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Retail real estate market improved last year

(As seen on WZZM TV 13) According to the Commercial Alliance of Realtors, the retail real estate market improved significantly last year: The sales...

Grand Rapids is a state, federal model of efficiency

Mayor George Heartwell on Saturday provided his annual State of the City speech, outlining progress on key initiatives, which, in fact, could be seen...

Street Talk: Lansing casino battle being fought in GR court

The U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids heard arguments last week in the state’s attempt to block the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa...

Mayor cites business involvement in annual address

The plight of the city’s young people topped Mayor George Heartwell’s 10th State of the City address Saturday at DeVos Place, and he credited...

Kendall students win Startup Weekend competition

Students led and won the race to create the best business at Grand Rapids’ fourth annual Startup Weekend, hosted at The Factory space at...

City and CWD agree on property option

Grand Rapids city commissioners unanimously agreed last week to enter into a property-option contract with CWD Real Estate Investment. The commercial development firm is...

Rose Technologies expands its capabilities

Medical device manufacturer Rose Technologies has completed the rigorous process for ISO certification that will now allow the Grand Rapids company to add sterilization...

Inside Track: Move to organic milk was a good idea

It’s not too unusual for a cow in David Vander Zanden’s barn to have garlic on her breath. It may help keep her healthy,...

Hundreds of West Michigan docs now in an ACO

Federal health authorities have announced a new accountable care organization approved by Medicare in January that represents 1,800 doctors across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula —...

Small business success enriches the lives of all of us

I listened to an interview with a woman on the radio recently stating that we need to get rid of the rich people in...

Crystal Flash enters propane market for bus and commercial fleets

Crystal Flash Energy, a Grand Rapids-based vehicle and home heating fuel distributor that operates throughout much of the Lower Peninsula, has signed on to...

For Michigan Blood, logistics really is life or death

A pint comes out, a pint goes in. That’s likely how many people feel blood donation works. In reality, the blood business is a...

Inside or outside — whom to hire?

Do you promote a known employee in your business or shake things up and go outside to hire for a key position? In today’s competitive...

County to issue property RFP soon

Kent County Assistant Administrator Mary Swanson said a request-for-proposals for a trio of adjacent riverfront parcels the county owns will be going out soon. The...

It’s not just a new year; it’s a better, smarter, easier way

In case no one has told you, the old way of selling is dead. Problem is, people are still using the old way and,...

Change Ups: Competition tests students’ business mettle

Some 400 students representing 20 West Michigan high schools put their entrepreneurial skills to the test Jan. 12 at the Davenport University-hosted Business Professionals...

The business of education: It’s time for new ideas

Each January we have high hopes that the coming year will be better than the past year, even if last year wasn’t so bad. I...

Public Record

Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds CHALLENGE MANUFACTURING CO., PNC Bank, Walker, 4-7-12, $750,000 CMC EAST LLC, PNC Bank, Walker, 4-7-12, $750,000 FRUIT RIDGE...

County panel hoping to hear from real estate professionals

At its first meeting since the lawsuit was filed, Kent County Commissioner Michael Wawee suggested a few area real estate professionals be invited to...

Downtown Market earns Newsmaker award

Members of the team that came together a few years ago to collaborate on the Downtown Market project joined the Grand Rapids Business Journal...