PETOSKEY – Tip of the Mitt SCORE, the local chapter of SCORE International, has selected Circle M Meat as the 2022 Client of the Year. The Client of the Year is selected by the local SCORE mentors from the clients served in the year prior. SCORE offers confidential mentoring services at no charge for current or prospective small business owners.
SCORE began working with Jeff Gardner, owner of Circle M Meats in 2021. Jeff’s story is as follows:
Jeff and his wife first aspired to own a butcher shop ten years ago. They planned for months, always focused on their long-term business success. “We were just about to make it a reality when someone we knew opened a butcher shop. Our lives got busy, and we tabled our idea, not wanting to compete with the other meat market,” states Jeff.”
But the dream was still calling them on many levels. Jeff has a culinary degree from Seccia Institute for Culinary Education and worked several years as a trained chef in many restaurants in Emmet and Charlevoix Counties. “I have always valued good quality ingredients, and I knew the high quality of products that Circle M Meat provides.
“My wife and I have six children, and four of them have developmental issues that will make it challenging to find conventional employment. It has always been our desire to own a business in which they can all be employed without condemnation or discrimination. I feel that the business that Circle M is, and the business that it will be in five years, is perfect for each of my kids to have a solid and rewarding career.
“Megan, my oldest daughter, has a degree in business management and a second degree in marketing. She will be our business manager and a key player in leading our retail enterprise in phase 3 of our project.
“Thomas, my second oldest, is currently working for Circle M Meat and is interested in the meat cutting and production aspects of this business. With the right amount of on-the-job training and his solid work ethic, I see him as the operations manager someday.
“My younger four are still in school and will be able join the team during summers for now. They will also have their own places in this business when the time comes.”
Jeff’s wife, Cheryl, passed away during the summer of 2020. She had been ill for months prior to her death which gave them ‘together time’ to discuss their children’s futures. In late 2019, they revisited the butcher shop plan to begin securing the kids’ future.
Jeff was seeking to purchase an existing building that he could convert to a butcher shop when he contacted SCORE in October 2020. He was looking for help in putting his dream together in a formal business plan to confirm his assumptions and ensure that his business would be a ‘fit’ in the community.
While working in that direction, Jeff had the opportunity to purchase Circle M Meat. His mentors guided him in completing the financial and marketing plans and supported him through the bank financing process. On February 28, 2022, Jeff’s first big goal in the long-term plan was achieved.
Jeff emphasized his appreciation for all the hard work that SCORE volunteers provided and is excited about his new business and what it will mean for him, his family, and his community. “Based on my personal experience, I think my SCORE mentors knocked it out of the park. They reignited in me the enthusiasm I had in the beginning by helping me shift my thoughts to something in my wheelhouse that will be easier and more profitable over the long term and provide a legacy for my kids.
“The mentors were thoughtful and helped me think through some of the ideas that were stumbling blocks and brought a valuable perspective from their collective experience and wisdom.”
Tip of the Mitt SCORE typically selects a client who has been in business for at least a couple years. “In Jeff’s case, however, he proved to us, with his planning, hard work, and very thoughtful/detailed vision, that he is sure to be successful,” said chapter chair Sharon Schappacher. “He always did his ‘homework’ and even brought some new business planning tools to our attention! We have no doubt he will build on the success of the prior owner by expanding his product lines, sales channels, marketing, and employment. We look forward to a long-term relationship with Jeff and Circle M – for the life of the business.”
SCORE’s business mentors typically are retired or current business owners, executives or managers who volunteer to share their expertise. To learn more about SCORE’s Tip of the Mitt chapter, see tipofthemitt.score.org. To request a mentor, see ‘find a mentor’ at score.org or call the Petoskey Chamber at 231-347-4150.
Check out the Circle M Ranch (soon to be Circle M Meat) page on Facebook or visit them on Straits Highway in Wolverine.
