Dealing with a difficult customer

A difficult customer — someone who is angry or upset — can be one of the most challenging and rewarding encounters for most companies.

Are outside salespeople obsolete?

One of my clients recently asked me: “Are outside salespeople obsolete?” He is the CEO of a distributor that specializes in automation equipment. He had just lost three field salespeople and was thinking about replacing them.

Is fair always equal? Challenges in family business succession

Families face many challenges when passing ownership of the family business between generations. A key component to succession planning is determining how to treat children...

It’s time for West Michigan to fix itself

This cannot be overstated. West Michigan companies are in dire need of skilled workers. West Michigan, as a whole, lags the country — and the...

Flyer beware: Drone regs tighten usage

Seems like you can’t turn a page — or open your curtains — without seeing a drone. Realtors hire them to provide aerial footage of...

No-contest clauses: leaving beneficiaries in terror

A no-contest, or "in terrorem," clause provides that a beneficiary under a will who contests the gift shall take either nothing or only a...

Real estate investors: The 1031 exchange is back

Another sign the real estate market in West Michigan is bouncing back: 1031 tax-deferred exchanges are on the rise. Long favored by real estate investors...

Guest Column: We have an education redesign problem

A little more than three years ago, the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosted “Outsmarting the Robots: Redesigning education from the classroom to the halls of Lansing.”

Auto no-fault reform is anti-jobs, anti-free market, anti-Michigan

Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. But as most of us have learned, when it comes to important public policy decisions, conspiracy theories do...

Major revisions to Michigan Nonprofit Corporation Act

By signing Michigan Senate Bills 623, 624 and 929 on Jan. 15, Gov. Rick Snyder ratified a significant set of revisions to the Michigan...

Guest Column: Can civics education build a better workforce?

On Election Day 2022, dozens of business and community leaders packed the former Ladies’ Literary Club in Grand Rapids. 

Michigan needs ‘Plan B’ for propane supply

In the winter months, Michigan runs on propane.

2015 forecast: a new age of wealth and poverty

It seems like a betrayal of the “dismal science” to give a relatively optimistic current economic analysis and forecast. However, it is what it...

ABLE Act provides savings tool for people with special needs

The state of Michigan has just made it easier for families caring for loved ones with special needs to set money aside without penalty. Starting...

Chamber opposes Grand Rapids Public Library’s 20-year tax

This November, the Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL) is asking city residents for a new tax. The library’s capital millage is expiring, and it is...

Coping with new Fair Labor Standards Act regulations

Anyone involved with trying to operate a successful business or nonprofit organization knows it isn’t easy to juggle all of the responsibilities. Sometimes, if...

Keep illegal businesses closed after stay-home order lifts

We find ourselves navigating a world swirling with grief in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gilmore’s entrepreneur effort was one of downtown’s biggest risks, most successful efforts

Greg (and John) Gilmore’s announcement of Live Nation’s House of Blues agreement to partner in the $16 million 20 Monroe Live entertainment venue is...

Just the two of us: estate planning for ‘DINK’ couples

If you've had the privilege of hanging around a group of excited estate planners, at one point or another the abbreviation “DINK” may have...

Crain eager to enter Grand Rapids market

The story of Michigan business doesn’t end with a single market.