Michigan

UP small businesses represent Michigan at virtual South by Southwest Conference in Texas

Published

2 years ago

March 12, 2024

UP small businesses represent Michigan at virtual South by Southwest Conference in Texas

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Businesses from throughout the Great Lakes State, including the U.P., are attending the 38th edition of the annual South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, which celebrates the convergence of technology, film, television and music.

The conference encourages the businesses to band together with state government leaders this week to help promote the Mitten State as a place to consider calling home, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC).

The MEDC said it and the state’s population growth effort Let’s Grow Michigan will join Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D) and the state’s first-ever Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe to partner with 53 businesses and organizations to introduce the best digital gift “swag bag” in state history at the famed cultural festival that runs through March 16.

The MEDC said exclusive deals and discounts will be offered to visitors attending Michigan-hosted events at SXSW and are designed to inspire the hundreds of thousands of conference attendees expected to arrive in Austin to consider Michigan as their next destination to explore, experience and envision as their new place to launch a career, start a business and call home.

Michigan has presented gift bags to attendees at previous SXSW conferences, but the number of businesses participating in this year’s offering surpasses any prior distribution, MEDC officials said.

“Michigan is the birthplace of countless innovations that have changed the way we all live and move through the world,” Doe said. “We’re showcasing some of those makers and creations at SXSW, while highlighting the incredible places and opportunities our state offers to live, work and build a life. No matter what you’re into, there’s something for everyone in Michigan. Michigan’s presence at SXSW helps us to speak directly to the talent that we know can thrive in the Great Lakes State, whether they’re building their own company or supporting the vast number of Michigan’s existing tech leaders of all sizes and across industries. Our message is: Let’s grow!”

The MEDC added the annual SXSW Conference offers attendees a view of the future, celebrating innovation and technology and providing a forum for creative thinkers to discuss what’s next and connect to resources and community to build the future.

While SXSW is known for high-profile premieres and live performances, it has also become an early career hot spot for professional development, according to the MEDC. From tech startup competitions and future-focused exhibitors to global emerging talent and buzzworthy speakers, SXSW fosters creative and professional growth across a multitude of industries.

The MEDC added the festival’s demographic data show 62% of attendees are between the ages of 26 and 45, with 67% having a household income of at least $100,000. Among the main industries for total attendance in 2023 were marketing and advertising, creative industries and computer technology. Events like SXSW are opportunities to raise awareness of Michigan’s unique places, creativity and innovation among diverse talent sectors Michigan communities and employers are eager to recruit.

Doe is a featured panelist at SXSW’s influential Midwest House, an experiential embassy of the nation’s Midwest region to SXSW and a year-round catalyst for regions, innovators and creatives, the MEDC said. Gilchrist is featured on a panel during Tuesday’s 2024 SXSW Conference programming. Another SXSW panel will include Michigan Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson discussing “The Future of Air Travel: Innovation From the Ground Up.”

MEDC officials said they will join state leaders hosting sessions on a wide array of topics ranging from innovation, technology and economic opportunities to Michigan’s strong union heritage and the state’s role in building America’s premier Black tech ecosystem. Several Michigan-based outdoor recreation companies, such as Carhartt and Wolverine Worldwide will also be highlighted.

In addition, the MEDC said it is hosting a panel featuring Juan Atkins, regarded as the founding father of techno who made Detroit the birthplace of that music genre, and West Michigan tech founder and CEO, beverage entrepreneur and popular local DJ Andrea “Dre” Wallace, who will discuss the intersection of “Techno and Tech” followed by a happy hour showcasing Detroit-style pizza and Michigan beer.

Organizations from the U.P. include:

Copper Peak Ski Flying Hill (Ironwood): Copper Peak will soon be the world’s largest ski jumping hill!
Kall Morris Incorporated, dba KMI (Marquette): We are an orbital debris research and solution development company focused on Active Debris Removal (ADR) to keep space clear for all.
Rigoni’s Bakery Yooper Pasties (Ironwood): Old-world baked goods and home of Upper Michigan’s No. 1 pasty.
Stormy Kromer (Ironwood): Iconic wool caps, plus jackets, vests, shirts and more!
Swimsmarttech (Marquette): Enhancing beach safety through smart and connected beachfront technologies with the greater goal of ending drownings in our communities.
Syncurrent (Marquette): We work with underserved communities to turn entrepreneurship into an economic engine.

