Grand Rapids Business Journal 08.09.21 by Grand Rapids Business Journal

BUSINESS leaders report confidence in economy. PAGE 3

AUGUST 9, 2021 VOL. 39, NO. 16

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

SHEDDING LIGHT Citizens launches Green Deposits for corporate clients Solution allows cash ON PROBLEMS reserves to be used to THIS WEEK

Missy Weismann leads Solutions to End Exploitation with a data-driven, crosssector approach. Page 11

support environmentally friendly companies and projects.

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

People strategy Gallagher’s Michigan area president discusses talent, employee experience considerations from benchmarking report. PAGE 3

Compassion project AstirFreya is designed to support mothers grieving still births, pregnancy or infant loss. PAGE 4

DATA HUB New portal tracks number of applications, approvals for H-2B visas. Page 5

THE LISTS

The area’s top commercial real estate developers Page 6 The area’s top commercial real estate lenders Page 8

A bank with a Michigan presence launched a program called Green Deposits to allow commercial clients to direct their cash reserves toward companies and projects that are expected to create a positive environmental impact. Providence, Rhode Island-based Citizens — which has branches in Michigan and 10 other states — said the Green Deposits solution gives clients the opportunity to direct deposits to investments in sectors such as energy efficiency; renewable energy; green transport; sustainable food, agriculture and forestry; waste management; and greenhouse gas reduction. “Recognizing the increasing desire among clients for socially responsible investing options, our new Green Deposits solution gives clients a sustainable investment

The new program gives clients the opportunity to direct deposits to investments in sectors such as energy efficiency; renewable energy; green transport; sustainable food, agriculture and forestry; waste management; and greenhouse gas reduction. Courtesy istock

vehicle that aligns with Citizens’ own commitment to help create a healthy and sustainable future for all of our stakeholders,” said Michael Cummins, executive vice

president and head of treasury solutions at Citizens. “As a financial institution, Citizens recognizes the critical role that the bank can play to help finance a socially responsi-

ble future and continues to explore opportunities to support sustainable development.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Real estate market reports show slow, positive gains Industrial market stays active while office and retail remain mixed. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

Some speculative industrial construction is on the horizon in West Michigan. Meanwhile, retailers are struggling to staff vacant positions in the wake of the 2020 pandemic, and many large and national companies still are hesitant to send people back to the office. The West Michigan industrial market continued to perform well despite the challenges of the

past year. According to the second quarter reports from NAI Wisinski of West Michigan, overall vacancy sits at 3.3%, which crept up slightly since the end of 2020, which finished at 2.7%. NAIWWM Industrial Specialist Andrew Kapanowski said the slight increase in vacancy appears to come from the Southeast Grand Rapids and lakeshore submarkets and is most likely due to speculative construction coming available. Average rental rates for Q2 sit at $4.76 per square foot, which is up from the average $4.28 triple net rental rates in Q1. “These numbers are signs of the record-high demand we are seeing

Sparrows Coffee is opening a new location at Kingma’s Market in the Creston/Cheshire Village neighborhood, 2225 Plainfield Ave. NE. Courtesy Sparrows Coffee

in the West Michigan industrial market and speak to the lack of inventory available for lease,” Kapanowski said. “We expect these rates to remain high through 2021 but should start to level off as new

Inside Track....... 11 Guest Columns...20 Employee happiness Change-Ups...... 24

KUYPER College initiative makes college affordable.

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

PAGE 3

construction comes available and helps satisfy demand.” New construction is expected to persist through 2021 as the conCONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Business leaders report confidence in economy Gallagher shares people Right Place survey reveals greater strategy Grand Rapids poised to rebound from pandemicinduced recession. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

The Right Place met with 118 business leaders in June who reported strong confidence in the health of their companies and the economy as they begin transitioning to post-pandemic modes of operating. The meetings were designed to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing the region’s companies while offering insight into the health of the local economy. Overall, area businesses are reporting strong confidence in the health of their companies and the economy at large, as indicated by increasing sales and plans for expansion, The Right Place said. These 118 meetings represent the highest number of monthly visits with area business leaders recorded in the history of The Right Place, a West Michigan-based economic development organization that serves Kent, Ionia, Montcalm, Newaygo, Lake and Oceana counties.

B:15.5" T:14.5" S:13.5"

The organization routinely meets with nearly 400 area companies annually, or about 30 companies per month — primarily businesses in the advanced manufacturing, technology, health sciences and food processing industries. “What made this (month) unique was one of the purposes was to give everybody within The Right Place Icard the opportunity to see what it is that the business development team does,” said Eric Icard, senior business development manager with The Right Place. “Whether (they are) outward facing or inward facing, accounting to administrative, all those people did at least one retention visit. That is how we were able to hit those numbers. We conducted four separate trainings in May — we wanted to make it intimate so that people could understand what typically goes on within the retention visits — and they were better prepared because of it.” During these meetings, Right Place team members talked with companies about their plans and any barriers to growth they are facing. Icard said some of the questions The Right Place asked

included how companies managed through the pandemic now that restrictions are easing; what they see as their opportunities and challenges in the next one to three years; where they see their organization in the next one to three years — will they be adding employees, investing, doing more training and upskilling?; where do they see sales in the coming years; what are their main issues; and do they perceive any changes in ownership or succession plans in the near future.

“The main issues seem to be those pinch points around talent, both on the recruitment and retention side, and around supply chain.” Eric Icard He said based on the concerns and needs respondents shared, The Right Place was then able to match them with local and statewide resources to help meet those needs, including connecting them to West Michigan Works!, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center and local municipalities.

While the details of individual meetings are confidential, The Right Place gathered qualitative data in aggregate form to provide a snapshot of regional business sentiment. Key insights from the data gathered in June include: • Increasing sales: Consumers and businesses are beginning to spend again, as indicated by 80% of companies reporting increasing sales. The remaining companies reported stable sales, with only one company reporting a decrease in sales. • The talent challenges persist: In line with national trends, recruiting talent to open positions remains a persistent challenge in a highly competitive market. Fifty-three percent of companies surveyed reported they were experiencing recruitment challenges, and 47% reported they had no recruitment problems. In response, 35% of companies are increasing their investment in employee training programs. • Companies are projecting growth: 60% of companies reported they have plans to expand. This growth typically includes increased headcounts and capital expenditures, while being an indication that area business leaders are feeling confident in the future. Icard said the responses gath-

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

Marc Andreas, third from left, works with students in Kuyper College’s Business Leadership program. Courtesy Kuyper College

more financially beneficial, and it is going to last a lot longer. Most internships are one semester. This is going to last longer than a semester. It is going to last your entire four years of college.” The money that Kuyper students get paid from their part-time jobs associated with the program goes straight to the student’s tuition. The college and individual students will reach a mutual agreement to decide how much of their paychecks go to students.

rwatson@grbj.com

Co-founder Henry Bouma of Lumbermen’s Inc., a building materials distributor and manufacturer, said the firm is excited about partnering with Kuyper College as it becomes a U.S. Department of Education-recognized Work College. “What we love about this new unban initiative is that it opens doors for those who normally don’t have this type of opportunity,” Bouma said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Designation as Work College will put students in long-term jobs to help with tuition.

vide employment to help pay for a large portion of the cost of college.” Classes will be held in the evenings and weekends at the college’s urban campus at the Center for Community Transformation in Grand Rapids. Students will work 20 hours per week. “Students will get at least $13.50 per hour and there is no tax on this program,” Andres said. “Every single student is going to get paid and you are going to get more money this way than any internship. It is

Rachel Watson

Gallagher’s recently released People & Organizational Wellbeing Strategy report shared data from 4,000 U.S. employers on the most challenging issues facing employers this year. Topics examined in the report include recruiting, engaging and retaining top talent and delivering a well-rounded employee experience, including flexibility and well-being initiatives. A total of 3,996 organizations across the U.S. participated in the survey the report is based on between December 2020 and March 2021. “As the economy and labor market begin to rebound, the major changes to the way business was done in 2020 are defining the way forward in 2021,” Gallagher wrote in the introduction to the report. “This period of great disruption has sparked a future of greater innovation that will indelibly remake organizational structures, workplace policies and total rewards.” Talent attraction and retention strategies that took center stage during the pandemic include flexible workplace policies and practices — an offering that isn’t going anywhere — and a focus on emotional well-being in a time when mental health issues emerged as a top concern during the days of isolation. To help employers make solid decisions for the health and well-being of their employees and organization, Gallagher is publishing a Workforce Trends Report Series using data from various surveys it conducted. The People & Organizational Wellbeing Strategy report is the first in the series and is based on an analysis of its 2021 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey results. It focuses on people and organizational strategy, total rewards and health care cost considerations. Findings are broken out by region, organization size and ownership structure for peer comparison. Each section features core data highlights, contains tables with detailed results and wraps up with overall conclusions. The full report can be viewed at bit.ly/ wftrendswellbeing. Key takeaways for Michigan from this report included: • The pressure to endure longterm unpredictability and manage not-so-new everyday stresses increased burnout and decreased emotional well-being among employees. 71% of Michigan employers offer flexible work arrangements as a component of their social and emotional well-being initiatives, compared to 56% nationally.

Kuyper College initiative makes college affordable

Kuyper College is being proactive in helping students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree but lack the finances. The Grand Rapids-based college recently established an urban WorkPlace Partnership initiative with Butterball Farms Inc. and Lumbermen’s Inc. The program will welcome its first freshman class of 20 students this fall. It will give the students the opportunity to earn a business degree while working a part-time, entry-level job at Butterball Farms or Lumbermen’s throughout their four years to pay for their tuition, with additional federal and state grants. “We all know that college is extremely expensive to get a bachelor’s degree,” said Marc Andres, program director of the Business Leadership program at Kuyper College. “We have a great community college in Grand Rapids. Community college is very affordable, but everyone knows that getting a bachelor’s degree is very expensive no matter if the college is public, private, local or out of state. It is very, very expensive and we all know that, so in response to that need, we at Kuyper College are partnering with businesses in the community so that they can pro-

Michigan area president discusses talent, employee experience considerations from benchmarking report.

AUGUST 9, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Multi-entrepreneur launches compassion project AstirFreya is designed to support mothers grieving still births, pregnancy or infant loss. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Deb Kalsbeek has a lot of irons in the fire, but not so many that she could resist the inner call to help mothers experiencing a grief she knows all too well. Kalsbeek — a photographer and owner of Snap Studio, owner of FemPro Business Society and co-owner of SnapJoy Rental Studio — in 2020 gave birth to a daughter, Freya, who was stillborn due to the chromosomal condition Trisomy 18. Prior to that, Kalsbeek also had endured a first trimester and a second trimester pregnancy loss, and she had a friend who lost a son at eight weeks old to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). “It put me in a position to be able to help others who were facing the same stuff,” Kalsbeek said. “(I’m) coming from both sides — I have experienced pregnancy loss, and then I can also pull from (my friend’s) experience to be able to help those who have had an infant loss.” With a passion burning on her heart to help others weather storms she believed should have broken her but didn’t, Kalsbeek

had an idea to create a business, AstirFreya (pronounced “Asterfray-uh”) that would help support moms in their season of need. Kalsbeek said AstirFreya, loosely translated, means “Love, Freya.” The company sells rainbow-themed products custom-made by Grand Rapids-area entrepreneurs from an online shop at astirfreya.com, with 20% of the profits going back into the business to provide care packages for moms who have experienced loss. In addition to buying products and care kits from the shop, people also can click a link on the website to donate a care kit to an “angel mom,” the term for a woman who lost a pregnancy, infant or whose child was stillborn.

Kalsbeek owns three businesses in addition to Astirfreya. Courtesy Brittany Hubbel

The mother care kits, $20, come with a carrying case, organic lip care, organic bath bomb, angel keepsake, packet of seeds to plant a tree in their child’s memory, encouragement card, and one or two bonus items that are different each month based on availability. Another reason Kalsbeek started the business is because she realized there isn’t much information out there to educate moms on what to expect after birthing a stillborn child or losing an infant or pregnancy. There also aren’t many spaces to help educate families and friends on how to help their loved ones through this experience. Kalsbeek aims to provide that support and education through her blog on the site, where she shares her own and other moms’ stories and advice. She also hopes to someday write a book about her experience with loss and how she regained her joy. She said her book might be partly geared toward helping parents explain to their children what is happening in a healthy way. Kalsbeek’s 5-yearold daughter has had counseling to help her cope with her family’s losses, but she recognizes that not everyone has that opportunity. At press time, Kalsbeek was pregnant and about to deliver another daughter, Emmy, any day now, but she said it’s important to be aware that not every mom will try to have another baby after a loss. The goal of AstirFreya is to provide support for moms and families for whatever path they

Deb Kalsbeek said 20% of the profits go back into the business to provide care packages for moms who have experienced loss. Courtesy Deb Kalsbeek

are on and to help them recapture their joy after loss. “Nothing is going to replace your loss,” she said. “The rainbow, for me, signifies more of finding that joy after loss, and that’s going to look different for everyone.” For Kalsbeek, AstirFreya is a “complete passion project” and is not intended to be a source of steady income. “I have my other businesses that do that, which is why I’m able to run AstirFreya, because I’m not relying on it for my income. It is strictly to help these moms in any way that I have the capacity to do so,” she said. “But I know that I also can’t do that on my own. I can’t

fund everything on my own, which is where the shop comes in” — as well as people who donate products because they want to comfort grieving moms, she added. Kalsbeek said she is currently looking to connect with more doulas, midwives and other birth workers who would be willing to refer clients to her who need support after loss, so that AstirFreya is able to reach more moms. AstirFreya also is seeking more small local businesses that would like to collaborate on rainbow-themed items for the shop. Those interested in helping with either of those goals can email astirfreya@gmail.com.

WHY ADVANTAGE Manufacturing has long been a part of West Michigan’s story and has helped shaped the city we experience today. Although the industrial market has weathered many storms, the industry is part of the heartbeat in our community. Our manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution clients are among the most creative and innovative in their fields, designing some of the most advanced products we have ever seen. At Advantage, we share a passion to help these businesses succeed, because they are transforming our community. Our team of industrial experts have 50+ years of combined experience, market insight, and the necessary skills to help our industrial clients position their assets strategically. Our goal has and always will be to achieve the best possible outcome for you.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

New immigration data hub promotes transparency Portal tracks number of applications, approvals for H-2B visas. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

Employers now have an easier opportunity to employ foreign, non-agricultural workers. The federal government recently established an H-2B Employer Data Hub that provides information to the public about employers’ petitions for H-2B workers such as cooks, waiters, dishwashers, housekeepers, landscapers and construction workers, among others. The data hub includes all the information of an employer (petitioner) such as the name, address, occupation, industry, cap fiscal year and hourly wage. The federal government has placed a cap on the number of H-2B visas that can be issued during a fiscal year. The cap currently is “66,000 per fiscal year, with 33,000 for workers who begin employment in the first half of the fiscal year (Oct. 1-March 31.)” According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rule, any unused numbers from the first half of the fiscal year will be available for employers seeking to hire H-2B workers during the second half of the fiscal year (April 1- Sept. 30,) which is usually capped at 33,000.

Once the fiscal year ends, however, the number of H-2B visas left cannot be carried over to the next fiscal year. “This is an effort to be transparent,” said Kimberly Clarke, partner and immigration attorney at Varnum. “There are a lot of calls on the government from a lot of different directions to be clear on what they are doing with immigration petitions. In response to that, they decided to put that information out because H-2B is one of those categories that is capped. From the petitioner’s side of things, we don’t know what is filed. The government immigration (service) knows what is filed, but we just know that they run out of numbers. We want to make sure from a petitioner’s perspective that all the numbers that are available are being used.” The new data hub comes as the national unemployment rate in June was 5.9%, which is a decline from January, when it was 6.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Last year in April, the unemployment rate was 14.7%. In Michigan, the unemployment rate is currently 5%. One of the industries that has been struggling to bounce back is the hospitality industry. According to the BLS, the unemployment rate in the hospitality and leisure sector was 10.9% for the month of June. That is a slight decrease from 13% for March.

Before employers can apply for H-2B visas, they have to show that they have been looking for employees within the United States. Once they have proven that to Clarke the government, they can petition for visas that allow for foreign, seasonal employees to come to the United States to work. “The lack of talent increases the conversation about visa availability, and it takes the pressure off the federal government to explain what they are doing with the limited visas that we have,” Clarke said. “The (data hub) is partly to show the needs are above the visas that are available, so the push in immigration reform and more work visas is supported sometimes by the information in the data hub showing how many applications were filed and then how many were selected. The conversation is increased by the talent needs that we have right now.” Todd Callewaert owns several businesses on Mackinac Island: Island House Hotel, Starbucks, Seabiscuit Café, Mary’s Bistro, Pancake House & Grille and Ryba’s Fudge Shop, as well as rental properties According to a Business Journal report published last year, Callewaert said he and his family have been hiring immigrants

with H-2B visas for 25 years to do seasonal jobs. “We don’t have the local pool of workers on Mackinac Island,” he said last year. “There are about 500 people on Mackinac and in the surrounding areas the population is about 10,000 people, so we don’t have the local pool. We have to draw from someplace else. We look for people in Michigan, and not many people want to come to

“The lack of talent increases the conversation about visa availability, and it takes the pressure off the federal government to explain what they are doing with the limited visas that we have.” Kimberly Clarke. Mackinac to work a seasonal job for six months and go back home. There are not a lot of American workers who want to do that. So, that was when we decided to use the guest worker program. These jobs are housekeeping, lawn cutting, groundskeeping, dishwashing and prep cooks. Those are the positions they fill. We also employ other American workers so we can open. About 12% of our staff are foreign nationals and the rest are American workers.”

1575 Arboretum Drive SE, Suite 402 | Grand Rapids, MI 49546 616 327 2800 | www.AdvantageCRE.com

AUGUST 9, 2021

Kuyper offers new initiative CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Lumbermen’s is headquartered in Michigan, but it has locations in three other states: Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The company employs about 450 workers across all locations. Once Kuyper students begin working at Lumbermen’s, they’ll be able to do a variety of jobs including helping to install cover tops, paint and create exterior doors for homes, and also work in office positions. “Our goal is to give them a broad range of experiences at Lumbermen’s so hopefully when they graduate, and they want to stay working with us, they can say, ‘This is something I really enjoy at Lumbermen’s’ and then we can slide them into that position,” Bouma said. Andres, who also will be teaching some of the classes, said as the program progresses, Kuyper will be partnering with other local businesses so students can continue to integrate their classes with their part-time jobs. He said school officials got the idea of becoming a Work College after seeing it implemented at Paul Quinn College, a historically black college in Texas. Kuyper became the 10th college in the nation, and the only one in Michigan, to be recognized as a Work College by the U.S. Department of Education.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

THE LIST

Top Area Commercial Real Estate Lenders (RANKED BY CURRENT WEST MICHIGAN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOAN PORTFOLIO)

Top local executive(s)

Current W. Mich. commercial real estate portfolio

Robert Kaminski

$922.04M

DND

Ronald Haan

$552.17M

80%

$15M

262

$161.28M

DND

No. of new Total amount of loans new loans Average loan-toMaximum closed closed value ratio preferred loan size in 2020 in 2020 Types of financing available

Types of property financed

Mercantile Bank of Michigan 310 Leonard St. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 406-3000 f 726-1500 mercbank.com

Macatawa Bank 10753 Macatawa Drive Holland 49424 p (616) 820-1444 f 396-7369 macatawabank.com

ChoiceOne Bank 109 E. Division Ave. Sparta 49345 p (616) 887-7366 f 887-7990 choiceone.com

Kelly Potes Bradley Henion

$481M

United Bank of Michigan 900 East Paris Ave. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 559-7000 f 559-4631 unitedbank4u.com

Arthur Johnson Joseph Manica

$475M

DND

$10M

DND

Various options available for Commercial, industrial, retail, office, hotel, investors and business owners residential rental, construction, small business and medical, loans for equipment, current asset financing

Greemann Capital 6140 28th St. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 974-0245 f 957-4776 greemanncapital.com

Ben Greemann

$415M

70%

Unlimited

$40M

Income property loans

Apartments, offices, special use, care facilities, industrial, mixed-use, retail, hospitality

First National Bank of Michigan 141 Ionia Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 242-6500 f 242-7708 fnbmichigan.com

Daniel Bitzer Jefra Groendyk Mike Hollander

$352.44M

85%

$11M

$60.13M

Conventional, bridge, interim, special circumstances, SBA, develop Michigan mezzanine

Owner-occupied commercial real estate, non-owner-occupied income producing, multifamily, office, retail, hospitality, mixed-use, industrial

Lake Michigan Credit Union 5540 Glenwood Hills Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 242-9790 lmcu.org

Sandra Jelinski James Maskell

$264.56M

60%

DND

159

$104.3M

New construction/ development, purchase, refinance, mini-perm, term debt, SBA

Owner-occupied, office, mixed-use, industrial/warehouse, apartment

Independent Bank 4200 East Beltline Ave. NE Grand Rapids 49525 p (616) 447-3942 independentbank.com

Joel Rahn Scott Rowley

$247M

80%

$20M

$83.2M

Acquisition, development/ construction, term, SBA

Industrial, medical, multi-family, office, retail, senior living, hospitality, residential

West Michigan Community Bank 5367 School Ave. Hudsonville 49426 p (800) 664-1778 f 669-7496 wmcb.com

Philip Koning Jim Bishop Rick Wieringa Mike Skinner Dan Pickard

$234.39M

76%

$11M

$67.45M

Vacant/raw land, bridge, construction, purchase, refinance

Agriculture, apartments, offices, mixeduse, industrial, retail, care facilities, special-use, hospitality

First Community Bank 4455 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 454-8447 f 454-2465 firstcb.com

Mark Brant

DND

Owner-occupied, investment property, refinance, purchase and construction loans

Office buildings, mixed-use, industrial, retail, multi-family

Horizon Bank 250 Pearl St. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 214-3748 horizonbank.com

David Quade

DND

$30M

DND

Construction, mini-permanent, Medical, office, industrial, student permanent housing, retail

DND

Construction, land, income property, refinancing, owneroccupied

Old National Bank 5200 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids 49506 p (616) 228-6000 oldnational.com

Conventional, fixed and adjustable, construction

Apartments, multi-family, industrial, health care, mixed-use property, assisted living, offices

Conventional, construction, Apartments, office, mixed-use, industrial, purchase, refinancing, SBA 7(a), retail, care facilities, hospitality, SBA 504, income property, agriculture, manufacturing, nonprofit owner-occupied

Purchase, construction, refinancing, income property, owner-occupied, farm loans, VA, FHA, home equity

Office, retail, farmland, multi-family

Medical, offices, industrial, retail, apartments

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area commercial real estate lenders, ranked by current West Michigan commercial real estate loan portfolio, is the most comprehensive available. The Business Journal defines "West Michigan" as Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. The Business Journal surveyed 46 commercial real estate lenders; 12 returned surveys and 12 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose

Headquarters and bank

United Bank of Michigan is planning its new lakeshore regional headquarters and the bank’s 15th branch in the Towers on River building at 159 South River Ave. Holland

Newest branch

Lake Michigan Credit Union opened its newest location at 496 Ada Drive SE in Ada. It is a 3,100-square-foot full-service branch that features a walk-in lobby with in-person banking by appointment.

Banking platforms

Independent Bank has launched a new online and mobile personal banking platform, ONE Wallet, along with separate platforms for business customers (ONE Wallet Business) and commercial customers (TreasuryONE).

Merger agreement

Old National Bancorp and Chicago-based First Midwest Bancorp entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction with a total market value of $6.5 billion.

ListStore

@ GRBJ.com

Download this list now at GRBJ.com in Excel or PDF format. The Book of Lists and other lists are also available.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Lenders are creeping out from beneath pandemic Banks say loans are slowly approaching ‘normal’ levels. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

Two months after the application deadline for the third and final round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) expired, it has continued to be the driver of the U.S. economy despite other borrowing opportunities. “Companies are a little slow to borrow now because they still have a lot of deposits from cash stemming from PPP payments,” said Bradley Henion, chief lending officer for ChoiceOne Bank. “Some of the borrowers did not use their cash because they were waiting for (loan) forgiveness and they haven’t deployed that cash back into the system. That has slowed loan demand heading into late 2020 and into this year as companies have retained a lot of cash and not having the need to borrow for a lot of expenses.” Henion According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there were 11,823,594 loans approved that valued a total of $799,832,866,520 from 5,467 lenders nationwide as of May 31. Two of those lenders locally were ChoiceOne Bank and Mercantile Bank of Michigan. Both Henion and President and CEO of Mercantile Bank of Michigan Robert Kaminski said the majority of their borrowers applied for PPP loans that were aimed to help businesses financially navigate their way through the pandemic. In 2019, Henion said there was an 8% growth in loan activity at ChoiceOne Bank. However, that changed in 2020. “Outside of PPP loans, (loan activity) in 2020 was very slow,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of activity, but we did $162 million worth of PPP loans in 2020, which added a lot to the balance sheet. It showed a lot of commercial loan growth, but a lot of it was derived from the PPP loan process.” “Normal banking activity was occurring (in 2020), but PPP certainly dominated last spring and the early part of summer in 2020 and in the early months of this year,” Kaminski said. Henion said the majority of the businesses that inquired about loans were small businesses that were borrowing $150,000 or less because they needed to keep their employees as their businesses began experiencing COVID-19-related slowdowns. Some businesses requested loans to modify their businesses and adjust to COVID-19 requirements such as installing plexiglass, purchasing cleaning materials and construction. According to Mercantile Bank of Michigan’s website, the bank helped 3,000 businesses that employ over 56,000 people in Michigan with more than $700 million in funds through PPP loans.

The manufacturing industry has been one of the fastest industries to recover from the pandemic shutdown. Kaminski said companies in that industry primarily used Kaminski their PPP loans to purchase equipment, new materials for construction and expansion of their facilities, or to increase their lines of credit.

While the manufacturing industry is rebounding, Henion said during the heart of the pandemic, businesses in the travel and the hospitality industries were the first to suffer and they were frequent borrowers. Now, those industries are slow to recover. During a normal year, Kaminski said people would apply for different loans throughout the year such as home loans in the spring, summer and fall, car loans throughout the year and consumer spending would increase during the holiday season in No-

vember and December, but that did not happen last year. Although requests for different types of loans have gone down, Kaminski said purchases actually have increased. “Most people have some kind of credit or debit card in their wallet, and during the early parts of the pandemic last year and continuing through a good chunk of 2021, people’s purchases on those cards were way down compared to 2019,” he said. “They were just way down. But slowly we started to recover as we

got to the later months of 2020 and now that we’re in 2021, we are basically back to the normal trend line that we’d see if the pandemic had not occurred. In other words, people are out there. They are buying their groceries. They are buying (tickets) to go on vacations. They are buying things for their homes. They are buying clothing. All intentional purchases have resumed to the level that card activity is where we expected to be, but for a long time there, CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

We focus on commercial real estate, so you can get back to business. Deciding on the next best step to grow your business? When you partner with NAI Wisinski of West Michigan, you gain access to a global network with the best tools and techniques in the industry. With the geographic expertise to complete transactions anywhere in West Michigan, throughout the state of Michigan, or across the country by leveraging the power of the NAI Global network, we can be your commercial real estate partner every step of the way.

Grand Rapids Office 616 776 0100 naiwwm.com

Industrial

Office

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Investment

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

THE LIST

Top Area Commercial Real Estate Developers (RANKED BY SQUARE FOOTAGE UNDER DEVELOPMENT) Top W. Mich. executive(s)

Year established in Square footage under W. Mich. development

2020 2019 dollar volume

No. of W. Mich. employees W. Mich. projects

Parkland Properties 75 W. Walton Ave., Suite A Muskegon 49440 p (231) 722-7001 f 722-7002 parklandgr.com

Jonathan Rooks

1989

902,000

$19.79M $24.6M

176

Wheeler Development Group 32 Market Ave. SW Suite 500 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 631 7769 wheelerdevgroup.com

Ryan Wheeler John Wheeler

2019

622,924

$120M $130M

Townhomes constructed Specialty areas

Lake House Waterfront Grille, Walker’s An Building rehab, office buildings, American Brasserie, Shoreline Inn & Conference condominiums, apartments, retail, Center, Delta Hotels by Marriott Muskegon vacant land, home sites, marinas, Convention Center, VanDyk Mortgage hotels, restaurants, bars, luxury Convention Center, Highpoint Flats, Firehouse vacation home rentals Professional Building, Terrace Point Landing, Norton Shores Luxury Vacation Rentals, Wharf Marina, Terrace Point Marina, Boardwalk Condominium, Cityview Condominium, Monroe Terrace Condominium, Union Square Condominium, Ellenwood Landing Boat Storage, and Weathervane Inn Condominium. Evergreen Townhomes, City Tower, Hanover Townhoms (Ph. 2), Cardinal Senior Care, Premier Martial Arts, Village East, Robinson Flats

Land acquisition, public/private partnerships, mixed-use developments, hotel and hospitality, multi-family and commercial development

Rockford Construction 601 First St. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 285-6933 f 285-8001 rockfordconstruction.com

Mike Mraz Mike VanGessel

1987

525,000

DND DND

325

Michigan State University Doug Meijer Medical Real estate development, investment, Innovation Building, Perrigo North American sale/leaseback, build-to-suit, design/ Headquarters, Meijer Rivertown Market, MCPc build and planning services, property management, construction management

Pinnacle Construction Group Inc. Michael Garrett 1000 Front Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 451-0500 f 451-0860 askourclients.com

1996

250,000

$41M $36M

600 Burton, Natural Choice Foods, 650 Burton, Industrial, nonprofit/community, Byron Commerce affordable housing, retail, office, health care

Geenen DeKock Properties LLC 12 W. Eighth St. Holland 49423 p (616) 396-4950 f 396-6599 gdkproperties.com

Douglas DeKock Charles Geenen

1987

142,000

DND DND

Show Grand Rapids Real Estate Development 43 100th St. SW Byron Center 49315 p (888) 227-2220 grandrapidsproperties.com

Brian Silvernail

1998

130,000

$7.6M $3.5M

a.j. Veneklasen Inc. 5000 Kendrick St. SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 957-3731 f 957-4085 ajvinc.com

Chris Veneklasen

1976

127,000

$17M $15.7M

Ben M. Muller Realty Co. Inc. 1971 East Beltline Ave. NE, Suite 240 Grand Rapids 49525 p (616) 456-7114 f 456-6025 mullerrealty.com

Mark Muller

1958

12,600

DND $1.6M

Knapps Corner, Rise Bakery, Speciation Artisan Retail, mixed-use, industrial Ales, Arvon Brewery and various Dollar Stores

Anchor Properties 44 Grandville Ave. SW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 451-2525 anchor-prop.com

Matt Williams

2007

DND

DND DND

DND

Retail, industrial

Colburn Hundley Inc. (and various partnerships) 80 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 410 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 742-5200 f 742-5207 colburnhundley.com

Jeffrey Hundley

1989

DND

DND DND

DND

Industrial and commercial brokerage, retail development

Aldi, Battle Creek; Bath & Body, Battle Creek; Mixed-use, retail and commercial Chick Fil A, Battle Creek; Lofts at West Eighth, development Holland; River Place, Holland; Sligh Apartments, Zeeland

Byron Logistics Park - East 131 - up to 300,000 SF build-to-suit leases; city of Wayland S. Annexation of nearly 500 acres of land from Hopkins Township to the city of Wayland 170+acres available, Tanger 84th St. SW commercial sites in front and just west of Tanger entrance including sales to Culvers, Seven’s Paints and Performance Oil Change

Tech broker creates free/24/365 video open house showings, generating buyer connections for owners and realtors

DND

Industrial, multi-family, mixed-use

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area commercial real estate developers, ranked by square footage under development, 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 71 companies; 10 returned surveys and 10 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose

Preserve Townhomes, a 42-unit townhome community, recently opened after Wheeler Development Group, among others, completed the construction.

School project

Rockford Construction partnered with Grand Rapids Public Schools to work on a $20 million LEEDcertified project.

Best and Brightest

a.j. Veneklasen was recognized as one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources.

Property construction

Pinnacle Construction Group began construction on a 15,750-squarefoot industrial development at 2189 Avastar Pkwy., Walker. It will be anchored by German Auto Service.

ListStore

@ GRBJ.com

Download this list now at GRBJ.com in Excel or PDF format. The Book of Lists and other lists are also available.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

TO US, IT’S BIGGER THAN A BUILDING. At Triangle, construction is more than our job. It’s a personal promise to build spaces that cultivate growth, new beginnings and redefine the limits of what’s possible. www.triangle-inc.com | 616-453-3950

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

INSIDE TRACK

AUGUST 9, 2021

Shedding light on hidden problems Missy Weismann leads Solutions to End Exploitation with a data-driven, cross-sector approach. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

issy Weismann’s background as a research and law enforcement intelligence analyst has helped people in Kent County see and address a significant criminal problem that too often stays underground. That problem is human trafficking. The federal government defines trafficking in persons as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring” of individuals with or without consent “by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position.” Weismann is newly appointed executive director of Solutions to End Exploitation (SEE), a Grand Rapids-based organization she co-founded in 2017 with Rachel VerWys. SEE works with about 40 community partners to understand the problem of human trafficking through data and research and to address it through cross-sector collaborations. SEE is a convening organization, aka the “backbone” nonprofit that runs the SEE Human Trafficking Coalition in Kent County. Weismann works at the higher level to gather data on the problem and partners with direct service organizations through five impact groups — labor trafficking; education, training and awareness; victim services; health care; and criminal justice — to shift systems and implement change. “Our big buckets are data and research and then cross-sector collaboration into strategic change,” she said. “Rachel and I, when we first started this nonprofit, that was a huge part of what I did, is understanding it. ... Human trafficking is an underground crime. It’s difficult to measure. It’s difficult to see. The victims are extremely isolated. It’s not something people are talking about, and there isn’t easy access to anyone to understand the problem.” Weismann’s background, personality and strengths have aligned to give her insights into human trafficking and a solid start on creating solutions.

A native of Grand Rapids, she grew up in a stable home with parents she describes as salt-of-theearth people who were loving and supportive of whatever she wanted to do. An adventurous type who craved change, Weismann decided to leave Grand Rapids and attend college out of state. She dropped out of her social science program partway through to see the world — eventually finishing the degree later after getting married — and she traveled for a dozen years back and forth between sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia, working in grassroots community development for an organization called All Nations. All Nations’ goal was to identify needs and create support systems underneath them using local resources. Although Weismann said she was young and didn’t always have words to describe what she was witnessing, she now looks back on her work and can identify encounters with human trafficking survivors — some who escaped and built new lives, and others who got pulled back in through coercion and manipulation. Those experiences, living in economically emerging countries and working with highly vulnerable people, were formative for Weismann. “That was how I lived my 20s, was literally trying to figure it out and trying to help people,” she said. After adopting her daughter from Zambia, she and her social worker husband moved back to the states in 2013. A friend reached out with an opportunity to work in human trafficking research at an emerging firm called Heyrick Research, just outside of Washington, D.C. “This friend of mine was like, ‘I think that you might have the ability to solve problems in ways that most people don’t have experience for.’ Because (at All Nations), we had to navigate systems, huge systems, that were nothing like the systems here, to create better outcomes, and it was very difficult and very exhausting, but that shaped who I am and how I see the world and what I wanted to do with my life,” Weismann said. She jumped at the chance and took on the role of research and intelligence analyst and law enforcement specialist at Heyrick. She

MISSY WEISMANN Organization: Solutions to End Exploitation (SEE) Position: Co-founder and executive director Age: 38 Birthplace: Grand Rapids Residence: Grand Rapids Family: Husband and two kids, ages 10 and 6 Community/Business Involvement: SEE Human Trafficking Coalition leadership team Biggest Career Break: When she first got into human trafficking work eight years ago. “A friend invited me into it, and it changed the whole trajectory of my life.”

Work with the organization All Nations in her 20s paved the way for Missy Weismann to eventually start SEE. Courtesy Cassie Kieda

said that job shifted the trajectory of her life and provided a focus for her passions. Six-and-a-half years ago, while living in Arkansas and working remotely for Heyrick, Weismann and her husband and daughter came to Michigan to visit her family, and she suddenly went into pre-term labor and delivered her son at 25 weeks. The crisis kept the family in Grand Rapids, and they never went back to Arkansas. While living in West Michigan and still working for Heyrick, she was recruited to create a study measuring the prevalence of human trafficking in Grand Rapids, which ultimately laid the foundation of SEE. “Research opens doors. When you start to shed light on something that no one else can see, all of a sudden, you’re proving it’s a problem,” Weismann said. VerWys and Weismann co-founded SEE using the collective impact theory, a model for systems change centered on bringing people from different sectors together in a structured way to solve a specific social problem. Weismann said this was needed in Grand Rapids, because although the Kent County Human Trafficking Task Force existed at the time, it didn’t have a backbone organization behind the scenes, driving its strategy and coordinating its movements. She said it can be difficult to get sectors to communicate that historically have not worked together — but SEE is proving it’s possible.

“We hold this tension in this space of working to bring people together to have fruitful conversations who may not have in the past, because we all need each other. (Human trafficking) is a crime; it is inherently a crime. You cannot take out that criminal aspect of it. And law enforcement needs service providers; they need people to help them shape how they’re doing things, how they’re interacting with victims and survivors, and how they’re operating, whether it’s on the ground or in an investigation,” she said. “What I have seen largely in this community is that people are willing to come to the table. That’s great. In my mind, that’s a win. We are having those conversations. We are bringing people together in a way that is difficult and slow and there are barriers, but we are constantly working to overcome them in creative ways.” Weismann is just days away from finishing her master’s degree in law enforcement intelligence analysis from Michigan State University while continuing to shape the future of SEE. As the Business Journal reported last year, SEE and Wedgwood’s Manasseh Project are sub-grantees on the $1.5 million Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Program grant Kent Intermediate School District received in October from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Trafficking in Persons. The

grant is allowing SEE, Wedgwood and the SEE Human Trafficking Coalition to work toward creating a safer community through prevention education in schools to stop exploitation. The three-year initiative is giving SEE and the coalition the opportunity to bring together law enforcement and social service providers to facilitate the design of culturally responsive and trauma-informed prevention protocols. Although the HTYPE grant project is still in its nascent stage — as are the strategies of the other four impact groups besides the education group — Weismann said it’s looking promising. Weismann is undeniably passionate about this work, and she said she doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. “What I thrive in is that I get to create, and I’m an idea person, and I love to innovate and see things move forward. It gets exhausting when you feel like you hit lots of roadblocks; that’s the hardest part. But small wins are imperative. “… I think one of the biggest accomplishments we’ve had is getting people from varying industries at the table, from sectors who don’t traditionally communicate, getting them to communicate to create the best outcomes. I think getting some community protocols in place is a big deal. And although I’m not sure if we’ve achieved this yet, I hope that we’re shifting the community narrative around not just awareness of the problem, but engagement with the problem.”

AUGUST 9, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Rockford takes over management of historic Lofts on Alabama Construction company is expanding third-party property management portfolio. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

Lofts on Alabama has 100 units and is located on the city’s West Side. Courtesy Rockford Property Management

Rockford Property Management has come full circle and assumed property management responsibilities for Lofts on Alabama, located

on Grand Rapids’ West Side. The addition of Lofts on Alabama brings Rockford’s management portfolio to 632 residential units. As the company is growing, it has put increasingly more focus on its property management side, said Monica Steimle-App, executive vice president of real estate development and property management at Rockford Construction. “We in the past have really performed property management on behalf of properties that we owned,

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150 Ottawa Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503

and recently we have really been aggressive and excited to expand into third-party management,” she said. Rockford Construction built the 120,926-square-foot apartment complex in 2016 by renovating a 104-year-old carriage factory at 420 Alabama Ave. NW and the Hyatt Building with ground-up construction at 421 Alabama. Builders renovated the lofts with the intention of preserving as many of the historical aspects of 420 Alabama as possible. Exposed wood and brickwork complement the high-end finishes. The complex includes 100 units, ranging from studio apartments to three-bedroom options, and amenities such as a rooftop patio, barbecue and picnic area, community room, covered parking and more. The building also is located next to Bridge Street Market and New Holland Brewing’s Knickerbocker. Rockford acquired management of McKay Tower back in early 2020, which Steimle-App said was another major third-party management opportunity for the company in addition to Lofts on Alabama.

