Chamber Quarterly Newsletter

Chamber Quarterly Newsletter • January/February/March 2023

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Winter in the White Lake Area

Winter in the White Lake Area is beautiful, calm, and scenic as ever. We're surrounded by our own winter wonderland. Our area is a winter enthusiasts' dream, but still with plenty of options for people who prefer to stay indoors.

There are groomed trails open for snowmobilers. The Muskegon Luge offers luge, skiing, and more. Ice skating can be fun for all ages, whether you're a pro or just starting out. Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing are also popular winter activity, and we have the trails and places to do it. Our area provides great locations for ice fishing--Duck Lake, White Lake, White River, and Lake Michigan herself, just to name a few. And, who says you can't enjoy a walk or hike on the trail during the cold months? We have the best trails and parks.

Looking to stay indoors? Several of our restaurants, pubs, and breweries have live music nearly every night of the week. Our Arts Council of White Lake--Nuveen Center offers classes for all ages throughout the year. Why not learn a new art skill during the winter months? The Playhouse at White Lake is the best place to catch a live play or musical, and they offer classes. Picking up a good book is a favorite winter pastime for many, and the Book Nook & Java Shop, Montague Branch of the Muskegon Area District Library, and White Lake Community Library are happy to help with that. Or how about a cooking class through the Art of Cookery--Cooking School? Shopping goes with any season, and we have the best shops around.

And while winter is just getting started, home and yard projects are ongoing, and some need to be scheduled ahead of time for the warmer months. Check out our local services that are here to help with everything from home renovations, landscaping, repairs, taxes, buying/selling a home, pet supplies, insurance, and so much more.

With all there is to offer in the White Lake Area, we hope you embrace and enjoy this winter season.

Board of Directors Update

With each new year comes changes to our Chamber Board of Directors. Our Board members are selected through a nomination and voting process and once selected, can serve up to two

three-year terms.

This year we have Gered Dahl (Tri County Feed Service) and Joel McCormick (McCormick Food & Gas) coming off the board after both completing two full terms. We also have our treasurer, Jolene Maressa (Shelby State Bank), stepping down to pursue other opportunities outside of our area. We are incredibly thankful for Gered, Joel, and Jolene for their time, service, and commitment to our Board. Rich Houtteman (Consumers Energy) has served as the Chair of our Board for the past two years and will continue on as a Past Chairman and Board member.

This also means we are welcoming new Board members! We are excited to bring on Scott Lewis, owner of Lewis Adventure Farm & Zoo, Pete McCarthy, Fire Chief of White Lake Fire Authority, and Joanne Stoneburner, Branch Officer of Shelby State Bank.

Other Board changes include Brent Raeth of CatchMark Technologies moving into the Chairman position after serving as Vice Chair, David Dusenberry of Coldwell Banker Woodland-Schmidt moving into the Vice Chair position after serving as a Board member, and Susan Philips of Howmet Aerospace moving into the Treasurer position.

We are excited for a new year with our Chamber Board of Directors!

Pictured above is our 2022 Chamber Board of Directors. Top Row (left to right): Rich Houtteman (Chairman), Trish Schroeder, Jeff Jelinek, Gered Dahl, Joel McCormick, Jolene Maressa (Treasurer), Doug Boardwell, Amy VanLoon.

Bottom Row (left to right): Erin Peyer, David Dusenberry, Susan Philips, Brent Raeth (Vice Chairman).

Not Pictured: Todd Kraai

Update our Community Calendar with 2023 Events

If your business, club, or organization is holding meetings, classes, or events that you want added to our community calendar, be sure to get them added through our website. We use this calendar when we create our weekly Here's What's Happening in the White Lake Area emails that go out to the community.

If you need help logging in or adding your event, email Stephanie for a login and calendar instructions.

Looking Back:

Quarter Four Highlights

October-December 2022

Pumpkinfest

On Saturday, October 8, we held our 26th annual Pumpkinfest in Downtown Montague! It truly is a community-driven event, with several local businesses, organizations, and numerous volunteers all helping this event come together.

Thousands were in attendance on a beautiful White Lake Area fall day. With the Artisan Market, Farmers Market, and multiple pumpkin-themed events for all ages, this one was definitely one for the books and was talked about days.

This free community event, which has become a favorite for many, would not have been possible without our sponsors. GOLD: Consumers Energy. SILVER: Boardwell Mechanical Services, Durga Insurance Group, Rant Insurance Group, and Scheid Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. BRONZE: Manpower, MasterTag, Shelby State Bank, and VanDyk Mortgage.

Click here to view our full Facebook album.

Chamber Annual Dinner

On Monday, October 24, we held our Chamber Annual Dinner for members and guests at the Double JJ Resort's Sundance Saloon. This event is our opportunity to celebrate accomplishments from the past year, and recognize specific businesses and individuals for years of service along with special awards. Below is a list of our recipients.

Honorary Awards:

White Lake Assisted Living (10 years), WaterDog Outfitters (10 years), The Book Nook & Java Shop (20 years), Wesco (70 years), Tri County Feed Service (75 years), and Lakeshore Museum Center (85 years).

Entrepreneur of the Year: Shawna VanderVrede, Figgs Boutique

Legacy Award: Dick Corsi (in posthumous)

Lady Laker: Valerie Hanson

El Award: Dr. Daniel J. Yakes

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of this event: Premier--Transnation Title Agency. Gold--CatchMark Technologies and WinBerg Construction. Silver (awards)--Don Rypma Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac-Gmc, Pitkin Drug and Gift Shoppe, Shelby State Bank, Dave & Deb Hays, Scheid Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, White Lake Storage, and White Lake Beacon. Bronze--Jelinek Tree Service.

Click here to view our full Facebook album.

Click here for our full press release.

Holiday Walk

November 18 & 19 we kicked off the holidays in the White Lake Area with our annual Holiday Walk! In typical West Michigan fashion, we never quite know what kind of weather we'll get this time of year, but our White Lake Area turned into a winter wonderland just in time for the event. There was a community tree lighting in both Montague & Whitehall, carriage rides throughout both of our downtowns, and trolley rides bringing participants around town to shop. Over 45 businesses joined in on the festivities with holiday open houses, specials, activities, giveaways, and more. The Holiday Walk is a great tradition and fun event for all ages to enjoy.

We are thankful that we can still make this event free to our community thanks to our sponsors who make it possible! Gold (Carriage Rides): Scheid Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, and Shelby State Bank. Silver (Trolley Rides): DTE Foundation, Rant Insurance Group, and White Lake Beacon. Bronze (hot cocoa): Katie Rice Realtor with Coldwell Banker Woodland-Schmidt.

Click here to view our full Facebook album.

Christmas Parade

On Saturday, December 3, we held our 69th annual White Lake Area Christmas Parade! Santa came to town after being welcomed by over 50 festive entries who all brought their best to the parade despite the cold temperatures.

A huge thank you to our Title Sponsor, Shepherd & Shepherd PC, whose theme this year was football as they rode with the Whitehall Vikings Football team to celebrate their season, and our generous Santa Sponsor, Lighthouse Title!

Our parade was also livestreamed by CatchMark Technologies, sponsored by WinBerg Construction, and can be viewed here in case you missed it or want to watch it again!

Click here to view our full Facebook album.

Welcome Our Newest Members:

October 1-December 31, 2022

We'd like to give a special thank you and welcome to these new members who joined the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce during quarter four! The mission of our Chamber is to serve and advance the business interests of members and to strengthen the economic climate of our area. We are always so thankful and appreciative when businesses trust us and allow us to partner together to fulfill that mission!