Lansing Regional Chamber Mixer hosted by LaFontaine Ford - - November 11, 2014 - - by Chuck Krafft

Lansing Regional Chamber Mixer

LaFontaine Ford

November 11, 2014

Chamber Mixers are always a good time.  LaFontaine Ford hosted this one and 75 people came to mix, mingle, network and have a good time at the dealership on the corner of Jolly and Cedar streets in Lansing!

Morton Catering provided shrimp, satay sticks and some other hors’doeuvres. 

I was interested in learning more about LaFontaine Ford and was fortunate to meet Mark Woodard, the Manager of Fleet and Commercial Sales.

Mr. Woodard said that the dealership opened in 1963 and he has worked there since 1977 for various owners.  LaFontaine purchased this dealership about 18 months ago and has made a few changes.

They have enhanced the inventory in a few directions.  They now sell crossovers and SVU’s in addition to the bigger trucks that had sold in the past.  They also have a lot more pre-owned vehicles than they had in the past. 

They are accommodating this larger inventory by purchasing some land adjacent to their facility on Jolly Road and by hiring fifteen new employees.

They are also showing their confidence in Lansing and the local market by planning a comprehensive remodeling of their facility.

I would like to extend a hearty thank you to LaFontaine Ford for their confidence and capital investment in our city as well as for hosting this wonderful mixer!

Lansing Regional Chamber - - Michigan Craft Beer Update - - October 14, 2014

Lansing Regional Chamber Event 

Michigan Craft Beer Update 

October 14, 2014 

One reason that I’m glad that my company, T.A. Forsberg, Inc. is a Lansing Regional Chamber member is the wide variety of networking events offered.  They are usually quite interesting and a great way to meet other business people in the Lansing Area. 

Tonight, I’m at the MSU Kellogg Center for the Michigan Craft Beer Update.  Scott Graham, the president of the Michigan Brewer’s Guild will present a talk about the Craft Beer Industry along with two representatives from New Holland Brewing Company, Brett VanderKamp, the President and Fred Bueltmann, the Beervangelist! 

 They are serving six beers and pairing them with suggested foods. 

Griffin Claw’s Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA and New Holland’s Paleooza are hoppy beers.  (Paleooza is a really good Pale Ale and Norm’s Raggedy Ass is a great IPA!)  These will be paired with a Jerk Pork Slider and Blackened Chicken Tacos. 

Dark Horse’s Amber Ale and Founders Porter will be paired with Grilled Tenderloin Skewers and Smoked Salmon Rosette.   

Brewery Vivant Farm Hand Farmhouse Ale and New Holland’s White Hatter will be paired with a Mini Caprese Salad and Soy Marinated Chicken Lollipops. 

The food and beers are all great; I’m a big Porter fan, but had never tried Founders Porter before.  People enjoyed the food and conversation for about an hour and then it was time for the presentation. 

Steve Schultz from the law firm that represents the Michigan Brewer’s Guild made a short presentation where he mentioned the “Beer is the biggest invention for man since the wheel.” and introduced Scott Graham from the Brewer’s Guild. 

Scott explained that the Beer Guild aims to unify and promote the Beer Industry in Michigan.  They sponsor four large beer festivals each year.

We learned that Craft Beer represents 5% of the Michigan Beer Sales and it is a growing market.  The breweries are growing and there is a lot more Brewpub activity.  There are more breweries now than at any time in Michigan’s history.

The brewers have a really open community with a lot of communication and cooperation between the brewers.

Scott then introduced Fred Bueltmann and Brett VanderKamp from New Holland.  They held a panel discussion with Scott moderating. 

They first discussed how Fred and Brett became interested in the industry.  They liked beer from a young age, but were disillusioned by how all the American beers that dominated the market were so bland and similar to each other. 

After he graduated from college, Fred learned of New Belgium brewing in Colorado and tried some of their beers.  He decided to try to make them in Michigan. 

Fred saw that the culture was ready to accept improved beers.  He compared it to how the Bread, Coffee and Cheese industries were creatively improving and diversifying their products. 

The original plan was to be a Brewpub.  While the local religious community gave them some resistance, they overcame that with respectful, open communication.  Eventually, they grew to the company that distributes their beer and distilled liquors widely.

