West Michigan Weekend (A Public Affairs Program from iHeartradio)

On this week's program host, Phil Tower, welcomes Carla Flanders, with CMF Marketing. Carla is working with the Muskegon Rotary to produce the first-ever Muskegon Harvest Festival. The Muskegon Rotary Club has created this new fall fundraising event to benefit the numerous community projects served by the Muskegon Rotary. This community event will raise funds to support Read Muskegon and other Mus...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes back Chad Livengood, politics editor, and columnist at The Detroit News . Chad spoke with us about Kevin McCarthy's short-lived tenure, and historical ousting as speaker of the house in early October 2023. He also covered the ongoing turmoil within the Michigan republican party including serious, financial troubles… as a recent Detroit news report s...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Dennis Vankampen, President and CEO, of Mel Trotter Ministries. Dennis joined us to discuss Mel Trotter's biggest fundraising event of the year…Mel Trotter Ministries Annual Gala to Focus on Hope in Action. This year's event happens Thursday, October 5 at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids. Dennis also spoke extensively about Mel Trotter's mis...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower speaks with Dr. John Delony, national bestselling author, mental health and wellness expert, and host of The Dr. John Delony Show (* you hear him frequently on the Ramsey Show.) Dr. John Delony holds two PhDs—one in counselor education and supervision and another in higher education administration. Previously, John spent years working in crisis and emergency...

On the program this week host Phil Tower first welcomed Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis oil and refined products analyst, Gas Buddy and GasBuddy.com . Patrick is the nation’s foremost expert on issues driving gasoline prices. obsessed with data quality. Patrick told us that while oil prices are rising diesel, jet and marine fuel prices are soaring, pressuring the construction companies,...

On this week's program host Phil Tower welcomes Catlin Whitington, executive director of ArtPrize. Before serving as executive director of art prize Catlin Whitington served as vice president of campus operations for the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, Texas. Whitington was previously the planning manager for South by Southwest. ArtPrize runs from September 14 to October 1. This yea...

On this week's program host Phil Tower welcomes back Dr. Adam London, Administrative Health Officer at the Kent County Health Department. Adam joined us to speak about several public health issues of importance, including reports of a new Covid variant recently discovered in Michigan. We learned that the CDC was tracking the variant, BA.2.86, after the University of Michigan lab detected a case in...

On this week's program host Phil Tower speaks with Doug Stanton…Doug is a lot of things, most notably a New York Times bestselling author, a lecturer, and a screenwriter. Doug and his wife Anne Stanton are cofounders of The National Writers Series. The National Writers Series is a nonprofit founded in Traverse City Michigan, dedicated to engaging world-renowned authors in meaningful conversations...

On this week's show, host Phil Tower speaks with Charlie Tyson, Technology Activation Director, with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification . The state of Michigan recently committed more than half of $1 million to decarbonize its waterways through a Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge Grant Program. Six companies will receive $506,000 in total grant funding to establish what will become an...

On this week's show, host Phil Tower welcomes Captain Michael Waldron, a Grand Rapids Homeless Outreach Team leader . Captain Waldron serves on the city’s “Homeless Outreach Team.” The HOT team provides a “boots on the ground” presence daily. The team canvasses the community to interact with unsheltered persons, engage with businesses and residents to resolve issues and address specific calls for...

On this week's show, our host Phil Tower speaks with John McNamara, VP of Government Affairs at the MRLA. Recently, the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association celebrated the efforts of the signing of SB 141 into state law that makes permanent the ability for restaurants to sell off-premise alcohol. Guest John McNamara also, updated us on some of the key legislative priorities for MRLA, espe...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Mike McFall, co-CEO of Biggby Coffee. Mike along with business partner Bob Fish, helped create one of the great specialty coffee brands in America. Today Mike is co-CEO with Bob, and BIGGBY has over 250 stores open throughout the Midwest. Mike is the author of Grind, a book that focuses on early-stage businesses, and we spoke with him about his newe...

