Superior Woman--Spring 2021

RENEE PRUSI

journalist & icon

SPRING 2021

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VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1 SPRING 2021

Superior Woman is published quarterly by The Write Company,

511 La Salle Blvd., Port Huron, MI 48060. Circulation 5,000.

Co-Editors & Publishers:

Patti Samar

Marquette Senior High School 1981

Northern Michigan University: B.S. 1985 & M.A. 1989

Dale Hemmila

Negaunee High School 1968

Northern Michigan University: B.S. 1973

Advertising, questions, comments or story ideas:

Email Editor Patti Samar at pjsamar@aol.com

Mission:

Superior Woman is the premiere publication

for women living, working and playing

in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Its stories and features are written and designed

to be inspriational, motivational and encouraging.

www.SuperiorWoman.Net

© Superior Woman is the property

of Patti Samar of The Write Company

The Write Company is a writing, graphic design

and marketing consultation firm.

View our online portfolio at: www.TheWriteCompany.net

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CONTENT

3 From the Editors

4 Renee Prusi

8 Sara Cambensy

12 Mary Tavernini-Doust

16 Jenna Smith

20 Beth Millner

24 Melissa Holmquist

For more information, contact:

Patti Samar

810-300-2176 • pjsamar@aol.com

Dale Hemmila

906-204-8111 • dalehemmila@gmail.com

www.TheWriteCompany.net

2 SPRING 2021 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET

CO-EDITORS/PUBLISHERS

PATTI SAMAR & DALE HEMMILA

SSpring is springing, right?

FROM THE EDITORS

Cheers to the emergence of buds on the trees, ice melting in the Big Lake (it HAS melted, right???) and

hopefully a fabulous, warm summer in the U.P. is on the horizon because, that is what everyone in the U.P. looks

forward to the other 10 months of the year, right? ;)

This year the blossoming of new life feels like it is taking on a new meaning, as our nation begins to stir out of its

more than year-long pandemic hibernation. With many in Marquette County already vaccinated against COVID

19, we hope that we can all return to some sense of the “normalcy” that we recall from 2019.

Are you new to Superior Woman?

This is our second fully digital issue. We have created a full-fledged digital magazine, complete with a flipbook that

allows readers to turn the pages and click on embedded links within the stories and advertisements.

Speaking of advertisements…

In this issue, you will find advertisements for tee shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, wine

tumblers, beer steins, face masks (oh so 2021!) and other items designed by, well, me, as a

part of my business, Blue Water Publishing. All of these items can be purchased by visiting

www.43DegreesNorthGifts.com.

As a bonus: My online shop donates 10 percent of profits to five Michigan

nonprofits, including the Marquette Women’s Center and U.P.A.W.S. of Marquette

County.

Does your business need to reach the women’s market?

In this issue, we invite businesses in Superiorland that wish to reach the women’s market

to join us on this Superior Journey. If it makes sense for your business to reach our target

market of women, aged 35 to 65+, in the heart of Superiorland, then please contact one

of us, below, for more information about advertising in a future issue. You can also find

advertising information on our website at www.SuperiorWoman.Net.

About this issue…

In this issue of Superior Woman, we are pleased to present to you the stories of six

incredible Superior Women from Marquette County. All have achieved personal and/or

professional goals that would make any parent, partner, friend or family member proud.

We are honored that they are allowing us to share their stories. You will be inspired by their accomplishments.

Do you know a Superior Woman worthy of recognition in this publication? We are very open to accepting

recommendations for stories, so please do not hesitate to email either one of us if you know a Superior Woman

with a compelling story who would be willing to share her story with our readers.

Most of all, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read this publication. Your support means more to us

than you can ever know.

We look forward to spending even more time in the U.P. in the coming year as we ramp up our storytelling

adventures and meet even more spectacularly special and Superior Women.

Peace,

Patti Samar

Co-Editor & Publisher

Superior Woman

pjsamar@aol.com

Dale Hemmila

Co-Editor & Publisher

Superior Woman

dalehemmila@gmail.com

SPRING 2021 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET 3


RENEE PRUSI

JOURNALISM

icon

BY PATTI SAMAR

Words matter.

No one in the Upper Peninsula knows this better, perhaps, than

Renee Prusi of Negaunee.

As a child, she was taught the value and importance of the written

word by the pure volume of words that entered her home.

“I grew up in a house where every day we got a magazine in the

mail,” she said. “I grew up in a house where my dad was always

adding bookshelves because books were very important.

“My parents wanted us to be aware and informed.”

The young Prusi took that message to heart. She grew up, went

to college and became one of the most iconic journalists in Upper

Peninsula history.

The long-time Marquette Mining Journal staffer in April 2021

celebrated 40 years writing and editing the history of the Upper

Peninsula and its people as a staff writer at the Marquette Mining

Journal, the largest daily newspaper in the U.P.

Prusi’s place in the unofficial U.P. journalism hall of fame almost

never came to be.

“The first time I interviewed for the Mining Journal, I didn’t get the

job,” she said with a laugh.

Fresh out of college with a degree from Central Michigan University

in her back pocket, Prusi was working at Woolworth’s in the old

Marquette Mall, searching for her first job in journalism when that

fateful interview took place. She continued working at Woolworth’s

until, almost a year later, a second more successful interview landed

her the job.

She’s been there ever since.

Prusi’s storied career at the Mining Journal has not only spanned

multiple decades, but multiple areas of focus in the newsroom, as well.

She started her Mining Journal career as a reporter at the Ishpeming

Bureau in 1982 and remained there until 1986 when she became the

lifestyles editor, covering weddings, engagements and other feature

stories.

After that, “I’d go back to Ishpeming for a while,” until she again

switched careers within her career.

A lifelong sports fan, Prusi became involved in covering sports

in 1998 at the request of the publisher of the Mining Journal. The

chain that owned the newspaper was starting a weekly magazine

that covered the National Football League: “(U.P. Group Publisher)

Joe Bradley tagged me to be the Armchair Quarterback,” she said.

