Beyond the Ballpark - West Michigan Whitecaps

Discover the story behind one of West Michigan’s most iconic entertainment brands. In this members-only experience, co-founder Lew Chamberlin and current CEO Joe Chamberlin share how vision, persistence, and a love of baseball transformed a small minor league team into a powerhouse franchise, culminating in MiLB’s 2025 Organization of the Year award.

Through this fireside-chat style session, attendees will hear how the Whitecaps grew from a modest ballpark team into a multifaceted entertainment organization, navigating challenges, embracing opportunity, and keeping fans and community at the heart of every decision.

Following the conversation, enjoy an exclusive guided tour of the newly updated facility, with a behind-the-scenes look at the operations, strategy, and creativity that continue to drive the Whitecaps forward for the next generation.




Joe Chamberlin has served as CEO and Managing Partner of the West Michigan Whitecaps since 2019. The Whitecaps are the High A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark, a privately held 8,500 seat entertainment venue located just north of Grand Rapids in Comstock Park, MI. Joe’s appointment as CEO and Managing Partner ushered in a second generation of his family’s controlling interest in the franchise, as the team was founded by his dad, Lew Chamberlin, in 1994.
 
In his time with the Whitecaps Joe has helped strengthen the foundation that will ensure the team remains one West Michigan’s most valued community assets and one of MiLB’s premier franchises, while also expanding the organization’s reach. In 2017 the organization entered the snack food distribution space, now operating as one of the largest distributors of Dippin Dots Ice Cream in the United States and in 2018 Joe founded the Traverse City Pit Spitters, a summer collegiate baseball team playing in Traverse City, MI, and led the acquisition of Turtle Creek Stadium, one of Northern Michigan’s premier outdoor entertainment venues.




Lew Chamberlin holds the positions of Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer for Whitecaps Baseball. Lew was instrumental in bringing the Whitecaps to West Michigan; he began the process of bringing a minor league franchise to the area in 1987 and didn't rest until the team's inception in 1994. 

A native of Grand Rapids, Lew remains an active participant in the West Michigan community and has served on the boards of numerous community organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitor Bureau and also serves as one of the seven members of the Convention/Arena Authority, the quasi-public board that owns and operates the VanAndel Arena and DeVos Place. More recently, Lew has been serving as a member of the First Steps Commission whose goal is to help build a comprehensive system of support for Kent County's youngest children ages zero to five. In support of his early childhood work Lew was appointed by Governor Granholm to serve on the Executive Board of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation and also sits on the Children's Leadership Council of Michigan, a statewide group of business leaders advocating for early childhood investment.

Chamberlin was presented with the Warren Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also Michigan's Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996.