The silver lining in the fiscal cliff tax changes

I tell my children that one needs to view the glass as half full and not half empty. That is, we need to focus...

Words to live by for the next 12 months: What are yours?

I am sick of reading claims hyping me to “have my best year ever.” FYI: The trend of “best year ever” was originated more...

Grand Rapids is a state, federal model of efficiency

Mayor George Heartwell on Saturday provided his annual State of the City speech, outlining progress on key initiatives, which, in fact, could be seen...

Small business success enriches the lives of all of us

I listened to an interview with a woman on the radio recently stating that we need to get rid of the rich people in...

Inside or outside — whom to hire?

Do you promote a known employee in your business or shake things up and go outside to hire for a key position? In today’s competitive...

It’s not just a new year; it’s a better, smarter, easier way

In case no one has told you, the old way of selling is dead. Problem is, people are still using the old way and,...

The business of education: It’s time for new ideas

Each January we have high hopes that the coming year will be better than the past year, even if last year wasn’t so bad. I...

Collectively, Newsmakers’ impact is impressive

(As seen on WZZM TV 13) The annual compilation of the top economic stories of the previous year has provided the region with a...

Understanding the role of cultural resources in development projects

As Michigan moves to expand its commercial and industrial base, in particular in the natural resources and energy sectors, companies are moving to more...

Selling your business ‘someday’? Five things to consider now

There are a myriad of external factors that can influence the best time to sell your business:  taxes, interest rates and market demand, to...

Concentrate on per-capita income, not business climate

As we have written frequently, being highly ranked in business climate rankings seems increasingly to be the goal/measuring stick of economic policy makers and...

Are you making sales — or measuring sales activity?

The amount of time that management spends measuring sales activity and salespeople (or, even dumber, the ROI of some investment they made in CRM)...

Business has questions, does Snyder have answers?

Wednesday is must-see TV for the state’s business community, especially those employers who call West Michigan home. Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State Address...

Several variables will define 2013’s economy

We’ve returned to an unimpressive growth pattern. Despite the optimism of our November report, December and 2012 ended rather flat. Our closely watched index...

Looking forward through a rearview mirror

“There’s no future in making predictions.” — Editorial from the Redwood Falls Gazette, Dec. 19, 2012. The reason I like this statement is because it...

Determining ‘large employers,’ ‘full-time employees’ for PPACA

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014, any company designated as a "large employer" will be required to offer minimum...

Every success revolves around one word. What’s yours?

My friend Andy Horner and I were eating lunch at Chick-fil-A last Friday. My 3-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, was with us. The minute we walked in...

Van Andel investments worthy of focus for economic growth

The West Michigan world is buzzing with continued strength in the automotive sector — the best sales year since 2007 — and the auto...

2013: Where is the regional business sentiment trending?

I’ve spent much of the fourth quarter meeting with local business owners in an attempt to understand where the regional business sentiment is trending....

Thoughts about what is ahead for Michigan

Times are changing. Education — once considered a privilege for the select few able to rise to the top of their class, born into...