“I wrote previews of football games. I did that for four years and I

became sports editor in 2001.”

Prusi remained in the role of sports editor until 2009.

“Since then I have been a writer, but I don’t do much writing

anymore,” she said. “We have really good writers on staff right now.

“The last year has been interesting, because it’s probably been the

hardest year for newspapers all over the country.”

Over the past four decades, Prusi has witnessed, first-hand, the

evolution of the newsroom, first, as it was ushered into the computer

age, and more recently into the digital age where news items need to

be posted in real time to keep them relevant.

“It’s been an interesting evolution,” she said. “When I started, we

used typewriters. I was the second reporter in the Ishpeming office

and we had to call our stories in,” meaning, they had to write them on

the typewriter and then recite them over the telephone to someone in

the main newsroom in downtown Marquette.

“The transition to computers was tough,” she said. “Everything I

know about computers, I learned on the job.

“So, the process has changed, but the fundamentals are still the

same.”

When Prusi started at the Mining Journal, she was the second

reporter assigned to the Ishpeming bureau, and there were four or

more reporters in the main office in Marquette, and there was another

reporter based in Munising.

“We have three reporters (total) now,” she said. “Good for us for

surviving. I get sad when I see some of the papers that have folded.”

In recent years, even before the pandemic hit, the Mining Journal

had to learn how to pivot in order to balance the books while

maintaining balanced news coverage.

“We are six days a week now,” she said, noting the reduction of one

publication day per week. “But we’re not doing any less work than

when we published seven days a week.”

But Prusi is no stranger to hard work. Her parents were first

generation Americans who were Finnish. Her father worked at one of

the mines.

She had an early calling as a writer – “When I was a junior and

senior in high school I wrote for a Sunday magazine called ‘People’”

that was published by the Mining Journal – but guidance counselors

at school tried pointing her in a different direction.

“I was told I should be an engineer,” she said with a laugh.

She began her college education at Northern Michigan University

where she majored in social work.


“But one of my professors told me, ‘I think you’ll have everyone

living at your house,’” she chuckled. “I was getting good grades, but it

didn’t fit.”

She eventually transferred to CMU. “I’d always heard it had a good

journalism program,” she said.

The CMU campus also felt somewhat familiar, as her older brother

had attended the Mt. Pleasant campus.

Family has always been extremely important to Prusi.

Growing up, she was the youngest of five.

The 1976 Negaunee High School graduate said: “I’m one of 79 first

cousins on my dad’s side, and one of 23 first cousins on my mom’s

side. There are hundreds in the generations after mine. It’s kind of

overwhelming.”

Sadly, her mother died when Prusi was just 22 years old.

“She died the day before I started at the paper,” Prusi said. Having

a new job and career to focus on after a great loss helped Prusi move

through her grief.

“It was a life saver,” she said.

It wasn’t the only time in her life that working at the Mining Journal

would feel therapeutic to Prusi.

In 2008, Prusi was diagnosed with breast cancer. It felt, indeed, like

the entire Upper Peninsula rallied around her fight.

Her editors allowed her to write about her battle with the disease and

it become one of the two projects of which she is most proud during

her tenure at the paper.

“Letting me write about my cancer experience in any way was

cathartic for me,” she said. “I still get people who come up and talk to

me about it and it was more than 10 years ago,” she said.

Prusi is also proud of her volunteer efforts and the stories she wrote

“

I still get people who come up and talk

to me about it and it was more than

10 years ago.

”

Letting me write about my cancer

experience in any way was cathartic

for me.

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ness.


about being a part of the U.P. Honor Flight, which is part of a national

effort that transports veterans of war to Washington D.C. for an

organized one-day trip to visit memorials in the District.

All veterans on each flight are accompanied by a volunteer who helps

them throughout the day. Prusi first volunteered in April 2012 and she

completed a dozen flights in years following.

“I got to meet these veterans, and everybody there has a story to tell,”

she said of her experiences.

One of the things Prusi has enjoyed most about working at a local

daily newspaper over the years is her ability to help share the stories of

many people of all ages across the U.P., and she sees the way the issues

the newspaper covers impacts the community where she, in fact, lives.

“I think what we do is important,” she said. “We still report things

that other media would never bother with, like 50th anniversaries,

honor roll, and graduation classes. But we are digging for the truth, too.

“I feel privileged that people would share part of their lives with me.”

Prusi has had opportunities to leave the Mining Journal over the

years. But, every time an opportunity presented itself, she decided to

stay put.

“Other papers in the chain have offered me jobs, and it validates my

work,” she said. “I’d probably have made a lot more money if I’d gone

into other things, but I think what we do is valuable.

“The problem is people don’t want to pay for what we do, and we

are not a nonprofit,” she said. “But people still want someone watching

local government and telling them what is happening in their local

school district.

“I want newspapers to survive and I want to be a part of that.”

FUN FACTS

about Renee Prusi

• In 2019, she was named to the Marquette Area

Music Hall of Fame for her contributions to the

local music scene via her entertainment reporting.

“I love music and that’s one of the things I’ve

missed the most about the pandemic. I’m looking

forward to sitting outside on a lawn chair and

letting the music wash over me.”

• Saturdays are known as “Caturdays” in her home,

where her cats, Cash and Simon, are social media

stars on Prusi’s Facebook page.

• In Renee’s Wildest Dreams She... “is Aaron Rogers’

agent.” Would she help him get the gig as Alex

Trebek’s replacement on Jeopardy? “Absolutely!”

46.5° North

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SARA CAMBENSY

BIG PICTURE

approach

BY PATTI SAMAR

Last September during a meeting of the Michigan House

Committee on Commerce and Tourism in Lansing, 109th District

State Representative Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette), asked an

important question.

When addressing one of her colleagues from, as they say, “across the

aisle,” she inquired: “Shouldn’t the legislature be looking for a longterm

solution (to a problem) instead of solving just one problem?”

