A Family Legacy That Keeps Giving Back: Recapping the 2026 Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing
There are a lot of golf outings in West Michigan.
But there is obviously one that hits a little differently for our family: the Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing, Driving to Achieve.
The 2026 outing took place Monday, August 10 at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, bringing together golfers, businesses, friends, and community supporters for a day that was about much more than golf.
And yes, Swift Printing was once again proud to be a sponsor.
For us, this one is personal.
Who Was Walt Gutowski Sr.?
Walt Gutowski Sr. was my grandpa and the founder of Swift Printing Company in Grand Rapids.
He started printing out of his home in 1950 and moved Swift Printing to our current home at 404 Bridge Street NW in 1954. Three generations later, we are still here printing away on Bridge Street.
Grandpa was a character.
He worked incredibly hard, loved people, loved printing, and had a sense of humor that allowed him to get away with things most people probably could not. He also had a strong belief that if you were fortunate enough to have a successful business, you should use that success to help the community around you.
That part of his legacy is something I think about a lot.
The YMCA was particularly meaningful to him. Years ago, Swift Printing made a commitment to support the YMCA golf outing in his name, and our family has continued that relationship long after Grandpa passed away.
When you see Walt Gutowski Sr. on the name of this event, it is obviously special to us. But what I appreciate even more is that his name is connected to an event that continues doing good for people in Grand Rapids.
That feels very fitting.
What Does the Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing Support?
This is where the golf outing becomes much bigger than a nice day at Blythefield.
Money raised through the outing supports YMCA programs that help make our community healthier and more accessible, including swim lessons, childcare, youth sports, wellness programs, and services for families, adults, and seniors.
When we talk about “supporting the Y,” sometimes that sounds broad. But think about what it actually means.
It could mean a child learning how to swim safely.
A working parent having dependable childcare.
A kid finding a sport they love and a group of friends to go with it.
A cancer survivor having a place and program to regain strength.
An older adult finding a community that keeps them moving and connected.
Those are real people and real outcomes.
That is why events like this matter.
Why Swift Printing Continues to Sponsor the Outing
There is the obvious answer: it is named after our founder.
But that alone would not be enough reason to keep showing up year after year.
We support the outing because the mission aligns with the kind of company we want Swift Printing to be.
I firmly believe a business can be profitable, take great care of its customers, invest in its employees, and care deeply about the community where it operates.
Those things are not mutually exclusive.
In fact, I think they strengthen one another.
When customers choose a local commercial printer like Swift, the impact of that purchase goes farther than the printed piece.
It helps employ local people.
It helps support local suppliers and organizations.
And it allows businesses like ours to turn around and sponsor events like the Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing.
That is one of my favorite parts of owning a local business.
You print your envelopes, postcards, brochures, newsletters, signs, direct mail, or whatever else with us, and some of those dollars eventually find their way right back into West Michigan.
That is a pretty great cycle.
A Great Day for Grand Rapids Businesses to Come Together
Golf outings are also really good reminders that business relationships do not always need to happen around a conference table.
You put people on a golf course for several hours, and eventually they actually get to know one another.
Novel concept, right? 😂
The Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing brings together companies from across West Michigan that may compete in some areas, collaborate in others, or simply share the common belief that strengthening the community is worth investing in.
And We Almost Brought Home First Place
Pictured is Jake Slaydon, Charlie Hoats, Shawn Sremba & Walt Gutowski Jr. in front of the Swift Printing tee sign.
There was also a little competitive drama for the Swift crew.
Jake Slaydon, Walt Gutowski, Shawn Sremba, and Charlie Hoats finished tied for first place and then lost in the tiebreaker.
So close!
Of course, I am going to focus on the “tied for first” part and conveniently move past the rest. 😂
It made an already meaningful day even more fun and gave our group something to talk about long after the last putt dropped.
Thank You to the 2026 Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing Sponsors
The 2026 outing had an impressive list of businesses and organizations stepping up to support the YMCA.
Title Sponsor
Acrisure
Platinum Sponsor
Huntington Bank
Gold Sponsors
Frontier Electrical
Matrix
Swift Printing
Varnum
Food and Beverage Sponsors
Founders Brewing Company
Hurst Mechanical
Independent Bank
Mahou USA
Pure Architects
West Michigan Sports Commission
Silver Sponsors
ChoiceOne Bank
EGYM
KeyBank
Lake Michigan Credit Union
Litehouse Inc.
