Edmonds Trucking
Jerry Edmonds loves the freedom and the rush of trucking. “It’s hurry-up, but organized and structured,” he said. His family – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles – have all worked in trucking so it’s in his blood. Almost literally. Jerry started his own trucking company and bought his first truck – with help from Northern Initiatives […]
Buck’s Port Hope Diner
The 217 residents of Port Hope are grateful. “Thank you for investing in our town.” “You’ve changed my business by opening yours.” “You put Port Hope on the map.” Buck’s Port Hope Diner has made downtown Port Hope, at the tip of Michigan’s Thumb, a destination. Tarra Hurlburt opened the restaurant in 2022, after it […]
Protein Pints
Paul Reiss and Mike Meadows are best friends who like to work out. What they don’t like is “chalky shakes, bars and powders” in their quest for protein. What they do like is ice cream. So they figured out a way to make delicious ice cream packed with tons of protein and invented Protein Pints, […]
Myconaut
While Joe Lane, left, and Ryan Iacovacci are growing mushrooms to feed people, they’re also working to save the planet. The owners of Myconaut were awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how fungi can remediate PFAS in the soil. They’ve also been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Accelerator Program to […]
El Caribe
Start Garden Demo Day is legendary. The Grand Rapids-based business incubator holds an annual pitch contest, beginning with a 100-second video pitch and ending with a raucous celebration, where 10 entrepreneurs are each awarded $20,000. The contest is open to everyone. In 2023, Northern Initiatives partnered with Start Garden to provide low-interest loans to all […]
Tienda Mexicana El Cuñao
The workers who grow our food need food. Vanessa Muniz makes sure they get what they need – and it goes well beyond food. Her store, Tienda Mexicana El Cuñao, in St. Louis, Michigan, is smack-dab in the middle of the Michigan mitten, surrounded by farms growing grains, fruit, vegetables and flowers, and the dairy […]
Dabney & Co.
Daniel May has been organizing community celebrations in Kalamazoo for years, including a Juneteenth bar crawl that made a big impression. “There was a lack of space for People of Color to feel safe and comfortable,” he realized. So he created that space. Dabney & Co., a downtown Kalamazoo cocktail lounge, pays homage to the […]
Millie’s Farms
A loan to Millie’s Farms, a woman-owned family farm in Big Prairie Township near Newaygo, put Northern Initiatives over the $100 million mark in loans made since its founding 30 years ago. The milestone was lost on the cows. “They all get names because they’re like family to us,” said Amelia “Millie” Richardson, who works […]
Nisu Bakery and Café
It made perfect sense to Irma Boyd to settle on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. She’s Finnish and so is 35% of the rest of the population. When she realized no one in the area was serving authentic Finnish food – and that there was a dearth of cozy sit-down spots in downtown Hancock –she got to […]
RJ’s Printing
RJ’s Printing is a 29-year-old business located in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood, the only Black-owned printing business in Southwest Michigan. Owner Sean Hollins, 56, says, “I believe there’s some in the Detroit area, but between Chicago and Detroit I believe I’m the only Black-owned print shop.” The previous owner, Ralph Jones, had contacted Hollins in 2020 […]