Tom Henderson
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Sports writer turned business reporter, author of true-crime books, marathoner, owner of world's greatest black lab, kayaker, snowshoe racer, finder of morels.
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Articles by Tom Henderson
In Traverse City, a well-known manufacturing name rolls up a company whose parts survive earth, sea, air and space
Who’s Who: The authoritative guide to power in West Michigan From business and government to philanthropy, education and the arts, these are the leaders shaping West Michigan.
In Traverse City, a well-known manufacturing name rolls up a company whose parts survive earth, sea, air and space
Centurion Metalworks specializes in metallurgy, including heat-treating of parts like these piston rods to make them more durable.
Start Garden-backed founder takes over Traverse City business incubator
Stacey Feeley, the new executive director of the 20Fathoms business accelerator in Traverse City.
Traverse City business incubator names a startup veteran to top role
Beydoun secured the funding for Global Link International, a nonprofit business accelerator she created in 2022 to receive and spend money that had been allotted in a budget enacted by legislators and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
A new owner works to preserve — and update — northern Michigan’s last drive-in movie theater
Beydoun secured the funding for Global Link International, a nonprofit business accelerator she created in 2022 to receive and spend money that had been allotted in a budget enacted by legislators and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
This new Best Buy 'leak' claims GTA 6 pre-orders begin on May 18 — but I wouldn't hold your breath yet
Rockstar Games' scheduled November 19, 2026, launch date for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 remains in question after multiple delays. However, a new leak suggests that the release date may indeed be locked in. Best Buy has reportedly leaked the pre-order date for GTA 6 via an affiliate email, first reported by content creator Frogboyx1Gaming.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced showcase announced for this week
Fair play to Ubisoft, the short trailer announcing the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced showcase begins with the words “Gaming’s worst kept secret”, a reference to the many leaks about the game before it was finally announced last month. The showcase is dated for April 23rd at 4PM UTC / 6PM CEST / 9AM PDT. It is slightly odd for a remake of an old game to get an entire showcase to itself, but the rumours are that the game has changed quite a lot and now plays more like AC Valhalla.
Letter: Competing with the gas line next door
There seems to be real momentum to promote and build a gas line. Like similar projects, it will provide a commodity, a product that must meet world price limitations. Its pricing must be competitive with export projects around the world, including our neighbors in British Columbia. Currently, there are seven permitted gas export projects in B.C. Phase 1 of the LNG Canada project was completed last summer with an export capacity of 1.84 billion cubic feet per day. It began exporting LNG in July.
Build a Rocket Boy say they have uncovered a €1 million+ sabotage plot against MindsEye
An internal video seen by Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming is said to have shown Build a Rocket Boy CEO Mark Gerhard telling staff they had “caught the guys” who, he alleges, sabotaged the launch of MindsEye.
Letter: Wind turbines
Our president says he doesn't like wind turbines because they kill birds, but he doesn't seem at all concerned that his sycophantic witch doctor Robert Kennedy's proposed vaccine standards have the potential to kill thousands of American schoolchildren. What's wrong with this picture? Tom Henderson West side Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star. Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration -:- Remaining Time --:- Beginning of dialog window.
Armed troops against unarmed protesters? These Oregon soldiers say they didn’t sign up for that.
Donate Portland, Oregon's award-winning weekly street newspaper For those who can't afford free speech by | 29 Oct 2025 Editor’s note: Numerous pseudonyms were used in this story because sources feared reprisal from the Trump administration. A career U.S. Army National Guard officer suspects his fellow citizen-soldiers are arming themselves for a deadlier conflict in Oregon than confronting protesters in inflatable frog costumes.
Gone Hunting Codes (October 2025)
Gone Hunting is, as the name suggests, a game that revolves around the subtle art of hunting in the wild. Players need to use traps, rifles, and other such tools to hunt down a variety of different animals. An experienced hunter will tell you that the most underrated quality in a good hunter is patience, and this game requires players to have plenty of that.
A $28.9M Great Lakes research institute breaks ground near Traverse City
September 12, 2025 04:04 PM A new center focused on research and entrepeneurship tied to the nation's largest concentration of fresh water is under way near Traverse City. Groundbreaking took place Friday for the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center just north of Traverse City across West Bay in Elmwood Township, backed by an array of Michigan research and commerce powerhouses.
Corvallis, Lebanon Samaritan nurses win one round, spoiling for another Original
More than 700 nurses in Corvallis and Lebanon formally approved deals their union struck with Samaritan Health Services. Nurses represented by Oregon Nurses Association in Lebanon OK'd a new three-year contract Aug. 8, while their Corvallis counterparts followed suit two days later. Union representatives for Lebanon reached a tentative agreement with Samaritan Health executives July 16. The union reached a tentative agreement for Corvallis nurses July 29.
