Michigan State University is set to embark on the Fall 2025 Spartan Bus Tour, a three-day trip celebrating the university’s partnerships and impact across northern Michigan, and one of the scheduled stops on the tour is Mammoth Distilling, a Northern Michigan-based craft distillery in Central Lake that is owned by MSU alumni Chad Munger (B.A. in English) and his wife, Tracy Hickman (B.A. in Interior Design).
Munger was the MSU College of Arts & Letters Spring 2025 Alumni Commencement Speaker. During his commencement speech, he reminded graduates that they are joining a network of more than 500,000 Spartan alums and encouraged them to use, nurture, and give back to that network.
“One of the most powerful things Michigan State has given me is connection, not just in my time in East Lansing but every year since. Not just connection to ideas, but to people — People who changed my life by taking chances on me and who opened themselves up personally and professionally and gave me opportunities to give back. People I never would have met anywhere else,” Munger said in his commencement address. “Some of the best things that ever happened to me came because someone, somewhere, answered my call, my text, my ‘Go Green!’ with, ‘Go White!’ and a hand reaching back…Stay connected, because connection is not just the secret to professional success, it’s the secret to a full, rich life.”
“One of the most powerful things Michigan State has given me is connection, not just in my time in East Lansing but every year since.”
Chad Munger
The Spartan Bus Tour, a twice-yearly event that connects MSU leadership and faculty directly with communities across the state, is one way that Munger and Hickman are maintaining their Spartan connection. From Oct. 19-21, MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., will travel with faculty and university leaders through northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, visiting more than a dozen communities to meet partners, see local projects firsthand, and explore new ways to collaborate. The goal is to listen, learn, and strengthen partnerships that benefit all Michiganders.
The Spartan Bus Tour is scheduled to stop at the Mammoth Distilling location in Central Lake on Sunday, Oct. 19. In 2013, Munger and Hickman founded Mammoth Distilling, which now has six tasting rooms located throughout the state, including the Central Lake location.
Munger’s work as co-owner and CEO of Mammoth Distilling has led him to uncover the forgotten history of rye in the state of Michigan, once the leading producer of rye in North America. In partnership with Michigan State University, Munger is working to resurrect and reestablish this historically important crop to the state.
Munger and Hickman also have maintained their connection to MSU in many other ways, including currently serving on the campaign committee to MSU’s $4 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign and working to grow alumni engagement.
For more information on Munger and his journey from MSU graduate, to entrepreneur, to reviving Michigan’s rye crop, and to the many ways he and Hickman have given back and stay connected to MSU, read the College of Arts & Letters article, “English Alum Distills Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, and Spartan Spirit.”
Also, you can follow the Spartan Bus Tour on social media while it’s on the road by using the hashtag #SpartanBusTour and by following along on the president’s accounts. Now a bi-annual event, the tour will continue to explore other regions of the Great Lakes State.
By Kim Popiolek
