Grand Rapids Business Journal 06.14.21 by Grand Rapids Business Journal

ORGANIZATIONS work to convert interns to employees. PAGE 3

JUNE 14, 2021 VOL. 39, NO. 12

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

THIS WEEK

ATTORNEY MASTERS HEALTH FIELD

Joe Rivet took a job in health care just to get insurance; now he’s an expert on the subject. Page 11

Success plan Pandemic has many considering business exits. PAGE 3

Oﬃce options JLL guide highlights costs, benefits of remote work models. PAGE 3

TRADEMARK CHANGES Legislation addresses unused trademarks and fake specimens of use. Page 6

THE LIST

The area’s top intellectual property law ﬁrms Page 7

Economic developers to foster supplier diversity Grand Sourcing Summit will connect diverse-owned suppliers with purchasing organizations. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Large organizations often source products through one big supplier contract rather than several smaller ones, but an event being held this month will encourage buyers to give a chance to smaller, diverse-owned West Michigan businesses. Grand Sourcing Summit is a June 29 virtual event that will seek to connect West Michigan suppliers owned by women, veterans and people of color with purchasing organizations to discuss procurement opportunities. It’s being hosted/sponsored by Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC), Grand Rapids Area Revitalization Task Force, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Local First, The

A lot of manufacturers in West Michigan are starting to receive mandates from their upstream supply chain customers about the need, or the requirement, to do more work with minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses as part of a commitment to corporate social responsibility. Photo by iStock

Right Place and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The event runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include an overview of resources available to assist with

business growth, followed by one-on-one virtual buyer-supplier meetings. While the deadline to register for the one-on-ones is past, individuals and businesses can still sign up at bit.ly/grand-

sourcingsummit to attend the overview of resources and learn more about how to win supplier contracts. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Rockford gobbles up slices of old-school pizza pub Kickstarter campaign will help with renovation of 1866 building. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

After being live for about a week, Rockford Brewing Company’s Kickstarter campaign to engage the community with its restoration of the historic 1866 building is now complete. Now Malph’s Pizza Pub is one step closer to bringing back the glory days of Rockford Brewing. At press time, the project had not yet landed itself a general contractor. Rockford Brewing co-owner Seth Rivard said the brewery actually has been doing

much of the renovation and demolition itself so far. All of the project’s architecture is complete. The team has to repair and add footings to re-level the old building. Additionally, the second floor must be removed entirely and rebuilt. “Things like that are more work than we expected but we knew it would be a lot,” Rivard said. All of the $16,000-plus raised on Kickstarter will go toward renovation, but the sum is truly just a drop in the bucket of the estimated $1 million renovation project. Rivard said it was just a way to get the community involved and earn some fun prizes in the process. The majority of funding will come from long-term Rockford

All of the $16,000-plus raised on Kickstarter will go toward renovation, but the sum is truly just a drop in the bucket of the estimated $1 million renovation project. Rendering courtesy Rockford Brewing Co.

Brewing staff who are invested in the company, as well as long-time and first-time investors. Rivard predicted the project will not require any bank financing.

Inside Track ...... 11 Guest Columns.. 16 Sobering economy Change-Ups ..... 20

ENTREPRENEUR copes with loss by helping others.

Calendar .......... 20 Public Record .... 21 Street Talk ...... 23

PAGE 12

“The Kickstarter is probably going to be less than 1% of the funding,” Rivard said. “But we’re CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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JUNE 14, 2021

Organizations work to convert interns to employees Pandemic Groups host Intern has many Connect and This Is West Michigan considering to showcase all that the region offers. business exits Rachel Watson

Rehmann principal says laying the groundwork early sets company owners up for a successful transition.

rwatson@grbj.com

West Michigan organizations are working to make sure summer interns learn about the region’s diverse cultural, lifestyle and job opportunities in hopes they’ll have a great experience and put down roots. Gentex and Lakeshore Advantage partnered in May to host a second annual kickoff event for Gentex interns, called This Is West Michigan, at the Lawrence Street Park bowl/music shelter in Zeeland. The outdoor gameshow-style event focused on familiarizing students with all of the seasonal attractions and lifestyle benefits the region offers, as well as educating them on cost-of-living and job opportunities. Hello West Michigan, a regional talent attraction organization within The Right Place economic development agency, on June 23 will host a virtual half-day professional development conference called Intern Connect, its eighth annual event focused on helping interns connect with the community, their peers and local employers. To make the event happen, Hello West Michigan works with a host of area partners who all have the same goal of retaining talented young graduates in West Michigan.

This Is West Michigan Dan Quintanilla, director of talent acquisition, manages the Gentex internship program. He said this year, Gentex has 86 interns from 23 different colleges or universities — its biggest class ever — of

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

post-completion comparison to learn how the costs of the completed projects compared to average projects around the country. Scott Rantala, market lead for JLL’s Project and Development Services team in Grand Rapids, said JLL uses it with clients as a guide to set expectations. It’s not meant to be a cost-estimating device, so much as a rule of thumb for planning. “Very early on in a project, when we’re talking with a client, we’re trying to investigate what type of space do they really want, and this is a great starting point for them to review the different types of offices,” Rantala said. “Are you in the white-box low cost, medium cost, or do you have that high-end?” The national average cost of a new office fit-out varies based on space quality and complexity and office style. For example, occupiers looking for a progressive of-

The tumult of the past 15 months is leading many business owners to think about retirement, but a local firm says only 1 in 4 have a formal succession plan in place. Erik Schumacher, CPA and principal at the Grand Rapids office of Rehmann, recently spoke to the Business Journal about transition planning. He said numerous businesses stalled while others boomed during COVID-19, and a wave of business owners — Schumacher inundated with new challenges — are deciding to sell their companies and retire. “Similar to what we saw coming out of the Great Recession, there’s a generation of family-owned businesses or business owners who just survived COVID, where things are looking all right for them, but they’re not real interested in hanging out for another potential downturn or another COVID scare or something similar,” Schumacher said. “So, we do see a lot of clients, lots of businesses, starting to talk about transition planning, whether that be selling the business in the market to a buyer or looking at the next generation of family and preparing for that.” If a potential sale is on the table, Schumacher said it’s wise to start the planning and due diligence process sooner rather than later for many reasons, including the likelihood of federal capital gains tax and estate tax increases under the new administration and the length of time it takes to close a sale. Schumacher said Rehmann approaches transition planning from a few different angles. He helps clients with tax planning — understanding the tax ramifications of a potential transition — and the firm’s wealth management advisers helps business owners understand what their financial life will look like after any transaction — “whether that be helping the current owners plan for retirement, what their needs might be going forward, or in the case of some type of a divestiture or sale, what do they do with this new liquid wealth that they didn’t have previously, and how do they

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

Jamon Alexander, standing, is the keynote speaker for the virtual West Michigan Intern Connect program scheduled for June 23. Courtesy Hello West Michigan

which 78 attended This Is West Michigan. Thirty-five of the interns live more than 55 miles away from Gentex, with most of those interns relocating to the area for the summer. Ten of the interns come from eight states outside of Michigan, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri and Nevada. The interns are working in 20 different departments at Gentex, including manufacturing; chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering; marketing and communications; human resources; and accounting. Summer interns at Gentex participate in a series of teambuilding events to get to know each other better and to explore the area, such as scavenger hunts that take the students to places such as John Ball Zoo, the beaches and the local restaurants. The HR team also sets up meetings with

each department leader so interns can understand how departments work together to achieve business goals. This Is West Michigan was geared toward providing a fun way for the interns to meet each other in person — with social distancing in place — and get to know their temporary home in hopes they’ll someday make it permanent. “If you’re thinking about, is this somewhere I want to have a career and I want to live, (you ask) what are the things that I like to do, that I have fun doing back at home, that I can do here in West Michigan?” Quintanilla said. To help answer those questions at the event, Lakeshore Advantage staged “Family Feud”- and “The Price Is Right”-style games in which interns had to guess the answers to questions including what is the cost of things such as ice cream, park fees, boating, lodging

and housing; how many theaters and concert venues there are; and what kind of night life students will have access to, not just on the lakeshore but in greater Grand Rapids. Lakeshore Advantage provided the interns with a choose-yourown-adventure-style guide for things to do in the region, and Ottawa County donated free seasonal park passes to encourage them to have outdoor adventures in public spaces. The event organizers also presented information on what types of industries and businesses are located in Ottawa County and what their impact on the world stage is. For example, many interns do not know before they come to Gentex the pivotal role the company plays in technology integration CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Office guide highlights costs, benefits of remote work models Technology costs also are expected to rise in coming years. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

As the COVID-19 vaccine sees further widespread adoption, companies are actively rolling out return-to-office plans. JLL recently released its 2021 U.S. and Canada Office Fit Out Guide, which offers a proprietary cost matrix of benchmark buildout costs across U.S. and Canadian markets. The guide serves as a comprehensive data-driven tool that provides office occupiers with cost transparency across office styles, build quality levels and geographic markets to enable them to make better and more informed real estate decisions. The data in the report is based on an analysis of thousands of construction projects managed by JLL Project and Development

Offices that have a mix of personal and shared workspaces may become more popular as some employees spend a portion of their week working from home. Courtesy JLL

Services (PDS) teams across North America. “There is no single solution that answers how offices will change in a post-pandemic world,” said Todd Burns, president of project and development services for JLL. “The only constant will be that flexibility and choice will be key elements of all

future office planning. These factors will bring broad implications across the future of office real estate for decades to come.” JLL recommends readers use the report for early pre-project planning to get a sense of what different types of construction projects might cost across different markets, and also for

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Economic developers to foster supplier diversity Since this is the first event of its kind in West Michigan, AgostinelThe idea for the event came out li said the Grand Rapids Chamber of discussions of the Mayor’s Revi- and the Michigan Small Business talization Task Force, of which all Development Center held wethe Grand Sourcing organizers are binars leading up to the event to members, with the exception of help suppliers prepare their pitch PMBC. The discussions centered before their one-on-ones with on how to be more intentional as buyers and to help buyer reprea community to support local and sentatives understand the value of diverse-owned businesses. Grand breaking up larger contracts into a Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss then series of smaller ones with minorihighlighted the topic in her state ty-owned businesses. “Hopefully, the effectiveness of the city address earlier this year. Participating buyers at the of this (event) will be measured in summit will include Butterball how many new contracts are creFarms, the city of Grand Rapids, ated because of it,” Agostinelli said. Tim Mroz, vice president of Consumers Energy, DTE, Gordon Food Service, Grand Valley State strategic initiatives at The Right University, Interurban Transit Place, said his organization proPartnership (aka The Rapid), Kel- moted the Grand Sourcing Sumlogg Company, OST, Rockford mit to its network. “The Right Place has an overConstruction, ASM Global (which manages DeVos Place and Van An- 35-year history of working with del Arena), Spectrum Health and a lot of manufacturers in West Warner Norcross + Judd, and the Michigan — we have 1,000, 2,000 organizers are actively working to manufacturers in the area that are always interested in doing more recruit more. At the event, Joe Agostinelli, business with local suppliers,” executive director of the Grand Mroz said. “So anytime that we Rapids Area Revitalization Task have the opportunity to connect local buyers with Force, will provide an overview “As we think through local suppliers ... this is one of those of resources availthe economy events.” able, and Mayor He added Bliss will offer moving forward, The Right Place comments. Then there’s a need for managed three there will be two intentionality around different small sessions before the one-on-ones where we buy things business relief programs — “Doing Busiand who we buy things grant last year that ness with DTE as a Small Busi- from. The hope is that benefited a large ness” and a panel this summit serves as number of women-, veteran- and discussion on the “Successful Buy- the ‘kicking off’ of that minority-owned businesses, and er-Supplier Expecall to action in the the organization rience.” The panel community.” made sure to prowill feature a repmote the Grand resentative from Joe Agostinelli Sourcing Summit a large buyer and opportunity to a small supplier who were able to figure out how to those businesses, to “open doors that haven’t been there in the past.” do business together. Mroz said from a buyer’s perAgostinelli said the organizers hope the event will garner enough spective, it certainly is easier to attendance to warrant making it a deal with fewer, larger suppliers that can meet most of your orgaregular resource. “The MEDC has done a lot of nization’s procurement needs, but these procurement summits, but that approach also limits innovawe haven’t done one that’s got a tion and the opportunity to make hyper-local focus like this. The new connections. “The other thing is, a lot of hope is that if we build it, people will come, and we’ll see some suc- manufacturers in West Michigan are starting to receive mandates cess out of it,” he said. “There was a big push during from their upstream supply chain the pandemic to virtual shopping customers about the need, or the and online shopping, and there requirement, to do more work were a lot of local businesses that with minority-, women- and vetwere able to pivot and change their eran-owned businesses” as part of business model to support that. a commitment to corporate social But there were a lot that, for what- responsibility, Mroz said. “In many ways, the easiest way ever reasons, couldn’t or weren’t able to figure out how to effec- to do that is to start breaking up tively do that. And so, as we think some of those larger contracts into through the economy moving for- smaller subcontracts and opening ward, there’s a need for intention- that up to more (diverse) businessality around where we buy things es. The challenge there is many and who we buy things from. The of these small businesses don’t hope is that this summit serves as currently have the sophistication the ‘kicking off’ of that call to ac- to bid on larger, multi-tens-oftion in the community, that these thousands and hundreds-of-thoularger organizations are commit- sand-dollar projects. And so that’s ted to it, and we all should really where the MEDC and the city and get behind that at our own indi- The Right Place and the chambers vidual shopping level and/or if we and a lot of these other organizaown businesses or run organizations from around West Michitions that are buying a lot of goods gan can come by the side of these and services, to think through how smaller businesses and provide we can do that differently to sup- that training, to make sure that they put their best foot forward.” port the local economy.”