How one couple's midlife career change created a $20M pie empire in Traverse City
Mike Busley was an engineer in management at the aerospace company Lockheed Martin in San Diego 30 years ago, his group focused on commercial applications for something called superconductivity. His wife, Denise, was in medical sales. Lockheed Martin was dramatically cutting its workforce, and both of them, closing in on 40, felt it was time for a change. Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free newsletters today. “‘Let’s get the hell out of here.
How one couple's midlife career change created a $20M pie empire in Traverse City
Mike Busley was an engineer in management at the aerospace firm of Lockheed Martin in San Diego 30 years ago, his group focused on commercial applications for something called superconductivity. His wife, Denise, was in medical sales. Lockheed Martin was dramatically cutting its work force, and they both, closing in on 40, felt it was time for a change. “ ‘Let’s get the hell out of here. How can we flip the script?’ ” he recounted.
Corvallis mulls ban on working with companies that profit from genocide vs. the fiscal risks
Corvallis doesn't invest in companies that profit from genocide and other atrocities. Ryssa "Parker" Parks wants to keep it that way by putting it in writing. And the city is considering it.
Truckenbrod Gallery in Corvallis closes its doors Original
For the better part of 10 years, it was like Montparnasse on the Willamette — a place where artists from far and wide gathered to talk about their work and the bold new directions they were taking. The art world of Paris in the Roaring 1920s was called the "Années folles" (or "Crazy Years"). At the center stood artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. The center of Corvallis' Années folles was Joan Truckenbrod.
This MSU-linked software company whose roots go back to the 1980s evolves into AI age
This month marked the beginning of a new chapter for an East Lansing-based, a software company whose roots go back to nearly the dawn of personal computing. TechSmith Group launched an online version of its Camtasia software, which has helped millions of customers worldwide create multimedia presentations, training videos and product demonstrations since 1990.
Best Vehicle for DIY Landlord
Hello Everyone! I am looking for a new vehicle that I can use for construction projects, and also outdoor activities in Minnesota-- hunting, fishing, hauling kayaks.. For my business, I usually redo the unit once I buy it, and always find myself needing to carry more tools than my little car will allow! I'm curious what you use? - Econoline Van? - SUV? - Pickup?
Upscale new lodgings aim for the high end in the Upper Peninsula
Holsworth said they had about 85 percent occupancy last summer, with studio apartments going for what he said was “the low 200s,” with two-bedroom units at $500 or more. Offseason rates range from $140 to $300. There is far more to explore than just the four miles behind the buildings. The world-famous Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is just a few miles away to the northeast, with its many miles of trails leading to waterfalls or running along the top of the cliffs.
Upscale new lodgings aim for the high end in the Upper Peninsula
All along the highways that head west across the Upper Peninsula, toward Marquette and the Keweenaw Peninsula, or the Porcupine Mountains or Escanaba, are signs this isn’t the rustic vacation destination of old.
Meet the architect behind dozens of the U.P.'s most ambitious historic renovations
There are visions, and then there are visions. One day in 1978, the year Barry Polzin got his summa cum laude master-of-architecture degree from the University of Michigan, he stared at downtown Marquette’s Lake Superior shoreline. As he shifted his vision from the north to the south, it was all ugly and depressing. Overwhelmingly so. There were huge piles of coal on the shore, offloaded from ships to be hauled off by truck to destinations throughout the Upper Peninsula.
Find Corvallis school board election night results here Original
Watch this space for May 20 election results from the Corvallis School District's school board race. As of 1:07 p.m. Tuesday, Benton County election officials reported 22.6% of the county's 60,800 registered voters had cast a ballot. When the first results start coming in after 8 p.m. Tuesday, this is where you'll find them.
Letter: Proud to be an American
Years ago, I was on a business trip to England and was invited into the home of a colleague who was a citizen of the UK. He introduced me to his family as "This is Mr. Henderson. He's an American!" I felt a great feeling of pride in that he chose to emphasize my nationality rather than my personal identity. I hope and pray that this sense of pride in our great country will continue despite all the craziness that's going on now.
An abandoned eyesore across from Grand Traverse Resort springs back to life
A long-abandoned retail site across the street from Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is roaring back to life, with two formerly empty big box stores almost fully leased out and a major residential development springing up around it. The Strathmore Real Estate Group of East Lansing is redeveloping the site in Acme Township, just north of Traverse City and right across U.S. 31 from the famed golf resort.
