PFE Blog

March 7, 2024

Michigan’s Women-Led B Corps

March is B Corp Month and Women’s History Month!   Certified B Corporations™ (B Corps™) are for-profit companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. They meet the highest…
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February 6, 2024

Michigan Business Development Group Secures Government Support for Local Entrepreneurs

People First Economy Partners with the Center for Community Based Enterprise, Detroit Community Wealth Fund, and Michigan Center for Employee Ownership to Support Small Businesses to Access Funding Business development…
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January 22, 2024

People First Economy Welcomes Carlos Martinez as New President

Transition Marks New Era for Sustainable Economic Development in Michigan People First Economy, a leading organization in fostering sustainable economic growth in Michigan, is excited to announce the appointment of Carlos Martinez as its new…
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November 15, 2023

10 Years of City Building, Prepping for a World of Winter and Shopping Small

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) works with partners Downtown and throughout the community to create a vibrant and welcoming neighborhood for everyone to enjoy. This work is constant and ever evolving, and we’ve been at…
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September 15, 2023

Fair Food Network believes when you start with food, so much is possible.

Detroit-based nonprofit and investor Fair Food Network is on a mission to build community health and wealth through food. Since its founding in 2009, Fair Food Network has grown from a local nonprofit offering Double…
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September 5, 2023

Happy Hispanic & Latin Heritage Month

Happy Hispanic and Latin Heritage Month! We are so privileged to have such a robust and bright Hispanic and Latin Community in West Michigan. People First Economy wants to celebrate just a handful of inspiring…
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August 13, 2023

The People Behind People First Economy

At People First Economy we believe in taking a human-centered approach in all of our programs. And that approach starts with the folks at our organization. From workiversaries, to certifications to new hires, the People…
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July 11, 2023

Close the Dark Store Loophole

How do we fix the damn roads with a persistent 3.9 billion funding gap each year? Or properly resource our public schools with a 4.5 billion funding gap each year? The answer is pretty unsexy…
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July 7, 2023

The Small Business Role in Lowering Prescription Drug Costs

Whether your employees or customers know it: their prescription drug costs increased nearly 60% while their incomes increased about 11%. Even more troubling? About 32% of people of working age have had to stop taking…
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May 15, 2023

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the Constant Evolution of Placemaking and City Building

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) was created in 2013 with the goal of bringing several economic development tools and organizations under one roof (the GR Downtown Development Authority, the Downtown Improvement District, and the Monroe…
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