Living United: The Verplank Family

When Gary and Midge Verplank started their companies, they made a promise to give back to the community where they were founded. Over the years, Gary and Midge have helped give back to different causes in the West Michigan area, including United Way.

“We are not the singular reason for the success of our companies,” said Midge. “We owe something to the community and those associates. One way we can do that is making sure that our companies and ourselves participate in the well-being of the community that we live and work in.”

On Thursday, March 24, the Verplank family received the G.W. Haworth Strength of the Community Award for recognition of everything they’ve done for the Greater Ottawa County communities and the differences they’ve made over the year.

The legacy of the Verplank family continues with Tony, president of Pliant Plastics, and Kyle Verplank, general manager of Light Corp., and their families who are very involved with United Way. Tony and his wife, Monica served as the campaign chairs last year for Ottawa County United Way and continue to volunteer on many different boards throughout the West Michigan area. Kyle and his wife, Samantha donate a lot of their time to local organizations, including the People’s Center, they also served on the board for the North Ottawa Community Health System Pulse ER campaign cabinet and more.

Thank you to Gary and Midge who have provided lots of opportunities in the community, and thanks to all of the associates who have helped give back along the way.