A competition for free rent attracted 58 applicants seeking to open businesses in downtown Lansing. Now the winner is preparing to open this fall, bringing a new business model — kids cooking classes — to the business district.
Business Watch
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus. Our Michigan Economic Dashboard shows key metrics that show how the state is performing.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Most Michigan restaurants cut hours this summer due to staff shortages
Customers are ready to spend, but the state’s hospitality businesses can’t operate at 100 percent, according to a new industry survey. They’re ‘leaving money on the table’ instead of rebuilding lost revenue.
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West Michigan reverses Chicago exodus, gaining residents as state stagnates
For the first time in decades, Kent County is luring more residents from Chicago than it is losing. That helps explain why it’s one of few areas of Michigan that is gaining population.
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Michigan buyers ask: Where are the cars? Microchip shortage decimates inventory.
Maintain the car you have, experts say. Production slowdowns are picking up this summer as the global microchip shortage keeps squeezing the auto industry.
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From empty offices to housing? Michigan leaders support bill to fund shift
Cities statewide have sought to increase the number of people living in their downtowns. They see a new option now that empty office space is increasing due to the pandemic.
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Michigan tourism needs foreign workers. Visa woes make hiring them tough
Federal H-2B visas make tourism possible for visitors in summer, business leaders say. But every year is a question mark about who will get workers and how many will be allowed. They say it’s time to solve that.
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5 things to know about buying a house in Michigan in real estate 'crisis'
‘Try not to freak out,’ says one new homeowner who navigated the extreme lack of inventory and rapidly rising prices. Easier said than done.
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Used car prices are through the sunroof. Here’s why
Used car prices are high in Michigan and across the country, with demand high and supply low. It’s not going to change any time soon.
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Michigan unemployment benefits secure for those who ‘followed the rules’
The 648,000 Michigan residents who received federal pandemic relief benefits in error will not have to repay the funds if they applied in good faith. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said waivers will be awarded if payments were the state’s error.
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Michigan’s tart cherry growers blame weather for yet another low harvest
One of the state’s signature crops is facing its second year of decline. Growers weighed whether the work of the small harvest would be worth it and experts are wondering what it means for the industry.