Nisu Bakery and Café
It made perfect sense to Irma Boyd to settle in the Keweenaw. She’s Finnish and so is 35% of the rest of the population. Then…
Tip’N The Mitten
A chance to give back to the community popped up during the summer of 2020 when another downtown business owner announced he was ready to…
Start Garden winners team up with Northern Initiatives
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…
Four Leaf Brewing
The whistle of trains mixes with the clop-clop of horses pulling buggies in downtown Clare. Outside of Four Leaf Brewing, it also mixes with the…
Working on Job Quality
Leandra Nisbet has looked and looked, but can’t find a practical way to provide healthcare for her small business, with two full-time employees. “Until you get to 50 employees, 25 minimum, it’s just not feasible,” she said.
PM School
Mary Doyen and Peg Lippens have made some pretty savvy decisions for a couple of new business owners. “We had students who were completing school…
Five Pillars Farm
Sherman Reed has always been a thorough researcher, so when his research pointed him to Northern Initiatives, he researched some more and surprised even…
Fox and Hen Vineyards
Wil Malski was pretty excited when he planted his first grapes in 2014. The heartbreak was equally strong when he had to rip them out…
Little Black Rake
“(Northern Initiatives) has been so much better than any other lending institution.” – Dave Moore, Little Black Rake Mary Moore just wanted to continue selling…
Evart Daycare and Learning Center
Brittany Magnusson knows how vital day care is. If Evart Daycare and Learning Center closes for just one day, there’s a domino effect: parents miss…