
SCHOEDEL AWARD
Each year the Manistee Recreation Association (MRA) presents the Charles E. Schoedel Outstanding Service Award to an individual and an organization. These awards represent commitment and dedication to recreation in Manistee County. This award was established in 1981 for the late Charles E. Schoedel in gratitude for his long-term service to the MRA. Mr. Schoedel served on the MRA Board for over thirty years and had a great impact on the development of the MRA as a strong, leisure service agency.


2024 Organization Recipient:
Fab-Lite
Fab-Lite Incorporated has been selected as this year’s organizational recipient of the Charles E. Schoedel Outstanding Service Award in recognition of their longstanding support for the MRA. Accepting the award on their behalf tonight is company president Steve Paine. Fab Lite began in 1984 as Heavy Metal Company, originally located on Manistee Lake in the old Manisteel building, now the site of the Reith Riley plant. The company initially produced heavy plate weldments for JCB construction equipment before shifting to light sheet metal work for the office furniture industry, prompting the name change to Fab Lite. By 1995, the company built its current facility in the Manistee industrial park, adding a paint line to manufacture complete furniture products for prominent clients such as Herman Miller, Steelcase, and others. In 1997, Fab Lite launched Great Openings, which quickly became its largest customer, selling products to all 50 states and exporting globally. By 2018, the Manistee facility expanded to 80,000 square feet and employed over 80 people. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought significant challenges as remote work reduced the demand for office furniture. In 2023, Fab Lite's parent company, Metalworks, acquired Flairwood to expand into laminate manufacturing. Despite efforts to adapt, unfortunately Fab Lite is downsizing operations and will shift production to Ludington later this year. Fab Lite proudly produced in Manistee for 40 years, while Metalworks approaches its 60th anniversary in 2026, continuing the legacy of founder Bill Paine. Throughout its history, Fab Lite has been a steadfast supporter of the MRA. Evidence of this enduring partnership can even be found in the decades-old MRA jerseys proudly bearing the Fab Lite logo. Mr. Paine plans to continue this legacy of support through the Great Openings organization. A lifelong athlete, Steve has deep roots in Manistee. Moving to the area with his family in the 1960s, one of his earliest memories is riding his bike to the MRA office to sign up for Little League baseball. His passion for sports led him to play college baseball and join the Manistee Saints. The MRA is deeply grateful for Steve’s leadership and Fab Lite’s commitment to supporting local youth and recreation.

2024 Individual Recipient:
Brandon Prince
Each year, the Manistee Recreation Association presents the Charles E. Schoedel Outstanding Service Award to both an individual and an organization. These awards recognize exceptional commitment and dedication to recreation in Manistee County. Established in 1981, the award honors the late Charles E. Schoedel, who served on the MRA board for over 30 years, leaving a lasting legacy of service. The MRA Board of Directors is proud to announce the 2024 recipients: Brandon Prince as the individual award honoree and Fab-Lite Incorporated as the organization award honoree. As our individual award winner, Brandon Prince has been a key figure in Manistee’s youth sports community. As the Varsity Boys Soccer Head Coach at Manistee High School for over a decade, he has dedicated himself to fostering resilience, teamwork, and personal growth in his players. Starting as an assistant under Rudy Guillen, he stepped into the head coaching role in the 2013-2014 season. For him, the greatest reward is seeing his players overcome challenges and apply lessons from sports to their lives. A 29-year resident of Manistee, Brandon and his wife of 20 years, Katie, have raised their three sons—Aiden, Grayson, and Anselmo—into young adults. Beyond soccer, he has contributed to the community by coaching basketball and soccer for the Manistee Recreation Association (MRA), refereeing games, and organizing youth clinics, always championing opportunities for local kids. In addition to coaching, Brandon currently serves as leadman for the City of Manistee DPW, ensuring parks and playing fields are always ready for competition. Brandon’s passion for sports began in childhood and evolved into a lifelong commitment to coaching and giving back. Whether preparing playing fields, recruiting teens to referee youth soccer games, or involving his whole family in running soccer clinics, Brandon is always ready to lend a hand. Grateful for the leadership within the MRA, he remains confident in the future of youth programs in Manistee and their power to inspire the next generation. Congratulations Brandon Prince!

Previous Recipients
Organization
1981 Martin Marietta Dave Petersen
1982 Kiwanis
1983 Manistee BD. Of ED
Manistee Jaycees
1984 VFW Walsh Post 4499
1985 Manistee Salvation Army
1986 Manistee Elks
1987 Rotary
1988 Kieszkowski Farms
1989 4-H
1990 Seng’s
1991 Alternatives For Area Youth
1992 Manistee County Foundation
1993 Manistee County Jr. High Football
1994 Brethren FHA
1995 Manistee News Advocate
1996 Manistee Soccer Club
1997 Manistee Clan
Muzzleloaders Club
1998 Morton International
1999 Cops For Kids
2000 Shell Western E & P
2001 Intermediate School District
Shore Line Academy
2002 City of Manistee
2003 Lutz Family Farm
2004 Sunrise Rotary
Evening Rotary
2005 Third Coast
2006 Manistee Catholic Central
Jerry Lewis Photographers
2007 Manistee Kiwanis
2008 Sports Ink
2009 Lance’s Irrigation
2010 Manistee County Little League
2011 Onekama Consolidated Schools
2012 Filer Township
2013 Doug Schlaff Youth Fund
2014 TES Filer City Recycle Committee
2015 MS Creative Services
2016 Linke’s Body Shop
2017 Martin Marietta
2018 Century 21
2019 Water’s Edge
2022 City of Manistee – DPW/Parks Dept.
2023 Northlake Mechanical
2024 Fab-Lite
Individual
1981 Dave Petersen
1982 John Ellen
1983 Harry Nowak
1984 George Eble
1985 Charlotte Hughes
1986 Dorothy Lundbom
1987 Pete Nezki
Richard Seemuth
1988 Ken Grabowski
1989 Ray Franz
1990 Hilda Edmondson
1991 Richard Guillen
1992 Art Anderson
1993 Louree Samenski
1994 ED Haik
1995 Gini Pelton
1996 Tim Bromley
1997 John Rozga
1998 Juanita LaFeir
1999 Jim and Melinda Kieszkowski
2000 Bob Fenstermacher
2001 Homer Ramsdell
2002 Fred McDonald
2003 Ed Leino-Jones
2004 Kathy Fenstermacher
2005 Mike DeVoe
2006 Paul Morrill
2007 Bill and Marty Paine
2008 Juanita LaFeir
2009 Corey Van Fleet
2010 Christa Johnson
2011 Cheryl Griffin
2012 Kathy Smith
2013 Eric Ross
2014 The Sheffield family
2015 David and Hilary Edmondson
2016 Ann Smith
2017 Jack Ball
2018 Cathy Meagher
2019 Wendy Adamski
2022 Bill Edmondson
2023 Dana Dobis
2024 Brandon Prince