Grand Rapids Business Journal 01.24.22

NEWSMAKER of the Year finalists.

PAGE 19

JAN 24, 2022 VOL. 40, NO. 2

The Business Newspaper of Metro Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon & West Michigan

THIS WEEK

A HEART FOR HER NEW ROLE

As CEO of Gun Lake Investments, Monica King embraces ‘seven grandfather teachings’ to put people first. Page 7

Partners report strong startup growth locally Spartan Innovations, Start Garden project continued momentum for Grand Rapids.

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

State SOARing Economic development tools will position Michigan to win ‘transformational, jobcreating projects’ in years to come.

PAGE 3

Do it yourself When a developer couldn’t find construction help, he started his own firm.

PAGE 3

Michigan State University Foundation’s tech startup resource organization Spartan Innovations recently reported its work in partnership with Start Garden through the Grand Rapids SmartZone is paying remarkable dividends in its early stages.

At the Grand Rapids SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) board meeting on Jan. 12, the MSU Foundation subsidiary said it made “great headway” in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, which ran October-December, through its partnership with Start Garden to manage the Grand Rapids SmartZone Incubator and related high-tech business support services.

The SmartZone captures increased property tax dollars and

Early-stage entrepreneurs enrolled in the Conquer Accelerator participate in the 10-week Grand Rapids Conquer cohort each fall.

Once companies move on from the accelerator, they become part of Red Cedar Ventures’ investment portfolio. Courtesy MSU Foundation and Conquer Accelerator.

wide partnerships, especially with the LDFA,” said Jeff Wesley, executive director of Spartan Innovations, as well as Michigan Rise and Red Cedar Ventures, also subsidiaries of the MSU Foundation. Michigan Rise supports entrepreneurs and technology startups across

Michigan through capital, coaching and assistance with grant funding, and Red Cedar Ventures is a venture fund created to accelerate the commercialization of startups.

“It’s been extraordinary to see CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

Start Garden launches entrepreneur-in-residence program

MAKING CONNECTIONS Electrical services company creates apprenticeship program to fill its own talent pipeline. Page 9

Darren Riley, co-founder/CEO of JustAir Solutions, will help accelerate early-stage tech startups.

THE LISTS

Rachel Watson

The area’s top business insurance agencies.

Page 4 The area’s top risk management companies.

Page 5

reinvests that money back into the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Grand Rapids.

As the Business Journal reported in September, after reviewing Start Garden and Spartan Innovations’ separate proposals, the SmartZone LDFA selected both operators, contingent upon their successful collaboration with each other, to implement the SmartZone LDFA’s goals and objectives using tax capture dollars.

The entities began working collaboratively Sept. 15 to fill the role of incubator operators within the city’s Certified Technology District under a contract that runs through June 30, 2024.

In their first quarter of working together, Spartan Innovations and Start Garden combined had 114 engagements with high-tech/highgrowth companies, and 22 companies were created. More than $1.1 million in funds were raised, and venture funding alone totaled $670,000.

“2021 was an incredible year of growth, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team and our ongoing city-

rwatson@grbj.com

Among its first actions as one of the two new co-managers of the Grand Rapids SmartZone Incubator, Start Garden has launched an entrepreneur-in-residence program to support tech startups and tapped the first person to fill the role.

After a request for proposals in March, the city of Grand Rapids’

SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) in September selected Start Garden and Spartan Innovations — the Michigan State University Foundation’s tech startup resource organization — to co-manage its SmartZone Incubator and related high-tech Moore business support services.

Established in 2001, the Grand Rapids SmartZone captures increased property tax dollars in the Monroe North neighborhood and Medical Mile and reinvests that

money back into the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As the Business Journal previously reported, after reviewing Start Garden and Spartan Innovations’ separate proposals, the SmartZone LDFA selected both operators, contingent upon their successful collaboration with each other, to implement the SmartZone LDFA’s goals and objectives using tax capture dollars.

The entities began working collaboratively Sept. 15 to fill the role of incubator operators within the city’s Certified Technology District under a contract that runs through June 30, 2024.

In December, Start Garden began formally establishing an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) program patterned after the MSU

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ONE MAN’S dream: all the Two Men and a Truck franchises.

Calendar ........... 14 Public Record .... 15 Street Talk ....... 16

. PAGE 8

Foundation/Spartan Innovations’ existing EIR programs. Whereas the latter programs are more focused on tech transfer out of the university, Start Garden’s EIR will focus on developing tech startups in the Grand Rapids community.

Start Garden selected as its first EIR Riley 29-year- old Darren Riley — an information systems graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, founder and CEO of the Grand Rapids-based air qualCONTINUED ON PAGE 13

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

Essence rolls with changing times Restaurant group boosts offerings, plans for future amid an evolving landscape for dining out.

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

The leader of Essence Restaurant Group recently solidified his company’s new game plan to create a more appealing workplace for prospective and current employees in this challenging industry climate.

James Berg, managing partner of Grand Rapids-based Essence Restaurant Group — owner of Green Well, Bistro Bella Vita and the soon-to-reopen Grove — published an open letter last month on social media to announce changes his company would make in response to the labor shortage.

In his letter, Berg said business owners’ acceptance of the new reality for the restaurant industry will be vital if they are to continue to survive and thrive.

“We are now over 18 months into this pandemic, and every company in every industry in every corner of the world is struggling with the same issue — people — more specifically, a lack of them in the workforce,” he said. “… If we’re still struggling with wanting things to change back, it’s a futile struggle. We are still in a pandemic and must accept it

by making a new plan today that will move us forward and create a new tomorrow.”

Berg went on to say restaurant companies must start “by focusing on the things that we can control” rather than expecting the labor force participation rate will magically correct itself.

With that in mind, starting this month, Essence Restaurant Group is implementing the following offerings: •Full medical benefits for all full-time employees at a reduced cost.

•Essence restaurants will close for the first week in January and the first week in July, giving all managers/chefs additional paid time off.

•Highly competitive pay structure and flexible work schedules.

Berg told the Business Journal the struggle to find chefs and kitchen help started as far back as 2018 and worsened through 2019-20. Essence previously had compiled a list of ideas to address the problem, but then the pandemic hit and tanked revenues industrywide.

“Everything was on pause for a while, and then when things were clearly not getting any better this past fall — the employee crunch really came to a head in about September — then that’s when I sat down and talked with the team and we hatched the plan that we had loosely drawn up a couple years ago that we wanted to start for 2022,” Berg said.

“If hope is your plan, you’ll be

hopeless, but if you have a good plan, then you can be hopeful.”

Berg said Essence decided to close for two full weeks of the year to make it easier for staff to get rest time without needing to swap shifts or find people to cover for them. Salaried or full-time employees who have been with Essence for more than a year will get full or partial paid time off during the two weeks of closure, and salaried managers will get an additional two weeks of PTO to use the rest of the year.

In response to the labor shortage, Essence already reduced its hours of operation from seven to five days a week at Bistro and from seven to six days in the summer and five days in the winter at Green Well. Berg said this was designed to ensure the restaurants can offer the same level of service as usual — no excuses — with fewer employees.

Berg said he believes enough restaurants have adapted to the new normal that it puts the ones that rely on the excuse, “We’re shortstaffed,” at a competitive Berg disadvantage.

“The demand for dining is as high as it has ever been, but we just have a supply issue of people,” he said.

Essence is looking to fill 20 open positions across the com-

pany and also will be looking to hire a team for Grove before it reopens as an 86-seat restaurant in February.

Berg said diners can look forward to a completely redesigned, “cool, sexy” Grove, and it will have a cutting-edge, constantly evolving menu.

“You won’t feel like you have to go travel somewhere to find out what’s going on in New York or L.A.,” he said.

Berg said the downtown Grand Rapids restaurant landscape appears to be strong, with the occasional dips as new COVID-19 variants hit the area.

“Starting in late October through about Thanksgiving, I would say there was definitely a loss of 10-15% of diners going out. But after Thanksgiving, it’s just been super busy. We had one of our busiest Christmas seasons we’ve ever had, even only doing five days a week at Bistro, and I’ve heard from most people downtown that’s been the general case, that they’ve been doing well.”

Berg said he has noticed a trend of chain restaurants moving into downtown that might not necessarily be recognizable to local diners as chain restaurants, such as Tupelo Honey, Wahlburgers, Condado Tacos, Ruth’s Chris, Real Seafood Co. and others, which have deeper pockets than locally owned restaurants and have been on the upswing as places like Grand Rapids become more appealing as a destination CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

MSF approves guidelines for SOAR-funded programs Economic development tools will position state to win ‘transformational, job-creating projects’ in years to come.

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

The Michigan Strategic Fund this month approved guidelines for two new programs that will provide the Michigan Economic Development Corporation with competitive, flexible economic development tools to secure business retention and attraction projects and provide opportunity for growth across Michigan.

The MSF on Jan. 11 approved the guidelines for the Strategic Site Readiness Program (SSRP) and the Critical Industry Program (CIP).

The programs are part of a package of legislation signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Dec. 20, which will help Michigan support long-term job creation and economic growth in communities throughout the state.

The legislation was passed by the Michigan Legislature with strong bipartisan support and collaboration from labor leaders, economic development agencies and various business groups.

“These powerful new tools will support our ability to attract highly competitive projects that will create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, back our small businesses and generate billions of dollars in investment in communities throughout the state,” Whitmer said. “Thanks to the collaboration of business, legislative, economic development and community leaders, our state will be in a better position to win huge, transformational projects and compete effectively for every dollar and every job for decades to come.”

The CIP will empower Michigan to make game-changing investments critical to closing deals; create and preserve qualified jobs; and bring “significant capital investment” into Michigan by providing qualified businesses with grants, loans or other economic assistance.

The SSRP also will provide grants, loans and other econom-

ic assistance for the purpose of creating investment-ready sites to attract and promote investment in the state, helping to ensure an increased inventory of sites to support current and future projects.

To g e t h e r, Whitmer the programs will be funded through the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund, with initial funding appropriated at $1 billion.

Among the guidelines approved Jan. 11 was the requirement that any and all projects supported by the two programs will require approval from the MSF Board, consistent with all MSF project recommendations and ensuring continued transparency and accountability of public funds.

Upon MSF approval for projects through either the SSRP or the CIP, the process for legislative transfer of funds through the SOAR Fund will be initiated.

Additionally, as with other de-

velopments supported by the MSF, these projects will be required to meet certain performance milestones. If a project does not meet those, the state will be able to recuperate the funds in response and repurpose those funds in support of future projects.

“Taken together, these programs will be absolutely vital for ensuring both businesses currently operating in our state — and new companies considering Michigan — need not look to invest anywhere else in North America but Michigan as they look to grow and expand,” said Quentin L. Messer Messer Jr., CEO of the MEDC and president of the MSF. “These programs highlight how we are positioning Michigan for largescale investments that accelerate growth in high-paying jobs, retain large customers for our small businesses and remain at the center of technological change for decades to come.”

3

Necessity prompts developer to start new company Leestma Management forms its own construction firm with 20 new hires.

Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

After struggling to find construction workers, Ryan Leestma decided to take matters into his own hands.

Leestma, the owner of Leestma Management, Adelaide Energy and Adelaide Pointe, started his own construction company with his wife, Dr. Emily Leestma, to overcome the pent-up labor demand in the industry.

Leestma said he worked with staffing agencies and networked with individuals. His new construction company, which is part of Leestma Management, hired about 20 people during the summer.

“I have always been very good at finding people and developing talent,” he said. “That is probably one of my core skills, so even if someone didn’t necessarily have the skill that we were looking for on day one, I think if you surround them with the right people, you give them the right training, you give them the right tools, most people will rise to the occasion unless they don’t have any interest in working in the first place.”

One of the projects Leestma said the team worked on between April and November of last year was a $250 million multi-phase development at Adelaide Pointe, a 30-acre former industrial site on the Muskegon lakeshore waterfront, which is considered a brownfield opportunity zone.

The project includes building the largest marina on Muskegon Lake, 300 condominiums, 200 in/out slips, 450,000 square feet of vehicle storage, a restaurant, an event center and three public parks.

Leestma’s team of construction workers remodeled 225,000 square feet worth of warehouse space. They removed all the asbestos, lead-based paint and environmental contaminants, and installed new heaters, lights, roofs and signs, as well as new wireless and security systems and a new 8-foot-wide, 200-foot-long dock.

They also refurbished the parking lot and painted buildings.

Leestma also was able to start an RV and boat storage business for vehicles up to 24 feet tall, 30 feet wide and 60 feet long at Adelaide Pointe, which also includes a multifamily residential building and a commercial structure.

Leestma said there are currently seven employees in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

4

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

THE LIST

Top Area Business Insurance Agencies (RANKED BY NUMBER OF WEST MICHIGAN LICENSED AGENTS) Year 2021 No. of licensed Independent established in 2020 total business W. Mich. agents/ insurance Top W. Mich. executive(s) W. Mich. insurance premiums support staff agency Types of business insurance/other specialties 1

*Acrisure LLC 100 Ottawa Ave. SW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 265-1633 acrisure.com

Greg Williams

2006

$22.17B $20.06B

995 595

Y

Auto, aviation, executive and financial lines, flood, inland marine, general liability package, professional liability, property, surety, workers' compensation, real estate services, cyber services and asset management

2

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 301 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 233-0910 f 233-0923 ajg.com

Michael Miller

1991

$297.62M $246.61M

131 92

N

Insurance, risk management and consulting

3

Lighthouse, An Alera Group Company 56 Grandville Ave. SW, Suite 300 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 698-7373 lighthousegroup.com

Thomas Helmstetter Jaclyn Brussee David Hildenbrand Harold Burrell Brian DeKorte Eve Rogus Jason Nickel Glen Van De Venter

1995

$300M $355M

130 18

N

Risk control consulting, claims expertise, OSHA training and compliance, safety program development, workplace hazard assessments, statistical loss analysis and projections, alternative risk solutions, employee benefits and total wellbeing programs.

4

BHS Insurance 3055 44th St. SW Grandville 49418 p (616) 531-1900 f 574-3317 bhsins.com

Steven Olson Zackery Vandenberg

1939

$349.38M DND

119 18

Y

Business and employee benefits insurance, risk management, safety, loss control, human resource consulting, ACA consulting, wellness consulting, technology solutions, retirement plan consulting

5

HUB International Midwest Ltd. 1591 Galbraith Ave. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 233-4111 f 233-4110 hubinternational.com

Caroly Hofstee Shannon Jones Mark Lenderink Douglas Nagel Josh Stanford Kyle Bloemers Katherine Strong Justin Dailey

1998

$355M $361M

98 113

Y

Property, casualty, bond and surety, self-insured workers' compensation, trade credit, employee benefits, loss control, risk consulting, personal insurance, retirement and private wealth solutions

6

Doyle & Ogden Insurance Advisors 3330 Broadmoor Ave. SE, Suite E Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 949-9000 f 949-9568 doyle-ogden.com

Michael Doyle

1958

DND DND

38 8

Y

Business, auto, home, life, health, employee benefits, transportation

7

Lake Michigan Insurance Agency 5550 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 234-6979 lmcu.org/insurance

Sandy Jelinski

1933

$60.75M $60.5M

30 22

Y

Commercial property, general liability, professional liability/ E&O, inland marine, product liability, lessor's risk, commercial auto, workers' compensation, commercial umbrella

8

Marsh USA 125 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 233-4200 marsh.com

Jodie DeVries

1970

DND DND

25 DND

DND

Commercial, cyber, environmental, transactional, intellectual property, D&O insurance, reinsurance, risk identification and quantification, workers’ compensation pre- and post-loss cost reduction, property/asset protection, accelerated claim closure and collateral reduction, cybersecurity and risk quantification, forensic claim accounting, business continuity planning, emergency response/disaster recovery

9

Glenn Morris & Associates 6011 West River Drive Belmont 49306 p (616) 361-3400 f 361-3401 gma-insurance.com

Glenn Morris

2007

DND DND

11 6

Y

Workers' compensation cost reduction

10

HNI Risk Services 140 Monroe Center NW, Suite 200 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 264-3000 hni.com

Nathan Steffen

2011

$75M $75M

10 25

Y

Property and casualty, employee benefits and risk advisory services, safety performance, claims management, employee engagement, performance management, accountability, branding and culture enhancement

11

Buchanan Agency Inc. 2305 East Paris Ave. SE, Suite 201 Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 949-8871 f 949-6488 buchins.com

William Buchanan II Michael Buchanan

1967

$9.57M $8.9M

9 2

Y

Business, home, auto and life

Lockton Companies 38 Commerce Ave. SW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 286-5500 lockton.com

Jon Snead Amy McCulloch

2020

DND DND

9 6

Y

Risk, health and benefits, retirement, reinsurance

AIC Insurance Services 7275 Bronson St. SE Ada 49301 p (888) 695-9777 f 676-4010 theaicgroup.com

Mark Vickery Jason McNamara Tom VanderVelde Stacy Higgins Samantha Lamberts Terie Vickery Jacob Vickery

1997

DND DND

7 5

Y

Risk management, commercial property, general liability, professional liability, pollution liability, medical malpractice, aviation, employee benefits, personal lines, life insurance

Marsh McLennan Agency 125 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 405 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 223-1801 mma-mi.com

Becky McLaughlan Denise Christy Ron Erway

2007

$23.39M $6.9M

7 0

Y

Group benefits consulting and risk management brokerage; culture and well-being strategy development; benefits trends benchmarking; diversity equity and inclusion consulting; 401(k) advisory services; employee benefits communications; HR compliance; HR education

15

Gibson Insurance 650 Trade Centre Way, Suite 310 Portage 49002 p (574) 245-3500 f 682-8843 thegibsonedge.com

Gary Carey

2019

DND DND

4 4

Y

Employee benefits, commercial business, personal lines

16

River City Insurance Group 14637 16th Ave. Marne 49435 p (616) 677-3136 f 677-1162 rivercityinsurancegroup.com

John Layton

1985

DND DND

3 2

Y

Health, business, auto, home, farm, Medicare plans

13

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area business insurance agencies, ranked by number of W. Mich. licensed agents,is the most comprehensive available. The list is based on responses to Business Journal surveys. The Business Journal defines "West Michigan" as Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The Business Journal surveyed 134 agencies; 16 returned surveys and 16 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose. *2021 premiums represents 1/1/21-11/30/21

Enters Brazilian market Acrisure acquired It’sSeg, the largest independent benefit management and insurance brokering firm in Brazil.

Acquired and rebranded

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Bollington Insurance Brokers Ltd. and rebranded it as Gallagher Insurance UK.

New California brokerage

Alera Group acquired Ashbrook-Clevidence Inc., a full-service insurance brokerage in California.

Top advisers

BHS Insurance’s Duncan Purvis was named one of the top plan advisers under 40 for the second year in a row by the National Association of Professional Agents.

ListStore

@ GRBJ.com

Download this list now at GRBJ.com in Excel or PDF format.

The Book of Lists and other lists are also available.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

THE LIST

JANUARY 24, 2022

5

Top Area Risk Management Companies (RANKED BY THE NUMBER OF LICENSED WEST MICHIGAN AGENTS)

2021 No. of Year 2020 licensed W. established in total W. Mich. Mich. agents/ Top Local Executive(s) W. Mich. revenue support staff

Compensation

Acquired assets

Risk management services

Other special services

1

*Acrisure LLC 100 Ottawa Ave. SW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 265-1633 acrisure.com

Greg Williams

2006

$2.68M $2.04M

995 595

Commissions, Fees Program design and placement, All lines of insurance, surety manage total cost of risk, develop and bonding, employee benefits, implement workforce strategies financial services products; real estate services, cyber services, asset management

2

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 301 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 233-0910 f 233-0923 ajg.com

Michael Miller

1991

$35.65M $29.17M

131 92

Commissions, Fees Insurance, risk management and consulting

3

Lighthouse Group, An Alera Group Company 56 Grandville Ave. SW, Suite 300 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 698-7373 lighthousegroup.com

4

HUB International Midwest Ltd. 1591 Galbraith Ave. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 233-4111 f 233-4110 hubinternational.com

5

Northwestern Mutual - West Michigan 55 Campau Ave. NW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 774-2031 f 774-0338 nm.com

6

7

New position Thomas Helmstetter Jaclyn Brussee David Hildenbrand Harold Burrell Brian DeKorte

1995

$34.5M $34.5M

130 18

Caroly Hofstee Shannon Jones Mark Lenderink Douglas Nagel Josh Stanford Kyle Bloemers Katherine Strong Justin Dailey

1998

$35M $35.02M

98 113

Joe Dierks

1866

$25.41M $19.84M

74 79

Marsh USA 125 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 233-4200 marsh.com

Jodie DeVries

Crosby & Henry 590 Cascade West Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 942-5480 f 942-0346 crosbyhenry.com

Jamie Crosby Ellen Miller

Hylant 85 Campau Ave. NW, Suite 100 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 855-7900 f 855-7910 hylant.com/about/locations/grand-rapidshylant-office

DND

Hub International acquired the assets of Pennsylvania-based Fiducia Group, which provides 401(k) and retirement plan consulting services to the corporate, Taft-Hartley, public and nonprofit sectors.

1970

Commissions

Risk control consulting, claims expertise, OSHA training and compliance, safety program development, workplace hazard assessments, statistical loss analysis and projections, training resources for specific industries

International capabilities, alternative risk financing, self-insurance, captives, personal lines, employee benefits, business, life, total wellbeing programs

Commissions, Fees Loss control, captives and alternative, Property, casualty, employee risk solutions, claims management, benefits, bonds and surety, trade trade credit, risk consulting, nurse, credit case management, emergency action planning

DND

DND DND

25 DND

Other

1858

DND DND

12 4

Commissions

Jeff Lumpp Greg Nemmers Karen Barnes Guylaine Donavan Ken Bos Bob Barss Max Rispler Ken Fortier Casey Johnson Cam Grogan

2006

$6.5M $6M

12 37

DND

Risk identification and quantification, DND workers’ compensation pre- and postloss cost reduction, property/asset protection, accelerated claim closure and collateral reduction, cyber security and risk quantification, forensic claim accounting, business continuity planning, emergency response/disaster recovery DND

Commissions, Fees Risk consulting, captive insurance feasibility studies, global program management, insurance program review, analysis and evaluation

9

Glenn Morris & Associates 6011 West River Drive Belmont 49306 p (616) 361-3400 f 361-3401 gma-insurance.com

Glenn Morris

2007

DND DND

11 6

DND

10

AIC Insurance Services 7275 Bronson St. SE Ada 49301 p (888) 695-9777 f 676-4010 theaicgroup.com

Mark Vickery Jason McNamara Tom VanderVelde Stacy Higgins Samantha Lamberts Terie Vickery Jacob Vickery

1997

DND DND

7 4

Commissions

KPMG LLP 99 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 831-8600 f 831-8519 kpmg.com/us

John Maynard

1916

DND DND

DND 71

Fees

DND

DND

Alternative risk modeling, enterprise risk management consulting, worker compensation claims consulting

Consulting

DND

Risk identification, analysis, implementation and follow up, including risk transfer and audits; online resources for safety, HR, compliance and OSHA

Aviation, group health benefits, commercial and personal insurance, professional liability, key man and cross purchase life insurance

Internal audit and enterprise risk, compliance, technology assurance and risk management, cybersecurity, forensics, and governance, risk and controls

Intelligence-based solutions including third-party risk, enterprise performance, accounting and regulatory compliance

Northwestern Mutual’s Jeb Bentley was named the head of the retail investment business with client assets of more than $230 billion. He previously served as an executive overseeing aspects of the company’s institutional investment portfolio and general account.

