June 3, 2019

  • Change Ups: WMU Cooley graduates honored with GRBA’s ‘3-in-10’ Award

    WMU Cooley Law School graduates Christine Cameron, Kellen Dotson and Katie Johnson recently were presented with the Grand Rapids Bar Association’s “3-in-10” Award. The accolade goes to three attorneys in their first 10 years of practice who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and significant contributions to the legal profession. Cameron volunteers with the Grand Rapids […]

  • Needed: A state budget that supports infrastructure, talent and economic growth

    West Michigan’s economy has been on the right track — earning the region national recognition for being a great place for businesses, entrepreneurs, jobs, millennials and families. The data backs it up. The population in Kent County has grown 7.6% since 2010. The Grand Rapids metro economy was the fastest-growing metro economy in the U.S. […]

  • Four factors that can help employers lower pharmacy costs for their employees

    Pharmacy is 20% of all health care costs nationally, and the cost of prescription drugs continues to rise. Your insurer may be a great partner to help lead you to lower costs for you and your employees. Here are a few ways: Care management Given that 95% of pharmacy costs are a result of chronic […]

  • Public Record

    BANKRUPTCY 19-01324 – MOOMEY, John M., 3508 Fairwood Court SW, Grandville, Michael M. Malinowski (Ch. 7) 19-01325 – VOLPE, Andrew J. & Kelsie L., 1353 Myrtle NW, Perry G. Pasutla (Ch. 7) 19-01326 – KUHN, Deborah S., 1511 Garfield NW, Nicholas A. Reyna (Ch. 7) 19-01327 – LITOGOT, Robert M., 1004 Four Mile NW, Mary […]

  • Do as I say, not as I do

    Most teachers wouldn’t recommend their students follow in their footsteps, according to a recent Michigan survey. Launch Michigan, a diverse coalition of groups that are sometimes at loggerheads but come together to advocate for education changes, reports that 75% of Michigan educators would not recommend education as a career. That contributes to the challenges of […]

  • Music Modernization Act streamlines music licensing

    As the options of how people are listening to music digitally are broadening, the federal government also has expanded the copyright law to incorporate rules and regulations for digital services that offer music. The Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, named after the two congressmen who introduced the bill, was passed in October, reforming […]

  • Google touts $6.4B impact in Michigan

    A report by Google showed its advertising tools created an economic impact in Michigan of $6.41 billion in 2018. The impact comes from Google’s search and advertising tools, Google Ads and AdSense, used by the 27,000 businesses, website publishers and nonprofits in Michigan. The Google Ad Grants program provided Michigan nonprofits with free advertising worth […]

  • Street Talk: Fraud fighter published

    After conceiving an in-house solution to real estate wire fraud, the co-founder of CertifID has authored a new book on fraud prevention. “Clear to Close: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Real Estate Wire Fraud,” the new e-book by Thomas Cronkright, co-founder and CEO of CertifID, teaches business owners and consumers how wire fraud […]

  • Experts say businesses, farmers hurt by China trade wars

    The trade war between the world’s two largest economies has lasted for nearly one year and already has affected U.S industries and consumers, especially buyers and sellers of two items important in Michigan — soybeans and auto parts. Economists have long argued that tariffs come with real income losses. A newly published research article from […]

  • International students have $1.2B impact

    International students contributed $39 billion to the U.S. economy and supported almost a half-million American jobs in the 2017-18 academic year, according to a report by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Michigan accounts for $1.2 billion of those funds and 3% of the jobs. The latest International Institute of Education’s annual Open Doors report said […]

  • Task force wants to make city SAFE

    (As seen on WZZM TV 13) An alliance of Grand Rapids city staff, nonprofit and business organizations is reaching out to the community to gather ideas to reduce violence among youth. The Safe Alliances for Everyone (SAFE) Task Force will listen to public ideas to end violence in the Grand Rapids community at a pitch […]

  • Teacher plans nonprofit coffee shop

    A teacher who has a 12-year-old son with Down syndrome is gearing up to start a nonprofit café in Ada she hopes will provide jobs and a sense of belonging for individuals with disabilities. Jennifer Cole, a teacher at Lowell Middle School and mom of three kids — including Brody, for whom the project is […]

  • Downtown welcomes new Hotel District

    Grand Rapids leaders have carved out 3 square blocks downtown as the designated Hotel District. AHC+Hospitality has established the district as a collaborative between hoteliers, restaurants and local businesses, with endorsements by Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss and Experience Grand Rapids, Kent County’s tourism marketing arm. The Hotel District is bounded by I-196 and Fulton […]

  • Inside Track: Collazo finds his vision

    Almost a decade ago, City Built Brewing co-founder Edwin Collazo vowed never to settle for mediocrity, and even in a city “saturated” by craft breweries, he’s managed to set his brewery apart from the competition. Collazo went through a series of career transformations prior to becoming the co-owner of a brewery. He originally worked as […]

  • WMCAT contributes to national study

    The West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology is one of eight youth organizations nationally that was observed for a collection of case studies on integrated digital learning. WMCAT’s Teen Arts + Tech Program was included in a free guide for youth organizations called “Reclaiming Digital Futures,” compiled over 18 months by a team of […]

  • Alternative high school offers ‘common sense approach’

    An alternative high school in Muskegon is giving dropouts a better chance at earning their diplomas. Muskegon Covenant Academy takes a “common sense approach” to addressing the needs of a population whose lives and experiences have made traditional public school a wrong fit for learning, according to Sam Joseph, the school’s founder. Joseph said many […]

  • Campspot software modernizes campground bookings

    Northgate Resorts in Grand Rapids launched Campspot in 2016 as a streamlined reservation software to optimize returns on campgrounds it owns, but the company has since offered the platform to other camping resorts around the country. Caleb Hartung, founder of Campspot and principal at Northgate Resorts, said Northgate originally stepped into the software space after […]

  • Financial advisory firm grows footprint

    Citing clients’ busy schedules, a local financial firm is adding offices across metro Grand Rapids to provide them “more convenience in their lives.” Jaime Westenbarger is president and CEO of Forest Hills Financial, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2006. For its first 13 years, FHF has operated one main location, which currently is […]

  • Sushi caterer rolls with purpose

    After earning a pre-social work degree, Bawi Sung felt whatever career she found next should center on helping her fellow Burmese orphans and refugees. Bawi Sung, who goes by Anu, immigrated to the U.S. from Myanmar in 2009 through Lutheran Social Services as an orphan fleeing ethnic persecution. In the U.S., while learning English as […]

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