For some, living the relaxed, Up North lifestyle is just not for them. The movers and shakers in northern Michigan are not content with a book on the beach; instead, they're making things happen in their communities in all kinds of ways. Here are a...
The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War - By A.J. Baime 364 pages, published by Mariner Press September 2015; softcover $14.95; E-read edition $9.95 Reviewed by Chris Wendel In a nutshell: The background story of the U.S. auto industry’s role...
The results are in! We know where you want to fly. Cherry Capital Airport recently surveyed northwest lower Michigan businesses about travelers' air service development needs. (Thank you to Kent Wood, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and Tom Rockne, Tom Rockne Travel Resources for assisting...
There’s a consistent – and important – message emanating these days from business and political leaders across the state: Keep Michigan’s economic comeback moving forward. Michigan’s economy has gotten to a much better place in the past decade. It’s evident in traditional barometers like economic growth,...
Lots of one-on-one time and same-day visits are the promises concierge medicine docs say have personalized patient care. So far, four area physicians have affiliated with MDVIP, a Boca Raton, Florida-based primary care concierge service that links affiliated physicians in a network spread across the country. To...
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...
Ever-rising costs are prompting more employers to consider ditching their health insurance providers and paying the medical claims of their employees themselves. Self-insurance was once mainly for large corporations that could afford the risk of potentially expensive claims. But benefit consultants say self-insurance can work for...
When the craft beverage industry exploded about 10 years ago, it led to some big changes in another industry: insurance. Mark Irwin, agency principal for Bellaire’s Fischer Insurance Agency, happened to be in the right place at the right time in 2004. Short’s Brewing Company opened...
The opioid crisis ravaging northern Michigan – and much of the country – could result in an outbreak of HIV. According to Victoria Cammarata, a licensed master social worker and medical case manager with Munson’s Thomas Judd Care Center, the growing trend of intravenous drug...
[caption id="attachment_15883" align="alignleft" width="300"] Big Sky Resort, Big Sky, Montana[/caption] It started with a one dollar bill and a young man's dream to own a ski hill. Boyne Resorts, North America's third-largest mountain resort company, was founded when 30-year-old Everett Kircher bought 40 acres of barren property...
