Category Archives: Community News

Morea Chiropractic Wellness Center of Fruitport would like to announce that the practice is celebrating its 17th anniversary during the month of March. Led by chiropractor Mike Morea, Morea Chiropractic provides non-invasive, drug-free pain management and injury rehabilitation, and complete wellness care to patients of all ages. The office also boasts state of the art technology, a supplement room and massage therapy.

“Dr. Mike”, as his patients affectionately call him, graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Biology. From there he went on to Life University to receive his doctor of chiropractic degree. Dr. Mike is an active participant in the Michigan Association of Chiropractors. He is using the anniversary of his practice as an opportunity to raise awareness about the benefits of chiropractic care and to encourage families to learn more about how chiropractic care would enhance their loved ones lives.

Our mission is to help as many families in our lifetime by loving, giving, and serving.

Following our mission we are extending a special invitation for new patients to receive a chiropractic exam and consult for only $17. On March 12th the office will be offering $17 adjustments from 4-6pm.

All month long anyone can be entered to win the grand prize drawing of a one night stay at The Shoreline Inn and dinner at the lake house.

Morea Chiropractic would like to thank the community for 17 wonderful years and they look forward to many more health focused years in the area.

To learn more about MCWC visit: www.moreachiro.com or call the office at 231-865-7474.

MUSKEGON — A West Michigan solar energy developer is pursuing new projects and job-training in low-income communities across the state that qualify for tax relief under recent federal tax reforms.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created qualified Opportunity Zones that allow investors to defer taxes on capital gains meant to spur development in low-income areas. While most projects involve real estate development, some developers across the U.S. are beginning to explore the potential for renewable energy in Opportunity Zones.

To continue reading, visit MiBiz

A unique concept positioning Mercy Health’s community health and wellness expertise on the forefront of turf sports and recreation in Downtown Muskegon’s L. C. Walker Arena.

Mercy Health’s commitment to the Muskegon Lakeshore community has expanded!

On Saturday, February 2 during the Muskegon Risers home game in L. C. Walker Arena, the Muskegon Lakeshore community will experience “Mercy Health Field” for the first time. The game will effectively launch a longstanding agreement between Mercy Health, Muskegon Risers, and West Michigan Ironmen that places Mercy Health on the forefront of all turf sports and recreation activities in L. C. Walker Arena.

“Mercy Health is proud to show our commitment to the Muskegon community through our partnership with the Muskegon Risers and West Michigan Ironmen,” said Gary Allore, president of Mercy Health Muskegon. “Being the title sponsor of the turf field at the L.C. Walker Arena is an opportunity to show our support for active and healthy lifestyles.”

The concept includes Mercy Health’s logo at center field, arena signage, video monitors with engaging health and wellness content, “Mercy Health Field” listed on the Shoreline Drive Marquee and incorporated with all turf event & activity promotions.

An online turf rental platform has also been developed to allow members of the Muskegon sports community to view turf availability and make reservations for practices, camps, and other turf-related community events. The creation of this platform will help maximize downtown Muskegon’s potential as a hub for health and wellness activity.

“Mercy Health has shown an incredible commitment to local athletes for many years and provides unmatched service surrounding all aspects of an athlete’s health.” said Ironmen GM, Nate Smith, “Having the arena turf named Mercy Health Field is incredibly fitting and is the physical representation of what Mercy Health does; they lay the ground for our athletes to succeed.”

For more information, please contact:

Amy Rotter, Mercy Health (amy.rotter@mercyhealth.com)

Matt Schmitt, Muskegon Risers (matt.schmitt@muskegonrisers.com)

Nate Smith, West Michigan Ironmen (nate.smith@ironstrong.cc)

TROY, Mich., January 31, 2019 – Rehmann’s Roger Webster was named the director of resource partners for the Michigan Society of Human Resource Management (MISHRM).

MISHRM supports education to HR professionals including the importance of developing relationships with the companies that offer solutions in these functional areas. Companies aligned withMISHRM are recognized as important resources that every HR professional should be familiar with, in order to accomplish their jobs and support their organizations.

Currently, there are over 15,000 HR professionals in the state of Michigan with approximately 3,000 of those being members of SHRM Chapters throughout Michigan.

Webster will be responsible for maintaining and expanding  Resource Partner membership for MISHRM.

“The goal is to provide valuable resources to the members of the SHRM councils throughout the state of Michigan,” said Webster. “We want this relationship to be beneficial to SHRM members and strengthen our networks by developing dynamic relationships with companies that provide HR solutions.”

