Chamber Blog

Discussion related to housing affordability and availability has become a priority for many communities in West Michigan. In April, the Chamber Regional Issues Council hosted Ryan Kilpatrick, Director of Housing Next, for a discussion on how an Ottawa County focused initiative is planning to collaboratively address these challenges. After highlighting the collected data showing the […]

On Wednesday, April 18, Steve Mitchell, a long-term Michigan pollster and Chairman of Mitchell Research & Communications, shared his insight into this coming election cycle with members of the Chamber President’s Club. The timely topic helped launch the Chamber Political Action Committee’s (PAC) 2018 candidate endorsement process. The Chamber PAC, The Friends of West Michigan […]

Unfortunately, relying on “word of mouth” isn’t enough to grow a small business as quickly as one might hope. That’s why, with Chamber programs like the Small Business Series, small business owners and employees can get access to subject matter experts that provide them with the tools and insights they need to succeed. Because our […]

It’s that time of year where we give mom the special attention she actually deserves 24/7. To get in the spirit of Mother’s Day, we asked Andy Johnston, Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs, to tell us about his Mother’s Day plans and traditions with Mama Johnston, also known as Joni. What’s the Mother’s Day […]

He’s an army brat who paid his way through college by doing wedding photography – and lying about his age at the time to score new clients. “Who wants to hire an 18-year-old to do their wedding photos?” he said. She’s a YouTube famous beauty and design vlogger with over 20,000 subscribers (seriously, look it […]

Today, the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progression (NAEP) scores were released. The scores reveal a slight increase in some categories, stagnant scores in others, and overall, continued cause for alarm for business leaders, parents, educators and policymakers. Michigan saw small improvements in reading and math compared to 2015 scores: Fourth-grade reading- 41st in 2015 […]

We want our Chamber members to get the biggest return on their investment as possible and we’re making it a goal to help members navigate the ins and outs of the different Chamber membership perks. Today’s highlighted perk: The Davenport University tuition discount. If you’re hearing about this for this first time: All employees (including […]

At its March meeting, the Grand Rapids Chamber Board of Directors moved to oppose two proposals seeking to be on the November ballot – the statutory initiative to legalize the adult recreational use of marijuana and the constitutional amendment on redistricting. “After hearing from both sides on these proposals, it is clear to our members […]