JUNE 14, 2021

First National Bank of Michigan

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

is proud to welcome

Bill Manns, President & CEO, Bronson Healthcare as a new Board Member. Bill Manns, President & CEO, Bronson Healthcare

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 14, 2021

Trademark rule changes could provide more opportunities for owners Legislation addresses unused trademarks and fake specimens of use. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

Trademark owners will have to adhere to some new rules and procedures later this year, courtesy of the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA.) The TMA was signed into law last December and some of its measures already have been implemented, while new proposed rules and procedures — and changes to existing procedures — are being finalized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and set to be instituted on Dec. 27. “One of the main objectives of the TMA is to address the problem of unused trademarks and fake specimens of use,” said Kevin McLaughlin, owner and trademark attorney for Grand Rapids-based Crafted Law. “In recent years, the USPTO has experienced a huge rise in fraudulent applications, with a disproportionately large share of those coming from Chi-

na. This clutters the trademark register and can interfere with the investment of legitimate business owners in securing and launching new brands.” The proposed procedures include the cancellation of unused trademarks through expungement proceedings or reexamination proceedings. According to the USPTO, third parties will be able to request cancellation of some or all of the goods or services in a registration during an expungement proceeding because the registrant never used the trademark in commerce with those goods or services. An expungement proceeding for the cancellation of trademark registration must be requested between three and 10 years after the registration date. Until Dec. 27, 2023, however, a proceeding may be requested for any registration at least three years old, regardless of the 10-year limit, per the USPTO. A reexamination proceeding will allow third parties to request cancellation of some or all goods or services in a registration on the basis that the trademark was not in use in commerce with those goods or services on or before a particular relevant date. Mc-

Laughlin said this action must be brought in the first five years following registration. Mary Bonnema, partner and intellectual property attorney for Warner Norcross + Judd, said reexamining and expungement proceedings will help to declutter the U.S. trademark register by making it easier for trademark owners to register trademarks that are not in use or that were registered based on fraud or inaccuracies. The change Bonnema that the USPTO has made to existing procedure will require registrants to respond to office actions within three months. Registrants have the option of requesting a three-month extension to respond by submitting a $125 fee. Prior to the proposed rule, registrants were granted a six-month response time. Bonnema said the TMA has made a clarification in trademark suits about the presumption of irreparable harm and it is now the standard across the country’s ju-

dicial system. “When a trademark owner was a plaintiff in a trademark infringement case, the longstanding presumption had been that if the trademark owner could prove when it brought an injunction that it was likely to succeed on its infringement case that the element of irreparable harm was presumed,” she said. “About 15 years ago, the Supreme Court in a patent case, eBay Inc. v. MercExchange LLC, it issued a decision that raised the bar for patents. One of the things in a trademark infringement case a plaintiff who is asking for an injunction must prove is that they are likely to suffer irreparable harm. So, the longstanding practice until this eBay decision in a patent case is it is presumed that you are likely to succeed in your case. After the eBay case, some federal circuit courts started drifting away from that presumption and required a separate showing of irreparable harm. But our jurisdiction, for example, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, continued to hold that a trademark owner is presumed to suffer irreparable harm if it could show that they would likely succeed on its infringement case. So we had circuits that were divided on how to address the issue of irreparable harm. What the TMA did was effectively restore the rebuttal presumption of irreparable harm for trademark owners, which is good news.” McLaughlin said the rule could be a game-changer for those seeking temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions in federal court because the Supreme Court decisions in eBay

Inc. v. MercExchange LLC and Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. proved to be fatal for many trademark cases and put the emphasis on proving harm that was primarily reputational in nature. “It remains to be seen to what extent the TMA will shape the future of trademark practice, but it appears as though help is on the way for trademark owners who have struggled with having applications blocked by foreign registrations that are not in use or were registered using fake or altered specimens,” he said. “It will also provide additional useful options for trademark attorneys to serve their clients.”

“One of the main objectives of the TMA is to address the problem of unused trademarks and fake specimens of use. In recent years, the USPTO has experienced a huge rise in fraudulent applications, with a disproportionately large share of those coming from China. This clutters the trademark register and can interfere with the investment of legitimate business owners in securing and launching new brands.” Kevin McLaughlin

TOP LAWYERS GRAND RAPIDS AREA

BASED UPON A SURVEY OF THEIR PEERS Less than 5% of all lawyers licensed in Michigan have received the distinction of being a LEADING LAWYER. Timothy Robert Alles Peter D. Bosch John E. Anding William M. Azkoul Thomas R. Behm J. Paul Janes Scott R. Melton Benjamin W. Mills William F. Mills Norman H. Pylman Robert L. DeJong Joseph Mikhail Infante Stanley J. Stek J. Terrance Dillon Lee T. Silver Thomas G. Sinas Brian A. Molde Richard A. Roane Charles E. Chamberlain Jr. Larry C. Willey

Alles Law PC Bosch Killman VanderWal PC Drew Cooper & Anding Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman PLLC Miller Canfield Miller Canfield Miller Canfield Silver & Van Essen PC Silver & Van Essen PC Sinas Dramis Law Firm The Molde Law Firm Warner Norcross + Judd LLP Willey & Chamberlain LLP Willey & Chamberlain LLP

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Rockford Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Grand Rapids

616.365.5055 616.364.2900 616.454.8300 616.235.5500 616.235.5500 616.235.5500 616.235.5500 616.235.5500 616.235.5500 616.235.5500 616.776.6308 616.776.6333 616.454.8656 616.732.5000 616.988.5600 616.301.3333 616.308.9087 616.752.2367 616.458.2212 616.458.2212

Elder; Trust, Will & Estate Comm Lit; Crim Defense: Felon/Misd; PI Def: General; Real Estate: Residential Commercial Litigation Banking; Comm Lit; ADR: Comm Lit; Creditor Rights/Comm Collect; PI: General Personal Injury: General; PI: Professional Malpractice; ADR: Personal Injury Civil Rights/Constitutional; Personal Injury: General; PI Pltf: Product Liability Personal Injury: General; PI Plaintiff’s: Product Liability Personal Injury: General; PI Plaintiff’s: Product Liability Family; PI: General; PI: Prof’l Malpractice; PI: Transport; PI Pltf: Product Liab ADR: Comm Lit; Nursing Home Negligence; PI: General; PI: Prof’l Malpractice Class Action/Mass Tort Def; Comm Lit; Products Liab Def; Trust/Will/Estate Commercial Litigation; Gov/Muni/Lobby/Admin; Intellectual Property Commercial Litigation; Land Use/Zoning/Condemn; PI Defense: General Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White Collar Commercial Litigation; ADR: Comm Lit; Prof’l Malpractice Defense Personal Injury: General; Personal Injury: Transportation Personal Injury: General; Personal Injury: Professional Malpractice Family Criminal Defense: Felonies & Misd; Criminal Defense: White Collar Criminal Defense: Felonies & Misd; Criminal Defense: White Collar

A lawyer CANNOT buy the distinction of Leading Lawyer. The distinction was earned by being among those lawyers most often recommended by their peers. For a full description of our research process, a complete list of all Leading Lawyers, and to view profiles of the lawyers listed on this page, go to

www.LeadingLawyers.com GrandRapidsBusinessJournal_June2021_9.995x6.385.indd 1

A Division of Law Bulletin Media—est. 1854

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

THE LIST

JUNE 14, 2021

Top Area Intellectual Property Law Firms (RANKED BY NUMBER OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWYERS IN WEST MICHIGAN)

Warner Norcross + Judd LLP 150 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 1500 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 752-2000 f 752-2500 wnj.com

Price Heneveld LLP 695 Kenmoor Ave. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 949-9610 f 957-8196 priceheneveld.com

Gardner, Linn, Burkhart & Ondersma LLP 2900 Charlevoix Drive SE, Suite 300 Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 975-5500 f 975-5505 gardner-linn.com

DND

Alticor, ARaymond, Bissell Inc., Cascade Patents, trademarks, copyrights, technology and IP licensing; internet, social Engineering, Denso International America Inc., media, privacy and information security; rights of publicity; joint development Dow, Gentex Corp., Haworth Inc., Ranir LLC, and nondisclosure agreements; IP due diligence; IP litigation and Spectrum Health, Stryker Corp., UT-Battelle, Van enforcement Andel Institute, Warrior Sports, Wolverine Worldwide

Brian Cheslek

Ford Global Technologies LLC, Whirlpool Patent and trademark prosecution and litigation, trade dress, trade secrets Corporation, Gentex Corporation, Steelcase Inc., and unfair competition Corning Incorporated, NIBCO Inc.

Terence Linn Frederick Burkhart Karl Ondersma Matthew Kendall

Burke Porter Group, Dematic Corp., Byrne Electrical Specialists Inc., Magna Electronics, Sun Bum LLC

Major intellectual property clients

Areas of expertise

Patents, trademarks, litigation, copyright and related issues

McGarry Bair 45 Ottawa Ave. SW, Suite 700 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 742-3500 f 742-1010 mcgarrybair.com

DND

Patents, trademarks, copyrights, litigation

Mika Meyers PLC 900 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 632-8000 f 632-8002 mikameyers.com

DND

Trademark and copyright protection, registration, licensing and enforcement; counseling regarding trade secrets, data privacy, data protection and security; technology development, procurement, transfer and licensing; negotiation, drafting and enforcement of related contracts, policies, terms and conditions and other documents; commercial and intellectual property litigation and proceedings in front of the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board

Varnum LLP 333 Bridge St. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 336-6000 f 336-7000 varnumlaw.com

Timothy E. Eagle

DND

Patent prosecution, U.S. and foreign patent protection, trademarks and copyrights, tech transfers, trade secrets and licensing, joint venture agreements, litigation

Bodman PLC 99 Monroe Ave. NW Suite 300 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 205-4330 bodmanlaw.com

Dickinson Wright PLLC 200 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 1000 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 458-1300 f 670-6009 dickinsonwright.com

Practice group leader

No. of W. Mich. intellectual property attorneys

Crafted Law 40 Pearl St. NW, Suite 200 Grand Rapids 49053 p (616) 200-8818 craftedlaw.com

Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins & Borsos PC 333 Bridge St. NW, Suite 900 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 254-8400 kreisenderle.com

Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone PLC 99 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 1200 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 454-8656 f 776-6322 millercanfield.com

Susan Kornfield

Comerica Bank, Terumo Inc., Intel Corp., The Technology commercialization, copyrights, trademarks, media and Henry Ford, Archdiocese of Detroit, The Kresge publishing, online commerce, online IP torts, economic espionage, IP Foundation litigation, among others

Phillip Rettig Leslee Lewis

DND

Intellectual property, copyrights, patents, trademarks, business technology, ITC section 337 enforcement proceedings, intellectual property litigation, trade secrets

Kevin McLaughlin

Crew Supply Co., Kyros Digital, Racing Tech LLC, Trademark clearance, U.S. and international trademark prosecution, Lawnbot, TKO Media LLC, Bulldog Vineyards, trademark portfolio management, trademark protection and enforcement, EAC Limited, Oktober LLC brand protection and growth strategy, trademark licensing and transactions, IP asset purchase agreements

Elliott Church

Serving clients in the areas of software, Trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, technology transactions, information systems, manufacturing, insurance, licensing, privacy, software-as-a-service, infrastructure-as-a-service, cloud health care, publishing, retail and more services, unmanned aerial vehicles and related business-formation issues, dispute resolution and litigation

Paul Collins

Trico Products Corp., Fram Auto, Meritor Inc., Patent prosecution and litigation; trademark counseling, prosecution and FCA, Kiss, Magna Seating Inc., Linamar Corp., infringement litigation; trade secret protection and litigation; copyright Rivian, Ziebart, MacDon Industries Ltd., SkyJack procurement and litigation Inc.

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area intellectual property law firms, ranked by number of intellectual property lawyers in West Michigan, is the most comprehensive available. The Business Journal defines "West Michigan" as Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The Business Journal surveyed 159 law firms; 12 responded and 11 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose

New attorney Bodman PLC welcomed Peter A. Cummings to its Grand Rapids office. He is a patent and intellectual property attorney who has more than 10 years of experience.

Ranked attorneys and practices London-based publisher Chambers & Partners ranked eight of the Dickinson Wright PLLC practices, including its intellectual property practice, in Michigan and 31 of the firm’s Michigan attorneys in the 2021 Chambers USA Guide.

Hall of Fame Kreis Enderle shareholder and treasurer Mark Kreter was selected for the 2021 Class of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame.

First woman CEO Miller Canfield’s Megan Norris became the firm’s first woman chief executive officer. She succeeded Michael McGee who has been serving as CEO since 2013.

