2005. It has since become an invaluable asset to the Michi-gan food business community. Clients come from as far away as Detroit and Lansing, and consider the extra expense of time and gas small inconve-niences compared to the ben-efits they receive.

“We drove regularly from Traverse City to Hart, where we mixed up our product at the Starting Block and pack-aged and labeled it,” says Gene Van Koevering, who, with his partner Jerry Timmer, founded Uncle Gene’s Backwoods Pret-zels. “It was four hours driving, plus gas, but it was worth it. The Starting Block really pro-vided a great platform to start without the investment of rent-ing a building and equipment.”

“One of the pluses of any incubator, kitchen or manu-facturing, is that your capital needs are zero,” notes Steiner. “You just rent kitchen time for a nominal fee.”

But the Starting Block pro-vides far more than just a test kitchen. There’s low cost office rent that includes a computer, phone, Internet access and of-fice support. There’s a resource library, and copy and fax ma-chines. Steiner, a retired entre-preneur in the computer whole-sale business, gives advice and support in budgets, business planning and marketing, while his partners — kitchen manag-er Jim Henley and his wife, of-fice manager Jane Dosemagen — supply all the services and guidance a novice enterprise needs to get licensed and MDA approved.

“I get them started with pa-perwork, scheduling, sanitation information,” says Dosema-gen. “Jim gets people started with their process in the kitch-en before they get licensed in preparation for their meeting

with the MDA food inspector.”Henley, a chef and former

restaurant owner whose credits include managing the Target Corporate Cafeteria, currently runs the food service operation at Pentwater School and is gen-erous with his experience and know-how.

“Jim works with clients on batching up recipes, saving steps, safety and all that stuff,” says Dosemagen. “And since we recently became USDA cer-tified, if somebody wants to do a meat product, Jim works with them on HACCP — Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. You have to do that plan before you can manufacture a meat product. We’re also FDA certified, for anything that’s acidified, like pickles, salsa or hot sauce.”

Above all, the Starting Block encourages product creativity. “Nobody’s making a run of the mill commodity here,” Steiner states with pride. “We’re food artisans here.”

Like Wee Bee Jammin’, one of the Starting Block’s most successful graduate business-es. “They’re making jam big time,” notes Steiner. “They buy all local fruit, frozen, and do magic with it.”

Under the motto of “Keepin’ it Real,” Wee Bee Jammin’ creates products with enticing names like Strawberry Shim-mer; Toe Jam, a Michigan mixed fruit medley; Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie Fruit Butter; Saskatoon “Berries from the Prairie;” or Christmas Cranberry, featuring Michigan cranberries and apples, sugar and spices. Their packaging is high end, as are their prices, which range from $7.50 to $9 for a 9 oz. jar.

How can they make a go of it in such a competitive market?

“They’ve created a unique product that people are willing to pay for,” explains Steiner. “They use all local, all natural ingredients. They have unique flavors that people can’t find elsewhere. They do beautiful packaging. In short, they’ve created a successful niche mar-ket.”

What, to Steiner, is the best part about his job?

“I think it’s all about com-municating enchantment,” he smiles. “I’ve been inspired by

Guy Kawasaki’s book, The Art of the Start. Kawasaki was a leader at Apple, and he main-tains that the key word for any successful business is enchant-ment. Whether you’re working for yourself or someone else. You have to enchant your cus-tomers, and the only way to do that is to be enchanted with your own product. So I encour-

age our clients to be enchanted with what they’re making, and to spread that enchantment.

“So often, people can find all the reasons in the world for not acting on their dreams. Our society encourages the ‘Yes, but…’ mentality. I tell clients, ‘Don’t say, yes, but. Say, yes, and then, and what? I would like to create an entrepreneurial

garden here with people seeing the glass as half full.”

And, most importantly, not being afraid of failure.

“Success is all about mak-ing mistakes and learning from

them,” says Steiner. “I like to tell people, fail early. Fail fast. Fail often. And fail cheap.”

As for the Starting Block’s graduates, they have nothing but praise for their mentors.

Dip Sensationswww.dipsensations.com Bill Goedert and his wife, Vicki, launched their business,

Dip Sensations, in 2005.“I’d been in the restaurant industry for 20 years,” says Go-

edert. “I tasted a lot of prepared dip mixes and thought we could do better.”

The Goederts started Dip Sensations from home. They sold at farmers markets and other event venues. Then in 2006, they went to the MSU Product Center.

