Stories

Grand Rapids marketing firm launches specialty in political branding, communications

A Grand Rapids marketing firm says savvy politicians need an edge, and that edge is a branding campaign that leverages communications technologies including marketing and social media. The company's leaders say its new political arm helps politicians tackle the technology and zero in on a focused message. According to excerpts from the story:Local firm Full Circle Marketing and Design has been working mostly with corporations and nonprofits for the past nine years, but in fall 2009, it launched a new arm: Full Circle Political Marketing. "Things have been dramatically different in the last few years, specifically with Barack Obama's campaign," said Steve Harney, principal of both companies. "He leveraged marketing. He leveraged technology. He created a brand around himself that people in politics hadn't seen before. "I think corporate America had been focused on utilizing those types of technology for communications, but politics is a little bit behind." Harney said the way politicians traditionally have marketed themselves has been in place so long that it can be difficult for them to see another way to do it.Read the complete story here.

Greenville office chair maker to add 93 jobs

A maker of innovative office and marine seating plans to launch a new product line this summer from its new Greenville headquarters and hire 93 workers over the next two years. According to excerpts from the story:Things are beginning to take shape at Zero1 LLC. The new specialty office chair manufacturer in Greenville is moving ahead with its plans after the city recently obtained a $930,000 Community Development Block Grant to purchase special tooling and equipment for the company. Established in 2004, Zero1 specializes in office, residential and marine seating with innovative twists. Some of its designs include adjustable rolling office chairs that collapse forward for handy storage under a desk or table, ideal for confined spaces.Read the complete story here.

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G-Sync – Leaves The Choir Loft

The number of events are reaching record highs, but G-Sync's Tommy Allen hears an alarming trend when it comes to attendance.

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Waste to Energy

Microbes are busy -- and hungry -- under the surface of the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center as they gobble up buried trash. One byproduct of their munching  is methane, a greenhouse gas that can be burned and converted into water and carbon dioxide.  Kent County and Granger Electric are collecting and burning methane to provide electricity to more than 1,800 homes.  See how its done. 

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Many Happier Turns

It is all fun and games for Jeff Rietveld, who has turned his love of boardgaming into a business, Out of the Box Games and Puzzles in Zeeland. Rietveld supplies a new genre called Euro games to more sophisticated board game players who look for ways to beat the winter blahs.

Master gardener proposes Victory Garden at Allegan County's historic Felt Estate

Bean, squash, pumpkin and tomato plants along with other fruits and vegetables could be thriving in a field outside the historic Felt Mansion this spring if Pat Meyer, Felt Estate Restoration Project Manager, can plant and grow enough seeds of interest.

Huntington Bank announces $750 million commitment to small business lending in West Michigan

Huntington Bank's announcement last week to allot $750 million for new loans over three years to cash-starved small businesses in West Michigan has drawn "extraordinary interest," says Jim Dunlap, Huntington's regional president of West Michigan based in Grand Rapids and its senior executive vice president of commercial banking overseeing the Michigan market.

Hudsonville's SoundOff Signal expects to hire workers to supply LED market

Thanks to the growing LED market, SoundOff Signal, Inc. in Hudsonville continues to move forward with plans to hire five to seven more workers this year and expects to bring on board more in next several years

Proposal asking voters to merge Saugatuck and Douglas communities moves forward

One of the state's first grassroot efforts to merge communities is moving ahead with plans to ask voters to consolidate Saugatuck Township and the cities of Douglas and Saugatuck.

Holland and Grand Haven residents assess their state of happiness & health as second best in nation

Put on a happy face! Forget about the state's crabby naysayers. Residents living in the Lake Michigan communities of Holland and Grand Haven are the second happiest and healthiest people in the nation. At least, that's what the results indicate from a massive new study of Americans' attitudes.

