May 9, 2025 • 4 mins
Russ Hines with River Bank Events and Media, Will Templeton with the Amway Corporation and Scott Stenstrom with Fifth Third Bank join us to discuss tomorrow's big race!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning News. It's Steve Kelly and
Brett Makita and tomorrow is the forty eighth annual Amway
Riverbank Run in studio the heavy hitters. We'll start with
the race directors. Russ Hines, thank you for coming in today.
Thank you, mister Kelly. Vice president of Marketing and Communications
at Fifth third Bank. Scott Stenstrom is here morning and
(00:24):
title sponsor Will Templeton with Amway. We have to start
with you as it's been the Amway Riverbank Run for
a little while. Now let's talk about the commitment that
connection between Amway and this great race.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yes, Steve, absolutely, this is our seventh year as title sponsor.
We love this event. Right, West Michigan is such an
important community for us. Our business is global, but we
have two and a half thousand employees in Ada, so
this is our home. Showing up for the single day,
largest sporting event in West Michigan is awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, and literally right, there's volunteers all over the city
of Grand Rapids, and a lot of them come from
you guys.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah. It takes over a thousand volunteers. Over the course
of race week. We have over three hundred and fifty
coming from Amway between our employees, family and friends and
at business owners.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Well, people are going to be excited. I was at
your press conference out at your headquarters a couple of
weeks ago, and the big thing that really got the
eyebrows raised the metals and what they look like, redesigned
the logo and everything. People are going to be excited.
They are going to be participating in one of these
events coming up tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
The designs are really cool. They really bring to life,
you know, the energy of the race and the spirit
of the city. They were designed by our own internal
creative team at Amway, So we're really proud of that.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Scott, same question for you, as Fifth Third has been
a part of this thing as long as I can remember.
Talk to us about the connection the employees that we'll
see out there too.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, forty eight year connection as a matter of fact.
I mean, we're always proud to be like that. You know,
the organization that started the race, you know, to bring
people downtown. We've got a couple hundred employees that are
going to jump in and help us pull this thing
off this weekend. And you know the size of the
medals I'm thinking about stopping working the event and I'm
going to go run this time because those things are incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, that's my second question. Where are we on that
actually running.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
We're pretty far away right now because I really enjoy
the role that I'm in, which is not running and
supporting Russ and whatever he needs to do to make
this a successful event.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Well answered.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
I got to ask all you guys about your tans
that you have, because weather is always the big thing
on race week. And know these guys were out Wednesday.
My daughter actually was a volunteer for this love the event,
first time she's ever done it. But the Mway Junior
big success. Kudos guys, and that started what's going to
be a great weekend. Cross your fingers for weather.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Yeah, no doubt. I mean we're he you comeing to
Riverbank Run weekend. We are always thankful for dry. Doesn't
have to be really warm, but dry is perfect.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Let's talk about if you've not registered yet, about packet
pick up, about parking, about downtown, about tomorrow, Russ hines,
what do we need to know?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Well, all the informations available at Amway Riverbank Run dot com.
But we're at the devas place today starting at eleven
o'clock and we're open until eight o'clock this evening, So
if you haven't if you haven't registered yet, come on down.
We'll get you registered, whether it's for the five k walk,
the five k run, the ten k, or the twenty
five k. And then it's also the free health and
(03:14):
Wellness Expo and it's open to the public. So if
you work downtown you're looking for something to do on
your lunch hour, come on over and see us.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
RUSS numbers look tremendous for all the events, I know
that you are well attended. With all the kids that
came out with the Mway, Junior, I want you to
talk about that, but also speaking of because it's all
about the runners and the participants, right and even people
involved in the volunteers. I know you're excited about the entertainment.
You just keep taking to another level. With all those
aid stations, which are big runners. Always tell me that
I need that final push. They got a band out
(03:43):
their plane or whatever that really can give you that
lift you need.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
So the first thing you mentioned was, Junior, we had
eight hundred and twenty five kids show.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
Wow, that was really a big success for us in
regards to entertainment on the course. You know, thanks to
soaring Ego Casino and Resort were able to bring in
and we have either aid station or a DJ or
a band almost every mile that's out there this year.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
So we're really trying to increase the amount of people
that are out there cheering you on and that kind
of thing, and we're expecting just even more spectators this year.
We've already surpassed last year's registration number, so you know,
and last year on Friday we hit over a thousand
people register, so we're hoping that it'll be something similar
to today.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
So when Scott hits the wall at mile twenty two,
there's three more bands you got. You gotta keep it going.
