Michigan’s ‘Economic Bright Spots’ continue to light up their markets

Funding and growing startup businesses can be challenging, especially in a highly competitive market, notes Robert Taylor, CEO and owner of Alliant Healthcare Products. “Despite several roadblocks, our team has been able to consistently grow and expand our business, which has a positive economic impact on the region,” he said. “Continuing down this path of growth will be our biggest opportunity.”

Alliant Healthcare Products is a division of Alliant Enterprises LLC, established in 2002, to provide quality, cost-effective medical device products and services. Taylor is a U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve veteran, and many of Alliant Healthcare’s 41 employees are veterans.

“Alliant is proud to offer medical products and services from some of the most respected medical device manufacturers in the world, such as Philips, Olympus, Skytron, Belimed, Enovate and many more,” Taylor said. “Vast arrays of contracting tools allow the government to purchase products through Alliant easily, efficiently and inexpensively.”

Taylor formed Alliant Enterprises, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, in 2002. The original operational focus of the company was to provide contract manufacturing services to various customers. The company established clean room operations and provided contract medical packaging services. In 2004, Taylor positioned Alliant in a new way to differentiate itself in the marketplace. The emphasis was to combine contract manufacturing and to add sales and distribution to give the company more growth potential and self-reliance. The company initiated several rounds of financing, eventually reaching $5.3 million. The company has repaid all of those initial rounds of funding and now relies only on a standard line of credit for its primary business lending.

Alliant Enterprises has three sister companies that are owned by Taylor. Alliant Healthcare Products is a channel partner to companies selling into the federal market. Surge Cardiovascular began in 2010 through an acquisition. The company now self-manufactures, designs and sells perfusion cannula products used in open-heart surgery to arrest the heart while surgeons perform coronary bypass or heart valve replacement. Medisurge was started in 2016 when the company stood up an 18,000-square-foot facility for clean room contract medical device manufacturing. Medisurge now manufactures, packages and sterilizes urological, cardiac and general surgical devices for four major medical device companies.

“Alliant Healthcare has a commitment to Michigan,” Taylor said. “We have grown substantially over the past several years, allowing for employment and economic growth. Last year, we were able to open a new manufacturing facility that created more jobs and opportunities for West Michigan. We also recently won Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year award from Michigan Celebrates Small Business, and we are happy to be recognized by the state for our contributions as a SDVOSB in Michigan.”

Allied PhotoChemical manufactures sustainable UV coatings that allow customers to produce at faster speeds with a smaller manufacturing footprint and in an environmentally green manner.

“With an increasing international push to be Sustainable, UV technology offers no VOC emissions, is nonflammable and increases efficiency for the end user, driving excellent ROI,” said CEO Dan Sweetwood. “Through our Process Consulting Services, Allied has become the industry leader in consulting and problem solving for our customers in a variety of markets. These markets include 3D prototyping, automotive, pipe and tube, oil and gas, composites, plastics, wood, medical, aerospace and many other industries.”

Michigan has seen one of the biggest economic bounce backs in recent memory, Sweetwood said. “The state is becoming an attractive destination for businesses and manufacturing, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing economies. Michigan is centrally located in the United States and right in the heart the manufacturing belt. This allows for Allied to be close to our customers and to be able to support all of their coating technology needs.”

The biggest opportunity moving forward is the constant need for improvement in the coatings industry, Sweetwood said. “Allied is always working on research and development to improve our current coatings and develop new products. With a global push to constantly improve efficiency and sustainability, Allied is ahead of that push, leading the coatings market.”

“Alta Vista doesn’t have employees, it has a team,” proclaims Scott Jackson, president of the consulting firm that specializes in providing ERP, CRM, business intelligence and cloud financials business solutions from Sage Intacct and Microsoft Dynamics.

“With a casual atmosphere, we have been able to reduce work stress and give our team members the resources and space that they need to succeed while being open and responsive. Without a tight leash, people are more open to trying new tactics and reach out for more help when needed knowing they will always get it. We foster these ideas, and it has really been a huge part of the success of our company.”

The company, founded in 2015, has 23 employees. Its best growth opportunities have occurred through acquisitions and hiring top-end talent, Jackson said. “We have found it challenging to find candidates that can meet our level of excellence and at the same time are able to handle the demands of our customers while providing world-class customer service. By formulating an effective evaluation standard, we have been able to find the best of the best to join our growing team and always have room for more.”

Added Jackson: “The business climate in Michigan is really taking off. With the revitalization of Detroit, you see a willingness to move companies in that we haven’t seen in many years, if ever. This new business surge helps the B2B landscape thrive and provides an opportunity to network and grow your company beyond what was previously possible at a local level.”

Anew Life Prosthetics and Orthotics, a destination prosthetic and orthotic practice located in the New Center area of Detroit, is headed by Chris Casteel, an amputee and amputee counselor. “Our goal at Anew Life is to help anyone with limb loss, whether an amputee, or someone with a lifelong condition or someone with temporary limb loss such as a sprain, strain or broken bone, to return to the life they choose,” Casteel said. “We want you to show your pride and be an inspiration to help others through the recovery process.”

The five-person operation, founded in 2011, fabricates orthoses and prostheses via traditional methods such as hand casting and plaster modeling as well as using technology, science and state-of-the-art digital capture through scanning, computer-aided design and manufacturing and 3D printing technology. It also creates custom covers for the prostheses.

“Our best growth opportunity has been the use of our 3D scanner for prosthetic (sockets, etc.) and orthotics (shoe insoles, etc.),” Casteel said. “We are starting to market to various medical companies highlighting these opportunities.”

Casteel described Michigan, especially Detroit, as “very collaborative, and many government and local organizations are there to assist you with financial, mentorships, training, etc. MEDC, Midtown Detroit, SCORE and many others have been very beneficial to our company.”

Going forward, Anew Life will focus on collaborating and working with area hospitals and insurance companies. “We do not have a marketing team or budget, but hope to reach out to more medical institutions and insurance companies to assist them and their patients, Casteel said.

Argent Tape and Label Inc. is a small, woman-owned manufacturer of customized pressure-sensitive adhesive labels and tags, serving Fortune 1000 corporations throughout North America. ATL has grown significantly over the last seven years under the leadership of President and CEO Lynn Perenic, whose business philosophy engages ATL employees through open-book management and fuels the company’s expansive annual growth and penetration into the automotive, food and beverage, health care and industrial markets.

ATL’s high-speed equipment enables both agile customer fulfillment and excellence at disciplined systems to address customers’ pain points with individualized programs, Perenic said. “With customer and employee satisfaction paramount, ATL is poised for continued expansive growth.”
The use of open-book management engages and empowers the company’s 23 employees to act and think like owners, said Perenic, adding that the company has diversified its markets it serves to increase diversity and stability.

“Through strategic planning, open-book management, diverse markets and dedicated ownership and employees, Argent Tape and Label is on track to go where no other label company has gone before,” Perenic said.

Founded in 2001, BizStream is a web design and software development company that excels in providing complex software integrations for enterprise companies and stands out for its unique culture, “work hard, play hard” attitude, exceptional customer support and its passion for giving back to the local community.

“Innovation in the software industry is constant,” said Mark Schmidt, founder and web developer. “We’re always looking to improve upon our code, make it more efficient and faster to implement. That type of innovation will always be constant. However, after implementing EOS at BizStream, the system has forced us to think about our future and includes a three- and 10-year target. To reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves will require a different kind of innovation, more startup like.”

BizStream now has three applications (YouthCenter, CaseStream and Toolkit for Kentico) that serve as sources of recurring revenue — software as a service (SaaS). “As a part of our future planning, we are keeping a watchful eye out for problems faced by our team and our clients, discussing potential solutions and evaluating those potential solutions for additional SaaS solutions,” Schmidt said. We have been utilizing the Lean Product Canvas to determine the viability of a new product when we believe we have a solution. We have a history with SaaS and this investigation into problems and their solutions align with our niche of ‘solving complex problems with code.’ We believe firmly that a commitment to this product innovation process will fuel future growth for us.”

The company now employs 31 workers. “Combined with our benefits (which are second to none), defining the ‘BizStream Culture’ has allowed us to build and maintain an environment where team members want to be and have allowed us to attract talent from much larger organizations here in Michigan but nationally as well, Schmidt said.

Michigan’s low cost of living, thriving economy and 250 miles of beaches entice people to make the move to Michigan, Schmidt said. “Technology-savvy employees, specifically web developers, are in very high demand. Being in an area that is experiencing a boom in growth gives us a competitive advantage in acquiring quality talent. In fact, two of our most recent hires have relocated to Michigan from other states in order to join our team. Additionally, Michigan’s business-friendly environment, with a tax foundation that ranks among the best in the nation, helps BizStream to succeed.”

Bromberg & Associates offers linguistic and cultural services ranging from document translations and website localization to cultural awareness training and federal language access compliance consulting.

“A big part of our day-to-day operations involves providing interpreters in over 200 foreign languages including American Sign Language for hospitals and courtrooms throughout the country,” said President Jinny Bromberg. “We also work extensively with multinational corporations, as well as small businesses looking to market their services and products overseas or to non-English speakers in Michigan and nationwide.”

In the past year, the 11-employee operation has begun heavily expanding video remote interpreting services, also known as VRI, which offers the ability to connect with an interpreter via a live video feed. “VRI use is growing rapidly in many different sectors, but it is especially useful in health care, where providers often need to connect with interpreters immediately and can’t afford to wait for an on-site interpreter to arrive, Bromberg said.

Even as more clients are looking for more on-demand interpreting options like VRI, more traditional services will still need to be improved, she said. “In 2019, we successfully integrated over-the–phone (OPI) with the VRI Gateway platform to provide a one-stop solution for interpreting on demand. This greatly improves how our clients access our services by providing a one-stop solution for clients to quickly access our services.”

Companies from all around the world are considering relocating or opening branches in Michigan, and Michigan companies are growing enough to be able to consider expanding overseas themselves, Bromberg said. “For us, the many linguistic issues that come into play when doing international business mean that the sea change in Detroit’s international profile is a very good thing. The diverse business climate really gives us the space to grow and thrive. The business climate in Michigan is entrepreneur-friendly with a number of state programs focused on helping businesses.”

BSB Communications provides enterprise business voice solutions, such as telephone systems, paging systems, conferencing and collaboration, presence management and voice call documentation. It provides data solutions to support its voice platforms and offers managed data services to many clients.

“Serving clients with multiple locations, as well as contact centers, and deploying systems for clients nationally and internationally are all specialties that have emerged over the years,” President William Nutting said of the 43-employee, five-location operation that was founded in 1984. “Our clients range from professional offices, credit unions, services companies and manufacturing to school districts, colleges, cities, counties and hospitals. All of these sectors are often in growth mode with advanced technology needs, and they value human communications. We take pride in helping enterprises grow and contribute to the economy.”

Success begins with a strong and united team, Nutting said. “BSB utilizes the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to ensure our team is aligned around a core focus of enhancing clients’ success by practicing our core values. These values include being trustworthy, accountable and relationship-driven, which has translated into flexible and responsive actions to serve our customers’ evolving telecommunication needs. We have transitioned from providing customer premise-based proprietary hardware solutions to offering the full spectrum of unified communication solutions, including cloud-based virtualized software, hosted cloud, private cloud, hybrid and on-premise solutions.