“We in the past have really performed property management on behalf of properties that we owned, and recently we have really been aggressive and excited to expand into third-party management.” Monica Steimle-App McKay Tower was purchased in 2020 by tribe-owned Gun Lake Investments and Waséyabek Development Company LLC from Steadfast Property Holdings for $17.5 million. Lofts on Alabama has changed hands several times over the years. The property was sold in 2014 to Derek Coppess, founder of Grand Rapids-based 616 Development, by John Hyatt, owner of John S. Hyatt and Associates, an architectural and theatrical lighting supplier. Hyatt purchased the property in 1999 for $306,600. After 616 Development filed for Bankruptcy in 2018, all properties in the company’s portfolio — including Lofts on Alabama — came under the ownership and management of KMG Prestige out of Mount Pleasant. Steimle-App said the present owner is Lofts on Alabama LLC, an entity represented by several private investors. For tenants of the building, Rockford will offer its Rock Perks program, so they can enjoy discounts and perks at businesses like Bridge Street Market, One Bourbon, New Holland Brewing’s Knickerbocker and more. “It’s our way of connecting residents within the community around them … and working with our area merchants that are certainly struggling at this point,” Steimle-App said. Steimle-App added Rockford is exploring more opportunities to gain third-party management and facilities management in the future.

Building stronger communities in Grand Rapids Bank of America is helping to meet the need for more affordable housing in neighborhoods across the country. Through Community Development Banking, we’re deepening our commitment to create more communities for people to call home. In 2020, we committed $5.87 billion for affordable housing and economic development financing, resulting in over 13,000 housing units for people and families in need — many of which were constructed by diverse developers. In addition, we’re joining Enterprise Community Partners to invest $60 million in capital to support minority developers and their work to build inclusive communities. My teammates and I remain dedicated to helping more people find a place to live they can both love and afford. What would you like the power to do?®

Working together We’re also collaborating with organizations that are supporting affordable housing options here in Grand Rapids. They include: Family Promise of Grand Rapids Healthy Homes Coalition

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Real estate market reports show slow, positive gains CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

tinued lack of inventory has kept demand near an all-time high. That said, skyrocketing construction costs have some developers waiting until costs come down again before breaking ground on new projects. Kapanowski added many deals are continuing to take place off market, and many of these off-market transactions happen before signs are out and are based on relationships within the brokerage community. Quality buildings that find their way into the marketplace tend to go quickly, he said. Some notable market activity in Q2 included Mission Design & Automation’s near-completion of a new 50,000-square-foot facility at 9898 Black River Court in Holland. The industrial automation and robotics company invested over $5 million into the expansion and plans to add at least 109 high-tech jobs in West Michigan. The company is receiving financial support for job training from the Michigan Strategic Fund of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and West Michigan Works!, as well as a 12-year industrial facilities tax exemption from Holland Charter Township. Additionally, Autocam Medical, a Kentwood-based global contract manufacturer of precision surgical and medical components and devices, is investing $60 million through 2024 to build a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Kentwood. The new facility will be 100,000 square feet, locat-

ed at Broadmoor Avenue and 36th Street and will be ready for occupancy in January. After much uncertainty, Q2 of 2021 is starting to see how the effects of the pandemic and work restrictions impacted the Grand Rapids office market. More immediate was the concern over how the office market would react to the lifting of said work restrictions, which took place during this quarter.

“The good news is that leasing activity in our market is up. The demand for smaller shop space has picked up considerably over the past month. West Michigan is also seeing national retailers enter our market for the first time.” Bob Lotzar “Parking lots have seen more cars in them than in the last 15 months but are still not ‘full.’ Some businesses are back to preCOVID normal, while some are cautiously moving back to in-person work, and others are still working remotely,” said NAIWWM partner and Office Specialist Mary Anne Wisinski-Rosely. “The trend that we are seeing is that smaller, local businesses are back to the new normal, while

many larger, national/global companies are still working remotely with limited in-person work. “Some companies are committed to coming back to the office 100% while others find that remote work is possible either full time or on a hybrid model.” Vacancy rates have seen a slight increase as companies decide how to move forward. Some have given up their space entirely and others have downsized their current location or moved to a smaller space if their lease allowed. There are a few companies that have actually increased their space needs to better spread out their employees. In Q2, vacancy rates overall stood at 6%, up from 5.5% in Q1, and the total average rate per square foot was $15.58, slightly down from $15.60 in Q1. The only market segment that saw a slight decrease in vacancy rates was the Southeast Grand Rapids Class B&C market — 6.3% compared to 6% in Q1. The suburban markets seem to be doing better than the downtown market in general. In addition, lease rates have increased slightly in all areas with the exception of the NW office market that saw a slight decrease in lease rates. Vitreo-Retinal Associates, an ophthalmology practice providing eye care services in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon and Ionia, announced in June it plans to double its Kalamazoo space in 2022. Currently located in a 4,800-square-foot space at 1080 N. 10th St., the new location

will be a new single-tenant building at 1060 N. 10th St. in the West Pointe Office Park. MCPc also will be moving to 1601 Madison Ave. SE in 2022. The Cleveland-based technology logistics and data security company will be replacing the building that sat vacant for decades and broke ground on the new project in July. This move to the heart of Madison Square is expected to bring roughly 100 new jobs to the local community. Easily the hardest hit sector during the 2020 pandemic, retail is now gaining momentum in Q2, but that momentum is being hindered by a lack of employees. Retail businesses, in many cases, are offering more than minimum wage and signing bonuses to attract much-needed help. Some restaurants still are doing take-out only or have very limited hours because they don’t have the staff to accommodate consumer demand. “The good news is that leasing activity in our market is up,” said Bob Lotzar, NAIWWM senior vice president and retail specialist. “The demand for smaller shop space has picked up considerably over the past month. West Michigan is also seeing national retailers enter our market for the first time.” Overall vacancy stands at 7.4%, and the average asking rate is $10.52 per square foot. These numbers are virtually unchanged from Q1, when the overall vacancy was the same, and the average asking rate was $10.46 per square foot. Whole Foods is under construc-

tion on 28th Street SE across from Woodland Mall. Ross Dress for Less is currently looking at sites in Grand Rapids for the first time. Other retailers, such as Tropical Smoothie Café and B2 Outlet Stores, are looking to expand within the local market. Quality, Class A space in the most prominent retail corridors is difficult to find, Lotzar said. The spaces available are still commanding pre-COVID lease rates. The momentum in the West Michigan retail sector likely will continue to build through the remainder of the year but will be dependent somewhat on the ability of business owners to fill open positions. Grove, the farm-to-table fine dining restaurant by Essence Restaurant Group, will be reopening this fall. Located at 919 Cherry St. SE, Grove was closed due to COVID-19. During the closure it was converted into a temporary chicken takeout place and later a private dining space. When it reopens, Grove will have a refreshed interior and a new menu with 13 to 15 daily seasonal offerings. Grand Rapids-based boutique coffee shop Sparrows Coffee is opening a new location at Kingma’s Market in the Creston/Cheshire Village neighborhood (2225 Plainfield Ave. NE). The new shop is roughly 600 square feet and offers a spacious outdoor patio. Sparrows is open from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Sparrows also will be partnering with local vendors such as Rise Bakery, Lively Up Kombucha and Atucún Chocolate.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Gallagher shares people strategy from national survey CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

• 95% of employers use an employee assistance program (EAP) to offer support for employees’ emotional well-being. But far too many take a “set-it-and-forget-it” approach, meaning the full value of these programs is rarely seen. • Employers continue to prioritize talent. Regardless of size, 60% of employers consider attracting and retaining a competitive workforce their top operational and priority for 2021; 80% consider it their top human resources priority. • Signs of economic recovery are promoting optimistic forecasts for revenue and headcount increases. About 82% of organizations expect increased or stable revenue growth through 2021, with headcounts expected to rise for 50% of organizations. • Most employers (72%) are expecting moderate health care cost increases this year. Part of the reason for slower-than-expected cost increases is that the pandemic normalized telemedicine. It’s now one of the fastest-growing measures employers are using to keep a lid on health care costs, with 84% of employers having already implemented telemedicine. By 2023, it is expected 80% of employers will have adopted this practice. Lenny Brucato, who is the Michigan area president for Gallagher’s Benefits and HR Consulting Division, spoke to the Business Journal last month about the report.

“The role that your total value proposition in compensation and benefits played in talent attraction and retention was always a focal point. It was always something that employers felt was important, but I think it’s put even more of a spotlight on it because of the market that we’re in and the opportunities that are out there for employees to make a change or pursue other opportunities,” he said. “Employers are more than Brucato ever focusing on what is our compensation and benefits strategy, and how is that tied into our overall employee attraction and retention value proposition. … (With) wanting to be that destination employer and wanting to deliver a best-inclass benefit program, certainly cost will always be a factor in determining what can and can’t be done, but (it’s about) making sure that they’re leveraging the resources that they do have to deliver the best available program to reward, attract and retain the talent that they need to run and grow their businesses.” Employee engagement Gallagher noted in the report the transition to virtual workplaces is creating broader access to nonlocal talent pools, and fading

geographic boundaries mean new opportunities for engaging clients and increasing revenues. “But then how do you bring that employee into the fold as part of your culture?” Brucato asked. “How do you redefine what your culture is, managing a workforce that’s so spread out within an organization that may have never had to deal with that before? And then there are challenges of onboarding people in that truly virtual environment and creating the appropriate level of engagement with those employees.” Brucato said management should seriously consider how to create a unified culture and a level playing field between its in-person and remote workers, and this is no easy task. Health care A hiatus in the growth of health care costs has required fewer adjustments to benefits strategy, design and selection for 2021, Gallagher said in the report. If costs go up as expected when the utilization of provider services normalizes due to the return of in-person well visits, many employers are ready keep them in check. The past three years have been marked by increases in telemedicine adoption, as well as higher employee contributions to health plan premium costs and greater use of cost-transparency tools, claims audits, and a surcharge or exclusion for spouses with access to other coverage, the Gallagher report said. Brucato said the pandemic acceler-

ated the former trend in a way no one could have predicted. “It’s really eye-opening how much, or what a role telemedicine has now begun to play, not just in traditional care that it was used for before, but for behavioral health services. And that actually, in some of the reports that we’ve seen, (has been) the lion’s share of what employees are using telemedicine for,” Brucato said. Because of the ease of use, privacy and time-saving nature of telemed visits for behavioral health, Brucato said he believes this trend will only grow. By 2023, more than 20% of employers plan to fortify their cost-management efforts and outcomes through plan design changes and the addition of well-being incentives, cost-transparency tools and health care decision support, Gallagher said. What this means practically, Brucato said, is that employees, being incentivized by the promise of lower costs, will be more likely to pursue preventive care that will keep problems from becoming more serious and costlier down the line. The pandemic has increased burnout and decreased emotional well-being among employees, Gallagher said. With remote work now common for many businesses, managers who schedule check-ins and maintain regular contact with their team members will be more attuned to the need for additional support, and it will be in their best interest to keep everyone aware of resources like EAPs (avoiding a set-

it-and-forget-it mentality), mental health self-assessment tools, coaching and counseling programs, and other available options. Flexibility, compensation Decades before the pandemic, advances in communication technology not only laid the groundwork for the shift to remote work but also made it inevitable, Gallagher wrote in the report. Brucato said the pandemic only accelerated the trend, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Evaluating the needs of employee groups will be important in helping employers more effectively identify and develop supportive workplace policies that discourage turnover. Caregiver burdens and high attrition among female employees with school-age children are two high-priority retention risks that need to be addressed in any remote work policy, Gallagher said, noting diversity will continue to set the course for organizational success, making it critical to address the stressors underlying an exodus of women from the workforce through policies such as paid and unpaid leave, job sharing and reduced hours. Sustainably keeping a competitive workforce during an unparalleled rise in labor market mobility will require a firm foundation for pay equity and employee performance, Gallagher wrote. Policy adjustments, targeted training and individualized support resources also will be needed to help people adapt to a flexible environment.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Citizens launches Green Deposits for corporate clients

EXPERTISE. ENHANCING OUR

Ken Sommerdyke Vice President, Commercial Lending 616.929.1350 ken.sommerdyke@grandriverbank.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Robert Robbins Vice President, Commercial Lending 616.915.6389 robert.robbins@grandriverbank.com

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Citizens developed a Green Deposits Framework to identify eligible activities within the bank’s portfolio and ensure alignment with best practices and standards. The framework was created with the support of Sustainalytics, a Morningstar company and leading provider of environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and data. Pat Nuzzo, executive vice president, head of commercial liquidity management for Citizens Commercial Banking, said the bank has an internal incubator committee that brainstormed the idea for Green Deposits based on client feedback and with funding from its investment committee. “We found that one, there was a lot of education that was needed around ESG, but that also, clients were keenly interested in including ESG into their corporate structure, but for most clients, specifically the clients that are at the lower end of the middle market … they don’t really have the bandwidth or the capacity internally to really stand up their own ESG programs, and so they were looking for ways that they could show to their stakeholders their commitment either to the environmental and social programs or to governance,” he said. “We started thinking, how could we as a bank help our clients get there? And then we started to ideate around Green Deposits.”

