grand-rapids
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Terryberry and the business of being remembered
A company that once put appreciation into pocket watches now puts it into software. Its most interesting wager is that a thank-you works better when people can see it, choose it, and sometimes keep it.
The Quiet Firm That Wants Inside the Strategy Room
Most agencies arrive when the message is ready. BravoEcho wants to be in the room earlier - while strategy, culture, and reputation are still arguing over what the message means.
SpringGR’s $150 Entry Point to Business Ownership
In Grand Rapids, SpringGR pairs affordable business classes with coaches, Spanish-language training and a working kitchen. Its most useful offer may be the help that continues after graduation.
Tobi Tungl Makes Marketing Earn Its Place in the Room
The CTI chief marketing officer began by pulling cable and commissioning systems. Two decades later, he is still testing every message the same way: does it work in the real world?
Cara Cross Took the Long Route to Ownership - Through the Sales Floor
She joined Gazelle Sports to help customers find shoes. Fourteen years later, she became one of its two owners - proof that durable brand strategy may begin by listening on the shop floor.
Gary Burns Built a Business Around the Tiny Things Nobody Notices
For two decades, the Grand Rapids engineer kept asking one stubborn question: can a label carry enough intelligence to make the physical world more accountable? The answer became two companies, a portfolio of patents and a $54 million acquisition.
The Grand Rapids Company That Puts a Radio Inside Your Pill Bottle Cap
How a vertically integrated RFID factory in Michigan built a business on a simple bet: that the smartest part of a medicine bottle should be the cap.
Gazelle Sports
Gazelle Sports is a Michigan-based specialty running and active-lifestyle retailer founded in Kalamazoo in 1985. With seven stores across West and Southeast Michigan plus an online shop, it sells running shoes, soccer gear, apparel and accessories, and pairs product with expert fittings, training programs and community events. In 2024 it became 100% woman-owned and operated, led by CEO Jennifer Brummitt and CMO Cara Cross, and its mission is simply to inspire others to move.