Appointed president

Marsh appointed Pat Donnelly as president of Marsh US and Canada. He served as the head of Marsh specialty for Marsh US and Canada.

Independent director KPMG LLP appointed Roel Campos as an independent director to its U.S. board of directors. He previously served as a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he was a liaison to the international regulatory community.

ListStore

@ GRBJ.com

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area risk management companies, ranked by the number of licensed W. Mich. agents, is the most comprehensive available. The list is based on responses to Business Journal surveys. The Business Journal defines "West Michigan" as Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The Business Journal surveyed 88 companies; 11 responded and 11 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose. * Revenue represents 1/1/21-11/30/21.

Download this list now at GRBJ.com in Excel or PDF format.

The Book of Lists and other lists are also available.

6

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

Your #1 choice BACK 2 BACK HONOR

2021 & 2022

Operations that are owned by beginning, socially disadvantaged or veteran farmers are among those that could qualify for the program. Courtesy iStock

Investment directed at mitigating farm risks choiceone.com | Member FDIC

USDA pumping $2M into education programs for those who are underserved in the ag industry.

Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

John C. Arndts

Benjamin A. Zainea Daniel J. Parmeter

Daniel R. Kubiak David S. Lefere

Adding value to your business Our team will help you achieve your goals. John Arndts, Dan Parmeter, David Lefere, Dan Kubiak, Ben Zainea and our other business attorneys analyze and address your legal matters with your best interests in mind.

We help your business thrive.

mikameyers.com (616) 632-8000

Michigan farmers soon may be able to participate in new educational risk management programs as they navigate the agricultural industry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $2 million in cooperative agreements for risk management education and training programs.

The programs and trainings are geared toward historically underserved producers, small-scale farmers and conservation practices.

Underserved producers include limited-resource farmers or ranchers, beginning farmers or ranchers, socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers and veteran farmers or ranchers who served in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard.

Small farmers are those who operate with a gross cash farm income under $250,000. Some of the conservation practices farmers or ranchers participate in include conservation tillage, cover crops and stream restoration.

The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) will use the funds to invest in organizations such as nonprofits, universities and county cooperative extension offices to develop training and education tools to help producers learn how to effectively manage long-term risks and challenges.

“Agriculture is an inherently risky business, and a strong farm safety net is key to sustain-

ing and ensuring the success of American producers,” said RMA administrator Marcia Bunger.

“We’re committed to improving access to crop insurance, and our partnerships with organizations help us reach communities that have historically lacked access to training and resources. We want to make sure all producers know and understand how to manage

“Agriculture is an inherently risky business, and a strong farm safety net is key to sustaining and ensuring the success of American producers.”

Marcia bunger risk and what options are available to them.”

The risk management training sessions will include information about federal crop insurance options, record keeping, financial management, noninsurance-based risk management tools and natural disaster preparedness.

Some risks in the agricultural industry include production, price or market fluctuation, financial, institutional, and human or personal risks, according to the Economic Research Service for the USDA. •Production risk derives from the uncertain natural growth processes of crops and livestock.

Weather, disease, pests and other factors affect both the quantity and quality of commodities produced.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

INSIDE TRACK

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

King engages heart for others in new role

JANUARY 24, 2022

7

Monica King said she was drawn to GLI by its mission of putting people first. Photo Courtesy of DWH.

As CEO of Gun Lake Investments, new leader embraces ‘seven grandfather teachings’ to put people first.

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

A

lthough she does not have Indigenous heritage, Monica King has embraced the seven grandfather teachings of the Three Fires Confederacy — love, bravery, humility, respect, honesty, wisdom and truth — in her new role as CEO of Gun Lake Investments.

King started working in an advisory capacity for Grand Rapids-based Gun Lake Investments (GLI) — the economic development corporation (EDC) of the southwest Michigan-based Match-E -Be-Nash- She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, aka Gun Lake Tribe — in 2018 while she was in leadership at the consulting firm DWH in Grand Rapids.

Upon Kurt Trevan’s resignation from his role as GLI’s CEO in July 2021, King became interim CEO. The organization hired her as its permanent CEO, effective Jan. 1.

GLI is the tribally owned, nongaming investment arm of the Gun Lake Tribe. It manages a portfolio of equity and debt investments in real estate and operating companies and is focused on diversifying the tribal economy, ensuring the financial foundation for the tribe for generations to come.

With more than 20 years of history in finance and operations at companies of varying size and scope, King brings to GLI experience in managing acquisitions, integrations, and infrastructure development and implementation.

She said she was drawn to the mission of GLI — “putting people first” — from day one.

“It’s so much more than just financial returns,” she said. “They really want to be good stewards of the community, and what really resonates with me is the ‘how.’ …

Gun Lake and (the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, which owns Waséyabek Development Company), they lead with the ‘seven grandfather teachings,’ (including) love, bravery, humility,

respect. Those are openly talked about in business, and for me, that is amazing. I’m a real empath and empathy is so important — along with respecting and understanding and building relationships. For someone in business to talk about love, that’s normally just a foreign concept.”

King, whose paternal heritage is Chinese, grew up in Kalamazoo in a blue-collar family. Her father worked in various roles throughout his career at the automotive and aerospace supplier Parker Hannifin, and he and her mother emphasized the values of hard work and being a good person.

She was the first individual on both sides of her family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting with a minor in marketing from Western Michigan University after first earning an associate degree from Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

“I ended up taking an accounting class in high school, and I really liked it. I also learned in high school that I was dyslexic … and I stuck with accounting because what resonated with me was always ‘balancing,’” King said. “… I was drawn to numbers, but I also found out pretty quickly in my career that I didn’t want to be a typical accountant (who) did book work all the time. I was a really big ‘people person’ and liked to be out and about.”

Channeling that love of people and being on the move, King gravitated to the operations side of the automotive industry in her work at Eaton Corporation, rising from collections specialist to financial planning manager for a division between 2001 and 2008, a job that involved travel and plenty of people interactions. She said although she gained “structure, discipline and experience” at Eaton, the wear-and-tear of being a woman in a corporate culture within a male-dominated industry took its toll, and she was ready for her next opportunity.

After a brief stint as a cost manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific,

MONICA KING Organization: Gun Lake Investments Position: CEO Age: 42 Birthplace: Kalamazoo Residence: Schoolcraft Family: Husband, Brad, and two kids, Nolan and Natalie Community/business involvement: Junior Achievement of the Great Lakes board member; volunteer with Bronson Healthcare over the years, including serving on the patient family advisory committee, volunteering as a patient advocate, doing public speaking, sharing patient stories and helping with internal projects.

Biggest career break: Gaining discipline and experience in the automotive world at Eaton Corporation, starting her own consulting firm, then helping to diversify a turnaround firm, DWH, where she assisted with establishing a tribal practice that eventually led her to Gun Lake Investments.

she moved on to become director of finance and human resources at Alliant Healthcare Products, a job she held until 2011.

Right around then, a pair of family health crises led King to pivot and begin her foray into consulting, first at Alliant, then on her own. Her mother had a massive brain hemorrhage, sending her into a coma, then six days later her nephew was born prematurely with two rare conditions.

Her mom and nephew spent six months in the trauma department and neonatal intensive care unit, respectively, and by the year mark, they had undergone 38 separate surgeries racking up $1 million in insurance claims.

King began speaking out on her family’s experience within the health care system, becoming a vocal patient advocate at Bronson Healthcare and spending long hours at her family members’ bedsides, while also shifting her day job at Alliant into more of a turnaround consulting, project management role.

On the other side of the table during that turnaround project was DWH, the firm at which she eventually would become managing partner and CEO. In 2012, she left Alliant to start her own firm, M. King Consulting, which provided finance and operational guidance to many industries.

While she was in Grand Rapids working with other clients, she joined forces with DWH on a project, then the firm hired her in 2015 to help transform its operations.

She entered as COO and helped diversify the staff, then concentrated on adding all types of transition services, not just turnaround, including growth planning, succession planning, performance improvement and financial advisory services, to expand DWH into a general management consulting firm.

As part of its evolution into growth planning services, DWH took on Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (NHBP) as a

client in the early years of it growing its EDC, Waséyabek Development Company.

“I was one of the first people out on the reservation discussing what was going on with Waséyabek, and that’s when we started working with them, and for me, that opened the relationship up,” King said. “I grew up fairly close to Pine Creek Reservation (home of the NHBP) and was really interested in what Nottawaseppi was doing, and so when we got the chance to help work with their EDC, that was really critical, too, and a pivotal mark in the history of the firm.”

In 2018, considering the fact DWH was working on strategic planning, M&A and other services for Waséyabek, the latter acquired the former, and King continued on as a minority owner and managing partner and CEO for DWH. The acquisition launched DWH’s tribal practice, and during the past three years, DWH has worked with multiple tribes’ EDCs, King said. One of those was GLI, which was based only a couple buildings away from DWH on Monroe Avenue NW in downtown Grand Rapids.

King met Trevan at this point, and he told her his trust in her grew when DWH became tribally owned.

“Jumping into the tribal practice, trust is huge, and that’s one of the things that I love with Gun Lake, is developing trusting relationships,” she said.

Two years into DWH’s new ownership, Waséyabek and GLI partnered to buy the McKay Tower in downtown Grand Rapids in June 2020.

By then, she had been working behind the scenes in operations for GLI as part of the tribal practice for a couple of years, but with DWH majority owned by Waséyabek, her colleagues teased her at the opening ceremony for McKay Tower, “You’re sitting on the wrong side.”

King continued helping GLI with the operations of its subsid-

iaries, staffing, and the implementation of systems and processes, until Trevan announced his departure in July, setting in motion her path to the firm’s top leadership role.

She said GLI has demonstrated since the very beginning that love toward all its stakeholders is “in its DNA.” “We prioritize people. When we look at investment decisions, it’s like, how are we going to impact the community with this? Is this good for everybody? It’s incredible. We have meetings when we talk through our strategy, and everything is with the foundation of those (seven) teachings,” she said. “The goal is sustainability for the long term. Everything that’s done is with the vision of future generations; it’s not about the now so much.”

She said she appreciates GLI’s community investment, financially and through volunteerism, and especially the way it supports other tribes in the area.

King is proud of the fact GLI already closed two deals in the first quarter of the fiscal year that started in October, and it also has several development projects underway, and this month will begin updating its strategic plan for the next five to 10 years.

On a personal level, King said she will continue to be a lifelong learner, including attending the first-ever “Tribal Governance: Sovereignty through Self-determination,” course at WMU, which the university developed in partnership with members of the Pokagon, Gun Lake and NHBP tribes and which is being taught by Sam Morseau, a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. The course will cover topics such as Indigenous leadership, the path to recognition, nation rebuilding and sustainable sovereignty.

“Over the years, from what I’ve seen, Native American history has not necessarily been presented the best in our schools, so to have a course like this at the college level is incredible,” King said.

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JANUARY 24, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

One man’s dream: all the Two Men and a Truck franchises in the region Kyle Norcutt has been hoping to control the West Michigan territory since 1998.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

construction division and he plans to ramp up hiring again in the spring.

The city of Muskegon already has approved some of Leestma’s Adelaide Pointe plans, including a $12 million development agreement, $35 million brownfield plan and his Planned Unit Development design.

Beginning in February, Leestma said his company Adelaide Energy is scheduled to install a number of solar panels in the Midwest. Adelaide Energy was formed in 2018 and since then has “deployed more than 1.25 million watts of solar on Leestma Management’s properties,” he said.

Leestma said he expects the construction division to grow when begins allowing customers within his client portfolio to use its services.

“I would anticipate that probably in the next year or two we’ll be able to start looking at other types of construction jobs that would normally be competitively bid amongst some of the more established construction companies out there,” he said.

Chelsea Carter

ccarter@grbj.com

Kyle Norcutt figured he might as well just corner the whole market.

The Grand Rapids native and longtime multi-unit franchisee became the sole owner of all Two Men and a Truck locations in West Michigan after closing a 2021 deal.

The September purchase of the Grand Rapids South franchise was a long time coming for Norcutt, who has owned more than 25 Two Men locations across the United States since 1998. Today, his franchise group owns 10 Two Men and a Truck locations across the country, and Norcutt said the 2021 deal, which also included two northern Indiana acquisitions, is likely to account for 25% of Empire Franchise Group’s total sales, with Grand Rapids adding roughly $2.5 million and the two Indiana locations adding an estimated $6 million to total revenue.

After co-purchasing his first franchises with a childhood friend in North Carolina more than two decades ago, Norcutt later returned to his Michigan roots after becoming the sole owner of the Kalamazoo moving franchise in 2001, which also provided him the opportunity to move back to Michigan. His current portfolio of franchises includes locations in Colorado, Utah, Washington and Indiana, but the Grand Rapids native long hoped for his homecoming, which would later involve him becoming the sole owner of all locations in the West Michigan territory.

Two Men’s West Michigan footprint, all of which are now owned by Norcutt, include Kalamazoo and its Battle Creek satellite office, Grand Rapids North consisting of Comstock Park and Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids South in Wyoming and Two Men Lakeshore, encompassing Holland and Spring Lake.

After living in Kalamazoo for 10 years and purchasing the Grand Rapids North franchise in 2007, Norcutt made his move back to Grand Rapids and has been living full-time in his hometown since 2012.

Norcutt’s multi-unit ownership over the years has afforded him a broad understanding of franchise growth, how to maintain customer service and provided him a skillset of how to motivate his team to find a path to success. The acquisition of the Grand Rapids South franchise

Construction firm helps Leestma

Kyle Norcutt’s purchase of the Grand Rapids South territory made him the sole Two Men and a Truck franchisee in West Michigan. Courtesy Two Men and a Truck

has now afforded the company a more streamlined customer service and marketing model and better opportunities for employees.

“The beauty of having the whole market, it does make it a little bit easier for marketing and we have some call sharing between our locations,” Norcutt said. “So, if a customer calls any of our customer service reps at any of the four locations in West Michigan, they answer the call and schedule the estimates and book the jobs, and then we kind of look for the most efficient way to get those jobs done. So, if somebody let’s say is in Hudsonville, we can kind of share that between any of the three locations, you know, the lakeshore (and) the two Grand Rapids locations. It just kind of makes everything a little more efficient for the customer and just works out really well.”

Norcutt said his Two Men and a Truck franchises always have looked to promote and encourage growth opportunities from within, and said that the bigger West Michigan footprint also gives some opportunity for his employees to move up into different management positions.

“And then we have a corporate office that we call Empire Franchise Group that’s based in Grand Rapids, … that’s kind of our management group that oversees all of our franchises.

So just having a little bit bigger presence in West Michigan makes that easier, not just for managing, but for promoting

from within and giving some other people some (additional) opportunities.”

Prior to the recent acquisition, Norcutt estimates that Empire Franchise Group operated with around 225 employees across the seven nationwide locations. He said the Grand Rapids and northern Indiana locations brought approximately 50 new employees to his team who were employed under the previous owner. The acquisition also added approximately 25 trucks to his fleet, and Norcutt said the business currently operates with roughly 100 trucks. One of his focuses as the company’s growth continues is trusting his location managers and giving them plenty of room to make their own decisions.

“You don’t want to have to call anyone on a daily basis,” he said. “That is one of the hardest parts of multi-unit ownership — trying not to get bogged down in the day-to-day issues and staying focused on the big picture.”

While Norcutt has focused on a smooth transition for the business and employees staying under his leadership, he’s also seen benefits for customer service operations as a whole amid any potential impacts from COVID-19.

“With COVID, unfortunately, we’ve had it where we’ve had to have kind of rolling stops at different locations where we’ve had to close an office for a week, and it’s been nice to have another three locations where they can pick up the slack,” he said. “So, we really haven’t had to miss a

beat there.”

Norcutt said he looks forward to continuing to expand services at select franchise locations, including mobile storage and junk removal. In the fall of 2020, Norcutt’s group opened a new office on Dodge Court NE in Comstock Park offering newer storage services that would piggyback on the storage space offered at the Grand Rapids South location, which the team anticipated the eventual acquisition of.

“We’ve started rolling out bringing mobile containers out to customers’ houses, and we can load those up and then store them back in our warehouse,” he said. “Then we’ve had a junk removal service that we’ve kind of been rolling out over the last year, too. So, it’s just extra services that we provide on top of the moving services that are usually services people need when they’re moving.”

The organization also has instilled charitable giving and community impact into its core values, putting an emphasis on donating its resources and time to the communities it serves. In anticipation of its largest charitable event of the year, Movers for Moms, Two Men and a Truck has partnered with four local nonprofits for 2022, including SAFE Place of Battle Creek, YWCA West Central Michigan in Grand Rapids, Resilience in Holland and Alpha Grand Rapids. Starting in March, Two Men CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Essence rolls with changing times CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

— and as commercial real estate agents look to fill spaces that independent restaurants lack the startup capital to lease. He said he doesn’t view this as a negative, because there should be enough business for everyone as the city grows.

“I think it will be a short-term trend. … Over time, it’s hard to compete against a good local restaurant that’s in any good downtown market, because it’s hard to create and manufacture a culture from Dallas or Florida,” he said.

“If you go to Chicago or even Detroit, to some degree, you’re going to see some of that (growth of chains), but it’s a percentage.

I don’t think it will ever be a big percentage, but it’s definitely just a sign of a city’s growth.”

Berg said he believes if restaurants focus on their core values and shift their perspectives from resistance to acceptance, they will be able to weather this “painful” time for the industry.

“Adversity is inevitable; learning and growing from adversity is not. … It is within our control to reap the benefits, not just the pain, of adversity,” he said.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

BRINGING THE BANK TO YOU

To become a state-licensed electrician, individuals are required to have 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and be enrolled in an apprenticeship program. Courtesy Hoekstra Electrical Services

Electrical company invests in own apprentices Hoekstra Electrical Services creates program to fill its talent pipeline.

Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

A commercial electrical, controls and automation services company launched an in-house apprenticeship program.

After partnering with Grand Rapids Community College, Holland-based Hoekstra Electrical Services decided to create its own electrical apprenticeship program that trains its workers to become licensed electricians.

Denny Bouma, operations director at Hoekstra Electrical, said to become a state-licensed electrician, individuals are required to have 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and be enrolled in an apprenticeship program. Afterward, they’ll become eligible to take the state’s electrical examination.

Hoekstra Electrical Services’ apprenticeship program is a four-year curriculum that started last fall with 27 individuals, ranging from recent high school graduates to experienced apprentices, all of whom were recently hired or been with the company for a short amount of time.

Since the fall, Bouma said they’ve added more individuals to the program, which provides the opportunity to learn

all aspects of the trade through hands-on labs, free on-site electrical classes using a nationally recognized curriculum called Mike Holt’s Electrical Apprenticeship Curriculum, diversified learning from on-the-job training directly in various markets and one-on-one mentoring.

Bouma said the hands-on experience includes working alongside journeyman electricians to do a variety of electrical work on-site, including service calls, power outage restoration, electrical troubleshooting or a large project that includes doing electrical work on a commercial building under construction.

Twice a month in the evening, students go in-house to work on labs, review materials and study electrical codes. The classes are taught by licensed journeyman electricians who are part of Hoekstra Electrical Services.

“We wanted to take our 19-plus years of learning and knowledge and teach one of the top curricula out there,” said Lee Hiler, one of Hoekstra’s journeyman electricians and a project manager who is helping to launch the new program.

“We desired to invest more into our apprentices and be able to customize the learning and build relationships and encourage each other along the way.

This program also allows us to give back and be involved in our community by providing electriCONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

COMMENT & OPINION

GUEST COLUMN Lou Glazer

Region’s employment earnings lag national average

S

upport is mounting for emphasizing four-year college degrees in Michigan.

In a Crain’s Detroit Business op-ed, Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MICHauto, and Britany Affolter-Caine, executive director of Michigan’s University Research Corridor, write: “The most successful strategy to ensure Michigan’s long-term competitiveness and economic prosperity is to increase the number of workers with college degrees and with digital skills in professions at all levels and across all industries in Michigan, while making our communities attractive places to live and work.

“Michigan won’t be the prosperous state we envision together without these deeper and more long-term investments.

Short-term incentives, while important in the moment, are not going to be enough to get us to where we need to be. Pursuing manufacturing jobs is important, but Michigan also must compete for knowledge-based jobs, which are the ones that are growing in today’s economy. To win knowledge-based jobs, we need to re-invest in higher education, move more university discoveries to market, increase people trained in high-tech at all levels, retain them, and invest in our communities so they are attractive places to live, work and play.”

Exactly! Incentives to retain and attract manufacturing jobs cannot be the core strategy to return Michigan to high pros-

perity. Big incentives are the icing on the cake, not the foundation of recreating a Michigan economy with a broad middle class. That is because, as Stevens and Alffolter-Caine note, knowledge-based occupations are now the growing, high-wage occupations.

Michigan has a two-tier labor market: one tier of occupations where fewer than 10% of the jobs require a bachelor’s degree and a preponderance of jobs that pay below what it takes to be middle class; and a second tier for occupations where more than 65% of the jobs require a bachelor’s degree and a preponderance of jobs that pay more than what is required to be middle class.

These high-wage occupations are: • Architecture and engineering • Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media • Business and financial operations • Community and social service • Computer and mathematical • Educational instruction and library • Health care practitioners and technical • Legal • Life, physical and social science • Management Combined, they account for 33.7% of the nation’s payroll jobs in 2020, which is up from 28.1% in 2000. By contrast, production (blue-collar factory)

jobs have declined from 9.6% of the nation’s payroll jobs in 2000 to 6.1% in 2020.

Nationally, the 10 knowledge-based major occupations, with the exception of community and social services, have average wages above the national average of $56,310 for all jobs.

Most are substantially above that number. Production has an

average wage that is 25.9% below the average for all jobs.

