Grand Rapids Business Journal 06.28.21 by Grand Rapids Business Journal

NORTHERN Initiatives shares success stories.

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JUNE 28, 2021 VOL. 39, NO. 13

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

THIS WEEK

TYING TOGETHER DIVERSE TALENTS New Dégagé Executive Director Thelma Ensink to lead nonprofit through changes, leveraging experience in varied fields. Page 13

Sleeping Giant Capital secures $21M Partners seek to cultivate talented future owner-operators, help them acquire businesses. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Young offenders Task force to look at why system incarcerates so many juveniles. PAGE 3

Trending up State economic activity index ticks higher for fourth consecutive month. PAGE 9

EYES EVERYWHERE Startup provides solution for educators to monitor student progress. Page 11

THE LISTS

The area’s top entrepreneurial resources Page 6 The area’s top management consulting firms Page 9 The area’s top IT services and networking companies Page 10

An independent investment firm started by a pair of Western Michigan University professors is making big strides in its first year of operations. Doug Lepisto and Derrick McIver — associate professors of management and co-directors of the Center for Principled Leadership and Business Strategy at the Haworth College of Business at WMU — are co-managing partners of Sleeping Giant Capital, a private equity firm they co-founded in August that “operates at the intersection of investment management and executive education,” which the Business Journal first reported on in September. Sleeping Giant Capital is targeting $50 million with the aim of generating economic, social and educational returns in West Michigan through acquisition of small busi-

Doug Lepisto, left and Derrick McIver are managing partners of Sleeping Giant Capital, which will pursue at least two acquisitions per year. Courtesy Liz Haskin, Western Michigan University

nesses. The fund will take equity positions in companies generating $3 million to $30 million in revenue and transition a new owner-operator into leadership of the company. The fund will pursue at least two acquisitions per year, with

80% of acquisitions located in West Michigan, and a portion of the profits from acquired companies will be distributed by Sleeping Giant Capital back to the Haworth College of Business to maintain and expand the Center for Principled

Leadership and Business Strategy. The unusual aspect of the firm is that McIver and Lepisto are training many of the aspiring owner-operators they will invest in CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Fruit Ridge proves to be economic driver Farms contribute much of the state’s fresh food, but also delve into entertainment options. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

West Michigan is home to one of the most economically beneficial agricultural landscapes in the state. The region has gained its agricultural notoriety, in part, because of what is commonly known as the Fruit Ridge. It spans through portions of Kent, Newaygo, Muskegon and Ottawa counties that have desirable land for growing fruits including raspberries, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, grapes and apples.

According to Gordon Moeller, the secretary and treasurer for Ridge Economic Agricultural Partners (REAP), the Fruit Ridge is made up of ridges of sand and gravel left by the last ice age, which he said is perfect for growing apples because apples like well-drained soil and the ridges allow the cold air to settle in the valleys, protecting the apple blossoms from freezes. Moeller said REAP was created in 2004 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit by MSU Extension after devastating straight-line winds destroyed 100,000 apple trees on the Fruit Ridge. Its purpose is to educate and promote the economic, environmental and cultural significance of agriculture in west central MichiCONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm recently hosted a WMSBF event, one of many activities that take place there in addition to growing fruits and vegetables. Courtesy Autumn Johnson, Bird+Bird Photography

Inside Track....... 13 Guest Columns... 18 Political transparency Change-Ups...... 24

ASSOCIATION calls for more county roads investment.

Calendar........... 24 Public Record.... 25 Street Talk ....... 26

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HERE TO HELP MICHIGAN BUSINESSES THRIVE. No matter what stage your business is in, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is here to help you succeed. By connecting you to the resources your business needs, granting access to necessary capital and introducing you to the right partners, the MEDC helps your business reach new potential. Find out how we can help propel your business forward with customized support at michiganbusiness.org/pure-partnership

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Northern Initiatives shares success stories Michigan-based CDFI delivered its highest dollar volume of PPP loans to Kent County small businesses. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Northern Initiatives helped 10 Kent County businesses receive forgivable loans they otherwise could not get during the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and although the PPP is over, the Michigan-based

BY THE NUMBERS Since the beginning of 2021, Northern Initiatives has: • Helped 87 small businesses get PPP loans • Loaned $1,023,260 in PPP funds, with an average loan amount of $11,000 • Made 52% of its PPP loans to diverse borrowers • Made loans in 36 counties in Michigan Source: Northern Initiatives

lender is not done helping under-resourced small businesses. Marquette-based Northern Initiatives (NI), a community development financial institution (CDFI), helped 87 small businesses in 36 Michigan counties get Paycheck Protection Program loans in the first five months of 2021, 10 of which were from Kent County. The businesses ranged from restaurants to child care centers to recreation providers to clothing retailers to food trucks. Most of them were not existing loan customers of NI. The PPP loan program created a lifeline for many during this pandemic, but it also frustrated microbusinesses, sole proprietors and farms — especially those owned by women, veterans and people of color, who did not have existing relationships with banks and needed smaller loan amounts. The way the PPP program worked, lending institutions were given the opportunity to use their own capital to make loans to eligible businesses, and if the businesses qualified for loan forgiveness by using the funds in the required manner, the federal government then would reimburse the lender for the capital it used. The lenders also received loan fees and earned interest on whichever loans were not deemed forgivable. NI President Elissa Sangalli

Mercedes Lopez Duran, left, and Paola Mendivil own and run El Granjero Mexican Grill. Courtesy West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

said minority business owners, who often are left out of traditional lending opportunities, did not have relationships with the banks or credit unions doling out most PPP loans, and even when they did, most financial institutions did not have the appetite to issue smaller loan amounts, which provided less of a return on investment under the original fee structure of the PPP program. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the largest eligible businesses got their PPP money first, while businesses trying to get loans under $50,000 had to wait

weeks or months. Even before the pandemic, low-income communities had less access to financial products. During the pandemic, most PPP loans didn’t reach a large share of businesses in the lowest-income communities. NI wanted to fix that disparity and reached out to colleagues, friends and partners to find businesses that were left behind. It received referrals from more than two dozen sources, including the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rende Progress Capital and Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW), with

Association calls for more county roads investment Most recent funding increases are based only on inflation. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

The County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan claims another $1.84 billion in annual investment is needed for the state’s county-run road and bridge network. The CRA recently released its 2021 Michigan County Road Investment Plan, developed to give a comprehensive overview of the financial needs and investment necessary to maintain and restore Michigan’s county road and bridge network. Michigan has the nation’s fourth-largest local road system, and county road agencies are responsible for 75% of road miles and 52% of the bridges. The Michigan Department of Transportation has 8% of the road miles and 42% of the bridges, and cities and villages have 17% of the roads and 6% of the bridges. The investment plan examined the financial needs of maintenance and capital investment on 90,000 miles of federal aid-eligible and nonfederal aid-eligible roads; more than 5,700 bridges; as well as the buildings, facilities and equipment that are critical components to running an efficient county road agency. It is CRA’s second investment study conducted since 1985, when the state discontinued its Michigan Highway Needs Study.

CRA’s first report was in 2019, and the association expects to update the report regularly in the future. A licensed professional engineering consultant was engaged to perform the study for CRA during the first quarter of 2021, with assistance from a team of CRA member counties representing the Baraga, Barry, Kent and Oakland road commissions. The statewide target investment for the state’s county networks now stands at $3.63 billion annually, a marginal increase from 2019’s $3.58 billion figure despite two years of inflation. Of the current $3.63 billion total, $1.73 billion was directed to county roads in FY 2019, according to Public Act 51 reports. This means a $1.84 billion additional annual investment is needed now to achieve county road goals. This is down from 2019’s $2.05 billion additional figure — reflecting modest gains on the system through FY 2019 due to new road funding. “When our work group gathered to review the plan, we were pleased its findings show that the 2015 Transportation Package has had a positive effect on slowing the rapid decline in the condition of Michigan county roads,” said Denise Donohue, CRA director. “The additional dollars on primary and local roads that county road agencies began receiving in 2017 are making a difference with improved paved surface condition ratings being reported. It appears this is a result of treatments applied that CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

JUNE 28, 2021

which NI has existing partnerships, and to a bunch of small banks across the state that serve farmers, sole proprietors and self-employed service providers. Here are some of the stories of the West Michigan small business owners who received PPP loans: Shannon Cohen, founder of Shannon Cohen Inc., who is an inspirational speaker and entrepreneur based in Grand Rapids, said she spent months fruitlessly applying for pandemic relief funds. She eventually decided that energy was better directed at growing her business. “I just stopped applying. I was jaded. I saw the data that showed the inequities in lending,” she said. But then, NI helped her get a PPP loan. “It was a wonderful experience,” Cohen said. “It restored my faith.” Jeff Smith owns South Shore Resort on Twin Lake, south of Muskegon. He and his daughter, Chloe, run the family business and had to use Smith’s retirement funds to keep it going during the dismal summer of 2020. They were applying for every loan and grant they could find, but they were either told to try elsewhere or got no response at all. NI reached out and helped Smith secure a PPP loan. He remembers getting the phone alert when the money was deposited — and the massive relief he felt. “When you see your kids putting their heart and soul into something, with no pay, doing it for their CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Task force to look at juvenile justice State officials say system incarcerates too many young people. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

The Kent County Road Commission is responsible for roughly 2,000 road miles, of which 670 are high-volume primary roads and approximately 1,300 are local roads, which are in the jurisdiction of their respective townships. Courtesy iStock

Just months before the state raises the age of who is considered an adult under its criminal justice system from 17 to 18 years old, it announced it is continuing its reform efforts. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the creation of a bipartisan task force that will be chaired by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist. The task force includes representatives from the state’s executive branch, judicial branch, legislative branch and members appointed by the governor. “We believe that we must reduce people’s contact with the system in the first place, but when they do come into contact, we must especially treat our youngest Michiganders with dignity, humanity and respect,” Whitmer said earlier this month. “One mistake early on in a child’s life should not destroy their opportunities for a positive future.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

Sleeping Giant Capital secures $21M, makes first investment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

through Acquire, their new educational program at the center they direct at Western. The critical issue Lepisto and McIver are seeking to address through their training course is that the transition of business ownership — a burgeoning trend as the baby boomer generation retires — requires a pipeline of talented future owner-operators that is currently underdeveloped. Acquire, which is open to MBA students as well as experienced professionals, is an innovative, digitally enhanced program that will seek to fill the gap by educating aspiring owner-operators on sourcing, analyzing, acquiring and leading small businesses. “We want to be able to provide a transformational opportunity for experienced professionals to show them a third career path, that they don’t need to climb up a big company or start a company, but that there’s this other path, which is that they can go out and acquire a company and become the CEO,” Lepisto said. “We find that there’s tremendous interest around that, as far as entrepreneurship and to be a CEO of a company, and there are a lot of folks who have the experience, the talent and the motivation to be able to do that. We want to be able to show them that pathway.” The course consists of personal exploration to find out whether acquisitions are the right fit for each participant, followed by education on the deal process and growing a

business post-acquisition. McIver and Lepisto lead the class, and they also bring in bankers, lawyers, accountants and private equity investors to talk about their experiences, tactics and lessons learned. Graduates of the training program are eligible to apply for a competitive process in which they are personally mentored by executives and backed by capital to source and acquire a company. McIver and Lepisto ran their first Acquire cohort of 20 participants in the winter/spring semester. A new cohort begins this fall and had about 40 registrants and counting as of mid-June. More information is available at wmich. edu/leadershipcenter/acquire. The co-founders of Sleeping Giant have been busy since August. After building out the tools and systems needed to operate their firm, they began fundraising and had their first close of $21 million in March. Then, they made their first investment — an undisclosed sum to Michael Abdella, a Flint native, 2011 graduate of WMU and founder of Mauve Capital Partners, to back his acquisition of LineDrive in late April. Abdella became CEO of LineDrive on May 1. LineDrive is an Itasca, Illinois-based industrial sales company that specializes in PPE and other equipment that aids in facility productivity. “I looked at a lot of different organizations over the last two years as I was considering acquiring a business,” Abdella said. “There were two main things that

I was seeking: personal fit and the culture of the organization. The LineDrive team is incredibly skilled, and this company is essentially a talent organization with success tied directly to how well talent is managed, supported and developed. The company is already a thought leader in the industrial sales space, and that was very attractive to me in terms of the potential to grow the business — the company has distinct competitive advantages.” Abdella said his eventual goal is to grow the company to two to three times its current size. Lepisto said Abdella is a “hungry, talented, experienced young leader,” and he and McIver were excited about his ambition, skill set, investment thesis and commitment to grow the company in a principled way, which made him an excellent fit for Sleeping Giant’s first investment. Several other candidates have now applied for funding from Sleeping Giant, and the managing partners are working to determine which applicants to move forward with. Sleeping Giant also has secured an accelerator space in downtown Kalamazoo to train owner-operators that likely will open by late August or early September, the partners said. Lepisto said one of the reasons Sleeping Giant Capital exists is to help future West Michigan-based owner-operators acquire companies that otherwise might be at risk of being purchased by non-local investors and moved overseas, so

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that capital stays in this region and helps it to flourish. “There’s not only a tremendous opportunity on the investment side, but it can increase the health of our West Michigan community that’s from Grand Rapids down through Kalamazoo,” he said. “If people mobilize around this concept, it’s creating benefit financially for investors, it’s creating educational returns for Western — we have great edu-

cational opportunities that we’re going to be integrating into some of our undergraduate programs, and there’s a really cool virtuous cycle there — (and) then there’s also that community impact piece that we’re hoping to be able to contribute to.” More information about Sleeping Giant and its investments is available at sleepinggiantcapital. com or by contacting McIver at dmciver@sleepinggiantcapital.com.

Association calls for more county roads investment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

are extending the service life of the road system and optimizing the investment on the roads.” “While that news is quite positive, it’s also very clear that the state of Michigan must find its way to another $1.8 billion to maintain the county road and bridge network,” Donohue added. “As we move quickly toward the end of the 2021 fiscal year, counties have seen the least significant increases in road funding from the 2015 package. Only inflationary increases are in the future until our Lansing leadership can craft a plan for Phase II of road funding.” The Kent County Road Commission is responsible for roughly 2,000 road miles. Of those, about 670 miles are primary roads marked by a high volume of traffic, and around 1,300 are local roads, which are in the jurisdiction of their respective townships. “There’s quite a variety out there, so when we talk about how we fund roads and make improvements, there’s a difference between what we do with the primary roads and what we do on the local roads,” said KCRC Managing Director Steve Warren. With respect to local roads, for example, KCRC matches every dollar the townships invest in their own improvements. CRA established the same condition goal for paved county roads as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is utilizing: 90% good/fair on federal aid-eligible roads by 2031 These roads (31,000 miles) currently have an average rating of 52% good/fair across all counties. Average was 45% in the 2019 Investment Plan. 60% good/fair on local, nonfederal aid-eligible roads by 2031 These roads (23,000 miles) currently have an average rating of 46% good/fair across all counties. Average rating was 36% in 2019. According to the KCRC’s Long Range Plan, 56% of local roads were rated good/fair, and 67% of primary roads rated good/fair as of 2015. Warren said KCRC is on track to achieve 90% good/fair condition for all of its primary roads by 2025, but Warren added the caveat that those designations only represent the surface conditions of these roads. “Our objective has been to get the surface in good/fair condition, because that’s important to the motorists,” Warren said. “But under-

neath that roadway, many times the foundation needs to be increased or reconstructed … we don’t have the budget available to us to do as much construction as we want to do or need to do. We have about 115 miles around Kent County that need reconstruction, and we’re only doing about 10 miles per year.” With more state funding, KCRC could easily put more work into preserving more road miles and even bump surface condition quality up to 95-100% good/fair condition by 2025. “We set the target at 90% because we knew that’s what we could do,” he said. The CRA report studied six areas of need by county road agencies: bridges, buildings/maintenance facilities, maintenance work, equipment, federal aid-eligible roads and nonfederal aid-eligible roads. The biggest improvements in condition showed up in the federal aid- and nonfederal aid-eligible roads. Costs were up slightly for buildings, equipment and maintenance. Bridge costs were up, due largely to improved methodology by the consultant. Counties’ 36,500 miles of unpaved roads are not included in the report’s ratings. However, the investment plan does include the cost of adding aggregate and grading. Kent County has about 335 miles of unpaved local roads, and Warren said it’s difficult to come up with a rating, because so much of the work to keep those gravel roads maintained is dependent on weather. “You could go out there and put a dust cover on it and then have a rain come and all that work gets washed away,” he said. After the 2015 Transportation Package was passed, Warren said, Kent County made a commitment to take 25 cents of every additional dollar and put it into routine maintenance, including sealing cracks in roads, keeping brush clear of signs and signals, and digging more ditches and drainage. “You can’t maintain good roads unless you do the proper routine maintenance,” Warren said. “While we all like to see new pavement and edge-to-edge road improvement, we can’t forget about the work that needs to be done off the road.” The CRA investment plan addresses only funds needed to preserve and restore the current system and does not contemplate system improvements (e.g., additional lanes, roundabouts or paving gravel roads).

Making a lasting impact in Grand Rapids At Bank of America, we have long been committed to advancing racial equality and economic opportunity in the communities where we work and live. Recognizing the urgency of the moment, we’ve expanded our longstanding efforts to drive progress by committing an additional $1.25 billion over five years to create opportunity for people and communities of color. By partnering with organizations here in Grand Rapids, we’re continuing to align our resources to help drive sustainable progress locally. Our investments and partnerships will help address critical issues and long-term gaps including: • connecting workers to new skills and enhanced job readiness • expanding affordable housing options for more people • ramping up lending and support to local small businesses • increasing access to healthcare and addressing food insecurity

Working together We’re collaborating with a variety of organizations to help our community move forward. They include: West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

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JUNE 28, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

THE LIST

Top Entrepreneurial Resources (SORTED ALPHABETICALLY)

Board members Resource description

ACRE AgTech 11480 53rd Ave., Suite A Allendale 49401 p (616) 994-4745 acreagtech.com

Helps startups focus on the details, enabling businesses to be successful. Networks with businesses and farms that have identified innovation needs.

BBB Serving Western Michigan 3330 Claystone St. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 774-8236 westernmichigan.bbb.org

Strengthens trust between companies and consumers through business accreditation, charity review, community programing and small business resources.

City of Grand Rapids Planning Commission 300 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 456-3000 grcity.us

Information on doing business in Grand Rapids, information on tax abatements, business expansion, downtown development and small business assistance.

DISHER 201 W. Washington Ave., Suite 230 Zeeland 49464 p (616) 748-6915 disher.com

Offers discovery, including consumer insights, 3D invention and market impact; engineering and design, including engineering feasibility, engineering design and product launch; manufacturing and technology, including conceptualization, advanced engineering and continuous improvement; solutions for business, including growth strategies, organizational training and coaching; and talent attraction, including recruiting, hiring and retaining.

Downtown Market Grand Rapids - Incubator Kitchen 435 Ionia Ave. SW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 805-5308 downtownmarketgr.com

Commercially licensed kitchen space with professional-grade equipment for food production, packaging, prepping and catering helps food entrepreneurs and startups get off the ground by teaching new business owners about the business of food and aiding with their development, growth and collaboration.

ELEVATE Minority Business 250 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 771-0300 grandrapids.org/events-programs/elevate-program

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce-hosted program designed to accelerate growth and development of minority-owned businesses in West Michigan.

Family Owned Business Institute 50 Front Ave. SW, SCB 3120 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 331-7200 gvsu.edu/fobi

Web resource designed to serve the needs of family businesses, as well as researchers and service providers. The site offers a wide array of resources to conduct all your research from one online source. This massive source of information has been acquired from numerous resources.

Grand Angels 40 Pearl St. NW, Suite 336 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 566-1770 grandangels.org

Offers mentoring, strategic advice, expanding networks and connections to customers, management and venture capital. Typically invests $250K-$1M in early-stage companies.

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce 250 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 150 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 771-0300 grandrapids.org

A business membership organization that provides business development programs for members, enhances the business climate in the area and advocates for public policy that supports economic growth and vitality.

Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) 25 Sheldon Blvd. SE, Suite 210 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 458-3404 growbusiness.org

A nonprofit organization that provides self-employment training, self-esteem building, mentor relationships, access to financing, including via a $1,000 to $5,000 microloan program and support networks to empower women to achieve self-sufficiency.

Grand Valley Metropolitan Council 678 Front Ave. NW, Suite 200 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 776-7613 gvmc.org

Brings together public and private sectors to plan and coordinate services and investments to benefit the growth and development of the region.

Jandernoa Entrepreneurial Mentoring 171 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 410 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 325-2112 jandernoamentoring.org

Mentorship program that pairs an experienced president/CEO with an entrepreneur to help guide growth and profitability.

Ka-Zoo Angels grandangels.org

Angel network making financial and intellectual capital available for early-stage and growing entrepreneurial companies in West Michigan, primarily the Kalamazoo region.

Kent District Library 3943 West River Drive Comstock Park 49321 p (616) 784-2007 kdl.org

ReferenceUSA, Business Insights, DemographicsNow, BusinessDecision, small business resource center, Business & Company ASAP, legal forms, Gale libraries

LINC UP 1167 Madison Ave. SE Grand Rapids 49507 p (616) 451-9140 lincrev.org

Helps grassroots nonprofit community development groups create affordable housing in their neighborhood for the purpose of stimulating community revitalization.

Lakeshore Advantage 201 W. Washington St., Loft 410 Zeeland 49464 p (616) 772-5226 lakeshoreadvantage.com

Lakeshore Advantage works hand-in-hand with businesses as they launch, expand or move to Holland or Zeeland. Provide connections and support for business expansion, tax abatement, streamlining permitting process, international business support and foreign trade zone, to name a few.

Lakeshore Advantage appointed Hawk Dobbins, plant manager, Fairlife; Dale Nesbary, president, Muskegon Community College; and Bill Pink, president, Grand Rapids Community College, to its board.

New CEO

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation named Quentin Messer Jr. as its CEO. He replaced Mark Burton, who stepped down in March.

Free services

The Michigan Small Business Development Center expanded its support services, including accounting, e-commerce/website development, human resource support and more, for businesses in all counties in Michigan.

President and CEO

Randy Thelen became the president and CEO of The Right Place this year. He replaced Birgit Klohs, who retired.

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JUNE 28, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

THE LIST

Top Entrepreneurial Resources (SORTED ALPHABETICALLY) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Resource description

Local First 345 Fuller Ave. NE Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 808-3788 localfirst.com

Encourages the development of a vibrant, sustainable West Michigan economy by promoting local business ownership, social equity and environmental stewardship through education, support and collaboration.

MiSpringboard 333 Bridge St. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 336-6000 varnumlaw.com/services/mispringboard

Varnum's statewide initiative designed to provide $1 million in free legal services to Michigan-based startups and growing businesses. Since its inception in 2011, MiSpringboard has served 320 clients from 79 Michigan communities, including the furthest reaches of the U.P., the Keweenaw Peninsula. To be considered for the MiSpringboard program, clients are referred by business incubators, SmartZones, angel investors, state agencies, universities and entrepreneur programs from around the state.

Michigan Economic Development Corp. 300 N. Washington Square Lansing 48913 p (888) 522-0103 medc.michigan.org

Dedicated to community growth through business development, workforce training and education, export information, labor market statistics, government procurement and strategic planning.

Michigan Manufacturers Association 620 S. Capitol Ave. Lansing 48933 p (517) 372-5900 mimfg.org

Members have access to a group of full-time staff who are dedicated to improving the manufacturing climate in Michigan and serving the needs of manufacturers through advocacy, education and strategic business services.

Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council 100 River Place, Suite 300 Detroit 48207 p (313) 873-3200 mmbdc.com

Assists council members in gaining procurement opportunities.

Michigan Small Business Development Center 50 Front Ave. SW, Suite 1020 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 331-7480 sbdcmichigan.org

Basic business training, market research, foundation skills for business startups, writing a business plan, marketing strategies, capital access and mentor program; advanced training in financial management, human resources, marketing and strategic planning; referral program to resources for a growing business.

Michigan Women Forward 535 Cascade West Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 765-4230 miwf.org

Through its entrepreneurial education and training programs, Michigan Women's Microloan Fund and Detroit Microloan Fund Collaborative, and events such as the EntrepreneurYou Dolphin Tank Program, MWF works to develop a scalable model that provides access to capital and a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem for women.

MoDiv 40 Monroe Center NW Grand Rapids 49503 shopmodiv.com

Retail incubator that helps startups and established businesses that wish to expand find short-term, flexible and affordable leases.

Partners Worldwide 6139 Tahoe Drive SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 818-4900 partnersworldwide.org

Nonprofit Christian organization reducing poverty through job creation initiatives. Offers business mentoring partnerships, basic business practice training and improved capital access throughout the world.

Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation 50 Front Ave. SW, Suite 1127 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 331-7528 gvsu.edu/cei

Develops best practices in entrepreneurship education and community engagement that enhance and impact the creation of new ventures and opportunities.

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) 111 Pearl St. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 771-0305 grandrapids.score.org

Retired business people provide "Starting Your Business" workshops and provide free business counseling.

SpringGR 818 Butterworth St. SW, Suite 6 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 826-8665 springgr.com

A training, mentoring and networking program designed to help budding entrepreneurs in Grand Rapids turn their ideas into thriving businesses.

Start Garden 40 Pearl St. NW Grand Rapids 49503 startgarden.com

Focuses on assisting entrepreneurs going from “zero to positive cash flow,” oversees the Grand Rapids SmartZone coworking space, is working on various platforms for entrepreneurs: 5x5 Night, Seamless Accelerator, Collective Metrics, TechShop and Collective Impact.

The Employers' Association (TEA) 5570 Executive Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 698-1167 teagr.org

Not-for-profit association incorporated in 1939 to provide practical human resource solutions to the local business community – many having business operations throughout the world. Helps hundreds of companies maximize employee productivity and minimize employer liability while seeking operational excellence through practical human resources and management advice, training, benchmark information, networking and organization development services

The Factory 38 W. Fulton St. Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 379-9377 workthefactory.com

Coworking hub popular among local entrepreneurs for co-learning courses, startup weekends and collaboration attitude.

The Right Place Inc. 125 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 450 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 771-0325 rightplace.org

Assistance and counseling for existing and prospective Kent County entrepreneurs starting a business, tax abatements, available industrial sites, technology resources, training resources, business planning and financing.

Additional board members

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market added of three new members to its Board of Directors. The new members are Start Garden Co-Director Mike Morin, Fibrenew entrepreneur LaChaun A. Steverson and Paycor Regional Sales Director Hailey Van Andel.

Library names branch manager

Kent District Library welcomed LuLu Brown as its regional manager II at the Cascade Township and Caledonia Township branches.

Grant recipient

Chris Cruz, assistant professor of Economics at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business, was awarded the 2021 Family Owned Business Institute Research grant.

One of 30

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top entrepreneurial resources, sorted alphabetically, is the most comprehensive available. The list is based on Business Journal research. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com.

LINC UP was one of 30 organizations across the country selected by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition to receive a first-round $5 million grant fund to aid the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

THE LIST

JUNE 28, 2021

Comerica Bank’s Michigan Index ticks higher March reading shows economy gaining momentum in service industries and construction.

starts, house prices, industrial electricity demand and hotel occupancy. The three negative components for March were light vehicle production, total state trade and state sales tax revenues. Those three components have a common headwind from supply-chain constrained vehicle production this spring, the bank said. Nonetheless, the Michigan economy is gaining momentum in its service industries and in construction. The state of Michigan in early June rolled back the majority of its COVID-related business restrictions and lifted all restrictions, including indoor gathering limits and mask requirements, on June 21 — an accelerated timeline from the original promise of July 1 as COVID-19 case numbers fell and vaccination rates rose. Comerica said it expected bars and restaurants to staff up over the next month in anticipation of full indoor capacity this summer. The auto sector remains vexed by supply chain constraints, with production remaining throttled and dealer inventory well below normal, the bank said. The global computer chip shortage — discussed in the Business Journal’s article on the February Michigan Index Report last month — is showing early signs of easing and may no longer be a binding constraint on production by the end of summer, Comerica said. Production and manufacturing employment in Michigan are expected to improve through the summer, the bank said.

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Comerica Bank’s Michigan Economic Activity Index increased in March for the fourth consecutive month, buoyed in part by the rollback of many COVID-19 restrictions. Comerica’s March Michigan Index rose to a level of 104.9, a reading that is 23% higher than the historical low reached in June 2020, the bank said. The index averaged 99.9 points for all of 2020, 9.2 points below the index average for 2019. February’s index reading was revised to 104.1, up from 104. Comerica’s Michigan Economic Activity Index consists of nine variables: nonfarm payroll employment, continuing claims for unemployment insurance, housing starts, house price index, industrial electricity sales, auto assemblies, total trade, hotel occupancy and sales tax revenue. All data are seasonally adjusted. Nominal values have been converted to constant dollar values. Index levels are expressed in terms of three-month moving averages. Six out of nine components were positive for the month, including nonfarm payrolls, unemployment insurance claims (inverted), housing

Robert Dye, senior vice president and chief economist for Comerica, spoke to the Business Journal in mid-June about the report. “One of the positive things to say about this, despite the constraints on the auto sector, is the overall economy for Michigan is still lifting,” he said, “from services coming back, from consumer demand coming back, and as COVID restrictions get rolled back even more, I would expect that to continue. “I have seen mixed and conflicting reports about supply chain issues for the auto sector Dye and … I do still expect that global chip shortage to ease significantly by the end of summer, but it remains very much a concern.” Dye noted with COVID-19 hitting Taiwan hard, production schedules have been disrupted yet again, which is another factor impacting the global manufacturing supply chain and in particular Michigan. He said the housing market, though starts were in positive territory for March, also is constrained by supply issues, including pricing and availability of timber, appliances and even paint. For those who already own homes, they may see positive impacts on home equity and home values, but

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

(RANKED BY 2020 NUMBER OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTING CLIENTS) Year founded

Top executive(s)

No. of employees

2020 W. Mich. revenue

Number of 2020 clients

Services offered

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

1916

John Maynard

DND

1,015

Audit, tax and advisory firm

Crowe LLP 55 Campau Ave. NW, Suite 500 Grand Rapids p (616) 774-0774 f 752-4226 crowe.com

1984

Josh Cole Rhonda Huismann

DND

318

Consulting and advisory services

Plante & Moran PLLC 634 Front Ave. NW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids p (616) 774-8221 f 774-0702 plantemoran.com

1924

Rich Antonini

$6.01M

295

Cybersecurity, forensic valuation services, global services, information and technology consulting, risk accounting and advisory services, strategy and operations, talent and organization development, transaction advisory services

The Employers' Association 5570 Executive Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids p (616) 698-1167 f 698-6624 teagr.org

1939

Jason Reep

$186,000

Harrington & Kieft 16916 Analon St. Sand Lake 49343 p (616) 634-2443 f 773-1337 harringtonkieft.com

2013

John Harrington Ford Kieft

DND

18 holes

$50 per person

9 holes

Details & registration www.teagr.org or 616.698.1167

Top Area Management Consulting Firms Company

Organization development including: compensation design, employee engagement, organizational culture alignment, talent/performance management, diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, coaching/mentoring, affirmative action, handbook/HR audit, onsite employee development programs, onboarding design Turnaround management/restructuring, wind down/orderly liquidation, lender/creditor negotiations, transition planning and development, profit enhancement/expense control, real estate assessments

U.S. board appointee

KPMG LLP appointed Roel Campos as an independent director to its U.S. Board of Directors. He is the third independent director selected for the firm’s U.S. board.

Changing of the guard

Crowe has named Mark Baer its CEO. He succeeds Jim Powers, who served two terms as the CEO, which is the maximum in the firm’s partnership agreement.

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The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area management consulting firms, ranked by 2020 number of management consulting clients, is the most comprehensive available. The list is based on responses to Business Journal surveys. The Business Journal defines "West Michigan" as Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The Business Journal surveyed 35 companies; 5 responded and 5 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose

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 28, 2021

THE LIST

Top Area IT Services and Networking Companies (RANKED BY 2020 WEST MICHIGAN REVENUE) Top local executive

Year founded

2020 2019 W. Mich. revenue

No. of W. Mich. employees

Human resources Products and services offered

Certifications/accreditations

Rehmann 3145 Prairie St. SW, Suite 101 Grandville 49418 p (616) 222-9200 f 222-9300 rehmann.com/services/technologysolutions

John Pridnia

1941

$36.38M $38.45M

143

Managed security, managed IT, managed cloud, IT and cybersecurity assessments/audits/consulting, professional services/project management, hardware and software solutions, telecommunication services, etc.

Worksighted 275 Hoover Blvd. Holland 49423 p (616) 546-2691 f 546-2692 worksighted.com

Mike Harris

2000

$14M $15.5M

Managed and professional services, vCIO and Cisco Premier Certified Partner, Microsoft consulting services, training, business continuity, Gold Partner, Dell Preferred Partner, Datto collaboration and productivity, security, infrastructure Elite Partner, VMWare Professional Partner design, cloud services

IP Consulting 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Suite 1350 Vienna 22182 p (616) 828-4416 f 828-4417 ipconsultinginc.com

Milton Moore

2006

$7.58M DND

DND

Applied Imaging: NetSmart Plus 5555 Glenwood Hills Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 554-5200 netsmartplus.com

John Lowery

2014

$5.43M $5.03M

Hungerford Technologies 2910 Lucerne Drive SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 949-4020 f 949-3016 hungerford.tech

Matt Clarin

1999

QUANTUM LEAP 2006 44th St. Grand Rapids 49508 p (616) 742-5100 f 742-5143 qlmi.com

Mike Borowka Jay TenEyck Rob Dykstra Josh Burgess Drew Dykstra

SJA Solutions 550 3 Mile Road Grand Rapids 49544 p (616) 451-2045 f 451-2848 sja-solutions.com

Sean Agerson

SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA Seal of Compliance (Compliancy Group), AT&T Platinum, Barracuda Premier, Cisco Premier, Dell EMC Gold, HP Synergy/HPE T2 Solution Provider, Microsoft Gold, Veeam Gold, VMware Advanced, WatchGuard Platinum

Information technology implementation and services, Cisco routing, switching, servers, VoIP phone systems, video collaboration, cloud hosting, data center, and full-service technology implementation and integration

Cisco Advanced Collaboration Architecture Certified; Project Management Professional, PMP, four-time Inc. 5000 awardee; Michigan Celebrates Small Business 50-to-Watch

Help desk, infrastructure management: business continuity, data security services, professional services, virtual CIO, public and private cloud; infrastructure, end user hardware, data center, networking, backup and disaster recovery; collaboration: telephony

Microsoft Gold Partner - Cloud Productivity and Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions, Microsoft Silver Partner - Midmarket Solution Provider and Silver Datacenter, Datto Blue Partner, Lenovo Silver Partner, Dell Partner, HPE Partner, Cohesity Certified Partner, VMWare Certified Partner, Cisco Meraki Certified Partner, Comptia Network+, Comptia A+

$5.21M $4.21M

IT advisory and support services, Cisco Webex, web Microsoft MSCE, Cisco CCNA development, VoIP phone systems, web development, cloud backup and recovery, cloud-based productivity suites, encrypted email, cyber security assessments, wireless network deployment, infrastructure services, managed IT services, spam and virus filtering, phishing testing and training

2002

$4.5M $3.9M

Managed IT services, IT consulting, cybersecurity, compliance, vCIO, data backup and disaster recovery, cloud services, VoIP phone systems, carrier procurement and consulting, network cabling

Datto Partner, Microsoft MCSA, Microsoft 365 Certified, Cisco CCNA, Aruba ACSA, Mitel Silver Partner, Mitel Certified Support Engineer

2005

$3.95M $3.6M

Managed services, professional services (project management and implementation services), security services

VMware Partner, Lenovo Partner, HP Partner, Microsoft Partner, Veeam Partner, Dell Partner, SentinelOne Partner, Google Partner, 3CX Partner, Cisco Partner

ITPartners+ 2851 Charlevoix Drive SE, Suite 100 Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 828-1010 itpartners.com

Kevin Damghani

2017

$2.9M $1.65M

Managed IT services, backup and disaster recovery, enterprise patch, management and ticketing, SaaS backup, managed networking, security and awareness training

Channel Futures 501, CRN MSP 500, Datto Networking Partner of the Year 2017, Datto Innovator of the Year 2018, Apple Authorized Service Provider, West Michigan's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, INC 5000 fastest growing companies in the US No. 214

BizStream 11480 53rd Ave., Suite A Allendale 49401 p (720) 412-3223 bizstream.com

Mark Schmidt Brian McKeiver

2001

$2.52M $4.29M

Designs, supports, and connects digital marketing solutions utilizing a variety of technologies, including .NET, Azure, Kentico Xperience, and Kentico Kontent, to name a few. Alongside custom web and application development services, has a number of Software as a Service (SaaS) products, including YouthCenter, CaseStream, and Toolkit for Kentico.

4 Kentico Xperience Sites of the Year awards, 14 Kentico Xperience Sites of the Month awards, West Michigan’s Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, National Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, West Michigan’s Best & Brightest Companies in Wellness, National Best & Brightest Companies in Wellness, Corp! Magazine's Economic Bright Spots, Michigan 50 Companies to Watch, Inc.'s Best Workplaces, Inc. 5000 List

10 Fusion IT LLC

Michael Waldschlager Curtis Irwin

2007

$2.5M $2.65M

Managed IT cybersecurity service provider, IT Certified Silver Server Microsoft Partner, consulting, CMMC compliance, systems and WAN/ CMMC RPO, Gold Watchguard Firewall LAN network architects, camera security, private cloud Partner and other cybersecurity product business continuity, and integrated UC/VOIP/phone solutions; professional engineers holding systems certifications CISM, MCSE, MCSA, MCP, CCNA, WCSP, RGCI and many others

Greg Duggins

1997

$2.5M $2M

Managed IT, managed enterprise help desk 24x365 in USA, security operations center: SIEM, managed vulnerability training, user awareness training. Application development: SharePoint expertise, SQL expertise, .NET, Salesforce implementations, US-based cloud data centers, Procurement HP, Dell, Cisco, Lenovo, Fortinet, IT Project Outsourcing

1,100 nationwide engineers, Cisco Premier Partner, Dell Premier Partner, VP Ware professional certifications, Datto and Fortinet Premier Partners, MCSC engineering certifications MCSE A++, Senior Microsoft Windows Engineers, Apple Expertise via Mac Professionals which we own.

West Michgain Technology and Design Solutions 8232 Morning Dew Court Byron Center 49315 p 616-485-7600 westmichiganIT.com

J.R. Muller

1981

$1.8M $1.5M

100% local website design and hosting, managed IT support, IT consulting, SEO, social media, marketing

DND

IT Resource, Inc. 701 W. Randall St. Coopersville 49404 p (616) 837-6930 f 837-6936 itrw.net

Gary Lutz Leo Reap

2000

DND DND

Business continuity, collaboration and messaging, intuitive managed support, Microsoft 365 and Azure cloud adoption services, network infrastructure, risk management, strategic consulting, managed security and compliance services, vCIO consulting

Arctic Wolf Managed Service Provider, Cisco Premier Certified Partner, Datto Blue Partner, Dell EMC Partner, GoToConnect Partner, Microsoft Gold Partner & Cloud Solution Provider, Nutanix Partner, Sophos Gold Partner, Veeam Cloud & Service Provider, VMware Enterprise Solution Provider, Zix | AppRiver Premier Partner

Micro Visions, Inc. 264 Leonard St. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 776-0400 f 776-2596 microvisionsinc.com

Julie Lough

1989

DND DND

Managed IT services, cyber-security, consulting, strategic planning, project management, backup/ disaster recovery services, help desk, network engineering, cloud solutions, vendor management

A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+, MCP, MCSE, MCSA, MCSBS, CCNA, CCA, CNA, CNE, SCTS, VCP

Matt Kahle Adam Peterson

1996

DND DND

RealCare managed service, managed backup and disaster recovery, voip, managed IT security, consulting and projects

A+, Network+, Security+, Linux, Novell, Microsoft, PMP

4120 Brockton Drive SE, Suite 150 Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 828-5360 f 825-6284 fusion-it.net

Konica Minolta Business Solutions 201 Front Ave. SW, Suite 102 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 608-1506 kmbs.konicaminolta.us

Real IT Solutions Inc. 3926 West River Drive Comstock Park 49321 p (616) 209-8900 realitsolutions.com

The Grand Rapids Business Journal's list of top area IT services and networking companies, ranked by 2020 West Michigan revenue, is the most comprehensive available. The list is based on responses to Business Journal surveys. The Business Journal defines "West Michigan" as Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The Business Journal surveyed 49 companies; 16 returned surveys and 15 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = did not disclose

Rehmann selected Scott Bonacorsi as its chief human resource officer. He has more than two decades of human resource experience.

Office opens

Applied Imaging opened a new Southfield office, located at 24050 Northwestern Highway in Southfield. The more than 60,000 square feet of office and warehouse space replaces the company’s Troy and Novi offices.

Position

Gary Galindo joined Fusion IT LLC as dispatcher and service team lead.

President of foundation

Hungerford Technologies’ Kimberly Livingston was elected president of Cascade Community Foundation’s board of directors for 2021. Livingston will join CEO Justin Swan.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

Startup provides solution for educators to monitor student progress Pulse software also improves communication between teachers, students and parents Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

John Sorensen could not have predicted the deadliest pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu, but he did recognize the difficult task educators have of monitoring the progress of all of their students during a virtual class. As a result, Sorensen co-founded Student Achievement Systems LLC in 2017. The company was recently awarded a $15,000 Business Accelerator Fund grant through Michigan State University’s Gateway Grand Rapids and the Small Business Development Center of Michigan after it created a solution called Pulse, which is a licensed, cloud-based software product that replicates an in-person classroom where a teacher is standing in the front looking out to see which students are completing a task and which aren’t. Pulse is designed to help educators closely monitor student engagement and communicate with them personally in virtual classrooms and remote student-learning environments in real time. “We take snapshots on a moment-by-moment basis, day-by-day basis,” Sorensen said. “We can tell

a teacher about a student who has been doing great for the past couple of weeks (and then) they just dropped off the edge of a cliff — just stopped doing work altogether. Most of Sorensen the learning systems that are out there do not have the ability to tell you that something has gone wrong, they can only tell you their progress in a course. We can tell you if students have stopped doing work. We can tell you if a student is rushing to do something or rushing to make something up. If a student’s parent calls the teacher and asks, ‘How is little Jane doing today?’ A teacher can look at the screen in front of them and have a conversation with that parent without actually having that child in that classroom sitting in front of them. So, it really gives teachers an enormous amount of data on a moment-by-moment basis.” Some hybrid and cyber classes offered in Grand Rapids, Belding, Muskegon, Kenowa Hills, Berrien Springs and Benton Harbor are among those using Pulse. It monitors more than 6,000 students and teachers, and the company predicts it will expand to 11,000 users by later this year. “Virtual education has been growing 20% to 30% per year over the past five or six years and it is continuously growing,” Sorensen said. “Anything that can be au-

tomated will be automated by a computer. We see it everywhere, and whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, education is one of those things. Students in all areas of education will be taking more and more virtual classes, so our system is built around virtual classes. Where we got started was enabling virtual schools to be able to monitor and watch over their virtual classrooms, so before the pandemic hit, we were already set for classrooms with no students in it.” Jared Herron is the principal of Kenowa Hills Pathway High School and the director of online learning for all of Kenowa Hills Public Schools. He said the district began using Pulse last February, just before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic. “We decided before the pandemic started to use Pulse in order to keep track of all the students’ communication and progress,” he said. “We use Pulse for our sixththrough-eighth grade students as part of our KHOLA (Kenowa Hills Online Learning Academy), and we have over 200 students enrolled in our virtual program, in which we track our two-way communication. We use (Pulse) with our 9-12 graders’ online learning. We have over 350 students and we are able to track our two-way communications and student progress as well.” In Michigan, schools must provide state auditors with evidence of two-way communication between teachers and K-12 students who are participating in online or virtual academic learning.

Before using Pulse, Herron said his teachers would monitor students’ progress manually by setting goals of course completion in a given week — tracking where students were at the beginning of the week and where they are at the end of the week and matching the week’s goal with the student’s goal percentage and document it. “That is what is being done in the Pulse software now,” he said. “Previously, we had to do that man-

ually, and now it is doing it for us so we can share with students. It is color-coded to show how close they are to their goal or if they are behind their goal. The software program also allows us to sort some of those. So, if we really want to look at students who are really behind pace and are not meeting their goals for the week, we can sort the program to get those students to the top to know who we need to connect with right away.”

Comerica Bank’s index ticks higher once again CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

the news is less positive for firsttime homebuyers, he said. Moving into July and August, Dye said he expects it may be easier for restaurants and entertainment venues to increase staffing, with the impending expiration of state and federal enhanced unemployment benefits. “There is going to be more incentive for laid-off workers to re-engage with the labor market, and I think labor numbers will reflect that,” he said. “On the other hand, I remain concerned for families with young children, because there are still lots of concerns about vaccines for children less than 12 years old — and the school

situation and child care. So, this is still a very tricky environment for families with young children, especially as they consider their work options over the next few months.” Dye said a sign to look for moving into midyear is for consumer demand for autos to remain durable, even as dealer inventory is low due to supply chain issues. Fiscal stimulus will continue to be part of the equation, as households spend their stimulus dollars over the next several months on vacations and consumer goods, Dye said. Although it’s looking like the federal stimulus package may hit closer to the $1 trillion mark than the $2 trillion mark once it passes, Dye said this is still expected to be an “overall positive for the economy.”

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Fruit Ridge proves to be economic driver CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

gan, especially the retail farms and orchards on the Fruit Ridge. REAP currently has 36 members and the retail and wholesale growers raise 70% of Michigan’s apples (about 25 million bushels) and six apple packers help distribute them around the world. “We are very proud to have the Fruit Ridge in Michigan,” said Rose Spickler, membership manager for the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. “It is an economic driver that we prefer to have here, in our own back yard, rather than in another state or across the world. That keeps our economic growth here and it is beneficial for us because it is local. Growing food locally is the largest sustainability attribute — not having to transport food across the country or across the world definitely cuts down on emissions.” Agriculture is Michigan’s second-largest economic driver, bringing in about $104.7 billion annually, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). In 2018, 1,050 billion pounds of apples were harvested in Michigan. According to MDARD, about 50% of the harvest was used for processing. There are more than 11.3 million apple trees in commer-

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cial production, covering 35,500 acres on 825 family-run farms. One of the family-run farms is Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm in Grand Rapids, which hosted a WMSBF event earlier this month. The farm has been in Stephanie Ginsberg’s family for four generations. The farm, which is also a part of REAP and located at the beginning of the Fruit Ridge, is 170 acres and produces strawberries, apples, cherries, asparagus, soybeans and corn. Some of the apples are sold to producers, Ginsberg said, but others are sold at an onsite farmers market. Nevertheless, farms have evolved to become more than a place where people just grow produce and crops and raise livestock. Some farms have incorporated a different revenue stream by offering entertainment to their consumers. Ginsberg’s family, for example, has capitalized on different options by including a brewery, winery, cidery, restaurant, musical entertainment, U-pick options and other activities on the farm to bolster revenue. “A lot of our members do agritourism,” Moeller said. “They do corn mazes, hayrides, pick-yourown pumpkin patch. In other words, they try to have multiple businesses so that if one of the businesses has an off year, they can still have a financially good year.”

