Midlanders attend U.S. Army Corps of Engineers change of command ceremony

Midland, Michigan – Members of the Midland Business Alliance (MBA) Advisory Committee on Infrastructure attended the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Detroit District’s Change of Command ceremony on July 16 at the War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. Tony Stamas, MBA president and CEO, and Bill Schuette, community volunteer, represented the Advisory Committee on Infrastructure.

The ceremony recognized the outgoing and incoming commanders of the USACE Detroit District. Lt. Col. Brett Boyle, the outgoing commander, served there for the last two years, also overseeing the long-term construction of the New Lock in Sault Ste. Marie. The incoming commander is Lt. Col. Wallace W. Bandeff, a Michigan native and a mechanical engineering graduate of Michigan Technological University. Presiding over the ceremony was Maj. Gen. Mark Quander, USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division commander.

“We wanted both commanders and the Detroit District staff to know that we value the partnership between the Corps of Engineers, the County of Midland, the City of Midland, and the MBA. We started working with the Corps in 2021 on the first study of the Tittabawassee River Watershed,” said Stamas.

“We were happy to accept the invitation and join the commanders, their families, staff and other members of the community at an uplifting ceremony,” said Schuette. “We were able to speak to several members of the Detroit District team who will be working on our second Army Corps study, critical to the development of long-term solutions for lessening the frequency and severity of flooding in our region. That second study will be beginning this year.”

About the MBA Advisory Committee on Infrastructure

Formed in 2021 by the Midland Business Alliance Board of Directors, the advisory committee’s structure is made up of MBA board members, members of the community at large, an MBA staff representative, and ex officio (non-voting) representatives from the Four Lakes Task Force, the County of Midland and the City of Midland. The committee was charged with determining how best to work with local, state and federal partners to address longstanding issues that impact citizens, the business community and economic development. The first task was to address legacy flooding challenges and related sanitary sewer issues. In addition to communicating with stakeholders and collaborators, the committee also reports back regularly to the MBA Board of Directors. Visit www.MBAmi.org/FloodStudy for more information.

About the Midland Business Alliance

The Midland Business Alliance (MBA) represents more than 3,000 businesses as Midland's business hub. The goal of the MBA is to support the attraction, development and growth of businesses throughout Midland by providing an integrated portfolio of tools and resources. Additionally, the MBA manages the Midland Area Farmers Market and Midland Blooms. Visit www.MBAmi.org for more information.