Melissa Dressely holds up a copy of the North Shore Explorer.
The popular North Shore Visitor Guide published by Cook County resident Nina Simonowicz for the last 20-or-so years has recently changed hands.
Melissa Dressely and her company Do North Marketing, has just printed the 2019 edition.
The new easy-to-read 64-page guide has been re-named North Shore Explorer and has been redesigned with a fresh new look, but it still follows the same format that made it so successful under the direction of Simonowicz.
Dressely began her company in April 2018. Besides printing the North Shore Explorer Melissa also publishes a new blog called NorthShoreExplorerMN.com.
When asked what led to her decision to purchase the guide, she responded, “Nina is my friend and neighbor, and in the fall of 2017 we were having tea and conversation, and she casually mentioned that she would probably be looking to retire from the guide within the next couple of years.
“Throughout the winter of 2018, I contemplated starting my own marketing business. The knowledge that I could probably take over the guide was in my mind, but it was still just a concept. After conversations and brainstorming with Pat Campanaro from the Small Business Development Office about taking my career in the direction of my own business, I figured that I couldn’t do anything until I actually have a business. So I registered my business name with no actual plan of what I was going to do.
“A few weeks after that I called Nina and asked if we could start a conversation about me taking over the guide. We met several times throughout May and June to work through my questions, and we closed on July 19! It happened quickly because work had to begin on the 2019 edition in August, so the window of opportunity was closing soon.
“I had confidence in the investment because of the long-standing success of the North Shore Visitor guide. It has been published since 1995, has many loyal advertisers, and a devoted following among visitors who pick it up and keep it on their coffee table, visitor information centers, front desks, and others that use it to provide information to guests and visitors. It is also the official guide of the North Shore Scenic Drive.”
The North Shore Explorer
The new guide features an eye-catching watercolor painting of Hollow Rock in Grand Portage done by none other than Bill Simonowicz, Nina’s husband.
Bill worked off of photos Dressley took of the iconic location.
“For those that may not know, the guide is a mileby mile guide of the North Shore from Canal Park to the Canadian border,” said Dresseley.
“From cover to cover it goes in chronological/geographical order and highlights points of interest at various mile markers. It also has feature stories on each community, North Shore art and history, hiking, fall color tours, etc.”
All told, Melissa had 100,000 copies of the North Shore Explorer printed. They will be distributed annually throughout the North Shore and at visitor information centers around Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Why the name change? She was asked.
“I changed the name of the publication to North Shore Explorer. Nina still runs her successful website NorthShoreVisitor.com, and North Shore Visitor was the name of the guide when she published it. So, it was only natural to change the name of the guide to avoid confusion.”
To keep up with any changes or to add to something featured in her guide, Melissa started a blog.
“I also started a digital counterpart – a blog called NorthShoreExplorerMN. com. Its goal is to tell stories and share content about North Shore activities, outdoor experiences, art, culture, history, local food and beverage, events, etc.
“It (the blog) will take time to build up a large volume of content, but the site launched in January with a handful of articles ranging from a roundup of historical attractions on the shore, a piece about training sled dogs with Points Unknown, a number of featured hikes, and a few others.
“I am looking for contributors to share their expertise and content on the blog, so if anyone out there is a local expert, can write and take pictures, or can tell a story, NorthShoreExplorerMN is a great way to share your content and link it back to your website or business. Even if you can’t write and take pictures, you can submit your content and I, as the editor, can take pictures and flush out the story to make it pretty.”
When asked if she had plans to expand the guide and had visited the places depicted in the sleek, colorful pages, she replied, “I do plan to expand the guide. I have visited all of the advertisers, and most of the points of interest, or ‘mile markers’ in the guide.
“Since I am already familiar with most of the sites in Cook County, it is my goal to do more exploring in Lake County. In the 2019 edition, I re-wrote all of the stories and added or revised some of the mile markers. I added all of my own pictures – there are just a few that are stock or were carried over from the previous publication because the content wasn’t yet in my library. The new edition also got a new design and layout, which I’m very excited about.”
Last question, what is your background, Melissa?
“My career in tourism marketing began in 2001, and I have been working in the tourism industry in Cook County – in marketing and operations – since I moved here in 2004. I have a lot of interest and experience in creating content through writing and photography to promote businesses and tourism to the region as a whole.
“I am also fully engaged in branding, marketing and advertising strategy, and social media management. These are services that I provide to clients. Through this company, I am looking forward to creating partnerships with business owners to help them clearly and creatively tell their story and communicate and promote their message, and with tourism industry folks and other influences to contribute to and share each other’s content.
“I love the Paul Wellstone quote, ‘We all do better when we all do better.’ This is so true in today’s social media marketplace and how consumers find and digest content, and how great content can ultimately convert to business sales.”
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