The knowledge-based occupations are 32.8% of Michigan’s payroll jobs. By comparison, they are 42.3% of Massachusetts’ payroll jobs. Massachusetts is the prototypical high-prosperity/high knowledge-based econCONTINUED ON PAGE 11

GRBJ.COM EDITOR

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Danielle Nelson: dnelson@grbj.com Rachel Watson: rwatson@grbj.com Chelsea Carter: ccarter@grbj.com STATE LEGISLATIVE REPORTER

MI VIEW WEST Garth Kriewall

Michigan journalist, kriewall@hotmail.com

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Ahmed Aljanabi Dana MacDonald Maryan Toma

West Michigan’s economic winners in 2022 will be those who best manage the virus. How’s that going for us?

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GUEST COLUMN Matt Biersack and Diane Henneman

Behavioral health hospital critical to the region

M

ercy Health Saint Mary’s and Forest View Hospital have a long history of serving Kent County and surrounding communities with high quality and compassionate behavioral health services, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.

Demand for behavioral health services has been on the rise over the last several years, as our population increasingly struggles with conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder.

Without long-term solutions, the demand will continue to go unmet well after these challenging pandemic times are behind us.

In 2020, the Michigan Certificate of Need (CON) program recognized the need for 60 additional inpatient adult psychiatric beds in West Michigan. To make new beds available, the CON program uses a comparative review process designed to award available beds to the organization that presents the most viable strategy for sustainable, long-term access to quality behavioral health care — with an emphasis on serving the Medicaid and un-

derinsured populations.

After applying the current CON review standards in the comparative review, the state of Michigan awarded a proposed decision for 60 new adult psychiatric inpatient beds to Havenwyck Hospital, a Michigan subsidiary of Universal Health Services (UHS) and a sister facility of Forest View Hospital.

In its proposed decision issued March 29, 2021, the state determined Havenwyck’s CON application satisfied all of the technical requirements to be a qualifying application.

It also determined that Havenwyck scored higher than Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services under the established, objective comparative review criteria, including, most notably, Havenwyck’s commitment to serving the greatest number of Medicaid-insured patients. Although the CON decision is under appeal, Havenwyck anticipates a final decision in 2022.

To bring further value to the continuum of care via integration of behavioral and medical services, Havenwyck/UHS initiated collaboration discussions with Mercy Health.

Together, UHS and Mercy Health developed plans for a new, freestanding

inpatient behavioral health hospital to be built near the Mercy Health Southwest Campus in Byron Center.

The facility will accommodate up to 96 beds, which will include the 60 pending adult beds plus 24 additional, already-approved geriatric beds.

Programming will be tailored to individual patient needs, with core psychiatric services and counseling supplemented by enrichment activities such as art therapy, music therapy, pet therapy and outdoor activity. The design of the new facility will incorporate today’s modern, evidence-based care elements focusing on patient safety in a warm, healing environment.

The new facility will seamlessly tie into a growing network of affiliated behavioral health services in the area, including UHS-operated Forest View Hospital and Mercy Health’s new partnership with Network180 to open a behavioral health crisis

center for the rapid availability of assessment services on a walk-in basis. Further, the new facility will provide additional provider and patient choice in the market, specifically at an easily accessible location south of Grand Rapids.

Considerable investment already has been made in planning and development and we are ready to break ground soon after the CON appeal process concludes, and the final decision is confirmed in our favor. We are eager to proceed quickly and without further delays to deliver on our promises for new, enhanced behavioral health services. West Michigan, we know you are counting on us!

Matt Biersack, MD, is president and chief medical officer of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, a member of Trinity Health. Diane Henneman, LCSW, is division vice president, behavioral health, UHS.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

11

GUEST COLUMN Dave Kahle

Frustrated by inability to develop new customers? Try a sales blitz

O

ne of the most common complaints I hear from my clients is this: “I can’t seem to motivate the salespeople to call on prospects and develop them into new customers.”

There is a relatively simple, fun and inexpensive way to remedy this situation. It’s called a sales blitz. Unfortunately, few companies are even aware of it, and fewer yet use it.

Here’s the problem. Most B2B sales efforts are organized around a sales rep who is responsible for a specific set of accounts, or a specific geographical area. Typically, that rep is expected to grow the business with the current customers, as well as to identify and develop new customers.

Clearly, most salespeople are better at one part of this two-part responsibility than the other. Usually, developing new customers takes second place in the salesperson’s priorities.

Staying within their comfort zones and focusing on keeping the current customers happy becomes a higher priority on a day-to-day basis. As a result, few new customers are developed, and sales management is continually frustrated with the company’s poor performance.

Rather than continue beating a dead horse by trying to motivate the sales force to create new customers, one alternate approach is to implement a sales blitz.

What’s a sales blitz? It’s an organized effort by the company to focus all of its sales force on a specific task in one specific territory. The most common task is to identify, qualify and engage potential new customers.

But, a sales blitz also could be used to quickly communicate some hot new product or service to a market.

A sales blitz has the advantage of focusing the entire sales force on a specific task. That alone will bring

you far greater results than if you’d just left it to each salesperson to do on their own.

But there are some additional benefits. For example, the preparation for a sales blitz provides you an opportunity to thoroughly train the sales force in one identifiable step in the sales process. Their competency thus improves. Additionally, you can usually measure their activities more specifically than normal. So, they become more competent and confident, and you more knowledgeable in the activities of your sales force.

Let me illustrate with an example.

Let’s say that you have group of eight salespeople who are each expected to build the business with current customers as well as create new ones. You are continually frustrated with their performance in creating new customers. Out of the group of eight people, you’re lucky to have one new customer a month. Since you are not satisfied with this, you decide to do a sales blitz for new customers.

So, you select one geographical area or market segment on which to focus. In this case, let’s say one of your salespeople has a relatively new territory, so you select that territory as your focus. You decide that for a period of three days, you are going to pull your entire sales force out of their territories and direct them into the new salesperson’s territory.

You bring them together and explain the project. Their task is to identify, qualify and engage as many prospects as possible. The information gained and the doors opened in the process will then be provided to the territory rep, who will be expected to follow up and turn a significant number of these qualified prospects into customers.

You create a form for each salesperson. They must collect the infor-

mation specified on the form from each prospect. The information could include such basics as the name and title of the key contact person, some information about the account and a sense of the opportunity for your company.

You then train the sales force in how to do just that one aspect of the sales process — make a cold call, collect some qualifying information and fill in the form. You spend a day role-playing and practicing.

Next, you provide them with a list of current customers (off limits) and a list of potential customers. You break the group into four teams of two people each, and on the map, outline four different areas for each.

You announce that, at the end of each day, you’ll hold a short meeting. At that meeting, you’ll recount success stories, share information and tactics that have worked for various team members, and count up the number of contacts made and forms filled out by each team. The team with the most completed forms will be the day’s winner, and each member of the winning team will be awarded a gift certificate for dinner for two.

At this point, you have organized the group’s efforts by identifying the specific job to be done, provided the tools (forms and company literature), trained them in the task, focused them on a specific area, and added some structured time to learn and to be recognized.

On each day of the blitz, you stay in cell phone contact with each group, encouraging them throughout the course of the day.

At the end of the three days, you will probably have accumulated more prospects for your territory rep to follow up on than he/she would have done on his own in the course of a year or two.

Turn them over to the rep, keep a copy yourself, and watch the progress he/she makes in each account.

What have you accomplished? A number of powerful things: 1. You’ve created more qualified leads for the territory rep in a few days than he/she would have created in a few years.

2. You’ve created a fun experience for all your reps.

3. Each rep has learned some new skills as they focused on just one part of the sales process and repeated it over and over. They will be better at creating new customers in their own territory as a result of this learning experience.

That’s a sales blitz.

Keep in mind there is nothing new about this approach. It may be new to you, but it’s a time-tested, proven best practice. When I was 17 years old, I attained my first sales job working summers for The Jewel Tea Company. They were using sales blitzes as a regular part of their sales efforts. I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but you can measure the time duration in decades.

A couple of years ago, when I was working with one of my clients to establish a new sales force, we routinely used sales blitzes, rotating the blitz every other month from one territory to another. In the first two years, six salespeople created 638 new accounts.

Here are some do’s and don’ts of organizing a sales blitz: 1. Have a specific task in mind and make it as simple as possible. In the example above, the salespeople were to engage a prospective account and fill out a form that indicated whether the account was worth the time. They collected some information and attempted to have an introductory conversation about

the company in order to raise some interest on the part of the account.

So, in other words, the task was a cold call to qualify a prospect.

2. Focus everyone on a specific area or market segment.

3. Equip each person with the tools necessary to accomplish this task.

4. Thoroughly train them. Even with an experienced sales group, I’d spend at least one day role-playing, critiquing and practicing. Remember, cold calls are probably not the strength of any of your salespeople.

Ignore their protests that they “know how to do it,” and train them as if they were brand new. You may be surprised at how far many of them have to come in order to be competent at it.

5. Keep it short and sweet. Three days in my example.

6. Break the group up into pairs or teams and create a competition among them.

7. Have some kind of daily debriefing. A half hour meeting at the end of each day was my choice.

8. Offer a daily recognition and reward.

9. Post the results and follow through on the leads created to make sure that they are not squandered.

A sales blitz, well designed and well managed, can solve one of your company’s biggest shortcomings and spin off a number of valuable fringe benefits.

Dave Kahle is an author, consultant and speaker who has presented in 47 states and 11 countries, improved the performance of thousands of B2B salespeople and authored 13 books. Receive his insights on a regular basis here: https:// www.davekahle.com/subscribe-davese-zines/.

One man’s dream: Region’s employment earnTwo Men and a Truck ings lag national average CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

will deliver collection boxes to business partners and collect essential care items for community members in need ahead of Mother’s Day. The organization is currently seeking additional business partners to host collection boxes for the event to help extend its impact.

Other charitable contributions include Movers for Mutts benefitting Michele’s Rescue in Grand Rapids, delivering face masks and hand sanitizer to Mercy Health, using trucks to pick up Toys for Tots donations, delivering food items to those who’ve lost their homes during the pandemic, and transporting pallets of diapers to families in need.

“When you’ve got a bunch of trucks, there’s always organizations that can use some help.

We’ve got the manpower and trucks, so we just kind of help

out whenever we can,” Norcutt said.

According to Norcutt, the previous owner of the recently acquired Grand Rapids South location ran a good operation and already had good people in place, and he looks forward to building on the foundation of good customer service with his local team network to further the company’s success and community impact in West Michigan.

“You know, there’s really a long history of providing good customer service in West Michigan and that’s just our goal, to keep continuing that and improving it over time. We operate with about a 90% referral rate with our customers, and the West Michigan markets have kind of been leaders in the Two Men truck system for a long time. So, it’s just nice to kind of keep that going and keep on going from there,” Norcutt said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

omy state: second in per capita income and first in the proportion of adults with a bachelor’s degree or more.

The knowledge-based occupations are 29.5% of metro Grand Rapids’ payroll jobs. By comparison, they are 44.6% of metro Boston’s jobs.

The knowledge-based occupations are high-wage in metro Grand Rapids, but still are lower than the national average and even farther behind metro Boston in all 10 of the knowledge-based major occupations.

The metro Grand Rapids major occupations with average wages below the national average for all jobs are arts, design, entertainment, sports and media; community and social services; and educational instruction and library. The other seven metro Grand Rapids major occupations have average wages substantial-

ly above the national average for all jobs, ranging from more than $19,000 above for business and financial operations jobs to more than $57,000 above for management jobs.

Just like the nation, production jobs in metro Grand Rapids are below average wage jobs: more than $10,000 lower than the region’s average for all jobs and nearly $20,000 below the national average for all jobs.

Metro Grand Rapids is under-concentrated in employment compared to the nation in all the knowledge-based occupations except for architecture and engineering and health care practitioners and technical, where the region is over-concentrated compared to the nation, and arts, design, entertainment, sports and media, where the region’s concentration is even with the nation’s average.

By contrast, metro Boston is over-concentrated in employ-

ment compared to the nation in all the knowledge-based occupations.

Metro Grand Rapids’ under-concentration and lower average wage in these knowledge-based major occupations are major reasons why the region’s employment earnings (wages and employer paid benefits) per capita are 9% below the national average. By contrast, metro Boston’s employment earnings per capita are 55.4% above the national average.

As Stevens and Alffolter-Caine conclude, the data are clear: the path to recreating a high-prosperity Michigan and metro Grand Rapids is an economic development strategy focused on competing for high-wage/high-growth, knowledge-based jobs.

Lou Glazer is president of Michigan Future Inc.

12

JANUARY 24, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Local logistics company fuels up for sustained growth Vine Line is moving past its roots as a produce carrier into a full-service firm.

Chelsea Carter

ccarter@grbj.com

Grand Rapids-based Vine Line Logistics is paving the way for scaling its operations amid multiple changes, including a move to a new office, bringing on multiple new hires, and becoming an independently owned and operated entity under its newly appointed president, Steve Lyons.

In 2008, Steve’s father, Gary Lyons, founded Custom Logistics, providing transportation services for a produce wholesaler and distributor. After restructuring for growth and customer service accommodations over the years, the firm later reorganized and in 2015 became known as Vine Line Logistics. The company now is independently owned and operated out of Grand Rapids, which Lyons said sets the company up for scale.

“We were part of Vine Line Group and Vine Line Group was the parent company to Vine Line Produce, Vine Line Trucking and Vine Line Logistics. Most recently, Vine Line Produce and Vine Line Trucking were purchased by a company called Fresh Edge, (which is) the parent company of numerous produce wholesalers’ distributions throughout the Midwest. So, (Fresh Edge) came in and purchased that and the logistics company ended up in full ownership underneath my dad, Gary Lyons,” Lyons said. “So, from there, we were able to essentially move out of the Comstock Park facility that we were in as a collective group of companies.”

As part of the larger entity, Vine Line Logistics’ primary business model was once centered solely on the transportation of produce.

Looking ahead, the firm plans to continue to build on its credibility in that space while also expanding into other areas. The transition to growing its service portfolio has been successful thus far, as produce transport now accounts for 25% of the business, with 75% of hauls being non-produce, which Steve Lyons said is fueling growth more space and more team members.

He was appointed president of the company in December and now oversees all operations. Lyons said the company that once consisted of himself, his dad and brother, now has nearly 15 employees on staff, 10 of which were hired in the last two years, with plans to hire five or six additional employees in 2022.

The Vine Line Logistics team is being housed at Start Garden while awaiting completion of its new office on the fourth floor above New Holland Brewery, 408 Broadway Ave. NW. The official move-in date is still to be determined as, ironically, supply chain issues affecting construction.

Lyons said he is excited to move in, noting that he will be able to look out the window at his alma mater, Grand Valley State University, while also being part of the West Side’s thriving Bridge Street community. He said many of the company’s newest hires are recent college graduates or have some sort of experience related to the field, and he hopes the new location and other changes will attract additional recent college graduates to the team.

Vine Line also started its internship program in 2021 and then brought on its trainee as a full-time employee. The company

already has plans to continue its new program with a new intern starting in May, as it looks to continue the progression of adding to its team with a focus on career development and employee retention.

“So, the space, the area, having those amenities close, and just being in that demographic, I feel like will put us in a great position to grow our company and recruit the type of candidates and the talent that we’re looking for,” Lyons said. “… (We’re) looking forward to being able to tap into some of the recent and current college talent (and) be able to teach them kind of how this whole thing works, so it’s really exciting for us. I think that we’ve wanted to grow a brokerage for a while now, and it’s just, now that we’re set, you know, now that we’re spun off, we have the opportunity to do just that.”

Prior to recent operational and employment developments, the Lyons family envisioned Vine Line’s future and began establishing the foundation for defining new roles and positions. Entry-level candidates typically start as carrier sales representatives, whose primary role is understanding how to secure capacity from trucking companies and beginning to grow professional relationships.

From there, team members often move into logistics representatives, taking their prior experience and redirecting it to the customer side.

“You just have a really good understanding of how to speak that language, because you’ve actually done the work,” Lyons said.

“You’ve assigned it to trucking companies, you dispatched it, and kind of seen that side of things.”

In anticipation of an ever-growing team, Vine Line recently appointed one of its logistics sales reps to be the firm’s first logistics

sales manager to oversee the customer-facing side and hired a carrier sales manager for the other newly created position that will oversee the carrier-facing team.

“As we’re growing, (there is) the need for these defined positions of who’s managing that team, the carrier side, who’s managing the customer side, who’s handling our accounting, and who’s kind of leading the ship. All these things become far more important when Lyons you start increasing the number of employees,” Lyons said. “That’s been the fun part of how do we create the rules? How do we create the positions?”

To further attract new hires, the firm also has focused on competitive compensation as brokerages often offer ample opportunities that tend to involve an additional commission structure.

“How do we make sure to align our compensation packages to be very competitive and fair, and also motivate people in a way, while also giving them a great work environment and have a great culture?” he said.

The process of bringing on new hires also has affirmed the company’s flexibility as it works to find the best possible position for each candidate.

“That’s been something where throughout all the hires, we’ve found what we thought somebody would be really good at. We’re like, ‘Oh, wait, actually you’d be really good on the customer side,’ and so then that opportunity presents itself and we just kind of are small enough to be nimble and … put the

right people in the right place.”

As the company worked through establishing the best possible positions for each of its employees, Lyons said Vine Line has a much better identity going into 2022 and a clearer vision of what positions will fulfill the company’s needs to further propel its growth, centered on integrity, trust, respect and transparency. He said he believes that a focal point of setting his employees up for success will translate to setting his customers, and therefore the company, up for success, as well.

“I feel like we’ll run a company that just has a very high-level reputation. And one of the things in this industry and brokerage is that a lot of customers, or just people in general, think that they’re being raked over the coals by brokers, they’re charging them too much.

And, you know, they don’t have the transparency that (customers) are looking for, and there’s then this thing that brokerages just are making a bunch of money because we’re kind of the middlemen. And I think that with customers, they really need to be able to know that we’re being honest,” Lyons said.

“There’s a lot of times where people will say, like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, the truck broke down,’ and they don’t know if that broker’s being honest.”

Lyons emphasized the importance of leading an honest team that can be open and upfront with not just customers, but management alike.

“We’re all human. You know, ‘honesty is the best policy’ is super cliche, but ultimately we want our staff to be able to hold a high reputation in the marketplace so that when people work with Vine Line, they know they’re going to be treated right, they know that they’re going to get honest communication.”

Investment directed at Electrical company invests in own mitigating farm risks apprentices to fill talent pipeline CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

•Price or market risk refers to uncertainty about the prices producers will receive for commodities or the prices they must pay for inputs. The nature of price risk varies significantly from commodity to commodity.

•Financial risk results when the farm business borrows money and creates an obligation to repay debt. Rising interest rates, the prospect of loans being called by lenders and restricted credit availability also are aspects of financial risk.

•Institutional risk results from uncertainties surrounding government actions. Tax laws, regulations for chemical use, rules for animal waste disposal, and the level of price or income support payments are examples of government decisions that can have a major impact on the farm business.

•Human or personal risk refers to factors such as problems

with human health or personal relationships that can affect the farm business. Accidents, illness, death and divorce are examples of personal crises that can threaten a farm business.

Organizations must apply by March 11 at www.rvs.umn.edu/ home.aspx. The RMA is prioritizing projects focused on underserved, organic and specialty crop producers.

Agriculture is one of Michigan’s top industries. It contributes more than $104.7 billion annually to the state’s economy, second in diversity only to California, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Some of the leading crops the state produces are asparagus, black and cranberry beans, cucumbers, tart cherries, Niagara grapes and squash.

More information about USDA’s Risk Management Agency is available here.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

cal education and a career path in a fun and challenging work environment.”

“We wanted to take our 19-plus years of learning and knowledge and teach one of the top curricula out there.”

Lee Hiler

Bouma said there is a shortage of electricians and that is, in part, why Hoekstra Elec-

trical decided to start the program.

“We want to make sure that students, specifically who are in high school, realize that there is an alternative to college,” he said. “(College) is not the only way to go. The electrical trade is a great trade. It is one of the higher paying trades in the nation and you can make a great career as an electrician.”

Bouma said Hoekstra Electrical is constantly looking for electricians.

“When you are running a business you need a licensed individual,” he said. “You are either going to hire that licensed individual or you are going to grow them yourself and train them yourself. That was one of the things that we landed on, and that is we need to focus on training some of these people

that we have been finding that fit our culture, fit our values and that we can invest in and hopefully make them a longterm part of our team.”

After the apprentices attain licensed journeyman status, they can do additional training to become master electricians, Bouma said.

“We really want to invest in our community this way,” Bouma said. “There is a new way to look at schooling, post-high school, and we really desire to invest in this team here. We are not doing this to cut any cost measures. It would cost us even more, but this way we get to lean into our culture. We all want employees that are a part of our culture and follow our mission and values. That is really important to us, and we see this as a critical way to do so moving forward.”

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

13

Partners report strong startup growth CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the Grand Rapids startup scene surge with unique innovation, winning technology and top-notch talent,” Wesley said. “Our new team now in Grand Rapids is an experienced group of professionals who bring such integral connections to the community, and we look forward to our continued work with Start Garden and the LDFA in the Grand Rapids market.”

Start Garden rounded out the year with 20 tech startups incubating out of its location at 40 Pearl St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids.

Fifty-one percent of companies served were underrepresented business owners or founders seeking to solve underrepresented problems, and $100,000 in direct funding was invested in underrepresented entrepreneurs.

The LDFA’s Gateway grant program and the Wesley Grand Rapids Business Accelerator Fund (BAF), the latter made possible by the Michigan Small Business Development Center and the MEDC, issued more than $55,000 to support local business accelerators in Michigan’s SmartZone network. Throughout 2021, these early grant funds helped serve Grand Rapids’ high-tech/highgrowth startups at a crucial time due to the impact of COVID-19.

“2021 had the strongest and most diverse tech startups come

through Start Garden’s platforms that we’ve seen yet,” said Paul Moore, a co-director of Start Garden. “Grand Rapids is an exploding market for investors searching for new deals, and our plans for the year ahead will only help us create a stronger culture of entrepreneurship and invest whatever we can into that culture.”

Also in Q1 2022, Spartan Innovations and Start Garden established an Entrepreneur-In-Residence Program (see related story).

Spartan Innovations did its second Conquer Accelerator cohort in Grand Rapids from September-November, and Start Garden continued its 5x5 monthly pitch competition and its annual 100 Ideas event.

The latter generated the strongest cohort of tech startups yet, with 650 submissions narrowed down to 28 tech startup finalists. Four startups were funded, and 12 continue to incubate.

Tom Stewart, program director for Conquer Accelerator and assistant director of venture acceleration for Spartan Innovations, said after running two cohorts of Conquer Accelerator in Grand Rapids, he continues to be impressed by the ideas, talent and skill of the entrepreneurs in the region.

Up to five startups are chosen to participate in the 10-week Grand Rapids Conquer cohort each fall.

