Laurie Shaw first joined her husband’s family business, Coffee Beanery, working as the executive assistant for her mother-in-law JoAnne. With five children at home, the workload became overwhelming, so Shaw began to take on other roles in the organization like fundraising and marketing. “At the time I didn’t know what I was preparing for,” says […]

Thirty years ago, Brian King got an opportunity that would change the trajectory of his life forever. Working as a paperboy for The Flint Journal, King also took an opportunity to work a summer job for one of his subscribers, the owner of Ken’s Redi-Mix – a local poured concrete supplier – and has been […]

Three years ago, Annie Anglim set out to open a studio space that was accessible for people with varying needs. This mission came after a friend of hers, Brenda, asked Anglim to teach her silversmithing – the only catch was Anglim’s studio at the time was in her basement and her friend was in a […]

About seven years ago, employees Nichol Albiar and Chris Veihl took over ownership of Steady Eddy’s Café at the Market – a staple in Flint for roughly 30 years. The local restaurant, which has had three previous owners, started in Davison but soon moved to the Flint Farmers’ Market on the second floor of its […]

Since college, Sandra Clark has had a keen interest in the environment. She graduated with a degree in computer programming from the University of Michigan-Flint, a pathway that led her to where she is today. “I was hired by an environmental company right out of college to do programming related to tracking groundwater contamination,” says […]

In 2009, Annette Hughes took her in-home daycare business and expanded from her home to a facility located in Flint. This move came after she started her education journey working toward receiving a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. “I knew once I got a degree, I was going to open a center,” says Hughes […]