Cambensy’s ability to understand the importance of addressing

the “big picture” while paying attention to important details is what

makes her a good government representative.

Cambensy has taken that big picture approach to a number of key

issues that are of significant importance to both her constituents in the

Upper Peninsula and to all citizens in the state of Michigan.

Though in just her fourth year as a state representative, Cambensy

has more than a decade of public service under her belt, having served

first as a member of the City of Marquette Charter Commission for

several years, and later as a Marquette City Commissioner from 2012

to 2017.

Cambensy first ran for state representative in 2017 to fill the seat of

former 109th State Rep. John Kivela, who died in May of that year.

To fill the remainder of Kivela’s term, which ended in 2018, then-

Gov. Rick Snyder scheduled a special election for November 2017.

And when she threw her hat in the ring, many influential people

and entities didn’t think she would be elected.

“The Detroit Free Press had me coming in third,” she said with a

chuckle of that first race, in which she had to first win a party primary

before facing a Republican challenger in November. “You have to take

these moments and realize I do deserve to be there. I did my time. I

had 10 years in local government.”

Moving through the election cycle that year, Cambensy just kept

her focus on moving forward, one step at a time.

“I thought, ‘Are you going to let someone tell you that you can’t, or

continue on your path and show them you can?’”

She noted that having a tight group of female friends who were

supportive and encouraging was also a big help.

“Having those women in your close circle who believe in you, who

will encourage you and say, ‘You really need to do this,’ is amazing,”

she said. “It’s all about women helping women build themselves up.

“I’m hopeful that the next generation coming up will have even

more confidence and not doubt themselves,” she said.

Interestingly, Cambensy’s seat had never before been held by a

woman.

“As progressive as Marquette can be, we were the only district in the

U.P. that had not had a woman representative before,” she said.

“Two of my opponents had been in politics a lot longer than I had,”

she said. “And I didn’t have the time to knock on doors or do those

traditional things. But people knew what they would get; I had a track

record. Certainly, the votes I had taken while on city commission,


people trusted me enough.”

What voters got was a smart state representative who was willing to

roll up her sleeves and get to work on a wide range of issues.

During her time in office, Cambensy has passed five bills into law.

“In the time I’ve been in Lansing, I feel like I’ve been effective,” she

said.

She is most proud of passing the first of her five bills, Public Act 47

of 2019, which put into place the Committee on Michigan’s Mining

Future.

With multiple mining operations within her district, Cambensy

is more than fully aware of the economic impact that mining has on

the economy both locally and U.P.-wide. She is also aware of the way

that national and global economics directly impacts that industry and,

therefore, the Upper Peninsula economy.

Her interest in establishing this committee was also about creating

balance between economic well-being and environmental well-being.

“That is something that I’m most passionate about,” she said. “We

have tons of minerals in the U.P., but it’s critical that we be mindful

of how we mine and how we protect the environment, so we are not

choosing the environment and we are not choosing the economy.

“I want to lessen the fear of the extractive industries, whether it’s the

(Enbridge Line 5) pipeline going through, or mining and making sure

our water and natural beauty is protected. I’m out walking the trails on

Little Presque Isle with my golden retriever.

“If you don’t want mining in your backyard, do you have the right to

demand those are mined elsewhere for your modern conveniences?”

During her time in office, Cambensy has taken the time to get to

know a lot of the steelworkers in the district, and she is encouraged by

those conversations and the creativity of their thinking.

“We always ask, ‘How do we do it better?’”

“

We have tons of minerals in the U.P.,

but it’s critical that we be mindful

of how we mine and how we protect

the environment, so we are not

choosing the environment

”

and we are not choosing the economy.

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Prior to serving full-time in public office, the 1994 graduate

of Marquette Senior High School was the director of adult and

community education for the Marquette Area Public Schools.

Cambensy holds both a bachelor of science and a master of public

administration from Northern Michigan University.

It was her work on the city’s charter commission that led to running

for a seat on the city commission.

“I was on the charter commission with people twice as old as I was

and they said you really should run for city commission,” she said. “I

considered a lot of the men at the local level mentors, and I’ve learned a

great deal from them.”

Choosing a career in politics is not for the faint of heart, and

Cambensy has learned to roll with the punches.

“You have to have thick skin and be willing to look at where others

are coming from and not take any of it personally,” she said of some

of the back-and-forth between political opponents encountered both

before and after elected into office. “It’s about knowing who you are

and being okay with losing some battles or people not liking me.”

With all that has gone on politically in recent years, with a state and a

nation divided, often times, by political lines, has presented unexpected

challenges at times.

“It has been difficult,” Cambensy said. “No parent wants their kid

to go into politics. My dad said, ‘If you’re going to run, you need to

remember that you work for the people, not yourself, and not special

interests.’

“That has kept me grounded. I’ve always been able to sleep at night

knowing I voted for the best thing for myself and my people.

“If you do the work that the people want, they will reward you and

put you in this position because they know that someone’s listening.”

“

My dad said, ‘If you’re going to run,

you need to remember that you work

for the people, not yourself, and not

special interests.

That has kept me grounded. I’ve always

been able to sleep at night knowing

I voted for the best thing for myself

”

and my people.

Superior Woman

Women’s & Men’s Tees & Hoodies




MARY TAVERNINI DOWLING


FAITHFULLY

optimistic

BY DALE HEMMILA

Optimism is the faith that leads to

achievement. Nothing can be done without

hope and confidence.”

~ Helen Keller. ~

If there ever was a quote to sum up the time you spend talking to

Mary Tavernini Dowling, well, Helen Keller hit it right on the head.

In the midst of heading up a $5 million fundraising campaign, she

remains upbeat and confident, and convinced that optimism, faith

and some well-learned business acumen will carry the day.

Currently, Tavernini Dowling is chief executive officer of

the Hospitality House of the Upper Peninsula (HHUP). The

organization, formerly just known as “Beacon House,” now manages

21 hospitality rooms in the UP Health Systems-Marquette hospital,

the hospital gift shop, coffee shops in the hospital and in the Peninsula

Medical Center, and a cancer patient wig salon.