Task force to look at juvenile justice CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

According to the governor, the task force exists as a partnership with county and state leaders, along with other leaders within the juvenile justice system. They’ll be tasked with conducting a yearlong analysis of Michigan’s juvenile justice system with the goal of developing “recommendations for changes in state law, policy and appropriations to improve youth outcomes.” Some issues the task force will analyze are: • Key drivers of detention and residential placement • Available alternatives to detention and residential placement • Outcomes associated with educational and skills training opportunities for youth impacted by the juvenile justice system • Opportunities to increase safety and well-being of youth impacted by the juvenile justice system • Racial and ethnic disparities among youth impacted by the juvenile justice system • The efficiency and effectiveness of state and county oversight systems and opportunities for better alignment with research and constitutional mandates. As part of its assessment, the task force will be able to make inquiries, initiate studies and investigations, hold hearings and receive comments from the public. “This task force will examine

a system that is not working,” Gilchrist said. “Michigan still detains youth at one of the highest rates in the nation and is nearly unparalleled in our practice of detaining youth for non-criminal behavior.” According to the latest data made available from the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice, there were 10,132 crimes committed by juveniles ages 10-16 in 2017. Some of the crimes included aggravated assault (489), larceny (2,102), non-aggravated assault (1,863) and narcotics (1,141). The majority of crimes committed by juveniles that year were by 15and 16-year-olds (6,191). In Kent County during that same year, 1,205 crimes were committed by juveniles, including aggravated assault (58), larceny (405), non-aggravated assault (265), and drunkenness and vagrancy (108). Most of the juvenile crimes were committed by 15and 16-year-olds (683). Over the past few years, the state has made some changes to improve its juvenile justice system including state legislative action to “raise the age” of automatic adult adjudication. Currently, if a 17-year-old commits a crime he or she is tried as an adult. Also, for anyone between the ages of 14 and 16 who commits a felony, the prosecutor can ask the family court to waive its delinquency jurisdiction and try them as an adult.

INSIDE TRACK

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Ensink ties together diverse strengths rwatson@grbj.com

helma Ensink may have a more varied resume than some nonprofit leaders, but she said concern for marginalized groups is the through line in everything she’s done. Ensink, a native of South Africa who moved to Michigan at the age of 12 with her family, has worked in paramedicine and education while staying involved on boards and in ministry at various times in her career. In January, she was appointed executive director of Dégagé Ministries, a 54-year-old nonprofit agency that serves homeless individuals in downtown Grand Rapids. She succeeds Marge Palmerlee, who led the organization for 23 years. Although Ensink did not know Palmerlee well before she applied for the job, she now considers her one of her mentors and biggest cheerleaders in her new role, meeting weekly with her to ensure a smooth transition as the organization enters its next phase. Growing up in South Africa during apartheid, Ensink said she learned from an early age about discrimination and marginalization based on skin color and ethnicity, and it left a deep impression on her. Her father, a physician, took her on rounds, and she had the opportunity to see firsthand the conditions in rural African hospitals. “Just really seeing those disparities made a big impression on me as a child,” she said. “At that time, you don’t realize it, but now looking back, you’re like, OK, that’s where the seeds got planted in terms of me just really having a heart or having a passion for the marginalized and the oppressed.” Ensink’s father worked for a national company in the late 1980s that was originally going to place him in Florida, but at the last minute, he was sent to Zeeland. Ensink said this was a culture and climate shock for the whole family. “I never had a winter coat before,” she said. English was also not her first language, and she faced tumultuous times in her family that made coming of age in a strange place even more difficult.

After high school, Ensink attended Calvin College (now Calvin University) to study education, fully intending to return to South Africa after graduation, but then she met and married her husband, and they stayed. Despite her father being a doctor and her mother being a nurse, Ensink had no intention of entering the medical field until an opportunity presented itself to work in patient registration at Spectrum Health while enrolled at Calvin. From there, she was encouraged to become a medic with American Medical Response to pay her way through college. She didn’t intend to work on an ambulance, but she said it was a valuable experience that she grew to love. “I got to carry individuals who were experiencing homelessness in the back of my ambulance,” she said. “One day, we were in a little bit longer transport, and I asked this man about his life and background, and he really opened up. It shocked me, because you have your stereotypes or ideas about what homelessness is, but then you meet someone, and you hear their story. I then started to ask more homeless individuals who I had in my ambulance, and I started to see patterns, that wow, these individuals’ lives were often like mine. They were married, owned a home, they were working, and then they had some kind of traumatic event — it might have been divorce, it might have been the death of a loved one — and all these things set their lives on a different trajectory.” She said being a medic also opened her eyes to the socioeconomic disparities in Grand Rapids. One day, she might be called on to care for someone living on the streets, and the very next call might be to the home of a millionaire. Ensink said she realized no one can escape disease, but her experience as a medic showed her people in poverty are impacted by those tragedies exponentially more. In addition to her work as a paramedic, Ensink worked as an office manager at Ionia Family Medicine from 1998 to 2001, during which time she did house calls and met rural families who lived without

THELMA ENSINK Organization: Dégagé Ministries Position: Executive director Age: 45 Birthplace: Pretoria, South Africa Residence: Wyoming Family: Husband of 23 years; three children: 14-year-old boy, 11-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy Community/Business Involvement: Safe Haven board member, served as adjunct faculty member at Hope College last semester, just finished serving as a trustee for the Christian Schools International pension board Biggest Career Break: Biggest success was co-founding Ambassador High at Grandville Calvin Christian School three years ago, a program that focuses on community-based learning and internships.

Thelma Ensink listened to the stories of homeless patients who were riding in the back of her ambulance. Courtesy James Horton

New executive director of Dégagé to lead nonprofit through changes, leveraging experience in varied fields. Rachel Watson

JUNE 28, 2021

phone service or electricity in their homes — yet another disparity. After having all of these experiences, Ensink said she had a growing awareness that young people of privilege in schools today aren’t being taught about what’s happening in the world among marginalized groups. So, she then became a social studies teacher and educator during the next two decades, and she worked to design curricula that would spread awareness of social justice issues, such as homelessness and poverty. At the same time, she was learning to understand the individual challenges that underprivileged students faced that impacted whether they would succeed in school, such as domestic abuse, hunger or other stressors. “You always want a teenager to have hope. You always want them to know it can get better, because your worst fear is that they will give up if they think things can’t get better,” Ensink said. “I think that’s still the passion that drives me here, too. Every patron we meet with is facing what seems like insurmountable issues. ‘I don’t have housing. I don’t have income. I’m facing addiction.’ (It’s rewarding) to be able to say, ‘It can get better. There is hope. How can we walk alongside of you? What’s the next step you can take toward that goal?’” She said she will take the lessons learned from practicing paramedicine and being an educator and apply them to her current role — especially the lessons about collaborative leadership and helping people reach their full potential. In addition to her background as an educational leader and medic, Ensink is a certified trainer in restorative practices (RP) — a tool to build community and repair relationships when harm has been done. “I did extensive work with RP in the school setting,” she said. “Now,

I am very excited to bring RP to the shelter and homelessness program setting. We are training our staff in RP and using it to help reduce suspensions and improve outcomes for the people we serve.” Dégagé Ministries kicked off an expansion in 2019 and has about $1 million left to raise in its capital campaign. The expansion entails building a new three-story structure in the place of the former historic Carriage House at 139 Sheldon Ave. SE, as well as renovating two adjacent buildings facing Sheldon Avenue, along with renovating the headquarters and connecting all of Dégagé’s buildings to allow passage between them. The expansion will give the nonprofit: A larger dining room to serve 90,000 meals a year (a 50% increase in capacity) A day wellness center providing 1,000 to 2,000 new wellness visits per year A workforce development center with expanded programming to serve 900 to 1,000 attendees per year An expanded Open Door Women’s Center, including rooms for women and their children, providing 3,000 to 3,500 new overnight stays per year Ensink said with her background in health care, as the nonprofit’s new executive director, she is excited to continue partnerships with Cherry Health, Mercy Health and other health providers to offer vaccination clinics, screenings and tests for patrons. Also, via the new wellness center, she is looking forward to being able to give homeless individuals a place to recover from injuries, surgeries and procedures, as well as to teach the community preventive care, health and nutrition. Her educational background will be useful when it comes to

workforce development, Ensink said. Just as in education, every student gets an individual learning plan, so at Dégagé, they receive individual career plans. “We walk side by side, especially in our workforce development program, with each patron and really say, ‘What are your gifts? What are your passions? How can we walk alongside to help you be successful and reach your goals?’ So I think there’s a lot of parallels there to the educational role. I also think that my leadership style is deeply influenced by being an educator because I believe in coaching the people that I work with, having really clear expectations, walking alongside, facilitating (and) guiding you. That’s what education has moved toward, and I think that’s also, for me, one of the best styles of leadership.” Ensink said she is proud of the progress that’s been made since she started in training Dégagé’s 44 employees in best practices, evaluating current programs to make sure they are meeting strategic goals, expanding the hours of the Life Enrichment Center, reinstating quarterly meetings with other downtown agencies that serve homeless and disadvantaged populations, and working with them to create a campaign that will educate the community on the problem of homelessness and the role local agencies play in the housing crisis. Two things keep Ensink excited to wake up and come to work each day, she said: the progress that patrons make toward their goals each day, and the growing success Dégagé is having in its workforce development efforts, which were accelerated by the pandemic. “I’ve been here just five months now, but it really has been an awesome experience,” she said.

JUNE 28, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Local leaders call on state to honor short-term rental rules They say proposed one-size-fits-all legislation would further erode housing market. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

The Michigan Municipal League (MML) and local government leaders recently held a virtual conference to call attention to compromise legislation being developed that will balance the needs of shortterm rental owners, permanent local residents and vacationers. The conference was moderated by Dan Gilmartin, MML CEO, and featured Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington, as well as Bridget Smith, Frankenmuth city manager; Derek Lemanski, shortterm rental owner in Frankenmuth; and Jenn Hill, mayor pro tem in Marquette. Gilmartin said the local leaders represented municipalities that have short-term rental regulations in place designed to best meet the needs of their respective communities. According to the league and local leaders, current legislative items SB 446 and HB 4722 create a one-size-fits-all policy that only caters to short-term rental owners. Newly introduced legislation

like HB 4985 and others soon-to-be introduced make clear short-term rentals are allowed in Michigan while also giving local communities the right to implement reasonable regulations that suit their unique housing needs. “If the current bills pass, all of this work for reasonable regulation will be tossed, and the floodgates to short-term rentals will be open,” Gilmartin said. “It would be like adding lighter fluid to an already blazing-hot housing market, making the demand for attainable housing even more dire here in the state of Michigan.” Both SB 445 and HB 4722 define short-term rental as the rental of a single-family residence, a dwelling unit in a one-to-four–family house, or any unit or group of units in a condominium, for terms of not more than 30 consecutive days. Both bills state short-term rentals are a residential use of property and a permitted use in all residential zones and are not subject to a special use or conditional use permit or procedure different from those required for other dwellings in the same zone. Short-term rentals also are not considered commercial use of a property. Short-term rentals have grown in popularity across the state, providing a boost in vacation options for visitors, but Gilmartin said they’ve also brought a reduction in available housing, increased noise and nuisance complaints and un-

equal competition with traditional hotels. Additionally, the blanket legislation can open the door for commercial operators looking for a growth market in residential homes turned into hotels. “Any legislator with their name on these bills, or considering voting for them, needs to be able to answer these very important questions: are you concerned about the skyrocketing cost of home purchasing in your community? What’s the wisdom of reducing housing supply for Michigan residents who live in our communities year-round and pay taxes yearround during the worst attainable housing crisis our state has seen? What percentage of a neighborhood’s housing stock should be short-term rentals? And what provisions in this bill keep a neighborhood from becoming 100% shortterm rentals?” Gilmartin said. Grand Rapids allows shortterm rentals, but the city is very intentional about using its current zoning laws to regulate them, Washington said. It is important for the city to consider other factors like parking, traffic noise and other nuisances. “It’s important that short-term rentals be regulated with local control based on how each community and each city and township and village responds to its own residents,” Washington said. Grand Rapids does not allow the entirety of a residence to be

Grand Rapids allows short-term rentals, but the city is very intentional about using its current zoning laws to regulate them, according to City Manager Mark Washington. Courtesy iStock

used as a short-term rental, again based on local constituency when developing the zoning laws, but SB 445 and HB 4722 do not consider local preferences, Washington said. “These bills ignore the reality of how short-term rentals operate, and many of them are not home sharing … but it is actually renting the entire home for extra income for a few short periods of time, while the homeowners are away,” Washington said. “Not only have we seen that attempt in Grand Rapids, but also in other cities that I’ve had the privilege of working for.” Washington added the city already has seen upticks in some parts of the community in complaints derived from short-term rental use. “It’s not unreasonable to expect people have the ability to acquire additional income through the use

of their property, and we feel we’ve responsibly done that by enabling it to occur, but within the context of our zoning regulations to make sure that the quality of life for all of our residents will be protected,” Washington said. “We urge all lawmakers to reject any legislation that ignores the work local communities have done to set fair and local regulations to uplift their local needs. What works in Grand Rapids may not work in other communities across the state, and what works in other communities may not work in Grand Rapids.” Washington estimated Grand Rapids needs over 9,000 new housing units over the next four years, and the need for attainable housing far outreaches the need for short-term lodging. In order CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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05 OF 11 “He told me, ‘If you want me to sponsor you, you need to go down to that community college and enroll.’ So I did.” Kyle needed a tutor for “just about every class but reading” at Grand Rapids Community College, but found himself getting into healthier routines, attending support groups, reading a lot and running. He remembers being late one night and running to a sobriety meeting playing old self-defeating tapes in his head about being unable to do anything right. “That’s when a voice said, ‘Do the footwork.’ I stopped and looked around but couldn’t ﬁnd that voice. And after a few minutes, I realized that was God talking to me – and that became my mantra. Do the footwork.”

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT: Kyle Hinton encourages men to “do the footwork.” Guiding Light’s newest board member has only had the chance to briefly walk through the doors of 255 Division Ave. SE because of COVID-19. But Kyle Hinton has walked in the shoes of the men who seek recovery and reconnection through the programs offered by the Heartside nonprofit – and he knows the importance of shining a light. “We serve men who are in a dark place,” Kyle notes. “The sober mission is what really drew me to Guiding Light. We have a good structure in place, and we have qualified people who know what they need to do from a programming standpoint. The key element is to get people who are ready to come in and do the work – because this is hard work.” Kyle knows that firsthand. The Detroit native was in a “really dark place” when he landed in Grand Rapids at the age of 27. Undereducated and struggling with addiction, his decisions led to encounters with the law. Kyle started attending Bible study as a way to get out of his cell, had an awakening, and began to read the Bible in earnest. His next stop was the downtown YMCA, when it was located across from the Grand Rapids Public Library. He took advantage of the proximity to “get into a routine of reading.” One of Kyle’s sponsors in his recovery program recommended he seek more education – and it wasn’t an empty suggestion. “It took me five years to graduate from high school, so I had a self-defeating belief I wasn’t a good student,” Kyle recalls. “I told myself that for years and years and years. Unlike a therapist who encourages people, your sponsor tells you what to do – and that’s what my sponsor did.

Fitting advice. By 1988, Kyle had been sober for a little over a year when family struggles caused him to be entrusted with the care of his children, ages 4, 2 and 3 months. Kyle immediately stepped in to become a focused and full-time father. Grounded by his children and rooted in his family and faith, Kyle completed a two-year associate degree from GRCC – then his bachelor’s degree and a master’s in public administration, both from Grand Valley State University. He enjoyed bringing his children to the Allendale campus where he worked as the assistant director of the Upward Bound program – and at being an “involved, responsible and committed father.” Kyle ultimately earned a second master’s degree in family life education before completing a graduate certiﬁcate program in alcohol and drug abuse at Western Michigan University. Shortly after completing his MPA, Kyle went to have a doctor check a lump on his arm and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. The University of Chicago offered the best treatment path, so he traveled there with his mother. As the pair left that ﬁrst appointment, his mother stopped to pray with a woman and Kyle was walking to the car alone when he heard the voice again: “I chose you.” “I didn’t turn around and start looking around that time,” Kyle says. “I told my mom, ‘I’m going to be alright’ because God talked to me and told me ‘I chose you.’ From that moment, I knew He had chosen me to take care of my kids and be the best father I could be. “After I got my kids sent off to college, there were still some things resonating in me, and I knew that God had chosen me again to help men who have become entangled, devalued and marginalized. I believe in my heart He commissioned me to do this work.

