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North Shore Highway 61 is produced in Grand Marais by Northern Wilds Media, Inc. Founded in 2004 by the business team of Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt, who began publishing Northern Wilds, The Outdoor Newspaper of the North, the company has grown as we’ve added products and services.
In 2007, we formed Northern Wilds Media, Inc. to pull our various endeavors under one corporate roof. In addition to North Shore Highway 61 and Northern Wilds, we publish our annual Area Map for Cook County’s North Shore communities. Under our North Shore Press imprint, we publish regional outdoor books and guides.
Many customers come to us for graphic design, commercial printing, and website construction. We have produced catalogs, booklets, brochures, business cards, menus, signs and even annual magazines for local, regional, and national companies and organizations. Some customers ask us to produce their print display advertising for other publications. We take on contract writing projects, too.
We are proud of our many products, but are even prouder of the folks who help us produce them. It takes quality people to do quality work, so we’d like to introduce you to our staff. We’ll start with Laurie Johnson, who joined our team in 2006. Known as a “Jill of all trades” around the office, Laurie has done everything from bookkeeping to computer repair. She is a gifted graphic designer who is appreciated by our customers not only for her great work, but also for her sunny disposition.
New to the production team is Kate Watson, a quick study who has impressed all of us with her abilities. In addition to her skills in graphic design, Kate is a competent writer whose byline you’ll see in this issue.
A native of France, Dominique Holz adds an international flair to our office. If you have questions about your billings or subscriptions, give her a call. Our advertisers are beginning to meet sales assistant Calie Vannet, who works with Amber on the development of new advertising accounts. And Mike Pratt travels Highway 61 every two weeks to fill our racks with North Shore Highway 61 and Northern Wilds.
Sometimes we wonder how we ever got anything done when just it was just the two of us producing Northern Wilds. We are proud to be providing quality products people enjoy and to be contributing employment to our small community. The loyalty of our readers and customers, the folks who have allowed Northern Wilds Media to grow, is greatly appreciated. –Shawn Perich and Amber Pratt