Kasson Township’s Greg Julian spent his first 20 years of professional life in marketing and finance out west in Denver, Colorado, and across Michigan before falling in love with carpentry.
Julian and his family have been visiting the peninsula for the past 40 years. When his daughter, Lily, was born in the early 2000s, Julian stepped away from his fast-paced career to become a stay-at-home dad at the age of 40.
“Essentially, I was available to do miscellaneous things, and that’s where (carpentry) came about,” Julian said. “I stayed home, took care of my daughter. We didn’t want to put her in daycare. We had her when we were 40-years-old. We weren’t going to have this child and then have someone else take care of her.”
Since moving to the peninsula full-time, Julian has been actively involved at the Cedar Gun Club and in local government.
When Julian was looking for work, a carpentry position became available in Leelanau County for additional help on a large project.
“Once (Lilly) got into preschool, I began to be a full-time dad and part-time carpenter, which developed into a steady position,” Julian said.
Julian worked with Gene Anderson, who built and remodeled homes throughout Leelanau County from 1966 to 2019. Anderson was a master carpenter and craftsman. He passed away in 2019.
“I learned precision carpentry work, finished carpentry, as well as managing the properties for folks who were only up here part-time,” Julian said. “That allowed me to spend a lot of time with Lily during her high school career and after-school activities. I was extremely fortunate to be able to participate in the athletics she was involved in as well as the educational.”
Julian has continued in carpentry for six years since Anderson passed away.
“I delegate and subcontract a lot of the larger work … I’m a property manager and take care of these homes for folks who want to come up in the summertime and enjoy them,” Julian said.
Julian said having a child at 40-years-old was a blessing in disguise because he had a different perspective and more life experience.
“I use the word ‘appreciative.’ You become more appreciative of what you have and the time to be able to spend with her,” Julian said.
Over a decade ago, the Kasson Township Board needed representation, so Julian ran as a trustee and has now been the township supervisor for the past seven years.
Julian became interested in carpentry when he was growing up with his dad, who was a school principal and teacher. His father taught Julian mechanical drawing and influenced him in the summers when he worked in construction.
“I was around that as a kid, but I did not have any formal training. I did have some technical training, so I was familiar with the business,” Julian said.
Julian says marketing, finance, and sales have evolved extensively since the 1980s, but learning a trade in an area like Leelanau County or the Grand Traverse region is beneficial for the growing region.
“There’s such a demand for it. There’s so much growth going on here,” Julian said. “We’re fortunate to have a demand for those types of jobs, and it can be a rewarding career. You can be a banker and still need to swing a hammer if you want to build your own deck or fix your screen doors or do anything around the house.”
Julian believes the landscape has changed over 40 years since they started coming to the peninsula.
“If you work hard, if you work every day and stay within your budget, within your means, you don’t have to have a waterfront home when you’re 25 years old. You can do that when you’re 65. But if you live a little farther outside of town and are willing to drive a little bit, you can make a living up here and enjoy this tremendous area,” Julian said.
Julian is originally from Bay City and graduated from Northern Michigan University, and his daughter, Lily, is a senior at NMU.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what she’s achieved academically and her enthusiasm to learn,” Julian said.
Julian is a premier huntereducation instructor at the Cedar Rod and Gun Club and has taught thousands of students firearms training and hunter education.
“When Lily was born, I pulled away from a lot of exterior things and pulled back home. So we spent a lot of time together hunting while she was growing up. She really enjoys it, and it’s a huge part of our togetherness during the fall hunting season,” Julian said.
