Sunshine and Summer Jobs

What the busy season looks like for a florist, dock installer, ice cream shop owner, and resort groundskeeper

By Sarahbeth Ramsey | May 13, 2023

Some jobs are made for summertime. Whether you’re slinging ice cream cones or trimming golf course greens, blue skies and sunshine feel like something of a workplace requirement. (Or at least a pretty good perk.) Here, we talk with four folks whose careers take off when the temperatures rise to see what it takes to work hard and play hard during these beautiful months in northern Michigan.

The Flower Artist

Jamie Beth Platte, Owner of A.R. Pontius Flower Shop

Jamie Beth Platte, owner of A.R. Pontius Flower Shop in Harbor Springs, didn’t start out in the flower business. Instead, she is a trained musician with a degree in vocal music and a minor in art. When she moved home 15 years ago, a friend of hers mentioned a florist job was opening and thought Platte would be a fit, so she applied. She felt the job would be fun, but it turned out to be so much more—a fulfilling career.

“Once you get into it, you realize it’s endlessly creative,” Platte tells us. “The flowers change seasonally, so there are endless combinations of color and texture, balance and size. It’s absolutely never boring. For me, as an artist, it’s completely satisfying to always be creating something new.”

Personal parties, or what Platte calls “local business,” have become a main source of income for A.R Pontius, alongside weddings. The shop uses about 10-20 different varieties of flowers during a season, bringing in hundreds of blooms per week. Some of these flowers come from the 11-acre farm that Platte’s family owns and some are locally sourced from growers in Cheboygan.

During the summer, Platte estimates she works about 80-100 hours per week. For several months, there are no days off. “I’m cool with it because I love my job,” she says.

Platte says she prefers to do the creative side of the work, with other team members managing the business end of things. “I guess that’s my prerogative as the owner. I choose what I want to do most. If there is something that’s truly, really inspiring for me, I’ll pick that.”

Flower Facts:
- A.R. Pontius has been in business for 100 years.
- The business needs several hundred flowers 1-2 times per week to make arrangements.
- They participate in over 35 big events each season.

The Head Dockman

Tad Dowker, Owner of NorthShore Dock & Marine

NorthShore Dock & Marine started as a side business for owner Tad Dowker and a friend to make extra income after work and on the weekend. During that first season, they installed about 20 docks. Now, in year 15 of business, they install roughly 1,600 docks each season. The season starts as soon as the water temperature is around 36-41 degrees—brrr!—and it slows down around mid-July. Although many team members are sporting a wetsuit at the start of the season, they end up in swimsuits by the end.

But the cold is only one challenge of the job. “We do a lot of installations on East and West Bay, and that’s some pretty big water,” Dowker says. “Anybody that lives out there is going to, at some point, experience a storm bad enough to knock down their dock or hoist, or we’ve had to pull boats off the beach or boats off the bottom of the lake. You can get some pretty big waves out in Lake Michigan.”

And then let’s not forget the ever-shifting water levels, which can mean a dock starts after a 20-foot stretch of mucky sand, in a foot of water, or right up against the edge of a beach.

“The water levels are a challenge every year, just because it can change the layout and the equipment needed drastically,” Dowker explains.

After the mad rush of early summer installation comes a slower and steadier dock removal season in fall…at least until snow threatens. During the off-season, Dowker and his remaining crew complete marine work until prep starts for the next season.

Dock Facts:
- The NorthShore Dock & Marine team installs about 6-8 docks per crew per day.
- The biggest dock they’ve built had 120+ sections with a 40-foot hoist.
- The longest dock was 600+ feet in a straight line.

The Ice Cream (Wo)man

Dawnette Wessell, Co-Owner of Bardon’s Wonder Freeze

Bardon’s is a nostalgic staple for many locals in Traverse City, keeping that same old-school charm and neon lighting despite changing hands a few times throughout its decades of operation. When Dawnette Wessell and her husband David bought Bardon’s three years ago, there was just one catch: She had never made an ice cream cone, ever.

Good thing the Wessells bring their own unique skills to the table. Dawnette says David is a people person, and he loves making ice cream. (Phew!) Meanwhile, Dawnette is all about the numbers and is meticulous about keeping records. (See their fun facts below for proof!)

Per those records, Dawnette tells us that the top flavor at Bardon’s is the vanilla twist, while the regular chocolate and vanilla cones are also strong sellers. Another crowd-pleaser? The flurries, specifically the cookie dough and Oreo flavors. Surprisingly for the Cherry Capital of the World, cherries are not the number one topping—chocolate fudge takes the medal for that category.

Evenings and weekends are the most popular times to grab a cone, especially in the summer. “There are a lot of sports that are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We noticed those times are pretty busy, as well as Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays after church,” Dawnette says.

Those busy nights add up to lots of cones and, hopefully, lots of tips from happy customers. Dawnette let us know that recently a former team member reached out on Facebook to say they were able to go through nursing school and are now a nurse due in part to the money they made working at Bardon’s.

Ice Cream Facts:
- Bardon’s has been around for almost 75 years.
- Last season, Bardon’s sold 32,850 ice cream cones and 1,016 bananas.
- Star alert: They once served Paris Hilton her ice cream.

The Man with a Master Plan

Alex Piotrowski, Director of Outside Operations at Shanty Creek Resort

Alex Piotrowski is a problem solver. At Shanty Creek Resort, he oversees five golf courses, the grounds around the courses and hotels, roadsides, signs, and fleet maintenance. That’s hundreds of acres and machines that need near-constant attention.

His favorite part of his job, however, is finding solutions and “serious problem-solving.”

“Every day, I have a game plan, then I have a backup plan, and then a third contingency plan in case all goes to heck,” Piotrowski says. “Then, we usually end up on step four or five for the plan. Every day brings something new, and you get very good at doing some serious problem-solving. It almost becomes second nature to you.”

(That second nature was well-earned—Piotrowski has been in this line of work for over 20 years.)

Piotrowski says the season starts with team building; everyone is getting back together and excited for spring. Small projects are started to prep the courses and prepare the grounds for golfers. Bigger projects, like finding ways to minimize the environmental footprint of the golf courses and meeting Michigan Agricultural specifications, are also under Piotrowski’s purview. He says Shanty Creek is always thoughtful about their environmental impact, including doing strict water monitoring and testing alongside the Friends of Cedar River.

Piotrowski adds that he also has an affinity for teaching new employees the ropes.

“Getting to mentor younger people coming into the businesses is another of my personal favorite parts of the job. I love teaching people the knowledge I’ve acquired over the last 20 years of working on golf courses.”

Golf & Grounds Facts:
- Shanty Creek maintains 100 mowers and machines in their golf and grounds fleet.
- Their golf courses see 12,000 annual rounds of golf (at a minimum).
- Thousands of golf balls are rescued from the ponds each year.