Beginning his employee administration career in 1995, Webster has tremendous experience in the HR, payroll and benefits outsourcing arena, performing in sales, marketing and sales management roles. He currently leads the HR solutions department at Rehmann.

A graduate of Western Michigan University, Webster is a member and former board member of the Detroit Society of Human Resources Management.

About Rehmann

Rehmann is a fully integrated financial services firm of CPAs & consultants, wealth advisors and corporate investigators dedicated to providing clients proactive ideas and solutions to help them prosper professionally and personally. Additionally, through a unique combination with Trivalent Group®, a top 100 managed IT service provider, we have expanded our technology capabilities and launched a managed IT solutions practice. Rehmann has nearly 900 associates in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Rehmann is an independent member of Nexia International, offering clients a global approach. Find us online at rehmann.com.

Contact: Holly Shier

248.458.7923

holly.shier@rehmann.com

Van’s Car Wash & Quick Lube has been locally owned and managed, serving the community for 50 years. In 1969, the first car wash opened on Sherman Blvd. This location is one of the few that prep and spot clean your car before the automated wash. Also, with an oil change or auto service purchased, customers receive a free car wash.

Core services remain car washes and quick lube/oil change services. Standard oil changes include up to six quarts of Quaker State Synthetic Blend. The oil change service includes checking tire pressure, lights and resetting the oil reminder function. Repairs and other maintenance is offered at the Sherman location. Services include brakes, A/C, engine work, starters, alternators, and radiators/cooling systems.

To honor the family tradition of service, Van’s will offer special anniversary throwback pricing for one day only, on Saturday, January 26^th, at all locations. Get a car wash for only $1 or an oil change service for only $10. Stop in for free Van’s logoed items and car wash coupon books, available for purchase at a special price. Visitors may register to win Michigan International Speedway Grandstand and Pit tickets, as well as, Quaker State apparel. For a complete list of all seven Van’s locations and hours, please visit: https://vanscarwash.com/

Van’s story began on October 15, 1930, when Gerritt Vanderstelt and his son Henry opened Van’s full-service gas station at 1087 W. Laketon Avenue in Muskegon. Their franchise would eventually expand to five locations. Henry Vanderstelt took over the company after his father’s passing. In 1979, Henry retired and his sons, Gary and John, took over the reins of the family business, which included a car wash and gas station on Sherman Boulevard. In 1987, Gary decided to retire from the business and sold the original location on Laketon Avenue, while his brother John continued to own and operate the full-service Sherman location. Two of their sons, Mike and Jerry, remained as the co-owners and operators of the company. Today, the family legacy continues under current owner, Jerry Vanderstelt.

Currently, Jerry owns and manages seven locations in the Muskegon, Fruitport, and Fremont area. As the 50^th anniversary approaches on January 24, 2019, Jerry had this to say, “I am extremely proud to carry on four generations of service to our community and our entire team is looking forward to continuing the tradition of customer service.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shannon Cunningham
616-458-1332 | scunningham@shrr.com

Grand Rapids, Mich., January 7, 2019 — Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge is pleased to announce the election of a new Chief Executive Officer, two new members of its board of directors, and the addition of a new shareholder. With these changes the firm continues to pass the mantle of leadership to the next generation.

“Like many law firms, Smith Haughey is facing the approaching retirement of a large number of its senior shareholders in the next five to ten years” said Lori Gibson, Smith Haughey COO. “Fortunately, these shareholders have been very wise and intentional in mentoring and developing younger leaders.”

Attorney Matthew L. Wikander has been elected for a three-year term as the firm’s CEO, effective January 1, 2019. Wikander began his career with Smith Haughey as a summer associate in 2003 and joined the firm as a full-time associate in 2004. He was elected a shareholder in 2010 and appointed to the firm’s board in 2011, where he has continued to serve. Over the past 14 years, he has developed a successful litigation practice, representing plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury and wrongful death, employment, and commercial litigation matters.

Gibson shares that Wikander’s board and firm leadership experience will heavily aide in his success as CEO, noting that he understands the firm’s history and strengths, while recognizing where it needs to strategically grow.

“Our firm has historically been known as a litigation firm. Today we have some of the finest trial lawyers and litigators in the state, and our success rate throughout Michigan’s courtrooms speaks for itself,” said Wikander. “I am committed to doubling down on our litigation roots and strategically growing in our most important litigation sub-specialties. Doing so will buttress the foundation of this firm for generations to come,” he continued.

