The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Ashley Rygalski
I’m a stay-at-home mom first, and that role means everything to me, but there came a moment where I realized I wanted something more for myself, too. I craved a creative outlet and something that would push me outside of my comfort zone and into rooms where I could grow. Read more>>
Patrice Thornton
My daughter and I purchased the Painting with a Twist Downtown Detroit studio in April 2021 and celebrated our grand opening in September 2021. We both enjoy planning events, connecting with people, and being part of our community, so when the opportunity arose to open a paint-and-sip event space in downtown Detroit, we were determined to make it happen. Read more>>
Debra Warren
Hi! Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. I have been working in food initiatives in Muskegon County as a Registered Dietitian since 2012. This has included working with non-profits, school districts, government, health care systems, and grassroots movements. Read more>>
Sharon McRill
In 2003 The Betty Brigade began like many small companies: one woman with a desire to help others, a long to-do list, and many busy people who desperately needed her services. Read more>>
Skip Harriger
Harriger Construction was founded 35 years ago by my father, Boone Harriger, and me shortly after I graduated from high school. Since then, we have proudly served the Empire and Glen Arbor communities with high-quality residential construction and remodeling services. About ten years ago, my son Tyler expanded our capabilities by launching Harriger Outdoor, the landscaping division of our company. Read more>>
Jarod Dykstra
I started building websites in 2016 when I was still in high school. What began as curiosity turned into a real passion pretty quickly. I taught myself the craft, started taking on clients, and by the time graduation came around I had enough momentum that college just didn’t make sense. I decided to bet on myself and go full time. That decision has paid off. Read more>>
Kurt VanDusen
I loved computer as a kid since my mom got us a Commadore PET 2001 and I learned to program in BASIC. I took computer classes in my Middle School and during the summers I went to computer camp in Newberry, MI for a combination of outdoor activities and computer science classes. Read more>>
Todd Gray
I was an English Major with a Creative Writing Emphasis at Western Michigan University in the early-/mid- ‘90s. I minored in journalism. It was my minor that helped me to get my first job post-college. In a nutshell, I began my career as a journalist (sports), then moved to advertising (copywriting/editing), then to communications/project management at a couple of corporations. Read more>>
Koi Mitchell
Hello, I am Koi Mitchell, owner of Top Pic Photo Booth Co., a luxury photo booth provider serving Metro Detroit. The idea for Top Pic began during my undergraduate years at Michigan State University. While attending various events, I noticed that many special moments were captured through quick phone photos that often felt fleeting or unintentional, or by photographers who never shared the photos afterward. Read more>>
Beatrice Durr
Hello, I am Beatrice Joy! I am an entrepreneur with a cold pressed juicing business call Bee’s Squeeze by evening and a Senior Project Manager by day. Bee’s Squeeze was born out of a season of rebuilding my life with intention. Read more>>
Charles Chiara
Though our family lives in Pasadena, California, Charlie started coming to Michigan over 20 years ago for work…to create marketing media for the Avalon/Tahoe manufacturing company, makers of premium pontoon boats. And of course, he fell in love with Northern Michigan because he films their commercials every summer on Walloon Lake, which has its own significant historical story. Read more>>
Mike Sheridan
I have cleaned carpet and upholstery for over 28 years. I worked for the same company for 26 years until the owner retired in 2024. That was Randy’s Carpet Care. We (my wife and I) opened Big Red Carpet Care June 19, 2024. Read more>>
Benjamin Kok
KS Rentals started with a simple idea: make a positive impact in our community by creating spaces where people can gather and events can run smoothly. We started with smaller setups, building trust one event at a time, and quickly moved on to larger, more complex projects. Read more>>
Tiera Lanae
I’m got started back in 2019 hours n my living room floor. I now occupy a store on the wearied of Detroit where I sell my products on hand. This all began with an idea and a dream and seven years later, here I am! Read more>>
Ann | Ny Winbush | Stephens
Ny and I were attending an auction in Downtown Detroit when a man sitting behind us—someone I had seen several times before—asked me a question: “Do you do Airbnb?” I said, “No. I don’t want people staying in my home.” He laughed. I paused, looked at Ny, and said, “Okay… tell us more. Can you show us one of your Airbnbs?” He said yes. Read more>>
