Mackinac Island’s beloved Brigadoon is back from the ashes after devastating fire

Back in my salad days, I worked one summer on Mackinac Island.

I passed this cottage many times and was enamored.

Also, it was the first time I had encountered the word "Brigadoon."

As I researched the name, the meaning, and the history, I became even more enamored.

Brigadoon.

A place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality.

Amazing.

So impacted by the name, I held onto it for decades until the time was right to launch Brigadoon.

Like most new ventures, there have been ups and downs.

Victory and loss.

Smiles and tears.

The cottage of Brigadoon knows this as well.

On May 30, 2021, a fierce fire left Brigadoon the cottage severely and visibly damaged.

News of the fire spread across the island, then across the Great Lakes, and then across the world.

To see images of the cottage engulfed in flames on an island of beauty and tranquility was jarring.

But like all great stories of a hero, a challenge has been met and a future opportunity secured.

Successfully the cottage has been restored to full glory.

"Sixteen months after a devastating fire ripped through the top floor of Mackinac Island's iconic Brigadoon cottage, the rebuild, and renovation of this historic Queen Anne is complete. Its owners announced the milestone this week in a love letter of sorts to the legions of workers and well-wishers who have seen them through this monumental project."

You can read the full news clip here.

I hope you experience this island, this cottage, and this remoteness for yourself one day.

Brigadoon the cottage on Mackinac Island is not an easy place to visit.

Planning and multiple forms of transportation are required.

But a place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality should require a bit of grit and determination.

-Marc

The Chief question

If you are a member of Chief, are you required to list your Chief membership on your LinkedIn profile?

Seems too intentional.

Seems highly encouraged.

Seems inspired by Hotmail.

"Let's get our membership to tag themselves, share their membership on the target-rich LinkedIn, and promote our organization virally at the same time!"

"Brills."

See, back in the day, when you sent a Hotmail email, the default settings included the signature line: “Get your own free Hotmail at www hotmail com.”

This simple bit of code and marketing tactic was a massive success.

Within a year, Hotmail went from 20,000 to 1 million users.

Chief inspired by Hotmail.

Chief inspired by a tactic used in 1998 at the dawn of the Internet age.

Amazing.

Rare are original ideas, which matter little.

Solid execution, the use of winning tactics, and understanding human behavior have proven for decades to be a successful marketing formula.

-Marc

No limits.

Xi Jinping holds talks with Vladimir Putin at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, on February 4, 2022.

Xi Jinping will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his first trip abroad since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15-16.

As Micheal Keane and I wrote back in March, this relationship is no accident.

"Russia and China have an overlapping strategic interest in taking down the United States, as well as complementary business needs. China’s simple business model is to buy and import commodities and then to make and sell mass-produced goods, which it exports to the world. In other words, China seeks to import every commodity traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and manufacture every good sold at every retail store in the Mall of America."

Read the full opinion editorial here.

Putin and Xi: Look to Beijing for the real reason behind the Ukraine invasion
The Hill: Marc Ross + Michael Keane Oped

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc