January 2021 Issue

What To Watch: The people, places and products making news in 2021

By Craig Manning

It's January and that means it's time for the TCBN's list of happenings in and around Traverse City as we head into the New Year. For the entire list, see the January issue on newsstands today.

Weed in the City

2020 was a year of upheaval in Traverse City’s burgeoning marijuana industry. On one hand, a dozen medical marijuana establishments officially opened their doors. On the other, critics have accused the Traverse City Board of Commissioners of dragging their feet on bringing recreational marijuana into the city.

With four lawsuits pending against the City of Traverse City regarding its handling …

Book Review: The Secret Life of Groceries

By Chris Wendel

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket - By Benjamin Lorr. Published by Avery Press; 336 pages; September 2020

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

In a nutshell: The evolution of the American grocery store experience is explained by detailing the complicated paths food takes getting there to here.

Author’s quote: “It’s not that we are what we eat, it’s that we eat the way we are.”

We give little thought to …

Value Proposition: Content marketing makes audience feel like part of your community

By Marsha Stratton

As we move forward after a year of many challenges and uncertainties, we can look forward to some positive marketing trends for 2021.

Many of the emerging practices will have even greater importance in the year ahead. Now more than ever, people need a sense of community and belonging. It makes them feel valued. Content marketing is a term you will often hear in the coming year.

Expanding your reach is great for brand awareness …

Making It In Northern Michigan: Padded stirrup covers gain traction

By Clark Miller

Not every new invention has to be complicated.

Based on everyday experience, Boise, Idaho-based urologist Dr. Autumn Bridger identified a simple but persistent problem at her practice: Her patients found exams and medical procedures uncomfortable.

In particular, they found cold, metal foot stirrups unwelcoming, which some doctors go so far as to cover with a sock or even an oven mitt.

Over dinner one night in 2016, Bridger happened to mention the problem to her …

Pure Michigan is Back: Rebooted ad campaign gets $15 million state-funded boost

By Amy Lane

Traverse City Business Legends Hall of Fame: Meet the 2021 inductees

By Mary Bevans Gillett

Book Smart: Honor company boasts nationwide reach with compressed tees

By Ross Boissoneau

Kennecting the Dots: New LinkedIn outreach tool streamlines B2B marketing

By Todd VanSickle

A Broken Link: Early childhood education is ripe for reform

January welcomes the reopening of high schools and, while pandemic precautions remain very important, we can applaud the return of in-person instruction.

Parents, teachers and administrators recognize the significant social, emotional and educational benefits kids get from actually being in the classroom. Though the return of K-12 instruction is great …

By Warren Call

Innovation in Small Town America

Often people think of innovation in terms of the big inventions that pioneered new industries, like Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, Thomas Edison’s light bulb and the Wright brothers’ airplane.

As a patent attorney, I have seen innovation on many levels, from high-tech inventions at Microsoft to new methods of laying …

By Katie Horvath

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