Michigan is home to 10 of Inc.'s 500 fastest growing companies

Given that Michigan was the only state whose GDP moved in reverse from 2005-2006, news of 10 companies growing by leaps and bounds is astounding.

Inc. Magazine features an interactive search feature with their top 5000 as a data set. You can search by company name, state, industry, revenue, NAICS code, number of employees and more.

The ten Michigan companies in the top 500 are:

24	e-IT Professionals		Canton
49	Piston Automotive		Redford
104	Environmental Services of North America		Dearborn
183	SolidSignal.com		West Bloomfield
320	Secure-24		Southfield
403	American Laser Centers		Farmington Hills
417	Salamander Technologies		Traverse City
420	Menlo Innovations		Ann Arbor
455	L&R Construction Services		Davisburg
457	Big Communications		Ferndale

Michigan Unemployment Hits 7.2% in June

Yep, we lead the nation in unemployment. We're number one again. This marks the highest rate for 2007--a full .5% higher than June 2006.

That's the bad news. But it could be worse. 208 of the state's 250 prisoner work crews (about 1500 workers) will be "laid off" by the Department of Corrections in a move to save $6 million. (source) That's right, the prisoners who cut grass, shovel snow and do other menial labor for the DNR and MDOT for next to nothing cost too much.

Actually, the prisoners don't cost too much. The Ionia Sentinel-Standard reports that the costs associated with the program include corrections officers' salaries, the leasing of vans and equipment and fuel. Agencies and municipalities only pay $15 per day per worker.

Which begs the question: who is going to do this work? And who could do this work for less?

Maybe scout troops across the state need to step up and earn some merit badges. They could even create a new one--The Other Invisible Hand Badge for literally cleaning up the messes left by the invisible hand of laissez faire capitalism, which should have been slapped a few more times along the way and is utterly incapable of picking up after itself.

At least the prisoners won't be included in the next unemployment figures--unlike workers at Pulte Homes, which announced Tuesday it is bracing for a huge second quarter loss. Tuesday's announcement didn't include news of more layoffs. The company already is in the midst of a massive restructuring announced in May cutting 16% of its workforce. Standard and Poor's has issued a strong sell recommendation on the second quarter news.

On a positive note, DeVry University will be setting up shop in Southfield as worker retooling is a booming growth industry in Michigan.

Tourism on the Sunrise Side

How can Michigan become a national and global tourism destination? That depends on whom we are trying to lure to this splendid land.

I just visited the town of Lexington for a few days and stayed in a cottage community on Lake Huron. The place was pleasant enough with a sense of rural neighborliness that harkened back to my childhood--dirt roads, hand-painted lawn ornaments, grandparents and babies, meat-laden grills, smoky fire pits, barefoot children, lots of barking dogs, men drinking beer, fireworks on the beach. Clearly, families had spent the Fourth there for generations. It felt familiar and comforting, but not quite a national destination. More like anywhere U.S.A. on the Fourth.

Sitting on the beach was different, though--a combination of sand and large rocks, inhospitable to beach volleyball, yet good enough for sitting in the wind with a book. We saw lake freighters pass on their way to and from Port Huron. These are huge vessels, 600 to 1000 feet long--spectacular sights as you glance up from your trashy summer beach reading. When the weather was especially clear and the wind low, we could see across Huron to Kettle Point in Ontario, about 35 miles east.

Lexington's downtown has shops and restaurants in a small area near the harbor. The official brochure describes Lexington as "the charming little Harbor Village on the shore of Lake Huron." Clearly, the Lexington Business Association is working hard to develop the downtown. There is a sense of budding tourism and an effort to create a festive destination atmosphere. Family-oriented, inexpensive restaurants predominate--Lakeside A & W, The Flying Taco, and Wimpy's Place, to name a few. Just south of town, on M25, you can find the very hip Oasis Coffeehouse complete with Wi-fi for a dollar, vast permutations of coffee, and good eats. Try the blended iced coffee for a real treat.

But Lexington feels in transition, like so much of our state. There is the old economy--cottages handed down in families, the bounty of good-paying auto industry jobs. And there is the new economy--the same cottages changing hands in a soft real estate market, becoming rental properties of a new class of owners. There are remnants of the old economy--vacant retail space along M25--boarded-up auto repair shops, restaurants, and farm stands. And there are signs of the new economy--For Sale signs on practically every other building.

