West Michigan Weekend (A Public Affairs Program from iHeartradio)

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes one of our recent CEOs You Should Know: Robert Niemiec, Founder and Managing Partner at Twisthink In 2001, Bob Niemic founded Twisthink as an experiment to test the belief in the value of twisting together the skills of design, technology, and strategy. For over 20 years, Niemic has led the Twisthink team to partner with Fortune 500 clients as well...

On this week's episode, Phil welcomes Dr. Marijata Daniel Echols, program officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Melyssa Tsai O’Brien, research manager, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Grand Valley State University. They discuss the findings of a recent study by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, at Grand Valley State University. The report H...

In this week's episode, host Phil Tower welcomes Marcel “Fable” Price, executive director of The Diatribe. Marcel “Fable” Price was the poet laureate of Grand Rapids from 2016-2019. Marcel was Grand Rapids' first Poet Laureate of color, the first poet laureate under 40 years old, and the first without a college degree. He’s also the executive director of The Diatribe, a youth-focused performing ar...

In this episode of West Michigan Weekend, host Phil Tower welcomes Randy Thelen, President, and CEO, of The Right Place Inc. The Right Place recently launched plans to transform the greater Grand Rapids area into a technology and innovation hub over the next 10 years. The project was unveiled in Mid-September and calls for increasing tech employment in the region from 4 to 10%…with an ultimate goa...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Brian L. VandenBrink, CIMA®, Advisor | CEO, CapTrust Financial Advisors. Cap Trust advises its clients on financial/wealth planning, estate planning, tax planning, investment management, life guidance, and more. Online: https://www.ctfa.com

On this week's program, host Phil Tower speaks with Christy Buck, founder of Be Nice(BeNice.org) and executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, and Jeff Elhart, owner of Elhart Automotive in Holland. National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month is marked every September, and last year at this time, the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan released a groundbreaking...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Jason Russell, founder, and president of Secure Education Consultants. Jason discusses the recent tragic school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, and at Oxford High School in Oxford, MI. Jason has decades of federal law enforcement experience and modern security expertise and speaks about comprehensive prevention-focused safety and secur...

In this episode, Phil Tower speaks with Dale Robertson, President & CEO, of Grand Rapids Public Museum. Dale talks with Phil about the exciting and rare Clapp Family Mastodon discovery unearthed in early August in West Michigan, plus the first graduating class from the museum school, new fall programming, and other GR Public Museum news. Online: https://www.grpm.org/ Clapp Family Mastodon Discover...

In this episode, Phil Tower welcomes Sam Beals, CEO Samaritas. Sam discusses the upcoming Be The Rock event, a major fundraiser for Samaritas. In our second segment, Phil chats with Rick Vuyst, author, radio host, and creator of the ArtPrize Exhibit, "Adrift". Learn more about Be The Rock and Samaritas: https://www.samaritas.org/ And Adrift, by Rick Vuyst: https://thankyouverymulch.com/

In this full episode, host Phil Tower speaks with Dr. Adam London, Chief Health Officer at the Kent County Health Department. Adam updates us on the very latest numbers and vaccination protocols for COVID-19, we also talk about the growing impact across the country in the state of Michigan of monkeypox, and why Michigan residents need to be more vigilant about protecting against mosquito bites thi...

In this week's program, Phil Tower welcomes Brian Wassom, an attorney with Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, specializing in trademark, copyright, and First Amendment law. Brian joined us to discuss the Facebook ban on hate speech yet despite the ban, Facebook still makes money from white supremacists. Two years after the ad boycott, the social media giant still serves ads on searches of white supremacy...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower speaks with Jessica Johns, Co-Founder & Executive Director, of The StoreHouse. The StoreHouse procures national and local, new product donations, to be redistributed to local nonprofits and low-income schools in West Michigan. Online- https://www.storehousemi.org/ In part two, Phil welcomes Carol Hart, Program Director Americorps Senior Programs, at Catholic...

In this episode, Phil Tower welcomes Gina Jacquart Thorsen, president of the made-in-Michigan company, Stormy Kromer. Gina was profiled on our CEOs You Should Know podcast. She serves as the president of Stormy Kromer, a division of Jacquart Fabric Products, an iconic, USA-made outdoor apparel brand. Thorsen also serves on the board of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Gina has a unique...

