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Ford Airport names new president & CEO
GRAND RAPIDS — The Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority Board has selected Torrance Richardson as the new president and CEO of the airport, the board announced Friday.
Breaking News
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New fund to boost economic development in Ottawa County
ZEELAND — A new “economic catalyst” fund and advisory committee hopes to further economic growth in Ottawa County.
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Web development company to move to downtown Battle Creek
BATTLE CREEK -- Ministry Designs, a communication and web development company, is moving to downtown Battle Creek.
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Legal Aid asks MSHDA to investigate fair-housing issues at GR properties
GRAND RAPIDS — Legal Aid of Western Michigan is asking a state agency to investigate alleged fair housing violations that negatively affect minorities and people…
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My Personal Credit Union rebrand as Bloom Credit Union
WYOMING — My Personal Credit Union of Wyoming changed its name to Bloom Credit Union.
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Michigan business groups to lawmakers: Fix the roads
A coalition of business groups today urged state lawmakers to finally come up with a way to fix Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges.
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Family-owned French Paper of Niles sells to PE-backed firm
NILES — French Paper Co., a Niles-based manufacturer of premium colored paper and envelopes for graphic design, specialty prints and gifts, was recently been acquired by New York-based Finch Paper…
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Littlefoot Coffee Roasters plans Grandville roasting facility
GRANDVILLE — Littlefoot Coffee Roasters plans to open a roasting facility in Grandville by the end of August.
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HIGHER ED: Michigan colleges prepare students for influx of cannabis careers
As students head off to college this fall, some of them in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be blazing a trail when it comes to new fields of study: growing and…
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Municipalities hope for legislation on dark-store loophole
When Meijer Inc. last month nearly halved the taxable value of its 195,000-square-foot store in Marquette just a year after it opened, the move set off an outcry from advocates…
REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT
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REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT: Developers see opportunities with incoming marijuana companies
For a decade, mixed-used and industrial property developments have fueled West Michigan’s building boom. Now, we may be seeing the dawn of a cannabis construction era.
HEALTH CARE
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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: How employers can fix our broken health-care system
Beneath all of the recent attention-grabbing issues such as escalating pharmaceutical prices, hospital pricing and surprise billing, there lurks what Ken Thorpe says is the real leading cause of ever-rising…
FINANCE
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BANKING: Banks and credit unions wait for federal law to become more cannabis-friendly
The legalization of cannabis in Michigan offers an emerging economic sector for banks and credit unions, but only if Congress enacts legislation to change existing federal law and allow them…
FOOD / AGRIBUSINESS
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Fatal grain elevator incidents a stark reminder to region’s farmers
The death count from frightful incidents involving enclosed grain elevators is on the rise — a stark reminder to West Michigan’s agricultural industry of the dangers of grain handling.
MANUFACTURING
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AUTOMOTIVE ROUNDTABLE: West Michigan automotive suppliers stay steady, despite uncertainties
A decade into the economic recovery, the region’s automotive suppliers continue to ride the wave of vehicle sales volume in the North Amercian and global auto market. Yet, many are bracing…
ENERGY
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ENERGY: Environmental groups and utilities brace for energy-intensive cannabis operations
Michigan has had its share of blackouts and brownouts over the years. Could “greenouts” be on the horizon?
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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BROKEN SYSTEM: Historic underinvestment in communities of color is root of uptick in gun violence, Grand Rapids leaders say
Five weeks before a pair of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio rocked the nation, community leaders in Grand Rapids held a press conference on the city’s…
NONPROFITS
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Q&A: Joe Sobieralski, president & CEO, Battle Creek Unlimited
Just over three years ago, Joe Sobieralski was hired as the President and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited. Sobieralski joined BCU in 2015 as vice president and was then appointed…
TALENT
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HR/TALENT: Local companies largely retain drug testing policies after cannabis legalization
Just like you can’t go to work drunk, you cannot go to work stoned.
SMALL BUSINESS
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DEVELOPING AN INDUSTRY: Companies race to supply Michigan’s fledgling cannabis industry, yet avoid the spotlight
West Michigan businesses are building strategies to accommodate and support the grand opening of the state’s new billion-dollar cannabis industry, although many still crowd behind a self-imposed shroud of secrecy.
