Generations of Love for Lake County
In the early 1950s Morris Beverage, Sr. moved to Kirtland, Ohio from West Virginia with his wife Mary Lou for a job opportunity at the Fisher Body Division of General Motors in Euclid. They were one of many families that joined Lake County’s population boom around that time with the county showing steady population growth of 75,979 in 1950s to 212,801 in 1980s.
Their son Morris, Jr. was the first Beverage born in 7 generations outside of West Virginia since emigrating from Scotland. Up until this time, all other male relatives of Morris, Sr. had worked in coal mines. His decision of wanting something better would have rippling effects for generations. In moving to Lake County, he would expose Morris, Jr. to better educational opportunities. Morris, Jr. would be the first in his family to graduate from college when he received his degree from Lakeland Community College, the institution he now serves in the role of President. Around the same time Clayton and Mary Maynard would move from West Virginia to the Northeast Ohio area for better job prospects. They would move to Mentor, Ohio, when their youngest daughter Connie was in first grade. The couple would become members and serve as the first janitors for a new church called Willo-Hill Baptist Church in Kirtland, Ohio. Mary would continue in that role for 51 years. Morris, Sr. was also active at Willo-Hill serving as Head Usher where he would greet all church goers at the entrance every Sunday for decades. Morris, Sr. and Clayton also worked together volunteering for the church’s Sunday School program. His grandparent’s involvement at Willo-Hill was Morris, III’s first example of giving back and taking care of your community. It is also where his parents met and were married. The second generation of Beverages would also choose Lake County to start and raise a family, purchasing a home in Mentor in 1983 where the couple still resides.
Growing Up in Lake County & Gaining Experience
Morris Beverage III and his two sisters attended the Mentor school system where he thoroughly enjoyed the social interactions with his peers. He took full advantage of opportunities to develop close, life-long friendships that are still flourishing to this day. He graduated in the class of 1995 where his impact would later welcome his induction into the Mentor High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2019.
Upon completing high school, Morris continued his education at Lakeland Community College where he was able to experience first hand the “blood, sweat, and years” of his father, Dr Morris Beverage Jr. ‘s dedication to quality, affordable education. Morris would later be inducted into the Lakeland Community College Hall of Fame in 2017. Morris then continued on to Bowling Green University where he naturally gravitated towards classes to assist him in becoming an entrepreneur and a financial adviser later in life. After accepting an internship with Merrill Lynch, which would turn into a full time position, Morris transferred to Cleveland State University where he graduated with his Bachelors of Science in Business with a concentration in Economics. He went on to finish his MBA from Cleveland State University as well.
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist in Lake County
Ribbon Cutting for Lighthouse Advisers, est. 2017
Morris Beverage III has over 20 years of financial services experience working with some of the world’s largest banks and investment firms.
In 2015 he created M. W. Beverage Financial Services, which served as a first phase to what has ultimately become Lighthouse Advisers. In the 8 years since its inception, the business increased their revenue from approximately $275,000 with 3 employees to $2.5 million in approximate revenue with 13 employees.
United Way of Lake County’s Matthew A. Logies Ambassador 2017 award recipient
In addition to that incredible growth, Morris and his partners are most proud that Lighthouse Advisers has been able to infuse over $600,000 into local nonprofits through sponsorships, donations, and fundraisers. Additionally, the culture within Lighthouse Advisers encourages employees to invest countless hours serving on event and fundraising committees, as well as taking on leadership roles as board members. Because of the years of dedication to the community, Morris was honored to receive the Mentor Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Business Leader of the Year award. Morris is committed to modeling this important company objective and his ongoing and extensive fundraising involvement can be viewed here.
Morris, his wife Kerri, and his two children
Family Life in Lake County
Morris considers his greatest stroke of luck to be that of meeting his incredible wife Kerri Beverage. Her relationship and partnership has been an inspiration, contributing to the success of building a life in Lake County.
Kerri is a second generation Perry High School graduate whose grandparents also moved to Lake County in the 1950s. Morris and Kerri decided to move to Perry to continue the third generation of raising a family. Kerri and their two children are the primary motivation for every project and endeavor that Morris pours his energy into. Having spent 44 years in Lake County, Morris feels blessed to have reaped the benefits of the hard work of many before him and he is committed to working on an increased quality of life for the next generation and beyond. For Morris Luke 12:48 is a driving principle, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” It is not enough to just achieve the status quo but to actively foster a future that the generations to follow are able to thrive.
Forward Facing in Lake County
Lighting the Way – the People fundraiser in 2017
Lake County experienced a boom between the 50s and 80s and the radical increase in the quality of life that was experienced through those decades has been attributed to focused planning and strategy. Morris is dedicated to fostering and actively participating in the development of the next transformational boom in Lake County’s timeline. It has been a common thread of concern among residents that a fear of growing stagnant and irrelevant will sadly limit the ability to maintain the quality of life that Lake County has grown to love. With Morris’s experience growing up and receiving an education in Lake County, creating a small business in the financial services industry, actively advocating in the social services community, and raising a family; he has an unique perspective to plan and manage Lake County resources in an effort to sustain and enhance that quality of life for Lake County residents, businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and other agencies.