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History and Founding Principles
In 1950, Willard ”Bill” and Jessie Pierce and their two sons, Joe and Gary, moved to Hastings, Michigan from Battle Creek. Bill had moved his family to Hastings to become the new manager of the Montgomery Ward store. Later Bill and Doug DeCamp, along with four other investors, founded Flexfab, which grew into Flexfab Horizons International, Inc. (FHI). Doug DeCamp is now the chairman and CEO of FHI which manufactures flexible hosing and related products in Hastings and various other domestic and overseas locations.
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In 1988, Bill and Jessie formed The Willard G. Pierce and Jessie M. Pierce Foundation as a way to give back to the community that meant so much to them. The Foundation, with a mission to support projects that make a significant contribution to improving the quality of life in Barry County, has given numerous grants to the Hastings Area School District, the First Presbyterian Church, Love Inc., Charlton Park, as well as nearly twenty other Barry County non-profit organizations. Bill and Jessie passed away in 1998, but just prior to their deaths, the idea of building an ecological education center was conceived while visiting a friend's house and enjoying the natural beauty of Barry County.
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In August of 1998, 555 acres in Baltimore Township were purchased. Later four additional parcels were purchased, bringing the total to 661 acres. The main parcel of land is protected by a conservation easement that is held by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. The Institute hired its first employee and director, Dr. Gary Pierce, in November of 1998. Construction of a Research Laboratory, Visitor Center, Education Building, and housing began that same year. By February of 2001, the Institute was receiving guests in the Visitor Center and had a grand opening celebration that summer.
The Institute's original strategic plan that called for the development of a research and educational program to put the Institute in the forefront of environmental education in Southwest Michigan was updated in 2007. The new strategic plan, which will guide efforts from 2008 to 2010, builds upon the original plan while expanding the vision of the Institute into a leading force and vibrant center for environmental education and research, resulting in awareness, appreciation and preservation of the natural world.
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