Member Minutes | November 2022

AMBASSADOR'S CORNER

Meet Kim Friedrich

Hi, I am Kim Friedrich. I am the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Isabella County. I have lived in Mt. Pleasant since 2000, townie status after 20 years, right? I love this community! I have worked in nonprofit leadership for the last 10 years. My work with Habitat is rewarding in so many ways. At the ReStore, I get to work with an amazingly dedicated team that is motivated to help shoppers and donors have the best possible experience. We provide job training opportunities to individuals with barriers to employment with partner agencies such as Michigan Works, AARP, and MMI. Habitat helps low-income families achieve safe decent and affordable housing with our homeownership program. We also help low-income families with repairs to their homes. Additionally, Habitat provides financial literacy and coaching programs. The housing crisis is real, and the quality of housing affects all aspects of health. I am so honored to do my part to help families with healthy housing solutions.

I love being involved and currently serve as a board member to the Home Builder’s Association, the South West Association of Neighbors (SWAN), the Mt. Pleasant Housing Commission, and Maslow’s Village Mt. Pleasant Tiny Homes.

I am passionate about being an ambassador because I believe connecting with local businesses and organizations is important. Relationship building helps all of us grow. I love meeting new people and strengthening my networks with those I already know at Chamber events. We can help each other thrive and work together collaboratively by just simply starting conversations. Being an ambassador provides me a seat at an important table. If I don’t know you already I look forward to having coffee with you soon and learning how we can work together to keep Mt. Pleasant vibrant!

Do you enjoy mentoring and meeting new people? Maybe you have the calling to become an Ambassador.

Our ambassadors play a crucial role to maintain contact with Chamber members and help them recognize and utilize the value of their membership. They also ensure you are getting what you want out of our membership.

Ambassadors serve in many ways, such as:

Greeting members at Chamber functions and performing other goodwill projects such as ribbon cuttings, etc.
Encouraging participation of current members at Chamber functions
Visiting members in their businesses, and subsequently providing feedback to the Chamber
Mentoring new members

If you would like to know more about being a Chamber Ambassador, contact Deena at deenakalb@mt-pleasant.net.

REFERRALS OVER BUSINESS

Imagine having a focus group working for you to find referrals for your business.

We are looking for (4) additional categories to start the second Referrals Over Business group. If this interests you, please reach out to deenakalb@mt-pleasant.net to learn more about the NEW Referrals Over Breakfast Group.

Category suggestions for the new group:

Assisted Living

Home Health Care

CPAs

Retail

Attorneys

Electricians

Plumbing

Auto Dealers

Auto Aftermarket Services

Restaurants Non-Profits

Employment Agencies

Heating

Website Designers

Home Improvement

Beauty Salons

Physical Therapy

Etc.

REFFERALS OVER BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Hear from Madison Bazzett - Event & Marketing Director at Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum

My name is Madison Bazzett, and I am the Event & Marketing Director at the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum. We are a nonprofit children’s museum here in Mt. Pleasant, focused on providing experiences for children of all ages that inspire creativity! We, as an organization, are committed to keeping experiences accessible to all of our community members!

I love ROB because one day a week I get to start my morning off with a group of easy-going people and learn more about our community and what the museum can get involved with, as well as what I can personally be involved with! It's a great start to my day and I always leave with a smile!

Latitude Media. Locally Owned. Community Minded.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Abundant Health Chiropractic

Homeworks Tri County Electric

Jar's Cannabis of Mt. Pleasant

Pure Options

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Meet Manuela Powidayko Souza

Manuela Powidayko Souza joined the City on October 5th as the Director of Planning & Community Development. Manuela previously served as a Senior Planner for the New York City Department of City Planning. She has served as a climate policy and adaption consultant both in Brazil and the U.S. and will continue with that consulting work. Educational credentials include a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, and a master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University.

AROUND MT. PLEASANT

ICCAC Lunch & Learn

November 17, 12 pm

Join the Isabella County Child Advocacy Center for a Lunch & Learn for National Adoption Month!

Learn More

Mt. Pleasant Christmas Celebration

December 2 & 3

Visit Candy Cane Lane, the Winter Market, watch the Lighted Parade, and more!

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MMI Dine Out for Inclusion

December 1

Dine out at participating restaurants, and 20% of proceeds will go to MMI to support the creation of a more inclusive community.

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ICCAC Santa Meet & Greet

December 6, 5 pm

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Christmas in the Country

November 19, 1 pm

Join HopeWell Ranch kick off the season with Holiday activities for all ages!

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MMI 50th Anniversary Night of Celebration

December 12, 5:30 pm

Join MMI in celebrating 50 years of serving the community and recognizing the community leaders who make achieving their mission possible. Enjoy a night of awards, hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and more!

Learn More

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS

NOVEMBER

22nd - 5 pm Business After Hours at Ascend - Sponsored by Ascend & Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort

29th - 12 pm YPN Meeting - Creation Coffee of Mt. Pleasant

DECEMBER

6th - 5 pm Holiday Business After Hours - Isabella Bank VIP Club at Central Michigan University - Sponsored by CMU Athletics, Isabella Bank, and MyMichigan Health

9th - 6 pm YPN Holiday Bar Crawl

14th - 11:30 am Pop in 4 Lunch - Location TBD

JOB BANK

Adam's Auto Repair - Receiving Clerk

Adam's Auto Repair - Auto Service Writer