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 State and national economic climates are the top concerns of Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce members in 2012, according to the results of an annual survey.
The rising cost of health care and state and municipal budget management rounded out the top five concerns in the survey, which helps the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce set advocacy priorities for the year.
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 WEST MICHIGAN — As small business owners adapt to a new tax system in Michigan, a recurring question Dan Lynn hears from clients is whether they should change how their business is organized.
Should they switch, for instance, from a c-corp to an s-corp or an LLC?
A tax partner at the Grand Rapids office of Beane Garter LLP, Lynn advises clients to take a broader view of things. Business owners need to consider much more than how Michigan’s new corporate income tax will affect their company, Lynn said.
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WEST MICHIGAN — Entrepreneurs looking to surround themselves with other innovative thinkers take note: TEDx events are returning to West Michigan.
TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” that organizes a system of talks, events, and conferences that have become popular in recent years. Recently, independently organized TEDx events cropped up in several cities in West Michigan, including Holland, Grand Rapids and Muskegon.
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Returning military veterans have always been faced with the dual challenges of returning to civilian life and finding a job when they arrive home from serving in America’s wars.
Thousands of ex-military people are facing those challenges again as U.S. military action ends in Iraq. Like many of their civilian counterparts, some are deciding to start businesses and create their own jobs rather than trying to find one.
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 WEST MICHIGAN — Justin Bajema was “blown up in an ambush” in Iraq.
He underwent eight surgeries during six weeks of being hospitalized, and that was followed by some intense rehabilitation and extensive soul searching about “what the next step was going to be.”
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MICHIGAN — With manufacturing leading a turnaround in the state’s fortunes, the country is starting to take notice of the health of the Michigan economy.
News that Bloomberg Businessweek named the state’s economy as the second healthiest in the nation and that the state’s unemployment was down 0.5 percent to 10.6 percent in October buoyed business leaders’ sentiments. However, while two surveys of businesses show a more nuanced picture, business executives remain confident about the state’s future, but less so about that of the nation’s economy.
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 CALHOUN COUNTY — It’s a good time to be a craft brewer.
Sure, the beer is great, but the business is better.
Tim Suprise, owner and president of Arcadia Brewing Company, is in the midst of planning for future expansion of the 14-year-old craft brewing company. Speaking to MiBiz in the taproom of his Battle Creek operations, Suprise explained the 30,000 square feet of existing space along West Michigan Avenue is constraining the company, which is growing at a 38-percent annual rate.
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 BATTLE CREEK — There’s much more to Battle Creek than breakfast.
That’s the sound bite that Kara Beer, executive director of the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce, drops during an interview with MiBiz.
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