The EPIC Awards Gala is recognizing outstanding organizations across West Michigan, celebrating those who foster growth, demonstrate innovation, and champion alongside others as mentors and collaborators. Nominated by their peers, the recipients of the EPIC Awards are determined through a rigorous process and selected by community trustees for their contributions.
The recipients of each award will not be announced until the night of the event, so join us for this premier business celebration on Wednesday, October 19 and be the first to hear who receives these esteemed awards!
Family-Owned Business of the Year
The Family-Owned Business of the Year designation is awarded to a business that is owned by family members or relatives.
Custer, Inc. is a second-generation family-owned business that creates spaces to that support culture and enhance well-being at work and in our community. We live our core values everyday and hire our teams based on the pillars: family first, better every day, find the positive, take the extra step, and build trust. Our capabilities have expanded from office furniture to providing holistic interior solutions for small businesses, education, healthcare, and corporate clients. We believe that space is truly an important part of how people live, work, and collaborate! As we expand our business into other industries to support the interior environment, we’re excited to grow Custer, Inc. into a people-centered organization for the next generation.
Display Pack is a thermoformer of food, retail and industrial plastic packaging. We exist to provide superior packaging and services to our clients while creating a work-life experience that honors our people, their families and our community. Display Pack was founded in 1967 and now operates as a third generation company located in Cedar Springs, MI (formerly Grand Rapids) in our 400,000 sq. ft. facility serving an international client base.
MOSS has been Michigan’s leading single-source provider of innovative technology solutions for business, education and healthcare for over 45 years. We design, implement and service environments to encourage collaboration, increase productivity and improve performance for organizations. Our areas of expertise include audio video, cabling, managed services, networks, paging and mass notification, security, and unified communications. Our unique understanding of multiple systems and a focus on quality customer service has helped us progress with evolving technology since 1977. Moss customizes designs to suit the unique needs of each facility and is proud to be Michigan’s go-to-guide for integrated technology solutions.
Woman-Owned Enterprise of the Year
The Woman-Owned Business of the Year designation is awarded to a business that is at least 51% woman-owned.
EM Services, LLC (Electronic Management Services) is a leader in integrated procurement, managing over $20 million in MRO and indirect supply spend. We are a single point of contact for managing MRO, indirect supplies, services, and point-of-use commodities. Since 1993, we have worked with a network of trusted distributors to provide companies large and small with quality products, competitive pricing, responsive service, and onsite training and support. As a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) we celebrate the spirit of diversity throughout our team, our customers and our vendor partners. Therefore, such a commitment throughout our network results in better solutions for our customers, better work environments for our teams and better opportunities for the communities we serve.
La Fuente Consulting, LLC was founded in 2000 by Ana Ramirez-Saenz. At its founding, it became the first Latina, woman-owned and minority-owned diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy in the state of Michigan. Our mission is to bridge culture, simplify communication and drive inclusion worldwide. After a fifteen-year professional career in banking and industry, the time was right for owner Ana Ramirez-Saenz to bring her personal and direct hands-on experience with diversity and equity issues to the corporate marketplace. Due to the growing shift in demographics and a heightened awareness for the lack diversity in the corporate space, La Fuente Consulting became part of the solution by assisting organizations to increase their awareness of the value and positive impact of a diverse and inclusive workforce can have on individuals, organizations and business results.
Management Business Solutions, Inc. (MBS) is headquartered in the Greater Grand Rapids area. The organization is a minority-owned company and is certified as both a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB). As a staffing firm and recruiting agency, MBS was founded in 2006 to provide practical, cost-effective, and customized employment solutions to local and nationwide clients alike. With a historic and strong focus on identifying and representing diverse talents, MBS staff has over 65 years of combined experience in recruiting, staffing, interviewing, and sourcing. Our experience in representing diverse talents is in our corporate DNA; we take the extra step to identify an inclusive pool of candidates for our client openings and increase diverse candidate representations.
Minority-Owned Business of the Year
The Minority-Owned Business of the Year designation is awarded to a business that is at least 51% minority-owned.
