Last April, Michigan’s unemployment rate hit nearly 23% as the full force of the shutdown hit our economy. Northwest Michigan fared even worse, with regional unemployment exceeding 25% and well above 30% in several counties. Spring 2020 was bleak. Today, the situation looks a bit different,...
Gregg Popovich, the legendary head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, is the longest-serving head coach in the NBA. Over his 22-year career, Coach Popovich holds the record for the most wins of any NBA coach and is one of only a few coaches to...
January welcomes the reopening of high schools and, while pandemic precautions remain very important, we can applaud the return of in-person instruction. Parents, teachers and administrators recognize the significant social, emotional and educational benefits kids get from actually being in the classroom. Though the return of...
Mark Duplass, a successful filmmaker and actor, was the keynote speaker for the South by Southwest conference and festival in 2015. His speech focused on his self-realization about personal responsibility, exemplified by the mantra, "The cavalry is not coming." The phrase refers to the danger of...
In mid-October, our family and close friends gathered for the annual grape harvest at our vineyard. It is a physically demanding, all-day effort, but we delivered a full load of fruit to the talented team at Left Foot Charley by late in the day. Due to...
A highlight of this summer for me was walking the pedestrian-only section of Front Street. I loved the excitement, energy – and yes, even the visitors – whose most common comment was, “This place is fantastic!” Our new and returning visitors this summer looked at our...
Traverse Connect is a proud member of the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance, which is a coalition of 16 chambers and economic development organizations from the northern Lower Peninsula and U.P. The Alliance was established based on the premise that many legislative issues impact these regions of...
We find ourselves in trying times, with unprecedented public health challenges and historic economic uncertainty. Let's be honest: As difficult as the current situation is, living in northern Michigan was never easy. We are a remote community far from large metro areas and the traditional centers...
We moved to Traverse City’s central neighborhood in the summer of 2009. It was the bottom of the Great Recession with the national unemployment rate set to top out at 10% for the first time in a quarter century. I was working in finance and had...
As difficult at the COVID-19 crisis has been, there are many silver linings across the region from our great local business retooling to the army of volunteer mask makers. Close community collaboration has been one of the clear and welcome bright spots amidst the challenges. This...
