May 14, 2018
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Change Ups: Olivarez receives emeritus award
Juan R. Olivarez received Grand Rapids Community College’s President Emeritus Award as part of the college’s recent commencement. Olivarez became the first Hispanic president of a Michigan college or university when he was tapped to lead GRCC in 1999. The son of migrant laborers, he has degrees from Aquinas College, Wayne State University and Michigan […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds WILLS, Bryan T. et al, Envoy Mortgage, Condo-Flat River Forest, $250,381 BROWN, Michael P. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage Co., Paris Park No. 3, Lot 500, $275,500 SWARTZ, Whitney et al, Union Home Mortgage Corp., Caravelle Village No. 4, Lot 90, $210,425 HAAN, Kyle et […]
Understanding the tax math for 2018 returns
In recent weeks, most of us have filed our individual income tax returns or requested an extension of time to file any required tax returns. Some glitches at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and its computer systems did allow for an extra day for filing 2017 individual income tax returns without an extension. If we […]
Street Talk: Lowell clears the air
The Lowell City Council approved a plan that will allow Litehouse Inc. to pretreat the water used in its manufacturing processes. The council approved the terms of a lease and operation agreement that will enable Litehouse to pretreat its process water at 625 Chatham St. The decision will allow Litehouse, the largest employer in Lowell, […]
West Michigan’s economic toolbox is missing key IT skills in education, workforce
The Wall Street Journal on May 2 reported Amazon.com Inc. HQ2 research leaders called 20 of the 238 applicants for its second headquarters to explain why those metro areas were dropped from selection. The answers were not that surprising. As the Business Journal reported in March, one among those bidders, The Right Place Inc., had […]
Area’s entrepreneurial bridge builders are thriving
Recently, Start Garden announced the 100 ideas selected as part of its “100 Ideas/$100K initiative” — an intentional approach at diversifying the entrepreneurship scene in Grand Rapids (Start Garden's 100 Ideas invests $100,000 in these entrepreneurs). And I recently had the opportunity to attend West Michigan’s Best and the Brightest Companies to Work For awards. […]
Public art is a defining urban characteristic
Many essential ingredients transform cities and create a powerful and lasting impression. Public art, especially thoughtful permanent pieces, are among the most impactful for enhancing the lives of residents, visitors and tourists, and creating a dynamic sense of place. As a fourth-generation Grand Rapidian, I view the history of public art in Grand Rapids in […]
LMCU campaign funds pediatric programs
Millions of children visit hospitals each year and many have to stay in those hospitals for months at a time. Lake Michigan Credit Union is working to alleviate the emotional distress that is associated with hospital stays for children in West Michigan through a fundraising drive. The credit union’s Band Together Campaign is a monthlong […]
Report touts region’s innovation
The Michigan Economic Center says Michigan is well-positioned to grow hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of new jobs. The organization’s “Jobs, Michigan, and Leadership in the Economy of Tomorrow” report said the state should focus on fast-growing sectors of energy, water, food, transportation, IT/communications and health care. West Michigan historically has taken the […]
Scientist selected for DOE program
A West Michigan scientist will join a team of entrepreneurs in a two-year program to enhance the development of their respective technologies. Tom Guarr, co-founder and chief scientist of Jolt Energy Storage, was selected to participate in the Chain Reactions Innovation program sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and Office Energy Efficiency […]
Mobility summit examines choices
Will Grand Rapids put more emphasis on people rather than cars when it comes to mobility? Gabe Klein, former commissioner for both the Chicago and Washington D.C. Departments of Transportation, spoke of his personal experience in shaping the two cities’ transit systems at a recent mobility summit in Grand Rapids. He urged city leaders to […]
‘Green rush’ still checked by cash concerns
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Entrepreneurs starting or scaling up cannabis businesses in Michigan face a tricky problem: with marijuana illegal at the federal level, they can’t borrow from traditional lenders. Larry Magnesen, chief reputation officer at Fifth Third Bank, said his employer — one of the largest bank chains in West Michigan — […]
Equipment dealer turns shortage to advantage
A 61-year-old Grand Rapids small business is having a banner year, turning pre-owned machinery into profits. Turner Industries, at 4670 36th St. SE in Grand Rapids, buys, sells and brokers used industrial assets out of a 20,000-square-foot warehouse 2 miles from Gerald R. Ford International Airport. The company was founded by Robert Levy in 1957 […]
Court dismisses $5-million lawsuit against IT firm
A lawsuit filed against a Grand Rapids-based tech company was dismissed. Note Tech Industries LLC, doing business as Tech Defenders, and Repair Center LLC, an educational mobile device repair company, reached an agreement to dismiss a lawsuit that was filed by Wisconsin-based Diamond Assets. The dismissal comes shortly after Garry VonMyhr, the CEO of Note […]
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Inside Track: Mad man finds calling
“Two stupid to see what’s in front of us, but really two wise to never stop.” That is how Matt Tiedgen describes his decision to become the co-founder of LEAD Marketing Agency with Tom Sullivan in the midst of the economic turmoil in 2008. The use of “two,” Tiedgen said, is intentional. Although bankruptcy was […]
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Colleges swoop in on drone training
Two area colleges are offering public classes on how to operate drones. Drones — technically called unmanned aircraft systems — are increasingly being used in agriculture, real estate, construction, film and a number of other professions. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International foresees the creation of more than 100,000 jobs in drone work by […]
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Chessboard maker finds his endgame
William “Bill” F. Drueke III and his father and grandfather never played chess. But that didn’t stop the family from becoming a globally known maker of chess sets from World War I to the 1980s. William F. Drueke & Company was founded in 1914 by William Francis Drueke, a card box salesman who caught his […]
