People retention through connection: Marybeth Penkala

I grew up in Hemlock. After graduating high school, I attended Delta College, later transferring to Northwood University through the 'three plus one' program. During that time, I gained regional experiences through internships with organizations like the Great Lakes Loons and Cumulus Media in Saginaw, but I found myself increasingly drawn to Midland. In my final year at Northwood, I landed a job at Dow Credit Union. By that point, I was building connections in Midland, and it made sense to establish roots here.

My husband Sam and I met at Delta College. He was transferring to SVSU for the OT program while I prepared to transfer to Northwood. We were friends for about a year before we started dating, and after four years, we got engaged and eventually married. We've been together for about 12 years and have two young boys. He's one of the happiest people I know, always whistling or in a good mood.

After we got married, we decided to settle down in Bullock Creek. Sam is from Auburn, and I'm from Hemlock, so as much as we wanted to be in Midland, we didn't necessarily want to be right in town. Since we both grew up in rural communities, we wanted space—Sam always said he wanted to be able to throw a football as hard as he could or hit a baseball as far as he could with the boys without disturbing the neighborhood.

We bought our house in early 2017, and it was a new build at a price we couldn't turn down. We ended up with about three acres, and it's perfect for what we wanted—a big yard and a trail out back where we can take walks. During COVID, we spent a lot of time out there, and Sam even built a lookout fort that overlooks the property. We love it here and don't plan on leaving.

Before we bought our house, I spent a lot of time working in Midland throughout college, so I started to get to know the area better. Growing up, we always went to Saginaw for everything—shopping, groceries, you name it.

MLMMarybeth Penkala

I eventually learned Midland has excellent opportunities and is a great community. As I went through my internships and eventually started working here, I realized how easy it is to build connections in Midland. I am fortunate to hold the Director of Membership and Partner Engagement title with the Midland Business Alliance.

The Midland Business Alliance was formally known as Midland Area Chamber of Commerce and Midland Tomorrow, but they merged into one organization. We still offer traditional chamber events like networking opportunities, but we also focus on economic development, helping businesses grow, and attracting new jobs to the area. We even manage the Midland Farmers Market and work on initiatives like Housing Forward to address housing issues in the community.

I lead the Midland Young Professionals (MYPros) as part of my work. MyPros is important for Midland, and I'm so happy we've grown in recent years. We've built a lot of consistency within the group since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program is all about giving young professionals a sense of belonging and creating spaces for them to meet with people outside of their workplaces to establish connections with our community. We've built a strong base with over 300 active members, and we're all about retaining talent in Midland through connection and engagement.

I hold board and committee positions with Midland Child Advocacy Center, The Legacy Center, Members First Credit Union, United Way, Lead, and the Midland Area Community Foundation. I'm passionate about making sure our community is inclusive and supportive, especially for those facing challenges and who need resources. I want Midland to be the type of place where my children can grow up and be looked at as humans, even in their most vulnerable times. I believe Midland can continue to be an incredible community by supporting one another and engaging in transparency.