May 2, 2016

  • App unites economic development community

    Approximately a year and a half ago, Austin Dean saw a need and decided to do something about it. Dean, who has worked in economic development for about six years, was frustrated with the way valuable information was being reported, collected and shared. He saw a need to get everyone on the same page, using […]

  • Hispanic Chamber to host first business pitch night

    The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has a plan to encourage more Hispanic small business owners and entrepreneurs to enter local business pitch competitions. That plan involves starting one of their own. The chamber recently announced it will host its premiere Business Pitch Competition, which will give small business owners and entrepreneurs about five […]

  • Kent County scores top credit rating

    Kent County still has the best credit rating possible. For the 18th consecutive year, Kent County received a Triple-A credit rating from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service. Just as with personal credit, the better the credit rating for Kent County, the lower the interest rates it receives when it applies for bonds. According […]

  • GR, West Coast acoustic consulting firms merge

    A recent merger has made Grand Rapids-based Acoustics By Design Inc. one of the largest independent acoustical consulting firms in North America. Acoustics By Design, which offers services from vibration consultants, engineers, audio visual designers, theatrical lighting and IT security, has acquired Portland, Oregon-based Daly-Standlee and Associates Inc. The next three months will be spent […]

  • Peter and Joan Secchia CarePartners program opens at Spectrum

    An opening ceremony was held last week for the new Peter and Joan Secchia CarePartners program at Helen Devos Children’s Hospital. The new program seeks to make life easier for young patients with complex medical needs and their families by bundling appointments and providing a program coordinator to assist them in navigating their care plan. […]

  • THAW offers hand up with energy bills, not a handout

    Mark Lane likes it when he hears people say they hope never to see him again. Lane is the director of communications for THAW — The Heat and Warmth fund — a nonprofit dedicated to paying the utility bills of those in need, as long as their income qualifies at 150 percent or less of […]

  • I’d rather have no sales advice than bad sales advice

    I can’t help it. I read some bad sales advice today and I gotta say something. I’ll try to keep it positive, but my tongue is already bleeding from biting it. The title of the article was: “When sales calls stall.” Every salesperson has experienced that barrier in one form or another, so I wondered […]

  • Change Ups: Neurocore hires chief medical officer

    Brain performance training provider Neurocore has appointed Dr. Majid Fotuhi as its first chief medical officer. Fotuhi has been a groundbreaking brain health researcher, thought-leader and practicing clinician in the areas of memory and cognitive improvement. Fotuhi will work with Neurocore’s chief science officer Dr. Elyse White on the development of new client programs, the […]

  • Materials prices rise for first time in nine months

    Construction input prices rose on a monthly basis in March for the first time in nine months, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index by Associated Builders and Contractors. Input prices expanded 0.9 percent on a monthly basis in March but are still down 3.4 percent on a year-over-year […]

  • Public Record

    MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds KRUSHNAY LLC, Chemical Bank, Grand Rapids, $900,000 O’NEILL FAMILY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, Old National Bank, Cascade Twp., 9-6-10, $227,823 MCPHEETERS, Scott & Heidi Trust et al, NBKC Bank, Paris Park, Lot 178, $371,000 WILLIAM, Davis et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Windcrest Estates, Lot 23, $217,979 […]

  • Street Talk: Leaders of the pack

    West Michigan’s business community has been blessed with abundant — and visionary — leaders, past and present. Two of this era’s best will be recognized when the Economic Club of Grand Rapids hands out awards at its 29th Annual Dinner, May 31, at DeVos Place. Dan DeVos, chairman and CEO of DP Fox Ventures LLC, […]

  • Brenneman brings order to the court

    President Abraham Lincoln created the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan during the Civil War. Up until then the state had only one district court, which was located on the east side and could be hard to access for some people. That historical tidbit is one of many Hugh Brenneman shares with […]

  • Michigan corridor meeting set

    The Michigan Street Corridor may be getting an extensive — and expensive — facelift. The city of Grand Rapids is proposing a $1.65 million upgrade to Michigan Street between Monroe and Ionia avenues, and concrete repairs between Ionia and Barclay Avenues. Concepts for the proposed plan will be unveiled at a meeting Thursday, when the […]

  • Family meetings: identifying exactly who is in the room

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    Everyone has that odd uncle who shows up at family events and creates awkwardly memorable situations. What if that uncle is not just a family member but you “get to” work with him every day in your family business? Family businesses often have an interesting cast of characters, each of whom contributes uniquely to the […]

  • West Michigan is destination for life sciences startups

    West Michigan’s legacy as a manufacturing region began to take a turn two decades ago with the founding of the Van Andel Institute and the birth of the Medical Mile. Since then, the area has built a new reputation, becoming one of the fastest-growing life sciences clusters in the country. We’ve reached a point at […]

  • How does area rate among best, brightest?

    The scores are in, and West Michigan is hitting some national benchmarks — but certainly not all of them. In conjunction with the Michigan Business & Professional Association’s upcoming West Michigan’s 2016 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For banquet May 5, the organization also has revealed how West Michigan businesses stack up against their […]

  • Heeding rankings will help sustain West Michigan business achievements

    Grand Rapids Business Journal notes this week the number of West Michigan companies that have attained rank in the Michigan Business and Professional Association’s 2016 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, an honor especially for its rigorous evaluation in 15 categories with 30 pages of documentation. The integrity of the process (which includes not […]

  • Loeks says movie theater is good for downtown

    (As seen on WZZM TV 13) After nearly four years, J.D. Loeks is happy with where his Studio C! downtown movie theater stands. When the prospect of Loeks Theatres building a movie theater behind Van Andel Arena first arose in the spring of 2012, the project was just that — a movie theater. Now the […]

  • Mercy finalizes plans for $271M campus

    A new $271 million, 267-bed medical center is headed to the lakeshore. Mercy Health Muskegon announced final design plans for its new medical center, which will be located on the Mercy campus at 1500 E. Sherman Blvd. in Muskegon. The new facility will bring all Mercy Health Muskegon-area inpatient services together at a central location. […]

  • Hudsonville prepares for $5M worth of downtown renovations

    As urban blight continues to impact small towns across Michigan, Hudsonville is poised to revitalize its downtown. City officials hope to see construction begin on approximately $5 million worth of projects this summer after years of planning. Imagine Hudsonville 2030 includes a community center and farmers market, a beautification of Chicago Drive and a “living […]

  • Creators of GR music app hope to change the industry

    A Grand Rapids app that could potentially revolutionize the way the world listens to music is almost ready for launch. Radi8er is a combination of the words “radio” and the acoustic term “resonate.” The app serves as a cross between a music/musician user interface and a map interface. It is being hailed as “music streaming […]

  • Inside Track: Entrepreneur’s ideas bloom after grounding flight school

    When he started college, Ryan Mast intended to become an airline pilot, but instead he took off as an entrepreneur. Mast said he earned his pilot’s license while still attending Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville. He went on to college at Western Michigan University specifically because he wanted to become a commercial pilot, enrolling […]

  • Restaurant industry orders help

    In the first week after the opening of Vander Mill’s Grand Rapids restaurant, Justin Large fired two cooks and saw two more quit. Losing four people is hard enough for an already small kitchen staff, which Large, the executive chef, is still trying to fill out. The issue, however, is not unique to Vander Mill […]

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