July 29, 2013
Ongoing maintenance will keep your business running smoothly
Maintenance is an underappreciated function in many businesses. We generally think of maintenance as applying to equipment and real estate, but the need goes far beyond that. To me, maintenance means doing the things required to make a piece of equipment, a building, an employee, software, etc., work well when you need it. Down times […]
The power of sales success is 100 percent in your control
Every salesperson wants to think of himself or herself as powerful, but, if asked, they would have no idea where their power actually comes from. Most salespeople fail to understand their own power. The reason they don’t is that there is a heavy concentration on what cannot be controlled or what is not being done. […]
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Change Ups: MPCU opens Coopersville branch
My Personal Credit Union has opened a new office at 1147 W. Randall St. in Coopersville. The facility includes drive-up service lanes and ATM, wireless banking and Saturday hours. Services include access to free checking, mobile banking, online banking and bill pay, 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs, car loans, mortgages, credit cards, financial planning and more. Other […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds LEMASTERS, Iris et al, Green Tree Servicing, Ada Twp., 4-7-10, $214,800 SIENKO, Grant et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Hidden Hills, Lot 42, $261,250 LESKOVAR, Matthew et al, Leskovar Trust, Plainfield Twp., 2-8-11, $250,000 REDETZKE, Ricky R. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Condo-Flowers Crossing, $417,000 […]
Street Talk: Teachers learning the ropes in Grand Rapids
With all the news coming from the east side of the state regarding school district closures, it’s refreshing that a bundle of teaching newbies will get their feet wet right here in Grand Rapids. National Heritage Academies, one of the nation’s largest charter school management companies, will train more than 400 new teachers during a […]
Affordable housing coming to downtown
Two hundred and forty-seven new apartments targeted for downtown came before Grand Rapids city commissioners from three developers in one fairly short meeting last week because 183 of them will be built as “affordable” — meaning construction will be partly financed by low-income housing tax credits. “It’s great to see more housing,” said Commissioner Dave […]
Green Building Council prepares to launch version 4 of LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council this month approved a significant update to its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. LEED version 4 received the support of 86 percent of the more than 1,200 USGBC voters. The updated version will be formally launched in November at the Greenbuild Conference; however, projects can continue to register […]
County receives grant for veterans
There are roughly 685,000 military veterans living in Michigan, which makes the state the 11th most populous in the nation with men and women who have served their country. Recently, the Michigan Legislature allocated $200,000 to be divided this year among the state’s 83 counties to assist veterans in need. The grants were made available […]
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Inside Track: Rachel Hood leads fight for a sustainable community
The first known incident of advocacy in the life of one of West Michigan’s most influential environmental voices occurred when she was in 8th grade. Rachel Hood, executive director of West Michigan Environmental Action Council, remembers this moment fondly, giggling as she describes a neat and prim young girl, hands tightly gripping note cards loaded […]
Bankruptcy won’t traumatize West Michigan
The Detroit bankruptcy — the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history — has financial experts and economic developers on the western side of the state wondering if there will be any ripple effects here, and if so, what? “The two most impacted parties right now will be the retirees (who worked for the city of […]
Priorities for attracting and retaining young professionals
In a recent Business Journal story, Paul Isely, chair of economics at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business, commented, “I think we’ve made some gains in the past few years, but we’re losing young workers, not bringing in outside talent, and we’re not increasing our rate of patenting. All that tells us that […]
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Consumers, DTE pump up energy storage
The Ludington Pumped Storage Plant is turning 40, and politicians in Lansing and Washington are singing its praises. Meanwhile, the electricity storage facility, jointly owned by Consumers Energy and DTE Electric, is in the first year of a planned six-year, $800 million upgrade that will employ 100 construction workers each year. Perched on a high […]
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Guiding Light Mission opens new housing in Kentwood
Tuesday morning was an emotional one for Kevin Bouwens. Bouwens, who has been living as a guest in Guiding Light Mission, a downtown Grand Rapids gospel rescue shelter that helps rehabilitate and employ troubled men, fought to hold back tears as he stood in front of a new Guiding Light transitional housing facility. Once homeless, […]
CMU grad turns college project into successful business in GR
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Britney Collins has turned the shuttle service she created for a college project at Central Michigan University into Allure Limousine, a new transportation business that began operating in Grand Rapids last April. While a student at CMU, Collins began operating a shuttle service for students during the daytime, but […]
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Muskegon’s Watermark 920 provides more than just a venue
Watermark 920 opened as an events space within the Watermark Center in Muskegon in August 2011 and has quickly become a go-to spot for weddings and other special events, as well as a popular concert venue. “We broke ground feeling that the community needed another place for events and fundraisers, and the response that we […]
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Grand Rapids growing its reputation as convention-worthy city
Thanks to increased marketing and direct sales efforts, as well as the successful Pure Michigan campaign that highlights not just the state but also West Michigan specifically, Grand Rapids is growing its reputation as a great location to host a national convention. “As recently as four years ago, just 40 percent of convention business was […]
Southwest Airlines’ arrival changes airport’s perception
Southwest Airlines will begin its Grand Rapids service Aug. 11 with its first flight going to St. Louis. The low-cost carrier announced in February it would offer six nonstop daily flights to four destinations from Grand Rapids: Baltimore, Orlando, St. Louis and Denver. The addition of Southwest service is a big deal for the region […]
Why the furniture industry is still important to West Michigan
Although NeoCon 2013 is over, the really difficult work is just beginning. Now the challenge is to improve, modify, tweak and refine what was shown to more than 40,000 people over three days and turn it into products that the working, learning, healing and leisure industry buyers and specifiers want to purchase. If you have […]
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Orion’s project has déjà vu effect
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell was one of a few dozen local officials and business leaders on hand for Orion Construction’s recent reception to reveal the details of its new $28 million, mixed use development called Arena Place. “Isn’t it astounding to see what has happened south of Fulton Street in the last decade and […]
Detroit will recover on the shoulders of business leaders
Grand Rapids Business Journal applauded Gov. Rick Snyder’s move in February to appoint a six-member Michigan financial review team to determine whether it should declare a financial emergency in Detroit and allow an emergency financial manager to take over city operations. Most out-state Michigan and business leaders saw what would happen even before the team […]