Helping clients undertake digital transformation initiatives that enable them to improve their customer experiences has been a key opportunity, he said. “We are working with many clients to transition their traditional call centers into omnichannel contact centers that utilize a single Mitel Contact Center software interface to route, manage and report on customer communications that originate via telephone, email, chat, SMS and social media.”

With 18 employees at three locations, Christensen Law specializes in helping victims of traumatic brain injury from accidents, automobile negligence, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, school abuse of children and no-fault auto insurance denials, including medical bills and wage loss.

Christensen Law has a dedication to serving its community. On founder David E. Christensen’s end, this means a lot of community involvement. Christensen has worked with the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault in Lansing year after year. He is a former chair of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) No-Fault Committee, past chair of the MAJ legislative committee, former vice president of MAJ and past chair of the Negligence Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. He also served on the boards of many organizations treating addiction, including the Washtenaw Council on Alcoholism and Spectrum Treatment and Prevention Services. Additionally, he’s served as chairman of the board for the Ann Arbor-based Help Source Agency.

As a firm, Christensen Law is no less dedicated. Over the years it’s created two programs to help Michigan residents drive safer. One is the Safe Ride Home program. This encourages people who have been drinking on Thanksgiving Eve or New Year’s Eve to call a licensed taxi company or ride-sharing company like Uber for a ride home. Under the guidelines of the program, Christensen Law will reimburse the rider for the ride home up to $35. The goal of this program is to maximize awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving, while offering a solution.

Another effort is the Distracted Driving Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. Through this initiative, students are encouraged to think about the impact that instances of distracted driving, like texting while driving, has had or could have on their lives. They are required to send in essays, and one student is selected to be awarded the scholarship. The winning entry is also published on the Christensen Law blog and promoted throughout its social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn). 

Christensen has made his practice financially successful by focusing on two key areas: serving as a litigator for seriously injured individuals to help them rebuild their lives, and representing medical facilities to recoup monies they are owed for treating accident victims. “These two areas give the practice a steady, regular income with accompanying infusions of high value case wins, Christensen said. “This combination has made it possible for the practice to hire the right type of lawyers, expert witnesses and legal staff to create and maintain a high-quality, high-output legal practice.”

Michigan has had a very extensive system to help victims who have suffered severe brain injuries, he said. “This system has provided a successful and consistent set of services to allow Michigan’s most severely injured citizens live their most productive life. This system has recently changed and its effects will be wide-ranging, and tremendously destructive to the brain and spinal cord rehabilitation industry. Michigan’s no-fault system was the backbone of creating the nation’s best rehab centers right here at home, and that entire industry will largely be destroyed by the recent changes in Michigan’s no-fault law.”

Clarity Voice is a cloud-based phone company that offers voice over internet protocol (VOIP) service. “Traditionally, PBX (private branch exchange) phone systems resided in a box stuffed with electronics in your office or building,” Clarity’s website states. “But with VoIP cloud phone companies like Clarity, that box lives on the internet.” Clarity is one of the pioneers of cloud-based VOIP phone systems, and since its founding in 2005, it has expanded its technology into carrier-class data centers throughout North America.

Ian Richardson aims to resolve small-business owners’ frustration with technology that doesn’t seem to help them grow their business. “Doberman is a platform that changes IT from being the boat anchor that’s weighing you down into the wind that can help propel the ‘ship’ forward to new growth opportunities,” said the Doberman Technologies CEO.

“Doberman has pursued a growth-oriented strategic planning platform (StratOp from Paterson Center) for the past two years that has enabled us to reach new plateaus in both revenue and profitability, as well as delivery of our services. That platform, alongside our unique ‘secret sauce’ of process, procedure and culture, has allowed us to thrive in Michigan.”

Cybersecurity services are currently the best opportunity for Doberman, which was founded in 2015 and now employs 11 people. “Small businesses in Michigan have been paying attention to the news and environment around them, and are investing in proactive measures to protect themselves from the ever increasing threats,” Richardson said. “Doberman has developed a platform around the NIST cyber security framework to allow small business the ability to have a cost-effective solution to the cyber security need.”

The business climate in Michigan remains strong — “outside the chaos emanating from Washington,” Richardson said. “The current trade and economic policy gives me pause, as I believe we’ll see a cooling leading up to the 2020 election, but most businesses should be insulated fairly well. Michigan’s business owners are smart, focused on growth, and ready to do business locally. That solidarity with the state and community is one of our leading advantages, alongside the constant innovation coming out of our large corporations and universities.”

Global Telecom Solutions (GTS) is a professional consulting firm specializing in business telecommunication needs. With more than 3,000 clients and over $12 million in combined customer savings, GTS uses an extensive network of partners to make it easier for customers to find specific solutions targeted to meet their needs.

“GTS has poised itself as a ‘one-stop shop’ for its customers, making handling telecommunications needs easier and more efficient,” said Mark Stackpoole, CEO of the 12-employee operation that was founded in 2002. “Since we work with so many different partners, we are essentially ‘carrier agnostic,’ which allows us to find the best possible solution for our customers with no biases.”

GTS has always believed in the potential of Michigan’s business climate,” Stackpoole said. “It’s why we moved our office to Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood before the community grew up around us. Watching Detroit ‘make its comeback’ has been gratifying, and we’re so proud of the community we call home. The potential for future growth is one of the biggest advantages — it’s a great time to start doing business in Michigan.”

A big focus for GTS in the coming months is to improve the customer experience. “We’ve already re-created many of our marketing materials and redesigned our website to be more user-friendly,” Stackpoole said. “Our goal is to continue to provide added value to our customers and partners with new and exciting tools

Founded by husband-and-wife team Chris and Jenny McCuiston, Goldfish Swim School provides swim lessons and water safety instruction to infants and children ages 4 months to 12 years. Headquartered in Troy, Goldfish was established in Birmingham in 2006 and opened its first franchise location in 2009. “We are currently in the process of expanding franchise opportunities throughout North America, with over 80 schools open in more than 20 states and Canada, and nearly 100 additional schools under construction or in development,” said Chris McCuiston, the company’s CEO

The company recently changed to first-in-class technology platforms for a better experience for franchisees and customers, he said. “We also continue to use to innovate in our construction in process to remain in first in class. We also have created our own proprietary curriculum called The Science of SwimPlay that all schools use to teach the students.” 

Goldfish also continues to expand its geographic footprint, particularly to the west, as it opened its first location in California and will be opening in Washington and Oregon soon.

“The business climate in Michigan is very good now,” McCuiston said. “Ford and GM are putting extensive money into the city of Detroit, and the economy is very strong. We have found a great educated workforce in the Michigan area and are proud to be a Michigan-based company.”

Grand Apps is a software development agency that started out in 2011 building native mobile apps. “Our company focused on West Michigan to start but soon grew a client base across the globe,” said Chris Ake, founding partner. “We have worked with clients in over several countries like Australia, Canada and South Africa. We work with small startup ideas to large Fortune 500 companies alike. If you have an idea for an app, website or software, our team has the expertise to help build it.”

Grand Apps also implemented a more experienced leadership team. “As we grew our company, we hired on volume based on what our budget would allow,” Ake said. “We realized that we are only as good as the bright and talented people we hire so we set out to build a strong, experienced leadership team. This team has helped us grow leaps and bounds and we’re excited to keep growing.”

Ake recalled that the business environment was tougher when the company opened in the wake of the Great Recession. “Employment was tough because there were not as many experienced people in our field. However, we have seen the Grand Rapids market explode in growth and we have been apart of that. We’ve see huge changes to our city and have loved being apart of such growth. We moved our office right in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids and we don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. We love Michigan and would love to maybe open another office in Detroit as well.”

Grand Traverse Distillery is a grain-to-bottle spirits distillery that uses only Michigan-grown rye, wheat, corn, malted barley and malted rye. “We do not purchase spirits and repackage,” explained Kent Rabish, founder and owner. “All our products display ‘Distilled by’ on the label, not ‘produced or manufactured by,’ which means the spirit is bought and only bottled by the company on the label. GTD’s spirits have the Pure Michigan logo on the label as they are over 90% Michigan agriculture.”

The distillery, which was founded in 2005 and now employs 24 people, added a second still twice the size of its first this year to increase whiskey production. “GTD has over 600 53-gallon barrels of whiskey aging currently and is ready to expand into new markets,” Rabish said. “Staying true to what we believe keeps us on the right course with customers.”

The newest geographic market is Chicago, as well as the entire start of Illinois.

“Michigan agriculture is amazing,” Rabish continued. “The diversity of products we grow here and that we can get locally is an huge advantage for GTD. Our people make the company and we have great team members that we depend on.” Also, the business climate for distilling in Michigan has improved greatly over the years, he said. “The ability to open and run tasting rooms around the state provide GTD with the opportunity to get in front of customers, and they in return can sample our spirits.”

Educating customers on craft distilling is an opportunity going forward. “How to read labels so customers know if they are purchasing a spirit that is actually distilled in Michigan or is it just bottled in Michigan,” Rabish explained.

Green Giftz is an eco-friendly and high-design branded merchandise agency servicing a local and international client base. A certified woman-owned and Good for Michigan company, Green Giftz is on no less of a mission than to revolutionize the promotional products industry by offering sustainable and earth-friendly gifts to their clients, said President Karen Scarpino.

Scarpino traces the company’s beginnings to when she repurposed a bolt of Herman Miller Aeron chair fabric into duffel bags, messengers, totes, padfolios and pouches. “Top executives at Herman Miller fell in love with the items and these pieces soon became signature branded merchandise pieces for the famous West Michigan interior office furniture supplier,” she said. “From there, Green Giftz repurposed vinyl banners into bags and padfolios, scrap wood into desk plaques and phone holders, metal sheets into journals and name badges and much more. On top of this, Green Giftz offers design services, corporate e-stores and recognition programs, apparel programs, corporate gifting and assembly and fulfillment.” In 2018, Green Giftz expanded into the retail market and currently sells its Michigan Made line to the Grand Rapids and Detroit airports.

“Since we service B2B, we love when our clients’ own businesses are thriving,” Scarpino said. “For us, the advantage of doing business in Michigan is the surplus of raw timber (no new trees cut down to make gifts made from wood), steel and fabrics. We have three of the top interior furniture manufacturers located right here in West Michigan, and their scrap fabrics make amazing and unique gifts, which helps save thousands of pounds of scrap fabric from ending up in the landfill.”

Moving forward, the company will focus on expanding beyond Michigan. “We hope to eventually have sales reps in other areas of the U.S. where we can continue to repurpose scrap materials to create beautiful lines of promotional products,” Scarpino said. “We want people to reshape the way they think about promotional products — from ‘trinkets and trash’ to covetable items that you would hold on to for a lifetime.”

High Level Marketing — a full-service digital marketing company — this year is introducing ACE, an all-in-one digital marketing foundation product for small businesses. “Before ACE, small businesses had to pay thousands per month and manage various platforms to reach their customers, protect their reputation and compete online,” said High Level CEO Wesley Mathews. “ACE combines the most relevant features of those high-priced platforms, simplified them, and packaged them in one easy to use platform- at a fraction of the cost.”