Kalom Mcclore
Fountains of Atlantis was created from my own love of water features with their grand and timeless beauty, and the feelings of relaxation and happiness they bring. Read more>>
Jess Harris
My journey into photography didn’t begin with a perfectly mapped plan. It began with a deep love for people and their stories. I’ve always been drawn to connection. I studied strategic communication and spent time in event planning, where I learned how meaningful moments are built and experienced. Over time, I realized I didn’t just want to help create moments. I wanted to preserve them. Read more>>
Erica Piña
I started planning events when I moved to Washington DC, I worked for my congressman Dave Camp and I used to plan their aunnual picnic. Then in DC I started planning events for US Grains Council and Association of Corporate Counsel. I had a passion for travel and conferences and was able to live all over the world working on events. Read more>>
LaJuan Spears
My journey into photography started in 2016, not from a traditional creative background, but from a place of curiosity and a desire to create something meaningful. It really began when my wife gifted me my first professional camera for Christmas. That moment sparked something for me—I started exploring, learning as I went, making mistakes, and slowly developing an eye for light, composition, and storytelling. Read more>>
Tom Bray
I’ve always been working in time-based stuff of one sort or another: live music production, sound mixing and live recording, theater lighting and sound design and show running, touring the world with several groups (my first job out of college was as Dionne Warwick’s sound engineer), audio post production in a commercial environment; video production & post-production, you name it and I’ve probably done it. Read more>>
Nick Peariso
I started my career as an aeronautical engineer and spent about 15 years working in both the aerospace and automotive industries. During that time, I worked on complex systems and developed a strong technical and analytical mindset—but over time, I realized I wanted something more hands-on, more personal, and more directly impactful. Read more>>
Brady DeYoung
I didn’t always plan on starting a coatings company. Before any of this, my life was on a completely different path—I was chasing a dream in professional motocross. For years, that was everything to me. The discipline, the grind, the adrenaline… it shaped who I was. But in 2023, everything changed. A life-altering accident forced me to step away from racing. Read more>>
Hannah Juhl
Owning my own business was not something that was on the radar for me until college. I graduated from the Culinary Institute of Michigan, Baker College, and in one of my hospitality classes our big project was to create a business plan for a hypothetical business. That was the first iteration of Stella’s. Read more>>
Jackie Prins
I always knew I wanted to go into healthcare, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. When I was in high school, a family friend who is a chiropractor had recently moved back to my hometown in the UP. She encouraged me to come check out her office to learn more and start care. Read more>>
Dean and Gavin
We have been close friends for the last 10 years discussing bands we love and the art of songwriting. One day we met up and fleshed out a song together which would later become ‘Lucy is Sentimental’. This song was submitted to the New Moon Songwriting Competition to see what would happen. Read more>>
Stephen Schaffer
While meditating in a cave in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Eric Peterson, my business partner, had a transformative idea: to preserve Northeast Michigan’s dark skies and natural beauty through community-driven hospitality and conservation. He recalled our shared values and beliefs about the world and cosmos, leading him to reach out to me. Read more>>
Andrea Paschall
My vision for this project actually started in the 90s. When I was 12, I’d visit Kerrytown in Ann Arbor and spend hours fascinated by a cooking studio I saw in the back of a store. I knew even then I wanted to be in that light. Read more>>
Jeff and Barb Morse
We left Flint Mi 22 years ago to start Rose Hills Resort on a Small Lake near the Huron Natl forest in Rose City, MI. We began from scratch starting winter construction in 2005 with 2 cottages and now have 4 cottages on the lake that service many vacationers mainly from Michigan and surrounding states who want to get unplugged and relax. Read more>>
Lauren Tolles