Rockford Construction
UFP Industries
Wolverine Building Group
Bronze Sponsors
Alera Group
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Care Resources PACE
Chuck Frayer
Doeren Mayhew
Eikenhout
Feyen Zylstra
H&S Companies
John Grace Restoration & Construction
Life Fitness
Meijer
M&M Garage Doors
North Central Area Credit Union
Plante Moran
Pondera Advisors
Progressive Companies
Sneller Snow and Grounds
Trane
University of Michigan Health-West
West Michigan Whitecaps
XYZ Motors/Car City
Contest and Tee Sponsors
Advantage Mechanical Refrigeration
Allied Mechanical Services
Borgman Ford
Consumers Credit Union
Corewell Health
Linsey Gleason
Gun Lake Investments
ICC Electric
Kentwood Office Furniture
NAI Wisinski of West Michigan
Offramp Tech
Pioneer Construction
Precor
The IT Group
True Fitness
Additional organizations also donated experiences, prizes, and support, including the Acrisure Amphitheater, Chop House Grand Rapids, Consumers Credit Union, Design One Salon and Spa, DreamScapes Bakery, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Golf 616, Grand Rapids Griffins, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids Rise, Harmonic Egg GR, John Ball Zoo, Maple Hill Golf, Siegel Jewelers, Spesh Construction, and Wealthy Theatre.
That is a whole lot of West Michigan businesses choosing to invest in the same mission.
Pretty cool.
Community Involvement Is Part of the Swift Printing Story
I talk about community involvement a lot, but it is because it genuinely is part of who we are.
It was part of who my grandpa was.
It is important to my dad.
And now, as my brother Walt and I lead the third generation of Swift Printing, it is something we continue to prioritize.
Swift has been on Bridge Street for more than 70 years. You cannot stay in one community that long without realizing how connected everything is.
Our customers become friends.
Our vendors become partners.
Our neighbors become customers.
Employees volunteer for organizations.
Customers sit on nonprofit boards.
Someone you meet at a golf outing calls you six months later because they need a printing project.
And sometimes somebody simply learns about a cause they had never heard of before and decides to help.
That is community.
It is messy and interconnected and not always measurable on a spreadsheet.
But I believe it matters.
Printing, Golf, and Carrying a Legacy Forward
One of the interesting things about being part of a third-generation family business is that your history is always around you.
Grandpa's old desk is still part of our world.
There are old pieces of printing equipment around the shop.
We have photos, stories, old printed pieces, and customers who remember him.
But I do not think honoring a legacy means keeping everything exactly the way it was.
It means figuring out which values are worth carrying forward.
For Walt Sr., those values included working hard, taking care of customers, loving what you do, and giving back.
The equipment at Swift Printing looks very different than it did when he started the company in 1950.
The values really do not.
And every year when our family sees The Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing on the calendar, it is another little reminder of that.
Thank You, YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids
Thank you to the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids team, the volunteers, Blythefield Country Club, the golfers, and every business that sponsored or supported the 2026 Driving to Achieve outing.
Putting on a successful fundraiser takes an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work, and we are grateful to everyone who keeps this event going year after year.
Most importantly, thank you for continuing to put my grandpa's name on an event that supports something he cared so deeply about.
Our family does not take that lightly.
I wish he could see it.
Although knowing Grandpa, he would probably spend about 30 seconds being sentimental and then ask everyone why they were standing around instead of getting back to work. 😂
Sounds about right.
Proudly Printed in Grand Rapids
Swift Printing is a third-generation, family-owned commercial printing company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, associations, and organizations throughout West Michigan.
From direct mail, envelopes, postcards, brochures, and newsletters to booklets, signage, wide-format printing, labels, and specialty print projects, our team loves helping organizations communicate through print.
And thanks to our customers, we are also able to continue supporting organizations and community events like the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids and the Walt Gutowski Sr. YMCA Golf Outing.
So truly, thank you.
Every order helps us keep printing the world a little better.
