MWC receives 2021 Dairy Foods Dairy Plant of the Year Award
Dairy Foods magazine has named MWC, a state-of-the-art cheese and whey plant in St. Johns the recipient of the 2021 Dairy Foods Dairy Plant of the Year Award. According to Dairy Foods: “To win the award, the plant must have achieved outstanding accomplishments in one or more of the following categories between January 1, 2020, and June 1, 2021: plant expansion/retrofit, new construction, sustainability food safety, employee safety, employee training programs, plant efficiencies, coronavirus-related efforts, new technology and/or other specified area(s) of excellence. The plant, which is a joint venture among Glanbia Nutritionals, Select Milk Producers Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America Inc. (DFA), not only demonstrates excellence in one of our nomination categories, but also boasts accomplishment in nearly all of them.”
“We are deeply appreciative of Dairy Foods bestowing this award to MWC,” said George Chappell, vice president of dairy operations at Glanbia Nutritionals. Tom Tench, chief operating officer at Glanbia Nutritionals, added, “We set out to create a best-in-class dairy processing facility in St. Johns, and it is an honor to be recognized for that achievement.”
The nearly 400,000 square-foot facility is operated by Glanbia Nutritionals and employs nearly 260 local residents and processes over 2.9 billion pounds of milk from local farmers into more than 300 million pounds of superior quality block cheese and 20 million pounds of valued-added whey proteins each year. Opened in October 2020, the plant was fully commissioned on June 1, 2021.
Design and construction of MWC was provided by Shambaugh & Son LP, a subsidiary of EMCOR Group Inc. “We knew from the start that this project would utilize some of the newest and most sophisticated technology the food processing world has ever seen,” said Paul R. Meyers, Jr., P.E., president and CEO of Shambaugh. “We also knew it would utilize some of the largest food processing equipment installed to date.”
Summarizing the project, Brian Phelan, CEO at Glanbia Nutritionals said: “We are proud to have built one of the most technologically advanced dairy plants in the world. I would like to thank the entire Glanbia Nutritionals team who worked tirelessly to deliver this project from the construction phase through to commissioning, as well as our construction partners Shambaugh & Son LP who were key to supporting our overall project delivery. Finally, I would like to thank the state and city authorities for their continuous support and of course, our great partners, DFA and Select Milk Producers.”
For more information, visit www.glanbianutritionals.com.
Pratl named new Associate Attorney
Wieber Green, PC is pleased to announce the addition of a new Associate Attorney, Alexa B. Pratl.
Alexa Pratl has been a Michigander her entire life. Born and raised in Haslett, she spent a lot of time traveling to St. Johns with her mom, who is a teacher and former coach at St. Johns High School. It was through this connection that she met her husband, James (Jimmy), whose family has been a part of the local community for generations. Together they share two children, a son who will begin Kindergarten in the fall, and a three year old daughter.
After receiving two Bachelor degrees from Michigan State University in 2015 where she was also a member of the MSU co-ed cheerleading team, Alexa went on to attend law school at Michigan State University College of Law. While in law school, Alexa earned the highest honors in the Chance at Childhood Clinic where she advocated for children and families in the court system. Alexa is currently working to be certified in Probate and Estate Planning through the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She will concentrate her practice in Probate and Estate Planning as well as Family and Criminal Law.
In her free time, Alexa enjoys walks in town with her family and golden retriever, Palmer, reading books whenever the kids allow her to, and heading north to Harrison or Traverse City to visit family.
Formed in 2016, Wieber Green, PC provides services in the areas of Family and Criminal Law as well as all areas of Wills, Estates and Trusts including Probate and Estate Administration. Partner, John Wieber, has practiced law in St. Johns for over 42 years with emphasis in Real Estate, Trusts, Wills, and Trust Administration. Likewise, Partner, Cassandra “Cass” Green, has practiced law in the mid-Michigan area for over 25 years concentrating in Divorce, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and General Civil. Wieber says, “We look forward to continuing to provide services to our clients, the community of St. Johns, and the mid-Michigan region.”
Remember When – Mint Festival Royalty attend 2009 capitol event
On Wednesday, June 17 the Michigan Festivals and Events Association (MFEA) hosted a “Party at MI Place” at the State Capitol Building to kick off a state wide campaign promoting the fine attributes of Michigan. Mint Festival Queen Sabrina Hebeler, 1st Runner Up Holly Graham, Junior Miss Mint Alex Ruestman and Little Miss Mint Cassie Rapelje attended the big event and helped celebrate the excitement of “All Things Michigan.” Joining them were over a hundred other Michigan Royalty from festivals and fairs, Michigan State Legislators, Miss Michigan USA, and Miss Teen Michigan USA.
