Mercantile Bank of Michigan Appoints New Members to Board of Directors

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercantile Bank of Michigan ("Mercantile") announced today the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors: Diane Maher, President and Chief Operating Officer of DP Fox Ventures and Fox Motor Group; Joseph Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of West Michigan and a Grand Rapids City Commissioner; and Kurt Hassberger, Chairman and President of Rockford Construction Company. The appointments are effective immediately.

"We are very excited to welcome Diane, Joe and Kurt, and we are pleased to add their complimentary skillsets to an already strong board," said Robert B. Kaminski, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Mercantile. "Each of these individuals is a highly successful leader in their respective field and community, and we are confident that their leadership and experience will help provide our organization strong guidance in reaching its strategic pursuits and goals for sustainability. As a community bank, it's critically important that our board maintain an advanced understanding of the needs of businesses and individuals within our communities to ensure that our products and services are properly aligned to fulfill those needs."

Maher currently serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer for DP Fox Ventures, a diversified management company with interests in real estate, transportation, fashion, sports and entertainment. She is also the President and Chief Operating Officer for Fox Motor Group, a retail automotive and powersports group representing 32 locations and 42 brands. Maher started at DP Fox Ventures in 1993 as the firm's Vice President of Finance, after previously serving as a financial consultant to the company during her tenure at Deloitte & Touche LLP as an audit manager. She is also locally involved, serving as a board member for the West Michigan Policy Forum, as well as serving Our Daily Bread Ministries as a Global Board Member and previously as the Finance and Audit Committee Chair. Maher is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in accountancy from Ferris State University.

Jones has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of West Michigan since 2011, and also currently serves as a Commissioner representing Grand Rapids' Second Ward – a position he has held since 2016. Prior to these roles, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of E.E. Milestone & Associates, as well as a Managing Partner of the Strategic Communications Group, LLC. Jones is the Co-Chair of the Urban Core Collective (UCC) and serves as a board member for myriad local and regional associations. He holds a Bachelor of Communication Arts degree from Oakland University, a Master of Arts degree from Cornerstone University, and Executive Education Certificates from Dartmouth, Stanford and New York University.

Hassberger currently serves as Chairman of the Board and President for Rockford Development Group. Hassberger has been an attorney since 1978 and began representing Rockford Construction on legal matters in 1988 with particular emphasis on zoning, municipal and real estate issues. He joined the company as general counsel in 1995 and was named Chief Operating Officer in 1997 –  a position he held until 2013. Hassberger has been an active member in the Grand Rapids community, working on a number of local boards throughout his career, including the Downtown Alliance and the Better Business Bureau. He currently serves as a board member for the Downtown Improvement District Board and the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association as well as the State Bar of Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan.

Mercantile is proud to add these directors to its current board, which includes:

• David M. Cassard, Retired Real Estate Executive, CPA and CPM
• Edward J. Clark, American Seating Company
• Michael S. Davenport, Jireh Metal Products, Inc.
• Thomas D. Dickinson, Biggs, Hausserman, Thompson & Dickinson P.C.
• Michelle L. Eldridge, Clear Ridge Wealth Management
• Michael D. Faas, Retired, Hospital Administration Executive
• Jeff A. Gardner, Gardner Group
• Edward B. Grant, Retired Public Broadcasting Executive
• Doyle A. Hayes, dhayesGroup
• Susan K. Jones, Susan K. Jones & Associates and Ferris State University
• Robert B. Kaminski, Mercantile Bank of Michigan
• Douglas J. Ouellette, Mercantile Bank of Michigan
• Michael H. Price, Retired Banking Executive
• Raymond E. Reitsma, Mercantile Bank of Michigan
• Phillip R. Seybert, PS Equities
• Thomas R. Sullivan, Retired Banking Executive

About Mercantile Bank of Michigan
Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mercantile provides banking services to businesses, individuals and governmental units, and differentiates itself on the basis of service quality and the expertise of its banking staff.  Mercantile has assets of approximately $3.3 billion and operates 47 banking offices. 

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains comments or information that constitute forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results expressed in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include changes in interest rates and interest rate relationships; demand for products and services; the degree of competition by traditional and nontraditional competitors; changes in banking regulation or actions by bank regulators; changes in tax laws; changes in prices, levies, and assessments; the impact of technological advances; governmental and regulatory policy changes; the outcomes of contingencies; trends in customer behavior as well as their ability to repay loans; changes in local real estate values; changes in the national and local economies; and other factors, including risk factors, disclosed from time to time in filings made by Mercantile with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mercantile undertakes no obligation to update or clarify forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Mercantile Bank of Michigan