January 25, 2016
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Grant boosts neighborhood revitalization on city’s west side
An affordable housing campaign on the city’s west side is getting a boost from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. GRCF, which supports Kent County’s nonprofits and philanthropies in an effort to make social changes in the community, recently announced a $500,000 grant for Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, which has helped more than 400 […]
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Breaking into the business side is more satisfying for a former mason
Neil Gillett isn’t a “good ol’ boy” — at least not yet. Working at Rockford Construction as a preconstruction manager at age 35, Gillett wasn’t sure where his career would take him or where he fit into the company’s future. “There are some things that a company can guarantee: pay, benefits, working location,” Gillett said. […]
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Bethany creates in-country foster program to benefit Haiti’s children
Six years ago this month, Haiti became ground zero to one of the deadliest natural disasters of the 21st century. When the 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the small Caribbean country, killing at least 160,000 people, the world watched in horror as survivors in the already impoverished country pulled their lives together out of the rubble. Although […]
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New alliance offers assistance to agribusiness industry
Phil Grashoff was on Mackinac Island last fall attending the Michigan Agri-Business Association Outlook Conference when he realized the industry was splintered. Because of the agribusiness industry’s history of individualization and sole proprietorships, Grashoff, an environmental attorney with Kotz Sangster, decided to bring together a group of companies in an effort to bring uniformity to […]
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Construction materials prices continue free fall
Construction material prices fell for the sixth consecutive month in December, losing 1.2 percent on a monthly basis and 4 percent on a yearly basis, according to an analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index. Construction input prices have fallen 7.2 percent since peaking in August 2014, and have fallen in […]
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Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds MARSHALL, Michael J. et al, Quicken Loans, Ridgemoor Country Club Estates No. 3, Lot 155, $255,579 AUSTIN, Deborah R. et al, Morgan Stanley Private Bank, Cascade Highlands No. 3, Lot 76, $296,000 JANKE, Richard P. & Nancy L. Trust et al, Bank Of America, Plainfield […]
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Change Ups: 2015 Meijer Gardens’ best-attended year
2015 was Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s best-attended year in the organization’s history. More than 775,000 guests visited Meijer Gardens in 2015 compared to approximately 650,000 guests in 2014. To celebrate Meijer Gardens 20th year, numerous programs were centered around the theme “Welcoming the World.” Noteworthy events include the dedication of Ai Weiwei’s large […]
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Rockford gym preps ‘ninja warriors’
You no longer have to travel to Japan or Las Vegas to have a shot at becoming a “ninja warrior.” A visit to Rockford will do just fine. Ever since “American Ninja Warrior,” a television series featuring a sports entertainment competition, first aired in 2009, America’s athletes have had a growing interest in being crowned a […]
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Firm finds Grand Rapids is fab for innovation
Less than a decade ago, the Grand Rapids facility of global automotive and aerospace manufacturer Hutchinson was struggling to stay open; last week at the facility, the company cut the ribbon on its new North American Innovation Center, cementing its footprint in Grand Rapids for years to come. Cedric Duclos, Hutchinson North America president and […]
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Our culture of honesty lubricates the tracks of commerce
There was a Playboy cartoon in the late ’50s about the Greek historian Diogenes. A Greek man asks a passerby with an oil lamp if he is Diogenes looking for an honest man. The answer is, “No I am Zorba looking for a crooked accountant.” What makes it funny? There are people we expect to […]
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40 Under Forty class proves a point
Once again it was my honor to serve as a judge to select the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 under Forty class of 2015. I always come away from reviewing several hundred applicants with a sense of how impressive and diverse young leadership is in West Michigan. I also am struck by how different their […]
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Beauty industry finds there is strength in numbers
Barbie Salerno wants her tenants to be successful. She’s doesn’t like to use the term “turned away,” but she has encouraged some potential tenants to further root themselves in the beauty industry before returning to lease a space at Salerno’s My Salon Suite, 3582 29th St. SE. “I’ve advised that they build their clientele base, […]
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Leadership systems are clogged by gods of party politic
It is not possible to be in almost any part of this world without seeing the images and updated reporting on the Flint water crisis in one’s face. The past week offered only new evidence of governmental CYA — from the very onset of the time it was recognized a life-threatening problem had or was […]
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$50K pitch winner is on a mission
For Andy Thomas, owner of the Scottville-based Starving Artist Brewing Co., supporting and raising awareness of the arts is part of the brewery’s mission. “The whole Starving Artist brand is who we are,” said Thomas. “We are artists — artists with a new medium now, with beer being our medium.” Starving Artist officially opened the […]
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Speaker shows the future to chamber event attendees
Listening to Salim Ismail talk is like having someone from a Star Trek-like future step out of a time machine, reach out his hand and offer you a ride. The former vice president of Yahoo! and highly acclaimed technology strategist spoke about preparing for a digital future at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce’s […]
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Davenport University celebrates 150 years in business
On Jan. 25, 1866, Grand Rapids Business College held its first bookkeeping, penmanship, business law and arithmetic classes for 16 registered students. One sesquicentennial later, the academic institution now called Davenport University launched the milestone year with an Anniversary Kick-Off Event at its W.A. Lettinga Campus, 6191 Kraft Ave. SE, Grand Rapids. The event marked […]
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Inside Track: Even a spy couldn’t uncover Lister’s latest film role
Ralph Lister is about to become one of Grand Rapids’ most high-profile actors, thanks to a mysterious role in the upcoming Michigan-made blockbuster “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” set to be released in March. Lister’s role in the hotly anticipated film has been kept under wraps by both DC Comics and Warner Brothers Entertainment, […]
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Innovative business model is worth the risk for insurance firm
If innovation is the key to success, HNi Risk Services of Michigan could be the poster child. The relatively young insurance firm, which came to Grand Rapids in 2011, has a different way of doing business. Labeling itself as a nontraditional insurance firm, HNi is dedicated to finding innovative solutions and strategies to create a […]
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Report credits Grand Rapids with a ‘great turnaround’
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) The Grand Rapids real estate market has had a better turnaround than most second-tier Rust Belt communities, according to a recent report. Chicago-based Triad Real Estate Partners released a Grand Rapids Research Report this month showing Grand Rapids has a 98 percent occupancy rate among the 17,000 units in […]
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Casting agency gets new owners and new name
At the close of December, Rossa Casting Agency introduced itself to West Michigan via Facebook. The firm is not new to the area, however. It was formerly Fahey Dreher Casting. Over the past year, couple and business partners Ellie Frances and Tracey Walker have been in the process of taking over ownership of Fahey Dreher […]
