September 6, 2016
Local engineering firms see profit increases
As investors continue to drive developments in Grand Rapids, local industries are reaping the benefits. And that might be most represented in the region’s civil engineering firms. Business Journal research shows the majority of civil engineering firms have seen an increase in profitability in 2015 over 2014. SME saw an increase in revenue of about […]
Street Talk: Start Garden’s fresh start
Start Garden has spun itself off. The entrepreneurial ecosystem has spun off its venture capital fund into Wakestream Ventures, a private entity that will continue to make early stage investments in the $100,000 to $500,000 range. Wakestream will operate with Start Garden founder Rick DeVos as CEO and Kim Pasquiano and Mike DeVries serving as […]
State retailers post weakest monthly performance of the year
Michigan retailers were not immune from a national slowdown in sales during July, according to the Michigan Retail Index, a joint project of the Michigan Retailers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Michigan retailers posted their weakest monthly performance of the year, following five consecutive months of positive numbers, including strong gains in […]
Public Record
MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds SHEPARD, William et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., 5-7-10, $456,000 WU, Xiaolu et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Condo-Balsam Waters Site Condominium, $330,000 PETTENGILL, John B. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Condo-Tall Pines, $300,000 TUCKER, Amanda et al, Quicken Loans, Breton Valley No. […]
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Change Ups: Spectrum dedicates renovated, expanded rehab center
Spectrum Health dedicated its expanded and renovated Spectrum Health Rehab and Nursing Center, 4118 Kalamazoo Ave., originally built in 1964. The facility includes the latest in innovative design concepts to create an environment of healing for rehab patients, while providing a home-like environment for long-term residents.The Rehab and Nursing Center serves 700 patients each year […]
What’s your ‘type’? Mine is ‘sales successful’
Everybody talks about “types” of people to figure them out. Salespeople are all taught to mirror, model and typecast their prospective customers. Big mistake. It’s a joke and a waste of time. The key word is harmonize — not mirror or model. Harmonize is sincere — mirror or model is manipulative. Get to know them […]
Letter: Climate change is a hoax
Editor: I am disappointed with the Guest Column by Todd R. Yarbrough “Why business should say yes to a carbon tax” (Business Journal, Aug. 22). Let me be clear. There is no “climate change” or “global warming.” The temperature of the Earth has not increased for 16 years. Climate change is nothing more than a […]
GRBCC lands developer as speaker
For the first time in the event’s four-year history, the Grand Rapids Black Chamber of Commerce will host a local entrepreneur to speak at its Entrepreneurial Speakers Series. Following in the footsteps of nationally recognized speakers Claud Anderson, Margarita Anderson and George Fraser, Lansing real estate developer Joel Ferguson will be the keynote speaker at […]
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MSU’s research center to create rain garden for city corner
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) Once the Michigan State University Grand Rapids Research Center is complete, the corner of Michigan Street and Monroe Avenue should be much cooler — according to a thermometer. The site’s “unconventional” landscape architecture will help make the corner feel up to 20 degrees cooler on hot summer days and […]
Best of times? Worst of times? Check the data
Most people would say that the first step in solving a problem is to define the issues. Documenting the magnitude of the problem and identifying what’s making things better or worse should point people to the necessary steps to fix things. One of the current problems many folks are talking about involves the labor market. […]
The good, bad and ugly of income inequality
Metro Grand Rapids’ economy was in the news twice recently. One was a positive story, the other was not. Both are accurate. The differences between the two highlight the importance of how you define economic success. The positive story comes from Bridge Magazine. It documents the strong job growth metro Grand Rapids has enjoyed. Bridge […]
Homebuyers cite price as concern
Affordability is a major issue when it comes to home buying, according to a recently released national study. The real estate firm Redfin released its most recent Homebuyer Survey, and the main findings were related to affordability when it came to looking at new homes. Redfin surveyed more than 1,800 homebuyers across the United States […]
Dear millennials, GR is another mythological siren call
Grand Rapids has a big problem to solve, one that cannot be resolved only by the public or private sector but — once again — by cooperative actions from both, and it is far overdue. The Business Journal often has commented in warning on the stressors that now beset the city: employee recruitment and affordable […]
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Inside Track: ‘Efficiency nut’ Chris Harper finds hard work always pays off
For some, it takes a lifetime to find the right career path. Chris Harper found his around age 12, shortly after his family moved to Ada. Growing up in a house that had 11 computers, courtesy of his father’s job with Xerox, Harper found himself drawn to the technology that inhabited his home. The machines […]
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College buddies dive into drone market
Like countless others before him, Danny Vessells found his inspiration in nature. Growing up, Vessells heard stories about the logging industry in Boyne Falls, where his grandparents had a cottage on Lake Louise. For years, logging tools and artifacts washed ashore, providing the populace with unique home decorations. But what piqued Vessells’ interest were the […]
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Architecture firm gathers ideas for Calder Plaza
Ideas for a makeover of Grand Rapids’ iconic Calder Plaza are coming into focus. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., the city of Grand Rapids and Kent County are in the midst of figuring out the next steps to enhance the plaza around Alexander Calder’s La Grande Vitesse at the heart of downtown. DGRI held a public […]
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WMU students move into retirement community
Welcome week will be a bit different for three Western Michigan University occupational therapy graduate students. Instead of moving into traditional student housing options, Collett Chapp, 22, Lori Johnson, 57, and Corey Youngs, 25, are moving into rooms at the retirement community Clark on Keller Lake, 2499 Forest Hill Ave. SE. The students, who moved […]
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Exhibitors Building to house office space
The Exhibitors Building has been an underutilized and mostly forgotten building attached to the Amway Grand Plaza for decades, but a portion of the building is set to become Class A office space. Pioneer Construction already is working on demolition of the fourth and fifth floors of the building, 220 Lyon St. NW, as part […]
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Apartment construction expands in downtown GR
With homeownership rates at the lowest point in more than 50 years, apartments are the focus for many developers nationwide. The main issue with the apartment needs, however, is the high cost of construction, according to Scott Nurski and Craig Black, multifamily investment advisors at NAI Wisinski of West Michigan. “Developers are building what economics […]
