West Michigan In The News

The re-development of downtown Muskegon from a deserted mall to a thriving urban center has attracted a variety of future-oriented companies to the city center. A local manufacturer of energy efficient products is the latest to move its headquarters to where the action is.

According to excerpts from the story:

MUSKEGON — EarthTronics Inc., a new company here that markets award-winning "green" CFL light bulbs and plans to produce a miniature wind turbine for consumers next spring, has just taken possession of commercial condo space for its corporate headquarters at the new Hines Building downtown.

Dave TenCate of Capstone Real Estate LLC of Grand Haven, which owns the Hines Building with Clifford Buck Construction, said the deal with EarthTronics closed last Wednesday. The purchase price for the entire third floor of the building — 10,400 square feet — was not disclosed.

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Downtown motorists in Grand Rapids can now conveniently use their credit cards to feed parking meters by authorizing the payment through their cell phones.  The program that started this week is used in many European cities but Grand Rapids is among the first of several cities in the United States to launch the payment plan.

According to excerpts from the story:

Grand Rapids motorists may now use their cell phones and credit cards instead of their pocket change to feed downtown parking meters. The program that started Monday is aimed at making it more convenient to pay for metered parking in Michigan’s second-largest city.

Parkmobile North America spokesman Laurens Eckelboom says the company's high-tech parking program is used in more than 100 European cities. Grand Rapids is the first of several U.S. cities where it will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20091102/NEWS06/91102040/Grand-Rapids-parking-meters-now-take-credit-cards

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With the phenomenal success of ArtPrize's first year as a proven winner for making Grand Rapids a travel destination, the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau has begun planning next year's targeted marketing plan to raise the city's profile as edgy and progressive.  

According to excerpts from the story:

Doug Small likely wasn't alone in how he reacted to the initial pitch for ArtPrize, and he's certainly not alone in thinking the contest went well beyond expectations.  Small, president of the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he and his staff had a hard time "getting our arms around" Rick DeVos' concept for the world's largest art competition. The mission for DeVos' "experiment" – to create a conversation about the arts–wasn't the easiest to grasp for the downtown marketing agency, let alone have them devise a way to craft it to potential visitors.

 "We just sort of let it happen," Small told M&C. "We said we will do what we do best – market the location –and oh, by the way, we now have the world's biggest art prize." The CVB helped encourage downtown hotels to extend their summer rate packages, but the organization decided early on that it would take a hands-off approach to the event. They wanted to figure out exactly what the experiment was and to see if it would prove to be a success, he said.

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Several successful retailers in downtown Holland have moved to new locations, lured by the appeal of more square footage for the growing businesses.

According to excerpts from the story:

When clothier Lokker Rutgers closed its doors last year after 116 years of business, Brendon Davis saw an opportunity for his family’s firm, Thomas A. Davis Jewelers, to move next door. He approached his father, Thomas Davis, the company’s owner, to see if there might be interest in relocating. “I said, ‘Dad, it’s not going to hurt to ask,’” said Brendon Davis, a goldsmith and designer.

The store leased the space from property owner Lumir Corp., and moved into the former Lokker Rutgers at 39 E. Eighth St. It is one of four downtown retailers that have relocated since summer.

“There’s often shifting (of locations) going on, but to have it happen all at once is unusual,” Mainstreet/Downtown Development Authority Director Patty Fitzpatrick said. At about 6,000 square feet, Thomas A. Davis Jewelers’ new location is about three times the size of its former site at 43 E. Eighth St. The building has been renovated, most notably cutting down several large beams into polished stumps that are used for displays.

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Responding to the growth in health care, Grand Valley State University has developed several new majors to adequately prepare students for the field specialties.

According to excerpts from the story:

The past few years have seen expansions in two Grand Valley State University health and sciences programs. The first expansion, in the radiologic and imaging sciences department, has turned what was one major with three possible emphases into three separate majors.

“We had a program of study here in (radiologic) imaging, but we didn’t have separate majors in the program,” said Roy Olsson, dean of the College of Health Professions. “We’ve progressed far enough that the fields were uniquely different. We decided that the best avenue would be brand new programs that would represent the three fields.”

GVSU has become one of only a handful of schools that offer the specific degreed programs.