‘‘

It’s taxing and can be long and arduous, but it is gratifying to see someone step out of the darkness and into the light.

”

In 2009, Kyle fully embraced that commission by opening New Visions Counseling. In the early days, he worked extensively with the Michigan Prison Re-entry Initiative, supporting clients re-entering society through cognitive behavior therapy, parenting skills and family reunification work, among others. Since that time, he has expanded and now has contracts with local, county and state organizations, including sobriety and drug court, working with clients individually as well as in group settings. Kyle is anxious for COVID restrictions to lift so he can work more hands-on with the men in Guiding Light’s Recovery program. Known on the street as “no-joke recovery,” Guiding Light offers an intensive, drug and alcohol recovery program designed to give men structure and opportunity to engage in change. The unique residential program, which is offered at no cost to participants thanks to the generosity of donors, combines evidence-based practices, life-coaching, therapy, support groups, spiritual direction and resources to equip men to stay sober and live life in a new way. As one participant said, the program gives men a reason to be sober. That resonated with Kyle, who recognizes that it takes a convergence of “timing, tone and temperament” to be successful in cutting through the darkness. “Some people are just not ready,” says Kyle. “A key element of Guiding Light’s program is to get people who are ready to come in. The programming we offer is critical, as are our recovery coaches. While it’s great to have people who are therapists or have a theoretical framework and background, our recovery coaches are the difference. To have someone who has experienced these challenges to come in and walk alongside our clients, that’s huge.” Kyle lists the other elements of Guiding Light Recovery that spoke to him: its holistic approach, its focus on finding meaningful work and its sober living apartments, Iron House. This social enterprise provides a safe and secure living environment in a residential area outside the inner city, allowing the men who have completed the first phase of their recovery to live more independently as they transition fully back into the mainstream of society. Most importantly, there’s spirituality – the place where everything begins for Kyle, the “rock of everything we do there starts with our Father.” After hearing some of the stories from the men, Kyle has found himself saying, “the Lord has something planned for you – that’s the only reason you are still here. “There are folks who’ve been through the meat grinder. To have a place like Guiding Light where you can heal mind, body and soul, that’s what it’s all about. You’ve got to put in some work, but when we talk about the whole self, we can support you.”

Through the guiding light of God’s Spirit, Guiding Light partners with individuals to fulfill their God-given potential through rescue, recovery and re-engagement in the community. GIVE SECURELY ONLINE AT GuidingLightWorks.org/Give

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

Michigan offers funds for alternative energy vehicles There is $16 million available to replace outdated freight trucks and buses. Kyle Davidson

Capital News Service

LANSING — Michigan is spending $30 million to help public companies and private businesses buy low-emission freight trucks, buses, tugboats and cargo handling equipment.

Beneficiaries of the program can choose electric, alternative fuel or new diesel models, said Nick Assendelft, a public information officer for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The first round of funding will provide $16 million to replace outdated freight trucks and buses with new models, with an announcement of grant winners expected this month. At least half of that is earmarked for electric vehicles. The department planned to accept proposals for a second round of grants on June 22.

“It’s really important for air cleanliness. It’s important for carbon neutrality. It fits into the MI Healthy Climate Plan that the governor has announced,” Assendelft said. Every time someone takes a vehicle that burns fossil fuels off the roads, it has a positive impact on people who live and work along the routes where those vehicles are used, he said. The money comes from the 2017 Volkswagen settlement fund, which awarded Michigan $64.8 million as part of a national settlement of the car company’s Clean

Air Act violations. The fund supports projects that reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, maximize air quality and increase the use of alternative fuel vehicles. Later rounds of funding will include opportunities to replace Great Lakes tug and ferry boats, airport ground support equipment, port cargo handling equipment and forklifts. These types of vehicles were targeted based on location, Assendelft said. “You’re going to find them in industrial parks, you’re going to find them at an airport where you’ve

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got a lot of them. A lot of these vehicles might (run on) internal combustion, and it’s creating dirtier air in a concentrated area,” he said. Areas with greater vehicle traffic have greater concentrations of air pollutants, and the grants could reduce them, Assendelft said. Clean fuel advocates support funding for utility vehicles. “I think it’s great that the state’s really trying to cast a wide net and do a wide variety of projects with this funding,” said Jane McCurry, the executive director of Clean Fuels Michigan, a nonprofit trade association of the state’s clean transportation industry. While reducing emissions addresses environmental and health concerns, there’s also an important economic message, McCurry said. “We’re the home of the automotive industry. We are the state that makes automotive innovation happen,” McCurry said. “We really need to lead on this and be showing that these vehicles are fun to drive, they’re more cost-efficient and they can be researched, developed and built right here in Michigan,” she said. Some organizations already are transitioning their fleets to alternative fuels. For example, over the past 11 years the Mass Transportation Authority of Flint and Genesee County has reduced its annual diesel fuel use from 1.4 million gallons to 30,000 gallons. The authority has done that by converting its fleet to run on compressed natural gas, propane and hydrogen, said Edgar Benning, the authority’s chief executive officer. Fueling a hydrogen bus costs about twice as much as fueling a diesel bus, Benning said. In return for the extra cost, a vehicle gets almost double the mileage and lower maintenance costs, Benning said. Alternative fuel vehicles make up 95% of the authority’s fleet, which provides fixed-route service, along with services for seniors and people with disabilities. The authority also has about 200 cars for nonemergency medical transportation. It’s working to switch the cars to alternative fuel models, Benning said. For some groups, the jury is still out on electric buses. A couple of companies sell electric city buses, but they’re not suitable replacements for traditional city buses, said Matthew Carpenter, the chief executive officer of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. The two biggest limits to electric busing are battery capacity and funding, Carpenter said. Transit buses leave the garage around 6 a.m. and may not come back until 11 p.m. Over a 16-hour day, the bus rarely stops, which puts a strain on the vehicle. And the current technology isn’t sufficient, especially in northern climates where the buses have heaters, Carpenter said. The limited battery capacity means it takes about three electric buses to equal the same amount of road time as one diesel bus, Carpenter said. Because the program is for replacements, grant recipients must decommission vehicles. “When you replace the buses CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

Study touts impacts of future infrastructure upgrades Business Roundtable finds such investments could provide $1,400 to Michigan households, create 30K jobs. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

A study published this month found increased infrastructure investments in the U.S. would raise disposable income and create jobs in Michigan. A new economic analysis from Business Roundtable, “Delivering for America & Michigan,” found increased investment in U.S. physical infrastructure would result in an additional $1,400 in disposable income for the average Michigan household every year for 20 years and create 30,000 additional new jobs in the Great Lakes State by 2030. Prepared by the Interindustry Forecasting Project (Inforum) at the University of Maryland, the analysis shows that, because of increased infrastructure investment over a 20-year period, Michigan would benefit from: • $55 billion added to the 20year cumulative output in the finance, insurance and real estate sectors • $122 billion added to the 20year cumulative output in the durables manufacturing industry • $135 billion added to the 20year cumulative output in other services industries The study also shows that nationally, infrastructure investment would raise wages by $1.47 per hour by 2040 and, for every dollar invested in infrastructure, economic growth would increase by $3.82. The study analyzed the economic impacts of the following scenario: • A $979 billion investment over 10 years in roads, bridges and transit; water and sewer systems; aviation; dams, levees, ports and inland waterways; and broadband buildout. • A new normal thereafter for infrastructure spending by holding public capital investment in infrastructure steady at a fixed share of gross domestic product in the range of 1.2%. The new rate of investment would reflect a “right-sized” commitment to maintaining, expanding and improving America’s vital infrastructure systems, Business Roundtable said. Study background Business Roundtable has long advocated for Congress to upgrade U.S. physical infrastructure, which it said is the best investment the country can make in long-term economic growth, jobs and global competitiveness. The Roundtable organizers said they are encouraged by the detailed infrastructure proposals from federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and believe a bipartisan consensus that meets the needs of the economy can be reached. However, the Roundtable strongly opposes major corporate tax increases to fund infrastructure investment, which they believe would undermine economic growth, hurt employers’ abilities to maintain good-paying American jobs and make the U.S. less competitive globally.

Business Roundtable said instead, it believes policymakers should unleash private capital to pay for infrastructure investment — including through promoting public-private partnerships and streamlining the permitting process. Business Roundtable also supports a user-pays model, which is a responsible, long-term funding mechanism through which users, including businesses, pay for the infrastructure — roads, bridges, water systems and more — they use. Unlike corporate tax increases, which would disadvantage

American companies, user-pay models apply to any company that uses infrastructure on American soil, including foreign competitors. Above all, the Roundtable said it believes user-pays models would be dependable, long-term sources of funding. Other infrastructure funding mechanisms could include greater enforcement of tax laws and potentially repurposing unused COVID-19 funding. And, if necessary, Business Roundtable said it believes a portion of such a package could be funded with deficit spend-

ing, since every dollar in infrastructure investment yields nearly $4 in economic growth. Michigan perspective Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan and former director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), shared a statement with the Business Journal noting his organization has been a longtime proponent of infrastructure upgrades and their impact on the economy. “We need to ensure Michigan

is in a competitive position coming out of the pandemic, and that includes improving our infrastructure,” he said. “Business Leaders for Michigan has long advocated that modernized infrastructure helps strengthen our economy, and we are aligned with the Business Roundtable’s position that utilizing user fees and public-private partnerships is the best way to invest in these improvements across the state.” More about the national Business Roundtable position on infrastructure investment is at businessroundtable.org.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

COMMENT & OPINION

GUEST COLUMN Melissa LaGrand

Accountability, transparency crucial to rebuilding public trust P

ew Research Center recently found that 67% of Americans believe that “most politicians are corrupt,” and 65% said the U.S. political system needs major reform. For a country that is fiercely divided, there is finally something we agree on. It’s clear that our elected officials need to take serious measures to earn back our trust. That’s why I’ve been so encouraged to see our elected officials in Michigan doing something about it. Policymakers in Lansing are working on an array of bills aimed at restoring public trust and revamping the state’s ethics laws, especially since Michigan has frequently received poor marks for transparency. These bills have received bipartisan support and can serve as a model for legislatures nationwide. The most significant change in Michigan would mandate that lawmakers disclose their finances to the public and prevent them from voting on matters where they have a conflict of interest. Furthermore, they would restrict lawmakers from leaving office and immediately becoming lobbyists for at least two years, effectively mitigating the “revolving door” of state government and lobbying. Michigan’s state legislature is taking an important first step in the fight to hold government accountable — if not an obvious one — and it’s about time our federal lawmakers do the same. To begin with, the “revolving door” at the federal level must be accounted for. We need to discourage this practice, or influence from special interests will continue taking precedent in lawmaking decisions, further eroding public faith in government. If our lawmakers know they can make more money

lobbying in the future, they may not make legislative choices in the public’s best interest in the present, damaging the integrity of government institutions. Furthermore, anti-corruption and public transparency laws such as the Hatch Act and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) must be better enforced, regardless of political affiliation. The Project On Government Oversight (POGO), an independent government watchdog, recently released its Baker’s Dozen report, which details how — among other legislative consequences — the legal authority for both FOIA and the Hatch Act has been curtailed. Noting this, the POGO report provides recommendations that can enact “much needed reforms and improvements” to how government operates in order to institute greater measures of transparency and accountability. The Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from participating in certain political activities so that taxpayer dollars are not used for partisan purposes, is strictly enforced against rank-and-file federal employees. However, when senior advisers to the president or those higher up in government violate the Hatch Act, there are usually little to no consequences. This two-tier system of enforcement is not serving the public interest in keeping tax dollars out of partisan elections. A path must be created to enforce the Hatch Act against high-level political officials. As for FOIA, we’ve seen how limited the transparency law can be. The act serves as a process to review and decide on the disclosure of records to the public, but it has largely been used to shield government activity and corruption. Executive agency leadership easily takes advantage of exemptions meant to

protect truly sensitive information to withhold information that rightfully belongs to the public. Lax and inconsistent application of ethics and transparency laws fosters corruption and inevitably invites more distrust from the public. However, as we have seen from our lawmakers at the state level, accountability and transparency are worth prioritizing. It’s time for Michigan’s federal representatives and their col-

GRBJ.COM EDITOR

Tim Gortsema: tgortsema@grbj.com

leagues in Congress to step up, too. Improving public trust in our government — state and federal — is critical to healing our deep partisan divides. And that starts with meaningful reform of the laws meant to keep our government accountable to all the people.

DIGITAL EDITOR

Melissa LaGrand is a first-term term Kent County commissioner from Grand Rapids.

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GUEST COLUMN Jeff Greshak

Re-entering the social scene after COVID-19

t’s what we’ve been waiting to hear since March of 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic is starting to turn the corner. With wide availability of the vaccine across the country, certain social distancing and mask restrictions have loosened up for vaccinated individuals, allowing family, friends and coworkers to safely interact with each other in-person after over a year. For some, getting back to social interaction will be seamless. For others, anxiety may linger. It’s important to note that this feeling is natural. The precautions taken during this

pandemic were unlike anything we’ve experienced in our lifetime, and highly enforced habits aren’t easy to shake. That’s why we’re here to provide some tips for overcoming these social hurdles when reentering the “normal” world. Slowly but surely No one removes the training wheels immediately when you’re learning to ride a bike. This could be put similarly for going back into the social world. If you’re particularly anxious about gatherings, take it slow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that fully-vaccinated people have little risk for infection outdoors, so small events like cookouts, happy hours or bonfires with friends who have gotten their shots is an easy and safe way to dip your feet back in the water. Control what you can We live in a time of constantly differing views, and we can expect that to continue even as COVID-19 becomes more manageable. Some people will choose to continue wearing masks to prevent themselves

from other illnesses, while others may never want to put one on again. What’s important to remember is that the only things you can control are you and your decisions. As things reopen, don’t feel pressured to do anything that you feel isn’t right for yourself. Giving yourself this power can be a productive method to getting past certain anxiety points. Be kind to yourself During the heat of quarantine, you probably heard a thing or two about the importance of self-care. In case you forgot, taking care of your physical and mental health is one of the best ways to help us adjust to our changing world. As you deal with the nerves of sending your child back to school in-person or heading back into the office, take the time to assure that you’re in the right head-

space. Maintain constant communication with your thoughts through journaling or meditation. On a tight schedule? A quick session of breathing exercises also can help. While being your own biggest ally is important to facing anxieties, it’s equally as important to seek professional help if you need it. Talk therapy is widely available through many different services, so we encourage you to explore your options if needed. Check with your health plan to see what resources may be available to you through your health insurance. Jeff Greshak, MSW, LMSW, ACSW is the director of the Behavioral Health Department at Priority Health. He has more than 30 years of experience in clinical and administrative behavioral health services.

Grand Rapids Business Journal (ISSN 10454055) is published biweekly, with an extra issue in December, by Gemini Media, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Telephone (616) 459-4545; Fax 459-4800. General e-mail: bjinfo@grbj.com. Periodical postage paid at Grand Rapids, Michigan. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Grand Rapids Business Journal, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Copyright ©2021 by Gemini Media. All rights reserved. Grand Rapids Business Journal is mailed biweekly to executives, managers and professionals throughout Metro Grand Rapids and West Michigan. The subscription rates in continental U.S. are: $59 per year; $79 - 2 years; $99 - 3 years. Rates for Canada and U.S. possessions are $84 per year. Subscription rates include the annual Book of Lists and additional special publications. Please inquire for overseas rates. Subscriptions are not retroactive; single issue and newsstand $2, by mail $3; back issues $4 when available, by mail $5. Advertising rates and specifications at www.grbj.com or by request. Grand Rapids Business Journal does not accept unsolicited contributions.

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LETTERS POLICY: The Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and guest commentary. Letters and columns must include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the philosophy of the Business Journal.

