|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
June 20, 2004Beekeeper follows grandfather's callingSuttons Bay grad hopes to expand businessJeremy Jelinek never met his paternal grandfather, but relatives say the two are almost identical.Jelinek's grandfather, Jim, once kept the second-largest apiary in Michigan. Jelinek, who just graduated from Suttons Bay High School, started keeping bees when he was four years old, wearing a snowmobile suit for protection because he was too small for beekeeping clothes. While other kids around Suttons Bay spent the summer playing, Jelinek was usually at work. "Jeremy was born right after my dad died," said his uncle, Bob Jelinek. "We sold most of the business, but he had a passion for it, just like my dad, who also started young. "When other kids would be swimming in the lake, Jeremy used to drive past our house with a riding lawnmower and hives on the back." Jeremy, 18, who has about 250 hives under the title of Jelinek Apiaries, just took out a $15,000 loan and is building an operations facility on his family's property, complete with a docking bay for semi-trucks. "I love bees. This is what I want to do," said Jelinek, who already has worked as a farmer, a truck driver and a custodian with Suttons Bay, as well as being a talented welder. "I have a lot of things I can fall back on if I have to, but bees are what I want to do." But things haven't always gone smoothly. Jelinek's father, Rick, was in a head-on collision in February that almost took his life. Jelinek knew there was a bad accident, but didn't get the news that his father was involved until he drove up to the scene and heard the news from firefighters. "The doctors didn't really think he was going to make it, but he did," said Jelinek. "It got all so cluttered. I didn't know what to do anymore, but he is doing really well now...I have never been so scared in my life when that happened." He hopes that when some of the older beekeepers in the area decide to close, he will be able to buy out those businesses and someday have over 5,000 hives. "I am working a lot and raising money to build up the business," he said. "I will be the biggest beekeeper in Michigan someday." But despite his early successes, Jelinek said it isn't always easy to own a business. "At times last year I became depressed about how my business was coming along and would bring myself down, but you get over it," said Jelinek. "I am proud of what I have done. I always say you need to work hard and it will all pay off. It has for me already."
|
|
