Innovation + Job News

Marketing professionals in the metro Grand Rapids area have a new way to search for a job through an innovative and free on-line service called GR Marketing Match.

Launched a few weeks ago by Craig Clark, owner of the Grand Rapids public relations firm Clark Communications, the service is aimed at helping job hunters and hiring managers connect with each other. 

Unlike other employment sites, GR Marketing Match is aimed solely at local marketing and marketing communications professionals. Resumes of job hunters are e-mailed every other Friday to participating human resources personnel. They in turn are encouraged to forward them to appropriate colleagues who may be interested in hiring that individual. 

"Many of these marcom jobs are not widely advertised, so you might not even hear of these opportunities," says Clark, who has had personal experience as a downsized victim.  "Employers may not be seeing all of the best candidates. I just want to keep it focused on people helping people."

Clark is hoping GR Marketing Match levels the playing field so that marketing professionals who might not be "in the inner circles" of company contacts may have a better opportunity to showcase their talents.  "It's not meant to replace Monster.com or Linked In," he says. "It's really meant to help connect people who are looking for a job to those who are hiring. Everyone that's signed up is dedicated to helping people because if this (loss of job) has not happened to them in the past, they know that it could very well happen in the future."

So far, about 60 hiring managers and 30 job hunters have agreed to participate in the service, Clark says.   "We're averaging about two to three new subscribers (job hunters) a week."

Source:  Craig Clark, Clark Communications

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and jobs news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

 

 

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While other companies struggle during the recession, the John A. VanDenBosch Co. in Holland continues to grow with new equipment, climbing sales and plans to hire at least one new employee this year.

"It's been phenomenal," Dave VanDenBosch, company president, says in describing the firm's rising sales of wild bird feed, big game feed and pet food products. Over the past several years, sales have grown annually between 5 to 10 percent, hitting $24 million this year, he says.

"It's been a good industry to be in because it's somewhat recession proof," VanDenBosch says. "We anticipate continued growth."

Ironically, the company was established when the country was facing another economic downtown: the Depression.  In 1932, it opened its doors to sell scratch feed for chickens and later expanded its product line.  It's now run by third-generation family members.

The company now boasts new processing equipment in its Zeeland facility that was erected after a 2002 fire. The equipment blends and bags birdseed, grass seed and other animal feed. Three employees work there.

In addition to that, the company's corporate office and a large distribution center are located in Holland where 37 others are employed. Most goods are sold to retailers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois, he says.

Next year VanDenBosch hopes to build an addition to increase warehousing space.

Source: Dave VanDenBosch, John A. VandenBosch Co.

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and jobs news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Grand Rapids-based Service Express, Inc. plans to add some 25 knowledge jobs by the end of next year – 10 of them in Grand Rapids. In preparation for the growth, the company signed a lease agreement last month for a 25,000-square-foot warehouse/office space at 3854 Broadmoor.

The leased property doubles the company's square footage, which includes the 25,000-square-foot corporate headquarters at 4845 Corporate Exchange. The company's website says it offers customized service solutions for on-site hardware maintenance, focusing on IBM, HP, Sun and Dell mid to high end servers.

President Ron Alvesteffer says the 15 out-of-state jobs will come from the launch of four new markets: Pittsburgh, Penn.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Springfield, Il. and St. Louis, Mo. Memphis is a possible fifth.

The 10 new West Michigan positions will be for technical and internal operations jobs.

"We're running out of office space, conference room space, training space and we needed to create that," Alvesteffer says. "Instead of building on to the headquarters that we own, the lease rates are good right now and we can set ourselves up for future growth. We're just coming off a record month right now and we're planning 15 percent growth for 2010."

To some, that number might seem farfetched given the current economy, but Alvesteffer says Service Express will be up 12 percent at the end of 2009. Furthermore, he says the company has averaged 20 percent growth every year since 1997.

"It's not just about growth," he says. "We take great care of our employees and, in turn, they take great care of our customer and it creates this great momentum. That's the magic. We have a 98 percent customer retention rate."

Alvesteffer says the company has been one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For six years running and received the 2009 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

Source: Ron Alvesteffer, Service Express, Inc.; NAI West Michigan

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.


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A Howard City grain feed mill is now converting turkey litter into steam, electricity and fertilizer with a $3 million alternative commercially based biomass energy plant developed by a small Kentwood company, Heat Transfer International.

Sietsema Farms Feeds LLC is roasting 70,000 pounds of turkey waste a day to generate 206,400 pounds of steam and 500 KWh of electricity to power a grain mill that prepares feed for the birds. The turkey waste is gathered from several West Michigan turkey facilities.