Over 35 million guests attended MFEA festivals and events in 2008. The royalty of Michigan’s festivals, fairs and special events help promote Michigan’s history, harvests, heritage, four seasons and a vast array of unique waterways. This Michigan promotion brings together the community spirit of all ages and vitalizes the economies of small towns and cities alike. There just isn’t another party, like “Party At MI Place”.
This special event was supported in part by Adams Outdoor Advertising, CBS Outdoor, Citadel Broadcasting, Proctor Productions, LLC, Michigan Humanities Council, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and many other significant MFEA members.
The St. Johns Mint Festival is proud to be a member of Michigan Festival and Events Association as they work to promote festivals, events and communities in our great state. If you would be interested in a list of all festivals throughout Michigan promoted by MFEA, check out their website at www.mfea.org.
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – What Are the Benefits of Fish Oil for Dogs and Cats?
Fish oils are nutritional supplements with many reported health benefits. For people, fish oils can help reduce the risk of heart attacks, manage high blood pressure and relieve arthritis pain.
With such health benefits for people, you may ask, what are the benefits of fish oil for dogs and cats? In fact, fish oil supplements are one of the most commonly used supplements for pets. Before going through the benefits of fish oil for dogs and cats, let’s first learn about some fish oil basics.
What Are Fish Oil Supplements?
Fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are fats that have many important functions in the body, such as providing structure to cell membranes and providing energy for the body. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, meaning that the body cannot produce them; they must be obtained from the diet.
Fish oil supplements, which come in pill or liquid form, have two types of omega-3 fatty acids:
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
These fatty acids are primarily found in cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, pollock, and trout.
What Are the Benefits of Fish Oil?
Using fish oil for cats and dogs offers several key health benefits:
Reduction of Inflammation
Fish oil supplements are well known for their anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, EPA and DHA act as cellular signals to reduce inflammation. Therefore, fish oil supplements help manage inflammatory diseases like arthritis and heart disease. Fish oil can also ease the inflammation from skin allergies, helping your pet to feel less itchy.
If your pet has severe arthritis, fish oil supplements can be used along with traditional pet pain medication to maximize pain relief.
Improved Brain Development and Cognitive Function
DHA, in particular, plays a very important role in how the brain develops and functions. In puppies, DHA supplementation can help with learning and retaining various skills.
In older dogs, DHA can reduce the effects of cognitive dysfunction, which is similar to dementia in people. For example, using DHA supplements can help an older dog better recognize its family members and not feel so easily disoriented.
Slowed Tumor Growth
Interestingly, fish oils can inhibit tumor growth by stimulating the cancer cells to differentiate (turn into specific cell types). When cells differentiate, they have a limited ability to divide and ultimately survive.
DHA has been shown to promote cancer cell differentiation, meaning that the cells cannot continue to divide, and the tumor cannot continue to grow.
Other Benefits
Fish oil supplements have also been shown to reduce abnormal heart rhythms and seizure frequency, as well as reduce levels of triglycerides, which are fats that can be harmful in high amounts.
Do Fish Oil Supplements Cause Any Side Effects?
Fish oil supplements are not toxic to dogs and cats, but they do have side effects.
The most common is fishy odor on the breath or skin.
Other side effects include:
Gastrointestinal discomfort
Oily, flaky skin
Contact your veterinarian if your dog or cat experiences these side effects with fish oil supplements.
Giving Fish Oil to Your Pet
There are so many fish oil supplements to choose from, but your veterinarian can help you determine which fish oil is best for your pet. They can recommend high-quality brands and advise you on how much fish oil supplement to give your pet.
Fish oil supplements come in liquid or capsule form. If your pet does not want to swallow a capsule, you can use a small knife to open the capsule, and then pour the contents onto your pet’s food.
Most commercial pet food formulas contain omega-3 fatty acids. However, EPA and DHA can become rancid quickly, so pet food that contains omega-3 needs a proper dog food storage container to prevent the food from going bad.
Also, these pet foods may contain other omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed or canola oil) that do not provide the same benefits as EPA and DHA.