January 8, 2018
Keep your eyes on these cases in 2018
In the coming year, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Michigan appellate courts will do more to shape the future of doing business in our state than just about any other entity — aside from changes to the tax code. What’s in store for the coming year? In the U.S. Supreme Court, the now-complete contingent […]
Street Talk: Whale of a tale
Thanks to a local sign company, visitors to a downtown museum can find more details than ever about its most famous artifact. The main hall of Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids, recently became brighter and more informative with the installation of new interactive high-definition video displays for its […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds 2 JS ENTERPRISES LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Kooistra & Brace Add., Lot 53, $400,000 HARPER, Charles G. et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Belmont Village Green, Lot 16, $272,000 CONNER, Richard B. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., 5-6-10, $200,308 KNIBBE, Peter […]
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Change Ups: New Catholic elementary school to have STEM focus
St. Robert Catholic School will be a new independent Catholic elementary school scheduled to open in Ada in the fall of 2018, with a particular focus in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curricula. An array of cocurricular and extracurricular activities also will be available. It will be located at St. Robert of Newminster Parish, […]
Note to self: Be wary of tax law hysteria this year
So the Trump tax plan has been signed into law. There will be a mad rush to take credit for the good parts and place blame for the bad parts. With that in mind, be careful who you listen to. I watched New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's rant about how this was strictly a political […]
U.S. Copyright Office requires electronic registration
By taking necessary steps, online service providers (OSP) can avoid legal litigations. The U.S. Copyright Office instituted a new electronic registration system, where online service providers can protect themselves from copyright infringement lawsuits. Companies that have an online presence can unknowingly be liable for intellectual properties, such as poetry, novels, songs and movies, that are […]
Investing in 2018: Will the markets keep rolling?
The bull market that has been running for nearly nine years reached new heights in 2017. The United States stock market, as measured by the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, is up more than 21 percent, and both the Dow Jones Industrials and tech-heavy Nasdaq are even higher. International stocks also had a great year, […]
Private, public sectors have hand-and-glove keys to talent crisis
Long-predicted talent shortages remain the biggest obstacle to business success this year. From the West Michigan big three furniture makers and construction firms to restaurant owners, like industry clusters working together have created innovative programs in neighborhoods, educational institutions and in world-class lifestyle offerings. The Business Journal has reported on several of those initiatives the […]
DPW completes extension of methane collection
An expansion of the Kentwood Landfill’s methane collection system recently was completed. The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) installed 18 new gas collection wells, eight monitoring wells and a new flare system to further prevent the spread of methane from the landfill. The flare went online late in December and now is extracting […]
Michigan raises minimum wage to $9.25
Michigan employees being paid minimum wage will see an increase in their paychecks in 2018. On Jan. 1, minimum wage increased to $9.25, a 35-cent increase from $8.90. The increase is the result of Michigan’s Workforce Opportunity Wage Act (Public Act 138) that took effect in 2014 when minimum wage was $8.15. Since then, there […]
Detroit students explore Muskegon
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Students from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture studied Muskegon this past semester and proposed their ideas for a downtown building to some city leaders. The third- and fourth-year students were part of a studio capstone class in which they were charged with designing a mixed-use building on […]
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Inside Track: A voice for everyone
To Tasha Blackmon, the incoming CEO of Cherry Health, the patients are more important than anything. Many of the nonprofit health care organization’s patients are living in poverty, but Blackmon said she and the staff work hard to ensure everyone receives the best quality of care possible. It’s Blackmon’s “personal mission” to help those less […]
123Net braces for continued growth
123Net recently reported a successful year of growth and innovation for 2017. The Byron Center-based business telecommunication service provider attributed much of its success to its relationship with the Detroit automotive industry. The company said its first customer to consume over 1 megawatt of power and deploy a terabit-speed connection is one of the largest […]
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Bitcoin still the ‘Wild West’?
If you ask techies, they will tell you bitcoin is emerging for many reasons beyond its function as a universal currency and investable asset. This comes as economists are predicting a bubble similar to the dot-com crash of 2001 and the real estate market collapse that triggered the Great Recession in 2007. According to a […]
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Baking ‘daily bread’ for Grand Rapids
Years working in commercial food settings and a detour into travel and tourism taught GR Baking Co. owner Dan Hermen he would find satisfaction at a smaller scale. Hermen bought the former Sunrise Bread Co. at 900 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids from former owner Carlo Vanin in April 2017 and renamed it GR […]
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MVP Sports Clubs adds boutique studio-based facility to corporate umbrella
A new fitness boutique with a “unique concept” has made its way to Jenison. MVP Sports Clubs has added an entirely new concept to its corporate umbrella and opened the new venture in Jenison, according to Karl Droppers, president of MVP Sports Clubs. 4G Athletic, which opened Dec. 4 in Jenison, is unlike the recreational […]
