Tag Archives: President

Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber hires entrepreneur, longtime volunteer as next president

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By Sheila McGrath
WKTV Contributing Writer

Keith Morgan was recently named the new CEO and president of the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Comerce. (Photo by Indie City Photography)

The next leader of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce is a businessman whose experience ranges from corporate management to starting a small business from scratch.

Keith Morgan, 46, will replace outgoing president and CEO Bob O’Callaghan, who is retiring effective Feb. 1.

 

“Our CEO Search Committee looked at over 80 applicants and Keith was the unanimous choice,” O’Callaghan said. “His knowledge of our Chamber and many years of business experience make him a natural. I am proud to turn the reins over to Keith.”

Stepping into the role in the midst of a pandemic, when the definition of “normal” is ever-shifting, Morgan said his goal for the chamber is to get back to basics.

“When I say back to basics, I’m talking about building a better tomorrow. There are going to be some changes we’re going to live with for a while. But business and commerce are always going to be with us,” he said. 

“As we move forward, how do we get back to the basics so we can begin to continue to create change on our own terms? The terms we’ve been given have been dealt to us at this point. Now, how do we begin to take the reins back and effect change?”

Morgan, an Indianapolis native, started volunteering for the Chamber about 10 years ago.

 

He originally came to West Michigan for a management position with AT&T. He got excellent training and experience running a sales division for AT&T, he said, but he got transferred around a lot, from Kentwood to Lansing to Wyoming. When AT&T wanted to transfer him yet again, he took the plunge and started his own janitorial business, All Clean Again.

“I always had ambitions to start a business and actually build something,” Morgan said.

 

Over several years, he grew the business from “cleaning the toilets myself” to employing a staff of about 20.

 

He had already started toying with the idea of selling his business when, as chair of the chamber board, he learned of O’Callaghan’s retirement plans. While actively involved in the search for a new president and CEO, the idea kept popping into his head that maybe he could take on the leadership role himself.

After talking with the chamber’s executive board members and local business leaders, and getting confirmation that they thought it would be a good idea, he made the difficult decision to sell his successful business and go in a new direction.

Keith Morgan officially takes the helm of the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 1. He will be overseeing the annual meeting on Jan. 28 where former Chamber President and CEO Bob O’Callghan will be honored. (Photo by Indie City Photography)

“I came up with this philosophy a few years ago: I’m not  going to continue to let life happen to me, I’m going to make life happen,” he said. “Being an entrepreneur, I got comfortable with risk. I was able to have enough success off the risks I had taken that I was a lot more comfortable with making that decision.”

With his corporate background, a master’s degree in business, and his experience being a small business owner, he thinks he can help chamber members with practical advice to help them be successful.

He also made a lot of connections in the area while owning his business, something crucial to his role at the Chamber of connecting businesses to other businesses.

Morgan will lead the Chamber’s annual meeting and awards dinner on Jan. 28, when O’Callaghan will be honored for his years of service.

“One of the things I am thankful for is that the current CEO and president has navigated the organization to where we are today. We have a good solid foundation,” Morgan said. 

School News Network: Godwin Heights Senior goes through the storm to see the rainbow

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Grand with Grit April Martinez has come along way during her high school journey.

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

April Martinez is the kind of person who asks, “Do you need anything else?” and “What more can I do?”

 

She’s the student who is ever-present, often helping organize events and taking part in art shows, blood drives, pancake breakfasts, powder-puff games. Others say she’s a natural at uniting people.

 

“I’m everywhere,” the Student Council president said with a laugh. “I love helping people. We do events that make people happy and bring our school together and that’s wonderful to me.

 

Senior April Martinez will graduate on May 31

“Where they need me is where I’ll be.”

 

April graduates on May 31 from Godwin Heights High School, and is headed to Grand Rapids Community College for her associate degree before transferring to Western Michigan University or Aquinas College to major in political science and minor in art.

 

April has always had big goals and a go-getter attitude, she said, but on many days during high school, there was a lot more on her mind than schoolwork.

 

During her freshman year, April and her three siblings, the youngest a baby, were put into foster care after being removed from a situation involving abuse. April and two siblings moved in with an aunt, and the baby was placed with a foster family.

 

“I remember this day so vividly,” she said, recounting arriving at KidsFirst Emergency Shelter, in Grand Rapids. “I couldn’t stop crying. I tried so hard to keep it together. I was worried about how my younger sister was doing.

 

“The hardest part was my little sister being gone. When they took her, it was the worst year ever.”

 

April and her sisters and brother remained in foster care for over a year. The usually smiling, happy April acted out at school by being mouthy and disrespectful. She became unmotivated and depressed, even suicidal at times. She would weep silently in the bathroom at school. “There’s a certain stall where I would cry,” she remembered.

 

She now lives with her grandmother, and with the help of school counselors, her friends and a youth minister at St. Francis Xavier church, she turned things around. “Prayer’s a powerful thing,” she said.

 

April Martinez gets a hug from art teacher Deanne Base

Putting Others Ahead of Herself

She’s embraced her Student Council work with steadfast commitment. “I’m a very outgoing person, so I like to think of myself as reaching out to people who others don’t always notice and making sure people feel part of school. We’re like a family here. I love it.”

 

Teachers say April is always thinking about others. “She’s that person who asks, ‘What else do you need me to do?’ ” said Student Council adviser Robin Carlyle. “She goes above and beyond and is kind and considerate. Life isn’t always good for her, but she doesn’t let it get her down.”

 

Art teacher Deanne Basse said she has “a ton of admiration” for April.

