TRAVERSE CITY -- Tom Menzel used to attend the National Cherry Festival as a child, and after he moved away, he frequently returned with his own children in tow.
In 2005 Menzel jumped at the chance to head the Cherry Festival and moved from suburban Chicago back to his hometown.
"Having been raised here, the Cherry Festival is very important to me," Menzel said. "I thought it would be a great challenge."
Three years into his term as the festival's executive director, Menzel plans to step down to pursue other opportunities.
"I wasn't looking for a career," Menzel said. "I was looking to give back. Plus, turnover is good for business."
Local businessman W. Bruce Rogers formerly chaired the Cherry Festival's board of directors and helped orchestrate Menzel's return. He praised Menzel for bringing new life to the region's signature event.
"We got a little sideways for a while, but then it was reinvented," Rogers said. "And there's the guy who's done it."
Menzel led a push to restructure the festival board by trimming the number of board members. He also rejuvenated the volunteer workforce and, most recently, helped the Cherry Festival obtain 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, which would allow the Cherry Festival to set up an endowment fund, accept donations and raise money.
He hopes the festival can put together groups of past Cherry Festival presidents and Cherry Queens, both as possible fundraising arms.
"He's used his expertise and his ability to deal with people to completely turn around this organization," Rogers said. "He's a very talented executive and a great communicator. It's a whole different ball game since Tom came in."
Susan Wilcox Olson, the festival's media relations and marketing manager, agreed, saying that Menzel came in when new ideas were needed.
"At a time when the festival was in need of change, he certainly brought help in the fact that he's a creative spirit and inclusive spirit," she said. "He created a new direction in regards to the business model so we hopefully we can sustain it for many, many more years."
Menzel's contract ends after this year's festival, and he hopes to find work in another community service post that would allow him to re-evaluate a business model and make changes.
"I love bringing a fresh set of eyes to a project," he said. "You can make better decisions by looking at things differently. Not emotionally, analytically."
Or, he said, he might even choose to go to law school.
"I'm a believer in lifelong learning," Menzel said.
But Menzel may not be closing the festival door just yet. The 501(c)(3) designation could present opportunities that might keep him in the job through 2009, if all parties agree.
That debate will occur after the festival's Saturday conclusion.
If the curtain closes on his Cherry Festival tenure, the job's been a "pleasure," Menzel said.
"It was the best time in my life coming back to Traverse City," he said. "I've been through change processes with other companies before, but coming back to Traverse City and doing that in my own hometown has had a real meaning that others haven't had. I got 10 times more out of it than I gave to it."
National Cherry Festival
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