Small Business Spotlight

Small Business Spotlight podcast: How an independent furniture retailer survives

Small Business Spotlight: Planted Detroit grows sustainable salad business

Small Business Spotlight podcast: Manufacturing business owners work to diversify industry, give back

Small Business Spotlight podcast: Avalon bakery's Jackie Victor on creating community

Small Business Spotlight podcast: Summer hiring outlook

Michael Greiner, Oakland University assistant professor of management, talks about the current hiring challenges and opportunities facing small and seasonal business owners.

Small Business Spotlight podcast: Tips for choosing office space

Crain's Detroit Business reporter Jay Davis talks to Ben Blankenship and Arin Rentz of Robotic Precision Therapy about their experience finding the right space for their business.

It's tax season: What small businesses should know in 2022

Longtime accountant Jamie Lopiccolo offers tips on what small business owners need to look out for as they file their taxes this year.

Nonprofit turns to tech to save, bolster events

Benefits of business coaching

How Dan Gilbert’s philanthropy is being spread across Detroit

Laura Grannemann, vice president of the Rocket Community Fund and interim executive director of the Gilbert Family Foundation, talks with Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood about how Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert plans to spend $500 million over ten years...

MHA’s Brian Peters and Chris Mitchell discuss hospital staffing crisis in fourth surge of COVID cases

Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood interviews Michigan Health & Hospital CEO Brian Peters and outgoing Senior Executive Vice President Chris Mitchell at the Mackinac Policy Conference about current hospital staff shortages amid a fourth surge in new cases of COVID-19.

Deloitte’s David Parent on the future of the workplace – and where people will work

Crain’s Managing Editor Michael Lee interviews David Parent, Michigan managing partner of Deloitte, on Sept. 22 at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference.

Mackinac conference: New MEDC CEO Quentin Messer Jr. on Michigan’s economic development toolbox

Crain’s Managing Editor Michael Lee interviewed Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Quentin Messer Jr. on Day 3 of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Gov. Whitmer talks state budget, COVID-19 and auto insurance reform at Mackinac Policy Conference

Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood interviewed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Day 3 of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

John Rakolta talks UAE ambassadorship, Walbridge construction industry growth, growing education “crisis” in Michigan

John Rakolta Jr., chairman of Detroit-based construction giant Walbridge, and his daughter, Lauren, CEO of DFM Solutions, talked with Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood about their family business and John Rakolta’s experience as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab...

Marathon refinery GM Dave Leaver on the refinery’s home-purchase program

Crain’s Managing Editor Michael Lee interviews Marathon refinery General Manager Dave Leaver on Day 2 of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference.

Conrad Mallett: Duggan to come out in favor of Detroit reparations ballot proposal

Conrad Mallett Jr., deputy mayor of Detroit, talks to Crain’s City Hall reporter Annalise Frank

Detroit Future City CEO: Private sector ready to make equity changes ‘we have not seen before’

Crain’s City Hall reporter Annalise Frank interviews Detroit Future City CEO Anika Goss on Day 2 of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Bollinger Motors CEO Robert Bollinger on taking a different road to electric trucks – and why the auto business is hard

Crain’s Managing Editor Michael Lee interviews Bollinger Motors CEO Robert Bollinger on Day 2 of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Mackinac conference: Detroit CFO Jay Rising: Sports betting, casino taxes are “savior” of city budget this year

Detroit Chief Financial Officer Jay Rising talks with City Hall reporter Annalise Frank about the city’s finances 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic. Frank interviewed Rising at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac...

Mackinac conference: HAP CEO Michael Genord on the lessons of COVID

Crain’s Managing Editor Michael Lee interviews HAP President and CEO Michael Genord on Sept. 20 at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference.

Duggan talks re-election campaign, towing, Detroit infrastructure issues at Mackinac Policy Conference

Crain’s reporter Annalise Frank interviews Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on Day 2 of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Mackinac conference: DTE Energy Vice Chairman Dave Meador talks workforce development, tree-trimming and burying power lines

Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood interviews DTE Energy Vice Chairman Dave Meador about workforce development issues and the summer of power outages from severe weather on Day 2 of the Mackinac Policy Conference.

Mackinac conference: Lt. Gov. Gilchrist talks transit, equity, state budget and pandemic lessons learned

Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood interviews Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II on Sept. 20 at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference in the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Mackinac conference: Soon-to-retire Antoine Garibaldi on why Detroit Mercy is expanding to Novi, what’s next

Crain’s Reporter Annalise Frank interviews University of Detroit Mercy President Antoine Garibaldi on Sept. 20 at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference on the Grand Hotel’s front porch.

Consumers Energy CEO Garrick Rochow: Time to rethink utility industry’s resistance to burying power lines

Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood interviews Consumers Energy CEO Garrick Rochow on Sept. 20 at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Crain’s kicks off podcast interviews from the Mackinac Policy Conference

Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood interviews Brad Williams, vice president of government affairs for the Detroit Regional Chamber, at the Great Turtle Brewery & Distillery on Mackinac Island ahead of the annual Mackinac Policy Conference, which runs Sept. 20-23.

