This land is Good Land

Unearthing a sustainable family business that is firmly planted in Franklinton

By David Lewis

Photos by John Thorne

Most siblings love each other deep down; but, hitting the road for a month-long 7,500-mile camping road trip seems like a recipe for disaster in most families.

Brother-sister pair, Mike and Megan Minnix, took this sojourn last fall without hitting one another with a frying pan. Quite a feat, but not surprising since they come from a tight-knit family and have worked together for years, creating Good Land Ohio, a consulting business in the field of environmental sustainability. Then the pandemic hit and they needed to make some adjustments.

“When we went on that trip last fall, we explored and saw so much together,” Mike said. “And we came up with an idea that spoke to us. So the timing was right [when the pandemic hit] to try something different but still inline with what we believe in: sustainability.”

It was about four months ago that Mike and Megan springboarded off Good Land Ohio, the consulting portion of the business, into GOOD LAND Brand, using their offices in Franklinton to make a retail-style shop where their handmade creations are on display. You’ll find sustainable plants, home goods, and clothing among other items. Everything in the shop is curated by Mike and Megan.

“I like to get my hands dirty, play in the soil, check out a few dumpsters and touch everything that gets made,” said Mike, the self-proclaimed “garbage man,” vegetable gardener from the Hilltop. “I am a go-fast guy that puts everything into what I do.”

Megan and Mike balance each other out. Mike is more of the ideas guy whereas Megan has more of the business acumen.

“Mike will have an idea and scribble it on a piece of paper and hand it to me—three times!“ Megan said, smiling. “I am a little more organized when it comes to running the business.”

Megan may be good at structuring the business, but she will also tap into her creative side designing the website, taking images of their creations, and posting items on Instagram. She inspires many of the creative ideas that come to life based on her travels abroad as an accomplished soccer player.

Megan added that, in the future, with the help of her parents, Mark and Joyce, and their brother, Mark, they hope to “build GOOD LAND into a diverse company that more of their family and loved ones can have a hand in for years to come.”

The garage-style, retail space where GOOD LAND Brand lives fits in well with the industrial, metallic, artistic area that is Franklinton. It’s worth the trip to see what sustainable gems Mike and Meghan are selling—and you don’t have to travel 7,500 miles with your sibling in a car to do it.

Visit their shop online at goodlandbrand.com or in-person at 289 W. Walnut St., Suite 16.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY