July 11, 2016

  • Public Record

    MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds HELNER, Michael J. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Condo-Big Crooked Lake, $245,000 VARMA, Manish K. et al, Provident Funding Associates, Condo-Darby Farms, $417,000 TURNBULL, Jacob et al, Huntington National Bank, Caledonia Twp., 7-5-10, $220,000 REIFINGER, Kirk P. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Paris Park, Lot […]

  • Street Talk: ‘The truth is the truth’

    Propaganda Doughnuts has closed after being one of the hottest foodie destinations in Grand Rapids since it opened a little more than two years ago. The original Facebook post from the business — which has since been taken down — took to blaming the homeless population around the neighborhood on South Division Avenue. “It was […]

  • Best thing in sales (besides a sale) is a referral

    Everyone tells you to get referrals. And most people tell you to ask for them. “Don’t forget to ask for a referral.” Horrible strategy. Totally offensive, for the most part. Borderline rude. And asking the same customer twice is a death wish. My definition of a referral: A name and contact information provided proactively by […]

  • Parent firm acquires Colliers affiliate

    Duke Suwyn walked into the Colliers International West Michigan office Thursday and said nothing had changed. In reality, quite a bit had changed. On Wednesday, the formerly affiliated company became wholly owned by Colliers International Group. By Thursday, there was more access to the parent company’s global network of resources, said Suwyn, chairman and CEO […]

  • Grand Rapids gets its message out to states’ leaders

    Local stakeholders got a chance to tell the country’s lieutenant governors how grand Grand Rapids is. “You’re catching us maybe halfway,” Amway President Doug DeVos told his audience. “I don’t know what chapter we are in in the story of Grand Rapids, but we have a culture that’s been developed here that says, ‘We want […]

  • Muskegon airport gets FAA grant

    (As seen on WZZM TV 13) Every few years, West Michigan’s highways need to be patched up and given a new paint job. The area’s air highways are no different. The Muskegon County Airport  recently got an $802,594 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to rehabilitate runways and to reimburse the airport for adjacent land it acquired […]

  • New tech streamlines review of construction documents

    Michigan has become the first state to fully implement the new Accela Inc. technology plan. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs recently announced that plans can be submitted to the Bureau of Construction Codes through a new Accela e-PlanCheck program. Electronic submission is intended to not only use the bureau’s resources more efficiently, […]

  • West Michigan tech sector faces shared promise, challenges

    There’s a lot of flux in the world of information technology, especially in West Michigan. One need look no further than Switch Ltd.’s incoming SuperNAP data center to understand why the managed services and cloud services industry in West Michigan currently is experiencing exponential growth and increasing competition. “If you keep doing what you’ve been […]

  • CrossFit affiliate gym in Grand Rapids opens second location

    The CrossFit label is spreading in Grand Rapids.  There’s a second location for CrossFit Luminary, a Grand Rapids-based gym focused on CrossFit, a branded fitness regimen that’s grown popular across the nation in the past five years. The new 2,500-square-foot CrossFit Luminary North Facility is at 4950 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. “We are the […]

  • Change Ups: Linder recipient of service award

    East Grand Rapids Detective Mark Lindner received the East Grand Rapids Public Safety Meritorious Service Award at a recent City Commission meeting for performing investigative duties in an exemplary manner. Lindner received the award for his detective work after a 2001 violent criminal sexual assault in the city. The case went unsolved for 15 years […]

  • Nonresidential construction spending drops to yearly low

    Nonresidential construction spending dipped 1.3 percent from April to May, according to analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Nonresidential spending, which totaled $684.9 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate, has expanded 1.2 percent since May 2015. April's nonresidential spending figure was revised upward from $688.2 billion to $694.1 billion. The previous three months of […]

  • Family business best practices: an overview

    What does it take for a family business to be world class? There are four well-known best practices derived from studying multigenerational family businesses the world over. These best practices are found in family businesses that have successfully transitioned to a third or subsequent generation. They include having: A strategic planning process and written plan. […]

  • Michigan education: Uphill battle for officials, not just students

    The recently released 2016 Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Michigan 40th in educational achievement in 2016. That’s down from a not-so-good 32nd in 2012. Another new report from Ed Trust Midwest called Michigan Achieves! provides the details of Michigan’s poor and declining performance from 2003-15. In a terrific piece, Detroit […]

  • Inside Track: All about the connections

    Growing up, Leslee M. Lewis moved around quite a bit. After living the first six years of her life in Breckenridge, her family moved about every two years, by her estimation. So when she took a job as a summer clerk at Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Grand Rapids office, she made a purposeful decision to stay […]

  • With Michigan’s students falling behind, it’s the business of business to respond

    “It’s time for Michigan business leaders to help provide leadership in advancing a thoughtful, research-based strategy to ensure our system is teaching all children at the high levels of achievement that they so deserve. It is crucial to their futures — and to Michigan’s economic competitiveness and future.” That’s how Steelcase Inc. Vice President of […]

  • For Moore & Bruggink, infrastructure is out of sight, top of mind after 60 years

    If it weren’t for Millard Moore and Ray Bruggink, many Grand Rapids suburbs might still rely on well water. In 1956, Moore and Bruggink were engineers with the city of Grand Rapids. When area suburbs began their search for water and sewer connections, Moore and Bruggink saw an opportunity. The two engineers had the contacts […]

  • Homey health-care furnishings are just what the doctor ordered

    Chances are you’ve already seen improvements in the waiting area of your doctor’s office. That trend is set to continue as furniture manufacturers seek to bring more residential elements into the waiting areas of health care-related facilities. “Studies have shown if your waiting room experience is more positive, you carry that feeling into the exam […]

  • Steelcase builds its learning, innovation network

    Steelcase Inc. will open its second Learning and Innovation Center this fall in Munich, Germany, the goal of which is to bring together its learning, innovation, design and research teams from across that region to better harness their talent. Steelcase already operates a Learning and Innovation Center at its Grand Rapids headquarters. The centers host […]

  • Vivant’s vision for growth is deeper, not wider

    As breweries across the United States strive to produce and distribute more, Brewery Vivant continues to focus on its local community. The East Hills neighborhood brewery does continue to grow its capacity, but Brewery Vivant Director of Sales and Marketing Kate Avery said the company’s growth is all about expanding “deeper, smarter and better.” Brewery […]

  • Brewers refresh for maturing market

    Sitting among aisles of beer at Siciliano’s Market, Steve Siciliano said beer retail stores have hit a saturation point. The owner of the beer and homebrew store specializes in unique beverages from across the globe — and has since the days when Heineken and Corona were still considered classier picks. Chains might still have room […]

  • Developers tee up a building boom

    (See interactive map below) A burst of residential developments has surfaced at the city level in the past month. Developments have entered the public process on the city’s West Side, Downtown and Heritage Hill neighborhoods. Three projects went in front of the Historical Preservation Commission’s July 6 meeting, and more will be heard at the […]

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