Director
Public Relations
Communications
Director
Social Media
Videography
Executive Director
Bob graduated Magna Cum Laude from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology.
He retired after 20 years as Executive Director of a Rehabilitation Facility serving disabled adults from Cheboygan County.
Bob was elected to two terms on the City of Cheboygan Council and served one of those terms as Mayor Pro Term.
He is currently the President of Cheboygan Life Support Services Ambulance Board and has been serving on that board since 1998. He has also served as Treasurer of the Cheboygan Soccer Association.
He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus Council 791 and enjoys volunteering with programs that help the community.
Bob is originally from New York but settled in the Cheboygan area in the late 70’s. He and his wife live in a beautiful setting 8 miles south of Cheboygan and continue to enjoy all the beauty found in living in northern Michigan.
He loves to be outdoors and his hobbies include biking, hiking, swimming, boating, camping and working in his garden.
Both he and his wife enjoy spending time with family which gives them the opportunity to travel the country as their family is spread from coast to coast.
Ronald, Ron for short, was born in Lorain, Ohio.
He graduated from Amherst Public School in 1968. From there, he graduated from Oberlin School of Commerce in 1970.
If that was not enough formal education, he went on and did several other commerce courses at Lorain County Community College.
In 1978 he moved to Cheboygan, Michigan and continued his education at North Central Michigan College.
Ron is an ocean of experience when it comes to bookkeeping and accounting.
He began his bookkeeping career at City Bank, Loraine, Ohio as Bookkeeping Supervisor. Then he moved up and worked for Klingshirn Corporation as Senior Expense Allocator.
In the community of Cheboygan, he worked as Credit Manager for Cheboygan Lumber Company, Collection Agent for Northern Credit Bureau in Petoskey. At J.B. Webb Corporation in Harbor Springs, Michigan, he was Accounts Payable Supervisor and Cost Accountant.
He joined Straits Area Services in 1987 as Vocational Instructor, Personnel Manager, and Financial Director till 2011 when he retired.
Ron gave up his free time and is back doing what he loves, making sure the numbers balance.
Patti retired from MSU Extension after 15 years as Nutrition Instructor.
She worked in the Dietary Department at Cheboygan Community Memorial Hospital as a Dietary Assistant. She has been on the Cheboygan 4H council 4 years and is currently secretary.
She enjoys volunteering in community events and projects and one of her more notable achievements was to promote and develop “Project FRESH”. This program provides a method for seniors to purchase fresh produce from local farmers.
Patti’s biggest joy is spending time with family and supporting them in any way possible.
She has a creative spirit and constantly searches for opportunities to make life better, easier or more enjoyable for all those she encounters.
Many of her hobbies are involved with being outdoors but her favorite hobby is recycling items that have been tossed and giving them new life.
Ross has proven his pedigree as an Entrepreneur in the Retail , 3rd party warehousing & logistics, Food processing (HACCP) (focusing on fishing) and cold storage industries.
He has been involved in the successful set up of greenfield projects and is an entrepreneur in Venture financing, Commercial property and business brokering.
Ross currently acts as the CEO of an Architectural LED lighting solutions as well as Managing Director of a Renewable energy company focused on Hybrid RE solutions utilizing combinations of wind, hydro, sun and biomass technologies.
Ross was born and bred in Southern Africa and has a passion for its people, their diversities and the natural beauty of the continent.
He enjoys the outdoors lifestyle, fly fishing and 4X4 off road driving - and the opportunities that travel affords him.
Veteran
1st Lieutenant Platoon Commander
SADF (South African Defense Force)
SAI (South African Infantry)
Andre and Natalie van der Merwe founded Snowdrift Siberians in Cape Town, South Africa in 1992 and have been involved with this magical breed ever since. We breed, sled, and show our Siberian Huskies and firmly believe that this amazing breed needs to be more than just a show dog – they need to be able to perform their original function in harness well. That way, we can ensure that their legendary sledding history is one that is carried forward to future generations.
We have lived our lives with and for our children and our dogs and have been very blessed with the most amazing friends along our life journey.
“To a musher there is no more beautiful sound than the silence of a good run, broken only by the soft sounds of the dog team’s breath. You feel blessed that these amazing creatures take you along for the ride. The magic defies words.”