This week's program, host, Phil Tower, first welcomes Dr. Matthew Old, MD, the Director of Head and Neck Surgery at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. A group of viruses that are not often talked about, but most people will likely be exposed to HPV. Doctors at The Ohio State Comprehensive Care Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute predict in the next deca...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower brings you an encore replay of his Conversation with renowned psychologist, author, and world traveler, John Otterbacher. John is a West Michigan Native who has lived a life of extension and adventure; marathons and triathlons, years in a monastery, several motorcycle tours of America, a doctorate in clinical psychology, college teaching, an eight-year stint...

On this week's program host Phil Tower speaks with Stephanie Setterington, a partner and attorney with Varnum Law . In late June, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard in a major victory for conservative activists, ending the systematic consideration of race in the admissions process. Stephanie joined us to give her insight into w...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomed Chris Becker, Kent County Prosecutor. Chris discussed the recently passed legislation signed into law by Governor Whitmer on June 6th banning Michigan drivers from holding their cell phones while driving except in emergencies. The legislation signed by Governor Whitmer makes Michigan the 26th state to pass a “hands-free” distracted driving law. Onli...

This week's program features a conversation with author and professional speaker Dr. Allen Hunt …often known as the “fourth quarter guy," Allen is co-author along with Matthew Kelly of The Fourth Quarter of Your Life: Embracing What Matters Most . Allen is also the co-author of No Regrets: A Fable About Living Your 4th Quarter Intentionally -Dr. Allen R. Hunt (Author), Matthew Kelly (Author). For...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Jeff Lambert, founder and CEO of Tiicker, and Jeff is perhaps best known as the founder & CEO of Lambert PR. Jeff Lambert invented the PR and IR integrated agency model with over 20 years of continuous growth. Today, Lambert is an award-winning national agency and a top-40 PR and top-15 IR firm. Lambert’s reach spans six major talent hubs, inclu...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower talks with Jon Conkling, Co-Owner Tris4Health/Michigan Endurance Holdings LLC and co-Race Director for the GR Gran Fondo, and John Morrison, Executive Director, of West Michigan Trails & Greenways Coalition . The GR GranFondo is back for 2023 with a new look and plenty of options for cyclists. 100% of funds raised from this year’s GR Gran Fondo will bene...

On this week's edition of West Michigan Weekend, host Phil Tower chats with Paul Beachnau, Executive Director, of the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau. Paul highlighted seven great adventures in the Gaylord, Michigan area during the summertime. Gaylord is recognized as a top biking destination, with many paved routes to single tracks at Aspen Park, Shingle Mill Pathway, and Pine Baron Pa...

On this week's program, host Phil Tower first welcomes CBS Newsradio Automotive expert/reporter, Jeff Gilbert. Jeff joined Phil for a conversation on the latest developments in the world of electric vehicles, including a new vehicle from Vietnam, a new all-electric Cadillac Escalade, an update on the Ford F150 lightning, and Jeff shares with us his experience of driving the all-electric new EV Hum...

This week host Phil Tower welcomes back guest Tom Sinas. Tom is a partner with Sinas Dramis Law, and Sinas Dramis is the presenting sponsor of the 8th Annual Grand Rapids Lids for Kids Event. This year’s event happens Saturday, June 3, 2023, from 10 am – 12 noon at Garfield Park in Grand Rapids. Lids for Kids began in 2003 as Heads Up For Safety in Lansing. The Grand Rapids event started in 2014 a...

On this week's show host Phil Tower welcomes Jennifer FitzPatrick MSW, LCSW-C, CSP. Jennifer is a former psychotherapist and the Founder of Jenerations Health Education, Inc . and the author of Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare and Cruising Through Caregiving: Reducing The Stress of Caring For Your Loved One. In the book, Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare , Jennifer helps leaders...

This week's program features a conversation with host Phil Tower and guest Jim Meeks, co-founder and president of Iris Technology and a member of the Armed Forces Thanksgiving Board. We spoke with Jim about the annual Armed Forces Thanksgiving, which brings together high school students from more than 50 districts across West Michigan for a special Thanksgiving-style lunch with business leaders an...

On the program this week, host Phil Tower welcomed Tim Hileman, President and CEO of Special Olympics Michigan . Tim has served as president and CEO of SOMI since 2018. Tim talked with us about how Special Olympics has become a movement… actually, far more than just a sports organization but an inclusion organization. The mission of Special Olympics Michigan is to provide year-round sports trainin...