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Nuzzo said the Green Deposits program is designed for investing “stable cash that’s either strategic or more regulatory in nature.” “(Clients) can earmark their deposits, to help them show commitment to the environment,” he said. When working with Sustainalytics to develop the project, Nuzzo said Citizens realized most of the green investment opportunities out there are around green bonds, which carry higher risk and are potentially more labor-intensive for companies to manage, or carbon credits, which can be complicated to understand. Green Deposits is a new approach, he said, with only a few other banks having developed a similar model. “We manage the portfolio holistically,” Nuzzo said. “We do report it out to clients in terms of the portfolio and the investments. Our target is to not take more deposits than we have loans or investments that qualify for the program. We don’t want this to look or feel like a mutual fund, where there are requirements

around having to invest a certain amount of proceeds into certain investments. “For the client, one of the real benefits of this program is that it’s a passive investment. They’re in a portfolio, they generally have disclosure of what types of investments are in the program, but they don’t have specific information as to the individual client names … because they are not actually tied to any gains or losses associated with those individual names.” Nuzzo said Citizens cusNuzzo tomers have expressed concerns that if they don’t have an ESG program, it could limit their access to capital in the future, as more firms, municipalities and states are starting to require companies’ ESG compliance — as well as compliance by their suppliers — before they will consider investing in them. Another risk management piece Green Deposits can help with, Nuzzo said, is the company’s image to buyers and prospective employees who value ESG in a corporation. “It’s buying decisions, it’s decisions that workers will make about who they’re willing to work for that also are impacted by a company’s ESG profile,” he said. Nuzzo said Citizens has generated a lot of buzz since announcing this program in late July. “There’s been an awful lot of interest, an awful lot of questions,” he said. “There’s education that has to happen in markets still. Folks are concerned about it; they just don’t know how to go about establishing a program, and so a large part of what we’re trying to do is help customers become educated and make good choices around whatever programs that they may put in place.” Citizens said it is committed to reducing its own operational impact on the environment, as well, understanding and managing the risks and opportunities presented by climate change and resulting regulatory and market changes, and helping its customers plan for and manage climate change impact. To support the renewable energy industry, Citizens provides equity investments through Citizens Asset Finance and has participated in the funding of eight U.S. wind farm projects since mid-2015, with investments totaling about $403 million at the end of 2020. Citizens also has adopted targets to reduce its scope one and two greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2035, based on its 2016 baseline, to support international goals to limit global temperature rise. These targets align with the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit average global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. More information about Citizens Green Deposits is at citi zensbank.com/greendeposits.

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The Novel Economy:

Thriving in a Digital Environment BRIAN SOLIS

This eight-time bestselling author and international keynote speaker is a world-renowned digital anthropologist and futurist who serves as the Global Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce. Forbes described him as “one of the more creative and brilliant business minds of our time.” ZDNet labeled him “one of the 21st century business world’s leading thinkers” and he was recently named a “Top Futurist Speaker” by Read/Write.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Business leaders report confidence in economy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

ered were “consistent with what we’ve been hearing throughout 2021.” “The main issues seem to be those pinch points around talent, both on the recruitment and retention side, and around supply chain. Certainly, some organizations have it figured out, and they don’t have those issues. But, generally speaking, it was that retention and recruitment side of talent (that was the top issue).” In some instances, businesses said that although they plan to expand, they expect to be hampered by the lack of available talent. Icard said therefore The Right Place encouraged companies to look at investments in automa-

tion and Industry 4.0 and put many of them in touch with the Michigan M a n u f a c t u ring Technology Center, which offers free assessments that, among other Thelen things, help businesses gauge how they could better utilize and train existing lower-level employees to do advanced work.

Some of the rural company leaders interviewed listed access to broadband and the need to diversify their product portfolios as top needs, Icard said. Randy Thelen, president and CEO of The Right Place, said he was excited to see how the organization rose to the challenge to meet with more CEOs than ever before in one month. “Our team has been eager to head out and re-engage face-toface with our customers, which drove us to set the aggressive goal of meeting with over 100

area businesses in June,” he said. “Through these meetings with regional business leaders, we’ve found an optimistic business community that is expecting strong growth in the second half of 2021.” Of the businesses surveyed: • 71% employ under 100 • 19% employ between 100-500 • 10% employ over 1,000 The revenue ranges of businesses surveyed included: • 31% of companies reported sales between $1 million and $9 million

• 36% between $10 million and $99 million • 10% over $100 million • 4% over $1 billion The businesses surveyed represent a global workforce of 754,433 people. Icard said some of the businesses included in the survey are headquartered elsewhere with a West Michigan presence, and 91% of them said the region is competitive — rating it as “good” or “very good.” “I think it speaks well for us as we try to market the region,” he said.

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Lab-grown meats are possible Advocates say replacing farm-raised meats would benefit the environment. Jonus Cottrell

Capital News Service

LANSING — The food industry may be getting closer to the introduction of lab-grown, or cultured, meats. Cultured meat is created in a lab by feeding nutrients to animal cells taken from poultry or livestock. Advocates see it as one possible solution to the environmental impacts of raising animals for meat. “I suspect that if the success of other plant-based meat alternatives such as the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat are any indication, cultured meat would likely be readily adopted here as well,” said Sheril Kirshenbaum, a science communicator and host of Our Table.

“Meat isn’t going anywhere, so I don’t see cultured meat as a threat to the agricultural industry.” Sheril Kirshenbaum. Her Michigan State University program brings together stakeholders in the East Lansing area to talk about where food comes from and how it impacts health and the environment. Americans eat a lot of meat — 214 pounds per person per year, Kirshenbaum said — and a 2019 MSU Food Literature and Engagement poll showed that many Americans aren’t yet comfortable with the idea of eating meat from a lab. Of those who said they would try cell-cultured meats, only 25% CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

The Right Place

MANUFACTURERS COME TOGETHER TO TACKLE TALENT TROUBLES

THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY both in West Michigan and beyond continues to face challenges when it comes to talent acquisition, retention, and career development. This hasn’t just begun in the last year and a half—it’s been a pervasive issue for decades. With an increasing skills gap and a greater portion of the existing labor pool reaching retirement age, companies struggle to fill open positions and keep them filled. Competition is high and qualified workers are highly coveted. Despite these obstacles, leaders in a number of industries, from automotive and industrial to furniture production and personal care product development, are not only optimistic about the future, but confident in and committed to keeping their businesses—and the West Michigan market—thriving. While there are obvious motivations to sustain their own businesses, there is also a passion for the community and its success that drives leaders to find creative solutions to collective concerns. Whether it’s benchmarking to measure improvements, brainstorming innovative hiring and professional development strategies, idea and best practice sharing, advocacy for change, or partnering with local educational institutions, some of the largest manufacturers in the region are collaborating for the greater good of all. This strategy is what drives The Right Place, Inc. Manufacturers Council, founded in 1989 with the goal of bolstering the efficacy of the region’s manufacturing industry and establishing it as an international center for manufacturing productivity. A member-driven organization, The Council is a confidential group of peers from a variety of manufacturing verticals—as well as some competitors—who come together for regular roundtable sessions, plant tours, and one-onone meetings to help one another navigate the ever-changing landscape. With the talent market as competitive as it is, you’d think that recruiting and retention practices would be tightly held secrets, but it’s just the opposite: members of The Council are eager and grateful to have a sounding board. Whether it’s providing details to a more equitable profit-sharing model for staff or demonstrating how a workshop helped improve safety and efficiency on the floor, these opportunities to exchange have proved to be immeasurably beneficial. “There’s a common bond between those who participate in The Council,” says Peter

Hungerford, member and Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Oﬃcer at ADAC Automotive. “We have a fundamental desire to see our community prosper and grow, and that also means helping the people within the community, whether it’s providing jobs or investing in training or creating career opportunities. Every council member— and their companies—is committed to the community, and being willing to share, network, and learn from each other is a testament to this.” Members of The Council are also working together to shed a more favorable light on manufacturing and attract high-school and college-aged students to this promising career path. “We’re collaborating and leveraging tools, such as LinkedIn, to show manufacturing presence in West Michigan and to demonstrate just how cool it is,” says Ann Mason, member and VP of Supply Chain and Operations at Perrigo Oral Care, a Perrigo Company. “And yes, there’s competition for talent, but there’s also a strong desire to keep these professionals

in West Michigan—no matter which of our member’s companies they choose to work for.” The Manufacturers Council also cultivates relationships with entities such as West Michigan Works! and the Discover Manufacturing program, while also leveraging the consulting services of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center West (the Center West)—all with the aim of adding value to members. To learn more about joining The Council, contact Rene Booker at 616-301-6247 or bookerr@rightplace.org.

Phone: 616-301-6247 Email: bookerr@rightplace.org Address: 125 Ottawa Avenue, Suite 450 Grand Rapids, MI, 49503 www.rightplace.org

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

COMMENT & OPINION

GUEST COLUMN Molly McCoy

3 tips for promoting employee happiness

romoting happiness and overall well-being in your workplace can lead to employees who are more committed, driven and even more effective leaders. Our teams spend most of their day at work, and the difference between a bad day and a great day often can be as simple as being happy. Happy employees are more likeable, creative and cope better with work strain. They also have a deeper sense of purpose and find true meaning in their work. It seems so simple — yet happiness is tied to nearly every positive outcome we could hope for in our organizations. So, how do you create a happier workplace? Here are three tips for promoting happiness and workplace well-being in your organization. Overcome negativity It’s quite natural for humans to identify the negative, but negativity makes it harder to find solutions and to problem solve. Move away from negativity quickly by encouraging and empowering your team to brainstorm solutions or ideas when they present a less than ideal observation. One easy way to do this in the moment is by responding to a complaint with the question: “So, what solutions can we come up with to make this better?” It automatically turns negativity into a challenge to collaborate on ways to fix a problem. Using that creative side of your brain can stimulate new insights and analytical thinking. In the end, the organization wins, and a prob-

lem has been solved thanks to a creative and empowered team. Use strengths It sounds simple, right? Research has shown that people who use their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged at work and are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life. Encouraging your employees to pursue their purpose and shine in areas that bring them joy leads to a more satisfied and productive team. You may want to take advantage of one of the many strengths-finder assessments online, host a workshop or simply sit down and have a one-on-one conversation. Follow-up by creating mentoring or enrichment opportunities based on your findings. Then sit back, relax and watch your team shine. Make time for fun Resurrect casual Fridays or a new “dress for your day” policy. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and promotions. Create a “Fun Committee” and task them with creating culture-enriching engagement experiences this summer, and throughout the year. The ideas can be as small or as large as budget allows. Whether you have a cookout during lunch or schedule one-onone conversations, make your employees’ happiness a priority — and you can watch the wins from this effort through their ongoing performance. As an employer, it’s important to have a vested interest in the

mental health and happiness of your workforce and ensure employees have access to the opportunities they need to be happier, more productive employees. Talk to your health insurance company about the many well-being options available to you and consider uti-

lizing Headspace, an employee mental health solution that can be tailored to fit your organization. Molly McCoy is the director of sales and client services at Priority Health. She also holds a certification in mental health first aid.

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GUEST COLUMN Brian L. Mortimore

Let’s put an end to generational discrimination

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et’s stop generational discrimination. It’s time. In fact, it is as overdue as that book you checked out from your high-school library and never returned before graduation. It is time to stop generational discrimination and recognize the damage that it does. I’m sure you’ve seen it happen where an individual is part of a team or a work group, and their age is different than that of the majority, and in some manner or another, they’re called out for it. Perhaps the comment is complementary (e.g., “It’s good to have a young person with new energy and fresh ideas in the room with us.”), but often it is not. I suspect many make such comments out of an unconscious fear of the unknown. Social psychology identifies the “similarity effect” as those who are similar tend to like one another. This helps explain how people choose their friends, spouses and groups they tend to follow in social media. When personality, interests and past experiences in life are shared, people take comfort in knowing the person they are interacting with is of a similar background. Naturally, generational and age differences can get in the way of the similarity effect. It’s not hard to relate to this concept. Just think about how

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someone’s face lights up when they discover they have a mutual acquaintance or are from the same hometown. If they enjoy the same hobbies, political ideology, or attended the same school, they tend to naturally like one another. To illustrate this, I know I remember exactly where I was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded, but I can’t relate to the feeling of pride others had when they watched astronauts walk on the moon. Big events tend to bring people together because we all share them in our common experience. If we were alive in 2001, we probably remember seeing the twin towers fall, the day the hostages were released in Iran (1981), the ticker-tape parade in New York following the end of World War II (1945), and hearing Al Michaels say, “Do you believe in miracles?!” when the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team forever became known as “the miracle on ice” (1980). But what if we’ve only heard of these events, or worse, had no idea about them at all? These are some notable dates and history, and odds are most readers are familiar with them, but others, perhaps less significant, are probably generational specific. Do you remember when McDonald’s used Styrofoam packaging? Pop culture is loaded with refer-

ences that in many cases transcend generations and in other cases, simply don’t. Recently I explained to my children that older cars in the 1970s had ashtrays and cigarette lighters; which was hard for them to imagine in an era where tobacco use is strongly discouraged. Once at work I used the phrase, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” and the entire room of people, made up of multiple generations, understood I was conveying that a problem was bigger than we could handle on our own (e.g., like Roy Schneider did as Chief Brady in the 1975 film “Jaws”). Why? Because the movie has spanned generations. Conversely, another time I walked into the office and said, “It’s time to make the donuts,” and two of our younger team members looked at me, puzzled. Only those who happened to be dialed into TV commercials in the early 1980s will know I’m suggesting I need to get to work, just like the day before, and the day before that... (e.g., like the Dunkin’ Donuts baker in the famed commercials).

