May 26, 2015
Street Talk: The American way
Amway Corp. sells more than just products. The direct sales giant, which last year had more than $10.8 billion in sales worldwide, is making some of its better pitches closer to home. That’s why Grand Rapids Community College recognized Amway last week with its Internship Employer of the Year Award. The Ada Township-based company has […]
Monthly construction materials prices remain tame
Prices for inputs to construction industries fell by 0.1 percent in April, ending a two-month streak during which material prices expanded by greater than 0.4 percent. Prices have now fallen in six of the previous eight months and input prices are also down on a year-over-year basis, falling 4 percent since April 2014. This represents […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds WHITE, David et al, Independent Bank, Condo-Aberdeen Ridge Condominium, $236,500 SCHAB, Jason et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Northbrook No. 6, Lot 136, $257,000 ROBERTS, Timothy R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Condo-Scotsmoor II, $253,175 SANBORN, Claire et al, Northpointe Bank, Condo-Saddle Ridge, $275,793 […]
Change Ups: MTM taps VanKampen as executive director
Mel Trotter Ministries’ board of directors has appointed Dennis VanKampen as its new executive director and CEO. VanKampen was Mel Trotter’s vice president of programs for the past three and a half years. He has more than 17 years of experience leading nonprofit organizations including Camp Henry, Camp Manitou-lin and other camp and retreat centers […]
GE Aviation supports Ex-Im Bank
A West Michigan GE Aviation executive has expressed grave concern about the potential demise of the federal government’s Export-Import Bank, created as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal to help American businesses sell their goods and services abroad. The legislation authorizing Ex-Im, as it is called, will expire July 1 if not renewed by Congress. West […]
In the dark with MET towers
The Michigan Aeronautics Commission is pushing for legislation to amend the 1959 Tall Structure Act to enable state officials to know just where existing meteorological evaluation towers are in Michigan, and require them to be more visible to aircraft. METs are erected by wind farm developers to collect weather data that will indicate if there […]
Report says education lagging in Michigan
A nonprofit organization is taking the state to school with its campaign for new strategies and policies to improve Michigan’s public education system performance. Education Trust-Midwest, a statewide education policy and advocacy organization based in Royal Oak, released a 2015 State of Michigan Education Report May 19, marking the official launch of its Michigan Achieves […]
New rule changes how financial statements look
A new accounting rule issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board that takes effect this June, known as GASB 68, will have an impact on local governments’ financial statements — and could make some of them appear in bad financial shape, when the opposite is true. According to Jennifer Mausolf, marketing and product development director […]
The big secrets of enthusiastic emotional engagement
What is engagement? Better stated, how can you engage other people to become interested in you and your product or service? Dale Carnegie (“How to Win Friends and Influence People”) says the answer is by becoming interested in them. And he’s partially right. The reality — and the secret of engagement — is that both […]
The Ten Commandments: a good guide to business
It would be hard to deny that Judeo-Christian teachings are the basic foundation of the culture of this country. Grand Rapids is an example of the quality of life that such a culture can engender. I have told people for 40 years that, regardless of religious affiliation, following the Ten Commandments is a good guide […]
Muskegon launches image and marketing campaign
Nearly 15 organizations and municipalities throughout the Muskegon area have launched an image and marketing campaign to inform residents and visitors about what the area has to offer. Community leaders and representatives from greater Muskegon-area organizations and municipalities unveiled a three-year community-wide image and marketing campaign Friday with a goal of raising $250,000 for marketing […]
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Pain points, pipes and the cloud
When a business owner or CEO hears the IT people talking about pain points, pipes and the cloud, this may be the gist of their conversation: “We could fix these pain points with a bigger pipe, and we could afford a bigger pipe if we spent money on the cloud rather than investing capital on […]
Make education priority in state’s turnaround
The Business Journal is reporting on a study just released by Education Trust-Midwest, a non-partisan education policy organization, showing that, by almost any statistical average, Michigan students are performing among the bottom 10 states in the country. The study shows those disappointing test score averages transcend racial, income and geographic boundaries, as is starkly evident […]
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Genzink gears up for nondestructive testing division
Recently, John Maxson had contractors in his Genzink Steel office nearly every day. The contractors were there for nondestructive testing, or NDT — a necessity for Genzink Steel’s increasing work in providing heavy plate fabrication for mining, defense, oil and gas, and other industries that could cause harm if products fail. Genzink Steel is 54 […]
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EPIC finalists earn distinction, honors
When representatives from 20 businesses gather to celebrate West Michigan’s entrepreneurial, progressive, innovative and collaborative efforts, the results should be EPIC. The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce will celebrate 20 area businesses and individuals at the sixth annual EPIC Awards from 5:30-8 p.m., June 1, at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. The EPIC […]
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Changes in health care influence furniture design
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) One of the biggest changes you might have noticed recently when visiting your doctor’s office is that the furniture looks much more like what you’d find in a hotel room than in a hospital. Health care furniture is adapting to fit the shifting health care environment, which today is […]
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Inside Track: Making waves on the lakeshore
Jonathan Seyferth may not have planned on finding his footing in economic development, but his leadership position at Downtown Muskegon Now has helped the business community begin to rise. As executive director of the an agency promoting economic development, restoration and enhancement for the roughly 48-square-block area of downtown Muskegon, Seyferth has had a hand […]
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Pitching to the gaming industry
It’s a good bet there are a lot of new business opportunities for Michigan companies interested in supplying the state’s casino industry. The three Detroit casinos, for example, had adjusted gross receipts of more than $469 million — just from Jan. 1 through April. A Grand Rapids company that was invited by Pure Michigan Business […]
