Part One
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Part Two
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The Story: Part One
"The economic impact is the full $3.8 million, instead of even a portion of that going outside this community, it's all staying right here."
A moment decades in the making -- the next Mackinac Island ferry will be more than a boat.
The Miss Margy brings together two Northern Michigan family businesses on a mission.
Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry --
"I felt that the visit to the island, the ferry ride to and from is part of that experience," said Bill Shepler.
And Moran Iron Works...
"Part of it is having your head aligned with your heart," said Tom Moran. "And that happens here. I like doing things, being creative. I like solving problems and being a value for my clients."
A partnership that means when these piles of raw aluminum become the Miss Margy cruising around the Straits of Mackinac, it will be the culmination of hard work, and a vision born in Northern Michigan.
"My dad had a full captains license which means he could take any ship on the Great Lakes and connecting tributaries of any length or tonnage and be the captain," said Bill. "It was quite a licence and he didn't get it by going to school -- he go on the job training which was tough."
Bill Shepler's father worked on the water, captain of private yachts and coal-carrying freighters.
When World War II ended, he saw the pent up demand to visit Mackinac Island and started running a speed boat service from Mackinaw City.
"Couple years later someone on the island had a 30 foot Hacker, he sold out and my dad bought the boat. I got my licence so dad and I were driving charter boats at night."
By 1950, the father and son team upgraded to cabin cruisers. The first christened the "Miss Margy" after Captain Shepler's wife, Margaret. The Shepler family business was thriving, on it's way to the service you see today.
"And then from there we had to make a jump. Things were starting to happen and we made a jump with the motor vessel Welcome built in '69, Felicity in '72, Hope in '76, '78 the Wyandot, which we are standing on now, and then the Captain Shepler in the early 80s. So we have a fleet of five and then we have one freight boat out."
But these days, the fleet struggles to keep up with demand.
"We have difficulties with the 9, 10, 11 and 12 departures," said Bill. "So we have to put every boat we have into service, and we do. Our lighthouse cruise venue has grown so now we have to use a boat for that, so it gets to the point now you have to be able to nickel and dime the people to be able to do everything, and its not fair to the customer."
"There were a lot of tough discussions about are we gonna go ahead and put ourselves out there at $3.8 million when maybe we should wait one more year, and it came to the point where it got to the point where we need to do this and we need to do it now."
And when they had to decide where to begin the next era for their company, Shepler's knew where to turn.
"We say it was founded in 1978 because that's the year I graduated, but I worked part time out of a garage and worked for my father in the lumbering business," said Moran.
Moran Iron Works in Onaway is the result of Tom Moran's passion for working with his hands, discovering welding at a young age.
"I convinced my high school shop teacher, who was a fantastic wood worker, a craftsman, asked him if I could use the metal working equipment, and he let me as long as I did something he could grade me on. So I started welding desks and chairs from study hall in high school."
A welding business that graduated from a rented building to an iron works in a massive complex built on a dairy pasture. Inside, a crew of 130 workers -- Moran earned a certain reputation.
Chris Shepler says, "what really sold us on Tom Moran was not only the craftsmanship in which they work, but also the fact that we are also keeping $3.8 million of economy here in Northern Michigan.
"When you tackle something like that and for millions of dollars, almost $4 million bucks, that's a big gamble when you start from scratch and want a ferry to twist a key and head to Mackinac Island for decades and not just a couple years. It's a huge compliment."
The Story: Part Two
"We are on the motor vessel Wyandot," said Chris Shepler.
This is winter every five to seven years for a Shepler's Mackinac Island ferry.
"We are stripping the whole boat down to the bare aluminum inside and outside -- everything, and then we'll bring it back to speed."
Keeping their existing fleet seaworthy is no small task, but for Shepler's, just keeping their older boats going isn't enough. They're adding to the fleet, and it's a monumental task.
Luckily, Moran Iron Works isn't intimidated by a big job.
Tom Moran is getting work at 4:30 a.m, as usual. Getting another day started and putting his reputation to the test -- building a new 300 passenger, 86 foot boat for Shepler's.
Everyday checking for cleanliness and safety issues before his crew arrives, Moran is preparing for not one, but three daily morning meetings focusing on teamwork and safety.
"This place could kill you a thousand ways. A lot of them don't even know it," said Moran. "Safety is one of those things that, you know these people are producers. They're more concerned about getting the weld done and getting the project out the door. You really have to do that on a daily basis. I've found that monthly safety meetings people forget what that means.
Next door is the big job -- building Shepler's new ferry. You realize how big of an undertaking it is when you see the pile of raw aluminum brought in in January. This jigsaw puzzle will become the Miss Margy with features never seen on a Mackinac Island ferry.
"This Shelper's vessel is a very unique one. Not only a three engine design, but climate controlled," said Moran.
Not just any welder can do this job. It turns out aluminum is very different than steel.
Well it takes a special craftsman, or a special touch," said Willis.
"Every team's a little different and this team has been specially chosen for this project because of their abilities and talents," Moran shop supervisor Eric Stema said.
Starting from the center, the team follows the drawings for the skeleton of the boat.
Stema said, "One piece alone is very flimsy, almost like a noodle-like, but as components gain that's where it gets its strength is from the design."
Several weeks in, and the progress is amazing. Constant additions to the keel and bulkhead -- the Miss Margy's growing exponentially.
"You'll see a skeleton," said Moran. "You'll see ribs and then those ribs tied together, and then that tied together so you end up with a skeleton, and you'll start to see the hull laid against it and at the same time we'll be building the fuel tanks and sewage tanks."
"Right now the boat is on schedule for a May first launch," said (Chris) Shepler. "That launch is going to be a boat in bare aluminum, no seats, no carpet, no detailing of the boat, no windows."
It's a $3.8 million vessel, but money doesn't seem to be the real focus here.
"And it's always been that way with me," said Moran. "Most business people just talk about getting big projects and make a lot of money. It's never been that easy in this business. It's always been about relationships."
"W we couldn't be happier with the communication process we've had with Moran Iron Works," Shepler said. "They are just great people to work with."
Shepler's could have gone anywhere to build the crown jewel of the their fleet, but they went down the road -- keeping the work and money in Northern Michigan.
"We think there's a lot of opportunity on the Great Lakes and there's no reason why those type of vessels cant be built here," explained Moran
The Miss Margy on her way to making history before she ever touches the water.
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