Startup aims to use magic of mushrooms to break down PFAS 'forever chemicals'
Magic mushrooms? Two Marquette researchers, Ryan Iacovacci and Joe Lane, hope to find both magic in and revenue from their fungi. The magic won’t be in the form of the hallucinations normally associated with the term. This time, the magic comes from early-stage research by their startup company, MycoNaut LLC, which shows some kinds of mushrooms, like aspergilous and penioillium, can break down the so-called forever and extremely toxic chemicals known as PFAS in a process known as mycoremediation.
Traverse City startup hub names a Silicon Valley veteran as new executive director
A longtime Silicon Valley tech executive has replaced another former longtime Silicon Valley executive as executive director of the 20Fathoms business incubator in Traverse City. Craig Wesley, who spent nearly 30 years with a series of technology companies in the Valley, replaces Eric Roberts, who resigned in September after three years leading the incubator.
Michigan lab gains steam on mission to turn plastic waste into food
Stephen Techtmann, a microbiologist at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, and his research team have come up with an extremely tiny partial solution to a massive problem. The tiny part? Microbes found in soil. The massive part? How in the world to get rid of at least some of the plastics that have become ubiquitous in the environment, including the Great Lakes, and how to deal with traditional plastic waste, as well. His team’s solution?
Owners of historic U.P. bank-turned-hotel move forward with an even more ambitious conversion
The couple who won national plaudits and big business with their conversion of a historic bank in Houghton into a luxury hotel is moving forward on a second, even more ambitious project in another Upper Peninsula city. The Vault Marquette, the second luxury hotel in the Upper Peninsula to bear the “Vault” brand, is moving closer to reality now that Houghton-based Braveworks Inc. has closed on financing to bring the historic but long-vacant Savings Bank Building in downtown Marquette back to life.
Owners of historic bank-turned-hotel move forward with an even more ambitious conversion
The couple who won national plaudits and big business with their conversion of a historic bank in Houghton into a luxury hotel is moving forward on a second, even more ambitious project in another major Upper Pensinsula city. The Savings Bank building in Marquette. Credit: Andrew Jameson/Creative Commons The Vault Marquette, the second luxury hotel in the Upper Peninsula to bear the “Vault” brand, is is moving closer to reality now that Houghton-based Braveworks Inc.
The Iowa Lawyer Magazine
By Mike Mahaffey and Tom Henderson, Iowa LawPAC Co-chairs It is an election year, and the Iowa LawPAC Board is working on increasing participation in and contributions to LawPAC. LawPAC will contribute to as many as 90 to 100 candidates in this year’s election. In 1982, The Iowa State Bar Association (ISBA) Board of Governors established a voluntary, nonprofit, unincorporated committee of individual lawyers and others not affiliated with any political party.
In Traverse City, an old shopping mall finds new life, from curling to symphonies
Now, the Traverse City Philharmonic Orchestra has signed a 20-year lease on 17,000 square feet of space in the Kmart building, with a $3 million buildout nearly finished. The facility will have a 4,800-square-foot rehearsal hall and recital venue, teaching studios, conference rooms, lobby and box office. Currently, the orchestra has no home venue and has needed to rent space in churches and other buildings for its concerts.
The ice in the sport of curling is not like other ice
If your only contact with the sport of curling is watching it during the Winter Olympics, you might think that all curlers need is an empty hockey arena and the same ice hockey players skate on. Not quite. Not even close. Proper curling ice requires super high technology to create and maintain, and official curling centers like the new Traverse City Curling Center are far more complicated than you might imagine.
In Traverse City, an old shopping mall finds new life, from curling to symphonies
TRAVERSE CITY — The long-empty hulk of the 85,000-square-foot Kmart store in the Cherryland Center — once an iconic indoor mall with huge cultural importance for Traverse City — is being dramatically brought back to life. Signs of creative reuses for Cherryland’s remains are everywhere at the old Kmart and its surroundings. They’re eclectic, spanning a curling center, new affordable housing and a home for an orchestra, among others.
The Iowa Lawyer Magazine
By Mike Mahaffey and Tom Henderson, Iowa LawPAC Co-chairs It is an election year, and LawPAC will be busy making contributions to political candidates on behalf of The Iowa State Bar Association’s (ISBA’s) Political Action Committee (LawPAC). We are often asked questions about LawPAC. We thought it would be helpful for the ISBA membership to know both what LawPAC is and what it is not. What is LawPAC? LawPAC is comprised of ISBA members who voluntarily contribute LawPAC dues in the amount of $100.
EXCLUSIVE: DOOM: The Dark Ages to be Revealed at Xbox Games Showcase
Insider Gaming understands that the next game in the DOOM franchise is set to be revealed during this year’s Xbox Games Showcase on June 9. The game, which has been under the codename/placeholder title ‘Year Zero’ is understood to have the final name ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ and has been in development for at least four years. Last year, I heard of early details of the next entry into the DOOM franchise, which was described to me as a ‘medieval inspired doom world’.