Letters and columns may be edited for reasons of space or clarity. Please submit to: The Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or email bjletters@grbj.com.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

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Your digital presence is your new business card

eople form an opinion of you within seven seconds of meeting you in person. They give you 0.05 seconds on the internet. With such a short window to offer a first impression, why present yourself online — the world’s window into your organization — as anything less than your full value? Your digital reach became your new business card after COVID-19 upended commerce the way we knew it. Customers and employees form an impression of you within a fraction of a second of seeing your website, how you appear in online publications and on professional social media. Your online presence precedes all future interactions, whether virtual or physical. An ancient or no website, media placements or social presence signals to the world that you don’t care about your business, whether or not it’s true. It’s never too late to reverse course and demonstrate the specific solutions you offer to your specific market within 50 milliseconds. Start by attracting search engines to your website with words that reflect how you talk to other people in your industry. You can research the terms for which people search on platforms such as Google Trends, Ubersuggest and Mozbar. Also write with words that are unique to you and your product to better attract those you want to attract. Update your “news” or “blog” section on your website regularly with more relevant language. Search engines like Google, Yahoo! and GoDuckGo scour the web with crawlers at unfathomable rates to find questions people ask about your industry. You should appear higher in results pages because search engines reward websites that accurately answer questions. Words matter, especially with voice search trending upward. Look up the coveted Google Snippets box for an example of the power of appearing at the top of search results. Your efforts will provide your customers and talent with the easiest route to your precise products and job openings at the precise time they need them. Take your words and actions farther by reaching out to legitimate online publications in your market with newsworthy information. Journalists and editors who cover your industry want to know

how you help their readers. Your news can be as simple as announcing a new leadership hire to acquiring a global competitor. Anything you send must meet the test of whether it’s relevant, timely and compelling to their audience. An employee celebrating their dog’s birthday won’t cut it. A new product line that improves efficiencies and creates jobs would. You distinguish yourself online when disinterested third-party authorities such as newspapers and trade magazines write about you. You can bet your competitors are working hard to get themselves known in that same scarce space. Next, incorporate the same language into your LinkedIn.com posts to further engage your audience. LinkedIn is where you share information such as new blog posts on your website and feature the media placements you earn. Publications appreciate it when you help spread their news on your social channels. It increases the number of page-clicks — and therefore advertising dollars — to pay their own talent and bills. Finally, ask your customers to write reviews of their experiences with you. The wealth of positive comments about your superior service on your website, online review sites in your industry and LinkedIn will far outweigh the gadflys you will never please. Engaging writing and presentation amplifies your fine work product, services and culture. You wouldn’t physically sell your wares from anything less than the best facility you can afford, so why try distinguishing yourself online in a rotting potato barn? Serious leaders at strong companies want to work with other serious leaders at strong companies. Employees devoted to certain core values want to work for organizations devoted to similar core values. You never get a second chance to impress your customers and employees the first time they see you. With only a fraction of a second, inspire them with your new digital business card. Dave Yonkman is president of the digital public relations firm DYS Media, a former Capitol Hill communications director and former Washington correspondent for Newsmax Media.

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one for one, you’re exchanging a full-time bus for a one-third, parttime bus,” Carpenter said. Electric buses also cost about 50% more than diesel buses, Carpenter said. While the vehicles aren’t currently suitable for full-time use, the technology is evolving quickly. “I’m sure all these things can and will be sorted out in time. The prices will come down, and when they do, I think we’re going to be

very interested in the environmental benefits that they can provide to our community,” Carpenter said. As part of monitoring project success, grantees must report on the status of their projects. The department may also conduct project site visits or ask recipients to fill out a survey on project effectiveness. Potential topics include the amount of vehicle use, average miles per gallon or equivalent, average costs of maintenance and any problems with the chosen technology.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

Stay-at-home Michigan residents used 5% less juice in 2020 But pandemic bumped residential energy costs more than national average. Taylor Haelterman Capital News Service

LANSING — Meetings at home, virtual classes, computers running, lights on, heat or air conditioning cranked up, it may feel like 2020 was the year of using more energy. But Michigan’s total energy consumption dropped 5% compared to 2019. That’s 1% more than the national average decline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Commercial Cafe, a commercial real estate organization, reported the statistics. Shifts in energy demand were seen in states across the Great Lakes region: • Because Michigan residents stayed home during the pandemic, residential energy consumption increased 7%, which is above the national average of around 2%. But industrial consumption dropped 16% and commercial use dropped 6%, according to the report. • Minnesota and Indiana closely followed Michigan with industrial use drops of around 15%. • Indiana had the biggest decrease in total energy consumption at about 9%. • Pennsylvania showed the most change in commercial energy use in the region with a 12% decrease. On average, total energy consumption decreased just over 5% in the Great Lakes region — Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, according to the report. The Great Lakes states averaged an increase in residential use of just over 2%, a drop in commercial use over 7% and a decline in industrial use of 11%. But the data could still change, said Doug Gotham, the director of the Indiana State Utility Forecasting Group. “My caveat from (the report) is they relied on (Energy Information Administration) 2020 data that’s still preliminary,” he said. “That data hasn’t been finalized yet and may be revised before (the agency) finalizes it. So, take that with a grain of salt.” From what he’s seen so far, Indiana is closer to the regional average of a 5% decrease in overall consumption, Gotham said. But Indiana could be at a greater industrial decrease than the national average because it uses more energy for industrial purposes than most of the county, and the economic shutdown during the pandemic hit that sector hard, he said. Michigan residential energy use went up, especially during the stay-at-home orders. At the same time businesses shut down or reduced operations, causing industrial and commercial use to decrease, said Brian Wheeler, the media relations manager for Consumers Energy. Consumers Energy provides electricity to 1.8 million customers across the Lower Peninsula.

Its energy sales figures are similar to the percentage shifts in the report, he said. That prompted the company to focus on reducing operating costs so it didn’t pass extra costs from any loss in revenue to consumers, Wheeler said. “Because our sales were down, it was about looking to really trim our own expenses and manage our business even more effectively, so that we could reduce costs,” he said. “We don’t want to be in a situation where we are passing along any extra costs to people during the pandemic.”

Consumers’ customers didn’t get hit with rate increases due to the pandemic, but that wasn’t the case for all Michigan residents. “With higher residential consumption we’ve seen higher residential bills over the last year. Things like assistance programs and energy waste reduction and energy efficiency programs become all the more important for folks that are working and learning from home,” said Dan Scripps, the chair of the Public Service Commission. One assistance program offered by the commission and util-

ity companies used relief funds to pay utility bills for struggling customers. Programs like that left many in a better position than before the pandemic, Scripps said. “The total number of folks behind on their bills, and the total amount of unpaid bills, is actually down from where we were a year ago,” he said. “That’s surprising, but kind of a testament to some of the steps we’ve taken to make sure that folks are protected.” The lasting impacts of those changes on utility providers and consumers are unknown until the commission sees what the new

normal is and how many people return to work, Scripps said. But it’s unlikely to have any direct impact on energy generation or policy. In the end, the true impact the pandemic had on energy consumption may never be known. Gotham said, “The problem is it’s virtually impossible, five years from now, to know. Because you don’t know everything that would’ve happened if we wouldn’t have had a pandemic.”

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JULY 14 12 P.M. EST

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

Local leaders call on state to honor short-term rental rules CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

to maintain an acceptable quality of life, the city needs additional housing supply, and Washington said he feared the proposed legislation would lead to a further erosion of housing supply as people outside the community take advantage of available stock. Frankenmuth, a popular vacation destination which has a mix of short-term rentals, hotels and bed and breakfasts, amended its ordinance in 2019 with input from hotels, short-term rental property owners and residents.

“I think this is really how regulation is supposed to work,” said Smith. “It protects personal property rights and still respects neighboring properties … what’s most disheartening is the shortterm rental bills on the floor ignore this careful, collaborative work that we’ve done.” Lemanski, who along with his wife owns short-term rental properties in Frankenmuth, echoed Smith’s sentiment and called on lawmakers not to erase local shortterm rental ordinances with the bills on the floor. “We’re not just renting here.

We actually own our home here as well, so we live in this community,” Lemanski said. “We comply with all the local tax collection requirements and ensure our guests know the local rules in place for noise. We’ve kept all our properties up to a T, and by doing these things, we feel like we’re protecting the historic nature of our community.” Up in the U.P., Marquette’s Hill said, like in Grand Rapids, housing is the No. 1 issue in her community. “I’ve seen posts on our community pages from folks who have gotten jobs in Marquette, or are coming here to go to school, and

they are not able to find housing,” Hill said. “I personally received for the first time a letter offering to buy my house for cash — no appraisal, no one seeing the house — buying the house as is in as quickly as 24 hours. We need to slow down and think about how to balance housing, tourism and community.” The city of Marquette has been working on its own short-term rental policy since the beginning of 2017. The ordinance has a blockby-block approach that protects neighborhoods and residents, while welcoming visitors to explore neighborhoods as an option

to traditional hotels, Hill said. The city again revisited its ordinance in 2018 and expanded it so owners of multi-unit properties could rent out all of those units. In 2020, the city instituted an ad hoc housing community to address the current housing crisis and will soon release a report regarding the lack of available inventory in Marquette, Hill added. “We’re not the only community in the U.P. that has short-term rental policies. Other communities do as well,” Hill said. “We’re all taking a thoughtful approach and we encourage the legislature to do the same.”

S:7.4585"

NI shares successes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

We make it our business to help you with yours.

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dad, well, that’s tough,” Smith said. Paola Mendivil said running a restaurant is like raising a baby: “You have to care for it, take care of it,” she said. She co-owns El Granjero Mexican Grill on the West Side of Grand Rapids with her mother, Mercedes Lopez Duran. There were times during the past year — with shutdowns, protocols, capacity changes and more — that Mendivil felt like throwing in the towel, but El Granjero is her baby. She found out about NI and its PPP efforts through the Hispanic chamber, and El Granjero qualified for the largest loan amount of any NI PPP loan recipient in Michigan. Rick Beisiegel is the owner and sole employee of Vital Signs and Graphics, a Newaygo-based business he started in 1982. “I wanted to own my own business so I can be a family man,” he said. When the River Country Chamber of Commerce of Newaygo County posted about NI’s willingness to help small business owners navigate the PPP journey, Beisiegel called. “They were really knowledgeable and accessible,” he said. “When I called, I got a person and didn’t have to push buttons and numbers to connect to someone.” Quazaa Mayberry’s business model is a bit unusual, but it works, he said. Mayberry is a Grand Rapids street vendor who sells at popup shops and flea markets. His shop, Quazaam’s, sells clothing, masks, bags and more. The pandemic hit him hard “financially, emotionally and mentally,” he said. He had no luck applying for federal relief, mostly because he’s “a one-man show.” But then a referral from Rende Progress Capital, a minority-led CDFI in Grand Rapids that NI has worked with regularly, connected him with Sangalli. Sangalli said NI’s ability to help those who didn’t think they could qualify for help was truly rewarding. “We did 87 PPP loans, and in my mind, that translates to at least 87 families that received support,” she said. Although the PPP program has ended, Sangalli said it’s important for people to know that NI will continue its mission of making loans to entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses to cover anything from working capital to equipment to becoming part of the healthy food ecosystem.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

ACCOUNTING

Plante Moran has been named to FORTUNE magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For for the 23rd consecutive year.

ADVERTISING & MARKETING April Stevens joined 1 Bold Step as digital content producer.

Extra Credit Projects recently had 12 finalists in the annual 2021 OBIE Finalists Awards hosted by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America.

ARTS

Grand Rapids Ballet appointed Jessica Meldrum as marketing director. Melissa Horton joined the Lakeshore Museum Center as executive director. The Grand Rapids Public Museum updated five classrooms providing enhanced educational experiences and making the spaces more accessible for all learners, due to funding provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Steelcase and Custer Inc. The museum also collaborated with various organizations that conducted site evaluations and offered guidance on accessibility and universal design for learning including Disability Advocates of Kent County, Grand Valley State University Occupational Therapy Department, Hope Network and Calvin University.

AWARDS

Marge Wilson, owner of Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming, received the Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award, given by the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids. The award was presented in recognition of Frederik Meijer’s philanthropic acts of selfless service to the community, which left a lasting impact on the lives of others.

BANKING

ChoiceOne Bank announced the promotion of Lucas Marble to branch manager of the Rockford division office, 590 E. Division St. NE.

Aguilar brings new service line to Rhoades McKee Katie Hogan Aguilar recently joined Rhoades McKee law firm as a shareholder and member of the estate planning and administration practice group. Aguilar also brings a new service line to Rhoades McKee: elder law, Medicaid planning and special needs planning. Aguilar has worked alongside seniors and their families to navigate the complex world of aging and long-term care. She assists with planning and applying for Medicaid and assessing the need for Veteran’s Aid and Attendance benefits. She also is skilled in administering special needs trusts. Grand River Bank recently opened its newest full-service banking office at 50 Crahen Ave. NW in Grand Rapids.

nized as Fellows by the Midwestern Psychological Association.

Independent Bank was recently recognized as a 2020 top U.S. community bank by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Sarah Dunn joined Callesen Wealth Management as an administrative assistant.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Blaze Fire Protection’s new location is at 3054 Northridge Drive NW, Grand Rapids, 49544. Its newly constructed 20,000-square-foot building encompasses its headquarters, warehouse storage and space for a future tenant, plus a new logo. CertifID has been recognized as one of the 2021 awardees for the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

UBS Wealth Management USA financial adviser Michael Toth has been named to 2021 Forbes/SHOOK Best-in-State Wealth Advisors. Toth is one of 5,000 (out of 32,775 wealth advisers nominated) named to the list.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Saranac-based Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch has been awarded Project of the Year by Consumers Energy for its sustainable practices.

Wedge, a video screening service that helps recruiters make connections with candidates, announced Theo Rokos as the company’s president.

Wayland-based Gun Lake Casino appointed experienced culinary artist Josef Huber as its executive chef. Huber has more than 40 years of culinary experience from restaurants across the world.

CONSTRUCTION

GOVERNMENT

EV Construction announced the additions of Rhea Estrada and Julisa Duran-Gomez in the painting division; Dan Allen in the sitework division; and Travis DeGrazier as an assistant project manager.

The Grand Rapids Communications Center’s Public Safety Answering Point was recognized by the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies as an accredited dispatch center, making it the only dispatch center in Michigan to earn CALEA accreditation.

First National Bank of Michigan announced Mike Hollander has been appointed market president of its Grand Rapids bank.

EDUCATION

Mary Inman and Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet of the Hope College psychology faculty have been recog-

GRANTS

JUN 28-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.

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.

by Scott Blakeney, executive director, IKUS-Indian Trails Camp. Noon-1:15 p.m., Indian Trails Camp, 0-1859 Lake Michigan Drive. Information/registration: grrotary.org.

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. JUN 30 West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum Online Employee Actions For Waste Reduction In Work Spaces With Whirlpool Corp. Cost: free. 1-2 p.m. Information/registration: bit.ly/2SCv8ec. JUL 10 The Bands, Brews and BBQ Festival. Event will feature music throughout the day, local restaurants offering BBQ-themed 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 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 12 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters Zoom Meeting - with Elected Officials. 8-9 a.m. Information/registration: (616) 5315990 or michelle@southkent.org. JUL 13 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce West Michigan Minority Contractors After Hours. 3:30-5 p.m. Cost: free/ members and nonmembers. Information/ registration: grandrapids.org. JUL 15 Builders Exchange of Michigan BX Summer & Networking Virtual Series. Topic is Lead Awareness: The Basics of Employee Exposure to Lead in the Workplace. 3-5 p.m. Cost: $10. Information/registration: (616) 9498650, courtney@grbx.com, or home.grbx. com/event/summer-safety-series-2021lead-awareness. JUL 15 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Business Exchange Summer Series. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Watermark Country Club. Features two rounds of networking around lunch table. Cost: $35/members, $50/nonmembers. Information/registration: grandrapids.org. JUL 15 Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Event. Topic: It’s Time For Summer Camp!

