Traverse City’s 7Over70 Are Not Slowing Down

Is 70 the new 50? Our latest 7Over70 class makes a case. From farmers to philanthropists to entrepreneurs, these seven locals are shaping the region’s economy and community. Meet TCBN’s first 7Over70 class since 2019.

Jim Bardenhagen

How It All Began: Bardenhagen grew up on his family’s centennial farm in Suttons Bay, graduated from Leland Public School in 1962 and earned a degree in marketing and transportation at Michigan State University. A job with Union Carbide took him to New York in 1966, but in 1980 he returned home to buy the family farm from his retiring father.

Most Memorable Roles: At Union Carbide, Bardenhagen helped move railcar tracking from telex messages to early desktop computers. Back in Leelanau County, his work centered on helping farmers succeed. He joined MSU Extension in 1987 and spent 20 years as county extension director. He also served eight years on the Federal Crop Insurance Board as a specialty crop representative, working alongside colleagues from across the country who remain close friends.

Not Slowing Down: Bardenhagen sold the farm to his son Chris and daughter-in-law in 2023, but still helps with daily operations. He also serves as president of both the Leelanau Peninsula Economic Foundation and MI Farm Cooperative, a food hub representing 25 growers. Other commitments include farmland preservation, housing, and church missions — keeping him closely connected to the community he returned to more than four decades ago.

Lowell Gruman

How It All Began: Gruman’s route into finance began with physics at Dartmouth, philosophy at Edinburgh and a job in the Citibank chairman’s think tank in Manhattan. That unexpected combination launched a 30-year financial career in southeast Asia, principally Singapore. He and his wife, Mary, moved to Traverse City in 2010, drawn by his childhood summers on Crystal Lake and a desire to give their children an American connection.

Most Memorable Roles: While overseeing H.J. Heinz’s Asian businesses, Gruman became trapped in a Central Java noodle factory during Indonesia’s 1998 upheaval. Electricity and telephone service disappeared, and a threatening mob gathered outside the compound, where more than 800 workers were inside. The unlikely solution? Tossing hundreds of boxes of instant noodles over the gates. The crowd dispersed and went home to eat.

Years later, Gruman and Casey Cowell discovered a shared interest in growing Traverse City’s economy while serving on Interlochen’s board. They began working together at Boomerang Catapult in 2017, investing in businesses with the potential to create high-value jobs.

Not Slowing Down: Alongside Boomerang Catapult, Gruman chairs Promethient’s board and serves as a director at 20Fathoms. He also helped transform Cherryland Center’s former Kmart into a home for the Traverse City Curling Club and Traverse Symphony Orchestra. Building businesses remains his favorite pursuit — especially when it brings jobs, families and investment to Traverse City.

Peg Jonkhoff

How It All Began: Raised in Leelanau County, Jonkhoff learned about business from her parents’ home building company and her aunt Dorothy, who owned the Glen Lake Workshop. She put those lessons to work at Milliken’s department store, first on its youth advisory council and later as its junior department buyer. Staying in northern Michigan after high school allowed her to continue working at Milliken’s while attending NMC, before transferring to Ferris State University.

Most Memorable Roles: For 30 years, Jonkhoff helped carry on her family’s funeral service legacy as co-owner of Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home. Her daughters, Christy and Lindsey, now run the business. Her community leadership has extended to the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, Traverse City Country Club, Zonta Club, the National Cherry Festival, and the NMC Foundation Board — organizations that reflect the deep local roots she built early in her career.

Not Slowing Down: Having recently turned 70, Jonkhoff is this year’s youngest honoree. Her busy year included anniversary celebrations for NMC and the National Cherry Festival, work on Mission Hill Church’s pastoral transition team and chairing Zonta’s Festival of Trees Tall Tree Gallery. She also recently received the NMC Fellow and Zonta Outstanding Woman Leader awards. Next, she hopes to help the Traverse Area District Library move history-related materials to the Carnegie building, creating a new downtown history hub.

Marty Lagina

How It All Began: Born in Iron Mountain, Lagina earned his undergraduate degree at Michigan Tech and then went to work in Michigan’s oil fields. He later attended the University of Michigan law school, and started an oil drilling company while still a student. He earned his law degree and passed the bar, but chose drilling over legal practice. After 14 dry holes, his company’s 15th well delivered a major breakthrough. He sold the business at age 40, having also helped develop revolutionary technology that expanded U.S. energy reserves.

