September 24, 2018
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ArtPrize offers opportunity for self-reflection
Artists from around the world are in Grand Rapids to compete in ArtPrize 10 for a chance to win more than $500,000, and one group of girls is using the 19-day event to publicly express hidden emotions. For those who are enrolled in the Ottawa County 20th Judicial Circuit Court Lighthouse Treatment Program, the competition […]
Muskegon chamber rolling with 125 years of change
The Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce was established in 1893 to see the area through a major trade shift from lumber to industry. Charles Hackley foresaw the shift and worked to ensure Muskegon could take hold and maintain the economic boom it experienced during the 1800s lumber era. The chamber has been there through Muskegon’s […]
Proposal would create ‘public innovative districts’
School districts would be able to shift to a system that advances kids by competency rather than grade level if the Legislature approves a recently introduced bill. The bill would allow school districts to apply directly to the state superintendent to become a classified Public Innovative District. “Competency-based education has been a phrase and model […]
Michigan spending on education reaches all-time high this year
Gov. Rick Snyder boasted a massive increase in school funding this year, yet K-12 schools complain it’s not enough and that they used to receive even more for their struggling districts. Both are right, said Jennifer Smith, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards. Even though Snyder has allocated more money […]
ERN program leads to high retention rates
At least one area employer is experiencing high retention rates courtesy of a community resource program. Atrio Home Care is owned by Holland Home, Resthaven and Clark, and through Holland Home, Atrio is a part of West Michigan Employer Resource Network’s My Success program. Carolyn Flietstra, executive vice president at Atrio Home Care, said the […]
Tariff tensions escalate
The tariff war between the United States and China has been rapidly intensifying, but Michigan is trying to help with the strained relationship. President Donald Trump announced another round of tariffs this month. He said he is planning to place tariffs on about $200 billion in Chinese imported goods. In retaliation, China declared plans to […]
Bills aim to improve clean mobility infrastructure
On the heels of a recent Clean Fuels Michigan report, two Michigan state representatives introduced bills to help grease the wheels for clean mobility infrastructure. Reps. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian, and Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills, introduced legislation to help remove barriers for the sale, research and development of electric vehicles and other clean mobility technologies. Kahle’s […]
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Change Ups: Saint Mary’s president will transition to new role
October will be a month of transition for Bill Manns, currently president of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids. Manns was appointed the new president of two Saint Joseph Mercy Health System hospitals: St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston. Mercy Health Saint Mary's is a sister hospital of St. Joe's, […]
Street Talk: Well-being as a priority
Priority Health is working to help clients address overall well-being rather than wellness alone. The focus is on the “value of investment rather than return on investment,” said Miki Kobane, wellness director for Grand Rapids-based Priority Health. Its new product, PriorityWell, goes beyond wellness programs to offer support in areas such as social, financial, environmental […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds GROENLEER, Nicholas Andrew et al, First Federal Savings Bank, Providence Lake No. 7, Lot 146, $219,900 FINKBEINER, Melissa et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Pioneer Acres, Lot 14, $218,400 HANSON, Kyle L. et al, Guaranteed Rate Affinity, Condo-Blue Water Pines, $441,750 WICKMAN, Jeffrey H. et al, […]
How does tax reform impact middle-market companies?
On Dec. 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed what is commonly known as the Republican tax overhaul into law. The overhaul released a whirlwind of change that taxpayers and their advisers still are sorting out. In recent weeks, the IRS has released long-awaited proposed regulations on the 20 percent pass-through deduction under IRC Section 199A. […]
Who wins when AR collides with property laws?
When does my right to free speech conflict with your right to private property? Increasingly, augmented reality lies at that intersection – and that’s creating headaches for property owners, gamers and digital developers, not to mention police officers. Augmented reality — or AR for short — is the blending of digital information in a real-world […]
Fixing Michigan’s roads is not enough
If there is one issue that both candidates for governor seem to agree on it is that fixing the roads is a top priority. Good news in a state that for a decade or more let its 20th-century infrastructure crumble. But saying you are in favor of fixing the roads is not enough. First, we […]
Effort seeks to attract young professionals
The state of Michigan launched a campaign to attract graduates and young professionals from other areas of the Midwest. Funded by the Marshall Plan, the $2.5-million Choose Michigan campaign is focused on sharing the state’s abundant job opportunities, low cost of living and rise in creative culture. The goal is for the state’s regional marketing […]
USA Financial reaching for $1B in new assets, sales this year
Looking back on three decades in business, the USA Financial leadership team said its expansion into the financial technology industry fits with its history of innovation. Founded in 1988 by Gary Walters, the Ada-based firm is now helmed by his son, CEO Mike Walters, who has spent his entire career at the company and 15 […]
Downtown office vacancies inching upward
The metro Grand Rapids skyline is changing as high profile projects like Warner Tower are being topped off. Additionally, these new projects are expected to create a vacuum in vacancy of premier office space once they come online. Jones Lang LaSalle, a Chicago-based commercial real estate firm with offices in Grand Rapids and Detroit, recently […]
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Inside Track: Jonker puts pieces together
When Aaron Jonker first interviewed to work for Wolverine Building Group in 2006, his boss at the time asked him where he saw himself in 15 years. “I guess the right answer is to say I want to be in your chair,” Jonker told him. Although becoming the fifth owner of Wolverine — alongside co-owner […]
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Ally driving toward $100M dream
Dan Manshaem and Jeff Chidester had a vision early on to build a $100-million company from scratch. Prior to launching Ally Logistics, a Byron Center-based third-party logistics company, in 2012, the two were working together under another logistics outfit. Working for five years under their previous employer, the two learned a lot of “what not […]
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Casual dress on the rise amid war for talent
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) From small outfits to large corporations, West Michigan is matching a national trend of common-sense employee dress codes. A recent report by Chicago-based global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed employers have eased stringent dress codes nationwide in the years following Silicon Valley’s dot-com boom. […]