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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

JUNE 14, 2021

Rockford gobbles up slices of old-school pizza pub they built only a few structures still standing, and this is one of them,” Rivard said. The more than 150-year-old building saw previous life as Rockford’s first hotel, a boarding house, and various stores and restaurants. It most recently was the home of Vitale’s Pizza of Rockford for the past 40 years. Many existing parts of the building were added over the years. The original was built in 1866, and 20 years later, a second party bought it and doubled the size. In the back of the building is a small addition from 1940s that was poorly constructed. Rivard said Rockford Brewing plans to

remove it completely, and in its place will be the new brewery/ distillery and a rooftop deck. The remodeled 5,764-squarefoot pizza pub will feature two separate bars and a scenic view of the historic Rogue River Dam and downtown Rockford. Building plans also feature expansive outdoor seating complete with a large beer garden/patio and an elevated deck. Malph’s menu will continue to feature some of the favorite recipes from the past 43 years along with a host of new items already being developed by the RBC culinary team. Rivard said Rockford Brewing

Co. will remain at 12 E. Bridge St. NE, and Malph’s Pizza Pub will exist to serve a different demographic, harkening back to the days when Rockford Brewing first opened. “Originally when we opened, we didn’t have food and Vitale’s provided pizza,” Rivard said. “When we decided to open the kitchen, we went for more of a gastropub-type menu. We hired chefs to come up with creative food, and we got a whole new foodie demographic. Doing something like the pizza place is going to recapture some of those glory days that people appreciate.” The addition of an on-

site distillery is going to be a game-changer as well, Rivard said. His business partner and Rockford Brewing co-founder Jeff Sheehan will be putting his distilling chops to good use. Sheehan was involved in the early days of New Holland Brewing Co. when that company first began distilling spirits. Malph’s Pizza Pub is expected to welcome patrons in spring 2023, but Rivard said he is hopeful it will be done sooner, depending on the investment partners and contractors the project lands. Follow Malph’s progress at malphs.com and on Facebook and Instagram, @MalphsPizzaPub.

Organizations work to convert interns to employees

moving into the county than out of it. Not far behind, Allegan County is the fourth fastest-growing county in the state. Greater Grand Rapids as a whole recently was ranked among the 50 best metro areas for STEM professionals by the personal finance website Wallethub. Although Quintanilla said Gentex doesn’t have a record of how many of its previous interns accepted job offers within the company, he did say the company has a 90% job offer acceptance rate overall, and about 20 individuals in this year’s class are repeat interns from the previous year, which he views as a positive sign. Emily Staley, director of marketing and communications at

Lakeshore Advantage, said 49% of the Ottawa and Allegan county companies Lakeshore Advantage interviews each year do some sort of internship, apprenticeship or co-op program, and any of them should feel free to reach out to Lakeshore Advantage if they would like to partner on an event similar to This Is West Michigan for their interns. “We built the program, so it can be kind of standalone, and we can share it with them,” Staley said. “Offering that engaging, valuable experience ... helping (interns) picture what a career would look like at their organizations and getting them engaged and connected with the community in some way, whether it’s with other interns that are interning at your company, or with an organization like Holland Young Professionals, or reaching out to Hello West Michigan, being connected to the community and understanding the whole picture of what a career and life would look like here in West Michigan — it’s our opportunity to really showcase that.”

year, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the organization was able to reuse recorded content from the live event in 2019 on positive communication and adulting, then added a live keynote speaker who talked about how to be successful working from home. This year, topics will include working with your managers, relationship building and a young professional panel again discussing “real talk on adulting.” Jamon Alexander, president and CEO of WMCAT, will be the keynote. In addition to the half-day virtual conference, Intern Connect registrants have access to an exclusive series of virtual connection events, plus they’ll receive The Intern Inform, a weekly e-newsletter to keep them engaged all summer. “A lot of companies pulled back on professional development last year because of financial or logistical reasons related to the pandemic,” said Rachel Gray, executive director of Hello West Michigan. “But investing in the future workforce is critical for our regional economy. As the trend of ‘companies follow the talent’ continues, our region needs to continue to invest in the talent we have here, show them West Michigan wants them and retain them in the region.” This year, Hello West Michigan also partnered with the city of Grand Rapids to send the GRow1000 students to Intern Connect. GRow1000, the city’s summer youth employment program, works to place students ages 15 to 24 at local companies. Through a grant from Ernst & Young, 200 students ages 18-24 will be able to attend Intern Connect. Kuster said the Intern Connect event and the associated networking opportunities throughout the summer will not only give interns and students information about lifestyle and housing options, but will provide them with information on volunteer opportunities, festivals and places to go. Hello West Michigan typically averages around 500 attendees per year at the Intern Connect event, and Kuster said she hopes this year will be no different. Tickets for Intern Connect are $25 and can be purchased up to the date of the event. Interns can register individually at hellowest michigan.com/internconnect, or companies can pay for their registration by contacting Hello West Michigan.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

glad the community was excited to get involved … there are a lot of Rockford history enthusiasts here.” The original building existed before the name Rockford was even established for the city, Rivard said. The town was first named Laphamville after Smith Lapham, one of the original settlers to the area in the mid-19th century, before it became incorporated as the Village of Rockford in June 1866 with only 315 inhabitants. “All these guys that founded the town and various companies,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

systems that come in many vehicles and appliances on the market today. Depending on the age of the intern, Quintanilla said some of the Holland/Zeeland area’s top selling points include the many breweries and distilleries; the state having four seasons for outdoor recreation; its proximity to Lake Michigan, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Chicago; the region’s population

growth; and the increasing number of world-class manufacturing and technology companies based here. According to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by Lakeshore Advantage, Ottawa County is the fastest-growing county in the state, with a growth rate of 11.7% from 2010 to 2020. Forty-seven percent of the growth was due to natural increases, i.e., more births than deaths, and 53% was due to positive net migration, or more people

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Intern Connect If interns would like an in-depth opportunity for professional development, they can register for the West Michigan Intern Connect event Hello West Michigan is hosting from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 23. Jessica Kuster is program manager at Hello West Michigan, and she said the organization has been hosting Intern Connect since 2014. Last year was the first year it went all virtual, and it will be again this year. Started by local companies in 2007, Hello West Michigan promotes the region as a place where business thrives and where people want to live and work. It seeks to increase the rate of success its member companies have in their efforts to recruit top talent, and it collaborates with organizations across the region to help new residents and those interested in relocating find their fit in West Michigan. That mission extends to Intern Connect. This year, college students from any location will have the opportunity to participate in the program, as many internships were canceled due to the pandemic, and students are in need of networking and career development opportunities. Kuster said the event format has morphed over the years. Last

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 14, 2021

Furniture industry panel discusses supply chain issues Top leaders share how pandemic has shaken business, as well as lessons learned. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and West Michigan economic developers recently held their first-ever furniture industry symposium, and supply chain disruptions led the list of concerns. The MEDC, Pure Michigan Business Connect, The Right Place and Lakeshore Advantage co-hosted the Michigan Furniture Industry Symposium last month, and a panel discussion with five industry leaders moderated by Mike Dunlap — founder and principal of the commercial furniture industry consulting firm Michael A. Dunlap & Associates — focused on supply chain issues and myriad other disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The panelists also shared insights on how they are responding and recovering from those challenges. The panelists were Kyle Williams, president, Work Furniture Group, a division of Leggett & Platt in Grand Rapids; Rebecca Boenigk, CEO, Bryan, Texas-based Neutral Posture, which does business in Michigan; Todd Folkert, president and owner, Muskegon-based The BOLD Companies; Les Brand, CEO, Kentwood-based Supply Chain Solutions; and Amy Sparks, owner, president and CEO, Holland-based Nuvar Inc.

Supply chain starter Dunlap kicked off the conversation by noting although many manufacturers, such as automotive, appliance and technology-based companies, are experiencing supply chain pain points as a result of COVID-19, the furniture industry has had its own specific challenges. He asked Williams and Boenigk to describe theirs. Williams said at the beginning of the pandemic, furniture makers in particular focused on PPE — how to find, make and supply it — but the biggest challenge Leggett & Platt dealt with in the big picture was managing supply chain disruption that started off as regional (i.e., limited to China), then spread globally. “Staying on top of all the different areas, both the legal issues and the changes that (went) on in, for instance, supply from Mexico or from Canada or from Poland or from states like Michigan — being able to know what the legal requirements for businesses were there, and how that would affect our supply chain, was really an issue,” he said. “We needed to stay on top of it depending on where our suppliers were. … So I think adaptability in our business was really important.” Boenigk said Neutral Posture also scurried to make enough PPE for itself and other businesses in Texas, but the larger issue was the sudden impact on pricing, availability and lead times

that continues to this day. “Pricing is going through the roof between the value of the dollar, the increased pricing in petroleum and the fact that there are so many products that we use with it. Every piece of plastic that is used in the furniture industry has petroleum products in it. Some of our fabrics actually have petroleum products in them. Our steel company is giving us new pricing and new lead times every Monday. So, when you look at this, it’s getting more and more difficult.” She added the foam supplier

they use can’t get ahold of certain chemicals, so Neutral Posture had to meet with that supplier and decide how to reformulate the foam using available chemicals. “When you’re trying to re-engineer a product based on the lack of global raw materials, it makes it very difficult to do that and do it fast enough so that we can replace those products and not run out of foam,” she said.

Top internal challenges Dunlap asked Folkert and Brand to share what top challenges

they are dealing with in their companies. Folkert cited materials shortages, import and delivery delays, and having to raise prices 20% to 30% due to rising materials costs — but also talent challenges such as absenteeism and mental health issues due to the stress of dealing with moving targets. “It’s a very dynamic situation each and every day,” he said, noting The BOLD Companies began a partnership with Pine Rest to offer four free mental health visits to employees to help them deal with their stress and anxi-

ety. Brand said his team also is feeling the pressure of having to work long hours and weekends to meet the numerous business challenges. “We took a tally a (few) weeks ago on how much time we’re spending tracking and tracing global shipments or domestic shipments for our client base. … Our organization is still fairly small; we’ve got about 150 associates working in a variety of different offices around the globe, CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Advisers see bright future for West Michigan real estate Almost all sectors are seeing a bump in activity. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

Coming into the post-pandemic era, West Michigan remains vibrant and growing, according to the latest market reports from Bradley Company. Industrial demand still is bullish in 2021 even after a high number of sales in Q4 2020. The ware-

house and distribution sector, in particular, continues its positive momentum. Bradley Company observed six sale transactions in Q1 2021 that were over $1 million, with one over $4 million. There were 11 sales transactions above $1 million in the final quarter of 2020, with six of those in December alone. The transactions combined accounted for $120 million, the highest sales volume in the past five years. The number of properties traded was the second highest in the five-year period. Industrial and warehouse space is in such high

demand that properties will often get offers as soon as they go on the market and existing industrial properties are seeing record high prices as construction costs continue to increase. “It depends on product type,” said adviser Kyle Grooters. “If you’re looking to buy a 40-60,000-square-foot building, you’re not going to get it now. As for leasing there’s product on the market, but it’s a little too expensive for our market considering people’s past experiences.” The rise in asking rates is due in part to the elevated cost of

construction, as well as a nationwide demand for steel, Grooters said. Asking rents are expected to rise as supply continues to lag demand. The average rate begins at about $5.53 per square foot in West Michigan. Comparatively, the national average is around $6.31. In the previous quarter, several food distributors had laid off workers due to restaurants and bars having restricted capacity from the pandemic. While some sectors struggled, the e-commerce industry is in expansion mode.