$790,000 Reeds Lake Trail phase 2 makes strides to keep walkers, cyclists safe

Deborah Johnson WoodPhase 2 of the Reeds Lake Trail will break ground as soon as weather permits, providing an off-street walking and cycling path along the east side of Reeds Lake when completed in July. The path will connect the existing Reeds Lake Trail at Kate Avenue SE between Reeds Lake and the East Beltline and run 0.75 miles northwest along Reeds Lake Blvd. to Manhattan Road SE. Users can then connect to sidewalks to complete the loop around Reeds Lake. "This phase involves both East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township and has been over five years in the works," says East Grand Rapids City Manager Brian Donovan. "It's taken so long because of fundraising and the wetlands plan."The wetlands plan involved having to eliminate one-half acre of wetlands along portions of the trail. Donovan says the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality required creation of a full acre of wetlands to replace it. The project will create that acre of wetlands near Waterfront Park on the west side of the lake. The city has five years to make the wetlands changes. Completion of the trail loop allows users to travel off-street for the entire four-plus miles of the loop around the lake. Just north of the trail along the East Beltline, users can connect with Grand Rapids Township trails. In East Grand Rapids, bike lane markings on Wealthy Street run from Gaslight Village to the west city limits, where Donovan says Grand Rapids officials propose to continue the lane markings to downtown Grand Rapids. Nearly $600,000 of the trail completion's $790,000 price tag is from private donations. Donovan says the project is within $3,000 of its goal. Those interested in providing a donation can contact the city of East Grand Rapids for more information. Source: Brian Donovan, City of East Grand RapidsDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at [email protected].

Retro home decor store teams up with Holland vintage furniture shop

Deborah Johnson WoodLindsey Scott was unemployed and using her time to help Found owner Susan Langjans with her new shop in Holland. That's when she got the idea to start her own store, Vagabond, inside Found. Where Found, 203 E. Eighth Street, offers mostly repurposed furniture, lamps, art and vintage fabrics, Vagabond comes alongside with retro home décor and gifts that complete a room's look and feel. "It's a pretty eclectic mix," says Scott of the new and repurposed items Vagabond offers. "I have vintage prints and frames, cabinet hardware, magnets, salt and pepper shakers, glassware and plates." The store's gift lines include candles, hand-tooled leather journals by Milwaukee artist Sarah Heck and letterpress cards by Holland's Give Studio.The two stores occupy the same space, but to customers it looks like one shop. "Everything is mixed within the space," Scott says. "I'm using Susan's furniture to merchandise my things; she's using my things to merchandise her furniture."The new items are from very cool companies," she adds. "The vintage stuff we find at estate sales, salvage shops, Salvation Army, garage sales – we're just hunters. We spend time every week going out looking for things."Found opened in May. Vagabond joined the fun in November. Since the two stores combined, Scott says they've seen an increase in customer traffic."The more you have to offer, the more reasons people have to come in and see what we're doing," she says. "We've noticed that people are spending more time in the store because there's more to look at. Not everybody's going to stop into a store and buy a sofa – but if they stop in to buy a card or a journal and happen to fall in love with a sofa, it benefits everybody."Store hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Source: Lindsey Scott, Vagabond; Mimi Fritz, Downtown Holland Principal Shopping DistrictRelated ArticlesVintage furniture store gives downtown Holland a 'green,' creative alternativeDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at [email protected].

Grand Rapids athlete invents warming product for cold weather runners, cyclists

Deborah Johnson WoodDan Socie is an all-around guy – a freelance graphics and web designer by trade, and an amateur endurance athlete by hobby. And now he's an inventor. Socie has invented an embrocation for use by runners and cyclists to warm up their muscles before they run outside in cold weather. An embrocation is a warming liniment that's applied topically. Socie's embrocation consists of shea butter, capsaicin, black pepper and menthol. He and his business partner Geoff Kuyper are marketing it under the brand and business name Soigneur (swan-yer). "Soigneur is French for 'an assistant,'" Socie says. "In professional cycling, a soigneur is an assistant that gets water, arranges for or does massage therapy, gets the food, and is basically the athlete's personal assistant. I wanted to make a product to take the soigneur role for amateur athletes."Socie says cyclists who bike in cold weather have used European embrocations, but he plans to market his product to runners and skiers as well. He says athletes apply the embrocation to their legs before running, biking or skiing. The shea butter keeps the product on the skin, and body heat activates the capsaicin that warms the skin. That warmth penetrates to the muscles. "Your legs are warm and it's nicer to go out in the cold with warm legs," Socie says. "It enhances the experience. When you go for a run or ride in the cold weather, it takes 20 minutes, half an hour to warm up. This product speeds up that process and you can get to the more enjoyable part of your workout sooner."Socie says he spent the past year working with a Scottsdale, Ariz. laboratory and manufacturer to develop the product. The embrocation is available for advance order online at www.soigneur.net and will begin shipping at the end of February. A launch party to introduce the product is planned for February 24 at Richard App Gallery from 6 to 10 p.m.Source: Dan Socie, SoigneurDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at [email protected].

