November 27, 2017
Projections indicate too many low-paying jobs
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their job projections for 2016-26. The Atlantic did a good overview article of the data entitled “Why Nerds and Nurses are Taking Over the U.S. Economy.” The BLS also did a summary analysis of the data. Both are worth checking out. What I want to focus on in […]
MSA reclassification sets GR on path to success
Two reports in the Business Journal are emphasized, as the community leans into a new year and business owners close the fourth quarter. The report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows per capita income for West Michigan is weak, measuring a 2.2 percent increase for 2016, exactly the reported rate of inflation in […]
Be intentional about your business’s succession or sale
Think back … remember what you went through to start up or purchase your business? How many recessions, hiccups or heartaches have you, or those who came before you, endured to bring your business to this point? It is not easy to run a closely held or family-owned business. We see business owners pour their […]
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Change Ups: Hopkins appointed Safe Haven’s director
Megan Hopkins was appointed Safe Haven Ministries’ executive director. She worked as the nonprofit’s interim director since May. Hopkins first became involved with Safe Haven two years ago as a volunteer, supporting its capital campaign. She also provided professional development and leadership training to the Safe Haven staff. Safe Haven is a comprehensive domestic violence […]
Monthly construction spending is up, but annual rates lag
Nonresidential construction spending rose 0.5 percent in September, totaling $698.1 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, nonresidential construction spending is down 2.9 percent on a year-over-year basis, with construction spending related to manufacturing down 20.3 percent since September 2016. August and July nonresidential […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds SHUKLA, Ravikumar et al, AFI Financial, Condo-Preserve At Arbor Hills, $244,500 PEARSON, Eric et al, Huntington National Bank, Mercer's Lakeview Park Add., Lot 40, $700,000 ROERSMA & WURN BUILDERS INC., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Condo-English Meadows Heights Site Condominium, $266,550 NOLL, Robert E. et al, […]
Street Talk: Commerce route still afloat
The cross-lake shipping initiative the Business Journal reported on earlier this year has been delayed but still is en route, officials say. The privately funded marine freight route from Muskegon to Milwaukee will launch in early 2018, cutting down on the amount of semi-truck traffic from West Michigan down to the Chicago area and north […]
Kent County board passes wage compensation for four units
Kent County commissioners are in agreement with wage increases for four bargaining units. During the county’s Finance and Physical Resources Committee Meeting on Nov. 16, the Human Resources Department presented figures for the county’s Management Pay Plan (MPP) compensation program and three labor agreements on behalf of employees in unions representing the Office of the […]
Ag exporters turn eye toward China, South Korea
A trade mission to Southeast Asia may result in new export opportunities for Michigan agricultural producers. The companies spent five days in Asia, Nov. 6-10. Three days were spent in China, visiting two cities, Shanghai and Hangzhou, and two days in Seoul, South Korea. Nine food-related organizations accompanied representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture […]
App helps users attack student debt
As the largest living generation, millennials are dominating the conversation at Fifth Third Bank these days. U.S. Census data released in 2016 revealed that millennials, often defined as those born between 1981 and 2000, surpassed baby boomers (74.9 million individuals) at 75.4 million individuals last year. Fifth Third Bank CEO Greg Carmichael, visiting the West […]
Income growth is weak
Figures released this month show per capita income in four West Michigan counties is barely keeping up with inflation. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on Nov. 16 released its local area personal income estimates for 2016, measuring per capita personal income by county, in dollars and by percent change from the preceding period. […]
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Inside Track: Best of both worlds
Driving around a mountain bend in December 2006, Megan Odegaard was involved in a head-on collision that set her life on a different course than intended. The accident wasn’t too serious but left her back ruined for volleyball — a sport the then-high school senior had multiple scholarship offers from across the country. Had the […]
E&V pumps $40M into fall schedule
New developments from Elzinga & Volkers are springing up across the state of Michigan. The Holland-based construction management firm has begun breaking ground on several new projects, some of which are expected to be complete next year, and others that are expected to keep the firm busy until 2019. The firm is breaking ground on […]
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Wellness provider targets small business
As small business owners, Amy Ritsema and Mary Kline understand the challenge of administering programs for employees while wearing multiple hats. To help their clients address that struggle — and give them a perk to boost employee attraction and retention — the co-owners of Grand Rapids-based OnSite Wellness recently designed two packages for virtual wellness […]
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Table set for food initiative
An ambitious plan is taking shape on the lakeshore to grow the region’s labor pool and expand product development and agriculture exports. With the help of a $232,000 grant from Consumers Energy and support from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and at least 60 West Michigan stakeholders, the West Michigan Shoreline Food Processing Initiative […]
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PFAS draw concerns of ‘environmental stigma’
A local environmental remediation expert who lives in Rockford said ongoing testing of the water supply for contaminants has neighbors on edge. Joe Berlin, president of Grand Rapids-based BLDI Environmental Engineering, said his firm handles cleanup of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mainly at decommissioned military sites. BLDI is not affiliated with the ongoing testing of contaminated […]
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An unwavering commitment to local businesses
Birgit Klohs said the Kent County business community has something that makes it unique: collaborative spirit and culture. That public-private collaborative culture is what The Right Place president and CEO credits to her staying at the economic development agency since 1987. “You don’t see it in other cities or regions,” she said. When Klohs began […]
