Susan McBride lived her life with a passion for comforting children and, according to her mom, always wore a bright, gleaming smile.
Her medical history was such that she spent a lot of her 31 years in and around hospitals, where she picked up a passion and an understanding of the need to comfort children, and the ways that could be accomplished.
When she passed in July 2017, her mom, Dr. Mary Welsh, was looking for a way to honor her. She founded Susie Q’s Kids, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Warren, Mich., dedicated to mental health and focusing on providing comfort to children in times of need while also educating children to help other children.
The effort to distribute “comfort bags” to children – helping more than 10,000 children since 2019 – helped make Susie Q’s a 2023 Best in MichBusiness award winner in the Nonprofit Beacon category.
The award can bring opportunities for Susie Q’s to tell its story, Welsh said.
“We’re extending our reach out into the public through opportunities to present to other employers as well as children’s groups,” Welsh said. “Our daughter always had a smile. When she passed, we just wanted a way to honor her.”
Susie Q’s was one of dozens of winners in 13 categories in the annual awards contest celebrating the state’s top business leaders. The MichBusiness awards program is presented annually and celebrates programs and companies that make Michigan a great place to live and work.
In addition to the individual winners in the 13 categories, three “overall” winners were named. Those included:
Large Business Overall – Target Steel, a full-service steel service center that delivers a variety of steel products to customers, from a single customized steel sheet, to multiple shipments of tons of steel coil.
Charlie Hendley, Target Steel’s account sales manager, called the win a “great honor.”
“We started with 50 employees 20 years ago and now we have more than 500,” Hendley said. “(The award) highlights our accomplishments. It says we have great employees serving great clients.”
Medium Business Overall – Hema-Tec Inc., which specializes in providing acute inpatient dialysis services to Detroit-area hospitals. It’s Hema-Tec’s first win in the Best of MichBusiness awards.
CEO Chris Gangnier said the award “validates all the good things” the company does.
“We do a lot of good things for our team, for our patients and in the community,” Gangnier said. “It’s nice to be recognized for it.”
Small Business Overall – 1 Bold Step, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based firm that provides marketing strategy and marketing operations support.
Adam Clarke, the owner and president of 1 Bold Step, hailed the Best of MichBiz honor as “recognition for the hard work of our team.”
“Any time you are recognized, it boosts your credibility,” Clarke said. “It helps you grow your business.”
For a full listing of 2023 Best of MichBusiness winners, see Corp! Magazine’s November-December edition, which will be available at www.corpmagazine.com in early December.
The event served not only as a celebration of the winners, but as a networking opportunity for the large audience that turned out, The event, held at Schoolcraft College’s VistaTech Center in Livonia, featured 16 vendor booths, which drew attention to the variety of services they offered.
Representatives of the Broad School of Business at Michigan State University were on hand to take advantage of the opportunity.
“I feel … it highlights all of the people who are impacting our community,” said Amy Youif Joa, assoiate director of the school’s executive MBA program. “Being here in support of that allows us to meet people who benefit from that. We believe education can continue to expand leadership in business.”