Comstock Park-based Feeding America West Michigan is the recipient of a

JUL 16 Migrant Legal Aid Cup of Justice Golf Fundraiser. 9 a.m. shotgun start, The Links at Bowen Lake Golf Course, 12990 Bradshaw St. NE, Gowen. Cost: $100/ single, $400/foursome. Information/ registration: migrantlegalaid.org/events/ cup-of-justice. 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. JUL 19 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce The Chamber Open. Attracts a wide range of decision makers, community leaders and entrepreneurs from a variety of businesses to play 18 holes of golf. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Watermark Country Club. Cost: $225/golfer. Information/ registration: grandrapids.org/event/thechamber-open. JUL 19-20 Cloud Security Alliance West Michigan Second Annual Cloud Security Conference. Will include more than 30 top security and technology vendors, so attendees can learn more about the best solutions for their businesses, companies or organizations. Lake Michigan Credit Union Ball Park (Whitecaps). Information/registration: cloudcon.us.

CHANGE-UPS & CALENDAR

$25,000 grant from the DTE Energy Foundation that will be used to fund 20 mobile pantries that will serve the equivalent of more than 140,000 meals to an estimated 3,400 families across five counties.

HEALTH

Grand Valley State University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program has been ranked as one of the best in the nation in the 2022 Best Graduate Schools by U.S. News & World Report. HealthBridge Financial Inc. is a recipient of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

HOSPITALITY

Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center is the recipient of three awards: RHG Americas Hero Award sponsored by the American Red Cross; Hospitality Excellence Award because Radisson Plaza Hotel is one of four Radissons in the United States recognized for the hotel’s commitment to excellence out of 149 Radisson-branded hotels in all of the Americas; and Craig Davies was presented with General Manager of the Year Award for his leadership, community involvement and brand engagement.

INSURANCE

Acrisure appointed its first chief innovation officer, Matthew Marolda, who will focus on business and growth opportunities aligned with Acrisure’s artificial intelligence, data and technology platform. Coldbrook Insurance Group LLC hired Paul Reinke as an agent; Johnny Nutter as an account executive; Tracie Rosenthal as an account manager in the personal lines department; and Alaina Van Houdt as an account manager. Hastings Mutual Insurance Company announced Jay DePasquale as its vice president and chief underwriting officer.

LEGAL

Amber Beebe was named director of the Directorship on Diversity & Inclusion for the State Bar of Michigan, Business Law Section. Beebe is an assistant city attorney for the city of Grand Rapids.

JUL 20 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Zoom Diversity And Talent Series. 9-10 a.m. Cost: $15/members, $25/ nonmembers. Information/registration: grandrapids.org/event/diversity-talentseries-2021-07-20. 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. JUL 24 Blandford Nature Center Outdoor Concert Series. Featuring Last Gasp Collective. 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 27 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. JUL 29 Grand Rapids Chamber Of Commerce Create Great Leaders Annual Party. Ticket sales help provide deserving participants scholarships to Create Great Leaders programs. 7-9:30 p.m., The Piazza at Studio Park. Cost: $80/ members, $110/nonmembers. Information/ registration: https://www.grandrapids.org/ event/cgl-annual-party. AUG 1 Family Promise of Grand Rapids Family Frolic At The Zoo. Funds raised will help homeless families and chil-

Bodman PLC is the recipient of Law Firm of the Year Award for the eighth consecutive year by the internationally recognized client- and peer-review journal Benchmark Litigation. Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge shareholders E. Thomas (Tom) McCarthy and William (Bill) Jack Jr. are recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award and Distinguished Mediator Award, respectively, from the State Bar of Michigan’s Negligence Section. Warner Norcross + Judd has been recognized for the eighth time as a national leader in client services among law firms, by the recent BTI Client Service A-Team survey, conducted by BTI Consulting Group, which evaluates individual law firm performance through the eyes of the client.

MANUFACTURING

HEL Inc. announced the addition of Steve Eichbauer to its team as solutions provider. Holland-based GHSP announced the appointment of Dan Dawiedczyk, formerly Aptiv’s vice president and managing director of Connection Systems Americas, as its president.

MEDIA

The Michigan Association of Broadcasters recognized WGVU Public Media PBS NPR as Public Radio Station of the Year for the 10th time. The station also was honored with 12 other Michigan Association of Broadcasters awards.

NONPROFITS

Kathy Rohlman joined Holland-based Camp Sunshine as executive director. Since 1983, Camp Sunshine has offered people with developmental disabilities ages 12-50 summer camp experiences in a safe, caring and inclusive environment.

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.

dren move home. 6:30-9 p.m., John Ball Zoo, 1300 W. Fulton St. Cost: $10/adults, free/children under 18. Information/registration: bit.ly/ZooFrolic. AUG 9 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. AUG 10 The Right Place Webinar Series. Topic is The Pivot: Updating and Rewriting Systems and Processes Within Your Company. 11 a.m.-noon. Cost: free. Information/registration: rightplace.org/events. AUG 12 Baker Holtz 8th Annual Charity Golf Outing. Benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids. Boulder Creek Golf Club. 10 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. shotgun start. Information/registration: bakerholtz.com/ baker-holtz-annual-charity-golf-outing.

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 MCCULLOCH, Mark et al, Independent Bank, Caledonia, $371,000 GILL, Sabriye, Neighborhood Loans, East Grand Rapids, $443,250 RUITER, Corie J., Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $483,650 SCHERMERHORN, Joseph C. et al, Independent Bank, Byron Twp., $432,031 TAN, Ruth et al, Compass Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $352,000 MORIARITY, Andrew, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411411402053, $1,280,000 4717 BROADMOOR LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411825151010, $3,040,000 MILLER-HEYS TRUST, Independent Bank, Cascade Twp., $887,675 LAMOREAUX, Jeffrey et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Algoma Twp., $505,000 EBRIGHT, Matthew et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411425220016, $403,750 BROWN, Louis II et al, Old National Bank, Ada Twp., $443,000 ANDERSON, Kelli et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $630,000 HORNESS, Torrey et al, Amerisave Mortgage Corp., Caledonia, $409,000 MEEKHOF, Caleb J. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411409276001, $391,000 FULLER, Thomas C. et al, Fifth Third Bank, East Grand Rapids, $500,000 SCULLY, Sean M. et al, Frankenmuth Credit Union, Ada Twp., $368,000 SLOBDA, Paul S. et al, Independent Bank, Courtland Twp., $350,000 WYOMING KING LLC, Credit Union 1, Wyoming, $1,455,868 COLVIN, Michael D. et al, Huntington National Bank, Plainfield Twp., $400,000 SWEAT, Douglas et al, Old National Bank, Byron Twp., $350,075 SILVA, Antonio et al, Allen Edwin Home Builders LLC, Lowell, $347,270 JACOBY, Brian et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, East Grand Rapids, $448,000 NOLAN, Kali et al, TCF National Bank, Courtland Twp., $473,000 SIMON, Michael et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Byron Twp., $428,500 ERWAY, Ronald M. Jr. et al, Loandepot.com, Ada Twp., $475,999 SMITH, Taylor et al, Quicken Loans, Walker, $399,640 SPRINGER, Eric et al, First United Credit, Parcel: 412301200015, $528,000 HAGES, Michael T. et al, Macatawa Bank, Parcel: 411427403001, $400,000 TROOST, Braden R. et al, TCF National Bank, Cannon Twp, $780,000 BREMER, Cody M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Tyrone Twp., $360,000 MITCHELL, Craig et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $475,012 DOCHOD, Joseph W. et al, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411401101040, $347,500 HAYES, Kevin, MSU Federal Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $381,800 MERCK PROPERTIES LLC, Community Choice Credit Union, Parcel: 411408254012, $400,000 EISEN, Travis et al, Consumers Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $448,290 LOPIPARO, Rosalia, Finance of America Mortgage, Byron Twp., $517,537 BALL, Cory et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Walker, $568,533 MCCAMBRIDGE, Steve et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $548,200 GARZA, Delfino et al, Gateway Mortgage Group, Parcel: 411921110029, $370,500 COLTER, Brian et al, Neighborhood Loans, Caledonia, $346,700 ROMANO, Oliver Sr. et al, GVC Mortgage Inc., Courtland Twp., $548,250 HIRSCHMANN, Peter B. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $459,184 LAMAIN, Jason et al, Homeside Financial, Parcel: 411436130013, $413,250 THOMPSON, Ryan et al, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Caledonia, $360,416 PANTALEO, Rick et al, A&N Mortgage Services, East Grand Rapids, $358,000 BOSS, Robert J. et al, Quicken Loans, Ada Twp., $441,500 STOLL, Kevin et al, Old National Bank, Ada Twp., $912,000 CANNONSBURG REAL ESTATE LLC, Union Bank, Parcel: 411128100035, $2,500,000 HAFELI, Brandon M. et al, Independent Bank, Byron Twp., $476,000 470 MARKET PROPCO LLC, TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411336126005, $19,320,000 BAER, Daniel et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $588,000 HAWKS, Steven R. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Plainfield Twp., $444,000 IWUAGWU REAL ESTATE LLC, First Community Bank, Wyoming, $559,277 THOMAS, Cameron J. et al, Independent Bank, Walker, $418,000 REDSTONE LAND DEVELOPMENT LLC, Union Bank, Caledonia Twp., $1,000,000 ALLISON, Samuel L. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $370,000 CERNIUS TRUST, Great Lakes Credit Union, Grattan Twp., $350,000 YONKERS TRUST et al, Huntington National

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL Bank, Byron Twp., $367,000 ULANSKI, Michael et al, Huntington National Bank, Cannon Twp., $428,000 BOURNE AGAIN LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 41133612600, $665,158 VINTAGE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT LLC, United Bank, Parcel: 411431204015, $795,000 INTERRA HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $502,500 WHITLOCK, Philip et al, Churchill Mortgage Corp., Bowne Twp., $360,000 PAULSON, Jonathan P., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 410316400015, $365,000 VANBELKUM, Louis W. IV, Veterans United Home Loans, Byron Twp., $394,591 MARINO TRUST, Northpointe Bank, Cascade Twp., $445,000 BRUCE, Dennis et al, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411428426034, $662,000 GLESS, Dustin et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Bowne Twp., $457,083 FAHRENKOPF, Matthew et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $529,000 TROMP, Jordan et al, Fifth Third Bank, Caledonia, $377,000 JTB HOMES LLC, Macatawa Bank, Byron Twp., $350,732 SULLIVAN, Brian et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Byron Twp., $350,000 4515 28TH STREET LLC, Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Kentwood, $5,500,000 MALL TRUST, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411435151004, $548,000 LK HERRINGTON HOLDINGS LLC, Mercantile Bank, Cannon Twp., $608,000 GLENSTONE GROUP LLC, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411724451018, $724,651 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $615,000 CHITTURI, Ambikaram et al, FirstBank, Cascade Twp., $475,000 INTERRA HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $544,500 INTERRA HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $499,500 BURNS, Caleb P., Northpointe Bank, Walker, $402,500 FARRELL, Pamela K. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Courtland Twp., $572,138 MOSS, Justin et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411427405013, $424,000 WORKMAN, Jason et al, West Michigan Community Bank, Gaines Twp., $453,900 KHEHRA PROPERTIES LLC, Fifth Third Bank, Alpine Twp., $400,000 RYAN, Scott, Heartland Home Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $532,000 SULLIVAN, Matthew et al, Consumers Credit Union, Lowell Twp., $380,000 BURR, Robert L. III, Finance of America Mortgage, Byron Twp., $435,100 FREDERICK, Dan D., Mortgage 1, Plainfield Twp., $425,796 TMGC LLC, Mines Development LLC, Parcel: 411327451002, $1,125,000 CURTIS, Jennifer L. et al, Mercantile Bank, Vergennes Twp., $548,250 BERG, Keith et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Lowell, $548,000 BEIL, Leo J. Jr., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $428,850 CHENG, Cindy et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $393,118 DITTMER, Stefanie J. et al, Algoma Twp., $441,327 MAYNARD, Justin et al, Mercantile Bank, East Grand Rapids, $408,000 KLUGER, Samuel B. et al, PNC Bank, Ada Twp., $372,500 TUBERGEN TRUST, Northern Trust Co., Ada Twp., $5,000,000 FLERMOENTRUST, Northpointe Bank, East Grand Rapids, $436,500 O’DONNELL, Janine et al, Intlanta Mortgage, $349,200 ARBOR LANE REALTY LLC, First Community Bank, Wyoming, $850,000 HOFSTEE, Mark D. et al, Grand River Bank, Parcel: 411720405047, $376,000 SALIBA, Emily, Ruoff Mortgage Co., Parcel: 412011302018, $417,100 DEISHER, Brent D. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, East Grand Rapids, $726,100 MURRAY, Brian et al, Bank of America, Cascade Twp., $350,900 BOLAND, Gregory G. et al, Caliber Home Loans, Caledonia Twp., $357,000 MOORE, Zachary et al, Consumers Credit Union, Byron Twp., $548,250 MCNALLY, John et al, Primelending, Cascade Twp., $414,000 HILL TRUST, Northpointe Bank, Parcel: 411108376013, $428,200 OSOWSKI, Kendra L., Old National Bank, Ada Twp., $494,000 DURHAM, Todd D. et al, Old National Bank, Cannon Twp., $836,000 SPENCER, Aaron et al, First United Credit Union, Solon Twp., $440,000 PHILLIPS, Richard H. et al, TCF National Bank, Kentwood, $478,000 MILLARD, Daniel F. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Plainfield Twp., $382,500 DUNN, Daniel C. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $548,250 RAGSDALE, Michael et al, Mercantile Bank, Algoma Twp., $498,000 SCHMIDT, Ryan et al, Consumers Credit

Union, East Grand Rapids, $394,300 RIEDINGER, Christopher B. et al, Mercantile Bank, East Grand Rapids, $947,500 JADE PIG VENTURES-RIVER RIDGE LLC, Commercial Real Estate Mortgage, Walker, $940,000 DRIZA TRUST, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411403252008, $461,500 SCHMIDT, Kyle J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $388,000 SIERZANT, Charles et al, Independent Bank, East Grand Rapids, $400,000 GRADY, Eugene et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411401101048, $734,000 NUTTALL, Harvey et al, Caliber Home Loans, Ada Twp., $485,000 LONE, Autumn C. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $348,745 REYNOLDS, Buddy L. Jr. et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $472,000 FELDMAN, Gerald et al, Independent Bank, Cascade Twp., $700,000 MAGNUS CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC, IFF, Grand Rapids City, $1,750,000 BILLMEIER, Brian et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $548,250 DONOVAN, Kevin, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $480,000 TWO RIVERS TOWNHOMES DEVELOPMENT LLC, Walker & Dunlop LLC, Lowell Twp., $12,195,000 LEWIS, Michael A. et al, TCF National Bank, Ada Twp., $900,000 HOP, Jeffrey J. et al, TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411435461005, $1,208,000 STRONG, Scott A. et al, Evolve Bank & Trust, Cascade Twp., $400,000 WELCH, Thomas J. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Cascade Twp., $1,990,000 GRIT-GOOGE TRUST, Huntington National Bank, Byron Twp., $392,000 JELIER, Richard W. Jr. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411430454035, $398,400 STOLL, Eric A. et al, Pennymac Loan Services, Ada Twp., $604,113 BAKER, Reed L. et al, TCF National Bank, Gaines Twp., $375,000 DEVILBLISS, Robert W. et al, Independent Bank, East Grand Rapids, $379,000 KITS TRUST, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411810401055, $359,000 GIBSON, Brian et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $356,791 INTERRA HOMES LLC, TCF National Bank, Wyoming, $7,000,000 MAYER, Andrew P., Interfirst Mortgage Co., Cascade Twp., $479,000 PALMBOS, Matthew et al, United Bank, Byron Twp., $384,000 HALL, Ryan et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Algoma Twp., $410,000 REHKOPF, Nicholas S., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $352,000 MITCHELL, Ryan et al, Heartland Home Mortgage, Vergennes Twp., $401,000 WESTON, Case et al, Heartland Home Mortgage, Lowell, $360,000 PV 632 PLYMOUTH LLC, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411421327014, $840,000 2JS ENTERPRISES LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Kentwood, $500,000 STRONG, Benjamin, US Bank, Ada Twp., $501,300 WOODFIELD LLC, Walker & Dunlop LLC, Gaines Twp., $56,900,000 CONNOR, Patrick, Consumers Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $472,000 MCVEY, Morgan et al, Consumers Credit Union, Parcel: 411429480011, $361,000 KNIGHT, Scott et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Caledonia, $548,200 POWELL, Kathleen et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411435307019, $360,000 BARDEGGIA, Christopher B. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, East Grand Rapids, $480,000 SCHULTZ, David, Quicken Loans, Spencer Twp., $402,000 BISONET, Carey B. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $405,825 DAELESSANDRO, Steven P. et al, Independent Bank, Vergennes Twp., $966,500 HILLIGOSS, Joshua A. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $429,400 MITCHELL TRUST, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411425303009, $548,250 KUIPER Lisa et al, Northpointe Bank, Byron Twp., $448,000 KRASS TRUST, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $408,000 WARNER TRUST, Fifth Third Bank, East Grand Rapids, $800,000 WATTS, Nicholas et al, United Bank, Parcel: 412116420016, $540,000 OBERLIN, David M. et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411411202145, $433,500 DEEMER, William J. II et al, Inlanta Mortgage, Parcel: 411526300060, $548,250 CHERNOBY, Greg et al, Macatawa Bank, Parcel: 410635140009, $392,940 LAKHANI, Nehal et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411905151056, $350,000 WRIGHT, Keith L., Honor Bank, Parcel: 410733377007, $407,200 SOLER, Jonathan P. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $433,118 T BOSGRAAF HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411927232029, $630,000 PUTSCHKO, Ryan et al, Northpointe Bank,

