Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

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

Edith has lived in the Lake Odessa area for almost 40 years with her husband Chuck. They have three children:  Nathan (Katrina), Lindsay and Adam.  Recently they welcomed their first grandson, Greyson to the family.
She has worked locally at Union Bank for 32 years and is currently a Vice President and High Risk Banking Officer.
Edith attended Northwood University and graduated with a dual Bachelor’s 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

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Laura Russman, Treasurer
PFCU, 616-374-0100
laura@pfcu4me.com

Laura grew up in Portland MI and lived in Grand Rapids for 12 years before moving to Clarksville to be closer to her position as Branch Manager for Lake Odessa Branch of PFCU. She has worked in the financial industry for 10 years and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Ferris State University along with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Laura lives with her partner Alex and  has one child, Sutton. Laura looks forward to getting out in the community more now that she is living in the area. Laura is currently serving her first term with the Chamber Board.
 

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

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 21 years in various Operations & Engineering roles in the United States and Canada.
Jay is currently serving his 2nd term on the Board of Directors for the Lakewood Area Chamber of Commerce and looks forward to continuing to contribute to the community. 

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Christa Wetzel, Secretary 
Alpha Family Center of Lowell and Lake Odessa, 616-987-9533
alphafamilycenter@afclowell.org

Christa has been serving for 7 years as the Executive Director of the Alpha Family Center of Lowell and Lake Odessa. Christa's education background is a BS degree in Criminal Justice, minoring in Graphic Design, and a MA degree in counseling. Her career path has had her involved with the social service field for over 20 years. Her previous employers include working with the Department of Human Services (now DHHS), the Holland Rescue Mission, DA Blodgett St John's Home, Comfort Keepers, and her church. In addition, she spent a year overseas living mainly in Slovakia and London teaching in the university and working with recovering alcoholics. The Alpha Family Center of Lake Odessa opened in January 2020, and Christa joined the Chamber at that time to invest in the community. It is a deep passion of Christa's to not be an organization that just asks for donations, but one that equally serves in the community shoulder to shoulder. ​

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Jen Salgat, Director 
Lake Odessa Community Library, 616-374-4591
lkojen@llcoop.org

Jennifer has been a resident of the Lakewood Community since 2005. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have raised four children.  Jennifer was born in Savannah, Georgia but moved to Michigan in elementary school. She has lived all over Michigan but considers the Lakewood community her home. Jennifer began working at the Lake Odessa Community Library in 2010 and is now the Director.

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Morgan Rademacher, Director
Spectrum Health Pennock, 269-945-1212
morgan.rademacher@spectrumhealth.org

Morgan is a Communications Specialist at Spectrum Health Pennock, responsible for internal and external communications, social media and events. Morgan is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations. She resides in Lake Odessa with her husband, Don, and two children. Morgan is currently serving her second term on the Board of Directors, and enjoys contributing to the community she resides in.

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Denise Parks, Director 
Walker Pharmacy, 517-712-5978
deniseparks120@gmail.com

Denise 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 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 Walkers Pharmacy. Marketing and sales are her areas of expertise.

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

Valeri 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 three children. 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.

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Kim Leadbetter, Director
616-374-1100
jordanlakeflorals@gmail.com

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

Kim is owner and florist at Jordan Lake Florals in Lake Odessa. After Graduating from Lakewood in 1984, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Central Michigan University. Kim has lived in various US states with her husband and their 3 children. She served as Chapter President of “The Welcome Wagon,” as a board member of “Phoenix Flight” and ran her own business in residential interior decorating and “Design to Sell It.” She also earned a Real Estate License to better serve her clients.
After returning to Michigan in 2017 with her family, she started a small business in Lake Odessa. Kim has most recently attended a National Wedding Floral Design Program and is building that specialty into her business. She enjoys spending time with her family on Jordan Lake, participating in community projects.

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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 eleven 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.  

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