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Conveyor Concepts, a manufacturer of automation equipment, is expanding its facility in Coopersville. The company is investing $1.3 million to enlarge its facility by 30,000 square feet. The company is benefiting from increased demand in e-commerce and more warehouse and distribution facilities that rely on its products. Likewise, Holland Steel announced a 34,000-square-foot expansion. The company makes steel products for a variety of industries and plans to invest $2.4 million in the project. The largest expansion project also is in Holland. A $35 million project by Hudsonville Creamery and Ice Cream Company includes a new 156,466-square-foot cold storage distribution facility and expanding its manufacturing capabilities at its headquarters. The company previously spent nearly $10 million on an expansion in 2020. In addition to expansions, new facilities also are underway. Pfizer broke ground in March on a new $465 million facility in Portage in Kalamazoo County. The project was announced in 2018 and will open in 2025, creating 450 jobs. Amazon’s $10 million, 113,000 square-foot sorting and delivery center in Walker is scheduled for completion in Q3 2021. West Michigan, like all office markets across the United States and the Midwest, saw a spike in office vacancy rates in 2020 due to the pandemic. The western Michigan area for Bradley Company includes Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Grand Rapids is considered a secondary market, making it appealing for those looking for lower cost of living, compared to the large gateway cities. Office space had robust demand in Grand Rapids, especially in the downtown area before COVID-19. “West Michigan is a very appealing region for companies to relocate offices, driven by our low cost of living, natural environment and ‘cool cities’ for employees to work in a central office or for people working remotely for a larger market,” said Jeffery Tucker, principal and senior managing director of brokerage. There is uncertainty as to what the office market will look like in the near-term, but most are bullish on the strength of demand for space in the Grand Rapids market. With its many amenities, demand for downtown office space should rise as companies make decisions about their physical presence. Additionally, local universities, such as Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University, feed the economy with fresh graduates each year and entice companies looking to place themselves in a city with a great talent pipeline. “But out-of-area companies are looking at our educated workforce here and how they can benefit from a wider talent pool, and in turn, Grand Rapids companies are benefitting from a global talent pool to expand their local talent teams,” Tucker added. There are multiple companies CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

INSIDE TRACK

JUNE 14, 2021

Attorney turns medical problem into career Joe Rivet took a job in health care just to get insurance; now he’s an expert on the subject. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

oe Rivet inadvertently catapulted himself into the health care industry as a teenager and has made a career out of it ever since, recently becoming the founder and principal attorney for Rivet Health Care Law PLC, and an arbitrator for the American Health Law Association. Born on the western side of the state of Washington, Rivet and his family experienced the ebbs and flows of the lumber and fishing industries. Rivet’s father worked at lumber mills that were located throughout the region. Prosperity at the time hinged on the domestic and international trade of lumber, which fell victim to the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 when Rivet was a toddler. “After the eruption, there were thousands of acres of wooded land that were owned by the lumber industry that were wiped out,” he said. “It was just devastating. There was nothing there for the workers to harvest. There was no product to cut down. There was no product to manufacture. There were tens of thousands of acres and not all of them were disrupted. But they were at different parts of their growth cycle, so they weren’t ready to be harvested because it took a lot of time. Those trees took long to grow in order for them to be harvested so just thousands of acres were wiped out, which impacted the lumber industry.” Despite the devastation, residents still returned to work in the lumber industry because it and fishing were the top two economic drivers in northwest Washington. Rivet, however, decided he wanted to chart his own course. He

worked at a local convenience store and a hotel as a teenager, but he needed health insurance because he no longer was covered by his parents’ policy when he turned 18 at the time. “I needed to find a job that provided health insurance because I had horrible teeth,” he said. “We didn’t have money for an orthodontist or a dentist. We had state Medicaid for dental, which unless your tooth was hanging by the root there weren’t a lot of options.” Rivet was able to pay to get braces at 19 after a woman who worked at a local hospital suggested he apply at the hospital for a transporter job. That position ended up being the foundation for a career in the health care industry. He spent about two years as a transporter, moving people and items throughout the hospital such as in x-ray rooms, emergency rooms, patients’ rooms and administration offices. Rivet later accepted a position as a registrar, where he registered patients in the emergency department by collecting and verifying their insurance information and having them sign different forms of paperwork. He then took a new position called charge entry specialist. “I was just entering all of these charges onto patients’ accounts,” he said. “I had no idea what the numbers were, I just knew that they had to balance. But what was behind that were all the codes, coding. They would take a record and put it into a CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code or a diagnosis code. “So, over the half-wall partition were all of the coders reading over the medical records from positions and putting them into a numeric value, which were these CPT or diagnoses codes. I thought they

JOE RIVET Company: Rivet Health Law Position: Founder and principal attorney Birthplace: Longview, Washington Residence: Grand Haven Age: 42 Family: Wife; Cindy, and children Corbin (20), Evan (11), Audrey (9) and Adam (8) Business/Community Involvement: Board member of the Young Lawyers Association of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, member of the State Bar Payer Subcommittee, pro bono attorney for the Michigan Indian Legal Service, reimbursement chair for the Michigan Group Medical Association and member of the American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division Biggest Career Break: “Many years ago when my boss at the time actually moved me into an entry level coding position to code medical records. I didn’t have a credential at that time, I never did it before, but she believed in me and she made the investment to train me and from then on, I’ve just been on this path. Had it not been for that, I don’t know that the path would have led me here, practicing law in health care.”

Corporate restructuring during COVID-19 prompted Joe Rivet to start his own law firm. Courtesy Anna Cillan

were brilliant people because they sounded like doctors and I said, ‘I want to do that.’” CPT codes describe medical, surgical and diagnostic services that were provided to a patient. To become a coder, Rivet said he had to become certified, so he took some of the study guides that were not being used in the department home with him and began studying. Rivet said typically to get that credential, a person would have to work in coding for at least three years. So while he was studying, he got the opportunity to become an emergency department coder, which allowed him to do coding for the first time. He later passed his exam on the first try and earned his credential. Rivet moved on to an auditing role where he did evaluation and management codes for physicians who saw patients in the office, nursing homes or in a medical room at the hospital. He served in that role for a couple of years until he moved to Michigan where his wife’s family resides. The Washington state native took a medical auditing position at Henry Ford Health System where he audited the bills and services of providers to ensure that their documentation supported the services that were being billed. Rivet later transitioned to a revenue cycle management position at Henry Ford. He was in charge of revenue for 13 different departments, including hematology, oncology and medical anthropology. Rivet said he was tasked with ensuring that all the charges from both in-patient and out-patient care were captured and

charged correctly on patients’ accounts. While at Henry Ford, Rivet was invited to present at several speaking engagements about evaluation and management services and since has authored three books on the subject. After spending five years at the Detroit health system, Rivet joined the law firm of Hall, Render, Killian Heath & Lyman as a coding compliance specialist. One of his primary responsibilities was to research reimbursement issues that clients had and share that information with the health law attorneys who would look at it and make the necessary legal decisions. Despite having success in his previous positions at different places, Rivet began to pursue his bachelor’s degree in health administration by taking online classes at Baker College while he was working at the law firm. Rivet decided to continue his education and went to what was then Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2012 to earn his law degree while still working. He attended school mostly part-time and graduated with his degree in January 2017. During his time in law school, Rivet worked at Wayne State University Physician Group as a corporate compliance and privacy officer for a year. He became the director of fraud and abuse services at Priority Health and then the director of payment integrity at Health Alliance Plan. After graduating from Cooley, he became the vice president, coding compliance and audit/ EMS compliance officer at a Chicago-based international revenue

cycle company called R1 RCM. “I was responsible for conducting the coding audits for our clients to make sure that the coders were coding the records correctly,” he said. “I was also the EMS compliance officer. The company had bought a billing and coding company and most of our clients were municipalities like the city of New York, the city of Chicago, the city of Philadelphia and many others. I worked with government entities, with the various cities to make sure we were doing things that we were supposed to be doing as far as coding and billing for ambulance services and they were all ground ambulances. We had some air ambulances.” Rivet spent three years at R1 RCM before its corporate restructure that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many corporate roles were eliminated, including Rivet’s positions in July 2020. “That was when I said, ‘I am going to take the leap and start my own law practice’ and that was exactly what I did.” Rivet became a licensed attorney in January 2020 and he opened his Norton Shores-based law firm, Rivet Health Law PLC, in July of 2020, amid the pandemic. He assists clients in understanding coding and billing regulations within Medicare and Medicaid. “Having my own firm is exciting,” he said. “This is invigorating. My intent is to be a business partner and try to have solutions for providers and really be that foresight, looking forward to proposed rules and regulations and things that could have an impact on my clients.”

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 14, 2021

Entrepreneur copes with loss by helping others Miscarriage prompts flower business and avenue for community support. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

A West Michigan woman is turning her family tragedy into joy by doing something she loves. Jess Resheske recently opened a mobile flower shop called Blossoms of Joy, where she arranges and sells bouquets of flowers and floral crowns as a way of coping with the loss of her pregnancy, and also as a source of support for women who have suffered miscarriages like herself. Resheske was supposed to welcome her fourth child in April but she lost her pregnancy in December when she was 19 weeks pregnant. “I felt her kick on a Saturday and usually when I start feeling movement from the baby, from my previous pregnancies, I feel it constantly, at least multiple times throughout the day. But I just felt that one kick and I didn’t feel anything else after that,” she said. “I just knew something was wrong. I felt that kick on Saturday and I didn’t feel anything on Sunday, so I just knew something was wrong. My husband tried to calm me down and tried to talk me out of it, but I told him that I

needed to make sure that everything is OK. When I went to my doctor’s appointment, they were trying to find a heartbeat with a doppler, but my doctor couldn’t find the heartbeat and then she said, ‘Let’s go take an ultrasound’ and I just knew, I just knew she was gone. And she was.” Resheske had to deliver her baby who wasn’t considered a stillborn because Resheske was just shy of 20 weeks pregnant. ‘When she was born, I got to hold her right away,” she said. “They wrapped her up and I held her. I couldn’t spend as much time as I wanted to with her, but I spent a couple of hours with her. Since she had passed, it was better to have her in a cooler room just because things start to diminish pretty quickly. And since we wanted to do an autopsy, we wanted to preserve her and try to find out what happened.” Unfortunately, the doctors could not figure out what went wrong, but before Resheske and her family left the hospital the next day, they were able to spend more time with the baby and hold her before saying their final goodbyes. “We went home with a little box with her footprints, what she was in while we were holding her, and we ended up having her cremated, so we have her ashes in a little urn,” she said. Although Resheske had the support of her friends and family as she grieved, she searched the internet for support groups

and for people who had a similar story to hers, but there were not many. “After losing Joy, the type of grief and pain (I was) in was just unthinkable,” she said. “You don’t even know if you are going to feel OK again. Of course, I have my three other children, but every child is your whole world and when you lose one of those children that you have hopes and dreams for, your whole world comes crashing down. I couldn’t see past it. I just felt hopeless, sad and really in a dark place.” Resheske said three months after she had lost Joy, in March, she was watching a show on Netflix, and she saw someone making flower crowns for someone’s wedding and suddenly she got this overwhelming feeling of conviction to start a flower business. Making flower bouquets was a personal hobby, but now Resheske wanted to make it a business. More importantly, she wanted to create a place where women and families who have suffered a miscarriage, or knows someone who has, can go to for support. Resheske created bouquets of flowers on April 29, which would have been her due date, and delivered them to Boven Birth Center at Holland Hospital as gifts to the new mothers. She and her husband recently bought a trailer that she is using CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Jess Resheske uses her business, Blossoms of Joy, as a starting point for discussion about pregnancy losses. Courtesy Blossoms of Joy

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Office guide highlights costs, benefits of remote work models CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

fice space marked by an open floor plan that encourages small group collaboration may pay $155-$225 per square foot depending on the quality of the space. Additionally, tenants wanting a more traditional build-out with private offices and dedicated conference rooms may end up paying $168-$243 depending on the quality and complexity of such an office space. New York City holds the title as most expensive city for office fit-outs in 2021 ($233 per square foot), followed by the San Francisco Bay Area ($175 per square foot). At the other end of the spectrum, the south and southeast sections of the U.S. are the cheapest areas in which to build. The three Texas markets of Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio rank as the cheapest major markets for office construction this year. Rantala said Midwest “second-tier” cities like Grand Rapids are great places to build an office fit-out compared to coastal cities in New York and California, or even in Chicago. Comparatively, the cost of constructing a new office in a city like Grand Rapids is more manageable. Occupiers considering transforming future office space with less density, increased technology implementation and a focus on sustainability and wellness will want to consider the costs and benefits of these office trends.

corporated as one element of the Partially remote workforce Over half of corporate employers larger overall office design in more expect employees to work from projects, JLL said. From a cost perspective, this home two days a week on average, means a more and 72% of emcarefully designed ployees want to “I’ve had a few and customized continue working from home, even clients that have gone office that meets post-pandemic, to reducing their space the needs of multiple overlapping according to the because of remote users on any givlatest JLL reworking opportunities en day. On a persearch. square-foot basis, With any giv… but what I think cost of a moen employee not is happening is, even the bility- and collabin the office two though some of the oration-focused days a week, fewoffice design will er companies will staff is working generally be highprovide every emremotely, you’re er than a standard ployee a permanent and dedicat- changing your space to layout with primarily dedicated ed desk. Instead, accommodate more workstations. some future office of the collaboration, On the othdesigns will place a greater emphaconferencing, having er hand, some occupiers may sis on custom some of those ameconsider slightly collaboration and nities, that you’re smaller footprints community spaces, with a smaller almost making up for given that fewer employees will share of the office the space that you be using the offootprint dedilose by having people fice at the same cated to standard time. The right workstations. removed, so you’re balance will deIn this scheme, almost staying where pend on each the workstacompany, but a tions that remain you’re at.” reduced footprint will generally be could potentialavailable on an Scott Rantala ly offset a higher as-needed basis, cost per square rather than dedicated to employees with a one- foot, leaving the total capital cost to-one ratio. Mobility-focused of- of a project unchanged. “I’ve had a few clients that fices without dedicated seats are nothing new, but are expected to have gone to reducing their space become more common, or be in- because of remote working op-

portunities … but what I think is happening is, even though some of the staff is working remotely, you’re changing your space to accommodate more of the collaboration, conferencing, having some of those amenities, that you’re almost making up for the space that you lose by having people removed, so you’re almost staying where you’re at,” Rantala said. “I’ve got a feeling the square footages will stay where they’re at, but it’s what type of space is being built in there.”

Technology support Another critical piece of an office where employees work from home a couple days a week is a greater need for technology. While makeshift remote setups worked during the pandemic, a permanent shift to virtual collaboration will require a re-imagination of the technology setups in many existing office designs today. The cost implications of reformatting technology will directly depend on both the scope and the quality of the technology being integrated into a workplace. Within each project budget, the share of spend being dedicated to technology is expected to grow for most companies over the coming years. Anyone planning to build or renovate an office this year should carefully reconsider any technology budget based on past assumptions, and exercise caution before relying on benchmarks from previous years. JLL forecasted the quantity of technology in an average office will continue rising,

which will mean increased complexity to support a more robust technology suite.