Byron Twp., $378,698 ALVARADO, Jesse R. et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Caledonia, $548,250 BIGGIO, Samuel J. et al, Grand River Bank, Byron Twp., $369,750 JONES, Edward et al, Veterans United Home Loans, Oakfield Twp., $468,000 CROTHERS, Kevin J., Independent Bank, Caledonia, $388,800 DAS, Jayant et al, Flagstar Bank, Cascade Twp., $425,000 BADGEROW, Randall et al, Independent Bank, Oakfield Twp., $528,750 RAMIREZ, Victor et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $548,250 MADDER, Ryan D. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $500,000 IM POSSIBLE REAL ESTATE LLC, First Community Bank, Parcel: 411718376084, $630,000 2JS ENTERPRISES LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Kentwood, $500,000 PENDLETON, Adam N. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $400,000 SALINAS, Sammy S. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Gaines Twp., $433,419 WILKES, Sarah et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $670,000 COOK, Ryan et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412231400045, $476,982 ZONDERVAN, Joshua et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Walker, $463,600 PALMER, Elyse S., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411401101025, $548,250 SYTSMA, Jerry, Grand River Bank, Ada Twp., $520,000 JUHLE, Nicholas A. et al, Draper & Kramer Mortgage Corp., Ada Twp., $925,000 HARNEY TRUST, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $550,000 STARCK, Eric et al, Northpoint Bank, Parcel: 411427429001, $548,250 DENNEN, Peter A. et al, Mercantile Bank, Cascade Twp., $548,250 KAZA, Timothy et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Cannon Twp., $548,000 ROSNER, David et al, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $546,250 BALLOID, Gregory S. et al, Northpointe Bank, Cannon Twp., $381,700 BRACE, Terrell M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $355,000 TYKOCKI TRUST, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Oakfield Twp., $349,700 NSC BYRON CENTER LLC, Alliant Credit Union, Byron Center, 18,000,000 NIESEN, Alex J. et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Byron Twp., $346,500 AUSTIN TRUST, Independent Bank, Plainfield Twp., $354,000 SAMIANI, Alan et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 411425127012, $364,000 CIELEN, Matthew R. et al, United Federal Credit Union, Caledonia, $500,000 MOSES, James et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $830,000 DEVRIES, Eric, Northpoint Bank, Caledonia, $379,771 KOHLER, Jordan W. et al, Ruoff Mortgage Co., Parcel: 411411202135, $423,000 5037 68TH ST SE LLC, Mercantile Bank, Caledonia, $1,064,000 WRIGHT, Kyle I. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $404,435 SANG, Stephanie, Old National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $480,000 PIERCE, Kyle C. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $376,700 FAIRMAN, Carolyn, Neighborhood Loans, Parcel: 411809204006, $346,300 HILLMAN, Jesse C. et al, Quicken Loans, Cascade Twp., $400,000 WILLEY, Daniel et al, Northpointe Bank, East Grand Rapids, $400,000 NELSON, Dane H. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411316226024, $394,250 CONNOR, Nancy, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $527,250 RIES, Jay et al, Team Mortgage Co., Spencer Twp., $433,902 VANDERHEIDEN TRUST, Neighborhood Loans, Parcel: 411036201016, $400,000 PERIZES, Fotis et al, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $550,000 GUNSON PROPERTIES GR LLC, Members First Credit Union, Parcel: 411404101045, $900,000 WORDEN, Michael B. et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Cannon Twp., $412,000 BILLMEIER, Ronald et al, Huntington National Bank, Caledonia, $372,000 STACEY, Jacob et al, Pennymac Loan Services, Byron Twp., $399,538 FRANCIS, Larry et al, Sun West Mortgage Co., Cannon Twp., $349,000 OPOKU-AGYEMAN, Michael et al, Neighborhood Loans, Cannon Twp., $470,250 LENNON, Brian P. et al, Finance of America Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $359,500 STOUT, David, Finance of America Mortgage, Byron Twp., $383,200 BORAS, William III, Independent Bank, Courtland Twp., $504,900 JOSEPH, Jason R. et al, Grand River Bank, Parcel: 411414227046, $448,500 BAAR, Nathan, Mercantile Bank, Cannon Twp., $434,900 T BOSGRAAF HOMES LLC, TCF National Bank, Cascade Twp., $9,080,358

JUNE 28, 2021

HOWARD, Kathleen A. et al, TCF National Bank, Cascade Twp., $570,000 KASULA, Sunaina et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411425480006, $418,000 MCDOUGALL TRUST, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Parcel: 411414127060, $634,500 MANARIK, Joseph, Northern Mortgage Services, Parcel: 411809253021, $453,600 SNYDER, James P. et al, United Financial Credit Union, Parcel: 411727474033, $350,000 BERG, Joshua W. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Kentwood, $408,500 MUELLER, Brian R., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411203330017, $451,112 JOHNSON, Richard et al, Caliber Home Loans, Byron Twp., $418,492 JENSEN, Jason, Huntington National Bank, Cannon Twp., $375,000 JACKSON, Ryan et al, Bank of American, Cascade Twp., $373,800 MURRAY, Brent et al, Interfirst Mortgage Co., Gaines Twp., $485,000 DEGAGE MINISTRIES INC., Macatawa Bank, Parcel: 411430307014, $3,250,000 DEWILDE, Michael et al, Neighborhood Loans, Cascade Twp., $368,000

CO-PARTNERSHIPS FILED

Co-partnerships filed with the Kent County Clerk AMI DESIGN, 2221 Burchard SE, Michelle L. Coyle, Anna S. Coyle AUTOSHOP, 4030 S. Division, Wyoming, Donald B. Bailey Jr., Eric M. Smith DIAMOND DIOR, 330 60th SE, Kentwood, Leila Williams, Rachelle Renee EBONY’S DEN, Diamond NE, Dennis Jr., Quentin Desmond EXCEPTIONAL CLEANING, 21 Weston SW, Curtis Hill, et al J&M MOVING CO., 1407 Grandville SW, Jose G. Diaz Mora, Maria M. Sandoval et al JL WILLIAMS TOUCH SOULFOOD, 620 Liberty SW, Shanene Williams, Shovana Tanika NO SAUCE, 17 Burton, Tony Hartz et al R.A.Y.S LAWN CARE SERVICE, 468 68th St. SE, Daryl A. Jackson, Arayshia M. Jackson THE VOGUE BY EVSA, 3708 Illinois SW, Wyoming, Isamar Salazar, Evelyn Rodriguez TX HOME MAINTENANCE/TRASH REMOVAL, 1647 Lafayette, Terry Roberts, Jack Edwards

ASSUMED NAMES FILED

Assumed names filed with the Kent County Clerk 99 NAILS & SPA, 6540 100th, Caledonia, Le Nagan A.H.I., 2268 Wolf Lake, Baldwin, Willie J. Cox AUTO RELOCATION TRANSPORT, 2651 Nolan, Larry E. Markel BT TABLES, 138 Pershing NE, Benjamin T. Lowe CALDER CITY PIANO, 2553 Batt SW, Jeffrey J. Waffle CAMILA CAPRENTRY, 10345 N. Grafton, Alma, Luendy Martinez CHRIS BELLAND MUSIC LESSONS, 630 Lafayette NE, Chris Belland COASTLINE PROPERTY GROUP, 1440 Cornelle SE, Brandon C. Jonker CONVENIENT FINDS, 1858 Eastern SE, Sheen Cross D&G LAWN CARE, 5431 Blaine SE, Kentwood, Anthony E. Mleinek FRANCES CLEARS YOUR CLOSET, 1218 Hurd SE, Frances Gentile FRESH COAST REAL ESTATE, 1440 Cornell SE, Brandon C. Jonker GIDDINGS AFC, 1531 Giddings SE, Ebrima Drammeh GRAND RAPIDS PIANO, 2553 Batt SW, Jeffrey J. Waffle HD PROPERTY SOLUTIONS, 4030 S. Division, Wyoming, Donald B. Bailey Jr. JAVIER ORTIZ CONSTRUCTION, 715 Jackson NW, Francisco J. Ortiz LEN’S CUSTOM PRODUCTS, 8524 Kraft SE, Leonard D. Nanzer MERRILL MGT., 1746 Kalamazoo SE, Askia E. Muhammad MYLES HIGH CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, 5459 Washington, Orleans, Benjamin F. Long QUALITY TOUCH PAINTING, 3010 Shaffer SE, Dylan Kalender QUICK WHEELS, 3168 Wingate SE, Darryl K. Brewer Jr. SOURCE-RY, 1324 Lake Drive SE, Mark S. Walstrom T&S FASHION FOR LESS, 899 Pavone, Benton Harbor, Antonio D. James T. SALLIE NOTARY, 1935 Collins SE, Tammy N. Sallie UNIQUE CONCEPTS, 1126 Prince SE, Nicholas T. Washington URBAN TAILS, 310 Diamond SE, Hedda E. Martin 3 BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION, 530 34th St. SW, Wyoming, Mirna Y. Flores AC&A SERVICES, 1022 Jefferson SE, Mariano Santoyo ADA EAST RETAIL & STORAGE, 8120 East Fulton, Walter R. Jousma

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.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 28, 2021

GROW’s growth track Greener pastures.

rand Rapids Opportunity for Women issued its 2020 annual report on June 15, highlighting data on the organization’s banner year of lending and program development, as well as anecdotes from small business owners who received COVID-19 relief funds from GROW. GROW deployed 55 microloans, totaling more than $585,000, to small businesses located in Kent and Muskegon counties and developed two loan programs specially designed for business owners who were impacted by COVID-19 and faced barriers to accessing traditional capital and federal grants. Ana Olson, owner of Los Amigos Mexican Bar and Grill in Muskegon, was a recipient of GROW’s Muskegon County Recovery loan in 2020, a loan product created in collaboration with The Community Foundation for Muskegon County. “The money gave us peace of mind,” Olson said. “We were at rock bottom, and when we got the loan, we were so grateful. … Because of GROW, I was able to secure funding and improve my business in these uncertain times.” With the pandemic prohibiting in-person interactions, GROW’s long-running Business GPS series came to an end. The organization

BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF

instead offered 41 free webinars that addressed the emerging needs of business owners related to COVID-19, as well as strong business foundations. Hosts and topics included “Preparing Your Retail Business for the Holiday Season” with Michelle Krick, retail consultant, fashion expert, wardrobe stylist and personal shopper; “The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Engaging Remote Workers,” with Lorraine Medici, director of training and development at Express Employment Professionals of Grand Rapids; “From Response to Recovery: How to Shift Your Cash Flow and Business Plan” with Laurel Romanella, professional EOS implementer; and more. Webinars saw more than 500 attendees and are available for viewing on GROW’s website, growbusiness.org. Additionally, GROW introduced Initiate Prosperity, a premier online business training platform with more than 300 resources on management, marketing, money, startups and COVID-19 that is available free to GROW clients. The report includes a look forward from GROW CEO Milinda Ysasi, who was appointed in April to take on the organization’s top job after the retirement of Bonnie Nawara.

Ysasi writes that GROW will be fortifying its role as a community development financial institution (CDFI) in 2021. CDFIs are certified by the U.S. Department of Treasury to inject new sources of federal capital into low-income communities and individuals who lack financing. Qualifying organizations are driven by a mission to offer affordable financial products and services that meet the unique needs of economically underserved communities. According to the CDFI Fund Award Book, 375 organizations received a total of $187.3 million in awards. GROW was the only CDFI awarded in West Michigan. STEP FORWARD Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently proposed an investment of $105.8 million to modernize facilities used by the Michigan Army National Guard (MIARNG) to address inequities in the facilities provided to female service members. “Michigan women have put their lives on the line to serve our country for generations and it’s time they get the respect and recognition they earned,” Whitmer said. “While I am proud to declare June 12 Women Veterans Recognition Day, we need to make sure our women veterans have the yearround support to employment and

educational opportunities, health care, mental health services and housing when they return home. With this proposed investment, we are also demonstrating to our female service members that we are serious about ensuring equity within our state.” The $105.8 million — $50.9 million state and $54.9 million federal — is contingent on the Michigan Legislature including it in the budget bills that are still being worked on. MIARNG has 37 facilities that would be improved with this investment. When many of these buildings were constructed, the structure and composition of the MIARNG force was primarily male, and facilities like restrooms and showers were designed with that in mind. Today’s force is much more diverse and has nearly 1,500 women serving. Armories in West Michigan that would receive funding include: • Big Rapids Armory – $1.5 million with $750,000 federal and $750,000 state funds • Montague Armory – $1.5 million with $750,000 federal and $750,000 state funds • Greenville Armory – $1.5 million with $750,000 federal and $750,000 state funds • Belmont Armory – $1.5 million with $750,000 federal and $750,000 state funds • Wyoming Armory – $4.5 million with $2.25 million federal and $2.25 million state funds • Kalamazoo Armory – $11.1 million with $5.5 million federal and $5.6 million state funds JOB JUMPERS Twenty-seven percent of U.S. employees plan to leave their employ-

STREET TALK er as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, according to a new national employee survey from Eagle Hill Consulting. More than a quarter (29%) of workers expect to leave their job in the next year. The numbers are even higher for millennial workers. Thirty-three percent plan to leave post-pandemic, while 36% expect to leave within the next year. The research also finds that burnout is problematic for more than half of the U.S. workforce (53%). Again, the numbers are higher for millennials, with 60% reporting burnout. In terms of the causes of burnout: • Fifty-two percent of respondents say that workload is the top cause. • Forty-four percent say it’s juggling their personal and professional life. • Forty-one percent indicate a lack of communication and feedback is a cause. • Thirty-seven percent attribute burnout to time pressures. These burnout drivers are at their highest levels since Eagle Hill began surveying employees on this issue in April 2020. The findings indicate that employees who report burnout are three times more likely to leave their organization after the pandemic as compared to colleagues who are not burnt out: 39% versus 13%. “The talent turnover tsunami is here,” said Melissa Jezior, president and CEO of Eagle Hill. “With vaccination rates climbing and workplaces re-opening, employees increasingly feel confident looking elsewhere for a job. And that is highly problematic for employers given the acute labor shortage.”

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accessible In this ever changing environment we want you to know that we are here for you. Like you, we are making the decision to do what is best for each individual, whether it be working from home or in the office. No matter our location, we are committed to maintaining the level of service that our clients rely on even while we are not all together. At Colliers, we understand that business is done differently now and we will continue to adapt to the new “normal.”

Since March, we have seen our clients and community experience the devastating effects of COVID-19. As the managing director, I am proud of how our advisors and staff have weathered this storm, working tirelessly to see our clients succeed. Although we continue to face challenging times, West Michigan has been resilient and we are stronger than ever before. Jon Potvin Managing Director Colliers | West Michigan

Kathryn Teklinski Operations Director Colliers | West Michigan

Grand Rapids Business Journal 06.28.21

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