By Kayla Sosa For Jenea Irvin, cooking is more than a job - it's a passion. As the owner of Diversity's Kitchen - a takeout food service - wife, and mother of four children, Irvin spends a lot of her…
Read More Diversity’s Kitchen: Serving homemade foods inspired by grandmother’s recipes
By Kayla Sosa Empowering students, honing in on skills and boosting small businesses is all part of the work done through Lend GR at Grand Valley State University. The program piloted over a year ago, with a focus on providing…
Read More GVSU students ‘lend a hand’ to entrepreneurs in need
(Featured Photo Courtesy of 77 Idea Lab Youtube Page) By Kayla Sosa Students who want to solve a problem in their community or society through a product or service have a new opportunity through the 77 Idea Lab at Grand…
Read More First GVSU student entrepreneur accelerator program finishes strong despite setbacks
By Kayla Sosa In an effort to support each other and the entrepreneurial community, four sisters came together in 2017 to form the organization, Sisters in Business. Nicole Parker, Alisa Parker, Tiffany Parker and Teleshia Parker are four biological sisters,…
Read More Sisters in Business: Building community by supporting women of color
By Kayla Sosa For Jenea Irvin, cooking is more than a job - it's a passion. As the owner of Diversity's Kitchen - a takeout food service - wife, and mother of four children, Irvin spends a lot of her…
Read More Diversity’s Kitchen: Serving homemade foods inspired by grandmother’s recipes
By Kayla Sosa In Grand Rapids, there are many entrepreneurs and organizations that support their work and needs, but there’s not always a steady connection between the two. Corey Hart, local entrepreneur, is looking to bridge that gap as the…
Read More Local Start Up Grind chapter exists to uplift entrepreneurial communities
By Kayla Sosa In an effort to spread self love to all women, Shawnda Louise Michael Jackson has started a transformational coaching service called Life’s Beautiful Diamonds. “I transform women’s lives from coal to beautiful diamonds,” Jackson said. “Those who…
Read More Shining light on inner and outer beauty with Life’s Beautiful Diamonds
By Kayla Sosa The Junior Achievement of Michigan Great Lakes is a nonprofit founded in 1919 and is a partnership between business, education and volunteers in a common goal to help young people dream big and reach their potential. Through…
Read More Teens pitch business ideas in new Junior Achievement competition
By Kayla Sosa This year marks 30 years that a local Grand Rapids organization has been helping women start their own businesses. Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, or G.R.O.W., is a nonprofit organization that supports business owners at every stage…
By Kayla Sosa When Terry Rostic, Project Manager at Rockford Construction, decided to open up a brewery, he couldn’t think of a better location than the neighborhood he grew up in: Grand Rapids’ own Boston Square. “It’s a nice,…
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