The Otsego Community Foundation is fortunate to have dedicated volunteers who generously share their time, talents, and experience to help strengthen our community. This month, we're proud to spotlight Randy Stults, a member of OCF's Governance Committee and a lifelong advocate for thoughtful community leadership.
Since moving to the Waters area in 1989, Randy has built an impressive legacy of service through local government, planning, parks and recreation, economic development, and small business mentorship. His deep understanding of our region, combined with his commitment to preserving the qualities that make Northern Michigan special, brings tremendous value to the Foundation's work.
We invite you to get to know Randy better through the questions and answers below and learn what inspires his commitment to helping Otsego County thrive for generations to come.
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I moved to Waters area in 1989 with a job change that had me managing the marketing and sales for a property and casualty insurance company in the Northern tip of Michigan. I am now retired and continue to live on a small lake in the Waters area.
I enjoy golf, fishing, yard work and being outdoors in all seasons. My parents were involved in community service with my father, a volunteer firefighter and my mother active in leadership with Camp Fire and Boy Scouts. I wanted to give something back to the community after moving here and started attending the Otsego Lake Township Board meetings. This led me to filling a vacancy with the Otsego Lake Township Planning Commission. I was appointed as the Township representative on the Otsego County Planning Commission and was soon elected the vice-chairman. With the death of the County Planning Commission chairperson, I became the chairperson and served there for several years. As Chairperson of the Planning Commission, I was a member of the Otsego County Zoning Board of Appeals and the Otsego County Parks and Recreation Commission.
When I left the Planning Commission, the Board of Appeals and Parks and Recreation Commission seats also were vacated. I missed the community involvement and applied for a seat on the Otsego County Parks and Recreation Commission starting in 2016. I currently am the vice-president of it and did fill the secretary office for a number of years. I continue to be regular at the County Planning Commission meetingsand serve as a citizen member on some of their committees. I also often will be at Zoning Board of Appeals meetings and the County Board of Commissioners meetings. Today I continue giving back to the community as the Deputy Supervisor for Otsego Lake Township and am a Score mentor as part of the United States, Small Business Administration Score Program.
I do not have family living in the area but visit my brother in Florida for a break from the winter here and he visits me for several weeks in the summer. I have two sisters living in the greater Lansing area.
2. What do you love most about living in Otsego County?
I enjoy the four seasons the Otsego County area offers along with the welcome feeling that the people living here offer to new visitors and residents. The community offers so much to all who spend time here.
3. When you think about the future, what are your hopes for our community?
The “up-north” feel of this area brings so many people to the area and I hope that with thoughtful, designed land use, growth can continue to offer the attributes that have allowed the successful expansion while facing the issues that come with it.
4. What inspired you to volunteer with OCF, and what are you most excited about in your role?
I wanted to help an organization with my understanding of the community, my background and knowledge of how progress can happen without forgetting how we got here and how we can continue to take advantage of that history. The OCF allows me to be in the background but provide leadership to the whole community.
5. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Ask the questions that others are not willing to ask or think after hearing the question, I wish I had asked that.
