MPACVB pivots to virtual event

Event to showcase annual award, scholarship winners

The Mt. Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau ( MPACVB) has announced the Mcguirk family as the 2020 Meet Mt. Pleasant Tourism Award recipient.

The Mcguirk name is well known in the Mt. Pleasant community. The Mcguirk family started their first family business, Mcguirk Sand & Gravel, over 30 years ago. What started as hauling sand, gravel and the occasional sugar beet in a Chevy dump truck, as now turned the Mcguirk’s business into a Mt. Pleasant institution.

United Apartments and the Mt. Pleasant Baymont Inn, which are also owned by the Mcguirk family, has also won numerous awards including Hotel of the Year by Wyndham, making it the number one Baymont in the world. This hotel was also recently named a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Hotel.

The Mcguirks have generously given back to the Mt. Pleasant community. They have established the Mcguirk- Ganiard Scholarship at the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation and at Central Michigan University (CMU), the United Apartments scholarship, which is made available to applicable students.

The Mcguirk family also donated funds when Rose Arena was undergoing renovations and is now named Mcguirk Arena within the CMU Events Center.

The Meet Mt. Pleasant Tourism Award is given to a recipient that shows outstanding support to the tourism of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The MPACVB honors organizations and individuals every year for its impact on the community. The MPACVB is pleased to honor Rick, Chuck, Sandy, and the rest of the Mcguirk family for their impact on tourism and the Mt. Pleasant community as a whole.

In addition, the William Brehm Tourism Scholarship is awarded to a Central Michigan University student studying a tourism related field. The 2020 scholarship recipient is Kristen Satkowiak, a senior at CMU studying recreation, parks and leisure services administration with a concentration in recreation and event management, and a double minor in professional sales and leadership. Kristen is being recognized for her outstanding leadership qualities, desire to improve the tourism industry and a wealth of experience outside the classroom.

The MPACVB unfortunately couldn’t host an in-person event this year to honor the award and scholarship winners due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mid Michigan Area Cable Consortium ( MAC TV Network) was able to help the MPACVB create a special video presentation to showcase the work of the MPACVB and honor this year’s recipients.

This special video presentation can be viewed at this link: vimeo. com/478154227.