Michigan Business Network

Recently, Lorri and Becky welcomed Dr. Renee Branch Canady, CEO of the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), for a special conversation with hosts Becky Burka and Lorri Rishar Jandron. Dr. Canady is a nationally recognized public health leader whose work focuses on advancing health equity, social justice, and community-centered leadership. Before leading MPHI, she served as Health Officer and D...

(GRAND RAPIDS, MI.) – Thursday February 12th, The Right Place, Inc. announced the launch of its new three-year strategic plan. The Right Place’s mission is to drive sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity for all in the Greater Grand Rapids Region. This plan carries the organization’s mission forward with clarity, purpose, and momentum. Developed in partnership with over 550 community st...

Chris Holman welcomes back Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph. D., President, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Tell us about the recently developed MSU Green and White Council? How did the Council determine its three recommended initiatives? Why is "AI-Ready Spartans" on that list? How important is experiential learning (i.e. internship, study abroad, etc.) in helping to prepare graduates for the...

Chris Holman welcomes back Krista Johson, Director, Deputy Director for Workforce Development for LEO (Labor and Economic Opportunity), Lansing, MI. ● What is Career and Technical Education? ● In what ways do you believe these programs are fundamentally changing the lives of Michigan residents across the state? ● How does this initiative fit into the overall long-term vision for the future of Mich...

Chris Holman welcomes back Alyssa Troub, Title: Digital Marketing and Community Engagement Specialist, LAFCU, Lansing, MI. Q1: For listeners who may not be familiar, what is LAFCU’s Write to Educate Essay Contest? Q2: What is this year’s essay topic, and why did LAFCU choose a community-focused prompt? Q3: How does the Write to Educate Contest impact students beyond financial support? Q4: What kin...

Chris Holman welcomes back Stephen Rapundalo, PhD, President and CEO, MichBio, Ann Arbor, MI. Welcome back Stephen, remind the Michigan business community about MichBio? What were some highlights for 2025? You have a big event coming up next month at LCC West Campus, a BioTalent Summit, tell us more? From an employer perspective, where is the biggest talent gap in Michigan’s bioscience sector righ...

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, MBN was on the road at The Department at Hudson’s in downtown Detroit, for this year's Detroit Policy Conference, put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The event centered on the "New Leadership Era," featuring discussions on the city's future, economic development, and regional policy. This interview was the "Media Scrum" with former Mayor of Detroit, and current Michiga...

This is a breakout video from the full event one. It showcases the Cinnaire portion with Mark McDaniel and LAFCU with Kelli Ellsworth-Etchison. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan receives $197,500 in donations at check presentation Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. MBN was on the road joining to observe this occasion. To kick off the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration activitie...

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, MBN was on the road at the Hudson's site in Detroit, for this year's Detroit Policy Conference, put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The event centered on the "New Leadership Era," featuring discussions on the city's future, economic development, and regional policy. This interview was with Glenn Stevens, head of MichAuto, and Chief Automotive and Innovation Officer of...

Recording Date: February 18, 2026 Location: Capital Region International Airport (LAN) Ben Bakken - Senior VP, Lansing Market Director at Tri-Star Trust Ben Bakken is an experienced and knowledgeable financial professional who understands the ‘ins and outs’ of strategy, analysis, relationship building, and leadership. Ben brings more than a decade of experience in the banking industry, in addition...

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, MBN was on the road at the Hudson's site in Detroit, for this year's Detroit Policy Conference, put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The event centered on the "New Leadership Era," featuring discussions on the city's future, economic development, and regional policy. This interview was with Lisa Frohnapfel, President and CEO of the unified Better Business Bureau (BBB) o...

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, MBN was on the road at the Hudson's site in Detroit, for this year's Detroit Policy Conference, put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The event centered on the "New Leadership Era," featuring discussions on the city's future, economic development, and regional policy. This interview was with John J. Walsh, Michigan Manufacturers Association, Lansing. He reviewed the rece...

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, MBN was on the road at the Hudson's site in Detroit, for this year's Detroit Policy Conference, put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The event centered on the "New Leadership Era," featuring discussions on the city's future, economic development, and regional policy. This interview was with Megan Spanitz, the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Strategy Officer...

