Kara Szymanski

The Mount Pleasant City Commission has voted to rezone 300 acres of land in the Mount Pleasant SmartZone so that it can be developed into a business and research district. Central Michigan University Research Corp. (CMURC) is overseeing the project.

Marx Group, a San Rafael, Calif.-based research, strategy, and marketing communications agency for the automotive aftermarket, has formed a partnership with Near Perfect Media, a Birmingham-based public relations firm.

Grand Rapids-based healthcare plan provider Priority Health has launched a new participation and outcomes-based service called PriorityCares, which aims to help employers improve the health of employees diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Ben’s Soft Pretzels, an Indiana-based soft pretzel bakery franchise, has announced plans to open 15 new locations in metro Detroit by 2021.

Chrysler’s new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Minivan, which was unveiled earlier this month, has earned a fuel economy rating of 84 miles-per-gallon equivalent from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

T and M Associates, a New Jersey-based consulting, environmental, engineering, and construction management company, has opened a new office in the downtown Detroit-based Renaissance Center. Joining T and M’s Novi office, the new location is the company’s second space in metro Detroit.

Detroit-based Wayne State University’s Math Corps has received a nearly $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and study the replication of its mathematics enrichment and mentoring program, which operates during summers and on Saturdays.

EarthTronics, Inc., a Muskegon-based light bulb supply company, has expanded its LED product line to include decorative filament LED design light bulb options that company officials say provide more than 80 percent energy savings compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.

​Modustri, a Grand Rapids-based maker of digital analytics solutions for large-scale heavy equipment deployments, has launched a new global machine management platform with Caterpillar Inc., an Illinois-based company that designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, markets, and sells machinery, mostly for agricultural needs.

Grand Rapids-based Grand Valley State University was cited as one of the top four Michigan universities for freshman to sophomore retention (84 percent) in 2015, says the university’s 10th annual Accountability Report.