Conquer supports participants by providing $20,000 in funding, mentorship, access to follow-on funding and other resources. Once companies move on from the accelerator, they become part of Red Cedar Ventures’ investment portfolio.

“It’s been exciting to see all

the good deal flow coming out of (Grand Rapids),” Stewart said. “It’s a good sign when you’re looking over applications and it’s hard to figure out which ones are going to make it to the top five. There are so many good things happening and so many good ideas bubbling up to the top, it really speaks volumes to the type of opportunity there is in Grand Rapids in the tech ecosystem.”

Conquer Accelerator, which began five years ago with an East Lansing cohort, still has ongoing East Lansing cohorts that run in the summer and are open to any Michigan startup, whereas the Grand Rapids cohort is geographically limited.

Wesley said Conquer Accelerator and the SmartZone management partnership, in combination with the BAF, the Gateway and other funding opportunities in West Michigan to take startups from early to later stage, give entrepreneurs in the city of Grand Rapids a greater chance than ever before of succeeding on their path to commercialization. He said by comparison, other cities in Michigan tend to operate in silos and are less partnership-oriented, which makes it hard for startups to access resources in an integrated way.

“What’s really great about our model and the partnerships we have is we try to touch every one of those companies that apply (to Conquer),” Wesley said. “We either can connect them with other resources if they’re at an earlier stage, we can connect them with the SBDC services, or if there’s others that, for whatever reason, aren’t

in direct alignment, we have somebody they can connect with, or we have other people on our team that might make sense to support them in different ways.”

Jeremiah Gracia, director of economic development for the city of Grand Rapids, said the Start G a rd e n / S p a rtan Innovations partnership results in Q1 2022 are “notable.”

“Company engagements and assistance continue to grow, with a foStewart cus on increasing the number of underrepresented/underserved high-tech business founders,” he said. “This is an important contribution to the city’s Equitable Economic Development and Mobility Strategic Plan.”

Spartan Innovations set the following goals for its involvement in the BAF program for the next 12 months: •Accelerate economic impact: Grow investments and coordinate with the Grand Rapids community for the benefit of the city.

•Extend support services to Grand Rapids companies: Support companies with other resources and services through Michigan State University, Red Cedar Ventures and more.

•Elevate peer-to-peer relationships: Continue to examine all BAF SmartZones in partnership with the MEDC for opportunities to improve and ensure best practices are

in place.

•Ramp up marketing and communications: Expand outreach, grow this division and share success stories of Grand Rapids startups in partnership with the MSU Foundation.

•Expand the partnership with Start Garden: Build on programs in place and partner on upcoming community events.

From a real estate perspective, Spartan Innovations, in collaboration with the MSU College of Human Medicine, will open the planned incubator in Douglas Meijer Medical Innovation Building to the Grand Rapids market in Q2 2022. Spanning 18,000 square feet, this new incubator will provide support and programming for startups, including space for Spartan Innovations.

The building includes private industry and health care teams focused on cancer research, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, artificial intelligence, and medical device development.

The new space will drive innovation in public-private partnerships by encouraging relationships across tenants and is expected to bring new discoveries to market.

As a final key milestone, Spartan Innovations recently hired new team members, including three new Grand Rapids-based professionals focused on health care innovation, BAF and Gateway, and program management.

More information on Spartan Innovations is available at spartaninnovations.org, and more information on Start Garden is available at startgarden.com.

Start Garden launches entrepreneur-in-residence program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ity tech startup JustAir, co-founder of the national angel fund for founders of color called Commune Angels, and former manager for entrepreneur selection and growth at Endeavor Detroit, a branch of a national entrepreneurial support organization.

Riley is contracted for 18 months as a 1099 employee of Start Garden and will be paid a $50,000 stipend, funded by the SmartZone tax capture, to spend at least 20 hours a week developing and supporting a portfolio of tech startups associated with the Grand Rapids SmartZone.

He will spend the remainder of his time working on his own startup, JustAir, which he co-founded with James Meeks and Hasib Ikramullah and which has placed sensors in the city of Grand Rapids to gather air quality data and uses proprietary software to assess the data collected and make it actionable.

“If there was a bullseye (for the EIR target), I would write on the bullseye the name ‘Darren Riley,’” said Paul Moore, a co-director of Start Garden who is helping to develop the EIR program. “… We

got to know him through his startup, and as he was in the process of looking for places in Grand Rapids and transitioning from Detroit over to here, this EIR opportunity popped up, and it just seemed to fit him perfectly.”

Riley said he loves the “ecosystem-building” approach of Start Garden and felt the organization was a good nexus for it on the west side of the state, based on observations made from Detroit and nationally, as well as his own personal experience working with Start Garden to get funding and resources for JustAir. “When you look at Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, two cities that are pretty far apart, they’re very collaborative, and their ecosystems really cross-pollinate. I think we do the same thing here in our region — share resources, share talent and really push each other, across the state. … I got approached about the EIR program, and given that I’m an entrepreneur myself and an investor … I thought it was a good match,” he said.

“I’m really passionate about other entrepreneurs and sharing resources and knowledge while I’m on this journey. Others are ahead of me, and others are just

getting started, and so wherever I can help push our ecosystem in the right direction and also make it very inclusive — I was very aligned with Start Garden’s vision (of ) reaching out, being proactive and being intentional about going to neighborhoods where problems can be solved.”

Riley said working for Endeavor Detroit gave him “pattern recognition,” which he plans to leverage in his EIR role.

“I saw all different industries, all different businesses around the globe, and I saw what works, what doesn’t work. … The best way to experience the startup world is to engage with those founders in a deep way. I see the same thing here and so the value for me, selfishly, is meeting these entrepreneurs who are very passionate, especially first-time founders who have a different approach and different culture when it comes to entrepreneurship — things I can take and share, as well.”

Riley said his angel fund, Commune Angels, focuses on investing in underrepresented founders and underrepresented problems, and JustAir also is tackling the problem of disproportionate air pollution in underrepresented neighborhoods.

He said these focus areas feel like a good fit with the mission of Start Garden and will be what he hopes to focus on as EIR, as well.

Start Garden shared a job description for the EIRs that was based on the MSU Foundation’s template for its own EIR programs. The document said the EIR’s responsibilities will include helping to: •Determine commercially viable products and/or services •Define the potential market for these technologies •Develop a validation strategy for the identified technologies •Develop overall business model and investment/funding thesis •Support customer discovery for the technologies and accumulate industry feedback •Establish corporate documents and structure (ready the entity for investment, if not completed) •Develop financing strategy (and, if ready, start fundraising) •Develop near- and long-term corporate strategy •Identify/establish key relationships (consultants, vendors, etc.)

•Pursue funding opportunities

and assist Spartan Innovations in Small Business Innovation Research applications, if applicable The EIR is required to file quarterly reports to the SmartZone LDFA on startup status, stage, milestones, timeline, funding and development.

The EIR has access to a yearround training program to cover areas he or she might have deficiencies in to ensure they are able to create a startup, generate a business plan and execute on that plan.

EIRs can take an active role in the companies they support as CEO, president, COO, business development officer or other positions. Though EIRs are paid a stipend through the program, they also can draw salary and take equity in these companies, as well.

After Riley’s 18-month contract, he will transition back to working on his startup full time and another EIR will be appointed for the remainder of Start Garden and Spartan Innovations’ three-year contract managing the SmartZone Incubator.

Those interested in learning more about the EIR program can contact Riley at darren@justair.co or Moore at paul@startgarden.com.

14

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING EHTC hired Matt Fegan as valuation services director.

ASSOCIATIONS Kristy Fercho, executive vice president and head of home lending at Wells Fargo, was appointed chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association; Matt Rocco, chairman of the board and CEO at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, and Mark Jones, CEO and co-founder of Amerifirst Home Mortgage, were appointed chairman-elect and vice chairman, respectively.

AWARDS Blandford Nature Center was named the 2021 West Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year by the members of West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce announced its 2021 EPIC Awards recipients: Small Business of the Year Pure Architects; Non-Profit of the Year Comprehensive Therapy Center; Creative Business of the Year Grand Rapids Ballet; MinorityOwned Business of the Year La Fuente Consulting; Veteran-Owned Business of the Year Wimage; Woman-Owned Business of the Year Gold Coast Doulas; Emerging Leader of the Year Sylvia Nyamuhungu; DEI Champion Recognition Leader of the Year Jessa Challa; DEI Champion Recognition Organization of the Year OST; LGBTQIA+ Champion Recognition Organization of the Year Camp Blodgett; and Excellence In Business Autocam Medical.

The Grand Rapids Symphony announced Susan Gould as the winner of the John P. Varineau Outstanding Educator Award for 2020-21.

Gould is director of instrumental music for Greenville Public Schools.

BANKING Michael Keast joined Union Bank as vice president, commercial relation-

Keast

JAN 25 Wyoming Business Leaders Meeting.

8-9 a.m., Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW, Wyoming. Registration/information: (616) 261-4500 or d.kuba@instantcashmi.com.

JAN 27 Business+Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association Workshop. Topic is Why Standards Matter (Accredited CEU). Noon-1 p.m. Registration/information: bit.ly/ 2022StandardsMatter.

JAN 27 St. Cecilia Music Center presents the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Featuring romantic perspectives music by Brahms, Mahler, Dvorak and Franck. 7:30 p.m., 24 Ransom NE. Cost: $40-$45. Registration/information: (616) 459-2224 or scmc-online.org.

JAN 28 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce 41st Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner. 6-9 p.m., Crossroads Conference Center, 6569 Clay Ave. SW. Cost $50/person. Registration/information: bob@southkent.org.

JAN 29 Grand Rapids Business Chamber of Commerce Latina Connect. Presented in Spanish, Latina Connect supports Latinas in making new connections and growing as leaders. 9-11 a.m., Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, 250 Monroe NW, Suite 150. Cost: $35/members, $50/nonmembers. Registration/ information: grandrapids.org.

JAN 29 Kohler Expos Bridal Show of Western

Woller tapped as nature center’s president Jack Woller joined Blandford Nature Center as president and CEO. He first joined the nonprofit in August 2014 and directed the organization through significant growth, leading the organization to financial stability. During his tenure, the Mary Jane Dockeray Visitor Center was constructed, a seven-figure endowment was created, and The Highlands Golf Course was acquired in partnership with the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. Woller previously was principal at id3 Creative, a UX designer at ThoughtFull Design, executive director at Fountain Street Church and associate director and creative director at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. ship manager.

BUSINESS SERVICES Eisele Connectors announced the addition of Micael Measho as sales representative.

Haviland Enterprises Inc. announced the promotion of Meg Post to president. Post joined Haviland in 2018 as vice president of finance and became CFO in 2020.

Kalamazoo-based Welsh & Associates welcomed Alyssa Drew and Elijah Isch to its team of recruiting specialists as executive search consultants.

The Grand Rapids Chamber welcomed Andre Daley as director of inclusion.

CONSTRUCTION 1-800-HANSONS hired Todd Rollman as general manager.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Jonas R. Peterson joined Southwest Michigan First as chief executive officer.

Shannon L. Harris has been promoted to executive director of Our Community’s Children. Her work includes ensuring youth who live in Grand Rapids have jobs, quality afterschool programs, access to college and a successful path to a degree and leadership opportunities.

The Information Security and Intelligence program in Ferris State University’s College of Business received a $150,000 grant from the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Defense to assist in the development of cybersecurity curriculum content.

FINANCIAL SERVICES Greenleaf Trust senior vice president, director of human resources Karen Baldwin successfully passed the DiversityFIRST certification program and examination administered by the National Diversity Council and has been awarded the National Diversity Council Certified Diversity Professional designation.

EDUCATION Hope College associate professor of psychology Daryl Van Tongeren is the recipient of 10 Under 10 alumni Award and the Margaret Gorman Early Career Award for 2022 from the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, a division of the American Psychological Association.

HEALTH Big Rapids-based West Michigan Surgery Center for the second time in two years in the recipient of Newsweek Magazine’s America’s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers 2022.

Michigan. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave NW. Registration/ information: kohlerexpo.com/winter-bridal-show.

Government Affairs Update Zoom Meeting. A brief highlight of key issues.

10-10:30 a.m. Cost: free. Registration/ information: grandrapids.org.

JAN 29 Kohler Expos Kids & Family Expo. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave NW. Registration/information: kohlerexpo.com/kids-and-family-expo.

FEB 7-28 Builders Exchange of Michigan Seminar. Topic is Applied Estimating Begins (Monday and Wednesday evenings). 5:30-8 p.m., RVC Offices Conference Room, 678 Front Ave. NW, Suite 212. Cost: $375/person, $355/two or more registrants. Registration/information: (616) 949-8650, courtney@grbx. com or home.grbx.com/event/applied-estimating.

FEB 2 Grand Rapids Business Chamber/ Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business 134th Annual Meeting. Topic is The State of Grand Rapids Business. 7-10 a.m., DeVos Place Steelcase Ballroom, 303 Monroe Ave. NW. Cost: $65/members, $85/nonmembers. Registration/information: grandrapids.org/event/134th-annual-meeting.

FEB 2 Hudsonville Area Chamber of Commerce Leads Group. A relationship-building group with the goal of establishing strong inter-business relationships to develop leads for the participating businesses. Noon-1 p.m., Hudsonville City Group. Cost: $50 per year, members only. Registration/information: hudsonvillechamber.com/index.html.

FEB 3 Grand Haven/Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Chamber of Commerce Educational Workshop. Topic is MIOSHA — Supervisor’s Role in Safety and Health.

8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce, 1 S. Harbor Drive, Grand Haven. Registration/information: web. grandhavenchamber.org/events.

FEB 4 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce

Comprehensive Therapy Center hired Julie Helm as operations director.

FEB 8 Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce Wake Up West Coast. Topic is The DoKnowBeTree: Understanding Your Unique Design for Leading, by Rodger Price, owner/founder, Leading

by DESIGN. 8-9 a.m., Haworth Hotel, 2125 College Ave., Holland. Cost: $35/members, $50/nonmembers.

Registration/information: (616) 928-9101 or colleen@westcoastchamber.org.

FEB 10 Builders Exchange of Michigan Legal Series Webinar. Topic is Construction Surety Bonds. Noon-1:30 p.m. Cost: free.

Registration/information: (616) 9498650 or courtney@grbx.com.

FEB 10 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Business Exchange Luncheon. Provides members and future members with facilitated networking. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, 333 Michigan St. NE. Cost: $35/members, $50/nonmembers.

Registration/information: grandrapids.org.

CHANGE-UPS & CALENDAR

Spectrum Health earned the highest possible mark in the 2021 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program in the area of acute care, the only Level 10 recipient in Michigan in acute care and one of only nine worldwide.

Spectrum also received a Level 9 mark for ambulatory care, one of only four awarded in Michigan. The health system also is a recipient of the American Medical Association’s 2021 Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program for demonstrating commitment to preserving the well-being of health care team members by engaging in proven efforts to combat work-related stress and burnout.

Spectrum Health is one of 44 health care organizations across the country to be recognized for 2021.

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers granted accredited status to Spectrum Health Cancer Center.

The Center for Physical Rehabilitation announced the additions of Katie Collins, Jen Dustin and Adam Doorn as physical therapists.

INSURANCE J.M. Wilson hired Amy Hotrum as assistant brokerage underwriter in its Portage office.

LEGAL Brianna Keller joined Rhoades McKee as an associate and member of the estate planning and administration team.

The Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan was honored by the State Bar of Michigan Alternative Dispute Resolution Section with the Nanci S. Klein Award.

Warner Norcross + Judd LLP executive partner Troy M. Cumings has been named among Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Leaders in the Law for 2021 for outstanding conCumings tributions to the practice of law in Michigan and setting an example for other lawyers.

FEB 14 The Economic Club of Grand Rapids Zoom Webinar. Featuring Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Republican Congressman Fred Upton.

Time TBD. Registration/information: econclub.net/events-2/#.

FEB 14 West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum Luncheon. Noon, Holland Civic Center. Registration/information: wmsbf.org/ our-events.

FEB 14 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters Zoom Meeting with Elected Officials. 8-9 a.m.

Registration/information: (616) 531-5990 or michelle@southkent.org.

FEB 15 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Diversity and Talent Zoom Webinar.

Addressing various talent needs in the West Michigan business community.

9-10 a.m. Registration/information: bit. ly/2020ZoomDiveristy.

FEB 15 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Leadership Forum. Celebrating women in leadership with an emphasis on elevating professional women of color.

11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: $35/members, $50/ nonmembers. Location TBA. Registration/ information: bit.ly/FebruaryATHENA. FEB 16 Hudsonville Area Chamber of Commerce Leads Group. A relationship-building group with the goal of establishing strong inter-business relationships to develop leads for the participating businesses.

Noon-1 p.m., Hudsonville City Group. Cost:

LEISURE & RECREATION The YWCA West Central Michigan appointed the following officers: India Manns, (community volunteer) president; Cindy Rogowski (Meijer), vice-president; Peggy Bishop, (community volunteer) treasurer; and Jessie Jones (Spectrum Health), secretary.

Newly appointed to the board: Shateka Abbott (West Michigan Partnership for Children); Pastor Jathan Austin (Bethel Empowerment Church); Matthew Cook (Lake Michigan Credit Union); Janina Kreider (Mercantile Bank); M. Paola León (Grand Valley State University, School of Social Work); and Michelle Rabideau (Saint Mary’s Foundation a member of Mercy Health).

MANUFACTURING Grand Haven-based Shape Corp. added Ed Pleet as chief technology officer.

MEDIA 13 ON YOUR SIDE announced the addition of weekend meteorologist Blake Hansen.

NONPROFITS Mollie Waller joined Youth Solutions Inc. as executive director.

The YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids welcomed back Jamie Scaffidi as senior vice president of operations.

PUBLISHING Our Daily Bread Ministries’ publishing arm, Our Daily Bread Publishing, hired Katara Patton, senior editor, and Joel Armstrong, content editor and product developer.

RETAIL Jonas Paul Eyewear hired Lindsey Button as director of social media marketing and April Bowen as graphic design specialist.

CHANGE-UPS POLICY: The Business Journal welcomes submissions to the Change-Ups section. Send announcements concerning personnel changes, new businesses, changes of address etc. to Change-Ups Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or email bjchangeups@grbj.com.

$50 per year, members only. Registration/ information: hudsonvillechamber.com/index. html.

FEB 22 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Chamber 101. Designed for members looking to begin, continue or further involvement with the chamber. 7:30-9 a.m., Grand Rapids Chamber. Cost: free.

Registration/information: bit.ly/2020Chamber101.

FEB 22 Wyoming Business Leaders Meeting. 8-9 a.m., Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW, Wyoming. Registration/information: (616) 261-4500 or d.kuba@instantcashmi.com.

FEB 24 AMDG Architects Online Speaker Series. Topic is Transforming The Future

By Healing Child Victims of Abuse, Exploitation and Trafficking, by Cassandra Ma, founder/director, Reclaim 13. 12:301:30 p.m. Cost: free. Registration/information: bit.ly/AMDGFebruarySpeaker.

CALENDAR POLICY: The Business Journal welcomes submissions to the calendar section. Send items to Calendar Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or email bjcal endar@grbj.com. Submissions must be received at least three weeks prior to the event.

The Business Journal calendar posted on the publication’s website (grbj.com) includes listings for events extended beyond those printed in the weekly publication that are limited by space restrictions.

