By Kayla Sosa With years of business experience, and waves of failure and success, entrepreneur Matt Gira is settling into his new role as the Entrepreneur in Residence at the Grand Valley State University Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.…
Veronica Kirin: Entrepreneur, advocate, mentor and more
A Q&A with a GVSU alum who is making her mark in the business world and beyond By Kayla Sosa Veronica Kirin is an international entrepreneur coach and hosts an online community called the Audacious Entrepreneur Sandbox. She is…
Q&A | Hickory Tree Farm Apiaries
By Kayla Sosa Nick Kaminski is the recent grand prize winner of the Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur-Lab at Grand Valley State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship. Before MVE, Kaminski was involved with Heroes to Hives, a program that teaches veterans how to…
Spotlight: A Q&A with Calvin’s Lawn Care
By Kayla Sosa Calvin Pimpleton is a 16-year-old student at Innovation Central High School with a passion for business. Last winter, he saw a need in his neighborhood for shoveling services and he wanted a little extra cash in his…
Spotlight: Bremer Produce
By Kayla Sosa In 2015, Ross Bremer and his brothers started a family business selling unwanted produce from local commercial farms that’s still good but not qualified to go to a grocery store - because it’s too small or a…
Spotlight: Immersive Language Learning
By Kayla Sosa After being immersed into the Portuguese language studying abroad in Brazil, Grand Valley State University student Olivia Seaver was trying to think of ways she could keep up with learning and retaining languages once she came back…
Spotlight: WINC advocates for women veterans post-military life
By Kayla Sosa Two women are heading up a consulting group that will educate employers on not just how to hire veterans, but how to retain them. Henrietta Hadley said many workplaces say they are “veteran friendly” but once they…
Spotlight: Local veteran hopes to redefine masculinity for a younger generation of men
By Kayla Sosa A local man is hoping to change society’s view of masculinity through a new non-profit he’s calling ACES. Awareness, Compassion, Equity, Strength. That’s what ACES stands for, and what Trey Sumner is looking to for the foundation…
Spotlight: Veteran, wife hope to open community dental clinic
By Kayla Sosa As a dental hygienist, Blanca Elizabeth Duque-Rico knows the dentist office inside and out, including the advantages and disadvantages certain people face when trying to access dental care, and just health care in general. After seeing this,…
Malamiah Juice Bar, Royal Jelly Foods take home funds in Business Bootcamp Pitch Competition
By Kayla Sosa In September, owners of Malamiah Juice Bar and Royal Jelly Foods participated in the Grand Rapids Business Boot Camp Pitch Competition. This endeavor is lead by Michigan Good Food Fund, a “thirty million dollar loan fund created to provide…
