Crain's Grand Rapids Business

Crain's Grand Rapids Business Essential business news, insights and analysis for West Michigan’s decision-makers.

Crain's Grand Rapids Business launched in 2023, bringing together MiBiz, the Grand Rapids Business Journal and Crain Communications to create the top source of business news, analysis and information in West Michigan.

Michigan’s oldest winery is doubling down on spirits production with the acquisition of a Lansing bulk spirits distiller...
09/22/2025

Michigan’s oldest winery is doubling down on spirits production with the acquisition of a Lansing bulk spirits distillery.

St. Julian Winery & Distillery said it plans to relocate bulk spirits producer Michigrain Distillery from Lansing to its winery in Paw Paw in Southwest Michigan.

Michigrain serves as a contract distillery producing neutral spirits ranging from corn and potato vodka to whiskey, brandy and rum for other companies.

In a deal that closed last month, St. Julian acquired certain assets from Michigrain, including the name and equipment, which it will use to bolster its own spirits production and expand into contract distilling.

St. Julian is doubling down on its spirits production and plans to roll out new whiskeys in the coming months as it continues to expand its lineup.

The company also aims to develop ready-to-drink cocktails, which would include pre-mixed classic drinks such as old fashioneds and cosmopolitans.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/food-drink/michigans-oldest-winery-acquires-distillery-to-boost-spirits-production/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

A Detroit-based retailer that makes jewelry from repurposed murals and landmarks is opening its first Grand Rapids locat...
09/21/2025

A Detroit-based retailer that makes jewelry from repurposed murals and landmarks is opening its first Grand Rapids location on Monroe Center.

Rebel Nell, which employs women facing employment barriers from housing insecurity to incarceration, is preparing a 750-square-foot storefront at 96 Monroe Center St. NW in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

This will be Rebel Nell’s fourth retail location, following the opening of two new storefronts in Detroit last year.

Rebel Nell makes bracelets, earrings, rings and accessories for men and women, using pieces of fallen graffiti and murals to create one-of-a-kind original jewelry.

The jewelry store will be located next to Ski’s Sub Shop in the former Local Mocha space.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/retail/detroit-jewelry-brand-hiring-women-in-need-opens-grand-rapids-store/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

The developer behind a luxury office-to-residential conversion in Traverse City has sold the first condo unit in the sti...
09/19/2025

The developer behind a luxury office-to-residential conversion in Traverse City has sold the first condo unit in the still-under construction project for nearly $3.25 million, setting a new record for its size in Michigan’s condo market.

Andrew McCarthy, founder and owner of Traverse City-based Freshwater Development, closed on the sale of the first — and largest — unfinished unit in his Brownstones at 100 Park project at 100 N. Park St. in downtown Traverse City for just under $3.25 million on Aug. 29.

McCarthy, a developer formerly based in New York who founded Freshwater in 2021, said this unit in the Brownstones at 100 Park is the most expensive of five luxury condo units Freshwater is developing in downtown Traverse City. Its other project, the two-unit Penthouses at 111 State, is expected to wrap construction later this month.

The $1,415 price per square foot for the 2,295-square-foot Brownstones unit is the most expensive condo sale recorded so far in Michigan by price per square foot.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/traverse-city-condo-sale-breaks-a-state-record-for-its-size/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

After sewing up the final piece of an extensive public-private funding stack last month, the developers behind a 171-uni...
09/18/2025

After sewing up the final piece of an extensive public-private funding stack last month, the developers behind a 171-unit workforce housing project in Grand Rapids’ Creston neighborhood have now launched into construction.

Co-developers Pinnacle Construction Group and Sun Title Agency held a groundbreaking ceremony this week for the approximately $40 million Horizon apartment project on 2 acres at 301 and 385 Leonard St. NE in Grand Rapids, next to Sun Title’s corporate headquarters at the intersection of Lafayette Avenue. A dozen of the units will be reserved for Sun Title employees in perpetuity.

Grand Rapids-based Pinnacle is handling the project design and managing the construction.

The 130,000-square-foot horseshoe-shaped facility will join other recent multifamily developments in Creston, The Current and Lofts on Grove, which opened last year just to the west on the Plainfield Avenue corridor. The three projects together add 353 housing units to the neighborhood.

