Success Stories

Creating prosperous communities and thriving businesses

Featured Success Stories

Buck’s Port Hope Diner

Port Hope, Michigan
The 217 residents of Port Hope are grateful. “Thank you for investing in our town.” “You’ve changed my business by opening yours.” “You put Port…
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Americana Manufacturing

Lapeer, Michigan
For Ben Logan, school was often a struggle. Dyslexia made traditional learning challenging, and he spent much of his time watching cartoons in a special…
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2024 Gift Guide

All Over Michigan
Support these wonderful small businesses this giving season This year, skip the big box stores and discover unique, thoughtfully crafted gifts from small businesses across…
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Cannas Capital

Muskegon, Michigan
Cimone Casson just wanted Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. When she asked for it, at her high-powered beauty stylist job in Chicago, and was…
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Myconaut

Marquette, Michigan
 While Joe Lane, left, and Ryan Iacovacci are growing mushrooms to feed people, they’re also working to save the planet. The owners of Myconaut were…
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All Success Stories

Dabney & Co.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
For years, Daniel May has been a driving force behind community celebrations in Kalamazoo, including a Juneteenth bar crawl that left an indelible mark on…
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Four Leaf Brewing
Clare, Michigan
The whistle of trains mixes with the clop-clop of horses pulling buggies in downtown Clare. Outside of Four Leaf Brewing, it also mixes with the…
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RJ’s Printing
Kalamazoo, Mich.
Sean Hollins knows all too well the challenges of being a Black business owner – the search for funding, the wealth disparities, the lack of…
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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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