“At the same time, our firm is becoming increasingly more well-rounded with a business and transactional practice, focused primarily in our Holland and Muskegon offices. The continued growth of those practices remains a priority for this firm.”

In addition to Wikander’s election, Smith Haughey also welcomes two new shareholders to its board of directors – Kristen E. Guinn and D. Adam Tountas. They join returning board members Cheryl L. Chandler, Kevin B. Even, E. Thomas McCarthy and Jason R. Sebolt.

Kristen E. Guinn is a trial attorney in Smith Haughey’s Grand Rapids office who represents individuals and organizations in numerous types of lawsuits, including the defense of professional malpractice claims, contract disputes, employment matters, general liability and no-fault claims, and criminal matters. She has successfully tried cases and settled disputes for clients in state and federal courts throughout Michigan. Her clients include municipalities, small business owners, corporations, health care providers, landlords, attorneys and professionals.

D. Adam Tountas is the chairman of Smith Haughey’s litigation department and specializes in the defense of complex, high-exposure civil lawsuits. He represents, among others, small and mid-market businesses, real estate developers, elected officials, and large municipal risk pools.

Smith Haughey has also named Jeffrey S. Dornbos as a shareholder. Dornbos is a trial attorney who practices in the areas of commercial, employment, and appellate litigation and professional liability defense and practices in Smith Haughey’s Grand Rapids and Holland offices. He has extensive courtroom experience, ranging from arguing motions and representing clients at hearings to conducting state and federal jury trials. He also has experience representing clients in state and federal appeals, including arguing before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Jeff is a seasoned litigator who excels at maintaining excellent client relationships.

“Smith Haughey owes a debt of gratitude to William W. Jack, our outgoing Chief Executive Officer, for leading us through some challenging but important business decisions, and to our senior shareholders, who set the example of excellence,” said Gibson. “With their continued guidance, we are pleased to see our younger generation of attorneys move into leadership roles. They will guide the firm for the next twenty to thirty years, while in turn preparing yet another generation of attorneys to lead the firm after them.”

Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge has been helping our clients overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities since 1941. With offices in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon and more than 60 attorneys and counselors, we offer the most comprehensive legal experience available. For more information about the firm, call 616-774-8000 or visit www.shrr.com.

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MUSKEGON, MI — Goodwill Industries of West Michigan is pleased to announce the recent hire of Dan Broersma as the nonprofit agency’s new environmental sustainability manager.
In this newly created position, Dan will lead in the development and implementation of community-focused environmental sustainability initiatives for Goodwill.

“Dan’s innovative ideas and incredible knowledge will turbocharge our current recycling efforts,” said Goodwill President and CEO Jeanette Hoyer. “In addition to helping us reduce waste in our donated goods department, Dan is championing a new business-to-business line of office furniture disassembly and general recycling.”

Broersma steps down from Herman Miller’s Design for the Environment team where he helped lead the company’s efforts in certifying its products to meet environmental certifications, developing a more sustainable supply chain, and creating end-of-life solutions for its office furniture. He worked for the company for nearly 18 years.

“While at Herman Miller, Dan spearheaded substantial and successful environmental footprint reduction strategies, and secured and nurtured significant relationships with local recyclers, waste haulers, and equipment suppliers,” said Organizational Development Director Kristin Garris. “We are excited about his ability to apply his proven approaches to our Goodwill operations.”

Dan is also the co-founder and executive director of Green Michigan.org, an organization devoted to sharing free community resource information on recycling, parks and recreation, energy and environmental tips, and more.

“I am so excited to work with Goodwill to create a resource for our community that helps the environment while creating jobs!” Broersma said.

The mission of Goodwill Industries of West Michigan is to provide work opportunities, skill development, and family strengthening resources in all communities it serves.

For more information, please visit: www.goodwillwm.org
Contact: Liz Witzler, Marketing Director (231) 722-7871 x1027 lwitzler@goodwillwm.org

View the calendar of events for this week December 10-16 here.

Muskegon, MI (December 10, 2018)–Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU) is pleased to announce the Monday, December 3, 2018 opening of its newest branch at 925 W. Sherman Boulevard in Muskegon, Michigan.

The Muskegon facility is a full-service branch and features a comfortable walk-in lobby, drive-through service, a 24-hour drive-up ATM, night depository, notary public, as well as ready access to mortgage services, commercial lending, insurance and wealth management.

Branch Manager, Tasha Oakes, said, “I’m very excited to work for LMCU and assist the members who live, work, and worship in my community.  I’m looking forward to providing members with the financial help needed to improve their current and future financial stability.

