Success Stories

Creating prosperous communities and thriving businesses

Featured Success Stories

Uproot Market and Eatery

Battle Creek, Michigan
When a major grocer pulled out of downtown Battle Creek, some saw disaster. Others saw possibility. Possibility won. What followed is a powerful example of…
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The Mather

Ishpeming, Michigan
As all brilliant ideas start, Bill Anderson and Liisa Petersen's vision started in the kitchen over dinner and a glass of wine. They couldn’t stop…
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Weavers Unlimited

Kalamazoo, Michigan
Stuart Weaver has worked a thousand feet above the Arctic Circle, where steel groans in the cold and mistakes are unforgiving. Compared to that, a…
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Fresh Coast Inspections

Norton Shores, Michigan
As Scott Kiaunis built a career in construction and building inspection, he kept noticing something important—every time he stepped into a compromised building, he stepped…
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Trust

Grand Rapids, Michigan
If you trace Trimell Hawkins’ path to this moment, it reads less like a résumé and more like a carefully composed menu—each step deliberate, each…
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All Success Stories

Uproot Market and Eatery
Battle Creek, Michigan
When a major grocer pulled out of downtown Battle Creek, some saw disaster. Others saw possibility. Possibility won. What followed is a powerful example of…
Story
The Mather
Ishpeming, Michigan
As all brilliant ideas start, Bill Anderson and Liisa Petersen's vision started in the kitchen over dinner and a glass of wine. They couldn’t stop…
Story
Weavers Unlimited
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Stuart Weaver has worked a thousand feet above the Arctic Circle, where steel groans in the cold and mistakes are unforgiving. Compared to that, a…
Story
Fresh Coast Inspections
Norton Shores, Michigan
As Scott Kiaunis built a career in construction and building inspection, he kept noticing something important—every time he stepped into a compromised building, he stepped…
Story
Trust
Grand Rapids, Michigan
If you trace Trimell Hawkins’ path to this moment, it reads less like a résumé and more like a carefully composed menu—each step deliberate, each…
Story
Alverson’s Little Forks Outfitters
Midland, Michigan
Spencer Alverson learned to fish on the rivers around Midland—wading into the Titabawassee and Chippewa as a kid, casting lines where curiosity mattered more than…
Story
Holiday Bonanza!
Happy Holidays 2025! We've asked our customers to share some of their best holiday gift ideas. We'll be adding to it all season! Great Lakes…
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Northland Precision
Traverse City, Michigan
The roots of CNC machining run deep in Traverse City — and Northland Precision is carrying that legacy forward. It all started with John Parsons,…
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Red Hen Food and Goods
Nisula, Michigan
In tiny Nisula, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Alison Kirksey and her neighbors were driving 45 minutes for basic groceries and supplies. With a successful food…
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