The Horizon is expected to be completed in summer 2027.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/developers-start-building-171-apartments-in-creston-after-2-years-of-planning/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

The Mines Golf Club plans to invest $1 million into a new year-round practice facility intended to further extend the bu...
09/18/2025

The Mines Golf Club plans to invest $1 million into a new year-round practice facility intended to further extend the business through the winter months.

The project is the latest expansion by owner Chris Sobieck, who bought the golf course property in 2021 and will now have invested more than $5 million into making it a year-round destination along with a restaurant and event space.

His latest plan calls for updating the self-serve outdoor driving range with a new 6,022-square-foot building with bathrooms, a full bar and kitchen, and 11 driving range bays designed for cold weather use. The design would allow people to hit balls from a covered bay during colder months. The bays also would feature Toptracer simulator technology to give players more information about their swing.

“We think this is the evolution. It’s a simulator, but you get to see the ball flight and then you’ll be able to look over to a screen and it will show you how far you hit it,” Sobieck said. “Seeing the actual ball flight, that’s what golfers want to see. They want to see the ball fly into the air, not hit a screen.”

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/sports-recreation/west-side-golf-course-investing-1m-for-year-round-practice-facility/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

Mark Bissell has stepped down as the fourth-generation chairman and CEO of Bissell Inc., placing the Walker-based home c...
09/16/2025

Mark Bissell has stepped down as the fourth-generation chairman and CEO of Bissell Inc., placing the Walker-based home cleaning products manufacturer among a rare number of firms that have moved into fifth-generation leadership.

Early this week, Bissell moved into the role of executive chairman of the board for the company that was founded in 1876. Family members Max Bissell and Matt Kruer will serve as “key members on the executive team,” according to a company statement.

Chief Operating Officer Adam Madigan will now also take on the role of president. Max Bissell, Mark Bissell’s son, serves as president of global markets and Matt Kruer, Mark Bissell’s son-in-law, is chief investment officer. The two have a combined 22 years of experience at the company already.

“After 40 years leading BISSELL, Mark Bissell will transition from Chairman & CEO to Executive Chairman on September 15, shifting his focus to strategic oversight,” the company said in a statement. “Adam Madigan will become President and COO, continuing to report to Mark. The Bissell family will continue to have a daily role in operations, with Max Bissell and Matt Kruer as key members on the executive team. BISSELL is well-positioned for a smooth transition and continued growth as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2026 as a family-owned global business right here in Grand Rapids, MI.”

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/manufacturing/bissell-inc-takes-rare-step-into-5th-generation-leadership/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

A nonprofit makerspace is opening a workshop just north of Grand Rapids where members can drop in and use shared ameniti...
09/15/2025

A nonprofit makerspace is opening a workshop just north of Grand Rapids where members can drop in and use shared amenities including woodworking equipment and a 3D printer.

Grand River Makerspace held a grand opening last week in Walker after volunteers moved equipment into the first floor space last month. The organization hopes in the future to add textile equipment and set up a dark room in the approximately 3,000-square-foot space, said Lucas Leverett, a Grand River Makerspace board member.

“The fact that this is a nonprofit, crowd-funded and community sourced, everyone gets a hand in what is there,” Leverett said. “There is a lot of organic community involvement to it that makes it very viable.”

The Grand River Makerspace initiative has been around for about four years and previously operated from a shared space at St. John’s Church on Bridge Street. The group has worked for years to be in a position to move into its own space, said Grand River Makerspace President Pat Hurn.

Membership will cost $65 a month, or $699 a year. The organization aims to have at least 50 members in the short-term, and grow membership to around 100 members in its first year, Hurn said. Grand River Makerspace also plans to hold various classes and programs in the workshop space.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/retail/after-years-of-planning-crowdfunded-shared-workshop-secures-its-own-space/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

A Grand Rapids board has approved revised plans for a riverfront affordable housing project south of the Acrisure Amphit...
09/12/2025

A Grand Rapids board has approved revised plans for a riverfront affordable housing project south of the Acrisure Amphitheater that would include a public plaza with space for food trucks and outdoor entertainment.

The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission unanimously approved Mount Pleasant-based P.S. Equities and Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids’ approximately 80-unit apartment project at 427 and 449 Market Ave. SW, at the intersection of Market and Wealthy Street SW.

The $20 million to $30 million six-story rental project, which has drawn some concerns from riverfront development groups, is planned for a 1-acre underutilized city-owned parking lot and an adjacent parcel about one-third of a mile south of the Acrisure Amphitheater.

