Issue 18

Words are just as important as the numbers at Greenleaf Trust, a privately held wealth management firm with specialized disciplines in asset management, trust administration, and retirement planning services. GREENLEAF TRUST; KALAMAZOO, MI | For a business that deals with people’s livelihoods and the volatility of financial markets, this is a place where team engagement and communication are […]

For GT Independence, self-determination is everything. GT INDEPENDENCE; STURGIS, MI | “Think of the choices you make every day,” explains Holly Carmichael, chief operating officer at GT Independence. “You choose when to take a shower, what you want to eat for lunch, and so on. But even those basic things aren’t always afforded to people […]

Keystone Solutions Group, a West Michigan-based product development and medical device contract manufacturing company, finds that its employee-centric culture helps it to focus on what’s most important: its customers. KEYSTONE SOLUTIONS GROUP; KALAMAZOO, MI | “I know that what I do each day matters. It matters to my team, my customer, and my company,” says […]

Kruggel Lawton is not your standard accounting firm. KRUGGEL LAWTON; ST. JOSEPH, MI | Come tax season, work may not be all fun and games, but Kruggel Lawton tries to keep things light even in the most hectic time of the year. On Fridays during tax season, the firm’s St. Joseph office caters in lunch […]

Upon entering the lobby of Midwest Energy and Communications (MEC), the client experience truly begins. MIDWEST ENERGY AND COMMUNICATIONS; CASSOPOLIS, MI | Visitors are greeted in the “Internet of Things (IOT) Room,” which sports the latest high-tech gadgets. Why? Providing electricity and high-speed internet to rural areas is part of what MEC does every day, […]

Ron Jackson Insurance was founded by a former Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox player in 1962 and has stayed in the Kalamazoo area, and in the family, ever since. RON JACKSON INSURANCE; KALAMAZOO, MI | Today, the organization is staffed by members of the Jackson family, but it has also expanded its ranks […]

The architects and engineers at Towerpinkster have helped design some wonderful-looking workplaces since the company’s founding in 1953. TOWERPINKSTER; KALAMAZOO, MI | However, for President and CEO Bjorn Green, a workplace is measured not by its appearance, but by the quality of day-to-day interactions within its team. “I think it’s all about building relationships with […]

When you dial the phone number of Wiser Financial Group, you will always be greeted with a cheerful “Hello” and never a machine. WISER FINANCIAL GROUP; KALAMAZOO, MI | This philosophy of fostering real, human connections is also behind the tray of fresh-baked cookies that greets guests in the lobby. In turn, the people who […]

WSI, a nationally acclaimed staffing and recruiting agency, helps local candidates find suitable employment and grow in their careers. WSI; KALAMAZOO, MI | Though its team is dedicated to matching clients with the perfect job, that passion is driven by WSI’s commitment to building a better community—in and out of the office. To accomplish this, WSI holds […]

Seed corn bagging company takes root in Sturgis. Barry Mumby took a leap of faith in 1979 with four partners to launch Mendon Seed Growers. Paying 18 percent interest on borrowed capital and adding customers a single digit at a time, he had no idea then what the seed corn venture would spur in St. […]