December 2, 2013
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Solicitor general eyes Warner return
John Bursch said he will not miss the daily commute to Lansing when he leaves his post as Michigan’s solicitor general and returns to private practice in December. He is also looking forward to spending more time with his wife and their five kids. Bursch took up the solicitor general post in 2011, and when […]
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County employees receive salary increase
When the New Year arrives, 291 clerical, professional and management employees at Kent County will get a 2 percent pay hike. On the same day, they will begin contributing more to their pensions. County commissioners recently approved the pay raise and accepted the higher contribution from the workers to their retirement plans. The salary increase […]
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Alliance for Health to screen controversial film
The Alliance for Health First Friday forum this week is pegged to a free public screening of a recent political documentary one expert says has been seen by practically everybody in the health care industry. “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare” was released in 2012 and won an award in the documentary category […]
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Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds WODAREK, James M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Glen Valley Estates No. 3, Lot 114, $200,910 THOMAS, Shaundrea R. et al, Mortgage Research Center, Condo-Indigo Ridge, $260,101 ELVE, Larry et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Byron Twp., 8-5-12, $350,175 DEGRAAF, Dean et al, Aspire Financial, […]
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Change Ups: CRN volunteer earns O’Bee Service Excellence Award
The Caregiver Resource Network conferred its third annual 2013 Jerry O’Bee Service Excellence Award to Cindy Streekstra. The award is given to a member of the CRN who is a dedicated volunteer and an example of O’Bee’s commitment to excellence for senior citizens and their caregivers. Streekstra is one of the original members of the […]
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Street Talk: Mercantile, Alma bank merger is under protest
A protest filed by an attorney/activist in New York has Mercantile Bank in Grand Rapids worried about its plans to merge with another Michigan bank by Dec. 31. Matthew R. Lee of the Bronx, founder of “watchdog organization” Inner City Press/Fair Finance Watch, filed an Oct. 21 protest with the Federal Reserve System under the […]
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Salespeople have questions and Jeffrey has the answers
I get a ton of emails from people seeking insight or asking me to solve their sales dilemmas. Here are a few that may relate to your job, your life and (most important) your sales thought process. Jeffrey, A company that installs gutter guards recently lost my business. I was solicited by their sales team […]
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Energy Choice Now disputes latest state reports
Energy Choice Now, a group formed in 2010 to fight for restoration of the right to buy electricity on the grid from other than state-specified utilities, is attacking a series of reports jointly issued in November by the director of the Michigan Energy Office and chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission. The statewide Energy […]
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Politicians need an HR lesson: teamwork with a focus
The point of my typical article is about how you can improve your business or organization through better human resources practices. Sometimes I extend the scope to matters associated with strategic planning and execution of such plans. However, I’d like to point out that the lessons learned in those environments can be applied to our […]
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John Ball Zoo may soon get new management
After operating and maintaining the John Ball Zoo and Park on the northwest side of Grand Rapids for the past 26 years, Kent County recently came close to transferring those duties to the new John Ball Zoo Corp. But just two days prior to the board’s scheduled Nov. 21 vote on the matter, the county’s […]
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City sells more small, vacant properties
For at least the third time this year, the city of Grand Rapids has sold vacant city-owned parcels to buyers located close to those sites. And for the second time this year, a commissioner has questioned why the city is selling those properties so cheaply. Commissioners recently sold five parcels to Grant Street Partners LLC […]
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Michigan shoppers: Watch your step in the grocery aisles
Imagine walking through the produce section in your local grocery store. Your feet slip from under you. You hit the floor. As you feel the pain of your injuries, you look over and see the culprit: a stepped-on grape lying on the floor. That's what happened to Nancy Duncan. According to a lawsuit she filed, […]
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Telemedicine leases: So the doctor can always ‘see’ you
The doctor will see you now — even though he’s in a hospital 200 miles away. We can thank the rise of telemedicine for this phenomenon, which allows physicians to deliver health care services to patients without being in the same room. While telemedicine has been on the scene for the past four decades, the […]
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Warner Norcross taps TerraLex for $500M acquisition
Warner Norcross worked with law firms in 22 foreign countries earlier this year to complete a $500 million acquisition on behalf of Toronto-based CCL Industries. CCL Industries, a global specialty packaging and label company, acquired two divisions of the California-based company Avery Denison: its Office & Consumer Products division and its Designed & Engineered Solutions […]
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Maplegrove Property establishes itself in downtown market
Although it’s not the biggest investment the firm has made, it is the largest single portfolio it has acquired. Heritage Collection LLC recently bought eight multifamily residential buildings located in the urban core of Grand Rapids for $10.3 million from Heritage Management LLC. Maplegrove Property Management and its investors comprised Heritage Collection. Chad Cassidy is […]
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Philanthropy is much more than a marketing plan
Bill and Melinda Gates’ Giving Pledge, by which they invited fellow billionaires to agree to give half of their wealth to charity, has garnered more than 92 committed individuals since last reported in September, including Warren Buffett, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Gates was quoted in the national media: “Their thoughtfulness […]
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Why you should read those ‘terms & conditions’ before clicking ‘agree’
Earlier this month it was widely reported that a Grandville-based online company called KlearGear had charged a Utah customer a penalty of $3,500 for posting a bad review of the company online. The company had contacted Jen Palmer, the disgruntled customer, threatening her with the fine — which it said was part of a disparagement […]
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What happens to digital assets when you die?
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) We have numerous online accounts — photo and document storage accounts, online banking and brokerage accounts, music, movie, eBooks and other entertainment accounts, social media accounts, virtual stores where we sell products — the list goes on and on. So in a world where much of our life is […]
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Inside Track: Hope professor spends sabbatical as intern
Open Systems Technologies’ “Intern Ryan” is quite possibly one of the most educated and experienced interns you’ve never heard of. “Intern Ryan,” as he’s called by his OST peers — almost all of whom are about 10 to 20 years his junior — is better known as Ryan McFall, professor and chair of the computer […]
