Grand Rapids Business Journal - May 2, 2016

Mercy finalizes plans for $271M campus.

Page 7

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

Brenneman gives order to the court. Page 3 MAY 2, 2016 VOL. 34, NO. 18

THIS WEEK

ENTREPRENEUR’S IDEAS BLOOM

Ryan Mast digs into the flower planter industry with acquisitions, new products and retail locations. Page 14

Restaurant industry orders help City’s growing culinary scene makes it difficult to find quality workers.

Pat Evans

How does area rate among best, brightest?

Grand Rapids Business Journal

Corridor confab City is hosting public hearing on Michigan Street’s $1.65M renovation projects.

PAGE 3

Tied together Data collection and tracking app unites economic developers.

In the first week after the opening of Vander Mill’s Grand Rapids restaurant, Justin Large fired two cooks and saw two more quit.

Losing four people is hard enough for an already small kitchen staff, which Large, the executive chef, is still trying to fill out. The issue, however, is not unique to Vander Mill or Grand Rapids.

Large relocated last fall from Chicago, where he was culinary director with One Off Hospitality and had encountered the same problem of finding quality restaurant employees.

“It’s a confluence of a lot of things,” Large said. “There’s a huge demand with a lot of restaurants in an already strained labor market.”

As many industries across the country are feeling the effects of low unemployment rates, restaurants have named staff attraction and retention the No. 1 issue in the industry, according to National Restaurant Association surveys.

The $783 billion industry employs 14.4 million people in this country and has added more than 300,000 jobs each year for five straight years.

West Michigan scores well in community initiatives category; lacks in leadership.

Mike Nichols

Grand Rapids Business Journal

“(Loeks) needed confidence to pull the trigger on this major investment; it’s their brand,” said Kris Larson, DGRI president and CEO. “There was so much that went into all parties making sure it made sense. It has to work. If it doesn’t work, we all fail.”

If the project hadn’t been approved last month by the DDA, Larson said the community and board members might have moved on, following the April 30 expiration of the most recent property option.

“Never underestimate the power of a deadline,” Larson said.

“I didn’t have a lot of confidence I could go back and ask for another option. If, after four years, we weren’t ready to go, perhaps we needed to go back to the drawing board to see if there was another investment team interested in the project.”

Loeks first proposed the idea of a downtown movie theater before Larson was in his current position

The scores are in, and West Michigan is hitting some national benchmarks — but certainly not all of them.

In conjunction with the Michigan Business & Professional Association’s upcoming West Michigan’s 2016 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For banquet May 5, the organization also has revealed how West Michigan businesses stack up against their counterparts in the other nine Best and Brightest Companies to Work For regions in the country.

Companies are scored in 15 categories, most of which are related to human resources, as part of the Best and Brightest competition.

Best and Brightest is a “program that honors companies that provide excellent human resources and benefits to their employees, as well as make efforts to enrich their employees’ lives as a whole,” said Alicia Wilson, director. This is the 14th year of recognizing outstanding companies for their work, she said.

The information taken in these business surveys was scored by an outside independent agency, the Illinois Institute of Technology and Center for Research and Development, she said.

“We have the employer fill out a very thick questionnaire, about 30 pages long, and then we survey their employees. And we make sure that information aligns,” Wilson said.

West Michigan’s businesses were then rated against the other nine regions in the program: Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Milwaukee, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego and Boston.

“We scored ranks and provided data in West Michigan. Then what we do is, we also have a national competition in addition to the regional competition,” said Jennifer Kluge, MBPA president.

“We have 1,500 winners across the country. This data is based on the 100 that have won in West Michigan.”

West Michigan scored “significantly above” the national bench-

Continued on page 18 8

Continued on page 8 8

STAFF ATTRACTION and retention is the No. 1 issue in the restaurant industry, and 25 to 33 percent of Michigan restaurants currently have open positions, according to the Michigan Restaurant Association. Photo by Michael Buck

The need for more restaurant workers is driven by an improving economy, which means more people are earning disposable income and eating out more often.

Evolving consumer behavior is also at the heart of the issue; restaurants sales have grown from $42.8 billion in 1970 to $800 billion currently. In 1955, restaurants

made up 25 percent of food industry spending; today, the share is nearly 50 percent, meaning more people are choosing to eat out.

Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant Association, said between 25 percent and 33 percent of restaurants Continued on page 11 8

PAGE 3

Pitch perfect Hispanic Chamber of Commerce offers first competition for small businesses.

PAGE 5

THE LIST

The area’s top commercial real estate brokers. Page 20

Loeks: movie theater good for downtown Celebration! Cinema CEO says making money is not the project’s only objective.

Pat Evans

Grand Rapids Business Journal

Urban right Hudsonville prepares for $5M worth of downtown renovations.

Page 22

After nearly four years, J.D. Loeks is happy with where his Studio C! downtown movie theater stands.

