After the large gains made coming out of the recession nearly a decade ago, Michigan’s small business climate shows signs of losing momentum for continued improvement.

GRAND RAPIDS — A physical therapy provider with nationwide growth plans now calls Grand Rapids home following an acquisition that more than doubles its size.

Manufacturers in the automotive supply chain are scooping up acquisitions in emerging technologies to break into new markets before their competition. By moving into alternative powertrains, connected car technologies, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, suppliers want to position themselves to get ahead of disruptions as the industry shifts to the “car of the future,” according to Jeff Zaleski, U.S. automotive deals leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, a global consulting firm.

Michigan’s big three research universities kept up with their peers during the past decade in graduating talent, but lagged in commercializing innovations stemming from research.

GRAND RAPIDS — Driven by customers’ needs to lightweight large components, Paragon Die and Engineering Co. is adding new equipment and expanding its facility in West Michigan.

Michigan’s beleaguered K-12 public education system continues to take a beating from the state’s business groups.

GRAND RAPIDS — When New Development Corp. rehabilitates older homes before selling them to qualified low-income families, the organization takes great care to remove contaminants like lead.

As Millennials graduate from college and consider advanced degrees, West Michigan universities realize they need to integrate technology into course delivery and cater to a generation that grew up in the digital age.

Today’s up-and-coming digital generation still sees the value of a degree-based management education, but a growing number prefer self-directed learning and just-in-time courses instead of established MBA programs, according to a new study.

Grand Valley State University’s search for a successor to President Tom Haas is the latest effort by a Michigan-based public university to secure a new leader.

The rise of big data and the need to interpret it to gain a competitive business advantage have led many executives to reassess their options for advanced degrees. While industry long considered the generalist Master of Business Administration as the standard for career advancement, more companies are prioritizing specialized graduate-level degrees in areas like analytics and data sciences.

A handful of West Michigan executives find that practical business experience can carry over from the boardroom to the classroom.

Dan Brookhouse can’t stress enough to his control engineering students that automation is the future for the manufacturing industry. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Collaborations between different sectors in Kent County to improve every child’s school readiness have caught the attention of national foundations that are pumping money into the countywide effort. 

On May 22 at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville, the Family Business Alliance of Grand Rapids is hosting a seminar on effective family meetings and family councils for owners and members of familyowned companies. The keynote speaker at the event is Ira Bryck, an Amherst, Mass.- based expert in the study of family-owned businesses, who will discuss the importance of family-owned businesses maintaining constant communication. MiBiz spoke with Bryck on the economic impact of keeping businesses within the family and of maintaining dialogue among family members.

GRAND RAPIDS — Like many West Michigan-based manufacturers, Wolverine Coil Spring Co. has adopted an all-hands-on-deck approach to counter industry stereotypes and address talent-attraction challenges.