The shore of Lake Huron, Michigan's sunrise side, has a beauty that cannot be bought, sold or enhanced by any commercial human activity. Facing east across Huron's shifting blue greens, for a moment, you are complete-- complete as the Great Lakes are without the temporary human presence of politics, commerce, industry, or shipping. The Great Lakes, a natural wonder, need no improvement. It is our economy that begs for help.

Music, Prosperity and Legislative Priorities

During this state budget crisis, a lot of people are asking if the arts should receive funding from the state. Last month, arts advocates rallied in Lansing to protect funding already in the pipeline. The situation in Michigan is so grave that school funding will most certainly be cut next month. So why continue to advocate for arts funding?

I met with Charles Avsharian to get his thoughts on the arts, music and business in Michigan. A violinist, educator, entrepreneur and CEO of Shar Music Company, Avsharian was born and raised in Ann Arbor and has a unique perspective. His own independent spirit instigated what eventually became Shar Music Company.

Now in its 45th year, Shar began when Charles, a student at the Curtis Institute, managed to sell strings to Philadelphia Orchestra players at a discount unmatched by dealers at the time. The young conservatory student had the moxie to sell strings to the legendary ensemble renowned for its amazing string section. Chicago had brass, but Philly had strings–the “Philadelphia Sound,” cultivated by music director, Eugene Ormandy. Avsharian’s father, observing Charles in action, pursued this business idea and began selling strings by mail order from Ann Arbor.

At the age of 29, Avsharian brought his single-minded focus to the company and made two shocking career moves for a gifted violinist. In his second year as a violin professor at the University of Michigan, Avsharian resigned. Shortly after that, he declined the position of concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony. He made these choices in order to help grow the company with his father, Michael, and brother, Michael Jr. "At that point I made a full commitment to working for the company," he said. " Because I'm competitive by nature, it became my role to develop the company. I was lucky I had a brother and father in whom I had complete trust." Avsharian's son, Haig, is the current President of Shar.

Today, Shar employs over 100 people. A full service music company, Shar specializes purveying everything you could possibly need to play, teach or learn a bowed string instrument. They have an extensive website, a showroom in Ann Arbor and a booming mail order business.

Avsharian attributes Shar's consistent growth and success to being in the right place at the right time. "We offered a discount nationally when no one else did,"he said.

I asked Avsharian if he sees benefits to being based in Michigan. "I never thought about it that way. As far as our company goes, for mail order, we could be anywhere. All that was required in the beginning was a first class post office," he said. With the internet and shipping options beyond U.S. mail "we could be in a cave in Colorado and it would still work."

On further reflection he added,"Has Michigan been good for Shar? Yes. There are communities that have a lot of musical activity and interest--Grand Rapids, East Lansing, Okemos, Toledo, Ann Arbor. The Great Lakes states provide a significant component to Shar's business. There are a lot of school music programs and orchestras in this region."

"I think Michigan has a lot going for it. It is an attractive area. But there are short term problems. Mind you, short term could be 50 years. The Detroit area is changing; the surrounding areas are growing with new businesses. The government really needs to upgrade conditions for the underprivileged. We need to get things going to take care of people. But there are so many checks and balances in government, sometimes nothing happens,"he added.

On the subject of budget cuts to arts programs Avsharian remarked provocatively, "The arts are totally unnecessary. Man can live without music; he doesn't need it to live. He wants music. He can live without paintings. He doesn't eat them; they don't shelter him. He wants to look at paintings. He wants the arts."

Clearly an advocate for arts education, Avsharian said,"the only way the arts are going to make it is if the media steps up. In the U.S. the media makes things happen. We have to help young people get into the arts. Government is negligent in this. There are always other priorities. I would wish that our legislators might more carefully think over the important question regarding funding of the arts and education in the arts. I would ask them to help mold the political will of our government so as to embrace the notion that the Great Lakes State might also become the Great Arts State."

Can the market cultivate arts appreciation? Avsharian drew the distinction between active and passive responses to music,"You need to get young kids to feel the pleasure of making music. Not just putting it in their ears, but creating music." To this end, Avsharian would like to find a way to give back to the community. "I have an interest in getting kids started at no charge, perhaps through a pilot program somewhere. It's something I want to make available, a gift." But it is still in the concept stage.