When the prospect of Loeks Theatres building a movie theater behind Van Andel Arena first arose in the spring of 2012, the project was just that — a movie theater. Now the project is in its “27th iteration of conceptual design” and has cleared its first major hurdle with approval from the Downtown Development Authority.

“The overall trajectory has taken this to something that’s way more exciting for the community and everyone involved,” Loeks

said. “Yeah, maybe we could have a theater today if we stuck with the original plan and did something way less interesting, but that wasn’t the project we were trying to do in the first place.”

Led by Loeks Theatres and 616 Development, Studio C! is a twophase, $140 million development anchored by a nine-screen movie theater.

The first phase of the project is $100 million and, besides the movie theater, also features a 900-space parking garage, 38,000 square feet of retail space, 187 residential units and a public piazza.

If all goes according to plan, construction would begin in early 2017.

The second phase would be a $40 million residential tower with an additional 150 units.

The main hurdles that remain include state participation, state and federal permits and favorable construction bidding. The project has been vetted both by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and Loeks to make sure it’s feasible and sustainable in all respects.

CONTENTS Vol. 34, No. 18

Find the latest news every day at grbj.com

© Entire contents copyright 2016

by Gemini Publications.

All rights reserved.

Inside Track ..........14

Change-ups .........29

Comment...............16 Making comparisons

Calendar ...............29

Sales Moves .........17 Bad sales advice

Street Talk .............31

Matters .................17 Family meetings

Area Economy.....30 Price increases

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Creators of GR music app hope to change the industry, Page 4 MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 3

Brenneman brings order to the court

Michigan corridor meeting set

Love of history leads to position as court historian for the Western District of Michigan.

Public will get chance to examine $1.65M in road projects, offer suggestions.

Charlsie Dewey

Grand Rapids Business Journal

President Abraham Lincoln created the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan during the Civil War. Up until then the state had only one district court, which was located on the east side and could be hard to access for some people.

That historical tidbit is one of many Hugh Brenneman shares with those interested in learning about the history of the Western District of Michigan.

Brenneman is a retired magistrate judge of the Western District and its historian, a voluntary role to which he was appointed following the passing in 2013 of the district’s very first court historian, Wendell Miles.

He said Miles had an illustrious career, which included an appointment to U.S. attorney for the Western District by President Dwight Eisenhower and an appointment to U.S. District judge for the Western District of Michigan by President Richard Nixon.

Brenneman said Miles created the position of court historian unintentionally.

“He always had an interest in history, and he was starting to research and write the history of this district.”

Jesse O’Brien

Grand Rapids Business Journal

COURT HISTORIAN Hugh Brenneman is committed to tracking the rich legacy of Michigan’s Western District Court. Photo by Michael Buck

He said as he and others learned about Miles’ research, they began to think maybe they should begin collecting the histories of Miles and the other Western District judges before they were gone, too.

“We decided to get his oral history and we decided to do it for all the judges,” Brenneman said. “It evolved into the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.”

The Western District Histori-

cal Society was founded in 2002 and is a nonprofit dedicated to collecting the history of the Western District and disseminating that history to the public via various avenues. Brenneman said similar historical societies exist for other courts, including one for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, for the Michigan Supreme Court and for the U.S. Supreme Court.

When it launched, the Western

District Historical Society enlisted the help of Grand Rapids’ city historian, Gordon Olson, to conduct the oral interviews of the judges.

“Olson is an excellent oral historian,” Brenneman said.

The society also began collecting oral histories from some of the attorneys who have practiced in the Western District, as well as related memorabilia “such as books Continued on page 28 8

App unites economic development community Collective Measures platform helps organizations collect and track data.

Approximately a year and a half ago, Austin Dean saw a need and decided to do something about it.

Dean, who has worked in economic development for about six years, was frustrated with the way valuable information was being reported, collected and shared. He saw a need to get everyone on the same page, using just one platform instead of the dozens that were being used across the region. So he created Collective Measures.

A software platform designed to measure the effectiveness of startups, Collective Measures allows for economic development organizations to not only track and collect data but also to share it.

Those organizations can interact with one another and see what the others are working on, avoiding duplication in the system.

By gathering and sharing the information collected from area entrepreneurial service organi-

zations, Collective Measures can streamline the process of reporting data tailored toward the startup, rather than the ESO. A mapping feature included in the software provides a visual of who is already participating in the area, and unlike other data-tracking software, Collective Measures updates in real time.

“We can present real data that’s both timely and accurate and that allows us to make timely decisions at an organizational level,” said Dean, who is an analyst for Start Garden.

Collective Measures already has found major partners in Lakeshore Advantage and the Holland SmartZone to help further its mission to make data collection more efficient and collaborative.

Lakeshore Advantage innovation manager Brooke Corbin said she became involved with the project about four months ago, and already has begun to develop a mirror of the platform to connect the Grand Rapids and Holland SmartZones.

