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Meet the Innkeeper Jim Yeaman comes to the role of Owner and Innkeeper at The Lattice Inn after a successful career in organization management and public relations. After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in Film, Radio & TV, Jim was first associated with Auburn's Public Television and University Relations departments. In 1968, his initial assignment in Montgomery was as the first full-time director of the City's convention and visitors bureau under the auspices of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Active over the years in several capacities in the civic and professional life of Montgomery, Jim served as President of the Montgomery Capital Rotary Club as well as Chairman of the City's Historic Development Commission. Prior to his move to Chicago in 1986, he was the CEO of Horizons Management Group, an association management company. The move to the Chicagoland area saw Jim installed as the Associate General Secretary for Membership Services at Rotary International. In that capacity, he directed Rotary's world-wide public relations, communications and membership services operations. Prior to the acquisition of The Lattice Inn and his return to Montgomery in 2007, he was CEO of The JOY Group, a property management company that specialized in the management of small to medium sized residential condominium properties on Chicago's north shore. Jim shares the comfort of The Inn with his partner as well as the House Kitties, Terrence and Phillip. |
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History of The Lattice Inn* Michael Pierce came to Montgomery in 1990 to work in his oldest brother's cabinet and woodworking business. Before the sale of that business in 1992, Michael and his partner acquired 1414 South Hull Street. Shortly thereafter, a couple stopped in for a visit on their way to Texas for the winter. Instead of asking the guests to climb the steep stairs to the bedroom on the second floor, Michael let them sleep in his bedroom on the main floor and he spent the night upstairs, listening to the rain on the roof. In February of 1993, he decided to move his quarters to the second floor and opened The Lattice Inn Bed and Breakfast with only the original master bedroom and a rented cottage nearby. By August of 1993, Michael had expanded the facilities by turning the dining room into a guest room and made a smaller sitting room adjacent to the kitchen into the new dining room. In 1994, two guest rooms and baths were constructed on the pool level (under the existing kitchen and new dining room). Additional outdoor amenities were added to include an expansion of the lower deck area around the fish pond and a hot tub. With the increased capacity under one roof at 1414 South Hull, the neighboring cottage was no longer required to accommodate the regular flow of guests. Unfortunately, on September 17, 2000, Michael passed away (on his 59th birthday). The Inn struggled to survive under the capable management of Charles Cooper. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan moved through the state and caused extensive damage to the property. A neighbor's tree fell across the garden, demolishing the gazebo and the hot tub/spa, along with portions of the fence along the property line. As a result of the storm and many other factors, Michael's partner decided to close the Inn. The contents were sold and the structure was put for sale. It sat empty for several years until Jim Yeaman acquired it in May of 2007. The process of resurrecting the business began with new furnishings and improvements to the guest suites, kitchen and the landscape. A new privacy fence was installed to replace the damaged chain link fence. The west end of the pool deck was expanded to provide more seating and the pool was converted to salt water. On May 5, 2009, the new hot tub was installed. Two days later the property fell victim to a flash flood that destroyed the two Cabana Suites and their contents. Despite the flood, the Inn continues to welcome guests to the Sandpiper and Magnolia suites on the main level until the Cabana Suites can be restored. *Portions of this history were taken from Michael's cookbook, "Meet The Cookie Man", now available online. |
