November 2, 2020
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Julius Suchy
Julius Suchy’s first role as a city manager was with the city of Vassar at just 24 years of age.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Rachel Mraz
Rachel Mraz just doesn’t quit.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Jeff Lumpp
After three years in his role as the West Michigan president for Hylant, Jeff Lumpp is building on early leadership lessons to grow his team’s revenue and keep the workforce engaged during one of the firm’s most challenging periods.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Katherine Roye
Katherine Roye is an emerging leader known for her skill in bringing people together, according to her nominator, Jennifer Maxson.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Laura Morris
Laura Morris has a new mission in mind as a partner at Warner Norcross + Judd.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Adam Russo
Adam Russo grew up in a working-class family, where his father’s alarm clock went off at 3:30 a.m. so he could get ready for a factory job he worked at for more than 30 years.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Daniela Rojas-Cortes
When Daniela Rojas-Cortes joined the Hispanic Center, it was with the intention to find a position that would not only allow the flexibility to complete her graduate studies but also help her get connected with the Latinx community in Grand Rapids, she said.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Jacey Ehmann
J
acey Ehmann caught her big break when local restaurateur Paul Lee hired her to build his new restaurant, Hancock, in 2018. -
2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Aleka Thrash
Aleka Thrash didn’t allow her dyslexia diagnosis to impede her desire to become an accomplished woman despite naysayers claiming she was not “smart enough” in high school.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Anthony Lazzaro
Not everybody takes the same path to success. Anthony Lazzaro said the best decision of his life was to take a break from college to pursue his first startup.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: CJ DeVries
CJ DeVries said it is her mission to make Grand Rapids known for its diversity in all aspects — age, race and religion.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Tessa Keena
Cosmetologist-turned-accountant Tessa Keena believes her unusual career path is proof that with grit and determination, people can defy their limitations.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Tanya Gibbs
It was free pizza during a lunch visit from Native American students from Grand Rapids Public Schools that granted Tanya Gibbs, a Native American herself, an opening at Rosette LLP to excel as a managing partner at the firm.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Preston Sain
Preston Sain’s mission is to rectify the economic crisis for Black residents of Grand Rapids through the creation of opportunity zones for entrepreneurship.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Jennifer Fillenworth
A major car accident convinced Jennifer Fillenworth not to hold back in owning her identity.
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds DYKSTRA, Dennis et al, Primelending, Parcel: 411009251003, $314,500 NELSON, Mark A. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $286,100 ROMIG, Deborah et al, Quicken Loans, Rockford, $430,800 NIBOR LLC, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411325166014, $281,250 BARTLETT, Nicholas V. et al, MiMutual Mortgage, Cascade Twp., […]
Street Talk: Kentwood wraps up new master plan
Following planning and community engagement efforts spanning more than three years, the city of Kentwood has adopted an updated Master Plan that serves as the city’s long-range vision for growth, land use, development and open space conservation.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Josephine White
Josephine White has found a deepening maturity as a small business owner in 2020, her sixth year of owning and operating JoJo’s House of Beauty.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Jennifer Remondino
As an attorney at the largest law firm headquartered in West Michigan, Jennifer Remondino has had the opportunity to engage in the life experiences of her clients who face issues that are related to tax planning, trusts and estates, real estate and family business and succession, among other things.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Charlie Wondergem
Charlie Wondergem is on a mission as the director of mergers and acquisitions at Aspen Surgical, a global manufacturer of surgical disposable products.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Max Friar
Max Friar has founded and co-founded multiple businesses since 2009 and is now pouring “100% effort” into his mergers and acquisitions firm Calder Capital, which keeps breaking its own records for number of M&A deals completed.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Eleanor Moreno
“Innovative” is a word that comes up a lot when people talk about Eleanor Moreno.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Lauren Youngdahl Snyder
Lauren Youngdahl Snyder said she always looked up to her grandfather, Russell C. Youngdahl, as a child.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Crystal Bui
Crystal Bui is serving her community in more ways than one. She is an attorney, and also the chair and president of Asian Community Outreach, a nonprofit organization.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Latoya Booker
Latoya Booker has made it her life’s duty to spread awareness about diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Ciarra Adkins
Ciarra Adkins has many heroes, and one of those heroes is Tonya Adkins-McKeever.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Andy Johnston
It’s a bit ironic that for holding such an influential position, Andy Johnston said his biggest professional break was becoming a dishwasher at an MSU sorority house.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Camila Noordeloos
Camila Noordeloos is a member of “a short list of emerging venture capitalists” who uses her multinational experience to make a difference in Grand Rapids.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Priscilla Lyon
Working mothers also can be executives. As a first-generation college graduate, Priscilla Lyon pursued her master’s degree as a single mother.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Thomas Pierce
