Street Talk: Boards: Only white males need apply

A little diversity can go a long way. Apparently, it has to. A new study by a pair of Grand Valley State University professors revealed...

Street Talk: Downtown’s Doughnut

With the public and private sectors getting a better grasp on the retail needs of West Michigan at the International Council of Shopping Centers...

Street Talk: Wyoming puts parks, public safety on the ballot

The Wyoming City Council recently took action to place two proposals on the May 2022 ballot that, if approved, would provide future funding to support public safety and parks needs, make the city more financially sustainable and minimize the overall tax burden of residents.

Street Talk: Another use for the fiscal cliff

It’s always about the money. Especially if you happen to be a congressman hanging off the fiscal cliff — or being thrown off. U.S. Rep....

Street Talk: The CON game is afoot

While a new attack on the Michigan Certificate of Need was waged again last week on behalf of the twice-rejected attempt by McLaren Health...

Street Talk: Transit workers throw Snyder under the bus

Who’s responsible for the tragedy that is Flint’s water crisis? It’s a question a lot of people locally and nationally are trying to answer, and...

Street Talk: A buyer’s market

According to an online real estate site, 2019 is looking to be a hot year for Grand Rapids’ housing market. Trulia identified 10 of the...

Street Talk: Food for thought

Grand Rapids is good at pulling off combos. We combine lots of things and make them better. The latest example is the 2015 Meijer LPGA...

Street Talk: An answer to prayers

Aquinas College is right on track funding its new chapel. Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel, scheduled to open in fall 2017, has surpassed its...

Street Talk: Business as usual

Michigan captured eight of the top 10 spots on Business Facilities’ 16th annual Rankings Report for 2020, including once again taking the No. 1 ranking for in the Automotive Manufacturing Strength category.

Street Talk: Our grandparents’ mistake surcharge

The legacy of landfills — or dumps, as everybody called them when Grandpa was a kid — is an expensive legacy we are still...

Street Talk: Feel free to walk a mile in our shoes

There’s a good chance Kris Larson is jumping out of his boots this week. The Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. CEO has long been a proponent...

Street Talk: Manufacturing makes a comeback

The U.S. manufacturing sector continues to rebound as a result of pent-up demand for goods and, perhaps, the effect of the Trump administration’s “pro-America”...

Street Talk: Slam-dunk design

Sometimes Grand Rapids imports design talent to make the city more aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes it also exports it. For example, one of the NBA’s...

Street Talk: Fear of failure? Not for these people

Six storytellers took to the Wealthy Street Theatre stage recently and poured their hearts out to 400 people during the first-ever Failure-Lab. The brain child...

Street Talk: Follow the pattern

With rent and mortgage costs rising and communities across the state challenged to develop enough housing for their residents, the Michigan Municipal League and Michigan Economic Development Corporation have reached back into the past to develop new strategies to help communities add more housing options to their existing neighborhoods.

Street Talk: Funny things happened at the Forum

The West Michigan Policy Forum had a major cause for joy when it convened this year: Since the last Forum two years ago, the...

Street Talk: Money still talks in CEO performance reviews

A new study conducted by the Center for Leadership Development and Research at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University’s Rock Center for Corporate...

Street Talk: Chamber, KDL partner to support minority businesses

The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Kent District Library are joining together to strengthen the chamber’s new Center for Economic Inclusion. 

Street Talk: Manufacturer’s cool concept driven by research

Structural Concepts met an upcoming climate change-reducing standard a cool month ahead of schedule. Muskegon-based Structural Concepts reported Dec. 9 that all of its self-contained...