Using a new gasification technology, the biomass facility will generate enough equivalent electrical energy to power about 400 homes, and produce enough equivalent heat to warm about 150 homes daily during Michigan’s winter months

Dave Prouty, president and CEO of Heat Transfer International, says the innovative system offers farmers multiple benefits in addition to generating the power. The plant can help solve and manage a manure problem that’s long plagued farmers. Waste used to fertilize fields can run off into streams and rivers, causing pollution and algae problems. Now, the waste can be baked and reduced to an ash that’s still useful as a fertilizer.

"Harley Sietsema can turn off his gas and electric, get rid of manure storage problems in the winter, eliminate the liability of manure run-off into the river and get (dry) fertilizer he can use later," Prouty said. "It’s closing a sustainability loop. Hopefully we can convert a liability into an asset." 

The technology was developed in Michigan, thanks in part to a $2.3 million state grant and a $500,000 federal grant.  HMI employs 16 now but Prouty expects to add 20 to 120 workers over the next five years, most with high-tech skills commanding good salaries.

"The future is very bright,” Prouty said. "People see this as a possible solution to help Michigan get out of its current chaos."

Source: Dave Prouty, Heat Transfer International


Sharon Hanks is the innovation and job news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com

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The new surgical oncology director at The Lacks Cancer Center will lead a ground-breaking collaborative study on breast cancer aimed at assessing surgical options and outcomes to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce unnecessary and costly surgeries.

Dr. Laurence McCahill, who also is assistant director of The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care, will lead the two-year research project at the Van Andel Research (VAR) Institute. Researchers will study and compare outcomes of breast cancer surgery and develop an electronic database showing the comparative results.

The study is possible through a $1 million grant awarded to VAR from National Cancer Institute, one of 200 grants awarded this year through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  More than 27,000 applicants sought the grants to conduct comparative effectiveness research on cancer

McCahill’s initial research suggests that because there are no guidelines for breast cancer surgery, operations may be performed differently based on the hospital, region or even surgeon.  "The hope is that in the long term, we would see patients with similar problems get relatively similar high quality surgical care across the country," he says.

The study of 6,000 patients will open up several jobs at research sites nationwide and at least a handful of employment opportunities locally, McCahill says.

Formerly affiliated with the University of Vermont in Burlington, McCahill chose to come to Grand Rapids because he was impressed with the work at The Lacks Cancer Center and at VAR.  He also wanted to be closer to family members living here.

Source:  Dr. Laurence McCahill, The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care and Micki Benz, Saint Mary’s Health Care

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and job news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Local residential customers are warming up to a new service that uses thermography to isolate air seepage in their homes so they can better insulate their homes, lower their energy bills and reduce consumption of fossil fuels. 

More than 20 customers have sought the innovative home energy audits since Pro Energy Consultants opened their business a month ago at 1549 Michigan St. NE. Co-owner Erin Windemuller says the response has been“fantastic.” 

He and his partner, Phil Boogart, believe demand for this service will grow in popularity because people want to reduce rising energy costs and are more aware of the lasting effect of fossil fuels on the environment. Thermography is not new technology, but it is new for residential consumers wanting a more precise detection method of energy loss, Windemuller said.

Consultants begin their audits by identifying the home’s problem areas, such as condensation on windows or cold, drafty rooms. After scanning the building, consultants return a day or so later with a written audit report that includes thermographic pictures indicating where a home is losing energy, how much energy is being lost, and different solutions for those energy inefficiencies. Windemuller said a comprehensive audit of a typical home cost about $400.  Audits of commercial buildings are also available.

Windemuller and Boogart, former self-employed construction workers tired of waiting for the recession to end, were among the last in Michigan to be awarded a franchise from Pro Energy Consultants, the nation’s first home energy auditing franchise. Their territory covers primarily Kent and Ottawa Counties, Windemuller said.

The Cleveland-based franchise has signed on and trained more than 30 other franchise-holders since it was established in October 2008.

Source: Erin Windemuller, ProEnergy Consultants

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and job news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Lindsy Griffis, Development Director of ACCESS of West Michigan, has been named Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year in the first-ever awards ceremony sponsored by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Grand Rapids.

The award is given to an individual who excels in her or his work, always goes above and beyond the call of duty, and looks for new ways to make a nonprofit service better.  Nine other individuals from among 29 semi-finalists were honored during the ceremony at Wealthy Street Theatre.