As for Shar surviving in a tough economy, he said,"Oddly enough, in every economic downturn, and there have been some big ones in 40 plus years, Shar does better. I'm not an economics professor and I don't really understand it. More than likely we are dealing with people who can afford more regardless of the economy and who value developing musical skills in their children. They understand that studying music and playing an instrument are beneficial to brain development."

Shar emphasizes the role of teachers in its business. "The most important thing for this company are the teachers. We have a saying around here--the teacher is queen. They are the people we need to inform and take care of. They want convenience, variety, quality, free shipping. We need to help them better serve their students and students' parents."

So there you have it: the symbiotic relationship of the arts, business, education and government-self evident to entrepreneur in the arts. Now, how about the folks in Lansing? Could we really be the Great Arts State?

Small is Beautiful: Conversation with Glenn Bourland

Glenn Bourland, owner of Ann Arbor's By the Pound, says business is good. I met with him today to get his take on the current economic conditions in Ann Arbor and Michigan.

The store, celebrating its 25th year of operation, has been in Bourland's ownership for the last 12 years. Offering bulk foods, ethnic specialty foods and gourmet products, the international inventory ranges from tea and coffee to nuts and grains, spices and candies. Located in South Main Market, the store enjoys sustained business from a regular and loyal clientele. Bourland attributes his steady business success to his focus on products that are staples in the kitchen. "I sell things that people will buy even if their discretionary income is lower. Some of the products are specialty items, but none of them are very expensive," Bourland shared. Even in what most believe is a very weak economy, By the Pound is doing well.

Contrary to conventional business wisdom, Bourland didn't have a business plan when he pitched into running the store 12 years ago. But his instincts have proven sound and the store is thriving. His approach to running the place is very common sense. I asked Bourland for any insights he had to share with people contemplating starting a new business. "It takes a lot of work and thinking outside the box. You need to keep overhead low. I don't hire out anything I can do myself. I do my own bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, ordering, inventory, and maintenance,"Bourland said. He also mans the cash register much of the time. And that is where easy conversation cultivates longterm customer relationships.

Bourland considers customer service central to the success of his small business. "I like to talk with people. I'm not Kroger or Busch's, so the difference I offer is friendly customer service. I want to shop somewhere I enjoy going even if it is a little more expensive." And this is clearly the sort of welcoming environment Bourland fosters in his store.

In a word of caution Bourland said,"I remember reading once that if somebody likes your store they'll tell seven people, but if they don't like it, they'll tell twenty two."

Bourland's strategy is instinctive; he listens to customers and stocks what people want. He pays attention to competition and tries to keep a distinctive and high quality set of products. And he prices products carefully to ensure continued profits.

In January, a European deli called Copernicus opened next door. Bourland says business has improved with the arrival of this new neighbor. Over the years, different stores have come and gone in South Main Market. And those ups and downs have had an impact on By the Pound. Bourland has had to adjust product selections and inventory during those changes at South Main Market. For now, though, a healthy synergy is stimulating business among Bear Claw Coffee, Copernicus, By the Pound, Brazamerica, and Back Alley Gourmet.

Perhaps the effort to develop high density residential real estate downtown will add to this promising synergy. Time will tell.

U. of M. Speaks; Wall Street Reacts

Stocks Drop on Consumer Confidence

No, they don't just interview Michigan residents.

From the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia website:

"Consumer confidence surveys measure individual households’ level of confidence in the economy’s performance.
The monthly Survey of Consumers is a nationally representative survey based on approximately 500 telephone interviews with adult men and women living in households in the co-terminous United States (48 states plus the District of Columbia). For each monthly sample, an independent cross-section sample of households is drawn. The respondents chosen in this drawing are then re-interviewed six months later. A rotating panel design results, and the total sample for any one survey is normally made up of 60 percent new respondents and 40 percent being interviewed for the second time."

Interestingly, "Exclusive distribution from Reuters - Effective January 1, 2007, Reuters has the exclusive right to distribute the headline survey index numbers through its news and media services, reaching an estimated 1 billion people a day. Additionally, Reuters is offering a more in-depth view of this important consumer opinion data exclusively to its customers, building on the strong base of current subscribers. The new media partnership and distribution model via Reuters establish a stable source of funding for this important survey and also provide greater transparency and disclosure of the survey results."

So really it is: Michigan Speaks; Reuters Distributes; Wall Street Reacts.

