GRAND RAPIDS – The West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is pleased to offer two additional membership tiers in response to requests from micro-businesses and undergraduate students.  Businesses with one or two employees will now pay $60 per year for full membership.  Students will be able to join at a non-voting level for $20. 

The WMSBF has seen a sharp increase in the number of micro-businesses in recent years, adding diversity to the group that had been dominated by large manufacturers at its inception in 1994.  “Down economic times tend to lead to a lot of entrepreneurship,” said WMSBF Board President Marylu Dykstra, “and a lot of recent start-ups are focused on sustainability.  We want them to be able to join us in the conversation.  We are also committed to our students... they are our future business members and we need them involved now.”

The new membership tier is a separation of the previous $150 that existed for small companies employing up to five people. Starting in 2010, business with one or two employees will be charged $60 for membership and those with three to ten employees charged $150.  Those with 11-100 employees and over 100 employees will be charged $300 and $500 respectively, as has been the case for the last several years.

In addition to the $60 tier for micro-businesses, the Board of Directors is also initiating a non-voting membership level for students.  “The students that have attended as guests bring a fresh perspective and ask some very challenging questions,” added Outreach Committee chair Ann Erhardt.  Students from all local colleges and universities are welcome to join for $20.  Student members will have access to all member benefits including attendance to monthly meetings, the ability to work on committees, access member only info on the WMSBF website, and more.  

The WMSBF Administrator, Kyle Ten Broeke, is updating the WMSBF website and is enthusiastic about the change, adding, “We hope this new fee structure will help small businesses continue their journey with us and make us an option for others as well.”  Kyle indicates that membership renewal letters will be distributed within the next few weeks. For more information, please contact Kyle Ten Broeke at kyle@wmsbf.org or visit the WMSBF website at www.wmsbf.org.

The West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum membership represents a broad cross-section of large area industries, medium and small-sized businesses, and individual contractors. Together, we are dedicated to developing the expertise and the means necessary to achieve our triple bottom line objective. We strive to expand and share our knowledge base through monthly meetings featuring guest speakers, periodic seminars and conferences, and special projects.  

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