Most High Level clients had expressed difficulty with not easily building their online reputation with quality reviews. “Because of this large spike in demand, we developed a turnkey, integrated platform for our clients to grow their reviews at the fastest rate in the industry,” Mathews said.

“Doing business in Michigan is all about integrity and reputation,” Mathews added. “We have a close community of business professionals that share what’s working and are decisive when switching to a company that delivers. When you do great work, word spreads fast. It’s how we got to where we are today. And let’s not forget the great pool of talent Michigan has. No matter what industry you’re in, you’ll find hardworking, creative thinkers and doers to support and grow it.”

HRPro/BenePro touts itself as one of Southeast Michigan’s premier HR and benefit administration and advisory firms. “We work with organizations of all sizes and industries to maximize the value of their human capital spend by automating their processes, increasing their employee engagement, implementing cost-containment initiatives, helping attract and retain top talent, reducing administrative burden, developing employee communication tools and helping them move forward, faster through strategic, tactical and operational strategies,” said CEO Kristopher F. Powell. “We specialize in a fully integrated HR solution including comprehensive human resource consulting services, HRIS, payroll, group benefits, COBRA and flexible spending and reimbursement account administration.”

The company, founded in 1990 and now with 32 employees, is a diverse organization built to survive long-term, Powell said. “We continue to develop new and better ways for clients to improve their culture, control costs and attract and retain top talent.”

The company has grown through a combination of well-executed organic growth and acquisitions. “We continue to develop new strategies to assist clients in value enhancements, culture improvement and cost controls,” Powell said.

InfoReady Corp. builds and supports software for higher education institutions. “We help colleges and universities scale their programs while saving thousands of hours each year — time they can reinvest in higher-value activities,” said CEO Bhushan Kulkarni.

After it was founded in 2010 in Ann Arbor, InfoReady set out to automate the workflow associated with research-office limited submissions for the University of Michigan. The product has since been adopted by many other higher ed institutions and research hospitals. “Observing how customers were using our product in unexpected ways, InfoReady expanded to address workflow challenges throughout the institutions, including challenges associated with processing, aggregating and promoting opportunities throughout the campus for faculty, students and administrators,” Kulkarni said.

InfoReady now serves more than 150 campuses, including UM, Wayne State University, Saginaw Valley State University and Eastern Michigan University. “InfoReady’s product line and product features are directly helping the higher ed institutions to drive innovation and address talent development,” Kulkarni said. “Our software results in engaging students, faculty, staff, and community in a variety of programming throughout campus and allows administrators to scale their vital programs without adding overheads.” 

Its biggest growth areas have been in multiple-year contracts. “We have an established reputation and this has resulted in clients committing to long term contracts,” Kulkarni said. “Furthermore, a secondary growth area is parallel markets. We have seen increased interest beyond higher ed in medical research, for example.”

The company is building and soft-launching its newest product, InfoReady Scale, that will allow research administrators to capture their university’s entire research ecosystem in one centralized, user-friendly, mobile-ready hub that facilitates transparency, strategic planning and inclusivity, Kulkarni said. “With this product, they can set up an online research community marketplace in minutes without IT development support, to reap maximum benefits from university research investments and exponentially increase awareness and engagement.”

InsITe Business Solutions helps small to large businesses and manufacturing companies get the most out of current and emerging technologies with a customized IT approach to maximize growth, efficiency, insights and productivity.

“Over the years, we’ve adopted an approach of bringing more than the typical IT experience to our clients, and we’ve upheld that vision,” said InsITe CEO Mike Schipper, who founded the company in 2013 and now employs 16 people. “InsITe doesn’t work on the model that there is a tidy package of solutions to hand out to each business. We’ve created a very involved approach where we learn about a business first in order to plan out the best long-term solutions. We’ve come to understand all aspects of warehouse and supply-chain systems as well as the IT solutions that best help growing businesses increase efficiency and security.”

The cloud is becoming the main mode of business for many industries as they embrace a “cloud first” strategy. InsITe has stayed ahead of the curve on cloud migration, security, hosting and more. “The shift to cloud has been a great opportunity, as many business and manufacturing companies find their internal IT team may not be able to provide the same migration feasibility and optimization assessments that InsITe can,” Schipper said. “We’ve worked alongside many internal IT teams to reduce expenses, improve efficiency, and secure important information as cloud solutions have grown.”

Information technology is ever changing with new, dangerous security threats, compliance regulations and an ever-shifting cloud mindset, Schipper said. “We provide all the necessary IT solutions for the changing market like cloud migration, GDPR compliance and protecting a business’s data and information.”

KMS Designs Inc. is a leading-edge, innovative design company creating eco-friendly, everyday, easy solutions for home, school and traveling needs. Its first patented product, TheGreenGloveDryer®, is an energy-free drying solution that utilizes only forced air (heat), drying wet gear from the inside out when placed over a vent or heat source currently in use.

KMS Designs continues to innovate and launched its newest design, TheEcoDryer® Generation 2 with antimicrobial protection, in fall 2018. TheEcoDryer® combines both a new design and antimicrobial protection, which is molded into the plastic using Sanafor® a long-lasting protection against bacteria, mold and mildew. 

KMS Designs also has two more inventions that are progressing toward licensing agreements.

“By far our biggest accomplishment thus far is our school project with Consumers Energy and the placement of our TheEcoDryer school packs in classrooms across Michigan,” said President Karen Smoots, adding that more than 70,000 dryers were placed this past school year.

“Our business climate in Michigan is steadily improving,” Smoots said. “We are at a pivotal point in our country where small businesses are finally being recognized for contributions they make to the economy as well as the many jobs that are created and sustained from small business.”

Lusk Albertson is dedicated to developing and maintaining a cohesive team of legal professionals, working collaboratively in a flexible and energetic environment, to provide Michigan educators the tools and support necessary to transform the lives of their students.

“Our defining characteristics, as an organization and as individuals, are responsive client communication, a commitment to proactive client education on emerging issues in the law, effective and efficient resolution of client matters, direct action in the community to enhance students’ lives, and the active pursuit of new opportunities,” said Kevin T. Sutton, managing partner of the 10-person operation, which was founded in 2010. “We place all members of our team in a position to succeed by assisting them in developing in-depth knowledge of education law and training them to be leaders, capable of managing clients and client matters independently and successfully.”

Opening an office in Grand Rapids allowed the firm to be both physically closer to existing clients — which resulted in an increase in overall work — and expand its presence with potential clients in West Michigan, Sutton said. “As a result, we were able to generate new business. In conjunction with our expansion to Grand Rapids, we expanded our service offerings, thinking beyond the traditional law firm role, to meet the needs of our school clients. In addition to general legal counseling, we have also offered a school policy service to assist districts in developing comprehensive but usable policies and launched a human resources service, which pairs experienced HR personnel with district to provide on-demand HR support. These offerings have been well-received statewide, but especially in West Michigan, leading to our increase in revenue and profit for 2018.”

As conversations around public education in Michigan continue to evolve and educators and administrators have myriad issues to stay informed and aware of, Lusk Albertson will continue to provide innovative and proactive solutions so teachers can teach and students can learn, Sutton said.

MedNational Staffing Inc. is a health care recruiting, staffing and human resource consulting firm that specializes in matching its experienced staff with local and nationwide options. “We have successfully placed staff in permanent, temporary and temp-to-hire positions,” said CEO Deborah M. Schneider. “Our goal is to place the right health care professional in the right position.”

This past year, it has been able to better service clients by decreasing our onboarding process from two weeks to just three days. “We did so by switching to a Michigan-based medical screening company,” Schneider said. “Additionally, we have switched to using an almost entirely electronic application and onboarding process. Together, these two changes have allowed us to drastically accelerate the onboarding process, without sacrificing on quality. We’ve been able to leverage this efficient system as a beneficial difference maker for our clients. When they need a new employee to start, we can have them on-site and working that same week.”

Also in the past year, the company has faced an extremely difficult labor market, “one of the hardest on record,” Schneider said. “To overcome it, we created and acted on a plan that involved utilizing Michigan-based suppliers to increase efficiency, growing our client base through increased selling efforts, expanding on our current client business by increasing our product offering, and we’ve built a better benefits and compensation package for our contractors to keep them happy and comfortable in an incredibly important industry that we all rely upon.”

With an aging population, there is a growing demand in the health care sector at a time when finding people to work is at one of its most challenging times in U.S. history. “MedNational, however, has been able to position itself as a full-service medical staffing and payroll company,” Schneider said. “This has allowed us to become a one-stop shop for Michigan hospital systems and other health care companies, thus allowing us to excel in such challenging times.”

Still, the aging population represents the company’s biggest opportunity going forward, Schneider said. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in the health care industry around metro Detroit and the state as a whole. Whether it be hospitals, urgent cares, mental health facilities, or doctors’ offices, they all provide opportunities for MedNational to grow.”

Mettle Ops is war fighters serving war fighters, proclaims Mark Bigelow, vice president of operations. “The mission is to help soldiers survive on the battlefield. Through transparency and grit, Mettle Ops delivers multidisciplinary, comprehensive Department of Defense engineering solutions to government and industry partners on a national scale with a mission to build a business based on a philosophy of hard work and dedication. Mettle Ops believes they have a high obligation to the war fighter, their home state of Michigan, their customers, their employees, their faith and their place on this earth. Mettle Ops is inspired by courage and tenacity and so named Mettle Ops.”

In response to Department of Defense requirements for cybersecurity, Mettle Ops has partnered to design a software toolkit to help companies become and maintain compliance with federal standards. “Our cybersecurity software toolkit has been our best growth opportunity,” Bigelow said. “Cybersecurity compliance is mandatory for business handling controlled defense information. Small to medium-sized businesses were overwhelmed at the process of compliance. Our opportunity to assist these customers with the tools to cybersecurity allows them to be competitive in the defense market.”

Business is Michigan has gained tremendous momentum, Bigelow said. “The automotive industry has always been here. Few have noticed the drastic uptick in defense and tech industries. We have received tremendous training and support through organizations that support entrepreneurs like Inforum, PTAC, SBDC and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

“With the new generation of customers, small business is the place to be. Small business is the backbone of America. Our biggest opportunity is the chance to join the ranks of American business owners and create something that provides jobs and money in our local communities. As veterans, defense is our best opportunity to benefit the American war fighter and give them the best chance of success on behalf of our country.”

“Managing today’s IT environment requires up-to-date knowledge and understanding of many rapidly changing technologies, as well as specialized capabilities in data security,” said Julie Lough, president of Micro Visions Inc. “A dedicated managed services provider can stay on top of the latest trends and offerings, helping businesses choose the right mix of applications, services, and tools to maximize their IT investments while minimizing downtime and securing data from outside attacks.”

Having served West Michigan businesses and organizations for 30 years, Micro Visions has evolved with technology and contemporary business requirements to provide IT managed services to clients in the SMB market who understand that proper management of their technology assets requires a level of sophistication and expertise that most small and medium-sized business are challenged to handle on their own, Lough said. “We offer co-managed solutions that work with in-house IT personnel or we can function as the IT department. Our role is threefold: 1) to ensure that client data is accessible, recoverable, and secure; 2) to provide an environment where team members can find success in utilizing their gifts, talents, and experience to grow and make a difference, 3) to ensure Micro Visions is sustainable and financially secure.”