Back to the Future: Local Resilience in a Global Economy

Hanging Mountain Farm in Westhampton, Massachusetts presents a case study in clashing global and local economic forces and sensibilities. It is a story of outsourcing, enterprise, niche-making, community, state support for family farms, innovative "green" architecture and landing on your feet. We in Michigan can learn from the experience and perseverance of the Aloisi family in western Massachusetts.

Owned and operated by Nita and Leo Aloisi, Hanging Mountain Farm specializes in maple products and features the Strawbale Cafe, a unique straw bale structure, designed by their daughter, architect Missa Aloisi, and built by friends and family over a three year period.

The Aloisi family's connection to the farm goes back to 1930 when Leo's father began work there. He purchased it in 1947 and Leo acquired it in 1983. According to Leo, the sugaring operation dates back at least to 1917.

In 2002, the family began construction of the cafe while Leo was still employed fulltime in IT with Dow Jones. But late last year, after 16 years with Dow Jones, Leo was "downsized." His job was sent to New Jersey. Other colleagues were "outsourced," their positions being sent to India.

Fortunately, Leo and Nita had been working to diversify their sugaring business to include a cafe. Although they had planned to develop it at a slower pace in retirement, downsizing compressed their timeline. They originally planned to serve pancake breakfasts during sugaring season, but neighbors urged them to remain open year round. Now they serve breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday. This has proven a boon to the farm and created a community gathering place.

The Aloisis were able to obtain state start-up funding for the building and most recently, Leo attended a business course geared toward small farms and sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Farm Viability Program. Leo said, "It allowed me and others to develop a business plan for where we wanted to go with our individual farms. There were 15 in that class and there were 15 different plans."

A big issue for farmers in Massachusetts is determining a niche product or market in order to sustain viability. Leo described the situation of dairy farmers as a case in point: "Farmers need to become competitve with products from across the country and are doing so with products that are specialized, locally grown or unique to an area. In order to remain competitive, milk producers are selling raw milk and organic raw milk. Organic raw milk is one of the cornerstones of the new dairy market in Massachusetts. It is sold locally on the farm or delivered to customers' homes." Instead of trying to beat Big Ag at its game, small producers are creating something that Big Ag cannot produce--a specialized locally-based product with the added service of home delivery.

I told Leo about the economic difficulties in Michigan and asked him what advice he might have for workers who have been downsized or outsourced. His words were encouraging and action- oriented: "Small business is the backbone of the U.S. economy. The innovations that small businesses create are necessary to the country's economy. Find a niche. Small businesses can find and develop a unique niche more cost-effectively than large businesses can."

As for the challenges of starting a new small business, Leo emphasized the importance of a positive attitude,"The one thing that has always helped us is trying to keep a positive attitude about what is going on. It really helps you keep moving forward. Lots of things happen that can definitely throw a monkey-wrench into what you are doing. And all you can do is just smile at it and keep going forward and try not to let it overwhelm you."

Chin up, Michigan. Get local. Be positive.

And wipe that darn frown off your face. . . .

Art and Ethanol in Blissfield

Blissfield, known for farms and antique shops, is also home to two unlikely neighbors--Flatlanders Art Galleries and Great Lakes Ethanol.

I spoke with Flatlanders owner, Ken Thompson, about his work and his perspective on the Michigan economy. Thompson said he situated his operation in Blissfield because the real estate was so affordable. That was twenty eight years ago.

An artist and entrepreneur, Thompson runs several enterprises out of his Blissfield location. Midwest Sculpture Initiative works to "raise the visibility of Midwest sculptors nationally and internationally, promote cooperation among various art and civic organizations." Flatlanders Sculpture Services can custom fabricate, install and restore large sculptures. And there are the art galleries currently showing works of Jim Cogswell, Kevin Schroeder and Cathie Royer (Feb. 11-April 15).

When I asked Thompson for his thoughts on the Michigan economy, he said he would like to see a more favorable business climate and development of a more diverse range of businesses. He thinks Michigan needs to be more than cars and farms.

Yet, cars and farms are driving the economic development just southwest of the Flatlanders location. Great Lakes Ethanol, operated by Lakota, Iowa-based Midwest Grain Processors, is the second ethanol plant in the state. According the MGP website, the plant will produce 57 million gallons of ethanol annually. The website also states that, "All of the corn for the plant will be purchased in the local area. Demand from an ethanol plant typically increases local corn prices as much as 5 cents per bushel."

