Displaying items by tag: Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

KALAMAZOO — Nine months ago, some of the first COVID-19 vaccines left Portage and found their way into the arms of patients around the country. 

The committee behind a statewide ballot initiative to expand civil rights protections for LGBTQ people is prepared for a legal battle after state election officials ruled the campaign had an insufficient number of public signatures to advance the proposal.

Floriza Genautis was recently named chairperson of the newly formed Asian American Business Council at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, where she hopes to better connect Asian American-owned businesses with one another and the rest of the business community.

GRAND RAPIDS — Executives from across West Michigan gathered Tuesday to discuss the labor shortages permeating across industries, lessons learned from COVID-19 and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in company culture.

Republican lawmakers are advancing bills that would reduce Michigan’s corporate income tax rate by 20 percent and create tax credits for businesses that lost at least a quarter of their revenue during COVID-19 restrictions.

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce today urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to update state restrictions after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can go maskless in most indoor settings.

It’s been a year since social media timelines were filled with Black Lives Matter hashtags, messages of solidarity with people of color, and promises to address racism as organizations responded to the national racial justice movement.

Michigan lawmakers are running out of time to pass legislation expanding civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community before a planned ballot measure with wide business support is potentially approved for the November 2022 election.

A state lawmaker from Grand Rapids wants to create a state panel that could review large price increases for prescription drugs in Michigan.

In her 23 years at Grand Rapids-based tech firm Open Systems Technology Inc., Meredith Bronk has seen the company grow from seven employees to more than 300.

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce has launched Black, Asian and Latinx business councils within its organization to better serve businesses owned by people of color.

A growing number of employers are offering incentives to their workers who opt for getting a COVID-19 vaccine, including with extra paid time off or small cash bonuses.

The COVID-19 pandemic that stretched health systems during the past year also brought together health care executives as they responded to the crisis.

Here's the MiBiz Growth Report for March 28, 2021.

A coalition of Michigan business groups is urging state senators to reject legislation that they claim will drive up the cost of health coverage for small employers.

Goodwill Industries of West Michigan is one of three organizations statewide that was selected to pilot an initiative assisting lower-income workers with affording and accessing child care.

As pharmaceutical companies ramp up production and COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available, employers are increasingly asking whether employees can get vaccinated at work.

In a typical year, around 40,000 office workers a day are in downtown Grand Rapids buying coffee or lunch, or sticking around to shop or attend an event. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Owners of indoor event centers are pushing state officials for expanded capacity limitations and a clearer reopening timeline as key COVID-19 metrics continue to decline and vaccines become more widely available.

A pilot program offers a potential solution to a growing issue for both employers and their workers: access to quality, affordable child care.

KALAMAZOO — LGBTQ advocates say Southwest Michigan First should support expanding Michigan’s civil rights law following backlash to the appointment of its new CEO, former House Speaker Lee Chatfield.

On the surface, the position appears completely counter to what a business organization would typically advocate.

GRAND RAPIDS — A West Michigan capital investment fund that involves the family office for Doug and Maria DeVos wants to make long-term investments across a variety of industries with a goal of preserving and growing local companies and jobs.

Two statewide advocacy groups representing municipalities support Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s latest proposed budget that includes spending to cover income tax revenue gaps, increased revenue sharing and infrastructure investments.

Within hours of his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Joe Biden signed executive orders seeking to bolster the country’s COVID-19 response and issued a memo to top federal officials to “preserve and fortify” a key immigration policy for certain undocumented immigrants.

Robin Burns took over as head of the Grand Rapids-based Family Business Alliance in November after nearly 12 years as marketing director at the Rhoades McKee law firm in Grand Rapids. The FBA was created in 2006 as a partnership with the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Grand Valley State University and later reorganized as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit. With more than 150 member companies, the FBA’s mission is to ensure family-owned businesses in the region are passed down to future generations. Burns spoke with MiBiz about what’s next for the organization.

The new round of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans includes a number of changes from the prior funding intended to aid small businesses hurting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has let legislation die that would have waived late fees and fines on businesses that have yet to pay their summer 2020 property taxes.

The pandemic pushed local retailers that traditionally rely on foot traffic to beef up their online presence and offer curbside and delivery options — mostly out of necessity to accommodate shopping from home and to compete with online retail giants.

Business groups are urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to sign legislation that would forgive fines, late fees and interest on unpaid summer 2020 property tax bills.