GRPS proposes $8M building rehab at no cost to the district or taxpayers

A proposal to move a Grand Rapids Public Schools college prep high school to a larger high school building could result in an $8 million building makeover funded by private donation rather than taxpayer money. According to excerpts from the story:A Grand Rapids Public Schools college prep high school could get an $8 million renovation at no cost to the district or taxpayers under a real estate deal the school board is considering, administrators said Friday. The deal would require selling the former City High School building for $1.Under the proposed deal, Grand Rapids University Prep Academy would move to the former City High building on College Avenue NE at Fountain Street. GRPS would sell that building for $1 to the Grand Rapids University Prep Association, the nonprofit group that runs the GRPS college prep program.Read the complete story here.

Mayor Heartwell identifies Grand Rapids' top three green initiatives for 2010

With his eye on the goal of obtaining 100 percent of the city of Grand Rapids' energy from sources other than fossil fuel by 2020, Mayor George Heartwell outlines his top three green initiatives for the coming year. According to excerpts from the story:From the time he was elected into office in January of 2004, Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, has aggressively led The City of Grand Rapids on the path of becoming a greener city on several fronts. During a recent interview, Heartwell outlined the City's top three green priorities for 2010. "They would be renewable energy, alternative fuels and river water quality," the Mayor said, "but not necessarily in priority order."The one that has garnered the most attention thus far, is proposed for the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant site near Grand Haven, which is owned by the City. Adjacent neighbors have voiced strong opposition to the project, citing health concerns as well as the impact the turbines would have on wildlife and property values. The City of Grand Rapids has responded with data addressing each of the concerns. As of this date, a final determination has not been made by the Grand Haven Township Board.Read the complete story here.

HopCat owner plans two new bars for burgeoning entertainment corridor on Commerce Avenue

A successful local bar owner is looking to launch two more restaurant-bar establishments along the growing entertainment corridor of Commerce Avenue in Grand Rapids that has seen construction of apartments, condos, and a fine art gallery.According to excerpts from the story:The owner of downtown's bustling HopCat beer bar has a couple of new restaurant and bar concepts in the works that should help liven things up on Commerce Avenue SW this spring. Mark Sellers recently purchased a former auto repair place at 53 Commerce Ave. SW with plans to open the two bars there by May. Stella's Lounge (named for Sellers' two-year-old yellow lab) will feature a 1970s vibe with an entrance off the alley at the rear of the building facing Ionia Avenue SW. He's hired artist Erwin Erkfitz to create works that will hammer home the theme. You may remember Erkfitz from his colorful ArtPrize entries on South Division Avenue and Cherry Street SW. The second bar, Viceroy, will have a more Art Deco aesthetic, face Commerce and feature work by Kendall College's Jeff Burtle, whom Sellers thinks is one of the city's great unknown talents. Sellers is bullish on the Commerce corridor thanks to 38 Commerce, the mixed-use project across the street which is nearing the final stages of construction, and Gallery on Fulton, which is set to open in September.Read the complete story here.

Results of wage surveys shows which jobs pay the best in West Michigan


State Games of Michigan to open this summer at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids


Kent County Commission may reconsider a local vendors preference policy


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Engaging Politics

She's not wearing a cap and gown, but Jane Drake is readying herself for graduation next week from the Michigan Political Leadership Program, a boot camp of sorts for individuals who want to learn the principles of good governance.