The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hoping a new business partnership will encourage the millions of people who love Michigan's state parks, trails and boating opportunities to quite literally wear their feelings on their sleeves.
Two private Michigan businesses, Peninsulas LLC and YooperShirts Inc., are working with the DNR to make state park, trail and boating merchandise and apparel available anywhere, anytime.
After a yearlong evaluation process, the DNR awarded two contracts to implement the retail program; Peninsulas was awarded the contract for destinations in the Lower Peninsula, while Yooper Shirts will work with Upper Peninsula destinations.
"The DNR provides safe, clean, quality recreational destinations and experiences for our millions of visitors," said Ron Olson, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. "This partnership allows us to offer memorabilia and apparel for visitors who want to show off their love of Michigan's great recreational places and outdoor spaces."
"Working with the DNR allows us to expand our product line, developing unique designs that showcase the beauty of the parks in the U.P., all the while giving back to the Michigan state parks that we love," said Jeremy Symons, president of Yooper Shirts Inc. "This opportunity enables our business to invest in additional equipment so that we can be more efficient, as well as hire additional employees to help with our continued growth."
Both companies will be responsible for designing, imprinting and selling the merchandise and apparel they create and will then share the proceeds with the DNR. Merchandise and apparel will be available through both partners' brick-and-mortar stores, on-site at select state park stores and retail outlets, and online at shoppeninsulas.com and yoopershirts.com/collections/all/dnr.
Funds generated by the program will be used for park, trail and boating improvements and maintenance. Each year the DNR, Peninsulas and Yooper Shirts will publish a list of projects supported by the proceeds generated through this retail partnership.
"The Peninsulas brand is all about celebrating the beauty and heritage of the Great Lakes State. As we get a great deal of our inspiration from our trips to Michigan's state parks, this DNR partnership is a natural fit," said Robert Jameson, co-owner of Peninsulas. "It is our hope that through creating unique designs on high-quality products, Michiganders will be able to show their love of their home state and support our precious natural resources at the same time."
Published: Tue, Dec 12, 2017
