Last Friday, one day before the Farmington Farmers Market officially opened its 26th season, FFM manager Walt Gajewski needed to have his car towed from the parking lot.

“I called, and I gave the guy the address, and he says, ‘Oh, you’re at the Farmers Market. I love that market!’” says Gajewski with a chuckle.

The tow truck driver is hardly alone. Throughout the summer, many Farmington locals bike, walk, and pull their kids in wagons to Riley Park every Saturday, while attendees from neighboring towns (and beyond) nab a nearby parking spot – all to spend an hour (or three) listening to live music; tasting vendors’ samples; chatting with farmers, artists, and friends; browsing fresh produce (or fish or meat); and enjoying the ridiculously irresistible smell of Petey’s Donuts.

All these sensory treats combine to make the Farmington Farmers Market part of many locals’ weekend routine. READ THE REST HERE

This profile is part of Destination Ann Arbor’s Great Minds Think a Lot series, highlighting influential leaders in Washtenaw County who make a positive impact within our community.

Jenn Cornell Queen – Ann Arbor SPARK’s VP of Marketing and Communications and a driving force behind a2Tech360Opens a New Window. – has long been one of Tree Town’s movers and shakers; yet surprisingly, she only became an official resident two years ago.

“Yeah, that’s it,” said Jenn, who grew up in Belleville, and had made Tecumseh her home for years before moving to Ann Arbor. “But I started working here twenty years ago, when I got my first agency job.”

Jenn worked for seven years at that first PR firm, after graduating from Alma College; then, in 2007, she launched her own agency (Jenn Cornell PR Consulting) specializing in tech companies. (Yes, Google was among her first clients, in a moment when the company was preparing to open its Ann Arbor office.)

“Ann Arbor is such a cool town,” said Jenn of her choice to build her career here. “I was never going to get bored. One of the great things about being a consultant is you can pick and choose clients – but you can’t really pick a bad one in Ann Arbor. There are start-ups, there are more established businesses – the diverse range of work made me want to keep doing it. … [People in the local tech community] are always so excited and happy to talk about why they do what they do, and that enthusiasm is infectious.” READ THE REST HERE