Of those ventures, the hospitality rooms are the focus of most of

Tavernini Dowling’s attention, as is the planning, construction and,

most importantly, fundraising for a new hospitality facility with a

familiar name: a new Beacon House.

The “old” Beacon House was a converted hotel near the former

Marquette General Hospital. It housed 36 overnight hospitality rooms

for patients who were receiving treatment or family members visiting

patients at Marquette General Hospital.

When the hospital was sold and renamed UP Health Systems,

the buyer decided to build a new hospital across town. That led

to the sale of the old Beacon House and a decision to build a new

Beacon House adjacent to the new hospital. With a new design

and an opportunity to offer even more amenities than the previous

establishment, a fundraising goal of $3 million was set to begin the first

phase of construction. This is where Tavernini Dowling and Beacon

House intersect and it turns out she was the perfect person for the task,

bringing enthusiasm, energy and years of business savvy into play.

Tavernini Dowling has always been someone who can’t sit on the

sideline. Her first business experience came as a teenager working at a

local retail shop. The Cat’s Meow on Third Street in Marquette offered

distinctly styled women’s clothing and accessories and gave Tavernini

Dowling a chance to get involved in sales.

“When I was in high school I fell in love with The Cat’s Meow,” she

said recently while tracking her business career history. “I was 16 when

I started working there and I just enjoyed everything about it, I loved

the clothing, I loved the fashion shows and I talked the owner and my

dad into letting me go to Chicago first and then New York to do the

buying for the store while I was still in high school.”

With a love of fashion and a convivial personality that lent itself to

selling, she found that her try at college following high school wasn’t

right for her and she decided to carve out a different career path.

“In the first year I realized I was not ready to be a student again,” she

recalled. “I really wanted to be out in the world; I wanted to keep that

ball rolling, all the things that were happening with The Cat’s Meow. I

had saved enough money to make an offer to buy the store, so when I

was 19, I bought The Cat’s Meow.”

But for Tavernini Dowling The Cat’s Meow was just the first step in

building a business career that would take her away from Marquette

for a time and expose her to a corporate world where she gained more

valuable business experience.

“I kept thinking there is so much more I don’t know; everything I


had learned was self-taught” she said. “I thought maybe the next step

would be to learn from a larger corporation, where I could learn from

the big dogs.”

So, after five years in local retail, Tavernini Dowling moved on to

take a position as a department head in a privately owned department

store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“I enjoyed that very much,” she said, “but then they ended up selling

to someone else so I ended up going to work for Casual Corner and

Career Image and I ended up opening some of their stores and ended

up being one of their top performers.

“I just always wanted to wow people; I don’t just want you to think,

That’s nice.’ I want you to think, ‘WOW! THAT’S REALLY COOL!’

I didn’t want a store to just be successful, I wanted it to be the number

one store. I always had that drive to see what else I could do, to use my

creativity to make something not just better, but the best.”

That drive and a nudge from a customer who suggested she might

be better served in a larger sales environment moved Tavernini

Dowling out of retail and into a different venue. She moved on to

Atlanta-based Lanier, a company involved in sales of phone systems

and fax machines.

“I ended up being their top performer and one of the reasons I was

so successful was because I installed a cellular phone in my car, back

when only doctors and lawyers and really, really rich people had them,”

she said. “That kept me in touch with my clients; they would call and

I would call them back immediately and so I had so much fun with

the cell phones.”

That “fun” led to her being recruited by Bell South, which was just

getting into the retail cellphone business.

“That was just the very early years of cellular,” she recalled. “I

thought that was just the coolest thing to get in on the ground floor

and work my way up the ladder there.”

And she did. Ultimately she was offered the position of vice

president of national accounts, but it was a job she turned down.

“I was flying to Atlanta, interviewing for the job and flying back

and I was just miserable,” she said. “I was just offered this executive

position with one of the biggest companies and I couldn’t figure out

why I was so sad.

“I called my parents and told them I got the job and they said ‘That’s

great!’ and I said but I want to move home. I realized what was really

important to me--the U.P., my family and I really didn’t care what I

did for a living anymore, I just wanted to be back home.”

Once back home, though, she wouldn’t be far removed from the

cellular business.

“So I moved home and interestingly enough there was a company

that was just starting a cellular business here and they hired me and I

became the Vice President and General Manager of CellularOne of

the Upper Peninsula,” she said. “And that was really fun because now

I was on my home turf and I was able to do something I thought

was really helpful for people in the U.P. to get them connected and

communicating better.”

After helping to get the U.P. better connected, Tavernini Dowling

decided to step out on her own. She established a marketing and

advertising business with her name on the door and then began a

video production company, all of which led her in a different direction.

“I found my passion was helping nonprofit organizations,” she

explained. “They didn’t have the money or the voice to tell their story

to do so much good and I felt almost like I was working for each of

those organizations when I would help them with their (fundraising)

campaigns.”

“

This is where I belong. You can

be around the guests that we serve

and see the difference it makes

in their lives during the worst times

they are ever going to experience,

and you see the immediate impact

you make and the comfort

and the care and concern;

It’s just the most rewarding thing

”

in the world.

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$4 from each face mask purchase donated to local nonprofits

$4 from the purchase of each mask sold

will be divided between these local nonprofits:

Marquette Women’s Center

U.P.A.W.S.

Thank you for helping us support the community!



From there, things got interesting.

Tavernini Dowling met her future husband, Kevin Dowling -- “the

most grounded person I ever met” -- and in their conversations, he

suggested that instead of multiple nonprofits, perhaps she could find

one organization that could really benefit from her experience.

So, in 2011 she was a member of the Beacon House board of

directors and they were about to lose several significant funding

sources. Someone suggested a celebrity golf tournament might raise

some money and Tavernini Dowling agreed to head that up. She

resigned from the board and took a part-time position with Beacon

House. The tournament was a huge success, drawing significant

celebrity star power from the entertainment world and professional

sports. And it seemed Tavernini Dowling was off and running in yet a

new direction.