If Michigan is to diversify beyond cars and farms, Thompson suggests greater support for arts and artists. As he summarized, "Artists move where property values are cheap; they rejuvenate an area and then the galleries move in. After that come the restaurants. Then real estate values rise, which eventually prices out the artists who move on to other cheap rents." He recommended Richard Florida's work, The Rise of the Creative Class, for further reading on the influence of creatives on community and economic development.

Even though the ethanol plant bodes well for development in the Blissfield area, it still takes more than corn and cars to build a diverse and thriving community.

Daily Affirmation: Michigan is More Than Cars

Just in from Bloomberg: GM, Ford, and Chrysler's March sales fell, Toyota and Nissan's rose.

"GM said its sales declined 4.2 percent from a year earlier to 349,867 cars and trucks. Ford's dropped 9 percent and DaimlerChrysler's fell 4.1 percent, the automakers said today."

Deep into the text, you'll find explanation that almost looks on the bright side.

"There were 28 selling days in March, one more than a year earlier. The analysts' estimates for GM, Ford and Chrysler are adjusted for sales days. Bloomberg will report unadjusted sales figures, which would be about 4 percentage points higher."

As this was explained to me by someone at Bloomberg, some auto makers and analysts make a "sales days adjustment" by dividing total sales by sales days and comparing those results. Bloomberg does not make that adjustment, in part because many dealers have extended their hours and cars are also sold on the internet. Bloomberg reports and compares straight sales numbers.

Okay, that was an interesting and helpful explanation, but it doesn't really take the edge off.

Just remember, Michigan is more than cars.

Third World Michigan?

Among the many trying to understand the state of the state, Prof. Bryan K. Ritchie, associate professor of international relations at James Madison College at Michigan State University, blogged yesterday about the parallels between Michigan today and Singapore in 1972.

"...Last week I presented a paper on how Singapore simultaneously created highly skilled people and attracted high-tech companies. After my presentation, a well-known colleague inquired if I had ever applied my research to Michigan. To be honest, I had never considered it. But as he talked I saw the potential application: globalization and an increasingly complex and technical international economic system is driving the primary location of competition to the state level. Michigan is not competing only with other states. Michigan is competing directly with Singapore and every other developing country. If true, why not act like these other countries?"

He goes on to offer a vision for business and government leaders:
"...Singapore’s success in the world economy has come from a mixture of technocratic and bureaucratic professionalism, strong political leadership, and active private sector participation. And by participation I don’t mean simply consultation. Heads of companies, leaders of unions, and leading academics have all taken turns directing the entire public policy process in key economic areas including forming, implementing, monitoring compliance, and ensuring enforcement of policy. The key to making this work is tight coordination between the private sector and government—not government as a regulating force, but as a facilitating one."

Still, in order to forge these alliances a lot of people will have to forswear an adversarial model of relating. United we stand (a chance of getting out of this downward cycle), divided we fall (farther and farther behind Singapore).

Made in China: Small Business Idea

Looking for a small, I mean really small, business idea?

This weekend, I had the pleasure of staying at a Marriott in another Great Lakes state. Our accommodation included VIP status and special perks, access to a concierge lounge with food and beverages throughout the day, etc. Our room rate, with tax was $144. So why were the cotton balls and ear swabs imported from China? Would little packs of domestic cotton balls and swabs really put such a huge dent in Marriott's profit margin at the end of a day?

This little pack of hygiene supplies struck me as absurd, insulting and alarming. You can be sure there are low-skilled workers in the U.S. who could produce little packs like this and would be grateful for the work. But their labor is too expensive. Think about that. Paying someone in the U.S. minimum wage to make little packs of hygiene supplies is too costly. Or perhaps the actual phrase is "not sufficiently profitable to be competitive in a global economy." I wonder what how the Chinese cotton ball packers live. I wonder what they eat and where they sleep.

"Willow Run is America"

Lately, I have been fascinated by Willow Run, not the factory, but the community. To this day, it is synonymous with the history of government, industry and labor in the mid-twentieth century, and it has become a shorthand for the impact of the global economy on the American factory worker.

Something to ponder from Changing Classes: School Reform and the New Economy (2001), by Martin Packer,"The Willow Run community was a child of twentieth-century state-regulated industrial production, born of a union between the wartime demand for complex fighting machines and the efficiency gains of centralized production, and the power of the federal government. The community was created, and then shaped, to meet the needs of large-scale industry, first the military-industrial complex and subsequently the equally massive automobile manufacturing industry."