“As a business incubator, we try to be adding value as an organization and as a community, so collaboration will be something that’s very important to us,” Corbin said.

“And this can kind of be the starting piece.”

Corbin said in the brief time the Holland SmartZone has used the platform, it has found Collective Measures to be incredibly user friendly and, by giving clients the ability to self-report their data, it’s much easier to avoid duplication.

Last week, Dean and Corbin presented Collective Measures at a conference in Orlando, Florida, and said the response was overwhelmingly positive.

While moving the platform to a national market may be in the distant future for Dean, right now he said the focus is on connecting Grand Rapids and Holland, and eventually, a completely connected 13-county West Michigan region.

Still, widespread implementation of Collective Measures has not been without its challenges.

The biggest issue so far, Dean said, has been convincing organizations to agree to the level of transparency and accountability needed to make Collective Measures successful.

“Certainly, that can be threatening to some organizations, but that’s not what we’re trying to do,” Dean said.

“We’re trying to get everyone to rally around the concept to see this as a way to do what we do better. West Michigan is a great place

to start businesses, live and work, and we want to use this data to analyze talent attraction and retention as opposed to performance evaluations.”

Dean added that, in conversations with potential clients, he has had to answer more privacy questions than he initially expected, but a number of organizations have been receptive to the idea of further collaboration.

“Creating a vibrant community takes a tribe,” Dean said.

“And it’s more than just ESOs. It’s your local foundation, it is the banks, the universities and colleges putting talent into the pipeline. There are way more people who should be engaged in the conversation, and we’re just trying to make that as open and transparent as possible.”

For ESOs, Corbin said, using platforms like Collective Measures allows organizations to practice what they preach.

“We want to innovate and do things on our own, too,” she said.

“We advocate for innovation from entrepreneurs, but we don’t always innovate ourselves. This offers us a way to look at what we’ve been doing and ensure what we’re offering is a step forward and not just being complacent with where we’re at.”

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN 1045-4055) is published weekly, with an extra issue in December, by Gemini Publications, a division of Gemini Corp­ora­tion, 549 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-1444.

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Jesse O’Brien

Grand Rapids Business Journal

The Michigan Street Corridor may be getting an extensive — and expensive — facelift.

The city of Grand Rapids is proposing a $1.65 million upgrade to Michigan Street between Monroe and Ionia avenues, and concrete repairs between Ionia and Barclay Avenues.

Concepts for the proposed plan will be unveiled at a meeting Thursday, when the city also is seeking public feedback.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Development Center, 1120 Monroe Ave. NW. “This corridor is huge for not only the city but the region,” said Suzanne Schulz, city planning director. “When we have major regional employers like Spectrum and educational institutions here, we know this corridor has to work and it has to work for everyone.

So all users need to be accommodated.”

The proposed changes are in line with the Michigan Street Corridor plan, which was approved by city commissioners in March.

They came up as part of the city’s protocol when taking on a road construction project.

Whenever such a project is undertaken, the city examines potential improvements to the road design that are then often folded into the project.

Funding for the project would be drawn from several different pools. About $703,000 will be used from the Vital Streets Capital Fund, $677,000 from the State Urban Transportation Program and $275,000 in State Transportation Economic Development Funds.

The concrete work would begin this year, while resurfacing is set for this fall or next spring. Traffic on the Medical Mile will be impacted by both projects.

In addition to resurfacing the asphalt between Ionia and Monroe and the concrete repairs from Ionia to Barclay, the project also would remove a pair of lanes on the south side of Michigan Avenue.

The westbound lane that connects Ionia and Ottawa avenues would be taken out, as would the bus lane between Bostwick and Barclay.

Schulz said the change should quell one of the biggest complaints from the public: straightening out the alignment of the travel and turn lanes on Michigan Avenue.

“We want to hear about what’s working and what’s not, and that’s been the biggest one,” Schulz said.

Other projects included in the proposed plan are: •Upgrading sidewalks and ramps Continued on page 18 8

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4 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2, 2016

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ROB ANTHONY, above, a local musician, composer and producer, came up with the idea for the app and collaborated with Jim Czerew to bring it to market. Courtesy Adam Bird

Creators of GR music app hope to change the industry The radi8er app combines music streaming with maps of where artists are playing.

Mike Nichols

Grand Rapids Business Journal

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A Grand Rapids app that could potentially revolutionize the way the world listens to music is almost ready for launch.

Radi8er is a combination of the words “radio” and the acoustic term “resonate.” The app serves as a cross between a music/musician user interface and a map interface.

It is being hailed as “music streaming meets online maps.”

The app, which will have both Android and iPhone versions, is expected to be launched nationwide in late May or early June.

Radi8er, which had a closedbeta launch March 30, was co-created by Grand Rapids natives Rob Anthony, chief creative officer, and Jim Czerew, CEO, who manage the app out of their space in Start Garden.

