor to connect with my audience.

0 comments

The state of housing in northern Michigan.

Dec 4, 20242 min read

Currently in Emmet County: according to the Housing Needs Assessment conducted in June of 2023, 3,370 housing units are needed through 2027, which includes 865 rental units and 2,505 for sale units. While SEVERAL projects are underway throughout the county (YAY!!!), those in the "building" and/or selling/leasing phase only account for 242 homes and 270 apartments. Other units are in the planning phase, and others are seeking approvals and funding. Still, the remaining gap is 226 rental units and 2,263 for-sale homes through 2027.


Our population is aging - 33.3% of Emmet County's population is older than 60. That means fewer people are in the workforce to support a population with a higher demand for healthcare, retirement support services, restaurants, recreation, etc. Currently, the following occupations cannot afford to rent OR buy a home in Emmet County (this list is not exhaustive): Bookkeepers, Office Administrators, School Teachers, Registered Nurses, Medical Assistants, Accountants, Landscapers, Construction Laborers, Carpenters, Electricians... the list goes on.


Do we want our communities to be places where our kids and grandkids can choose to live like we had the luxury of doing a few short years ago? Our economy has changed completely, and the working class can no longer sustain itself in our region. Regardless, people of all socioeconomic statuses will keep moving here. So, do we want to plan, help manage, and guide that inevitable change in our communities? Or do we want to let it happen to us?


Donate to Housing North because our work out in the field helps our local governments manage the change happening in a way that will work best for their communities. This allows us to continue to prosper as a place for all to call home.


Review the Housing Needs Assessment Summary here:



0 comments
bottom of page