All businesses and organizations from Michigan:

Alfie Logo Gear (Traverse City): We’ll get you geared up. Spiffy logo gear, branded merch and creative solutions for companies, teams, events and more!
Angling A.i. (Jackson): Revolving around the “do-it yourselfers” in the fishing industry, our products allow anglers to make high-quality baits at reduced prices.
Athlytic AI Fitness Coach (Detroit): Apple Watch or iPhone app that gives you personalized insights into and coaching about your health and daily training.
Audio Radar (Holland): Deaf and hard-of-hearing players can “see the sound” during game play with innovative Adaptive Surround Vision Technology.
Badr Photography (Dearborn): Specializing in advertising food photography.
Bell’s Brewery (Kalamazoo): The home of Oberon beer, and other unique and inspired craft beer.
BetterPlay Studios (Ann Arbor): World-class gaming experiences to positively impact your mental health.
BrandXR (Detroit): Bring your brand to life with Augmented Reality (AR)!
Breadless (Detroit): Low-carb and 100% gluten-free dishes that are absolutely tasty!
Bridge Street Exchange (Fenton): Lifestyle-based clothing and gift store with an emphasis on quality.
Cafe Rica LLC (Battle Creek): The Cereal City’s top coffee spot for cold brews and brunch service.
Copper Peak Ski Flying Hill (Ironwood): Copper Peak will soon be the world’s largest ski jumping hill!
Corteva Agriscience (Midland): The world’s largest pureplay agricultural company — we offer farmers a comprehensive and diverse portfolio, from crop protection to seeds.
Discover Kalamazoo: In Kalamazoo County, you’ll experience big-city excitement, with a twist of easygoing comfort.
Experience Grand Rapids: Culture Pass GR is your three-day admission ticket to explore Grand Rapids.
Farmish (Grand Rapids): A marketplace app that connects local farms with consumers and wholesale buyers.
FPX Consulting (Dearborn): Business solutions for small businesses and organizations.
Giggso (Bloomfield Hills): A no-code Model Ops observability platform for data science, engineering teams and business execs.
Gilmore Car Museum (Hickory Corners): North America’s largest car museum.
Great Lakes Crystal (East Lansing): A cost-effective source of large-area, high-quality, single-crystal diamond materials for advanced electronics and quantum technology applications.
Holo Footwear Inc. (Grand Rapids): Created with a want to shake up the footwear industry — we create sustainable and attainable shoes made with recycled materials.
IMAGIO Glass Design (Sterling Heights): A healthy alternative to tile and grout!
Kall Morris Incorporated, dba KMI (Marquette): We are an orbital debris research and solution development company focused on Active Debris Removal (ADR) to keep space clear for all.
Krav’n Cookies (Saginaw): Sweet shop with over 50 cupcake flavors and more than 100 menu items, including Krav’n Cookies.
The Lip Bar (Detroit): We’re maximum impact, minimal effort beauty must-haves designed for your complexion. Founded and owned by Women of Color.
Lite Raise (Mount Clemens): Empowering students and organizations to increase their fundraising potential.
Live Oak Coffeehouse (Midland): We’re a local gem, offering specialty brews and a warm ambiance for gathering and conversation.
LoanSense (Ypsilanti): We reduce student loan payments and debt-to-income to help borrowers.
Lodge Sound (Brighton): The future of outdoor audio! The first self-charging, weatherproof, premium wireless speaker for the outdoors.
MaxPro (Rochester): Fit a weight room’s worth of equipment into any size space. MaxPro gives you the flexibility of a complete full-body workout, no dedicated space required.
MoGo (Detroit): Sustainable, on-demand transportation.
Own It (Holland): Leveraging biometrics to improve wellness, performance and quality of life.
Paxahau Presents (Detroit): Dance music events promoter and producer of the Motor City’s iconic Movement Music Festival.
Pearl Edison (Detroit): Streamlining energy efficiency retrofits, making electrification easy and affordable.
Politics on the Go (POGO, Detroit): A civic tech company simplifying civic engagement for Gen Z and millennials through a gamified, nonpartisan app to revolutionize election research.
Port City Emporium (Manistee): We carry art and artisan wares from over 40 artists, most from Michigan.
Reaction Technologies (Ann Arbor): Building athletes’ spatial awareness and proper form using a heads-up display.
Rebel Nell (Detroit): Sustainable jewelry brand supporting women transitioning out of shelter living.
Revolin Sports (Holland): Sustainable pickleball paddles designed for obsessed players.
Rigoni’s Bakery Yooper Pasties (Ironwood): Old-world baked goods and home of Upper Michigan’s No. 1 pasty.
Robal Tech LLC (Detroit): Reduce HR workload! Put talent and workforce management into one single sign-on. Try us free for 30 days.
Short’s Brewing (Bellaire): Michigan’s largest independent craft brewer (plus award-winning Starcut Ciders).
SISU Custom Fit Mouthguards, an Akervall Technologies Company (Saline): Specializing in advanced oral protection.
Sniffer Robotics Inc. (Ann Arbor): Sniffer Robotics is a leading environmental technology-enabled services firm providing methane emissions monitoring services for ground applications.
Soldadera Coffee (Grand Rapids): Authentic Mexican coffee experiences through premium products.
SOVA Night Guard, an Akervall Technologies Company (Saline): Advanced dental protection for nighttime use.
Southwest Michigan First (Kalamazoo): With vibrant, artistic communities, family-friendly entertainment options and over 80 public access lakes, you can thrive in Southwest Michigan!
Stormy Kromer (Ironwood): Iconic wool caps, plus jackets, vests, shirts and more!
Swaddelini (Holland): A seamless 3D knit sleep sack made with zero closure systems.
Swimsmarttech (Marquette): Enhancing beach safety through smart and connected beachfront technologies with the greater goal of ending drownings in our communities.
Syncurrent (Marquette): We work with underserved communities to turn entrepreneurship into an economic engine.
TripSlip (Detroit): Digital permission slips making field trips equitable and easy to manage.
Visit Detroit: Mobile-exclusive passes offer savings at some of the best craft breweries and pizzerias in metro Detroit.

