Displaying items tagged: small business

GRAND RAPIDS — Third-party data center maintenance provider Service Express Inc. has acquired two companies: Middleville-based cloud hosting provider ​​iInTheCloud LLC and Danbury, Conn.-based managed service provider iTech Solutions Group LLC.

After spending nearly a decade in workforce development, Katie Hall set out to develop software that allows employers to better utilize their current employees.

Grand Rapids staffing and human resources outsourcing firm Axios HR recently completed its merger with Petoskey-based PMP Personnel Services, creating an 11-office entity spanning Northern to Southwest Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS – Private equity firm Blackford Capital has sold Grand Equipment Co. in Hudsonville to Chicago-based investment firm Cognitive Capital Partners LLC.

State lawmakers have reached a compromise on a bill that would allow taxpayers to claim an income tax credit on their investment in a Michigan-based small business.

A Grand Rapids-based tech startup is leveraging a potentially game-changing opportunity as it enters a nationally renowned accelerator program.

A social science research organization that abruptly split from Calvin University in recent months hopes to seize new opportunities to raise capital and work with more organizations that may have been hesitant to partner with a religious academic institution.

Three Grand Rapids-area entrepreneurs have launched a new high-tech production space to meet the digital needs of area businesses.

Grand Rapids-based Woosah Outfitters and Outside Coffee Co. plan to open a lakeshore location in Douglas that also will offer various gear rentals.

NORTON SHORES — A West Michigan information technology service provider has been acquired by a leading cybersecurity and tech firm that executives say will bring more resources and capital backing for growth.

A recent survey of nearly 150 Michigan restaurant and hotel owners shows that most are still struggling with inadequate staffing and supply chain disruptions, and almost all employers are raising wages for their workers to address staffing shortages. 

CertifID LLC, a Grand Rapids company that developed software to protect money wire transfers in real estate transactions, has closed on $12.5 million in growth capital.

A Kalamazoo-based investment fund that also looks to cultivate and support a new generation of entrepreneurs who want to own a business will use a $10 million investment to scale operations.

HOLLAND — The launch of a brick-and-mortar startup incubator in downtown Holland is the latest effort to cultivate a thriving tech community in the lakeshore city.

Most basketball fans in Michigan recognize Ben Wallace as an iconic figure in Detroit Pistons lore. The 6-foot, 9-inch center helped lead the Pistons to an NBA title in 2004, just one highlight in the four-time all-star’s career. Since retiring in 2012, Wallace has adjusted to life after basketball. His business pursuits also have tied him to West Michigan after he recently bought a stake in Kalamazoo-based Green Door Distilling Co. and also partnered with Rair Cannabis of Michigan, which maintains a location in Lowell, to develop a brand of cannabis products called ‘Undrafted.’ MiBiz caught up with the Hall of Fame player to talk business, basketball and his love for Grand Rapids.

GRAND RAPIDS — Elevator Service Inc., a provider of elevator services for a growing coverage area throughout the Midwest, continued to expand its geographical footprint with another acquisition.

Start Garden Inc. is now accepting pitches from entrepreneurs competing in The 100, a business competition with $300,000 in funding for startups. 

PLAINWELL —  Ownership of asphalt maintenance service company Tustin’s Asphalt Sealing Inc. is changing hands.

A Grand Rapids staple for craft beverages and food, Siciliano’s Market Inc. is selling to new owners after nearly 30 years on the city’s west side.

GRAND RAPIDS — Siciliano’s Market Inc., the family-owned specialty store and launching pad for countless West Michigan breweries, is changing ownership after a decades-long run selling craft beverages and foods and the equipment used to make them.

GRAND RAPIDS — A West Michigan couple who launched their business through online platform Etsy in 2014 is now preparing to open their second brick-and-mortar retail store in downtown Grand Rapids.

Inno-Versity LLC and Th3rd Coast Digital Solutions, two portfolio companies of Ada-based family office Century Technology Group Inc., will merge and rebrand as MindSpring LLC, company officials announced.

GRAND RAPIDS — Elevator services provider Elevator Service LLC continued its growth in the Midwest through a recent acquisition.

Public relations and integrated communications firm Lambert & Co. has entered into a new strategic partnership with the largest minority-owned public relations agency in Michigan.

Grand Rapids marketing agency Deksia LLC has merged with Anvil Media, a digital marketing agency in Portland, Ore.

COOPERSVILLE — A West Michigan-based environmental consulting firm has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it positions to sell the company to a competitor in the industry.

GRAND RAPIDS — VNN Inc., a developer of digital tools and media solutions for high school athletic programs, is merging with a tech company that has a long history of servicing the K-12 and college education markets.

GRAND RAPIDS — New Standard plans to open its first dispensary in Grand Rapids with a new building in the city’s Midtown district near Medical Mile. 

A new $409 million state grant program will be available starting March 1 for Michigan businesses that experienced financial hardship as a result of state-ordered shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

LANSING — The state Senate has advanced legislation to reduce the personal and corporate income taxes in Michigan, a proposal that contrasts Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s pitch for targeted election-year tax cuts.