April 11, 2016
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Change Ups: Local software company forms new partnership
Grand Rapids software company eVideon has reached a partnership with PDi that enables the design and manufacture of touch screen and swing-arm systems for TVs that enhance patients’ experience and streamline workflow. Installation of the Patient Experience Platform (shown) has been completed at VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. PDi developed the hardware, which is combined […]
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Short-term confidence index is gaining momentum
After seeing the reports for the West Michigan industrial economy soften at the end of 2015, it is gratifying to report the local economy is again gaining strength. The data and comments collected in the last two weeks appear to be paralleling the post-holiday growth we reported last month. New Orders, our index of business […]
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The United States is losing the battle in tax competiveness
Tax day will be upon us within days. This year it is April 18, due to a government holiday in Washington, D.C. The presidential campaign has been focused on other issues and not necessarily on tax policy. We can thank the 24-hour news channels for shining a spotlight on the drama and not necessarily the […]
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Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds RASMUSSEN, Jonathan et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Forest Hills No. 9, Lot 274, $205,000 WIERS, Troy N. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Planters Row No. 4, Lot 144, $260,000 MIER, Casey R. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Vergennes Twp., 21-7-9, $265,000 KAR HOLDINGS […]
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Driving for sales success? Jim Rohn supplies the fuel
The root of your sales success lies in your sales philosophy. How did you develop yours? Mine came from a combination of home environment, books, education, mentors, personal development programs, personal experience and observations. You establish and revise the basic principles of your philosophies by exposure to information, your experiences and listening to the belief […]
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Inside Track: Wassink’s wild ride is nowhere near its end
Despite heading up a major account at one of the largest advertising firms in the world, Wendy Wassink was frustrated. She was sick of the lack of collaboration, of sitting in a boardroom biting her tongue because it wasn’t her place to make a suggestion. So, in 2006, Wassink and her longtime creative partner, Dave […]
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New law allows access to online accounts after death
A new law will ensure people’s online lives will be accessible after their death. Gov. Rick Snyder signed the Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act into law at the end of last month, adding Michigan to the growing list of states adopting laws related to the management of digital assets. The new law, which was […]
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VAI scientists advocate for biomedical research improvements
The National Institutes of Health could get an injection of $2 billion per year for the next five years if the 21st Century Cures Act makes it to President Barack Obama’s desk in the coming months. U.S. Representative Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) was in Grand Rapids recently meeting with researchers at Van Andel Institute to […]
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Pet waste business picks up in spring
Dave Hunt says he is “number one in the number two business.” Hunt is the master of a job so dirty, few people actually believe him when he announces what he does for a living. “We pick up dog poop for people,” he tells them. “What do you really do?” they respond. “I pick up […]
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Well House hits milestone of helping 100 homeless
Tami VandenBerg thinks the numbers show her organization may very well have discovered the secret to solving homelessness in Grand Rapids. VandenBerg, executive director of Grand Rapids-based nonprofit Well House, recently announced it has hit a major “100-person” milestone. Since VandenBerg joined the nonprofit in January 2013, 103 people have been moved off the streets […]
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Project aims to increase appellate investigations
While it is not an innocence project, those behind the newly launched Appellate Investigation Project do hope it might help attorneys win exonerations for some criminal defendants appealing their convictions. The Appellate Investigation Project, or AIP, launched in December with the goal of providing Michigan Appellate Assigned Counsel System, or MAACS, attorneys with increased access […]
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ASQ names new fellows
American Society for Quality has named 24 new society fellows who will be honored in May for contributing to the advancement of quality. Of the 24 honorees, two hail from West Michigan. Michael Alan Hirt, of Grand Rapids-based ADAC Automotive, A VAST Alliance Partner, is being recognized for “exemplary leadership” while mentoring others; for dedication […]
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Street Talk: A driving dialogue
Transit, a hot topic in the region, will take a new conversational path later this week as the 2016 Public Transportation and Universities Conference rolls into Grand Rapids. The four-day conference launching April 16 will be hosted by Grand Valley State University and The Rapid at the Amway Grand Plaza, and is expected to draw […]
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Letter: Health Pointe is ready to serve Grand Haven
Editor: The Grand Haven community has been the focal point of considerable discussion, deliberation and debate regarding the Health Pointe integrated health care center. With the final approval of the project now complete, all of us connected with Health Pointe are very grateful to area residents and to township officials for the considerable time and […]
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Letter: Blood diversion is a blow to West Michigan efforts
Editor: Your Street Talk feature (“Slam-dunk design,” March 28) on the American Red Cross blood donation appeal is a major disservice to our community and the hospitals in Kent County. Michigan Blood, a not-for-profit blood bank headquartered in Grand Rapids, is the sole provider of blood products to all of the local hospitals, including Spectrum […]
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Firms mull unlimited time off as benefit
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Imagine what would happen if a company gave everyone unlimited, paid time off. Whether your reaction is negative or positive basically reflects how people are split over the unique policy that Cinnaire, a Lansing-based community development finance institute, launched this year. The aptly named Unlimited Paid Time Off policy has […]
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21st Century Cures Act has important ramifications in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Business Journal is reporting on the proposed legislation, the 21st Century Cures Act, recently spotlighted at the Van Andel Institute for its bolstering of funding for young researchers (among all others). While the Business Journal report focuses on the best features of the proposed legislation, it is not without detractors in the hospital […]
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Mosquito prevention firm hopes to take sting out of spring
It’s springtime in Michigan, which means everyone’s least favorite bloodsucking insects are back. Just the mention of mosquitoes may be enough to put that high-pitch buzz in people’s ears and make them think about fogging their backyards. And that’s exactly how Greg VanDeusen and Tom Rosenhagen, the co-owners of a new mosquito prevention franchise, plan […]
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Seller’s market should hold strong through rest of the year
It was a seller’s market for companies looking to be acquired in 2015, and that trend doesn’t look to change in the next few years. In fact, as Travis Ernst, Rua Associates business development and transaction manager, remarked, last year might not have yielded as many transactions for the firm, but the valuation of those […]
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Brewer sets up shop in Grand Rapids
There’s a new brewer on the horizon set to push the boundaries of Grand Rapids beer. Mitch Ermatinger recently moved back to West Michigan from Denver because he saw an opportunity to do something special in Grand Rapids: Speciation Artisan Ales. Ermatinger was on staff at Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, an offshoot of […]
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Third Coast expands beyond Medical Mile
Third Coast Development principals Max Benedict, David Levitt and Brad Rosely are looking at every angle of their company’s strategy and asking: What if? If there’s no dialogue on how they develop their projects or it’s all positive talk, that’s a bad sign, Benedict said. A lot of Third Coast’s discussions obviously are positive; otherwise, […]
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HopCat’s Michigan expansions might be drying up
Eight years in, and HopCat has had a lot of success as a “big fish in a small pond,” but the beer-bar chain now is entering big-city territory. Last month, HopCat’s parent company, BarFly Ventures, announced the chain’s expansion into Chicago, roughly a week after the announcement of a HopCat coming to Kalamazoo. Following an […]
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Michigan Wheel’s fortunes spin positive
At its height in the 1960s and 1970s, Michigan Wheel Corp. saw annual sales of more than $100 million. Based in Grand Rapids, the company was one of the biggest names in the marine world, especially when it came to propeller manufacturing. Then, in 2009, like many companies, Michigan Wheel hit rock bottom, with only […]
