Category: Business

Where Work Is a Home Away From Home Companies that know how to make work both fulfilling and fun for employees deserve to be recognized, which is why FIRST & 42 has scouted around Southwest Michigan to find the top companies in the region that have Wonderful Workplaces. Today we’re celebrating Nulty Insurance, an independent […]

Today, Governor Whitmer, Robert Gordon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy Director for MDHHS provided an update on the COVID pandemic at a press conference. The governor also announced that MDHHS has updated its epidemic order today to allow indoor […]

KALAMAZOO, MI—Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department and healthcare partners Ascension Borgess, Bronson Healthcare, Family Health Center, and WMed Health are excited to announce the arrival of the Pfizer vaccine to Kalamazoo County and the first vaccines administered. The health department, Ascension Borgess, Bronson Health, and WMed Health received their first shipment and will […]

Crafting High Quality Products With Fun Along the Way FIRST & 42 has scouted around Southwest Michigan to find workplaces that know how to make work both fulfilling and fun for employees. We are letting out the cheers for our Wonderful Workplace winners with stories about their outstanding organizational cultures and human resources practices. Today […]

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates continued their downward fall in all 17 Michigan major labor market areas during October 2020, according to data released from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB). “Regional jobless rates continued to decrease in October with modest recalls of workers from pandemic-related layoffs,” said Wayne Rourke, acting director of […]

A Family of Uncompromising Leaders FIRST & 42 is featuring the winners of our 2020 Wonderful Workplaces competition with stories about amazing organizational cultures and human resources practices that truly stand out in our region. Today we are celebrating CSM Group, a specialty services provider within the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industry. Its founder, […]

Empowering Others To Live Their Best Lives Driven by culture and talent, Workforce Strategies, Inc. (WSI) was founded in 2001 and has been giving the recruitment and staffing industry a good name ever since. Whether you’re a business researching new staffing partners, a job seeker looking for the best employment agency, or curious about what […]

People Helping People FIRST & 42 has scouted around Southwest Michigan to find workplaces that know how to make work both fulfilling and fun for employees. Honor Credit Union (HCU), a member-owned financial institution, received the distinction of being a Wonderful Workplace this year. The Honor team lives and works in the communities it serves […]

Celebrating Curiosity through Culture and Design TowerPinkster, a firm of architects and engineers committed to design integrity, quality, and environmental responsibility, is a FIRST & 42 2020 Wonderful Workplaces winner. Its doors opened in 1953 with just six people, and now has over 140 in Michigan serving the industrial, commercial, health care, K-12 education, higher […]

15 regional companies shined bright this year in the Wonderful Workplaces competition powered by FIRST & 42, earning them the title of 2020 Wonderful Workplaces Champion. FIRST & 42 scouted around Southwest Michigan to find workplaces that know how to make work both fulfilling and fun for their employees. In today’s competitive environment, these companies […]

The votes have been counted and the winner of the sixth annual Makers’ Mart competition has been named! On Friday, December 4, 2020, Samson’s Haircare earned the coveted Makers’ Mart title at Catalyst University, a three-day leadership event hosted by Southwest Michigan First headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The regional economic development catalyst serving the seven […]

VOTE HERE! There is nothing small about the impact that small business has on our community. Over the past nine months, we have seen small businesses throughout our region and state put their skills to the test to innovate and reinvent to better support customer needs. While nearly every small business was impacted by the […]