GRAND RAPIDS — When indoor dining was prohibited across the state last year and earlier this year because of COVID-19, Davide Uccello turned to the cannabis industry as a sector that managed to be successful despite lockdown orders. 

West Michigan experienced a 54.5-percent drop in sports events during the pandemic last year, which led to a 76.1-percent decrease in visitor spending compared to a banner 2019, according to a new report.

Internet gaming and sports betting operators in Michigan reported $42.7 million in gross revenue for the 10-day period after Jan. 22 when several platforms went live.

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.

GRAND RAPIDS — MiBiz Inc. and WOOD-TV8 launched a new media partnership that includes sharing breaking news between the two outlets and a weekly roundup of business news during the station’s Monday morning “Daybreak” program.

The MiBiz M&A Deals & Dealmakers Awards are back for their 8th installment to highlight best practices and excellence in what can only be described as one of the most atypical deal environments of all time.

Despite its wide footprint throughout a tri-state area, Zeigler Automotive Group still found itself lacking a few of the big name luxury brands in its portfolio.

Grand Rapids City Commissioner Joe Jones recently stepped down from his full-time job as CEO of the Urban League of West Michigan to launch a consulting firm focused on diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and other social justice advocacy. Jones launched The Hekima Group LLC (named after the Swahili word for wisdom) after a decade at the Urban League where he worked closely on the ongoing inequities for people of color in West Michigan. Jones said he felt a calling to launch the consultancy following the nationwide protests after the killing of George Floyd, the COVID-19 pandemic’s disproportionate harm to communities of color, and his own personal brush with the virus in October. Jones spoke with MiBiz to discuss his new venture and recent City Commission business.

Local economic development leaders have long sought to bring a global headquarters to downtown Grand Rapids, and it will soon become a reality as  Perrigo Co. plc moves its North American corporate offices to the Medical Mile.

KALAMAZOO — Former Republican Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield has been named CEO of Southwest Michigan First, the economic development agency announced Thursday.

West Michigan’s industrial economy began 2021 “on a very positive note” as key activity indexes all improved.

GRAND RAPIDS — Acrisure LLC has formed a joint venture with NFL quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Ciara to support increased access to insurance by minority-owned businesses in the U.S.

Here is the MiBiz Growth Report for February 1, 2021.

GRAND RAPIDS — Service Express LLC, a Grand Rapids-based firm that provides third-party data center maintenance services, has announced its first international acquisition.

Employees at Trendway Corp. have a reason to be skeptical about suspicious emails that show up in their inboxes.

Through working with a number of banks and credit unions, Randy Brinks is fully aware of the giant target that the financial services industry has had for years concerning cybersecurity threats.

Michigan cannabis businesses have overwhelmingly white ownership despite the state’s 2018 voter-approved marijuana law encouraging participation by people who have been “disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition and enforcement.”

Ottawa County expects to have a better understanding later this year of exactly where gaps exist locally for broadband internet service so it can begin to address the issue.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican lawmakers are squaring off over multi-billion-dollar COVID-19 spending plans that would bolster a vaccine rollout, K-12 schools preparedness and crucial business support.

GRAND RAPIDS — Six West Michigan corporations earned top scores in this year’s Corporate Equality Index rankings recently published by the Human Rights Campaign, showcasing the companies as among the best places to work for LGBTQ equality.

DOWAGIAC — Seven Generations Group, a professional services portfolio of companies, is rebranding and has also managed to grow its portfolio with the formation of Blue Star Integrative Studio, a full-service architecture firm based in Tulsa, Okla., and the spin off of Kalamazoo-based Steelhead Engineering Co. 

LANSING — The director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services abruptly resigned today.

Online sports betting and casino gaming will go live statewide beginning on Friday at noon.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has unveiled a $5.6 billion pandemic recovery spending plan that primarily uses federal funding to help control the spread of COVID-19, which state officials and economists say is crucial to ensure broader economic recovery.

Here is the MiBiz growth report for January 18, 2021.

KALAMAZOO — A new funding tool recently signed into law is intended to help finance an event center in downtown Kalamazoo, but it’s unclear if there is a desire or solid plans to move forward with the venue.

After ping-ponging around the globe in various professional roles, Jane Ghosh finally ended up back in Kalamazoo, where her new job involves promoting the city she calls home. In December, Ghosh was named the new president and CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, which promotes tourism to Kalamazoo County. With an economics degree from Harvard University, Ghosh has marketing experience with titans like Johnson & Johnson and Kellogg Company. She will apply that experience to help raise the profile of Kalamazoo in a time when dining, entertainment and many other forms of hospitality have slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DOWAGIAC — The CEO since the founding of Mno-Bmadsen, the non-gaming economic development and investment arm of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, is resigning his post to take a role at a similar tribal organization in Washington.