Michigan Insurance Group

I am not a big fan of New Years’ resolutions, especially for business purposes. If you want to make a change, be resolved to make it today. If the change is worth making, it is worth making now. I have heard that over 90% of resolutions are broken before January 15. I am not certain if that is accurate, but it is alarming enough to support the idea that New Years’ resolutions don’t work. Change in your business is inevitable. If you do nothing, your business will still change. If you make adjustments to your daily routines, your business will change. The real question is, will your business progress? Will it actually get better? Are the changes you make improving your chances for success in the upcoming year? The last few weeks of the year is a busy time, it is often difficult to devote the few hours you need to create a plan for the New Year. Yet, it is important for you to make the time and think about your business and make a plan on how to improve. Once it is created, it is

What holiday tradition do you look forward to every year? Is there a tradition you have continued that has been passed down from generations? Did you start a tradition for your family? Traditions are one of the many things that make the holiday season special. We asked our team these same questions. See what traditions make our holidays merry and bright. "One of our holiday traditions is to hop in the car, grab hot cocoa and drive around to see all the Christmas light displays. On Christmas morning I make cinnamon rolls from scratch to enjoy." - Sarah Kallio, Licensed Insurance Agent Lisa Stay, Customer Service Assistant, says "My family has always had a village under the tree at Christmas.  Each house has been bought as a memory of what happened during the year.  My village started when I moved out of my parents home with houses that represented the dance studio I took at, the restaurant my husband and I had our rehearsal dinner at, and a nutcracker dancing

Disney's lovable dog Pluto is on our blog today because Casey Stay (pictured on the left), son of our Customer Service Assistant, Lisa Stay just traveled many miles with his Michigan Insurance Group t-shirt tucked away in his suitcase.  Casey went on a surprise Disney cruise with his Grandparents and cousin. They visited San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortuga and Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas where the picture was taken and Michigan Insurance Group was sighted. Casey not only met Pluto but he soaked up the sun on the cruise ship and swam with dolphins. Sounds like a great vacation to me. Thanks for taking Michigan Insurance Group with you! Stay tuned for more: Where has Michigan Insurance Group traveled!  Written by  Karlee Miller Creative Administrator www.michiganinsurancegroup.com

Foodie Friday presents: Grandma Pat's Butterscotch Cookies Have you started planning your list of delicious treats for the holidays? Well, you might want to re-write your grocery list. Add this delicious recipe from Patricia McKie: warm, tasty, sweet butterscotch cookies.   Ingredients: 6 cups corn flakes 6 tbsp peanut butter 1 bag Nestle butterscotch morsels  Serving Size: 24-36 Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cook Time:  20 minutes Directions: Combine peanut butter and butterscotch morsels in a bowl. Microwave mixture for about 1 minute or until mixture is creamy and smooth when stirred. Pour cornflakes into large bowl. Coat cornflakes with melted mixture. Mix until all flakes are covered. Spoon out on parchment paper in ball shapes. Wait 20 minutes until cookies are cool and firm.  Enjoy! Would you like to see your recipe on our blog? Fill out a recipe card . Written by  Karlee Miller Creative Administrator www.michiganinsurancegroup.com

With the busy holiday shopping season upon us remember to protect your customers’ financial information as well as your own personal financial information. Unfortunately, Data Breach is on the rise. You might also want to look into your current insurance policy; in the event of a data breach, are you covered? Donald A. Shampine President & CEO of Michigan Insurance Group www.michiganinsurancegroup.com

