May 2019 Issue

50 Hot Sellers: Our Region’s Top 50 Volume Realtors for 2018

By Tcbn Staff

As we have the previous two years, the TCBN again explores the northern Michigan realtors listing and selling the most real estate.

Following is the list of the top 2018 volume Realtors, based on actual listings and sales data provided by BrokerMetrics. This section includes the top 50 in the five-county area (Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau and Kalkaska).

The list includes Northern Great Lakes Realtors MLS listings and sales from January 2018-December 2018 of all non-commercial property types (single family, vacant lot/land and multi-family). This data could differ from Traverse Area Association of Realtors data, though it is solely …

Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing in Business

By Chris Wendel

By Paul Jarvis

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, Jan. 15, 2019

272 pages, Hardcover

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

In a Nutshell: For years we have been taught that fast growth is the way to financial success and happiness. “Company of One” explains how this dynamic has changed.

Who’s it for? Aspiring entrepreneurs; someone already working on their own; managers seeking meaningful innovation from the teams they oversee.

Author Quote: “Business success lies in growing something that’s …

Crystal Clear: Twin Bay Glass sees growth under new ownership

By Mary Bevans Gillett

Nathan Brown joined Twin Bay Glass shortly after graduating from Northwestern Michigan University in 1999. Twenty years later, he owns the company, which specializes in shower doors, car windshields, and residential and commercial windows.

Brown and his wife, Kerri, purchased Twin Bay Glass from original owners Mark Bowie and Dick Corey in January 2018. With one year under their belts, business continues its upward growth as Brown looks to the future.

The 2018 sale marked …

The Future of Higher Education is in the Blue Ocean

By Tim Nelson

I have spent much of my career at Northwestern Michigan College thinking about blue oceans. Not just for our work in water, for which we are recognized experts both here and abroad, but the blue ocean business strategy that leads organizations to find new marketplaces and create new demand.

With this strategy, consider a school of sharks living in an area of the ocean with a declining food supply. None of the sharks leave. As …

The Real Deal: Realtors – both seasoned and fresh – say what sold them on the field

Erika Nita, Real Estate One, Traverse City

Erika Nita always knew she’d move back to her home state. She also knew she wanted to get into real estate. After leaving her native Petoskey, first for Northwood University and then for the Windy City, she eventually found her way back to …

By Ross Boissoneau

Sweat Equity: Local companies put grants toward employee wellness

TentCraft used a 2016 grant to help buy paddle boards, kayaks and snowshoes for employees to use.

Walking paths, fat tire bikes, yoga, kayaks and stand up paddle boards aren't just popular for leisure. Employers are now tapping into these activities and more to boost the health and well-being …

By Amy Lane

Forget the 401(k): Millennials seek student debt paydown instead of retirement package

Graduation diploma on background of US dollar bills

Do you want your business to be able to attract top-tier talent? If so, you’d better have something in your benefits package that includes the word “tuition” in it.

Out of the college graduating class of 2018, nearly 70 percent took …

By Craig Manning

NMC's in-demand Maritime programs boast 100 percent employment rate

The Maritime Technology program has received more than 350 applications for fall 2019, with the application window still open until July 1.

Two Northwestern Michigan College programs are renowned on a nationwide level and can claim an exceedingly rare and desirable stat: 100 percent employment rates for program graduates.

…

By Craig Manning

Looking Good: The latest in medical and cosmetic technologies

(top l-r): Lo, Kuenker and Jeffries (middle l-r): Leithauser and Madion (bottom): Andriese

Hot lasers. Cold lasers. Microwaves. Micro-needling. Platelet-rich plasma therapy.

They are among the newer cosmetic and medical treatments people in the Grand Traverse region are increasingly seeking, according to providers of these health and aesthetic …

By Rick Haglund

A Spike in Skilled Trades: TBAISD’s Career-Tech Center Charts Big Growth

The Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD) Career-Tech Center is seeing record enrollment numbers across many of its programs and growing demand from local industry employers – trends that Principal Pat Lamb attributes to “a positive swing in the direction of skilled trades,” as well as increasing post-secondary costs.

…

By Craig Manning

A Clear Strategy for Economic Development

Exciting things are starting to percolate in the realm of economic development for the Grand Traverse region. Several initiatives are still in the early stages, but there’s no question that 2019 will be a year of formative change in our community’s approach to fostering measurable and impactful economic growth for …

By Warren Call

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