February 20, 2018
Further analysis needed for large hotel development
The Business Journal is reporting on consecutive years of hotel occupancy rate increases; the reasons for that growth were underscored in the recent GRBJ Newsmakers of the Year awards. Experience Grand Rapids convention and visitors agency sees the current occupancy rate of 67.2 percent as reason to advance discussion of a large hotel development to […]
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Change Ups: Koster, Hemingway receive Visionary Award
Dave Koster, general manager of the Holland Board of Public Works, and Tim Hemingway, Holland Board of Public Works board president, received the Lakeshore Advantage Visionary Award for their efforts that resulted in the Holland Energy Park. Community involvement in the project, environmental remediation, beautifying the eastern gateway to the city of Holland and a […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds JOHNSON, Craig et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Lenwood West, Lot 11, $231,800 BRUNETTE, Jacob et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Courtland Twp., 20-9-10, $227,950 SCHOLTEN, James et al, Union Home Mortgage Corp., Byron Twp., 29-5-12, $450,000 ZACHWIEJA, Kristen E. et al, Ark-La-Tex Financial Services, Lowell […]
Michigan metros don’t stack up
Michigan’s two big metros not being selected as a finalist for the Amazon’s HQ2 should not surprise anyone. Amazon made clear that it wanted — really needed — to locate in a community with high talent concentrations today and tomorrow. Neither metro Detroit nor metro Grand Rapids is a competitive talent magnet. The reality is […]
Street Talk: The DIY spirit
A former city of Wyoming dump truck has found new life as a crash attenuator vehicle for the Public Safety Department’s fire division. The refurbished vehicle, which would have cost $127,000 if purchased new, was built by city staff for less than half the cost. A crash attenuator is a safety device that can be […]
Real estate execs dismiss bitcoin frenzy
A recent collaboration between a global property marketplace and the city of South Burlington, Vermont, could be the first in a growing trend of real estate transactions being recorded on the blockchain, but don’t expect the trend to hit the West Michigan market anytime soon. Local professionals raised plenty of questions about the validity of […]
Fiduciary rule closes some conflict-of-interest loopholes
Is your financial adviser working in your best interests? He or she is now, based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s implementation of the “fiduciary rule” last June. DOL’s ruling closes some “loopholes” in previous legislation while requiring that investment advisers — accountants, brokers and financial planners — become fiduciaries who are now responsible to […]
Mayor calls for teamwork
The positive developments in Grand Rapids last year happened because of community partnerships, according to Mayor Rosalynn Bliss. She said teamwork will be even more essential heading into a challenging 2018. In her third State of the City address, held Feb. 15 at Clearwater Place Event Center, Bliss touted a number of victories last year […]
Region’s colleges bank $112 million in giving
Six West Michigan colleges received more than $112.74 million in donations last year. That’s according to the annual Voluntary Support of Education survey by New York-based Council for Aid to Education. The survey found 933 colleges and universities in the U.S. raised $43.6 billion in charitable contributions in 2017, an increase of 6.3 percent from […]
Lakeshore Advantage supports $90M in private investment
Last year’s numbers are in for Lakeshore Advantage, the nonprofit economic development organization serving employers in Ottawa and northern Allegan counties. In 2017, Lakeshore Advantage supported 49 business expansion projects in the organization’s project pipeline. Of those, 18 business growth projects resulted in more than $90 million in private investment and more than 650 new […]
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Inside Track: A love of language
Clinton McMurray loved ballet dancing when he was growing up. McMurray practically could perform any position, whether it was a croisé, pilé, turnout or pirouette. Being the only male dancer in his high school class, McMurray stood out. McMurray continued to pursue a dancing career when he enrolled at Western Michigan University, but the competition […]
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Triangle builds on first 100 years
One hundred years after a Grand Rapids carpenter and his two sons founded what would become Triangle Associates Inc., the long-standing general contractor still is growing and bracing for a tight project schedule in summer 2018. George Datema, great-grandfather to current president Craig Datema, founded George Datema and Sons Construction in 1918. His sons, Roy […]
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Muskegon’s initial ‘skyscraper’ is reborn
After a nearly decade-long hiatus, including almost two years in planning and construction, Highpoint Flats Apartments is set for completion in late May. Jon Rooks, owner of Parkland Properties, in December 2007 bought the old Hackley Union National Bank Building, 285 W. Western Ave., Muskegon. The building originally was built in 1918 and, at nine […]
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Record attendance drives hotel revenue
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Kent County’s hotel revenue saw an increase of 6.8 percent in 2017. The percentage growth has not been as large as in past years, but the record revenue of nearly $211 million can be attributed to several factors. West Michigan Sports Commission had a 32 percent increase in events. […]