 “It was great to have 150 people cheering on the great things going on in non-profits,” says Amanda St. Pierre, a public relations and marketing specialists with the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Griffis was noted as a “fabulous young professional who deserves recognition,” St. Pierre adds.

Award winners were chosen by a panel of seven leaders representing nonprofit organizations not affiliated with the semi-finalists or the YNPN board, St. Pierre said.  Semi-finalists were chosen by the YNPN board from among 60 nominations.

Established less than a year ago, the local YNPN chapter is one of 25 chapters nationwide.  Other award winners were:
• Advocate: Bridget Clark Whitney, Executive Director, Kids Food Basket
• Exemplary Executive: Luisa Schumacher, Executive Director, West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology
• Champion: DeDe Esque, Consultant, Community Activist, Organizer and Volunteer
• Connector: George Wietor, New Media Planner, Grand Rapid Community Media
 Center
• DoGooder: Emily Stoddard Furrow, Partner, DVQ Studio
• Good to Great: Jamon Alexander, Co-Chair, BL2END
• Dynamic Duo: Elizabeth Goddard & Becca Schaub, Urban Institute for Contemporary Art
• Edison: Shannon Garrett, Great Lakes Field Director, The White House Project 
• Resource: BL2END, Business Leaders Linked to Encourage New Directions

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and job news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Kent County high school students now have the option to receive college credit for 3-D animation and game design at Kent Career Technical Center (KCTC).

After a two-year pilot, KCTC launched the college-level 3-D Animation and Game Level Design course in September. Students must pass a prerequisite graphics class at KCTC. Students can use the credits at either Ferris State University or Davenport University.

"We articulate the 10- level class at Ferris," says Amy Badovinac, the instructor for the KCTC course. "I teach our students here the exact same classes Ferris students learn at college or online."

An advisory committee of business leaders, people from the animation and gaming industry and post-secondary schools guide the curriculum based on what students need to know to get a degree and then get a job using the skills.

Those careers could include jobs in the rapidly growing gaming industry, the film industry for companies such as DreamWorks and Pixar, local television stations, creating 3-D animations for the web, educational video games, or storyboarding for companies creating marketing campaigns.

"Locally Herman Miller, Stryker and Steelcase create 3-D models to showcase their products," says Badovinac. "One of them worked with our students to create a model for a chair. You can put the model through Internet conferencing to a client in a Japan, the client can decide if they like the chair and fabric and changes can be made instantly, versus creating whole products and shipping them."

Students also work with a KCTC English teacher to receive high school credit for one year of English because the animation course requires extensive composition, storytelling and writing.

Source: Amy Badovinac, Kent Career Technical Center

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.



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An East Kentwood High School business and technology teacher and one of his former students have opened up a computer consulting, service and repair company in Grand Rapids to serve the needs of small- to medium-sized businesses.
 
Justin Michalowski, 35, and Nick Dionne, 24, have opened GR Computer Solutions in a 1,000-square-foot building at 1234 Plainfield Ave. NE, one block north of Leonard Street.
 
"Small businesses have the same technology needs as major corporations, but may not have the resources, experience or skill-set to maintain it," Dionne says. "We are that solution. It's too competitive of an environment to be held back by the very tools you need to run the business."
 
GR Computer Solutions offers comprehensive services in network administration, workstation and user management, technical strategy, consulting, 24-hour support, training, computer sales and computer repair. It will also be open to walk-in retail customers seeking computer repair or hardware and software upgrades.
 
Dionne says the company's strong points are its affordable prices and technical expertise in choosing and installing company-wide e-mail systems that compete with those used by Fortune 500 companies.
 
Dionne says the duo chose the Plainfield Avenue site because "it gets a lot of foot traffic and automobile traffic."
 
Michalowski plans to keep his fulltime job at East Kentwood while Dionne will work fulltime at GR Computer Solutions. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. 
 
Source: Nick Dionne, GR Computer Solutions

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and jobs news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
 
                                                                                                

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George Bosnjak says that between the beginning of 2008 and mid 2009, Alabama laid out $614 million in incentives and grants to companies looking to do business there. In comparison, Michigan is legally bound to limit incentives to just $95 million per 12-month period.
 
Bosnjak, business development manager at Right Place, Inc., adds that other states offer free or reduced price land, and many have deal closing funds where the state writes checks directly to the companies just to move there. For instance, Texas has $295 million annually in deal closing funds, Bosnjak says. Michigan has no free land or deal closing funds.
 
