May 11, 2015
Veteran Explorers Program expands beyond health care
A training and career development program for veterans has expanded this year to include opportunities in Kent, Ottawa and Montcalm counties through collaborative employer partnerships. Spectrum Health announced April 27 a collaborative partnership with Michigan Works!, Haworth and Gordon Food Service to expand its Veteran Explorers Program to provide opportunities for unemployed and underemployed veterans […]
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Change Ups: Humphries joins Compliance One Group
Compliance One Group of Kalamazoo expanded its team with the addition of Joe Humphries, project manager. Humphries will manage projects related to emergency management, safety, security, barrier management, and fire and life safety testing, inspection and maintenance. For the past 16 years, Humphries was a supervisor for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Compliance One […]
Attitude awareness is the first step to a positive attitude
Got attitude? “Yes!” you all scream. A positive one? “Yes!” you all scream. Wanna bet? I’ll bet every one of you “thinks” you have a positive attitude, and the same amount of you have never taken a course in it or studied it. Let’s go a bit deeper. How much of your success is dependent […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds MALONEY, Cathy et al, Quicken Loans, Condo-Stony Brooke Site Condominiums, $322,000 KEELER, Mary S. Trust et al, Keeler, Ada Twp., 13-7-10, $170,000 SANDERS, Ahmad A. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Oakfield Twp., 3-9-9, $211,375 JSG MANAGEMENT LLC, Chemical Bank, Condo-Aberdeen Ridge Condominium, $224,700 JOLMAN, Jacob […]
West Michigan economy poised for a positive summer
The West Michigan growth rate continues upward. That’s the latest word on the local economy, according to the data and comments collected in the last two weeks of April. New Orders, our index of business improvement, rose to +37, up from March’s +29 and significantly higher than the +13 in February. The Production index remained […]
Office furniture recovery remains strong
Citing “extraordinary” new product development, Michael A. Dunlap has reported his survey of the office furniture industry in April is close to the previous two in October and January. “The industry continues to move on a very steady and a solidly improving trend line. This is very good news,” said Dunlap, of consulting firm Michael […]
Summit produces action steps
Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss shared the outcomes of the recent Strong Neighborhoods, Strong City Summit with her fellow commissioners last week, including three action steps that could be supported in the upcoming 2016 budget. Bliss heads up the Strong Neighborhoods Task Force, which consists of 14 community members representing several stakeholder interests. The task force hosted […]
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Greener Grads expands its partnerships
A Grand Rapids-based initiative has expanded its footprint across the nation in its first 12 months of operations while on a mission to reduce waste. Greener Grads, a national sustainability initiative that diverts graduation gowns from entering the waste stream, announced last month it had kept 12,000 pounds of polyester from landfills and expanded its […]
Lawmakers eye higher speed limits
LANSING — A new package of bills could result in higher speed limits on state roads across Michigan. The bills are designed to set optimum speeds on state roadways by relying on driver behavior, road conditions and accident data, according to officials with the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Transportation. The package […]
Street Talk: Going with the flow
The Grand River restoration bandwagon keeps picking up passengers. Grand Valley Metro Council is the latest to hop aboard with a formal resolution at its monthly meeting to support the restoration of the rapids. “This proposed project has the potential to have a positive impact on the entire Grand River watershed,” said John Weiss, GVMC […]
Legal help with labor and employment disputes
Scenario No. 1: One of your key employees e-mails you to tell you the stress of the job has given her medical problems, and that this situation is made worse by the breakup of her relationship with one of your managers. You were not aware of this relationship. Her e-mail is sent in reply to […]
Real estate enjoys surge in 1st quarter
West Michigan’s commercial real estate market is improving on all fronts. NAI Wisinski of West Michigan recently released a first-quarter market analysis that revealed positive aspects in the industrial, office and retail markets pretty much across the board. Industrial According to NAI Wisinski’s report, West Michigan’s industrial market continued to expand in the first quarter […]
Deed restrictions could hurt Michigan’s vacation industry
If you — like many Michiganders — rent your vacation home from time to time, make sure you consider the potential impact that deed restrictions may have on your right to continue using your property as a vacation rental. Failure to do so could result in costly litigation or other demands from neighbors or associations, […]
PriorityHR makes clients’ human resources needs a priority
A local outsourcing company tailors human resources and employee benefits solutions to meet local client needs. PriorityHR, an HR outsourcing firm headquartered at 1515 Michigan St. NE in Grand Rapids, is focused on providing customized services and solutions to clients by fostering strong co-employer relationships and remaining local. The Grand Rapids-based firm not only offers […]
Employees who are ‘true consumers of health care’ bring down costs
As health care costs to employers and consumers continue to rise, the echo chambers of despair offer no solution. Lacks Enterprises, however, has used ingenuity and planning to create a whole other model unique to West Michigan that bears attention. The result is cost savings achieved by thoughtful planning versus reactionary business decisions to absorb […]
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MadCap’s mad dash to keep pace
Last year, MadCap Coffee’s café and roastery on Monroe Center was overflowing with beans. The internationally known coffee roaster was roasting beans in the basement of the shop and, as demand increased, space was quickly running out. “We were teetering on the edge of maxing out capacity the past couple of years,” MadCap co-owner Ryan […]
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Kent City operation is the bee’s knees
The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program has recognized Michigan Bee Co. of Kent City as a verified farm in the Farmstead System for implementing appropriate pollution prevention practices. Michigan Bee Co. is a third-generation family honey production business that has been keeping bees for more than 90 years. The program, part of the Michigan Department […]
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The doctor will see you now
A Grand Rapids-based company has successfully pioneered a new method of delivering health care to employees through an employer-sponsored clinic in partnership with CareATC. Lacks Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer headquartered at 5460 Cascade Road SE, said through the operation of its innovative near-site primary health care clinics for employees, the company was not only […]
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Inside Track: Beverage industry déjà vu
Brien Fox isn’t the first from his family tree to head the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America. His father, Henry “Happy” Fox of Henry A. Fox Sales Co., chaired the same organization in 1996. In early April, Brien Fox, president and CEO of Grand Rapids-based Henry A. Fox Sales, was named the new chair […]
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Westshore Mall to undergo $20M facelift
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) This summer Holland-based Westshore Mall will undergo a roughly $20 million, extensive “de-malling” process to adapt to the evolving lakeshore shopping market. Westshore Mall Investors LLC, owner of Westshore Mall at 12331 James St., Holland, will officially break ground at 2 p.m., June 11, on an approximately $20 million […]