We are beyond proud of our friends – Al-jo and Gerhardt Thiart – and support them both all the way with their Iditarod dream! Fund-raising, getting the word out there to potential sponsors and any other way we can…to help them achieve this once-in-a-lifetime dream! It all started on a dusty farm road in South Africa – many, many years ago, when we introduced them to the sport of dryland sledding.
We will be there in Alaska in March 2022 – cheering on the FIRST South African to take part in the Iditarod…!!!
Andre van der Merwe
Veteran
SADF (South African Defense Force)
SAN (South African Navy)
Tom Knott is an accounting professor at North Central Michigan College. Growing up in the Detroit area, Tom moved to northern Michigan in 1994 and never looked back. He earned a BS in Accountancy from Ferris State University beginning a career as a Certified Public Accountant in Petoskey, Michigan.
Wanting to make a more meaningful difference in people’s lives he continued his education, earning a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Ferris State University. Tom’s passion for helping students achieve their dreams first led him to Gaylord Community Schools where he taught Middle and High School Mathematics for six years.
Combining his years of experience as a CPA, and as an educator, Tom now teaches accounting at North Central Michigan College.
Tom lives in northern Michigan and enjoys spending time sailing in the summer and skiing in the winter. His two boys are both in college pursuing their dreams.
Al-Jo grew up on a fruit and dairy farm near the town of Worcester in South Africa. Her first few years at school, she attended a small school farm, just one little room. She later went to Worcester High School where she graduated.
After graduation, she furthered her education in Hospitality at Tygerberg College. Wanting to make extra pocket money to pay for her tuition, she started working as a server at one of the local restaurants where she met her husband to be which was managing the restaurant.
In 2003 she got married to Gerhardt and together they opened their own restaurant where she was in charge of all the functions. A few years later they sold the restaurant, and she took a job at Tygerberg Animal Hospital as an Inventory Controller. Tygerberg Animal Hospital had several outlets at that time, and she travelled from outlet to outlet to do inventory checks, update inventory levels and do ordering for the entire company.
In 2010, Al-Jo and her husband Gerhardt, came to America to see more of the world and to learn more about the sport of dog sledding. In 2013 she graduated with a career diploma as a Veterinary Assistant from Penn Foster Career school. She worked for two years at the Animal Medical Clinic of Cheboygan until November 2021 when she resigned to join her husband, Gerhardt in Alaska where he trains for the Iditarod. She'll be assisting her husband.
In 2018, Al-Jo and her husband Gerhardt founded GAT Foundation to raise funds for the improvement of the educational infrastructure of their home country in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Al-Jo has a passion for animals. She loves the outdoors and spends hours and days hiking the local trails. She jogs daily, weather permits and if not, you’ll find her on the treadmill. She’s and excellent cook and an awesome friend to have.
Gerhardt grew up in the small town of Citrusdal, about 100 miles north of the City of Cape Town, South Africa.
After graduating from high school, he joined the military where he obtained the rank of Lieutenant. Military Service was compulsory for two years.
After two years of military service, he began a career in the Banking & Financial Industry. He received formal education in the fields of Imports and Exports, Foreign Money Markets, and gained knowledge and experience in the departments of Credit and Debt, Mortgage and Property Loans, Investing, and Personal Loans.
A few years later he left the financial world and found a new passion in the restaurant industry where he became Operations Manager for several of the group’s outlets.
From 2008 till 2010 he was President of SADSA (South African Dryland Sledding Association).
In 2010 he and his wife, Al-Jo jumped the cliff, spread their wings and came to America where he obtained two degrees, one in Business Management and the other in Financial Accounting.
In 2018, Gerhardt and Al-jo started a charitable non-profit organization, GAT Foundation, Inc. They joined forces with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, South Africa to eradicate poverty in rural schools. In particular, the removal of dangerous open pit latrines.
He has an incredible love for animals, wild life and nature.
He is passionate about the culture and diversity of different nationalities, and what he can learn from others for personal growth.
Gerhardt’s hobbies are cooking, photography, and travelling off the grid; exploring new sights, sounds, and tastes.
Veteran
1st Lieutenant Platoon Commander
SADF (South African Defense Force)
SAI (South African Infantry)
GAT Foundation INC.
999 m33 hwy, cheboygan, mi 49721
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EIN: 83-1748249
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