Chris Holman welcomes back Benjamin Bakken, CFP®, CEPA®. Senior Vice President, Lansing Market Director, Tri-Star Trust Bank, who is joined by Dewey Doyle, CFP®, Vice President, Investment Manager also with Tri-Star Trust Bank, Lansing, MI. Welcome back Ben, remind the Michigan business community about Tri-Star Trust Bank. What were some highlights for Tri-Star Trust Bank in 2025? You recently att...

Vic Verchereau welcomes Sharon Fanto, who is an author, speaker, Executive Coach and Luxury Property Specialist. Meet author, speaker, Executive Coach and Luxury Property Specialist, Sharon Fanto. A busy leader with a lot to say! Michigan Business Network catches up with this busy leader to discuss her latest book, Stronger Than The Storm, 4 Frameworks For Resilient Leaders. In this edition of the...

Chris Holman welcomes back Sean Cervantes – Business Development & Growth Officer at LAFCU, Lansing, MI. You have an event coming up, tell us about that? What prompted LAFCU and Grassroots Giving Lansing to focus this mixer specifically on lending essentials for entrepreneurs? For early-stage business owners, what are the most common challenges you see when they first try to access capital? How ca...

Chris Holman welcomes back Carson Patten, Vice President, Retail Advisor, Martin Commercial Properties, Samantha Le, Senior Associate, Retail Advisor, Martin Commercial Properties, Lansing, MI. Retail Advisory Retail vacancy rates: up? down? Where have they headed recently in your new report? What are the economic pressures leading to this? what types of retail businesses are thriving, and what’s...

Originally uploaded January 29th, reloaded Feb. 2nd. Chris Holman welcomes back Ryan Hundt, CEO, Michigan Works! Association, Lansing, MI. What is the AI at Work Summit and why should employers and workforce professionals care about it in 2026? How can attendees use what they learn at the summit to better prepare their workforce for AI-driven changes in jobs and skills? What are some real-world AI...

Chris Holman welcomes back Eric Rosekrans, CCIM, Executive Vice President, Martin Commercial Properties Thomas Jamieson, SIOR, Senior Vice President, Martin Commercial Properties, Lansing, MI. This discussion covers MCPs Office Advisory Considering Office vacancy, where do things stand in your latest report? What strategies are landlords and tenants using to adapt to shifting work models and exces...

Chris Holman welcomes back Chris Miller, SIOR - Senior Vice President, Industrial/Investment Advisor, Martin Commercial Properties, Lansing, MI. — Industrial report. The industrial market, what are your latest numbers showing? What’s driving this demand across the Greater Lansing region? How is the market responding in terms of new development or speculative builds? Are there How are large-scale i...

Chris Holman welcomes Dr. Scott Grasman – Dean, College of Engineering & Computer Science, Kettering University, Flint, MI. For those who aren’t familiar with it yet, what is the GM Mobility Research Center, and why is it such a unique asset for Kettering and the auto industry? From a business and innovation standpoint, what kinds of real-world testing and use cases can companies and researchers s...

Chris Holman welcomes back Mohamad Hammoud, Senior Vice President and Market Executive for Business Banking for Bank of America in Southeast Michigan, Detroit, MI. Talk about the overall findings of Bank of America’s Business Owner Report. What did the report find about the confidence level of business owners across the country in 2026? Are these sentiments reflective of what you’re hearing from M...

Chris Holman welcomes Sam Connell, New General Manager, Battle Creek Battle Jacks. Welcome Sam, please share some of your career leading up to being named a baseball GM last September? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN...

Chris Holman welcomes back Tom Kelly, President & CEO, Automation Alley, Troy, MI. This time around is their Integr8 2026 discussion: Welcome back Tom, briefly remind the Michigan business community what Integr8 is and how it has evolved? From a business leader’s perspective, what makes the 2026 Integr8 Series different from other manufacturing or tech events? How should manufacturers think about...

Chris Holman welcomes back Carrie Rosingana, CEO, CAMW! Capital Area Michigan Works! Lansing, MI, but serving Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties. What is the status of work project dollars that are the subject of a legal dispute? How are CAMW! and other Michigan Works! agencies responding? If these appropriations are ultimately rejected, what will that mean for programs that CAMW! helps to adminis...