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July 26, 2003Wuerfels' reputation precedes baseball ventureByRecord-Eagle staff writer CEDAR - It's all about families - theirs and yours. John and Leslye Wuerfel, along with two of their three sons - Josh, 32, and Jason, 22 - hope to bring minor league baseball to Traverse City by May 2005 because they feel the family-oriented entertainment is a perfect fit for the community. The Wuerfels plan to buy property at the corner of M-72 and Bugai Road in Leelanau County - assuming Elmwood Township agrees to re-zone it - build a 4,000-seat stadium and purchase a team in the independent Frontier League, all at their own expense. The cost is estimated at $6 million. So who are these people and how can they afford to finance such a venture? During a 28-year span that began in the '70s, John and Leslye Wuerfel lived the American dream as a rags-to-riches success story. The couple started in poverty - even living out of their car while attending college at Northwood Institute - but eventually became financially secure by building a string of highly successful motels/hotels like the Grand Beach Hotel and Sugar Beach Hotel on Grand Traverse Bay. John Wuerfel, who kicked briefly for the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League in the early 1970s, passed his love of sports onto his sons. Josh is well-known around Traverse City for his 46-yard field goal in the 1988 Class A championship game, which is still a state record. He went on to play for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan. Jason just finished his final year of eligibility as a member of the University of Michigan baseball team. Andy Wuerfel, 27, didn't play competitive sports in high school, but he followed his parents footsteps in the business world. He now owns a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream franchise in Seattle, located in an upscale mall near the University of Washington campus. When John and Leslye Wuerfel "retired" in 1998, they sold the Sugar Beach to Josh and his wife, Tonya, who have since sold it. Tonya and Josh, a nuclear engineer, have four children under the age of 5. Three were adopted from Russia. On Friday, the Wuerfels sat down and talked about their family, their love of baseball and their dreams of bringing professional baseball to northern Michigan. Q: Three previous attempts were made to bring minor league baseball to Traverse City, but all three failed, primarily because they were looking for a publicly-financed stadium. You're offering to put up your own money, which erases one big stumbling block, but you still have doubters. What do you say to those people? JOSH WUERFEL: Just look at the projects this family has done. When we decide to do something, we do it right. My dad's enthusiasm - and he downplays it - is infectious. He puts his heart into everything he does. JOHN WUERFEL: We didn't do this on a whim. We've spent hours and hours on this, making sure we do things right. That's the way we are. I told Bill Swanson (township planner for Elmwood Township), 'If you haven't seen them before, go look at the Sugar Beach, go look at the Grand Beach. I'm not going to put my time into a project that isn't top notch. Besides, we're not asking for any money. We're doing this ourselves. We're taking the risk. And where do they think that $6 million is going? It's going right back into our community, through plumbers and electricians and contractors and builders. Everybody wins. LESLYE WUERFEL: Our reputation in the area is that once we're dedicated to a project, we see it through. We've done our homework. Q: What kind of reaction have you received in the two days since your plans became public? JOSH: It's been pretty crazy. Our phones have been ringing off the hook. Everyone who knows us or has worked with us wants to be part of it. JOHN: I've already had people call looking for positions (in the front office). I had a guy apply for the announcing job... Somebody looking to do public relations. Q: What makes you think minor league baseball will succeed in Traverse City? JOSH: It's a family-friendly environment, family-friendly entertainment. It's something that isn't provided in the Traverse City area. JOHN: We tried to make comparisons to another family activity, but you really can't. You go to a movie and you all sit there in the dark. At a ballgame, you share an experience, you laugh and talk back and forth. I'll never forget hearing (comedian/actor) Billy Crystal talk about the first time he went to Yankee Stadium with his father and what wonderful memories he had of that day. We want to make those kinds of memories for people in Traverse City. Q: What is your No. 1 goal with this project? JOHN: We want to offer families something fun and affordable, something different. If you go to a major league game, then go to a minor league game, you can see the difference. The atmosphere is completely different. There's always something going on at a minor league game. Baseball is the primary attraction, but there's an activity or promotion going on between every inning. We especially love the idea of having a mascot that kids can relate to. We've kicked around a lot of names, but we keep coming back to 'Cherry Bear.' JOSH: The whole idea is to have fun. In the research process we learned that the major leagues are trying to disconnect themselves with mascots, but I think that's totally wrong. That's the stuff we want. It's all part of the fun of coming to the ballpark. LESLYE: Mascots mean a lot to a minor league team. They entertain, they do promotions, they make a connection with the kids. They're fun. Q: What else do you think this project will bring to Traverse City? JOHN: We're planning to build additional buildings for batting cages, pitchers mounds and a turf infield, so that this can become a year-round facility. During the summer we'd like to hold clinics, high school tournaments, maybe even bring up a couple of college teams while our team is on the road. Q: Anything else? LESLYE: We want upscale concessions. During Jason's junior and senior years, I went to every Michigan baseball game. I've also been to a lot of minor league games. And there's nothing worse than being at the ballpark all day and paying a lot of money for food that isn't any good. Q: Any financial goals? JOHN: Josh and Jason are young men, so I want to see them get paid a decent wage. But me? If all of the bills are paid and I don't make a dollar, I'll live. I want this to be something we can all be proud of and something good that we can leave behind when we're gone.
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