For the past fourteen years one of the biggest business celebrations in the Paw Paw Lake region has brought together business enterprises from Coloma, Watervliet and beyond to mark individual and collective successes for the entire region thanks to the annual Business Recognition Awards ceremonies from North Berrien Community Development and the Coloma-Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce.
We all know what the current pandemic has done to such celebrations, and this great recognition was no different. What should have been another great celebration at a local hotel or restaurant with a delicious dinner and prize drawings ended up on the scrap heap like so many other planned celebrations in other towns and organizations.
Instead, Community Development Coordinator Chana Kniebes, Co-Chamber Vice-Presidents Rochelle Ulleg from Robert Michael Salon and Spa and Dave Scheuer from Honor Credit Union traveled to the five award winning businesses and surprised them with awards and fresh-baked cookies from Watervliet Subway.
Kniebes says, “We wish these members and all our local businesses the best of luck as they finish out the year and look forward to positive changes in 2021.” She adds, “Thank you to businesses in our community that had adapted and changed to serve their customer with the same great service during a pandemic, even if it has meant curbside or delivery.”
These are the winning businesses for 2020:
- Community Investment Award — Eddie’s Diner Named after owner Charlie’s stepfather, his sister opened Eddie’s Drive In in Detroit. When Charlie & Yvette opened the restaurant in Coloma it was named Eddie’s Drive-In West. In 2017 they expanded the dining area of their restaurant and had a ribbon-cutting and Open House event to celebrate. The restaurant for many years has been small with a few tables for indoor dining and originally designed as a drive-up with carhops to deliver your food. When they expanded, they renamed it Eddie’s Diner and now offers roomy indoor family seating. Charlie & Yvette are very much involved in the community and treat employees and neighbors as they would want to be treated. The food is delicious, with a wide variety of sandwiches and dinner menu items, and are famous for their ribs. Eddie’s Diner is located at 5036 Paw Paw Lake Road in Coloma Township.
- Community Impact Award — Watervliet Hardware It’s been a staple in downtown Watervliet for as long as most can remember. After 35 years of owning the Watervliet Hardware store, Tim Freeburn sold it to Bryan Conrad and it still has the same small town feel today. Especially when you walk in and see Ed and John, as many would consider these two still part of the original pack. Watervliet is truly fortunate to have such a wonderful thriving store in their downtown. Hardware stores are something you always need when starting or finishing a project and this location is fully stocked with an attractive and inviting storefront located at 343 N. Main Street.
- Community Commitment Award — Easy Street Inn Easy Street is also a true staple in their downtown. Located in Coloma in a beautiful historic building for 25 years, they too have gone above and beyond within the community, being a sponsor fro many local events and for the annual Glad Peach Festival where for many years they offered and outdoor space for adults to sit back and enjoy the beautiful music with Al & Lou. Most important, of course, is the dining experience, and the food is fabulous with a great variety of menu items and devoted employees make ti all come together. The restaurant always looks festive as they decorate for local events and holidays. Whether you are doing take-out to enjoy at home or dining in when indoor seating is possible, you won’t be disappointed. Easy Street is located at 275 N. Paw Paw in downtown Coloma.
- Community Excellence Award — J.W. Morlock & Girls J.W. Morlock & Girls was established on rented ground and borrowed equipment in 1983. Apples, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, plums, tomatoes, melons, and green beans were a few of the agricultural commodities that Jeffrey and Debra grew on their rented farmland and sold to area farms stands and markets. J.W. Morlock & Girls would eventually grown in size and number of commodities being produced. Today, Jeffrey, Debra and their three girls, Melissa, Stephanie and Amanda are farming over 130 acres in their hometown of Watervliet. In 2007, J.W. Morlock & Girls expanded from selling their homegrown produce at grocery stores, processors, farmers markets, and restaurants to opening their own roadside farm stand on M-140 in Watervliet Township. You can now purchase over 40 different mouthwatering varieties of fruits and vegetables between the months of May-October all homegrown and handpicked from J.W. Morlock & Girls. In 2016, a new addition was added inside of the farm stand called Mo’s Pies. Mo’s Pies is a bakery, selling handmade pies that are handcrafted using their homegrown fruit from the family farm. When the fruit is growing, the pies are overflowing. J.W. Morlock & Girls is a MAEAP verified farm.
- Community Spirit Award — Centsible Heating & Air Conditioning Centsible Heating & Air Conditioning has been operating in Coloma since 2014. Dan Crist opened at his original location on Red Arrow Highway in Coloma with his sister and brother-in-law with a focus on hometown service and community support. Centsible recently opened a new location at 4890 Paw Paw Lake Road in Coloma Township. Rather than spend dollars on traditional advertising and promotion, Dan and his team have contributed to many charities and local causes including Berrien County Women’s Shelter, Toys for the Needy in Benton Harbor, the Coloma Glad Peach Festival in Coloma, Local community queen courts, Paws of Hope, and many others. Centsible Heating & Air Conditioning is the local source for HVAC installation, repair and service. They also offer indoor air quality products that have been proven to kill COVID-19 and supply furnace air filters. Centsible takes all COVID-19 precautions seriously and are now offering virtual estimates for a truly contactless experience. Their technicians follow local and state preventative measures and maintain a six-foot social distance during any service or installation calls. Offering 24/7 emergency service, Dan and his team are there for all customers to keep them healthy and safe year-round. For more information you can contact them at 269-468-6001 or online at http://www.centsiblemichigan.com
The trophy photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is for illustration purposes only and is not intended to depict the actual awards received by businesses mentioned in this report.