Czerew, who’s also the owner of his own IT servicing company, TechConnect LLC, said the app is named radi8er because it features a “resonating back and forth” between what a person wants to listen to and what a community is listening to. The app allows users to find their own “music DNA” — not just for the music they’re interested in but also the music of their city.

“The basic way to explain it is, it’s a music-streaming service with a very unique feature. You’ve got standard features (like play, pause, etc.), but the map is special because it’s all music control. That’s what separates us from everyone else,” he said.

“So, as you zoom in on the map, you get local music. As you zoom out on the map, you get a broader mix of music that can be more mainstream music, but then you can also zoom over to another city or country and hear their music, as well.”

Anthony, a local musician, composer and producer with a long history in the West Michigan mu-

sic scene, came up with the idea for the app in March of last year.

He said he was walking in a mall when he spotted a man who was listening to music through his ear buds and found himself wondering what he was listening to. Then he became intrigued by the idea of real-time music streaming based on location. Soon the idea went from a peer-sharing theme to finding out “the music of a mall.”

Anthony met Czerew through mutual friends and thought he was the perfect person to reach out to with his idea.

“He came to me with this gigantic idea, and it took me some time to parse it down to, “Oh, what you want to build is a hyper-local, real-time, crowd-powered, musicdiscovery platform,” Czerew said.

“Grand Rapids has an amazing music scene, too. It’s such a hub and it’s starting to get recognized.”

Radi8er is looking to challenge social music’s entire social media platform. The app isn’t just a personalized radio that can help users find the “vibe” of a city; it also serves as exposure for local musical artists while offering users a new way to find them. The app will be free to download and free for artists, who can use it as a one-stop shop to promote themselves and sell merchandise.

At this point, Czerew and Anthony realized they were building more than a platform; they were building a data-mining goldmine for businesses, venues and artists.

The app also allows users to see events on the map, click on one in the location and listen to the music of the artist.

It also offers an answer to the question: If you wanted to go hear live-music that would meet your tastes or interests, how would you find it?

“If you think back to the great music scenes — like Nashville, New Orleans, Detroit, Austin — these cities have a sound and they’re known throughout the world. So by having a map, it also opens up a lot more possibilities, such as being able to see events that are happening in your area,” Czerew said.

“The artists will be given data to not just see how many times their music has been played but where it has been played, so it can maybe Continued on page 8 8

MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 5

Hispanic Chamber to host first business pitch night

Kent County scores top credit rating

Effort is part of a bilingual outreach to involve Spanishspeaking business owners.

Kent County still has the best credit rating possible.

For the 18th consecutive year, Kent County received a TripleA credit rating from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service.

Just as with personal credit, the better the credit rating for Kent County, the lower the interest rates it receives when it applies for bonds. According to a release from Kent County, the county saves more than $800,000 per year on interest costs, compared to if it had a Double-A rating.

“The ability to get Triple-A ratings once is great; holding it for

Mike Nichols

Grand Rapids Business Journal

The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has a plan to encourage more Hispanic small business owners and entrepreneurs to enter local business pitch competitions.

That plan involves starting one of their own.

The chamber recently announced it will host its premiere Business Pitch Competition, which will give small business owners and entrepreneurs about five minutes to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in hopes of being awarded a monetary prize.

The event will take place at noon, May 26, at Rockford Construction Co.’s headquarters on Grand Rapids’ west side at 601 First St. NW. Although the opportunity to be in the competition is being marketed toward Hispanic business owners and entrepreneurs, all are welcome to try out for and attend the free event, said Jorge Gonzales, executive director of the chamber.

The applicants also do not have to be chamber members, he noted.

“We’re accepting applications for our first-ever business pitch competition. We have seen that a lot of Hispanic businesses are not

entering the regular pitch competitions out there, so Fifth Third (Bank) partnered with us and provided some financial support to start the first Business Pitch Competition,” he said.

“Out of the applications we’ve received, we’re going to select a top 10, and then out of that top 10, five will be accepted to enter the pitch competition. And from those five, four of them will get financial awards. We’re hoping if we get more money, we’ll be able to (award) all five.”

Fifth Third donated $5,000 for the competition, Gonzales said.

The first-place winner of the pitch competition will receive $2,500, second place will receive $1,500, and third place will receive $1,000.

Fourth place will receive $500, which was donated by Lindo Mexico Restaurant, a Grand Rapidsbased Mexican restaurant, he said.

Additionally, the five other finalists from the top 10 will receive a year’s worth of membership to the chamber.

Gonzales said the final pitch awards will not be given based on any industry-based criteria, such as the need to have digital or physical product.

“We haven’t been that specific.

Most of our small Hispanic business owners in our memberships are lifestyle businesses,” he said.

“Right now, it’s open to anything.”

