June 26, 2017
Construction input prices level for first time in months
Construction input prices remained unchanged in May, ending five consecutive months of price expansion, according to analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Associated Builders and Contractors. Construction input prices expanded 3.4 percent on a year-over-year basis. Nonresidential construction input prices also remained unchanged on a monthly basis but increased by 3.1 percent on […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds POTTER, Steven et al, Independent Bank, Condo-Hillside Condominiums At Thousand Oaks, $250,000 RETTIG, Daniel J. et al, Grand River Bank, Sparta Twp., 28-9-12, $260,071 LUKE, Ryan et al, AmeriFirst Financial Corp., Beyhill Plat, Lot 23, $256,650 912 E. FULTON LLC, Mercantile Bank Of Michigan, Steinmann's […]
Street Talk: Into the heart of coffee country
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Howard Schultz walks into a Grand Rapids café… Well, we’re not exactly sure if the Starbucks head honcho has walked into Madcap, but we do know the Grand Rapids coffee roaster is hosting a pop-up café in the land of great coffee, Seattle. Madcap is the Roaster […]
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Well House receives grant for green jobs, housing
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) A local housing-for-homeless nonprofit will give its tenants a new set of tools in their toolbox while allowing them to gain a new lease on life. Well House Executive Director Tami VandenBerg said this month that her organization received a two-year, $265,125 grant from the Wege Foundation to launch […]
Search firm launches digital marketing arm
An internal need helped a corporate executive search company find a new growth avenue. Grand Rapids-based Harrison Gray Search & Consulting launched a digital marketing arm aimed to help small businesses better leverage social media. As an employee recruiting company specializing in C-level employees and financial services, Harrison Gray has grown quickly since founder Adam […]
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Change Ups: Peacock finalist for entrepreneur award
Byron Center-based PRO-VISION Video Systems founder and CEO Steve Peacock was selected as one of the finalists for the Ernst & Young 2017 Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Michigan and Northwest Ohio region. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year national program. Award winners will be announced […]
For the love of sales — and not for the love of money
Do you love sales? Do you love what you do? Do you love your product? Do you love your company? Do you love your customers? These are not questions I pulled out of the air. These are questions that directly affect your productivity, your attitude, your income, your success and your fulfillment. Not to mention […]
Public health survey will cover county
A 16-year-old survey that measures the health of Grand Rapids by collecting data on topics from poverty to public safety has expanded to encompass the whole county. Jodi Petersen, director of the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University’s Community Research Institute, conducts the survey each year. She said the Johnson […]
Area entrepreneurs need an assist to link to resources for continued growth
The Grand Rapids metro area’s entrepreneurial activity, like an unseen electric current, is providing an economic stimulus and force for the future. The West Michigan business community still may be dismissive or unobservant, a pallor cast in part by the 2002 dot-com collapse (related more to excessive speculation than poorly constructed entrepreneurial effort), but the […]
Political change and polarization
Philanthropy’s major elements (nonprofits, volunteers and donors) are dealing with a number of economic, political and social forces that are ultimately reshaping the traditional boundaries these actors have come to rely on to engage in long-term community problem solving. The social contract — the compact that defined the symbiotic relationship between the public and private […]
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Inside Track: Foundation of trust propels Zhang to top
After almost three decades living in the United States and running a wealth management practice, Charles Zhang said his treasure isn’t in the millions he’s made — it’s in the people who trust him. Zhang, born and raised in Shanghai, came to the U.S. on a graduate assistantship to Western Michigan University in 1989, when […]
For long-term success, consider norm deviation
Ever hear anyone say, “What’s wrong with kids these days”? It is usually an older person when they are making observations about a younger generation’s behavior or dress in a social setting. However, we frequently hear a similar comment when one adult observes or interacts with someone who thinks about things in a different way. […]
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Retirement communities make effort to diversify
According to Steve Zuiderveen, two-thirds of all the people who have lived to age 65 are alive today — and many of them have not saved enough for retirement. Zuiderveen is president and CEO of Sunset Retirement Communities and Services, a Jenison-based nonprofit that provides assisted and independent living, memory care, nursing, home health services, […]
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Program provides burst of energy to startups
To better assist entrepreneurs in West Michigan, Zeeland-based economic development agency Lakeshore Advantage launched a new initiative fueled by input from the entrepreneurs themselves. SURGE is described as a collaborative one-stop shop for the entirety of Lakeshore Advantage’s resources portfolio, designed to connect entrepreneurs and startups at all stages of their development. The initiative was […]
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Competitive advantage fuels medical packager
It didn’t take Packaging Compliance Labs LLC long to grow out of the brand new, 5,000-square-foot space it took on last year. The medical packaging startup moved into its new offices, 4334 Brockton Drive SE in Kentwood, which included a little more than 4,000 square feet for its testing processes, in May 2016. This past […]
Whole Foods deals rattle the grocery industry
Amazon announced last week that it had reached an agreement to acquire Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. The deal would allow Whole Foods CEO John Mackey to remain at the helm of the supermarket chain when the deal is expected to close later this year. Since the Amazon agreement was announced, however, other potential deals […]
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Space is next frontier for izzy+
The izzy+ team set out to refresh the brand’s perception at NeoCon, and by all accounts, the team felt they accomplished the mission. The refresh wasn’t about izzy+’s quality, but to keep the brand at the forefront of how people use furniture, said Jeff Vredevoogd, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “I don’t […]
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Construction firm preps for $60M summer
Elzinga & Volkers Inc. is riding a wave of expansion projects this summer. The Holland-based construction company announced this month that more than $60 million worth of new projects are set to start this summer. Elzinga & Volkers is set to embark on projects with Siliconature, Western Theological Seminary, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, deBoer Bakkerij, […]
