The Grand Rapids Press reports that the growth of ArtPrize since its inaugural year in 2009 promises new thrills in addition to more art and more artists. Free music concerts, new phone technologies for voting and tracking viewers, and neighborhood exhibition centers are some of the exciting changes in store for festival-goers.According to excerpts from the story:A year ago, a 27-year-old entrepreneur invited Grand Rapids to get creative with an open-format, international art competition.At the time, ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos couldn't say how the experiment in creating a giant conversation about art would go, except it would be "a little crazy," but "a ton of fun."ArtPrize 2010 open(ed) Wednesday, and DeVos expects the excitement and atmosphere will be a new experience."There's a totally different feel when you know what's going to happen, at least in some way, more than we did last year," he said.Organizers believe what made last year successful — being an "intentionally simple, intentionally under-engineered event — not burdened with a lot of rules and regulation" — is helping to shape 2010.Read the complete story here.

Meijer will be introducing a scoring system to help consumers understand nutritional value.

According to excerpts from the story in the Toledo Blade,

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based grocery chain is rolling out a nutritional-scoring system that rates items from 1, signaling little value, to 100.  Called NuVal, it takes into account more than 30 nutrients and other factors including fiber, trans fats, sugar, and fat, sodium, and vitamin content. It was developed by nutrition and public-health experts, the grocery chain said.

Read the complete story here.

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John Rumery It's an ambitious plan for anyone, let alone two very recent, twenty-something GVSU graduates. Their project?  Starting a non-profit organization with three goals:  1) provide basic medical supplies to health clinics that serve the families at the "base of the pyramid" in Nicaragua, 2) recognize the workers at these type of clinics utilizing video and social media channels and finally, maybe the most ambitious goal of all, 3) help train and motivate the next generation of philanthropists.   Sean Heyboer and Joey Pohlen are the two GVSU alumni behind MedRunners. Heyboer became involved with MedRunners after Pohlen participated in Estelí Innovation, an experiential educational program for GVSU students developed by Dr. Paul Lane of the Seidman College of Business and Engineering Professor John Farris in which students work in Nicaragua and help communities develop sustainable solutions to a variety of economic, health and social problems. Through Estelí Innovation, Dr. Lane began a program in which students would bring very basic medical supplies to the health clinics that Estelí Innovation was working with.  Pohlen says working with the medical clinics in Nicaragua and seeing firsthand how much the these individuals were doing for their communities was "eye-opening." The experience inspired an idea for a non-profit, and this idea morphed into MedRunners.  The concept is simple: MedRunners will solicit both donations and very basic medical supplies. Products that they can't get donated for free, they will purchase at or near cost from partner organizations. These supplies will then be given to students to hand-deliver directly to the clinics in Nicaragua, primarily when they are on break from school. Their plan depends heavily on inspiring students to start MedRunner groups at their school and engaging them in discussions about sustainability, social entrepreneurship and understanding the issues of those living at the base of the economic pyramid. Heyboer indicates that MedRunners should receive their official status as non-profit in October, which will allow them to pursue an aggressive fundraising goal of $170,000.  In the meantime the pair is busy organizing and preparing a marketing plan that includes a heavy dose of social media including a Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube. Also in October, the pair plans to begin their outreach to colleges and energize students to become involved with MedRunners.  While their website is under construction, you can learn more about MedRunners on their Facebook page.  You can also learn more about Estelí Innovation on their webpage. Source: Interviews with Sean Heyboer, Joey Pohlen and Dr. Paul Lane. John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI.  He can be reached at [email protected]  For story tips you can e-mail [email protected]

