Faces in the Crowd: Matt Moore

Faces in the Crowd: Matt Moore
Matt Moore, a 1990 Reed City graduate, has been through his fair share of ups and downs.
He was deployed to the war in Iraq, as a civilian contractor in ’03 and ’04, and his detachment lost civilians and soldiers.
He lost his wife of 17 years, Judy, to cancer in 2018.
He’s lost plenty, but he’s also gained. He’s gained friends, and experiences, and perspective.
He puts his boots on every morning and keeps going, because – as he says – “The world didn’t stop, and you’ve got to keep going also.”
And that’s what he’s done. A truck driver by trade, Matt has spent the last year taking on a couple of challenging new endeavors. In October of 2022, he took ownership of the Horseshoe Bar in Marion, and he also just wrapped up his first year as the Marion Fair Board President.
We caught up with Matt recently and learned more about his life, and his experience with the Horseshoe and the Fair. We learned that Matt Moore is certainly more than just another face in the crowd.
Marion Press: Where were you born and raised? What kept you busy growing up?
Matt: Born in Lansing, spent most of my childhood in Reed City; graduated from Reed City in 1990. I’m the oldest of 5. We farmed a little bit. My dad worked for the state, but we also farmed a little bit. 4-H; I was big into 4-H, started 4-H as soon as I could shovel. We had hogs at one point, we had sheep, goats, horses, animals across the board. Played some sports; equestrian, football, track, wrestled.
MP: After graduating from Reed City, where did life take you?
Matt: Michigan State, Dairy Farm Management program. I didn’t finish college – I went to do an internship at a farm in Big Rapids, and I stayed on for a year as opposed to going back to school. Then I moved out to Minnesota and had an AI [artificial insemination] business out there, servicing cows. Then I moved back to Michigan in ’93 and started driving truck.
MP: So have you spent most of your career driving truck?
Matt: Yes. Pretty much steady. From ’99 to 2000 I ran heavy equipment; I was a foreman and superintendent for environmental production, and in ’03 and ’04 I went overseas. I went over there as a civilian contractor deployed to Iraq.
MP: Tell us a little bit about that. What was that experience like.
Matt: I was a transportation manager. That was a very eye-opening experience. I went over there as a truck driver, and bumped up through the ranks pretty quick, next thing I was a transportation manager. I moved into Iraq, into Baghdad in May of ’03, and I [worked] with the mail. All the soldiers mail went through me. I had some buses that ran on the base, a fuel depot, a pretty big operation.
MP: I’m guessing you probably had to take some precautions, that certainly wasn’t the safest place to be.
Matt: We did. And you’re right, it wasn’t the safest. I forget how many civilians and soldiers that we lost out of our little part of Baghdad while I was there. There were probably 8 or 10 that we lost that were assigned to us, between soldiers and civilians. It was different over there. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though, met some great people.
MP: When you got back to the states, where did you go from there?
Matt: Came back to driving truck. Been driving truck pretty steady since then. When I came back, I spent 13 years hauling cryogenics, and that took me coast to coast. Basically, they used me as a troubleshooter, whatever plant they needed help at; hauling oxygen, nitrogen, argon. And then in 2018, I took a job with a Michigan company, and I’ve been hauling propane and butane ever since.
MP: What have you enjoyed the most about driving truck?
Matt: It’s not the same thing every day. Seeing the world, seeing different regions. I’ve driven truck on two continents. Been to most of the provinces in Canada and 47 states, and that’s just work experience. Been to Central America. Got a little experience behind me.
MP: And you’re a bit of an entrepreneur. Did you have any experience owning your own business before you bought the Horseshoe?
Matt: I lost my wife, Judy, in ’18 to cancer. We were married for 17 years. Me and her had a lawn care and snow removal business together for 13 years, prior to her passing away. So I had a little bit of experience with small business before the Horseshoe. I took ownership of the Horseshoe October 1st of last year. It’s been very challenging. It’s a good experience, that’s for sure. I’m gone 5 days a week for my driving job, so I’ve put a lot of faith in my people. We’ve got a good crew. But it’s been full of ups and downs, new things here and there.
We went to 7 days a week there, and that was a pretty big challenge to get that, and have everyone understand that we are open 7 days a week.
MP: What can people expect if they go to the Horseshoe?
Matt: You can expect, hopefully, a warm and inviting atmosphere. We’ve got a pretty big menu. Food is a very important part of our business: the steaks, the prime rib; the fish, wing night. Also I hope it’s a fun experience for everyone who comes in there. That they feel welcomed and they want to come back.
Thursdays are wing night. We have Bluegill on Wednesdays, and then Friday night is Cod, Perch, and Walleye, and on occasion we’ll have Bluegill on Fridays too. We’ve extended our kitchen hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays our kitchen is open until 9:45, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday full kitchen until 11:45. Sunday, right now, our kitchen is open until 7:45, but we’re talking about extending that to 9:45 also.
TVs are in there, in the wintertime we’ve got pool leagues in there – we’ve got two pool tables. Every other Saturday we’ve got a DJ with karaoke. They talked me into getting cornhole, so we’ve got cornhole boards sitting there for people to use. You can go play cornhole and have an adult beverage!
MP: And you recently took over as Marion Fair Board President. How’d that come about?
Matt: Daryl Bode was the president for, I think, the past 7 or 8 years. He stepped down, and depending on who you ask, I either drew the short straw, or I was the lucky one! But it’s been a good thing. I’ve been on the board since ’18; been the vice president for the last couple of years. It’s a good experience. You try to put together something for the community; give them some entertainment and give them an outlet for a week out of the year. And on the flip side of it, you’ve got all the youth, who some of them have been working on their project for about a year, and they get to highlight their abilities.
MP: When you’re not working, what keeps you busy?
Matt: The Horseshoe and the fair!
MP: Should’ve expected that! When you do actually get a chance to kick back and relax, what do you enjoy doing?
Matt: Ride side-by-sides, go camping. The typical things that you do here in northern Michigan; hunt, fish. My girlfriend, Lezlie, a lot of people know her – she’s at the shoe all the time. Before I bought the shoe, we were together, everywhere we went, and a lot of times that was just out riding side-by-side, traveling around.
MP: What do you enjoy the most about living in northern Michigan?
Matt: The seasons. It’s not Florida or California where it’s either hot or it’s really hot. You get the wintertime, ice fishing, snowmobiling and all that. You get to experience a lot more things than a lot of people realize. You get to talking to people, and there are people that can’t even fathom going snowmobiling or being out on the ice.
MP: You’ve been to a war zone, your wife passed away from cancer in 2018; you’ve seen your fair share of ups and downs. What advice has helped you get through the tough times?
Matt: Get up and put your boots on every morning. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. You’ve got to choose your own path and do what’s best for you. You can’t sit back and feel sorry for yourself, and woe is me. Because the world didn’t stop, and you’ve got to keep going also.