Shaking off the effects of a worldwide pandemic, the West Michigan business community moved ahead on firmer footing last year as plans that were dormant for several months finally came to fruition.
Grand Rapids Business Journal will recognize those people and projects that made news in 2022 at its annual Newsmakers of the Year breakfast from 7:30-9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
Tickets to the annual event are available here.
The Business Journal separates the honorees into 16 categories with three finalists in each group. This year, there are 52 people represented among those categories. One Newsmaker of the Year will be recognized in each of the 16 categories, and then one of those 16 winners will be honored with the overall Newsmaker of the Year Award for 2022.
A printed supplement profiling the finalists in each category will be included in the Feb. 6 issue of the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
For now, though, here is the first look at the finalists in each of the categories for Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 2022 Newsmakers of the Year.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Peter D’Arienzo, John Ball Zoo
Marcel Price, The Diatribe
Sal Semola, Gun Lake Casino
BEVERAGES
Dave Engbers, Founders Brewing, and Brett VanderKamp, New Holland Brewing
Jessica Stricklen, Brewery Nyx
Steve Vander Pol and Brandon Voorhees, Eastern Kille
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Deidra Mitchell, Waseyabek Development
Preston Sain, Black Wallstreet Grand Rapids
Kara Wood, Grand Action 2.0
EDUCATION
Philomena Mantella, Grand Valley State University
Juan Olivarez, Grand Rapids Community College
Richard Pappas, Davenport University
FINANCE
Jeff Helminski, Auxo Investment Partners
Martin Stein, Blackford Capital
Greg Williams, Acrisure
FOOD
James Doyle, King Milling
Dennis Ellens, Hudsonville Ice Cream
Gary Schuler, GTF Technologies
HEALTH CARE
Anthony Chang, BAMF Health
Tina Freese Decker, Corewell Health
Dale Sowders, Holland Hospital
LAW
Eva Alexander, New Americans Legal Clinic
Brandon Davis, City of Grand Rapids
Ron DeWaard, Varnum LLP
MANUFACTURING
Steve Downing, Gentex
Murray Kessler, Perrigo
Bonchul Koo, LG Energy Solution
NONPROFITS/PHILANTHROPY
Salvador Lopez, Housing Kent/KConnect
Dale Robertson, Grand Rapids Public Museum
Don Wilkinson, Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity
REAL ESTATE/CONSTRUCTION
Vishal Arora, Magnus Capital Partners
Dan Henrickson, Henrickson Architects and Planners
Jen Schottke, West Michigan Construction Institute
RETAIL
Richard App, City of Grand Rapids
Diane Maher, DP Fox Ventures
Elizabeth Morse, Village of Sparta DDA
SPORTS
George Aquino, Amway Grand Plaza
Mike Guswiler, West Michigan Sports Commission
Steve Jbara, Grand Rapids Gold
STARTUPS
Mitch Dennison, Rapid Control Service
James Mikrut, Payload CMS
Attah Obande, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
SUSTAINABILITY
Erik Petrovskis, Meijer
Bev Thiel, Habitat for Humanity of Kent County
Mark White, Shape Corp.
TECHNOLOGY
Tyler Adams, Thomas Cronkright and Lawrence Duthler, CertifID
Tory Richardson, Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Alex Taylor, Orb Aerospace
