Andy LaBarre

Richard Brown has had a successful career as a nuclear medicine physician and professor of radiology. Now at the age of 71, he has decided to take on a completely new endeavor — as a first-time consumer product founder in Ann Arbor. On this month's "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU's Caroline MacGregor and Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber’s Andy LaBarre shared how a first-time entrepreneur has taken a consumer product idea toward commercialization at 71.

Each month, we partner with the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber to look at how the news of the day impacts the local business community. On this month's "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU's Caroline MacGregor was joined by Andy LaBarre, Executive Vice President and Director of Government Relations for the Chamber, and Cybersecurity expert, Detective Kevin Parvize to explore how emerging cyber security issues are increasingly posing a threat to the local business community.

The growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way people do business. On this month’s "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor chats with Atomic Object Managing Partner, Jonah Bailey and Executive Vice President and Director of Government Relations for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, Andy LaBarre about how responsible adoption of AI can help companies remain innovative and achieve long-term growth.

Ann Arbor businesses are feeling the impact of people suffering homelessness and mental health challenges. For this month's "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU's Caroline MacGregor and Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Executive Vice President and Director of Government Relations, Andy LaBarre discussed these economic impacts with the Executive Director of Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, Trish Cortes.

Washtenaw County Commissioners may consider asking voters to approve a healthcare access millage in November. But even on the board, it’s getting some pushback. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

Each month, we partner with the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber to look at how the news of the day impacts the local business community. For this month's "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU's Caroline MacGregor was joined by Andy LaBarre, Executive Vice President and Director of Government Relations for the Chamber, and Destination Ann Arbor Director of Community Engagement Jennifer Chizek to talk about the upcoming tourism season and what Destination Ann Arbor predicts for this summer and fall.

Interest rates, loans and investment strategies—it all plays into the health of individual businesses and the Washtenaw County business community as a whole. How are we doing right now? WEMU's David Fair and Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Executive Vice President Andy LaBarre check in with Erik Bakker from Bank of Ann Arbor for a better perspective on well-being of our local business community, now and in the near-term future.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently gave her final State of the State address. Politics and policy most certainly have an impact on the health and well-being of the business community. Rich Chang is the Chief of Staff of Blumira, a Washtenaw County-based cyber security firm. He joined WEMU's David Fair and Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Executive Vice President Andy LaBarre to talk about how the business community is faring through political uncertainty.

There is a long tradition of teenagers and young adults getting summer jobs to save up some money while school is out of session. It has seemingly become more difficult to land one of these jobs. That’s where SummerWorks comes in. Through partnership and collaboration, the SummerWorks summer youth employment program works with area employers to find paid internships and mentorship to area young people. It can go beyond a few summer dollars and be a pathway to self-discovery, an educational path and/or a career. WEMU's David Fair and Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Executive Vice President Andy LaBarre talked with program manager Kathleen Clancey about the program and how your kids and grandkids can get involved.

Nearly 200 Washtenaw County residents could lose their housing if federal HUD grants are not renewed in the coming months. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.