Business in Brief: 01/25/2017

Jan. 24--Estate planning workshop slated

TRAVERSE CITY -- "Estate Planning, Maintaining Choices as You Age" is the subject of a presentation Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Traverse City Senior Center.

Diane Kuhn Huff of Stephen & Anderson, PLC is the presenter at the 3:30 p.m. program. The event is part of the Front Street Foundation's Money Series, made possible through cooperation with the Traverse Area District Library.

For more information, call 231-714-6459 or visit FrontStreetFoundation.org.

SCORE free workshop Jan. 26

TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City SCORE hosts its first free lunchtime workshop on Thursday, Jan. 26. "An Effective Website -- The Place to Start" will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Traverse Area District Library at 610 Woodmere Ave.

The workshops will be held the last Thursday of the month through October. Participants are encouraged to bring lunch.

Attendance is limited to 50 people for each workshop and preregistration is required. Visit the SCORE website at www.upnorthscore.com and click on Daytime Workshops to register.

Free AARP tax prep programs

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging and the Senior Center Network are accepting appointments for their annual free AARP income tax preparation programs.

Simple federal and state income tax returns can be prepared and e-filed for low- to middle-income filers. Taxpayers with more complex returns are advised to seek paid assistance. Appointments are available February through April on a first-come basis.

Appointments are available by calling the Commission on Aging at 231-922-4688 or the Senior Care Network at 231-922-4911.

Kalkaska planning meeting Feb. 1

KALKASKA -- Residents and business owners are invited to a special Speak Up Kalkaska meeting on Feb. 1. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Kalkaska High School Auditorium at 109 N. Birch St.

The meeting is collaboration between the Village of Kalkaska, the Kalkaska Downtown Development Authority, Kalkaska County and the Kalkaska County Library. The meeting is part of a year-long process to create a new library master plan and to update the village master plan, village recreation plan, DDA plan and county recreation plan.

More information is available by contacting Networks Northwest at 231-929-5057 or at [email protected]. Those who can't attend the meeting can participate in an online survey at surveymonkey.com/r/Kalkaska2016.

MTA information nights slated

TRAVERSE CITY -- TBAISD Career-Tech Center Manufacturing Technology Academy invites current high school sophomores and juniors from the five-county area to attend student/parent information nights on Wednesday, Feb. 1, Wednesday, Feb. 15, and Monday, March 13.

Information nights are from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Northwestern Michigan College Parsons-Stulen building located at 2600 Aero Park Drive in Traverse City.

Students interested in engineering, robotics, management, product design or other technology-related professions are encouraged to attend.

To reserve a spot at an informational night or to find out more about MTA, contact Tim Wheatley at [email protected] or 231-995-1304.

TCNewTech changes monthly venue

TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City's entrepreneur and enthusiast group TCNewTech will move its free monthly meetups to the City Opera House in February.

The first meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. Meetings are the first Tuesday of every month.

Technology professionals hear from five pre-selected speakers who will each be given five minutes to showcase their technology product or business startup and another five minutes to field questions from peers, potential partners or investors in the audience. A social networking hour follows the presentations.

Details on the monthly presenters are available at TCNewTech.org. Members of the community are encouraged to RSVP. Parties interested in sponsoring or presenting at future meetings can contact TCNewTech founder Russell Schindler at [email protected].

Heating cost assistance available

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency has funding to assist with deliverable heating fuels this winter.

The NMCAA said people may be eligible even if they receive help through another agency this winter. Call 1-800-632-7334 in the five-county area to check on availability.

Michigan Medicine joins NMHN

TRAVERSE CITY -- Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan's academic medical center, is the latest to join the Northern Michigan Health Network and is now the largest health care provider in the network.

NMHN -- a partnership between primary care physicians, specialists and hospitals to coordinate healthcare for patients -- became a recognized Accountable Care Organization in January of 2014. For more information on the organization, visit www.nmhn.net.

Chamber Alliance adds Manistee

MANISTEE -- The Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance has added the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce as a full partner.

The addition bolsters the organization to nine regional chambers working collectively on local, regional, state and federal legislative and policy issues on behalf of more than 8,000 businesses in 14 counties across northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Other Alliance partners include chambers in Traverse City, Alpena, Benzie County, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Gaylord, Manistee, Petoskey and the Lake Superior Community Partnership based in Marquette. Associate Alliance members include chambers in Elk Rapids, Cheboygan, Harbor Springs, Boyne City and East Jordan.

Taste the Passion event Feb. 11-12

The annual Taste the Passion event is Feb. 11-12 on the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail. The event is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 and noon to 5 p.m. on Feb. 12.

Tickets are $35 per person for both days and include a souvenir wine glass, Leelanau wine and food pairings and a Snow Fun Photo Contest. Tickets are purchased at any winery on the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail.

More information is available at www.lpwines.com.

Gann earns Zonta scholarship

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Zonta Club of Traverse City awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Victoria (Tori) Gann.

Gann plans to pursue her bachelor's degree in aviation management at Northwestern Michigan College. For more information on Zonta of TC, visit www.zontatc.org.

Planning Resource Fair Feb. 17

GREILICKVILLE -- An Advance Planning Resource Fair will be held Friday, Feb. 17 at Leelanau Studios (Grand Traverse Regional Arts Campus) at 10781 E. Cherry Bend. Rd.

The free event brings together local businesses and organizations with a focus on advance planning for end-of-life decisions. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The resource fair is organized by Golden Intentions. More information is available at the Golden Intentions Facebook page, at www.advanceplanningresource.com or by emailing Torre Boone at [email protected].

Short's announces Battle of the Bands

BELLAIRE -- Twenty-one bands will battle for a paying gig at the Short's Brewing Company's 13th anniversary party on April 29.

Selected bands will take the pub stage on seven Sundays -- three each day -- this winter and spring. A final battle will be held on Sunday, April 2.

A full lineup can be found at shortsbrew.com/battleofthebands2017.

Harrisville festival poster contest

HARRISVILLE -- The Sunrise Side Wine and Food Festival offers a poster contest. The contest is open to all age groups and has no residency requirement and no entry fee.

The winner claims a $200 prize. Two years ago, the winning poster was designed by a Traverse City resident.

Entry deadline is March 10. See rules and entry information at facebook/Sunrisesidewineandfoodfestival or visit www.harrisvilleartscouncil.com/events.

Consumers, nonprofits help with heat

JACKSON -- Consumers Energy and five nonprofit organizations announce $5 million in new contributions to help households manage their energy bills.

The nonprofit agencies providing funding directly to people who need help managing their energy bills are The Salvation Army, Michigan Community Action, The Heat and Warmth Fund, the St. Vincent DePaul Society and TruNorth Community Services.

Anyone looking for available assistance can call 2-1-1, a free service that can refer people to local programs, or log on to www.ConsumerEnergy.com/assistance.

SBA disaster loans available

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that federal economic injury disaster loans are available to small businesses, agricultural cooperatives and private nonprofit organizations in Michigan as a result of weather. The disaster declaration includes Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties among others.

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates between 2.625 and 4 percent. The SBA determines eligibility.

Applicants may apply online at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. More information is available at the SBA's customer service center at 1-800-659-2955. Deadline for loan applications is Sept. 11.

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