MiBiz

Race to add hospital capacity keeps West Michigan manufacturers on the job
ZEELAND — As Brad Davis tracked news about the spread of the coronavirus in early March, he cautioned his production team at MedViron LLC that the…
Pandemic could offer tipping point for telemedicine
Since the beginning of the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and other health care providers have urged people with symptoms to use telemedicine first to…
CRISIS MODE: West Michigan execs talk leadership strategies amid pandemic
As a global pandemic began to hit West Michigan, executives around the region stepped up to lead their organizations and their employees through the time of…
Property managers take case-by-case approach with commercial tenants affected by pandemic
GRAND RAPIDS — Facility owners and property managers are working with their commercial tenants during a time when most retailers and restaurants have had to…
Work-sharing draws new attention as a ‘win-win’ alternative to layoffs
For Michigan companies scaling back but not completely shutting down as the state tightens restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a little-used program…

Arsenal of health: Manufacturers shift operations to meet needs during pandemic

Demand for the mobile computer workstations produced by Walker-based health care furniture manufacturer Altus Industries Inc. had already begun to spike as hospitals started setting up quarantine and triage areas in preparation for an influx of COVID-19 patients.

Race to add hospital capacity keeps West Michigan manufacturers on the job
ZEELAND — As Brad Davis tracked news about the spread of the coronavirus in early March, he cautioned his production team at MedViron LLC that the…
Pandemic could offer tipping point for telemedicine
Since the beginning of the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and other health care providers have urged people with symptoms to use telemedicine first to…
CRISIS MODE: West Michigan execs talk leadership strategies amid pandemic
As a global pandemic began to hit West Michigan, executives around the region stepped up to lead their organizations and their employees through the time of…
Property managers take case-by-case approach with commercial tenants affected by pandemic
GRAND RAPIDS — Facility owners and property managers are working with their commercial tenants during a time when most retailers and restaurants have had to…
Work-sharing draws new attention as a ‘win-win’ alternative to layoffs
For Michigan companies scaling back but not completely shutting down as the state tightens restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a little-used program…

COVID-19 slows progress on clean energy, electric vehicles
Wind and solar energy companies wait in limbo and electric vehicle advocates expect a hit much like the rest of the automotive sector as the coronavirus causes uncertainty across the…
Coronavirus price gouging spurs efforts to rein in ‘bad actor’ resellers
Panicked consumers stocking up on essential items during the early phases of the coronavirus outbreak have exacerbated what attorneys say are already weak agreements between manufacturers and distributors that spur…

State, federal policymakers take action to keep businesses and workers afloat
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and federal lawmakers have taken a variety of steps to help businesses and employees navigate the short-term harm posed by the coronavirus.
West Michigan sports teams, events sidelined as they await next steps
GRAND RAPIDS — Tim Gortsema’s office at Van Andel Arena might not seem like the locale for optimal social distancing.

Home builders seek uniformity, ‘essential’ status in Michigan as projects slow
Home builders across the U.S. are seeking a uniform declaration that their work is essential as states, including Michigan, issue strict stay-at-home orders to help stop the spread of the…

FINDING A NEW NORMAL: Mental health pros offer advice for anxious employees, employers
The abrupt disruption in daily routines and work lives has surely raised the anxiety level for people, on top of what they may already feel from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Banks leverage new flexibility to help businesses get through pandemic
Small businesses that have been slammed by the coronavirus pandemic and expect to have difficulty making commercial loan payments should call their bankers now to work out possible adjustments.

During pandemic, food-focused nonprofits face heightened demand, volunteer constraints
When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the first two cases of COVID-19 in Michigan and declared a state of emergency on March 11, Lisa Wideman knew Meals on Wheels Western Michigan…

From credenzas to face masks, high-end furniture maker retools for COVID-19
WYOMING — A high-end furniture manufacturer has idled work on custom home pieces but called back some laid-off staffers to sew much-needed masks amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Consumers Energy continues construction while DTE halts plans
Michigan’s two major investor-owned utilities are taking divergent paths when it comes to building new energy projects as the state escalates actions to contain the coronavirus.

Editor's Notebook: Find value in what you read? Thank a journalist.
The coronavirus that’s affected lives and upended operations across the globe has become the kind of transformational business story that only comes around once every generation.

Stock market volatility could affect philanthropy in years ahead
The amount of money area foundations are able to give away this year won’t change much, if at all, but 2021 could see some level of decreases depending on what…

Higher ed transitions to online courses amid coronavirus pandemic
Colleges and universities from coast to coast are moving rapidly to close campuses and transition to virtual classrooms in lieu of face-to-face meetings as the spread of COVID-19 has transformed…

Stimulus law directs $350B in support for small biz
The historic $2 trillion federal economic stimulus bill signed into law Friday contains $350 billion in loans for small businesses that could transition into grants.

Arsenal of health: Manufacturers shift operations to meet needs during pandemic