In 2013, she was named CEO of HUPP to oversee their operations

and raise funds for the new Beacon House.

“I have three small businesses to run and a charity,” she stated, “and

I felt everything I had ever learned, every experience I’ve had, I know

I was taught those things so that I can use those tools to help this

charity.”

In addition to the tools she has brought to the process, fundraising

has benefited from a high profile partner. Steve Mariucci, an Upper

Peninsula native and former National Football League head coach and

now-analyst for the NFL Network, has been at the forefront of the

fundraising campaign. In fact, the new Beacon House will be named

the Steve Mariucci Family Beacon House in honor of their financial

and fundraising support.

“Steve has never forgotten where he came from,” Tavernini Dowling

said. “When his mom had cancer and everyone knew that she was

going to pass, the family came from around the country and they all

stayed at Beacon House. He could have afforded to stay anywhere, but

at Beacon House, he could be Steve the son. Everyone was there for a

medical emergency, and everyone respected each other’s privacy. The

whole family was able to be together, make their plans and be in close

proximity to their mom until she passed, and that was life changing for

him and he’s been the biggest fan of Beacon House since then.”

While that is one high profile story, it is just one of the thousands

of stories about the purpose and the blessing that Beacon House has

been for hundreds of families since its inception. Now, with nearly $4

million raised out of the overall goal of more than $5 million, it is those

experiences that still drive Tavernini Dowling to continue a process she

believes was what her career path was leading her to do.

“I absolutely get that feeling,” she said, “three thousand percent. This

is where I belong. You can be around the guests that we serve and see

the difference it makes in their lives during the worst times they are

ever going to experience and you see the immediate impact you make

and the comfort and the care and concern; it’s just the most rewarding

thing in the world.”

The business savvy she gained during her career coupled with an

abundant optimism and drive is a large part of the reason the new

Beacon House is on its way to becoming a reality. Oh, and one more

thing.

“I have the strongest faith of anyone I’ve ever met,” she explained

when asked if she ever thought the task was too much. “Here’s the

cool thing: knowing I’m not in charge — God is. That takes a lot of

pressure off you. When you are doing something that is truly pure,

this isn’t about any of us; it’s just a pure honest thing that we’re doing.

How could God not be behind that?”

www.upbeaconhouse.org

Superior Woman

Women’s & Men’s Tees & Hoodies





JENNA SMITH

MS.

mayor

BY DALE HEMMILA

When Jenna Smith was living in Colorado a few years back, she

knew she and her husband wanted to return to her hometown of

Marquette to raise a family. What she didn’t know was that following

her return she would not only be raising a family, but also helping to

lead the city. Following the 2020 election season, Smith was re-elected

Marquette Mayor for a second term this past November. That move

by her fellow city commissioners would validate Smith’s work as a city

commissioner and her first full term as mayor beginning in 2019.

Smith began her commitment to the city after being appointed to

a vacant seat on the city commission in 2017. She won election for

a full term on the commission in 2018, and Smith was voted in as

mayor by the commission in 2019. Smith, who at 33 is one of the

City of Marquette’s youngest mayors, became the first woman to hold

that position in 40 years.

“I was proud and excited,” she said recently while recalling the

meeting where she was elected mayor for the first time. “I also felt

that I would make sure that I do it right.”

Doing it at all wasn’t really something that she had in mind after

moving back to Marquette from Boulder, Colorado and then

Escanaba in 2014.

A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in

psychology, the move home had always been in her and husband

Lou’s plans.

“We got married in 2013,” she said “and we always knew we wanted

to raise our family here.”

Once back in Marquette, she settled in with a job as human

resources manager for the Marquette Area Public Schools.

When current Michigan State Representative Sara Cambensy left

the city commission after her election to the Michigan House of

Representatives, Smith applied to be appointed to fill out the vacated

term.

“In 2016, I didn’t really love what was going on with national and

state politics,” she recalled. “At the time I was meeting with a group of

young women who felt similarly and we all decided to get involved at

the local level, just kind of encouraging each other to get out there to

serve our community and to have more young women in leadership

roles.

“About 10 months later after we started meeting, the vacancy for

Sara Cambensy’s seat came up. I shared it with this group of women

and tried to get someone to run and no one was up for it. I kept

pushing and finally one other gal was interested and through that

process I decided I was interested so we kind of did it together.”

Ultimately, the commission chose Smith to fill the vacant seat.

“I have to say no one was more surprised than me when I was


appointed,” she said. “I guess the commission liked my qualifications,

my ambition and my connection to the community. I thought this

was a one year term and I could decide if I like it or not before I have

to put in my name for election, and I enjoyed it. I learned a lot, I felt

like I had a valuable role in the community to help and provide a voice

for people that might not have felt they had access to local, elected

officials.”

The one year experience was enough to persuade Smith that it was

worth pursuing a fully elected position, and in 2018 she was elected for

a full three-year term. It was just a year later in November of 2019 that

she was tapped as mayor. At the time, she knew it would be only the

third time in the city’s history that a woman filled that position. Holly

Greer was Marquette’s first female mayor, serving from 1975-1977,

and Glenda Robinson served in 1979-80.

“It had been an awful long time since a woman was mayor of

Marquette and I am very honored that I was chosen,” Smith said.

Taking over the gavel has meant additional responsibilities beyond

just being a commissioner, as she works with the city staff to help

plan the meetings and set the commission’s agenda. Additionally, as

mayor, she directs the commission meetings. It also has given her an

opportunity to set priorities and include her vision for the city moving

forward, pointing to some accomplishments so far.

“We formed an ad hoc housing committee to focus on the middle

housing market in Marquette; there’s a lack of a middle housing in

Marquette,” she explained. “Prices for homes in Marquette are sky

high and it’s difficult for a working family or young professionals

to buy homes. There are no magic answers, but (the committee) is

looking into different things we can do such as zoning or densities or

different incentive programs.”