PUBLIC RECORD MORTGAGES

Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds LAMOREAUX FARMS LLC, Larry George, Algoma Twp., $1,646,000 ABC OMSE LLC, Hop Family LLC, Parcel: 411803351004, $1,400,000 NEW YORKER 3521 LLC, My Credit Union, Walker, $800,000 JAYROCK LLC et al, Dart Bank, Parcel: 411419151032, $1,642,500 BHL PROPERTIES LLC, ChoiceOne Bank, Caledonia, $1,152,500 TRI-UNITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, HLV LLC, Wyoming, $1,920,000 CONTINENTAL 484 FUND LLC, GIM Commercial Loan Fund LP et al, Wyoming, $292,639,750 809 MICHIGAN LLC, Members First Credit Union, Parcel: 411420357017, $850,000 BRYANT, Korey et al, Inlanta Mortgage, Parcel: 4114353530105, $450,000 FLEMINING, William R. III et al, Northpointe Bank, Plainfield Twp., $566,805 GREGORIAN, Leon et al, Mercantile Bank, Cascade Twp., $400,500 RIEBEL, David A., Rocket Mortgage, Caledonia, $432,000 PRICE, Kylie M., Hometown Lenders Parcel: 411321228044, $357,600 HORTON, Carolyn M., Independent Bank, Parcel: 411720326015, $351,000 O’CALLAGHAN, Michael G. et al, Better Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411810153013, $431,000 BALDWIN, Braden et al, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $526,000 BELLGARDT, Douglass III et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Caledonia, $370,000 CASE, Jayon et al, Consumers Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $465,000 BOOGHOLT, Jason R. et al, Grand River Bank, Caledonia, $732,000 YOUNG, Joseph B. et al, Greenstone Farm Credit Services, Courtland Twp., $816,800 SIVAYOGI, Chaitanya et al, Rocket Mortgage, Parcel: 411425480009, $430,000 TOLSMA, Patrick M., Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $410,000 ROSS, Michele et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, East Grand Rapids $548,250 CROSS, Richard W. et al, Old National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $376,000 CINI, Alfred G. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Parcel: 411423201014, $548,000 GREGORSKI, Paul R. et al, Finance of American Mortgage, Caledonia, $365,400 SNYDER, Blake E. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $515,200 CROSBY, Earl J., Highlands Residential Mortgage, Spencer Twp., $531,000 HALVERSON, Jeff et al, Home Point Financial, Byron Twp., $440,000 DEKORTE, Paul et al, Team Mortgage Co., Ada Twp., $472,000 QUILITZSCH, John E. et al, Independent Bank, Courtland Twp., $410,600 SAGER, Kimberly A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, Caledonia, $354,228 WATSON, Thomas et al, MMS Mortgage Services, Parcel: 411430184023, $412,800 JUGAN TRUST, Old National Bank, Ada Twp., $390,500 GORMAN, Ronald et al, Rocket Mortgage, Parcel: 411309401045, $360,000 MARTIN, David G. et al, CIBC Bank, Ada Twp., $548,000 DESPRES TRUST, Neighborhood Loans, Parcel: 411403276008, $600,000 POPIEL, Jordan M. et al, Neighborhood Loans, Cascade Twp., $380,000 RATLIFF, Lisa et al, Ruoff Mortgage Co., Cannon Twp., $672,000 VERMEULEN, Christian L. et al, Old National Bank, Kentwood, $972,000 TYLER, Richard, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Courtland Twp., $343,660 SMITH, Matthew S. et al, T2 Financial, Byron Twp., $377,625 GAY, Daniel W. et al, Veterans United Home Loans, Kentwood, $359,000 CHAMBERS, Christopher M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Algoma Twp., $515,000 XU, Peter et al, Heartland Home Mortgage, Gaines Twp., $486,500 NAJAFABADI, Hame G. et al, Polaris Home Funding Corp., Ada Twp., $548,250 FREDRICKSON, Donald et al, Ruoff Mortgage Co., Ada Twp., $548,250 TOMBRIDGE, Christopher J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $675,000 PALMER, James et al, Rocket Mortgage, Caledonia, $508,700 BADRAN, Sarah et al, Rocket Mortgage, Ada Twp., $1,320,000 LADO, Derek A. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $500,000 GERKE, Dion et al, Benchmark Mortgage, Parcel: 411427101017, $375,000 COLE, Justin L. et al, Northpointe Bank, Ada Twp., $850,000 BLAIR, Kelly et al, Rocket Mortgage, Byron Twp., $373,500 FLOYD, Chriscynethia, Independent Bank,

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL Lowell, $450,000 SUTHERLAND, James E. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411411402028, $1,198,000 SAVANI, Yashesh R., NBKC Bank, Parcel: 411424205006, $525,000 FASBENDER, Jamie S., Heartland Home Mortgage, Byron Twp., $503,200 CONTE, Jeremy, Citizens Bank, Cascade Twp., $520,000 KOLKMAN, James et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., $401,600 TOUSIGNANT, Richard R. et al, Rocket Mortgage, Caledonia, $366,651 HANNA, Justin W. et al, Success Mortgage Partners, Tyrone Twp., $354,100 LING, Zaw et al, Hometown Lenders, Kentwood, $350,294 DUONG, Dat et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411427431007, $520,000 VANORMAN, Eric et al, United Bank, Parcel: 411104352003, $500,000 QUINN, James, Benchmark Mortgage, Byron Center, $384,160 MAJERLE, Ryan S. et al, Independent Bank, Cannon Twp., $546,150 SIMONELLI, Michael et al, United Bank, Cascade Twp., $513,000 FAVALE, Dino et al, Rocket Mortgage, Parcel: 411434376019, $365,000 HEIM, John et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 411226100005, $999,999 JTB HOME LLC, Macatawa Bank, Caledonia, $378,570 TYRRELL, Jason J. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Cascade Twp., $682,000 VANDERTUIN, Brett J. et al, MiMutual Mortgage, Parcel: 411410179013, $395,910 HUDSON, Ross L. et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Sparta, $350,000 MACOMBER Jon et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Caledonia, $582,800 DISTLER, Michael K., Northern Mortgage Services, Cascade Twp., $540,000 DEKKINGA, Brett et al, Fifth Third Bank, Cascade Twp., $1,000,000 CARBONELL, David, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411431255009, $356,000 HAMZEH, Anthony, Cason Home Loans, Parcel: 411810302007, $413,250 KURYLOWICZ, Donald, United Bank, Parcel: 411229277018, $350,000 LETT, Hannah et al, Huntington National Bank, Kentwood, $352,000 BROOKS, Chance D. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Walker, $356,702 MACLEOD, Anna, United Wholesale Mortgage, Vergennes Twp., $451,592 DAGOSTINO, Michael et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $465,500 STEGINK, Scott et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $372,000 SHOMONA, Ayad et al, T2Financial LLC, Walker, $353,000 DEBRUINE, Randall J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., $561,630 DEVUNHALLI, Divya et al, Rocket Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $368,800 GRABILL, Ryan et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Caledonia, $415,000 FERGUSON, Ryan D., Heartland Home Mortgage, Byron Twp., $587,575 HUE, Alex et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Cannon Twp., $414,895 SEJAT, Ronald L. II et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Nelson Twp., $494,900 HURRY, Justin et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Cascade Twp., $1,271,500 JAHAN, Mohammed S. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $700,000 WATSON, Jared et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Parcel: 411111478049, $686,250 COLOMBO, David F. et al, Northpointe Bank, East Grand Rapids, $625,000 ASSELTAR, Tony et al, Old National Bank, 65 Peartree Lane NE, $550,000 GOEI, Kimberly J. et al, VanDyk Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411324285159, $400,000 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Caledonia, $678,000 NGUYEN, Ha T. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $494,304 DALLY, Brian K. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Parcel: 411324453059, $384,000 HARMSDEN, Daniel, Finance of America Mortgage, Cannon Twp., $384,000 DAMON, Paul J. et al, Grand River Bank, Cannon Twp., $669,660 BURKETT, Nathaniel, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $464,000 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Cascade Twp., $812,830 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Algoma Twp., $840,000 STEINER, John M. et al, F&M Bank, East Grand Rapids, $401,900 MARLAIS, Helen et al, Loandepot.com, Parcel: 411423326014, $392,310 BURDICK, Brittny et al, Sandra Jelinski, Cannon Twp., $725,000 ROE RENTALS LLC, Community Choice Credit Union, Parcel: 411419327005, $405,000 DELNICK, David et al, Huntington National Bank, Vergennes Twp., $360,000 MALEWITZ, Bernard et al, Neighborhood Loans, Parcel: 411809276014, $472,000 OVERHOLT, David et al, Lake Michigan

JANUARY 24, 2022

15

Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $367,000 Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411405229007, MULDER, Jason M. et al, Lake Michigan $775,000 Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $1,090,000 SMITH, Phillip W. II, North American Savings Bank, Cannon Twp., $548,250 BRYANT CENTER LLC, Macatawa Bank, GREAT LAKES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS Wyoming, $602,945 LLC, ChoiceOne Bank, Sparta, $700,000 SAWYER, Gary et al, Inlanta Mortgage, Algoma Twp., $420,000 LONG, Edward D. et al, Lake Michigan Credit GURKA, Sreenivasa et al, Rocket Mortgage, Union, Parcel: 411413135005, $350,000 Parcel: 411412276003, $612,750 BEATTY, Shawn M. et al, MiMutual Mortgage, Algoma Twp., $379,905 SCHMIDT, Andrew R. et al, Bank of America, KOVACEVIC, Elvedin et al, Independent East Grand Rapids, $690,000 Bank, Cascade Twp., $680,900 OWEN, Natalie et al, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $412,000 HERREMA, David et al, Tom Zandee, Parcel: DUBISKY, Robert E., Fifth Third Bank, 411316377057, $496,445 Vergennes Twp., $400,000 LINDEMAN, Jason R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., $463,500 HALL, Cheryl, Union Home Mortgage Corp., PITIC, Asim et al, Fifth Third Bank, Cascade Gaines Twp., $475,000 Twp., $420,300 TAYLOR TRUST, Independent Bank, Vergennes Twp., $472,150 LANDACRE, Corey J., AAC Credit Union, CARROLL, Gregory L. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411419351002, $585,000 Parcel: 411215200031, $548,250 CASARELLA, William et al, Bank of America, East Grand Rapids, $408,400 GERST, Jacob et al, Lake Michigan Credit TRUMBLE TRUST, Mr. Cooper, Oakfield Union, Caledonia, $568,000 Twp., $495,000 DAVID, Dustin J., Neighborhood Loans, Cannon Twp., $475,000 CWP LLC, Bankers Trust Co., Algoma Twp., STEMLER, Christopher et al, Fifth Third Bank, $2,504,000 Cascade Twp., $351,350 MIKKELSON, Marissa, Inlanta Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $380,000 HURD CWP LLC, Bankers Trust Co., Walker, FELVER, Walter D. Jr. et al, New Day $3,344,000 Financial, Cannon Twp., $407,695 SCHRODER, Erika E. et al, West Michigan Community Bank, Cascade Twp., MENGE TRUST, Independent Bank, Cannon KOLAKOWSKI, Nathan et al, USAA Federal $388,000 Twp., $783,750 Savings Bank, East Grand Rapids, $467,830 THOMAS, Christopher M. et al, Mercantile DAS, Jaya et al, Flagstar Bank, Cascade Twp., Bank, Cascade Twp., $743,500 $435,000 RUDE, Nancy W., Federal Housing Committee, Vergennes Twp., $742,500 BURRELL, Harold E. Jr. et al, Rocket BENTON-LANGEJANS, Stephanie, West Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $372,000 Michigan Community Bank, Ada Twp., TJOELKER, Drew A. et al, Independent Bank, $1,000,000 Cannon Twp., $395,200 MANIACI, Christina J., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., $394,250 SLAMP, Christopher et al, Lake Michigan DUFFIELD, Ryan et al, Goldman Sachs Bank, Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $412,300 East Grand Rapids, $730,000 CLARK, Christopher, Rocket Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $503,600 BRAESIDE HOLDINGS LLC, Lake Michigan VETURI, Srinivas et al, Bank of America, Credit Union, Courtland Twp., $1,278,750 Wyoming, $353,637 PHILLIPS, Kirsten A. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 411324440060, RUFFILO, Conrad, Envoy Mortgage, Bowne CROOKS, Craig R. et al, Huntington National $355,476 Twp., $468,000 Bank, Ada Twp., $550,000 OLIVAREZ, Alfino Jr. et al, Lake Michigan HUFF, Anne et al, Independent Bank, Ada BOERSMA, William J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411435265029, Twp., $435,000 Credit Union, Parcel: 411424400057, $389,600 $400,000 TACHOWSKI, Scott et al, Lake Michigan UNION SUITES LLC, Old National Bank, Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $468,252 EROYAN, Steven et al, Seatrust Mortgage Parcel: 411323281008, $454,596 Co., Ada Twp., $463,829 TEIPEL, Bryan et al, Lake Michigan Credit ESSENBERG, Tyler et al, Hometown Lenders, Union, Caledonia, $672,000 METZ, Michael et al, Lake Michigan Credit Cascade Twp., $419,930 Union, Plainfield Twp., $551,000 ERDMAN, Joseph F., Lake Michigan Credit CADA, Paul M. et al, Caliber Home Loans, Union, Cascade Twp., $510,000 HALVERSON, Ryan et al, Mortgage 1, Cascade Twp., $625,000 Courtland Twp., $401,979 LYTLE, Jordan et al, Flagstar Bank, Plainfield DUMAIS, Eric et al, United Wholesale WURL, Scott D., United Bank, Parcel: Twp., $436,905 Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $625,000 411433326015, $367,000 BORGDORFF, Nicholas et al, Northern DAWE, Jonathan et al, Churchill Mortgage BEAUMONT, Andre et al, Lake Michigan Mortgage Services, Gaines Twp., $431,701 Corp., Parcel: 411433355017, $652,000 Credit Union, Ada Twp., $468,000 3990 44TH SE LLC, Huntington National DOBSON, Kent et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, MAINEY, Mark et al, Leaderone Financial Bank, Kentwood, $951,173 Ada Twp., $357,379 Corp., Rockford, $358,160 GROENWEG, Matt et al, United Bank, OLRICH, Daniel J. Jr. et al, Lake Michigan ANDERSON, Joseph et al, Lake Michigan Gaines Twp., $548,250 Credit Union, Courtland Twp., $608,000 Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $384,000 DUBLIS, Edward et al, Huntington National KISTKA, Robert J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit HALL, Gary et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Ada Bank, Byron Twp., $492,000 Union, East Grand Rapids, $564,500 Twp., $485,000 ORZEL, Douglas, Gold Start Mortgage, VANHERT LLC, Grand River Bank, Wyoming, Parcel: 411419364001, $423,000 $431,250 SINGH, Harbhajan, Huntington National JONES, Kiowa et al, Success Mortgage Bank, Plainfield Twp., $400,000 PUBLIC RECORD AVAILABLE ONLINE: Partners, Plainfield Twp., $540,000 PEARCE, Troy et al, Intercontinental Capital For the full version of this week’s Public SUNDBERG, Ryan et al, Neighborhood Group, Ada Twp., $385,000 Record, visit the Grand Rapids Business Loans, Lowell, $356,250 MAJESKE, Chad A. et al, ChoiceOne Bank, ai164149307634_11892 GRBJ Corporate Branding.pdf 1 1/6/22 1:17 PM Journal’s website at grbj.com.

REAL FOOD PROPERTY PARTNERS LLC, Nelson Twp., $391,500

We’re ready to help your business take the next step.

And the next. And the next.

Forbes recently named Lake Michigan Credit Union one of the top credit unions in the nation.* Maybe it’s because we offer the same capabilities as the big banks — treasury management, multi-million dollar loans, a comprehensive suite of financial tools — with a personal touch that helps get things done. As your business and your needs grow, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

See why LMCU is different. It all starts with a simple conversation.

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*Forbes Magazine, June 2021.

LMCU.org/Business/Borrow

16

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 24, 2022

Taking their shot Community service.

W

ith President Joe Biden’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) mandate for the COVID-19 vaccine through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration blocked (for now) by the U.S. Supreme Court, the business community is back to worrying about its other problems.

“We are happy that the Supreme Court of the United States sided with private enterprise to not enforce a federal mandate as we believe our associates should have the freedom to choose whether or not they receive the vaccine,” said Tony Sarsam, president and CEO of SpartanNash. “We were prepared to comply with the ETS mandate and will continue to strongly encourage vaccinations and administer them throughout our pharmacies. However, we agree with the ruling since we felt the ETS placed a burden on businesses that are already battling the most challenging labor market and supply chain environment we have ever faced.”

Sarsam said the ETS could have led to “disastrous consequences” impacting millions of people by further crippling the retailer’s supply chain and increasing food insecurity for Americans.

“Having one less barrier for our hard-working associates, who are vital to keeping America’s supply

BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF

chain moving forward, will help us continue to best deliver the ingredients for a better life to our customers,” he said.

Happier holidays Retail sales during 2021’s November-December holiday season grew 14.1% over 2020 to $886.7 billion, easily beating the National Retail Federation’s forecast and setting a new record despite challenges from inflation, supply chain disruptions and the ongoing pandemic, according to the National Retail Federation.

“We closed out the year with outstanding annual retail sales and a record holiday season, which is a clear testament to the power of the consumer and the ingenuity of retailers and their workers,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Despite supply chain problems, rising inflation, labor shortages and the omicron variant, retailers delivered a positive holiday experience to pandemic-fatigued consumers and their families. Consumers were backed by strong wages and record savings and began their shopping earlier this year than ever before. This is, in part, why we saw a decline in sales from November to December. NRF expects further growth for 2022, and we will continue to focus on industry challenges presented by COVID-19, the supply

chain, labor force issues and persistent inflation. The numbers are clear: 2021 was an undeniably outstanding year for retail sales.”

The final numbers include online and other non-store sales, which were up 11.3% at $218.9 billion. They exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants to focus on core retail.

“Retail sales displayed solid momentum throughout the holiday season,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. “Worries about inflation and COVID-19 put pressure on consumer attitudes but did not dampen spending, and sales were remarkably strong.

Even though many consumers began shopping in October, this was the strongest November and December we’ve ever seen. Despite supply chain challenges, retailers kept their shelves stocked and consumers were able to fill their carts both in-store and online. Holiday spending during 2021 reflected continued consumer demand that is driving the economy and should continue in 2022. Nonetheless, we should be prepared for challenges in the coming months due to the substantial uncertainty brought by the pandemic.”

Both the amount spent and the growth rate are new highs, Kleinhenz said, topping the previous records of $777.3 billion spent in 2020 and 8.2% growth that year.

The 2021 growth compares with an average 4.4% holiday sales growth over the previous five years.

November-December holiday sales saw year-over-year gains across the board, led by increases at clothing (33.1%), sporting goods (20.9%) and general merchandise stores (15.2%).

Scholarly advice ChoiceOne Bank now is accepting applications for its annual scholarship program.

The Sparta-based bank with locations across eastern and West Michigan said its annual ChoiceOne Scholarship Program is designed to provide needs-based scholarships for graduating seniors in the local communities the bank serves.

ChoiceOne said it wants to encourage and reward graduating seniors who are motivated to obtain a degree. The bank will award 12 one-time scholarships of $1,000 to each recipient for their first year of college. Six winners will be selected from the west and east Michigan markets the bank serves, in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Newaygo, Lapeer, St. Clair and Macomb counties.

“We are committed to the families and youth in our communities across Michigan,” said ChoiceOne Bank President Michael Burke Jr. “Our high school seniors are the next generation of leaders, and we believe it’s important for them to realize the benefits of being raised and educated in a caring and supportive local community.”

The ChoiceOne Bank Scholarship Program will accept applications now through Friday, March

STREET TALK 18. For their applications, students are asked to write a 500-wordsor-fewer essay about one of their community-service experiences, describing why they got involved, who benefited from the service and what personal accomplishments they gained from helping their community.

Students must submit their application and supporting documents such as their completed online application, their high school/ home school transcripts, or GED documentation, by the deadline, at choiceone.com/scholarship.

Previous winners who received a renewable scholarship from Lakestone Bank & Trust in 2019 can complete the scholarship extension application at choiceone.com/extension. This scholarship will be paid directly to the college by ChoiceOne Bank.

Eligible candidates include high school seniors, GED recipients in the current calendar year who have not started college classes, home school students with documentation of high school equivalency and college eligibility in the communities ChoiceOne Bank serves, all of whom are planning to attend an accredited twoor four-year college in Michigan in fall 2022.

“We find helping the children in our communities highly important,” Burke said. “It is our hope that students return to their roots to raise their families and grow their businesses and our communities thrive with their excelled education.

Writing this essay for a potential scholarship helps our youth understand the importance of community service.”

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THE NEWS MAKERS 2021

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE HEADLINES

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

6 arts & entertainment

14 health care

20 retail

7 beverages

15 law

22 sports

8 economic development

17 manufacturing

Cynthia Hagedorn The Property David Hooker Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park Sal Semola Gun Lake Casino

Larry Bell Bell’s Brewery Tom Borisch, Jason Post & Zack Van Dyke Wise Men Distillery Nadia & Shatawn Brigham GRNoir Wine & Jazz

Ed Garner Michigan Small Business Development Center West Michigan Region Jennifer Owens Lakeshore Advantage Randy Thelen The Right Place

9 education

Patricia Harris Kuyper College Philomena Mantellla Grand Valley State University Richard Pappas Davenport University

11 finance

Eric Foster Rende Progress Capital Martin Stein Blackford Capital Renee Tabben Bank of America

13 food

Andrea Bumstead Gaia Cafe Alita Kelly & Khara DeWit South East Market Rich Wolowski Gordon Food Service/Square Roots

4 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

Nathan Baar HealthBar Tina Freese Decker Spectrum Health Peter Hahn University of Michigan Health-West

Tracey Brame Cooley Law/Innocence Project Judge Amanda Sterkenburg 62-B District Court Kentwood Stephen van Stempvoort Miller Johnson

Jim Dillard Perrigo Mike Larsson Dematic Andi Owen MillerKnoll

18 nonprofits/philanthropy

Wendy Falb Literacy Center of West Michigan Carly MacDonald Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids Ryan VerWys Inner City Christian Federation

19 real estate/construction Mike Novakoski EV Construction Tim Schowalter Pioneer Construction Mike VanGessel Rockford Construction

John Green Revolution Farms Eion Jackson Eion Jackson Apparel Tony Sarsam SpartanNash

Mike Guswiler West Michigan Sports Commission Steve Jbara Grand Rapids Gold David Marquardt Indian Trails Golf Course (GR Parks & Rec)

23 startups

Sarah Laman & Arick Davis Last Mile Cafe Jeff Lambert TiiCKER Kevin McLeod C2Dx

24 sustainability

Luis Chen Aguilera Wormies Janay Brower & Lisa Knight Public Thread Chad Howell Forever Great

25 technology

Jeff Boore Anjoy John Sorensen Student Achievement Systems/Pulse Ashlea Souffrou SxanPro

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NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Newsmaker finalists did more than survive; they thrived O

OPS.

I was certain COVID-19 would be behind us by now and we would have a fairly typical Newsmaker cycle in 2021, but obviously that’s not the case.

Instead, the delta and omicron variants wreaked havoc on the business community, as did the resultant supply chain issues and talent shortages.

But as every businessperson in West Michigan knows, there are no do-overs regardless of circumstances and the show must go on.

While 2020’s Newsmaker nominees earned gold stars simply for surviving, it could be argued this year’s 54 finalists did much more than survive; they thrived.

In what still was a very uncommon year, these finalists managed to produce results that would be noteworthy during any year, but especially in 2021.

They opened businesses (Nadia and Shatawn Brigham, GRNoir Wine & Jazz; Andrea Bumstead, Gaia Café; and Sarah Laman and Arick Davis, Last Mile Café). They pursued and completed huge deals (Andi Owen led Herman Miller’s acquisition of Knoll; Martin Stein pushed Blackford Capital to new heights). They formed meaningful partnerships to improve West Michigan on several fronts (Tina Freese Decker and Spectrum Health; Peter Hahn and University of Michigan Health-West; Rich Wolowski and Gordon Food Service/Square Roots).

They also entirely revamped business models (Cynthia Hagedorn, The Property; Jim Dillard, Perrigo; and Nathan Baar, HealthBar). One even took a year “off” and then re-emerged as a totally new entity with an even sharper community focus (Steve Jbara, Grand Rapids Gold).

You can read about their accomplishments in the profiles that follow.

Yes, it was an unusual year, but the actions of these 54 finalists at least added a sense of normalcy to proceedings in the West Michigan business community.

For the purposes of this annual Newsmaker of the Year celebration, the news is separated into 16 categories, ranging from Arts and Entertainment to Technology. The fact that there are three (or in some cases more) finalists in each category is a testament to West Michigan’s staying power.

Again, these are people who thrived during adversity.

There are no public nominations for Newsmaker of the Year. The editorial staff sits down together at the end of the preceding year and decides on the most newsworthy people and events that impacted West Michigan over the past 12 months. Then we vote. Sometimes, we take multiple votes. It all leads to a “winner” in each of the 16 categories, plus an overall Newsmaker of the Year, all of which will be revealed on Jan. 26 at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park during our annual networking breakfast.

Tickets for the event (in person this year!) are available through a link on the Business Journal’s website, grbj.com. The Newsmaker breakfast also kicks off something new for us this year called the Breakfast Series, a sequence of four breakfast networking meetings that will take place throughout the year and feature some of the biggest names and topics in the West Michigan business community.

Tim Gortsema Editor Grand Rapids Business Journal

BEATING CANCER IS IN OUR BLOOD. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) challenged Michigan leaders and young professionals to raise $5,000 or more.

Together, they raised over $268,000 to help LLS fund life-saving research and provide support to blood cancer patients and their families.

Richard Garber Garber Automotive

Matt O'Bryan KLA Laboratories

Colette Smiley, West Michigan Board Jeff Jewell, DT Midstream Jon Rumley, Accenture Melissa Schiller, Mission Maude

Mark Wilmot PWC

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE

NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES!

