Category: Business

Benton Employment Solutions is working with area teens to set them up for success.  There is nothing more important to a teenager than freedom—but after turning in final exams at the end of another school year, kids are hit with a hard truth: Going out with friends every day isn’t cheap. For high school students, […]

With Russ McFee, President of GHS Strings. 1959 | BORN IN BATTLE CREEK: My good friend’s grandfather was the doctor who delivered me at the community hospital. I always say he was the first person to see me alive on this earth. 1960s | BEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY: Back in the late ’60s, my parents took […]

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 […]

With Grand Valley State University grad and Clark Logic professional, Tara Anis. EDUCATION Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Advertising, B.B.S. ’17 HOMETOWN Sturgis, MI EMPLOYMENT Dispatch, Clark Logic FROM POINT A TO POINT B AND BEYOND At Clark Logic, we provide logistical and supply-chain solutions for our clients. My job is to coordinate the company’s […]

A Q+A With Brian Revoir, Senior Designer at Landscape Forms. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT LANDSCAPE FORMS? At Landscape Forms, we create outdoor furnishings and site amenities, lighting, and custom work. I’m part of a three-person design team, so the projects get split up between us. We’re authors in a sense. Working on a tight-knit […]

Humphrey Products Company excels at valve and pressure regulation technology. COMPANY Humphrey Products Company YEAR FOUNDED 1901 LOCATION 5070 E N Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49048 FOOTPRINT 140,000 square feet EXECUTIVES Bob Humphrey Chairman and CEO Dave Maurer President NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 200+ MARKETS Life Science Vehicle Food and Beverage Distribution Technology GLOBAL AFFILIATION In 1962, […]

When regional organizations provide excellent internship experiences, everyone benefits. Between the region’s nine colleges and universities, nearly 43,000 students step onto campus each academic year in Southwest Michigan. These students gain vital experiences in their years spent at these institutions, but classroom learning isn’t always enough to prepare them to launch straight into a career […]

Honor Credit Union, Arbor Financial Credit Union, and Huntington National Bank reveal insights on personal leadership and financial management for small businesses at the Chamber’s July Lunch & Learn event. July 24, 2019 | Southwest Michigan small business professionals from across the region joined together at the Chamber’s July Lunch & Learn to spark a […]

Confections with Convictions is serving up much more than mouthwatering chocolates; it’s also changing the lives of young people across the community. The first time the phrase “confections with convictions” slipped out of juvenile counselor Dale Anderson’s mouth, he apologized and called it “a bad joke.” These days, “Confections with Convictions” means something much more […]

Local leaders imagine the future of Southwest Michigan. In 1929, the Swiss-born architect and urban planner known as Le Corbusier published a book titled “The City of Tomorrow.” It details the importance of supporting a city across each of its many sectors—from infrastructure to greenspace to technologies to social opportunity—to enable it to thrive. In […]

Local entrepreneurs can make it big through the 2019 Makers’ Mart competition. When it comes to the Michigan economy, the impact of small business is anything but small. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the 870,301 small businesses located across the state are responsible for 49.2 percent of the private workforce in Michigan. That’s […]

A Q+A with Mike Elwell, director of Western Michigan University (WMU)’s Richmond Institute of Product Design and Innovation. What should people know about WMU’s product design program? The Richmond Institute of Product Design and Innovation is two years old now, so our students are freshman and sophomores. I believe that we have one of the […]