Article Photographer: Barry Elz

On this day 150 years ago, Orville Wright of the famous flying Wright brothers was born. Today, we celebrate National Aviation Day—a holiday established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt— honoring and celebrating all those who have contributed to and innovated flight technology to give us modern aviation. Ever since the first flight on December 17, […]

When it comes to a career, it’s never too early to start preparing. When he was named president of Humphrey Products in April 2016, Dave Maurer inherited the desk of his recently retired predecessor. Within its drawers, Maurer found a sheaf of papers from 1998 describing a group of industry partners trying to solve a […]

If there is a blueprint for economic growth, a look at trend-setting regions around the nation tells us this: talent, education, and quality of life are key drivers. In that respect, the news is both encouraging and cautionary for Southwest Michigan. Among peer regions, Southwest Michigan has fewer high school dropouts than most—but it also […]

In any successful economy, we must work to harness our most important tool: Human capital. BusinessDictionary.com defines talent as (1) a natural ability to excel at a duty or action or (2) a group of people who have a particular aptitude for certain tasks. Albert Einstein spoke to talent in a more plain-spoken way, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its […]

John Korycki may be Director for Culinary Education at Kalamazoo Valley, but his love for food and cooking goes all over the place. John Korycki Director for Culinary Education, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, June 2015—present Executive Chef, Greenleaf Hospitality Group, August 2004—April 2015 Founding Chef, Zazios Kendall College, Associate of Arts and Sciences, Culinary Arts, […]