Wellness and sustainability The shift toward sustainability and wellness in office design and construction was in place long before the pandemic, and only accelerated because of it. While many pandemic-specific safety measures will subside this year along with the health risks from COVID-19, an increased awareness and focus on health and well-being will be permanent. The most straightforward markers from the design and construction perspective are the common certifications that office fitout projects seek, including LEED and WELL certifications. The upfront cost of any sustainability or wellness certification generally includes both higher construction costs and a fee to apply for and receive the certification. “When you go through the whole LEED and WELL certification process, there are additional costs to upgrade your building, but in the long run those upgrades usually pay for themselves anyway,” Rantala said. “So, I think there’s a lot more buildings that are going toward some type of certification for sure.” For purely wellness or health-focused features, the return on investment cannot be quantified in dollar figures, but it will have positive returns in employee health, engagement and retention, he said.

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Furniture industry panel discusses supply chain issues CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

but we were spending about 255 hours a week just on figuring out where shipments are for our customers.” He said the company fasttracked technology upgrades so it could see real-time information on shipments, freeing employees to do other things. But the underlying problems — rising logistics costs, customers needing their materials and the receivables billing cycle stretching out — are not going anywhere. “We don’t see this ending anytime soon,” he said. “If we’re looking for any type of relief, it’s going to be at least the second quarter of 2022, as we see it right now.”

Most important lessons Dunlap asked Sparks, Brand and Williams to share how they addressed the most important lessons they’ve learned during the pandemic. Sparks said her company confirmed its long-held belief that relationships and being proactive matter, as well as putting in place inventory agreements and forecasting models to be able to better handle the long lead times. “Every day is a new day and a new battle, so you really don’t know what you’re coming into, but the more prepared that we can be and the more options we have in place to plan for the unexpected, we can pull through,” she said. Brand said figuring out how to

help customers mitigate logistics delays has been a top challenge. “The first thing we’re suggesting on the short-term basis is increase your safety stock, lengthen your lead times, and try and look for transit time improvements,” he said. “And then long-term … we’re going to start to see, and we have started to see, especially in automotive, nearshoring and reshoring … (of ) product supply.” Williams added he’s learned the leadership team of his large company has to be closely involved and cannot delegate as much right now in order to be proactive and protect its customers. He said the work furniture division has to be careful about stretch supply — sourcing farther away instead of nearby — and cashflow. He said it has been helpful to leverage the knowledge and expertise of all of Leggett’s different businesses, such as the automotive or bedding groups, and using its own foam division as a supplier instead of going elsewhere. Dunlap asked two panelists to address how they are coping with product price increases. Boenigk said her company at the time of the symposium was working to negotiate with the U.S. General Services Administration to obtain permission to do temporary commodity and fuel surcharges until things calm down, rather than an annual across-the-board price increase that wouldn’t cover rising costs. She said this request was neces-

sary because Neutral Posture has so many government contracts and can’t just make its own decisions about price increases. GSA did allow fuel surcharges in 2008-09, she said, and her commercial customers understood it was temporary and went along with them. Folkert said The BOLD Companies is dealing with increases by communicating with customers, shortening the quote window, providing documentation of materials cost increases to customers, and using forecasting. Some of its costs are single-digit increases, and the double-digit increases tend to fall under the company’s project-based work, which poses less of an issue, he said. He said to manage expectations, BOLD Companies, for instance, might offer customers a product price increase of say, 5%, and then pricing will go up again in a month, or it can offer to increase pricing higher upfront, then have costs stay stable for two or three months.

Addressing racial equity Dunlap asked Williams and Boenigk to describe how they are addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within their organizations. Williams said it created a strategy last year within its executive team and is implementing it across the company through the work of five pillar teams. The strategy includes DEI targets across all relationships, in its

core and with suppliers. Boenigk said her company has high levels of internal diversity, with about a 50/50 male-female ratio, 40% white employees, 33% Hispanic/Latino and 27% Black. She said the harder problem to address is getting government contractors to fulfill their obligations to do business with small and diverse businesses, and getting corporations to source from diverse buyers, as both entities tend to use all sorts of loopholes to say on paper they engage in supplier diversity practices, when in fact, they don’t. “I think there’s still a lot of work to be done on the supplier diversity side of things,” she said. “… Everybody says they have a supplier diversity program, but what are they truly doing and how much are they truly spending with small businesses?”

Nearshoring, reshoring Dunlap called on Brand, as the owner of a supply chain management company, to share whether he’s seen a shift in nearshoring and reshoring toward North America and, specifically, to Michigan. “I thought we’d see a lot more of it with the tariff impact — that whole purpose was to drive this reshoring initiative,” but what has actually happened, Brand said, is a shift from manufacturing in China to other parts of Asia such as Thailand and Vietnam. But he said he’s hopeful that as higher logistics costs and tariffs

continue with no signs of softening, manufacturers will begin to nearshore and reshore.

Dealing with OEMs Dunlap’s final question went to Sparks — “How would you describe today’s OEM supplier relationship climate?” Sparks said some industries tend to value either strategic partnerships or transactional relationships, and the office furniture industry tends to lean toward the former, more collaborative approach — treating suppliers as if they are just as valuable as customers, which they are. “The better the relationships you have, the stronger your business is on both sides,” she said. “That goes back to the first question … with the supply chain issues that we’ve all been facing, and the disruptions we’ve had, you need partners throughout the channel to make sure that your supply chains are robust so that our end customers can deliver to their end customers, day in and day out.” The full Michigan Furniture Industry Symposium webinar — including comments from Deirdre Jimenez, president and CEO of the Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, and Justine Burdette, vice president of technical services at The Right Place and regional director at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West, is available at bit.ly/youtube MFIS.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Advisers see bright future for real estate CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

building in or relocating to Grand Rapids. Acrisure, an insurance brokerage company from Caledonia, is building its new headquarters at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids. The building is currently under construction and expected to be completed in the second half of 2021. The company also is pledging to donate $15 million to Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Spectrum Health is building an eight-story office building north of downtown Grand Rapids. It will connect this eight-story building the Brass Works Building it bought for $24.7 million. It will house 1,500 employees. Construction of the new office building is expected to start in the fall of 2021. Transaction volume in the western Michigan region was down 74.6% year-over-year in Q1 2021. Over $7 million worth of office properties sold in Q1, down from $29.9 million in Q4 2020. The median price per-squarefoot was $141 in Q1 2021, which is a drop from $165 in Q4 2020 and $196 in Q1 2020. According to Integra Realty Resources, cap rates in the central business district ranged from 6%-6.5% and ranged from 7.5%9.5% in the suburbs in 2020. Cap rates are expected to increase between 1-24 basis points along all asset classes and in the CBD and suburbs in the next 12 months. Despite capacity limits and mandated closures last year in

Michigan due to the pandemic, the West Michigan retail sector is thriving, especially in corridors with Class A properties. The pandemic forced many businesses to shutter their windows, but through the first quarter of 2021, openings are outpacing closures. National tenants not currently in the market and local entrepreneurs still are looking for space in West Michigan. “Overall, I think we’re turning the corner,” said Bill Bussey, senior associate broker of retail. “When stores close, somebody wants that site. We don’t have many vacancies in the area … Manufacturing and retail have been a blessing for us. Plants are expanding and gaining employees. That in turn is driving retail because people have more to spend.” Bussey pointed to the vibrancy of major retail corridors like Woodland Mall on the corner of 28th Street and East Beltline. He attributed the success to its sharp tenant retention and judicious leasing practices. “We do a lot of team meetings and stuff like that that’s just changed the way business operates, and retail is no exception,” Bussey said. “Because of the way things are changing, a lot of people decided to call it quits, but so many more are still opening up.” More and more restaurants are going to have drive-through lanes and will continue to offer curbside pickup even post-

pandemic. “Curbside pickup is great if you can’t have a drive-through, so that’s going to continue,” Bussey said. “If you think about a full-service restaurant, they would never do that before COVID, but it’s gotten so common that they have to do it now.” New restaurant entrants to the market include Wahlburgers, which is opening a location in downtown Grand Rapids this summer in the new Residence Inn by Marriott. This will be the third location in Michigan. Condado Tacos opened in February on Bridge Street, just west of downtown. This is its fourth Michigan location, but the first outside the Metro Detroit area. Loretta’s Deep Dish has opened in downtown as well. The Chicago-style pizzeria is a new restaurant concept by the founder of HopCat and the tiki bar Max’s South Seas Hideaway. The new restaurant is located in the basement of Max’s on Ionia Avenue SW. In 2020, some breweries merged or closed, but seven new ones are opening in West Michigan. Brewery Nyx will be the first gluten-free brewery to open in Michigan, planning to open this month June just south of downtown Grand Rapids at 506 Oakland Ave. SW. Saugatuck Brewing Co. is expanding to a third location. The company purchased Creston Brewing after it closed in March 2020, and Saugatuck plans to keep the Creston name.

JUNE 14, 2021

Entrepreneur copes with loss by helping others CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

as a shop to sell her flowers at the Zeeland Farmers Market on Saturdays throughout the summer. She also is setting up pop-up shops in her driveway. She began selling flowers at the farmers market on June 5 and every week Resheske said she will have different fresh bouquets of flower assortments that are in season, including pansies, roses, daffodils and daisies. She said she will not have a lot of flower crowns at the farmers market, but she’ll make them for specialty orders for events such as weddings, baby showers and birthdays, among other events. This summer, Resheske said she is getting her flowers weekly from Walker but expects to grow her own flowers next year in her backyard after the completion of their home, which they are currently building. In addition to selling flowers, Resheske said Blossoms of Joy is an awareness campaign. She will have information about her story and her contact information for anyone who needs support as they grieve a lost pregnancy while she is at Zeeland Farmers Market. “Being someone who they can talk to is huge,” she said. “A lot of people, when you tell them about your loss, they say, ‘I am sorry for your loss,’ and you just don’t want

to talk about it because it is sad. I get it. A baby passing is not the circle of life. It is not the norm. Having an innocent new life taken is not the norm, and people don’t know what to say and they don’t know what to do. Instead of having that conversation being ignored or kept quiet, saying, ‘I am sorry for your loss, do you want to talk about her (or him?) Do you want to tell me about her (or him?)’ — just opening a conversation instead of shutting one down might help someone who is grieving. Some people don’t want to talk about it, and they can say, ‘No, but thank you for offering.’ At least there is an opening, a door to have that support. That is my start right now with Blossoms of Joy, with the flowers and sharing my story, to see if I can help connect. “With COVID and all the restrictions, I can’t figure out how to put a support group together, but definitely in the future I intend to have a safe space for other grieving moms in the West Michigan area to go to and be able to grieve the loss of their baby with other moms who have gone through the same thing, to be able to create that community that no one wants to be a part of but there is one and it is bigger than we know. I just want to have a safe space or have that one person you can call.”

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

COMMENT & OPINION

GUEST COLUMN Lou Glazer

Report paints sobering picture of U.S. economy

here is a new must-read report from McKinsey entitled “Unequal America: Ten insights on the state of economic opportunity.” The findings come from an online survey conducted by Ipsos of 25,000 Americans in the spring of 2021. Results are reported for Americans as a whole, as well as for a wide variety of demographic and geographic subgroups. McKinsey describes the report as spotlighting Americans’ views on economic opportunity, the obstacles they face, and the path ahead to create a more inclusive economy. McKinsey writes: “What we learned was sobering. Among the findings: Americans report that their financial situations have deteriorated over the past year, and at the time of our survey only half of all respondents reported being able to cover their living expenses for more than two months in the event of job loss. Our survey results also indicated that the pandemic has harmed the economic well-being of many groups, exacerbating inequalities that existed before the crisis. Americans reported facing numerous barriers to economic opportunity and inclusion — among them, inadequate access to health insurance and physical and mental health care, as well as to affordable child care. Moreover, many respondents said that they feel their very identity limits their access to jobs

and to fair recognition and reward for their work.” Speciﬁcally, McKinsey found in the midst of the pandemic: 1. Most Americans’ current overall outlook is not optimistic. Forty-two percent of respondents said they believe that most Americans have opportunities to ﬁnd good jobs; one-third said they believe that most people are recognized and rewarded fairly for their work; and 32% said the pay that most Americans receive for their work allows them a good quality of life.

half of all respondents — and fewer than half of all parents — reported being able to cover their living expenses for more than two months if they or someone in their family were to lose their job.

5. COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities. Women and people of color have been hardest hit by the pandemic. This CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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2. Many Americans believe their identity hampers their career prospects. “Among the most unambiguous ﬁndings in our survey was that a wide variety of Americans — among them, women, people of color and gay, lesbian and bisexual respondents — said that they believe that their very identity negatively aﬀected their job prospects.”