Thomas Pierce works to harness past lessons in empathy, integrity and courage as a leader.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Hanna Schulze
Hanna Schulze had big shoes to fill when Elissa Sangalli left Local First earlier this year, but after a nationwide search, the organization found it had the ideal leader right under its nose.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Joshua Hulst
Joshua Hulst met his friend and future business partner Mark Johnson in 2010, and the two started working on an app to donate to a nonprofit together. They soon realized how well their skills and personalities complemented each other.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: John Behrens
John Behrens said he’s had an entrepreneurial mindset for as long as he can remember.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Michele Giordano
Michele Giordano founded Giordano Law PLC in 2015.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Sungjin Yoo
Sungjin Yoo has lived in many places including Seoul, Charlottesville, Vienna, St. Louis and Hamburg, but Grand Rapids ultimately is his home and the city he loves.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Sasha Wolff
Sasha Wolff said she took a leap of faith by starting a nonprofit focused on mental health, a topic many people still are afraid to talk about.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Justin Razmus
Justin Razmus shies away from the spotlight so others can take center stage through his work as a visual producer and business marketing strategist for 616 Media LLC.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Graci Harkema
Graci Harkema believes sharing her story will help inspire others on the journey toward workforce inclusion.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Trevor Lee Straub
Trevor Lee Straub, CEO and show producer of Michigan Drag Brunch, started the new year with a bang.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Jaime Counterman
Prior to leading Metro Health’s philanthropic endeavors, Jaime Counterman already had made great strides in West Michigan philanthropy.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Charles Gibson
Dr. Charles Gibson is in a class all his own. Only 5% of U.S. physicians are Black, and even fewer are trauma surgeons, he said.
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2020 40 Under 40 award recipient: Tanell Hills
Tanell Hills and her husband, AJ, started Endless Opportunities to deliver mentoring experiences to engage, educate and empower young people in the Grand Rapids area.
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Inside Track: Doing the job her own way
Learning never stops for Chaoying Zhang, who is at the forefront of new technological innovations at Rockford Construction. Because she considers herself very scientifically minded, she embraces the challenge of being the company’s first mechanical engineering plumbing coordinator.
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Arts organizations receive state funding
Arts and history organizations and educational institutions in West Michigan were among 470 applicants to receive $9,168,440 in grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA.)
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Local entrepreneur exits showbiz, finds flooring
A former professional opera singer is now making bank as a West Michigan flooring contractor and wants to get the word to young people looking for career opportunities.
What veterans need to know to select a Medicare plan
Americans have faced many important decisions this year, with more on the horizon.
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Industrial market comes back strong
Some commercial real estate markets continue to fare better than others during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Colliers West Michigan’s 2020 Q3 market reports.
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Expert: Plan smart to mitigate impacts of COVID-19 next year
Now that most of his business clients have successfully navigated the Paycheck Protection Program and taken advantage of stimulus funding options available to them, a local Rehmann expert is encouraging them to look ahead at additional strategies to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on their business the rest of this year and into 2021.
Can you use the ‘Five Percent Principle’ to build your business?
In the 1990s I came across a book titled, “Everything I Needed to Know about Success I Found in the Bible,” by Richard Gaylord Briley.
If no other year, get the flu shot this year
As we head further into the fall season, we also begin to enter the flu season.
Managing public spaces in the ‘new normal’
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, public health and safety have been at the forefront of conversations and decisions regarding public spaces.
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SURGE Boostcamp reaches the next level
Lakeshore Advantage is conducting its second cohort of SURGE Boostcamp with an updated approach this fall.
West Michigan HR does not appreciate veterans
West Michigan human resources professionals do not appreciate military diversity in their hiring process, especially in their mid- to senior-executive leadership vacancies.
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Community pays tribute to Peter Secchia
Kind words and tributes poured in from the community after the death of prominent donor, former U.S. ambassador and longtime businessman Peter Secchia on Oct. 21 at the age of 83.
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Company introduces ‘mobile’ Wi-Fi for students
A Grand Rapids company is offering school districts the option of providing Wi-Fi to their students in the unlikeliest of places.
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Wheeler Development makes up for lost time
Despite the state-mandated freeze on construction in response to COVID-19, Wheeler Development Group so far completed more than $50 million in townhome projects this year and is seeing increased activity in the multifamily market.
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Plante Moran rolls out ‘Work-from-Home Remedies’
Recognizing the extra stressors employees are facing as the pandemic stretches on, a Michigan-based tax and accounting firm came up with a plan to make life easier and keep people productive and sane.
Study: Trade backed 1.1M state jobs
A new study from Business Roundtable finds international trade supported 1,105,400 jobs in Michigan in 2018 and represented nearly one out of every five jobs in the state before the pandemic.
