E-newsletter sent December 21, 2021

Thanks to our Supportive Community!

As we wind down our year, we want to say thanks for all the support we received this year.

Our Taste of Lenawee event was a huge success…Thank You to everyone who sponsored, participated, and attended! We had more than 175 guests attend who enjoyed the evening by sampling unique tastes from local food artists and vendors.

Did you know the event was featured in The Toledo Blade? Click here to see the photo and write-up by Mary Alice Powell.

This fundraising, and other support from community members, helped finance the CUB fund with over $10,000, which will be used towards small mini-loans for upcoming entrepreneurs to start their business.

One successful pop-up was The Men’s Room by SASS at 123 E. Maumee St., Adrian – featuring men’s gift-giving items just in time for Christmas!

New Business Spotlight – Harvest Chocolate

Elizabeth Gentry and Matthew Cross are passionate about creating the very finest chocolate by sourcing the best cocoa beans from around the world, roasting them to perfection then working their magic to create the most delicious chocolate you will ever taste!

Elizabeth and Matt have combined their talent to create a new business that promises to be a huge winner!  They participated in the Launch Lenawee Program during the Summer 2021 (Class 4) and are currently perfecting their products at the Adrian Armory Makerspace Kitchen.

Harvest Chocolate will certainly be a wonderful addition to our community! Please follow their progress as they prepare to officially launch Harvest Chocolate in the Spring.

Business Growth for The Marks Trading Company

Gwynne and Jay Marks were part of the first Launch Lenawee class, introducing their homemade line of spices to the community in various ways since then. They have featured products at many of the Busch’s grocery stores in Southeast Michigan and are now available at the Adrian Meijer store also!

Congratulations, and we hope for continued growth of The Marks Trading Company.

Did you know…
Civitan, American Legion Post 275, and other community organizations meet at The Adrian Armory?
We are open for events, fundraisers, and other gatherings.
Business space is available at the Armory…contact us for info.
We are accepting applications for Class #5 of Launch Lenawee…to begin in the Spring of 2022; apply on our website.

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year! Fondly, Mary and Mark Murray

E-newsletter sent September 9, 2021

Taste of Lenawee Tickets are Selling Fast!

Get your tastebuds ready! The annual Taste of Lenawee event is at the Adrian Armory October 1st from 6-9 pm and it’s promising to be a great event!

Enjoy scrumptious taste samples from local restaurants, caterers, vendors, and new businesses! Our vendors are excited about showcasing some of their favorite food selections.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Brad Skinner.

Event sponsors and your assistance help support the non-profit missions of Adrian Armory, Launch Lenawee, and Makerspace Community Kitchen.

Ongoing Launch Lenawee Success
Our fourth class of ten Launch Lenawee students will soon be completing their 12-week entrepreneurial boot camp. Please join us at Taste of Lenawee to meet our students and visit our new community kitchen, used to produce items for our Taste event.

As a result of your support for Taste of Lenawee, we have almost reached our goal of $10,000 to fund our Launch Lenawee CUB (Community Uplifting Businesses), entrepreneur Micro-loan fund. These funds will be used by graduates of Launch Lenawee to start their businesses in Lenawee County. Thank You to our sponsors!

Launch Lenawee – from Student to Instructor
Jacob Wilson, a Launch Lenawee graduate from our second class, was certified by the Kauffman program to teach the Fasttrac curriculum and is excited to help cultivate new entrepreneurs through the Launch Lenawee program. Wilson is an event manager at the Adrian Armory and owner of W4 Entertainment, an event management company that also provides audiovisual, DJ, and photo booth services.

Thank you for your support! Fondly, Mary and Mark Murray

E-newsletter sent August 17, 2021

Rethinking and Building New Businesses

Businesses throughout our county have been re-opening, re-structuring, re-hiring, and re-inventing. Many had to adjust how they run their business, based on experiences and lessons learned over the past 18 months or so.

As an event center, we are back in business, watching updated announcements to ensure the safety of our customers and guests.

Are you thinking of having an event in the future? Please consider how we can help make that a perfect event, in a space that’s been dedicated to community service for decades! We look forward to seeing your event at the Adrian Armory.

Class #4 of Launch Lenawee is meeting regularly with our newly certified instructor, Jacob Wilson of W4 Entertainment. We have a great group of students who are determined to start and grow successful businesses, despite what our economy threw at us last year. Your support of these classes helps us develop new businesses in our county.

Taste of Lenawee is the only fundraising event we host, on October 1st this year, from 6-9 pm. We are still accepting sponsorship for this, which also includes some tickets for attendance.

How can you help grow and mentor the success of our business community? Sponsor or attend the Taste of Lenawee event!

Our vendors are excited about showcasing some of their favorite food selections. Some of these are seasoned business owners, while others are recent Launch Lenawee graduates or students!

Thank you for your faithful support! Fondly, Mary and Mark Murray

E-newsletter sent April 21, 2021

Progress in 2021…

Have we turned the corner yet? We hope so and believe the rest of 2021 will be an amazing year for our community! We’ve seen progress in Lenawee County, despite global challenges. Together, we’re helping others thrive instead of just survive.

We continue with our vision to train entrepreneurs and start-ups to have a successful business in Lenawee County. Business startups that continue to call the Adrian Armory home include Advantage Visuals, the Marks Trading Company, and W-4 Entertainment.

The next session for Launch Lenawee will begin sometime this summer. Please send candidates to our website to apply for the in-depth education/mentoring/business-development that can help get their business idea off the ground.

Our existing Launch Lenawee graduates continue to network together. Graduates and anyone interested in the Launch Lenawee program can save Thursday, June 17, 2021 for an upcoming meeting. More details will follow in our next newsletter.

As a community, you helped sponsor the development of our Makerspace Community Kitchen in the lower level of the Armory. We’re proud to say that it is open for business. Food service referrals can get more information on the website.

Jacob Wilson is one of the event managers at the Adrian Armory Events Center. He can help schedule meetings, events, fundraisers, parties and weddings in the upcoming months. He is a Siena Heights University and Launch Lenawee Graduate and has helped with many events at the Adrian Armory. We keep abreast of guidelines and regulations from the State of Michigan and Lenawee County Health Department to ensure you have a safe gathering.

Get your taste buds ready! The Taste of Lenawee Community Event will be October 1, 2021 from 6-9 pm. This is our annual fundraiser and will feature food samples from local chefs and caterers.

We wish you a healthy and successful 2021 and look forward to seeing you soon! Fondly, Mary and Mark Murray