Michigan Business Network

Chris Holman welcomes Jim Baker, Owner, Innovare, Lansing, MI. Innovare, headquartered in Lansing, Michigan and owned by Jim Baker, is an office furniture company specializing in serving businesses with multiple locations across the country, with 80% of its business conducted outside Michigan. The company's niche is providing a single point of contact for facility managers who need consistent prod...

Chris Holman welcomes Jeff Magnuson, Executive Director of the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Jeff Magnuson, executive director of the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development at Michigan State University, discussed the center's role as a full-service educational conference facility on MSU's campus that has been operating since...

Chris Holman welcomes Scott Berman, Founder, Dining Ventures, East Lansing, MI. Dining Ventures, founded by operating partner Scott Berman around 2010, is a diverse hospitality group based in East Lansing that currently operates several brands including Culver's, Heist Grill, and three One North locations across Michigan. Berman originally conceived the company as a retirement plan but has since g...

Chris Holman welcomes Phillip Swanson, Vice President of Venture Development, Centropolis Accelerator at Lawrence Tech, Southfield, MI. The Centropolis Accelerator at Lawrence Tech in Southfield, Michigan is a hard tech accelerator led by Vice President of Venture Development Phil Swanson that serves entrepreneurs across the entire state. Unlike traditional business accelerators, Centropolis focus...

Chris Holman welcomes Doug Fleming, Executive Director, Lansing Housing Commission, Lansing, MI. Chris Holman interviews Doug Fleming, Executive Director of the Lansing Housing Commission, about two major new housing developments on Grand Avenue in Lansing: Riverview 220, a mixed-use building with 56 affordable units and 7 market-rate units supported by federal tax credits, and Grand Vista Place,...

Chris Holman welcomes Ben Rathbun, CEO, Rathbun Insurance, Lansing, MI. Chris Holman interviews Ben Rathbun, CEO of Rathbun Insurance in Lansing, Michigan, a family-owned agency founded in 1956 that has operated across three generations of the Rathbun family. Ben took over the business unexpectedly about three and a half years ago following the sudden death of his father, Paul Rathbun, but was abl...

Chris Holman welcomes Bob Trezise, President and CEO, Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), Lansing, MI. Chris Holman interviews Bob Trezise, President and CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), a regional economic development organization serving Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties. LEAP takes a holistic approach beyond traditional business attraction, also addressing small busi...

Chris Holman welcomes Tim Daman, President and CEO, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lansing, MI. Tim Daman, President and CEO of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, reflected on a strong 2024 for the organization, noting that event attendance and membership returned to pre-2020 levels and that community engagement felt genuinely normal again. While inflation and workforce development r...

Chris Holman welcomes Richard Castle Jr., President, Develop Iosco, East Tawas, MI. Rich Castle, President of Develop Iosco and Community Affairs Manager for Consumers Energy Northeast Michigan Region, discussed the economic development efforts underway in Iosco County, which is largely driven by tourism and recreation tied to Lake Huron. Develop Iosco works as a facilitator and collaborator acros...

Recording Date: May 12, 2026 Location: Capital Region International Airport (LAN) Will Tieman - Play-by-play for MSU Men’s Basketball and Owner of Spartan Sports Network Will Tieman is a radio and television broadcaster, and syndication and marketing executive. He began his career broadcasting games for Miami (OH) and serving as Sports Director of WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Indiana. He has created adve...

Originally uploaded April 15th, reloaded May 8th. Wednesday, April 8th, MBN was on the road to Heritage Hall at the Michigan State Capitol, for the Michigan Works! Associations' annual Impact Awards. This interview was with Carrie Rosingana, CEO, Capital Area Michigan Works! discussing the Impact Award and the regional winner, Bridgewater Interiors. The Impact Awards honor those who have contribut...

Originally uploaded April 15th, reloaded May 8th. Wednesday, April 8th, MBN was on the road to Heritage Hall at the Michigan State Capitol, for the Michigan Works! Associations' annual Impact Awards. This interview was with SEMCA Michigan Works! Workforce Business Liaison Jennifer Tucker, Eric Huntley, Director of Human Resources, Oakwood Group, Greg Pitoniak. Chief Executive Officer, SEMCA Michig...

