August 3, 2015

  • Beer is a powerhouse that ‘serves America’

    The beer industry is no slouch. The industry’s economic contributions were released in the Beer Serves America study last week by the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesalers Association. John Dunham & Associates conducted the study. Information was collected from private companies, Dun & Bradstreet, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Alcohol Tobacco Tax […]

  • Story development differentiates Mitten State

    The owners at The Mitten State are excited for football season to begin. The Michigan-themed T-shirt company acquired the rights to print shirts for Michigan State University and the University of Michigan at the end of last year, giving the company a full licensed lineup of Michigan colleges and universities. The Mitten State is mostly […]

  • Workforce agency rebrands as West Michigan Works!

    Seven West Michigan counties are collaborating to form a regional organization to provide unified services for employers and job seekers. Michigan Works!, a workforce development association, announced July 22 the merging of four agencies to create West Michigan Works! in an effort to align policies, procedures and practices for delivery of regional services while maintaining […]

  • Creative use of space

    Brokers who have clients looking for industrial space in West Michigan may need to consider some creative options. That’s the attitude Stu Kingma, an associate broker with NAI Wisinski of West Michigan, has toward meeting the challenges of finding industrial spaces in the West Michigan market. In a nutshell, here’s the issue: Brokers are running […]

  • OST launches division to recruit IT professionals

    Based on the growing difficulty of finding the right talent for IT positions and client feedback, Grand Rapids-based Open Systems Technologies is launching a formal recruiting division. OST, a $160 million information technology company at 605 Seward Ave. NW in Grand Rapids, announced July 27 the launch of its latest business practice: OST Recruiting Solutions. […]

  • Is market reaching saturation point?

    The West Michigan real estate industry is beginning to slow its pace. Piping hot for a number of years, the area’s real estate market is still healthy but starting to cool off, according to the 2015 Market Review from the Commercial Alliance of Realtors of West Michigan. The report, which was prepared by the Industrial […]

  • LG Electronics USA lights up Davenport campuses

    A Grand Rapids-based university is receiving an illuminating makeover through a partnership with a West Michigan-based energy savings company and the North American subsidiary of an international electronics and lighting manufacturer. Davenport University announced recently a partnership with LG Electronics USA to supply energy-efficient lighting fixtures on its campuses across the state in collaboration with […]

  • Excess capital supply, rising interest rates are top trends

    While a recent report highlights key issues impacting the national and international real estate market, several trends hit home for West Michigan. The Counselors of Real Estate, an international group of professionals headquartered in Chicago, recently released its third annual compilation of key trends impacting real estate on a national and international level, highlighting excess […]

  • Local survivalist turns to crowdfunding

    (As seen on WZZM TV 13) Grand Rapids resident Luke McLaughlin currently can be seen on the Discovery Channel’s series “Naked & Afraid XL,” trying to survive naked in a remote Colombian jungle with a group of 11 other people over the course of 40 days. This is his second time taking part in a […]

  • Is market flipped out?

    The ad delivered in the daily flow of spam brought to mind those heady days leading up to the home market crash when it seemed like every other person was trying to buy a house and then flip it. “In need of real estate funding? Want a cash loan to flip a home?” was the […]

  • It’s update time for employee handbooks

    Sexual orientation is included under sex discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said last week when it announced its decision in the case of Complainant v. Anthony Foxx, Secretary, Department of Transportation (Federal Aviation Administration). In the case, an air traffic controller alleged his employer, the FAA, discriminated against him based on his sexual orientation. […]

  • Rowe’s revival fuels north end

    The mixed-use redevelopment of a historic downtown hotel is coming along smoothly. The demolition phase at the Rowe Hotel on the corner of Michigan Street and Monroe Avenue NW is still in progress, but the project is slated to finish up by next summer, said Nick Koster, vice president of operations at CWD Real Estate. […]

  • Northpointe Bank ranked high by national industry association

    The Independent Community Bankers of America has listed Northpointe Bank in Grand Rapids as one of the top-performing community banks in the U.S. in its 2015 ratings, based on earnings and operational efficiencies throughout 2014. The ICBA, which has more than 6,000 member banks, based rankings on year-end FDIC call reports in six asset-size categories, […]

  • Michigan Supreme Court’s SEV ruling may result in refunds

    Attorneys from Warner Norcross succeeded in July in having the interpretation of a statute in the Real Estate Transfer Tax Act overturned by the Michigan Supreme Court. Gaëtan Gerville-Réache, an attorney with Warner Norcross, explained that whenever someone records a conveyance with the register of deeds, that person or entity is required to pay a […]

  • Street Talk: Reading the economic tea leaves

    Consumer confidence in Michigan is approaching record levels, begging the question: Has the state’s economy recovered? Yes — and no, said Charles Ballard, Michigan State University professor of economics and director of MSU’s quarterly State of the State Survey. In the spring survey, released last week, 60 percent of residents rated their financial situations as […]