Entrepreneur blazes trails from health care to training — and now, real estate
One could be forgiven for seeing a difficult future for Re’Shane Lonzo after she gave birth at age 14 while a freshman at Oak Park High School. But Lonzo didn’t just beat the odds. She crushed them, thanks to her own tenacity and to help from her mother and grandmother in raising her son. Lonzo has since blazed a trail of entrepreneurship from health care to worker training and, now, to real estate development in Lansing.
MSU vaccine-tech spinoff hopes it can make lightning strike again
Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free newsletters today. More from Crain’s Grand Rapids Business: Grand Rapids entrepreneur launches e-commerce platform for diverse-owned businesses New tool from Fifth Third Bank offers insight into West Michigan economic trends Priority Health names new chief medical officer
Startup aims to use technology to take 'forever' out of PFAS 'forever chemicals'
The Biden administration made headlines last month with announcements about reducing the impact of so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS and having the Environmental Protection Agency cracking down on polluters. Those headlines are particularly good news for a women-owned early-stage company at Michigan State University called Enspired Solutions Inc., whose patented technology shows promise for ending the “forever” description of PFAS chemicals.
Star Wars Outlaws has Been Rated in Australia
The Australian classification board has rated Star Wars Outlaws as an ‘M’ for Mature, which is the equivalent of a “T” Teen ESRB Rating. Just several days ago, Outlaws was also rated in South Korea, which has led some people to speculate that the game could be released soon due to past ratings and releases on other Ubisoft games. As outlined by content creator JorRaptor, here are several ratings and releases: Assassin’s Creed Mirage was rated on July 17 and released on October 5, 80 days later.
PS5 Pro Specs Leak are Real, Releasing Holiday 2024
Insider Gaming can confirm that the leaked PS5 Pro specs leaked earlier today are real and the PlayStation 5 is still tentatively targeting a 2024 holiday release. Speaking with sources, who wished to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to talk about company plans, we can confirm that the leaked documentation from the YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead is real, despite the criticism of the leaker and the leaked specs.
Great Lakes research hub linking startups with academia moves forward near Traverse City
Progress is well underway on the $27.5 million Freshwater Research & Innovation Center just north of Traverse City. The center planned for Elmwood Township is a collaboration announced late in 2022 between Houghton-based Michigan Technological University and its Traverse City operation and four local organizations – the Discovery Center & Pier; Northwestern Michigan College; Traverse Connect, the regional chamber of commerce; and 20Fathoms, a business incubator.
$27.5M center linking business and academia to benefit Great Lakes takes big steps toward reality
McDonough said he expects the additional fundraising to include $2 million to $5 million in other state funding.
Palworld Already Has a Pokemon Mod
Palworld already has a Pokemon mod – Turning your playable character into Ash and Pals into Pokemon. The new mod has briefly been shown off by Twitter user @ToastedShoes, who will have a full video up on his YouTube channel tomorrow. The 24-second video shows that the mod turns pretty much everything into Pokemon-themed, including your playable character and the Pals you face in the game.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden New Gameplay Trailer Revealed
Don’t Nod’s Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has had a new gameplay trailer revealed at The Game Awards. The game was first announced during The Game Awards in 2022 and was originally given a November 2023 release date, however, in September 2022 the game was delayed until February 13th, 2024. You can watch the trailer below: *TRAILER NOT YET LIVE ON YOUTUBE* “Immerse yourself in a beautiful, intimate and powerful story between two fated lovers.
Sterile State pivots to using tech for sterilizing instruments
COVID-19 indirectly dealt a death blow to FM Wound Care LLC, a 2016 spinoff from Michigan Technological University. Now, the people behind that company are working on bringing the technology it was founded on to a new market, with a new company.
Fast-growing software company works to bring job-shop tech into 21st century
Steelhead Technologies Inc. is a fast-growing IT company that aims to bring 21st century inventory and process tracking to small job shops — often mom-and-pop-owned — around the country.
A bank-turned-boutique hotel draws a luxe clientele far up north
That was followed by a total gut job lasting 16 months and costing $2 million. There was a deed restriction that prohibited them from opening another bank, but that was the last thing they had in mind. They wanted to create an eye-popping place to stay. Over the years, much original craftsmanship had been covered up by drywall and dropped ceilings. "We found things behind walls, in the basement. Everything we found, we put back into the building," she said. That included a carved wooden fireplace.
With new expansions, high-tech company that grew out of copper-mining collapse is on the grow
With new expansions, high-tech company that grew out of copper-mining collapse is on the grow
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