I am Jeff Rea, your host for Economic Outlook.

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The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is back in Benton Harbor this year, and the community is gearing up for hosting some of the best golfers in the world.

Take a closer look at the championship and what it means to the community and region coming up on Economic Outlook.

The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, returns to Benton Harbor May 25th to May 29th.

Besides bringing some of the best golf in the world to our region, the tournament and the Harbor Shores development had big impacts on the local and regional economy.

We're taking a closer look at the tournament and what it means for the community with Deb O' Connor, the director of corporate reputation and community relations for Whirlpool.

Brandon Haney, the championship director for the Senior PGA Championship.

And Josh Doxtator, the general manager of the Harbor Shores Resort.

Guys, thank you for joining me today.

Thanks for having us.

Thank you.

So we're excited.

We've done the show several times in the past.

We're grateful for--for the tournament team being willing to join us and talk a little bit about this.

We think it's a pretty important event for our region and we want to make sure people in our region understand it, even if they're not the golf fans.

I'm a big golf fan.

I've been up there and had a chance to really enjoy it.

So--So we're going to start.

So Brandon, let me come your way a little bit as the the championship director here, a little bit.

For somebody who's not familiar with what the senior PGA Championship is and why it's important, tell us a little bit about that.

Yeah, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is really the most historic event in all of senior golf.

And this year we have a fantastic field to represent the championship, new guys like Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington, to past champions like Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer.

The field list is truly incredible.

So from a--from a golf standpoint, it really doesn't get much better than this on the PGA Tour champions.

So Brandon not the first time that this has been in--in--in Benton Harbor, obviously.

World-Class championship golf course.

I'm curious of the feedback you've heard historically from golfers who've had a chance to come and experience this weekend?

Yeah.

I mean, this fortunately, this is the fifth time we posted our championship at Harbor Shores.

So the ability for these guys who have been on the tour for that long to come back and really get familiarized with the golf course.

We had Colin Montgomerie, one of our past champions, came out here during his time off on vacation last summer to just be here.

And he loved the community so much that he was here and wanted to come back and play golf in his off time.

So it really is a special community and a special golf course and these guys have really come to love it over the years.

So, Deb, you and the Whirpool team have played such a critical role and in bringing this to reality in Harbor Shores, talk a little bit about why the way a company like Whirlpool sees value in an event like that.

Yeah.

You know, we look at it as a three legged stool.

So it's about the community, it's about the company, and then about our customers.

So the community, it's really obvious.

I mean, we--we want to, you know, help our community be a thriving community.

And that's part of it, is bringing people in and--and, you know, helping with the tourism.

And hopefully people will--will come in and decide to buy a place here.

So it's really about getting people into the area.

And for our customers, our customers are not the end user of our products, but retailers that we sell to.

You know, it's a great way to cultivate relationships there.

And, you know, it's--it's such a unique opportunity to bring people in that--that it's really great.

And they love coming to the event, whether it's here or in other cities on the off years.

And then lastly is our brand opportunity.

It's an opportunity for us to introduce the KitchenAid brand to a lot of people.

It's amazing how many people already know it, love it.

But they're we--we get the opportunity to introduce it to others and they have a chance to, you know, touch it, feel like, be inspired by all that product and all the cooking that will go on at the event.

So Deb, let me stay with you for a minute because I'd love to expand on that point for a second because, again, what Brandon was--was talking about was this world class championship golfers, the best in the world coming.

But you offer a little bit of something for everybody in this.

You're highlighting the--the KitchenAid brand and what's what Whirlpool is doing.

Talk to us about somebody who's--who's maybe not a golfer, but just looking to come experience the outside--outdoor, Harbor Shores and KitchenAid.

Tell us a little bit about some of the events, if you will, on the KitchenAid side.

Yeah, it's I mean, I think it's the only golf event in all of golf that is really just for the family as well, you know, because even if you don't like golf, we have a what we call the KitchenAid Fairway Club, and it's this giant tent and it has a demonstration kitchen in it.

It's got counters full of different small appliances and and there are people helping to demonstrate it.

Or you could come in and use it if you wanted to.

If you if you always wondered, you know, hey, why would I use a food processor for?

Come on in and try it out.

And I think you'll--I think you'll find you like it.

We also have in that big demonstration kitchen, we have Chef Chris Cavalli there all week.