Gonzales said judges haven’t been selected yet, but he expects there will be three to five judges for the pitch. Entrepreneurially focused groups such as GROW, Spring GR, Emerge and Start Gar-

Pat Evans

Grand Rapids Business Journal

18 consecutive years speaks to the hard work and dedication of Kent County staff to do what is best for the residents of Kent County,” said Daryl Delabbio, Kent County administrator/controller, in a press release.

“We strive to be good stewards of public dollars. Holding our Triple-A rating shows just how committed we are to excellence.”

Standard & Poor’s attributed Kent County’s rating to the following factors: •Strong economy •Very strong management •Strong budgetary performance •Very strong liquidity •Strong institutional framework Kent County is one of 2 percent of the 2,300 counties in the United

States that carry a Triple-A rating from both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.

“Kent County’s continued highest possible rating is due largely to the fiscal common sense practiced by both the board of commissioners and our staff,” said Jim Saalfeld, chair of the county commission.

“This demonstrates a team effort by commissioners and staff to ensure the county is delivering services in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

“These rating agencies do not look at only the finances, but they look at policies, practices, leadership, continuity and many other functions that exemplify why Kent County and its residents are being well served.”

Continued on page 8 8

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MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 7

Mercy finalizes plans for $271M campus The Muskegon medical center will consolidate inpatient services at a central location.

Charlsie Dewey

Grand Rapids Business Journal

A new $271 million, 267-bed medical center is headed to the lakeshore.

Mercy Health Muskegon announced final design plans for its new medical center, which will be located on the Mercy campus at 1500 E. Sherman Blvd. in Muskegon.

The new facility will bring all Mercy Health Muskegon-area inpatient services together at a central location. The project will be completed by June 2019, based on the current timeline.

The nine-story building will be attached to the existing facility on the Mercy campus and is part of a campus renovation and consolidation plan.

The medical center will feature a new state-of-the-art emergency department and optimized patient flows, which will improve the care experience for patients and their families.

Mercy Health said the new facility would be among the first in the nation using the lean process in its design. New lean architecture and lean processes have been combined to transform health care delivery.

“Our new medical center and renovations to our existing Mercy campus have been designed around the way health care should be delivered to our patients, now and into the future,” said Greg Loomis, president of Mercy Health Muskegon.

The medical center’s design began with two-dimensional modeling of each floor. Architectural models were then built and tested for patient convenience, and fullscale models were built and repeatedly tested, which led to the “innovative design.”

More than 300 front-line colleagues, physicians, patients, medical care staff, local leaders and volunteers spent thousands of hours with the project’s lead architects — HGA Architects and Engineers — designing, testing and redesigning to optimize the patient care experience, he said.

“By applying lean methodology to the hospital setting with the patient as the central focus, we have created a care model that truly brings health care services to the patient, rather than making the patient work to navigate through the care process,” said Jeff Alexander, vice president of strategic integration and subsidiary operations at Mercy Health.

Main features of the patientcentered design include: singleoccupancy rooms, with room for visiting family members, to allow for greater patient privacy and comfort; one campus location for all hospital service needs; strategically locating surgery and emergency departments for trauma and critical patients; placing medicines and supplies closer to the patient rooms to give caregivers more time at the bedside; establishing an environment that fosters new protocols and treatment standards to improve outcomes; and helping patients find their way faster.

Funding for the project includes $261 million from Mercy Health Muskegon cash reserves and an inter-company loan from parent organization Trinity Health, along with $10 million through philanthropic support.

As part of the planned consoli-

dation at the Mercy campus, Mercy Health will reduce the number of licensed beds in Muskegon from 408 to 267.

Mercy Health said the reduction of beds is due to historical declines in inpatient admissions and increased patient care efficiencies.

Following completion of the facility and consolidation of services, the Hackley Campus will serve as a high-functioning urgent care, with expanded hours and more diagnostic capabilities than a typical urgent care center.

The Hackley Campus professional medical office building will remain an outpatient medical center, housing a Federally Qualified Health Center, physician offices, administrative space, diagnostics and other support services.

Mercy Health said its leadership would actively review additional plans for the Hackley Campus and options for the general campus, which could include repurposing, selling or razing the acute care facilities.

Loomis said the new medical center is the largest single construction project in the history of Mercy Health Muskegon and the Muskegon area.

Construction of the medical center will provide $144 million in added value to the region’s economic performance, provide nearly 1,500 short-term jobs in construction and other industries, and provide $70 million in earnings through short-term increase in demands for goods and services, according to Mercy Health research.

THE NINE-STORY building will be attached to the existing facility on Mercy’s Muskegon campus. Courtesy Mercy Health Muskegon

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How does area rate among best, brightest?

7 Continued from page 1

Construction Management General Contracting Design Build www.triangle-inc.com

Commitment.

mark in the community initiatives category. It ranked “slightly above” in the categories for teamwork and cooperation and employee enrichment, engagement and retention.