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3. Immigrants and people of color reported relative optimism. McKinsey’s Economic Opportunity Index scores reveal that, on average, ﬁrst- and second-generation immigrants and workers of color expressed some of the most optimistic views of economic opportunity among all survey participants. 4. Half of Americans reported being on the ﬁnancial brink. Only

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GUEST COLUMN William Lentine

Your 7-step plan for creating chaos in your family business

ost business owners know that proper succession planning can help keep their business running strong into the next generation. They understand the importance of creating a plan to prepare heirs and key employees to run the business when it is time. But sometimes owners are busy and fail to plan for the future of their business in a timely manner. Executing an unplanned transition when the family business leader becomes incapacitated or passes can be painful for the family (at an already diﬃcult time) and potentially damaging for the business. We think it makes sense to of-

fer some lessons learned by these families as a resource for current business owners. Instead of offering a typical “best practices” list, we took a different approach. Here are some “worst practices” that will surely wreak chaos in your family business after you pass — from families who have experienced an unplanned business transition: 1. Don’t document your good intentions. Think about succession planning for years, but don’t document any of your thoughts or planning ideas for the family. Or, to make it really interesting: keep jotting down ideas on various notepads, napkins or sticky notes over the years, creating obvious contradictions between the ideas. 2. Leave business ownership to your family but without a skilled operator in charge of it. This spreads chaos over the widest possible range after your death, affecting family members, employees, customers, suppliers and professional advisers when the battle lines are drawn between children and possibly your spouse as they wrestle for control of the company while dealing with their grief. 3. Pick one winner. Leave both the business equity and control to one child who seems reasonably responsible and ask them to do the “right” thing for their siblings and remaining parent. For maximum family strife, the “responsible” child should be married to a spouse who is greedy or difficult to deal with.

4. Don’t do any estate or tax planning. This way your heirs will not only struggle with the above issues but will also inherit a huge tax bill they were not expecting and will have to cover by taking out loans or by selling the business. 5. Micro-manage future leaders. Allowing your children or other key employees to manage portions of the business will allow a leader or group of leaders to naturally emerge, whereas micro-managing those heirs and other key employees in their current positions will ensure they won’t learn how to lead, make decisions or accept responsibility. 6. Don’t discuss the future of the family business. Avoiding these conversations ensures you won’t know whether your heirs or current managers actually want to run the business and allows you to create a pressing sense of obligation for the next generation to work in or run the business. Even better, this sense of obligation can create next generation business leaders who are resentful or who lack the passion that you brought to running the business. 7. Keep your professional advisers under wraps. Failure to introduce your professional team to

your children can create havoc for your business because neither of these groups will be prepared to handle the inevitable diﬃcult discussions that ensue during a transition. Plus, your children will not know and may not trust your attorney, CPA, investment adviser or other professional advisers, adding even more obstacles to this transition. Having no plan Naturally, we wouldn’t expect you to do any of the things on this list on purpose to cause disruption and bad feelings in your family. But sometimes, not planning for the future can have the same impact on your family as if you had intentionally tried to cause chaos, leaving loved ones in a less than desirable position down the road should something happen to you. Many of the steps involved in successfully transitioning a family business can take years, even decades to complete, so it is better to start planning sooner rather than later. William Lentine is a partner at the law ﬁrm Warner Norcross + Judd LLP and a business attorney with substantial tax and trust and estate experience. He can be reached at wlentine@wnj.com.

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Report paints sobering picture of U.S. economy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

is in part because people in these groups are more likely to work in occupations that have reported the highest levels of income and job loss. 6. Health care access is a major challenge for many; women and workers of color face unique barriers.

JUNE 14, 2021

LETTER

Allow independent pharmacists to charge lowest prices Editor: Much of my professional life has been dedicated to advocating for the most vulnerable members of society, especially those with disabilities. One thing that I try to remind the non-disabled community is that our efforts are also beneficial to them. By making medical care more accessible to the disabled community, we are, in effect, making it more accessible to all people. Take for example, HB 4348. I

advocate for this legislation as it will support independent pharmacists in providing aﬀordable medications to a wide range of people in our state, from those in rural locations to those in urban places. If passed, the bill will regulate pharmacy beneﬁt managers (PBMs) and limit tactics that raise prices on pharmacists and their patients, driving independent pharmacies out of business and making patients pay more for medications. I personally know many vulnerable consumers that have faced prob-

lems with the high cost of prescription drugs. Michiganders and Americans want to continue to receive their medicines from their trusted independent pharmacies at a reasonable cost. Pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) help pharmacists provide this care to their patients, but PBMs are lobbying our legislature to include PSAOs in HB 4348. Including PSAOs in this legislation would essentially nullify any beneﬁts given to the state’s indepen-

dent pharmacists, continuing the dynamics at play that include a lack of transparency for patients. We must pass this legislation without including PSAOs in order to guarantee all patients, both disabled and non-disabled, are getting the lowest price and best experience. Frank Lynn Grand Rapids Township

7. Access to child care is a critical barrier, especially for women. 8. Rural Americans are at risk of being left behind economically. “The stated preference among rural residents to stay put, combined with a lower relative interest in training, could over time put them at much greater risk of losing work to automation trends than their urban counterparts.”

A Better Partnership®

9. Gig workers would overwhelmingly prefer permanent employment. Fully 62% of gig workers said that they would prefer to work as permanent employees. 10. Four in ten Americans are either enrolled in training or are interested in pursuing it. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they are looking or are planning to look over the next 12 months for education, training or credentialing opportunities, while 14% are currently enrolled in programs. The report provides details on how America’s K-shaped economy, in real time, is impacting the well-being of American households. And it provides some surprising ﬁndings on Americans’ perceptions about their economic future. At its core, the survey provides more evidence of a two-tier American economy in which those at the top are doing well, but way too many are struggling. By and large, the report portrays an America where people want to work and earn a living that allows them to enjoy a decent standard of living to raise a family and pass on a better opportunity to their children. But it also shows an America with an economy that makes it hard for far too many to enjoy a decent standard of living to raise a family and pass on a better opportunity to their children. It represents an America with a labor market that — even when the economy was booming — has too few jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and provide health coverage and paid leave. And it reveals an America that holds back far too many because of their identity. The economic challenge of our generation is eliminating what McKinsey calls an Unequal America. The goal should be to build an economy that as it grows beneﬁts all, where all really means all. Lou Glazer is president of Michigan Future Inc.

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JUNE 14, 2021

East Lansing company delivers service to Grand Rapids property owners Stellar Broadband provides multifamily units with design, wiring, engineering and installation. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

A Lansing-based internet service provider with nearly two decades of experience is making it presence felt in West Michigan. Spartan Net, now rebranded as Stellar Broadband, is targeting the multifamily industry with new products to help owners and managers better service their communities. Arena Place Apartments in Grand Rapids is a mixed-use residential and commercial development owned by Wheeler Development Group, in which Stellar provided all of the wiring design, engineering and installation, as well as brought on access control technology for both residential and commercial components. Stellar also delivered ultra-highspeed broadband and television to the development. Stellar also works with Rockford Construction, Third Coast Development, CopperRock Construction, Wolverine Building Group, Pioneer Construction, DTN Management Company and other major builders and developers in West Michigan. Founded in 2001, primarily to serve the student housing market with significant demands for unlimited bandwidth, Stellar Broadband believes if it could make it in student housing, it can make it anywhere else. “(Student housing is) a very difficult market,” said Richard Laing, founder and president of Stellar Broadband. “It’s the churn. One of the things about our business is we’re a residential internet service provider, but there’s nothing like taking at least 60% of your clientele and changing them out every single year with a new customer base.” Today, Stellar serves three markets: multi-dwelling unit communities – both multifamily and student housing; commercial; and high density and community residential. Laing said Stellar had much to learn from its residential clients and built its business processes around those needs. The jump from Spartan Net to Stellar changes the company’s brand, but it doesn’t change its behavior, Laing added. “We actually think that it fits our behavior more than anything,” Laing said of the name change. “One of our mottos is we’re going to do everything anyone else will do, but we’ll do a better job or pay more attention to it. We weren’t sure our original branding was delivering that type of message.” Stellar is primarily an internet service provider, but Laing said the company also builds networks and shares with users how to leverage them. The company in 2020 received national recognition from Broadband Communities Magazine for implementing the first 10-gigabit fiber

internet service to student housing for Landmark on Grand River in East Lansing. Besides internet service, Stellar offers DirecTV delivery through its fiber networks; security systems including door entry, access and key replacement; IT support for property management and small business clients; and web development. “It’s mostly focused around what a community or commercial building would ask us for,” Laing said. “So being that that is our primary client base, we focus around those needs, and attempt

to deliver a turnkey type of solution … we know every development, every building is going to have those needs, and we try to fill those voids in such a way that we can make recommendations, customize those needs and focus around our product base.” Stellar services much of the Greater Lansing area, but has a strong presence in Grand Rapids, where its network and data center has been located for over four years, as well as in Muskegon, Traverse City, Novi, Brighton and other markets throughout Michigan.

Internet of Things (IoT) is a new frontier for Stellar to open up to multifamily clients. Stellar Vice President of Business Development Bill Knapp said smart home technology has been around for single-family homes for a long time, but recently it has taken hold in multifamily and student housing developments. “Not only does it increase the experience for the resident, but it reduces the cost, because of all the things you can do like monitoring utilities, systems, things like water leakage and energy usage,” Knapp said.

Multiple interconnected devices and systems on a network make security a top priority. Considering Stellar’s background in network security development, the company builds a network infrastructure that is very security conscious, Laing added. “We utilize a lot of private networking, a lot of firewall techniques, things that make those systems secure, private, monitored … it’s typically an oversight for the owner/developer, because they’re not always installed by CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 14, 2021

ACCOUNTING

Baker Holtz, CPAs and Advisors hired Jennifer Dougherty as marketing director.

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Elyse Flynn joined The Image Shoppe as art director and graphic designer. Extra Credit Projects hired Jake Stidham as the agency’s account leader.

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING

Progressive AE named Bill Culhane a principal of the firm

ARTS

The Grand Rapids Public Museum announced a rare discovery made within its collections — 69 black and white, photographic magic lantern slides depicting the Tuskegee Institute (now referred to as Tuskegee University) at the turn of the 20th century. The private, historically black university is located in Tuskegee, Alabama, and is known for its first president, Booker T. Washington, the home of scientist George Washington Carver and of the World War II-era Tuskegee Airmen.

AUTOMOTIVE

Holland-based D’s Auto & Truck Repair received a 2020 Shop4D Top Performing Shop Award for its strategic business practices. Awards are given based on customer reviews and several business growth metrics.

AWARDS

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s terminal apron reconstruction and expansion project received the American Council of Engineering Companies’ 2021 Engineering Merit Award. The project — done in collaboration with Livonia-based engineering, architecture and construction firm C&S Companies — was selected among 32 entries. The recognition is part of the American Council of Engineering Companies, or ACEC, Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards competition.

Cribley is first-ever Bus Guardian Hero Tim Cribley, a bus driver for the Hudsonville School District, was named by global transportation company CalAmp as its first Bus Guardian Hero. Cribley received $1,000 for leading contributions to local food pantries and prioritizing student safety when schools reopened. Cribley sets up a table dubbed the “Table of Giving” in the Hudsonville Schools bus garage where donations of canned and dry food are made. He then delivers the food to smaller food pantries. He has been a driver for five years and was selected from more than 900 nominations. work. Huizenga was selected for his support of Good Jobs for Michigan and the Going Pro Talent Fund; and McCann because of his advocacy for historic preservation and leadership in restoring Michigan’s Historic Tax Credit.

BANKING

Hudsonville-based West Michigan Community Bank announced the addition of Dan Pickard as EVP/chief lending officer. Kalamazoo-based Consumers Credit Union announced the additions of Steve Glascock as manager of its new Grand Haven office, which is set to open this summer; and Brett Clark as mortgage loan officer. Lake Odessa-based Union Bank appointed Chris Fluke as vice chairman of the board of directors and promoted Rose Willson to assistant vice president, marketing officer. The Arbor Financial Credit Union board of directors presented Arlene Horton, vice president of talent strategy and organizational culture, with the 2021 James E. Fetterolf Distinguished Service Award during its 86th annual meeting

The Michigan Economic Developers Association announced state Rep. Mark Huizenga and Sen. Sean McCann are recipients of its Legislative Economic Development Champion Awards for championing economic development

BUSINESS SERVICES

JUN 14-MID AUG Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Camp Curious Program. Includes in-person and virtual options. For kids pre-K through 12th grade, using the museum as a learning lab through a variety of camp offerings. Cost: $35 for single-day, in-person camps; $40 for multi-day Digital Discovery sessions, with discounts available for museum members. Information/ registration: grpm.org/Educlasses.

Commerce Member Connect Networking Via Zoom. 9-10 a.m. Registration: bit.ly/JuneMemberConnect.

