Winter months often lead to slower economic activity. World of Winter is bringing visitors to our downtown. Over 7000 people visited downtown during the festival's opening weekend. With two months and dozens of events to go, we're excited to see thousands more visitors and new art installations as the festival progresses. Many of these art installations are coming from artists with a worldwide audience. In the Episode we speak with Richard App & Kim Van Driel of Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. to learn more about what visitors can expect at World of Winter and learn more about the logistics of putting on the festival, and why this is an important event for businesses.

2022 was a dynamic year for the community. We checked in with President & CEO Rick Baker to wrap up the year and hear what he's excited for in the next year. We checked in with Rick Baker in April as well. Find that episode in your feed to hear our discussion on the growth of Grand Rapids and West Michigan in the last decade.

Catherine’s Health Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center. They provide a variety of high quality services in our community to those who might not otherwise have access to care. On this episode, we sat down with Megan Erskine, CEO of Catherine's to learn more about the work that they are doing in our community.  Learn more about Catherine's Health Center: https://catherineshc.org/

ArtPrize recently announced they were ending their original experiment started in 2009. This led to headlines like "ArtPrize is calling it quits". ArtPrize is in fact, not calling it quits. The original nonprofit is closing it's doors, but ArtPrize is finding new life with Kendall College of Art and Design, the City of Grand Rapids, and Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. We sat down with Tara McCrackin, the President of Kendall College of Art and Design to learn more about what's on the horizon for ArtPrize.

Crime is one of the most important issues for our members. Many don't realize the Chamber has been working with Silent Observer for decades to create resources to safely provide law enforcements with more tips to track crime.  We sat down with new Director Maddison Moser and outgoing Director Chris Cameron to learn more about what Silent Observer does to help fight crime. Learn more about Silent Observer: https://www.silentobserver.org/

Today on the Back to Business Podcast, we learned more about how TowerPinkster is working with their clients to create a more sustainable future.  Learn more about TowerPinkster's sustainability efforts: https://www.towerpinkster.com/

Hightalian is one of the many companies that jumped into the new cannabis market that was created when recreational cannabis  was legalized in 2019.  We sat down with Davide Uccello, the company's founder to learn more about what makes their company unique, and how they're breaking into the new market space.

The Grand Rapids Junior Chamber has been making a difference in Grand Rapids for decades. The organization is a group 21-40 year old young professionals. In addition to networking and talent development programs, the Junior Chamber is committed to giving back to the community. One of their biggest events of the year is the upcoming Santa Clause Parade. We had a chance to sit down with Levi Cipcic, the Junior Chamber's President to learn more about the impact the Junior Chamber makes on the community. 

Childcare is one of the number one issues preventing people from returning to the workforce. The State of Michigan's solution is a new program called Tri-Share. This program helps parents get back to work by making childcare more affordable. The program splits the cost between 3 partners: the state, the employer, and the employee. On the final episode of our workforce development series, we learn more about the ins and outs of Tri-Share.  Learn more about Tri-Share: https://www.michigan.gov/mwc/initiatives/mi-tri-share-child-care 

Talent attraction and development is a top concern for employers in West Michigan and across the country. We’re excited to be hosting a 3-part series on Workforce Development with resources businesses can use to strengthen their workforce. One barrier to talent attraction and development is access to education and workforce training programs. The State of Michigan is working to address this with the Michigan Reconnect program. This program is designed to help make college more affordable for those over 25 who are seeking an education. On this episode of the podcast, we interviewed our Director of Government Affairs, Nate Henschel, and Grand Rapids Community College's Assistant Director of Adult Recruitment and Community Outreach, Jason Schueller to learn more about the ins and outs of this innovative program.  Learn more about MI Reconnect here. For more information or to get involved in our Workforce Development & Education committee, contact Nate Henschel, Director of Government Affairs, at [email protected].