Lough has developed and maintains a six-year plan based on targeted, debt-free growth. This plan comprises four core categories: business, leadership, life and legacy. From this plan daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly metrics set for each department.

“Our best growth opportunity was a ‘win-back,’” Lough said. “A longtime client experienced management turnover due to a corporate acquisition. This turnover prompted the termination of our contract with that client as new management elected to rebid and subsequently resource their managed IT services. The Micro Visions team came together to continue offering exemplary service, displaying our core values throughout a friendly transition to the new service provider, making the change as seamless as possible. By rallying around this process, the team shortly won this client back. We were able to demonstrate that price is only a part of the value proposition. This has served as a tangible demonstration of how consistently outstanding service can cement relationships.”

Business investment has been strong during the past two years, as reflected in clients’ appetite for newer, more efficient hardware, infrastructure upgrades and increased interest in long-term strategic planning, Lough said. “Not to say that West Michigan is the exclusive domain of conservative business principles but characteristic to the area is a measured, consistent approach that results in a steady, relatively unleveraged growth curve.”

MVP Collaborative is a full-service marketing agency specializing in live events and visual media. Focused primarily in the automotive, health care and financial sectors, MVP helps companies communicate in ways that train, sell, motivate, educate and inspire various audiences to action using tools such as video, interactive multimedia, live events and more.

“While we’ve created project portals for clients, invented a ‘Giant Smartphone’ for demonstrating apps and even a digital monitoring system to provide unique attendee analytics at events, what’s really helped us thrive and be successful has been our focus on making our clients look great,” said President and CEO Kevin Danaj. “Sometimes that’s technology but mostly it’s being innovative in helping our clients solve their problems. So, less about technology and more about great human interaction.”

The health care and financial services sectors remain major opportunities, Danaj said. “We have a lot of important automotive clients. But, expanding our diversification has been a path we’ve been on for several years now and it continued to grow in the past year.”

As an agency that’s so focused on client relationships, MVP’s biggest opportunity is still all about people — both the clients it works for and its own internal 25-person team, Danaj said. “Those interpersonal relationships are key to our success … nurturing our relationships with clients and surrounding them with dedicated, strategic and passionate talent makes the process of getting there just as great as the end result.”

Rebuild was established in 2012 to break the mold on the large agency model — from brand positioning to campaign creation and implementation. “We set out to create a different approach to marketing and advertising, centered on a culture of entrepreneurial spirit, creative tension, curiosity and hustle,” said CEO Joshua Gershonowicz. 

“When I started Rebuild, I wasn’t satisfied with the way big ad agencies and marketing firms operated. With the right culture, a strong staff and the drive and hustle to achieve, I knew we could be nimble and innovative in the digital space for companies of any size.” 

Over the past year, Rebuild has revamped its client and cultural strategies to bring forward new and innovative creative processes, led by ad agency veterans and adapted to current realities of digital marketing, Gershonowicz said. “The addition of new team members has propelled this advancement, allowing us to achieve greater successes for our clients and their growth, while accelerating our referral growth.” The company now employs 20 people.

“One of our greatest growth opportunities has been the investment in new space in Milwaukee Junction,” Gershonowicz said. “We invested approximately $2 million in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction area to rehabilitate and repurpose a 10,000-square-foot building forgotten and neglected for three decades. Milwaukee Junction was the Silicon Valley of its day, and there are great bones in the district. We are working to regenerate a community of creativity and activity in Milwaukee Junction is starting to build momentum. We wanted to be a key player in resurrecting this area known for innovation.”

With a solid foundation, Rebuild’s growth strategy is not just increasing size and revenue but continuing the return of jobs to Detroit, rebuilding Milwaukee Junction, he said. “We want to help return the district to its creative glory and bring renewed attention to the innovations of its past, present and future.”

Rehab Pathways Group provides support services, including residential programming, recreational therapy, cognitive therapy, life skills management, vocational counseling and job coaching, to individuals with traumatic brain injuries, physical injuries and other special needs.

“We continually monitor the marketplace to discover opportunities of growth and expansion,” said CEO Sarah Gibbs. “The development of a diverse marketing plan has allowed us to enter new segments as we market our services and educate those in our industry.

“Last year, a prominent law firm in the Grand Rapids area reached out to us to assist them with their litigated workman’s comp files,” Gibbs continued. “Due to the quality of our work on that first assignment, this law firm has remained in close contact with us and is now one of our biggest referral sources. In addition to this, they have referred us to several other businesses as well.”

The group, which employs 47 people at two locations, derives most of its funding through auto no-fault and workman’s comp insurance, meaning it is not necessarily affected by the overall economic climate. “It does seem, however, that the economy in Michigan is doing well as we have had difficulty in securing entry-level employees,” Gibbs said. “I believe there are several advantages of doing business in Michigan, but specific to my company, one of the main advantages of doing business here is that our services are paid for by auto no-fault insurance and Michigan is one of the only states in the U.S. that provides unlimited medical benefits under auto no-fault insurance. Very recently, the law for auto no-fault insurance, our main funding source, has been changed. Although this could significantly affect our bottom line, we are looking forward to using this as an opportunity for growth and will be working diligently on implementing our diversification plan.”

Samex is a technology resource provider that supports Tier 1 automotive and financial technology companies by providing software development services, business process management and data protection solutions to help clients operate efficiently and securely and reduce the costs of advancing their technology applications.

“Across industries, there is a shortage of experienced software developers that can help companies remain innovative in today’s competitive market,” said Jenkins Ebiware Jr., managing director. “We’ve responded to this shortage by getting organizations to understand the benefits of leveraging a remote workforce, even if temporary. Our developer-as-a-service offering allows us to help companies fill these gaps and move their projects forward.”

With Samex’s focus on automotive, it gains a significant advantage to doing business in Michigan and offering services to automotive brands and their manufacturing partners, Ebiware said. “In order for our automotive brands and their partner manufacturers to remain competitive in a highly competitive international atmosphere, we believe they will need every advantage when it comes to developing innovative applications.”

Stingray Advisory Group, a management advising company that works with early-stage entrepreneurs and small- to medium-sized businesses, helps its clients grow their organizations and positively impact their communities through job creation and increased economic investment. “Our focus areas are marketing, financial management and strategic planning,” said owner Leandra Nisbet. “We develop the necessary growth strategies, implement them and provide ongoing support, allowing us to develop long-term relationships with our clients. We serve professional service firms, health care providers, retailers and restaurateurs, inventors and nonprofit organizations looking to launch or grow.”

In the past year, the firm has focused on expanding its presence along the Lake Michigan lakeshore. “We have been diligent and proactive when it comes to further engaging with businesses and organizations on the lakeshore,” Nisbet said. “Over the past year, we have successfully secured new clients in this area and have plans to continue establishing relationships and developing business there.”

The statewide business climate is positive and growing stronger, she said. “We’ve seen a continuous increase in the number of new businesses launching as well as business growth over the past few years, which is exciting. There are numerous advantages to conducting business in Michigan. The strength of the business community, the willingness of people to collaborate and the resources that are available throughout the state all make this a great place to launch and grow a business.”

Going forward, Stingray will continue scaling, she said. “We are working to expand our team, which will allow us to serve more clients and continue expanding our service area.”

The Cozy Corner of Ogemaw County is a results-based collaboration of 11 small businesses that was formed five years ago. “We have created a unique Up North casual destination that is a true economic bright spot,” said Ernie McPherson, co-founder of the operation with Pam McPherson, Margie and Bob Peterson, Carl and Kenolee McGregor, Steve Trecha and Steve and Jamie Ziolkoski. “The Cozy Corner serves locals, tourists and adventure seekers of all ages. We serve those searching for enjoyable experiences in shopping, dining, wining, camping or simply exploring. We are an antique shop, a home-style diner, a golf course, a country store, a tavern, a maple syrup producer, two wineries, a property management firm, county fair and a campground and RV resort.”

The businesses, located in Lupton, Rose City and West Branch, share a common goal of business and community economic development. “Our small businesses met to intentionally build our businesses and community by results-based collaboration,” McPherson said. “It had to be low cost and low effort. It had to require trust and a mindset that we look out for and promote each other. We meet only one time a year and operate to written collaboration behaviors. Our industries vary widely, yet we are all linked by location, customer service and great experience expectations.”

The collaboration has led to growth and community among the companies. “Business owners are under constant demand,” McPherson said. “Time is precious. Every action they take and every decision they make must add value. The Cozy Corner has 11 business owners. They each decide where they will spend their time and effort. They have chosen the results-based collaboration of the Cozy Corner.”

Moving forward, the Cozy Corner will focus on further collaboration, McPherson said. “We do this by finding other, low-cost and impactful ways to collaborate. Next is the addition of other small businesses. They will bring strengths and additional customer reach that will further benefit all. They will benefit beyond going it alone.”

Tylar & Company, a marketing and advertising agency serving local, national and global clients seeking growth, has itself extended its reach by opening offices in other states, the newest in Dallas after the company secured two Texas clients. “This has positioned us to continue to grow in the southern region and bring more revenue into Michigan,” said Tylar Blueitt, president. “Being based in the metro Detroit area, we always call Detroit home, and this works very well for us because of Detroit’s grit, grind and continued growth.”

The Michigan business community is continuing to thrive and gain media attention for its innovation and determination, Blueitt said. “We take a lot of pride in being a Michigan-based business because we fit into this model and create ‘Michigan based’ messaging for added growth. Michigan is seeing growth across nearly every industry, we are fortunate to work with many of these companies to increase their brand awareness and gain national and international attention.”

In 2016, Willow Insurance Group established a small office in Southfield targeting exclusively commercial accounts specializing in manufacturing, staffing and nonprofit clients. “Throughout the next years, Willow Insurance Group expanded to other industries like medical marijuana,” said Rebecca Barens, president. “In 2018 we established a second office in Wyoming, Mich., staffed with Spanish-speaking professionals to service the surrounding community. We specialize in difficult-to-place commercial clients and underserved populations.”

Willow Insurance’s back office is made up of moms who work from home, many who structure their own flexible schedules. “To accomplish this, we implemented technology granting remote access across our locations,” Barens said. “In addition, the technology allows our customers access to their policies, certificates and other important information in real time. This move away from paper was initially expensive, but it allows for work-life balance for the employees. It also can be easily duplicated, allowing for more expansion in the future.”

The business climate in Michigan is exciting but tough, Barens said. “Hiring is a huge challenge because the job market is so great. The big advantage for us is the diverse population residing in the area. Targeting underserved populations with small offices keeps low overhead, and our technology allows qualified employees the flexibility to work on their own schedule.”

In the future, Willow Insurance will target other underserved populations, Barens said. “Expansion into the Middle Eastern/Arabic-speaking population is on the horizon. With a strong relationship in the community already established, the same principles will take place: small office staffed by local, native-Arabic speaking licensed staff to service the population.”

A-Line Staffing Solutions, a national staffing company that serves clients and job seekers in the health care, professional and technology verticals, has what owner Daniel Lichocki describes as “a proprietary training program that gives us the unique ability to develop the best recruiters in the industry. We invest heavily in technology and our team, which allows us to be agile in our product offerings and required processes to serve the important and demanding needs of our clients.”

