Chamber Buzz: Meet the 2025 Regional Chamber HYPE Winners
Schedule
Wed Apr 01 2026 at 08:00 am to 09:30 am
UTC-04:00Location
The Bertrand Innovation Center - 1905 Foundation Dr, Niles, MI, United States, 49120 | Niles, MI
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The Chamber Buzz presented by Everwise Credit Union is a free monthly breakfast for members that will feature updates from elected officials, community leaders, new chamber members, and special guests. New for 2026, the series will be hosted at the Berrien RESA Bertrand Innovation Center (BIC), doors open at 8:00am on the first Wednesday of the month from February through November. In April, we’ll recognize and hear from the Regional Chambers 2025 HYPE Award Winners: Alexandra Ranft, founder of Bare Naked Salts & Soaps; Kenyona Speight, co-owner of Hello Beautiful Fashion Boutique; and Emily Onken, founder of Bake Effect.
Alex is the founder of Bare Naked Salts and Soaps in Niles, Michigan. She launched the business in 2022 after her son suffered from severe dermatitis due to commercial baby products. Motivated to find a better solution, Alex crafted a line of soothing, all-natural skincare products. Today, Bare Naked offers a line of all-natural and mineral-based essentials—including magnesium butter, soaking salts, and aloe bar soaps—all designed to be gentle, healing, and safe for sensitive skin.
Kenyona Speight is the co-owner of Hello Beautiful Fashion Boutique. Kenyona graduated with a degree in Political Science, however her passion for fashion and all things beautiful came from her mother and business partner Destiny Burton, who went to Fashion Design school in 2009 at the Illinois Institute of Art.
Hello Beautiful started in 2020 as a small, family home-based jewelry business. Today, Hello Beautiful has its own storefront located at 170 E Wall Street downtown Benton Harbor and sells everything from men and women's clothing, jewelry, shoes, purses, and accessories.
Not only is Hello Beautiful dedicated to great products and services, they are also invested in seeing the people in the community uplifted and encouraged through various mentorship and outreach programs.
Emily Onken launched her first home baking business in 2019, leveraging many years of baking and restaurant experience as well as a background in events and communications. While relocating from Texas to Michigan, Emily discovered she had a contact allergy to wheat flour and was faced with the choice: either stop baking entirely or pivot to a new way of creating. In 2021, she started from scratch as Bake Effect, offering "gourmet treats made without wheat."
Emily is proud to serve the southwest Michigan community while modeling the values of tenacity, flexibility, and entrepreneurship to her young daughter.
Join us as we celebrate their journeys, learn from their entrepreneurial experiences, hear how the HYPE program supported their growth, and discover how you can help them continue building momentum together as a Chamber community.
Breakfast is complimentary, but register to reserve your spot!
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Where is it happening?
The Bertrand Innovation Center - 1905 Foundation Dr, Niles, MI, United States, 49120Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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