Despite the competition, Right Place has landed some big fish for West Michigan this year, including seven that qualified for Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) tax credits. Those seven include high profile deals like Priceline/Booking.com, Farmers/Foremost Insurance and Sequenom.
 
The seven projects are projected to generate over $220 million in investment, more than 4,800 new jobs, retain 233 jobs and generate nearly $182 million in new wages annually.
 
But if the incentives are so much better elsewhere, why do business in Michigan?
 
"The education level of our workforce blows away the level of many of the southern states," Bosnjak says. "Our supply chain supplies components for all different types of companies, if you need it made we can take it from A to Z – wind turbines for example, we can make the whole thing.
 
"The collaboration between business and the public is not seen in other places," he says. "Companies are impressed when the mayors and public officials are on board."
 
"I think the story here is how outrageous the competition is," Bosnjak adds. "Twenty-five states can just write the company a check to come to their area; some are only a million, some are huge. All are willing to use these incentives to steal our jobs."
 
Source: George Bosnjak, Right Place, Inc.
 
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Grand Rapids-based Hopen Life Sciences has invested in the development of a minimally invasive medical device to treat mitral valve regurgitation (MVR). Current treatment involves stopping the heart to repair it during open heart surgery.
 
MVR causes stress on the heart because the valve doesn't close properly and allows blood to flow backwards into the left atrium. The heart pumps harder, which can cause it to enlarge; the enlargement can lead to congestive heart failure and other life threatening conditions.
 
Minnetonka, Minnesota-based NeoChord, Inc. is developing a device surgeons can insert in patients through a small incision near the ribs. The doctor uses the device to attach an artificial cord-like tendon from the apex of the heart to the damaged valve. By adjusting the tension on the tendon, the doctor can restrict the valve's movement and cause it to close properly.
 
"We think the market opportunity is a significant one," says Mark Olesnavage, Hopen's managing director. "Thousands have this condition and are either symptomatic or asymptomatic – they don't know there's a problem because they have no symptoms. As the mitral valve continues to backflow, depending on health and age a person may not be healthy enough to undergo open heart surgery."
 
European clinical trials are just beginning, Olesnavage says, and a U.S. clinical trial could begin in 2010.
 
Heart surgeons at Mayo Clinic invented the device.
 
Hopen Life Sciences launched as Hopen Therapeutics four years ago and has invested in six different life sciences entities, says Olesnavage.
 
"We invested (in NeoChord, Inc.) with other Midwest groups and continue to work together to look for other opportunities," he says. "This one happened to be from Minnesota, but maybe in the future we'll find an opportunity in West Michigan that we'll invest in."
 
Source: Mark Olesnavage, Hopen Life Sciences; Nick Wasmiller, Seyferth & Associates

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
 

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A small weekly community newspaper, The Zeeland Record has launched an entirely new line of business to make up for sagging advertising revenues -- car wraps that shine with bright neon-like lights powered by the vehicles' batteries.

One of the first in the nation to use the patent pending technology, the newspaper has formed ZR Graphics to design and install the electrically lit car wraps, which essentially are vinyl coverings stretched over vehicles that turn them into rolling billboards.  For instance, businesses with delivery vehicles on the road wrapped in vinyl can spread their commercial messages wherever they travel.

Developed by Luma Brite Technologies L.L.C. in Florida, the technology can be used illuminate fleet graphics, signs, billboards, signage and many other applications as well.

"It's just very exciting," says Adam Thompson, lead designer of ZR Graphics.  "There's no one else in Michigan doing this. We tell people to consider it a mobile billboard.  A customer's imagination is the only limit of what can be done.

"At night, it's just amazing," Thompson continues. "People who know it and know marketing are impressed with the technology. It's definitely going to increase our business, but to what extent, we're not sure."

ZR Graphic's first customer?  A Zeeland Record truck, of course, that was transformed into a showcase with deluxe reflective lighted panels.  It's next customer is a monster truck for Perrin Motor Sports in Coopersville.

Cost can range from $500 for a single logo to $5,000 for the deluxe full wrap with reflective coating, says Thompson. The wraps should last 2-3 years before requiring maintenance, he adds.

Source: Adam Thompson, ZR Graphics

Sharon Hanks is the innovation and jobs news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at sharon@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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A planned 96,000-square-foot YMCA at Metro Health Village in Wyoming could generate upwards of 200 positions, many in health-related fields. Plans were unveiled this week at a press conference.

"The 200 positions will equal about 75 full-time equivalent jobs, all new to the economy," says Ron Nelson, CEO, YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids. "The jobs could include executive director of the branch, nutritionists, health and fitness professionals and life guards."