BAMF Health, Inc. (Bold Advanced Medical Future) is achieving Intelligence-Based Precision Medicine through Artificial Intelligence-enabled Molecular Imaging and Molecular-Targeted Radiation Therapy. The company’s flagship location in Grand Rapids, Michigan recently opened the world’s most advanced cyclotron-equipped Radiopharmacy, Molecular Imaging Clinic, and Molecular Therapy Clinic inside the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building in August 2022. BAMF Health, Inc. makes their life-saving treatments affordable and accessible to all patients who need it, diagnosing and treating late-stage prostate and neuroendocrine cancers, eventually aiming to serve a wider range of cancers and neurodegenerative disorders.
Management Business Solutions, Inc. (MBS) is headquartered in the Greater Grand Rapids area. The organization is a minority-owned company and is certified as both a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB). As a staffing firm and recruiting agency, MBS was founded in 2006 to provide practical, cost-effective, and customized employment solutions to local and nationwide clients alike. With a historic and strong focus on identifying and representing diverse talents, MBS staff has over 65 years of combined experience in recruiting, staffing, interviewing, and sourcing. Our experience in representing diverse talents is in our corporate DNA; we take the extra step to identify an inclusive pool of candidates for our client openings and increase diverse candidate representations.
R&R Mechanical Services is the largest minority-owned mechanical contractor in the region that provides service and installation to residential and commercial clients. R&R Mechanical proudly provides comfort solutions for the home and business – a basic need! Our vision is to provide a “white glove” experience for our clients and be the employer of choice in the Grand Rapids metro area.
Creative Business of the Year
The Creative Business of the Year Award is awarded to a business from the following creative industries: Advertising, Architecture, Art Schools, Art Agents, Creative Technology, Culture & Heritage, Design, Fashion, Garment & Textile, Film, AV & Broadcasting, Literary Publishing & Print, Music, Performing Arts or Visual Arts & Crafts, that is innovating, collaborating, and helping to showcase our region as a hub of creative talent.
Black Pigeon Studios lives out its mission to bridge the gap between Hollywood and Michigan for visual creators. BPS directly provides “Hollywood” level access via a rentable space in downtown Grand Rapids, and its co-founders continually provide value within the community. BPS is looking ahead to bring in more individuals to West Michigan who are key players in Hollywood. This connection provides immense value to young local creative entrepreneurs. BPS is a Black-owned and was co-founded between three talented creatives that live in Los Angeles, two of which are from Michigan and look to bring all of their own films to Michigan instead of shooting them in LA. This mission further pushes the mission of bridging the gap between Hollywood and Michigan.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) has been a source of inspiration and a place to cultivate curiosity for the West Michigan community for over 167 years. From its beginnings as a house in downtown Grand Rapids to its affiliation with Grand Rapids Public Schools, the museum at its core is a learning institution dedicated to knowledge for all with a focus on science, history and culture. With nearly 258,000 visitors annually, the GRPM serves as an educational cornerstone in the community and houses over 250,000 artifacts and specimens donated by individuals across West Michigan. Annually, the museum brings 3-4 special traveling exhibitions to West Michigan in addition to creating and curating its own exhibits.
Mathison | Mathison Architects focuses our attention and resources on three core values that define our firm: exceptional design, outstanding staff, and diversity of projects. As an architectural and interior design firm, we render services resulting in unique, tangible solutions. Mathison | Mathison Architects (MMA) is committed to rigorously planning and executing ideas that enhance the dialogue between subject and place, connecting the aspirations and optimism of people with strong, evocative, architectural form that improves function, comfort, and sustainability. Our culture celebrates the accomplishments of our team, focuses on collaboration rather than hierarchy, provides natural opportunities for mentorship and ensures flexibility to support families and work/life balance.
Non-Profit of the Year
The Non-Profit of the Year designation is awarded to a non-profit organization with 50 or fewer employees.
Dégagé Ministries pursues its mission to reflect the love of Christ to all who come through our doors by building relationships and offering programs that foster dignity and respect. For those we serve, our vision is to be a community that overcomes obstacles, celebrates transformation, and realizes the full potential of all as children of God. Our organization was founded in 1967 as a coffeehouse and community center. In the 1980s, Dégagé added an emergency needs assistance program, providing free food and personal hygiene products for emergency situations. Since then, Dégagé has grown to now provide wrap around services to people experiencing homelessness and economic hardship in the Heartside neighborhood, providing nutritious meals, overnight shelter for women, laundry, showers, lockers, haircuts, and support for people to obtain an ID, housing, jobs, health care, and more.
