Category Archives: Business News

NORTON SHORES, Mich. – There is no way the Muskegon County Airport can even begin to compete with Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. Muskegon County Airport Manager Jeff Tripp has embraced the reality of GRR’s dominance, but says MKG could still do really well.

Tripp says leaders in Muskegon County know the best strategy is not to market their airport as an alternative to people who live east of Coopersville, although there are people from Grand Rapids and Kent County who do fly out of Norton Shores.

The strategy is to give people along the lakeshore a much quicker, convenient option to get to where they need to go via United Airlines.

Click here to view the full WZZM13 article. 

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. – The city of Muskegon Heights is experiencing a number of companies expanding in their city. The latest good economic news involves a Muskegon brewery moving some production to Muskegon Heights.

The Unruly Brewing Co. is planning to move production into a vacant industrial building in the 2200 block of Lemuel Street.

The owners of Unruly Brewing recently purchased the building. The space is undergoing renovation in preparation for brewing equipment later this year or early next year.

Click here to view the full WZZM13 article. 

MUSKEGON, Mich. – After being vacant for more than a decade, a five-story building in downtown Muskegon has a new owner.

City leaders finalized a deal to sell the old Ameribank building to Core Development for $425,000 on Tuesday, Aug. 14.

The plan is to turn the structure into a mixed-use development that will include housing, retail and office space.

Click here to view the full WZZM13 article. 

MUSKEGON, MI – People attending the inaugural Great Lakes Surf Festival in Muskegon this weekend won’t have any excuse to the bored.

The event has a full day of events lined up, including surfing, paddleboarding, kite boarding, kayaking, windsurfing, music, camping and yoga.

It will be the first of its kind on the Great Lakes, said Joe Bidawid, the former professional windsurfer behind the event.

Click here to view the full Mlive article. 

MUSKEGON, MI – Muskegon paddleboarders Dan Bonner and Eric Strickler attempted to cross Lake Michigan last week in an effort to raise money and awareness of the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership’s green storm water infrastructure projects.

The men made it 73 of the 79 miles from Milwaukee to Muskegon before aborting their adventure due to bad weather.

Click here to view the full WZZM13 article. 

MUSKEGON — The growing Betten Baker Auto Group has acquired its fifth dealership this year and plans to further expand its presence in Coopersville.

In a deal announced today, the Muskegon-based Betten Baker acquired Kent City Ford with plans to relocate the franchise to Coopersville, where it just completed the build-out of its newly-opened Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store. The company expects the new Ford store to open in 2019, according to a statement.

Click here to view the full MiBiz article. 

MUSKEGON, Mich. – The Mill Iron group home should be move-in ready by the end of the month.

Mill Iron, built by Pioneer Resources, will be able to house six women. This will be Pioneer’s eighth home of its kind, as the nonprofit group continues to provide affordable and specialized housing to those in need. The layout of Mill Iron was designed specifically to accommodate those requiring specialized assistance.

Click here to view the full WZZM13 article. 

FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP, MI – A virtual reality arcade is about to literally open at The Lakes Mall in Fruitport Township.

VR Stop owner Jason Baumgart, 36, of Grand Haven, hopes to open by Oct. 1.

Baumgart got started in virtual reality games when he opened his first shop in Grand Haven in 2016. That space included six virtual reality rooms, but the new one will start with four custom booths

Click here to view the full Mlive article. 

MUSKEGON, MI – Muskegon will celebrate its Strongest Town 2018 crown with a visit from the awarding organization’s president this month.

Strong Towns President Charles Marohn will spend a day in Muskegon on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The organization recognized Muskegon as its 2018 winner – embodying a strong and resilient town – in April.

The bracket-style contest pitted Muskegon against Kent, Ohio, in the final round of voting.

Click here to view the full Mlive article. 

MUSKEGON, MI – An 83-acre parcel in the Bluffon Neighborhood is about to be one of the last major pieces of property on Muskegon Lake to get a development plan.

The history of the property includes decades of mining the Pigeon Hill dune. From the 1930s on, Sand Products mined the dune, reducing it to a hilly landscape. Now, the same company is looking to the property’s future.

Plans call for a 12-acre boat basin, main entrance over a critical dune, 27 acres of green space, about 220 residential units along with some community and commercial spaces.

Click here to view the full Mlive article.