Thousands of men and women labor daily across Michigan’s Great Southwest, keeping the wheels of commerce churning for the betterment of the entire region. The elite among them received some well-earned recognition and a bit of hardware to go with it this morning when the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce and Cornerstone Alliance teamed up for the 2020 Business Recognition Breakfast at Lake Michigan College.
The annual celebration of local businesses and business professionals had more than 450 in attendance this morning, Thursday, February 13th to witness the crowning of a total of 12 businesses and individuals who were recognized by their colleagues in the newly remodeled Lake Michigan College Mendel Center’s Grand Upton Hall.
The event was sponsored by Chamber member’s Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Kruggel Lawton CPA’s, Silver Beach Pizza, Mid-West Family, MoodyontheMarket.com, Lake Michigan College and United Federal Credit Union.
Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber President and CEO Arthur Havlicek said today, “It was a pleasure to spend the morning celebrating the business community with our members and the Cornerstone Alliance. The joint meeting and award ceremony is a long standing tradition that we look forward to every year.”
Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland added, “This is a great opportunity for both organizations to bring businesses from all over Berrien County into one room to celebrate success from the prior year and share our respective plans for the upcoming one.”
The keynote address was delivered by Jeff Donofrio, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity who provided an idea of where Michigan is heading in terms of the overall talent pool in the community and what the state has planned to train and recruit new talent to our respective communities.
Here are the award winners honored this morning:
CORNERSTONE ALLIANCE AWARD WINNERS:
MARIE FRANZ PARTNER AWARD
The Berrien County Community Development Department’s primary role is to enhance a cooperative spirit in the community to include education, government and private sectors through the retention of current jobs and to stimulate increased employment opportunities. The Berrien County Community Development Department seeks to improve the economic well-being of Berrien County by influencing, encouraging and supporting private business growth, expansion and job creation to continually stabilize our tax base without duplicating efforts. Job retention, job creation, tax base enhancement and property reuse improves everyone’s quality of life.
MICROENTERPRISE AWARD
Watermark Brewing Company has been a recreational attraction in Stevensville for the past three years. With a friendly and knowledgeable staff, Watermark has hosted a great number of community events, bringing residents and non-residents of Stevensville together in one space.
Watermark also hosts new or existing food businesses in the area, connecting businesses directly to their consumers. Without a doubt, Watermark Brewing has become a hub of business and leisure positioned perfectly in the epicenter of downtown Stevensville.
SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR
Judee Hopwood is President and Co-Owner of Williamson Employment Services, a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise. Founded in 1992, Williamson is a full-service staffing company with offices in St. Joseph, Kentwood, Grand Rapids, and Mishawaka. Hopwood received her MBA from Western Michigan University in 2004. She is dedicated to promoting the local community, and currently serves as the Chairwoman of the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance Advisory Board.
Hopwood is a member of the American Staffing Association, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Cornerstone Alliance, Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber of St. Joseph County, Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce, Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Michigan SHRM, and the Executive and Professional Women’s Association, where she served on the board from 2009 to 2017. She also teaches classes in Human Resources, Hiring Employees, and Business Etiquette, and assists women who are obtaining their Women-Owned Business certification for the first time.
Through her company, Hopwood provides scholarships to students in the Industrial Arts programs at Lake Michigan College and is a named sponsor of the Hanson Technology Center.
ECONOMIC GROWTH AWARD
Since 1949, United Federal Credit Union has been dedicated to improving the financial lives of its Members and positively impacting each community it serves. Today, United is in ranked as one of the top 100 largest federally-insured credit unions in the U.S., with more than 30 branches covering six states, over $2.8 billion in assets, and more than 174,000 Members. United is headquartered in St. Joseph, Michigan with branches in Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio—and growing.
United has maintained a 5-star rating for 21 consecutive years from Bauer Financial, one the country’s premier financial ratings services. As part of its growth, the credit union has partnered with 900+ employers to extend offerings and benefits to their employees and affiliates.
United’s dedication to service and community doesn’t stop at the branch doors—it extends into the schools, restaurants, and other small businesses in every community they serve. Giving back is important to Team United; the Members who work at United are rooted in their communities as neighbors, volunteers, and mentors.
LARGE MANUFACTURING AWARD
In 1892, William A. Vail had an idea for a company. He began by producing rubber railroad ties and horseshoes in Chicago, Illinois. As times changed, his entrepreneurial dream evolved into one of the most respected roll cover manufacturers in America. Today Vail Rubber Works operates from three locations: two in St. Joseph, Michigan – our Langley headquarters and the M-139 Surface Technology Center that specializes in HVOF coatings. There is also a Vail service center in Axis, Alabama just north of Mobile. Each location solves the toughest roll cover problems with innovation, attention to detail and genuine concern for your success. That’s how our previous generations did business. That’s the legacy we continue to pass on.
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN REGIONAL CHAMBER AWARD WINNERS:
YOUNG BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR AWARD
This year’s recipient of the Young Business Leader of the Year Award is Stacey Dodson, Brand Manager for Honor Credit Union and a proud Buchanan native. As Brand Manager, Stacey is responsible for public relations, community sponsorships, communication, and social media for the Credit Union. A big believer in reinvention, Stacey’s professional career has taken a few detours along the way to her current position. Her background includes experience in the political realm both in Lansing and Washington, D.C., a decade of teaching social studies at the secondary education level, a venture into real estate sales, a side-project as a syndicated columnist, blogger, and podcast host. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Master’s Degree of Education in Curriculum and Design.
