The blue water of Traverse City is known for a few things, chief among them water-driven tourism, wine and tart cherries. That reputation is well-earned. But it’s not all that’s going on in the northwestern Michigan tourist town. For an area that doesn’t have a major university and isn’t close to any of the state’s manufacturing hubs, it has a surprising hub of entrepreneurism.
In this Crain’s Michigan Business report, you’ll read profiles of organizations and companies that are helping diversify the economy of one of the jewels of northwest Michigan. They include a company that tracks satellites, a business incubator and one of the largest steel heat-treating operations in the country.
In this special report:
▪ Computer tech legend puts expertise behind startups: Computer technology legend Casey Cowell is putting his time and money toward making Traverse City a hotbed of entrepreneurship. Read story.
▪ Fast growing Northern United Brewing on tap to acquire farm: Northern United is a fast-growing food and beverage enterprise whose operations in northern Michigan include the Jolly Pumpkin, Mission Table and Blue Tractor restaurants. Read story.
▪ Traverse City move powers machine shop’s growth: George Janis founded Century Inc., a small machine shop, in Wyandotte in 1970, and four years later, he decided he wanted to move the business to Traverse City. Read story.
▪ Incubator 20Fathoms looks to breed new enterprises: Traverse City will take another step down the tech highway when 20Fathoms, a technology and manufacturing incubator in downtown, has its grand opening on July 26. Read story.
▪ Faurecia investment allows Promethient to ramp up development:Promethient Inc., an early stage tech company in Traverse City, landed a large though undisclosed equity investment from Faurecia Ventures. Read story.
▪ Space antenna maker gets offer it can’t refuse, moves to Traverse City: Atlas Space Operations Inc. buys component parts to build its own much cheaper antennas, some of them even portable, and developed its own proprietary software to collect and analyze data. Read story.
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