Scott then led a discussion about decision making and the introduction of new beers.  They both believed that the best decisions involve doing things simply and avoiding overthinking.  Things work best with natural evolution.  When one beer idea leads naturally to another, creative new beers can arise.  When they deliberately try to manufacture a beer to fit a perceived market niche, they might “force” a beer that is not up to their quality standards. 

Brett specifically mentioned an orange wheat beer that did not work (with an obvious shudder!)  Fred remembered a “Red Tulip” beer that also was developed for the wrong reasons.  They have learned from these and are usually able to avoid these mistakes now.

They also mentioned how important it is to really listen to customers, employees and other participants in the industry so that you understand what they are saying, not what you want to hear.

They also talked of their distilled liquors and cited how that was an outgrowth of using grains to produce beer.

Brett let us know that they want to grow about 20 to 25% per year.  Any more of that risks bringing a lot of stress into their successful company culture and could prove to be counterproductive.

They finished up their presentation with a video where they emphasize the importance of stopping and tasting.  This is as opposed to rushing through things and not truly experiencing things (like their wonderful New Holland Beers.)

I’m a big fan of the New Holland Beers; my personal favorite is their White Hatter (Belgian IPA), but they have many other fine beers.  The Hatter series is a number of IPAs all with a unique twist.  Another personal favorite of mine is their Belgian Beer, Monkey King.  (I’m a huge Belgian fan.)

Thanks to Scott, Fred and Brett for a fine presentation and thanks to the Regional Chamber for putting this on for us. 

The Craft Beer Industry is growing strong, providing a lot of jobs and providing a lot of great beer to the people of Michigan.  They truly deserve our support!!!   

Lansing Regional Chamber - - Economic Club - - Presentation by Michael Wells - C.E.O. of Jackson National - September 4, 2014

Lansing Regional Chamber Economic Club Meeting 

Jackson National Life 

September 4, 2014 

Michael Wells, the C.E.O. of Jackson National Life will be the speaker at this afternoon’s Lansing Regional Chamber Economic Club Meeting.  As they are one of the most successful businesses in the tremendously successful Lansing Area Insurance Sector, he will probably have something interesting to say! 

Deborah Muchmore of Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore opened the ceremonies by reporting that in the Lansing area, the insurance sector is the largest employer.  Over 15,000 Lansing Area people work for these companies.  Greater Lansing has more people employed in the Insurance Industry than any other area in the state.   

She then introduced Jim Robinson from Michigan Farm Bureau.  He announced that there will be some significant growth in Lansing’s Airport and the transportation offered.  He specifically mentioned that there will be more international destinations offered from our airport.   

He introduced John Brown from Jackson National.  Mr. Brown showed us a video about the necessity of communicating with conviction.  Specifically, the teacher in the video feels that we are not assertive enough when we speak, especially when saying declarative sentences.  His point is that there is too much emphasis placed on questioning authority and not enough emphasis placed on communicating well.  The video contained a lot of great advice presented with a humorous twist. 

Finally, it was time to introduce Mr. Wells.  He tied in the video by pointing out that Jackson National’s success during Mr. Wells’ nineteen year tenure has a lot to do with a culture that rewards clarity and forthrightness.   

Per Mr. Wells, most of the Jackson National success comes from their culture and their employees.  While Jackson National is a challenging place to work, the dedication they get from their carefully selected employees permits them to get the job done for their clients with fewer employees than other insurance companies.   

This permitted them to get through the recent downturn without laying off employees like many other large companies did.  This commitment to employees pays off with a hugely motivated employee base.  Mr. Wells considers the employees as one of his stakeholders along with his investors.   

He points out that some companies try to get cheap points with investors by laying off employees simply to impress the investor public with how willing they are to appear “tough” by cutting costs at employees’ expense.  By being tough all the time, he does not end up with fat that is needed to be trimmed during tough times!  The performance-oriented culture at Jackson National pays off in many ways.   

Another factor in Jackson National’s success is that they carefully calculate and vet their products to make sure that they are able to keep promises made to the people who buy their annuities.  All products are mathematically and actuarially viable or they are not offered to the public.  It is easy to contrast this with the over-aggressive products and sales techniques that got other insurance companies into a great deal of trouble during the downturn.   

