By: April Hernandez
SANFORD – One of Tri-City’s very own entrepreneurs wants to inspire the community by offering education and resources, catering to one of Michiganders favorite hobbies.
Cody Wiedenbein started his rockhounding journey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially starting out as a hobby, and not really knowing much himself, he has spent the last three years learning all he can about geology and earth science. Although mostly self-taught, Cody gives credit to the Senior Geologist on his team, Craig McClarren as his go to mentor.
Cody is the founder of the Michigan Rockhounds; Michigan’s top resource for rockhounding the Great Lakes. One of the resources worth mentioning on the Michigan Rockhounds website is a map, also crafted by Cody. This map gives specific rockhounding locations that have been viewed almost a million times in two years.
Cody, along with his team, assist in establishing science education for Michigan rockhounding enthusiasts. What began as a community of people who share the same hobby, has inadvertently transformed into a business aimed at satisfying people’s curiosity and fostering a greater interest in geology.
“At the end of the day what Michigan Rockhounds is; It uses the rock collecting hobby as a gateway to get people interested in earth science, science in general, geology, to basically get them more interested in our world”, Cody stated during a recent interview.
Wanting to reach as many people as possible, Cody started the Michigan Rockhounds Facebook group in October 2020. This group is dedicated to the unique rockhounding hobby, which has since attracted an impressive following of over 135 thousand members.
His dedication and expertise in rockhounding have not only made him a noteworthy figure and business owner throughout the tri-cities but have also transformed his passion into a Facebook funded business venture.
Cody’s commitment to educating and inspiring the community is at the core of his endeavors and goes beyond rockhounding. He offers guided tours, hosts events, presentations, and shares his personal collections with museums contributing to the broader understanding of geology, all aimed at sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for rock hounding.
Cody stated, “A huge, huge part of what I do now is making this hobby more accessible for people and opening it up to a broader audience.”
In his free time, Cody prefers to rockhound solo, with mining dumps in the U.P. being his preferred hunting grounds and Leland, MI being his most frequented rockhounding location. During an interview, he proudly showcased a chrysocolla, a blue-green crystal with a high copper content, citing it as his best find. But among the countless rocks and minerals he encounters, Leland Blues hold a special place in his heart and emeralds are on his must-find rockhounding bucket list.
Beyond rockhounding, Cody has a love for design, which prompted him to further his education in Fine Arts and Design at Delta College. He was also a writer for the Delta Collegiate and won the Arts & Letters Award two years in a row 2018-2019 and first place for the Newspaper Cover Design at the Delta Collegiate. Although his degree was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cody recognizes the significant role his design knowledge plays in his success.
“Design has been my primary passion. It has aided me like no other. My website would not be a thing without my design knowledge, nothing that I built would be a thing without my design knowledge,” Cody said, accrediting his time at Delta.
His journey from a hobbyist to a successful rockhounding educator is truly inspiring. His dedication to sharing knowledge, combined with his artistic talent, has not only enriched his life but has also created a vibrant community of rockhounding enthusiasts in Michigan.
Cody Wiedenbein’s story is a testament to the power of passion, education, and community- building, and he continues to inspire others to explore the fascinating world of geology. His journey is the perfect example of making a career out of something you love.
