September 2019 Issue

2019 40Under40: The Region’s Most Influential Professionals Under Age 40

By Tcbn Staff

Just ahead is the TCBN's 13th annual list of the 40 most influential regional leaders under age 40!

This highly-anticipated celebration recognizes individuals in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie and Kalkaska counties – under the age of 40 – whose professional and community efforts during this past year had the most impact on their community, the region and the economy.

The 2019 class is comprised of 22 women and 18 men, as well as 15 multi-year recipients and 25 new faces from a wide range of sectors. What do we know about this year’s class? Aside from their favorite highlights from …

"Range": Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

By Chris Wendel

By David Epstein

Riverhead Books, May 28, 2019

339 pages hardcover $28; softcover, $23; e-read version $15

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

In a nutshell: Reversing a popular belief, author David Epstein makes the case that having a diverse set of skills is more effective over time and more fulfilling than focusing on one.

Who’s it for: General audiences, recent college graduates, those embarking on second careers, parents guiding young children down the proper path.

Author’s …

Shelf Life: Getting local products into Meijer 'slow, but worth it'

By Ross Boissoneau

It's one thing to launch a product. The next is finding somewhere to sell it.

For many entrepreneurs, Meijer is the big catch. Getting product on the shelves of the 246-store Midwest supermarket chain is steeped in bureaucracy, but well worth the time and effort, they say.

Old Mission Bakery has its product in five Meijer stores: Traverse City, Acme, Manistee, Ludington and Mt. Pleasant. “We’re working on more, but it’s a bureaucracy, so it …

Sweet Finish: Area's first fresh cherry packing line increases production, quality

By Craig Manning

A Traverse City farm is finding innovative ways to protect the profitability of local crops during uncertain times.

Last year, Wunsch Farms on Old Mission Peninsula purchased the area’s first fresh cherry packing line. The equipment cost half a million dollars, but according to Wunsch Farms' CEO Isaiah Wunsch, it is well on its way to delivering a return on investment in more ways than one.

“This packing line can help keep cherry farming up …

Bank on This: Tech, finance heavyweights launch new merchant bank

Casey Cowell, Turner Booth, George Cochran, Lowell Gruman, Cori Chekhovskiy and Keith Nielson.

Traverse City titans George Cochran, Casey Cowell and Lowell Gruman – all long-time leaders in their respective fields of finance, technology and investment banking – are launching a new bank.

The merchant bank Cochran, Cowell & …

By Ross Boissoneau

Employment Law for NFL Fans: The NFL’s legal problems provide valuable lessons for employers

The NFL kicks off its 100th season this fall. While fans are excited for the new season, the NFL and its teams have been forced to deal with numerous legal issues in the past year. Some of the legal issues have been innocuous, like Russell Wilson’s record setting $87.6 million …

By Anders Gillis

'Tough to Say No': Mergers and acquisitions dominate local insurance scene

The name of your local independent insurance agency may not be changing, but its ownership might soon be — if it hasn’t already.

Several northwest Michigan agencies selling property, casualty, business, health and other insurance products have been acquired in recent years by large companies, such as Grand Rapids-based insurance …

By Rick Haglund

Grand Traverse by 2030: Planning a decade of sustainable economic development

An effective economic growth strategy is akin to taking on a major construction project in that it needs to be erected on a solid foundation to endure and remain functional and relevant over time.

After months of work and research from top-rated professionals drawing input from dozens of community leaders, …

By Warren Call

Growing faster than the industry, GT Container is acquired by Green Bay Packaging

You may have seen one of their big rigs rolling along area roads with the Grand Traverse Container logo emblazoned on the side and wondered what kind of containers they were hauling.

You may have guessed that the company, co-founded in 1995 by Tom Schofield and Mike Chereskin, provides industrial …

By Al Parker

Divorces down overall, family law changes with the times

By Ross Boissoneau

Our High-Tech Hometown

Traverse City is my hometown. When I left to pursue an engineering degree – which turned into a high-tech career in Silicon Valley – I knew that my path would take me away from TC. Permanently.

At the time, there was no high-tech industry in Traverse. The choice caused me …

By Katie Horvath

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