Sarah Spoonholtz has been with the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber since 2018. She’s also the one who nominated them — and she says she’s watched the organization become something worth shouting about.
The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber is a nonprofit business advocacy and collective impact organization serving Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties. Established in 1954, the Chamber works to strengthen regional assets, advocate for regional priorities, and cultivate an economic ecosystem built for long-term growth. Under President and CEO Arthur Havlicek, who joined in January 2020, the organization has grown from a staff of two to a team of ten, and from roughly 600 members to 1,000.
What the Chamber has built in that time goes well beyond ribbon cuttings. In the past year alone, the organization created regional alignment in Berrien County by affiliating with both the Greater Niles Chamber and the Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce — an alignment that unlocked state funding for that part of the county that had previously been out of reach. The Bridgman Community Growth Alliance secured more than $2 million in funding for Bridgman and Lake Townships, which in turn leveraged another $2 million in additional capital access.
The Chamber also works directly on housing, broadband development, childcare, and workforce development, has launched two additional 501(c)(3) organizations, and brought two additional chambers under its umbrella. The work, Spoonholtz says, is meaningful impact — and it’s setting the tone for the region’s future.
Inside the organization, the culture reflects the same commitment to investment. Staff attend seminars, conferences, and specific trainings. New ideas are met with a “how do we get to yes” approach rather than a default no. The benefits package is strong — 10-plus paid holidays, 160 hours of PTO plus sick time, and a hyper-flexible work model that has allowed team members to work from Florida, New York City, and Denver.
The people doing the work, Spoonholtz says, deserve to be seen. The community doesn’t always know who’s behind what’s being built. Now they do.
