March 25, 2019
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Change Ups: Placzkowski tapped to lead B&GC of Grand Rapids
Patrick Placzkowski was chosen as the CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Grand Rapids following a six-month national search. The club serves more than 2,500 youths annually and includes facilities throughout the city of Grand Rapids and Camp O’Malley in Alto. Placzkowski earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and his […]
How to beat the winter blues at work
According to Mental Health America, about 5 percent of the U.S. population expresses seasonal depression. As an employer, it’s important to recognize the weather might be impacting your employees’ well-being and there’s an opportunity to step in and help. Lack of sunshine and warmth during the winter months can lead to increased feelings of depression […]
Letter: Headline was misleading
Editor: On March 11, I was disappointed to see these pages print a highly misleading headline, “Environmental organizations nix ‘zero coal’ plan,” about Consumers Energy’s rate case. Last month, an administrative law judge recommended that state regulators reject Consumers Energy’s 15-year energy plan. The utility plan called for ramping up solar, energy storage and efficiency, […]
Street Talk: A buyer’s market
According to an online real estate site, 2019 is looking to be a hot year for Grand Rapids’ housing market. Trulia identified 10 of the largest 100 U.S. housing markets it believes will take off in 2019, and Grand Rapids came in at No. 2, just behind Colorado Springs, Colorado. Trulia’s rankings are based on […]
Town hall participants discuss clean energy
Elected officials, clean energy experts and community members convened last week for a town hall event at Grand Valley State University’s Loosemore Auditorium to discuss Michigan’s transition to clean energy. The town hall featured a panel including Michigan Sen. Winnie Brinks, State House Rep. Rachel Hood, Michigan Public Service Commissioner Dan Scripps and Consumers Energy […]
Universities remain proactive in data protection
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) The internet has made it easier for students to take classes, but there are risks involved. Through the internet, thousands of students can take advantage of online classes that are offered at higher educational institutions, whether they are solely online or hybrid courses that allow students to enroll in […]
Public Record
BANKRUPTCY 19-00422 – LEE, Carolyn J., 1027 Jefferson SE, Ralph M. Reisinger (Ch. 7) 19-00427 – BECK, Richard D. & Nettie L., 96 Seven Mile NE, Comstock Park, Jeremy Shephard (Ch. 13) 19-00428 – HILAIRE, Karen K., 937 Davis NW, James R. Oppenhuizen (Ch. 7) 19-00437 – DIRKSEN, David M., 4077 Woodrush Lane NW, Comstock […]
Business leaders still express short-, long-term optimism
Although 2019 got off to a slow start, West Michigan is continuing the pattern of slow growth we have been reporting for nearly 10 years. According to data collected in the last two weeks of February, New Orders, our index of business improvement, bounced back to 16 from minus-4. In a similar move, the Production […]
Fifth Third acquires savings app
If you’re looking to save some dough, there’s a bot that can help you with that. Fifth Third Bank last year acquired Dobot, an interactive microsavings mobile app that helps people visualize and set financial goals with automated help. Although the bank has invested more than $100 million in financial technology in the past two […]
Speaker’s talk spotlights ‘leading with confidence’
In a recent talk hosted by the women’s leadership development group Inforum Michigan, Jim Keane distilled insights from his five years as CEO and 13 years as president of Steelcase. As leader of the second-largest office furniture manufacturer by number of employees in West Michigan, Keane said the company’s mission to unlock human potential for […]
Grand Rapids denies apartment complex proposal
A proposal to build a 30-unit apartment complex in Fulton Heights was struck down at a recent planning commission meeting. The applicant, Gary Hensch, working under Michigan Street Apartment Homes LLC, requested approval from the Grand Rapids Planning Commission to construct a 16,100-square-foot, two-story apartment complex at 1542 Michigan St. NE. The building would total […]
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Inside Track: Goals and reality align for Fiechtner
Elise Fiechtner moved to Ada during its nascent renewal with one big goal: creating a community within a community through fitness. Fiechtner earned a B.A. in education from Michigan State University in 2008 during the Great Recession and was forced to leave the state to find a teaching job. She taught middle school in Mountain […]
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Businesswomen share personal triumphs
West Michigan’s premier businesswomen have some powerful experiences to share with the rest of the professional world. The Grand Rapids Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business event took place last week at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, and the 2019 Top Women Owned Business awards were given after a morning of panel discussions and […]
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Pushing toward local health innovation
Just 23 years ago, the Michigan Street hill was home to nothing but Butterworth Hospital, Immanuel Lutheran Church and a bunch of old buildings. There was no major health system, no medical school, no health sciences buildings, no research centers and no medical research scientists. The health industry since has become the largest employer in […]
