Now in its ninth year, Restaurant Week Grand Rapids has more than 60 restaurants participating in the 12-day event. Each eatery creates a menu specifically intended to branch out and create something new while staying true to its core concept. It’s a chance for newcomers to try new restaurants and regulars to try new dishes, and it’s happening at nearly every restaurant in the Greater Grand Rapids area.

Despite consumers’ shift in recent years to lighter beer styles, most drinkers continue to vote with their dollars for hoppy IPAs, which remain the growth engine for the craft beer industry.

Since launching Blue Falcon Productions in 2012, Dan Campbell and Jude Walko have spent much of their time helping others produce movies and web series. But last month on July 31, Blue Falcon released its first feature film to iTunes, Amazon, Family Video and more.

In a way, all of Best of the West is about the people. We don’t have any categories for Best Automated Factory Robot — although, even if we did, it takes a human to design that robot. But in this section, we narrow our focus to the specific people who shine bright in our community, as well as the businesses who work hard to make our lives better.