In the fall of 2011, Melissa Withey was working at a local salon when she learned she would soon be unemployed. “One day we came in to find a note saying that the owner was closing the salon in two weeks,” said Withey, who had previously taken business classes at Mott Community College and the […]

When John O’Sullivan and his former business partner, the late Michael Sullivan, first purchased the rights to the Stroh’s and Miller brands for the Flint area, the company was distributing about 400,000 cases of beer annually. But the year was 1976 – right around the time that Miller Lite came out – so the volume […]

When Ben Baker decided to throw an outdoor music festival last summer, he gave himself 45 days to make it happen. “It wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t easy,” says Baker, owner of Rollic Group and Cool Bus Party Rental, both Genesee County-based businesses. The then 21-year-old had planned to fill the 40 acres at Salt […]

Aaron Hamp is often accused of smiling too much, although if you ask him, he doesn’t think there is such a thing. “Life is good,” he says. “It’s been a fun ride.” And at 37, the self-described “accidental entrepreneur” has had quite the journey. After graduating from Kearsley High School, Hamp spent a few years […]