IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Pine Grove Country Club was vibrant with activity as it hosted a Business After Hours event organized by the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce. The evening featured a Small Business Expo with about a dozen local organizations showcasing their services.
The event was sponsored by Schroeder Administrative Solutions and First National Bank and Trust. Suzanne Larson, the Executive Director of the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to engage the community. “We have these monthly, hosted by a local business, and today’s is sponsored by Schroeder Administrative Solutions and Kristine Schroeder,” Larson stated.
Kristine Schroeder, owner of Schroeder Administrative Solutions, shared her motivation for sponsoring the event. “I’m a small business owner, and one of the top questions I get is, ‘What exactly do you do?’ So I knew that if I was getting that question, there are other small businesses in our area that are probably getting the same question. I thought it would be a great idea if we could all get together and share in a Business After Hours.”
The expo featured a range of businesses and nonprofits, including Schroeder’s own small business – where she uses her skills in administration and website design, Life Fit, Brain Fit, Heritage Design and Stone, Guide Star Cybersecurity, and the Forever Friendship Drop-In Center.
Schroeder explained the diverse representation, saying, “We have some businesses that are going to be highlighted tonight. We have everything from drop-in centers [The Forever Friendship Drop-In Center] for people looking for friendship and camaraderie, an apothecary [The Essential Oil Apothecary], IT specialists [Guide Star Cybersecurity – A division of CCI Systems], and a couple of nonprofits.”
Larson also provided updates on the chamber’s upcoming events, highlighting the annual golf outing at Oak Crest Golf Course. “We have our golf outing tomorrow. It’s a big deal for us, and a really nice fundraiser for the Chamber,” she noted. The outing, which will feature 20 teams and a range of sponsors, promises to be a lively event. “We’ve got a hole-in-one sponsored by Witt Auto, Town & Country Ford, and Edwards Automotive. You sink the shot, and you could win a car. It’s a big, big deal,” Larson added. Registration for the outing begins at 9 am CST at Oak Crest Golf Course in Norway.
Schroeder echoed the excitement, saying, “I’ve been volunteering for a couple of weeks gathering some of our amazing prizes that we’re going to be giving away at the outing, and I’m excited. We have a lot of extra games too; it’s not just golf. Different holes have some fun contests on them.”
During the event, several businesses and organizations had the opportunity to speak and share more about what they do. Among them was the local chapter of the Zonta Club, an international women’s organization. Tamara Juul of Zonta shared details about an upcoming event in October that will focus on the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and girls. “We’re really excited to launch a first-time program put on by Zonta,” Juul explained. “We partnered with the Marquette Zonta Club. It’s a human trafficking awareness program as well as honoring the missing and murdered indigenous women. We have an event coming up on October 9 at Bay College.”
Juul emphasized the importance of the event, which will take place during lunchtime, making it accessible to working professionals. “This event will be very unique,” she added. “If you are an employer and have personnel that might want to attend, please allow them the time to come up to Bay College to hear the knowledge that we want to share with the community about what’s been happening for decades upon decades.”
Susan Smith, also of Zonta, provided additional details. “We are sponsoring it with Bay College and the Hannahville Tribal organization,” she said. “The [red] dress is a representation of murdered indigenous women across the United States and Canada. It started as an art installation and has now become an advocacy project. We would love it if one of you could attend, or if any of your businesses could hang a red dress. We have about 50 we plan on hanging around Iron Mountain and Kingsford to represent the missing and murdered indigenous women.”
The Chamber’s Business After Hours events continue to serve as a valuable platform for local businesses to connect with the community.
For more information about the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce, visit:
For more information about the Golf Outing, visit:
