West Michigan In The News

Collaborations between higher education institutions need to move forward if Michigan's young talent is to develop the skills needed to land jobs of the future. Some colleges and universities have paved the way by partnering with other institutions to advance health sciences and pharmaceutical education.  

According to excerpts from the story:

Developing the jobs of the future and keeping talent in the state are two big goals for Michigan right now, and higher education plays a big part in both. As schools continue to face economic and other challenges, many are finding that working together is the better way to go.

"There's a strong consensus amongst all the presidents and chancellors of the 15 public (universities in Michigan) that we need to bolster some of the relationships and partnerships that we have with a number of constituents," said Grand Valley State University President Thomas Haas, also chair of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan.

One of those constituents is community colleges, he said. Although transfer agreements between institutions have existed for many years, they've often been somewhat segmented programs, said Ed Haring, president of Kellogg Community College. Institutions work fairly independently from each other, and that's been the norm for the past 20 years, he said.

 "More recently, I think, there has been an interest both on the part of community colleges and of public and private universities to work more collaboratively," Haring said.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

For anyone wanting to see Grand Rapids sights and have an adventure getting there, a new transportation option might be just the ticket.

According to excerpts from the story:

It might not have the grandeur of Chicago, or the weather of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but Grand Rapids can support a Segway tour business, one local businessman says. Michael Kaback, owner of Segway Tours of Grand Rapids, began his rental operation in May out of an office in the Amway Grand parking garage, at Pearl Street NW and Campau Avenue.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

Downtown Grand Rapids' vibrant nightlife and proximity to the arts and culture scene draws suburbanites – some with children – to live in the city. For some, walking and biking to work, shopping and dining have negated the need for a second car.

According to excerpts from the story:

While his sons lack for a front or back yard in which to play ball, Chad Reul said there's plenty for them to do in downtown Grand Rapids.

So he's gone urban.

 "We go to all the festivals, the events, the restaurants," said Reul, who, with a business partner, bought a dilapidated three-story 1912 former boardinghouse on North Division Avenue and converted the upper floors into condominiums. A church leases the first floor.

His two boys, Ian, 12, and Lucas, 8, "love being over at the (Grand Rapids Public) library, and we do a lot of walking. It's a little nontraditional, but it's worked out very well for us." In large cities, such as New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, raising children amid downtown hustle and bustle is the norm. The lifestyle is coming into its own in Grand Rapids.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

Topping 10 million rides for the first time and doubling its ridership since 2004 are just two of the factors indicating the public has placed a new emphasis on using public transit. With the increase comes more buses and an early start on construction of the bus operations facility expansion.

According to excerpts from the story:

While auto sales may be down, bus ridership is up. The Rapid CEO Peter Varga told county commissioners recently that his transit service is on pace to top the 10-million ride mark before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Reaching that plateau would be a first for the public system and would mean an increase of more than 1 million riders over last year when The Rapid topped 9 million for the first time.

Varga also noted ridership has doubled since 2004 and people going to and from work were what led the increase. "The primary reason is work related," he said.

But one work-related transit service is likely to come to a halt down the road. Varga said the County Connection, a pilot program in its second year, will likely lose its funding in fiscal year 2011. Grants from Job Access and Reverse Commute along with state funds provided the fuel for the county-wide, on-demand service that has been used rather extensively by Department of Human Services' clients as a means to get to work. Varga said the service made 35,952 trips in 2008.

 "We will run out of money," he said. "Most of the trips are subsidized."

Read the complete story here.


read on…

International television programs, music performances and indie documentaries became available on local channels this week as part of a prime time programming expansion by WGVU TV.

According to excerpts from the story:

Starting Tuesday, August 4 at 10 a.m., WGVU TV will expand its program offerings with two new channels.  The main channel (35.1 or 52.1) will remain the regular schedule, broadcasting in HD. On 35.2 and 52.2, the existing lifestyle programming that constitutes the Create channel will air from 6 a.m.– 6 p.m. In the evenings, WGVU BLOCK PARTY takes over, offering genre-specific programs from 6 p.m. – 6 a.m. 

