September 12, 2016

  • Experts estimate record-sized apple crop for Michigan

    Experts expect a record-sized apple crop of big, beautiful fruit. Michigan Apple Committee announced it estimates an apple crop of 31 million bushes, or 1.3 billon pounds, while the Michigan State University Extension predicts the fruit will be high quality. Half of Michigan’s apple production is on the Fruit Ridge in mainly Kent and Ottawa […]

  • Legal service for ‘everyday people’

    Everyone might be equal under the law, but not everyone can get equal access to the best legal services. That’s why, even if you’re innocent, having lots of money still is one of the best legal defenses. If a West Michigan business owner or individual doesn’t have plenty of easy capital ready for legal battles, […]

  • Safety first: GRC director keeps sites injury free

    John Spavale walked onto a construction site and asked a worker hanging off the roof if he had heard about the most recent construction death in Michigan. The worker hadn’t heard of the death. A worker doing a similar job fell more than 20 feet to the ground because he wasn’t tied off. Spavale, Grand […]

  • Entrepreneurs’ waning appetite for risk dampens SBA loan activity

    A larger number of options and tepid entrepreneurs have led to a dip in Small Business Administration lending at Huntington Bank. Often the largest provider of SBA loans in the state of Michigan, Huntington once again tops the Business Journal’s list of top area SBA lenders, issuing 904 loans in Michigan worth $95.9 million during […]

  • Author takes a deeper dive into the brewing success of IPAs

    This week, national beer journalist Josh Bernstein will release his third and most-focused book on beer, entitled “Complete IPA: The Guide to Your Favorite Craft Beer.” In Bernstein’s book, he details the beer style that led the renaissance of beer across the United States and the world. In the breakdown of various styles and regions, […]

  • Street Talk: The Moose is loose

    The first Moosejaw Mountaineering store on the west side of the state is coming to Grand Rapids. The Madison Heights-based company is coming to this side of the state after opening stores in Colorado, Illinois and Missouri. The company has several Detroit-area stores and one in East Lansing. The company’s director of retail, Nick Rau, […]

  • Construction industry loses 25,000 jobs since April

    The U.S. construction industry lost 6,000 net jobs in August, according to an analysis of data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS also revised July’s estimate from 14,000 net new jobs to 11,000 net new jobs, meaning the construction industry has lost 25,000 net jobs since April after adding 68,000 through the […]

  • Public Record

    MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds PIERPOINT, Dean et al, Union Home Mortgage Corp., Lakewood Hills Sub. No. 1, Lot 33, $624,000 JOHNSON, Keith M. et al, JG Wentworth Home Lending, Paris Park, Lot 192, $210,000 BELL, Ryan W. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Walker, 5-6-12, $405,000 MASCARI, Nicholas F. et […]

  • Change Ups: Koops plans multimillion-dollar investment

    Koops Inc. intends to invest nearly $4.9 million in construction, machinery and equipment in Holland, creating 60 new jobs. Lakeshore Advantage played a key role in supporting Koops by connecting the company with resources to support the Holland expansion and was influential in assisting Koops with the decision to not expand in another state. Founded […]

  • Football and the First Amendment — who do we root for?

    There is no denying the power of athletes to affect, inspire and even anger us.  It's not just their actions, such as fumbling a punt snap on the last play of a big college game.  They also affect us with words, gestures or expressions. They do it when they stand.  And they do it when […]

  • ‘Think and Grow Rich’ — it’s a timeless classic

    Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” is full of timeless lessons. “Thoughts are things” is the title and the first words of the first chapter of the book. When I first read those words, I didn’t really understand what they meant — even when I read the first chapter and the examples offered. It didn’t […]

  • City bumps parking fees amid demand

    Downtown parking became more expensive by an average of $8 per space Sept. 1, when the city of Grand Rapids implemented rate changes throughout its parking system that it says are necessary to keep up with supply and demand. “We have not significantly raised the rates in the parking system in a long time,” said […]

  • Preparing today’s youth for life after school

    When Peter Whitehead was in high school trying to figure out what he wanted to do, the options seemed limited. Lawyer, doctor, accountant, banker — these were jobs he knew offered good money and were held in high esteem by society. What he didn’t know was how deep the ocean of available career paths was […]

  • A roundabout solution to tight traffic congestion

    A lot goes into engineering traffic, an area in which a department at Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber specializes. Recently, FTCH’s Chris Wall helped the Washtenaw County Road Commission with a predicament in its traffic management. Wall said the commission’s senior project manager, Mark McCulloch, was attempting to keep vehicle capacity and safety high but […]

  • M-STEP results not a reason to switch

    Talent is a top priority for the business community, and during the past few years, Michigan has made great strides in establishing the components of a strong educational system that will allow our students to succeed. This included replacing the antiquated MEAP exam with one that is better aligned to our college-and-career-ready standards: the Michigan […]

  • More participation needed in career development programs

    Grand Rapids Business Journal is reporting on another initiative that links high school students with an array of career choices and the tools they need to achieve selected jobs at graduation. The program, just beginning within the Northview Public Schools using the software platform developed by Peter Whitehead and his partner, Sai Naik, is focused […]

  • Wellness provider marks 10 years with new location

    A corporate wellness provider with clients throughout the state is celebrating its first 10 years in business with a new office space. OnSite Wellness relocated to 3020 Charlevoix Drive SE, Suite 2, in Grand Rapids from its downtown location, 100 Grandville Ave. SW. Amy Ritsema, co-founder and co-owner of the company, said the move out […]

  • Breton Village aims for specialty tenants

    For the past 15 years, Scott Wierda has had a vision for Breton Village, and now the plan is coming to life. Last week, CWD Real Estate Investment announced the “de-malling” of the main Breton Village retail building, which is a continuation of the recently built southern buildings of the shopping center, said Wierda, CWD […]

  • Growth is a safe bet for Hoogerhyde

    At first, Tom Ziemer might have been a little apprehensive about having to spell “Hoogerhyde” hundreds of times per day. But when Ziemer purchased Hoogerhyde Safe & Lock in 1999, he decided to stick with the name that had been on the front of the building since 1926. As he put it, the name Hoogerhyde “means […]

  • Inside Track: New music director takes baton

    Marcelo Lehninger will take the podium as the new music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony for the first time Oct. 28 and 29. He will conduct Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony. Lehninger replaces David Lockington, who stepped down at the end of the 2014-15 season after serving as GRS […]

  • Ag-tech incubator invests in startups

    The agriculture industry is changing, and the Great Lakes Ag-Tech Business Incubator wants to ensure entrepreneurs in the Midwest are ahead of the curve. The incubator began as an idea by the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners in the midst of the Great Recession as a way to become more involved in economic development and […]

  • Doctor provides brain training to fight Alzheimer’s, dementia

    (As seen on WZZM TV 13) Americans fear being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease almost as much as they fear being diagnosed with cancer, but a local doctor said people have less to fear in regard to Alzheimer’s. Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a neuroscientist who received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D in […]

  • City’s culture begins a new chapter

    Jonathan Shotwell and Chris Roe felt a pull back to Grand Rapids. They left the city six years ago to attend graduate school in Chicago, unsure if they would return to Grand Rapids. The pair has wanted to open a retail storefront and, for Roe, a bookstore for several years, but at the time they […]

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