Professional Highlights from the 517 Region

Montes Joins First National

First National Bank of Michigan announced the addition of Dan Montes as vice president and relationship manager. He will work out of the Lansing office at 101 S. Washington Square.

“We are pleased to welcome Dan Montes to our commercial lending team,” said First National Market President Patty Barnas. “Dan has over 13 years of diverse commercial banking, credit and management experience, and possesses the skills and knowledge to offer FNBM customers the expert personal service we are known for.”

Montes attended DeVry University in California, where he studied communications management/project management. He is an active member of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce.

McLaren Foundation Welcomes New Member

The McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation welcomed Ruthanne Sudderth as the newest member to the foundation board of trustees and established the 2022 board leadership for what promises to be a busy year of bringing quality health care to the region.

Sudderth is the senior vice president of public affairs and communication for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, where she has worked for more than 13 years leading communications, coverage expansion, vaccination work and health care workforce development efforts.

“I’m excited to join this amazing group of people who are helping bring the future of health care to our friends, family and neighbors here in the Lansing area,” Sudderth said. “An investment in the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation is an investment in an organization that has a big impact on the local community, including access and quality of health care as well as the economy. I’m honored to be a part of this movement.”

The foundation also named its board officers for 2022, who will help spearhead the foundation’s work in supporting McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital as a premier health care provider in the region. The 2022 officers include Chair Scott S. Stewart of Huntington National Bank, Chair-elect Sarah Jennings of Maner Costerisan, Secretary Sara Dolan of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union and Treasurer Jessica Fleet of Maner Costerisan.

“I am honored to serve alongside a group of knowledgeable and dedicated board of trustees,” foundation Vice President Lynn Griffor said. “Their vision and leadership will ensure the MGL Foundation has continued success in supporting the capital, programmatic and educational needs of McLaren Greater Lansing.”

Sparrow Eaton Celebrates Outgoing Board Members, Creates Award

Three outgoing Sparrow Eaton Hospital board members were honored for their years of service at a recent celebration dinner.

The departing board members are Frederick Darin, retired optometrist who served 36 years; Charles Grundstrom, a retired educator and school administrator who served 22 years; and Sharon Kubica, a retired educator who served 11 years.

In recognition of Darin’s significant tenure, the Dr. Frederick Darin Board of Directors Service Award was created and awarded to him in its inaugural year by current board Chair Lori Pray.

“Fred’s leadership for our board was inspiring and truly unparalleled,” Pray said. “His goals always focused on governance versus management, which helped us with strength in board composition and contribution.”

Zamiara to Lead Lansing Chamber Board

Mike Zamiara of Niowave will serve as the 2022 chair of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Zamiara succeeds Wendy Hamilton of TechSmith, who will remain on the board as past chair. Matt Resch of Resch Strategies will serve as chair-elect and will serve as board chair in 2023. In addition to Zamiara, Hamilton and Resch, the 2022 chamber board officers are Patricia Scott of Foster Swift Collins & Smith as legal counsel, Luke Terry of Rehmann as treasurer, and Tim Daman as chamber president and CEO.

The board includes several newcomers, including Terry, Amy Scoby of Christman Co. and Lisa Webb Sharpe of Peckham.

Loomis Law Firm Announces Two New Shareholders

Loomis, Ewert, Parsley, Davis & Gotting PC  announced that Mikhail Murshak and Gabrielle Lawrence have been elected as a shareholder of the Lansing-based firm.

Murshak specializes in general intellectual property counseling, including patent and trademark strategy and acquisition. Murshak is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Ingham County Bar Association.

Lawrence specializes in probate, estate planning, trust and probate administration, and family law, and she has helped clients navigate the ever-changing areas of federal estate taxes and Medicaid eligibility. Lawerence is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, State Bar of Georgia, American Bar Association and Ingham County Bar Association.

In additional news, Michael R. Kluck has joined the firm as an of-counsel member with over 45 years’ experience representing both public and private employers on a wide variety of labor and employment law matters before state and federal courts. Kluck has argued cases before the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court on various public sector labor law issues.

Peters Joins McLaren Greater Lansing

McLaren Greater Lansing announced the addition of Derek Peters as the new vice president of human resources.

Peters grew up in Mason and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Carolina. His career in human resources begun with a labor union out of the Detroit area, where he helped with labor relations. Peters then joined the human resources team at McLaren Greater Lansing. While working at McLaren, he received his Juris Doctor and became a licensed attorney. He has recently led the HR teams at McLaren Lapeer Region, McLaren Health Management Group and McLaren Northern Michigan.

“I am excited to return to my roots and support health care for our community,” said Peters.

