By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
A fundamental mission of Southwestern Michigan College to be of service to its community helps explain SMC's increasingly close partnership with Michigan Works.
Michigan Works is a workforce development agency serving Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties through five sites in Dowagiac, Niles, Paw Paw, South Haven and Benton Harbor.
Employers are its primary customer, job seekers its greatest asset "in building a strong and viable workforce for Michigan's Great Southwest," according to its mission statement.
Michigan Works and the Workforce Development Board hosted a business after hours from 5 to 7 Thursday evening to show off its 7-year-old Dowagiac office in North Pointe Center, 601-D N. Front St.
Fannin served five years on the Workforce Development Board, including his last two as vice chairman.
Calling Michigan Works "one of our very important, strong partners in any number of ways over the years," Fannin said, "An example of our most recent partnership is that in the ERC here we do have a person coming here twice a week to serve people who come in" - retired District Court Administrator Diane Barrett-Curtis.
SMC also collaborated with K&M and Michigan Works on a welding fair to recruit skilled labor for the Cassopolis manufacturer.
SMC Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Fred L. Mathews introduced Workforce Development Board members, including Secretary John Guthrie, Margie Hojara-Hadsell, John Tapper Sr., Cass County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Wagel, Cass County Commissioner David Taylor and Don Hanson. Trustee Bill White also represented the SMC board.