And people can come in, ask their culinary questions, talk about a recipe that they're kind of struggling with, and he can help them out.

And then for--for extra fun, I would say we have some celebrity chefs coming in.

So on Thursday, we have Top Chef all star Melissa King.

On Friday, we have Food Network from Food Network's Chopped.

We have Scott Conant.

And then on Saturday, we have Stephanie Izard, another Top Chef winner.

So a lot of really exciting fun.

Plus, we've also invited a few local chefs in Cheyenne Galbreath from Houndstooth and Tim Foley from Brett Baker will be there.

And then new to our city in the last few years.

Forte Coffee, Brian Maynard, the owner of That's going to come in and teach us a little bit more about coffee beans.

And the cheese lady from the marketplace is going to talk about different cheese.

So it's it's every day, all day you can stay in that tent and get a lot of different activities going on.

Great.

Thanks, Deb.

And we'll come back to you.

Josh, let me come your way.

So the Harbor Shores Resort has become such an important fixture, brings tourists and guests to the region all year long.

Obviously, it's--the championship week is a pretty important thing.

So for those unfamiliar with--with the resort, talk to us a little bit more about what happens there.

Well, anything you can imagine from an activity and leisure side of things, you know, not only just the only Jack Nicklaus signature golf course on Lake Michigan, but, you know, kayak rentals to the Harbor Shores, to local breweries, wineries, things along those lines.

So, you know, it's--it's definitely a place where the whole family can find something to enjoy and the Arts District in Benton Harbor with some local food flair, things like that, to downtown Saint Joe.

And then, of course, Jean Klock Park, which we believe is the best beach in Michigan.

So there's something for everyone, of course.

Yes, we pride ourselves on an excellent--excellent golf course and host a major championship.

But you can always expect a first class service and an experience you'll never forget.

I think it's great that you mentioned some of that stuff, because I think people who haven't been there for a while really have something neat to experience.

And, you know, and on the show here, we talked so much about jobs and economy and that kind of impact.

And what we've seen is--is some of those improvements you mentioned there really helping drive economic revival.

For--for somebody who hasn't been to Benton Harbor for some time, obviously the Harbor Shores piece.

But Josh, what else can you tell us about just that--the neighborhood around it or the--or even the community that--that might make someone want to come and experience it if they have an experience it for a while.

Well, just just like any great development, we want you to come here and stay for a lifetime.

So there's definitely opportunities for home purchasing, condo purchasing, things along those lines.

There's quite a few projects that'll be happening in the next couple of years with more land development.

But, you know, it's hard to explain when you take what was made here prior and give the story of Harbor Shores.

There's it's truly as a miracle to see what you see here today.

The golf course and the development itself expands over 530 acres.

So when you look at it from that side of things and understanding that a typical golf courses of around 130 to 140 acres and then being three or four times that size, there truly isn't--isn't a setting, I don't believe, in the game of golf where you can have four different scenario and settings and play a golf course in four different situations, whether that's inland, on the--on the dunes in Lake Michigan, in the Woodlands ten through thirteen and then down by the Paw Paw river.

And you come back to the clubhouse.

Great.

Thanks.

Brandon, let me come back your way and talk tournament a little bit.

So--so, Dbv talked about some of the things happening with with KitchenAid and Whirlpool and Josh talked about some of the other attraction piece.

On the golf side, so we're just a week away really from--from the event happening.

So can you walk us a little bit through the championship week and some of the--some of the different golf activities that people will get a chance to take advantage, who ever come sees?

Yeah, absolutely.

And just to touch on both Deb and Josh's point, the Fairway Club is definitely the best activation in all of golf.

I've been fortunate enough to work a lot of golf tournaments over the years, big and small, and there's nothing like the Fairway Club.

So, I highly encourage everyone to come out and check that out because it really is a special place and you can spend hours in there without even watching any golf.

But a week from tomorrow, we'll be opening the gates for our practice round.

And then on Thursday we are--we are off and running with championship rounds.

So, Thursday through Sunday, we'll have the best players in the world out here playing Harbor Shores.

But again, it really is more than just a golf tournament.

It is a community event, whether it's the Fairway Club, our community showcase, we have a really special activation in our Pure Michigan championship courtyard, which is the location of the Fairway Club.

