Displaying items tagged: small business

LANSING — House Democrats on Thursday began considering new bills that would make broad changes to Michigan employment law, including altering the definition of independent contractors and requiring employers to tell employees the wages of similarly situated co-workers upon request.

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.

DOWAGIAC — Mno-Bmadsen, the non-gaming investment arm of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, has expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of an Indiana commercial real estate firm.

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 — Swift Printing Co., a mainstay along Bridge Street on Grand Rapids’ west side for seven decades, has transitioned to a third generation of ownership. 

DeVries Jewelers has resurrected long-held plans to redevelop the former Lannings’ restaurant on Grand Rapids’ west side.

Women entrepreneurs across Michigan are getting a new source of much-needed financial help from one of the state’s leading women’s groups.

GRAND RAPIDS — The parent company of Auto-Wares LLC, a distributor of aftermarket automotive parts to service centers and more than 200 company-owned stores in the Midwest, has secured an investment from Kinderhook Industries LLC, a New York City-based private equity firm.

After years frequenting the boat dealership Action Water Sports, Doug and Maria DeVos are now its majority owners.

GRAND RAPIDS — House Rules Board Game Lounge plans to add a kitchen and expand its space to accommodate busy weekends at the bar, which features a collection of board games for customers as well as weekly trivia nights.

Some Michigan municipalities are getting creative with how they spend tax revenue coming back from their licensed cannabis businesses, while others are using the annual funding for core services and resolving budget deficits.

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.

MUSKEGON — Rake Beer Project LLC is moving its brewery and taproom across downtown Muskegon to the former Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. space, where owners also plan to debut a new coffee concept.

GRAND RAPIDS — Payroll software firm Dominion Systems Inc. has been acquired by a private equity-backed business services company in Scotland.

PARK TWP. — The owners of the Ottawa Beach General Store, a community staple along Lake Macatawa near Holland State Park, plan to rebuild the facility and maintain its vintage design in time for the 2024 season.

HUDSONVILLE — Dytech Auto Group Inc., d.b.a. GreatWater 360 Auto Care, has been on an acquisition spree the last couple of years, taking over nearly 90 independent auto service locations in the Midwest.

​​In what is typically a slow month for retailers, a significant number of merchants saw a decrease in sales to start the year.

GRAND RAPIDS — Leaders of environmental consultancy Catalyst Partners LLC started transferring ownership of the firm to a group of its employees in December in what has been a years-long journey. 

Grand Rapids cannabis operators are renewing calls for city officials to amend social equity requirements, which they say have become unreasonably hard and even impossible to attain.

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.

In the more than 30 years that the James Beard Foundation has been honoring outstanding restaurateurs and chefs, most of the names were associated with big markets.

GRAND HAVEN — A growing family-owned fishing guide service on the Grand River is expanding its focus to the north with a deal to acquire RiverQuest Charters, a longtime fly fishing outfitter on the Muskegon River. 

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.

LANSING — A business group on Monday requested changes to fast-tracked bills that would reverse Michigan’s “retirement tax,” proposing revisions its leader said would narrow disparities in how different seniors would be taxed under the legislation.

A new business incubator at Michigan State University’s research campus in downtown Grand Rapids offers a new venue for tech entrepreneurs to nurture their innovations.

A new training initiative wants to develop better leaders for family-owned businesses in West Michigan.

Jermale Eddie co-founded Grand Rapids-based Malamiah Juice Bar a decade ago, but he still feels like he’s running a “10-year-old startup.”

A Republican move to weaken minimum wage and paid sick leave ballot initiatives in 2018 was constitutional, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, keeping intact current wage and benefit requirements that were scheduled to spike Feb. 20 under a lower court decision.

GRAND RAPIDS — Ferris Coffee & Nut Co., a family-owned and Grand Rapids-based coffee and nut roasting business, has completed a succession plan that passes leadership to the next generation.

ZEELAND — West Michigan engineering, consulting and product development firm Disher Corp. has acquired leader-development organization Leading by Design LLC in what company executives call an “ideal fit.”