Smith also has put a focus on addressing issues related to the

homeless in Marquette, and she has turned her attention to some of

the city’s public spaces.

“As a young mom, I saw that the park situation needed to be

addressed, and this summer in 2021 the Mattson Park is going to be

redone and it will be an accessible park for those with disabilities,” she

explained. “Having a toddler and infant, I saw most of the parks were

not suitable for a really young child to play on, so accessibility will be

good for both toddlers and folks with disabilities.”

She continued: “Some of the biggest goals on the commission are

just transparency, communication, making sure we have a fiscally

responsible budget, and keeping in touch with the public needs and

wants.”

Taking on the mayor’s position while holding a full-time job

would probably be enough of a challenge, but when you add in her

responsibilities as a mother and wife, well you kind of get the picture

Smith has a lot on her plate.

She is quick to credit a strong city staff as helping her be flexible

and Mayor Pro-Tem Jenn Hill’s willingness to step in during a brief

maternity leave. In addition, she said she gets a lot of support at home

when it comes to managing the needs of daughters Clara, who is oneyear-old,

and four-year-old Olive.

“A really supportive family,” she said, helps her juggle her home

life and outside responsibilities. “My parents live here, my husband’s

parents live in Negaunee and they help with the kids a lot. My

husband has been extremely supportive and I could not do it without

him. Without all of that, I wouldn’t have the freedom and flexibility to

take on as much as I do.

“I have a never-ending drive to help, and I struggle because do I have

all the time to devote to being mayor? Clearly, I don’t, but I share an

awful lot, I prioritize, and make sure the most important things get


“

I have a never-ending drive to help,

and I struggle because do I have all the time

to devote to being mayor? Clearly, I don’t,

but I share an awful lot, I prioritize,

and make sure the most important things get

done.

I delegate, I try to build capacity

in my fellow commissioners and give them

the opportunity to engage.

”

It’s a balance, but I really do enjoy it.

done. I delegate, I try to build capacity in my fellow commissioners

and give them the opportunity to engage in different activities and

events. It’s a balance, but I really do enjoy it. Maybe I wouldn’t have

planned to be the mayor, but I think it has worked out for the best.”

As for the gender shift in the mayor’s office after four decades of male

only mayors, Smith eyes what that may mean for future commissions.

“I hope that it paves the way for more frequent female mayors in the

future, or more equal gender distribution on the city commission and

in the top leadership roles,” she said.

Of course, for that to happen, more women would have to get

involved, and Smith is making efforts to enhance those possibilities by

offering her insight into the political process for novices who have a

political interest.

“My personal mission is to get more of the people who really care

involved in politics and keep them there; I think we need more of that

in our world,” she said.

“I would say especially moms who are interested in running for

office,” she said. “There’s a different perspective when you’re a mother

in the things that you want to make sure your community has for your

kids, which is why I stepped up.”

As for her political aspirations, any higher office calling is not in the

cards at the moment.

“I have no intention of living outside of Marquette while my kids are

in school so maybe ask me in 18 years,” she said with a laugh.

However, her initial stint as mayor and her re-election has left her

pleased to continue in the role with a long list of projects in mind.

“I am honored to be re-elected as Mayor of Marquette and I am

looking forward to working with the commission over the next

year,” she said. “This coming year will be focused on building and

strengthening relationships in the community to respond to the

ongoing COVID-19 situation, communicate regularly with the

public, continue working on critical city projects such as economic

development, capital improvements, Lakeshore Boulevard, the

Mattson Park accessible playground, planning, and many more

ongoing projects.”

www.marquettemi.gov

YOUR AD HERE

Does your business need to reach Superior Women?

• Women control more than 60% of all wealth in the United States

• Women make about 85 percent of household purchasing decisions,

with heavy influence in more than 90% of new home purchases and more.

• Women make 90% of the healthcare decisions in a household.

• Women make 65% of new car purchase decisions.

• Approximately 40% of U.S. working women now out-earn their husbands.

Give your business a presence where Superior Women can be found.

To advertise in a future issue of Superior Woman, contact us today!

Patti Samar

Co-Editor. Publisher

pjsamar@aol.com

810.300.2176


Dale Hemmila



906.204.8111


SUMMER 2020 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET 19


BETH MILLNER

GIVING

back

BY DALE HEMMILA

As a designer, jewelry maker and creative business woman, Beth Millner

likely never figured to be in the mask-making business. But, a global

pandemic can change a lot of business models and for Millner it meant

masks, masks and more masks to design, create, sell and even give away.

Millner’s vocation is jewelry design and sales, and she operates a small

retail outlet and jewelry studio on one of the main thoroughfares in

downtown Marquette, along with a strong presence on the Internet.

But when Covid 19 showed up and changed pretty much everything

for everyone, Millner and her staff responded creatively by getting into

personal facemask creation and distribution. This changed her business

plan and also helped keep people safe and well.

A Marinette, Wisconsin native, Millner now calls Marquette her home.

“I came up here to visit some friends who were going to college,” she

recalled. “It was my first visit to Marquette and I thought, ‘I’m moving

there forever.’ I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was here.”

Moving to Marquette in 2005 allowed her to complete her college

education, which she had begun in Wisconsin. She graduated from

Northern Michigan University with a bachelor of fine arts degree.

While still at NMU, in 2007 Millner began her jewelry business with

a storefront on the online marketplace Etsy.com and a booth at the

occasional art fair and music festival.

After collecting her degree from NMU in 2008, Millner left Marquette

for a while, though she was destined to return to the U.P. to operate her

business.

“I travelled around the country with my significant other, Mike, in a

popup camper,” she said. “We went down to the south during the winter

and then we came back here and I did three art fairs in the U.P. and it

went really well when I got back here, but I basically started in a recession.

“I had my business running five years from home. I actually started off

the grid in a cabin running off a little bit of solar power and used only

hand tools to be good to the environment and save money.”

