COMSTOCK PARK — One West Michigan manufacturer of stamping dies hopes to leverage a self-funded automation business into its primary money maker in the years ahead. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Over his storied career, John Berry has advocated for the benefits of incorporating design principles outside of traditional creative industries. Now, Berry is taking that vision one step further at Grand Valley State University with the new Design Thinking Academy, where he serves as director. The academy spun off from the university’s Design Thinking Initiative that launched in 2014.

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has struggled in recent years amid budget cuts, staff reductions and a breach of public trust after an automated computer system falsely accused 20,000 residents of fraud over a two-year span. Michelle Beebe aims to change that. Beebe was appointed to lead the UIA in late April, following the state’s decision to reassign the former director Sharon Moffett-Massey in the wake of the false-fraud allegations. Beebe comes to Michigan from Utah where she led that state’s unemployment agency since December 2014. After three weeks on the job, Beebe spoke with MiBiz about the challenges the UIA faces in Michigan and how she plans to help improve the agency.

As demand for engineering talent continues to intensify, some West Michigan liberal arts colleges are partnering with larger state-funded institutions to add niche programs to their curricula.

NEWAYGO — One West Michigan entrepreneur hopes to use data science to make users of medical oxygen systems safer with a handful of new products.

In 2013, the discovery of a large deposit of high-quality potash in Michigan touched off a wave of public attention.

When Mark Lindquist purchased Rapid-Line Inc. in 1989, he completed the transaction with a strategy for exiting the business already in mind.

As a business consulting firm, O’Keefe & Associates Consulting LLC has increasingly seen a need to advise its clients on the best ways to invest in automation equipment. Tim Thompson, the firm’s managing director at its Grand Rapids office, spoke with MiBiz about how investing in automation equipment can affect an organization’s long-term investment strategies.

GRAND RAPIDS — One West Michigan electronics manufacturer plans to leverage a recent deal in Europe to further capitalize on the growing electronics manufacturing market.

When Siliconature Corp. examined potential sites in West Michigan for its North American headquarters, the company knew finding an existing building that fit its specific needs would be challenging.

LANSING — A New York-based venture capital firm wants to propel Michigan’s nascent fashion industry to runways everywhere.

Spartan Motors Inc.’s January acquisition of Smeal Fire Apparatus resulted in a nearly 25-percent increase in first quarter sales for the chassis manufacturer.

Negotiations between Dematic Corp. and UAW Local 1485 are progressing, but the manufacturer shouldn’t expect to win financial concessions from its workers.

GRAND RAPIDS — Following careers in investment banking and family offices, two West Michigan professionals have struck out on their own. 

Proposed federal budget cuts have the potential to wipe out key hop and barley research programs that have helped improve the quality of the raw material supply chain for craft brewers.

Dynamics within the maturing craft beer industry are creating new growth opportunities for suppliers.

Saugatuck Brewing Co. thought it was being edgy in 2011 when it coined the name “Hop on a Blonde” for its new blonde ale.

HASTINGS — A West Michigan ammunition equipment manufacturer wants an arms maker owned by the United Arab Emirates to pay up.

HOLLAND — Executives at Evoqua Water Technologies LLC expect a combination of aging municipal infrastructure and an increased focus on sustainable business practices to drive interest in its water treatment technologies.

The sector that provides the majority of tooling, fixtures and molds required to manufacture automotive components is facing a crisis.

Universal Forest Products Inc. surpassed analyst expectations in the first quarter of 2017, growing annual sales by 24 percent largely due to an acquisition that closed last fall.

Buoyed by continued strength in the automotive market, Gentex Corp. reported double digit sales growth in the first quarter of 2017.

Whirlpool Corp. grew sales modestly in the first quarter of 2017.

More than a year after first announcing its intentions to close its Grand Rapids manufacturing operations in late 2017, Dematic Corp. may reconsider the move.

GRAND RAPIDS — Blackford Capital has entered the baking business.

GRAND RAPIDS — What started as a business serving a niche of natural food aficionados has moved into the mainstream.

After years of leading the market for its signature technology, Fleetwood Electronics realized it let its position slip away.

Last year, Larry Zeiser answered a phone call that would forever change the way he perceived drug abuse in West Michigan.

West Michigan-based contract furniture companies have muddled through the recent period of political uncertainty and mixed international demand.

COOPERSVILLE — A glut in raw milk production throughout the state is driving substantial agribusiness growth in West Michigan as area processing companies struggle to keep up.