South Haven Region Business Hub

Helping small businesses grow.

Resources

We can help you find everything you need to get your business up and running in Kalamazoo.

Use the buttons below to identify organizations that can help you start, plan, grow, or fund your business plus more connections for conducting research or finding a mentor.

Buy Local Greater Kalamazoo

Buy Local Greater Kalamazoo exists to build awareness of the benefits of supporting local independent businesses.

Kalamazoo County Land Bank

We take tax-foreclosed, blighted, and underutilized properties and get them back to active use, back on tax rolls, and transform them into neighborhoods.

Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership

A private, non-profit organization that works with both the public and private sectors in preserving and enhancing the economic health of Kalamazoo’s downtown area.

Kzoo Makers

Promoting the creation of, and support the continuation of, a maker space in Kalamazoo.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

The nation’s leading community development support organization, working in Kalamazoo neighborhoods.

Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Compiling information and resources for small businesses, major employers, entrepreneurs and others.

Michigan Electronic Library

Providing all Michigan residents with free access to online full-text articles, full-text books, digital images, and other valuable research information.

Michigan Works! Southwest

Creating meaningful transformation in the people, businesses and communities we serve by connecting job seekers, employers, training partners and educators.

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems/MGFF

Our vision is a thriving economy, equity and sustainability through food systems rooted in local regions and centered on food that is healthy, green, fair and affordable.

SCORE Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan

Starting and growing a small business can be challenging, but you don’t have to go it alone.

Southwest Michigan First Chamber

The Chamber invites all businesses to create a unique network in Southwest Michigan and to make the region a great place to work and live.

SW Michigan PTAC

Enhancing national defense and economic development in the State of Michigan by assisting Michigan businesses.

WMed Innovation Center

The WMed Innovation Center is the place to start and grow life science, technology, or engineering ventures.

WMU Business Connection

Dedicated to strategically match WMU's resources to the needs of the local business community.

WMU Starting Gate

Starting Gate is a student business accelerator that gives students rich and valuable resources to develop their startup companies.

Sponsored by the City of South Haven, South Haven Chamber of Commerce, and Lake Michigan College.

Congratulations to Gregory Shelton of Grand Unique Laundry for receiving his first loan through Northern Initiatives. With help from his SCORE mentor, Cheri Bales, Gregory did a fantastic job on developing his business plan and showing real entrepreneurial spirit. We wish you much success, and look forward to your upward movement. You are a wonderful role model.

—Gregory Shelton of Grand Unique Laundry

I appreciate your ears for listening, your eyes that see my vision and your heart that makes you who you are. I thank you for your time. You are making a difference.

—Shawntel Lindsey, Director, The Artbor Community Connections Center

The WMed Innovation Center is a perfect environment for innovation to grow and become a successful commercial enterprise.

—Client

Whether you are seeking a research partner or want to enlist the help of student groups in developing business plans, or just looking for ways to engage with WMU, the Business Connection office can find the resource to help move your business forward.

—Mentor

A loan (from Local Initiatives Support Corporation) helped expand our cafe to triple our seating, add a kids space, increase much needed staff work areas, and make other improvements to the space.

—Krystal

The Michigan eLibrary (MeL) is the State of Michigan’s digital library. It has excellent resources available to Michigan residents at no cost.

—Owner

Western Michigan University’s Starting Gate helped me take an idea and transform it into a much more attainable reality. Whether providing talks with investors and business owners or accountability, the ultimate goal is helping your business succeed.

—Peter Shutt

The Kalamazoo Land Bank did robust community engagement around the vision and gave us something to work with that was solidly desired by people in the neighborhood. Having a vision meant we had to protect it. That’s something I thank the Land Bank for. It was difficult. It didn’t make anything faster or easier, but we got a better project in the end as a result of it.

—Matt Hollander

Buy Local Greater Kalamazoo is a hard working grassroots group focused on the greater Kalamazoo community and its small businesses. Their events and networking opportunities are the best!

—Cheri Bales

Michigan SBDC is a great company providing top notch service to local businesses all over Michigan. The consultants are professional and the student workers contribute with excellent work!