August 8, 2001
Cool jobs beat heat
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
When the heat index hits the triple digits, some residents find relief in their work.
Scouring around for the coolest job in town, Deke Johnson believes he is at the top of the list.
A Zamboni driver at Center ICE, Johnson hardly breaks a sweat all summer as he zooms around on the two ice rinks, laying a smooth path behind him that freezes instantly to about 17 degrees. Jacket-less, he skids slightly on the turns, being probably the only driver south of the North Pole practicing his winter driving skills in the dog days of August.
Summer weekends find him in the saddle, helping out after adult pick-up hockey games, figure skaters and youth hockey camps. Last weekend was particularly chilling as the Grand Traverse Hockey Association held its annual tryouts for their Travel Leagues, drawing hundreds of hopeful youth ages 9-18 for a slice of winter fun.
"I've done the ice up to 29 times in a day," said Johnson, who does have a hotter day job with Thirlby Automotive and is also Center ICE's resident Zamboni mechanic. "It is nice and cool in here, it's great on a summer day, the best place to be."
Over at Grand Traverse Cold Storage, the snowmobile-suited employees might dispute Zeke's claim to fame - but there is no question they know how to beat the heat.
Donning severe weather gear even when the temp tops 90 degrees might qualify them as having the coolest job. The 96,000 square foot facility is hopping this time of year, filling up with cherries for and pies from the Sara Lee plant down the road. Owner Jim Riley and his dozen employees run the icy public warehouse without a thought to the sweltering heat outside.
"It is a busy time now, but our busiest time is in September and October, when we deal with a lot of pies from Sara Lee," said Riley, who also owns two other cold storage facilities in northwest Michigan.
Riley said he provides some snowmobile suits but his guys bring what they want to wear for working in the sub-zero freezers. But there are a few who are so cool they just go about their business hardly noticing it's 15 degrees below around them.
"I've got guys who work in the below zero freezer with their shirt on, no coat," he said.
Move over Johnson and you warehouse guys, Rachel Muir believes she is the hands-down summer champion of cool.
"I've definitely got the coolest job in town," she said.
Muir has been an employee of Moomer's Homemade Ice Cream for more than three years. She not only gets to work in air-conditioned bliss regardless of the outside temperature, but she shares her bliss with others: cone after sundae after shake.
Scooping up a thousand smiles worth of ice cream every summer while on break from studying at Grand Valley State University, Muir really enjoys her job. Whether donning a coat for ventures into the deep freeze for more ice cream or occasionally helping owner Nancy Plummer mix up a batch, Muir relishes the fun atmosphere and happy customers.
One side benefit: once off duty she has some boss arm muscles to strut on the beach if desired.
"I build big muscles on my right arm from scooping and on my left arm from pumping yogurt," Muir said.
The coolest job in town hardly competes with the coolest sport in Shane Darrow's mind. Ten-year-old Darrow has no question that hockey is supreme and just one question for the rest of us: summer, what summer? This summer, he spent as much time as possible on ice playing or practicing or off ice thinking about playing and practicing.
Beaches, sand, waves and even ice cream are the farthest thing from his mind, he admitted. The heat does not reach him in the air-conditioned enclaves he haunts.
"I just like to play hockey all year, I never like to stop," Darrow said. "I am not a fan of summer."