Professional Highlights from the 517 Region

Notable news brings you professional highlights from the 517 region. Here is a look at the October announcements.

Singer and Haase Join Triterra

Triterra, a Michigan-based environmental consulting firm, announced the addition of two new staff members.

Trenton Singer joined Triterra as a geologist. Singer acquired a bachelor’s degree in geological sciences from Michigan State University while also participating in the Army ROTC and serving part time in the Michigan Army National Guard. Singer assists with the design, installation, implementation and reporting of vapor mitigation systems in response to vapor intrusion complications on contaminated properties.

Tami Haase joined Triterra as a senior industrial hygienist, working as a part of the industrial hygiene team. Haase started her career in 1987 in the industrial hygiene field by performing air sampling for asbestos and lead while also performing building inspections. She now performs prerenovation/demolition hazardous material inspections to identify the presence of asbestos, lead, mold, PCBs and other hazardous materials. Haase also manages and oversees hazardous materials abatement to ensure compliance with regulatory agencies.

Ghannam Joins Horizon as Market President

Sam Ghannam has joined Horizon Bank as the new market president for the Lansing region. He is located at 1600 Abbot Road in East Lansing.

Ghannam has nearly 25 years of banking experience, with the last years as a senior relationship manager in commercial banking. In that role, he managed and worked with businesses throughout the region to meet their banking needs, while staying connected with the various industries he served.

In his new role with Horizon Bank, Ghannam will lead a team of commercial lenders that will serve clients by providing customer service, unique solutions and understanding of their industry needs. In addition, as the regional president of Horizon Bank, he intends on expanding the outreach of the bank in the Lansing area by looking for unique collaborative and philanthropic opportunities in the communities served.

Sparrow Ionia Honors Caregivers

Sparrow Ionia Hospital recently honored a highly skilled nurse and surgical team with DAISY Awards for their compassionate care, outstanding nursing skills and always putting patients first.

Emergency department nurse Amber Spitzley was named DAISY Award honoree based on a patient nomination for her attentiveness and kindness during the patient’s long stay. Spitzley has worked at Sparrow Ionia since 2018.

“Amber is always compassionate to each and every patient she encounters,” said Sparrow Ionia Hospital emergency department manager Tara Lanz. “She is incredibly hardworking. Our hospital and community are lucky to have nurses like Amber.”

Sparrow Ionia surgical caregivers received a DAISY Team Award after being nominated by fellow caregivers for their support, responsiveness and exceptional care. The team is known for helping with critical events, assisting departments in need and providing education assistance, among other things.

“Our surgical team is continually prepared to support the emergency department and inpatient units during critical events,” said Lanz. “The team’s efforts and willingness to work seamlessly with the team involved is imperative to helping us provide safe, quality care. They repeatedly exemplify teamwork.”

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary, compassionate, and skillful care given by nurses every day. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.

Ele’s Place Appoints Interim President

Kate Powers has assumed the role of interim president and CEO of Ele’s Place Inc. Powers joined the organization in 2014 as the director of major and planned gifts for Ele’s Place headquarters.

From 2015 to 2018, she served as the senior managing director of the Ele’s Place Capital Region branch. In 2018, Powers moved back to headquarters to serve as the chief operating officer and chief development officer.

Prior to joining Ele’s Place, Powers worked for more than 20 years in the nonprofit and higher education sectors as a fundraiser and administrator. Powers fills the role left vacant by the departure of Dan Layman, who has served as president and CEO since 2015. An Ele’s Place Governing Board transition team is in place to search for a permanent president and CEO to lead the statewide organization.

Great Lakes Christian College Names New President

Great Lakes Christian College welcomed Frank Weller as its new president.

Weller is a graduate of Great Lakes Christian. He earned his master’s degree from Huntington University and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Bethel Seminary. Weller joins the staff at Great Lakes Christian College with a background in ministry and leadership.

Prior to his presidency, Weller served churches in Kokomo, Crawfordsville and Butler, Indiana, before moving to Michigan, where he became the lead minister at South Lansing Church of Christ. Weller has also served as an adjunct professor at Great Lakes Christian in the areas of homiletics and church leadership.

Child and Family Charities Breaks Ground on Jackson House

Child and Family Charities broke ground on renovations to the new Jackson House. The effort marks the start of a comprehensive transformation to a portion of the former McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital site. Jackson House will serve as a safe place for teens and youth without a stable home environment.

The Jackson insurance company and its associates donated $940,000 to underwrite the cost of Jackson House.

Jackson employees also volunteered their time to clean out and prepare the building for renovations.

“Jackson is grateful for its longtime partnership with Child and Family Charities and looks forward to supporting their important mission with donations and associate volunteerism for years to come,” said Danielle Robinson, Jackson’s assistant vice president of corporate philanthropy and executive director of the Jackson Charitable Foundation. “We know the meaningful impact the Jackson House will have on our community.”

Each year, Child and Family Charities serves over 15,000 individuals of all ages and needs.

Through its six divisions and 30 programs, the nonprofit organization works in partnership with companies like Jackson to address the needs of an ever-evolving community.

Horizon Bank Welcomes Trumble

Chris Trumble has joined Horizon Bank as a customer service representative in the Okemos office at 2151 W. Grand River Ave.

Trumble has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He has held previous positions including teller, loan officer and universal banker. In his most recent role, Trumble was a senior personal banker where he oversaw daily branch operations.

In his new position at Horizon, Trumble will open and maintain accounts, process loan applications, and process teller transactions. He will provide product and service support to customers and businesses.

Trumble attended Western Michigan University as an elementary education major, and he completed the general management program at the University of Phoenix.

Sparrow Charlotte Adds Smith to Care Team

Sparrow Medical Group Charlotte 111 welcomed family care provider Dr. Leighla Smith to its team. Smith joins providers Dr. Linda Chermak and nurse practitioners Stephanie Keilen and Elise Wildern.

The addition of Smith allows patients more access to a primary care physician, as well as greater ability to get same-day appointments and support for chronic health conditions.

Smith is a board-certified physician who embraces a philosophy of comprehensive health care for the entire family. She enjoys working with her patients to develop healthy habits for life, including balanced diet and active lifestyle.

“I always knew I wanted to go into family medicine in order to support growing families,” said Smith, who lives in Charlotte with her husband and their two children.

Warner Attorneys Rated Among Best Lawyers in America

Three attorneys in the Lansing office of Warner Norcross + Judd LLP have been selected for the 2023 Best Lawyers in America.

The peer-review award, which denotes legal excellence in specific practice areas, individually recognized:

• Jeffrey W. Bracken: commercial litigation, eminent domain and condemnation law, construction litigation, and environmental litigation.
• James C. Cavanagh: government relations and health care law.
• Troy M. Cumings: government relations.

The three Lansing attorneys are among a total of 108 Warner attorneys, representing more than 50 different practice areas, to be included in the 2023 list.

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