It scored right at the national benchmark for work-life balance, strategic company performance, culture, and compensation, benefits and employee solutions.

West Michigan scored “slightly below” the national average for job/work, employee education and development, and diversity and inclusion. The areas with the most room for improvement, ranking “below” the national benchmark, are: leadership; immediate supervisor; employee achievement and recognition; recruitment, selection and orientation; and communication and shared vision.

Kluge said the lofty score in the area of community initiatives proves West Michigan is full of people who want to give back.

“This is a testament to the advantage of West Michigan as a tight-knit community. It shows employers’ commitment to the community and working together

to ensure West Michigan is a destination for top talent,” she said.

“This is a huge advantage over larger cities such as Chicago and Houston that did not score as high in this area. This strength should be leveraged in all West Michigan recruiting efforts.”

Scoring at the national benchmark should not be viewed negatively, Kluge added.

“This means West Michigan is truly competitive in these areas.

So, the misnomer of larger cities are ‘better’ places to work is just not true,” she said. “In a majority of these areas, West Michigan excels and competes with large market cities across the U.S.” West Michigan scored below the national benchmark in the areas of leadership, immediate supervisor, employee achievement and recognition, recruitment, selection and orientation, and communication and shared vision.

Kluge said this score is not necessarily something that needs improvement, but more so understanding differences from other regions. She said a job well done might be expected in West Michigan, whereas other regions reward

those accomplishments.

“More time needs to be spent training leaders and supervisors on how to implement appreciation in the culture of the organization, share data and knowledge and create more transparency in leadership,” she said. “The number one reason employees stay in their jobs is that they feel appreciated so, if anything, West Michigan results would determine that supervisors and leaders should focus there for long-term results.”

Kluge said she was not surprised by West Michigan’s standing in the national comparison, saying it shows the strong community and strong work ethic, and that West Michigan is a solid community for Best and Brightest employers. The data matches the ideals of the culture of this region.

“There are some incredible best practices of the Best and Brightest companies. We will be publishing these best practices in the coming month — stats, case studies and ideas to borrow,” she said.

“If every company in West Michigan implemented one or two of these best practices, it will help the community as a whole.”

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help them to decide where to have their next gig. … The closer in that you zoom (on the map), the more granular your music range will be.

You’ll be getting a couple of things.

You’ll be getting bands whose home flag is in that area, as well as the bands people are listening to in that area.”

This kind of app is especially needed in the local and West Michigan music scene, Anthony said. The local music scene is disconnected without a point of reference, and artists don’t feel like people know about the phenomenal underground music that is here, he said.

In fact, Scott Rider of local band Valentiger started a series of monthly talks at various sites called “Let’s Talk GR Music,” in which artists can voice their frustrations about trying to grow a fan base in their own city. There have been about five of these talks so far, Anthony said.

Radi8er now makes the local music scene “comprehensive — not only for music but also the live events and activity of a city,” Czerew said.

In a way, the app is “democratizing” music by allowing artists to put out their music independently and putting the promotion in their

hands, he said. It’s reconnecting the music scene with its community.

In case anyone was wondering what the vibe of Grand Rapids’ music scene is, it’s “folk music” — and that’s been confirmed with the app, Anthony said.

“People are going to be surprised by the scope of (the app) and the functionality and the features. This is just the beginning for us. There’s going to be some great things happening that’s really going to benefit artists. It’s going to give consumers a new and different choice and it’s going to let businesses reconnect to the art scene in their area, and everybody, really,” he said.

“By treating live music events just as groups of people streaming something, there’s going to be really interesting interplay here because, as you’re listening through radi8er, what you’re listening to influences the people around, and what the people around you are listening to influences your play list.”

“So, what we’ve got is an automatic, on-the-fly relationship, almost like real-time social networks.”

Listening to Czerew and Anthony talk about their new app and sensing the possibilities for it is akin to listening to Mark Zuckerberg describing his idea for the

online college database that eventually became Facebook. And given radi8er’s potential for musically mapping every city on the planet, their energy isn’t surprising.

“Let’s just say the inventors are calling us ‘potential unicorns.’ …

There aren’t many apps with this ceiling potential. And it’s international — just wait until we go international,” Czerew said.

“Where are the next Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra? This app could help us find them.”

Pitch night scheduled 7 Continued from page 5 den — “most of which already have their own pitch competitions” — are all part of the committee helping with the event, he said.

The reason an event like this is necessary, Gonzales said, is the disconnect between Grand Rapids’ mainstream entrepreneurial culture and the Hispanic business community. It’s a combination of several factors, one of which is the language barrier.

“For us, some of the submissions have been in Spanish, and the pitch is, if you don’t speak English and need to pitch in Spanish, we’ll have interpreters,” he said.

“The other barrier has been that some of the current competitions to do not market to Spanish-speaking business owners, so they don’t hear about it. We are intentional so that, when we do the promotions, we sent it out (to them). We went out and knocked on doors and put out fliers.”