JUN 14 West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum In-Person Networking. Luncheon and networking includes a discussion on the economic impact and sustainable business influence of the West Michigan Fruit Ridge. Noon-1:30 p.m., Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm Market, 3025 6 Mile Road. NW. Cost: members: $17/online, $22/door; nonmembers, $25/online, $30/ door. Information/registration: (616) 7840058 or bit.ly/WMSBFNetworking. JUN 15 Family Business Alliance First Annual Fore Family Golf Outing. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thornapple Pointe, 7211 48th St. SE. Cost: $100/person, $400/foursome, cocktail hour only/$40. For members and hole sponsors only. Information/registration: members.fbagr.org/events/details/ fore-family-golf-outing-719. JUN 16 Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce Zoom Meeting. Topic is Cultural Diversity: Culturally Intelligent Innovation. 9-10:15 a.m. Cost: free/members, $30/nonmembers. Information/registration: (616) 392-2389 or info@west coastchamber.org. JUN 16 Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of

Ingrid Reineking joined Kentwood Office Furniture’s Grand Rapids office as senior designer. Talent strategy firm AEBetancourt has

JUN 17 Builders Exchange of Michigan BX Summer & Networking Virtual Series. Topic is Asbestos Awareness: Basic Safety and Regulatory Information. 3-5 p.m. Cost: $10. Information/registration: home.grbx.com/event/summer-safetyseries-2021-asbestos-awareness. JUN 17 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Business Exchange. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Watermark Country Club. Cost: $35/ members, $50/nonmembers. Information/ registration: grandrapids.org/event/ business-exchange-2021-06-10. JUN 17 Lakeshore Advantage hosts Startup Companies Opening. SURGE Celebration, celebrating five years of accomplishments within the Holland SmartZone, showcasing local startup companies and bringing together leaders of the Holland SmartZone, businesses and community members interested in fostering a local culture of innovation and learning more about the region’s startup community. 5-7 p.m., Holland Civic Center. Information/registration: lakeshoreadvantage.com/news-events/ events/surge-celebration. JUN 18 Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit Via Zoom. Learn what is happening in 2021 and how local efforts play into countywide and regional decision making. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Information/registration: web.muskegon.org/events/EconomicSummit-12195/details.

been ranked No. 28 on Inc. magazine’s 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest list. Zach Morris, executive director of Paw Paw-based Market Van Buren, was named one of the nation’s 2021 Economic Development 40 Under 40 by Development Counsellors International.

EDUCATION

Sarah Grey has been appointed as assistant superintendent of Catholic schools in the Grand Rapids Diocese.

FOUNDATIONS

Ann Arbor-based Hospice of Michigan welcomed WOOD-TV’s eightWest co-host/director of WOTV4 Women’sLive Local Give Local Jordan Carson and Miller Johnson attorney Ryan Duffy to its board of directors. Catherine (Cathy) Skene joined Saint Mary’s Foundation as the director of special gifts.

GOVERNMENT

The city of Wyoming named John McCarter as deputy city manager.

GRANTS

Hope Network has been awarded a $50,000 grant as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center 2020 High Impact Priority Quality of Life Grant Program. Hope Network will use the funding to work with individuals with spi-

JUN 18 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce 3rd Friday Networking Lunch. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., outside Craig’s Cruisers, 5730 Clyde Park SW, Wyoming. Cost: $17/members, $22/nonmembers. Information/registration: southkent.org. JUN 21 Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce Capitol Connections Virtual Meeting. Hear updates from state senators and representatives. 9-9:45 a.m. Cost: free/members, $20/nonmembers. Information/registration: (616) 928-9101 or Colleen@westcoastchamber.org. JUN 22 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce live broadcast of 3rd annual West Michigan CEO Summit. Chaired by Michael Davenport, president and CEO, Jireh Metals. 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: $250/members, $300/nonmembers. Information/registration: https:// www.grandrapids.org/event/west-michi gan-ceo-summit. JUN 24 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Chamber After Hours. Mix and mingle with fellow chamber members. 4:306 p.m., Radisson Hotel Grand Rapids Riverfront, 270 Ann St. NW. Cost: free/ members, $25/nonmembers. Information/ registration: grandrapids.org/event/cham ber-after-hours. JUN 26 Blandford Nature Center Outdoor Concert Series. Featuring The Mayhaps. 7-9 p.m., Blandford Nature Center, 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW. Cost: $20/members, $25/nonmembers. Tickets must be purchased prior to show. Information/registration: blandfordnaturecenter.org.

CHANGE-UPS & CALENDAR

nal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia to help those individuals secure employment through Hope Network’s Neuro Rehabilitation Return To Work program. Muskegon-based Love N Grace Healing Centers has received a $4,675 grant from Community Foundation for Muskegon County to support its Empowered Kids – Go Pro and Grow program.

HEALTH

Spectrum Health has been named by the Arbor Day Foundation a Tree Campus Healthcare facility for helping to transform community health and wellness and ultimately save lives through the health benefits provided by trees.

LEGAL

Natalie H. Winquist joined Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge as an associate in its Grand Rapids office, joining the firm’s medical malpractice defense practice group. Parmenter Law in Muskegon announced its 2021 community partner is Muskegon Young Black Professionals, a networking group committed to strengthening the community by providing social outlets and professional development opportunities for Black professionals of Muskegon. Wardrop & Wardrop P.C. announced Robert F. Wardrop II has been elected president; Thomas (Mac) M. Wardrop, vice president and Denise D. Twinney treasurer of the firm. Warner Norcross + Judd partner Jonathan P. Kok has been named one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Michigan Go To Lawyers for 2021, a peer-nominated award.

LEISURE & RECREATION

The Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission recently purchased a 5.5-acre parcel on Black River Court directly adjacent to Holland Township’s Hawthorn Pond Park as well as to other Macatawa Greenway property that connects along the Macatawa River to 96th Avenue. The property includes nearly 500 feet of river frontage and about 2.5 acres of floodplain.

Excellence Awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters: Best Breaking News, for coverage of protests in Grand Rapids; Best News Reporter for Lauren Edwards; and Best Newscast, again for coverage of protests in Grand Rapids.

NONPROFITS

Darius D. Mitchell has been named director for housing and economic security at the Urban League of West Michigan. Hope Network named Floyd Booker to the new position of senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion. The Pregnancy Resource Center elected the following people to serve as officers on the board of directors: chairman Jason Granger, Granger Group; vice chairman Adam Barr, Peace Church; treasurer Rick Rusthoven, Sylvan Learning Centers; and secretary Lynn Prince, Grand Rapids Community College. West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology announced its new president and CEO, Jamon Alexander. Women’s Resource Center announced the appointment of three new members to its board of directors, and its first-ever male board chair: Richard Spruit, Grand Rapids Metrology, chair; Lori Houghtaling, Amway; Adam Sturdivant, Drew, Cooper & Anding; and Danielle Williams, AmplifyGR. Tatum Hawkins has been hired as director of development and communications.

RETAIL

Chase Kushak has joined New Standard, a cannabis retailer, as COO.

TECHNOLOGY

Micro Visions Inc. hired Chris Buys as an IT security and compliance administrator.

FOX 17 recently received three Broadcast

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.

JUN 29 Wyoming Business Leaders Meeting. 8-9 a.m., Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW, Wyoming. Information/registration: (616) 261-4500 or d.kuba@instantcashmi. com.

Basics of Employee Exposure to Lead in the Workplace. 3-5 p.m. Cost: $10. Information/registration: (616) 949-8650, courtney@grbx.com, or home.grbx.com/ event/summer-safety-series-2021-leadawareness.

JUL 10 The Bands, Brews and BBQ Festival. Event will feature music throughout the day, local restaurants offering BBQthemed fare, a beer tent and vendor area for community businesses and/ or crafters to sell their wares. 2-10 p.m., Big Rapids Bandshell Hemlock Park. Information/registration: bigrapids.org/ bandfest.

JUL 16 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce 3rd Friday Networking Lunch. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., DoubleTree Grand Rapids Airport, 4747 28th St. SE. Cost: $17/ members, $22/nonmembers. Information/ registration: bob@southkent.org.

MEDIA

JUL 10 Blandford Nature Center Outdoor Concert Series. Featuring Cabildo. 7-9 p.m., Blandford Nature Center, 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW. Cost: $20/members, $25/nonmembers. Tickets must be purchased prior to show. Information/registration: blandfordnaturecenter.org. JUL 10-11 Krasl Art Center 2021 Krasi Art Fair on the Bluff. Lake Bluff Park, 200-800 Lake Boulevard, St. Joseph. July 10, 10 a.m.6 p.m., July 11, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Cost: $5/age 2 and older. Information/registration: krasl. org/art-fair/event-information. JUL 12 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters Zoom Meeting - with Elected Officials. 8-9 a.m. Information/registration: (616) 531-5990 or michelle@southkent.org. JUL 15 Builders Exchange of Michigan BX Summer & Networking Virtual Series. Topic is Lead Awareness: The

JUL 21 Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Zoom Networking. 9-10 a.m. Members only. Cost: free. Information/registration: muskegon.org/events-programs/ chamber-events. MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS Information: Stephanie Bradley, (616) 233-3577 or sbradley@experiencegr. com.

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 GRINVEST LLC, Bank Michigan, Grand Rapids City, $805,000 MCMILLIN, Jason W. et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Wyoming, $353,380 FRICKE, Erin et al, Macatawa Bank, Vergennes Twp., $674,000 JOHNSON, Jeffrey W. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, East Grand Rapids, $690,000 HECKER, Jeremy D. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $548,250 LAPIENSKI, Nickalas et al, GVC Mortgage, Parcel: 411414127009, $658,750 FRIEDRICH, Jordan T. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Nelson Twp., $463,000 TUFTS, Kimberly D., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $410,000 GOULET, Andrew L. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Caledonia, $351,000 ZEISER, Patrick et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $360,000 BOOMERS, Jerry L. Jr. et al, West Michigan Community Bank, Parcel: 411412226011, $360,500 JANCZEWSKI, Christopher M. et al, VanDyk Mortgage Corp., Byron Twp., $425,000 DEVRIES, Michael et al, Crosscountry Mortgage, Byron Twp., $358,800 GIBSON, Brent et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Parcel: 411428426020, $548,250 LAMBERT, Eric et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411906489015, $742,500 HUFNAGEL, Jill L. et al, Old National Bank, Ada Twp., $962,000 ELLES, David P. et al, Better Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 412313300058, $509,626 JOHNSON, Matthew R. et al, West Michigan Community Bank, Gaines Twp., $400,000 AUSHERMAN, Benjamin et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $548,750 EIZANS, Vita, Consumers Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $1,545,175 GREWER, Mitchell et al, Consumers Credit Union, Ada Twp., $414,200 DEMENT, Andrew L. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411324441012, $358,178 SPYGLASS HOMES LLC, Highpoint Community Bank, Parcel: 411809229047, $600,000 ANTVELINK, Brian et al, Huntington National Bank, Byron Twp., $405,000

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL BYANSKI, Nick E. et al, Huntington National Bank, Caledonia, $351,000 ERICKSON, Ryan S. et al, Mercantile Bank, Lowell Twp., $1,242,456 O’CONNELL, Bryan D., First United Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $371,750 MARTIN, Bruce A. et al, American Advisors Group, Parcel: 411407279003, $414,000 MONTPETT, Marc C. et al, Independent Bank, East Grand Rapids, $510,400 TENBRINK, Michael G. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Cannon Twp., $510,000 WHEATON, Brant et al, Independent Bank, Caledonia, $441,000 ENDRES, Michael et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Caledonia, $380,000 DUNKELBERGER, Bob, Veterans United Home Loans, Parcel: 411324453199, $471,040 SCHWALM, Robert S. et al, Independent Bank, Plainfield Twp., $548,250 EDWARDS, Ashley, Union Home Mortgage, Rockford, $367,628 MONETTE, Brian A. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $346,000 KASIM TRUST, TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411425425017, $431,800 ISMIRLE, Ryan, Veterans Home Loans, East Grand Rapids, $610,000 MAKOVEY, Igor et al, Home Point Financial Corp., Parcel: 411906151022, $376,000 CHRISTENSEN, Scott D. et al, Huntington National Bank, Byron Twp., $345,500 LLOYD, Jacob L. et al, Northpointe Bank, Caledonia, $364,200 TRELER, Joshua et al, Grand River Bank, Ada Twp., $460,000 ALBERS, Matt et al, CIBC Bank, East Grand Rapids, $585,000 HOUSEMAN, Michael J. et al, Independent Bank, Alpine Twp., $479,800 FERGUSON, Scott R. et al, Huntington National Bank, Kentwood, $1,334,000 CLAY, Cory T., Keller Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $368,175 CROCKER, James, Inlanta Mortgage, Cannon Twp., $451,155 GREER, Brandon et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $394,000 BROOKS, Ryan S. et al, Flagstar Bank, Cannon Twp., $864,000 VICKERY, David A. et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411412276048, $533,500 PETERSON, Joel E. et al, Mercantile Bank, Ada Twp., $640,000

BROWN, Martin R. et al, TCF National Bank, Byron Twp., $350,000 20 FULTON STREET EAST LLC, Gershman Investment Group, Parcel: 411430315004, $9,760,000 SHAVELL, Daren et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Cascade Twp., $586,000 CHOJNACKI TRUST, Independent Bank, Parcel: 411424201006, $732,364 GRIP MEDICAL PROPERTIES II LLC, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411324481004, $32,652,750 SHAFFER PROPERTIES LLC, TCF National Bank, Plainfield Twp., $692,796 WONG TRUST, Huntington National Bank, Cascade Twp., $2,756,500 JARIWALA, Vishwajit et al Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411413226039, $682,000 RULEWICZ, Nate et al, Mercantile Bank, Byron Twp., $505,300 ROSLONIEC, Michael G. et al, Old National Bank, Cascade Twp., $447,645 KIM, Hyun D. et al, Benchmark Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $441,500 WEBB, Curt J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $446,133 CAO TRUST, Independent Bank, Cannon Twp., $505,000 BAILEY, Nathan A., RNC Bank, Cascade Twp., $583,200 LEAVER, Jeff, Independent Bank, Cannon Twp., $669,000 KWIATKOWSKI, Joseph S. et al, Team Financial Group, Byron Twp., $600,000 OVERHEUL, Alyssa A. et al, Envoy Mortgage, Cannon Twp., $508,000 VANDERHOFF TRUST, TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411412476025, $548,000 VANOTTEREN, Glenn M. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Cascade Twp., $374,000 CORTESE, Brandon P. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $364,500 CHESLEK, Brian R. et al, Huntington National Bank, Cascade Twp., $2,756,500 STAUFFER, Adam L. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, $436,000 BARNETT, John M. et al, Quicken Loans, Lowell, $390,335 STANTON, John et al, Supreme Lending, Plainfield Twp., $362,400 COX, Claudell, Old National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $840,000 MOODY, Laura B. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 411810152001,

