Turning the Dial on Justice: South East Market Alita Kelly is forging a new path in business, one that is hyper mission-centric and demonstrates the powerful impact small businesses can have on their communities. Kelly, along with her business partner Khara DeWit, opened South East Market in January. The market is tucked into the corner … Read more
Get to Know Nikita Miner, GROW’s Office Administrator What was your first job and what did you learn from it? I worked with my mom for my first job. She owned a cleaning company called Early Bird Cleaning Services, in Ypsilanti, MI. I learned that not all jobs are … Read more
Q&A: Dr. Valencia Agnew on Recharging when You are Emotionally Drained How has the pandemic impacted our mental health overall? There is so much more anxiety, depression, and even substance abuse and domestic abuse. People are experiencing trauma from the global grief and loss. Even though we may not know the 500,000 who have died … Read more
The One Relationship that can Determine Your Success What exactly is a mentor? A mentor is a person in your life who provides guidance. An ideal mentor is authentic, engaging, available and in-tune with your goals and needs. They are where you want to be, and they use their experience to help you get there. … Read more
Get to Know GROW’s Operations Manager, Amy Deel What was your first job and what did you learn from it? A grocery store bagger. I learned a lot about physical labor because I also had to take groceries to cars and take care of the recycling machines (which were much more difficult to manage then). … Read more
Cimone Casson Gets in Front of the Green Rush Cimone Casson is a leading player in one of the most quickly growing industries in the state of Michigan: marijuana. Casson is the founder and owner of Cannas Capital, an insurance agency specializing in the cannabis industry and the craft beer industry. This isn’t her first … Read more
Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) Announces 2021 Board Members West Michigan non-profit organization, Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW), welcomes many new members to the 2021 Board of Directors to further provide strategic direction for the development of the organization. Janis Petrini, Owner and Operator, Express Employment Professionals Tracey Burke, Healthcare Consultant Catherine Kloska, … Read more
Do you know what your brand is? Branding expert Ricardo O’Neal of Aurikk shares his insight into what it is, and why it matters for your business. Q: Let’s start from the beginning! What is branding and why is it so important? A: Branding is the universal method of your business. It is the way … Read more
An Evidence-Based Approach to Crushing Your Goals this Year Whatever you want to achieve this year– start your business, grow your business, expand a product line– SMART goal framework is almost guaranteed to help you get there. What are SMART Goals? How often do we declare vague goals (“I want to have more customers this … Read more
Robert Gillum knows his way around the kitchen — he’s worked in food service since he was 13 years old. “I tried to do other jobs,” he laughed. “But I always came back to cooking.” He developed a special love for barbeque and spent years entering competitions, perfecting his technique and flavors. As Gillum came … Read more