Category: Leadership

Nick White, Director of Facilities for Ascension Borgess Health, and Nancy Turtle, Kalamazoo Community Bank President at Mercantile Bank, give their perspective on leadership. First thing you do in the morning? Nick White: Make my bed. Nancy Turtle: Brew a cup of coffee. I don’t function well without it. First pet?  Nick: A 140-pound golden […]

Regional leaders share lessons they’ve learned on their journeys. When it comes to expanding communities, the focus tends to fall on young and emerging professionals: how to lure them in, how to make them stay, and how to set them up for growth. While young people are an undeniable asset to an evolving economy, it’s […]

Mike Roeder, President and CEO of Fabri-Kal Corporation, takes us through his leadership journey. 1963 | Born in Cumberland, Maryland My family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, when I was too young to remember. I had four brothers and sisters, so there was a lot of sharing. We shared toys, cars, bathrooms—you name it. Growing up, […]

We sat down with Alan Smaka, Kalamazoo Office Director for Wightman and Associates, and Tara Vandestreek, Accounting Supervisor at Getman Corporation, to hear these leaders’ thoughts on success, development, motivation, and more. First Things First First job? Tara: Summer Camp Counselor Alan: Street Sweeper First app you check in the morning? Tara: Email and Calendar […]

Technology won’t shape the office of the future. People will. Imagine the office of the future. What pops into your mind? Maybe it’s an artificial intelligence system that reminds you of your schedule as soon as you step foot in your workspace. Or virtual reality technology that allows you to be “in” the meeting room […]

We sat down with Steve Hessen, Managing Shareholder/Partner at Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins, & Borsos, P.C., and Caitlin Carey, Associate at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz, & Cohn, L.L.P., to hear what they had to say about leadership, hiring, time-travel, and more. What does good leadership look like on a day-to-day basis? Steve Hessen: Leaders must be willing […]

We spent some time with Deborah Jackson, Mathematics teacher at Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts, to hear her take on leadership, routine, and more. Define leadership. Teachers, individually or collectively, influencing others to improve teaching and learning for students. Who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Linda Comer, my […]

We sat down with Bill Fluharty, Director of Design at Stryker, to hear about his background and thoughts on the design industry. What does a director of design do? At a high level, my job is to build and maintain the competencies of design within the Medical division of Stryker. By developing talents of our […]

Women make up over 50 percent of the regional population in Southwest Michigan. Though workforce participation has skyrocketed, challenges still exist for women in the workplace, such as unequal pay, under-representation in managerial roles, and fewer degrees earned in university subjects such as engineering and computer science. To address these issues head-on, Southwest Michigan First […]

We sat down with Dannie Alexander, Director of Facilities and Construction Management Services at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Nicole Marques, Business Development Manager at Miller-Davis, to hear what they had to say about leadership, creativity, free time, and more. How Can You Identify a Great Leader? Dannie Alexander: I identify a great leader as […]

A Q+A with Zach DeYoung, Partner at Maestro. How Do You Approach Design at Maestro? Maestro is a forward-thinking design agency creating things that you probably wouldn’t imagine get made in Kalamazoo. We’ve been here for 11 years, and we work with huge Fortune 500 companies like Southwest Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, and Google. I […]

Kit Snyder, President and CEO of Consumers Credit Union, tells us about his journey to leadership. 1956 | Born in Coldwater, MI I have lived my entire life in Michigan. I was raised on a 40-acre farm outside Coldwater. Every evening, my family would sit together at our dining room table, and everything we ate […]