In this episode, Phil Tower welcomes back one of our favorite guests of all time, Thane Rosenbaum. Thane is an American novelist, essayist, and Distinguished University Professor, at Touro College. Thane is also the director of the Forum on Life, Culture, & Society and a legal analyst for CBS NewsRadio. Thane joins us to discuss three new and highly anticipated cases and rulings still to come from...

On this week's program, iHeartradio's Phil Tower speaks with Carlos Vicente, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Carlos previews the Symphony's 2022-2023 Season. More online: https://www.grsymphony.org/ In the second segment, Phil welcomes Tim Hygh, Executive Director, Mackinac Island Tourism. Tim was in New York at the time of our recording of this epis...

In our first segment, we chat with Brad Barnett, executive director at VisitKeweenaw.com. Brad helps us get to know the Keweenaw Peninsula ...home to Isle Royal National Park, remote wilderness, and beautiful destinations like Keweenaw National Historic Park in Calumet, Michigan, plus much more. Online: https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/ In part 2 of the program, we get to know Greg Williams, Chairman...

In this episode, Phil Tower speaks with Chad Livengood, politics editor and a columnist at The Detroit News. Chad gives us a roundup of the biggest political stories and issues across Michigan, including life after Roe was overturned, plus the upcoming gubernatorial race. Online: https://www.detroitnews.com/staff/9891415002/chad-livengood/

In part one of this week's program, Phil is on location with Scott Jonkhoff, founder and executive director of Next Step of West Michigan, a nonprofit faith-based ministry that believes in the potential of men and women released from prison and rehab centers by integrating them into the workforce. Online: https://nextstep-wm.org/ Phil later speaks with Chip LaFleur, founder, and CEO of LaFleur Mar...

In part one, we welcome Thelma Ensink, Executive Director, Degage Ministries. Founded in 1967, Dégagé Ministries is a 501(c)3 ecumenical nonprofit that builds relationships and offers programs to foster dignity and respect for the populations it serves. Thelma speaks with us about "Unhoused", a new film series presented this summer by DeGage Ministries. Online: https://degageministries.org/ And th...

In this full episode, Phil is pleased to welcome John Sinkevics, editor and publisher of the Local Spins website. Local Spins provides updates on Grand Rapids-area musical happenings, concert listings, guest columns, photo galleries, videos, podcasts, concerts, and much more. Online: https://localspins.com/about/

In segment 1 Phil welcomes Dave Hastings, co-founder of Lori's Voice. In this segment, we talk with the co-founder of Lori's Voice, Dave Hastings. Dave and his wife Lori Hastings operate Lori's Voice, a West Michigan non-profit organization that was founded and established to help young people with disabilities. More: https://www.lorisvoice.org/ In segment two, we speak with Kendall Wingrove with...

In segment 1 Phil welcomes Randy Thelen, President/CEO, of The Right Place. Randy leads economic development strategy working with local, state, and national organizations and stakeholders. Randy guides the work of business retention, expansion, and attraction within the West Michigan region. We also discuss the Right Place's mission of driving sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity for...

In segment #1 Phil welcomes Laurie Supinski, co-director, of Start Garden. Laurie discusses Start Garden’s open contest for business startups, The 100, where anyone with a business idea or business seeking to explore a new opportunity is invited. Online: https://startgarden.com/ Phil also welcomes Mary Muliett, President, and CEO., D.A. Blodgett St. Johns. Mary discusses Foster Care Awareness Mont...

For this full episode, we welcome back, Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author, lecturer, and screenwriter. His books include The Odyssey of Echo Company, In Harm’s Way, and Horse Soldiers. Doug speaks about the update of his best-selling book, In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors. http://dougstanton.com/in-harms-way-doug-stant...

In segment 1, Phil speaks with attorney Tom Sinas, with the Sinas Dramis Law Firm about their sponsorship of the annual Lids For Kids event. Tom is also the Chairperson of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan’s (BIAMI) Board of Directors. More: https://lidsforkidsmi.org/ https://sinasdramis.com/michigan-personal-injury-attorneys/grand-rapids/thomas-sinas/ In segment 2 we speak with attorney Ma...