Foodie Friday presents: Roasted Garlic Potato Salad Port City Tavern in Muskegon shared with us their favorite recipe for Roasted Garlic Potato Salad. It is a rather simple recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to whip together. Take this recipe as a dish to pass or serve at your next family gathering.  Ingredients: 12 red skin potatoes 10 cloves of garlic 2 tsps olive oil 2 stalks of celery 1 small red onion 2 1/2 cups of mayo 1 tbsp dijon mustard 3 tsps salt 3 tsps pepper 3 tsps granulated onion Serving Size:  8 Preparation Time:  10 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Put garlic cloves on tin foil.  Drizzle olive oil over garlic  Close up tin foil and roast the garlic in the oven for 20 minutes. Cut your potatoes in 1/4 inch squares then boil in water until tender. Remove from water and cool. Chop onions and celery to desired size.  When potatoes are cool, mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add roasted garlic last. Let

Each month we deliver fun and festive treats to businesses in the Muskegon and Grand Haven areas, Betten, Preferred ,  @HomeRealty , North Pointe Bank  just to name a few. The treat we chose for this month is sweet chocolate cupcake turkeys. We found the design on the wonderful world of Pinterest , shopped for the ingredients (see below), and then worked together to build the little gobblers. The project was rather simple with helping hands. Lisa Stay, Customer Service Assistant, Karlee Miller, Creative Administrator and I worked together to build each individual turkey cupcake.  Baking A LOT of cupcakes. So many turkey faces. How to make the turkey cupcakes: 1. To make the cupcakes follow directions on the back of the chocolate cake mix box. 2. Use thin mint cookies for the round turkey head. 3. Reese's Pieces cut in half make the perfect bird beak. 4. We used candy corn and Indian corn candies for the feathers. 5. Buy candy eyes from the bakery section at

Foodie Friday presents: The Breakfast Egg Bake Amber Rude, of Grand Haven , submitted her recipe for a tasty breakfast dish to the recipe card on michiganinsurancegroup.com. She was a participant in our Recipe Contest back in September. The early arrival of snow will make this hot breakfast even more enjoyable.  We are excited to share the first of many Foodie Friday recipes with you!  Enjoy! Ingredients: 9 Eggs- beaten 4-6 cups  slightly steamed or blanched Broccoli-cut small  1/3-1/2 cup sliced Green Onion  1-2 cups diced ham  1 cup Shredded Cheese of your choice Serving Size: 8-12 Preparation Time: 10 min Cook Time: 40 min Directions: 1. Heat oven to 375 F.  2. Spray a 9"x12" casserole dish with non-stick spray.  3. Bring a med pot of water to a boil and cook the broccoli 2 min, then drain.  4. Cut up ham and green onion while broccoli drains and cools.  5. Layer broccoli, ham, cheese, and green onion in casserole dish.  6. Seas

Election Day is looming, and we are faced with the buzz of radio ads, phone calls, and television commercials all vying for our attention, our votes, and to get us to the ballot boxes. Yet, even though the poling locations are open from 7am to 8pm it does not guarantee everyone will find the time to cast their ballot. With that in mind, it is often questioned if employees should be given time off to cast their vote during the work day? The State of Michigan stands silent on laws governing time off for employees to vote. Employees are not required nor permitted, by law, any time off to cast their ballot. So the law does not create voters’ rights, what about a sense of civic duty? Should employers grant that time off anyway? As someone who would like to see a much higher rate of participation in the election process, I could be easily drawn into that line of thinking. Yet, the economic hardship this could cause to a business is real and must be balanced with its desire to

Only two days until little goblins, princesses, villains and super heroes will parade the streets. Kids of all ages will be searching for lit porch lights because, as we all know, a lit porch light means treats are just a knock, knock away. Halloween is a fun and exciting time for everyone. Keep the holiday safe and enjoyable this year with these tips: 1.Before you dress in your costume and go door-to-door, remind children to look both ways before crossing every street. 2. If you decide to drive take your time going through the neighborhood. Watch for trick or treaters that might dart out on the streets. 3. Kids should exit the car curb side to avoid traffic in the street.  4. Glow sticks and necklaces or flashlights will make children more visible at night. 5. Keep your head lights on and music low so you can see and hear kids better. 6. Are your teenagers going in a group? Remind your teens that going in a group is safer than going alone.   7.