By 2012, she bought the building that is now her shop and studio and

over the years the success of her business has changed how the building is

configured.

“When I opened here there were three apartments and now there’s

only one left,” she said. I’ve kind of taken over the apartments for more

business space.”

Early on, however, rent paid by the apartment dwellers helped subsidize

her jewelry design and creation.

“Back then, my average price point was around $100, so with the

apartments I only needed to sell a couple more pieces a day from what I

was doing at home to support doing this because I had the rentals here,”

she said.

It didn’t take long for the business to expand to where she now employs

five full-time employees and two part-timers.

“The community and the people here have always supported the jewelry

business,” she said. “It’s always been busier than I expected. We’ve always

been really successful.

“We use a lot of recycled materials in our jewelry and we make pieces

that are inspired by the area, and I think the jewelry is reminiscent of what

we all love. I didn’t realize how many people would be coming for gifts

and you want to give something that feels worthwhile and meaningful.

There’s a lot of mass- produced items out there that you don’t know where

they were made and who they were made by and the quality of them. I

think people want nice things that are going to last.”

Millner’s jewelry remains a reflection of the area, and the designs are also

based on the materials that are included.

“Silver, copper, glass, white gold, rose gold, yellow gold all of the jewelry

metals,” she said, adding that she also incorporates stone into her designs.

“I work with local stone from around the Great Lakes region, so Michigan

greenstone, Lake Superior agates, and copper agates, which are kind of

rare.”

While she buys some stones, she also does some picking of her own.

“I’ve gotten an eye for it,” she explained. “The beach is my most favorite

place to find them.”

So what began in a cabin in the woods has expanded considerably over

the past eight years.

“We sell hundreds of pieces a month now,” she said. “Maybe a quarter

online and certain times of the year maybe more; in July we actually

doubled our online sales, which is really great for us. We do all of our

marketing, photography,and graphic design in-house.”

In July 2020, the business received statewide acclaim as Beth Millner


Jewelry was awarded the 2020 Woman-Owned Small Business of the

Year award from Michigan Small Business Administration and Michigan

Celebrates Small Business.

“To think of all the small businesses throughout the state that are

woman owned and under 500 employees, that they picked me up

here with my small staff, and recognized what we do felt like a huge

accomplishment,” Millner said. “To get that recognition made us reflect a

little bit that somehow we’ve really done a lot here. It’s not just about me,

the award is titled Woman-Owned Business, but it took this whole staff,

this whole team, to get that recognition.”

So, about those face masks.

“When the pandemic, hit my partner Mike and I made metal pieces for

the masks,” she explained. “We made 2,000 and gave them away.

“Then we started working with a roofer and we made 36,000 and

distributed them all for free. We just knew there was a huge need. There

were all these mask making groups all over the U.P., and I could see that

they were needing them and there was no resource.

“I could see the mask mandate coming down and you couldn’t buy a

mask. So, initially, we were just giving away masks or selling them on a

sliding scale, people could basically pay nothing or whatever they wanted.

What was kind of cool about that is we basically broke even on that even

though some people were paying nothing or a few dollars and some

people paid $35 because they wanted to see it work.”

That initial foray into the mask business expanded fairly quickly, as

facemasks at the time were difficult to come by.

“In April (2020), I hired 10 people to sell masks from home,” Millner

said. “I got all the materials together for them. They had sewing machines

and skills, my graphic designer and staff had put together a pattern on

how to make these.”

Soon they were marketing, selling and shipping masks all from home as

her shop remained closed due to the pandemic. As the mask portion of

“

To think of all the small businesses

throughout the state that are

woman-owned and under 500 employees,

that they picked me up here

with my small staff, and recognized

what we do felt like

a huge accomplishment.

It’s not just about me ...

it took thise whole staff, this whole team,

”

to get that recognition.

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her business moved forward, Millner made that a large part of her focus.

“I had gotten myself to a point in the business where I wasn’t needed

necessarily,” she explained. “I would design stuff in advance with my

assistants making the production, so to have that freedom in business

to where you’re not needed in any particular area allowed me to do this.

I have a great staff that can do everything and because I have enabled

them to do what the business needs to succeed, my only role is designing

jewelry, which gave me the opportunity to do this whole mask thing.”

As part of her business, Millner has given back to the community

by designing specific jewelry pieces designated for area non-profits and

donating part of the sales price back to the organization. So far, the

business has donated more than $40,000 to various local non-profits.

“I can’t just make money and be so happy that ‘Hey, I made a bunch of

money;’ it’s a little bit hollow. I’ve got to give back because that’s how life

works; you give back, and then you are successful. You can’t just take, take,

take,” she said.

Subsequently, she has folded in her mask business as an additional way

to give back. She has developed designs for various local non-profits where

$5 or more of the purchase price is donated to specific organizations.

“I’m excited about the fundraising with masks,” Millner said.

“Obviously, it started because people were afraid and needed to be

protected, but now this is a fashion accessory that protects you, but never

in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d spend 80 hours a week

making something that’s kind of a medical device and a fashion accessory.

Everybody needs them and they are going to feel better about something

that no one really wants, but if you can give back, it makes people feel a

little bit better.”

So far the U.P. Children’s Museum, the Upper Peninsula Animal

Welfare Shelter, The Hiawatha Music Festival, the Vista Theater and

others have been beneficiaries of the fundraising mask program.

Designs and a running count of mask sales and donations are on

Millner’s website: www.bethmillner.com

I love being able to solve challenges.

I have a passion for the U.P.;

“I

”

feel like an advocate for the U.P.

46.5° North

Da U.P., Eh?

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MELISSA HOLMQUIST


CLIMBING

the corporate ladder

BY DALE HEMMILA

It is not often that someone who began her career as the company receptionist ends up running

the entire organization, but that’s exactly what Melissa Holmquist has done. She currently serves as

president and CEO of Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP), a managed care and provider service

organization that offers a variety of individual healthcare coverage.