How outsourcing can ease the workload

Staying ahead of the game in a pandemic

How to stay alive in a changing industry

The rewards and challenges of gig work

Michael Lee on WJR: Decade of decline for recycling | Home care caps

Detroit Flower Co. owner learns to run her business on the fly

Planning an infrastructure future without flooded freeways, basements in metro Detroit

On this final episode of Detroit Rising for 2020, Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood talks with Suzanne Coffey, chief planning officer for the Great Lakes Water Authority, about GLWA's new 40-year master plan. The blueprint for underwater infrastructure includes plans...

Beyond the pandemic: Will new college scholarship program help frontline workers gain new skills for future jobs?

This week on Detroit Rising, Henry Ford College President Russ Kavahluna talks about the state's new Futures for Frontliners college scholarship program that aims to help workers whose in-person work has essential during the pandemic climb the economic ladder. He...

Challenges ahead for distributing COVID-19 vaccines in Detroit, Michigan; a chat with the Oakland County attorney who runs the IVaccinate.org campaign

Veronica McNally, an Oakland County attorney who founded the IVaccinate.org campaign, talks with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood about the challenges ahead with distributing a COVID-19 vaccine and whether employers should mandate it for their workers.

Abdul El-Sayed talks public health infrastructure, Whitmer's handling of COVID-19 pandemic and his future in politics

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the former Detroit city health department director and 2018 Democratic candidate for governor, talks with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood about the surging cases of COVID-19 and the need for investing in public health infrastructure and systems...

Eric Larson: Downtown Detroit retailers, restaurants struggling after seven months of pandemic downturn, steep decline in patrons and visitors

Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, speaks with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood about the struggles and challenges retailers, restaurants and bars are facing in downtown Detroit with just one-fifth of the pre-pandemic downtown workforce to patronize their...

Black women-owned staffing agency in Detroit sees growth opportunities in energy, aerospace and entertainment industries

Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood speaks with Kerry Buffington and Tammy L. Turner, co-founders of Kapstone Employment Services in Detroit, which specializes in recruiting diverse candidates for corporations.

MEDC CEO talks new FCA plant and auto supplier opportunities in Detroit, community redevelopment and revived Pure Michigan ad campaign

Mark Burton, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., talks with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood about the state budget for the MEDC, the resurrection of the Pure Michigan tourism-attraction campaign, where the agency is focusing its economic...

From streetscape project to COVID-19, Narrow Way Café navigates adversity on Detroit's Livernois Avenue of Fashion

David Merritt, co-owner of Narrow Way Café, talks with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood about how his northwest Detroit coffee shop has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic on the Livernois Avenue of Fashion, which is undergoing a transformation with new...

FCA's Mark Stewart talks about Detroit's new Jeep plant, challenges with COVID-19 and job opportunities for Detroiters

In an exclusive interview with Crain’s, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Chief Operating Officer Mark Stewart talks about the automaker’s $1.6 billion transformation of two engine powertrain plants on Detroit's east side into an assembly plant that will start pumping out Jeep...

Detroit ed tech startup delivering science to students learning at home

This week on Detroit Rising podcast, Alecia Gabriel and Deirdre Roberson, co-founders of The Lab Drawer, discuss their Detroit-based education tech startup company that has a subscription service for science experiments and projects that comes in a box in the...

Nikolai Vitti on Detroit Public Schools' reopening plans, education funding equity and deteriorating buildings

Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, talks with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood about the district's plans to reopen school buidlings and offer an online-only option this fall for families concerned about the spread of COVID-19.

Rocket Companies COO Bob Walters on Dan Gilbert's mortgage company going public, stock for employees, future of Quicken Loans brand and returning to the office

Bob Walters, president and chief operating officer of Rocket Companies, talked with Crain's Senior Editor Chad Livengood and tech and finance reporter Nick Manes hours after Rocket Companies began trading on the New York Stock Exchange for the Detroit-based mortgage...

Meeko Williams: Mandatory police residency would help officers connect with Detroiters

Detroit political activist Meeko Williams spoke to Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood about his experience with police officers, why he believes police residency should be mandatory and how he’s not in favor of defunding the police.

Warren Evans: Requiring police officers to live in Detroit a 'great concept' but 'very impractical' to enforce

In Detroit, just 23 percent of the nearly 2,500 police officers live within the city limits. A 1999 law outlawed local ordinances requiring police officers to live in the city where they serve. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, a former...

Can solar energy turn Detroit's vacant lots into profit?

How auto insurance reform is supposed to drive down premiums in Detroit

Skidmore Studio growing an online farmers market from Detroit for Michigan food producers

Drew Patrick, owner and president of Skidmore Studio, and Meg Burritt, a managing partner of Planted Detroit, talk with Crain’s Senior Editor Chad Livengood about Skidmore’s new online farmers market and delivery service, MichiganFields.com. The design studio launched the service...