Why I Work Remotely in Muskegon, MI

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Want to know what it’s like working remotely in Muskegon, MI? Ask Mike Muskovin. He grew up in the Muskegon Lakeshore region and went to college at Ferris State University before returning to his hometown.

While he initially thought he’d move to Silicon Valley to work in information technology, he quickly realized that Muskegon Lakeshore had everything he wanted – great outdoor recreation opportunities, access to some of the best art in the country and a great community for raising a family.

Muskovin has worked remotely for 12 years and is currently the head of strategic sales for Prepared, a company that provides safety and security solutions to public- and private-sector organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

Having traveled extensively from coast to coast and around the world, Muskovin is happier than ever that he chose to stay in the Muskegon Lakeshore region.

What are some of your local favorite co-working spaces or coffee shops?
I just transitioned from my home office to a new co-working space downtown called Muskegon Growth Collaborative or MuskGro, which is great, because we have the ability to work remotely with all the amenities that you have in larger cities. It’s locally owned and focused on community; it’s not just a for-profit working space. It’s been designed to bring individuals at every level in their career together and impact the community in a charitable way.

There are also a bunch of coffee shops popping up all over the place in Muskegon. One that’s unique is the Culinary Institute of Michigan – Muskegon at Baker College. They have a sweet shop there where you can grab something then work from one of their tables or a comfy chair.

What do you think are the most challenging things about working remotely?
In general, no matter where you are, there’s a challenge for connectedness. You can be connected over Zoom or Teams, which is helpful in establishing relationships with colleagues, but it isn’t the same as spending time together. I think the best way our organization has found to overcome not being connected is to almost force independent, nonbusiness time together. If you were in an office, you’d pass that person every couple of days and have a conversation, so you have to make an extra effort to establish relationships and grab 15 minutes with someone you don’t normally talk to.

What would you say are some good ways to network and further your career if you’re working remotely?
Even though Muskegon is considered small, there are many individuals in this community that have reach across the nation. Being engaged and involved in this community will extend out to both coasts. I think people generally understand now that the best talent isn’t only in one or two geographic locations – it’s dispersed far and wide. Establishing and maintaining those networks is probably easiest through LinkedIn or connecting on a video call. There’s greater access in a remote environment now than there ever has been before because there has been such a boom in remote work because of the pandemic.

Are you close enough to other major cities that it is advantageous to your job?
They’ve got about five direct flights from Grand Rapids, 45 minutes away, to New York. I spend about half my time traveling, and I can be in New York in two hours and if I need to, take international flights from there. New York can be a day trip if it needs to be. Other than L.A., most cities I can go to and return the same day.

What do you do for fun when you’re not at work?
I love the water. We’re just so fortunate having such great water access. Having grown up here, it’s easy to take it for granted. But the water resources we have here are just absolutely incredible, from paddleboarding to sailing to power boating to kayaking on the rivers. I’ve made the commitment to myself never to live farther from water than I do now. And thankfully I’ve been able to keep that promise to myself.