This has led Jackson National to a point where they had $27.3 billion in sales in 2013 and are the largest provider of annuities in the United States market! 

They spend a lot of time and energy to make sure that they provide top level customer service.  Mr. Wells said that Jackson National’s call centers are the best in the Insurance Industry.  Their dedicated employee base is a huge factor in the success of this part of their company. 

He noted that they also don’t spend much on advertising and branding.  They prefer to let the quality of their service and products speak for itself.  This also works toward lowering their overhead and helping to keep their internal costs lower than their competition.  Jackson National has the lowest expense to assets ratio in the industry.  

He discussed how they carefully select employees who will adapt to their culture.  One tool they use is the “Jackson Zone.”  This is a program where they hire undergraduate students to do data entry and other work that they formerly outsourced to foreign countries. 

This work is now done at the Jackson Zone.  It helps them to identify students who have the traits necessary to be a good employee at a young age.  As insurance is not a “glamor” industry, they need to use programs like this to help with a creative approach to recruiting.

Mr. Wells spent a lot of time discussing Jackson National’s commitment to charity.  They encourage their employees to get involved in non-profit organizations of their choice.  Jackson National benefits from the increased loyalty from employees who get to help causes they believe in. 

Jackson National also encourages employees to become involved with work on the boards of non-profits.  Non-profits are much more difficult to manage effectively than for-profit companies.  The challenging non-profit environment helps to develop the managers’ skill sets which helps to make Jackson National more efficient.  This justifies the cost of donating money to the charitable causes.   

He finished up with a discussion of the expansion of Jackson National’s facilities on Okemos Road in Alaiedon Township.  They are designing the project to protect and preserve as much of the natural landscape as possible.  They are working to have a low environmental impact and low energy use.   

This will eventually allow Jackson National to double the number of people employed at their facility.  He showed a virtual walk through of the new space.  It looks like this facility will be a great place for people to work.   

We are truly fortunate to have so many jobs in the insurance industry in our area.  It’s great to see that Jackson National is working to stay competitive and to continue growing their business as well as the number of jobs they provide in our community!

Mason Chamber of Commerce Mixer - - Good Morning Mason! - - August 28, 2014 - - by Chuck Krafft

GOOD MORNING, MASON!! 

August 28, 2014 

By Chuck Krafft 

I had never attended a Mason Area Chamber of Commerce “Good Morning, Mason” Mixer before.  My employer, T.A. Forsberg, Inc. was one of the sponsors and was making a presentation, so I attended! 

Doug Klein, the Mason Chamber Director,  who was appropriately clad to promote Mason’s Sesquicentennial in a Suit and Tie from 1865, was there to greet the guests. 

We had coffee, and donuts and other treats provided by Best Sellers and Darryl’s Vault and Deli while we mixed and socialized before the meeting.   

The meeting format is quite efficient with the day’s sponsor being allowed to do a five minute presentation and other community leaders provided two minutes.  A Sergeant at Arms with a Ray Gun vigorously enforces the time limits!!  Of course, this provides a humorous and friendly, but efficient reminder to stay on schedule. 

Jon Grocki from Dart Bank served as Emcee.  The meeting started with all the attendees introducing themselves and naming their companies.  Individuals attending their first meeting were warmly greeted with applause. 

Then, Brent Forsberg and David Spencer from T.A. Forsberg, Inc. made a presentation promoting their Food Innovation District at Fountain Pointe in Alaiedon Township.  This is located south of Jolly Road and North of I-96 between Hulett and Hagadorn Roads.

Brent said that he decided to focus on Agriculture because it is the second largest industry in the state and more stable than most industries.  (People can delay car and durable goods purchases during bad times, but still need to eat every day.)  He saw a need because while our local farms produce a lot of crops, meat and dairy products, these products are frequently shipped elsewhere for processing and packaging.  T.A. Forsberg, Inc. is partnering with the Product Center at Michigan State University to provide a community where this processing can happen locally and bring jobs to our area. 

The Forsbergs own 35 Acres next to land where Michigan State will be building a facility in the next eighteen months to educate students in packaging and processing these products.  Having businesses located nearby to take advantage of this training is truly a natural fit.  It is also a great fit for Alaiedon Township, which has a lot of farming activity. 

