A New Year brings new beginnings and reminds us at Bottom Line Marketing of where we came from. Many people don’t know that BLM started in the UP of Michigan. What’s the UP? No, it’s not the Union Pacific, and we aren’t talking about a charming Disney film about a house that floats with balloons. No, for most of us at Bottom Line the UP means home, it’s leeway into a job and it’s the heart of this company.
The Upper Peninsula is a special place. If you have never made it to the UP, put it on your list of places to see. From crystal clear lakes and rivers to some of the friendliest people in the world, you’ll be sure to leave a piece of your heart here.
So, why do we live here? In the summer we can open our windows at night or even drive a few minutes and pitch a tent and not be bothered. The only thing we hear is the chirp of the frogs and the symphony of crickets. No sirens, no loud highways. Sure, you could get that peaceful setting elsewhere, but I’ll tell what you can’t get elsewhere; the people.
I’m not much of a gambler nor am I a betting man, but I’d be willing to bet that the people you meet here in the Upper Peninsula are some of the kindest and most genuine people you’ll ever meet. It’s really not uncommon for us to wave at a stranger while driving down a two-track road and talk about Whitetail Deer or how the price of gas went up 30 cents. If someone is stuck on the side of the road, we pull over and give them a helping hand. If we have an elderly neighbor, we walk over to their house and shovel off their deck and steps; it’s just what we do up here.
I think that’s what makes Bottom Line Marketing unique to the Upper Peninsula and to our clients. We offer that family feel, the helping hand, the extra mile. We want to see people have success, be happy, and reach goals; we won’t stop until we achieve just that.
We may not all be purebred Yoopers but we have lived here long enough to be considered one. Once you become a Yooper, everything changes. You become a harder worker because instead of just waking up and going to work, you have to shovel or walk through a foot of snow to get to your car, and once you get to your car you have to clean off another foot of snow and what seems to be 3 inches of frost below it. We complain about it once in a while, but not too often because we live in one of the safest parts of the country. No tornados, avalanches, hurricanes, tsunamis, or earthquakes. The worst we get is snow, and who doesn’t love a good snow day? Instead of sitting inside we bundle up, grab the skis, or start the snowmobile up and venture into the unknown.
– Ian Altobello (BLM Michigan Intern and Resident Yooper)