She is highly involved in her beloved hometown and serves as Secretary of the Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce where she leads the annual Christmas parade and monthly PERC networking breakfasts. She received the award of Buchanan’s Most Influential Young Leader Under 40 in 2017, was named as one of Pat Moody’s 40 Under 40 recipients in 2019 and is a recent graduate of the Leadership Accelerator Program powered by Michigan’s Great Southwest Strategic Leadership Council. She enjoys being a mom to three little Bucks, spending time with her community at Gospel City Church, and exploring the outdoors and doing life with her favorite adventure-partner.
SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
The Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award Recipient is Freedom Finishing. Freedom Finishing began powder coating in September of 1988, and moved to their current 60,000 sq. ft. production center in Benton Harbor in 1992. Since that move, Freedom Finishing has continued to grow their business and product capabilities to continue the advancement of powder application, and in doing so has enjoyed great success and customer satisfaction.
With over 27 years of experience with the most demanding industries such as; automotive, military, appliance, recreation, furniture, medical, and beyond. Their know-how and abilities provide better service, and high-quality products with competitive pricing no matter the order size.
EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD
The Chamber’s Excellence in Customer Service Award winner for this year is Boelcke Heating. Boelcke Heating is a local Heating and Cooling company that was founded in 1963 by Richard & Louise Boelcke. Since the business opened shop, the mission was simple: Grow within the company and provide outstanding service in the surrounding community.
In 2013 they purchased a local HVAC company in Coloma and in 2018 they announced an expansion, offering plumbing services. With continued growth, Boelcke has expanded their reach throughout the area, servicing not only Benton Harbor and St. Joseph but also Niles, New Buffalo and the surrounding areas in-between.
When Boelcke Heating opened, there were 2 employees, today they employ 26 people! They believe that providing employees with proper training is crucial in the HVAC and plumbing industries. In 2016, Boelcke added a large training room to their facility where technicians hold weekly meetings and participate in training’s multiple times a year.
Proving that they take good care of their people, in 2018 Boelcke Heating was named one of the top 20 places to work in Southwest Michigan, and was the recipient of the Herald Palladium Readers’ Choice for best Local Heating and Cooling Company.
Not only does Boelcke support their surrounding area by sponsoring and donating to various schools, churches, and organizations, they also care deeply about their customers. A top priority is focused on customer satisfaction. Their talented technicians are highly-trained to provide the best possible service.
ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARD
The Economic Impact Award this year is Edgewater Automation. Founded in 2001, Edgewater Automation designs and builds custom automation equipment for a wide variety of industries. Edgewater Automation installs and supports equipment globally with 3 locations in Southwest Michigan and 1 in South Carolina. As a member of the Manders Group, Edgewater Automation has 5 different partner companies across Europe and Asia. Featured four times on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America, Edgewater Automation is constantly improving and growing in experience, talent and technology.
NON-PROFIT EXCELLENCE AWARD
New for 2020, the Non-Profit Excellence Award, which honors 501(c) organizations who provide exceptional contributions to the community, in going above and beyond to benefit those in Southwest Michigan. The inaugural winner is Harbor Country Mission.
Harbor Country Mission, founded in 2013 by Jason Ehlert and Dave Heyn Jr., exists primarily to aid those who are on the boarder of a financial crisis. Through a partnership with community members, local partners and services, Harbor Country Mission has been able to serve a vast range of those impacted in the rural areas of Berrien County. Services provided include home repairs, home furnishings, life coaching, a thrift store, and jobs.
In 2019 they completed 186 home repairs, gave away 33 cars, assisted with 80+ homeless transitions, provided over 1,000 hours of community service, and raised $77,000 through their Vintage Finds Antique Store. Additionally, in 2019 they launched a campaign to eliminate medical debt in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties helping 2,611 families for a total of $2,406,511.66 eliminated.
2019 AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR
During her time as a Chamber Ambassador in 2018 and 2019, Lorrie Brink was a licensed CMG Financial Mortgage Loan Officer and Production Assistant. She has years of experience of leading and educating borrowers through various mortgage products, strong analytical skills and an extreme eye for detail.
Lorrie believes in community involvement. She is a member of Women Service League, a Board Member for 100 Women Strong, former Ambassador for the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, is a member of the Executive Professional Women’s Association and is a Berrien County Precinct Delegate, along with other various volunteer community activities.
Lorrie earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University, and now works as a Mortgage Advisor with United Federal Credit Union
THE PAT MOODY AWARD
The recipient of the prestigious Pat Moody Award is St. Joseph native Robert “Bob” Gerbel. Robert “Bob” Gerbel, is a life-long St. Joseph resident, with 60 years of accounting experience. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1957, Bob began working at a CPA firm in Benton Harbor. At the encouragement of his wife Carol, Bob opened the doors to Gerbel & Company, P.C., now Hungerford Nichols CPAs + Advisors, on September 23, 1968. His love for St. Joseph and all of Southwest Michigan is why he continuously strives to this day, to make it an area we can all be proud to call home.
Over the years, Bob has been involved with multiple organizations, a small sampling of them include the St. Joseph Improvement Association, Berrien County Michigan State University Alumni Association, Soup Kitchen Volunteer, St. Joseph Board of Education, Western Amateur Tournament Committee, United Way of Southwest Michigan, Zion Evangelical United Church of Christ, PSB Building Condominium Association, St. Joseph Downtown Development Fund, North Lincoln PTA, Peoples State Bank, St. Joseph Today, Economic Club of Southwest Michigan, a plethora of political campaigns, Accounting Associations, and more.
All of this year’s Chamber nominee and award recipient information will be made available at www.smrchamber.com.
