Displaying items tagged: small business

Retailers across the state reported a small increase in sales in August over July.

A majority of Michigan small businesses oppose President Biden’s recently announced vaccine mandate as staffing shortages and rising costs remain the biggest obstacles for business owners, according to a new survey by the Small Business Association of Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS — Sportsman Tracker Inc., creator of the HuntWise mobile app, announced this week that it has sold the business to a Texas-based company that offers online recreational safety education and certification programs.

GRAND RAPIDS — MiBiz Inc. has selected manufacturing and economic development executive Justine Burdette as the new associate publisher of the regional business publication.

When Jermale and Anissa Eddie opened Malamiah Juice Bar LLC in 2013, the couple aimed to be role models not just for their three sons, but also for the rest of the Black and brown community.

HOLLAND — Leon Slikkers’ recent retirement as chairman of Tiara Yachts Inc. marks a new chapter for the family business, which has seen a boom in recent years as younger generations consider joining the company.

HOLLAND — Leon Slikkers, a marine industry fixture whose boat-building career dates back to the 1940s, is retiring from Holland-based Tiara Yachts Inc., the company announced today.

WYOMING — Linus and Renata De Paoli left their corporate lives working as engineers in Germany and have opened a new brewery to introduce a range of international food and beer culture to West Michigan.

The widespread shift to remote working has caused many small dry cleaning businesses to shut down or adapt to stay afloat.

MUSKEGON — Kaja Thornton-Hunter unknowingly laid the groundwork for her young business several years ago when she hosted a crab boil at her home.

CANNON TWP. — The Mitten Brewing Co. is once again leaning on pizza — a company mainstay that helped it through its early brewing years as well as the COVID-19 pandemic — with a new takeout and delivery concept.

GRAND RAPIDS — Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist was in Grand Rapids Monday touting the Whitmer administration’s Economic Jumpstart Plan for small businesses as billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funding comes into Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS — Eligible small businesses located on the west and south sides of Grand Rapids can soon apply for grants of up to $10,000 to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Directors at the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have promoted Guillermo Cisneros to president and CEO from executive director, citing his “outstanding performance.”

Michigan’s small businesses were disproportionately harmed compared to other industries during the pandemic with significant declines in revenue and the number of businesses operating, but experts remain optimistic about a strong post-pandemic recovery.

ZEELAND — Coworking space Little Space Studio LLC recently reopened its downtown Grand Rapids location after delays from COVID-19, and is now expanding with another facility in Zeeland.

SAUGATUCK TWP. — New Standard cannabis company has opened its sixth dispensary in West Michigan with a newly built retail store in Saugatuck Township.

BYRON CENTER — After selling off his telecommunications firm in the mid-2000s, Adam Harris ventured into another emerging technology field poised for rapid growth: renewable energy.

GRAND RAPIDS — Cindy Schneider was ready to apply for a small business loan in March 2020 to open a new restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids when COVID-19 put her plans on hold.

Art collecting is often seen as only accessible to people willing to invest substantial funds, and an activity generally reserved for the extremely wealthy.

GRAND RAPIDS — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation that eases restrictions on the self distribution of spirits while also giving local distillers an easier path to bring canned cocktails to market.

GRAND RAPIDS — When Winsome Kirton worked in advertising, she was often disappointed by executives’ uninspired corporate gifts that didn’t match the company’s values. 

When restaurants were forced to change how they did business during the pandemic, Garrick Pohl saw an opportunity to test the market for a curbside service that focused on local small businesses.

KALAMAZOO — A grant program launched last year to provide crucial relief to small businesses in Kalamazoo at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic will offer a second round of funding to 90 additional businesses.

MUSKEGON — Agri-Med LLC’s three dispensaries — which operate as Park Place Provisionary in Muskegon, Edmore Provisionary in Edmore, and Exit 9 Provisionary in Nunica — will be rebranded and operate as New Standard stores under an agreement announced this week. 

PORTAGE — For years, Le Nails owner Jennifer Nguyen provided manicures for some of her regulars on a strict two-week schedule. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Ferris Coffee & Nut Co. is closing two of its Grand Rapids locations at the end of the month as the company rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Restaurant owners can start applying today for $28.6 billion available under the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

After taking a year off, Start Garden is bringing back a business pitch competition that awards $1,000 to 100 contestants and $20,000 to 10 finalists.

GRAND RAPIDS — When the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold of the country last year, Kevin Chaperon took the at-home bread baking trend to the next level and opened a ghost kitchen concept called Blacklist Bagels LLC.