As a kid, I was either drawing houses or doing puzzles (which are really just like floor plans). My love for design deepened when my mom renovated our home, and I’d literally fake sick just to follow her and her designer around the San Francisco Design Center. Read more>>
Leslie Sorensen
I was born and raised in New Buffalo and graduated from New Buffalo High School in 2000. My parents founded the New Buffalo Animal Hospital in 1982, and it remained a family business for more than forty years until it was sold in August 2025. Read more>>
Daniela Rodriguez Del Bosque
I am a performing artist born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. The sense of community and genuine human connection found in the performing arts is what first drew me to this field—these are the same bonds I have always sought to build in my own life. Read more>>
Josue ‘Sway’ Guillen
My work didn’t start in a therapy room. It started in spaces where people were trying to build better lives but were struggling to get there. Back in 2017, I began my social work career providing workforce and career services to low income youth and adults working in agriculture. For about five years, I helped individuals pursue education, build skills, and create financial stability. Read more>>
Julian Djordjeski
Our journey started with a simple belief — that a home should be more than just functional; it should feel intentional, elevated, and deeply personal to the people living in it. In the early days, we took on a wide range of projects, learning every aspect of the craft from the ground up. That hands-on experience shaped how we approach our work today. Read more>>
Mary Faynik
We met in New York City, where the cycling gods naturally brought us together. A mutual friend recommended that I (Mary) get Shawn’s help purchasing a bike, so I made a visit to the shop at which he was currently working. Long story short, what started as buying a bike turned into love, and we were engaged about 18 months later. Read more>>
Kimberly Sergent
I am a graduate of Bowling Green State University. I have a variety of life experiences both as a performer and in technical theater. Since 2014, my work has been as a venue director and mentor of technical theater students. I have especially enjoyed my time since joining the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts staff in 2024. Read more>>
Kory Rozema
I am a second-generation owner. My wife and I bought the business from my father in May of 2016. I worked alone for about a year, while my wife did the books at night. We hired our first employee after about a year and a second about a month after that. We have since grown to a staff of 10-11. Read more>>
Thayer Jonutz
I am finishing up my 17th year teaching dance as part of the Oakland University (OU) Dance Department. Since my hire in 2009, a major part of my teaching load has been directing the student Repertory Dance Company (RDC). RDC is defined as a pre-professional dance company, but it has always been my mission to run it like a professional company. Read more>>
Rachel Collins
Rachel began her culinary journey having grown up in her grandparent’s restaurant in NW Illinois. Later, after completing college, she and her mother started an American Caviar Company in Chicago. Why? Because they went fishing and foraging a great deal! Collins Caviar Company became the American high standard for caviar and shipped nation-wide for over 30 years. Read more>>
Amber and Doug Schmachtenberger
PAWsome Companions, LLC was founded in 2017 by a dedicated couple, Amber Johnson and Doug Schmachtenberger, after experiencing firsthand the stress and disappointment of a poor pet sitting experience. That moment became a turning point—they knew pet owners deserved better and set out to raise the standard of care across the industry. Read more>>
Christine Kinal
My decision to join HAVEN was deeply personal and rooted in both my professional and lived experiences. I spent more than twenty years in law enforcement, retiring as a police lieutenant in investigations, where my work centered on supporting victims of crime. Read more>>
Shawna Daman
Growing up, I was fortunate to have spent a lot of time with my grandparents, who maintained a very self-sufficient lifestyle. They had an extensive garden every year, and every summer we would harvest cucumbers and tomatoes, can pickles, create spaghetti sauce, salsa, and stewed tomatoes, and can them for food for the year. We would also bake our own bread, make our own noodles, and create our own spicy mustard for camping trips, along with many other delicious creations. Read more>>
Jaquetta Moore
Our journey began with jewelry. I started out selling everyday pieces that helped people feel confident, stylish, and connected. One day, a close friend, who happens to be a mortician, called and asked me a simple question: “Do you sell cremation jewelry?”
At the time, I did not.
But that question changed everything. Read more>>