These references are fun (much of the time) as they help us to relate to one another and convey concepts or feelings, but they can create a divide as well. I’m not suggesting there’s no place in business for pop-culture references; rather, that we need to be more sensitive to our audience and be prepared to explain them in a manner that doesn’t call someone out or make them appear to be uninformed or naïve. There are currently five defined generations working side by side across a myriad of industries. Most articles written on the subject tend to offer insights as to the nuance and differences between each of the five groups, attempting to help the reader to navigate this seemingly complex pattern of behavior based on who they’re dealing with. There’s no problem with that. Rather, the problem rests in the stereotypes and prejudice that have become so pervasive among groups based on age. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL GUEST COLUMN Tom Blanck

5 tips to effectively market your business and grow operations

est Michigan is a fantastic region. In fact, Grand Rapids is one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest. The city and surrounding communities are economically diverse and there is lots of great talent here. But Grand Rapids will never be Detroit. It won’t be the next Austin, nor the next New York, or Chicago. Thankfully! Grand Rapids is its own thing, with its friendly, down-to-earth people and entrepreneurial spirit that are the foundation for this thriving community. To avoid stalling out as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the West Michigan business community needs to step up its marketing game, which is the recipe behind other booming cities. I work with dozens of West Michigan businesses, and here are some key aspects I recommend business owners should keep in mind: 1. Step back to move forward: Integrated marketing is the sustained, comprehensive analysis of a brand. It means delivering consistent messages about the brand through a comprehensive study of the brand. Before addressing a symptom (such as an outdated brochure or clunky website), consider implementing a brand audit. This will allow you to make the most of your marketing resources and investments. 2. Invest in a cohesive marketing strategy both online and offline: Many companies still rely on word-of-mouth and established relationships. It’s worked for decades, but what happens when leadership changes or when a client doesn’t have time to go through their rolodex or supplier contact list? They google the service. And if your business is not ranked at the top, you might not be the client’s first call. For example: Chances are your business has been serving West Michigan customers at an unrivaled value for decades. However, some customers may simply not be aware of your suite of services. Why is your company not able to get the message across to local businesses? Does your website effectively communicate all services? Once it does, you will see the benefit through increased sales. 3. Avoid a Band-aid fix: The “easy” solution is to hire one of the hundreds of digital marketing firms offering quick (and expensive) fixes in hopes of getting customers through the door. But unless a company takes a holistic view of its brand, strengths and value proposition, the company would be wasting money on a short-term fix. The script is always the same: The digital marketing firm overwhelms business leaders with jargon and gimmicks, and since the goal is to sell,

not to serve, the firm inevitably becomes a source of disappointment. Try going beyond the easy data-driven digital solutions to target customers. Good leaders understand that they need assistance to manage their digital marketing efforts while also creating clearer communication strategies that allow their customers to better understand their product and service offerings. Through an integrated marketing analysis with a marketing partner that’s focused on a long-term strategy, a company’s investment can lead to massive results beyond their short-term goals. 4. Stand up to the big box stores: Local businesses face this challenge throughout the country: How to stand up against larger corporate competition. Start with an extensive brand audit to understand what advantages you offer that a big box doesn’t. Leverage that to define a brand strategy and revisit your marketing efforts to support the organization’s growth. This may include a combination of new brand strategies and marketing material creation. In addition to product offerings or services that only you can provide, if you have multiple locations with unique local audiences, be sure to personalize your strategy and tailor it directly to them. 4. Launch a customized landing page: At some point, all businesses need to rebrand and relaunch their websites. It’s part of ensuring your brand stays fresh and up to date. Large corporations go through this process regularly. That being said, redesigning a website is a bill that most small and medium-sized businesses cannot afford to pay. A proven way out of this conundrum is developing a customized landing page, a standalone web page designed to increase the success of your online presence while avoiding a complete overhaul of your website. Unlike a website, which encourages exploration, a landing page is optimized to drive visitors to complete specific goal conversions (book a session, purchase a ticket, or rent equipment). This tactic will save you money, deliver results, and allow you to tackle the bigger project down the road. Grand Rapids no doubt will continue to grow. It’s in its DNA. But to fight strong competition and stand out as a region, businesses need to address some important marketing issues hindering them. Before you hire a digital marketing firm, consider an integrated, holistic approach, which will look into your company’s whole brand ecosystem and offer recommendations based on your specific needs, as opposed to cookie-cutter products and hands-off service. Tom Blanck is founder and creative director at TMBPartners.

Lenders are creeping out from beneath pandemic CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

those card purchases were low, which indicated that people were sitting on their money. There was nothing to really buy because everything was closed, and people were hunkering down and not really doing a whole lot. Now people are out doing things again. They are going on vacations, they are buying more gas (and) gas costs more too. All those types of things (are) showing people are out there spend-

ing their money again when they weren’t, especially this time last year.” Henion said he believes the increase in loan demand will depend on what the interest and inflation rates are. “If the feds can keep inflation rates in check and interest rates at a low level, I think this fall and into next year we’ll see expansion. But if inflation ticks up and the fed has to raise interest rates, I can foresee caution on that, on the business community expanding and borrowing funds.”

AUGUST 9, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Let’s put an end to generational discrimination CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

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When we go to great lengths to try to define a person by their age, using stereotypical observations, we reinforce those stereotypes and create a non-inclusive environment for those individuals. In my years working in human resources, there are some universal desires that I’ve observed in people across all generations. Most fundamental to all of these desires is to be respected in the workplace. If we take the time and effort to avoid labeling the generations and/or refrain from addressing team members differently based upon their age, we will promote a more positive workplace culture that leverages the best in everyone. Recently I asked members of our management team if they have witnessed or had ever experienced feelings of being excluded based on age and generational differences and several indicated they had and offered to share their insights. Morgan Hanks, KDL’s manager of user experience, shared, “As the youngest person on the management team, I have often faced the eyerolls or shared laughter at my expense. When making a suggestion for the good of our organization, I have been met with comments such as, ‘Hah! We tried that back in 1999, probably before you were even born!’ or ‘I have been doing this job longer than you have been alive.’ From my experience, these types of comments are meant to be good-natured and to poke a bit of fun at the newbie, but at what expense? In these moments I am left feeling like I am outside of a good joke looking in, or as if I am not respected due to my age. I value institutional knowledge and respect those who have paved the way before me. To create a more inclusive environment, these comments could be reframed by saying, ‘I’d be curious to explore that again. We did try it back in 1999, but so much has changed since then!’ Cross-generational work is impera-

tive to moving our services forward. We can contentiously learn from the past while looking forward for solutions. I would never want to risk stunting someone’s creative idea because they felt they did not have the years of service to speak up.” Regional Manager Eric DeHaan adds; “I’ll admit, the first time I became aware of the “OK, boomer” meme, I think I chuckled. While most of us have encountered people of a certain generation that aren’t comfortable with newer technology, it’s an absurd notion to assume this always holds true. It’s a caricature. Often, caricatures are intended to make us laugh, but the reality is they can also enforce unhealthy or untrue stereotypes and, unfortunately, after enough exposure, these caricatures can become perception. While I don’t believe there was any true malice in its original intent, the reinforcement of the inept ‘boomer’ stereotype has no doubt led to false assumptions and most likely, poor decisions. These same errors in judgment can be applied to other generations as well.” While some employers have long promoted a culture where workers across multiple generations are valued and not put down or mocked, others are increasingly taking notice that inclusiveness includes showing respect to all persons, regardless of age. By eliminating the labels, stereotypes, caricatures, or assumptions that go with them, we can all work together to lift our teams up, ensuring they truly belong, all while leveraging the value that each person brings to work every day, be it their first year on the job, their 10th, or their 40th. Brian Mortimore, SPHR-SCP, is the director of human resources and organizational development at Kent District Library. He has taught classes, consulted, and has been published on a variety of topics related to human resources and business management.

Lab-grown meats are possible CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Construction Management • Design/Build • General Contracting

were over age 40. Few Americans have had the opportunity to try cultured meat since it’s not approved for public consumption in the United States. Singapore was the first government to allow cultured meat to be sold to the public in December 2020. The meat was a product of Eat Just Inc. No other country has yet approved cultured meat for public sale. Kirshenbaum said she had the opportunity to eat cell-cultured seafood while working on Capitol Hill and is willing to try cultured meat in the future. “Meat isn’t going anywhere, so I don’t see cultured meat as a threat to the agricultural industry,” she said. “I suspect that it will appeal to consumers interested in conserving water and energy and providing fewer greenhouse gas emissions, as well as those concerned about animal welfare or antibiotics and hormones,” she said.

One supportive consumer is Ireland Ingram, a master’s student studying health and risk communication at MSU. “For me, being vegetarian is truly about the ethical and moral implications the meat industry poses on animal welfare,” Ingram said. “From that standpoint, I would support cultured meat being served since it would translate to less animals being killed for the purpose of consumption,” she said. “I also believe that this would be a much more sustainable approach to providing meat since it takes almost 1,800 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef,” she said. Ingram said that although she supports cell-cultured meat as an alternative to farmed livestock, she doesn’t think she would eat it. “I know it is unrealistic to ask everyone to be vegetarian to save the planet, but cultured meat could be a new sustainable approach that also improves animal welfare,” Ingram said.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

ACCOUNTING

Hungerford Nichols CPAs + Advisors hired Kristen Spence as fraud and litigation team manager. Sarah Vlasblom, a certified public accountant at Beene Garter LLP, was chosen as a 2021 award recipient of the Construction Financial Management Association’s first-ever 40 Under 40 program.

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Grand Haven-based HAVEN added Jason Vanderground as president. Vanderground will provide overall strategic, client and staff leadership, working alongside Bill McKendry, founder and chief creative officer. Extra Credit Projects recently took home nine awards, the most of any agency at the 2021 AAF West Michigan American Advertising Awards.

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING Bergmann announced the promotion of Devin Render to project engineer 2-Highway – Midwest Infrastructure Practice, Grand Rapids.

Modjeski and Masters recently hired Laura Rampersad as regional director for its new Grand Rapids office, the firm’s third in the past five years and its 13th location nationwide. Prein&Newhof engineer Julie Feria recently became a certified Geographic Information Systems Professional. The state of Michigan recently licensed Prein&Newhof engineer Jim Herman PE as a Professional Engineer

ARTS

The Grand Rapids Public Museum announced a new addition to its West Michigan Habitats exhibit, an Eastern elk skeleton, that is now on display. The Eastern elk are an extinct elk species native to Michigan and east of the Mississippi River. The skeleton on display is made up of bones found and preserved from two separate animals.

Whatley named CMO of Family Health Center Dr. Carolyn Whatley was recently named chief medical officer at Family Health Center in Kalamazoo. FHC provides quality health care to some 30,000 historically underserved patients. Whatley comes to the nonprofit after nine years as Great Lakes regional medical director at Sound Physicians in Chicago. Previously, she served as hospitalist medical director for Sparrow Health System in Lansing, and as a clinical assistant professor at Michigan State University. During her career, Whatley has overseen multiple hospital sites and service lines, and championed safe, quality patient care. Lisa Moore joined HR Solutions Group of West Michigan as an HR consultant. Welsh & Associates announced the additions of Alisha Kuch as executive search consultant; the promotion of Anne Charette to senior executive search consultant; and Spencer Welsh’s completion of accreditation as a certified personnel consultant.

CONSTRUCTION

James Balk joined Ada-based Erhardt Construction as residential project manager.

EDUCATION

Calvin University appointed Jim Ludema as dean of its School of Business, and Noah Toly as provost. Hope College in Holland has been named for the 16th consecutive year one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the National Association for Business Resources.

Amy Pierce-Danders opened a Career+Life Coaching practice, E³ Coaching Studio, from a soft opening phase to fully “open for business.”

The Godfrey-Lee Public Schools board of education appointed Dirk Weeldreyer as its interim superintendent, following the departure of the superintendent, Kevin Polston, to become superintendent at Kentwood Public Schools.

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 Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Networking Event. 2021 Future 15 recipients will be honored. 4:30-6:30 p.m., The Deck, 1601 Beach St., Muskegon. Information/registration: bit.ly/3vxtN5O.

AUG 10 Chipping for Charity Golf Outing. The 33rd annual event, sponsored by EHTC, benefits Boys and Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth. Scott Lake Country Club, 911 Hayes NE, Comstock Park. Foursomes, $550; twosomes, $300; individuals, $150. Information/registration: ehtc.com/events/chipping-for-charityinformation-page.

AUG 13-15 Grand Rapids Comic-Con Summer Bash. Aug. 13, noon-7 p.m., Aug. 14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Aug. 15, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., DeltaPlex Arena. Cost: $5-$50. Information/registration: grcomiccon.com.

BUSINESS SERVICES

AUG 11 Applied Imaging 3rd Annual Casino Royale Charity Fundraiser. Beneficiary is Children’s Healing Center. Dress in your James Bond best. 6:30-10 p.m., Applied Imaging, 5555 Glenwood Hills Parkway SE. Registration/information: casinoroyale2021.eventbrite.com. AUG 12 Builders Exchange of Michigan Summer Safety and Networking Series. Topic: silica awareness and reviews fundamental information about silica and respirable crystalline silica dust encountered during construction activities. 3-5 p.m. Cost: $10. Event is virtual. Information/registration at grbx.com. 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.

AUG 14 Kohler Expo Pop-Up Shop. Shop for unique products and services at this one-day Pop-Up Shop. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tanger Outlets, Byron Center. Registration/ information: kohlerexpo.com. AUG 15 Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness Zoom Class. Topic: Self-Compassion for Beginners. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Cost: $55. Workshop is virtual. Information/registration at grcfm.com. AUG 18 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Operating System Talks. 7:45-9:30 p.m., Grand Rapids Chamber. Cost: $25/members, $35/nonmembers. Registration/information: grandrapids.org/ event/eos-talks-2021-08-18. AUG 18 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce OutPro: LGBTQ + Certified Businesses Zoom Webinar. Learn the benefits of this certification. 9-10:30 a.m. Cost: free/ members, $25/nonmembers. Registration/ information: grandrapids.org/event/out pro-2-2021-08-18.

Tim Detwiler has been appointed to serve as academic dean at Kuyper College.

ENERGY

Forbes named Jackson-based Consumers Energy as the top utility company in the country and second overall in Michigan in its latest ranking of America’s Best Employers for Diversity, recognizing Consumers Energy’s effort to be a leading company for diversity, equity and inclusion. Consumers Energy was ranked No. 22 in the nation overall in the ranking, based on a survey of 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees.

CHANGE-UPS & CALENDAR

Raymond James as a financial adviser. Financial adviser Tammy Hancock has been awarded the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation.

