Professional Highlights From the Great Lakes Bay Region

Women in Building Council Presents Scholarships

Every year, the Professional Women in Building Council of the Home Builders Association of Saginaw presents scholarships to honor local students in residential building trades. These students are moving into building professions and have a strong sense of giving back to the community.

The students receiving this honor are Katelyn Wiles of Hemlock, who is attending the Greater Michigan Construction Academy for carpentry; Steve Hemgesberg of Freeland, who is attending Michigan State University for construction management; and Makenna Karst of Frankenmuth, who is attending Ferris State University for architecture.

“As the building trades industry grows, so must the interest of the future generations,” said Michelle Revett, executive officer of HBA of Saginaw. “These students are hardworking and determined, and will help this community prosper. Our goal is to encourage students of any age to realize that the building trades is an honest and viable career choice with many prosperous options.”

Zehnder’s Golf Course Recognized for Design

Golf Advisor has placed The Fortress Golf Course as one of 2019’s top 25 course layout designs. Owned and operated by Zehnder’s in Frankenmuth, the challenging course was designed by Dick Nugent in 1991.

“The course layout and design of a golf course is what makes the game so great and worth traveling for, and can mean many different things to a variety of golfers,” Golf Advisor said in its review.  Golf Advisor provides more than 825,000 reviews of 14,000-plus golf courses worldwide.

The Fortress encompasses 6,813 yards of formidable play on its 18-hole, par-72 course. It also includes a putting green for warm up, a chipping green with practice bunker and the target-oriented driving range. The Fortress even hosts special events, tournaments, clinics and junior programs that are scheduled throughout the season. Golfers can enjoy refreshments at the clubhouse and make purchases at the pro shop.

“During this period of uncertainty, trust in us matters. We look forward to welcoming golfers in a clean and safe environment,” said John Shelton, vice president of sales and marketing at Zehnder’s. “We take great pride in providing the best golf experience for our guests. We are honored and appreciate this new recognition.”

Lavrack Crowned Michigan Sugar Queen

Though it was canceled earlier in the year, Shaelynn Lavrack of Montrose was crowned the 2020 Michigan Sugar Queen during a private ceremony June 19 outside Michigan Sugar Co.’s headquarters at Uptown Bay City.

Lavrack, who is 19, graduated from Hill-McCloy High School in 2019 and now attends Cornerstone University, where she majors in broadcast communications.

“Once again, Michigan Sugar Co. is fortunate to have found a young woman who we know will be an excellent representative and ambassador for our company,” said Rob Clark, director of communications and community relations for Michigan Sugar. “Her knowledge of our company and agriculture in general, along with the quality of her character, shined through during the selection process. We are looking forward to a great year with Shaelynn as the Michigan Sugar Queen.”

Also crowned at the private event where two Queen’s Court Attendants, Haley Bell of Bay City and Alayna Celestini of Macomb. They will also be serving as ambassadors for Michigan Sugar Co. for the next year.

Saginaw Youth Ambassadors Selected

Saginaw Intermediate School District — in partnership with the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, Dale Carnegie Training and Partnershift — announced the selection of its inaugural cohort of Saginaw County Youth Ambassadors. This distinguished group of incoming local high school sophomores earned the opportunity to learn and develop sought-after leadership skills through a unique, three-year, comprehensive program designed to prepare them for promoting community services and the many benefits of living in Saginaw County.

Each ambassador received a $1,795 scholarship to participate in a three-day Dale Carnegie Teen Program. The Dale Carnegie program equips students with the professional skills needed to lead within their community and catalyzes leadership development. Ambassadors participate in a series of self-awareness workshops identifying individual strengths they possess and in immersive experiences designed to help them gain a deeper understanding of Saginaw County’s richly diverse community.

Here is the list of students that were selected as Saginaw County Youth Ambassadors by the school district:

• Kennedy Aldrich, Birch Run Area Schools, Birch Run High School
• Owen Quinnan, Birch Run Area Schools, Birch Run High School
• Keon McKinney, Bridgeport-Spaulding Community Schools, Bridgeport High School
• Courtney Ayotte, Carrollton Public Schools, Carrollton High School
• Kennedy Campos, Carrollton Public Schools, Carrollton High School
• Emily Smith, Chesaning Union Schools, Chesaning Union High School
• Byrn Mahoney, Chesaning Union Schools, Chesaning Union High School
• Mia Fahrenbruch, Frankenmuth School District, Frankenmuth High School
• Kennedy Sutherland, Frankenmuth School District, Frankenmuth High School
• Alexis Ricker, Freeland Community School District, Frankenmuth High School
• Jonathan Leiter, Freeland Community School District, Freeland High School
• Kahl Mallek, Hemlock Public School District, Hemlock High School
• Luke Premo, Hemlock Public School District, Hemlock High School
• Mason Ordway, Merrill Community Schools, Merrill High School
• Warren Woodcock, Merrill Community Schools, Merrill High School
• ChristGiles Yard, Saginaw Township Community Schools, Heritage High School
• Zori Rasco, Saginaw Township Community Schools, Heritage High School
• Lionel Baldwin, Saginaw Public Schools, Arthur Hill High School
• Tornarus Johnson, Saginaw Public Schools, Saginaw High School
• Aiden Kelley, St. Charles Community Schools, St. Charles High School
• Laina Harger, St. Charles Community Schools, St. Charles High School
• Matthew McKim, Swan Valley School District, Swan Valley High School
• Jackson Beery, Swan Valley School District, Swan Valley High School