Associated Builders and Contractors Appoints New Leadership

The Associated Builders and Contractors Greater Michigan Chapter announced new board of directors leadership for 2022.

The incoming board includes Chair Jon Lynch of Three Rivers Corp., Vice Chair Kevin Wray of Valley Electrical Contractors, Secretary JoAnn Tanzini of The Tancor Corp., Treasurer Mike Laundra of Alloy Construction Service Inc., Past Chair Shawn Pnacek of Great Lakes Bay Construction, Rick Deneau of A4H Construction, Erick Forshee of Fisher Cos., Glenn Hengesbach of Albin Hengesbach Carpentry & Custom Cabinets Inc., Jason Johnson of J.E. Johnson, Jeff Kipfmiller of Answer Heating and Cooling, Ken Misiewicz of Pleune Service Co., Brian Stadler of Wolgast Corp., Steve Russell of A/C Electric, Mike Tenniswood of American Plumbing, and Noah Trombley of Bierlein-Trombley Electric.

“It is a privilege to work alongside so many who believe in and advocate for free enterprise and open competition, who embrace responsibility for performing work safely, and who aspire to deliver unparalleled quality in all they produce,” said Lynch.

Buddy’s, Two Men and a Truck Help Local Nonprofits

On Jan. 19, Buddy’s Pizza and Two Men and a Truck distributed nearly 1,500 essential items to two local nonprofits, Haven House and Child and Family Charities.

Throughout December, the two organizations hosted a donation drive and collectively received almost 1,500 items from the Lansing community and surrounding areas. Donations included soap, towels and bed sheets, and other items that were distributed to Lansing’s most vulnerable families. Two Men and a Truck Marketing and Recruiting Coordinator Gianni Massaro and team members used the moving company’s trucks to drop off the collected items to each nonprofit. Katy Dean, Buddy’s Pizza chief operating officer, was present to help with distribution, as well as leadership and volunteers from each nonprofit.

Christman Advances Next Generation of Leadership

The Christman Co. announced the promotion of leaders at the construction management and real estate development firm’s corporate headquarters in Lansing.

The promotions and new titles include Sean Jagels, vice president of project planning; John O’Toole, senior vice president of health care services; Anthony Pecchio, senior vice president; Chad Ross, vice president of finance; Amy Scoby, senior vice president of marketing and business development; and Don Staley, senior vice president and corporate safety director.

Jagels, who joined Christman in 2014, is leadership in energy and environmental design accredited professional building design and construction certified. O’Toole, who joined Christman in 2002, is a leadership in energy and environmental design accredited professional. Pecchio, who joined the firm in 1997, serves Christman and the Christman Capital Development Co. He assists in financing and partnership structures for federal and state historic preservation tax credits, Brownfield tax credits, and tax-increment financing and public-private partnerships. Ross, who joined Christman in 2014, is a licensed certified public accountant in Michigan and a certified construction industry financial professional. Scoby, who joined Christman in 2012, develops relationships and strategic partnerships to ensure client satisfaction, cultivate markets and enhance the company’s visibility in the marketplace.

Babbitt Releases New Book

Sally D. Babbitt of Babbitt Legal Group PC  released her book “When the Gloves Come Off: Why America’s Families Are Fighting in Court.” You can find more information on the book, which is available in softcover and e-book formats, at Bookbaby.com or Amazon.com.

Martin Announces Land Deals

Martin Commercial Properties, a privately owned real estate services and development company, facilitated the transaction of several recent real estate deals in the region. The deals include:

The company facilitated the sale of a midcentury-style office and warehouse building at 1400 Keystone Ave. in Lansing to an investment group. The property was sold by The Polack Corp. The buyer of the 15,000-square-foot building plans to promote the space to industrial users in a tight real estate market. Martin’s Senior Vice President and Office Adviser Eric F. Rosekrans, Senior Associate and Industrial and Investment Adviser Christopher Miller, and Senior Associate and Office Adviser Thomas Jamieson represented the seller in the sale of the property.

Martin facilitated the sale of a freestanding, single-story building at 2260 Jolly Oak Road in Okemos. Located in a mixed-used corridor, the property will be the new home for BBK Fine Jewelry, transforming the former PNC Bank branch location into a purveyor of diamonds and custom-designed jewelry. Jamieson and Rosekrans represented the seller in the sale.

The third transaction involved a five-suite office building at 2163 University Park Drive in Okemos. The 17,848-square-foot building has four existing long-term tenants that include Securian Financial, Shinberg Insurance, the U.S. Social Security Administration and Verizon. All occupants share a large common area inside, as well as 83 freshly painted parking spaces. A small suite of 1,062 square feet is currently available for lease. Miller represented buyer HJC Clark LLC in the sale of the property. Jamieson and Rosekrans represented the seller.