“They sent us to the Starting Block,” Goedert recalls. “It was the nearest licensed kitchen at that time. And we found that the resources there were superior to the others in Michi-gan.”

The Starting Block helped the Goederts with licensing and “how to do things right,” says Goedert. “They had the equip-ment, the space and everything we needed to do what we had to do. And one of the best things about them is the fact that they’re always there for you, even after you graduate. To this day, if I have a question I can call Ron and he’ll have an answer, or lead me to it.”

Dip Sensations offers a wide variety of products, including gourmet dip mixes, fruit and dessert dip mixes, cheeseball mixes, fondue mixes, soup mixes, Michigan Berry Cookie Mixes and more.

“The biggest challenge for us is marketing,” Goedert re-flects. “You have to do a lot of leg work, going out to the stores, finding the right person, handing out samples. As of now, we’re in 60-plus stores in Michigan, In your area, Han-sen Foods carries us, mainly in the summer.

“We mostly want to get into grocery stores and mail order. Our goal is to be financially self-sufficient. We don’t plan to be millionaires.”

istee. “I went and met Ron and Jim and Jane. The Starting Block was what we needed at that point, so we signed up. They were very helpful, because we were not ready to make the financial com-mitment to buy the necessary equipment to run our own kitchen. That would have been something like $250,000. The facility was what we needed. And eventually, to cut down on our time and ex-pense, Ron was kind enough to sell us the mixing drum we were using there, so we could make the product in Traverse City instead of coming all the way to Hart to mix it.”

Uncle Gene’s recently picked up 50 Meijer stores, and sales are steadily growing. “Our unique fla-vor profiles and the fact that we’re Michigan-made set us apart, and that’s what attracted Meijer,” says Van Koevering. “But it takes a lot of time and persistence. You’ve got to have volume and the only way you get that is with distribution. That’s our biggest challenge. So we’re happy to have companies like Cracker Barrel and Meijer, who have their own distributors and pick up our product themselves.”

Oceana’s Herald-JOurnal • MarcH 1, 2012 • 7a

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Scott’s Gourmet Cookie Co.www.scottsgourmetcookieco.com“I’ve been baking all my life” says Whitehall-based Scott

Learman. But a hobby suddenly turned into an entrepreneurial plunge when he took a bunch of cookies he’d baked from an old family recipe to a New Year’s party in 2008.

Learman’s friends went gaga over the treats and encouraged him to sell them, as did his “love” and current “marketing guru,” Cheryl Daniels.

In a mass taste test, Learman began shipping his wares across country to friends and family. The response was so posi-tive that he got a company name and went to the Starting Block.

“The Starting Block was exactly what I needed to get licensed and become legit,” he says. “They were great. And I have to commend them about follow through. They were very efficient about that, and were very nice.”

In October 2009, Learman formed Scott’s Gourmet Cookie Co., maker of OAT-alicious® Gourmet Cookies.

“I spent all my own money,” he says. “It’s been a challenge — you have to sell a lot of cookies to make it. I sell at Montague Foods and Health Hut in Muskegon. I’m in Saffrons in Grand Rapids, and I also sell in Detroit. I do my own delivery, and I do demos. You’ve got to get it out there. And I’m taking advantage of social media, which is huge. Seventy two percent of all social media is about food.”

Learman is excited about being accepted to the National As-sociation for Specialty Food Trade — NASFT. “I’ll be going to Washington to compete for their SOFI — Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation — award. If you win, it means you’ve got the best product in the world in your category.”

Learman, who firmly believes that he’s “very close to cookie greatness,” has total faith in his company — and the passion to make it famous.

In other words, he’s enchanted with his product and is bound and determined to spread that enchantment to everyone.

“I recently got a message from a woman, saying, ‘I love your cookies, and the store I go to is out of them. Where can I get them? I’m willing to drive however far I have to. They’re the best!’”

Learman laughs. “Those are the things that keep you going.”

Pretzelsfrom Page 1a

A handful of the many prod-ucts that got their start or are currently made at the Start-ing Block in Hart.

Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal

Where food dreams come truefrom Page 1a

Snow ballJeannie Bromley, left, charges

towards a ball hit to right field Satur-day, Feb. 25 during the annual Crystal Valley Care Fund Softball Tournament. Team Sparties defeated team Sunamy in the championship game of the six team tournament. Bill Oleen, above middle, takes a swing at the ball. Matt Riddell, top right, swings for the fences. Joy Oleen, right, touches home as Mark Robbins misplays the ball during a play at the plate.

Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal