Derek Sommer always knew he wanted to own his own business. While studying computer science at Western Michigan University, he began researching what it would take to work for himself. After graduating, Sommer took contract jobs to become more well-rounded and establish relationships in his field. Three years later, and just weeks away from welcoming […]

Originally, Adam Martin didn’t want to get into the family business. Inspired by the work Walt Disney did with his theme parks and resorts, he left for Las Vegas where he studied hotel and restaurant management. After graduation, Martin came back to Genesee County and worked for the family business in the interim until he […]

Julie Lopez is a horticulturist at her core. She studied it in college and worked for 25 years running her own company where she designed landscapes, taught gardening classes and consulted with clients on their yards and gardens. However, in 2011 everything changed when Lopez’s father-in-law was murdered. With the case left unsolved, Lopez quickly […]

Dwayne Harrington is a familiar face at the Flint & Genesee Job & Resource Fair. For the last year, he and his team have set up a pop-up hair studio giving free haircuts and styles to ensure the men and women attending the event are looking their best. As the owner of Park Place Hair […]

When Amanda Szumowicz was 15 years old, she started her first job at local consignment shop Wears Like New. Little did she know, she was starting her path to business ownership. She worked her way up through management and in 2017 – when the previous owner sought to retire – Szumowicz took over. “The original […]

Five years ago, if you had asked Kelsey Koch what she would be doing today, she would have never said running her own yoga studio – much less being featured on SELF.com and in a Reebok social media campaign because of it. “I thought I would be working with prosthetics, designing and making them for […]