Small businesses in Michigan’s Great Southwest are in the spotlight today, as the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber announced its annual Business Recognition Awards before a packed house at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Grand Upton Hall. More than 600 people got up early for the breakfast session that featured the awards plus a review of the Chamber’s 2024 operations and a keynote speech from nationally known motivator Drew Dudley.
Here are the winners of the Chamber’s awards:
BEST NEW BUSINESS AWARD: THE LAB. MARTIAL ARTS & FITNESS
The Lab. Martial Arts & Fitness is a premier training facility in Southwest Michigan, offering expert instruction in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling and fitness. Led by an experienced group of coaches, the gym fosters a friendly, welcoming yet challenging environment for all skill levels. The Lab. is dedicated to empowering individuals through discipline, fitness, and personal growth.
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD: VILLWOCKS OUTDOOR LIVING
Villwocks Outdoor Living is a multi dimensional outdoor living provider, with two beautiful retail garden centers, outdoor power equipment sales and service. As well as a plethora of services provided. Starting with landscape design and installation, sprinklers system installation and service. Pool and spa installation and service. Landscape lighting design, installation and service. Many property services like spring cleanup, landscape maintenance and mowing, lawn care and fall cleanups. Villwocks Outdoor Living is truly a one stop shop in the outdoor world!
ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARD: HONOR CREDIT UNION
Honor Credit Union is a non-profit, full-service financial institution headquartered in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Originally chartered in 1934 in Benton Harbor, Honor has grown to serve over 110,000 members through 28 branch locations across western and northern Michigan. Driven by a commitment to providing solutions for financial success and giving back to the communities we serve, Honor Credit Union remains a trusted partner for individuals, families, and businesses.
NON-PROFIT EXCELLENCE AWARD: HARBOR COUNTRY MISSION
Harbor Country Mission is a barrier-free organization dedicated to serving individuals and families in need throughout Southwest Michigan. Open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, HCM provides essential support, including food, clothing, household goods, furniture, appliances, and even pet supplies. If you or anyone you know is in need, HCM is here to help.
COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD: BERRIEN COUNTY– SILVER BEACH PARK PLAYGROUND PROJECT
The Silver Beach County Park Playground Project is replacing a 30+ year old playground with a new, improved, accessible playground that invites all visitors to come and play together without barriers or limitations. In order to accommodate the increase in park usage and better address the diversity of visitors’ needs, improvements and upgrades like the Silver Beach County Park Playground Project are essential. This project was approved as a National Demonstration Site through Playcore, which will help County Parks gather data to determine the playground’s impact on the community and help determine best-practices for future parks projects.
RISING STAR AWARD: SARAH LANCASTER, SOUTH SHORE HEALTH & RACQUET CLUB
Sarah Lancaster is the General Manager of South Shore Health & Racquet Club. She is a graduate of Lake Michigan Catholic High School, St. Joseph, MI and Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., where she studied Business Administration and History. She played and was the co-captain of the Saint Mary’s tennis team. Today, she continues to play in tennis leagues with SSHRC members.
Along with the rest of the SSHRC team, Sarah hopes to promote wellness for all ages by providing unparalleled health programs and facilities. “Our mission is to enhance the members’ quality of life by becoming a part of their lives. Through our quality facilities, programs and instructions we’ll endeavor to provide a variety of activities that strengthen members and our local communities.”
Other projects Sarah participates in include her involvement for seven years with the Women’s Service League and being co-chair of the Operation Coats project that takes place every fall. Sarah also sits on the NexGen Board of the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, which links budding entrepreneurs with established individuals in the community.
Sarah is also the head coach of the Saint Joseph High School girls varsity tennis team and has overseen the girls at State in their past three seasons. Sarah is quite aware of the importance of a steady coaching influence knows the impact a coach can make on any young athlete.
Sarah and her husband Jake Lancaster work side by side at the club while raising two daughters at home.
In 2024, South Shore was able to add a 30,000 square foot addition to the club, adding 8 dedicated indoor pickleball courts to their offerings. She is excited for more opportunities ahead not only at South Shore, but for the wellness community of Southwest Michigan in 2025.
THE PAT MOODY AWARD: MICHELLE HEIT, NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR
Michelle Heit is the current Supervisor of New Buffalo Township, a position she has held since 2016 after serving as a trustee on the Township Board for three years. Throughout her tenure, Michelle has spearheaded a variety of impactful projects, including the development of the Marquette Greenway, Red Arrow Highway Linear Park, and the construction of the township’s new public safety building. She has also overseen enhancements to I-94 Exit 1, the acquisition of Pleasure Isle Marina, and the revitalization of Union Pier. Michelle is an active member of both the Medic 1 Ambulance Board and the Galien River Sanitary District Board.
Before her public service career, Michelle was a successful small business owner for 30 years. A proud native of Berrien County, she cherishes her deep local roots, living on property in New Buffalo Township that has been in her family since 1855. In her spare time, Michelle is an avid runner and enjoys spending quality time with her four grandchildren.
The Pat Moody Award is named for MoodyOnTheMarket.com founder and publisher Pat Moody. During almost half of his nearly 48 years on the air as WSJM Radio’s Morning Man, Moody simultaneiously served as the Executive Director of the Chamber, spearheading local retail growth and many other projects for the community.
AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR: LEANNE BROWNFIELD, STURGIS BANK & TRUST
Leanne Brownfield is the Assistant Vice President at Sturgis Bank in Berrien County. With 15 years in community banking, she specializes in business, municipal and private banking. A Southwest Michigan native, Leanne attended Lake Michigan College and is committed to raising her family here in Southwest Michigan with her husband, Corey. She is passionate about helping her customers, actively volunteers in her community and is proud to serve as a Chamber Ambassador.
The meeting featured a return keynote from internationally acclaimed TED Talk speaker, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Drew Dudley, recognized eight (8) businesses, organizations, and individuals as award winners, recapped 2024’s 70th anniversary which saw the launch of two (2) new 501(c)3 organizations, and announced the return of ActionLine the Chamber’s quarterly news publication.
“Relaunching ActionLine has been a goal for the Chamber since I began my tenure with the organization in 2020. I’m proud to say it returns, officially in 2025!” says President & CEO Arthur Havlicek. “The Chamber has undergone a tremendous amount of growth over the last year by adding not just new entities under our umbrella, but through the four (4) additional staff that we’ve brought on board since March of 2024 .”
The full list of this year’s Chamber nominee and award recipient information will be made available at www.smrchamber.com.