  • Your missing power: the power of the Master Mind

    Perhaps the most powerful principle Napoleon Hill wrote about, and certainly the most enduring, is the ninth step toward riches: power of the Master Mind. The idea of a Master Mind group was created, put forth and expounded upon by Napoleon Hill in his two classic books, “Think and Grow Rich,” written in 1937, and […]

  • Change Ups: Downtown Market snags award

    The New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects has recognized Montclair, N.J.-based Hugh A. Boyd Architects with an Honor Award in the Built Open category for its design of Grand Rapids Downtown Market. Grand Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing the city’s downtown, developed the new market. The 132,000-square-foot building is a […]

  • Construction materials prices dominated by crisis economics

    Prices for inputs to construction industries expanded 0.2 percent in June after increasing 1.1 percent in May. Year-over-year prices were down 2.2 percent in June, and prices have not increased on an annual basis for the past seven months. The last time this occurred was the third and fourth quarters of 2009, when the global […]

  • Public Record

    Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds BONNER, Matthew et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Condo-Whispering Creek Site Condominiums, $253,800 HEERINGA, David et al, Chemical Bank, Condo-Fairbanks Estates Site Condominium, $560,000 DELEEUW, Hubert By POA et al, VanBeek Family Foundation, Sunset Hills Estates No. 4, Lot 109, $225,000 TEFT, Kelly et al, PNC […]

  • Inside Track: Coaching the basics on and off the court

    Coach Jim McGannon takes a different approach with youth sports. McGannon, founder and owner of Basketball Basics, a youth sports training organization, is coaching young athletes to build on the basics by developing skills that are applicable on and off the court. As a former collegiate and professional athlete in basketball and golf, McGannon has […]

  • Wyoming gateway ready for facelift

    The “gateway to the east” that lies at the southeast corner of Clyde Park Avenue and 44th Street SW is about to get a lot busier. Grand Rapids-based real estate developer Colliers International|West Michigan recently announced it has worked out a transaction to bring three companies to the vacant site, which once housed a shopping […]

  • European trip inspires comparisons of quality of life

    My wife and I took a riverboat cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest in June. It would be hard to exaggerate the beauty of the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The castles along the Rhine and magnificent cathedrals in almost every town were awesome. We were in a museum in Cologne, Germany, that had a mosaic […]

  • Last major rehab on Monroe Center prepares to open

    The last major building redevelopment project on Monroe Center in downtown is almost complete. As it currently stands, Rockford Construction’s landmark, $34 million project to redevelop The Morton is coming along on schedule and is slated to open this fall. Once known as the historic Morton Hotel, the rehabilitated building is a mixed-used development that […]

  • Your story is a box of crayons

    Let’s talk about your story — the story of your organization and what communications pieces you use to color the picture of who you are and the “why” behind what you do. Consider how sharp and perfect each crayon is in a new box of crayons. Oh, the possibilities of the masterpieces you can create […]

  • This partnership transcends blockade of political boundaries and egos

    In the not-too-distant past during the Great Recession, counties and cities were battling for any drop of economic development within each jurisdiction while property tax revenues and income tax revenue bled red, soaking municipal budgets. The business partnerships created for community projects and the Grand Rapids business/public partnerships long established offered strings by which to […]

  • Architecture firm’s growth indicative of industry

    Arnie Mikon would like to think TowerPinkster is a dramatic exception among local architecture companies — it has 14 new employees so far this year — but he said actually the whole industry is expanding. Mikon, who is TowerPinkster’s president and CEO, said the company has recovered steadily since the Great Recession and is up […]

  • Law firm launches craft brewery industry group

    Warner Norcross attorney Ian Kennedy has been spending a lot of time drinking beer at craft breweries. No need for an intervention, though. Kennedy’s time spent at local bars has to do with the growth in brewery clients he’s experienced in the last few years, thanks to the burgeoning craft beer industry in Michigan, and […]

  • Rockford Brewing finds a niche in local produce

    Seth Rivard and Jeff Sheehan are using their love of all things natural to carve out a niche for Rockford Brewing Co. in the West Michigan brewing industry. The two owners were at a screening of the documentary “Exported from Michigan” at Wealthy Street Theatre when they first heard the word “permaculture.” The word resonated […]

  • Arena Place closing in on project’s last retail tenant

    The $50 million, 130,000-square-foot Arena Place project, which will include ground floor retail, office and apartment space, and a three-level parking deck when it is completed in April, is just weeks away from signing its last tenant. John Wheeler, director of business development at Orion Construction, said he expects to fill the remaining 1,900 square […]

  • Brewing supplier goes from carport to global operation

    Chris Breimayer just wanted to pay for his homebrew supplies when he started his business, Psycho Brew, a brewing system manufacturer. Since its first year of operation in 2010, Breimayer has grown the company from $30,000 to a multi-million dollar operation shipping systems across the globe. He and a team of employees, including partner and […]

  • MLM restores the glory

    The rehabilitation of a historic mansion in Heritage Hill by Mary Mishler could give a TLC home improvement show a run for its money. The before and after pictures reveal a night-to-day difference in the historic property that sits at 22-28 Lafayette Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. The 0.83-acre parcel of land houses two buildings: 28 […]

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