If he's still running twenty two, there's a problem.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
There is because he is the finish last.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Okay, sorry kilometers.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
The benefit the doubt one.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
He's just gonna keep going to holland just keep going.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
And Russ Hines is the race director. Scott Stenstrom with
Fifth Third Bank and with Amway and Will Templeton. Thank
you guys for coming and best wishes for a great
race tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Thanks thanks, thanks for having us
This is West Michigan's Morning News. It's Steve Kelly and
Brett Makita and tomorrow is the forty eighth annual Amway
Riverbank Run in studio the heavy hitters. We'll start with
the race directors. Russ Hines, thank you for coming in today.
Thank you, mister Kelly. Vice president of Marketing and Communications
at Fifth third Bank. Scott Stenstrom is here morning and
(00:24):
title sponsor Will Templeton with Amway. We have to start
with you as it's been the Amway Riverbank Run for
a little while. Now let's talk about the commitment that
connection between Amway and this great race.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yes, Steve, absolutely, this is our seventh year as title sponsor.
We love this event. Right, West Michigan is such an
important community for us. Our business is global, but we
have two and a half thousand employees in Ada, so
this is our home. Showing up for the single day,
largest sporting event in West Michigan is awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah, and literally right, there's volunteers all over the city
of Grand Rapids, and a lot of them come from
you guys.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah. It takes over a thousand volunteers. Over the course
of race week. We have over three hundred and fifty
coming from Amway between our employees, family and friends and
at business owners.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Well, people are going to be excited. I was at
your press conference out at your headquarters a couple of
weeks ago, and the big thing that really got the
eyebrows raised the metals and what they look like, redesigned
the logo and everything. People are going to be excited.
They are going to be participating in one of these
events coming up tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
The designs are really cool. They really bring to life,
you know, the energy of the race and the spirit
of the city. They were designed by our own internal
creative team at Amway, So we're really proud of that.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Scott, same question for you, as Fifth Third has been
a part of this thing as long as I can remember.
Talk to us about the connection the employees that we'll
see out there too.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, forty eight year connection as a matter of fact.
I mean, we're always proud to be like that. You know,
the organization that started the race, you know, to bring
people downtown. We've got a couple hundred employees that are
going to jump in and help us pull this thing
off this weekend. And you know the size of the
medals I'm thinking about stopping working the event and I'm
going to go run this time because those things are incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, that's my second question. Where are we on that
actually running.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
We're pretty far away right now because I really enjoy
the role that I'm in, which is not running and
supporting Russ and whatever he needs to do to make
this a successful event.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Well answered.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
I got to ask all you guys about your tans
that you have, because weather is always the big thing
on race week. And know these guys were out Wednesday.
My daughter actually was a volunteer for this love the event,
first time she's ever done it. But the Mway Junior
big success. Kudos guys, and that started what's going to
be a great weekend. Cross your fingers for weather.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Yeah, no doubt. I mean we're he you comeing to
Riverbank Run weekend. We are always thankful for dry. Doesn't
have to be really warm, but dry is perfect.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Let's talk about if you've not registered yet, about packet
pick up, about parking, about downtown, about tomorrow, Russ hines,
what do we need to know?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Well, all the informations available at Amway Riverbank Run dot com.
But we're at the devas place today starting at eleven
o'clock and we're open until eight o'clock this evening, So
if you haven't if you haven't registered yet, come on down.
We'll get you registered, whether it's for the five k walk,
the five k run, the ten k, or the twenty
five k. And then it's also the free health and
(03:14):
Wellness Expo and it's open to the public. So if
you work downtown you're looking for something to do on
your lunch hour, come on over and see us.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
RUSS numbers look tremendous for all the events, I know
that you are well attended. With all the kids that
came out with the Mway, Junior, I want you to
talk about that, but also speaking of because it's all
about the runners and the participants, right and even people
involved in the volunteers. I know you're excited about the entertainment.
You just keep taking to another level. With all those
aid stations, which are big runners. Always tell me that
I need that final push. They got a band out
(03:43):
their plane or whatever that really can give you that
lift you need.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
So the first thing you mentioned was, Junior, we had
eight hundred and twenty five kids show.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
Wow, that was really a big success for us in
regards to entertainment on the course. You know, thanks to
soaring Ego Casino and Resort were able to bring in
and we have either aid station or a DJ or
a band almost every mile that's out there this year.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
So we're really trying to increase the amount of people
that are out there cheering you on and that kind
of thing, and we're expecting just even more spectators this year.
We've already surpassed last year's registration number, so you know,
and last year on Friday we hit over a thousand
people register, so we're hoping that it'll be something similar
to today.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
So when Scott hits the wall at mile twenty two,
there's three more bands you got. You gotta keep it going.
If he's still running twenty two, there's a problem.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
There is because he is the finish last.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Okay, sorry kilometers.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
The benefit the doubt one.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
He's just gonna keep going to holland just keep going.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
And Russ Hines is the race director. Scott Stenstrom with
Fifth Third Bank and with Amway and Will Templeton. Thank
you guys for coming and best wishes for a great
race tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Thanks thanks, thanks for having us
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