The 15-year-old company, which employs 75 people, has seen increased business from existing clients. “We trained and devoted full teams to the clients by adding to our staff and augmenting their capabilities with strong vendors and state-of-the-art technology,” Lichocki said, who described the state’s business climate as strong yet tentative. “Demand is currently high. However, the echoes of the recent recession still hang in the air, and the 24-hour news cycle provides uncertainty month by month.”

Making the most out of our existing clients and verticals is the biggest opportunity for almost all businesses, Lichocki said. “Most existing clients have low-hanging fruit, and successful firms are able to recognize and capitalize on every opportunity available to them.”

Achatz Handmade Pie Co.’s mission is to find the best and healthiest products for consumers and the planet: fruits, sugar, milk, butter, flour, etc. “Our customers value and love our pies because of the freshness and high quality,” said Wendy Achatz, owner of the company with husband Dave. “They trust that the ingredients we bring into our bake house to make our pies are free of toxic agro-chemicals, raised humanely and respectfully, and that the farmers we work with are faithful stewards, rebuilding and regenerating the soil, which contributes to clean water and air for the long-term sustainability of our planet.”

The pie company, founded in 1993 and now with 100 employees, practices open-book management. “Every employee knows and understands the company financials,” Wendy Achatz said. “We meet weekly at our huddles to discuss the benchmarks from that week ¾ we celebrate what went right and discuss what we need to do better. This has helped us succeed because each and every employee is held accountable for our numbers and they are more invested in the success of our organization.”

In years past, wholesale has been our biggest opportunity for sales, but the company is hoping to change that and revitalize its retail business. “We remodeled our Troy location, which has been open for 18 years, and have plans to remodel Shelby and Beverly Hills during the remainder of this year,” Achatz said. “To keep up with the ever-changing retail climate, we have started to offer classes and expand our wedding pie business.”

Another growth opportunity has been Wendy Achatz’s new blog, Kitchen to Commerce, through which she aims to teach other new business owners the ins and outs of an operation.

Michigan’s wide variety of crops allows the company to source many of its ingredients locally, she noted. “The farmers in Michigan are smart, hardworking businesspeople who want to keep up with our business going forward. The other great thing about doing business in Michigan is the workforce we hire from. Michigan workers are extremely capable, tough, smart and hardworking. We post all our positions internally to grow and develop those in our team.”

Bekins is a family-owned, internationally acclaimed appliance and electronics company in West Michigan. “We view ourselves as a service company who sells, installs and services both appliances and electronics,” says President Scott Bekins. “Customers visit our state-of-the-art, interactive showrooms in Grand Rapids and Grand Haven to experience products in settings that mirror real home environments. Our extensively trained, career sales professionals guide customers through the process by asking the right questions to help them choose the right product. We also support our customers with extensively trained, career installation and repair technicians.”

The company built a facility within its warehouse and service center specifically for training. “We do not wait for manufacturers to set up a training — we proactively invite them to visit our facilities,” Bekins said. “Those exclusive sessions help us better serve our appliance and electronics customers across West Michigan.”

The company has also worked hard to establish more relationships with industry partners in West Michigan. “However, we had to change our day-to-day operations to facilitate that growth,” Bekins said. “We previously asked our sales professionals and a few assistants to guide our customers through price quotes, specification packets, buying, ordering and scheduling installation. Since we have been growing so rapidly, we started a new customer care team to guide our customers through the process. Not only does it improve our customer service, it allows our sales professionals to build more relationships and serve more people in our community.”

Bekins said this company is fortunate to be in a business that is so integrated into everyone’s day-to-day life. “How many people can live without their washer and dryer? How long can you go without a working refrigerator in your home? Even on the electronics side, everybody installs shades and lights in their home. There is always a market for making life more convenient for people, so more people are automating their homes with us now.”

The company also sees more people using smart home technology. “However, doing it yourself can be complicated, frustrating and inefficient,” Bekins said. “Our electronics department provides expert smart home installation. Our experts understand how to make a plan for your whole home and make sure each component operates smoothly within that plan. Our electronics installers have been busy this year, and we see more opportunities to provide a smarter, more effective, easy-to-use smart home system. We design and plan smart home systems that truly improve your life.”

Consumers Credit Union exists to make a positive difference in the lives of its members by helping them achieve their financial goals and dreams. “We provide superior service, technology and exceptional products that make it easy for members to choose how they bank,” said Kit Snyder, CEO of the financial institution that was founded in 1951 and employs 288 people at 21 locations. “From checking accounts to CDs and IRAs, Consumers Credit Union provides a full range of credit union banking services without the fees. It’s our goal to make banking as convenient as possible.” 

In 2018, Consumers Credit Union was recognized by S&P Global Market Intelligence as the 40th best-performing credit union in the United States out of more than 6,000 peer institutions, and the second-best performer in the state of Michigan. “In recent years our growth has been fueled through culture and performance,” Snyder explained. “And while new technology is something we’re always pursuing, the other half of the equation is our outstanding people at Consumers. Our culture is unmatched. And because we have happy employees, our members are better served.”

In December 2017, Consumers moved into The Groves, our new corporate headquarters, on a 22-acre site in Kalamazoo. The new three-story, 92,000-square-foot building represented a significant expansion and combined more than 150 employees from multiple prior facilities. “Though we had well-planned the expansion, there were still some unknowns during the first year on exactly how much it would cost to heat and maintain our new home,” Snyder said. “Throughout this change, we are happy to report Consumers has been able to maintain performance and operating expenses while still giving back to the communities we serve and to our members in the form of higher interest rates on deposit accounts and lower interest rates on mortgage and auto loans. Plus, the gains on efficiencies for having support staff in one building and the benefit to the culture has certainly improved an already high employee morale, which ultimately leads to good service for our members.

“Consumers loves doing business in Michigan and the local communities that we exist in. We are proud to be a Michigan-based company with a tremendous history of growth with over 35 years of average annual asset growth at 18 percent per year.”

“Pornography is corrupting hundreds of millions of people,” proclaimed Ron DeHaas, president and CEO of Covenant Eyes. “We exist to change the course of history by enabling the world to overcome porn and be restored and transformed. We provide software and content to help people quit using pornography for good, or never start.”

The company pioneered internet accountability and recently developed screen accountability using image recognition and artificial intelligence to monitor what is being seen on computers, smartphones and tablets. “We reinvest profits back into the company and our employees,” DeHaas said. The company, founded in 2000, has 184 workers in two locations.

“We have revolutionized how to effectively advertise to our market and that has resulted in the highest daily sign-ups to our service in the company’s 19 years, DeHaas said, adding that as a tech company, Covenant Eyes’ employees can live anywhere to do their work but most are in Michigan “because they enjoy their home state, enjoy the natural resources and enjoy being a part of a developing economy.”

Farbman Group is a full-service commercial real estate company with Midwest expertise and a global reach. “Our company has continued to innovate in our industry, using technology and customer service upgrades to drive our continued growth,” said CEO Andy Farbman. “In addition to the creation of our incredibly successful customer service division, Farbman has also implemented a variety of software, hardware and applications including Yardi, VTS, Honest Building, drone technology, August locks, Teem, liquidspace, workteem, etc.”

Its most recent best opportunity came from its Tune Up program, a free service Farbman Group created to allow anyone who owns real estate to get a free analysis of their property and advice on how to plan for their future needs. “This has led to many happy customers who now have a better understanding of the value of what they own or lease,” Farbman said.

The company, founded in 1976, has 200 employees in 15 locations.

“Michigan is one of the best places to do business in the country right now, Farbman said. “Having gone through a much-needed shake up in Detroit, we have recovered and are on the rise. Our resources here now rival that of any other state and offer a competitive advantage over other states in the Midwest with greater amenities than any other. If Michigan can capitalize on the health of the state and the city of Detroit, it can attract business from around the country. Here our taxes are low, our costs to enter the market are low and the opportunities for jobs and a world-class education are better than ever.”

More than 10 years ago, Foundation Systems of Michigan started with a vision to professionally offer high-quality basement waterproofing, crawl space and foundation repair to homeowners across Michigan. This vision would ultimately lead to becoming the largest foundation contractor in Michigan — serving more than 30,000 customers.

“In our more than 10 years in business, FSM grew from a small family-owned business with five employees to a $40 million company with two locations and more than 200 employees,” said President Bob Genord.

FSM is always looking to the future and expanding into new industries, and as a result it is projecting significant growth in the next 10 years. “FSM is always looking to grow, and we believe cultivating strong customer experiences is the way to do that,” Genord said. “To improve the level of customer service, FSM implemented a Customer Experience Advocate (CEA) team. These individuals’ only job is to exceed customers’ expectations, every day. CEAs are a customer’s single point of contact throughout their experience with our company. They are available to walk the customer through the install process and answer any questions before, during and after the job. Providing this level of customer service leads to positive word-of-mouth, facilitating a strong organic customer referral stream.”

Gutters play an important role in a house’s water management system, so the company launched aluminum gutters and gutter protection as a new service.

“As the economy has continued to grow in Michigan and the unemployment rate decreases, Michigan homeowners are looking to improve their homes, many for the first time in years,” Genord said. “This boost to the economy has allowed our business to grow fiscally as well as allowed us to hire more employees.”

Since it was formed in 1936, Genisys Credit Union has grown into one of the largest credit unions in the state and nation, serving over 210,000 members and nearly 500 employees. With 31 locations, 30,000 fee-free ATMs, a full-service contact center and 24/7 account access with mobile and online banking.

“Genisys realizes that our members are busy with life, work and family and they need to access and manage their finances when it’s convenient for them,” said CEO Jackie Buchanan. “Gone are the days of conducting basic transactions online and stopping by a branch for more in-depth items. Genisys rolled out a brand-new online and mobile banking experience allowing for more access and features all within the mobile and online versions of the product. 

“This along with streamlined account opening and lending portals allow for members and prospective members to do everything from joining the credit union to applying for anything from a simple credit card to a complex Mortgage all online and on their time,” Buchanan said..

In 2018, Genisys opened two new branch locations and a new mortgage center, as well as launched a popular High Yield Genius Checking account that pays members at the time an annual percentage yield of 3.03%, while still achieving record-level earnings and expanding the soundness of the credit union with a very high net worth ratio of 16.27%. Buchanan said.

“The credit union continues to expand its services into new communities every year while continuing to enhance our technology-based convenience through mobile and online innovations,” Buchanan said. “Genisys sees the biggest opportunity moving forward is to meet the needs of young adults who are experiencing their first major financial decisions. Our technology and innovation, as well as the push for financial education, will keep Genisys moving forward. Knowledge is power, and Genisys is helping to ensure our young adults have the financial knowledge and tools they need to be successful and keep Michigan moving forward.”

Gleaners Community Food Bank is a vital link between available food and those who need it most. Through our five distribution centers — located in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties — it provides millions of pounds of donated and purchased food to hungry residents, 47% of whom are currently employed. Its network consists of 528 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies throughout Southeast Michigan to get food closer to those who need it. 

Gleaners also operates its own hunger-fighting programs to help feed and educate people directly. “Through education and advocacy, we know we can help reduce reliance on the emergency food system,” said Gerry Brisson, president and CEO. “Across Gleaners’ programs, providing food and/or food education, Gleaners serves nearly 220,000 children in our region and a total of nearly 430,000 hungry neighbors each year overall.”

