ZEELAND – Lakeshore Advantage, in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and regional partners, awarded $3.325 million to 428 small businesses and nonprofits in Allegan and Ottawa counties through the Michigan Small Business Restart Grant Program. Lakeshore Advantage received 887 grant applications with a total monetary request of nearly $9.3 million. Grants awarded ranged
LANSING - Pointing to her strategy to confront the COVID crisis, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that “our economy is operating at 87% of what it was since last March. We are in a much stronger position than other states like Florida and Texas.” It’s the first time she has
LANSING - To date, 2.1 million voters had requested absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, eclipsing a record set during the August primary of 2,065,000 requests for absentee ballots, according to the Secretary of State’s office Thursday morning. “We do expect that we again will have record setting turnout,” said Jake Rollow, spokesman
LANSING - Business owners shouldn’t assume someone not wearing a mask inside their establishments are medically unable to do so, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in an update to her mandatory mask executive order Friday. The Governor wrote in Executive Order 2020-153 that if a customer says he or she is not medically able to wear a
LANSING—The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) successfully secured $600,000 from the MEDC’s Small Business Relief Program to issue 60 $10,000 grants to small businesses across Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties that are suffering financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant application for these funds is now open and can be accessed
WASHINGTON DC - The $2.2 Trillion federal stimulus package will provide small businesses (those with fewer than 500 employees) who promise not to fire employees during the crisis would have access to $367 billion worth of guaranteed loans from community banks through June 30 that would be forgiven if the business continues to pay workers
LANSING - Michigan Senate Republicans passed SB 0716 and SCR 22, both objections to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's $3.5 billion bonding-for-roads plan. All the Senate Democrats voted against SB 0716, sponsored by Sen. Roger Victory (R-Hudsonville), which would give the Legislature veto power over the State Transportation Commission bonding more than $100 million in any fiscal
LANSING - With only a 10 percent excise tax on the sale of recreational marijuana, Michigan state officials are expecting a fairly substantial windfall in the next two years as the market, literally, lights up to the tune of $140 worth of product for every man, woman and child by the end of 2021. "It's
LANSING - A Federal Reserve economist Thursday said he expects 2020 to be more positive for the state's economy than 2019. "One thing to keep in mind is that in most of the years since the recession, Michigan has outperformed its trend on this basis than the U.S.," said Martin Lavelle, business economist with the
WASHINGTON DC – Small business owners feel only “somewhat prepared” for a potential economic downturn, according to new data gathered by SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses. Data shows that the U.S. economy is strong, but slowing; and, while 75% of small business owners rated their company’s cash flow as “good” or “very good” in
