Search for parking goes high tech.
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APRIL 4, 2022 VOL. 40, NO. 7
The Business Newspaper of Metro Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon & West Michigan
BAYARD CARRIES Study reveals changing ON LEGACY THIS WEEK
GRAAMA executive director is excited to spotlight African American art and history. Page 6
workforce desires
New Steelcase report reveals employees value choice, control, belonging in postpandemic workplace. Rachel Watson
rwatson@grbj.com
Second chances The Job Post is working with at least 10 employers to hire ex-offenders. PAGE 3
Make your move McCahill Group launches wellness corporate challenge for emotional, physical health. PAGE 4
FACE TIME Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services receives $400K grant for telehealth program. Page 5
THE LIST
The area’s top hospitals. Page 4
Steelcase recently released a new global research report that shows employees’ values have shifted to greater control, comfort and privacy in the workplace since the onset of COVID-19. The Steelcase report “The New Era of Hybrid Work” surveyed nearly 5,000 workers in 11 countries in late 2021. Many of those surveyed have returned to the office after working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal 87% of
One of the appealing attributes of home for 70% of employees is they have a dedicated space for work, but in the office, over 50% have desks in open areas, with less access to privacy. Courtesy iStock
people will spend at least some of their time working from the office but 45% prefer working from home. One of the appealing attributes of home for 70% of employees is they have a dedicated space for work, but in the office, over
50% have desks in open areas, with less access to privacy. As employers encourage people to work in the office, the office must work harder to meet these new needs, researchers concluded. The study also found people
who like working from the office are more engaged, productive, connected to their organization’s culture and less likely to leave their jobs. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Organization addresses need for affordable housing Housing Next is working with nonprofits, builders and municipalities to replenish residential stock. Danielle Nelson
dnelson@grbj.com
A West Michigan organization has formed a new partnership with the Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation (GGRCF) to address the housing needs in Kent County. Ryan Kilpatrick, executive director for Housing Next, an organization that works with local government, developers and nonprofits to make housing affordable, said the partnership with
GGRCF is an effort to increase the production of housing at all price points to meet the demand for housing and housing needs in the county. Housing Next originated in Ottawa County with the funding and support of the Community Foundation of the Holland /Zeeland Area and the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation with the same goal of meeting the housing needs of individuals. West Michigan, Kilpatrick said, needs more than 37,000 additional housing units over the next five years due to population growth. He said Ottawa and Kent counties are the two fastest growing counties in the state over the past 15 years, and both counties have underproduced in terms of housing production by less than
half of what they were producing each decade prior to the recession in the late 2000s. The growth in population stems from many things, including the economic opportunities that are now available. “We have had very strong job growth,” Kilpatrick said. “We’ve got a very diverse economy in West Michigan that still includes a fair amount of manufacturing, but also includes the medical sector and service industry. We have a bunch of outstanding educational institutions, and all of those things are drawing talent into the region from across Michigan and frankly across the country.” Along with the job opportunities in West Michigan, the region also provides affordable housing compared to
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Inside Track ....... 6 Guest Columns.. 10 Michigan vs. Ohio Change-Ups ...... 12
Wealth managers address inflation impacts.
Calendar ........... 12 Public Record .... 13 Street Talk ...... 14
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other cities throughout the country. “West Michigan, relative to a lot of communities, provides a very high standard of quality of life and is still relatively affordable compared to most major metropolitan areas across the country,” he said. “So, as we think about what happened during the pandemic, we saw a lot of households where one or maybe both income earners in a household suddenly had the opportunity to work remotely and where they used to be based in Denver or San Francisco or Seattle or Boston or Chicago in a very strong housing market where they were spending maybe as much as double on housing as CONTINUED ON PAGE 9