March 2018 Issue

One Hot Product: CooLED CEO sees growth in the LED market

By Ross Boissoneau

Tim Burden's sales pitch for his LED conversion company is a salesperson's dream.

“Everybody’s got lights. And they want ideas to reduce their cost of operations," said Burden, CEO of CooLED, a Traverse City-based industrial lighting company. "The beautiful thing is it always reduces the cost."

Burden's 10-employee company isn't just screwing in new lightbulbs. It consults and helps owners of malls, parking lots, hotels, and other industrial buildings make the switch from incandescent to LED, a technology that uses about five times less power to produce the same amount of light.

Burden founded the company seven years ago after …

When it Comes to Attracting Great Workers, Health Is Wealth

By Casey Cowell

Our culture is pretty unhealthful. A third of Michiganders are obese. That’s the tenth worst in the U.S., tied with Indiana. Colorado, with which we often compete for highly productive and creative workers and businesses, weighs in at 22 percent obese, the lowest in the U.S. That’s an advantage for them and a disadvantage for us. It's incredibly expensive to be unhealthy. Obese adults spend 42 percent more on direct healthcare costs than adults who …

'Beauty is Therapy' circa 2018: Munson opens its new behavioral health unit

By Mary Bevans Gillett

More than 100 years ago, James Decker Munson designed treatment at the Traverse City State Hospital with the philosophy that “beauty is therapy.” Munson Medical Center drew inspiration from its namesake in designing a brand new unit to treat those suffering from diseases of the mind.

MMC's new inpatient behavioral health services unit opened in January.

The old 14-bed behavioral services unit known as Center 1 was formerly located in the oldest portion of the …

Michigan's New Opioid Laws: Saving grace or administrative nightmare?

By Amy Lane

New Michigan rules are on the way for those who prescribe prescription painkillers and other controlled substances. The requirements – like checking an online database of controlled substances dispensed in Michigan, and prescribing for acute pain no more than seven-day supply of opioids in a seven-day period – are among a host of provisions in new laws that proponents hope will help prevent addiction and detect it earlier. Public Acts 246-255 will impact physicians and …

Hype or Gold Mine?: Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies lure TC investors

Are cryptocurrencies a smart bet? Or are they a bubble about to burst?

Many investors were trying to answer these questions in December, when Bitcoin wrapped up an incredible 2017 with a pre-Christmas peak of $19,783 per coin. The currency had started the year priced at a more modest $800 …

By Craig Manning

Northern Michigan Entrepreneurs Bet on Virtual Reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality markets are projected to be a $162 billion industry by 2020. In northern Michigan, this market remains largely untapped ... for now.

Aveopt, an Ann Arbor-based company co-founded by Glen Lake native Tim Nash, develops relevant and practical AR/VR solutions for clients in various industries. …

By Craig Manning

Pulling It All Together: Former Beaumont Health leader fills new physician network role for Munson Healthcare

A former executive with a $4.5 billion health care system in southeast Michigan has joined Munson Healthcare’s senior leadership team. Laura Glenn filled the role of vice president of physician network in mid-December.

It’s a new position – with a much broader scope – for the nine-hospital northern Michigan healthcare …

By Lynn Geiger

Shopping Software? Six Things to Know

One of the wonderful things about doing business in the Traverse region is the closeness of our business community. If you need something from a company with whom you do business, you can meet for lunch at Sorellina to hash out details. There's nothing like a handshake and the comfort …

By Beth Holmes-Bozung

Before 'The Big One' Hits: Clinic's a la carte screening puts answers in patients' hands

Two long-time associates have teamed up to launch a new medical testing/screening clinic devoted to putting the patient in control of their own health care.

Vital Health Scores is a “redirection of health care from bureaucrats and reactions to patient-centered, proactive care,” said Mark Zemanek, a clinical sonographer who teamed …

By Al Parker

Tax Cuts a Boon for TC Businesses

Sweeping federal legislation that provides lucrative tax cuts to businesses also is helping to fatten the wallets of Traverse City State Bank’s employees.

The bank announced in February that it was giving each of its 90 employees a one-time $750 bonus because of the federal tax overhaul that President Donald …

By Rick Haglund

Alliance Builds its Influence Across Northern Michigan

German aristocrat and statesman Otto von Bismarck is credited with coining the famous 19th century phrase about laws and sausage – how it's best not to see them being made.

Creating the rules and regulations that govern our daily lives, including those that impact our regional and macro economies, isn’t …

By Doug Luciani

Book Review: "Soar!" Build Your Vision from the Ground Up

By Chris Wendel

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