The employees of Checker Transport. Courtesy of Jesse Schramm
Jesse Schramm Courtesy of Jesse Schramm
With the foresight and patience of a seasoned businessman, Marquette's Jesse Schramm transformed a modest four-vehicle taxi enterprise into Checker Transport LLC, now an expanding and growing business.
Jesse Schramm has a knack for spotting an opportunity. In 2008, when the then-29-year-old looked over a property he was considering purchasing, he saw more than a garage that held a small local taxi business; he saw potential. Checker Cab has since become Checker Transport LLC, a familiar and thriving presence in the northern U.P.
Schramm was on the lookout for real estate, not a new business venture, when he toured the property he ended up purchasing.
"The owner of the building had a Checker Cab (business) in his garage," says Schramm. "I lived in Marquette and didn't even know we had a cab company in town. It bothered me that there was so much potential and room for improvement and the current owner wasn't seeing it." So in addition to buying the building, he bought the business.
He retired two of the four vehicles he received with the purchase and immediately began purchasing new vehicles. Checker Bus became part of the company in 2010, with the addition of buses and limousines. The parent company, Checker Transport LLC, now boasts a fleet of more than 40 vehicles.
Checker's fleet includes a small van and a sedan, both available on a year round, 24-hour-a-day basis, an unmarked SUV, mini-buses, motorcoaches, and a nationwide bus service. Checker's tour packages offer everything from shopping junkets to attending plays, sporting events, concerts, as well as visits to popular tourist destinations. A variety of wedding party options are also offered, designed to accommodate all plans and budgets, from the lavish to the modest.
Schramm honed his business skills during a few years of living in California. Upon returning to the U.P., he learned to adopt a different pace. "In California, I learned a more fast-paced business life. So much of the U.P. way is a slower growth idea." He listened to what his customers wanted and adapted his business accordingly.
"We had multiple requests for larger, seven- to 12-passenger transportation, and started by purchasing 15 passenger vans. That led to limo requests, and led us to the Hummer Limo. After that the passenger requests kept getting larger and more frequent, so we moved into larger buses and eventually motorcoaches." With the expansion of services came the need for a larger staff. Checker Transport currently employs 40 to 50 people, depending on the season.
Schramm has also realized his initial goal of owning and managing properties.
"I started a rental property business in 2000. While not as well known, we own several complexes and over 150 units. At one time we had places in Michigan and California. Our current expansion is planned at our Southwoods property near the ski hill off of M-553. Those will be upper scale two-bedroom, two-bath units."
For Schramm the rewards of business ownership are more than financial. He also appreciates "the satisfaction of seeing something you built be successful. The fact that your ideas work. As an entrepreneur it seems like you get 20 ideas that don't work for every one that does."
Schramm says owning and managing businesses is more than a nine-to-five endeavor. Entrepreneurship, he says,"is a commitment. It becomes your daily life."
It's a life that Schramm embraces, and one that is making its mark in the Upper Peninsula.
Deb Pascoe of Marquette is a freelance writer and a peer recovery coach for Child and Family Services of the U.P. A former columnist for The Mining Journal, her book, "Life With a View ," a collection of her past columns, is available in area bookstores.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.