Two years ago, Kevin Budelmann posted a question on LinkedIn to determine if there was any interest in forming a local chapter of AIGA, a professional organization that supports the interests of design professionals, students and educators throughout the world.  For many years, west Michigan professionals in the design industry participated in AIGA activities sponsored by either the Detroit or Chicago chapter. Although there had been informal discussions on establishing a local chapter, no one actually took the time to begin the process but Budelmann sensed the increasing alignment of many businesses and local initiatives tied to the design industry.  "I was astounded by the response,"  Budelmann recalls about his LinkedIn request. "Within 30 days I had 70-80 people signed up in the group." And that was only the beginning. Within 18 months, AIGA West Michigan had up to 270 paying members and has been recognized by the national organization as one of the fastest growing chapters in the nation.  "We have a very high percentage of design talent for a community this size," Budelmann says. Stressing the benefits of having a local chapter, he cites not only the importance of bringing the values of the national organization to West Michigan, but also the training, networking, and recognition opportunities for local design professionals. He also feels very strongly that having a local organization helps in the retention of design talent and plays a significant role in branding west Michigan as a design hub throughout the country.AIGA not only provides services to professionals, but can be a major influence for students interested in a  design career. Besides providing inexpensive networking and big industry events "people don't always appreciate the breadth of the design industry," he says. Far too often, design is equated with decoration. While design has an artful quality, it is really problem solving." The national organization has a membership of over 22,000 and works on activities and local programs with 64 chapters and 240 student groups. For information on the west Michigan chapter of AIGA you can visit their website. Source: Kevin Budelmann Writer: John Rumery

Brighton-based McKenzie Bay International launched 12 years ago as a mining company, then made the switch in 2004 to alternative energy. The company eventually ran out of money and a major wind turbine project stalled, but President and CEO Kevin Cook says the firm has not only rebounded but has re-launched as an alternative and renewable energy "research and development visionary."McKenzie Bay is the newest tenant of Grand Valley State University's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC), at 200 Viridian Dr., Muskegon. MAREC is a cutting-edge facility created to advance innovations in alternative energy; it dedicates a portion of its 25,000 square feet as an incubator for energy startups. The firm moved into the alternative energy arena with the development of the Windstor Wind Turbine, a three-bladed commercial turbine that rotates on a vertical access and can pick up the breeze from any angle, Cook says. "The turbine prototype is installed at Pioneer Bluff Apartments in Ishpeming (Mich.) and has been built over a five-year period," Cook says. "When the project stalled, Clean Green Energy bought the turbine and they now own it. We are contracted with them to continue its development and they'll manufacture it. An important point is that we received a grant from the Department of Energy to develop it."Other MAREC tenants are Energy Partners, LLC, Logical Lighting Systems, LLC. and Smart Vision Lights."MAREC has multiple spaces for conferences and meetings, a place we can bring our shareholders," Cook says. "We'll be able to collaborate with the other tenants here. I'm excited to see what could happen in the next year or so."Cook says McKenzie Bay is also working on development of Ethereal Logic, a wireless lighting system that could control multiple electrical systems within a building, including HVAC and security. Source: Kevin Cook, McKenzie Bay InternationalWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

The White Lake Beacon reports that a grant for the proposed multi-million-dollar Fred Meijer/Berry Junction Bike Trail could fund construction for the first five miles of the trail.According to excerpts from the story:The on-again, off-again Fred Meijer/Berry Junction Bike Trail projects appears to be once again a go. The bike trail, which planners hope will take bikers and trail users from White Lake Drive, at Blank Road, through Fruitland, Dalton and Muskegon townships, where the plan is to link it up with the Lakeshore at the Causeway, near the Consumers Power plant, seemed to be on track in early 2008 when the trail committee received a $400,000 grant from the Comstock Park-based West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition. The Fred Meijer Foundation was to provide a matching grant as well. Alas, that plan died on the vine as the necessary funding match dried up before the project could get off the ground. Now the trail has new life, said Meijer/Berry Junction Bike Trail Committee chairperson and Dalton Township Supervisor, Chris Hall.Read the complete story here.