Along her journey from the ground up, Holmquist held a number of job titles, each of which put

her in a position to better know and understand the business on a granular level, making her uniquely

qualified to hold the top leadership role.

“I actually started working here while still attending graduate school,” Holmquist said recently while

discussing her variety of experiences within the company. “I started working here at UPHP because

I was trying to find a job that fit within my schedule, but I also wanted something that was helping

people. That was always my ultimate goal. So I started here as a receptionist in 2002 and never left.”

A Crystal Falls, Michigan native, Holmquist received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and then a

master’s degree in education/school counseling from Northern Michigan University.

“Obviously a perfect fit for leading a health plan,” she said with a laugh. “But you never know where

your path takes you.”

In Holmquist’s case that path led her away from the reception desk in relatively short order as she

began to immerse herself more in the workings of the organization, which was one of two health


I’m happy to represent the U.P. and women. Being a female leader,

I feel that I have a little more responsibility to help out

other young female leaders or potential leaders.

If you look across the U.P., there are a l ot of amazing female leaders.

“I think we could teach some other areas a thing or two.

plans in the Upper Peninsula. UPHP had only about 20 employees,

but was beginning to grow, and grow it did. The company currently

employs more than 150 people.

“Right before we started to see some growth, I transitioned to the

claims services department,” she said. “I worked in that department

for several years and was promoted to a different position as a quality

control reimbursement analyst. Then I moved into our clinical services

department where I was a team leader for case management and

utilization management, which was interesting because I don’t have a

nursing background and traditionally those roles are filled by nurses. It

was a challenge for me because it was outside of my immediate skill set,

but it was really exciting and I enjoyed that work quite a bit.”

What followed was an assignment as assistant director of operations,

then a promotion to director of government programs working

directly with then-UPHP CEO Dennis Smith. Holmquist became

the main point of contact with the company’s contractors. Her next

step was elevation to the chief operating officer position, and when

CEO Smith retired, she was tabbed to become the new president and

CEO in 2018.

“It’s been quite a ride,” she said.

As she moved up the UPHP ladder, Smith, as CEO, was

instrumental in mentoring her along the way.

“His leadership and his confidence in me really helped me,

particularly in those last couple of years before he retired,” she said.

“There were some times when he helped push me outside of my

comfort zone; he was extremely helpful to me and a great mentor.”

Smith noted he saw a lot to like about “Missie” Holmquist and her

ability to follow him as CEO.

“Missie has developed the ability to see several moves down the

road in planning for future developments,” Smith said. “This has

been very beneficial in planning and implementing the remote work

environment that was necessary by the pandemic, or planning the fiveyear

projections needed to stay on top of delivering healthcare services

to the members of UPHP. She allows her staff to grow, learn, and

expand their horizons in their work and careers. She recognizes that

the best for the employee is, in reality, the best for UPHP and the U.P.

community and residents”

With operations in all 13 U.P. counties and connections to a dozen

Upper Peninsula hospitals, the UPHP reach is wide-ranging, providing

healthcare coverage and services to more than 50,000 U.P. residents.

“My top priority is serving our members,” Holmquist said. “I like to

surround myself with people who are smarter than me. I have amazing

people who work here. We have people who are passionate; that’s so

important when you are serving a vulnerable population. You really have


”

to be passionate about the work you do. That’s one of the main reasons I

continue to work here. My ultimate goal is to help people and I’m doing

that in a much different way than I ever thought I would.”

Holmquist’s work at UPHP recently received statewide recognition

as Crain’s Detroit Business named her one of the Notable Women in

Health for 2020. Crain’s cited her unique rise within the company

and noted:

“With Holmquist at the helm, UPHP has implemented the

Healthy Michigan Plan, which provides health coverage to nearly

16,000 UP residents; launched the Connected Communities for

Health initiative to connect residents with local resources to help them

meet basic needs; piloted a remote patient monitoring program to

help keep patients out of the ER; and expanded the transportation

department to get members to and from doctor’s appointments.”

“I was honored,” she said of the recognition. “To me the biggest

honor was that it was one of our staff members here that nominated

me and that made it very special.”

Out of the 41 women recognized by Crain’s, she was the only Upper

Peninsula representative.

“I’m happy to represent the U.P. and women,” she said. “Being a

female leader, I feel that I have a little more responsibility to help other

young female leaders or potential leaders. If you look across the U.P.,

there are a lot of amazing female leaders. I think we could teach some

other areas a thing or two.”

Assuming that responsibility and relying on her experience, she offers

some guidance to those looking to move up in their career.

“Don’t shy away from a challenge,” she said. “Be bold, be eager; I

think sometimes women may not take that extra step because they feel

a little intimidated, but everybody learns one day at a time. Take that

step.

“I would encourage anyone, female or male, looking to get into a

leadership position to get involved in their community. Join a board,

join a service organization; it’s a great way to give back and you meet

so many amazing other people, many leaders from other industries. I

think that’s really important, too.”

All of that advice worked for her, and now, with a seat at the top of

her organization, Holmquist can look back at her journey and how the

one-time receptionist has become the CEO.

“Drive, an eagerness to learn new things, you have to have a passion

for your organization, a passion for what you do,” she said. “Just

having that passion and eagerness to try new things and push yourself

and get out of your comfort zone and you would be surprised at what

you can do.”

www.uphp.com

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Does your business need to reach Superior Women?

• Women control more than 60% of all wealth in the United States

• Women make about 85 percent of household purchasing decisions,

with heavy influence in more than 90% of new home purchases and more.

• Women make 90% of the healthcare decisions in a household.

• Women make 65% of new car purchase decisions.

• Approximately 40% of U.S. working women now out-earn their husbands.

Give your business a presence where Superior Women can be found.

To advertise in a future issue of Superior Woman, contact us today!

Patti Samar


pjsamar@aol.com

810.300.2176


Dale Hemmila



906.204.8111


Superior Woman--Spring 2021

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