Displaying items tagged: Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

Marijuana for recreational use by adults could become a $1.4 billion industry in Michigan in the years ahead.

Immigrants now living in Kent County are making a significant impact on the local economy.

Companies and job-placement organizations in West Michigan say an executive order signed by Gov. Rick Snyder comes as a good first step in addressing the state’s skilled trades shortage.

Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette on Monday morning signaled further willingness to expand the state’s civil rights law following an endorsement controversy last week.

The backlash against the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce over its controversial endorsement of GOP Michigan gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette continues to percolate.

Over the last several years, the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce has sought to make diversity and inclusion a key part of its mission and culture.

While Detroit’s record-setting municipal bankruptcy may be a distant memory, many business leaders around the state still view the financial health of Michigan’s municipalities as a potential ticking time bomb.

Grand Valley State University researchers have found the benefits outweigh the costs of Grand Rapids’ investment in green infrastructure to limit stormwater runoff.

Major Michigan business groups say a statewide ballot initiative to change the way legislative districts are drawn is flawed and unnecessary, but supporters believe the plan would help achieve shared policy goals and restore public faith in politics. 

June was a busy month for the Michigan Legislature.

MACKINAC ISLAND — West Michigan business leaders say that a proposed upgrade of the Soo Locks in the Upper Peninsula is critical for keeping the region’s economy moving forward.

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

Michigan continues to come closer to legalizing and regulating the recreational use of marijuana.

In 2014, the narcotic overdose treatment Naloxone cost $690. Today, the same drug sells for $4,500.

Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed final state budget includes hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time investments, increased funding for roads and years-long fees to support environmental initiatives.

GRAND RAPIDS — With the new AMP Lab @WMU that’s set to open this fall, Western Michigan University wants to leverage public- and private-sector partnerships to help local manufacturers innovate and access talent.

Business and local government advocates aren’t always aligned on policy issues, but both groups say 2018 will require concerted efforts to attract and retain talent in Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS –– After a largely procedural vote striking down a resolution to boost the inventory of public parking in Grand Rapids, city commissioners will likely reconsider the idea now that it’s gone through the proper channels.

GRAND RAPIDS —  The head of the Grand Rapids Public Library says she was “disappointed” and surprised by the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce’s opposition to the group’s millage request before city voters on Nov. 7.

West Michigan educators and at least one business group say the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program already is leading to anxiety and uncertainty.

An ongoing case before the Michigan Public Service Commission over maintaining adequate electricity supplies into the future is prompting concerns over rising energy costs and unnecessarily spending $1 billion on new power plants.

As West Michigan’s economy expands, planners and business owners find they’re facing a new growing pain.

Controversial economic development legislation passed the Michigan House on Wednesday afternoon, setting the stage for Gov. Rick Snyder’s likely signature.

When Brian Kelly first heard about a suburban space to move his Grand Rapids-based photography studio, he ignored the idea for one simple reason: It was in Kentwood.

Backers of a marijuana legalization ballot initiative in Michigan say they have the financial and grassroots support necessary to put the question before voters in 2018.

Mark Williams worked at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans for about 20 years as an employee of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. He was laid off in 2013 when the state privatized the facility and turned to contracted workers.

Federal regulators this month rejected a plan by the multi-state electric grid operator to redesign the capacity auction process for parts of Michigan and Illinois, a move that would have affected electric choice customers and providers.

When it comes to economic development efforts in Michigan, practitioners and policymakers say it’s important to legislate the tools to attract and retain companies, not individual projects.

The Legislature’s 2016 lame-duck session was marked by both bipartisan agreement on tough policy issues as well as contentious attempts to solve ongoing state problems that nonetheless split along party lines.

LANSING — Sweeping energy policy reform that has taken nearly two years to move through the state Legislature could face a contentious debate during the remaining days of the post-election lame duck session.