But we'll have the community showcase showing the--the themes of what it's like to live, work, stay and play in southwest Michigan.

And it's really a good way for us to kind of capture everything that's going on in this community and highlighting all of the great things there are to do under those four themes here.

We're also going to have our YMCA kids zone.

So we're--we're excited to be partnering with the local YMCA and Curious Kids Museum.

We'll have a place for families to gather on Saturday and Sunday of the championship.

Our Jean Klock park will have a STEM zone from the Curious Kids Museum.

We'll have magicians going, golf zilla for all the little kids to hit golf balls into and lessons from PGA Professional.

And we also have our Maker's Trail Nineteenth hole, which is an upgraded spectator ticket pavilion located on the Seventeenth green.

Fantastic view of golf, but those ticket holders then have the opportunity to taste southwest Michigan.

So we've partnered with six local breweries, wineries, distilleries to sell and showcase their products.

So not only do you get that great experience of golf, but you really get to see what great products there are in the area.

So it's all dedicated to them in that facility.

And just another great amenity.

Great guys.

Thank you.

We're going to take a break here in the studio.

We're going to go out into the field.

George Lepeniotis.

My co-host is up in Benton Harbor today.

George, let me toss it to you.

Thanks, Jeff.

I'm--I have the pleasure of being in Benton Harbor on Harbor Shores on the seventh called beautiful seventh hole, picturesque view over Lake Michigan with our old friend Rob Cleveland.

Rob, thanks for being on.

Yeah, really--really great to be here.

And there's not a better--better scene.

There's not a better time of every other year than senior PGA week.

We say every other year.

But let's start there.

This is a unique situation because it's been every other other year.

COVID had a pause with this tournament, right?

Yeah.

So we missed 2020.

The last tournament we have here was 2018.

And so, you know, when we have it every second year, there's a--there's a built in demand there.

But going four years without the tournament, there's a buzz in the community and everybody's really excited and we're ready.

Yeah, before we went on air, we talked about how there are almost twelve hundred volunteers here to support the tournament.

Let's shift this conversation, though, because I know in the studio, Jeff talked a lot about the actual tournament, but I really want to focus on your part and what it means to your agency as well as to Berrien County and our broader region, right?

You are the president of Cornerstone Alliance.

That is the lead economic development agency for Berrien County, right?

And that agency is responsible for helping the community grow as a whole.

What does this tournament mean to those efforts?

Yeah, we could spend a full day talking about the number of different things we do.

And--but--but really, we spend a lot of time using the tournament as leverage.

So it's a great opportunity for us to bring people into the community that we may not have the opportunity to touch.

So we bring in site consultants from around the country.

So this year, we have seven consultants coming in from Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Indianapolis.

And these site consultants are really the--the middleman between a company and a community.

And so they're--they're seeing a lot of deals and new projects, and they're working with communities around the country and around the globe on attracting companies.

And, so, to be able to bring those folks in is a big deal because they get wined and dined with Super Bowls and World Series.

And that's what this is for us.

It gives us an opportunity as a community to go out and and recruit these folks in and spend spend some time with us.

And that's what KitchenAid and Whirlpool have been really great about, is saying 'Look, community.

Use the tournament in a way that's best for you and for Cornerstone Alliance'.

The best way to do that is to leverage it, to bring folks in from around the country, and then we're going to expose them to a lot of different things.

We're going to take them to the Cook nuclear plant in Bridgman.

We're going to take them to a Whirlpool facility in the community and really expose these decision-makers to the beauty and the successful economic situation that businesses have here in Berrien County.

I think in--in economic development terms, we sometimes call it quality of place, right?

And so this being, I think, we talked about it before we went on the air.

So maybe my research-- I didn't have a lot of time to do the research, but I think this is the largest professional sporting event in southwest Michigan.

For sure.

That really does give a potential company head, consultant, someone looking for a sense of place and how their employees, their organization can fit in.

This is really a--a different view of the community and--and shows how we're invested, right?

And we have these partners here locally.

It does.

And again, it's--it'-- it's--it doesn't fit perfectly in a 15 seconds soundbite, right?

It's the golf course.

It's the tens of millions of dollars that have been invested in the golf course, right?

It's--it's--it's Whirlpool and it's Cornerstone.

