October 24, 2016
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Game publisher rolls dice on new career
Marc Specter describes his role as a game publisher as like being a builder: He’s in charge of organizing the “roofers, painters and drywallers.” Only in his world, his workforce is made up of game designers, project managers and artists. Specter is the owner of board and card game publisher Grand Gamers Guild, based out […]
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Mary Free Bed focuses on maximizing human ability
Miracles happen inside the four walls of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. During the reopening of Mary Free Bed in downtown Grand Rapids, following the completion of Phase 2 of its $66.4 million expansion and renovation project, Mary Free Bed President and CEO Kent Riddle shared stories of two young patients, Sasha and Josie, each […]
Hop growers expanding
With private equity entering the Michigan hop industry, the state’s top growers are positioning themselves for the future. Hickory Corners-based Hop Head Farms recently announced David Sipes as executive vice president, signaling a commitment to add management connected to the nation’s largest beer producers. Sipes spent 17 years with Boston Beer Company, best known for […]
Initiative helps vets find jobs
After Heather Merrick left the Army in 2008, she couldn’t understand why she was having so much trouble finding a job. Merrick was skilled and had leadership qualities employers look for, but for some reason, her résumé wasn’t garnering much traction. Now a technical recruiter for Express Employment Professionals of Grand Rapids, Merrick looks back […]
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Foundation to raise $2M for vascular fellowships
The Metro Health Hospital Foundation has announced plans to raise $2 million for a program that will help the hospital save more lives and limbs. The money will be put toward funding two physician fellowships per year in perpetuity. Dr. Jihad Mustapha, a Metro Health physician who specializes in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology and vascular and […]
Change Ups: Klohs earns leadership award
Birgit Klohs, president and CEO of The Right Place Inc. recently received the International Economic Development Council’s Jeffrey A. Finkle Organizational Leadership Award for leading the economic development organization with integrity, tenacity and a philanthropic spirit that has resulted in significant long-term economic growth. Klohs demonstrates a vast knowledge of intricacies in the economic development […]
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Inside Track: Building inspiration through perspective
Peter Hugo Baldwin credits his choice of becoming an architect to an interconnected assortment of incidents that happened earlier in his life. Trips to Europe and across the United States when he was a kid, the stimulus of his fourth grade teacher, the mentorship of a business partner and his father’s drawn-out sermons helped kindle […]
You cannot ignore the present — it’s where your sales are
My sales perspective flies in the face of traditional selling. And it’s not just a disruption; it’s the new way of sales. What’s your perspective? Here are seven realities to get your thinking started: First reality: Traditional selling is aggressive: telling, pitching, manipulating and closing. This old-world approach to sales is over and has been […]
Construction input prices begin to trend higher
Both nonresidential and overall construction input prices increased in September, with natural gas and crude petroleum prices bouncing back, according to an analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index. The BLS data show nonresidential input prices expanded 0.3 percent on a monthly basis in September, and overall construction prices also rose […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds MARTINIE, Randall J. et al, West Michigan Community Bank, Loveless Plat, Lot 18, $258,900 THORPE, Alan K. et al, Planet Home Lending, Eastmont Meadows No. 1, Lot 35, $231,186 GROOM, Mathew et al, Adventure Credit Union, Chalet Estates East No. 5, Lot 148, $211,200 EBERLY, […]
Street Talk: B Corps drive urban farming
Urban farming nonprofit Urban Roots will be able to meet more students where they are thanks to a $5,000 gift from five Grand Rapids B Corps. Brewery Vivant, Essence Restaurant Group, 616 Lofts, Image Shoppe and Catalyst Partners raised the money to support Urban Roots’ Mobile Classroom program, a physical farm on wheels that travels […]
The future has arrived at Whirlpool
In “Industries of the Future,” Alec Ross, the book’s author and keynote speaker at the West Michigan Policy Forum that was held in Grand Rapids in September, predicts robots soon will take over factory floors across the globe. Ross said recent innovations in robotic technology are leading to safer and more agile robots that will […]
Estate valuation discounts soon could be at risk
If asked to name tax-related discussions in the news over the past few months, you would have a lot to cover. The presidential campaigns and debates have highlighted whether candidates should disclose their personal income tax returns, what income tax rates should be for individuals and businesses and how much estate tax should be paid […]
Licensing property gives owners flexibility — and income
Got a parking lot you don’t use after employees leave at 5 p.m.? Large meeting space in a building you never touch on a weekend? You might want to consider licensing that space to another user. Not only can you earn extra income, utilizing a license allows property owners tremendous flexibility in the terms of […]
Less is more strategically for Fifth Third
Fifth Third Bank CEO Greg Carmichael sees West Michigan as a vital market for the bank, but not one that will require a lot more brick-and-mortar investment. Carmichael said the bank is “more committed in this market than we’ve ever been,” and the West Michigan market, the bank’s third largest presence, is essential to the […]
Creative Class millennials will pay dearly for folly of manufactured political ‘issues’
Grand Rapids Business Journal reporting on the manufacturing sector over 30 years provides a deep well of information and reporting on the transformation that has been occurring in the West Michigan economy since the 1980s. Reporting on a panel discussion hosted by the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, the Business Journal summarized the position held […]
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Restaurant Partners Inc. owner hits his stride
Restaurant Partners Inc.’s growth hasn’t always been easy, but Jeff Lobdell feels like he is hitting his stride. Lobdell started his restaurant company in 1995 with the launch of Bagel Beanery on Michigan Street NE and has grown it to include 19 restaurants and nearly 1,000 employees in Traverse City and Grand Rapids, including the […]
Watermark promises ‘business as usual’
With an aging ownership group, The Golf Club at Thornapple Pointe was at a crossroads. The club, 7211 48th St. SE, has an ownership group of approximately 20 investors — many in or near their 70s — and wanted to ensure the club would continue as a public course, said Chris Sobieck, Thornapple Pointe general […]
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Minor-league sports thriving in Grand Rapids
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Grand Rapids is establishing its presence in minor-league sports circles. Discussions about the success might lead to potential major-league talk, but Grand Rapids might be best to stay a minor-league city, said Tim Gortsema, president of the Grand Rapids Griffins. “West Michigan is big enough to support multiple franchises,” […]
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Sons take the wheel at freight management company
For the past 10 years, Jonathan Laning and Kyle Walcott have been learning the ropes at Premier Freight Management Corporation — owned by their fathers, Doug Walcott and Mark Laning — in preparation for the day they will take over. Earlier this month, the pair took a big step in that direction, each purchasing 25-percent […]
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Change in diet inspires change in restaurant
Last week, Michael Kulczyk stepped on the scale revealing he had lost 100 pounds since March 1. The simple change of eating a healthier diet inspired Kulczyk to adjust the menu at the Cherie Inn, 969 Cherry St. SE, the restaurant he’s owned for nearly 20 years. With the changes, Kulczyk said he expects the […]
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Zoo, GR Public Museum fuel economy
A recent study of the economic impact of two local institutions shows both greater reach and more significant outcomes for the community than study participants expected. The study, released Oct. 18, shows more than 60 percent of visitors to Grand Rapids’ John Ball Zoo and the Grand Rapids Public Museum are coming from outside Kent […]
