Street Talk: Health care staff shortages are on the horizon

“Is Long-Anticipated Slowdown Here?” was the arresting headline on a news release from Altarum Institute in early August. Altarum is a nonprofit health systems research...

Street Talk: Hospital ratings — something’s better than nothing

Priority Health held a media event last week to promote its new contract with Healthcare Blue Book of Brentwood, Tenn., allowing it to begin...

Street Talk: Countdown to the Affordable Care Act

A major transition period for the Affordable Care Act — aka Obamacare — starts Oct. 1, with the beginning of open enrollment in the...

Street Talk: Spectrum queues up for 1.2 million people with no health care insurance

Why the health care insurance issue won’t go away A new clinic that Spectrum Health just opened in Grand Rapids for people who don’t have...

Street Talk: Englehart didn’t just fall into success

All of the West Michigan ATHENA Award winners are deserving of the honor. But some — like this year’s winner Jeanne Englehart — have...

Street Talk: Teachers learning the ropes in Grand Rapids

With all the news coming from the east side of the state regarding school district closures, it’s refreshing that a bundle of teaching newbies...

Street Talk: So, two mayors walk into a bar …

Stop us if you’ve heard this one. And, if you’re from West Michigan, you surely have. With all the hoopla surrounding the BeerCity USA competition/title,...

Street Talk: Native Detroiter discovers an ‘amazing’ GR

Bill Manns, chief operating officer at Alameda Health System in Oakland, Cal., has been named the new president at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in...

Street Talk: Sequester haunts Area Agency on Aging

It’s no secret that state and federal funding have been going down as the older population increases. The Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan...

Street Talk: North American Union? Dixie wants to know

When former Mexican president Vicente Fox spoke at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan annual dinner last fall, he dove right in to...

Street Talk: Mr. Van Andel goes to Washington (again)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Steve Van Andel chairman of its board of directors. Van Andel, chairman of Amway Corp., will serve a...

Street Talk: Benteler Automotive closing Hall Street plant early next year

Benteler Automotive is announcing plans to close its manufacturing plant located at 320 Hall Street in Grand Rapids. Current plans are for the facility...

Street Talk: Shelby fruit business makes Financial Times

A reader in Oceana County mentioned a couple of months ago that Chinese investors were rumored to be buying Peterson Farms in Shelby. When Earl...

Street Talk: Fear of failure? Not for these people

Six storytellers took to the Wealthy Street Theatre stage recently and poured their hearts out to 400 people during the first-ever Failure-Lab. The brain child...

Street Talk: Money still talks in CEO performance reviews

A new study conducted by the Center for Leadership Development and Research at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University’s Rock Center for Corporate...

Street Talk: West Michigan: lower unemployment, higher growth

The growing number of consumers in China is a good thing for manufacturing centers like West Michigan, according to Brad Haverkamp. “Among our clients, the...

Street Talk: Game of musical chairs keeps hospitals hopping

A tipster said last week that Metro Health may make a big announcement very soon regarding its choice of a new partner. The suggestion...

Street Talk: Mini-MI to D.C.: They came, they saw, they had meetings

Chamber leaders and members from Grand Rapids, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties used the waning days of April for a jam-packed, two-day visit to...

Street Talk: Water, water everywhere — and lots of sandbags, too

Last week’s unprecedented 1,500-volunteer sandbag effort in support of the city of Grand Rapids’ Environmental Services Department was essentially organized over the course of...

Street Talk: Have you hugged your banker today?

The American Bankers Association says that many small business owners have been wondering what it takes these days to get a bank loan. Its...