FOUNDATIONS

Spectrum Health announced Kelly Dyer as president of the Spectrum Health and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundations.

GOVERNMENT

The city of Grand Rapids recently earned its 23rd Tree City USA Award for its commitment to effective urban forest management, and also earned a Tree City USA Growth Award for displaying higher levels of tree care and community engagement during the calendar year.

GRANTS

The Frauenthal Theater in Muskegon is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation to go toward the theater’s fundamental structural, renovation and preservation needs.

HEALTH

Spectrum Health senior vice president and chief diversity officer Ovell Barbee has been named a Top 100 Diversity Officer by DiversityFirst. Barbee, a Grand Rapids native, became Spectrum Health’s first chief diversity officer in 2019.

LEGAL

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Financial adviser Scott McPheeters joined St. Louis-based financial services firm Benjamin F. Edwards’ Grand Rapids office as vice president-investments. McPheeters brings with him over 15 years of financial services industry experience.

Bodman PLC hired experienced patent and intellectual property attorney Peter A. Cummings in the firm’s Grand Rapids office. With the addition of Cummings, Bodman has also established a patent practice group which will serve innovative individuals and businesses in a broad range of industries. Attorney Carrie E. Trimpe also joined the firm as an associate. Trimpe focuses her practice on estate planning, including wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, probate and trust administration, probate and trust litigation, and general civil litigation.

Greenleaf Trust in Kalamazoo was recognized by Fortune as one of its industry’s best small and medium workplaces in the nation as part of the 2021 Great Place to Work rankings.

Dykema announced Elisa Lintemuth, a member in the firm’s labor and employment practice group, has been appointed to serve as managing member of the firm’s Grand Rapids office.

Victoria N. Taylor recently re-joined the Oberlin Group Wealth Advisors of

Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge announced attorney Brooke A.

AUG 18 Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness Zoom Class. Topic: Tools for Self Kindness. 9-11 a.m. Registration/information: 616-361-3660, info@grcfm.com, grcfm.com.

Excellence, 200 Ottawa Ave. NW. Cost: free/members, $25/nonmembers. Registration/information: grandrapids. org/event/chamber-after-hours2021-08-05.

AUG 18 Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce 53rd Annual Golf Outing. 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Macatawa Golf Club, 4600 Macatawa Legends Blvd., Holland. Cost: $150/member single, $200/nonmember single, $600/member team of four. Information/registration: (616) 928-9101 or Colleen@westcoastchamber.org. AUG 18 West Michigan Environmental Action Council presents Blue Tie Alfresco. Music, dinner, program and auction. Cost: $80 for members, $95 for nonmembers. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Wildwood Family Farms, 7970 Snow Ave. SE, Alto. Registration/information: wmeac.org/ bluetie or call (616) 451-3051 x 124. AUG 18 Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness Zoom Class. Topic: MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction. 6:30-9 p.m. Registration/information: (616) 361-3660, info@grcfm.com, grcfm.com. AUG 19 Family Business Alliance Beer & Cider Social. 5-7 p.m. Members only. Cost: $40 per person or $75 for a pair. Vander Mill, 505 Ball Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. Registration/information: fbagr.org. AUG19 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Mix and Mingle. 4:30-6 p.m., Davenport University Institute for Professional

AUG 19 SCORE Webinar. Topic: A Simple Process to Manage Your Time and Identify Which Items to Delegate. 1-2 p.m. Registration/information: bit.ly/2TGs9C6. AUG 25 The Music Center Big Bash Party and Fundraiser. Music, food and performance by JCI Jazz Orchestra. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Registration/information: (269) 9631911, ext. 2586 or yourmusiccenter.org. AUG 27 Grand Rapids Public Schools Crosstown Throwdown & CityWide Alumni Reunion. Celebrating 150th anniversary. 4-6 p.m. Registration/information: grpsf.org/ news-events/150th-anniversary.html. AUG 30 Builders Exchange of Michigan 65th Annual Golf Outing. 8:30 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. shotgun start, Saskatoon Golf Club, 9038 92nd St. SE, Alto. RSVP by Aug. 20 to P.O. Box 2031 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2031, fax: (616) 9496831, or Katie1@grbx.com. AUG 31 Dorothy A. Johnson Center For Philanthropy Webinar. Topic is Beyond Burnout: Redefining SelfCare in the Nonprofit Sector. 1-2:30 p.m. Cost: $60, free/GVSU students, staff, faculty. RSVP by Aug. 31 to bit. ly/3i8RZrW.

Johnston joined the firm’s Grand Rapids office. Johnston’s practice focuses on medical malpractice defense litigation. She represents hospitals, nurses and other health care providers throughout the state. Three partners at Warner Norcross + Judd have been elected to the firm’s management committee. Loren Andrulis, Homayune A. Ghaussi and Madelaine C. Lane will serve a threeyear term on the 10-member committee, which oversees the firm’s strategic vision and day-to-day operations.

NONPROFITS

The West Michigan Environmental Action Council added board members Ara Seo, Keli Christopher and Tom Christy.

REAL ESTATE

Justin Olk, local land specialist for Whitetail Properties, was named a member of the APEX 2020 Producers Club by the Realtors Land Institute, which requires a minimum of $4 million in land sales last year. Olk serves west central Michigan, including the Grand Rapids area, for Whitetail Properties.

RETAIL

Byron Center-based SpartanNash announced the promotion of Todd Riksen to vice president, corporate controller. The company also announced David Petko has joined as senior vice president and chief supply chain officer. Adrienne Chance has been appointed as vice president, communications. She previously served as senior director of corporate communications for Dallas-based Borden Dairy Company.

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.

AUG 31 Family Business Alliance workshop. Topic is Transition to Transformation: Exploring Capital Structures. 3-5:30 p.m. Free. Members only. Cascade Hills Country Club, 3725 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids. Information/registration: fbagr.org. AUG 31 West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards honoring local business leaders. JW Marriott Grand Rapids. Tickets: $95 and available at https://westmichigan woman.com/tickets-brilliance-awards SEP 9 Family Business Alliance event. Topic is The Leader in All of Us, featuring Medal of Honor recipient and author Clint Romesha. 3:30-6 p.m. Open to public. Cost: $100. Downtown Market, 435 Ionia Ave. SW, Grand Rapids. Information/registration: fbagr.org.

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 AQUINAS COLLEGE, UMB Bank, East Grand Rapids, $26,800,000 BLOCK, Matthew W. et al, VanDyk Mortgage Corp., Caledonia, $384,750 PIERCE, Angela M., Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., Vergennes Twp., $489,250 VANDEANDE, Luke T. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Plainfield Twp., $656,000 SMITH, Benjamin et al, Pennymac Loan Services, East Grand Rapids, $367,000 SAMDAL, Richard A. et al, PNC Bank, Gaines Twp., $499,000 MESTER, Craig et al, Consumers Credit Union, Parcel: 411425451029, $350,500 DAKAN, Timothy L. et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Byron Twp., $428,000 ALPINE RIDGE RETAIL LLC, First National Bank, Alpine Twp., $2,240,000 JACKSON, William II et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $460,000 FASE, Steven J. II et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $456,826 SILKENSEN, Robert H. et al, Finance of America Mortgage, Parcel: 411412381010, $548,250 1503 MICHIGAN PROPERTY LLC, United Bank, Parcel: 411420476032, $1,237,500 HANKINS, Madelyn E., Neighborhood Loans, Ada Twp., $404,000 AGM PROPERTIES LLC, Union Bank, Walker, $460,000 OLSON, Mark et al, Grand River Bank, Ada Twp., $548,000 KOK, Sarah et al, Better Mortgage Corp., Ada Twp., $400,000 BYMA, Andrew J., Mercantile Bank, Cascade Twp., $674,500 KOHN, Christopher et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Caledonia, $407,700 CURRIE, William G., Macatawa Bank, Cascade Twp., $1,189,000 HOWARD, Robert V., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $375,000 MARGIEWICZ, Stefan et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $1,360,000 CREEKSIDE STORAGE LLC, Macatawa Bank, Gaines Twp., $4,185,000 DOSENBERRY, Terry A. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411426378003, $386,000 SHAH, Asif R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $530,871 BAKER, Bradley J., Mercantile Bank, Caledonia, $729,000 TURCHETTI, Riley L. et al, Grand River Bank, Ada Twp., $746,00 YOUNG, Alan M. et al, Loandepot.com, Ada Twp., $390,000 HALL, Jason D., Independent Bank, Plainfield Twp., $360,000 MCCALL, Justin et al, Freedom Mortgage Corp., Algoma Twp., $371,299 FIDDLER, Dustin et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411412381006, $572,000 MOSKWA, Thomas M., Amerisave Mortgage Corp., Rockford, $420,700 HENDGES, Justin et al, Independent Bank, Alpine Twp., $1,073,750 LAHAYE, Arielle J. et al, Stockton Mortgage Corp., Byron Twp., $394,250 FERNANDEZ, Emilio, Huntington National Bank, Byron Twp., $426,150 MEALS ON WHEELS WESTERN MICHIGAN INC., Grand River Bank, Parcel: 411717115003, $950,000 TAYEBI, Masiar et al, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $1,020,000 SMITH, Chad et al, Neighborhood Loans, Vergennes Twp., $470,250 ROGG, Schuyler, Michigan First Credit Union, Byron Twp., $399,000 POWELL, Andrew, Quicken Loans, East Grand Rapids, $375,000 SCHLAFF, Macila et al, PNC Bank, Cascade Twp., $700,000 RANGER, William R. et al, Fifth Third Bank, East Grand Rapids, $370,000 O’TOOLE, Ryan C. et al, Northpointe Bank, Cascade Twp., $400,000 HENGESBACH, Adam M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $395,910 VELDKAMP, Simon B., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Wyoming, $361,950 DOUBLE BARREL PARTNERS RE LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411429312004, $593,000 RABIDEAU, Christopher J. et al, Fifth Third Bank, East Grand Rapids, $429,500 BORN TRUST, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411427381006, $548,000 GRAYBURN, Curtis A., Loandepot.com, Plainfield Twp., $513,200 BREHM, Christopher, Mercantile Bank, Cascade Twp., $382,000 SCHREUR, Dennis et al, Consumers Credit Union, Byron Twp., $379,000 BOEHM, Emery, Neighborhood Loans, Cascade Twp., $520,000 MOREAU, Paige, Huntington National Bank, Byron Twp., $362,598 KENNEDY, Michael Jr., Independent Bank, Plainfield Twp., $388,000 PATTON, James et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Oakfield Twp., $395,000 HOFFMAN, Rachelle M., Mortgage 1, Oakfield Twp., $350,533

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL CUSHMAN, Bryan S., Huntington National Bank, Plainfield Twp., $536,250 GIRGIS, Reda E. et al, PNC Bank, Cascade Twp., $766,500 WURTSMITH, Casey, Staunton Financial, Plainfield Twp., $347,588 LABERDEE, Charles II et al, Fifth Third Bank, East Grand Rapids, $365,750 JV SBAM SA LLC, TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411336202022, $3,960,000 GINGRAS, Kevin D. et al, Northpointe Bank, East Grand Rapids, $438,500 OLNEY, Donald J. et al, A&N Mortgage Services, Cascade Twp., $466,000 CRANE TRUST, Old National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $408,000 STINSON, Bradley D. et al, Ross Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411411477004, $694,000 CLAY, Patrick, Ruoff Mortgage Corp., Cascade Twp., $450,000 OSELAND, David et al, Grand River Bank, Parcel: 411231101014, $360,000 BEECHER, Jason et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Byron Twp., $386,000 KELLY, Tim et al, PNC Bank, Gaines Twp., $450,000 MORGAN, Ronald et al, Greenstone Farm Credit Services, Cannon Twp., $365,440 CAIN, Brady A. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Spencer Twp., $472,120 BOKACH, Scott A. et al, Gregory H. Bokach et al, Wyoming, $386,000 JAMES, Kelly et al, Churchill Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411720327005, $548,250 WEES, Nabil et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411412476021, $548,250 WRIGHT, Kevin et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Alpine Twp., $688,500 PAYNE, Robert et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $1,200,000 SPAULDING, Matthew J. et al, Huntington National Bank, Plainfield Twp., $380,000 6360 EAST FULTON PROPERTY LLC, Macatawa Bank, Ada Twp., $1,000,000 COX, Sean et al, Old National Bank, Ada Twp., $976,000 PUNCH, William Z. et al, Huntington National Bank, Byron Twp., $418,000 PADNOS, Joshua C. et al, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $1,500,000 PASCOE, Jo-Leighanne, Inlanta Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $465,000 DONK, Michael et al, Northpointe Bank, East Grand Rapids, $440,000 BURKE, Stacey, United Wholesale Mortgage, Caledonia, $431,000 HRYCYK, Stephen et al, West Michigan Credit Union, Walker, $370,000 CLARK TRUST, Huntington National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $857,000 KEESE, Charles R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union Byron Twp., $432,155 LISK, Caroline a. et al, Mortgage Center, Ada Twp., $450,000 WILLIAMS, Matthew et al, Heartland Home Mortgage, Cascade Twp., $456,700 OXLEY, Anthony D. et al, Northpointe Bank, Vergennes Twp., $350,000 MOLHOEK, James A. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411423251014, $358,000 THOMPSON, Nicholas A. et al, Mercantile Bank, East Grand Rapids, $428,000 FINLAYSON, Grant et al, Macatawa Bank, Parcel: 411425101007, $454,665 SHAHBODAGHLOO, Badrie, United Bank, Bowne Twp., $358,400 GREENE, Charles S., Old National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $728,500 GUNSBERG, Jonathan P. et al, Amerisave Mortgage Corp., $341,600 LINDEMANN, Michael J. et al, West Michigan Community Bank, Parcel: 412309352005, $700,000 KNEE, Daniel S. et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 412309352005, $652,000 DEYOUNG, Scott et al, Guaranteed Rate Affinity LLC, Caledonia, $463,000 CHESTER, Cynthia J., JPMorgan Chase Bank, Parcel: 411414127036, $380,000 HOFMANN, Michael W. et al, Celebrity Home Loans LLC, Rockford, $382,375 CARPENTER, Eric, Northern Mortgage Services, Caledonia, $363,400 HORNER, Timothy L. et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411233101028, $820,000 SKINNER, Jeffrey V. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $684,000 JACOBS, Aaron M. et al, Northpointe Bank, Ada Twp., $445,000 CENTRE RENTAL PROPERTIES LLC, Comerica Bank, Parcel: 412123202006, $500,000 MONNIN, Mitchell J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, East Grand Rapids, $548,250 PAO, Yin-Fen et al, Old National Bank, Cascade Twp., $400,000 VIABLE INC., ChoiceOne Bank, Parcel: 411421427010, $950,000 VANELLS, Donald R. et al, MSU Federal Credit Union, Caledonia, $457,800 LAMBERTS, Nathan et al, Neighborhood Loans, Lowell, $375,202 MOSER, Kevin L., Northpointe Bank, Vergennes Twp., $376,000 SMITH, Nathan et al, Consumers Credit Union, Lowell, $374,000 WILLIS, Charles et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411412226015, $415,300

