Fewer boats at a Rogers City marina. Wine-tasting crowd down in Leelanau County. New worries about travel costs Up North. This summer was supposed to be different. But warning signs mount for Michigan’s travel industry.
Paula Gardner
Paula directs the business reporting on Bridge, writing much of it and setting the strategy for how statewide business coverage fits into Bridge’s nonpartisan policy-driven editorial mix. Paula came to Bridge in 2020 after several years at MLive.com, where she covered the state on both business and environmental teams. Prior to that, she was editor of the Ann Arbor News and news director of online startup AnnArbor,com, and also focused on business news as an editor and reporter at Michigan Business Review. Born and raised in metro Detroit, Paula moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan, and has lived in the city for 20 years with her husband, who grew up in their neighborhood. Paula also regularly visits East Lansing and Grand Rapids to visit her college-aged children. She can be reached at pgardner@bridgemi.com
Posted inBusiness Watch
Ford’s $2B investment in Michigan ‘solidifies’ state’s auto production
The automaker will make improvements to nine factories in the state, along with Ohio and Kansas operations. It also will build a new shipping facility in Monroe.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Bipartisan support grows to add millions to Michigan’s $1B tax incentive fund
The SOAR Fund, approved in December, boosts large-scale economic growth, proponents say. Now both Democrats and Republicans are lining up behind adding to the fund in the next budget, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked for $500 million.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan baby formula maker plans for profits after rival's factory shutdown
Perrigo makes generic and store-brand formulas to supply about 8 percent of U.S. infant formula. It’s now operating around the clock to combat massive supply shortages, while investors push the company’s stock price higher.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Rent or buy? No easy answers amid high Michigan home prices
Rental rates are climbing as fast as home prices, and many renters say they worry if they will be able to afford their apartments. Some are leaping into the for-sale market, even as competition for entry-level homes remains steep.
Posted inBusiness Watch
No spike in gun sales at Michigan gun shops after Texas massacre
Following mass shootings, gun stores often see an increase in gun purchases as gun reform discussions come to the forefront. But owners of two Michigan stores said Wednesday sales did not spike, even as stocks for U.S. gun companies rose.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Stellantis chooses Indiana over Michigan for EV battery factory
State officials say winning EV deals is key to Michigan’s future, but Stellantis chose its factory campus in Kokomo, Ind., for its next-generation factory, with three more factory sites yet to be announced.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan baby formula factory, Abbott, reaches deal with FDA to reopen
Parents suffering under the nationwide powdered infant formula shortage should find relief, but not until mid-summer. Abbott Nutrition said it will reopen production after regulators signed off on plan to address plant contamination.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan home prices are still skyrocketing. That may soon change
It’s a tough environment for anyone who wants to buy a house. Record low inventory and peak prices leave few options, besides overbidding — which drives prices higher. That could end as mortgage rates increase.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan baby formula factory focus of FDA probe after infant illnesses
Abbott Nutrition recalled Similac and other brands of powdered formula after five hospitalizations and two deaths, raising questions about federal oversight. And the lack of factory production has made a U.S. formula shortage worse.