The owner and operator of a shuttered Southwest Michigan nuclear power plant may ask for about $300 million in state funding to help reopen the facility.

MOUNT PLEASANT — The economic development subsidiary of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan has launched two new consulting firms that aim to further diversify the tribe’s holdings and also support similar strategies for other tribes and non-tribally owned businesses.

When Laura Hopson moved her industrial supply business from Lansing to Grand Rapids in 2020, she had an “intentional strategy” to connect with the local chamber of commerce and leverage networking opportunities with like-minded business owners.

GRAND RAPIDS — Joining Waséyabek Development Co. LLC represents a merging of Erika Weiss’ professional experience in business and tribal law, and offers an opportunity to explore a long-held interest in non-gaming economic development.

Mark White sees the massive disruption in the automotive industry caused by electric vehicles as an opportunity rather than a threat.

GRAND RAPIDS — Deidra Mitchell, president and CEO of Waséyabek Development Co. LLC, was selected to guest lecture at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to promote best practices in tribal economic development.

State Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to codify energy storage goals outlined in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s climate action plan that bill supporters say is crucial to accompany more renewable energy generation coming online.

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Shayla Young won a prestigious Gates Millennium scholarship just before graduating from Central High School in 2008 that paid for all of her post-secondary education. After earning a doctorate in education from Michigan State University, Young will now play a key role in a new effort by KConnect, a nonprofit that convenes cross-sector partners to address inequities where she will help build a common policy agenda that closes the “unacceptable achievement gaps for children and families of color in Kent County.” Alongside assistance from the Michigan League for Public Policy and local experts Kathleen Bruinsma and John Helmholdt, Young serves as the postdoctoral fellow who will convene community members to craft policy objectives around issues such as education, housing and family stability, to name a few. This policy agenda will then be communicated with local, state and federal lawmakers, and also help to inform KConnect’s internal and external policies around advocating for legislative issues. Young recently discussed her role in KConnect’s new policy initiative and how her background prepared her for the job.

Tribal affairs experts say the federal government erred in determining that the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians failed to meet the criteria for federal recognition and remain optimistic that the tribe will successfully obtain the crucial designation.

GRAND RAPIDS — Tier 1 automotive supplier Gentex Corp. has hired roughly 500 new employees over the past two and a half months, making a major dent in the Zeeland-based company’s unfilled positions.

GRAND RAPIDS — Third-party data center maintenance provider Service Express Inc. continues its M&A streak with the acquisition of a similarly focused Massachusetts-based company, as the Grand Rapids firm separately establishes a footprint in Dublin, Ireland.

GRAND RAPIDS — Nonprofit disability service provider Hope Network is set to break ground this spring on a $40 million affordable housing project after overcoming pandemic- and financing-related delays.

State officials are partnering with major universities and auto-sector employers on a new statewide scholarship program aimed at developing talent in the electric vehicle and mobility space.

ADA — Direct-selling giant Amway Corp. reported a slight sales decline in 2022 from the prior year, citing the strength of the U.S. dollar, the sale of an affiliated nutritional supplement company and the company’s withdrawal from Russia.

The Shepler family’s decision to sell the third-generation-owned ferry transportation company was “not taken lightly, but it was necessary.”

Auxo Investment Partners’ acquisition of a West Michigan manufacturer has both in-state and national growth opportunities for the Grand Rapids private equity firm.

A new 20-mile pipeline more than a decade in the making will support growth plans for multiple West Michigan agribusinesses that have been hampered by limited wastewater infrastructure.

Sophia Brewer is applying her longtime experience as a Grand Rapids librarian to a statewide role as a recently elected director to the Michigan Library Association board.

GRAND RAPIDS — Randy Thelen believes West Michigan needs to move away from its “best-kept secret” identity to a position of confidence if it wants to keep its momentum in attracting employers and talent.

GRAND RAPIDS — The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed denying a decades-long effort by the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians to obtain federal recognition, a status that would bring numerous benefits to the tribe and its members.

Growing West Michigan’s advanced manufacturing, health sciences and technology sectors while expanding economic opportunities for minority residents are key components of The Right Place Inc.’s new three-year strategic plan.

MANISTEE — The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is among the latest Native American tribes considering the creation of its own utility as a way to exercise sovereignty, diversify the tribe’s holdings, control more of its energy future and reduce costs.

A Q&A with Philomena Mantella, president of Grand Valley State University

GRAND RAPIDS — Gentex Corp.’s recently announced plan for a satellite production facility in the city of Grand Rapids is the Tier 1 auto supplier’s latest phase of a multi-pronged effort at attracting talent.

GRAND RAPIDS — Edward Bates opened a laundromat on Grand Rapids’ far south side in 2018 after investing about $3 million into the building with renovations and new equipment.

ZEELAND — Tier 1 automotive supplier Gentex Corp. has agreed to pay $4 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges involving the company’s alleged accounting failures with executive and employee bonuses.

BOYNE CITY — A northwestern Michigan electric cooperative and internet provider has secured a $262.8 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build and improve 438 miles of electric grid infrastructure and 2,420 miles of fiber network.

GRAND RAPIDS — Grand Rapids Community College is building a first-of-its-kind automation and robotics manufacturing training center in West Michigan, thanks to a recently secured $1 million federal grant.

GRAND RAPIDS — Diana Sieger plans to retire as president of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, the organization she helped to grow significantly over her 35-year tenure during which she became a powerful voice for Michigan’s philanthropic sector.

GRAND RAPIDS — A second Grand Rapids business owner is investing the proceeds from the sale of its Monroe North property to Corewell Health for further expansion.