Larry Bell

Bell even threatened to take his money out of Kalamazoo, and use it in Portage or other surrounding cities instead.

This big donation will go a long way for future industry professionals

Bell's founder Larry Bell has made another major contribution following his sale of the brewery late last year. The Larry J.Bell Jazz Awards for jazz pianists.

It's funny how real estate and areas change. Twenty-five years ago, Food Dance at Michigan and Pitcher Streets in Kalamazoo was a fairly new restaurant on the cusp of what would become a thriving downtown restaurant and bar/beer scene in Kalamazoo.

It would be easy to simply take the money and run, but that's not what retired Bell's Brewery founder Larry Bell did. He rightfully has earned the right to take a victory lap, but on his way out the door (figuratively) he wrote a check for a million dollars to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo.

Bell's Brewery has announced the retirement of its founder, Larry Bell, with a celebratory farewell video posted this week.

Now that we've had some time to digest the stunning announcement that Larry Bell has sold Bell's Brewery to the conglomerate that owns New Belgium Brewing in Colorado, some items have been written that explain some of the thinking that went into the decision.