The $20 million facility, named Spartan Stores YMCA, will include a 6,000-square-foot Metro Health Hospital clinic – the largest embedded clinic in a Grand Rapids-area YMCA. A variety of specialists will help patients with physical rehabilitation using the Y's facilities. Proximity to the hospital will be a convenience to patients and caregivers, alike, Nelson says.

Those caregiver positions could be some of the jobs included in the 200-position estimate.

Membership could run up to 10,000 members, Nelson says.

Child care at the Y will provide services for Metro Health employees and will establish hours to accommodate healthcare workers' odd, and often long, work shifts.

Philanthropic donations of $10 million and $10 million in tax exempt bonds will fund the Y. Groundbreaking will take place in early 2010 with completion in early 2011. The project will go out for bid in December. The project is expected to earn LEED certification.

Source: Ron Nelson, YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids; Rick Kamel, RK Public Relations

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Metabolic Solutions Development Co. (MSDC) has received a $100,000 grant from the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation to study the effectiveness of MSDC's proprietary diabetes compound MSDC-0160 in treating Alzheimer's disease. The grant will fund collaboration between Dr. Douglas Feinstein of the University of Illinois – Chicago, the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and MSDC.

MSDC, which is based in Kalamazoo with a satellite office in Grand Rapids, is developing MSDC-0160 as an alternative diabetes treatment to Actos and Avandia.

Dr. Feinstein says his research indicates that "some insulin sensitizers, including MSDC's lead compound MSDC-0160, might slow down the buildup of plaques in the brains of mice." The amyloid plaques in the mice are similar to the plaques in Alzheimer's patients, the cause Alzheimer's disease.

"There's been particular work with Avandia and have been suggestions in animal models that it reduced the development of Alzheimer's disease," says Robert Beardsley, MSDC CEO. "The problem is the side effects: weight gain, fluid retention and a significant risk of congestive heart failure. And Avandia doesn't penetrate the brain very well."

MSDC-0160 does not produce those side effects and it penetrates into the brain more effectively than Avandia, says Beardsley. Furthermore, initial findings, presented at the 10th Annual International Conference on Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, showed that MSDC-0160 reduced the number and size of the amyloid plaques in mice.

Dr. Feinstein is conducting the research which will include testing to determine if MSDC-0160 also reverses cognitive damage already done by the plaque.

"The $100,000 will fund more definitive animal work in the mouse models so scientists can determine how MSDC-0160 stacks up against other treatments," Beardsley says. "MSDC supplies our compound and our expertise, but we're not spending money on this; we're staying focused on type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases."

Source: Robert Beardsley, Ph.D, Metabolic Solutions Development Co.; Nick Wasmiller, Seyferth & Associates

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.


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It used to be known as Detroit Renaissance, but now the newly formed Business Leaders for Michigan has gathered CEOs of large corporations across Michigan's Lower Peninsula for the expressed purpose of influencing public policy, spurring economic development and growing its $50 million venture capital fund.

The group has developed a Michigan Turnaround Plan that it hopes will make Michigan a top 10 state for "job creation and economic growth; we've been 50th in the country for both for the last four to five years," says Doug Rothwell, President.

"Clearly we think our biggest problem is that we are not seen as a thriving state," he adds. "It's dissuading a lot of people and businesses to want to move here, our state is getting smaller and poorer. Time (magazine) is doing features on Detroit's downfall; The Chicago Tribune is doing stories on Michigan being ground zero for negative impact on the economy. Until we get job growth started in the state, we're going to continue to get those negative stories."

The Michigan Turnaround Plan spells out five proposed courses of action:

1. Changing the way Michigan manages its finances – including adopting two-year budgets and barring new programs unless revenues grow.
2. Right-sizing and enacting structural budget reforms – including addressing public employee wages and benefits and local government and school district service sharing.
3. Getting Michigan competitive to attract and retain jobs – including a short-term goal to reduce the tax burden of the MBT significantly, while making Michigan a “top ten” state for lowest business costs in the long run.
4. Making investments that create a great job environment – including investing in infrastructure, higher education and urban development.
5. Accelerating job growth through innovation and entrepreneurship – including increasing entrepreneurial education and creating a university-business partnership focused on attracting business, growing sectors and retaining talent.

Participating West Michigan companies include Meijer, Amway, Steelcase, Haworth and Autocam Corporation.

Source: Doug Rothwell, Business Leaders for Michigan; Kelly Smallegan Maas, Lambert, Edwards & Associates

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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