In the past few years, the Gleaners team has shifted how it measures success from pounds of food to household impact, essentially working toward achieving a food-secure community. “We are using evidence-based data in conjunction with business, education and health care to devise solutions that not only address the root of the issue but also help more struggling families prosper and thrive,” Brisson said.

“This shift has allowed us to not only better support our current agency network, but also develop innovative programs and pilots inspiring new collaborations with new partners to develop solutions to reach individuals sooner. With our experience and network, we are exceptionally good at transporting food effectively, efficiently and economically.” 

Through new partnerships and collaborations, Gleaners has been able to launch new ways to help the hungry and learn from those programs to continue to grow them, Brisson said. 

For example, it launched its Best Food Forward initiative this year, taking a holistic approach to solving food insecurity by determining the way kids learn, engage and eat at school, and addressing the needs of the whole family to make healthy food more accessible. It also established new partnerships in health care with the Healthy Food Home Delivery program to better serve food-insecure patients with complex health needs. The organization also works the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and Kroger to get more fresh milk distributed in communities. “In the past four years, we have essentially gone from providing no fresh milk in 2014 to 158,000 gallons in 2018, or the equivalent of three truckloads per month,” Brisson said.

“With the past year generating a variety of new opportunities for the growth of Gleaners’ programs and reach, our biggest opportunity going forward is in learning from and growing those initiatives,” Brisson added. “For our pilots, our goals are to innovate, implement, learn and grow. Over the next year, we will be applying what we know and what we learn to grow and adapt our programs to best serve the community. We are looking forward to creating a community with more food-secure families, healthier patients and increased access to healthy, nutritious foods.”

Harley Ellis Devereaux is a full-service architecture, engineering and planning firm with more than 420 workers located in eight offices across the nation. “Since 1908, we have been helping our clients leverage their facilities to achieve their strategic plans,” said President Michael Cooper. “In doing so, we provide our clients with a competitive advantage in the marketplace through innovative and progressive design solutions. Our key markets include community and government institutions; corporate and commercial entities; higher education and PK-12 school districts; health care systems; data centers and mission-critical facilities; advanced research and forensic laboratories; and automotive, product R&D and manufacturing.”

Beyond strategic growth such as mergers and acquisitions, HED continues to invest in new talent and the development of advanced design technologies, including virtual reality and visualization, which allows it to deliver more precise and actionable design vision to clients – allowing them to have the experience of walking through their project before a brick is laid or a shovel goes into the ground. “We have found that these tools can add much more to the process than traditional mockups and static images alone because it allows clients to experience not just the layout, but the lighting, views, colors and finishes as well,” Cooper said. “These tools allow us to quickly find consensus and make design changes, shaving weeks, if not months off a design schedule.”

The company continues to pursue strategic growth that diversifies its practice. “In the past year we completed the acquisition of premier data center design firm Integrated Design Group, and through that merger added significant office locations in Boston and Dallas, extending our company into New England and the South-Central United States” Cooper said. “This added over fifty 50 skilled architects and engineers to our team. As big data continues to play an ever-larger role in our lives, the place of data centers as essential infrastructure will continue to grow. This acquisition places our teams at the forefront of the learning and design curve for this highly technical and essential growth sector.”

Cooper sees optimism and eagerness among clients to reinvest in Michigan. “The positive momentum surrounding redevelopment and reinvestment in urban centers like Detroit and the growth of other areas like Grand Rapids has brought new and exciting talent and opportunities to our state. We can happily say that business is very strong for us, which we attribute to the excellent services our teams provide.”

Kaftan Communities is a real estate investment and property management company that has earned a solid reputation as an innovative leader in the property management, development and construction industries. Its focus is on managing award-winning apartment communities that uphold its guiding philosophy: “Managing property isn’t about walls, roofs and parking lots. It’s about making people’s lives better.”

“Kaftan works by listening to what customers want, and giving it to them,” said Jeffrey Kaftan, president. “When they expressed a desire for more ‘trendy and upscale’ rental housing, we made changes to our existing communities, like adding a 24/7 business center and fitness center. When we saw a need for young professionals to have an upscale urban living concept, we created ‘Metropolitan Flats’ for them. And responding to evolving needs for technology, Kaftan has also added features such as free Wi-Fi, outdoor living room and a mobile-friendly resident portal that incorporates the ability to make lease payments, review leases, and request building services 24/7.”

In the past year, the company has completed over $5 million in capital expenditures on its properties, including new kitchen cabinets and counters including granite; new flooring; new energy-efficient appliances, lighting and furnaces and boilers; new hardware; and plumbing fixtures in the building interiors. Exterior investments include new energy-efficient windows, paving, landscaping, roofs, doors and painting.

“The business climate in Michigan has continued to grow steadily, which has truly changed how we do business,” Kaftan said. “As more young professionals move into the area for work, we’ve created spaces to accommodate them.”

Kaftan also is launching Kaftan University, a web-based learning system that helps team members improve their skills. “This will help us provide even better service to our residents, and help our team members live the Kaftan Core Values: Firm but Fair, Inspiring Positivity, Responsible and Accountable, Superior Experience, and Truly Healthy Lifestyle — also known as FIRST,” Kaftan said.

KIRCO is an award-winning commercial real estate development, construction (KIRCO MANIX) and property management organization. Having planned and developed over 30 million square feet, KIRCO is a major developer of build-to-suit own or lease properties coast to coast. Founded in 1974, KIRCO is third-generation family owned and operated, and it has expertise in the corporate services (office, industrial, R&D), retail, senior living and health care sectors. It employs 89 people in Michigan.

“We passionately believe that a company is only as good as its people, who in this robust economy, have limitless options,” said CEO Quinn Kiriluk. “We continually seek how best to invest in our people, providing pathways for professional and personal development, and ensuring a healthy work-life balance. We have recently enhanced our tuition reimbursement policy and launched KIRCO | KIRCO MANIX University, which focuses on broadening the industry knowledge of our associates beyond their primary roles and responsibilities.

“From a strategic perspective, we view our vertical integration, providing in-house development, construction and facilities management services, as a truly unique value proposition to our corporate clients. While some customers may seek one particular service, we have implemented new strategies to incentivize clients to leverage our full suite of offerings. From a facility’s initial concept through ongoing operations, our customers can experience a truly seamless journey; with KIRCO | KIRCO MANIX at their side, they have one partner, whose long-term ownership mentality will obsessively consider every building feature and function.”

KIRCO’s senior housing division has experienced incredible growth this year, with new opportunities arriving almost weekly, Kiriluk said.

“Though KIRCO operates in many states, much of our business resides here in Michigan,” he said. “In our experience, throughout the state we feel an appreciation and loyalty towards Michigan-based businesses. Additionally, Michigan’s climate and geological footprint provide unique challenges with respect to building design and construction, attributes that out-of-state teams can often struggle to appreciate.”

MMI Engineered Solutions is a Tier 1 injection molding, assembly and tooling company serving the automotive, heavy truck and industrial automaton industries. “We provide quality interior Trim, exterior and powertrain plastics on time, at a competitive price,” Doug Callahan, president of the 184-employee operation.

MMI is led by its engineering innovation and ability to design, develop and build all our tooling in-house. “Many injection molders started sourcing their tooling to China 20-plus years ago,” Callahan said. “MMI has created a competitive advantage by bringing tooling back home and offering best-in-class timing and costs to our chosen clients.”

MMI has added Fiat Chrysler and Daimler trucks as new customers recently. “Both offer significant growth opportunities,” Callahan said. “MMI has recently purchased an additional 82,000-square-foot manufacturing building in Warren that will add needed molding capacity as well as added tooling capabilities/capacity. We will be adding approximately 110 new jobs in the state of Michigan as a result of our growth.”

Michigan’s business climate is led by the automotive industry, which has been at industry highs recently, Callahan said. “We see a slight decrease, but still a strong outlook. Capitalizing on our tooling expertise to offer best-in-class timing and pricing to our chosen customers will lead our continued growth.”

OneStream Software provides a modern corporate performance management (CPM) software platform that unifies and simplifies financial consolidation, planning, reporting, analytics and financial data quality for midsized to large organizations. “Deployed in the cloud or on-premise, OneStream’s unified platform enables organizations to modernize Finance, replace multiple legacy applications, and reduce the total cost of ownership of financial systems,” said Tom Shea, CEO of the company that employs 98 people at two Michigan locations. “OneStream unleashes Finance teams to spend less time on data integration and system maintenance — and more time focusing on driving business performance.”

Cloud adoption is a unique driving factor to OneStream’s accelerated growth in the CPM technology industry. “Several OneStream customers have migrated from on-premise to the cloud solution within a few hours,” Shea said. “This gives enterprises the ability to make the shift on their own timeline.”

Additionally, the innovative OneStream XF solution is driving rapid growth and record profitability for OneStream as a growing number of enterprises migrate multiple legacy finance and accounting systems onto the single, unified OneStream platform. More than 75% of OneStream’s business comes from companies migrating from legacy solutions such as Oracle Hyperion, SAP and IBM.

To meet the high demand for OneStream solutions, the company expanded globally in 2018, opening offices in Germany, France and Spain, with plans to add locations in new markets. Global growth, especially in EMEA, has been strong.

“Demand continues to increase in North America as well,” Shea said. “OneStream added additional space to its offices in Atlanta, Stratford, Connecticut and its headquarters in Rochester, Michigan, to accommodate the growing team. In fact, OneStream opened a second facility in Rochester to meet growing needs at headquarters.

Cost of living and cost of business are a significant benefit for companies in the Detroit metro area, Shea said. “If you look at the cost of living Index for U.S. cities, San Francisco, New York and Seattle rank significantly higher than Detroit. The affordability of the Detroit metro area helps retain talent in a region that is exciting and offers many cultural and recreational activities. We have a major airport, professional sporting teams, world-class art and music for every taste.”

Oxford Companies is Ann Arbor’s largest commercial real estate services firm. “For more than 21 years, we have served the greater Ann Arbor area with fully integrated service lines, including property management, brokerage, residential leasing, construction and investments,” said CEO Jeff Hauptman. “Oxford manages more than 2.7 million square feet of office space, is one of Ann Arbor’s largest student housing landlords and employs 100 people.”

This past year it acquired 777 East Eisenhower Parkway, a 10-story, 290,000-square-foot office building in Ann Arbor’s south side. “Our response to acquiring the property was to stabilize the property as quickly as possible with the highest-quality tenants,” Hauptman said. “We increased the building’s occupancy from 36% to 96% within four months of ownership.”

Oxford’s biggest opportunity going forward is to create a more vibrant environment in Ann Arbor’s south side. “In conjunction with partners such as the city of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Spark, the vision of future development in the area includes improved public transportation, increased pedestrian connectivity and new workforce housing,” Hauptman said. “We’re only one partner in this process, but as the largest private real estate owner, we have a responsibility to invest in this neighborhood.”

Quantam is a business and technology firm that provides products and services to both the public and private sector. “Since our inception in 1997, Quantam has been consulting and developing new technologies with our clients in business and technology all over the world,” its website states. “We can all agree that things have changed significantly since 1997, since 2007, since 2017. The pace of innovation and competition is frenetic. But these are exciting times. We help you move nimbly, efficiently and effectively so your organization is in the now and prepared for the future.”