“One (major) would be radiation therapy, which is mainly used for cancer. Then we have diagnostic medical stenography. That’s anything from ultrasound to any imaging you would have. That’s a pretty broad field,” he said.

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There are high-paying health care and science jobs to be had in West Michigan, but prospective employers are operating with key positions unfilled due to the lack of qualified candidates, even with the relatively high unemployment rate.

According to excerpts from the story:

At $32 an hour, the position at Saint Mary’s Health Care pays well enough. And, in a brutal economy, one might expect the job posting to last about as long as a Detroit Lions winning streak.  But Saint Mary’s Vice President Tom Karel spent a half-year trying to fill an opening for manager of medical instrument sterilization. One applicant had the technical expertise but no management skills. For another, it was the reverse. He finally found the right candidate about a week ago.

“There is a somewhat limited supply,” Karel said. It’s not the only hiring challenge at the Grand Rapids hospital: Openings for medical technologists, nurses, doctors, even patient registration can be tough to fill.

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As home heating costs climb, a Holland wood pellet manufacturer finds itself considering a major expansion of its production facility and the addition of jobs.

According to excerpts from the story:

A Holland business that turns wood chips into fuel pellets for heating is experiencing a growth spurt. Michigan Wood Pellet Fuel is increasing production and tripling its workforce to keep up.  Trista Moore is pulling 12-hour shifts on the line at Michigan Wood Pellet Fuel. Moore spent time recently in another line - the unemployment line. Her metal polishing job shut down and no one else was hiring… This year, the company will fill two million bags of wood pellets for heating homes

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If the expected overhaul and expansion of The Rapid's bus garage goes as planned, the new facility will incorporate energy efficiencies, lean operating principles and could even increase the number on on-time bus departures.

According to excerpts from the story:

For the design of the Interurban Transit Partnership's new Wealthy Operations Center, transit officials want a remarkable, professional, appealing facility that fits into the neighborhood. ITP —known as The Rapid — turned to Progressive AE to design the Rapid Central Station, which opened in 2004 as a distinctive structure that features a white, Teflon coated fabric for awnings.

 The renovation and expansion of the operations center will be part of ITP's brand to complement the nearby Rapid Central Station, according to Alan Hartley, assistant executive director at The Rapid.  The original construction of the Wealthy Operations Center took place in the mid-1970s. Hartley said the new facility will be able to hold over 150 buses when completed.

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A longtime Grand Rapids furniture maker known for crafting high end, one-of-a-kind pieces for global clients just nailed two firsts with one new order: the first custom piece for the Kuwaiti government and the most expensive item the company has ever built.

According to excerpts from the story:

A massive round mahogany table, 12 feet in diameter, left its birthplace at Kindel Furniture Co. this week to become the centerpiece for a December governmental dinner party in Kuwait. The order came in from the Kuwaiti ministry in August with a Sunday deadline for delivery, Kindel spokeswoman Amy Wolbert said.

At the ministry's annual meeting in December, 15 diners will be seated around the table's perimeter. "It's got 84 pieces of applied brass all the way around the apron, with gilt leaf on it and a huge medallion inlaid in the center," Wolbert said. "It's the most costly item we've ever produced out of this factory."

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Grand Rapids-based Spectrum Health is supporting its mission of advancing translational research by funding some highly sought-after fellowships for the M.D.-Ph.D. program at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine.

According to excerpts from the story:

With financial support for fellowships from Spectrum Health, six students at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine are pursuing the M.D.-Ph.D. program that supports the local mission of translational research. Loc Thang, a University of Michigan graduate who grew up in Grand Rapids, is one of them. At U-M, Thang was part of a special program in biomedical engineering, receiving both an undergraduate and master's degree at the end of five years.

He participated in the university's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program for his entire time in Ann Arbor. "That's when I got intrigued," he said. "What I was doing, nobody else was doing. That was kind of cool. Every day, I became more interested in research."

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A Wisconsin marketing and answering service company may build a call center in the Holland area that could employ more than 300 people, and the company is asking for state approval of a hefty block grant to cover building renovations and equipment.