$428,500 BLAHNIK, Jeffrey M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Walker, $441,000 DONLEY, Larry et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $728,099 AUSHERMAN, Benjamin et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $405,750 WILMERS, Stephen, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411425379007, $373,500 STARKE, Matthew et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $1,135,250 WILFORE, Christopher et al, Neighborhood Loans, Parcel: 411403252013, $453,520 LECHNER, Daniel et al, Neighborhood Loans, Gaines Twp., $394,400 GASCON, Michael et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Caledonia, $389,500 BRELAND, Reed C. et al, Benchmark Mortgage, Cannon Twp., $360,000 VARKEY, Smitha et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411414227010, $828,000 SHULL, Jeffrey B. et al, United Bank, Cascade Twp., $540,000 KUNST, Kurt et al, United Bank, Parcel: 411307153016, $450,000 MCCALL, John A. et al, United Bank, East Grand Rapids, $409,000 WHITMORE HOMES LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $1,539,978 BRENK, Kelsey, Success Mortgage Partners, Gaines Twp., $343,300 GALDYS TRUST, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., $352,000 KANAI, Scott A. et al, Neighborhood Loans, Parcel: 411412276024, $501,500 STEEN, Peter et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411810328008, $356,000 BALLOR, Kelly, Mercantile Bank, Cannon Twp., $548,250 OVERBEEK, Robert D. et al, TCF National Bank, Ada Twp., $462,000 PRICE, Claude et al, Guaranteed Rate, East Grand Rapids, $504,000 GRANT, William B. et al, Bank of America, Ada Twp., $438,000 DEYOUNG, Christopher J. et al, Benchmark Mortgage, Ada Twp., $363,200 SINGER, Marc J. et al, Bank of America, East Grand Rapids, $404,150 DEMING, Michael B. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Raids, $540,000 BOEVE, Bryan et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $360,000

JUNE 14, 2021

MARTIN, Thomas D. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $488,000 DITTMER, Wolfgang E. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $409,500 HEIN, Kurt B. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411427432001, $390,000 CHESLEK, Brian R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $405,500 COBURN, Michael R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411430481006, $348,750 CUSTER, Todd et al, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $731,500 REYNOLDS, Clay A. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412302304013, $463,000 JOHNSON, Jessica et al, Consumers Credit Union Algoma Twp., $380,000 GASPAROVICH, David, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $494,619 TENCLAY TRUST, Mercantile Bank, East Grand Rapids, $466,500 MERRITT, Kevin J. et al, AmeriSave Mortgage Corp., Cannon Twp., $350,168 240 IONIA AVENUE HOUSING ASSOCIATION LP, Gershman Investment Corp., Parcel: 411325488002, $2,992,500 BEADLING, Patrick et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $548,250 SICHTA, Ryan et al, Neighborhood Loans, Lowell, $340,000 ELIZONDO, Xavier et al, Fifth Third Bank, Algoma Twp., $367,000 TOBAISON, Kyle, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Courtland Twp., $400,150 MILLWARD, Tim et al, Home Point Financial Corp., Parcel: 411403424013, $477,675 ZIMMERMAN, Matthew J. et al, Mercantile Bank, Vergennes Twp., $440,000 PELAK TRUST, Independent Bank, Spencer Twp., $400,000 WAGNER, Daniel et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Nelson Twp., $335,500 HENIGE, Adam S. et al, Benchmark Mortgage, Parcel: 411034377009, $445,920 BREWSTER, Jonathan B. et al, Huntington National Bank, Caledonia, $355,000

PUBLIC RECORD AVAILABLE ONLINE: For the full version of this week’s Public Record, visit the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s website at grbj.com.

Pandemic has many considering business exits CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

plan for the future in the next generations?” Alongside the quick recovery the economy has undergone lately and the return to profitability and prosperity many businesses are seeing, Schumacher said there’s a lot of “dry powder” in the private equity space, i.e., PE firms have plenty of investment capital to spend, which makes it easier for business owners to sell to external investors rather than to an internal buyer. “Private equity groups have a

lot of capital to deploy, a lot of invested dollars that they need to put to work, and with that comes high multiples that they’re willing to pay for businesses, and businesses are doing well right now for the most part after the pandemic; we’re seeing a shot in the arm of the economy, and that’s helping things trend upward,” he said. “As a result, it makes it a little difficult for internal management or the next generation to meet some of the value that current owners could get in the private equity space or in the external market. That’s not to say that

we’re not still seeing the internal transitions, but it’s becoming much (harder for internal buyers) … to compete with the external prices that (owners) could get otherwise.” As prospective sellers are contemplating going to market, Schumacher said there are some ducks they should get in a row. “A big trend in the industry over the last half decade or so is sell-side due diligence, so engaging your current advisers or others to take a hard look at the financial and operational aspects of the business to prepare for

East Lansing company delivers service to Grand Rapids property owners CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

network professionals, but because that’s what we’re bringing to the table, we consider that right up front,” Laing said. Stellar also built a proprietary software for property owners, allowing them to manage multiple communities on one platform. Erika Greco, marketing manager for Stellar, said the software was developed by and for property owners based on their management needs. “As property management teams, they have a lot day-today that they are responsible

for,” Greco said. “We actually had a webinar not too long ago that identified those pain points for them. What this interface does is it solves a lot of those for them and simplifies their day-today.” With the platform, property owners can manage resident information like leases signed, move-ins, active services and most importantly support requests. “With some of these other companies, you can’t really get an idea of who’s experiencing issues, what’s going on, or can I intervene at some point to help the

residents,” Greco said. “So, this also better aids them to help their residents.” The software also has a resident portal so multifamily tenants can manage their services and communicate with Stellar if they have any issues. “It’s very unique for a management team to be able to have an intervention with the service provider and communicate between the service provider and the actual resident to understand how we’re taking care of them – if we’re taking care of them – to solve the problem as quickly as possible,” Laing added.

that, because any buyer in that external world is going to be doing the same thing as they’re looking to purchase a business,” he said. “It’s always best practice to understand what might be concerns during the transaction or items that need to be addressed that can help either create additional value before you go to market or at a minimum help you identify areas that you’re going to have to address with any potential buyer and be upfront with them about (so) it doesn’t negatively impact any purchase price in the future.” Common pitfalls sellers should avoid include thinking of a transaction in simplistic terms and expecting it to go quickly — they almost never do — and expecting a higher level of after-tax cash than is realistic when the deal is done, Schumacher added. Not all industries have fared alike following the pandemic, Schumacher said, so it behooves owners to go into transactions with an open mind about whether this is the best time to sell given the likely market value of their business. As business owners are considering a sale, they should start thinking about how to protect their talent — especially their longtime employees — Schumacher said. One strategy is to convert the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) company instead of or in addition to seeking an external buyer, he said. Another is to negotiate generous exit compensation packages with the buyer, and a third is to com-

municate with the buyer the value those longtime employees bring to the table and the talents they have that aren’t readily available elsewhere in the market, so that retaining the employees post-sale is an attractive plan. The Business Journal has already reported on a large number of M&A deals that closed in 2021, and various trend reports early in the year indicated this will be a banner year for M&A. Schumacher agreed, noting in one recent week, he had at least five separate advising conversations, from early stage to signing letters of intent. “It’s going to be a very busy 2021, for multiple reasons,” he said. “Again, there are a lot of companies that are coming out of the pandemic very strong, some stronger than they were when they went into it, which is positioning them well for a transaction. But you also have the tax rate discussion going on, which has got another group of individuals thinking that this might be the right time to take advantage of the current tax structure, assuming it doesn’t change before the end of the year. So there is a lot of activity going on in the marketplace, a lot of chatter, and I would say in 2021, particularly if somebody has an inclination that they are thinking about exploring the space, they will want to do it sooner than later, because as we get closer to the end of the year, there’s going to be a backlog of work for all the advisers and all of the private equity (firms) or buyers in this marketplace.”

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STREET TALK

Big wheel keep on turning Passing grade.

eneral Motors’ Wyoming facility hit a major milestone in axle production last month. GM’s Grand Rapids Operations facility in Wyoming produced its 1 millionth axle the last week of May. The historic occasion landed nearly three years to the day from when the plant began axle production. It was celebrated with a banner signing and unveiling at a socially distanced employee event. GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra and Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson both attended the event as part of a scheduled senior leadership plant visit. Plant Director Troy Comiskey and plant UAW Local 167 Chair Martin Wood celebrated the achievement alongside plant employees. “I am very proud of our workforce at Grand Rapids Operations for being a leader in quality and excellence,” Wood said. “Congratulations for producing 1 million axles!” Comiskey echoed Wood’s sentiments. “This milestone directly reflects the dedication and hard work that our employees put into building axles every day — the same dedication this plant has been demonstrating for over 70 years,” Comiskey said. The site is part of the GM

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Components Holdings division and began building front and rear axles out of aluminum and highstrength steel in June 2018 after a $119 million plant expansion. The axles produced at the plant are destined for GM’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Silao, Mexico, assembly plants to be used in Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickups. GMCH and Stamping Executive Director Mark Pervine also congratulated the Grand Rapids team on reaching this milestone after years of hard work and dedication in supporting truck production. “The Grand Rapids team has done an incredible job to drive team engagement and a ‘one team’ focus toward this tremendous achievement,” Pervine said. “When I see the level of enthusiasm in this workforce, it fully quantifies the efforts that the team has put forth to make this milestone come to fruition.” In addition to axles, the plant builds other components, including lash adjusters, hydraulic valve lifters, cam phasers, metal stampings and more for GM and 12 other original equipment manufacturers. GMCH Grand Rapids Operations has been building automotive components for more than 70 years. It is the original home of the Diesel Equipment Division of General Motors, and it is currently

one of four plants that make up the GMCH consolidated subsidiary of GM. Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is sending a clear signal of welcome, support and affirmation to the LGBTQIA+ community by raising the Pride Flag for the month of June and adding window decals with the message, “You belong here.” Taken together, the displays are meant to signal the health system’s insistence on creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for everyone, said Dr. Rhae-Ann Booker, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health. “Pride Month is an ideal time to reaffirm this commitment to employees, patients, visitors and the community,” Booker said. “LGBTQIA+ individuals often have endured a lifetime of exclusion, judgment and intimidation — even by health care providers. This harms well-being and can even be a matter of life and death. And we won’t tolerate that here. Exclusion in any form and to any group is unacceptable in our place of healing.” The health system’s efforts go beyond providing visual assurances, said Steve Polega, chief nursing officer, Metro Health. Initia-

JUNE 14, 2021

tives include education, training and opportunities to make commitments to inclusion. “As an organization, we continue to take intentional steps toward respecting all identities, being allies, and increasing our own understanding,” Polega said. The flag that will fly outside Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming will be the Progress Pride Flag, a newer version of the familiar rainbow flag with black and brown stripes added to represent communities of color, along with pink, light blue and white – colors used on the Transgender Pride Flag. Similarly, the “You belong here” window decals, which will remain posted year-round, include an updated design based on a new logo adopted for the health system’s internal training initiative on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Michigan’s University Research Corridor, an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, is one of the nation’s top research clusters and the engine for innovation in Michigan and the Great Lakes region, increasing economic prosperity and connecting Michigan to the world. This year’s economic impact report is the 12th one Anderson Economic Group has done for the URC. The URC’s $19.3 billion net economic impact in Michigan in fiscal year 2019 — the most recent year data is available — is up 50% from its net impact of $12.8 billion in 2007, the first year the report was published. The $19.3 billion

net impact also is more than 20 times greater than the $924 million the state spent on the three universities in FY 2019, according to the report. “One of the most important assets a state can have is universities that produce graduates who keep the economic engine running,” said Mike Jandernoa, founder and chairman of 42 North Partners in Grand Rapids and former CEO of Perrigo. “Our top-ranked research universities invest more to train graduates in high-demand jobs. These efforts allow our universities to be vital pipelines for the graduates in health care and business that companies such as Perrigo need to grow and prosper.” The three URC universities grant nearly 12,000 degrees annually in high-tech areas such as biomedicine and bioscience, as well as nearly 13,000 degrees in high-demand areas such as business, computer science and engineering. They also grant nearly 2,500 medical degrees each year. “These are the kinds of graduates needed to create autonomous vehicles, medical devices, better agricultural crops and solutions to the challenges our communities and businesses face today,” said URC Executive Director Britany Aﬀolter-Caine. As of spring 2020, the URC had more than 1.3 million alumni worldwide. Over 690,000 URC alumni live in Michigan, accounting for 10% of the state’s population over the age of 24. URC universities have alumni in every county in Michigan, every state in the U.S. and 180 countries across the world.

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Grand Rapids Business Journal 06.14.21

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