JANUARY MEMBERSHIP OFFER

Kick off 2023 with 50% off a membership at the most inclusive club in Traverse City. Sign up for a Village or Pick 6 membership, January 1-31, and receive half off the initiation fee. Make a splash at the indoor pools and hot tubs, enjoy tennis and pickleball courts, and fun members-only social events. Plus, save on dining, spa treatments, golf, and more. 231-534-6586 | grandtraverseresort.com

K Farms. In addition to the Jefferson Cup awards, Traverse City wines took seven gold, 21 silver and six bronze medals. Wines invited to participate are culled from tastings and competitions throughout the year. “For riesling, pinot gris, pinot blanc and others, I think the wineries from around the Traverse City area are leading the way for American wineries,” said competition founder Doug Frost.

– which won – and Relay Payments. The Women In Trucking Association Technology Innovation Award recognizes innovation, vision, and technical achievements that support and advance the trucking industry. REVOLOK USA recently launched its REVOLOK 6600, which eliminates the guesswork of determining how tightly to secure cargo. revolok.com

New Name For Underwriters Group

The Northern Michigan Association of Health Underwriters has changed its name to the National Association of Benefit and Insurance Professionals –Northern Michigan. As the premier trade association representing health insurance agents and brokers, the new name and identity better represent the association’s expanded membership.

NEW: FOCUS CHIROPRACTIC

Focus Chiropractic will open in Traverse City this month, offering chiropractic care, massage therapy, decompression and is the only practice in northern Michigan offering SoftWave tissue regeneration therapy. The practice is owned by Dr. Josh Bowman and his wife, Hilde, practice manager. It is located at 3899 W. Front St., Suite 2; focuschirotc.com.

Annika Place Construction Underway

Construction of Annika Place , a new 53-unit affordable housing community by Woda Cooper Companies, Inc., is now underway at 947 S. Garfield Ave. in Traverse City. The $14.7 million project will provide 29 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom apartments for residents who earn 30-80% of the area median income. Rental rates are projected to range from $360 to $1,125 per month. Rental assistance vouchers for eight units will be provided by the Traverse City Housing Commission.

20FATHOMS NAMES NEW DIRECTORS, 2023 BOARD

Grey Luyt and Rebecca Teahen have been elected to Traverse City-based tech startup incubator 20Fathoms’ board of directors. Luyt is an attorney and shareholder at Bowerman, Ford, Clulo & Luyt in Traverse City. Teahen is an associate financial advisor at Baird in Traverse City. Re-elected to the 20Fathoms board of directors are Chair Lowell Gruman, Casey Cowell, Janie McNabb, and Eric Roberts.

TRAVERSE CONNECT ELECTS 2023 OFFICERS, NEW DIRECTOR

Traverse Connect recently elected its new slate of officers for 2023. They are Sara Harding of Cherry Republic, chair; Matt Wille of Munson Healthcare, vicechair; Janis Adams of Danbrook Adams Raymond, secretary; Rachel Johnson of Cherryland Electric Cooperative, treasurer; and Russ Knopp of Comfort Keepers, immediate past chair. The board also elected Kacie SanMiguel, principal at Plante Moran, to a threeyear term. She serves as the new finance chair. Current director Dave Mengebier was named government relations chair.

Local Attorney Working Camp Lejeune Claims

Tc Manufacturer Recognized For Innovative Tech

Bill Sullivan, CEO of REVOLOK USA in Traverse City, was recently honored with the finalist award for the Women In Trucking Association Technology Innovation Award at the 2022 Accelerate Conference & Expo. REVOLOK USA competed against other transportation-related companies that submitted their innovative tech for the award, including Walmart

Attorney Lawrence R. LaSusa, founder of the Grand Traverse region pro bono Wills for Vets program, recently announced his law firm, LaSusa Law Offices, PLC, has formed a strategic alliance with a nationally recognized law firm handling hundreds of Camp Lejeune claims. “Our combined forces are utilizing state-of-the-art client intake software to fully analyze and address the complex issues surrounding these claims, and process them as efficiently as possible,” said LaSusa.

As we kick off the new year, it’s interesting to look back on the growth of Traverse City and the broader region over the first two decades of the 21st century. The early 2000s saw several changes that would lead to considerable regional economic and cultural development and significant impact on our population growth.

Between 2001 and 2003, our region added more new and expanded industrial development than any other small town in the country. Projects including Britten’s major expansion, TranTek’s new production plant, and D&W’s mechanical contracting facility led Site Selection Magazine to rank Traverse City the number one small town in America back-to-back in 2002 and 2003. These were some of the first, of many, accolades that brought national recognition and new people to our region.

Meanwhile, our world-class cultural assets grew as well. The former state hospital was purchased by the Minervini group in mid-2002 and work began to transform it into the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The State Theater Group and Interlochen first announced a partnership to renovate the State Theater in 2003 – the year that also saw the major renovation of the City Opera House to its current form. Our economic and population growth over the past 20 years is the envy of other parts of Michigan and the Midwest that have seen dwindling economies and declining populations. This growth, however, has