Michael Carmichael

Nov. 8, 2012 - A positive step toward improved fuel efficiency for automobiles and light trucks takes effect next month as the miles-per-gallon standards for a variety of new vehicles built for the 2025 model year moves to 54.5 mpg. While there are a lot of wonky elements that come into play, the important takeaway for business is that as fuel prices continue their projected rise the new mileage standards may help ease that "pain at the pump."

Oct. 18, 2012 - With topics such as "Networking for Today's Busy Professional" and "The Power of Social Media," and an opening address by the mayor, on the surface the Young Professionals Leadership Summit in Grand Rapids looks pretty typical - until you learn the rest of the story-¦ .

Sept. 13, 2012 - What if your car knew where all the cars around it were, how fast they were going, if they were suddenly using their brakes for some reason - and it knew all that several times a second? Add to that knowledge what if the next traffic light told all the cars in its vicinity exactly when it was going to change and how much time they needed to come to a safe stop? You'd think you were watching a '60s futuristic cartoon. But that's just what will be happening during a 3,000 vehicle real-world test that's beginning now.

Aug. 23, 2012 - What happens when a state has to pull the financial plug on an event that has run continuously since 1849? A group of dedicated volunteers reinvents the event and makes it a reality in a 21st century venue in Detroit's western suburbs. Once again there'll be elephants and tigers, sheep and pigs, clowns and rides and a 4-day weekend full of family entertainment. Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, welcome to The Great Lakes State Fair.

Aug. 2, 2012 - Ever leave your wallet at home - and not discover it until you've already ordered your morning coffee? Now there's an app for that. In fact, there are several apps from companies large and small that want to encourage you to at least leave your credit cards at home and shop instead with your smartphone. One seems to be ahead of the game when it comes to smaller businesses.

July 19, 2012 - Usually you think of business incubators as being the home to startups in technology, bio-medicine, alternative energy or some other mostly male-geek-based field. TechTown started out that way as well but has radically changed direction. Today, more than 60 percent of its startups are women-owned, 66 percent are minorities and collectively they average around 47 years old. Maria Costa fits just two of those categories - and is about as far from technology as you can get. Her company is focused on her one-woman show that has drawn rave reviews in six countries.

June 28, 2012 - In her first year of being the CEO of a division of Ford Motor Co., Stacey Coopes has learned a lot of things - including how to place dealer orders for new cars over the Internet. It's been a part of learning how her customers spend part of their days - and how her company can make those days more profitable.

June 7, 2012 - We all get email - some of it is from people or companies we want to hear from, a lot of it not. The challenge for senders is to send the right email message to the right recipients with just the right frequency so that their email will be opened and acted upon. Most small businesses don't have the expertise to do that so they turn to email management services such as Constant Contact.