The Forsbergs have land for sale or rent for these facilities.  They will work with a lot of local agencies to provide investment capital so these new businesses can grow, prosper and provide jobs in our local communities.

Doug Klein, the Chamber Director, spoke and promoted the Chamber’s newsletters as well as a Mason Area “Buy Local” program.  He also announced a 40 Unit Annual Parade that will happen in Mason over Thanksgiving weekend.

Sandy Dargatz, the Ingham County Fair Director, reported that this year’s fair was quite successful.  Attendance was up and they made enough money to purchase a hog at an auction to donate to the Mason Area Food Bank.  She also provided information about helping to support the Fair through the Fair Foundation.

John Stressman, the Mason Police Chief, reported that the Police Department has all its allocated positions filled.  This will improve the local policing.  One specific improvement is that they will be able to have enough officers to have some of them patrolling on bicycles.  Mr. Stressman also commented on a program that promotes individuals bringing in unused prescription drugs so that they can be properly destroyed instead of being misused or possibly contributing to pollution problems.

Marlon Brown, from the Mason City Council, reported on the Mason 150 News.  This group is getting flyers and other promotional material ready for the Sesquicentennial Celebration.  He mentioned some advertising opportunities for business people if they were interested. 

Mark Cosgrove from the Lansing Community College Aviation Program told us of the College’s program to provide the 1900 hours that students need to prepare for licenses to work on mechanical and electrical systems in airplanes.  He told us that students are so in-demand that many of them actually already have jobs lined up before they graduate. 

Doug Klein reported on preparations for the 41^st Annual Mason Down Home Days Celebration.  There will be many activities as well as the MACC Annual Raffle.  The lucky winner could win up to $15,000!! 

It was then time for new members to introduce themselves and their businesses.

Benjamin Schartow told us about Building 21.  Building 21 is an after-school teen center.  They provide tutoring as well as activities for students from 7^th Grade to 12^th Grade.  The goal is to provide young people with a passion and a purpose to push their lives toward a positive adulthood.  He mentioned that they had recently rebuilt the only indoor skate park in the area.  They are doing a banner promotion to raise funds to pay for it. 

Susan Waite reported that she and her husband, Tim Waite, opened a Beltone Hearing Center in Mason in May.  Beltone has been in business for 75 years.  They help diagnose hearing problems and service every type of hearing aid.

The food bank reported the donation of the frozen pork from the Ingham County Fair as well as 853 pounds of food from Dart as well as some turkeys from City Limits.  The Historical Society and someone promoting the local Roller Derby were also mentioned. 

This was an excellent meeting.  While the schedule was carefully adhered to, everyone had adequate time to inform the Mason business community of what was going on.

If you are a business person in the Area who does not belong to the Chamber, you should really attend one of these meetings to learn how the Mason Chamber of Commerce can help you and your business!

Lansing Regional Chamber Mixer at PERL Mortgage August 12, 2014 by Chuck Krafft

Lansing Regional Chamber Mixer 

PERL Mortgage 

August 12, 2014 

You never know who you will meet at a Lansing Regional Chamber Mixer.  That’s a big reason I enjoy attending them.  This Thursday, I spent quite a bit of time with Diane Sanborn, owner of the Kozy Koi Bed and Breakfast downtown and Cindy Fuller from “The Balooney Bin.”  The Balooney Bin is located in Jackson and considering expanding to this area.  It was great listening to Cindy talk about the challenges she faces creating balloon art work for various events.  We look forward to Cindy’s decision to expand to Lansing as well as joining the chamber!!

PERL Mortgage hosted this event.  They had it on a patio near their office complex at 4131 Okemos Road.  They have hosted a number of summer barbecues there also. 

PERL Mortgage is in the business of helping home owners and home buyers obtain mortgages and have done this in the area for a few years. 

About 70 people attended this event.  While there was an intermittent drizzle that dampened things a bit, the networking gene caused everyone to make the best of things and keep on with the business of meeting new people and greeting old acquaintances. 

Country House Catering set up a wonderful buffet that featured barbecued pulled pork as the main attraction.  There were plenty of side dishes including potato salad and cookies to eat also.  I really enjoyed my food!! 

If you are not in the habit of attending these Regional Chamber Mixers, you need to come out sometime.  You never know who you will meet that could be a new customer or provide a needed service for your business.  I hope to see all of you next month!! 