Plans now call for food trucks, a lawn with a patio, a mini amphitheater that local musicians could use, and a mural and some type of screening on the side of the parking ramp entrance to make it more pedestrian friendly. The plaza would have electrical and water hookups for the vendors and performers.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/city-oks-riverfront-affordable-housing-project-near-acrisure-amphitheater/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

Corewell Health has buckled amid national political pressure and ended gender-affirming care for minors.The Grand Rapids...
09/11/2025

Corewell Health has buckled amid national political pressure and ended gender-affirming care for minors.

The Grand Rapids- and Southfield-based health system made the announcement Wednesday evening, only weeks after competitor Michigan Medicine ended its gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19.

Michigan Medicine, the health system of the University of Michigan, ended the care after being targeted by the Trump administration. The system was subpoenaed by the FBI in a criminal investigation over providing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to minors.

Corewell declined to comment on whether it was the target of an investigation, but acknowledged legal risks.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/health-care/as-pressure-mounts-from-feds-corewell-ends-gender-affirming-care-for-minors/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

A Detroit health expert-turned-restaurateur is bringing her breakfast and brunch concept to Grand Rapids, featuring sout...
09/09/2025

A Detroit health expert-turned-restaurateur is bringing her breakfast and brunch concept to Grand Rapids, featuring southern comfort food and cocktails.

Located at the southwest corner of Fulton Street and Carlton Avenue, Sugah Please Breakfast Brunch Bar will offer what owner Wendy Ringo describes as “bayou inspired” breakfast and brunch food.

Ringo, who earned doctor of medicine and executive masters of public health degrees, has a background in public health and leadership. In 2020, she was tapped by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as a subject matter expert to help monitor the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Michigan.

After the pandemic, she shifted her focus to entrepreneurship and opened Sugah Please as a coffee shop in the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi in early 2021.

In 2024, she moved the business to Detroit, opening her first full service restaurant downtown.

Over the years, Ringo said some patrons have remained “very adamant” in encouraging her to expand to the west side of the state.

When the opportunity came up, she signed a five-year lease for the 3,300-square-foot restaurant space in Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood.

“I’m hoping that we can become a mainstay,” she said.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/detroit-restaurateur-brings-sugah-please-brunch-bar-to-grand-rapids/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

More than 37% of qualified applicants, even those already with bachelor’s degrees, were rejected from Wayne State Univer...
09/08/2025

More than 37% of qualified applicants, even those already with bachelor’s degrees, were rejected from Wayne State University College of Nursing this year.

It’s a national trend. More than 65,000 qualified applicants were not accepted into undergraduate nursing programs across the U.S. last year. It's not because they're not needed — the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration projects a 15% gap between nursing demand and available nurses in Michigan by 2035.

There are not enough nursing educators to train the next generation to meet the demand in the field.

It’s a matter of economics and safety regulations. Michigan regulations restrict how many students can be overseen by a single faculty member in the clinical setting, and pay in academia is outpaced by pay for nurses in hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices.

“It comes down to a complete mismatch of incentives for nurse educators, providers and nurses,” said Christopher Friese, vice provost for academic and faculty affairs at the University of Michigan and professor at the UM School of Nursing. “We absolutely need more slack in the system. We can’t run health care with the absolute bare minimum. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment and this issue is keeping qualified people out of the hospital.”

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/health-care/michigan-needs-more-nurses-yet-students-are-getting-turned-away-heres-why/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

West Michigan’s industrial real estate market continues to show signs of cooling after about five years of the sector ov...
09/05/2025

West Michigan’s industrial real estate market continues to show signs of cooling after about five years of the sector overperforming, according to local real estate experts.

A combination of factors are behind the recent market softening as companies show more caution amid high interest rates and tariff-related uncertainty. Local real estate experts are calling out the negative pressures on the local market, but remain optimistic about the strength of West Michigan’s industrial landscape.

Stu Kingma, partner and executive vice president at NAI Wisinski of West Michigan, said the industrial market has been going “130 miles an hour for four years straight,” and is showing signs of slowing down.

“It feels like you’re going slow, but you’re still going 75 miles an hour and so how that translates is we are now probably at a more normal pace,” Kingma said.

Read more here: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/west-michigan-industrial-real-estate-market-continues-to-soften-after-torrent-pace/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=soc-own

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Grand Rapids Business Journal

Since 1983, the Grand Rapids Business Journal has been West Michigan’s primary and most-trusted source of local business news.

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