When Robert Manglitz (BA 1973) graduated from Grand Valley State University, he could not have known that he would one day become president and part owner of one of Michigan's most venerable maritime operations ¿ The Lake Michigan Carferry. In the early '70's the carferry business across Lake Michigan between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin was part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad ¿ a service that began before the turn of the century. At its peak, the C&O's seven steamships hauled rail cars, automobiles and passengers between Michigan and Wisconsin, a daily activity of the C&O that lasted for 90 years until the railroad deemed the operations uneconomic and exited the ferry business in 1983. Today, the SS Badger, which had been part of the C&O's last carferry fleet, is again plying the waters between Michigan and Wisconsin. And Bob Manglitz is CEO of the company that owns and operates The Badger. It is not exactly the job he trained for; Manglitz's degree is in psychology.
I came to Grand Valley on the GI Bill, Manglitz recalled recently. My benefit was going to run out in just over three years and I had to hurry. Hurry he did, completing his degree in three years and three months. Manglitz was an adult student with a family and a full-time job in sales at Thermotron Industries in Holland. Bob's wife, Janet, was the daughter of Thermotron's owner, Charles F. Conrad. Conrad's father had been chief engineer of the C&O carferry and Charles Conrad grew up in Ludington watching the activities of the C&O fleet. And thus the connection to today's Lake Michigan Carferry.
The company that took over the carferries from the C&O ceased operations in 1990 and went into bankruptcy. Charles Conrad knew how important the carferry business was to Ludington's economy and believed that a seasonal operation geared to tourists and their cars could succeed. So, Conrad, by now retired, formed the Lake Michigan Carferry Service, Inc., acquired the vessels ¿ then laid-up in Ludington ¿ and promised his hometown that the boats would sail again. In 1992, the SS Badger fired up its coal boilers and began round trips between Michigan and Wisconsin. Manglitz came aboard as CEO, joined by partners James Anderson as executive vice president and Donald Clingan as vice president of marketing. Conrad died in 1995 and Manglitz became president. Today, the trio of Manglitz, Anderson and Clingan run the business which has just completed its eighth and most successful season yet, ferrying tourists, cars, RV's, buses and trucks between Michigan and Wisconsin. The Badger sails every day from mid-May through October, with two round trips during the peak travel months of June, July and August.
The SS Badger, built in 1952, offers the only cross-lake passenger and ferry service on the Great Lakes. The 60 mile cruise between Ludington and Manitowoc takes four hours. At 4,200 tons and 410 feet in length, The Badger cuts am imposing figure wherever it goes. The Badger can accommodate 620 passengers and up to 180 vehicles on each crossing. It takes a crew of 60 to run the boat and provide passenger amenities that include food, entertainment, children's programs and Badger Bingo. Manglitz and his partners have found ways to make The Badger hum with activity even when it is tied up for the night in Ludington. Tourists can spend the night in authentic carferry staterooms, on the upper deck of the seven-story vessel - the owners call this part of the ship the Badger Boatel. The theme is carried on into the gift shop on the lower deck, dubbed the Badger Boatique.
Call it what you will, the success of The Badger makes an impact on both sides of Lake Michigan, where the activities of the Lake Michigan Carferry Co. pump $40 million to the economies of Ludington and Manitowoc. More than 260 people work directly for the carferry company, making it one of the largest and most visible local employers in the area.
Alumni Director Nancee Miller is working with the Badger staff on plans for an alumni cruise and related travel packages. If you have questions about Badger travel,contact the Lake Michigan Carferry office at 1.888.FERRY.4.U (1.888.337.7948).