The ribbon-cutting event is scheduled for Friday, January 11, from 10a.m. to 1p.m.—including free food and gift basket giveaways.

For every new account opened during the months of December and January, LMCU will donate $5 to Watch Muskegon.

LMCU Signature products:

3% Max Checking

Pays 3.00% Annual Percentage Rate on balances up to $15,000. Free checking, no fees or minimum balance requirements.

Max Rewards Visa Credit Card

Pays cash back or points – 3% on gas, 2% on groceries and dining, 1% on everything else.

Prime Platinum Visa Credit Card

Features one of the lowest rates in the country. Named by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as the best credit card in the country for those who carry a monthly balance.

Auto, Life, and Home Insurance

Helping you make informed decisions about the best coverage for your needs.

Lake Michigan Credit Union is the largest credit union in Michigan. Employing a staff of over 1,200, LMCU’s assets exceed $5.9 billion, with a mortgage serviced portfolio of over $10 billion and over 421,000 members. LMCU has 53 convenient branch locations overall, including ten in southwest Florida. LMCU members have access to over 55,000 AllPoint ATMs worldwide. LMCU provides a full-range of financial services, from high interest-bearing checking accounts to personal loans, mortgages, investments and commercial banking.

To find out more, visit LMCU.org.

Media Contact:

Emily Kraft

LMCU Media Buyer

616-265-3855

emily.kraft@lmcu.org

MUSKEGON – With days to go before the 100^th day of their 100 Year Campaign, United Way of the Lakeshore reports pledges of $1.4 million or 60%  of its $2.5 million goal.

“As we celebrate 100 Years of United Way of the Lakeshore, we look back on decades of caring and look forward to continued growth of an organization that is so important in our community,” said Campaign Chair Gary Nelund. “Reaching our campaign goal ensures that we can continue to be the mortar between the bricks of the organizations that are helping those in need in our community, so that no one falls between the cracks. Pledges raised in the campaign support over 76 local programs at local agencies, focusing on education, income stability, and health.”

Donations stay in our area to help neighbors who are in need, with funding decisions made by a committee of volunteers and donors who live in our community and volunteer to help determine the best use of funding.

One of the local programs that donations support is the Michigan Education Corps AmeriCorps Michigan Reading Corps tutoring program, a proven model that significantly accelerates literacy achievement for children age 3 to grade 3. United Way of the Lakeshore brought the original program to our community to help our older elementary students succeed, becoming a pilot site for the PreK program when it became available.  PreK Reading Corps places one AmeriCorps tutor in each preschool classroom full-time to provide supplemental language and literacy rich interventions for every child. Results from the pilot pre-school program show that our kids start the year behind national averages. For three years, those enrolled in the program have shown enough growth by year end to score above national averages in 4 out of 5 indicators of school readiness.

“AmeriCorps not only changed my life in a short time, but it’s added much needed value to the lives of our future generation of children.  I’ve noticed a change in the students in just two weeks.  The transition song alone helps their minds to start running as it teaches them to ask who, what, when, why and where.  My students want to know every aspect of books we read,” said one Reading Corps member serving our preschoolers.

United Way is grateful for the continued support of our business community, including ADAC Arconic, Cannon Muskegon, CWC Textron, Gray & Company, Nichols, Webb Chemical, among many others. Mercy Health leads the way with area healthcare providers, while Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Muskegon Community College, and area school districts have also stepped up their support. While workplace campaigns and corporate giving remain the backbone of the fundraising campaign, United Way also relies on individual donations, including retirees.

“We’re thankful to all who have given so far,” Nelund said. “If everyone working and every retiree gave just $1 a week, we’d raise more than $4 million. The potential is great, and so are the needs. If you can give, even a little, please do so – every dollar helps! Although the 100^th day is December 10, United Way will continue to accept donations towards the campaign goal after that date.”

People who would like to contribute and have not been contacted yet can call (231) 722-3134, visit www.unitedwaylakeshore.org/100Years100Days, or text 100Years100Days to 414-44.

In addition to raising funds to support our community, United Way of the Lakeshore connects volunteers to opportunities that match their interests. If you would like to volunteer, visit www.unitedwaylakeshore.org to get connected!

About United Way of the Lakeshore: United Way of the Lakeshore unites to inspire change and build thriving communities in Muskegon, Oceana and Newaygo counties. For more information, contact United Way of the Lakeshore at 231-722-3134 or visit www.unitedwaylakeshore.org.

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