Bob Eder of Saugatuck Township has joined the Friends of the Blue Star Trail board of directors.
Eder and his wife Janet relocated here from Chicago in 2020, moving into a vacation home they have owned since 2008.
He is an avid cyclist and was enthused to join the board, which acts as a catalyst for extending the improving the Blue Star Trail, a recreational path meant to link Saugatuck with South Haven.
Before retiring, Eder spent the first half of his career in corporate employee benefits and treasury, the latter half as chief financial officer of several nonprofit organizations.
He has served for more than 40 years on a variety of nonprofit boards and finance, audit and investment committees; and as an elected member of his local school board in Evanston, Ill.
“We are very excited to have Bob join our board,” said Friends board chair Clark Carmichael. “He brings tremendous expertise, energy and enthusiasm to our initiative and has volunteered to act as interim board secretary.”
“I’m thrilled,” Eder added, “to join such a strong local organization which enjoys broad-based community support for building the Blue Star Trail.
“My love of bicycling dates back to my boyhood in Oak Park, Ill. My interest was reignited in 2003 when I changed jobs to a position in the Chicago Loop providing me the opportunity to bike to work on the lakefront trail,” he continued.
“The 18-mile long trail is a testament to the value of a ‘linear park’ for so many people engaged in so many activities,” Eder said.
He joins a board including Carmichael, treasurer Jack Eisinger, Kevin Martin and Nancy Kimble. Several prior board members remain highly engaged including John Adams and Sunny Hill, both emeritus, and advisors Dan Keller, Kim Redlin and Richard Donovan.
Members expect to share positive progress updates in the near future.
The 501c3 nonprofit Friends are dedicated to promote and fund construction of the Blue Star Trail (a 20-mile paved recreational trail connecting people and communities between South Haven and Saugatuck), in partnership with local communities.
The group raises money for engineering, local funding required for state/federal matching construction grants, and ongoing maintenance. The municipalities along the route apply for said grants and will own the sections of the Trail within their borders.