Quantam has two Michigan offices, one in Southfield and the other in Lansing. It hires dozens of people in Michigan and generates millions of dollars in revenue from contracts outside the state. It moves that growth into its philanthropy division, Quantam Cares, and gives back to Michigan community efforts consistently with its intimate giving efforts and “boots on the ground” rather than just writing checks.

Quantam has won numerous contracts outside the state this year, which brought new jobs to Michigan. With the unemployment rate so low, and even more so in the technology and consulting industry, Quantum created programs for college students to be trained in technologies in order to get them working with clients quickly and with the proper acumen.

Established in 1987, Rockford is a nationally recognized construction, real estate development and property management provider. Rockford is licensed in 44 states and ranked by Engineering News-Record as one of the top 200 contractors in the nation. With regional offices in the Midwest and Southeast, Rockford has built projects totaling nearly $4.8 billion in more than 800 cities across the country. It employees 300 people at its two Michigan locations.

“Rockford is committed to providing clients a one-of-a-kind experience that delivers on quality and efficiency,” said Mike VanGessel, founder and CEO. “Our investment in construction management technology that serves to improve both the construction process and the client’s experience stands as a reflection of Rockford’s commitment to excellence and leading our industry.”

Utilizing Plangrid, a software that hosts all project plans, specifications and updates, Rockford can provide the client and project team access to up-to-date project information and documents from their mobile device. “PlanGrid replaces paper blueprints with easy-to-navigate, always current, on- and offline accessible plans, which allows you to maintain one master drawing set and automatically pushes updates to every user’s device, ensuring all team members are up to date in the office and in the field,” VanGessel said. “Having this information in the field is vital, and we are able to review and communicate issues with the entire project team through PlanGrid, right from the job-site. This technology is a tremendous resource and allows for expedited project milestones and clear, productive lines of communication.”

Over the past year, Rockford has experienced significant investments in Michigan cities and along the shoreline, which have sparked a considerable demand for multi-unit and mixed-use developments.

“From Furniture City to the Motor City, we are proud to take part in building the future of the state of Michigan,” VanGessel said. “In the past years, the state has experienced a booming economy, which has been a great benefit to the construction industry. We see our clients push the boundaries of how they can meet the needs of their communities and create dynamic spaces that are changing the way the people of Michigan are living, learning and healing. With our heavy workload, we are lucky to work within a state that opens doors to those pursuing high-paying jobs in the trades and encourages young people to consider a future in our industry.”

Founded in 1991, Sachse Construction has built millions of square feet in new construction and renovations spanning the commercial, multifamily, institutional and retail sectors.

Sachse Construction implemented a new ERP project management system called The Bridge at the close of 2017, said Todd Sachse, founder and CEO. “We achieved this transition without disruption to our user community or any impact to our project delivery or financial reporting. However, kicking off the program was the just the beginning. The transition to the new system made 2018 a year of learning, adjustments and growth among all team members and departments. Everyone worked through process changes that affected both internal and client-facing communication. To help navigate urgent requests and adjustments as well as more long-term wants, Sachse Construction created a ticketing and voting system to address needs and continue to refine The Bridge’s functionality and features.”

The company also took a look at how it could improve its approach to business and launched its Principles of Service. “The principles are aimed at providing a road map for implementing exceptional service across all touch points, our actions, our words and our processes,” Sachse said. “Comprised of 10 quick-and-easy phrases, each provides guidance on how to approach life and business through a more focused, service-oriented lens.”

Sachse Construction is continually working to diversify the markets it serves. “We grew across several sectors in 2018, securing new work in industrial, higher education, food service and reconstruction segments,” Sachse said. “We were contracted for reconstruction services on 12 properties, totaling over $85 million, and earned work at nine universities nationally.”

As experienced engineers and consultants, the SME team is passionate about solving clients’ toughest challenges.

“Developing new sites or redeveloping existing brownfield sites; constructing buildings, roads and bridges; and acquiring, rehabilitating or managing existing facilities or infrastructure is never easy,” said Mark K. Kramer, CEO. “Challenges abound. Risks are inherent. Budgets and schedules are tight. The tougher the challenge, the more SME can help.”

Founded in 1964, the company now employs more than 300 Michigan workers.

“Keeping up our strong legacy of helping our clients succeed requires a top-notch team of professionals,” Kramer said. “And, it’s no secret that retaining top talent is a challenge for many Michigan employers. SME recognizes that we must deliver a dynamic employee experience, and in 2018 we implemented a few key programs that will help us continue to position ourselves for success.” The programs include a leadership development program; SME Ignite, a two-day, off-site event aimed at gathering ideas from a diverse group of SME team members; and a wellness program kicked off in 2018 with a mission to promote, encourage and develop a workplace community that supports healthy lifestyles, behaviors and choices.

“These are just a few ways that SME is providing a safe, challenging and supportive work environment, and it is paying off,” Kramer said. “In 2019, we experienced only 5 percent turnover and hired 74 new employees in Michigan.”

SME also started a companywide electronic feedback program in 2018 to provide clients with another avenue to share insight on their experience with SME. “Today, over 97.5 percent of responses indicate we met or exceed expectations,” Kramer said. “Over 64 percent of responses identified our services as excellent to exceptional. This overwhelmingly positive feedback helped us achieve a very high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 81. Many of the consumer brands best known for providing excellent customer service achieve NPS scores in the 70s.”

St. Julian Wine Co. Inc. is the oldest, largest and most awarded winery in Michigan, President John Braganini proudly proclaims. “We serve wine lovers and consumers throughout the Midwest with our still and sparkling wines and juices, distilled spirits and ciders. We have the most extensive product portfolio arguably of any winery. With over 120 stock products, we can find satisfy any palate or preference.”

Braganini touts many of St. Julian’s accomplishments: “We were early in canned wines and made it to distribution before many of our competitors. Our draft cider sales continue to grow in all Michigan markets. Our new vineyard expansion program ensures the front of our supply chain will provide local fruit. Our Specialty Services Channel continues to serve more and more small wineries with bulk products. Our two new retail locations in Rockford and Troy have generated solid growth in our DTC channel.”

He also notes that regional wines continue to outpace national brands in popularity, a reversal from earlier time periods. “Providing creative products from local fruit will continue to be a strategic advantage that we will focus on,” Braganini said.

Stark Enterprises LLC is a business management company for the subtrade constructions industry. “We provide ‘the business side of construction’ for our partners so they can concentrate on the projects and workers, while supplying top-notch subtrade companies to our customers in the commercial construction industry,” said Mike Butcher, principal.

Stark Enterprises has developed software and apps to help manage costs on multiple projects with multiple companies. “So our partners know the exact job cost within hours of finishing the day’s work,” Butcher said. “With the community setting inside our office, we have managed to drive overhead down and profits up. Partnering with Stark Enterprises is a no-brainer once our partners see what we offer them.”

The construction industry is a hot place to be currently, Butcher said. “We have been able to grow with our companies due to the ability to find and train young talent.”

Tech Defenders helps school districts, businesses and other organizations to maximize the value of their aged and obsolete technology. The company specializes in refurbishing and repurposing those devices. “Devices go through a robust refurbishing process, including data erasure, cleaning, repairing and final testing, before being sold back into secondary markets,” the Tech Defenders website states. “Our team currently processes more than 25,000 laptops, tablets and other devices per month that end up being used by consumers, businesses and school districts around the world.”

A nonprofit mutual insurance company founded in 1939, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is now the largest health insurer in Michigan, serving 4.5 million people here and 1.6 million more in other states. Its network consists of 152 hospitals and more than 33,000 doctors, and it employs more than 8,100 people, its website states.

DK Security was founded in 1995 by two highly credentialed leaders in federal law enforcement, Bob DuHadway, and John Kendall. They started the company with the intention of offering investigative and consulting services to the business community. However, their vision for the company quickly expanded when they discovered a glaring issue within the security industry: Security companies did not respond to their clients in a timely manner.

DuHadway and Kendall brought a new approach to their industry: provide the highest-quality security services with a management team that will respond immediately.

Since DK Security started providing security guard services in 1995, the company has built a significant presence, expanding throughout Michigan with branch offices in Lansing, Flint and Detroit.

“DK Security is now among the top 50 largest security companies in the country,” said Kendall, who serves as president and CEO of the 2,200-employee company. “DK Security’s success is a direct result of the quality of security guards we provide our clients. We understand the importance of hospitality security services. In many instances, our officers are the first point of contact for many businesses. It is imperative that we represent our clients, giving patrons and staff a warm and inviting first impression.”

Government contracts have been a large portion of the company’s recent growth. “Whenever DK Security is awarded a contract, we immediately come up with a strategy to staff the site and meet the needs of the client,” Kendall said. “Our leadership team holds our operations managers accountable to make sure they are checking in with the client on a daily basis.”

Emagine Entertainment’s affiliates own and operate luxury theaters in Michigan, Illinois Wisconsin and Minnesota. “We are proud to offer our guests a compelling experience while also doing our part in supporting the growth of local and regional businesses,” said CEO Anthony LaVerde. “Emagine operates theaters with a combined 26,200 seats and 251 screens. Emagine has led the way in bringing luxury theatres to the metropolitan Detroit market, as we provide an unparalleled movie-going experience for each of our guests. Emagine has a passion for giving back to the cities and states we do business in, which is why we made the commitment to ‘buying local.’ We offer local beers on draft, and contribute to local organizations and charities.”

Emagine is a recognized innovator in the theatrical exhibition industry, having been the first theatre chain in the world to convert to 100% digital projection. In 1997, Cinema Hollywood (now Emagine Birch Run) was the first theater in Michigan to open with all stadium seating. Emagine was the first to introduce 4K projection to the Detroit market and it boasted three of the first 100 Dolby Atmos immersive sound systems deployed worldwide. On December 15, 2017, Emagine began operating the largest movie screen in the state of Michigan with the opening of its Super EMAX auditorium (featuring laser projection technology) at its megaplex in Novi.

Emagine’s best growth opportunity in 2018 was opening its newest location in Hartland. “We discovered a community that was underserved and looking for a new a luxury entertainment experience,” LaVerde said. “We built the location from the ground up. We brought to the market 10 screens and 55,000 square feet.”

Emagine’s biggest opportunity going forward is to continue to provide best-in-class entertainment venues while adding multiple levels of entertainment such as music, esports, music, comedy and alternative programs such as Broadway shows, plays and ballets, LaVerde said.

Lon Offenbacher, Inteva Products’ president and CEO, describes the company as a “Tier 1 automotive supplier where innovation, technology and value meet to serve more than 100 customers worldwide with interior systems, closures, and motors and electronics.” 

Inteva was formed in 2008 and began growing immediately at a time when many competitors were retracting, Offenbacher said. “Since then, we’ve tripled our footprint, customer base and size. We now have more than 100 customers with locations in every region of the world and a highly diverse workforce, so Inteva team members are guaranteed to learn something new every day.” The company employs more than 1,000 Michigan workers.

“The company supports an attitude of giving and helping others within our workforce, and that approach extends outside of the workplace as well,” Offenbacher said. “Our team members in all sites place strong value on caring for the world and our communities, donating to more than 175 charities each year.”

