Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Edith Farrell, President
Union Bank, 616-374-3278
efarrell@ubmich.com

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Edith has lived in the Lake Odessa area for over 30 years with her husband Chuck.  They have three children:  Nathan, Lindsay and Adam.
She has worked locally at Union Bank for 28 years and is currently an Assistant Vice President and Technology Officer.
Edith attended Northwood University and graduated with a dual Bachelors Degree in Business Management and Marketing.
Prior to taking on the role of President, she served as a Director and the Treasurer for the Chamber. 



Sara Hoppes, Treasurer
Carbon Green BioEnergy, LLC, 616-374-4000
shoppes@cgbioenergy.com

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Sara is the Office Administrator for Carbon Green BioEnergy, LLC.  She began working for Carbon Green BioEnergy in December of 2007.  She resides in Nashville, MI with her husband Clint and their two children.  She enjoys spending time with her family.
This is Sara's 2nd term on the Chamber Board of Directors and her first term as Treasurer. Sara is very involved with the Easter Egg Hunt and Christmas in the Village.

Jay Patel, Vice President
Cargill Kitchen Solutions, 616-374-4545   
jay_patel@cargill.com

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Jay is currently the Plant Manager at Cargill Kitchen Solutions in Lake Odessa. He resides in Grand Rapids with wife Shital and their two children, Priya and Komal. He carries a Bachelor’s degree in Business Computer Information System from St Cloud State University in Minnesota and also holds a degree in Electrical engineering from India.
Jay worked the majority of his career in the food processing Industry. He has been with Cargill Kitchen Solutions for the last 16 years in various Operations & Engineering roles in the United States and Canada.
Jay is currently serving his 1st term on the Board of Directors for the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce and looks forward to contributing to the community. 

Lindsay Farrell, Secretary 
Union Bank, 616-374-3278
lfarrell@ubmich.com

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Lindsay was born and raised in the Lake Odessa area. She graduated from Lakewood High School and furthered her education at Davenport University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Lindsay has over 11 years of experience in the financial industry. She currently works for Union Bank out of their corporate office in Lake Odessa as the Marketing Coordinator and Shareholder Relations Manager.
Lindsay is currently serving her first term with the Lakewood Area Chamber. In addition to serving on the Chamber Board, Lindsay also sits on the Lake Odessa Arts Commission Board. Lindsay enjoys being active in the community and is looking forward to working with the other Chamber Directors to uphold the Chamber’s mission to support economic growth and the quality of life in the Lakewood Area.

Keather Winslow, Director 
APEC, 616-374-1000
keatherw@apecusa.com

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Keather Winslow was born in raised in the Lakewood Area.  She and her husband Craig live in Lake Odessa with their triplets Natallia, Bridger, and Savanna.  Keather received her Bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Phoenix.  She works at APEC as the Human Resource Manager and Inventory Controller for the past 5 years but has been with the company for 8 years. Keather is also an owner of Viking Car Wash in Lake Odessa. Keather is serving her 2nd term on the Chamber Board.

Denise Newman, Director
Station Deli, 616-374-3176
dnewoman@hotmail.com

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Denise Newman is the owner of Station Deli in Lake Odessa. She is a graduate of Lake Odessa High School and lives outside of Clarksville with her husband Dave.
Denise has an extensive work history in many fields. Her most recent experiences were in higher education, where she served as Vice President & Treasurer of many organizations. Denise has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Univ. of Wisconsin, River Falls and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Grand Valley State University.

Denise Parks, Director 
Walker Pharmacy, 517-712-5978
parks@cablespeed.com

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Denise Parks has been a resident of the Lakewood community for over 20 years. She, along with her husband Dan, raised their three children on Jordan Lake. As a family they attend Lakewood United Methodist Church. She has been active in the community during this time serving on The Sunny Crest Youth Ranch Board of Directors, The Lakewood Board of Education and The Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce.  Her service to the chamber has been in the areas of the Scholarship Committee, The Annual Golf Outing, and the Annual Dinner. Currently Denise is on staff at the New Walker Pharmacy. Marketing and sales are her areas of expertise.

Brianna Furlong, Director
616-537-8744
brianna@lakewoodhvac.solutions

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    Brianna Furlong is the Office Manager and
    part owner of Lakewood Heating &
    Cooling. She attended Lakewood Schools
    through 7th grade and graduated from
    Maple Valley in 2009. Brianna has worked
    for a Mechanical Contractor and a   
    Construction Management firm in Grand
    Rapids. She completed her Associates of
    Arts from GRCC while enhancing her
    marketing skills at Kendall College of Art &
    Design.
Brianna resides in Lowell with her husband Jacob and three children, Vincent, Roman, and Aubree. She loves spending time around the fire, kayaking down the river, and drinking coffee. Brianna looks forward to making a difference serving her first term on the Board and being more involved in the community.

Valeri Neeb, Director 
Freshwater Properties 616-374-4100
valerineeb@grar.com

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Valeri Neeb is a Licensed Realtor with Freshwater Properties in Lake Odessa. Valeri received her Realtor license through Holloways Real Estate Institute of Lansing. She is a member of the Grand Rapids Association of Realtor's (GRAR) as well as the National Association of Realtor's (NAR). She was born and raised in Mid-Michigan and moved to
Lake Odessa in 2013. Valeri resides in Lake Odessa with her husband Craig and their daughter Natalie. Among her numerous community involvements, Valeri is a Girl Scout leader and Service Unit Director for Lakewood. She also holds a board position as Secretary on the Lakewood Elementary PTO. This is Valeri’s first term serving on the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce.



Marnie Thomas, Executive Director
616-374-0766
director@lakewoodareacoc.org

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Marnie was born and raised on the east side of Michigan. After attending college at Eastern Michigan University, she spent 13 years in Dallas, Texas working in Restaurant Management and Sales for a luxury hotel company. Marnie relocated to the Lakewood area in 2006 when she married Andy Thomas. They have one son, Harrison.
Marnie has served as Executive Director for the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce for the past eight years.  In this position, she is the main point of contact for the Chamber.  She also coordinates all Chamber events and is involved with all committees.