For nearly 50 years, Graceland Fruit has played an important role in the Up North tart cherry industry. Founded as a growers’ cooperative that processed and helped market the annual harvest, the company later pioneered fruit drying processes that helped create year-round utilization of fruit. Graceland’s...
Not every new invention has to be complicated. Based on everyday experience, Boise, Idaho-based urologist Dr. Autumn Bridger identified a simple but persistent problem at her practice: Her patients found exams and medical procedures uncomfortable. In particular, they found cold, metal foot stirrups unwelcoming, which some doctors...
Not all business marriages work. However, the purchase nearly a year ago of Hayes Manufacturing in Fife Lake by the much larger CK Power in St. Louis seems to be doing just fine. There are concrete reasons for that. First, this is not a case of...
The middle of the 2007-2009 Great Recession seems like a uniquely poor time to buy a business, especially one related to construction. Undaunted, Tyler Cerny bought Traverse City-based Strata Design, a commercial cabinet and countertop manufacturer. The gamble paid off. Armed with a materials science engineering...
Stormcloud Brewing in Frankfort has grown up fast. After seven years in business, it has an ultra-modern brewery that sports solar panels, charging stations for electric cars and the latest in lighting, heating and cooling technology. The decision to make such a major capital investment isn’t...
The 60 employees at Traverse City-based American Proficiency Institute are battling the coronavirus pandemic on three fronts: lab performance, finding a test and detecting antibodies. The institute's clinical proficiency testing programs are approved by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), The Joint Commission...
Renovating an iconic 1950s-style motel in Charlevoix and staying true to the original architect’s vision isn’t easy. And it doesn’t come cheap. [caption id="attachment_15891" align="alignleft" width="300"] Rendering by Shoreline Architecture and Design[/caption] Paul Silva, downstate businessman (and summer resident of Charlevoix), plans to invest around $5 million to...
Local startup Traverse Solar is out to capture energy from the sun. But instead of buying and selling solar panels, company owner Nathan Bildeaux and his two partners have designed, tested and are now marketing their own high-tech mounting system that automatically adjusts the angle...
New owners Mark Steckly and Scott Porter. From their Central High School days as best friends, Mark Steckley and Scott Porter have come a long way. “If I’d go in a restaurant without Mark, people would say, “‘Hey, where’s your brother?’" said Porter, the new co-owner...
Chip Hoagland is a character. The website for his company, Tamarack Holdings, makes that clear: Artsy portraits of the company’s staff set an entertaining tone for a company that calls itself a "...