In 2018, Inteva increased by threefold the number of new records of invention it submitted over the prior year. This included new door latch technologies recognized at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and new interiors stitching process technologies honored with an international Innovation Award presented in the Netherlands. “The business climate in Michigan can be challenging, especially in the automotive industry,” Offenbacher said. “We’ve seen a bit of a slowdown in vehicle volumes, and that has threatened to impact our business. As always, we look for opportunities to do things more efficiently and identify ways to cut down on waste to offset those declines. This remains a focus in 2019.”

Liquid Web powers content, commerce and potential for server message block (SMB) entrepreneurs and the designers, developers and digital agencies that create for them. The company owns and manages its own core data centers, providing a diverse range of offerings spanning from bare metal servers and fully managed hosting to Managed WordPress and Managed WooCommerce Hosting.

“There is no doubt that the adoption of web and cloud technologies continues to accelerate at a phenomenal rate,” said Jim Geiger, CEO. “A recent survey by Liquid Web found nearly 80 percent of designers, developers, digital agencies and SMBs expect their businesses will be more reliant on cloud and web technologies in the next five years.
We see designers, developers, agencies and the SMBs they serve demanding simpler, more scalable hosting solutions as they become ever-more dependent on the web and cloud.”

Given the clear shift in how customers want to consume web services, for example, the mass adoption of easy-to-use, open-source content management systems like WordPress or commerce platforms like WooCommerce, Liquid Web aims to continually improve the usability and reliability of the systems behind those services.

In 2019, Liquid Web officially launched the industry’s first hosting platform dedicated to WooCommerce stores. WooCommerce is the fastest-growing e-commerce platform for store owners. It sits on top of WordPress, which is well known and free. “People choose WooCommerce because they sense that it’s an easy to use platform that they can get started with a minimum investment,” Geiger said. “However, as their stores grow, they are challenged by a lack of staff and expertise to handle the increasing need for design, development and devops. Now they can buy an online store solution with the expectation that they have a provider who is an expert in hosting and a partner in risk mitigation.”

The company, which was founded in 1997, now has 350 Michigan employees.

“The business climate in Michigan feels like it’s on an upswing as it is with most of the country,” Geiger said. “There is growth in the technology space and shifting in the state government to help support business growth with sales and property tax abatements for data centers. We also appreciated the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program, which allowed us to upgrade to more energy-efficient cooling units in our Michigan data centers. This was important as generally speaking the cost of power in Michigan is higher than in other states. Through these programs, we feel that it is easier for Liquid Web to choose to continue to grow and invest in Michigan.” 

LLamasoft has helped over 750 companies worldwide design the supply chain they want. “We put the power of advanced analytics into the hands of business leaders to support real-world supply chain decisions about how their supply chains should be working to achieve profitability, service and growth goals,” the company’s website states. “Breaking down the barriers of traditional planning and operational systems, we create a true end-to-end view of a company’s global supply chain where analysis, scenario testing and decisions are conceived and executed across strategic, tactical and operational time horizons.”

PlanSource is a technology company driven to create a better benefits experience for employees and the HR teams that support them. 

“Helping people get the coverage they need is immensely important,” said CEO Dayne Williams. “Benefits give people peace of mind, access to invaluable health care, and can even save them from financial ruin. It’s a responsibility we take seriously. That’s why we are honored to partner with thousands of organizations on custom benefits programs, services and human capital management tools that help millions of employees and their families when they need it most.”

PlanSource provides a cloud-based solution for benefits administration and human capital management that is affordable, intuitive and highly configurable to support any benefits strategy. Combined with a range of complementary benefit services, PlanSource is an employer’s single and complete source for human resources software.

In 2018, the company experienced a 25 percent increase in annual recurring revenue, and more than 750 new employers started using PlanSource to manage their benefits programs. PlanSource also cemented several partnerships in 2018 with insurance carriers, brokers and technology providers that expand its benefits offerings and provide access to new markets. In addition, PlanSource recently launched a number of product innovations, including a first-of-its-kind self-service renewal tool, new mobile-responsive user experiences for employees and HR teams and API-based integrations with HCM providers and insurance carriers.

PlanSource has recently been acquired by leading investment firm Vista Equity Partners. Vista Equity Partners invests in, empowers and grows software, data, technology and health care companies that are reinventing industries and catalyzing change. “This partnership is a landmark moment that will accelerate growth and provide a strong network of support to fulfill PlanSource’s mission of revolutionizing the way benefits are bought, sold and managed,” Williams said. “The acquisition will allow PlanSource to move forward with the same mission, focus and leadership team — but with greater investment in the business and more tools and capabilities to help our customers and partners achieve their goals.”

POWERHOME Solar is a leading American-made solar company that provides clean energy solutions and roofing services to customers in seven states. “Our mission is to help as many as possible gain energy independence by providing quality solar energy products at affordable prices,” said CEO Jayson Waller, who founded the company in 2014 and has since seen employment grow from employees to nearly 700.

One of POWERHOME’s key innovative offerings is its energy efficiency package (EEP), which comes as part of every solar panel installation and can increase a home’s energy efficiency by up to 21 per cent. “We install blown insulation in homeowners’ attics and outfit customers with 20 LED lightbulbs, an attic staircase insulator and hot water heater blanket,” Waller said. “These enhancements level the efficiency of all homes where we install solar panels. If you’re creating your own power, it makes sense to maximize it to the fullest.”

POWERHOME also offers a solar battery to complement solar panel installation that enables customers to store excess energy and utilize it during power outages. The batteries are a sustainable, carbon-free alternative to traditional gas-powered generators.

“Identifying new markets for expansion has historically been POWERHOME Solar’s biggest driver of success, both in revenue and brand awareness. Throughout the last year, we partnered with five NFL franchises, one MLB franchise and one university, and have installed solar panels for three of those seven partners to date. The brand awareness from these partnerships has led to significant customer growth. In 2018, we expanded our footprint into Ohio and western Pennsylvania, and 2019 has brought us into Indiana. Opening additional markets is ahead.

Customers in Michigan are excited about solar power and want alternatives to grid energy, as the state has some of the highest utility rates in the country,” Waller said. “POWERHOME Solar has traditionally had strong relationships with local utility companies. Recent legislation has made the business climate more challenging, but POWERHOME is finding ways to remain successful despite the changes.”

The company also needs to continue to promote the benefits and facts about renewable energy to homeowners and business owners across our markets. “Big utility companies can charge outrageous rates, making solar an attractive alternative for consumers,” Walling said. “We seek to help customers gain energy independence by educating them about solar energy and enabling them to ‘own’ their power.”

Secure-24, an NTT Communications Company, has 18 years of experience delivering mission-critical application hosting, comprehensive managed IT and cloud services to enterprises worldwide.

“Our clients trust Secure-24 to help them lower operational costs, strengthen security and compliance standards, and ensure their organizations are running on the optimal platform for their business requirements,” said Mike CEO BeDell. “Secure-24 has been providing exceptional managed hosting services in a private cloud model since 2001. Within recent years, organizations have been investigating hosting their business-critical workloads in a public cloud environment. The public cloud, however, has limitations associated with security, compliance, governance and management of the environment. To bridge this gap, and to offer a diversity of solutions, Secure-24 developed a Managed Public Cloud Services offering, which gives our clients flexibility in their cloud deployment options, while also layering on security, compliance and expert managed services for clients wishing to utilize the public cloud.”

The company is able to recruit IT talent from the many local universities. “We are able to grow the talent pool in Michigan with our Academy Model training program, BeDell said, adding that the company employs 550 people. We are happy to be among a thriving, motivated, optimistic, talented, caring, and enthusiastic group of people here in Southeast Michigan.”

Secure-24 is not the only company interested in making Michigan a tech hub, BeDell said. “With companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and so many others creating jobs and investing in communities in Southeast Michigan, we think that opportunities will continue to grow for those looking for technology jobs in Michigan. We are excited to be part of the growth, and will continue to create well-paying, challenging and rewarding jobs in IT right here in Michigan.”

Spartan Motors Inc. is the North American leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing and assembly for the commercial and retail vehicle industries (including last-mile delivery, specialty service and vocation-specific upfit segments), as well as for the emergency response and recreational vehicle markets. The company is organized into three core business segments: Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services, Spartan Emergency Response and Spartan Specialty Vehicles and Chassis.

“We continue to move forward by expanding our portfolio of brands, exceeding customer expectations and tirelessly pursuing operational excellence with an unrelenting desire to build the best purpose-built vehicles on the road today,” said Daryl Adams, president and CEO. “As North America’s leading specialty vehicle manufacturer and assembler, Spartan Motors continues to engineer to meet our customers’ unique needs while providing the highest level of aftermarket customer and product service and support. In addition to creating quality products, Spartan is deeply invested in training and maintenance programs for technicians in each of the categories we serve.”

The company, founded in 1975, now employs 860 Michigan workers.

Spartan Motors realized several growth milestones over the past year, highlighted by its Fleet Vehicles segment more than doubling in size from $66 million to more than $131 million. Spartan opened two new facilities to meet growing demand—one in Ephrata, Pennsylvania; the other in North Charleston, South Carolina. Additionally, in June 2019, Spartan announced its expansion into the West Coast market with its acquisition of the assets of General Truck Body, a Montebello, California, truck body and specialty equipment manufacturer.

“Michigan has been Spartan Motors’ home since 1975 when a small group of automotive engineers got together to launch their own company after their jobs were lost in result of a bankruptcy,” Adams said. “Michigan’s business climate was ideal for starting a new company and finding great talent. Michigan is the epicenter of mobility, so Spartan headquarters is within an hour from Southeast Michigan where there’s more than 80 R&D centers and every top technology supplier. This allows us to push automotive innovation into our custom, purpose-built model.”

“United Shore is home to 3,500-plus self-starters and problem-solvers all working together to make home ownership easier for more Americans,” says company President and CEO Mat Ishbia. “United Shore is home to the No. 1 wholesale mortgage lender in the nation, United Wholesale Mortgage. As a wholesale mortgage lender, we work exclusively with independent mortgage brokers, who work directly with borrowers. The majority of these mortgage brokers are small-business owners and entrepreneurs. We are dedicated to providing them with the tools and support to be successful.”

United Shore has played a major role in making more mortgage brokers available to both consumers and real estate professionals. By spearheading the advancement of technology and partnership tools in the wholesale lending business, United Shore has helped grow the mortgage broker channel over the last several years.

“When we moved into our new building in Pontiac, we knew we needed room to grow — we just didn’t know how much we’d grow and how quickly it would happen,” Ishbia said. “United Shore entered 2019 with a goal of hiring 800 people for the year. We surpassed that number in the first quarter of the year alone. United Shore has experienced exponential growth, breaking records for how much business we’ve done month after month, quarter after quarter. To handle this growth, we continue to add to our team with additional talent from the metro Detroit area. We have already hired over 1,000 team members in 2019, with the goal of hiring 800 more by year-end to handle mortgage loan demand.”

United Shore is committed to continuing to grow the mortgage broker channel, Ishbia said. “As a true advocate for mortgage brokers, United Shore is also an advocate for homebuyers and real estate professionals across the housing industry. We do this by providing our mortgage broker clients with innovative technology and unrivaled client service, the benefits of which are passed on directly to borrowers.”