Greg grew up in Hamilton, MI, on a celery and onion farm. He graduated from Hope College and did graduate work at WMU and UM. He was at Zeeland West High School for 17 years, finishing there as… Read More

Pam Klyn is President of the Whirlpool Foundation. Pam grew up in the Midland, MI area and graduated from Michigan Tech. She received her master’s from UM and Bowling Green. She recently retired from Whirlpool after 31 years… Read More

Jim is the Owner and President of Green Earth Electronics Recycling on 4200 Niles Rd in St. Joseph. He also owns Maverick Asset Solutions in Baroda. Jim grew up in Elkhart, IN. He played basketball for the University… Read More

Kimberly Risk, a North Pier Lighthouse docent herself, introduced our speakers for the day, Tess Ulery, a St. Joseph City Commissioner and Kate Ulery, Tessa’s mom. Tessa and Kate have both been integral to resuming the popular North… Read More

Dan grew up in Grand Rapids and attended the University of Michigan and Western Michigan. His son is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and is an outstanding athlete. And he has a… Read More

Edgewater Resources is a global, full-service engineering company specializing in coastal and marina engineering, established in 2010. Greg states that, as they attempt to solve engineering problems for their customers, they also consider the community’s needs and ecological… Read More

Laurie grew up in the Sister Lakes area. She attended Michigan Technological University and worked as an electrical engineer for Zenith for 27 years. She now lives in the Baroda area. Upon her retirement, she took on the role… Read More

Larry grew up in Lansing and then moved here with his family in 1967. His family owned and operated the Bella Villa Restaurant. He was drafted into the army in 1969 and enlisted for a three-year term as… Read More

Mike introduced our speaker for the day, Luke Jeffries, CEO of Southwest Michigan Realtors Association (SWMAR). Mike’s father held the same position previously. Luke grew up in Allegan, MI, and now resides in Riverside. He graduated from Columbia… Read More

Dan has been with the County for 22 years. He is a Wisconsin graduate and attended Wayne State for his law degree.  Dan reviewed all the recent activities for maintaining the St. Joseph Harbor and River, ensuring they remain open for both commercial… Read More

Marla is the new President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance. Marla grew up in Fort Wayne, IN. She started her career in business development there and then moved to Muskegon. She moved here to take over the top… Read More

Tom Nelson introduced our speaker for the day, Amy Byrd, the new Berrien County Prosecutor. Amy took over the term from Joseph Pierangeli last year and won a 4-year term in 2025.  Amy grew up on a vegetable… Read More

Katie Woodard, Lakeshore Key Club Advisor, welcomed us to lunch at the High School. We then said the “Pledge of Allegiance” and the Key Club Pledge. Mike Sinn led the Kiwanians in singing “Smile.” We then were treated… Read More

Mick gave us a review of Holtec’s history with the Palisades Nuclear Plant. In 2022, Holtec bought Pallisades with the aim of decommissioning it. With the shift in political winds and the desire for clean energy, Holtec instead… Read More

Donna informed us that the WSG will be celebrating its 21st anniversary this year. She has been with them for nine years and was recently appointed as the Director. WSG is a school, studio, and gallery dedicated to the fine… Read More

Rhiannon grew up in Highland, IN. She graduated from Ball State and got her master’s degree from Valparaiso.  Rhiannon has served as Director of the BHCA for the past five years. She informed us that BHCA is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, operating under the… Read More

Bob Clark introduced our speaker for February 25, Glenn Youngstedt. Glenn is the newly elected Lincoln Township Supervisor. Glenn was a Huey Helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He is a graduate of Purdue. Go Boilers! He worked for Whirlpool… Read More

Mike Ryan introduced our speaker for the day, Cathy Yates, Benton Township Supervisor. Kathy was raised in Louisiana and moved to this area to help her mother after her father’s death. She is married with two children.  Cathy… Read More

Brian has been the B.C Administrator since 2020. Previously, he served as the City Manager of South Haven for 20 years. He still lives in South Haven with his wife and 3 children.  Brian said that he started his job for… Read More

Bob Clark introduced our speaker for the day, Chris Cook. Chris is the Managing Director of the Harbor Shores Community Development.  Chris is a Michigan grad and was the CEO and President of Abonmarche Consultants for many years…. Read More

Our speakers were Bonita Mitchell, Executive Director of “I’m Saving Myself (ISM)” and Iris Watts, BH Supervisor of ISM. Bonita Mitchell grew up in Eau Claire. She spent several years in California performing with Stevie Wonder. It was… Read More

Bob Clark introduced our speaker for the day, Al Pscholka. Bob read off Al’s resume which is too long to repeat here. Currently he is the Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing and Government Relations at Lake Michigan College… Read More