Gonzales said the chamber is very excited to host the event and hopes to make it even bigger next year.

“We’re thankful for Fifth Third and Lindo Mexico for making this possible. We’re doing this to support Hispanic businesses, which are part of the macro-economic system,” he said.

“Hispanic businesses are a major part of the economic system in West Michigan, so it’s a benefit to all of us.”

MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 9

GR, West Coast acoustic consulting firms merge Result is one of the largest independent consulting firms in the country.

Mike Nichols

Grand Rapids Business Journal

A recent merger has made Grand Rapids-based Acoustics By Design Inc. one of the largest independent acoustical consulting firms in North America.

Acoustics By Design, which offers services from vibration consultants, engineers, audio visual designers, theatrical lighting and IT security, has acquired Portland, Oregon-based Daly-Standlee and Associates Inc. The next three months will be spent figuring out a rebrand for the new entity and expanded services. For now, both firms will continue to work out of their current locations and there will be no staff changes, said Brian Atkinson, media relations for Acoustics By Design, which is located at 124 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids.

“We’re excited to expand our West Coast presence,” said Kenric Van Wyk, president. “While we’ve had a small service office in the Portland area, the merger and addition of Daly-Standlee strengthens our firm both geographically and from the position of offering a broader, deeper bench of specialization and expertise nationally.”

Together, the two firms will offer a full range of acoustical, noise, vibration and audio, video and lighting consulting services

for clients that include architects, engineers, facilities directors, municipalities, industrial firms and building owners.

No jobs were lost during the merger, which became official April 1. Acoustics By Design, which was founded in 1962, currently has 10 members, and Daly-Standlee and Associates, which opened in 1988 as an outgrowth of Daly Engineering, has four. Acoustics By Design is looking to hire another consultant, Atkinson said, putting the overall team at 15.

“The merger with Acoustics By Design provides a nice complement of services for our clients.

We will be maintaining our strong presence in environmental noise work and vibration measurement and control work and enhancing the architectural acoustic services provided by the firm by adding the audio, video and lighting expertise and architectural acoustic expertise coming from the staff at Acoustics By Design,” said Kerrie Standlee, president of DalyStandlee and Associates.

“Long-standing Daly-Standlee clients, as well as future clients, will see a firm with much broader capability and expertise.”

The deal came about thanks to the assistance of Melinda Miller, senior acoustical consultant for Acoustics By Design. Miller decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to her family, so Acoustics By Design set up an office for her in the Portland area. It was there that she made connections with Standlee.

“As Kerrie and our president Continued on page 11 8

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Restaurant industry finds it difficult to obtain quality workers 7 Continued from page 1 currently have open positions.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Winslow said. “The labor market improving is good news for the economy. We all remember the state’s recession lasting nearly the entire first decade of the century, and we didn’t have these concerns.

So it’s a bit newer for us than the rest of the country, and it’s a good sign the labor market has tightened up, but there are definitely some challenges.”

Winslow said the tight labor market doesn’t impact the front of the house as much as the kitchen — the “heart of the restaurant.”

He said the recent addition of new restaurants, a shallow talent pool and a lack of quality training is a troubling combination.

Large agreed and called the situation “frustrating.”

“I see more and more cooks who are either undertrained or lack experience but have a vision of themselves that’s not accurate to what they can accomplish,” Large said.

“The celebrity that surrounds food from the past 10 to 15 years has done a lot of wonderful things but also some not so wonderful things. It looks fun and glamorous. That’s all fine and good, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”

The lack of awareness doesn’t only apply to millennials, said Large, who added he’s seen people of all ages expect to become a sous chef right out of culinary school.

Large brought Greg Bastien, a trusted colleague from Chicago who also wanted to relocate to West Michigan, to be his sous chef.

Large said in 2001, he was a member of one of the last classes at the Culinary Institute of America in which the curriculum focused on food. Since then, he said, the CIA, like many culinary schools, has focused more on how to run a business.

The new CIA curriculum, he said, eliminated classes on charcuterie, which has become one of the hottest food trends in the country the past several years.

“They’re making a judgment call that it’s not the direction the industry is headed,” Large said.

“They want to get as many people out as quickly as possible — many undertrained and not with a great skill set or realistic concept.”

Winslow said the Michigan Restaurant Association is a big supporter of two-year culinary arts programs at vocational and technical centers. He said those programs help 5,000 students graduate from high school and, in two years, be ready to start a career.

Jeff Lobdell, president of Restaurant Partners Inc., said more should be done to show the restaurant industry can provide a more lucrative career than many college degree-based careers.

“Today, many high school grads go off to college and accumulate

tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt and then struggle to find a job,” he said.

“In our industry, after graduating high school, you could virtually get a real-world degree and five years later be free of debt and be earning a wage and benefits package in excess of $50,000 to $60,000 as a general manager of a successful restaurant.

