Everywhere you go in West Michigan, Meijer has a presence.
It is a presence much greater than just a grocery store, the company supports so much in the area and that grew Tuesday with the naming of the West Michigan Sports Commission's baseball and softball complex as the Meijer Sports Complex.
Meijer is very aware of the work that The West Michigan Sports Commission does through the State Games of Michigan that take place each winter and summer that it also sponsors.
"The West Michigan Sports Commission, we have a long history with them over ten years and the Meijer State Games, etc. and this is just one more example of how they are making a difference in the community," Meijer President & CEO Rick Keyes said. "When you see the facility with the eight ball fields more particularly the Nate Hurwitz Miracle Field it's really exciting to be a part of."
There is no question the financial commitment from Meijer is important for the upkeep of the fields, but there is more that makes this special for The West Michigan Sports Commission.
"There is a familiarity with it," WMSC President Mike Guswiler said. "We've got teams that are coming from throughout the Midwest and the Meijer name is well known for quality, for value. We already know, we've got teams that come here that forget a lawn chair, forget sunblock or things of that nature and so they jump up to the ten mile store so having that familiarity in the name I think is going to certainly be helpful in attracting more people to this destination."
"Our community support starts with our family and being a family run business," Keyes added. "Our purpose is around enriching lives and the communities that we serve and so we seek out opportunities like this where we know that a partnership with the community and us working with the community, we can make a positive difference."