Meredith Gremel, Community Volunteer Olivia Jackson, Accenture Raj Paul, Microsoft James Honeycutt, KLA Laboratories

SAVE THE DATE: LIGHT THE NIGHT 2022

Detroit 9.29.2022 | Grand Rapids 10.8.2022

TOGETHER WE ARE

UNSTOPPABLE.

Learn More or Become a 2022 Challenger Breanna.Challicombe@lls.org | lightthenight.org | lls.org/mi-in

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

David Hooker

Cynthia Hagedorn

Owner The Property

THE PROPERTY IS A HAVEN for community outreach, generosity and activism.

Located in Lowell, The Property is the home of Cynthia Hagedorn, an artist, creative and producer, and she has designed it to welcome community leaders and people from all walks of life to work on different projects and host events that benefit people and organizations in the region.

She began hosting brunch and dinner parties at her art studio on The Property last year. The proceeds from the parties went toward members of the Care on Canvas program, which is a partnership between Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital and Make-A-Wish Foundation where Hagedorn paints with kids who are battling illnesses such as cancer.

The brunch and dinner meals include appetizers, main dish, side dish and desserts. During the parties, individuals create artwork based on one of at least 20 different themes, including Monet, Klimt, van Gogh, Kandinsky, Cassatt, Mondrian, Pollack and Hokusai.

In addition to the Care on Canvas program, Hagedorn started Lawn pARTies and Leadership on Canvas programs.

Hagedorn started hosting Lawn pARTies toward the beginning of the pandemic. The Lawn pARTies are artist-themed parties, such as birthdays and bridal showers, hosted at The Property. Guests had the opportunity to choose from more than 40 themes. For example, a Monet theme featured French-style table settings for plates, cutlery, water and wine goblets, and linens.

The Leadership on Canvas program is about West Michigan leaders coming to The Property to paint with Hagedorn.

Some of the participants have included Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, Spectrum Health President and CEO Tina Freese Decker and Mary Free Bed CEO Kent Riddle.

8 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

President, CEO Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park ANOTHER PORTION OF Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s $115 million Welcoming the World: Honoring a Legacy of Love expansion project was completed 2021.

A new 69,000-square-foot Welcome Center opened last year. It has two levels; a main level and a lower level, which also is known as the courtyard level.

The main level includes an expanded and relocated Peter C. and Emajean Cook Entryway, PNC Portico, expanded and relocated Ram’s Garden, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Ticketing Center, expanded coat room and restrooms, a mobility center for wheelchairs and electric carts, O-A-K Theater and the Garden Pavilion that features horticultural displays and a new sculpture titled “Utopia” by the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

The courtyard level includes an expanded and relocated Peter M. Wege Library, archives and storage, Lievense Indoor Eating Area and Mimi’s Garden, which features a glass-enclosed sunken garden.

Frederik Meijer Gardens President and CEO David Hooker said the expansion project is part of the growth the worldclass attraction is experiencing.

“The magnificent new Welcome Center is made possible by the generosity of Fred and Lena Meijer; the extended Meijer family; and hundreds of individuals, companies and foundations,” he said. “The Welcome Center was created in response to an unprecedented embrace of our mission as reflected in our attendance, membership and donor base growth. Our appreciation is deep and sincere. Our architects, artists and garden designers have created a place to experience our mission that is truly world class.”

Sal Semola

President, COO Gun Lake Casino GUN LAKE CASINO made its presence felt throughout West Michigan in 2021 in more ways than one.

It made headlines when it became the new name-in-title sponsor of one of the most recognizable entertainment venues in Grand Rapids. Formerly known as 20 Monroe Live, Gun Lake Casino attached its name to the venue when it was renamed GLC Live at 20 Monroe.

The casino also launched an online casino platform called Play Gun Lake. It offers visitors an array of online slots and table games accessible from anywhere in the state, including classic slots, video slots, progressive jackpot slots, blackjack, roulette and baccarat.

Along with the new gaming opportunities, the casino now offers new entertainment and dining options after the completion of its expansion project. The casino now spans 229,000 square feet with three new restaurants: SHKODÉ Chophouse, CBK and 131 Sportsbar & Lounge.

Gun Lake Casino President and COO Sal Semola also ensured that the casino gave back to the community in a more personal way.

The Gun Lake Tribe and Gun Lake Casino made financial donations to the Wayland Fire Department that allowed it to purchase an EFORCE 17c-SL3 combination cutter and spreader, a small, battery-operated cutter.

The equipment allows the department to perform different types of forced entry, vehicle extrication and farm-related emergencies.

“Gun Lake Casino is committed to helping our local first responders and departments in any way possible,” said Semola.

“The donation of funds for this tool further exemplifies our dedication to making our local community a safer place.”

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

BEVERAGES

Nadia & Shatawn Brigham Larry Bell

Founder, Former President/Owner Bell’s Brewery THIRTY-SIX YEARS AFTER founding Bell’s Brewery in Comstock, Larry Bell handed over the reins to a new owner and a new team of leaders.

Bell on Nov. 10 said he would retire and sell the brewery he founded in 1985 to Lion, the Sydney, Australia-based parent company of New Belgium Brewing. His last day with Bell’s was in December.

His decision came down to two factors.

“First, the folks at New Belgium share our ironclad commitment to the craft of brewing and the community-first way we’ve built our business,” he said. “Second, this was the right time. I’ve been doing this for more than 36 years and recently battled some serious health issues. I want everyone who loves this company like I do to know we have found a partner that truly values our incredible beer, our culture and the importance of our roots here in Michigan.”

The combination of Bell’s and New Belgium placed the expanded company at the top of the U.S. craft beer market in sales volume and growth, with brands including Voodoo Ranger, Fat Tire, Two Hearted Ale and Oberon Ale. Bell’s Executive Vice President Carrie Yunker now leads operations for the brand, reporting to New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer and joining the combined company’s leadership team.

VP of Operations John Mallett, a 20year Bell’s employee, joined the leadership team to focus on integrating the two brewing organizations. Laura Bell, Larry Bell’s daughter, continues as a board member.

The brewery is operating as usual out of its existing locations.

Owners GRNoir Wine & Jazz

NADIA AND SHATAWN BRIGHAM held a grand opening for GRNoir Wine & Jazz on Feb. 1, 2021.

The downtown Grand Rapids jazz club, at 35 S. Division Ave., opened for curbside service in December 2020, then indoor dining two months later after the pandemic-related statewide ban was lifted.

Shatawn Brigham is the only Black sommelier in Grand Rapids and loves helping customers discover new wines at the business, which is unlike any other in West Michigan. The couple designed GRNoir to “celebrate the complex and colorful connections between American and global cultures.”

The Brighams feature local and regional jazz artists in live performances, in addition to offering small plates and wine pairings.

“We want GRNoir to be a place for joy, a space to laugh and love, to share stories and meet friends old and new,” Nadia Brigham said. “As avid fans of wine and jazz, we’re eager to welcome folks of all backgrounds and experience levels so they can celebrate the rich histories and cultures of wine and jazz and Black America’s contributions to these spaces.”

Wine club members and customers can order a variety of wines in four tiers by phone or online. GRNoir offers its wines for pickup or shipment throughout Michigan.

“Whether you want to pair our intriguing small plates with a glass of wine or order a case of wine shipped to you, I’m happy to discuss our stock of interesting and tasteful wines that are perfect to share with friends and family,” Shatawn Brigham said.

Tom Borisch, Jason Post, & Zack Van Dyke

Owners Wise Men Distillery

A 2-YEAR-OLD DISTILLERY made waves after topping major brands in a global awards competition and opening a second location in 2021.

Wise Men Distillery, co-founded and coowned by Tom Borisch, Jason Post and Zack Van Dyke, opened in 2019 and produces gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, bourbon and hard seltzers at its distillery and tasting room at 4717 Broadmoor Ave. SE in Kentwood.

The business opened a second tasting room in downtown Grand Rapids, at 146 Monroe Center NW, in early June after overcoming pandemic-related delays.

In September, Wise Men Distillery topped major brands like Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo, High Noon, Barefoot and Cutwater in the inaugural 2021 Canned Challenge, an adult beverage competition produced by Wine Country Network.

Wise Men’s Black Cherry Hard Seltzer captured the challenge’s Best of Show; BlueBerry Hard Seltzer, Lime Hard Seltzer, Peach Hard Seltzer and Raspberry Hard Seltzer won gold medals; and its Watermelon Hard Seltzer took a silver.

“Our customers have been telling us that we have hit a homer with our seltzers, and we believe all of our products could compete with any major label, but it is especially gratifying when we beat them at a prestigious competition like the 2021 Canned Challenge,” Borisch said.

Wise Men’s hard seltzers are made using its award-winning, premium handcrafted vodka and locally sourced ingredients.

The distillery’s seltzers are available at more than 200 retailers across Michigan, including Meijer and Trader Joe stores, Walmart supercenters, Gun Lake Casino and John Ball Zoo, and its two tasting rooms.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 9

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Jennifer Owens

Ed Garner

Regional Director Michigan Small Business Development Center West Michigan THE MICHIGAN SMALL BUSINESS Development Center got creative in 2021 to help Black-owned businesses and those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ed Garner, regional director of the Michigan SBDC’s West Michigan Region — based at Grand Valley State University’s L. William Seidman Center in downtown Grand Rapids — was part of this effort with the creation of a new pitch competition for businesses of color on the lakeshore.

In October, he announced the creation of a new event called Pitch Black Muskegon, which invited Black-owned businesses in Muskegon County to apply for a chance to pitch for $26,500 in prizes.

“Nationally, Black-owned businesses were hit the hardest by COVID-19 versus other business groups, with 41% closing (their) doors during the first part of the pandemic,” Garner said. “While many may have reopened, there still remains a great deal of uncertainty for their future. We want to save as many as we can.”

The event’s five winners were Deanna Gantt, HairbyDVG Beauty Boutique, $10,000 package; Kaja Thornton Hunter, Kaja’s Flavor, $7,000 package; Jukia and Robert Fisher, JR Décor, $5,000 package; Destinee Keener, Kuntry Cookin’, $3,000 package; and Amanda Price, Amanda’s Frosted Dreams, $1,500 package. The services they won included web development, social media, marketing and branding, and accounting and legal services.

The West Michigan Region in 2021 also was part of the Michigan SBDC’s efforts to expand free services to businesses hit hardest by COVID-19. The organization in February expanded accounting, e-commerce and web development, and human resources support services across all 83 Michigan counties.

10 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

President Lakeshore Advantage LAKESHORE ADVANTAGE HAD a busy year supporting area companies as they grew despite pandemic setbacks.

The Zeeland-based economic development nonprofit that covers Ottawa and Allegan counties in 2021 supported 21 companies as they announced $259 million in private investment and the planned creation of 694 jobs.

“What this data shows is the resilience of our communities,” said Jennifer Owens, Lakeshore Advantage president. “Even amid uncertainty and change, our employers grew and flourished in our vibrant economy, and that is worth celebrating. We applaud all the companies who were able to expand this year and are pleased to be an extended member of their team.”

The largest expansion project supported in 2021 was Request Foods’ $205 million investment that will create 198 jobs in Holland Charter Township. Another key project supported was Harbor Steel’s $2.5 million investment in Holland Charter Township, which will enable it to keep supplying the region’s manufacturers with the steel components needed to make products.

Lakeshore Advantage also helped secure more than $61.6 million in additional funding from local, state and federal partners to support 271 employers; distributed $1.8 million in grants to small businesses; engaged in a regional Industry 4.0 awareness campaign that will continue in 2022 in partnership with The Right Place, Greater Muskegon Economic Development, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation; and assisted 62 startups, helping them raise $16.6 million.

The organization also earned a silver rank from the International Economic Development Council for its 2021 virtual investor briefing.

Randy Thelen

President, CEO The Right Place THE RIGHT PLACE made up for lost time toward its strategic plan goals in 2021, along with a flurry of business assists and expanded offerings.

As the West Michigan economic development agency wound down the second year of its strategic plan, which encompasses 2020-22, the organization was on track to exceed all its goals after underperforming on its metrics in 2020 due to pandemic challenges.

In 2021, the organization’s work resulted in 1,541 new and retained jobs, $184 million in new and retained payroll, and $286 million in new capital investment.

Since the start of the plan in 2020, the organization’s work resulted in 2,494 new and retained jobs against a three-year goal of 3,400 (74% completed), $127 million in new and retained payroll against a threeyear goal of $184 million (69% completed), and $397 million in new capital investment against a three-year goal of $500 million (79% completed).

The Right Place facilitated the multimillion-dollar expansions underway by MCPc, Autocam Medical, L3Harris, BAMF Health, Speedrack, Gen3 Defense & Aerospace, and Blackmer, among others.

“We’re ahead of plan because of the great performance of the team and frankly, the great performance of our regional economy over the past year,” said Randy Thelen, president and CEO. In 2021, The Right Place also launched a diverse business directory, assembled a technology taskforce to strategically grow Grand Rapids as a tech cluster, expanded the number of West Michigan counties it serves, and partnered with others and worked on its own to increase Industry 4.0 readiness among the region’s manufacturers.

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EDUCATION

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Philomena Mantella

Patricia Harris

President Kuyper College KUYPER COLLEGE MADE working students a priority in 2021.

It was the only school in Michigan and one of 10 nationally to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a work college after it developed the KuyperWorks program, a two-year program that allows students to work on campus or at off-campus organizations for 10 hours each week during their first year in the program.

The work college designation is awarded to a school that has intentionally integrated work, learning and service in its teaching.

“Anyone who has spent time at Kuyper College will recognize the words in our official seal that form our school’s motto — Ora et Labora — Pray and Work. From the very beginning, this idea has been infused into every part of life at the college,” said Patricia Harris, president of Kuyper College. “To further this vision, Kuyper College is entering an exciting new period in its history as it now becomes a work college.”

With Harris’ leadership, Kuyper started an urban WorkPlace Partnership initiative last year. It gives a cohort of 20 freshman students the opportunity to earn a business degree while working a part-time, entry-level job at Butterball Farms or Lumbermen’s throughout their four years to help pay for their tuition.

The students take classes in the evenings and weekends and work 20 hours per week at either Butterball Farms or Lumbermen’s, where they’ll earn at least $13.50 per hour.

The money the students earn goes toward their tuition. The college and individual students reach a mutual agreement to decide how much of their paychecks go to students.

12 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

President Grand Valley State University GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY opened the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health in 2021.

The $70 million, five-story, 166,000-square-foot health center is located on its health campus in downtown Grand Rapids. It offers undergraduate and graduate health care programs to students.

“The completion of this building is the apex of Grand Valley’s Health Campus expansion, further enabling the university’s leadership as the primary talent pipeline for frontline health professionals and nurses in West Michigan and our state,” said Grand Valley President Philomena Mantella. “The DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health will allow cross-disciplinary innovation and collaboration that will keep Grand Valley graduates at the forefront of their professions.”

The building houses GVSU’s Kirkhof College of Nursing, along with 17 classrooms, 12 interactive laboratories and different technologies including electronic 3D modeling and imaging of the body and its organs, plastinated specimens, a virtual anatomy table and classrooms with interactive walls and floors.

The virtual anatomy table can be programmed to show a normal anatomy and a list of pathological conditions. Students can look at human ailments and electronically dissect every layer of the skin, muscle and bone.

The DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health has 28,375 square feet of simulation space. Grand Valley now has a total of more than 67,800 square feet of simulation space on the Health Campus.

The facility is the third and flagship building on the Health Campus, joining the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences and Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall.

Richard Pappas

President Davenport University DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY expanded its offerings in 2021 with new courses, scholarships, certificates, degrees and software to enhance students’ ability to succeed.

The university’s nursing students began using a holographic software program that gives them a new perspective on practicing how to treat COVID-19 patients.

The software includes 3D holographic goggles, or HoloLens, that allow students to see a life-size patient’s body system. Professors can manipulate the program to highlight the symptoms of COVID-19 and dictate what students can see, including real hospital rooms with medical equipment.

Under Davenport President Richard J. Pappas’ leadership, the university began offering a course called Communications 120 – Presentation Techniques to help individuals improve their presentation skills, build their résumés, enhance their LinkedIn profiles and earn three college credits.

The university formed a partnership with the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency to offer four-year scholarships to General Electric employees through its veteran-friendly businesses scholarship program.

Davenport also started offering Stackable Certificates in business, technology and health that can lead to an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree in the same field of study.

Some individuals who have associate degrees in trades such as construction, foods, graphic design, health, industrial management, welding, automotive, engineering, HVAC, mechanical and electronic technology now can earn a Bachelor of Applied Science in applied business in two years.

Davenport is offering two new degree programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education to address teacher shortages in urban areas. Students can earn a Bachelor of Science in integrated science with a focus on elementary education or a Bachelor of Science in biology, chemistry, math, physics or integrated science with a focus on secondary education.

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

FINANCE

Martin Stein

Eric Foster

Co-founder, Chair, Managing Director Rende Progress Capital RENDE PROGRESS CAPITAL (RPC) made headlines in 2021 for its programs, partnerships and lending.

After establishing the RACE4Progress COVID-19 relief loan fund in 2020, RPC throughout the year provided loans from the fund to West Michigan businesses including Applause Catering + Events, Lee Tailors, Taylor’s Home Care, DJ Blaze LLC and Mosby’s Popcorn.

In April, RPC partnered with Miller Johnson to offer free legal services to RPC loan customers as part of the law firm’s Project Giveback.

RPC in June launched a pilot course, the Pre-Loan Readiness and Incubator Program, with support from Fifth Third Bank and the U.S. Treasury Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund. The program was designed to teach entrepreneurs how to qualify for financing through counseling in financial principles, business planning assistance and feedback from RPC on mock loan applications.

Foster said the loan readiness program was envisioned five years ago during his research before starting the firm, when he listened to excluded entrepreneurs of color as they shared “their narratives and frustrations with the bias and market barriers to accessing conventional loans.”

RPC in 2021 also created the Reduced Interest Schedule for Excellence (RISE) standard loan program, which reduces the annual interest rate for borrowers who make on-time payments, and from it funded Taxes at Tiffany’s and Soldadera Coffee.

Daddy’s Dough Cookies was another of RPC’s standard loan customers in 2021.

In October, RPC received $125,000 in CDFI funding to continue technical assistance programs.

RPC in September and December added two more partners to the firm: Janiece Norfleet and Elisa Starnes.

Founder, Managing Director Blackford Capital PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTING boomed in 2021, and Blackford Capital was in on the action.

The Grand Rapids-based firm in November was named Private Equity Firm of the Year by The M&A Advisor, and the 2021 majority acquisition of Aqua-Leisure also snagged the M&A Advisor’s Private Equity Deal of the Year award in the $50 million-$75 million category.

“2021 (was) a tremendous year for Blackford — our team completed more transactions than ever before and (is) operating 11 portfolio companies in three countries.

This honor is an affirmation of our amazing team, who are completing more transactions per investment professional than just about any other PE firm in the country,” Stein said after the M&A Advisor awards.

In March, Blackford participated in the merger of Vertically Integrated Products and Boston Trade International to form the new entity Boston Trade Interior Solutions (BTIS), of which Blackford is part-owner.

By July, Blackford partnered with BTIS to acquire Design Environments, and in November, Blackford rounded out its professional interior design; procurement; and furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) supply group with the acquisition of ID Collaborative.

Amid the pandemic-induced supply chain shortages, in July, Blackford hired an operating partner for sourcing in Asia, Steve Feniger, a move that allows Blackford’s portfolio companies to “do better than our competitors on the supply chain” through visits to suppliers to ensure timeliness and quality, Stein said.

The firm last year also expanded its watersports, marine, and pool and float categories with the acquisition of Airhead Sports Group by its portfolio company Aqua-Leisure.

Renee Tabben

Grand Rapids Market President Bank of America BANK OF AMERICA was a major player in promoting economic mobility in West Michigan in 2021.

After helping to establish the New Community Transformation Fund in 2020 just weeks before the pandemic hit — a venture fund aimed at boosting businesses owned and/or led by people of color in West Michigan — which included $200,000 in startup capital, Bank of America in January 2021 contributed another undisclosed sum to the fund, bringing it closer to the $10 million goal mark for NCTF to begin making investments in the community.

“To continue to grow and prosper, West Michigan must have healthy and diverse communities,” said Renee Tabben, the Grand Rapids market president for Bank of America, who serves on the NCTF board of directors. “Our additional investment in the NCTF and ongoing support of ethnic and racial diversity in business ownership comes at a critical time.”

Bank of America also supported the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2021.

In December, Bank of America named the Hispanic chamber a 2021 Neighborhood Champion — an award that came with a $50,000, two-year grant and an opportunity for executive leadership coaching delivered by national experts in the nonprofit sector.

In addition, the bank awarded the chamber a $100,000 grant to advance economic opportunity for Hispanic-owned small businesses and develop a strong Latino talent pipeline and employment opportunities. The funding is supporting two key chamber initiatives: Transformando West Michigan and Building Bridges through Education (BBTE).

“The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber has provided critical leadership in our community,” Tabben said.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 13

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Ferris State University is an Equal Opportunity institution. For more information on the university’s policy on Non-Discrimination, visit ferris.edu/non-discrimination.

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

FOOD

Alita Kelly & Khara DeWit Andrea Bumstead

Owner Gaia Cafe

AFTER A SEVEN-YEAR JOURNEY to buy the former Gaia Café from its previous owner, who closed the East Hills vegetarian eatery in 2014, Bumstead partnered with Charity Lytle, of the Division Avenue Arts Collective (DAAC), to buy the facility at 1553 Plainfield Ave. NE in Grand Rapids in early 2019.

The fundraising and construction process was a “struggle, specifically through the pandemic,” Bumstead said, but she found the strength to keep going.

“I have been supported endlessly by my family, friends and community, (and) the journey, although long and winding, has been filled with gratitude and serendipitous moments,” she said. “I specifically remember an evening in late 2018 where I had just ended a contract on our third building location, and I was exhausted (by) pulling resources that led to nowhere. It was in a moment of feeling defeated and wanting to surrender the project, when … I received a message from Charity Lytle, DAAC lead board member, asking if I might be interested in combining resources to purchase a building together.

“I remember the encouragement from my family to not give up and hearing my late Grandpa’s voice in my head saying, ‘It’s not over, my girl.’”

The front half of the building now houses Gaia, which opened in February 2021, and the rear portion is DAAC’s space.

Gaia’s ever-expanding menu includes original fan favorites, such as the mean green burrito and Gaia cookies, as well as brunch and lunch foods, fresh-pressed juices and specialty coffees.

Co-founders South East Market

THE CO-FOUNDERS OF the South East Market concluded their first calendar year of operations in December, and what a year it was.

