James Crank had two goals in life: Playing professional hockey and owning his own restaurant.

He had the opportunity to experience playing collegiate hockey but decided owning his own restaurant was the better option.

The West Bloomfield senior has worked with his father, Jim Crank, for the past two and a half years and helped him open Cranker’s Coney Island in Big Rapids.

The Cranks brought their restaurant to Mount Pleasant a little over a year ago at 1207 E. Pickard St.

“I always wanted to own my own restaurant,” James Crank said. “But had goals of playing in the NHL first.”

James Crank played collegiate hockey for three years at the University of Massachusetts while studying Business Administration. Those days were over when his dad gave asked him to come back to Michigan and help run the restaurant.

Today James is a senior at CMU as an entrepreneurship major. He has plans to own seven to 10 of the restaurants and ultimately make a Cranker’s franchise.

“I would like to go the corporate route one day with the business,” James Crank said. “I also want to pick up my younger brother Tony as a partner, who is the top chef at the Big Rapids location and a freshman at Ferris State University.”

Family-owned

Keeping business in the family also is the case for Mount Pleasant junior Rich Swindlehurst.

Swindlehurst has worked for his father, Rick Swindlehurst, at Shaboom Pub Club, 106 N. Court St., for about five years and was promoted to general manager in August.

“I have really developed a more active role in the past two years in the business,” Rich Swindlehurst said. “After joining the management team in early 2005 my activity really increased.”

As general manager, Swindlehurst works with his parents, who own the club, in overseeing the day-to-day operations, while managing a force of 20 to 25 employees.

He has been interested in pursuing a career in business for most of his adolescent life and became interested in the hospitality industry shortly after.

His parents owning Shaboom Pub Club helped his interest in business grow.

“I developed my interest in the family business (the club) by listening to daily activities during dinner discussions and conversation around the house,” Swindlehurst said.

Swindlehurst is pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship with a minor in hospitality administration, with the goal of purchasing The Pub from his parents upon graduating in 2008.

He plans on expanding the business into the Lansing and Metro Detroit markets and said the sky is the limit after that.

Calendar cash

Livonia senior Jeff Globish and former CMU student Todd Gurzick have taken different routes in opening their own businesses.

Globish started Shamrock Media Productions in August 2005 with some friends.

The idea came to him as a sophomore but he didn’t decide to pursue it until a year ago.

Shamrock is most recognized for its Girls of CMU calendars and has expanded it to eight other campuses for 2007.

Gurzick was at one time a student in the marketing and logistics program for four years at CMU but pursued entrepreneurship during his last year.

He then decided to take some time off to pursue his goals of starting a business before getting a degree.

Gurzick also has owned and operated T.O. Dbl D’s Party Store, 104 E. May St., for the past couple of months. He said he eventually plans to come back to CMU to get his degree and looks to build bars and restaurants in the Detroit area.

The entrepreneurial program at CMU has helped both Crank and Swindlehurst to be successful in operating their businesses.

CMU is the first school in Michigan to offer an entrepreneurial major, which began in 1998.

It is ranked in the top tier of programs in the country by Entrepreneurship magazine and has grown to be the second largest major in the college of Business at CMU.

“Our program is the most unique in the way its structured,” said Charles Fitzpatrick, director of the LaBelle Entrepreneurial Center at CMU.

kmaurer@cm-life.com

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