Even though minority-owned businesses in Grand Rapids have grown in number in recent years and organizations like Spring GR have arrived on the scene to support startups in underserved communities, entrepreneurs of color continue to face distinct challenges and longer odds, especially in the capital-intensive high-tech sector.
The steady extinction of full-time arts reporters has left arts organizations in a quandary over how to make up for lost coverage. One local “supergroup” of marketing professionals is working to come up with solutions, but quick fixes don't come easy.
What do entrepreneurs from all walks of life need to make it in Grand Rapids? To answer this question, the city's SmartZone is evolving as part of a bigger conversation about how our organizations serve and support a sustainable startup-friendly community.
Want to know why some companies fail and others flourish? A venture capitalist has a new book about his search for the practices that fueled some of the most successful startups in recent history, and he’s hoping it will give entrepreneurs in Grand Rapids and across the country a blueprint for capturing some of that startup magic themselves.
The growth of diversity in the mainstream media has stalled in recent years amid the chilly business climate for newspapers, but the editors at ethnic publications in West Michigan say there’s still reason to be optimistic about the future of media diversity and the range of viewpoints available.
After a recent round of MLive layoffs and a terrible 2015 for journalism job losses, news reporting as a profession remains in a state of flux — both in Grand Rapids and in the wider culture. Rapid Growth Media interviewed several local figures who work with and think about media to examine different ideas about how changes in the journalism landscape have impacted coverage, and how the community can create a healthier media environment going forward.
When there’s somethin’ strange, and it don’t look good, who ya gonna call? Drew Rayner of the West Michigan CISMA, if 'it' is an unusual plant you find on your property or spot on the side of the road.
Emerge Mentor Connect is a new program from Emerge West Michigan that aims to connect local entrepreneurs with business leaders who’ve been through the startup process and know what it takes to succeed.
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