Alita Kelly and Khara DeWit in 2020 founded and in January 2021 opened the doors of the South East Market, 1220 Kalamazoo Ave. SE in Grand Rapids. Its mission is to offer healthy and culturally appropriate food sourced from diverse growers and vendors to the community through a sustainable and equitable lens.

Along with regular in-store shopping, the market offers customers the opportunity to donate funds to bring down the price of goods in the store, as well as buy produce subscriptions or gift them to others. Delivery is free to those who live in the 49507 ZIP code.

In November, the co-founders reported their business in 2021 worked with over 20 local farms and over 30 priority vendors, i.e., Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and/or women-led companies; delivered over 1,300 orders of free groceries; made over 2,000 produce subscription bundles; employed 11 individuals; diverted over 2,000 pounds of food waste to compost; served over 100 children in its enrichment programming, the Freedom School; and built a community garden where the Freedom School students learned to grow their own food.

“All the ways we’ve felt love and shared love with our neighbors, farmers, vendors and customers can’t fit in a statistic to understand the reach of the store,” Kelly and DeWit said.

The co-founders have several projects and partnerships in the works for 2022, on which the Business Journal previously reported.

Rich Wolowski

President, CEO Gordon Food Service/Square Roots GORDAN FOOD SERVICE’S partnership with an indoor farming startup took deeper root in 2021.

The grocery distributor and retailer in 2019 formed a partnership with Brooklyn, New York-based Square Roots, an urban indoor hydroponic farming and technology company, that would bring cloud-connected, year-round farming, along with next-generation farmer training, to the GFS headquarters at 1300 Gezon Pkwy. SW in Wyoming.

A pilot farm built in 10 modular shipping containers opened in October 2019 at the GFS HQ. In December 2020, construction began on a two-story, commercial-scale indoor farm on the campus that also would be cloud-connected and managed by Square Roots’ farmers and in-house software. It is Square Roots’ third commercial farm, joining others in Brooklyn and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

By March 2021, the two-story indoor farm was completed, and in April, its first harvest was ready. In October, GFS and Square Roots held a ribbon-cutting for the farm, which can grow about 50,000 plants at a time, including herbs, microgreens and salad mixes, which are sold to restaurants, grocery stores and on e-commerce platforms across the Great Lakes region.

“In partnering with Square Roots, we are delivering on our ambitions to make nutritious, local produce available to everyone, throughout the year, regardless of the local climate,” said Rich Wolowski, CEO of Gordon Food Service.

Tobias Peggs, co-founder and CEO at Square Roots, said the farm means fresh food grown on a smaller footprint, with 95% less water use, zero food waste in the supply chain and 100% recyclable packaging.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 15

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

HEALTH CARE

Tina Freese Decker

Nathan Baar

Founder, CEO HealthBar HEALTHBAR EVOLVED TREMENDOUSLY in 2021 under the leadership of Nathan Baar. Growing from its 2020 roots of providing COVID-19 services to help businesses adjust to the pandemic and offering a customized school nursing program, the organization continued its expansion to provide a wide range of care options.

The nurse-driven health care services provider now offers a multitude of services at its drive-thru medical centers in Grand Rapids and at its Holland location, which opened in spring 2021, offering options similar to that of urgent care facilities. The drive-up services, which do not require an appointment, range from general nurse practitioner assessments and minor injury and illness care, to head-injury concussion assessments, saliva drug testing and COVID-19 testing. HealthBar also offers multiple options for packaged or a la carte concierge health care for businesses in Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Detroit.

“HealthBar is creating a new health care ecosystem that exists outside of the traditional medical system,” said Baar, founder and CEO. “Our current health care system is focused more on treating illness than on health promotion and education.”

Over the last year, HealthBar hired several employees and created and filled new positions for its growing executive leadership team. The staff includes 33 full-time employees, 30 of whom were hired in 2021, and it nearly doubled its contracted nursing staff of 420 nurses and nurse practitioners last year alone.

The organization also launched its Health Care Partnership Program in 2021, providing businesses with concierge medical support, navigation, and chronic disease management services to increase employee health outcomes and wellness and decrease dependence on the health care system.

President, CEO Spectrum Health SPECTRUM HEALTH MADE waves in the health care industry despite another tumultuous year of battling the pandemic on the front lines.

With Tina Freese Decker at the helm, the West Michigan-based health giant worked with local partner organizations to administer 231,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic during its four months of operation at DeVos Place. The clinic also set a statewide record for most vaccines administered in a day, hitting more than 12,500 daily doses at its peak.

In addition to providing preventive vaccination measures to battle COVID, Spectrum Health also amplified its efforts to treat the virus, opening an expanded monoclonal antibody treatment clinic at Blodgett Hospital and further expanding access to the treatment with a traveling mobile administration unit.

Spectrum also was the first in the nation to deploy a new and sophisticated implanted medical device to aid in the treatment of certain types of epilepsy and symptoms associated with movement disorders. The integration of the SenSight Directional Lead System provides enhanced deep brain stimulation therapy offering more precise and targeted electrical signals to a patient’s brain. More efficient and objective data allows clinicians to make adjustments accordingly, offering a better overall understanding and treatment of the disorders.

The hospital also received international and multiple national accolades in 2021. Among them was Freese Decker’s appointment to Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women Leaders national list for the second straight year. Spectrum also was one of three U.S. hospitals recognized by the International Hospital Federation for its system promoting organizational goals.

Peter Hahn

President, CEO University of Michigan Health-West AMID ANOTHER UNFATHOMABLE year for the health care industry, Peter Hahn led University of Michigan HealthWest toward increased innovation and expanded patient care.

2021 began with the consolidation of two governance boards, supporting efficient and agile decision-making and reflecting the expanding clinical integration with Michigan Medicine. The organization’s 2021 transition from Metro Health to University of Michigan Health-West was the result of nearly five years of expanding technology and capabilities as an affiliate of University of Michigan Health.

Technologies implemented in 2021 include the pilot of AI patient documentation, providing hands-free clinical documentation for a more patient-focused visit, and launching a hospital-at-home program in partnership with a remote patient monitoring services provider. Hospital-at-home decreases the length of hospital stays for COVID-19 patients and instead provides them with around-the-clock clinical care and medical monitoring from the comfort of home. The launch of the program also reduces infectious disease exposure and provides some relief to health care workers during a year where hospital capacities have remained at record highs.

“This is exactly what our founding physicians envisioned when they launched a hospital in a remodeled house back in 1942,” Hahn said. “They wanted to find better ways to focus on patients. For every phase of our history and every name on the front door, that is what we have done.”

Other 2021 accomplishments of UM Health-West include putting partnership systems in place to expand critical neurothrombectomy stroke treatment to the lakeshore, avoiding transfers for time-sensitive procedures and establishing a partnership for an advanced cardiovascular network. The provider also opened an outpatient office on East Beltline Avenue.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 17

LAW

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Amanda Sterkenburg

Tracey Brame

Professor, Associate Dean Cooley Law/Innocence Project TRACEY BRAME IS AN ATTORNEY, professor and the associate dean of experiential and practice preparation at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.

She also added another title in 2021.

Brame was named the director of the school’s Innocence Project, which is a part of the Innocence Network that provides legal assistance to individuals who are imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.

The Innocence Project works to obtain post-conviction DNA testing of material evidence and find evidence of unreliable forensic practices.

The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project is the only post-conviction DNA innocence organization in the state. It is staffed by WMU-Cooley Law School students who work under the supervision of WMU-Cooley Innocence Project attorneys.

“Since the beginning of my law career, advocacy work has been my passion,” Brame said. “It’s an honor to assume the role of director for the WMU Cooley Innocence Project from professor (Marla) Mitchell-Cichon, who has spent much of her legal career fighting for the wrongly accused.”

The WMU Cooley Innocence Project’s clinic has screened more than 5,800 cases since it was opened in 2001 and it is responsible for the exoneration of several individuals over that time, including three in 2021.

The WMU Cooley Innocence Project assisted in the release of Kenneth Nixon, Gilbert Lee Poole Jr. and Corey Quentin McCall.

Nixon was wrongfully convicted of murder, attempted murder and arson in 2005.

Poole was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1989. McCall was wrongfully convicted of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in 2005.

18 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

Judge 62-B District Court Kentwood JUDGE AMANDA STERKENBURG made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman to take the Kentwood 62-B District Court bench.

She was elected to a six-year term after former 62-B District Court Judge William G. Kelly retired. He was the first 62-B District Court judge and served for 42 years.

Sterkenburg presides over matters such as drunk driving, domestic violence and retail fraud of less than $1,000. The court settles disputes, processes criminal charges and manages legal appeals.

Since her tenure began, the court established an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) plan that allows individuals to settle disputes outside of the courtroom through mediation.

ADR also is designed to reduce client costs and allow a mediator — a third-party individual — to resolve differences and help individuals reach a mutual agreement.

“Court cases involve a significant financial and emotional investment,” Sterkenburg said. “I am proud the 62-B District Court is offering this plan as a way to save time and money for those seeking resolution, preserve relationships and help each party walk away more satisfied.

“Another beneficial aspect of ADR is each party gets the opportunity to have their voice heard in a safe and neutral environment. Being able to express themselves empowers the parties to work past the conflict and seek resolution.”

Prior to becoming a judge, Sterkenburg focused on family law, including custody and parenting time modifications, divorce and paternity. She also provided legal services on matters concerning landlord and tenant assistance, contract drafting, business incorporation and dissolution, bankruptcy and estate planning.

Stephen van Stempvoort

Attorney Miller Johnson

MILLER JOHNSON ATTORNEY Stephen van Stempvoort helped create initiatives to provide legal services to those who can’t afford them.

He chairs Miller Johnson’s pro bono committee, and he led a group of attorneys last year in creating Project Giveback.

“Project Giveback is intended to serve as part of the firm’s response to the numerous cultural and political events that we have witnessed and participated in throughout 2020 and into 2021,” van Stempvoort said.

“Miller Johnson has played a key role in our community’s response to the COVID crisis, and many firm clients have commented on the excellent and valuable work that arose out of the team-based initiatives that Miller Johnson rolled out in response to the pandemic. Project Giveback is intended to build upon those experiences and leverage Miller Johnson’s resources in a way that will enable us to continue to serve our communities.”

Project Giveback was designed to provide pro bono legal services to YWCA West Central Michigan and Rende Progress Capital. A group of 12 attorneys contributed 1,200 pro bono hours, which amounted to the equivalent of approximately $1 million in legal fees.

Miller Johnson attorneys provided legal services to YWCA clients who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Some of the legal issues facing survivors included personal safety, child custody, housing, employment and harassment.

Rende Progress Capital (RPC) is a Grand Rapids-based racial equity lender.

Miller Johnson attorneys provided support to RPC customers on corporate, tax, real estate, environmental, employment and litigation matters, including COVID-19-related legal issues.

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Jim Dillard

Executive Vice President, President of Consumer Self Care Americas Perrigo BIG THINGS HAPPENED for Perrigo in 2021.

In July, the Dublin-based company completed the sale of its Generic Rx Pharmaceuticals business to Altaris Capital Partners for $1.55 billion, accomplishing Perrigo’s transformation from a drug maker to a global consumer self-care company — a strategy the company announced in 2019.

Perrigo in October then tapped Jim Dillard, its former executive vice president and chief scientific officer, to head up its Consumer Self-Care Americas (CSCA) division, previously led by Rich Sorota, who joined the company from Ranir after its acquisition by Perrigo in 2019.

Dillard reports to Murray Kessler, Perrigo’s president and CEO, and is based in Grand Rapids, which will be the new home of Perrigo’s North American headquarters, expected to be completed later this year.

Perrigo broke ground on the 125,000-square-foot building that’s part of the Michigan State University Grand Rapids Innovation Park in April 2021. It includes a 63,550-square-foot office space that will serve as the home base for Perrigo’s CSCA business on the building’s top three floors and will act as a catalyst for the creation of 170 jobs on Medical Mile.

MSU and Perrigo in January 2021 inked a formal partnership connecting the university’s clinical and research expertise with Perrigo’s product innovation, manufacturing scale and retail partnerships to “empower consumers to take control of their self-care needs.”

Dillard said he is eager to see Perrigo’s vision come to fruition. “(I have) a deep passion for rapidly delivering new products and innovation that delight our customers and consumers,” he said.

Executive Vice President, Americas Dematic DEMATIC RODE A WAVE of unprecedented growth in 2021, largely thanks to a surge in demand for automation in the e-commerce and grocery sectors during the pandemic.

The provider of integrated automated technology, software and services — a subsidiary of Frankfurt, Germany-based KION Group — has its world headquarters in Atlanta and its North American headquarters in Grand Rapids.

Mike Larsson, Dematic Americas executive vice president and CEO, told the Business Journal in August Dematic grew about 34% globally last year, adding 250 employees in Grand Rapids alone and about 800 across North America. It now has about 1,200 employees in Grand Rapids and 10,000 worldwide, and the company was on track to grow another 20% by the end of 2021.

The global $3 billion company (2020 year-end figures) designs, builds, implements and supports automated system solutions for warehouses, distribution centers and production facilities. One of its most exciting developments in testing last year was a smaller-scale automated system for order picking that can fit into the back of grocery stores for order fulfillment, allowing the stores to fill online orders faster, more efficiently and more profitably than they could from distribution centers.

Larsson said when you look at some of the world’s largest e-commerce players and how much their need for automation systems has grown over the years, it’s hard to even wrap your mind around it, thinking about how much the world buys online now.

For a company like Dematic, this means the growth potential can feel unlimited.

More information about Dematic is at dematic.com.

Andi Owen

President, CEO MillerKnoll

MANUFACTURING

Mike Larsson

THE ZEELAND-BASED COMPANY formerly called Herman Miller became an even bigger powerhouse in the furniture manufacturing and design world in 2021 with the acquisition of Knoll.

Herman Miller in April 2021 announced it would be acquiring East Greenville, Pennsylvania-based Knoll in a cash and stock transaction valued at $1.8 billion.

The deal was finalized in July, and at its annual shareholder meeting in October, the company finalized its name change to MillerKnoll and began trading under the new Nasdaq ticker symbol “MLKN” on Nov. 1.

“As one of the most influential design companies in the world, MillerKnoll is uniquely positioned to imagine and create beautiful design solutions that endure and inspire,” said Herman Miller legacy President and CEO Andi Owen, who moved forward as MillerKnoll president and CEO at the close of the transaction. “We are poised to transform our industry and define the next era in modern design.”

The combined company has 19 brands, a presence across over 100 countries, a global dealer network, 64 showrooms globally, more than 50 physical retail locations and global multichannel e-commerce capabilities.

MillerKnoll is continuing Herman Miller’s commitment to using 50% recycled content in all materials by 2030. In September, the company announced its entire Aeron chair portfolio and other product and packaging solutions will incorporate ocean-bound plastics. In December, MillerKnoll portfolio brand Naughtone rolled out the Ever Chair and Sofa collection of upholstered products made to be easily disassembled and recycled at end of life.

More on the company is at millerknoll.com.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 19

NONPROFITS/PHILANTHROPY

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Carly MacDonald

Wendy Falb

Exectutive Director Literacy Center of West Michigan LITERACY CENTER OF WEST Michigan expanded and enhanced access to programming through local partnerships and by adding to its team in 2021.

The organization provided an on-site Customized Workplace English (CWE) program for Spectrum Health’s environmental services employees, taught in the context of the workplace with a focus on improving verbal and written English literacy including reading and listening. The program gives employers a solution to the high-demand talent market while providing personal and professional development for employees. LCWM has provided more than 80 companies with CWE programming since 2001.

“Literacy is a profoundly essential need for anyone to achieve a proper quality of life and contribute to our local economy, and it often goes overlooked,” said Wendy Falb, Ph.D., LCWM executive director. “Our workplace English program is truly adapted to meet the needs of each organization.

By improving employees’ literacy skills in the workplace, employers are filling talent gaps while strengthening companywide culture and efficiencies, increasing safety and reducing costly employee turnover.”

The organization also appointed a new Family Literacy Program director in 2021 and received a $50,000 grant from the Fifth Third Bank Foundation to expand its Adult Basic Education (ABE) program.

Grant funding also was used to hire a parttime ABE coordinator to redesign and expand recruitment and retention strategies, develop curriculum, and create programming that meets learner-identified needs.

LCWM also worked with a group of local nonprofits to complete its second cohort of job readiness resource navigation and remove barriers to employment. The one-month training program connects students with six community partners based on their individual needs.

20 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

Administrator Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids IN AN EFFORT TO expand quality, longterm care for veterans and their family members in West Michigan, Michigan Veteran Homes (MVH) celebrated the opening of its Grand Rapids home in September 2021. The Grand Rapids location marks the third MVH in the state.

Funding for the project came through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs State Home Construction Grant Program, which contributed $40.9 million, and the state of Michigan, which covered the remaining $22 million for a total project cost of $62.9 million.

The state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to serve 128 veterans and dependents in need of skilled nursing care and occupies 153,000 square feet consisting of four distinct neighborhood buildings, a community center, an outdoor courtyard and a memorial garden. The space offers private rooms with en-suite baths and shared living and dining spaces. The community center features therapeutic facilities for behavioral, occupational, physical and group therapy; an exam room; chapel; barbershop and salon; cafe bistro; and a gift shop.

MVH hired Carly MacDonald as the administrator for the Grand Rapids campus in September to oversee daily operations.

“As a granddaughter and daughter of veterans, I learned at an early age the importance of serving others and our country,” MacDonald said. “It’s an exciting time for our team at Grand Rapids as we transition to our new home, and I look forward to meeting and getting to know our veteran members, volunteers and staff.”

MVH-GR’s memorial garden also received a 2021 Community Landscape Beautification Award from the Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association to enhance the outdoor space and benefit its members.

Ryan VerWys

CEO Inner City Christian Federation PROPELLED BY THE BELIEF that all people deserve safe, clean and affordable housing, Inner City Christian Federation continued to answer the call in 2021 to provide housing for those who need it most.

ICCF completed renovations at the former Eastern Elementary school building, now known as Emerald Flats, creating a mixed-use space with 50 income-based housing units and nonprofit office space within the 62,500-square-foot building.

“We are excited to see this project come to fruition,” said Ryan VerWys, CEO of ICCF. “Not only does it meet a critical need for more affordable housing, but it is uniquely positioned to serve neighbors with disabilities and create a thriving community close to downtown.”

ICCF also transitioned into its new headquarters in 2021, moving into the former Grand Rapids Christian High School building at 415 Franklin St. SE. The renovation was made a reality through collaboration with Madison Church. The space includes 41 affordable apartments, office and worship space, and an early childhood learning center.

The organization also looked to the future of affordable housing, breaking ground on a 1,513-square-foot single-family residence in the Baxter neighborhood in partnership with BDR Custom Homes, with estimated completion by end of January 2022. Also set in motion during 2021 were plans for a $19 million senior living facility bounded by Wealthy and Logan streets and Sheldon and Division avenues.

“It will be a beautiful, safe environment for our senior residents, with the amenities of downtown Grand Rapids just a short bus ride away,” said VerWys. “Integrating seniors into the redevelopment of downtown will bring further diversity, vibrancy and equity to our city.”

LEADING WHAT’S NEXT Grand Valley State University congratulates President Philomena V. Mantella on being named one of the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s Newsmakers Of The Year.

Since becoming Grand Valley’s fifth president in 2019, she has established a dynamic vision and energized the Grand Valley community to shape the university as a leader, elevating student equity and innovation in education.

Her many initiatives include introducing the Grand Valley Pledge tuition-free program for students from low-income backgrounds; launching an accelerated online degree completion program to help adults complete their bachelor’s degrees; creating pathway programs with high schools and other universities to help underserved students come to GVSU; and founding REP4, a national alliance of six colleges and universities formed to support student-designed solutions for addressing equity and access in higher education.

We celebrate President Mantella’s impact and accomplishments in 2021 and look forward to what’s next in 2022 and beyond under her leadership.

gvsu.edu

Congratulations to the “Newsmaker of the Year” nominees Thank you for the positive impact your work has on our community

REAL ESTATE/ CONSTRUCTION

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Tim Schowalter

Mike Novakoski

President, CEO EV Construction EV CONSTRUCTION PRESIDENT and CEO Mike Novakoski was busy in 2021 as he oversaw the completion of a series of projects.

The construction company served as the general contractor for the $19 million Mercy Health Lab Norton Shores facility.

It spans 42,000 square feet and offers primary care, behavioral health, X-ray, lab services, pharmacy, urgent care services, laser and aesthetics, and rehabilitation services including physical, occupational and speech therapy.

EV Construction also was the construction manager for the $40 million Clark Retirement Keller Lake expansion project.

The senior living facility features 52, 1- and 2-bedroom apartments.

The eight-month construction project of the new 4,500-square-foot Bronson Wound Center & Hyperbaric Medicine Center, and Bronson General Surgical Specialists facility were completed, and they were opened in 2021.

EV Construction also completed construction of the Bronson South Haven Hospital. The two-story, 52,000-squarefoot facility was a $22 million investment.

It houses Bronson South Haven Internal Medicine, Bronson South Haven Family Medicine, Bronson South Haven Pediatrics and Bronson Obstetrics, Gynecology and Midwifery Specialists offices.

In partnership with GMB Architecture + Engineering, EV Construction renovated the Spoelhof University Center at Calvin University. It includes an open classroom for graphic design, studios for Bachelor of Fine Arts students, breakout rooms for business student groups and social spaces.

The renovation project began in 2020.

EV Construction currently is the general contractor on a new $32.6 million Tommy Car Wash Systems project that includes building a headquarters and manufacturing facility in Holland. The roughly 245,000-square-foot building will include a production space, assembly area, office space and a demonstration center.

22 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

President, CEO Pioneer Construction PIONEER CONSTRUCTION HAD MANY SHOVELS in the ground in 2021.

Tim Schowalter, president and CEO for Pioneer Construction, saw the completion of the $70 million Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health facility on Grand Valley State University’s (GVSU) Health Campus.

The new five-story, 166,000-squarefoot health center is the home of GVSU’s Kirkhof College of Nursing, along with 17 classrooms, 12 interactive laboratories and technologies including electronic 3D modeling and imaging of the body and its organs, plastinated specimens, a virtual anatomy table and classrooms with interactive walls and floors.

Mission Design & Automation’s custom industrial automation and robotics integrator construction project in Holland also was completed. The 50,000-square-foot facility was a more than $5 million project that features office and manufacturing spaces for large-scale automation projects.

Pioneer is serving as the general contractor for a new $7.7 million operations center at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of June 2022.

The construction company is working with the Inner City Christian Federation, a nonprofit housing organization, to build a $19 million senior living residence in downtown Grand Rapids. The facility will be called Tapestry Square Senior Living. It is expected to be completed and ready for leasing by late 2022.

