Surviving winter? A small group of locals have figured it out, and have developed recurring or even permanent connections to the Aloha State.

Paul Sutherland, chairman and CEO at Traverse City-based FIM Group, actually established an office on Maui 20 years ago.
“I’ve been going there since I was 18,” he tells The Ticker. “I had a cousin that lived there. I wanted to live in an area that was warmer in winter. It was about business and lifestyle,” he says.

Jim Milligan knows that feeling. He calls it lifestyle entrepreneuring -- “doing business in places where you want to spend time.”
After finding success with Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars in Traverse City, he followed with stores in Holland, Ann Arbor and Petoskey. He then partnered with friends to open a shop on Maui.

Milligan first thought of expanding into Mexico, but determined it would be difficult to export the products there from the U.S. Instead, he teamed with two brothers who were longtime friends of his and who already had a place on Maui.

“We opened July 1, 2014, at the Shops at Wailea, a high-end mall,” says Milligan. “And I talked to Paul Sutherland to get his perspective."

“Last year I spent a lot of time there. It took six months to do the build-out. Going forward I want to spend 8-10 weeks a year there.”

Mike and Denise Busley, who started and own the Grand Traverse Pie Company, enjoyed getting away to Hawaii. Their daughter Kellee got married there, and then she and her husband Ryan decided to make it their home. And with pie in their blood – Kellee grew up in the business – they enlisted Mike and Denise’s help to make Grand Traverse Pie Company a success in the 50th state.

Knowing it was important to be integrated into the local community, they decided to eschew the franchise name -- and Maui Pie debuted just a few weeks ago. “The look and flavors are different,” adds Mike.

Another difference: Maui Pie doesn’t have a brick and mortar store. Instead, Maui Pie is making its name through farm markets.

Lorri Banwell and Joe Wiejaczka are traveling nurses who said "aloha." Banwell, a labor and delivery nurse, says her decision to winter in Hawaii began when a recruiter called to see if she’d be interested in a Hawaii assignment. “I had never had a desire to go to Hawaii, but I love beaches and previous vacations in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. So I said ‘I guess I'll try it – it's only for 13 weeks.”

That was in 2010. This is the fourth year she’s worked in Hawaii.

“My son moved out here three years ago and has only left once for a one-week visit home. I return to Kauai because I love the feel of the island, even though I prefer the larger hospital on Oahu as far as working conditions.”

Wiejaczka, who originally hails from Empire, was working in the cardiac care unit at Munson when he and his wife Lindsey decided to make a lifestyle change. His first assignment was in Las Vegas, and then got an assignment to Oahu.

Marty Easling of Easling Construction, first went to Hawaii in 1976. Today he owns a home there and spends at least a few months each year.

Easling says the consistent weather – “It’s 75 in the morning and 82 in the afternoon, and it’s the only state that has never been over 100 degrees” – makes it ideal.

Sutherland understands Easling’s thoughts. Despite the many differences between Hawaii and this area (such as 60 or 70 degrees this time of year), he says these two have much in common.

“It reminds me of Leelanau. You’re surrounded by water. It’s a beautiful area,” he says.