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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.  

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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.

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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!

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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 

1990Hilda Edmondson 

1991 Richard Guillen 

1992 Art Anderson 

1993 Louree Samenski 

1994 ED Haik 

1995Gini 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

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