The engine of the German national economy is the Mittelstand, small and mid-sized firms that account for the majority of the country’s GDP and employment. Many Mittelstand firms are locally and family-owned manufacturing firms located in rural parts of the country. They are not household...
As spring returns to northern Michigan and we get the bikes out, dust off the deck furniture and get the boat ready, we are reminded of why we are lucky to live where we do. Our rural areas and bustling small towns are about to...
Spring 2022 will be a momentous time for our family as our daughter, Sofia, graduates from high school and begins transitioning to the next phase of life. She and her friends constantly talk about the "lasts": the last basketball game, the last musical performance, the...
I recently had lunch with the CEO of a manufacturing company that has operations around the globe. It was great to meet him in person – we had been introduced in early 2020 but had only spoken over the phone and on Zoom. We discussed his...
The annual 40Under40 edition of the Traverse City Business News is one of my favorite publications. I love to learn about the impressive young people who are making things happen in the Grand Traverse region – what they are doing, how they got here, and...
by Warren Call I recently flew back from Chicago to Cherry Capital Airport, arriving in a plane with many people who had clearly never been to Traverse City before. There were comments about the beautiful airport, the aerial view of the bay and the quick drive...
by Warren Call July means Cherry Festival and a welcome return to normal zaniness after the not-normal zaniness of the pandemic. July could also mark another important milestone: the end of standing meetings for the Grand Traverse County Joint Operations Center (JOC). This collaborative group of public and...
June marks the return of visitors and seasonal residents ready to enjoy our weather and water. Our lakes, bays, and rivers will once again be the highlight of every Pure Michigan moment. But of course, no visitor can truly appreciate warm weather and getting on the...
In mid-March, my family gathered on our farm for a late-winter reunion as the big task of vine pruning begins. We followed COVID safety precautions and kept the group small, but we also did something that seemed a bit remarkable after the past year: We...
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,...
