Our Grand Opening that was held on the Autumn Equinox, September 22, was a huge success! The outpouring of support was fantastic! We are very lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Grand Traverse and surrounding region with our environmentally-friendly products and services.

The Traverse City Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors were on-hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony. As Jim Barnes, one of the owners, did a practice “cut”, we were right on track, but when it came to the actual 1-2-3-cut, he was so excited, he only made it to 1 before he snipped the ribbon!

We were able to entertain our guests with some great food and local beverages too! The food, courtesy of Crystal Lake Catering, was fabulous! Many thanks go out as well to North Peak, Left Foot Charley and Right Brain Brewery for supplying us with delicious beverages for the evening.

Talent is everywhere! Local artist and WTCM AM/FM Marketing Consultant, Greg Nachazel, did an incredible natural earth plaster demo on our back wall which we’ve named our American Clay “Play Station”. Gred did an amazing job with a metal stencil of his own creation, along with some really unique textured samples. The response was fantastic! Everyone loved Greg’s work and it showed interesting techniques that can be used when applying Amercian Clay!

Another added surpise for the evening was a special appearance by Derek Bailey, Chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Derek made it a priority to come out and show his support for Eco-Building Products, which was so appreciated. Kchi Megwetch!

Our appreciation goes out to Bill Policastro and the Michigan Green Consortium, a local organization whose mission is to create economic awareness and support for green enterprise in Michigan and to help it thrive. They held their monthly meeting during our Grand Opening, not only to show their support (and to enjoy the food and beverages!), but to introduce their members and guests to our store and staff! Please go check them out at www.mgconline.org.

Also, the evening couldn’t have happened without the hard work and dedication of Eco-Building Products’ newest staff members! Marketing Director, Melissa Hromada and Retail Sales Manager, Scott Bouma worked many long days (and nights!) in preparation for our event. Their organizational skills and awesome ideas played a large part in the fashion in which this event happened.

Many of the awesome product displays throughout the new showroom were designed and constructed by Eco-Building Products’ second owner, Larry Kinney. Larry has been a tremendous source of product use information as well as our go-to guy when it comes to media interviews and hands-on experience. Thank you Larry!

Working together, that’s what it’s all about. We encourage you to stop by our beautiful downtown Traverse City showroom to see what steps you can take to make your own personal environment around you cleaner, safer, greener.