Most Memorable Roles: Lagina and his brother Rick set out to solve the centuries-old treasure mystery on Oak Island, off Nova Scotia. Their quest attracted Hollywood’s attention and became the History Channel’s long-running The Curse of Oak Island, which premiered in 2014. The series turned an ambitious personal pursuit into a television phenomenon, with the brothers continuing to investigate the island’s elusive secrets to this day.

Not Slowing Down: Lagina remains chief executive of Heritage Sustainable Energy, which he founded in 2004 to develop Michigan wind and solar projects. He also owns Mari Vineyards, where his ambition is to produce world-class Michigan wine. Meanwhile, The Curse of Oak Island approaches its 14th season, premiering in November. Between renewable energy, winemaking and treasure hunting, Lagina still has plenty of mysteries and challenges to tackle.

Tom Menzel

How It All Began: Menzel grew up in northern Michigan, where his father was a longtime basketball coach and athletic director and his mother taught first grade. After attending Valparaiso University, he began working in public affairs at Allstate. Jobs with Xerox, McGraw Hill, and Leelanau Industries followed before he established a Chicago consulting firm focused on turning around underperforming companies.

Most Memorable Roles: After serving as alderman and mayor of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Menzel returned to northern Michigan in 2006 intending to retire. Instead, he became executive director of the National Cherry Festival. By his account, the festival was just six to nine months from bankruptcy. He reorganized its business structure, reduced staffing, and established a firmer financial foundation. Similar assignments followed as executive director of BATA (from 2009 to 2015) and Grand Traverse County administrator (from 2015 to 2017). Across those roles, Menzel preferred making difficult changes to maintaining the status quo.

Not Slowing Down: At 82, Menzel owns and operates Menzel Orchards on Old Mission Peninsula. He also spearheaded bringing San Diego’s Cinema Society to Traverse City, with the membership-based film series launching at the City Opera House this fall. Learning remains another priority. Last year, he took nine courses on subjects ranging from artificial intelligence to Galileo, finding that new ideas and perspectives keep him engaged.

Jim Milligan

How It All Began: Growing up in Ohio, Milligan dreamed of playing professional basketball. When that path proved unlikely, he pursued corporate sales and marketing, eventually joining 3M and moving into leadership and international business roles. Building businesses became his new passion. In 2007, at 55, he took early retirement and moved to Traverse City, finally realizing a relocation plan that had been two decades in the making.

Most Memorable Roles: When 3M spun off five divisions to create Imation, Milligan became managing director of its Mexican subsidiary. Recruiting a team, opening an office, and building a company culture in another country sparked his entrepreneurial ambitions. He brought those ambitions north with an oil and vinegar tasting room concept that became Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars. Working with his original management team, he built the brand across locations in Traverse City, Petoskey, Holland and Ann Arbor.

Not Slowing Down: Now 73, Milligan remains at the helm of Fustini’s, developing its leadership team and preparing the business for its next stage of growth. His goals include richer experiences for customers, staff, and community partners, along with a stronger foundation that will allow the company to operate without his daily involvement. After a career spent building businesses, he is now building one that can thrive beyond him.

Diana Milock

How It All Began: Milock spent her early childhood in southern California before her family moved to rural Michigan when she was 12. Her parents allowed her brothers to attend college, but not her. Married at 17, and a mother by 20, Milock started rectifying the situation when her second son was a toddler. Those experiences sparked a lifelong commitment to education and helping others gain opportunities she had been denied.

Most Memorable Roles: Milock became deeply involved in her children’s schools, serving as PTO president and working on teacher committees to improve education. In Mancelona, she joined parents and teachers to help launch Communities in Schools, an organization that supports students’ needs so they can remain in school. Its regional reach now includes eight school districts in northwest Michigan. That work helped turn her personal belief in education into lasting support for children and families.

Not Slowing Down: Milock and her husband, Richard, are among the region’s leading philanthropists, supporting organizations including NMC, the National Writers Series, and the Traverse City Film Festival. She is also helping prepare the next generation to continue that work: Her sons now join her in running the Begonia Charitable Foundation, learning how to give thoughtfully and carry forward the family’s commitment to the community.

This story is a condensed version of a feature that appears in this month's Traverse City Business News. The full-length version can be read here.