Living and Breathing the Joy of a Rural Business: Mancelona’s MJ Design Co. Expands and Succeeds!
“It’s going great – more than we imagined it would be!”
In that exuberant sentence, Jennie Zoll, co-owner of MJ Design Co. in Mancelona, offered an update on her two-year old business that could be the envy of any enterprise, one that earned her “Rising Star” status in a November 18, 2025 story in VoyageMichigan.
There is much to know about MJ Design that make it special. As a provider of artwork, design, laser printing and silk screen apparel, banners, flags, bags, name tags, signs, key chains – the possibilities are nearly endless (and embroidery is just around the corner).
Together, Jennie and husband Mike Zoll have their business humming at a 12X growth rate over their first year of business.
“We’ll soon need a pole barn wing,” they proclaim.
In early 2025, the Zoll's had an unexpected opportunity – to acquire the screen-printing side of a Belllaire-based company – Modern Printwear – that became available as a result of a partial-retirement succession plan (Modern Printwear continues to serve customers through the embroidery side of their business.)
From left: Impressive before-and-after photos of the pole barn-turned-production space renovation; Jennie and Mike pose by some of the newly-acquired screen-printing equipment; just a couple examples of the screen-printing offerings now available at MJ Design Co.
Support arrived with a loan from Venture North to relocate and expand operations into a pole barn that required floor-to-rafters renovations at the Zoll’s home in Mancelona, including water and electric.
“We supplemented the funds needed by the Zoll’s to build out the space and relocate the equipment and business from Bellaire,” said Annie Olds, Venture North Business Development Manager and Lender. “The seller’s number one priority was making sure that their long list of customers was being taken care of and the two parties developed a seamless working relationship to make sure that happened. It was a great example of how people with equal passion for their businesses can work together to successfully transition a decades-old business from one chapter to the next. It takes a lot of trust and good will, and everyone should be proud of how they made this acquisition succeed.”
“I have always held a passion for art, design and creating wonderful, memorable gifts for people,” said Zoll. “We began MJ with a printer, heat press and a Cricket (computerized cutting device) and we rapidly expanded our offerings to share on our online store. The addition of a laser and its capabilities really ramped up our product line and we’ve been off to the races ever since.”
“People are invited to place on-line orders, but we also encourage people to do it the old-fashioned way,” said Jennie. “Just give us a call. We will learn about you, your product or gift goals and make sure we hit the bullseye. Small things matter. Whether it’s a cup, hat, jacket, name tag or bag, logo or novelty item. We strive for perfection 100 percent of the time to meet customer expectations. If we don’t have it, we will find it, always with your budget in mind.”
The Zoll’s have rapidly become a provider of choice in their growing market – through schools, sports teams, clubs, small businesses and gift givers. Who doesn’t want a good and comfortable hat with a meaningful logo or custom design? Or a nifty key chain? Or a four-season jacket? Or one-of-kind gifts for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, graduations or team celebrations? And with their new acquisition, the possibilities continue to grow in leaps and bounds.
“We are proud of our community,” said Mike Zoll. “And we hope everyone understands our wish to give back to our community and neighbors in every way we can – with quality, creative, eye-catching products that fit a wide variety of needs – from promoting an organization or business to providing a customized gift or making the sign for your business or home that really pops. We want to help them celebrate with each item we make.”
“We live and breathe the challenges and joys of a small business in a rural setting,” Jennie said. “We devote the same amount of care and creativity fulfilling orders for a single item just as we do for large quantity orders.”
What’s next?
More customers, more creative and appealing items and, yes, a likely move toward embroidery. Who knows, perhaps the Zoll’s will also bring aboard a team-mate or two to enjoy their upward ride!
For media inquiries:
Contact: Tim Ervin - Ph: 231-794-0089 - Email: timervinassoc@gmail.com
For a .pdf version of this story, click here.