Terri: “You have such a great story about how you came to Midland – your evolution from why you initially came here, up through your roles now. Can you tell us about your background before we get specifically into Greater Midland?”

Paul: “In 2006, I moved to Midland with my wife, Shauna, and our then one-year-old son, Peter, for my opportunity to be the first president and general manager of the Great Lakes Loons. That first year was as busy as I’ve ever been personally and professionally.

It had been a big move from Shauna’s hometown of Spokane, Washington, to Michigan, where we didn’t really have any connections. And getting the ballpark project done and launching the Loons franchise successfully was a terrific, memorable, busy time!

We saw this as probably a three-to-five-year professional opportunity, but over time, we made deliberate decisions to stay. I worked with the Loons and as president of the Michigan Baseball Foundation for twelve years; I still serve on the board of the Foundation today. Then I connected to an opportunity with Dow in a leadership role around real estate and facilities for office and lab assets globally.

Now, we’re coming up on twenty years in Midland. Our son graduated from Dow High School and is a student at the University of Washington, and our daughter, Anna, is about to graduate from Dow High in the spring.”

Terri: “I can’t believe that much time has gone! Let’s stay with your family for a minute. How was Greater Midland instrumental in making the decision to come here? I remember the stories of the kids playing basketball at the Community Center and your family being involved in other ways.”

Paul: “It was hugely important on the personal side. Being offered the role with the Loons, then visiting with Shauna and thinking about building a life here – the Community Center was a big part of that. We did childcare for Peter and then later for Anna, and Shauna connected to fitness classes. Then the kids plugged into swimming, gymnastics, basketball, dance … it was great not only to have those activities, but also to have them wrapped in a community you could be a part of and meet people. The Community Center isn’t just a place for part of the community, it’s everybody together, and that has always aligned with our family’s values.”

Terri: “I know that in many ways, Greater Midland continues to connect to your life personally and professionally. From a Corporate Wellness perspective, for example, Greater Midland has the facility in East End where you’re located, bringing a value add for Dow there and in other locations.”

Paul: “If you’re a leader in Midland, you quickly come to realize that getting involved in the community, in areas that you’re passionate about, is part of the culture. It’s something I really love about it here, and I don’t think it’s true everywhere. When I first moved here and was getting my feet under me, I wanted to figure out where I could plug in. So, in January 2007, when I was asked to be part of the Operating Board for Greater Midland, it was easy to say yes to that. I would later go on to be part of the Board of Trustees, including the current role as chair.

Over the years there have been opportunities elsewhere I’ve had to turn down because they involved more time than I could give, as well as positions I’ve rotated out of because it’s important for organizations to have fresh perspective. But I’ve prioritized making sure that for as long as I’m helpful, I’ll stay involved in Greater Midland.

I think we have a great, collaborative board. Each member has a committed relationship with Greater Midland, with some of them growing up here and attending programs when they were young, and others who came to it later in life with their own families. We have a diverse set of perspectives and professional experiences, and any time there is a gap, we ask ourselves: ‘What perspective do we need?'”

Terri: “During your time as board chair and those earlier years of service to Greater Midland, what sort of impact have you seen us having on the community?”

Paul: “The most important impact I see is in providing places for people to come together and connect. This will sound kind of philosophical, but disconnection is such a risk to a community and a society. We’re seeing that now, it’s a real thing.

Social media has positives. It keeps people connected in some ways, but often it keeps people online through anger, division and drama. What counteracts that? It’s putting down the phone, talking to people, going to a community center. Even those brief interactions you have – the people you meet through your kid’s basketball roster or coming and going from a class – are so important.”

Terri: “I think that’s the foundation and it’s very valuable. We also have needs in Midland County that our Family Centers are addressing, which are not always as visible. Can you talk about the impact these critical services have?”

Paul: “That’s right – another key impact is in providing services and connection for the most vulnerable. Childcare, clothing assistance, food assistance. And when parents are busy working to make ends meet but want their kids to have that extra mentorship and engagement, the Family Centers are filling that gap.

I think you’re right, Terri, about the visibility of these needs. They’ve become more visible over the last five or eight years – both because the needs have grown, but also because there’s less of a stigma around them, and I think the Family Centers have played a role in reducing that stigma. No matter who you are, there might be some kind of service or support you eventually need that you didn’t expect. We are fortunate in Midland to have these strong partners and resources.

This makes our area much more resilient, which leads to a third key area of impact that I see, which is economic health. When businesses look to invest in a community, they’re looking not just for high-quality schools, housing inventory and things like that, but also everything that makes an area strong, vibrant and attractive. Greater Midland is very important there.

Dow, one of the largest companies in the world, is headquartered in Midland. I’ve always believed we shouldn’t take that for granted. We must do everything we can to make our area attractive for business investment – whether the investment is from Dow, or healthcare or education, or new and emerging businesses.”

Terri: “Let’s talk about the evolution of Greater Midland from a strategic perspective and about the people behind the organization. Through all your involvement, you’ve interacted with coaches, with people at the front desk, with people on the board … can you talk about the culture?”

Paul: “Yes – the people are fantastic. The leaders of Greater Midland have a great understanding of the mission, and that permeates through the whole team. You want mission-driven employees here. If you just want to work at a gym, you can go work at a gym, right? And you do need people with that type of experience, but you want people who really connect with and value the mission and are energized by it.

I also think the leadership of Greater Midland has done a great job balancing the organization as a purpose-driven nonprofit with its need to be a successful, stable business. They find what programs are needed in the community, but also what programs people are willing to pay for, and then run these programs in a way that can support the mission. We have terrific corporate and philanthropic partners, but they have limitations, too, so we need the business mindset along with the nonprofit, mission-driven mindset.”

Terri: “That’s a great point. I think sometimes it’s overlooked that we have 500 employees on our books today, making us the fifth largest employer in the community, which requires a solid infrastructure of HR, IT and other areas. We’ve been here 107 years – that doesn’t happen by accident. And we have to be intentional with how we run these areas, so that we can continue to be self-sustaining.”

Paul: “And I think Greater Midland has done a great job bringing people together to make that happen. You have leaders who have come up through the organization, as well as leaders from other facilities, from external marketing agencies or large corporate companies like Dow, and you learn a lot in those environments about systems and processes. This is a place where a lot of that experience comes together.”

Terri: “Is there anything you want to share about your continued involvement with Greater Midland? In what ways have our facilities been part of your life lately?”

Paul: “As we were saying earlier, there are many people with great skills and fresh perspective, so there will be an end to my time as board chair at some point. But then I can volunteer or get involved in another way!

Over the years, we’ve been regular attendees of the Dow Tennis Classic. It’s exciting – and it’s fun thinking back to some of the players we’ve seen over the years and what they’ve gone on to do. It’s still our only real exposure to a professional tennis tournament.

In different seasons of life, the use of certain parts of Greater Midland ebbs and flows for me. In my role as a trustee, it’s been good just to be around and to be engaged, but I’m always thinking about ways to spend time here.”

Terri: “I think I hear pickleball calling your name. My husband Tim and I will go through Pickleball 101 again, if you and Shauna will do it!”

Paul: “I’ll ask her!”