August 20, 2018
Thinking about selling your family business to your kids?
If you’ve been thinking about passing your family business down to the next generation, you may be asking: How much should I sell it for? To answer this question, you’ll want to reflect carefully on these six major areas: How should I structure the transaction? This is a common place to start thinking about your […]
Thinking outside the box is essential in solving worker shortage
The Business Journal has noted for more than a year the ever-worsening talent and recruitment shortages in the region (and state). The issue is part of almost every discussion with business owners and executives, especially those who understand the worker shortage is quickly becoming a tsunami as older adults retire and population decreases over the […]
LGBT-friendly business directory compiled for seniors
Two local organizations are working to ensure senior citizens of the LGBT community are able to receive proper care and services. The Grand Rapids Pride Center and the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan are among several organizations throughout the state taking part in SAGE Metro Detroit’s LGBT and Aging Initiative for 2017-18, funded […]
Kent ISD to house special education programs
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Center-based special education programs in Kent County will be managed by another entity next year. The Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education voted to transfer the $36-million programs and related services to the Kent Intermediate School District or another educational entity, effective July 1, 2019. While not yet […]
Is drone privacy up to the states?
Have you seen a drone hovering above you recently? It wouldn't be surprising, given how ubiquitous consumer drones are becoming — as many as 2.5 million now share our national airspace. Drones are becoming an eye-in-the-sky at sporting events, weddings and outdoor activities, and recreational drone pilots are capitalizing on the unique perspective that entry-level drones […]
KCC, WMU partner on transfer agreement
Two local schools are teaming up to make transferring a smoother process. At the start of the 2018-19 school year, an institutional articulation agreement between Kellogg Community College and Western Michigan University will go into effect. The agreement allows students who have earned their associate degree from KCC to automatically transfer their credits from 20 […]
Cornerstone, Mel Trotter to offer discounted degrees
A discounted degree program meant to increase accessibility will be available for Mel Trotter Ministries’ clients and staff starting this academic year. A partnership between the nonprofit and Cornerstone University's Professional and Graduate Studies division allows Mel Trotter program graduates and staff to pursue an associate degree in human services on-site at Mel Trotter. The […]
Room for one more dairy plant?
The state has announced two multimillion-dollar dairy processing facilities in the last seven months and just an hourlong drive separates them. Spartan Michigan LLC was the most recent facility announced earlier this month. Glanbia plc, Select Milk Producers and Dairy Farmers of America invested $425 million into the 146-acre site that is expected to process […]
Street Talk: Parking for all
The multifaceted Studio Park project has begun pouring four of the six building foundations, and unique to other large-scale developments in downtown Grand Rapids, the project promises surplus parking for employees in 2019. Jeff Olsen, partner with Olsen Loeks Development and Jackson Entertainment, said the 55,000-square-foot, 933-space parking ramp is going to facilitate all mixed-use […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds HUIZINGA, Derek et al, Chemical Bank, Condo-River Oaks, $320,000 RAPIN, Patrick T. et al, Flagstar Bank, Ada Woods No. 8, Lot 108, $300,000 BULTMAN, Cory S. et al, Consumers Credit Union, Bella Vista Shores No. 2, Lot 54, $208,000 KENTWOOD HOTEL & SUITES INC., First […]
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Change Ups: Martlew tapped as interim WMU-Cooley Law School president
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School tapped former Michigan 29th Circuit Court judge and retired WMU Cooley Associate Dean Jeffrey Martlew as interim president beginning in September. Martlew, a 1976 graduate of WMU Cooley, is a former member of the WMU Cooley board of directors. He retired as the founding associate dean of the law school’s […]
Farm loans continue to grow
The number of farming loans has increased as farmers battle the financial woes of the agricultural industry. Travis Jones is the executive vice president and chief financial officer for GreenStone Farm Credit Services, a Lansing-based financial institution that serves members in Michigan and in northeast Wisconsin with an office in Grand Rapids. He said GreenStone’s […]
New construction continues to rise
New construction is heating up across West Michigan’s industrial landscape as manufacturing continues to thrive and quality inventory becomes scarce. Despite construction costs being at an “all-time high,” new inventory is finding its way onto the market as costs to rent rise to compete with the cost to build. According to NAI Wisinski of West […]
Seven credit unions look to form trust
Seven Michigan credit unions have applied to form a trust so they can offer their members fiduciary services they otherwise could not provide. Under amendments to the banking code and the Michigan Credit Union Act of 2016, the state of Michigan has approved the institutions’ joint application to form Credit Union Trust. Pending regulatory approval, […]
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Inside Track: A passion for patient care
Laura Smith’s passionate work for cancer patients stems from her own experience with the disease. Smith began her career without clear intentions; it was almost by chance, she said, that her path has gone where it has. Once she started work in the field and met patients and their families, she got flashbacks as a […]
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Sierra Club sues EPA over smog levels
The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency covering the omission of Ottawa County from the EPA’s list of areas found to be in “nonattainment” of health-based ozone standards. Ottawa County is one of several places across the U.S. cited in the lawsuit, filed Aug. 3 in the U.S. Court of Appeals […]
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Region’s first brewery co-op on tap
After several years of legal work and real estate hunting, High Five Co-op Brewery recently secured a space for its first brewery and taproom in the Shoppes at 52nd Street in Kentwood, putting it on track to be the first member-owned brewery in West Michigan. High Five has been around since 2011, hosting meet-ups for […]
