January 2017 Issue

“And you may ask yourself: Well…how did I get here?” - The Talking Heads

By Bonnie Alfonso

I must confess, I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. By their very nature, with our added hyped-up expectations and overzealous enthusiasm for new beginnings, resolutions are bound to fail. More than 50 percent of us proclaim to start anew each Jan. 1 (well, actually Jan. 3, because Jan. 2 is the Rose Bowl!) America, we are in a bad relationship with New Year’s resolutions. Oh, it starts innocently enough, telling ourselves this time it will be different. So we begin with just a predictable, bordering on compulsory, goal of losing weight, working out or saving more money. …

Facebook Group Brings Marketing Mavens Together

By Guest Author

Beth Holmes-Bozung, Clover Roy and Ashlea Walter at a recent meeting at Rare Bird BrewPub.

What started as a sharing of similar observations by two local women is now a 240-member strong Facebook group composed of area marketing professionals – all of them female. The group’s goal? To inspire, engage, recognize and connect women in the local marketing arena.

The group, TC Women in Marketing & Communications, was conceived a year ago by Diana Fairbanks, …

Digital Marketing Trends of 2017

By Brian Boyer

Each year, business owners invest their hard-earned dollars into marketing strategies that generate new customers and increase revenue. This investment is used toward both digital and traditional marketing plans with the same end goal in mind: to grow the business. It can be difficult to keep up with the ever-changing trends in the digital world, but with the correct guidance and resources, business owners can stay ahead of the game.

Digital Marketing: Why Is It …

Making It In Northern Michigan: Precision Edge Surgical Products

By Clark Miller

If you’ve had orthopedic surgery, there’s a good chance the 63 employees at Precision Edge Surgical Products’ Boyne City manufacturing facility did their part to assure a good outcome. Precision Edge serves virtually all the major domestic surgical equipment suppliers and enjoys a solid reputation with the medical community.

Finely-tooled, dependable precision cutting tools are essential in a surgical setting. Not surprisingly, Precision Edge places an extremely high premium on quality. Patients’ health is at …

TC Business Hall of Fame: Meet the Inductees: Elnora Milliken and Julius Sleder

By Mary Bevans Gillett

Logo Master Tim Nielsen: Style and Substance Condensed

In the 37 years he’s been in Traverse City, graphic designer Tim Nielsen has created countless logos for small- and mid-sized local firms, as well as high-profile national clients. Like a lot of downstate folks who end up in the Grand Traverse area, Nielsen had a family connection. His parents …

By Clark Miller

What to Watch: Great Lakes Potato Chip Co.

Amid continuing sales growth, Great Lakes Potato Chip Co. is looking at next steps.

And in 2017, some significant decisions could start to unfold. The six-year-old company is mapping future distribution growth and space needs and weighing possibilities – whether that’s financing growth on its own or bringing in investors …

By Tcbn Staff

What to Watch: Munson Construction

Munson Medical Center has several facilities plans that are slated to progress further this year, including a multi-phase project for a new seven-story family birth and children’s center on its main Traverse City campus.

The project has two permits and a separate resolution in hand from the city and is …

By Tcbn Staff

What to Watch: Job Market

“Help wanted” signs are ubiquitous at fast-food restaurants, retail stores and a variety of other businesses throughout the Grand Traverse region.

Local business leaders say the demand for talent will likely remain high in 2017. But they add that in some respects the job market isn’t as healthy as it …

By Rick Haglund

TC Marketing Firms Talk Trends, Challenges and Top Projects

What makes a logo stand out? A brand sing? A marketing strategy attract new customers? All good questions that can be answered by a savvy branding pro or design guru. So this month the TCBN did just that – picking the creative brains behind five Traverse City-based agencies to learn …

By Lynn Geiger

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