Meet The UPS Store Retail Owner, Mike Ebbing

Give a warm greeting to Michigan native Mike Ebbing, who owns three of The UPS Store locations in Detroit suburbs. Born and raised in an entrepreneurial family, running a business has always been part of Mike's DNA.

The Ebbing entrepreneurial spirit all started with the Detroit Edge Tool Company that opened in 1885, and Mike's grandfather acquired it in 1920. The company, which manufactures precision tools for a variety of industries is still in operation today. During Mike's 30-year tenure, he held the position of International VP of Sales and traveled to Japan, Korea, India, and Europe for work. Mike shared "they worked very hard" but continuing to build the family legacy was exciting. Eventually, Mike's nephews got involved in the business and carried on the family tradition, and Mike then decided it was time to do something different.

In 2005, Mike bought his first The UPS Store in the quaint town of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, where he resided at the time. "You're really part of the community," says Mike when asked about choosing why St. Clair Shores for his first location. "I knew everyone who walked in the door." True to his family roots, he recruited his niece to help him run the business. "She's a great general manager and I couldn't do it without her," Mike said.

Finding success in St. Clair Shores, he made the decision 10 years later to buy two more stores: one in Grosse Point and one in Chesterfield. He now has three managers, plus his niece Mary Zahrt, who he speaks with multiple times a day and makes frequent trips to the stores to see the operations in person. "I tell them, 'It's your store, I'll run the business, you run the store." Mike shares he likes his team to feel empowered and to run the stores as if it were their own.

While running his first store in St. Clair Shores, Mike reunited with his college sweetheart and married her. His wife Drew is a successful interior designer running her own business. While they are both busy managing their businesses, they still make time to travel, go out to dinner with friends, and golf. "I can't play enough golf," Mike says. In fact, on a recent vacation to Lanai, Hawaii, Mike recalls hitting the longest and most beautiful drives of his life.

Mike's day typically starts with a simple morning routine: cup of coffee, checking emails and making a strategic plan for the day. Since the pandemic, he's been working from his home office but is frequently found in the stores as well, chatting with his customers and store managers. If Drew is working late at her design center, he'll start whipping up dinner though he prefers to do it all on the barbecue. "Even in a blizzard, I'll be out there, BBQing," Mike says. After dinner, for evening entertainment Drew and Mike are currently watching cable series and enjoying the program "Yellowstone."

Next time you happen to be in one of Mike's three The UPS Store locations, ask for him and say hello, and don't forget to ask him about his golf game!