Marion Wilson, authored The Story of Willow Run in 1956, two years after the land was bought by Superior and Ypsilanti Townships. As the federal official who oversaw the community's transition from temporary government housing to permanent community, she had a unique perspective on its evolution. Her insight that Willow Run is America held true in the fifties. Then, it was a hopeful statement about community, industry, patriotism, and grit. What about today? And more importantly how is Willow Run Michigan? More to follow...

Coffee Talk: Bear Claw Coffee

Chelsea-based Bear Claw Coffee, owned by Debi and Doug Scroggins, boasts 17 Michigan locations with more on the way. They are in a growth phase and really excited about it. Reuters reported yesterday, Starbucks is planning to open 40,000 stores worldwide (half of them in the US). This kind of conquest doesn't fit on a Risk gameboard.

I spoke with Debi, Bear Claw's president, this morning about the company's plans for expansion, her take on the Michigan economy and how she interprets Starbucks expansion. Debi is definitely a cup-half-full kind of person. She said that the Starbucks announcement is highly motivating and that Starbucks has "espresso educated" the public. "We love Starbucks, but they cannot compete with small business. It is easier for us to introduce new menu items. We can change on a dime,"said Scroggins.

Founded in 2002, the original concept for the company was to have 4 or 5 drive-through locations. Since then, the company has grown through franchising. Scroggins sees competitive advantage in the owner/operator aspect of franchising. "Our staff is trained to have a personal interaction with you, to remember your name and what you like to drink."

Bear Claw Coffee, an active member of the International Franchise Association, participates in MinorityFran and VetFran, two initiatives geared toward diversifying franchise opportunities.

GayFranchise.com is also collaborating with Bear Claw Coffee. Scroggins said,"It is a chance to reach out to the gay community and let them know we are very inclusive. It's a huge market. It's good business."

While Bear Claw is Michigan-based with an "up north" styled brand identity, they are looking to expand next into Tennessee, Florida and Illinois.

About the condition of Michigan's economy, Scroggins believes Michigan's hope for economic renewal rests with her people. "We have a midwestern work ethic; we're hard workers. We will come back,"she said.

When asked for encouraging words for aspiring Michigan entrepreneurs Scroggins said,"Look for start up help. There are a huge amount of programs out there. Get on the internet. Go to the library. Do your homework."

And, drink some coffee.

To Hell and Back in a Morning

About 30 minutes by car northwest of Ann Arbor, nestled in the hills of the Pinckney State Recreation Area, lies Hell. Through the efforts of local businessman and Hell native, John Colone, the town is experiencing a growth in tourism. Hell hosted in excess of 12,000 visitors last summer on June 6th (6/6/6). Not bad for a town of about 72.

The"business district" consists of three establishments--a general store, an ice cream shop, and a restaurant. Screams Ice Cream from Hell serves ice cream from the end of March through November and features a gift shop brimming with whimsical hell-themed items. Behind the shop, you'll find a wedding chapel. Humor plays a big part in all this. As the post card for the Chapel says,"Let's face it...marriage can be hell. Why not tackle it with a sense of humor, by tying the knot in Hell's own wedding chapel?"

I spoke with Screams manager, Janet Fuller, originally from Hampshire, England about her appreciation of Michigan and the US. She spoke to the wide open spaces and availability of land, the public access to protected land, the friendliness of the people here, and the relative ease of access to health care compared to that provided by the national health service in Britain. Though, she allowed that it is considerably more expensive here. She also pitched a number of upcoming events in Hell:

• May 20th, Blessing of the Bikes at TMZ Farms, an annual event that draws scores of bikers to Hell
• July 7 th (7/7/7), Lucky Sevens Festival and Las Vegas Night
• August TBA, Hell of a Cruise, an annual vintage and classic car show
  
• September 8th, Dances with Dirt, one of the top ten trail races in the US (50 mile, 50K and 100K events)
  

Next door to Screams sits Smitty's Dam Site Inn serving a full menu of homemade lunch and dinner specialties including stuffed walleye, Delmonico steak. The dam in town, formerly the site of a mill, actually holds back the seven lakes covering 900 acres in the Pinckney Recreation Area, where you can kayak and canoe.

Sure, the Michigan economy is going through a rough patch, but the good people of Hell can teach a thing or two about marketing, promotion, and creativity. If you have lemons...where ever you find yourself, make some local lemonade.