Opening Nord Social & Starting A New Career With Midland County ESA: Meet Grant Murschel

Watch Episode 18 of
The Max Loves Midland Show

Grant Murschel, In His Own Words:

“My name is Grant Murschel. I recently joined the Midland County Educational Service Agency (ESA) as the Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE). I'm also one of three owners of Nord Social, a Scandinavian-inspired social club and bar that will open in the Center City Corridor of Midland.

I was born in Colorado, and my family's roots run through Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota. We lived in a small town in Wyoming called Worland, with about 5,000 people. The nearest Walmart was a two-hour drive away. In 2000, my dad was transferred to the Great Lakes Bay Region for work, and we moved to Freeland, where I graduated high school.

After high school, I always had a pull to head back out west and reconnect with my roots. I attended Montana State University in Bozeman, where I spent four years. However, when the job market wasn't exactly booming after graduation, I returned to Midland, completed a few internships, and eventually landed a job as the Community Development Planner for the City of Midland in 2013. At the time, I was living in Freeland, but I wanted to be part of the community I was working in, so I moved into an apartment near the Dairy Queen on Saginaw Road—and I was pretty stoked about it.

Over the next nine years, my role evolved. I served as the Community Development Planner for four years before being promoted to Director of Planning in 2017, a role I held until 2022. I oversaw the building department, planning department, and senior housing operations at places like Washington Woods and Riverside Place for the City of Midland. Those years gave me deep insight into how communities are built through planning and collective action.

A key influence during this time was getting involved with local organizations, like MYPros (Midland Young Professionals), the Midland Area Community Foundation, and the Midland Business Alliance, largely through the encouragement of former City of Midland Manager Jon Lynch. These connections helped me understand how communities thrive through collaboration and partnerships.

In 2022, I decided to make a change and joined SPACE Inc., a women-owned, Midland-based company known for its innovative work in interior design and sustainable workplace solutions. My role at SPACE was diverse—real estate development, sales, and more. SPACE Inc. has given me experience in private-sector development, further expanding my perspective on community growth. But as much as I loved my time there, I felt gravity pulling me back to public service, specifically in education.

That's what led me to my new role at Midland County ESA, where I'll focus on career and technical education. I'm excited about this role because it taps into my passion for community development, but from a different angle—equipping students and young professionals with the skills they need to succeed.

At the same time, I've been working on an exciting entrepreneurial project: Nord Social. About 18 months ago, I started workshopping the idea of a Scandinavian-inspired social club and neighborhood bar. The vision was to create something that would address one of Midland's known gaps—a need for more locally owned and operated food and beverage options. "Nord" means "north" in several European languages. We don't often consider ourselves "up north" in Midland, but as someone once said to me on vacation, "Midland? Isn't that where the trees start?"

The idea gained momentum, and by the middle of last year, I had purchased a building in Center City, right next to Frankenmuth Credit Union. Around that same time, Brad Tunney was a Max Loves Midland Show guest. Thanks to that episode, I reached out to Brad and made a great connection with Brad and Haley Tunney. Now, the three of us are business partners in this venture. Max Loves Midland was pivotal in connecting me with them, so this conversation feels very special. The work that Max and others have done to bring people together has helped create new opportunities, and this project is just one example of what can happen when connections are made.

Nord Social will be more than just a bar—it will have a social club component to create opportunities for people to connect. Whether it's meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones, or just being part of the fabric of Center City, we want Nord Social to foster those connections. We're working through the final stages, including securing liquor licensing and building out the space. Soon, we'll be launching a crowdfunding campaign. Through this campaign, community members can contribute by purchasing credits they can use once we open—a way to invest in the business and get a little extra back.

During my time at the City of Midland, I reviewed countless development proposals—from Costco to housing developments—and I was always fascinated by the work that went into those projects before they reached my desk. I realized that I wanted to be one of the change agents making those proposals happen, so I jumped into real estate work at SPACE Inc. and am now involved in creating a new space for Midland with Nord Social.

Communities thrive when they have spaces designed for connection—what urban planners call "third places." Third places are spaces outside of work and home where people can gather. Live Oak Coffeehouse is a perfect example of a Midland-based third place. You can go there any weekday morning and run into people who are either directly or indirectly connected to the work you're doing. Those organic conversations foster creativity and collaboration in ways digital connections can't replicate. We want Nord Social to be another undeniable Midland-based third place.

As I think about Midland's future, I see enormous potential. We already have incredible assets—a strong nonprofit ecosystem, cutting-edge R&D in manufacturing and chemical sciences, and medical innovation through MyMichigan Health and others. SPACE Inc. is a great example of local innovation in action, and I think we need to tell those stories more effectively.

Over the next 50 years, I hope we focus on reinvesting in our existing infrastructure, creating more walkable, connected spaces, and leveraging fixed-route transit to improve accessibility. We don't need to sprawl outward—we can grow by reinvigorating what we already have. I believe that with intentionality and innovation, Midland can be a model for what a forward-thinking, connected community looks like.

With Nord Social on the horizon and my role at Midland County ESA, I'm excited to be part of this community's next chapter. Our connections, collaborations, and shared vision give me hope for what's to come. See you soon at Nord Social.