Originally uploaded April 15th, reloaded May 7th. Wednesday, April 8th, MBN was on the road to Heritage Hall at the Michigan State Capitol, for the Michigan Works! Associations' annual Impact Awards. This interview was with Jennifer Llewellyn, Director, Oakland County Michigan Works!. The Impact Awards honor those who have contributed to strengthening Michigan’s economy by actively creating jobs a...

Chris Holman welcomes Andrew Coffield, Regional Advocate - Great Lakes - OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, MI, Office of Advocacy - U.S. Small Business Administration. What is the Office of Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration? What are some of the top federal regulations the office has heard? What is your role as the Region 5 Advocate, and how does your work impact what's happening in Washington,...

Chris Holman welcomes Tim Klont, Chief Operating Officer, MSHDA, Lansing, MI. Welcome Tim. Remind the Michigan business community about MSHDA? You're the head of the planning committee for a big event MSHDA is hosting soon. Tell us about it? So, the 2026 Building Michigan Communities Conference (BMCC), features networking, educational sessions, and policy discussions. What's a highlight for this y...

Chris Holman welcomes back Shelia Scott, Community Financial Education & Business Development Officer, West Lansing Branch, LAFCU Headquarters. Welcome back, Sheila. Remind us about April being Financial Literacy Month? You recently wrapped up an 8-month class with a graduation. Tell us about that? $2500 is to be awarded to teachers soon. Tell us about that? Congratulations, LAFCU, for winning the...

Chris Holman welcomes back Nicole Noll-Williams, President & CEO, Capital Region Airport Authority, Lansing, MI, to the MBN studio at the airport. Welcome back, Nicole. Tell us about United Airlines' status for resuming LANsing service? A Centennial Celebration coming up? What routes is Breeze covering at this time? Are road construction projects on target? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusines...

Originally uploaded April 14, reloaded May 6, 2026. MBN was on the road to cover PitchMI's Finals competition on Tuesday, April 7. The MSU Research Foundation hosted the event at Grewal Hall in Lansing from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PitchMI brought together four founders from Michigan-built startups spanning healthcare, AI, navigation technology, and sustainable tech. These finalists were selected l...

Originally uploaded April 14, reloaded May 6, 2026. MBN was on the road to cover PitchMI's Finals competition on Tuesday, April 7. The MSU Research Foundation hosted the event at Grewal Hall in Lansing from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Before catching up with the contestants, we spoke with David Washburn from the hosting organization. PitchMI brought together four founders from Michigan-built startups...

Originally uploaded April 14, reloaded May 6, 2026. MBN was on the road to cover PitchMI's Finals competition on Tuesday, April 7. The MSU Research Foundation hosted the event at Grewal Hall in Lansing from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PitchMI brought together four founders from Michigan-built startups spanning healthcare, AI, navigation technology, and sustainable tech. These finalists were selected l...

Originally uploaded April 14, reloaded May 5, 2026. MBN was on the road to cover PitchMI's Finals competition on Tuesday, April 7. The MSU Research Foundation hosted the event at Grewal Hall in Lansing from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PitchMI brought together four founders from Michigan-built startups spanning healthcare, AI, navigation technology, and sustainable tech. These finalists were selected l...

Chris Holman welcomes Suzanne Greenberg, Executive Director, Children's Trust Michigan, Lansing, MI. Children's Trust Michigan, led by Executive Director Suzanne Greenberg, is a statewide nonprofit that rebranded from Children's Trust Fund in 2022 to better communicate its mission of supporting children and families across all 83 Michigan counties. The organization operates a network of 72 program...

Chris Holman welcomes Dr. Charles Ballard, Emeritus Economics Professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Dr. Charles Ballard, emeritus economics professor at Michigan State University, described Michigan's economy as persistently middling, ranking 39th in per capita personal income due largely to decades of decline in manufacturing and the auto industry. He emphasized that economic co...

Chris Holman welcomes Laketa L. Henderson, Michigan District Director, Small Business Administration, Detroit, MI. Laketa L. Henderson, SBA Michigan District Director, joined Michigan Business Beat to discuss the Small Business Administration's role in supporting small businesses across Michigan through free resources including access to capital, counseling, technical assistance, and contracting s...

Chris Holman welcomes Brad Ward, Vice President of Public Policy and Legal Affairs at Michigan Realtors, Lansing, MI. Michigan’s housing shortage is increasingly seen as a business issue, not just a housing issue. How is the Housing Readiness Plan tied to economic growth and workforce attraction? Some supporters say outdated zoning and permitting rules are driving up costs and slowing development....