The third channel, 35.3 and 52.3, will become MhZ WORLDVIEW, featuring news, film, sports and more from around the globe, including programs from France, India, China, Afghanistan, and Russia.

Read the complete story here.



read on…

A Grand Rapids economic development organization that has helped businesses retain and create jobs and land grants and tax incentives is halfway to its goal of raising $10 million for its next five years of operation.

According to excerpts from the story:

A $10 million campaign to fund The Right Place Inc.'s operations for the next five years is nearing the halfway point of its goal. More than $4.6 million has been pledged from 25 to 30 large donors to the fund-raising campaign, and another $1 million in requests are outstanding, Right Place CEO Birgit Klohs said.

While the economy makes it a tough time to ask companies and organizations for money, it has in fact made many past donors more willing to again support the economic development organization, Klohs said.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

Thanks to an aggressive plan to create a full-time MBA curriculum, one of the state's leading universities could soon offer a two-year MBA program. The program would recruit undergrads from across the nation and possibly shave at least two years off their normal timeline for the degree.

According to excerpts from the story:

In what would represent a major expansion and elevation of the program, Grand Valley State University is planning for a full-time MBA that could launch within two years. Faculty are presently examining the elements of a full-time MBA that would initially enroll up to 30 students per year, recruit nationally and target students coming directly from their undergraduates studies.

Students could earn an MBA in two years or less, as opposed to the four years or so it takes going that part-time route. "It's a whole other direction in which we're moving," GVSU Seidman College of Business Dean James Williams said. "We think it's the right time."

Read the complete story here.


read on…

A campaign to bring financial consultants, attorneys and other resources directly to small businesses will visit interested Holland business owners this fall. Five business development professionals will offer pro bono assistance to participants.

According to excerpts from the story:

This fall, the Small Business Tour will bring resources right to the doorstep of companies with five to 50 employees in the Holland area. Participants will meet with a team of five small business development professionals including bankers, accountants, attorneys, and small business consultants, for one hour at your business to focus on issues important to your success.

Read the complete story here.



read on…

An innovative zoning model for wind energy development and an area smart growth plan to revitalize an urban community have attracted national recognition for Ottawa County's planning commission.

According to excerpts from the story:

The Ottawa County Planning Commission is pleased to announce that Ottawa County has been honored with two 2009 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards for recent planning projects. NACo awards recognize America's most unique and innovative county programs.  

The first project recognized by NACo is the Ottawa County Wind Energy Model Ordinance. This ordinance is unique in that it is one of the first in the nation to provide specific, size-appropriate zoning standards for small, medium, and large wind energy turbines. This model ordinance proactively assists local units of government with the promotion and regulation of wind turbines by providing a framework local communities can draw from to set their own appropriate wind energy zoning standards.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

Some state lawmakers and business leaders are investigating the feasibility of a proposed high-speed rail line between Grand Rapids and Detroit as a possible economic development tool. The idea has its opponents who say development of local transit is more apt to benefit communities economically.

According to excerpts from the story:

The public gets a chance next week to comment on a plan to build a futuristic high-speed rail system along Michigan's interstates, allowing people and cars to travel from Grand Rapids to Detroit in less than an hour. The Michigan-meets-"The Jetsons" concept is being studied by a bipartisan state panel holding meetings around the state in an attempt to gauge public support.

"To somebody born in 1900, they didn't know they'd watch a man land on the moon, but we believe that (a rail system) does have possibilities and certainly is worthwhile to us to continue to investigate them," said state Rep. Mike Huckleberry, D-Greenville. "We're in such economic shape that no stone should be left unturned."

Read the complete story here.




read on…

It's been 18 months since Spartan Stores announced its proposed redevelopment of a former grocery store into a high-end unrban supermarket/deli, but company leaders say the project is still going to happen. In the meantime, area neighbors need to travel miles outside the neighborhood to shop.

According to excerpts from the story:

Spartan Stores Inc.'s plan to build an $8 million full-service grocery store in the heart of city was greatly anticipated. Now 18 months later, the neighborhood is wondering when the D&W Fresh Market will go up at Michigan Street and Fuller Avenue NE.