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Related Topics:Austin businesses conference Featured MEDC michigan organizations South by Southwest Conference SXSW texas virtual

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Michigan

New Michigan O-line coach Jim Harding has one goal for spring practice

Published

11 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

New Michigan O-line coach Jim Harding has one goal for spring practice

Jim Harding, Michigan’s new offensive line coach, has one goal coming out of spring practice: he wants to have a set starting five plus a solid sixth lineman for good measure.

Michigan begins spring practice March 17 and concludes with the spring game on April 18.

Harding, appearing on the Michigan in-house podcast, “In the Trenches” hosted by Jon Jansen, joined new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham’s staff from Utah, where Whittingham was head coach the last 21 years. Harding spoke about a number of topics, including returning to the Midwest — he grew up in Maumee, Ohio, and his wife is from Farmington Hills — and his love for the Detroit Tigers, but most important was his discussion about building the Wolverines’ offensive line.

“I’d like to establish the starting five where you feel good that when you go into fall camp,” Harding said on the podcast that posted Wednesday. “Those are the guys that are working together immediately from Day 1.”

Harding said he uses a sixth lineman — he terms that player the “rhino” — quite a bit and would like to have at least two ready to go. The Wolverines also need depth at center considering only Jake Guarnera has snapped in a game.

“And then just having that physicality, nastiness of the offensive line,” Harding said. “Just kind of develop that.”

Since arriving earlier this year at Michigan, Harding said he’s been impressed by the linemen and their desire to work hard on conditioning and developing their craft by asking questions and wanting feedback. They have gone to dinner as a group to get to know each other away from the facility, and Harding has enjoyed the process.

“The things that you can’t measure right now is our physicality or our toughness, things like that,” Harding said. “I’m confident that it won’t be an issue, but that’s kind of the next step once we get pads on, (finding out) who are kind of the Alpha dogs in the room that are going to set the tone for the unit, and then, obviously, the offense. But really pleased with what I’ve seen so far.”

Harding shared offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s approach to installing the offense.

“The way (Beck) runs it, everything’s on the table Day 1 in practice,” Harding said on the podcast. “So we’ll get a script with, if you count red zone, probably 60 or so plays, and any play can be called. It’s really unique, and I’d never done it this way, but Coach Beck, actually calls it like he does in the game. There are no scripts, and so we’ll just move the ball down the field, and if it’s a third play and it’s third and 3, well he’s going to call a third-and-3 call.

“So you really have to have the kids prepared for all 60 of those. And then the next day there’ll be maybe different formations and things like that once we get the concepts down in the O-line room for the run game. Now it’s just a matter of dressing up different things. It’s a lot of stuff early on, because every run scheme we have could be called on that first day, every pass protection we have could be called on that first day. So it’s a front-loaded installation.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

@chengelis

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Michigan

Bills to end concealed carry permit requirement introduced in Michigan House

Published

23 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bills to end concealed carry permit requirement introduced in Michigan House

LANSING, Mich. — A group of Republicans in the Michigan House say Michiganders’ second amendment rights are being infringed, as they introduce legislation to end requirements for concealed carry permits.

