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Lt. Gov. Gilchrist visits Grand Rapids on first stop of 'Small Business Tour'

The tour aims to recognize businesses that were resilient through the pandemic.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist visited Grand Rapids Monday as part of the "Small Business Tour" to recognize businesses that were resilient through the pandemic. Lt. Gov. Gilchrist also spoke at the Grand Rapids regional Small Business Summit, which aims to connect small business owners, advocates, support organizations and lenders.

This summit is part of a series that intends to create a strategy for small business investments in Michigan and help businesses recover from the pandemic.

“We have a generational opportunity before us to create significant, lasting impacts on Michigan families and businesses and we know that we will only be truly successful in doing so if we work together as one Michigan to get the job done,” said Lt. Gov. Gilchrist. “As we put Michiganders back to work, it remains imperative that we stand tall for small businesses across Michigan by continuing to provide the supports needed to help them recover from COVID-19 and boost our economic jumpstart throughout the state.”

As part of this economic jumpstart, Gov. Whitmer proposed putting $300 million into the Michigan Main Street initiative, which helps cities in Michigan revitalize their commercial district.

Lt. Gov. Gilchrist said that visiting Grand Rapids as part of the tour was inspired by the community.

"The governor and I, we decided to start here because we felt this community was ready to have this conversation that we'll be having with the rest of the state," he said. "And the diversity of the entrepreneurs of Grand Rapids is something that is inspiring."

Gov. Whitmer's office has also launched a new website to help small businesses navigate state programs and services available to help them.

For more information on the small business summits, click here.

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