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Water Lily Gifts & Gather honored with Community Ambassador Award

Opening a new business takes vision, determination and optimism. Opening one just as the street in front of your store closes for reconstruction? That takes an extra measure of all three! That was the challenge facing Brandy Torvinen when she opened Water Lily Gifts & Gather at 1113 Ludington Street in downtown Escanaba this spring. Rather than letting construction define her business's beginning, Brandy embraced the opportunity to introduce something special to the community. Her enthusiasm, creativity and welcoming spirit earned Water Lily Gifts & Gather the 2026 Delta County ...

Wondering what’s next for your business? Start with a plan

If you own a plumbing company, machine shop, construction business or another small business in the Upper Peninsula, you may be approaching a time when you are asking an important question: What will happen to my business when I retire? After spending 20, 30 or 40 years building your company, ...

Airbnb pledges $500M for its nonprofit to offer more free emergency stays

NEW YORK (AP) — Airbnb plans to dedicate $500 million to its philanthropic arm over the next five years to increase temporary housing support for medical travelers and disaster survivors. The short-term rental platform will fund the expansion by donating 10 cents from every booking and make up any shortfall, according to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb.org, the independent nonprofit whose operating costs are already covered by the company, aims to scale up to eventually provide 1 million nights of free housing each year. The pledge, announced Wednesday, arrives at an uncertain ...

Aging homes and tangled repair programs weigh on U.P. and rural homeowners

MARQUETTE — From Ironwood to the Soo, U.P. families who need help repairing aging homes face a statewide patchwork of programs that are hard to find, hard to combine and, for small rural agencies, hard to run, according to a new report funded in part by InvestUP. The study by Public Policy Associates (PPA) estimates more than 520,000 owner-occupied homes across Michigan, 17% of the state's total, may need subsidized repair. To ensure a rural focus with the report, InvestUP joined five other investors in financially supporting the study entitled Coordinating Homeowner Rehabilitation in ...

Sweetening the U.P.

IRON MOUNTAIN — Heather Nelson recently quit her job to devote herself to her real passion: her bakery business, U.P. Sweets LLC. "I took a gamble, leaving my full-time job to make this my full-time job," Nelson said. She previously worked at Bellin Health and was a certified nursing ...