The Hispanic Center of Western Michigan was founded in 1978 and is a non-profit organization serving the needs of the Latino and broader community. We strive to provide an avenue for education and openness by advocating for the dignity of every individual, providing access to services that create equity, and investing in relationships within the community, to ensure that our services continue to impact lives. Located in the heart of the Roosevelt Park, the largest Latino neighborhood in Grand Rapids, the Hispanic Center directly serves more than 20,000 individuals annually. Not limited to Grand Rapids, we seek to address the needs of Latinos in West Michigan. The staff is largely bilingual and multi-cultural. We understand our Latino neighbors, connect with them, and work to achieve self-sufficiency together.
ICCF Community Homes (formerly known as the Inner City Christian Federation) was founded in 1974 when a group of volunteers from the Eastern Ave Christian Reformed church took a donated single family home in the Baxter neighborhood, renovated it, and sold it to a low income family. We are the oldest nonprofit affordable housing developer in Michigan. We service over 2,000 low to moderate income families and individuals each year with housing solutions and related services. We own and manage over 700 rental units which consist of single-family homes, mixed-use developments and duplexes, just to list a few. We envision vibrant communities in West Michigan with connected neighbors, housing justice and abundant opportunity. Our mission, simply put, is equitable opportunity, affordable homes and thriving neighborhoods.
Excellence in Business – Small
The Excellence in Business – Small designation is awarded to a for-profit or non-profit organization with less than 50 full-time employees.
ADHD Online, LLC leverages technology and innovation to diagnose and treat ADHD and associated mental health concerns while challenging the status-quo of healthcare, removing barriers and aligning to value-based care principles. ADHD online seeks be a premier community of innovative, easy to access, cost effective resources for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.
AEBetancourt is an executive search firm that helps our clients implement a comprehensive human capital solution and increase profitability using the best resources available. While we are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, our clients span the entire country allowing us to support businesses in nearly every state. Our mission is to deliver transparent, dedicated, cost-effective recruiting solutions designed to achieve perfect-fit hires for a variety of industries including insurance, financial services, manufacturing, construction, logistics and transportation, healthcare, and education. Hiring and developing great employees are the greatest tools a company has to realize its goals and drive value within the organization.
Pure Architects is an industry-leading and award-winning architectural firm located in Grand Rapids and Detroit. We are a team of thirteen designers and architects fighting for a just and equitable built environment. Our purpose is to create spaces and places that are uplifting, inspiring, healthy, and inclusive. Our projects have a positive impact on our planet and the communities in which we work by curating opportunities for people to be healthier, connect deeper, and live authentically.
Excellence in Business – Medium
The Excellence in Business – Medium designation is awarded to a for-profit or non-profit organization with between 50-150 full-time employees.
Atomic Object helps companies innovate and grow with custom software that’s beautiful, reliable, and easy to use. We work with clients to create products that cross web, mobile, desktop, and custom devices, bringing ideas to life from planning to implementation. We serve a national base of clients across many industries — from startups to the Fortune 500. Atomic Object is a Certified B Corp and is employee-owned, and has grown organically since our founding in 2001 to 80+ Michigan-based employees in 2022. Atomic Object’s leaders grapple with difficult topics like governance, structure, values, succession, strategy, and ownership to make Atomic Object more stable, humane, fulfilling, interesting, and profitable. We take seriously our commitments to our two key stakeholders: our clients and the atoms dedicated to achieving Atomic Object’s success.
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is the second largest airport in Michigan, serving more than 2.9 million passengers annually with nonstop and connecting flights on six different commercial airline partners. We have a $3.2 billion economic impact, support over 2,000 jobs in West Michigan and have a $500 million capital expansion program which is one of the largest in the nation for a small-hub airport. We are proud to serve as the gateway to West Michigan, welcoming those from all over the world to our community. We implement our guest’s feedback into every aspect of our organization to ensure all those in our community are represented throughout the terminal building. We have been at our current location for (almost) 60 years and look forward to decades more serving our region.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) has been a source of inspiration and a place to cultivate curiosity for the West Michigan community for over 167 years. From its beginnings as a house in downtown Grand Rapids to its affiliation with Grand Rapids Public Schools, the museum at its core is a learning institution dedicated to knowledge for all with a focus on science, history and culture. With nearly 258,000 visitors annually, the GRPM serves as an educational cornerstone in the community and houses over 250,000 artifacts and specimens donated by individuals across West Michigan. Annually, the museum brings 3-4 special traveling exhibitions to West Michigan in addition to creating and curating its own exhibits.