And it's the Bosch and the Leco's and the AEP nuclear that all join in and utilize the tournament to showcase people and showcase it to people in different ways.

And it really is--it's more than the golf course.

It's more than the tournament, it's more than the field.

All those things combined really, really give us a kick start.

And in the--in the years we have senior PGA, you know, our tourism season is Memorial Day to Labor Day, everybody knows that.

But this tournament really kick starts our Memorial Day season and brings in-- you know, we've got volunteers from more than thirty states, from multiple countries coming in, right?

So you got volunteers coming in.

You've got patrons coming in, you've got companies coming in from all around the globe.

And it's an unbelievable showcase.

And we're blessed to have the support from KitchenAid to bring this tournament back here.

And you mentioned all the people that are coming in, including some world class athletes that people come to see.

So that's great.

Rob, thank you for joining us today.

I know it wasn't hard.

I didn't have to work hard to convince you to come out.

Yeah, no, I--.

We should have brought club so we could've played.

I should've dressed a little different.

Jeff, back to you in the studio where you and your guests are going to explore the tournament and what it means to Berrien County, Southwest Michigan and our Michiana community as a whole.

George, thank you.

Appreciate it.

I'm jealous you got a chance to be out in the field and grow.

But I've got some great guest here today is as we're taping.

So continuing our discussion about the senior PGA Championship coming up at the end of the month up at Harbor Shores and so-- Brandon, let me come back your way.

One of the things I've come to learn a little bit about golf tournaments is they don't happen without the help of volunteers.

It requires really an army of people to help with it.

Tell us a little bit about the volunteers that are helping you out this year.

Yeah, we couldn't host our championship without our volunteers and this year we'll have about twelve hundred of them helping us from various roles, from marshals to contestant shuttles and other various activities and hospitality venues and whatnot.

But it takes--it takes a lot to put on a major championship.

But this year we are currently represented by thirty one states, Canada and one even coming over from the UK.

So it's great to get all of their support but then also bring a lot of folks in from from surrounding states and really help showcase our community to them and hope that they'll come back and volunteer with us again in 2024.

That sounds great.

I know that when I volunteered in the past, it's a terrific time.

So great to hear that people are coming from all over the world.

Josh, let me come your way.

So--so we talked a little bit.

The eyes of the world are on Benton Harbor, broadcast kind of globally.

The focus, the golf community is--is traveling here.

My guess is obviously the economic impact the week that this championship is happening.

But all year long, then, as people are coming to experience what they saw on TV, talk a little bit about the experience at the resort beyond tournament week.

Well, when--when the sun is shining, which seems to happen only a few months out of the year here in southwest Michigan.

But, you know, everything is booming.

Our cheat sheets are filling up throughout the year, you know, and we've seen just some great growth and surge in golf over the last couple of years.

But like you had just said, you know, there is nothing better than being able to play a facility that's--you know, a lot of times major championships aren't conducted on public facilities or at a place where the public can play.

But to be able to play--play a facility that they host a major championship and see how you maybe fare against the professionals who played a little bit differently.

I think that also that that gives everybody an opportunity to be able to take a look and suggest maybe I should play that hole a little bit differently or do this a little bit differently.

So it's fun to watch.

Jeff, I'd like to jump in there, too, and just, you know, we're proud to be able to showcase Harbor Shores and the fact that we do.

And this year, we're going to have twelve and a half hours of live coverage between Golf Channel and NBC, which will have a household reach of 150 million across 79 different countries and territories.

So it is--it is something we're very proud of and being able to showcase not only Harbor Shores but the community in such a wide fashion.

That's great.

No, thank you.

And Josh, I'm one of those that have experienced the course differently than some of those professionals have.

I need those lessons that Brandon was talking about.

I'm afraid I may be too old for that.

Deb, let me come your way.

So--so what's new?

So, people in our area have been up before, I think, have had a great experience with it.

But it seems like every time this happens, there's sort of new opportunities.

Tell us about some of the stuff that might be new this year.

Yeah, we--you're exactly right.

Every time we do it, we try to--try to add something new to it.

And this year, we've really added a lot more music.

In the past, we've had a concert on Thursday night in Benton Harbor City Center Park, and we will do that again.

We have Stephanie Mills, R&B singer, and then also we have Gerald Albright, a jazz artist.

So we're looking forward to that.

