February 6, 2017
Retailers eke out annual gain despite lackluster holiday sales
Weaker than expected December sales undercut November gains, producing mixed holiday season results for Michigan’s retail industry, according to the Michigan Retail Index, a joint project of Michigan Retailers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. “Holiday sales were uneven. For every five retailers, roughly two increased sales, two experienced decreases and one matched […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds DENYES, Tanya S. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Northdale Estates No. 3, Lot 53, $240,000 OSBORN, Michelle L. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Sparta Twp., 34-9-12, $229,000 VERMA, Pardeep et al, Mercantile Bank Of Michigan, Bailey's Grove No. 17, Lot 486, $239,200 CASS, […]
Street Talk: Climate is a hot topic
In 30 years, West Michigan could find its winter weather more akin to that of St. Louis, Columbus or Cleveland. That is according to Daniel Schoonmaker, executive director of the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. Schoonmaker has been involved in two studies related to the expected local impacts of climate change and climate resiliency, also […]
Chasing dreams fuels music school’s growth
James Forrest Hughes poured out his blood, sweat and tears to start Triumph Music Academy in 2011. Literally. “I gave plasma to make this place a reality,” Hughes said, laughing. The Business Journal featured Triumph after its second year in business in 2013, when the school had grown from four to eight instructors and from […]
Calvin College adds master of accounting degree
Responding to increased demand for skilled analysts, auditors and finance experts, Calvin College has added a master of accounting (MAcc) program. The new degree is Calvin’s third graduate-level offering, joining a master of speech pathology and audiology and a master of education program. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook, the accounting profession […]
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Change Ups: GRCC opens childhood learning lab
Grand Rapids Community College marked the grand opening of the Phyllis Fratzke Early Childhood Learning Laboratory with a community open house. GRCC broke ground on a $7.2-million preschool building at 210 Lyon St. NE in summer 2015. The new facility specifically is designed to meet the needs of two populations: preschoolers from ages 6 weeks to […]
Communication an essential, often overlooked, workplace element
One would think hiring workers needed by employers would be a rather simple activity. You have a job, it requires certain skills or knowledge, and you will pay a rate to have the work done. We all know this is a simplistic picture for the most part; it just doesn’t work out so easily. The […]
Women in leadership: Progress has slowed, so rev up to close the gap
Women made considerable progress in the U.S. during the last decades of the 20th century, but women’s advancement in the leadership pipeline has stalled. Women make up approximately 51 percent of the U.S. population and they hold almost 52 percent of all professional-level jobs; however, in leadership positions, women lag substantially behind men. Women are […]
Startup helps industrial workers breathe easy
Orindi Ventures began with a runny nose. Jordan Vanderham, a student at Grand Valley State University, was getting tired of cutting across campus during the winter and walking into a building with the sniffles. And as he considered his annoyance, Vanderham began to think of how the cold weather must affect industrial workers, athletes and […]
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The need for speed
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Successful footwear brands will need speed to win in the increasingly fast-paced industry. “It used to be the big ate the small; the future is going to be the fast will eat the slow,” said Christopher Hufnagel, senior vice president of strategy for Wolverine Worldwide. Hufnagel said brands that […]
Participants in a world of passengers: sometimes the two are confused
It would seem an appropriate time to opine on the effectiveness of all armchair quarterbacks. The ferociousness of armchair warriors only can be understated. Defending, opposing and advising from the safe harbor of a cushy chair rather than the field of practice and trial has become common habit. The Business Journal does not confine such […]
Honigman plants flag downtown
Detroit-based Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn law firm now has boots on the ground in Grand Rapids. The local office at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 240, which opened Dec. 17, is anchored by partners who say their decision to join was based largely on the firm’s reputation for quality. “It’s been an absolute delight,” […]
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Inside Track: Study abroad trip sets foundation
In the late 1980s, Bruce Thompson was struggling with Microsoft Excel while working at Hewlett Packard, so he posted a question on a forum connecting HP offices and left work for the day. As Thompson settled in the next morning, he read a response from an HP employee in Japan, and a light went off […]
What’s next for furniture dealer Custer?
Custer Inc. founder and CEO David Custer recently announced the transition of leadership is underway at the business he started in 1981. Custer’s three sons work at the business with one son, Todd, taking the helm of the company. Custer will retain the CEO title for a period of time while taking a back seat, […]
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Owners of Mexican restaurant invest in community
Checking online reviews led the ownership at El Granjero Mexican Grill to realize the restaurant had an issue. The food was good, the service was good, but customers didn’t have the best things to say about the ambiance of the restaurant, situated in a more than 30-year-old building at 950 Bridge St. NW. In early […]
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Third-generation entrepreneur opens downtown clothing store
Stacy Mulder used to walk around her downtown neighborhood and wonder where all of the young men strolling past were buying their clothes. She saw plenty of formal wear and suit shops, but no casual menswear stores. “There are tons of women’s stores in the area already, but there wasn’t a store that specifically targeted […]
