2024 Lowell Chamber Gathering of the membership

All the winners, L to R: Shannon Kennedy, Amanda Rogers, Charlie West, Luke Marin, Rachel Marin, Jim Hodges, Victoria Runstrom, Chris Runstrom, Steve Stephan.

By Cliff Yankovich || Contributing writer

2/28/2024

Disclaimer: The author openly admits bias and favoritism regarding this annual event, as he has been fortunate enough to act as emcee in the past, as he did last week. If the reader has never attended one of these celebrations of Lowell, they might want to consider doing so in the future.

Most people who attend the annual gathering of the membership, put on by the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC), refer to it as “the Chamber dinner” and think of it in terms of the various awards bestowed during the event. However, the dinner serves more than one purpose. The reason for the name, “Gathering of the Membership,” has to do with the requirements in LACC’s by-laws for such an annual event.

That is the reason Shannon Kennedy, LACC Director, began the evening by giving a review of Chamber activities and involvement for the year 2023. When she took the podium to address the crowd, as they settled into the dinner at The Fairway of Kent County last Thursday night, she introduced the LACC Board of Directors and talked about the non-profit arm of the Chamber. Kennedy then reviewed the impressive statistics from all the various events hosted solely, or in part, by the LACC. The news in terms of attendance and response to the events was overwhelmingly positive. For instance, Christmas Through Lowell enjoyed record-breaking attendance and sales. Kennedy shared how the event attracts people from all over West Michigan and even other parts of the state.

Once the “business” portion of the evening was taken care of, then the fun begins. As attendees were polishing off their plates of yummy food, catered by Miss P’s, aka Julie Dykehouse, the Lowell love-fest began. I call it that because the evening is a time to recognize and celebrate many of the things that make Lowell so special. The Chamber has a number of award categories lined up for the evening.

First up was the Non-Profit Spotlight, which this year focused on our very own electric provider, Lowell Light and Power. The presentation focused on many of the same positive attributes mentioned in the recent podcast and article with Charlie West, the GM of LL&P. Lowell Light and Power provides extremely reliable service, at a price that is consistently 25 percent less than that other electric utility, who shall not be named. The many ways LL&P contribute to the Lowell community, outside of providing electrons to its customers, were also highlighted. Educating kids about electrical safety and pitching in at all of our large events are examples.

Victoria Runstrom was next on the list. This was actually her second time to receive recognition for a Most Promising New Business. Two years ago, she received the award for her clothing resale shop, Wear Forward. Last week, the award came for Milo’s Kid’s Consignment – a spin-off of Wear Forward that focuses on children’s clothing. Attendees learned how area parents are able to buy and sell their gently used kids clothes in a kid-centered store. Victoria’s husband, Chris, got a lot of laughs when he told the crowd that if the LACC kept giving Victoria awards then she will probably continue to open new businesses.

By coincidence, (or cosmic design?), the award for Best Business to Watch was given to Fish & Finn Outfitters & Consignment. Not only are they located right next to Milo’s, but the store, operated by Luke and Rachel Marin, is named for two of their children, Fisher and Finnian, just like Milo’s is named for Milo, the four-year-old son of Chis and Victoria Runstrom.

While Fish & Finn is not totally focused on kids, the impact their business has had on young people in the area cannot be overstated. Luke and Rachel love to encourage anyone to experience the joys and challenges of fishing, but they also direct a lot of their message to kids. They are constantly finding new ways to encourage fishing, from their invention of Window Fishing to their hosting of a very popular Fishing 101 class, they are helping people to explore a great way to maximize their enjoyment of the Flat River and other local bodies of water.

If you attend one of these dinners, you will hear, over and over, how people and the businesses they run contribute to the fabric of Lowell. Amanda Rogers was given a Brick Award for the impressive renovation that she and her husband, Bob, accomplished when she moved Rogers Neighborhood Realty into its new home at 317 East Main. The rapid growth of Amanda’s real estate business was celebrated, along with further appreciation of everything Bob and Amanda have done to make Lowell better.

The Business Appreciation Award was given to Culver’s of Lowell. For owner, Steve Stephan, it was a return engagement, as Culver’s was given a Brick Award when they opened a little less than two years ago. Culver’s was lauded for, not only having very helpful and friendly crew members, but their community involvement was a topic as well. Culver’s was started by a family in a small Wisconsin town and those small town values are reflected throughout the chain.

The Lowell Culver’s was thanked for sponsoring little league and lacrosse teams. They have raised funds for Flat River Outreach Ministries and supported the Fallasburg Historical Society and the Riverwalk Car Cruise. They help out the Saranac Band Boosters and the Michigan Horse Driving School in Saranac (https://www.mihorsedrivingschool.org). It should also be mentioned that they are a sponsor of the great little radio station at the High School: WRWW. Fantastic community involvement from a business less than two years old.

Once Steve Stephan graciously swapped out the wrong award given to him by the emcee, (how did that guy get that job, anyway?), it was time for the finale of the evening, when Jim Hodges was recognized as the Person of The Year.

If you think of what makes Lowell great, there are a few organizations that will show up on anyone’s list: Lowell Rotary, LACC, FROM, and Lowell Arts are four of them. Over the past 42 years since Jim and Chris Hodges moved to Lowell, Jim has given of his time and talents to all four of those community assets. He helped both LACC and Lowell Arts raise funds and support to facilitate their moves. When he first got involved with the LACC, their office was the little gas station on Main Street. He and Chris have been involved with Lowell Arts for so long, they started when they had a different name: Lowell Area Arts Council. Jim was, and continues to be, a driving force behind FROM’s Main Street Housing efforts. He is the embodiment of the Rotary slogan, “Service above self” for sure.

If all of that were not enough, Hodges served on the City Council for 23 years, seven of them as Mayor of Lowell. The emcee shared a comment about this from former Chamber Director, Liz Baker, “This makes him either completely insane or a person that truly loves his community, I choose the later.” Well said, Liz.

The words “a person who loves his(her) community” pretty much sums up what you can expect if you attend a Gathering of the Membership. From the social hour, with drinks and appetizers consumed while enjoying the music of the Easy Idle Band, beginning at 6:30 pm, until the end, it was two and a half hours of celebrating Lowell. It was a great way to spend the evening. One more thing, the emcee they had was amazing.