Displaying items by tag: small business

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce expects to receive up to 1,000 applications by the end of the week from across Kent County from small businesses seeking assistance from a $25 million grant fund set up to ease the economic crush of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Kent County small business relief program opened its second round of funding today, making grants available to companies that have already received COVID-19 assistance.

TRAVERSE CITY — Private equity-backed CloudAccess LLC, a Northern Michigan-based cloud hosting provider, has completed the add-on acquisition of Miller Media Inc. 

Kent County’s top official says it is “critically important” that a $25 million business relief program launched this week is accessible to minority-owned businesses, following recent criticism that the program isn’t properly compensating minority business and social equity groups for their assistance.

Michigan retail sales remained in the “tank” during May as many stores remained closed, although a monthly survey and activity index suggest a rebound this summer after reopening.

Eight Grand Rapids technology startups are among dozens of businesses statewide selected to receive a combined $3 million from Michigan’s Tech Start Up Stabilization Fund.

Two Michigan congressmen behind legislation that would create a $50.5 billion relief fund for small businesses nationwide hope to get it included in the next federal aid package that may come before Congress this summer.

KENTWOOD — The coronavirus pandemic has caused many businesses to make staff cuts, but Wise Men Distillery LLC hired two new employees to assist with its shift to producing large quantities of hand sanitizer for manufacturers and state agencies.

MUSKEGON — The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the owner of the Waters Edge Fitness gym to get creative by offering online resources for members over the past several months that the facility has been shut down.

CALEDONIA — Mark “Crab” Reagan spent his morning wandering around his tattoo shop cleaning, organizing, providing a handful of clients with art consultations — pretty much anything other than actually tattooing.