About 25 years ago, Manal Saab was working for MetroHealth Medical Systems in an impoverished, but familiar, neighborhood when she was jumped by a group of young people. “I was too comfortable because I knew the community,” says Saab. “I was surprised it actually happened to me.” She was about eight months pregnant at the […]

For nearly 40 years, Ed Benning has served as general manager of Mass Transportation Authority Flint. And a lot has changed since 1980. “When I first started, we had 12 fixed routes that ran in the city and five vehicles for what is now known as ‘Your Ride,’” says Benning. “Now, we operate 160 Your […]

While Amber Schlemmer was working as a personal trainer she noticed that some of her clients were also physical therapy patients who had run out of insurance benefits. She quickly realized that she was doing things outside the scope of her expertise to give patients what they needed. “Instead of telling my clients no, I […]

Four years ago, Jackie Berg saw a great market opportunity in Flint. At the time, she says, there was a lack of reporting on positive stories about the community. That prompted Berg, also the publisher of TheHUB Detroit, to expand coverage to Flint with a new publication – TheHUB Flint. “I think Flint is the […]

Erica Soriano started helping at her parents’ restaurant in Grand Rapids when she was seven years old. After elementary school she would go straight to the restaurant – something she continued until her parents had to close their businesses. “I had to look for my own job,” says Soriano. “I started at an insurance place […]

Fifteen years ago, Courtney Simpson and Ryan Garza were working independently as photographers. Garza worked for the Flint Journal and Simpson was operating her own photography business and teaching classes at the Flint Institute of Arts. One day, they decided their efforts would be better together and joined forces to become Pop Mod Photo. This […]