Dave Person

Bio

Dave Person has been a professional journalist for more than 50 years. He was managing editor of the student newspaper at MSU, and was a reporter and copy editor at the Kalamazoo Gazette for nearly 40 years. Dave, originally from Allegan but is now a resident of Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County, officially retired in 2009 but has been a freelance journalist and editor ever since.

Articles

Loot Energy founder Jon Elms laughs while holding a can of Loot Energy while sitting on couch with an unnamed woman.

From the gym to gaming to a business idea

Playing video games was supposed to pass time until the pandemic ended and gyms opened back up. Then Jon Elms, a fitness coach, created an energy drink company for gym rats and gamers alike that is expanding beyond Kalamazoo after some help from another local business owner.

A sister by her side. A family behind her back.

It takes a will, skill, and family for two women running a cafe in the middle of rural Scotts. Yet the community is grateful they’ve taken it on, from the retired couple who offered them the chance, to their meat suppliers who are also regular diners.
the front entrance of the Round About Caffe.

‘I put all of my savings into this’

After serving her family and friends for years as a homemaker, Swapna Gorthi takes a chance on her own coffee-making and culinary skills, opening a shop with a unique menu. Coincidentally, it hasn’t been a direct path to establishing the Round About Caffe.
Churu Yun speaks into a microphone to a group of people sitting in chairs

Design industry pipeline keeping workers in town

An education-to-employment infrastructure has brought businesses, kept workers, and made Kalamazoo a national hub for industrial design and related jobs.
a red, wooden school house after total renovation

Back to school

After an extensive restoration and a pandemic break, classes (and more) resume at the 143-year-old school house on a Cooper Township corner.
a cartoon of a man and a woman lying in the grass looking at the stars

Spoken word duo’s final act: Animated poem ‘Stargazing’

Gabriel Giron shares the inspiration behind his final collaboration with spoken word partner Kirk Latimer.
three workers sit aroujnd a table covered in piles of wool

Woolery’s work continues founders’ legacy

The SHALOM Woolery Sheep Barn enhances work space for an operation that has provided housing and support for area adults with disabilities for three decades.
a flyer reading "KGOP Women's Luncheon to Feature Summit on Election Integrity"

Falsehoods fuel fear underscoring Kalamazoo GOP’s election strategy

The Kalamazoo GOP is using 2020 election misinformation to rally election inspectors for upcoming votes.
Becky Bil holds a large bag of popcorn

Small local businesses adapt to COVID economy

A survey of shops in Kalamazoo’s downtown business district finds entrepreneurs in various industries keep their doors open by taking the pandemic in stride.
craft soil company co-owners in front of their store

Growing a new business in good soil

The Craft Soil Company has opened up a new gardening store, focusing first on artisan soil as more supplies come in.