Lansing Regional Chamber Annual Dinner - - February 20, 2014 - - Lansing Civic Events - - by Chuck Krafft

Lansing Regional Annual Dinner 

M.S.U. Kellogg Center 

February 23, 2014 

Tonight, the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its Annual Dinner.  This is a huge event that brings a lot of Lansing’s top business people and government officials together for an evening of socializing and enjoying a fine dinner.  This year, the event is sold out as over 650 people will attend. 

The event is held in one of the banquet rooms at the Michigan State University Kellogg Center.  The evening starts out with a Cocktail Reception.  It is a great time to renew acquaintances and meet some new people.  I was especially happy to meet Chris Holman, as he as an accomplished media veteran and I’ve been getting more active with my blogs the last year. 

We were ushered into the banquet room where the ceremonies started.  Tim Daman, the Director of the Lansing Regional Chamber welcomed everyone to the dinner.  He introduced the PAC Board members as well as the Chamber Board Members including the Board Chairman, Bill Kimble, who was the next to speak. 

Mr. Kimble wants to have a strong local chamber to support business growth in the Lansing area.  He praised how the Regional Chamber works with LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership) and Michigan State University to see how the business community can better work together with the government. 

Mr. Kimble feels that we need a strong central Capital City to have the Strongest Business climate possible.  He also hopes for a Regional Visioning Summit to help attract more talented young people to Lansing’s Economic Community.  The Chamber has given a Chamber Board Seat to the Grand River Connection, which is an organization for the younger members of the area’s business community.

Some recent successful steps toward the expansion of our region include Pat Gillespie’s Developments in the city, the Jackson National Expansion and the Michigan Avenue Corridor.  The Whole Foods Grocery chain will be moving to the area. 

GM is making the Cadillac ATS and the Cadillac CTS, which is the Motor Trend Car of the Year in Lansing.   

Two Men and a Truck are doing a four million dollar expansion and Niowave is expanding near the airport! 

Matthew Anderson, the Sales and Marketing Manager for Hager Fox Heating and Air Conditioning is invited to the podium.  He will be doing the Celebratory Champagne Toast!  He tells a story of how Hager Fox has grown and evolved since its beginning in 1941.  He points out that to succeed, you have to WANT to succeed!  Hager Fox’s vision is to be the premier Air Conditioning Company in Michigan.  

Matt is in the millennial age group.  He came back to Lansing after having moved away to Chicago because he likes the Lansing culture which is built around working hard.   

He believes that with vision, a team can accomplish anything.   

His toast was, “To 2014.  May we all have the vision to make this a great year!” 

Dinner was served.  It included roasted potatoes, mahi-mahi, steak and asparagus.  A chocolate mousse cake was served for dessert.  The food was quite tasty and presented beautifully.   

After dinner, Jason Colthorp of WILX Channel 10 Emceed the Program. 

First, he recognized the outgoing board of directors.  He then mentioned people who had won awards earlier in the year.  This included the 10 Over the Next Ten Year Award that recognized 10 people aged 35 and younger in the Lansing business and professional community.

He also recognized the Celebration of Regional Growth awards which were given to Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers, Emergent BioSolutions, the Eyde Company, IDV Solutions and Plas-Labs.  Also mentioned were the ATHENA and ATHENA PowerLink Award recipients, which were Jill Marlan of Peak Performance Physical Therapy and Kelly Rossman of Truscott Rossman, respectively.

The Chamber then presented the awards to the people who were to be specifically honored at this dinner.

Michael G. and Deborah L. Harrison won the Community Service Award based on their long history of working with various charitable and non-profit causes in the community.    The Outstanding Small Business Award was presented to Harvest Creative Services, a company that offers clients creative branding solutions through various types of media and Stony Point Communications, which is a strategic public relations and marketing agency.

PNC won the Chamber Legacy Award for its proud history of serving the Chamber and Greater Lansing Region since its origin in 1892 as the American State Savings Bank.

Everyone in the Lansing Community should appreciate the things that these people and organizations have done to improve our economic and social lives in the area!!

This was my first Annual Dinner; I’ll be sure to try to attend this event in future years as well.  The evening was an experience to remember!!

I would also like to thank Michelle Rahl and the Regional Chamber for their help putting this article together.