John Rumery "It's been a drastic uptick in hiring versus last year," says Keith Langbo, divisional president of the Grand Rapids, Boston and Chicago offices of local supplemental staffing firm Otterbase. Langbo states that for their clients in West Michigan, they are "placing around 10 new temporary and temporary-per-hire, per week." The positions are predominantly professional: web designers and architects, engineers and information technology and executive assistants, for example. To keep up with this growth, Otterbase also recently hired two professional recruiters in West Michigan, following two in the Detroit area. This is a "really busy time " for us, states Langbo, who says that their "business has been growing rapidly for the last six months, and is approaching the levels of 2007-2008 before the economy began receding." Langbo explains that they prefer to source West Michigan people for West Michigan companies, but finding "high tech talent" has been difficult and the company has been forced to pull people from outside the region. For individuals looking to fill these employment needs, Langbo suggests step one is to analyze your business experience, skill sets, industry, geographic market and financial position.  "For example, if they're in technology, I would urge them to focus their training on .NET and/or Java," he states. If they're in general business, Langbo suggests additional education, such as an MBA. For individuals in the 40-60 age group who are looking for employment, Langbo says they "should be willing to consider more entry-level jobs with companies to get their foot in the door and prove their worth and value. Once they've got their foot in the door, assuming they are performing well, they will quickly climb up the 'corporate ladder' in whatever industry they choose to engage in." Otterbase's core business is to help organizations staff the right candidates for the position.  They provide several employment options including "temporary-to-hire," which is a "flexible employment scenario" that can "help both employers and employees protect against changes in the economy and, to some extent, make sure there is a fit, culturally, for both parties." For more information about Otterbase, visit their website. Source: Interview with Keith Langbo John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI.  He can be reached at [email protected] For story tips you can e-mail i[email protected]

Deborah Johnson WoodGhost hunters get ready! Some of Grand Rapids' most noted shops and nightspots could be haunted and soon you'll have the chance to find out if it's real. Cityscape Adventures, a fun and friendly way to discover Grand Rapids with walking tours, will launch on October 1 with Paranormal Investigations – a tour that taps into the city's nightlife while visiting some of the city's top paranormal sites. Cityscape teamed up with the West Michigan Ghost Hunters Society to film videos of paranormal activity in local establishments and to procure magnetic field indicators and other equipment tour-goers can use.Cityscape's nearly two dozen tours will give locals and visitors the inside scoop on Grand Rapids. Tours include Urban Bites, a weekly (Saturdays) tasting trek of seven downtown restaurants; Napa Valley in River Valley, a discovery of the area's wine destinations; Hometown Heritage, a trip through time with Grand Rapids' people, architecture and history; and River's Rage, looking back on the history of development along our riverbanks.Group tours, called City Slickers Conquest, are customized tours that can include scavenger hunts, trivia contests and interaction with a variety of businesses downtown."I didn't want to bring just another tour company to Grand Rapids because when I look around I see innovation," says Brenda Dyer, owner and founder. "I had a lot of collaboration with the history department at the library, Grand Rapids Historical Commission and members of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council. We don't have to go to Chicago for fun anymore."Tours range from 90 minutes to five hours and $15 to $27 per adult, depending on the tour. Children aged 10 to 16, $3; children under 10 tour free. Source: Brenda Dyer, Cityscape AdventuresDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].

Business Review West Michigan reports that Grand Rapids Public Schools has won a national architectural design award for its new design geared to improving education and student life on campus. According to excerpts from the story:Later this month, Burton Elementary and Middle School in Grand Rapids will receive national recognition for its design. The Richard Riley Award — Schools as Centers of Community for the 21st Century honors schools that "illustrate both community collaboration and school design excellence." The American Architectural Foundationand KnowledgeWorks Foundation will present the award to Burton around the end of September or beginning of October, said Genaro Bravo, president of Ada-based Bravo Architects Inc., which worked on the renovation."It's a national award," Bravo said. "That doesn't happen every day." Burton reopened for the 2008-2009 school year after a major renovation of the school, which was built in 1925. Read the complete story here.

BuffaloNews.com features ArtPrize 2010 as a destination vacation, following up on the successful 2009 festival and anticipating an even greater event. According to excerpts from the article: ArtPrize, the Grand Rapids art show and competition that surprised locals by drawing tens of thousands of visitors when it debuted in 2009, is back for a second year. And it's expected to be even bigger this time. The southwestern Michigan city's vibrant arts scene will get an infusion of energy from 1,713 artists displaying their works for 19 days in 192 venues, from plazas, hotels and museums, to restaurants, coffee shops and parks. Read the complete story here.