Last time we had five thousand people, and so we're hoping to match that or tap that this year.

And then also on Wednesday, just to kick everything off in the arts district, Benton Harbor Arts District, we are going to have some music there.

We will have a car show, some car clubs out there.

So a lot of just people can come out, have some drinks, listen to some music and just kind of hang out and see what it's like to be in southwest Michigan.

And then we're going to take that over to the course and the community showcase area.

And we have music on Thursday, Friday--no, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from about 2:00 to 7:00.

So somebody can come out, watch the golf, and then as they're leaving, stop, grab a drink and listen to some music.

And again, just, like, feel the vibe of what it's like to be in southwest Michigan.

So we're delighted about that and hope that goes really well.

Great.

Josh or Brandon, I'm not sure exactly where to direct it, but I'm amazed by all of the activity that happens, the grandstands that have to get built and hospitality.

So let's talk about how long of a process to even put all of this together, to be able to offer this to the community for the for the week.

Yeah, it is quite the process to get all the construction up to championship week.

It is about a six week build up for us.

So we had construction crews out here the first week of April braving the cold weather, some snow, some rain.

They experienced it all over that timeline.

But it is--it's kind of cool to see a course transform from--from just a golf course to essentially a city on it with all of our--our facilities and bleachers and the the main entrance area with the Fairway Club.

So it's-- it's a lot of work, a lot of timelines to manage and weather, how weather closes up a little bit, but we get through it and we'll be ready.

And Brandon, maybe I'll stay with you for just a quick second.

So--So to get to the events that happened with this, there, you just mentioned in our few minutes of conversations, tons of things that are going on.

So when do you start planning the next one, for example, at the end of May.

We'll finish this one.

When does--when does the planning start for the next one?

How long does it take to plan a great event like this?

I would say it's on-we--almost immediately after we start talking about it, I would say, officially, we really start having serious committee meetings and things probably eight or ten months before.

So there's always--there's always planning going on.

I've already started some 2024 planning at this point.

That's the beautiful thing of hosting multiple times at the same courses.

We can continuously improve on what we do.

So I'm always making notes of things we can do better the next time.

And so that planning process never seems to stop.

Brandon, it's a little-- go ahead, Deb.

Sorry.

You know, I was just going to say that, you know, Brandon as new as the championship director this year, but that's I think that has been his--our advantage of having Brandon is that he's always thinking to something new he always wants to do it a little bit differently and just like push the envelope a little bit and it's been great for everyone.

So it's just a little rare, right, that this happens.

You know, obviously when I see courses, the PGA and senior PGA thinking 25 years out in terms of who's hosting what and and it seems like very rare that it comes back to the course.

This is a real treat for our area that it's been there really every other year.

Why is it that Benton Harbor has become such an attractive place for this?

Obviously.

I mean, we consider Harbor Shores to be the unofficial home of the KitchenAid PGA Championship.

Having the opportunity to come here every other year, we create kind of that everlasting impact in the community.

And it's so fulfilling for us to put on golf tournaments for a living to to be able to create that kind of impact and and have the relationships we do with with the KitchenAid team, the Harbor Shores team, local community members, business leaders.

And it--really--it's--it's very special for us because we don't normally get that opportunity if we just go to a--to a site where we're then gone and don't come back for another ten years.

So we truly consider it a blessing and we're very fortunate to be here.

So, as we wrap up in our last minute or so for--sort of--for folks who are interested in learning more about it, want to get tickets or whatever.

So help us understand what they need, what they need to do to get this on the calendar.

Yeah.

So tickets are still available.

We have about a week left until gates open, so all ticket information can be found at SRPGA.com.

For those of you who are already have your tickets and are just looking for that know before you go, information, some FAQs, all of that also lives on SRPGA.com.

So that's really the--the one place to go before you come out here next week.

Great.

Josh, Deb, Brandon, thank you.

It sounds like you've got a phenomenal event planned.

We're grateful for you to come in with us to talk a little bit about it today.

And I look forward to seeing you on the golf course here in just a week or so.

Thanks, guys.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

That's it for our show today.

Thank you for watching.

And obviously, you're listening to our podcast to watch this episode again or any of our past episodes, you can find Economic Outlook at WNIT.org or find our podcasts on most major podcast platforms.

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I'm Jeff Rea.

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