February 5, 2018

  • Change Ups: Hastings introduces wireless temperature probe

    Hastings, a worldwide manufacturer of hot line tools and equipment based in Hastings city, recently introduced a wireless temperature probe. The probe can be used to measure the physical temperature of any energized or de-energized hardware or object, including transformers, conductors and connectors. It is intended primarily for use with Hastings’ Tel-O-Pole Series products. The […]

  • County approves option to buy farmland rights

    The Kent County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to preserve 70 acres of farmland in Grattan Township. The county’s Agricultural Preservation Board recommended an option for the purchase of development rights (PDR) for the farmland, owned by Scott Sieracki and located at 7800 Nugent Ave. NE, for approximately $210,000. According to the resolution, the […]

  • Looking to grow your own cannabis-based business?

    New resources are available to aid the cannabis industry in West Michigan. Jamie Cooper launched an all-in-one platform, Cannabiz Connection, in January. The company helps entrepreneurs who are interested in starting their own medical marijuana practice. Cannabiz Connection is an online website that provides updates on new and changing regulations, and networking opportunities for individuals […]

  • Street Talk: Newsmakers: This is not a drill

    When an alarm goes off in the middle of an event attended by nearly 600 West Michigan business leaders, that’s probably the most memorable moment of the day. It was not. The Business Journal’s 2017 Newsmaker of the Year breakfast at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park featured a number of memorable moments, and the […]

  • Escalation of Kent County health care costs must be contained by business leaders

    The 2018 Health Check, analyzing health trends and costs in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties, was announced by Grand Valley State University researchers against a backdrop of an opioid crisis, a record-setting (deadly) flu outbreak, hepatitis outbreak and a PFAS chemical contamination of water and ground in northern Kent County. The report is primarily […]

  • Creating a culture of women supporting women

    While we know that strides have been made, women still face considerable social, workforce, economic and political challenges of disparity and inequity. Yet, I’m excited to say Olivet College is leading a movement to address the gender gap in today’s workforce. I believe we, as women, need to do a better job at supporting other […]

  • What would you do with an extra four hours per day?

    If you were sick and felt horrible for four hours every day, what would you be willing to pay to feel good? For those four hours, it is difficult to talk, get out of a chair, eat and you ache all over. That is how the wear-off period with Parkinson's disease feels. It is the […]

  • Public Record

    MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds WALLIN, Gary A. et al, JG Wentworth Home Lending, Meyering Lake Drive Est. Sub., Lot 167, $393,750 DODSON, Jeff et al, Independent Bank, Thornapple Downs, Lot 31, $999,000 WOLTIL, Derek et al, Quicken Loans, Cascade Twp., 21-6-10, $304,400 RYNTIES, David A. et al, Lake Michigan […]

  • Chamber receives makeover

    This is the year of change for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. With its move into a new space, the organization is harnessing the momentum to create a new brand. The chamber’s new motto is “Create Great,” which the organization’s president and CEO, Rick Baker, said is a good representation of the city’s […]

  • Construction workers are in a constant state of training

    The construction industry relies on continuing education. Many of the trades associated with construction, such as carpentry and masonry, aren’t certified positions. Others, however, like plumbing and electrical positions, require certifications for those positions. A clearinghouse for these types of classes is Associated Builders and Contractors, Western Michigan Chapter, which offers a variety of classes […]

  • Marketing firm revamps message

    A local marketing firm is shifting gears. Less than five years after being hired, Josh Stauffer now is the owner and CEO of Grand Rapids-based Blue Flame Thinking and is modernizing the 53-year-old agency.  Stauffer, who was initially hired in 2013 as director of digital strategy and was tasked with spearheading the firm’s transition from […]

  • Strong real estate market expected across all sectors

    NAI Wisinski of West Michigan recently put out its fourth-quarter/year-end reports covering the industrial, office and retail markets of West Michigan, highlighting continuing trends echoed by the recent Colliers International forecast. Across all sectors, signs point to a strong market as spaces fill up fast and more deals take place off-market. Consequentially, 2018 may come […]

  • Inside Track: Striving for inclusion

    Thomas Pierce learned his first lessons in work and leadership during his college job at Walmart. They’re lessons he still uses in his new role as executive director for the Grand Rapids Pride Center, the local LGBTQ organization that hosts the Grand Rapids Pride Festival. He started at Walmart while working toward a B.S. in […]

  • Kent County sees drop in uninsured rate

    (As seen on WZZM TV 13) Researchers have found the rate of people without health insurance in Kent County has dropped to 3 percent, and Grand Rapids is outperforming the nation and state in health care job growth. Kevin Callison, assistant professor of global health management and policy at Tulane University, and Leslie Muller, assistant professor of […]

  • Small enterprises thrive online

    A new study by a trio of tech-focused organizations demonstrates how small outfits are using social media to their advantage. Facebook, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC) and Washington, D.C.-based technology and media research firm Morning Consult recently published a report called “Examining the Impact of Technology on Small Businesses: How […]

  • OSHA cracks down on silica violations

    The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration instituted new penalties for construction companies. In January, OSHA adjusted the fines construction companies have to pay for violating the new crystalline silica standard that was first implemented in 2013. Construction companies will have to pay $12,934 per violation, $12,934 per day if companies […]

  • Downtown Market buys more time

    The grace period for Grand Rapids Downtown Market’s debt repayment has stretched into a sixth year. The market at 235 Ionia Ave. SW — which opened in 2013 — on Jan. 23 received a “fourth and final” extension on the interest-only period of its $3-million Michigan Community Revitalization Program loan from the Michigan Strategic Fund […]

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