Success Stories
Creating prosperous communities and thriving businesses
Featured Success Stories
Wormie’s
Alto, MIchigan
Luis Chen-Aguilera turns compost at Wormie's Luis Chen-Aguilera is turning Kent County’s food and yard waste into fertile soil, with the…
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Flowers Automotive Recyclers
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Ronald Flowers is using his business to save the planet, as well as create a family legacy. Ronald Flowers talks about…
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2023 Gift Guide
One of the best things about supporting small businesses is we know exactly where to shop - and now, so do you! 🧡Aaahhh🧡 Float…
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Fox and Hen Vineyards
Grand Haven, Michigan
Wil Malski was pretty excited when he planted his first grapes in 2014. The heartbreak was equally strong when he had to rip them out…
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Tastefull Vegan
Wyoming, Michigan
Kalene McElveen grew up on the east side of Detroit in a food desert. “Our closest grocery store was a liquor store,” she says. There…
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J.bird Provisions
Charlevoix, Michigan
Jessica Nagel didn’t realize the depths of plumbing knowledge she was going to need to start a business. “There was virtually no plumbing I could…
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Sip Coffee and Cocktails
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jonathan Farman says the best business move he ever made was finding the right partner. Jonathan Frantz, his partner, agrees. The two met in 2016…
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2022 Gift Guide
Small business is the best business. These entrepreneurs support their families and their communities and we're proud to support them. FOR SOMEONE WHO…
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Applecore General Store
Cedarville, Michigan
Activity comes in waves in the Les Cheneaux region. There’s the summer onslaught, because who wouldn’t want to spend time in an area surrounded by…
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Aspidistra Naturals
Battle Creek, Michigan
Lori Olsen is delighted with one benefit of owning a business – the jump in her confidence. “I’m doing things I never thought I’d do,”…
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Smith Truck Body
Rosebush, Michigan
Curtis Smith is sure of one thing: There will always be garbage. Smith has worked nearly a decade in waste hauling and recycling. He opened…
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Blossom Bird Bubble Tea
Marquette, Michigan
Kaila and Daniel Ball, newly married during the pandemic, had dreams of something fresh, away from metro Detroit. “We had plans to move to Oregon,”…
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Emmanuel Barbershop
Muskegon Heights, Michigan
The early days of the pandemic were tough on Carlton Briggs and his Emmanuel Barbershop. They were really tough on his customers. "This culture –…
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