Vander Mill LLC and Long Road Distillers LLC have struck a partnership to further capitalize on the growing market for craft spirits.

Wolverine World Wide Inc. closed its fourth quarter with revenues modestly higher than expected by Wall Street analysts, while reporting full year fiscal results in-line with its previous guidance.

Citing financial constraints, heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer Spartan Motors Inc. has ceased its development of the next-generation delivery vehicle for the United States Postal Service.

As the automotive industry adopts new technologies like autonomous driving, suppliers need to find opportunities to add value. For Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, that opportunity comes from flexible seating, smart surfaces and other technology, said Bryan Nyeholt, vice president of global product and process. Yanfeng, which formed in 2014 after Johnson Controls Inc. spun off the majority of its automotive interiors business to Shanghai-based Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co. Ltd., manufactures a variety of interior components including instrument panels, door panels and consoles. Nyeholt is the keynote speaker for the annual Automotive Supplier Symposium, hosted by Grand Valley State University’s Van Andel Global Trade Center on March 9 at the Richard M. DeVos Center in Grand Rapids. Nyeholt spoke to MiBiz prior to the event about the benefits of the joint venture and how disruptive trends in the automotive industry are driving interior design. 

KALAMAZOO — Western Michigan University will launch a new product design institute to create a hub of designers in Southwest Michigan and supply local companies with talent.

A new dashboard unveiled today by a coalition of West Michigan economic developers and other organizations aims to increase accessibility to key data about the region.

BATTLE CREEK — Following several years of product development and commercialization, Micro Laser Assisted Machining Technologies LLC ended its first year of sales and is gearing up for further growth now that its first year of sales is behind it.

ADA — A softening market in China led sales to dip in 2016 for Amway Corp., a trend that’s dogged the global direct-selling giant since 2014.

HOLLAND — Backed by strong growth in the European market and synergies created through its residential business unit, Haworth Inc. closed 2016 with better sales growth than the company had in the prior year. 

Growing up in Kalamazoo, Rishi Makkar vividly recalls his father working nights mopping floors at a gas station while chairing the criminal justice department at Western Michigan University by day. 

Uvex Winter Holding, a safety equipment manufacturer based in Fürth, Germany, has acquired a minority stake in Grand Rapids-based Hex Armor.

In a bid to increase transparency among consumers and government, Senate Democrats today announced a bill requiring publicly-traded companies to disclose employees by location.

After a year of modest sales growth, Haworth Inc. today reported annual sales of $1.94 billion for 2016.

Carbide Specialties Inc. of Grand Rapids has been acquired by an Elkhart, Ind.-based tooling company.

Sales at direct-selling giant Amway Corp. slid for the third consecutive year as key international markets softened in 2016.

After spending the early part of her career as a communicator with the United Nations and the U.S. Treasury Department, Kara Alaimo witnessed glaring disconnects between organizations and people communicating across different cultures. Her new book, “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to practice global public relations and strategic communication,” seeks to shed some light on those differences and help people communicate more effectively. The book is built on interviews with senior communications professionals from 31 different countries and divides the globe into 10 distinct cultural units. Alaimo will visit Grand Valley State University as part of its APR Speakers Series on Feb. 13 to discuss her research and book. Alaimo spoke with MiBiz  prior to the event about how businesses should prepare to communicate across borders in an increasingly globalized and hostile world. 

Changes to the federal tax code implemented at the beginning of the year could alleviate burdensome financial and bureaucratic rules for many craft beverage makers. 

Businesses confronted with the risk of cybersecurity attacks need to avoid falling into the mindset that “it can’t happen to us.” 

PLAINWELL — Jim Turley remembers the call he received late one September night in 2014 as a moment that “altered our life.” 

Following through with campaign promises, the Trump administration has set its sights on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 

Despite entering a period of plateauing vehicle sales, West Michigan car dealers remain optimistic even as they wrestle with consolidation and the need to upgrade their facilities.

As the automotive industry pursues cutting-edge technological breakthroughs in autonomous driving and vehicle electrification, West Michigan suppliers must ensure they’re not left behind. 

A West Michigan manufacturer of kayaks, paddleboards and other watercraft has sold to a Florida-based private equity firm.

Whirlpool Corp. ended the fourth quarter of 2016 with earnings on par with the previous year.

Despite single-digit sales growth, Gentex Corp. reported flat earnings to end 2016.

HOLLAND — While many producers of advanced electrical systems have their sights set on electric vehicles, one West Michigan manufacturer is pursuing a more underserved sector.

The next two years are shaping up to be a busy time for tool and die makers in West Michigan and beyond.

MIDDLEVILLE — Backed by a new investment, Middleville Tool & Die Co. wants to ramp up its manufacturing capabilities that will pull it further away from its legacy business.

Chervon North America will move its headquarters from downtown Grand Rapids to Naperville, Ill., a suburb outside of Chicago.

Two veteran West Michigan dealership executives have acquired Grand Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Lowell.