To view the photo gallery from game day, click here.
The tailgate included food, a beer tent, live entertainment, activities fun for the entire family -- and many local sponsors who helped make the event great: BDO, Wiser Financial, WWMT, MarxModa, Appletree/Gilden Woods, and Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort. From all of us at WMU, Thank you!
If you are interested in sponsoring a future event, please contact Janis Clark in the WMU Office of Development and Alumni Relations at Janis.clark@wmich.edu or by calling (269) 217-0569.
We asked our sponsors why they chose to help us with the event, and here is what they had to say:
Wiser Financial Group -- Main Tailgate Sponsor
The Wiser Financial Group is one of Southwest Michigan's oldest and largest financial planning firms. Learn more at thewisergroup.com.
“The Wiser Financial Group is proud to be the main sponsor of this year’s WMU versus MSU tailgate. This being such an exciting time for both teams and the Kalamazoo community makes for this tailgate being a once in lifetime event. We are pleased to invite you to cheer on your team with us whether it is the BLACK and GOLD or the GREEN and WHITE. Thank you for being a part of history here with us. We hope you eat, mingle, enjoy yourself and enjoy the game!
The Wiser Financial Group and Western Michigan University both believe in building a strong community. Like WMU, the Wiser Financial Group works hard to mold and shape strong and healthy futures, along with enriching the lives of the people within our special community.
In addition to being a highlight of the WMU season, this game also holds special significance for some of the Wiser Financial Group staff. There is a bit of a friendly rivalry at Wiser because four of our Partners- Robert S Amberg Jr., Michael J Budas, Wesley G Lentz and Clinton VanLinder – are proud WMU Alumni. While there are also two Spartan Grads at Wiser- Partner, Robert F Campbell and his brother, Financial Planner Bryan Campbell both are graduates of Michigan State. To say the office is excited for this matchup at Waldo, would be an understatement!
The Wiser Financial Group is proud to be the area’s oldest financial planning organization. We sponsor and attend countless WMU athletic events and theater performances. Our Partners and staff don’t just work in the Kalamazoo Community; they also live, learn and grow here every day.
We are honored to be a part of today’s celebration in recognition of our countless Wiser clients, employees, and their families who have graduated from, are attending and/or affiliated in various ways with this elite University!”
WWMT – Entertainment Sponsor
WWMT-TV Newschannel 3 provides local news, weather forecasts, notices of event, and entertainment programming for Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Battle Creek. Learn more at wwmt.com.
In addition to the sponsorship, WWMT Newschannel 3's very own Keith Thompson acted as emcee for the tailgate's entertainment. Thompson is also an alumnus of the WMU Graduate College and School of Communication. A portion of WWMT's sponsorship was directed to the School of Communication.
BDO USA, LLP -- Food Tent Co-Sponsor
BDO’s partner-led teams offer a comprehensive array of assurance, tax, and business advisory services. Learn more at bdo.com.
“BDO USA, LLP has partnered with the Haworth College of Business and more specifically the Accounting department for over twenty years to identify and place distinguished accounting students seeking a career in public accounting in both internship and entry-level Associate positions.
Many of our partners and employees, both in Kalamazoo and around the country, are proud alumni, looking to give-back to both the institution and community that played a key role in their personal and professional development. A great example of this commitment is BDO Assurance Partner and WMU Alumnus Doug Havera’s seat on the Department of Accountancy Advisory Council. Partnering with student organizations, providing scholarships, and working with faculty in the classroom are just a few more ways to demonstrate BDO’s involvement on campus.”
MarxModa -- Food Tent Co-Sponsor
MarxModa designs, develops and manages dynamic workspaces that are ergonomically correct and inspiring. Learn more about marxmoda.com.
“MarxModa is both proud and honored to be a 2015 WMU vs MSU Tailgate Sponsor. The MarxModa Kalamazoo office has been a presence in Kalamazoo since 1956 and brings a wealth of knowledge to our community around helping businesses and organizations create great working environments that help retain Western Michigan University graduates in southwest Michigan.
As a vendor and partner to Western Michigan University we thank the University for their partnership with MarxModa and look forward to working with businesses and organizations to retain graduates in our community.
Our team, which consists of several WMU alumni members, has chosen to make our donation to the WMU scholarship program in memory of Lary E. Blahnik, former WMU basketball player and 1984 graduate of the WMU Business College.”
Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort -- Beer Garden Sponsor
Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort is Southwest Michigan's oldest and largest golf resort, featuring five championship courses in one amazing destination. To learn more, visit gulllakeview.com.
“Gull Lake View has strong ties with Western Michigan through our staff. Throughout the years, we have had several Western Michigan students work in our pro shops, restaurant and villa office. We’ve been fortunate enough to have some of these WMU grads decide to stay in the area after graduation and become full time employees. In addition, Jon Scott, the president of Gull Lake View received his MBA from Western Michigan.
We saw this as an opportunity to connect with the community outside of Gull Lake View. We understand that not everyone is a golfer or has time to golf. The Stampede seemed like a fun way to interact with other community members and Bronco graduates. We have been a successful family owned business in the area for over 50 years. We started out as one golf course and have grown to become a six course golf resort. By in large, our success has come from the continued support we receive from the greater Kalamazoo area.
We decided to allocate our sponsorship funds to the women’s golf team. Most people are unaware that WMU has a women’s golf team and we wanted to recognize their hard work and successes. In addition, the women’s golf coach, Stacy Snider does quite a bit of fundraising to help the team out with expenses during their season; we are hoping that our contribution can make the fundraising a little easier. We would like to see the number of women golfers grow in the future.
Every year we work with WMU career and employee services to find students who are looking for jobs or internships .”
Appletree & Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool -- Family Fun Zone Sponsor
AppleTree & Gilden Woods provide safe, nurturing, and child-centered environments with the highest quality educational programming to serve children and families in the community. Learn more at appletreekids.cc.
“We got connected with WMU through Janis Clark, our Kalamazoo Chamber Ambassador. She has been incredibly helpful with introducing us to the Kalamazoo community and making connections with WMU staff and faculty to mutually benefit both of our organizations. For example, we are working on creating a partnership to provide internships and future employment to current Education students and a channel of highly qualified, well prepared teachers and Directors for our schools.
We chose to sponsor the tailgate to introduce Kalamazoo area families and WMU alumni to our three schools in Portage, Kalamazoo and Otsego and tell them about our passion for providing high quality child care and preschool for children six weeks through 12 years of age. As an early childhood education provider, we are proud to partner with WMU to support the College of Education and Human Development and those students who are pursuing higher education in early childhood development.
We donated half of our sponsorship to the College of Education and Human Development to support the instruction and training they provide that fosters leadership and innovation in future educators.
We welcome and encourage the community and WMU alumni to tour one of our schools today to learn more about our high quality, research-based programming and curriculum that promotes a love of lifelong learning and future school success.”
Thank you Sponsors!