 

“One of her absolute strengths is to keep her composure and poise and always looking beyond herself. When she is tackling her own aspirations, she is also equally as concerned with everybody else. It makes her a very strong leader.”

 

April said she wanted to share her story to help other people who face similar challenges and loss. She wants to inspire them to be strong, to turn to others for help and not give up.

 

“What’s coming is so much better than you ever imagine, if you take the good path,” she said. “You have to go through the storm to see the rainbow.”

Madam President?

Going through the foster care process has inspired April to become more interested in politics, and in the need for social change and to address global issues like human trafficking. She hopes to become a lawyer, and then aim even higher. Yes, that high.

 

“I’ve always wanted to get into politics and be President of the United States,” she said confidently. “I feel like the world can be changed. I’m a believer that we can fix the world.

 

“I tend to see the best in the world and people, because I love people. I love the world.”

 

April said her experiences have shaped her life. “They’ve taught me to be more compassionate and understanding, to be there and help people and not judge them.”

 

Sound like qualities of a good president?

 

“Maybe you’ll be interviewing me when I’m in the Oval Office,” she said. “We’ll see what I’m destined to be.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Donald Trump Doesn’t Disappoint a Packed DeltaPlex

Citizen Journalism, Hard News, Politics, , , , , ,

TrumpRally2By: P. Williams

Long lines surrounded the DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center on Monday, December 21, 2015 as people eagerly awaited the arrival of front-runner Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump.

Several Trump supporters were in line since early afternoon anxiously waiting for the doors to open at five.

“I would not stand in line this long for any other politician,” exclaimed Barbara Sue Damore (Suzie), a committed fan from right here in Grand Rapids. Suzie even made ‘Big Trump Cookies’ to distribute to the line of supporters while they waited.

A row of satellite trucks, media, and television remotes dominated the south entrance to the convention center, and over ten thousand people were counted in attendance for the Trump rally. In all, it was the largest crowd ever at the DeltaPlex.

The rally hosted support from all age groups. There was a large portion of the younger generation in attendance as well.

While awaiting Trump’s arrival, I spoke with several teenage students. One group of Byron Center high school supporters were there to hear Trump talk about his plan to combat ISIS. Students from Martin, Allegan, Hopkins, Caledonia and Forest Hills High Schools were also interested in hearing Trump talk combating ISIS and gun control.

I spoke with a group of college students from Ferris State who were awaiting some fellow students from Baker and Fremont college. They were interested in hearing about Trump’s tax plan, the budget, and military spending.

TrumpRally5High school and college students weren’t the youngest in attendance, the Harrison family from Dorr brought along their three little girls. This was their first rally and they wanted to part of the history in making America great again.

Eighty-five-year-old Betty Stott traveled from the Ft. Wayne Indiana area just to see Trump and listen to all he had to say.

Kathy and Mary from Muskegon were there in hopes to hear Trumps plan for education, and immigration.

In talking with a group of some Grand Haven supporters, they liked his celebrity and wanted to hear Trump’s famous catch phrase “Obama you’re fired.” Others just wanted to watch his antics, and they were not disappointed.

The evening’s ceremonies started with everyone singing the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. After singing, everyone stood up with hands over their hearts for the saying of the pledge of allegiance.

The crowd roared as Donald Trump hit the stage.

He started with a light joke on the good deal he got on the DeltaPlex center. From there, it was all business, Trump got serious and went into an attack mode against his competitors.

TrumpRally4The comments came out hot and started with Lindsey Graham’s decision to leave the race earlier that Monday. He criticized Jeb Bush’s poling numbers as “sad.” And, to no one’s surprise, the biggest target was Hillary Clinton.

Trump made a comment about Hillary being “schlonged” by Obama in 2008. He took a jab at Hillary’s claim that terrorist groups are recruiting fighters with a video of him. “She’s a liar,” he said.

The next day Trump tweeted that his reference about Hillary being “schlonged” is a common term used frequently by politicians.

He also made reference to Hillary’s “break” during a recent Democratic debate telling the crowd, “I know where she went, it’s disgusting.” Laughter filled the arena.

Trump went after the media, daring the camera crews to get a good crowd shot of his supporters in reaction to protesters interrupting the rally. Trump called the protesters “a bunch of losers” and waved goodbye as security escorted them out. This again brought thunderous applause from his supporters.

He told the crowd he hated journalists because some of them are lying, disgusting people. “It’s true,” he stated, before sarcastically adding with a smile and a wink, “But I would never kill them.”

TrumpRally6Trump talked about the car manufacturing industry here in Michigan. He said he would slap Ford with a punitive 35 percent tax for ‘every car and part’ produced at an expanded plant in Mexico. “I am a free trader, but we can’t be stupid traders,” he told supporters.

A tax on car parts made in Mexico wasn’t the only reference to the country. If Trump was elected, a ‘beautiful’ wall would be built to keep illegals out. The ‘Trump Wall’ as he named it.

As the rally continued, Trump mentioned his recent support from Russian President Vladmir Putin and asked his supporters, “wouldn’t it be great if we could all just get along?”

After over an hour of speaking to a highly vocal crowd, Trump exited to the stage and left a favorable impression on those in attendance.

Comments such as “he tells it like it is”, “Trump expresses the views of the common people”, and “we believe he will make America great again” were commonly expressed by those in attendance.

P. Williams “Patty Williams” has a life time of experience in the entertainment business. On stage at an early age with West Michigan’s first family of bluegrass music, The Williams Family. Patty started P. Williams Productions in 2003. Three Eclipse Awards and Two Telly Awards grace her mantle. Patty enjoys working with professionals, and is always open to new adventures.