Archives

Pamella DeVos has fashion plan for Grand Rapids

The seeds of the fashion industry are being planted in Grand Rapids, and Pamella DeVos is looking to help them flourish. Kendall College of Art...

Inside Track: Banking and bikes are center of Bracken’s priorities

There are low-income children in Grand Rapids whose lives are brighter because Elizabeth “Liz” Bracken didn’t want her two daughters to think Christmas centered...

Neighborhood business stars are seeds of statewide emerging trends

The University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum offers a look at the real estate business as a whole across the state, but...

Financial literacy: what you don’t know can hurt your business

Financial literacy — the knowledge of financial matters needed to make informed judgments and decisions on the management of money — has become an...

Orion Construction makes another move

Not pausing for a timeout after its recent Arena Place, Hotel Double Tree and Eastown Flats projects, its fresh partnership with Detroit builder Walbridge,...

LG Chem finally begins battery production

LG Chem Michigan in Holland is now producing commercial lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The company, which has had a series of setbacks that have...

AIA Grand Rapids celebrates design in a big way

The Grand Rapids chapter of the American Institute of Architects recently celebrated the best designs and designers of 2013 with nine awards at its...

Mary Free Bed construction project gets bigger

The $54 million construction project underway at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in downtown Grand Rapids just became a $62.5 million project, but that...

Sperry Van Ness team doing well in niche

A Grand Rapids real estate team recently sold five fully occupied retail buildings in Michigan, three on the southeast side of the state and...

Weigh business and reputation costs of lawsuits

“I want to sue this guy.” Business owners say this when they are frustrated by consistently late payments or customers who fail to meet expectations...

Meijer is one of Feeding America West Michigan’s greatest assets

(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Three semi-trucks, worth $26,000 each, are now the workhorses for Feeding America West Michigan, an early Christmas present...

GR firm among honorees at UM/ULI Forum

Steve Volkers of the Steve Volkers Group in Grand Rapids, who successfully got the condos selling at the redeveloped Grand Rapids YMCA building, will...

Award-winning design scores on two fronts

Architectural design has been gauged recently and often by its aesthetics, its graceful stylish lines and engaging color combinations that create a sense of...

Hunt always wanted to create space

As a preschooler, Jefferey Hunt drew up floor plans for his mom between chocolate milk breaks and naps in his kindergarten class. Today, he...

Salespeople have questions; Jeffrey has answers

I get a ton of emails from people seeking insight or asking me to solve their sales dilemmas. Here are a few that may...

Change Ups: Radio host earns Storey Award

Thriller! Chiller! International Genre Film Festival has named WGVU morning show host/producer Shelley Irwin the recipient of its 2013 Storey Award. The local film...

Michigan exporters lined up well for emerging economies

In the first eight months of 2013, the value of world merchandise exports rose 2.1 percent to $11 trillion dollars from the same period...

Allocation gets lost in the translation

The two city officials on the Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. board of advisors were puzzled last week at how the organization’s costs were allocated. “I’m...

A lot of eyes are on Grand Rapids

The blight blitz to rid the city of 100 dilapidated houses is underway, and how it gets done in Grand Rapids may determine if...

Small businesses to be recognized this week

A “Taste of Our Neighborhoods” reception will kick off the 24th annual gala known as the Neighborhood Business Awards. Sponsored by Neighborhood Ventures and the...