Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home to many refugees since countries at war surround it. Living situations are bleak,… Read More

Lainie Adams, shown above with President Dave, is the Director of Corporate Partnerships for LOGAN Community Services, Inc. LOGAN is a non-profit organization, based in the Michiana area, that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they and… Read More

Kiya Hudson, Welch Center Manager, was our host and guide on August 5, 2025. Kiya grew up in Van Buren County and received a degree from Lake Michigan College (LMC) in Wine and Viticulture in 2020. She shared… Read More

Greg, pictured with President Dave, graduated from Hope College and pursued graduate studies at WMU and UM. He was at Zeeland West High School for 17 years, finishing there as the principal. He took over the job as… Read More

Pam Klyn, President of the Whirlpool Foundation, reviewed many of the Whirlpool Foundation’s activities. She said that the Foundation uses a House and Home framework to guide its global giving. House means enabling comfortable, nurturing places to live, and Home, supporting resilient, thriving, and… 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. At Green Earth, they recycle all electronics (anything with a plug, cord,… Read More

Tess Ulery, a St. Joseph City Commissioner, and Kate Ulery, Tessa’s mom, have both been integral to resuming the popular North Pier Lighthouse tours since the Heritage Museum closed. St. Joseph Today has now taken over that task and… Read More

In 2009-2010, the city’s emergency manager merged the Police and Fire Departments, causing Police Officers and Fire Fighters to become cross-trained. However, the fire school available at the time was subpar. So, Benton Harbor developed its fire school,… 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 and worked as an electrical engineer for Zenith for 27 years. Upon her retirement, she took on the role of Executive Director at Curious Kids and has been in that position for 13 years. When… Read More

Larry was drafted into the army in 1969 and enlisted for a three-year term as a cook. He went to Vietnam in May of 1971 as a 2nd Lieutenant. After Vietnam, he was in the reserves for a… Read More

Luke reviewed the purpose of SWMAR, which includes being an advocate for realtors, providing education, offering training, and ensuring oversight. He provided a review of recent national trends and then presented some local statistics. One interesting statistic is… Read More

Dan reviewed all the activities needed for maintaining the St. Joseph Harbor and River, ensuring they remain open for both commercial and recreational boating. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the Inner and Outer Harbors by keeping them dredged for commercial… Read More

Marla is the new President and CEO of Cornerstone Alliance. She shared that Cornerstone’s goals for the next year are: 

Amy discussed the workings of the Prosecutor’s Office, which cover: 

Katie Woodard, Lakeshore Key Club Advisor, welcomed us to lunch at the High School. Then the Key Club Officers gave a PowerPoint presentation of their activities throughout the year: 

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 was recently appointed as the Director. WSG is a school, studio, and gallery dedicated to the fine arts of glass and metal. “We are mainly a school,” said Donna. “We have a gallery, but the sale of… Read More

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 direction of the County. Its mission is “to collect and preserve artifacts related to Berrien County history… Read More

Glenn is the newly elected Lincoln Township Supervisor. He plans to be responsive to all the citizens of the townships. He reviewed the current state of the Township’s: 

Cathy took over the job as Supervisor in 2019. She discovered that the agreement with St. Joe for sewer treatment was set to expire in 2020. What resulted was an $8 million, 5-year Benton Township project to build… Read More

Brian has been the B.C Administrator since 2020. Previously, he served as the City Manager of South Haven for 20 years. During the pandemic, they recognized the need to update the county’s infrastructure. One area that they focused on was the… Read More

Chris is the Managing Director of Harbor Shores Community Development. Currently, development in the Benton Harbor Parcels includes 137 homes and apartments. That accounts for $ 22 million in taxable value and $565,000 in property taxes, plus city income… Read More

Bonita Mitchell is the Executive Director of “I’m Saving Myself (ISM)”, and Iris Watts is the BH Supervisor of ISM. Bonita started a program in 2001 called “I’m Saving Myself (ISM)” after an Eau Claire student committed suicide. ISM is… Read More

Al is the Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Government Relations at Lake Michigan College (LMC). He told us that there are “lots of exciting things happening at LMC,” and proudly said to us that LMC was recently ranked as… Read More