HERSHMAN, Robin et al, Old National Bank, Plainfield Twp., $444,000 WESTERHUIS, Henry J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., $468,750 PAASCH, Jonathan J. et al, Fifth Third Bank, East Grand Rapids, $360,000 YELAMANCHILI, Venkat M., Allen Edwin Home Builders, Byron Twp., $436,340 CLARK, John J., PNC Bank, Gaines Twp., $500,000 JURGENS, Chadwick W. et al, Churchill Mortgage Corp., Byron Twp., $530,200 TERPSTRA, Todd et al, Grand River Bank, East Grand Rapids, $548,000 LEVEN, Marc D. et al, Huntington National Bank, Ada Twp., $840,000 WEEKS, Roger et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Tyrone Twp., $420,000 JMY INVESTMENTS LLC, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411430433014, $385,000 VOOGEL, Bradley et al, PNC Bank, Cascade Twp., $405,000 SCHUYLER, Jonathan R. et al, Neighborhood Loans, Vergennes Twp., $365,600 LOPEZ, Gabriela M., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411435376047, $382,500 SCHNEIDER, Steve E. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Caledonia, $372,000 RUHLIG, Gary G. et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Cannon Twp., $684,000 HATHAWAY, Ryan D. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $425,800 FOCO, Nathan et al, Independent Bank, Cannon Twp., $546,250 JEFFERY, Kenneth et al, Fifth Third Bank, Byron Twp., $425,900 DAMSTRA, Aaron, Finance of America Mortgage, Solon Twp., $365,750 CHAPIN, Connor R. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., $370,405 NEAL, Phillip, Neighborhood Loans, Cannon Twp., $464,000 GHALI, Mounir, Team Mortgage Co., East Grand Rapids, $482,000 2021 PROPERTY LLC, First Community Bank, Walker, $429,093 MONROE, Kirstyn, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Algoma Twp., $462,281 BENNETT, George H. et al, Zillow Home Loans, East Grand Rapids, $479,500 KAMARA, Abu et al, Inlanta Mortgage, Kentwood, $375,250 ROSE, Samantha, Northern Mortgage Services, Walker, $403,750 SCHULTE, Matthew et al, Mr. Cooper, Parcel: 411433107018, $368,550 KLINE, Mark A. et al, Huntington National Bank, Caledonia, $504,000

MARTIN, Jeffrey A. et al, Northpointe Bank, Cannon Twp., $546,250 WILES, Jason, Independent Bank, Courtland Twp., $368,000 WILDA, Jonathan et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cascade Twp., $606,101 RAR DEVELOPMENT LLC, ChoiceOne Bank, Parcel: 412109441012, $349,848 CAMPBELL, Andrea, Marshall Community Credit Union, Vergennes Twp., $420,000 HANNAH, Jason S. et al, Dart Bank, East Grand Rapids, $520,900 PUTTERMAN, Ethan et al, Old National Bank, Cannon Twp., $369,000 CHANDANA, Sreenivasa et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Ada Twp., $1,030,000 FARQUHAR, Rob, Quicken Loans, Plainfield Twp., $348,400 JONES, Mark E., ChoiceOne Bank, Solon Twp., $375,000 KAMINSKI, Michael T. et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411414127017, $386,958 CHELLADURAI, Christopher, Guaranteed Rate, Rockford, $362,598 ZURSCHMIEDE, Aaron J., Old National Bank, Plainfield Twp., $377,000 MCALISTER, Derek S. et al, Mercantile Bank, Gaines Twp., $354,350 MRK REAL ESTATE LLC, Macatawa Bank, Plainfield Twp., $1,360,000 MAND, Surjeet S. et al, Loandepot.com, Ada Twp., $410,000 MOORE, Craig R. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Cascade Twp., $959,305 GREER, Ernest P. et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411433403010, $410,000 TABBEN, Renee C. et al, Bank of America, Condo-Catamount, $536,300 SHINDORF, Robert, TCF National Bank, Vergennes Twp., $1,196,000 DEHAAN, Darin et al, TCF National Bank, Byron Twp., $540,000 COLE, Matthew D., Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411326452026, $1,027,000 PATTEE, Clayton W., TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411428401054, $1,500,000 HOWLE, Arthur E. Jr., First United Credit Union, Parcel: 412309226029, $548,250 MASON, Bryan M., Quicken Loans, Cannon Twp., $485,000 POTTER, Christopher, United Wholesale Mortgage, East Grand Rapids, $494,100 DOWNEY, Joseph et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Gaines Twp., $548,250 HOESER TRUST, Wells Fargo Bank, Parcel: 411324453009, $1,120,000 SINGH, Kulwinder, Huntington National Bank, Rockford, $351,500 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield

AUGUST 9, 2021

Twp., $547,500 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $465,000 EAGLE CREEK HOMES LLC, Macatawa Bank, Byron Twp., $454,585 CUSTOM STEEL PROPERTIES LLC, Fifth Third Bank, Wyoming, $400,000 HEDLUND, Andrea J., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Plainfield Twp., $448,204 BUCHANAN, Brian E. et al, VanDyk Mortgage Corp., Ada Twp., $516,300 GIANNETTI, Matthew et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411401476050, $415,525 VISSER, Kyle et al, Independent Bank, Ada Twp., $960,000 NOWINSKI, John et al, Old National Bank, Cannon Twp., $537,637 JTB HOMES LLC, Mercantile Bank, Plainfield Twp., $547,500 HEMELUND, Jacob et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., $388,800 STORY, Kristen et al, Northpointe Bank, Plainfield Twp., $368,000 PEREIRO, Frank G. et al, Guaranteed Rate, Parcel: 411419351001, $667,147 BYXBE, V.J. et al, Mercantile Bank, Caledonia, $400,000 INHULSEN, John et al, TCF National Bank, East Grand Rapids, $625,000 UDRY, Kay M. et al, ChoiceOne Bank, Cascade Twp., $540,500 DOWNTOWN MEDICAL PROPERTIES LLC, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411430329006, $507,985 BRUGNOLI, Joseph A. et al, Independent Bank, Algoma Twp., $375,200 THOMPSON, Kyle, Freedom Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411430477020, $390,361 UNDERWOOD, Kyle et al, Private Mortgage Wholesale, Cascade Twp., $350,000 BAKER, Timothy T., Mercantile Bank, Byron Twp., $425,000 DELACHER, Benjamin et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 410735326003, $449,000 SPECHT, Devin et al, PNC Bank, East Grand Rapids, $378,100 ROSZAK, Mark, Private Mortgage Wholesale, Parcel: 411431430011, $541,500 PRICE, Timothy R. et al, Mercantile Bank, East Grand Rapids, $359,000

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

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 9, 2021

Grant offers hope for suicide prevention on large scale Pocket change.

ope Network, a Grand Rapids-based statewide nonprofit organization that provides health care and life services to 23,000 people in more than 240 Michigan communities annually, will be able to offer suicide prevention services to 150,000 people across the state after being awarded a $1.4 million grant. Hope Network received the five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and plans to serve approximately 30,000 individuals each year through its Zero Suicide initiative. Zero Suicide is a comprehensive approach to suicide care that aims to reduce the risk of suicide for all individuals seen in health care systems. Hope Network’s work will reach across 28 Michigan counties focusing on people who are age 25 or older, with particular attention being paid to vulnerable groups including veterans, the unemployed, people re-entering communities after coming out of prison and the homeless. “This grant is a game-chang-

BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF

er for Hope Network in allowing us to offer this significant service across the state,” said Phil Weaver, Hope Network president and CEO. “Zero Suicide represents a commitment to patient safety which is the most fundamental responsibility of health care and to the safety and support of staff who treat and support suicidal patients.” According to the Michigan Suicide Prevention Commission, suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in Michigan. In 2020, nearly 1,300 suicides were reported, which means on average someone dies by suicide every six hours across the state, according to the organization. Suicide rates have increased across Michigan and the United States in the past decade and research has found that approximately half of people have a mental health diagnosis before they die by suicide, the commission said. Hope Network will institute the Zero Suicide tenets for employees across all of its service lines in both clinical and non-clinical programs. Screening and referral processes

will be set up to identify people at risk of suicide and to develop a treatment plan. The program also includes training for professionals in the mental health care, primary care and emergency room workforces on suicide prevention and other mental health practices. The Zero Suicide initiative will include insight from people who have either attempted suicide or who have lost a family member to suicide. Weaver said Hope Network hopes to reduce the number of suicide deaths in people 25 years old and older who are served by Hope Network by 50% in the first year of the program and hopes to reduce the number of suicide attempts by 50% among the same group. “This grant and the Zero Suicide initiative is a logical next step for our commitment to providing complete mental health services and will enable us to help those who are most vulnerable,” he said. ROCK STEADY North Kent Connect is getting ready to host a night of music and

fun to benefit families in northern Kent County. Tickets are now on sale for a fundraiser concert benefitting North Kent Connect (NKC), the food pantry and resource center that helps families in northern Kent County with basic needs and empowers them to financial independence. “North Kent Connect Rocks the Park” will be held beginning at 5 p.m. Sept. 16 at Rogers Park in Sparta. Emceed by Sparta funny man Jeff “Spanky” Amlotte from Mamrelund Lutheran, the evening will feature the hometown band Gunnar and the Grizzly Boys for a family-friendly concert. A special performance by 12 local pastors appearing as “The Calendar Clergy,” taking their inspiration from the Neil Sedaka song “Calendar Girl,” will include a fashion show, with each pastor appearing as a different month. The Calendar Clergy includes Pastor Laurie TenHave-Chapman, First Congregational Church of Rockford (January); Pastor Tim Meendering, Rockford Reformed (February); Pastor Dennis Moles, Bella Vista Church (March); Pastor Bill Flavin, River Rock Church (April); Pastor Ben Taylor, Sparta Baptist (May); Pastor Tyler Hubbell, Sparta Church of the Nazarene (June); Father Danny Orris, Our Lady of Consolation (July); Father Tony Pelak, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August); Pastor Inge Whittemore, East Nelson Church (September); Pastor Michael Conklin, Mamrelund Lutheran (October); Pastor Kim DeLong, Courtland-Oakfield United Methodist (November); and Pastor Karen Fitz La Barge, North Kent Presbyterian (December).

STREET TALK Tickets are $20. Food trucks and local restaurants will be on site for purchasing food and drinks. People can bring a lawn chair or purchase a sponsorship to use a picnic table. Sponsorship opportunities and tickets can be purchased at nkconnect.org or by contacting Scott Christie at scott.christie@nkconnect.org or (616) 866-3478, ext. 356. Registration is at 5 p.m. for persons who have pre-purchased tickets, and the program begins at 6 p.m. FAST CASH Holland Hospital staff can look forward to extra income over the coming months thanks to a new employment incentive program. All employees will earn an extra $3 per hour on top of their regular pay through September. The program applies to all newly hired employees as well, so job seekers have another reason to consider working for Holland Hospital. “Our goal has always been to hire skilled and dedicated employees who are looking for a great place to work,” said Sandra Trammell, vice president of human resources. “This program is designed to recognize the exceptional work of our current staff and also encourage those who are seeking a new position or positive work culture or thinking about a career change to consider joining our team.” This summer, many people will be joining the workforce. Others may not be actively seeking a job change but may be open to learning about new opportunities. “We welcome applications for full- and part-time positions in clinical and support areas and have a new fast-application process to make it easy to apply,” Trammell said.

Architectural Openings and Access (AOA) Grand Rapids 616.363.6854 Bennett Steel, LLC Grand Rapids 616.676.7150 Buist Electric Byron Center 616.878.3315 Eckhoff & DeVries Painting & Wallcovering Grand Rapids 616.452.7611 K&S Plumbing Caledonia 616.698.6790 Lakeshore Glass & Metals Zeeland 616.395.8555 Lumen Electric Grand Rapids 616.301.0650 Quality Air Heating & Cooling Grand Rapids 616.956.0200 River City Flooring Design Studio Hudsonville 616.896.6904 Schepers Brothers Commercial Interiors Grand Rapids 616.455.5318 Trane West Michigan Grand Rapids 616.971.1400 Woodways International Kentwood/Zeeland 616.956.3070 FCI_GRBJ_Congratulatory_Service Express_9.995x13.62_62821.indd 1

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Grand Rapids Business Journal 08.09.21

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