The foundation has seen a great deal of change in its 40-year history, from programming to the property. And when it comes to Big Rock Valley (BRV), our 2,000-acre home in southwest Michigan, I’d say there have been more changes in the last six months than the past five years…
Cortney Lorenz started Cultured Kombucha Co. in 2015, introducing the first kombucha microbrewery to Michigan. In the past 10 years, she has taken the Traverse City-based company from startup stage, selling its multiflavored fermented tea at farmer’s markets, to an award-winning second-stage business that now distributes its products to more than 500 restaurants, breweries and stores. Among recent milestones, Cultured Kombucha was named a 2025 Michigan Companies to Watch honoree this spring, and the company is getting reach to launch a new line of canned kombucha.
For the past several years the foundation has offered a seasonal conservation steward program to accelerate growth for future natural resources professionals. Below, Dawson Porter, a student at Michigan State University, discusses his experience from this summer.
“When I think growth, I no longer think numbers. I think strategy,” says Moe Alakoli, CEO of PALLETCO. “It’s much easier to think in numbers, but it’s not sustainable.”