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Mike Thompson has managed the Portage County Safety Council since 2012. Under his leadership, the program has hosted nearly 200 training events, has won or been nominated for 5 Safety Council of The Year awards and 2 Celebrate Portage Best Public Health Initiative awards. Mike has a passion for collaboration that has resulted in 5 public service awareness campaigns, 3 county-wide Workplace Safety & Health Expos, a free workplace wellness publication and numerous special events. He is also the producer and co-host of the Portage County Safety Council Podcast which has published nearly 300 episodes and over 80 hours of original workplace safety & health content that has been downloaded in over 50 nations!

What do you enjoy the most about serving at the Portage County Safety Council?

“I love the people I get to see and work with every month! I arguably have one of the best steering committees in the state. At the time of this writing, more than half of our committee members have served 7 or more years, 15 years being the highest. Without the commitment of these professionals, I couldn’t do anything.

If I had to pin down just one thing that I’ve enjoyed the most about serving at the Portage County Safety Council, it would likely be the opportunity it provides for impact. Whether it’s the training, the expos, the campaigns, the podcasts or the annual food drives, I’ve enjoyed working with our steering committee and community partners to push the boundaries on what it means to be a safety council.”

What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time serving at the Portage County Safety Council?

“Looking back, some of my favorite accomplishments are the podcast, campaigns, expos and simply growing the Safety Council while maintaining a fun and welcoming atmosphere. We’ve spent a lot of time and had a lot of fun with the podcast so if I had to pick one, it would have to be it.  When you get to work with incredible people from around the nation (including national level coaches, authors, professors and TEDx speakers) and have people from over 50 nations listen to it, it’s something anyone can be proud of.

A more subtle, unsung, behind the scenes accomplishment that I’m proud of is helping to shift the identity and vision of Portage County. In previous roles and when I first started at the PCSC, I often heard people throughout the community express limited beliefs on who Portage County is and what we can do together as a community at large. They would often say things like, “Mike, why are you always trying to push the limit? We are Portage County; we don’t need to be doing all these things.” I know we are not the only ones and probably not the most impactful, but I’m convinced our hard work, creativity and continuous collaboration with partners throughout the community has helped expand what people believe Portage County is and what it can be.”