As 2025 winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on a year defined by meaningful work and strong partnerships. It was a busy year, but more importantly, it was a purposeful one — shaped by organizations doing important, strategic work and trusting us to support it.
Throughout the year, our clients navigated constant change, advanced bold ideas, and put in the hard work required to make real progress. We’re proud to have been alongside them as that work unfolded.
Here are the top moments of 2025 that reaffirmed why we do this work and reinforced our commitment to leaving the world a little better than we found it.
Top Bellwether Moments of 2025
Jill Dieters Joins as Creative Director – April 2025
This past April, Jill Deiters joined our team from Public Sector Consultants and brought a wealth of experience crafting top-tier visuals for the firm and its clients. She was an immediate hit, both internally with our team and externally with clients, and helped deliver an added level of creative passion and strategic direction that has brought our firm’s visual storytelling to new heights.
Bellwether Academy Helps Clients Master the Media and Legislative Testimony – June 2025
Knowing our clients are often put in the spotlight to speak to reporters and lawmakers about key policy issues, our firm developed Bellwether Academy to give them the tools to deliver their messages in a clear and confident manner in high-stakes situations. Hosted at WKAR, participants received valuable insight on how to craft powerful messages, anticipate questions and perform when the spotlight is on. They then put those lessons into practice in front of real journalists and elected officials volunteered their time to provide the most realistic experience possible.
Bellwether PR celebrates one-year anniversary and six wins at 2025 PACE Awards – October 2025
After transitioning from Martin Waymire, Bellwether Public Relations marked its first anniversary with a standout showing at the 2025 Central Michigan Public Relations Society of America (CMPRSA) PACE Awards, earning six honors for excellence in strategic communications and public relations.
The awards — including three first-place Pinnacle Awards, the competition’s top recognition — highlight Bellwether’s work on behalf of clients that advances the public good, promotes economic growth, and fosters community impact across Michigan.
Top 10 Client Highlights of 2025
1. Cooper’s Hawk Grand Opening – February 2025
Following a series of media previews and well-attended mock lunches, the nationally recognized Napa-style restaurant and winery Cooper’s Hawk held a grand opening event at their first Mid-Michigan location on Lake Lansing Road, bringing a fresh new dining experience to the greater Lansing area.
2. Saab Groundbreaking – April 2025
With a strong community engagement approach, Saab broke ground on a new $75 million, 140,000-square-foot munitions facility in the Grayling Industrial Park to produce military munitions and systems, marking a significant job-creating investment in Northern Michigan.
3. Michigan Community Action’s 50th Anniversary – April 2025
Always leading with a hand up and not a handout, Michigan Community Action, the parent organization of Michigan’s 27 Community Action Agencies, celebrated its 50-year milestone of successfully serving clients in all 83 counties with continued engagement, commitment and dedication.
4. URC Becomes RU4M and Adds Michigan Technological University – Spring 2025
After nearly 20 years as a group of three, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University welcomed Michigan Technological University as the state’s newest R1 research institution just before their full rebrand as Research Universities for Michigan (RU4M) in May.
5. Protect MI Care Vigil – June 2025
A diverse and dedicated Protect MI Care coalition of over 260 organizations across Michigan stood in solidarity during a peaceful vigil on the Capitol steps to shine a light on the need to safeguard Medicaid funding for millions of Michiganders and Americans.
6. Michigan Association of Health Plans’ 40th Annual Conference – July 2025
MAHP’s 40th Annual Conference brought together health care leaders, policymakers, and partners in Traverse City for three days of dialogue and a special 40-year anniversary celebration, underscoring the strength of its membership and the shared commitment to improving health outcomes for all Michiganders.
7. MITA Rally to Save Our Jobs & Fund Our Roads – September 2025
The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association hosted a rally on the Capitol lawn with over 4,000 construction workers and industry partners to urge legislative investment to address Michigan’s need for sustainable, dedicated funding to fix the roads.
8. MASO/MASA’s Budget Presser – September 2025
In a show of collaboration and unity, the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity and the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators held a joint press conference urgently calling upon legislative leaders to pass a fair and balanced budget on behalf of Michigan’s students.
9. Michigan Library Association’s Protect MI Right to Read Petition – October 2025
The Michigan Library Association successfully collected over 4,300 signatures calling on Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature to defend the freedom to read, support library workers, and protect critical statewide library programs like MeL and MeLCat.
10. Steelcase Foundation’s Year One Impact Report – November 2025
The Steelcase Foundation celebrated the first year of its 10-year, $10 million Investment in Families Initiative with the release of its Year One Impact Report, which revealed the powerful impact of centering families in the design and delivery of support systems to strengthen well-being, dismantle structural barriers, and inform scalable policy and philanthropic solutions.
As we close out 2025, we’re grateful for our team, the trust our clients place in us, and the opportunity to support work that truly matters. These highlights represent just a snapshot of a year defined by collaboration, persistence and shared purpose. We’re proud of what we accomplished together, and even more excited for what’s ahead in 2026.