Construction also is underway for a mixed-use project in Ludington by Pioneer Construction. It is converting a historical building at 801 N. Rowe St. into 65 apartments that will sit above a 740-square-foot commercial space. The building will be called Lofts of Rowe.

Mike VanGessel

CEO Rockford Construction ROCKFORD CONSTRUCTION wrapped up several projects in 2021 while also kicking off some new ones.

The construction company completed a $40 million renovation of the glass tower at the Amway Grand Plaza. The renovation included the replacement of the glass exterior of the building.

Rockford Construction CEO Mike VanGessel and his team finalized the 7-story, 205,000-square-foot Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building. Bold Advanced Medical Future (BAMF) Health, an artificial intelligence-enabled precision medicine company, broke ground on its new North American headquarters at Michigan State University’s Grand Rapids Innovation Park last year.

BAMF’s headquarters will be located inside the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building. It will be one of three companies located in the building and will be the anchor tenant occupying over 60,000 square feet.

When construction is completed in June, BAMF Health will feature a 12,000-square-foot radiopharmacy, which includes two cyclotrons, a 10,000-squarefoot molecular imaging clinic and a 10,000-square-foot theranostics clinic.

Rockford is serving as the general contractor for the expansion of Dégagé Ministries, an organization that serves individuals experiencing homelessness in Grand Rapids. With the addition of 9,945 square feet, the nonprofit facility will expand to approximately 26,500 square feet.

The renovation and expansion will increase shelter capacity from 14,600 to 27,010 overnight stays per year by replacing 40 sleeping mats with 74 beds. The plans also include a new dining facility, increasing the number of meals served to individuals in need by nearly 50%.

Rockford Property Management, a division of Rockford Construction, took over the management responsibilities for Lofts on Alabama, located on Grand Rapids’ West Side. The addition of Lofts on Alabama brings Rockford’s management portfolio to 632 residential units.

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

RETAIL

Eion Jackson

John Green

Founder, CEO Revolution Farms CALEDONIA-BASED REVOLUTION FARMS took big steps to expand its operations in 2021.

In anticipation of co-branding its lettuce with national partner Edible Garden, Revolution Farms in March added two additional acres of growing space to triple the year-round indoor farm’s growing capacity to 1.5 million pounds per year.

The ramp-up of Revolution Farms’ production set the foundation for the cobrand and expansion into more than 120 Meijer stores across Michigan and northern Indiana. Packaging and distribution of Edible Garden’s products, including lettuce greens and salad mixes, occurs at Revolution Farms’ now 3-acre site and are sold under the Edible Garden label in stores.

“We hear it every day, people are tired of lettuce that is wilted and soggy before they take it off the shelf,” said John Green, founder and CEO of Revolution Farms. “By partnering with Edible Garden and quadrupling the number of Meijer stores that carry our product, we can ensure more consumers have access to fresher, Michigan-grown lettuce all year long.”

August brought about leadership transitions as Green brought aboard a new company president, Trent Hartwig, to lead daily operations with a focus on expanding its retail relationships, marketing and production.

The company later partnered with Grand Rapids-based S. Abraham & Sons, a c-store distributor and subsidiary of Imperial Trading Company, to further expand its footprint to thousands of convenience stores.

By September, Revolution Farms’ lettuce was available at more than 200 grocery stores in Michigan, as well as hundreds of independent grocers and through Doorganics for direct consumer delivery, and through food distributors including Gordon Food Service, Sysco and Van Eerden foods.

Founder Eion Jackson Apparel EION JACKSON FOUNDED his original urban streetwear brand JCKS Apparel in 2019, and re-branded the company under his own name, EION JACKSON, in 2021.

The intentional move was implemented to evolve from being seen as a growing brand to now being seen as a growing fashion designer.

“I wanted it to be more personal than what it was before,” Jackson said, noting that he looks to designers such as Reese Cooper and Virgil Abloh for inspiration and may eventually branch out into other kinds of custom apparel and accessories.

Jackson experienced success with his limited-run product drops, including his April 2021 product line Reach for the Stars, which offered hoodies, trucker hats, shorts and swim trunks that elicited a global response of customers waiting online for products to be released. Once live, the collection brought in $1,000 per minute, and most items sold out within the week, he said.

As a young minority designer, Jackson uses his voice and growing platform to call attention to relevant issues. An earlier 2021 product release called Dream Chasin’ included T-shirts and sweatshirts featuring Martin Luther King Jr. with a portion of profits donated to the NAACP. The line was released in February and sold out by March.

Jackson, who graduated from Hudsonville High School in 2021, had his products in all 50 states and five countries by the end of the year and recorded sales topping six figures. He also obtained his official business LLC, invested in several new pieces of equipment for production and completed his first wholesale deal with a new, designer streetwear apparel store in Panama City, Panama.

Tony Sarsam

President, CEO SpartanNash 2021 BROUGHT ABOUT AN enhanced shopper experience for SpartanNash customers as the Byron Center-based food distributor and grocery retailer expanded its footprint and strengthened customer service offerings for grocery and health.

The July opening of its 55,000-squarefoot micro-fulfillment center located in Caledonia serves 24 West Michigan grocery stores by fulfilling orders for its proprietary online shopping, pick-up and delivery service, Fast Lane. The fulfillment center serves Ada Fresh Market, D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare and Forest Hills Foods stores throughout the area and boasts a 16,000-product capacity with the ability to fulfill more than 1,000 Fast Lane orders per day.

“Fast Lane has been a tremendous value-add for our store guests as the pandemic heightened the importance of safe, efficient grocery shopping, pickup and delivery,” said Tony Sarsam, SpartanNash president and CEO. “The micro-fulfillment center is an exciting investment designed to further elevate the Fast Lane shopping experience as we strive to continuously improve our fulfillment speed and product availability.”

Fast Lane subscribers also experienced enhanced services in 2021, including halfoff delivery in select locations and exclusive cost savings on a variety of items each month.

In the battle against COVID-19, SpartanNash also partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to roll out the free COVID-19 vaccine at its 84 company-owned pharmacies in January. In June, SpartanNash also partnered with Bonum Health to provide telemedicine services at all company-owned pharmacies.

“The SpartanNash partnership with Bonum Health promotes equitable access to U.S. board-certified providers and allows any guest who may be uninsured, underinsured or simply looking for cost savings with immediate, high-quality care,” Sarsam said.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

SPORTS

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Steve Jbara

Mike Guswiler

President West Michigan Sports Commission SPORTS PROVIDED THE momentum for 2021’s tourism comeback in West Michigan, and West Michigan Sports Commission President Mike Guswiler led the charge.

The organization was able to secure national baseball and softball tournaments for 2021, and those agreements proved to be pivotal. The economic impact of the 2021 baseball and softball season in West Michigan doubled that of 2020.

There were 684 baseball and softball teams, 8,892 athletes and 22,230 spectators who booked 5,973 hotel room nights in West Michigan. That resulted in $5,618,365 in estimated visitor spending throughout the region.

The total number of tournaments that were hosted in 2021 represented an increase of 67% from 2020, which saw 15 tournaments.

Fifty percent of the teams that played here were travel teams. In 2020, 27% of the teams that played here were travel teams, or 124 of 462 teams.

The teams traveled from southeast Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ontario. The travel squads resulted in a 145% increase in hotel nights booked in 2021 at 5,973, versus 2,433 in 2020.

The estimated $5.6 million in visitor spending through hotel nights and other purchases improved by 134% from 2020’s $2.4 million.

“The 2021 season at the Meijer Sports Complex has been a complete success, proving that sports tourism is leading the comeback of our regional tourism economy,” Guswiler said. “The return of more baseball/softball tournaments, especially those that attract travel teams, is a bellwether of more positive change to come in the sports tourism industry.”

24 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

Owner Grand Rapids Gold WHEN GRAND RAPIDS GOLD owner Steve Jbara said, “We are going to stay here,” he meant it.

The proclamation came after the organization’s former NBA affiliate, the Detroit Pistons, wanted the team to move to the Motor City.

Jbara’s words became a reality in 2021 when the organization entered into a single affiliation “hybrid” partnership with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.

The hybrid affiliation allows the Nuggets to control the Gold’s basketball operations while the existing local ownership in Grand Rapids, led by Jbara and a team of investors, oversees the franchise’s business operations and community engagement.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our partnership with Denver and am excited to welcome the Nuggets to Michigan and the Grand Rapids family,” Jbara said.

“This partnership is a true testament to the Nuggets’ commitment to development, and we’re so happy to be able to help the team continue those initiatives in Grand Rapids for years to come.”

Formerly known as the Grand Rapids Drive, the organization transformed its identity. The team was renamed the Grand Rapids Gold, which pays homage to Colorado’s mining history. Along with its new name, the team also has a new logo and colors. The new logo includes a small river within each “R” to honor one of Grand Rapids’ famous nicknames, River City.

The Grand Rapids Gold also hired former NBA player Jason Terry as its head coach.

He was a former guard who played in the NBA for 19 seasons on various teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks.

David Marquardt

Indian Trails Golf Course (GR Parks and Rec) INDIAN TRAILS GOLF COURSE in 2021 became the first golf course in the state to be recognized as a speedgolf course by Speedgolf USA. Speedgolf is a fitness alternative to traditional golf where golfers run from hole to hole rather than walk or ride in a golf cart. In speedgolf, duration of play is assigned a score value: one minute is equal to one stroke. The goal is to produce the lowest combination of minutes and strokes.

The score is tallied by the number of golf strokes and the number of minutes and seconds.

David Marquardt, the city’s parks and recreation director, said the additional sports give the community more opportunities.

“By adding speedgolf to our offerings at Indian Trails, we can provide opportunities for outdoor recreation that fit the lifestyle of more visitors,” he said. “I’m excited to expand our commitment to a healthy and active community.”

The golf course is 4,687 yards in length with 18 holes and a par of 65. There also is a 25-acre driving range with 26 hitting stations, and five practice greens with three bunkers.

Indian Trails Golf Course also features a 2-mile cross-country ski and snowshoe loop and a 3.7-mile fat tire bike loop that maximize the recreational opportunities available to visitors.

“Opportunities for residents to stay active outside and enjoy our park spaces year-round is a major priority for us,” Marquardt said. “These winter activities allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of the golf course during a time that it would traditionally be unused.”

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

STARTUPS

Jeff Lambert Sarah Laman and Arick Davis

Founders Last Mile Café

CHARITABLE GIVING AND sustainability are at the core of Last Mile Café’s business, founded by Sarah Laman and Arick Davis.

The Black- and woman-owned Grand Rapids coffee brand, once known as Equity Café, became known as Last Mile Café in 2021 and launched its e-commerce platform offering premium coffee blends with giving back at the heart of each brew. Ten percent of every online purchase is donated to a charitable cause, which is chosen by the customer at checkout.

In August, the company offered two coffee blends in its online shop including Reasonable Doubt, a single-origin Ethiopian light roast; and Thank Me Later, a fair-trade decaf medium blend. Last Mile Cafe now also offers The Lost Boy, a medium, dark roast coffee, as well as an option for a coffee subscription. All coffee packaging, labels and shipping supplies are compostable.

“All businesses should prioritize environmental sustainability,” Davis said. “Financial sustainability, good marketing and fancy offices all mean nothing if, as a community, we don’t have an environment that is healthy and prosperous for all people.”

The company encourages customer feedback and is open to discussion of brewing strategies or recommended nonprofit organizations for its charitable giving program.

Products are available online and are sold at equity-focused, locally owned South East Market, and on Saturdays at Fulton Street Farmers Market.

“We believe that bold and creative problem-solving is essential to propelling us into the future of better business. We harness the latest technology to advance our practices,” the owners said.

Founder TiiCKER

THOUGH INITIALLY KNOWN as the founder and CEO of investor relations and marketing firm Lambert & Co., Jeff Lambert also launched Michigan-based fintech startup TiiCKER, which experienced a variety of updates and consumer growth in its first year of operation.

The website and app, which has been available for iOS and Android users since November, are designed to help brands and stakeholders cultivate relationships, connecting public companies to their shareholders with a variety of incentives. The idea for TiiCKER came to him about 25 years ago, Lambert said, as his public clients never had a way to reach their shareholders directly.

“For investors, it’s an opportunity to discover and earn the perks of ownership,” he said. “The average American is part of eight loyalty programs, but there’s no such thing as a loyalty program for shareholders. We think in many ways, we’re inventing direct-to-shareholder marketing, because it’s never existed before.”

Lambert said shareholders don’t want to maintain anonymity, they want to have direct involvement in and be known and rewarded by the companies whose stock they own.

TiiCKER offers brands a way to market their products to existing and potential new investors and the app welcomes any public company on a listed exchange.

By November, TiiCKER offered over 100 perks and discounts for shareholders from eight partner companies.

In its first year of operation, TiiCKER has garnered about 25,000 to 30,000 unique visitors per month and is growing connected accounts by about 30% per quarter, Lambert said. As of November, the company invested about $2 million toward growing the platform and is actively looking to sign more brands.

Kevin McLeod

Founder C2Dx

KALAMAZOO-BASED MEDICAL device startup C2Dx was founded by Kevin McLeod and Ann Arbor-based growth capital firm Plymouth Growth in 2019 to invest in and refine the delivery of “valuable niche products” to propel its growth.

And that’s exactly what happened in 2021.

C2Dx’s second product acquisition occurred early last year when it purchased Stryker’s T/Pump product line. T/Pump includes devices that provide localized temperature therapy for pain relief and patient comfort and often is used for orthopedic conditions, acute injuries, chronic pain and muscle strains, as well as skin trauma, burns, contusions and other localized pain diagnoses like arthritis and neuritis.

“The addition will provide great opportunity for growth for both C2Dx and the product itself,” McLeod said.

C2Dx’s first acquisition was the STIC Intra-Compartmental Pressure Monitor, a device that addresses “compartment syndrome,” which can lead to irreversible muscle and nerve damage, infection and potential amputation.

The T/Pump product line’s controlled warming and cooling temperature settings and multiple treatment cycle options allow therapy to be customized to each patient’s needs.

C2Dx is dedicated to growing resources, jobs and opportunities in West Michigan, and brought together previous Stryker executives, each with over 20 years in leadership, to launch its first product.

“Our leadership team has extensive experience leading all phases of medical device manufacturing,” McLeod said. “We have proven ourselves with a very successful initial product offering, and now we are excited to offer another valuable product and further pursue C2Dx’s mission.”

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 25

SUSTAINABILITY

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

Janay Brower & Lisa Knight Luis Chen Aguilera

Owner Wormies

WORMIES, A STARTUP composting business that specializes in vermicomposting or composting with worms, in 2021 began venturing into the cannabis industry.

Luis Chen Aguilera, owner of Wormies, began partnering with cannabis businesses to provide enriched soil mixes and utilizing their composting processes to provide sustainable solutions for cannabis growers.

Wormies uses food scraps to produce organic, microbe-rich fertilizer for gardeners and an emerging industry of cannabis home-growers. Aguilera said Wormies has diverted from landfills more than 750 cubic yards of waste, including food scraps, from over 300 households and businesses in Grand Rapids in the three-and-a-half years it has been operating.

The food scraps are fed to worms, which then turn them into probiotic-rich worm castings and are then sold as organic fertilizer.

Conventional composting is thermophilic, Aguilera said, meaning the bacteria thrive in extreme temperatures. Wormies uses thermophilia, but to add value to its product, it adds a mesophilic, or moderate-temperature step to the process, so the worms can survive in a pile.

The probiotic bacteria in the guts of the worms comes out through their castings, including growth hormones and enzymes to protect the plants from predators.

Keeping worms for composting comes with many variables, Aguilera said. Climate, source materials and inputs all factor into the quality of the finished product.

“The way I keep my worms is not the way someone in Florida would keep their worms,” Aguilera said. “I figure that’s one reason why this industry is not very big. It’s not standardized.”

26 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR

Owners Public Thread

JANAY BROWER AND LISA KNIGHT in 2021 began using their business to invest in education.

Brower and Knight are the owners of Public Thread, a textile upcycling company that diverts textile waste from landfills and supports living-wage jobs in the cutting and sewing industry.

They began partnering with Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) to launch an industrial sewing certification program.

Public Thread creates products such as duffel bags, face coverings, clothing, laptop sleeves and pet supplies by upcycling materials that are diverted from landfills.

In the industrial sewing certification program, students learn about the sewing process, safety, ergonomics and how to operate commercial sewing machines used in a variety of industries, including automotive and furniture manufacturing. GRCC provides the sewing machines, and Public Thread provides the space and instructors.

“This partnership allows us to continue to not only do the work internally of upcycling materials,” Knight said. “(It) allows us to train people who may have an interest in shifting their employment or career choices and become a pipeline between them and local manufacturers for employment.”

Public Thread was started in 2016 and since then, the owners have made an impact in the apparel industry. They began working with breweries by collecting grain bags and repurposing them into tote bags.

“It kept evolving and allowed us to continue to explore,” Brower said.

Public Thread also formed partnerships with other businesses such as Steelcase and Padnos, using leftover materials including textiles, banners and seatbelts, which Brower said make great bag handles.

Chad Howell

Co-founder Forever Great A CLOTHING COMPANY created by college students is aiming to raise awareness about pollution in the Great Lakes.

Chad Howell, who started Forever Great in 2021 with another Grand Valley State University student but now runs the company on his own, deals only in recycled and sustainable apparel.

The goal is to raise awareness about plastic pollution, make clothing that benefits conservation efforts for the Great Lakes and promote the use of a circular economy in the clothing industry.

Forever Great uses a supplier that produces clothing with 100% recycled materials. The items are made from plastic that is removed from the environment, melted down and made into polyester yarn that is woven into fabric.

The company sells active T-shirts that are made from eight types of post-consumer plastic bottles, gift cards, tote bags and stickers that feature the Forever Great logo.

Forever Great donates 8% of its profits to Alliance for the Great Lakes, an environmental organization that works to protect the Great Lakes.

Howell said he is concerned about the lack of awareness surrounding the pollution of the Great Lakes by the general public.

“We noticed the imbalance between the severity of the problem and the lack of discussion surrounding it,” Howell said.

Forever Great is in the process of arranging beach cleanups for locals to get involved in a hands-on manner. The company also plans to extend this measure to an on-lake plastic clean-up initiative and hopes to one day implement recycled Great Lakes plastic directly into its clothing.

NEWS MAKERS ‘21

TECHNOLOGY

John Sorensen

Jeff Boore

Founder Anjoy

GRAND RAPIDS NATIVE Jeff Boore created Anjoy after seeing an opportunity in the grocery subscription space to create a better food system that supports local farms and businesses and keeps prices fair to the consumer while also paying employees a living wage.

The locally focused and equitable grocery subscription service launched at the end of June 2021 in Grand Rapids, offering those who might not have time to visit a farmers market a convenient option to shop small.

“We make it easier to get products from local partners and help those partners compete with the big-box stores,” Boore said.

At its launch, Anjoy served customers within six Grand Rapids ZIP codes with the help of its first delivery driver. By the end of the year, Anjoy grew its service to 16 ZIP codes and brought on a second driver while also looking to add a third.

Anjoy differs from other grocery delivery services by hiring in-house employees rather than contractors, paying them a starting wage of $15 per hour. Produce from Anjoy comes fresh and in-season directly from local farmers and food businesses rather than grocery stores, with a goal of net-zero waste through a meal planning service included on the app. Orders also can be tweaked at the last minute, and the service does not take big margins from its local suppliers but instead returns as much profit to them as possible.

“Our big, gigantic goal is to help make the food system better for everyone — better for farmers, better for food business owners, better for customers and better for the planet,” Boore said.

Co-founder Student Achievement Systems/ Pulse LONG BEFORE AN unprecedented rise in home-based learning caused by the pandemic, John Sorensen co-founded Student Achievement Systems (SAS) in 2017 after recognizing the difficult task educators experienced as they attempted to monitor the progress of all students during a virtual class.

In 2021, SAS was awarded a $15,000 Business Accelerator Fund grant through Michigan State University’s Gateway Grand Rapids and the Small Business Development Center of Michigan after creating a licensed, cloud-based software solution called Pulse, which replicates an in-person classroom where a teacher is standing in the front looking out to see which students are completing a task and which aren’t.

“We take snapshots on a moment-by-moment basis, day-by-day basis,” Sorensen said. “We can tell a teacher about a student who has been doing great for the past couple of weeks (and then) they just dropped off the edge of a cliff — just stopped doing work altogether. Most of the learning systems that are out there do not have the ability to tell you that something has gone wrong, they can only tell you their progress in a course. We can tell you if students have stopped doing work.

We can tell you if a student is rushing to do something or rushing to make something up. So, it really gives teachers an enormous amount of data on a moment-by-moment basis.”

By June 2021, Pulse was used for hybrid and cyber classes offered in Grand Rapids, Belding, Muskegon, Kenowa Hills, Berrien Springs and Benton Harbor and collectively monitored more than 6,000 students and teachers.

Ashley Souffrou

Founder, CEO SxanPro

IN THE LAST DECADE, just 4% of women-only investors were issued patents, while Michigan ranks 45th among states that issue patents to women. The founder and CEO of Grand Rapids-based SxanPro, Ashlea Souffrou, stands out as one of the few after her cutting-edge technology was awarded a patent in 2021 after more than two years of pending approval.

Souffrou secured a patent for SxanPro’s mobile scanning technology of unique device identification (UDI) barcodes for more than 3 million medical devices. SxanPro can extract data from the barcode including expiration date, lot number, reference number, product description and manufacturer.

In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required manufacturers to put UDI barcodes on all medical devices to avoid medical errors resulting from misidentification or confusion surrounding the use of a device.

“We created an app that can scan that barcode … so that when we scan it, it gives you the visibility into the part number, the description, the manufacturer — all the data that hospitals currently rely on a multimillion-dollar inventory software system to use. So, what we try to do is create an easy-to-use, cost-effective tool that gives hospitals and surgery centers access to this data without needing a multimillion-dollar software system,” Souffrou said. “Hospital systems have very sophisticated inventory management systems, but they don’t capture expiration. So, (if ) the product isn’t being used, it could sit there and expire.”

The technology also saves health care facilities and their supply chain systems countless hours of manual counting by effectively managing products and inventory from a mobile device while reducing waste by providing visibility of current stock and expiration dates.

2021 NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 27

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY THOMAS M. COOLEY LAW SCHOOL

Congratulations, Associate Dean Tracey Brame

WMU-Cooley Law School proudly recognizes Associate Dean, Professor and Director of the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project Tracey Brame as a 2021 Grand Rapids Business Journal Newsmaker of the Year finalist in the Law category.

WMU-Cooley Law School’s vision is to advance justice and equity by providing broad access to a legal education to diverse individuals who meet that opportunity with a commitment to achieving high standards of professional competency.