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Southwest Michigan First CEO kicks off Keystone series

Oct. 21, 2005

KALAMAZOO--Ronald Kitchens, chief executive officer of Southwest Michigan First, will tell his audience "It's About Jobs," Friday, Oct. 28, when he talks about community economic development and job creation in the first event of Western Michigan University's 2005-06 Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series.

Kitchens will speak at 7:30 a.m. in Room 2150 of the Haworth College of Business' Schneider Hall. Reservations are required for the free presentation and may be made by calling the Office of the Dean in the Haworth College of Business at (269) 387-5050. Parking is available in the nearby Fetzer Center lot.

Kitchens took the reins of Kalamazoo's economic development organization in July. Prior to coming to Kalamazoo, he served as the head of economic development organizations in Missouri and Texas. In his nearly 20 years of experience, he has been a businessman, city administrator, elected official and U.S. Senate staffer. Among only 3 percent of economic development officials in the nation to earn certification in his field, Kitchens has worked with corporations such as GE Capital, Citgo Petroleum and Citibank to create thousands of jobs, and he has been involved in the development of office buildings and business parks covering more than 700 acres.

The Keystone series, now in its fifth year, is sponsored by the Kalamazoo-based Keystone Community Bank. The presentations offer community members, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and other guests an opportunity to discuss important business issues. The free event is open to the public.

Media contact: Cheryl Roland, (269) 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/wmu/news