About Michael

My name is Michael Brummer. My wife Ann and I reside in Effingham with our three happy girls. I was born and raised in Teutopolis.

My entrepreneurial journey started with a hot dog cart and has grown into a career centered around hospitality, real estate, and creating places that bring people together. After graduating from the University of Illinois in Champaign with a degree in Tourism Management, I lived in Chicago, St. Louis, and Phoenix before returning home to Effingham.

I have since developed businesses including Exchange Stays, Exchange 1890 Coworking, and Wheat Penny. Along the way, I’ve helped build community events like Ham City Fall Fest, joined local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and YBNext, and taken on projects focused on making Effingham a better place to live, visit, and do business. At heart, I’m an entrepreneur, host, and space developer who loves taking an idea and figuring out how to make it real.

I’ve been fortunate to travel to many countries. I’ve learned that you can go to the most beautiful places in the world, but ultimately the people make the place. My travels just reinforced that the people in the Effingham area are some of the best in the world. This is where I want to live and raise my family. I hope someday my children will come to love it as much as I do.