Community leader Patti Griffith was honored as the 2016 Citizen of the Year at the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on Jan. 26, 2017, at Crystal Gardens Livingston. Brian Jonckheere, the 2015 Citizen of the Year, made the announcement after recounting anecdotes and achievements in Griffith’s life.
Currently a vice president at First National Bank in Howell, Griffith is involved in and supports her community. She was the youngest person to become an officer of the bank, has more seniority than anyone at First National and has been there for 32 years.
Griffith has a passion for helping young people, and this is reflected in her community service. She is active and a mentor with the Boy Scouts, Reaching Higher, Fowlerville Band Boosters, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Interact Clubs in Howell and Fowlerville Public Schools.
In addition, she is in the current Leadership Livingston class, member of 100 Women Who Care, Howell Rotary and is a leader for Tour de Livingston and Howell melon ice cream sales.
Griffith has been married for 30 years to her husband, Jim. They have two children and live in Fowlerville. She enjoys visiting zoos and libraries and has an adventurous spirit.
The annual Citizen of the Year Award has been presented by the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce since 1957. Griffith is the 60th Citizen of the Year. The award winner is selected by a committee of previous winners and is a closely-guarded secret until the announcement at the annual dinner.
This year’s event was sponsored by Saint Joseph Mercy Livingston and PNC.
Other awards presented
The Howell Area Chamber of Commerce presented six other awards, and recognized the accomplishments of those people and organizations that have made exceptional contributions.
The Transportation Innovation Award was presented to Flint’s Mass Transportation Authority (MTA).
Because the unemployment rate in Livingston County has dropped so low, most businesses are in need of employees. Help wanted signs are everywhere, especially in the manufacturing community. In fact, the lack of available employees meant that some manufacturers would have to take their expansions elsewhere. Others were facing the reality of shutting down production lines.
There was little availability of county residents, so many companies were hiring eager employees from Flint where there is a lack of quality jobs. But a problem with reliable transportation for the long drive was causing problems. Plus, hundreds of job openings in the Howell area remained.
The Howell chamber spearheaded a transportation initiative to bring much needed employees from Flint to this area. Working with Flint’s Mass Transportation Authority, three public bus lines with more than 300 employees are being transported daily from Flint to provide the workforce needed at many manufacturing facilities in Livingston County. The number is expected to increase to 500 workers within this first quarter.
This transportation initiative was a collaborative effort of many people and organizations and a first step in expanding transportation for our community.
Young Professional Award — Jessica Brooks
One of the goals of Advantage Livingston, the chamber-led Strategic Growth Plan is to retain young people within the county—to keep them from moving elsewhere.
Young professionals need to be involved, to be engaged, to get to know each other, to be entrepreneurial and give back. Brooks was born and raised in Howell, and has been an engaged member of the chamber and the community for more than a dozen years.
She helped create the chamber’s Young Professionals Group. She isn’t just a chamber member, her involvement and leadership on the Board of Directors resulted in her being named Chairman of the Board in 2012. Brooks serves on Michigan Challenge Balloonfest committee as a gate captain at the VIP/sponsor gate.
Brooks is the vice president of operations of Crystal Gardens, and a partner in The Dress Shop making Howell a go-to wedding dress destination in Southeast Michigan.
Game Changer Award — Cleary University
Beautiful new student apartments have allowed Cleary University to attract more and more traditional students, and enrollment is up 31 percent from January of 2015. Partnerships with national corporations like SAS, a global leader in business analytics software, are creating innovative curriculum offerings.
Cleary’s expanded athletic programs—they now have 14 — resulted in a national championship for their Women’s Cross Country team. The baseball and softball teams also competed nationally in the Small College World Series. Outdoor games are played in the City of Howell at Page Field, attracting students and fans to downtown. Cleary students are also working in the community. As an example, students are working with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to create a campaign called CU Downtown. These students are using social media platforms to produce relevant social content to attract students and others to downtown. In addition, Cleary is starting a new tuition program for those in public service. The university is truly changing the higher education game in Howell and Livingston County.
Partners in Placemaking Award — Livingston County
Placemaking creates communities where people want to gather, to visit and – ideally — live and do business. In 2016, the County of Livingston made a major investment in a “place within a place”- the Livingston County Courthouse amphitheater. The work started in the fall of 2015, and when completed in the spring of last year, made the area a better place to enjoy recreation, arts and culture and entertainment. The space was reconfigured and completely repaved. New seating was built. New electric service made it more convenient for the groups who use it. Plus—it’s just downright beautiful.
The newly renovated county amphitheater is host to many community events including Friday Concerts at the Courthouse, Livingston County Concert Band on Tuesdays, Livingston Diversity Council’s Celebrate U event and tree lighting at the Fantasy of Lights. And—it’s a nice place just to hang out on a sunny day.
Above and Beyond Award — Richard Lim
Lim is an artist, creator, and community-minded citizen who gives back to this community everyday. His photographs are a testament to the events he volunteers at, participates in and attends in the city. Indeed, Lim is very engaged in our community, and is a Howell DDA Board Member, Howell Chamber Ambassador, Michigan Challenge Balloonfest Committee member, and so much more
On Halloween, he organizes a photo opportunity in his neighborhood. Not only do costumed kids get candy—they get their photo taken too. Lim also conducts a food drive and photo opportunity in partnership with Frontal Lobe during the Legend of Sleepy Howell. His idea a few years ago to celebrate cultural diversity resulted in the Lunar New Year Festival, this year to be held on February 4.
Outstanding Tourism Achievement Award — Barb Barden.
Barden tells people to go to hell and they listen. Hell, Michigan, of course.
She is truly one of a kind – bringing the county to the forefront of the state tourism efforts, and serving on several boards and communities state-wide.
Barden was hired to be the first executive director of the Livingston Co. Convention & Visitors Bureau nearly 25 years ago. Since that time, she has built the bureau one destination at a time, one visitors guide at a time, one idea at a time.
Her work, her new ideas and her media successes have put Livingston County on the tourism map – literally. This year, Barden retires from her position. Always a fashion statement as well, Barden is known for wearing hats and having an amazing hat collection. Hats off to Barden!