Right now, Michiganders must obtain a permit to carry a concealed gun, with a base fee of $100.

As part of the process, applicants must also receive training.

“The first thing they do is put you in a classroom, make sure you know all proper range and safety procedures, run you over what the law states about when and if you’re allowed to use your firearm,” Jonathan Hold, president of the Michigan chapter of Giffords Gun Owners for Safety and a firearms instructor, said. “It gives a really good grounding.”

Applicants must demonstrate four hours of range time as well.

The group of House Republicans feel this is an undue burden, noting many gun owners are already knowledgeable.

They also believe the current five-year felony for carrying without a permit is too steep.

“For the government of the state of Michigan to tell that that we have to be qualified under the guise of their rules in order to protect ourselves is a far cry from what the constitution provides for us,” Rep. Jay DeBoyer, (R- Clay) said.

The package of bills wouldn’t abolish permits, as they are necessary to take guns outside of the state, but it would institute what’s called “constitutional carry.”

That means Michiganders can carry a gun on them without a permit.

Twenty-nine other states already adopted such policies.

“When we exercise other first amendment rights like our right to speak, we do not have to get a permit or permission from the government to speak,” Rep. Jim DeSana (R- Carleton) said. “When we exercise our right to worship, we do not have to go get a permit or permission to go worship.”

Supporters say concealed guns are important for self-defense, and can also help stop crime.

“It’s going to encourage and increase safety for all,” Rep. Joseph Fox (R- Fremont) said. “It’s about protecting everybody because if there are guns in this situation, and people are worried for their lives, they’re gonna stay back away from evil and making bad choices.”

Gun control advocates like Gold, however, say it’s “ridiculous” not to have guardrails.

“We’re talking about the power of life and death at a distance,” Gold said. “To send an untrained user out into the world with a firearm is a mistake.”

He also takes issue with the constitution argument.

“The constitution says as part of a well regulated militia, if you read the second amendment, and we don’t have well regulated militias in this country,” Gold said. “At the very least, what we should have are trained firearms users.”

A similar effort to end concealed carry permits failed to gain traction last year in the Michigan Senate, and with the landscape unchanged, the bills likely have an uphill battle to become law.

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Michigan

Werewolf, trout ruled in ’24. What will be next ‘I voted’ sticker

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Werewolf, trout ruled in ’24. What will be next ‘I voted’ sticker

The rewarding feeling of wearing an “I Voted” sticker after turning in your ballot is something everyone can relate to.

Michigan voters can take it one step farther and vote on the design for the Election Day tradition.

The Michigan Department of State announced on March 3 the return of the highly competitive “I Voted” sticker contest in preparation for the state’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

“Our first-ever ‘I Voted’ sticker design contest in 2024 was a massive success,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a March 3 release. “This year we look forward to seeing the creative ways Michiganders of all ages celebrate democracy. Submit your entry to help us continue the tradition and get voters excited to cast their ballot this fall.”

Designs are being accepted online via the Secretary of State’s “I Voted” webpage: Michigan.gov/IVotedSticker. On the page, participants may print or download the official entry form.

Design and entry rules, the sticker template, and tips and suggestions are included on the official entry form.

There are three categories — elementary/middle school (grades K-8), high school (grades 9-12) and Michigan residents of all ages. Designs are due at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1.

Once submissions are closed, the public may vote for finalists online in June. Winners will be announced and celebrated later in the summer. Winning stickers will be dispersed to local election clerks for the November Election.

In 2024, there were more than 480 submissions, and more than 57,700 voters selected the nine winners, according to the release. Before the contest opened up for a public vote, the Michigan Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force members narrowed the submissions down to 25 semifinalists.

Here’s the 2024 winners and rules for the 2026 participants:

What did the winning 2024 ‘I Voted’ sticker designs look like?

Want to enter a design? Here are the ‘I Voted’ sticker contest rules

According to the Secretary of State, here’s what to keep in mind for your sticker:

Designs must be completed using official entry form.
Designs must include the phrase “I voted” AND be nonpartisan in nature.
Artwork must be original, non-AI generated, and not contain copyrighted or trademarked designs.
Entries can be created using your preferred method (digital, paint, crayon, mixed media, etc.)
Provide as high quality of resolution as possible when submitting your design.
There are three categories — elementary/middle school (grades K-8), high school (grades 9-12) and Michigan residents of all ages. You may enter one design in one category.
Designs are due at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1.

Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com

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