Local Car Broker: It's Like "High Stakes Gambling"

Traverse City-based car broker, Wally Szunko, knows automobiles. He’s bought and sold thousands of them over his 22-year career. “I buy cars. Then I sell them – mostly to dealers but sometimes to friends,” Szunko said.

That sounds simple enough. However, there is much more to actually succeeding in this …

Financial Planning: 6 Tips For A Comfortable Retirement

Newsmakers: People On The Move

HEALTH CARE

Anne Cavanagh, M.D., has been named medical director of the Traverse Health Clinic. She replaces Dr. Lynn Swan, who recently stepped down. Dr. Cavanagh is certified in internal medicine and palliative care. She has prior experience as medical director for Thunder Bay Community Health Service, also a community …

Briefly: Big News In A Small Format

EXPANSION: STONE HOUSE BREAD

Stone House Bread is slated to move into the former Antique Mall building at 4200 U.S. 31 South near Chum’s Corner next month.

The move from Switch Drive in TC will give the bakery twice as much room and allow it to operate more efficiently, said …

Book Review: Endzone

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

St. Martin’s Press, September 2015Hardcover $27.99, E-read, $12.99

In a Nutshell – The business philosophy of profit and growth runs head first into tradition and longstanding customer expectations.

Who’s it for? – Anyone associated with the University of Michigan. Although this is a sports-related book, …

Reimagining College For The 21st Century

To remain relevant in this century, colleges and universities face a period of significant and increasingly rapid transformation.This is the kind of transformation that will affect the roles and responsibilities of students, faculty and staff. It will impact the responsibilities and perceptions of our publics and our regulators. It may …

Keys To Business Succession

Family business succession planning is important to address well before it is needed, and possible changes to the Internal Revenue Code may provide yet another reason to address this topic with a trusted advisor sooner rather than later; especially for individuals whose assets approach or exceed the federal estate and …

Should Cottage Trust Be The New Planning Tool Of Choice For Cottage Succession Plans?

For several years, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) was the preferred method to create a cottage succession plan. LLCs provided an entity to facilitate a family’s plan for transfer of ownership, management and use of the cottage, while also providing limited liability protection from potential third party claims. However, now …

Keeping SCORE: A Corp Of Volunteers For The Business Community

SCORE – once named the Service Corps of Retired Executives – is known as the “Counselors for America’s Small Business.” According to the Small Business Administration, the national nonprofit association is comprised of more than 13,000 volunteer trained business counselors who serve as counselor advisors and mentors to aspiring entrepreneurs …

The Snowbird Lifestyle: How Local Residents Make It Work

Thousands of Michigan snowbirds are about to fly – and drive – South. For many retirees, 20 inches of snow – let alone 20 feet of it winter before last – has lost its charm. It’s not hard to hear jealousy in some of the jokes about snowbirds … the …

Commentary: Too Much "No" In Local Activists' Voices, Actions

Traverse City is an activist town. Local debate is usually lively, often intense, and sometimes hard to predict. I know it can drive elected officials and developers crazy, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. People here care deeply about the future and how our region grows. It’s that …

Put Away Talk of ‘Runaway’ Growth

Back-To-School Boomers: Local Lifelong Learning For Retirees

The many miles of beautiful lakeshore, the wide array of local leisure activities, and relatively affordable housing are among the reasons the Traverse City region has made national “best places to retire” lists in recent years. Now that multitudes of Baby Boomers began retiring in 2011—and since this retirement class …

LEADS: Info To Help You Build Your Business

BENZIE COUNTY

AFFORDABLE CHIMNEY CLEANING & SERVICES, 12422 Aylsworth Road, BeulahBIG KEN’S TREE PLUS, 1208 Elm St, Lot 5, FrankfortBOATHOUSE RENTALS, 1575 Crystal Drive, FrankfortCLUB MICH, 18830 Lakewood Circle, Lake AnnCRAM’S IMAGES, 9061 Shorter Lake Road, TCCRYSTAL LAKE OUTDOORS, 14272 Cinder Road, BeulahDENNIS KASER PAINTING, 11529 Maple Rd, BeulahJB’S MANAGEMENT …

The Otto Business: 50 Years … Thousands Of Cars

There is a photo of Otto Belovich as a 10-year-old boy, standing in front of a used car lot in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His family had recently arrived in the country from Austria. The cars in the background were pure coincidence – at least so he says.

This past August, Belovich …

Cordia Eyes First Anniversary In Traverse City

Traverse City’s retirement living options continue to expand, responding to the ever-increasing need as the community continues on its growth trajectory for the retiree population.

Cordia senior residential club is coming up on its one-year anniversary at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The senior living community brought a new …