Excellence in Business – Large
The Excellence in Business – Large designation is awarded to a for-profit or non-profit organization with more than 150 full-time employees.
The BHSH System (Spectrum Health) exists to improve health, instill humanity and inspire hope. Our vision states where we are going: a future where health is simple, affordable, equitable and exceptional. Today, health is anything but these four words, but they are what we all want for ourselves, our families, our neighbors and our communities. We are uniquely positioned to make our bold vision a reality with an exceptional team of 64,000+ dedicated people — including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,000 nurses offering services in 22 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities — and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving over 1.2 million members across the state of Michigan. Together, we are working to determine a path forward that honors our tradition of local commitment, impact and partnership, while maintaining a focus on innovating for the future.
Consumers Energy has been a driving force for Michigan for more than 130 years, providing world class performance while delivering hometown service to the 6.8 million Michiganders we serve. As the state’s largest energy provider, we provide natural gas and/or electricity to residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. We operate with a commitment to our triple bottom line and support what’s most important to Michigan – its people, our planet and Michigan’s prosperity. Our purpose is to make life better for the people of the state we serve by providing safe, reliable energy, preserve and protect Michigan’s beautiful natural resources, and creating a better tomorrow for all Michiganders.
WM (formerly known as Waste Management)has officially transitioned and is now known as ”WM”. WM’s business offerings go beyond managing waste. We are North America’s largest environmental solutions provider and a sustainability leader that is focused on helping customers achieve their sustainability goals. We are committed to sustainability and seeking ways to find the best ways to extract the most value from waste and resource recovery. We were one of the first truly integrated waste companies, not only collecting waste but are responsibly managing the landfills it ends up in and ensuring more of our waste finds a second life. Today we’re changing waste collection, creating alternative fuels, and forging a more sustainable tomorrow for all of us.
DEI Champion – Organization of the Year
The DEI Champion Organization of the Year designation is awarded to an organization that is working to embed inclusive diversity, equity and inclusion strategies for historically underrepresented groups within their organization and the wider community. Underrepresented groups include individuals from various races and ethnic backgrounds, New Americans, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and veterans.
Allied Mechanical Services, Inc. (AMS) is a third-generation family-owned business. Started in 1965 by Andy Huizinga, the company endured hard times and was forced to undergo bankruptcy. In 1985, Andy’s sons, John and Dan, took over ownership of the company and reorganized to what is now known as Allied Mechanical Services. Their main priority when undergoing the transition was to keep people employed. Through every generation, that priority has led AMS, and the mission of keeping people first has been at the forefront of how we operate – always believing in second and third chances. Every day we operate with the mindset of investing in good people no matter what their history or background may be. Our vision is simple, we aim to change lives through employment.
Grand Rapids Community College transforms lives. That’s the shortest answer, but it is also the most accurate. GRCC is Michigan’s oldest community college, serving West Michigan for more than 100 years, focused on helping everyone — everyone – have access to a quality education, whether they are seeking credits for degrees, looking to transfer to a four-year university, or find job-focused certificates and training leading to rewarding careers. We meet people where they are and help them get to where they want to be. That’s always been our mission, and we embrace it proudly.
Peckham, Inc. is a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation organization that provides paid job training opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. For nearly 46 years, Peckham has provided jobs and job skills training to thousands of individuals with barriers through five different business lines throughout Michigan and also has operations in Phoenix, Arizona and London, Kentucky. Peckham is a national award-winning organization, recognized for its achievement in providing exceptional vocational rehabilitation, creating inclusive cultures and building quality workplaces for employees.
Celebrate all of these organizations and be the first to know who will receive these prestigious awards! Join us at the 12th Annual EPIC Awards Gala on Wednesday, October 19.
