Chamber Podcast

People may assume that men in ballet are “not masculine” or “not real athletes” – but that couldn’t be further from the truth! From the demanding physical requirements like lifting women to performing amazing feats in front of a live audience… and in tights! One could argue that you have to be even more secure […]

Despite what people might think, the life of a freelancer isn’t about working shorter hours at home in your jammies. From clients that think a new logo will solve their internal business problems, to keeping up with trends lest you become obsolete, marketing can sometimes be a thankless job. Regardless, Chelsie believes good design is […]

What do Lauren Stanton, Alyssa Hearin, Emily Richett, and Good Company host Sarah Cavanaugh have in common? Besides being overall swell gals, they all are prominent faces in West Michigan’s broadcast media industry! Tune in and get the inside scoop into the worlds of these Media Mavens. Learn what happens behind-the-scenes, how they pull off […]

From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, you are abiding by rules and regulations that have been made for you. Andy Johnston, Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs, doesn’t like being told what to do without good reason, so becoming a registered lobbyist was the perfect job for him. […]

Twenty-something Dave Nitkiewicz (pronounced nit-kev-ich) has a pretty cool job. As the Specialty Markets Sales Manager for Experience Grand Rapids, he travels the country promoting Grand Rapids as a destination and acts as a concierge for our community. How did he get to where he is at such a young age? The short answer: networking […]

To Christopher “CJ” Mehall, issues of race, gender, sexuality, and able-bodiedness aren’t left wing or right wing issues: they’re human issues. Having grown up with all the privileges one can have in America, he uses his position as a GVSU Professor in the Education Department to teach his students and our community how to be […]

Barbara Rapaport is many things to many people: Mother, wife, feminist, influencer. Most notably, however, she’s a leadership coach who has inspired growth in many leaders across our community. Listen to our latest podcast to learn her top five leadership lessons that stand the test of time and the value of introspection as a leader […]

You may know Ace Marasigan as the founder of the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Festival. However, his childhood was spent in the Philippines, living in poverty near a community dumpsite. Find out about how Ace persevered, despite the difficult hand he was dealt, how his son inspired him to plan the first festival celebrating Asian-Pacific culture […]