Tune into this week’s episode of Money, I’m Home as Lynne is joined by Michael Kiel, senior group event account executive for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Listen in as Michael brings us up to speed on the upcoming Griffins hockey season and the new ConsumersCU Club at Van Andel Arena.

 

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0:00:07.0 Lynne Jarman-Johnson (LJJ): Money, I’m home. Welcome in. I’m Lynn Jarman Johnson with Consumers Credit Union from Finance to Fitness. And today we have fun. We are talking today with Michael Kiel. He is the Senior Group Event Account Executive for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Hey, you know what Michael? Hockey is back. What an exciting time of year for you.

0:00:27.7 Michael Kiel (MK): Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s the best time of the year for us. We are excited here in the Griffins office, so we can’t wait.

0:00:34.0 LJJ: I’ll tell you what Michael, Consumers Credit Union is so excited to partner with the Griffins. Before we get into our partnership, which truly is so exciting, I really want to hear a little bit about you. Your background, how you started, your passion for hockey. What got you into town? I know you’re a member of ours, which I love!

0:00:52.0 MK: Yeah, I’m actually from Kalamazoo, born and raised. I am a graduate from Western Michigan University with a Sport Management degree. I worked for the Kalamazoo Wings, which is an ECHL hockey team organization for five years before coming up to the Griffins. I started here last August, so honestly I didn’t have a huge passion for hockey when I got into it. I kind of just needed an internship to graduate college and then I got into the hockey world and I fell in love with it. It sucks you right in. It’s an awesome sport to watch and it’s so exhilarating and exciting. It was just awesome to me and I knew that I enjoyed working in it and seeing the smiling faces that you can create from the experiences that we create at the game.

0:01:36.2 LJJ: Hey Michael, tell me this because this I think is so exciting. The Griffs are a part of the Red Wing organization and it is so much fun to see players move up, move down, and really get their chance at the big league.

0:01:51.0 MK: Yeah, it’s super exciting. You never know who you’re going to have in Grand Rapids. It fluctuates all year round. You may have a player down here on a rehab assignment from the Red Wings that usually is always with them and you may have some really young talent in Grand Rapids that they’re hoping to see up in Detroit this year or in the seasons to come. So, it’s really cool and it’s really awesome for our fans as well because they get to see some top-tier hockey on our ice and they may not always get that experience in a different market. So, we really like to have that and we really hang our hat on the way the Red Wings work with us and the players fluctuate back and forth. It’s really awesome for us and for our fans.

0:02:27.5 LJJ: Well for Consumers, we are very proud to support the Griffins in a number of ways, okay. The first one is we’re very excited about is a matinee school game that really focuses on bringing some kids in from the school districts to be able to have a fun day at the arena. That’s coming up in November. Now, how do schools find out about this?

0:02:48.6 MK: Yeah, yeah. So it’s on November 16th. It’s our annual school day game. It is an awesome game. As you said, we partner with people like Consumers, other organizations in the city. It’s super awesome to do and it’s great to see the kids get out to come to a game and for some of these kids, it’s their first and only hockey game they’ll get to go to. So, we love seeing those smiling faces and getting the schools out. The best way to get your school involved would be to go to griffinshockey.com/SchoolDayGame and then from there they can see all the information and get all the good stuff from there. So, it’s griffinshockey.com/school.

0:03:24.1 LJJ: Well, that’s so exciting. I know that we’re inviting Wimee who is our new financial education robot who comes in to play. That’ll be a blast and then also Young Money Finances who helps our teenagers really learn about money and finance that day. So, it’s going to be a really, really neat day. So we appreciate you opening up the doors for not only just fun, but also financial fitness and fun, too. It’s exciting.

0:03:50.3 MK: Yeah and I think that’s the other side of it too. It’s not just a hockey game. We include the STEM activities. We include a ton of educational experiences for these kids. So, it’s a great field trip for them to get out of the school especially post-COVID. I mean everyone wants to get out and do stuff now. So, we love to get them out to a hockey game and get their educational experiences in while watching the hockey game as well. You get that two-for-one deal.

0:04:12.4 LJJ: That is awesome, Michael. Now another thing that Consumers is really excited about is we are very, very proud to be the ConsumersCU Club. The restaurant and bar that is at Van Andel Arena and Griffin’s. Not only are people going to the games, but also events at Van Andel and they can have a really nice… Hey, I know it’s great food because I got to do a taste testing from the chef. Oh, my goodness, it’s so good! Michael, that must be really fun for you guys too. I mean, it’s another way that you’re partnering with community organizations about something that they might not even know exists, which is a restaurant right in the arena.

0:04:53.7 MK: Yeah, absolutely! We’re super excited to have Consumers partner with us for the ConsumersCU Club. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t realize that restaurant’s there until they come to the game and find it as an awesome pre-game spot. So, it’s a great spot to kind of avoid lines around town and get in and get a drink and some food right before the game and then you’re already in the arena ready to go. So, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s got some great food choices as you mentioned. I wish I could eat there more maybe for lunch some days, but…

0:05:19.7 LJJ: You’re busy on those days, aren’t you Michael? [chuckle]

0:05:21.9 MK: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, it’s tough to get down there, but I wish I could utilize it more, but we’re excited to have Consumers on board and for our fans to be able to take advantage of that opportunity.

0:05:31.0 LJJ: Well, I’ll tell you what we want everybody to be constantly watching our social medias, ConsumersCU, plus go online on our web, ConsumersCU.org and we are going to have a whole page that is focused on our partnership that will help you know how to get reservations at the restaurant and also write direct link to tickets. Get those tickets. It is going to be a great season. Michael, any any hints about the season? Anything you’re hearing?

0:05:57.0 MK: We got some really good young players, some players potentially making their North American debuts. So, we’re really excited to have them over here. We have Brian Lashoff, who’s a very well-known veteran for our team. He’s going to make his 14th season debut with us this year. And then we just got some really young talent on the ice that we’re really excited about and I know the Red Wings are really excited about having them out here as well. So, it should be an awesome season and if you come out to some games, you’ll be able to see some top-tier talent on the ice.

0:06:24.7 LJJ: Well, Michael, thank you so much and not only do you see top-tier talent, it’s top-tier entertainment. It is a blast to go to a game. If you’ve never even been to hockey before, make sure you put it on your calendar to do so this year, because it will be a treat.

0:06:39.4 MK: Yeah, yeah, it’s definitely going to be a treat. It’s a great way to get creative with your clients, your vendors, and you’re trying to close a deal, bring them out to the game and we’re really excited to see where this season is going to take us.

0:06:50.5 LJJ: Well, Michael, thank you. We’ll check in a little bit after the season gets started with you just to see if there’s other things you want to chat about. We sure do love our partnership and are excited for the year.

0:07:00.1 MK: Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate you having me on and go Griffins!

0:07:04.2 LJJ: Go Griffins! Hey, thank you much for your time and your talents today. Really excited. Really happy that you’re a member of ours. It’s such a joy to talk to somebody who knows exactly what Consumers is like as a partner too. So, thank you, Michael.

0:07:18.0 LJJ: If you would like a topic that you would like talked about here, just send them our way. We’d love it. Hey, Jake Esselink, thank you for your production skills. Anybody who’s listening, have a great week. Money, I’m Home with Consumers Credit Union.

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