"There was a pretty significant announcement made well over a year ago and people got excited about it, and nothing has happened," said Rosalynn Bliss, city commissioner for the 2nd Ward, where the store would be built.

Spartan officials, who first said construction could begin as early as spring 2008, now have backed off on offering any timeline. Still, they insist the 40,000 square-foot store will be built.

Read the complete story here.



read on…

A former wastewater facility in Whitehall Township could soon be a site for alternative energy projects that may create 150 jobs. Money from a tax capture awarded by the state will go a long way to getting the project off the ground.

According to excerpts from the story:

The Silver Creek New Energy Development is a lot closer to becoming a reality after this week’s meeting with the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA). MEGA gave Whitehall Township approval to capture state taxes worth $491,767 on the property. That money will go towards repaying a nearly $1 million loan from the DEQ that helped identify what cleanup needed to be done before the site can be developed.

Township Supervisor Dennis Babcock attended the meeting in Lansing with other representatives from the township and Silver Creek New Energy. “I told them the project is good not just for Whitehall township, but Michigan and the United States,” said Babcock. Scott Erdman, owner of Erdman Machine Co., is heading up the Silver Creek New Energy project, which could include agricultural projects, ethanol production, a bio-power generation plant, an ethanol service station and recreation areas. The project is expected to generate $13 million in capital investment, according to a press release from Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom’s office, and could create up to 150 jobs.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

With operations in five formerly vacant factories on Grand Rapids south side, Norton Marketing Inc. may add 21 jobs with assistance of a $2 million tax incentive. As the company expands its Internet sales division, a physical expansion of the properties to accommodate the sales growth could follow.

According to excerpts from the story:

Slowly and quietly, a company one city official calls "the Cabela's of the craft world" has been filling up city factories left vacant by industrial giants like Irwin Seating, Doehler-Jarvis and Rowe International. From those aging structures, Notions Marketing Inc. has been shipping needlecraft, yarn, scrapbook and sewing supplies by the millions. With its headquarters in a 100-year-old building at 1500 Buchanan SW, Notions has 432 full- and part-time workers in five old factories on the city's near Southeast and Southwest sides. "It's a very quiet company -- nobody knows about us," said Herb Lantinga, owner of the business his father founded in their basement in 1938. The city recently approved a tax break for a $2 million purchase of computerized conveyor equipment that is expected to create 21 jobs.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

Grand Rapids city commissioners recently approved tax exemptions for two manufacturers that could spur 10 new jobs and retain 75 existing positions.

According to excerpts from the story:

City commissioners recently approved two Public Act 198 industrial tax exemptions that are expected to be worth nearly $1.2 million in private investments, create a total of 10 new jobs, and help to retain 75 existing jobs. Thierica Inc., 900 Clancy Ave. NE, has purchased seven parcels in the 900-block of Lafayette Avenue NE for expansion purposes.

The company will invest about $900,000 to build an 8,392-square-foot addition, build a truck well, buy some production equipment and reconfigure existing production lines. The construction project will cost about $560,000, while the equipment purchase and installation is expected to run $340,000. Thierica manufactures interior components for the auto industry and manual guidance instruments for the aerospace field.

Read the complete story here.


read on…

Despite Grand Rapids Public School's economic woes, one high school can boast that 88.5 percent of its students tested at the advanced level in the Michigan Merit Exam – the state's second highest ranking. A diverse student body and a mission to prepare students for the global economy have helped boost enrollment 18 percent.

According to excerpts from the story:

Grand Rapids City High School has one of the best test results in the state of Michigan.

The Michigan Merit Exam data released this week shows City High is the top performing high school in West Michigan and ranked second in the state. "We are very pleased. We would like to be first and we have some things to work on. That is what we are aiming to be. The very best for the students that are here," said Dale HovenKamp, the school's principal.

A district news release says, "City High-Middle School students posted an average composite ACT score of 26.3 placing them second highest in the state behind the International Academy located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan." City also had the second highest percentage of students testing in the top and advanced level with 88.5% just behind International Academy.

Read the complete story here.


read on…