Anticipating a demand for charging stations and leveraging our automotive and battery manufacturing infrastructure, local leaders plan to help alleviate "range anxiety"  by working together. According to excerpts from the story in www.Mlive.com: A coalition of groups in Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon has applied for 98 vehicle charging stations via a federally subsidized program to provide Coulomb Technologies' Chargepoint systems out of California.‚ Read the complete story here: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2010/10/muskegon_applying_for_charging.html

Grand Rapids Community Foundation (GRCF) has received a $50,000 grant from the Michigan College Access Network to establish the Kent County College Access Network (KCCAN).   According to Ruth Bishop, GRCF education program officer, this grant will support the high school counselors and local networks that coordinate the programs, services, and resources helping primarily low-income and first-generation students to pursue postsecondary educational opportunities. Bishop is quick to point out that the program is not only focused on four-year schools. "We use the word college, which is the word the national organization uses, because it is something everyone understands," says Bishop, "but these programs also support two-year schools and vocational training programs too." To accomplish their goals, the program will have services to help students navigate their way through the financial aid bureaucracy so they can access the money to continue their education.   The programs will also consistently reinforce a strong message on the importance of continuing education and training beyond high school. "We want the individuals working with students to plant the college culture seed early," states Bishop. The Community Foundation will provide oversight to KCCAN. A team including individuals from youth-oriented nonprofits, K-12 and higher education and the private sector will lead the planning and implementation.  A portion of the grant will also help hire a part-time coordinator to get the program up and running. For more information on this program, you can visit their website. Source:  Ruth Bishop Writer: John Rumery

Trending for several years on both the East and West Coasts, the cupcake business is about to get a little sweeter in West Michigan. Classically trained pastry chef Campbell Evett sensed an opportunity when she moved back to Grand Rapids from Chicago after receiving her pastry degree from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and her food and beverage degree from Kendall College (Chicago). "I wanted to start to a business when I moved back to Grand Rapids," Evett states.  Relying on her baking skills and coursework while in Chicago, Evett launched Sweet Revenge Patisserie in 2010.   "The name 'Sweet Revenge' comes from school projects involving business strategies and menu development," Evett says. "It's a play on the quote, 'revenge is sweet.'" Working out of a shared kitchen, Evett began selling her cupcakes, French macaroons and tarts at the Fulton Street Artisans Market during the summer. At the same time, she set up a web page with her menu and a Facebook page to promote her business.   Evett also sells some of her specialty products at Rowsters Coffee. One is a cookie she developed especially for the coffee roaster. "It's called a Noz, and it's based on a Portuguese recipe and features the African peri peri pepper," she says. Business is exceeding her expectations and if all goes well, she plans to open a storefront in spring of 2011. For the time being, customers can go to her website for the menu and instructions on how to order. Evett cautions buyers to expect anywhere from 2 days to 1 week to fulfill orders. Besides what is on the menu, Evett says her business is really based on custom orders, and she can create whatever the customer desires. Source: Campbell Evett Writer: John Rumery

The need is now. The numbers are dire. Kids' Food Basket, a Grand Rapids nonprofit that provides a daily sack supper for elementary students who would go hungry without it, has been nearly overwhelmed with requests from area schools who say kids are stuffing their pockets with cafeteria food so they'll have something to eat when they get home. The desire to respond to those requests prompted the organization to move from its 3,500-square-foot space near John Ball Park to a new 10,000-square-foot warehouse/office at 2055 Oak Industrial Dr., Grand Rapids. "We definitely have an opportunity to grow here, and we need to grow and expand our services," says Executive Director Bridget Clark Whitney. "We are currently providing 3,140 sack suppers each weekday. Each of our schools has 80 percent or higher of its students below the poverty level, and those are the kids we're helping."Six days a week, over 100 volunteers, including children and teens, pack the sack suppers with foods from each of the five food groups. Each supper always includes fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, a meat/cheese sandwich and a 100-percent fruit juice box, Whitney says."The kids that we serve receive breakfast and lunch through school lunch programs, where they're getting about 1,000 calories a day," Whitney says. "Kids under 12 need 2,000 calories for their brains to develop, so our suppers are always between 800 and 1,000 calories."With the job losses and the economy there's been a high spike in poverty," she adds. "A Brookings Institute study revealed that between 2000 and 2008 Grand Rapids had the highest spike in poverty in general of any city in the country."An October 16 public open house will feature tours, games, a scavenger hunt in the building and refreshments from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Source: Bridget Clark Whitney, Kids' Food BasketWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

WOOD TV8 reports that Dematic proposes to invest $11 million in expansion in Grand Rapids and could add some 500 jobs if the city sees fit to approve a tax break. According to excerpts from the story:The Dematic Corporation has asked the city of Grand Rapids for a tax break that would allow it to expand, adding 505 jobs. The business is located on Grand Rapids' northeast side and specializes in making conveyor systems. The city estimates the new jobs would bring $228,987 in new income taxes each year. In exchange, Dematic is asking for a five-year personal property exemption that would mean about $44,387 in taxes that the city would not receive each year after the expansion. Read the complete story here.