News Release:

On May 6, 2015, Muskegon Area Career Tech Center (MACTC) students Xavier Baron (Oakridge), Matthew Visger (Montague) and Jailon Jamison (Fruitport) traveled to Anaheim, California to compete with the brightest and most skilled computer whizzes in the nation.

The three Muskegon Area Career Tech Center (MACTC) students qualified by earning top spots at the state-level Business Professionals of America (BPA) Leadership Conference. Though the teens didn’t place in the top ten this year, they enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to visit the West Coast including a visit to Disneyland. While there, Xavier earned a Security Fundamentals and a Networking Fundamentals certification. Matthew also earned his Networking Fundamentals certification. These certifications will allow them to bypass entry-level classes and open the door to places of employment.

Nominations are currently being sought for the Third Annual “Future 15” awards program in Muskegon, MI. This program recognizes 15 outstanding, up and coming young professionals making a difference in the Muskegon Lakeshore region. Nomination forms are available on line at www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015future15 or at the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce office.

The nomination criteria is as follows: Business, Non-Profit, Government or Service-oriented professionals who are under 40 years of age as of December 31, 2015 are eligible for recognition and those recognized must live or work in Muskegon County. Recipients are eligible every three years to be part of the Future 15 award.

The first two years of this program produced more than 100 young professionals’ nominations. “It is important that these young professionals be recognized by their community for their leadership and innovation,” said Cindy Larsen, President of the Muskegon Lake shore Chamber of Commerce.

Approximately 225 guests were in attendance on Wednesday, April 22nd at The Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Midtown Center to honor two recipients for the 2015 Minority Business Award.

Lon Aguilar of Promesa Logistics and Andrew Lebron of the Bank of Holland were both honored. Lon became an entrepreneur in 1997, starting a business as a sole operator. As it grew, the company held the philosophy to provide a very personalized service for their customers. The company has grown 50% and looks forward to continued growth.

He was chosen using the following criteria:

He was a member of the West Coast Chamber

He is a minority business owner

He has been in business more than 3 years

His company demonstrates strong financial stability