Article Author: Cathy Knapp

A typical four-person household washes eight to 10 laundry loads every seven days, according to Unclutterer. Averaging 16 pounds per load, this equates to lugging 144 pounds of dirty clothes to and from the laundry room each week. Contrast this vision to that of the 450,000 pounds of laundry serviced weekly at Continental Linen Services […]

Comstock Township will sparkle more brilliantly thanks to the 25,200-square-foot Forman Glass expansion that broke ground in June 2019. While the aesthetic impact Forman Glass brings to a project is dazzling, the company’s solutions are practical. This 57-year-old company specializes in providing comprehensive solutions for the “building envelope”—all exterior glass and metal panels. Forman Glass […]

Miniature Custom Manufacturing Recognized for Growth Trajectory. Sparkling confetti rained down on Steve Shoemaker as he stood—attired in a black tux and bow tie—center stage at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. It was the evening of May 8, 2019, and his organization had just been named one of the 2019 “Michigan 50 Companies […]

Start with an energetic entrepreneur and three company divisions encompassing trucking, real estate, and storage. Add a skilled team, an out-of-the-box thinker, and seven Broncos. What is the result? Clark Logic and its formula for cultivating business and talent growth. When it was founded as Central Manufacturing Systems in 1969, the corporation predominantly served one […]

How Michigan’s Going PRO training fund is injecting growth into Eimo Technologies. If you were to ask a manufacturer to tell you its biggest challenges, the search for skilled talent would likely land among its top three answers. Michigan has worked hard to reclaim its spot among the top states for both manufacturing output and […]

Michigan Milk Producers Association bottles up relationships in four states. Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) has a simple mission statement: To market MMPA members’ milk to the greatest advantage possible. The succinct directive has proven to be successful. Founded over 100 years ago, the dairy farmer-owned cooperative has grown to represent nearly 1,600 dairy farmers […]

Seed corn bagging company takes root in Sturgis. Barry Mumby took a leap of faith in 1979 with four partners to launch Mendon Seed Growers. Paying 18 percent interest on borrowed capital and adding customers a single digit at a time, he had no idea then what the seed corn venture would spur in St. […]

Continuing evolution spurs growth and new jobs at XL Machine. On Highway M-60, where it winds past scenic lakes and lush farmland in St. Joseph County, sits a dynamic manufacturer of high-profile parts for the automotive, marine, agricultural, entertainment, and industrial sectors. Revved-up auto enthusiasts readily seek out its products such as covers for the […]

Local hinge manufacturer banks longevity on quality. Team members at SELECT Products Limited in Portage have a great story to tell. The geared continuous door hinge they produce survived an independent test of 25 million open-and-close cycles. The test required over four years to complete. Every other component in the door failed except the hinge. […]

How one local job maker is connecting to community. GT Independence, a fiscal intermediary agency headquartered in Sturgis, is seeking 53 new employees. CEO John Carmichael describes the company’s services. “We help elderly and disabled people stay in their homes and communities by administering Medicaid funding for the Self-Determination Program. Our clients get to choose […]

With the war for talent raging on, employers are continually reminded about the importance of developing and keeping valuable team members. Turnover interrupts productivity, causing quality and service challenges. It’s also expensive. An independent analysis by the W.E. Upjohn Institute has determined in the cost of turnover in Southwest Michigan is approximately $3,500 per lost […]