According to excerpts from the story:

Three hundred to 500 jobs could be coming to the city, depending on whether a telephone marketing company gets a $1 million grant from the state. Novo 1 Inc., a Waukesha, Wis.-based marketing and answering service firm, is considering locating a call center in a vacant facility at 1351 Waverly Road.

Holland and Allegan County are applying for a $1 million Community Development Block Grant for Novo 1 to renovate the building, purchase equipment and do staff training. “The company has not made an announcement yet, but it could come within a week,” said Holland Community Development Coordinator Joel Dye, who is working with Allegan County on the grant. “New jobs would certainly be good news for the city and the area.”

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Grand Rapids mountain biking enthusiasts will be able to hit the trails next spring without leaving the city, thanks to an initiative to turn a former Little League site into a mountain biking trail park.

According to excerpts from the story:

Unanimous approval by the Grand Rapids City Commission this month cleared the way for a mountain bike park on the former Southwest Little League site at 580 Kirtland St. SW, said Nate Phelps, president of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association.

Work is expected to proceed quickly, Phelps said. The mile-and-a-half-long trail and "skills" area could be completed by late spring.

"Getting this through wasn't a slam dunk," said Phelps, former president of the West Michigan MMBA chapter.

"The project got hung up. The city wanted a lease agreement, but we said it is to be open to the public, not a private park. It belongs to the city and will have normal park hours. The gate there will eventually come down."

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A longtime developer and former resident of Grand Rapids’ West Side says he has “huge” plans to redevelop a block of abandoned properties in one of the major business districts. Plans haven’t been finalized, but millions of dollars could be on the drawing board.

According to excerpts from the story:

West Side developer and furniture maven Robert Israels is thinking big when he talks about a block of properties on Bridge Street NW. How big? “This is huge,” Israels said. “When I show you what I’m doing, you’re going to say: ‘This is crazy — crazy good.’”

A few years ago, the old retail buildings on the north side of Bridge Street, between Seward and Stocking avenues NW, were filled with an eclectic mix of businesses. There was a tattoo parlor, a submarine sandwich shop, a Mexican grocery and a shaved ice place, among others. Then, over the course of two years, the storefronts went dark. The entire block was abandoned by January — dead.

The previous owner of most of the buildings, Luis Ramirez Sr., lost them to foreclosure in late 2007. In September, Israels, the founder of Israels Designs for Living who has invested more than $80 million into revitalizing moribund factories on nearby Seward Avenue, bought most of the block from United Bank of Michigan Inc. Though still under development, Israels said his plan will feature a variety of uses with emphasis on a retail revival.

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As part of its goal to operate using only renewable energy by 2020, the city of Grand Rapids is examining whether it makes sense to erect two industrial wind turbines in Grand Haven.

According to excerpts from the story:

Grand Rapids has an energy renewable goal of 100 percent by 2020. As part of its plan to attain that milestone, the city is looking into the feasibility of erecting two 300-foot, industrial-sized wind turbines in Grand Haven Township.

The turbines would be at the water filtration plant it owns at the southeast corner of Lake Michigan and Lakeshore drives.

The Grand Haven Township Board recently reviewed three policy options where the turbines could be allowed. Staff have begun drafting zoning text amendments to the previous wind turbine ordinance that was approved in April.  

That ordinance addressed three types of energy wind turbines that could be constructed in the township: small structure-mounted turbines, small tower wind turbines and medium wind turbines.

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Two major medical colleges will soon have researchers in Grand Rapids working on what could be groundbreaking Parkinson’s disease research funded by a $6.2 million national grant.

According to excerpts from the story:

 A team of researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Cincinnati have been awarded a $6.2 million Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s disease grant. The grant, from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, makes MSU’s College of Human Medicine a major player in research of the degenerative disease.

Two new MSU researchers, Jack Lipton, Ph.D., and Caryl E. Sortwell, Ph.D., will share nearly half of the award with investigators at the University of Cincinnati. The process of transferring control of the Udall Center to MSU will begin next summer when center Director Timothy Collier, PhD., and Kathy Steece-Collier, Ph.D., from the University of Cincinnati join Lipton, Sortwell and the rest of the research team at MSU’s College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids. 

The MSU scientists will conduct their Parkinson’s disease research in the new Van Andel Institute Phase II expansion.

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