“A few years (after that), you could become a multi-unit manager and be earning 130 percent of what a general manager does.”

The demand for skilled restaurant staff is only going to increase in Grand Rapids, with dozens of restaurants slated to open in the next year.

The industry as a whole has a turnover rate of more than 70 percent. That’s in part because many

use it as a second income source to help pay for college or seasonal spending.

The key to keeping good employees goes well beyond the paycheck, said Lobdell, who oversees 600 employees at 16 restaurants, including Beltline Bar and The Omlette Shoppe locations. Flexible scheduling, workplace culture and career advancement play important roles, too.

He said 400 employees have been with Restaurant Partners for more than a year, 200 for more than five years, and 100 for more than 10 years.

Much of Lobdell’s turnover is seasonal workers, and that is expected, he said. He credits the Pure Michigan and Experience Grand Rapids tourism campaigns with helping grow the state as a culi-

nary destination, but now the state might need to help attract seasonal hospitality workers in much the same fashion as cities like Vail, Colorado, and Park City, Utah.

“We have to create a supply that meets the demand,” Lobdell said.

Grand Rapids does have a growing, impressive culinary scene for its size, Large said, but while it is fairly cosmopolitan, he said it still has people who look at a “fancier” menu and just want a hamburger.

As the city continues to develop and gain a reputation as a culinary hotspot, more people will want to relocate to West Michigan, he said.

“There’s a big lag in customer demand and, hopefully, that works for scarcity,” Large said. “Hopefully, the demand for high quality won’t outpace the level of talent and they’ll pace each other in step.”

Consulting firms merge 7 Continued from page 9 began talking, we were wondering if they could bring the firms together to keep that firm going and give their employees job security,” Atkinson said. “This new merger created one of the largest independent acoustical consulting firms in North America.”

Miller has now relocated to the Daly-Standlee office. Over the next few months as the rebranding plans are formed, that staff will be “relocated into a downtown office as a whole office, and she’ll be right there with them,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson said Acoustics By Design has shown the ability to handle a variety of projects. While many firms specialize in corporate or K-12 schools or amphitheaters, Acoustics By Design can provide across-the-board services on any job, making every project viable, he said.

“Our biggest market sectors are health care, university and corporate, and when you take a look at those in West Michigan, you’ve got Spectrum, Mercy Health, GVSU,” he said.

“There’s only about 150 firms in the U.S., so there’s a demand of services as building continues to grow.”

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Charlsie Dewey

Grand Rapids Business Journal

W

hen he started college, Ryan Mast intended to become an airline pilot, but instead he took off as an entrepreneur.

Mast said he earned his pilot’s license while still attending Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville. He went on to college at Western Michigan University specifically because he wanted to become a commercial pilot, enrolling in the school’s flight science program.

“I did it for a year and came back (home) that summer, and I realized I didn’t want to live in Kalamazoo,” he said. “I felt more at home here.”

It was during that summer when he first had an idea for a potential new product, which started him down the road to becoming an entrepreneur and eventually led him to found Bloem, the company he runs today.

He said his first business revolved around a single product line that never really took off.

Next, he joined his father-in-law and sister-in-law in a new venture selling flowerpots made in China.

“The only way we could be competitive was to produce (the pots) in China,” he explained.

He said the company began by focusing on high-cost, low-turnover flowerpots, but later began focusing on low-cost, high-turnover items.

Eventually, Mast said he decided he was interested in getting out of the importing business; he wanted instead to focus on domestic production.

In 2012, like many a young entrepreneur, Mast launched his new business out of his garage.

Bloem manufactures planters and other accessories for plants.

He said warehouse space was an early challenge for the business, which quickly outgrew Mast’s garage.

“Warehousing was always a problem in the early days,” he said.

“I worked with Kandu Industries in Holland for a period of time; they helped us through that period. Then I rented a warehouse in Hudsonville the second year.”

Mast said a relationship that developed with Meijer Inc. provided an important launching pad for Bloem.

“The buyer at the time had seen the vision I was trying to build on,

RYAN MAST Company/Organization: Bloem Position: President Age: 32 Birthplace: Grand Rapids Residence: Hudsonville Family: Wife, Kristin; and children, Natalie, Graham and Lincoln.

Business/Community Involvement: None currently.

Biggest Career Break: Landing business with Meijer at the launch of Bloem.

and I have to give him a lot of credit for taking the risk,” Mast said.

At the time, he said, “We didn’t even have the tools to make the products. We had prototypes and a photo-shopped catalogue. They signed us up as a supplier based on that, and we were able to get into several key regional chains because of that.

“It was really a springboard to success,” he said.

By year three, Bloem had made its first acquisition, purchasing plastic horticulture product

Inside Track MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 15

manufacturer Duraco Products of Streamwood, Illinois — a move that elevated the business significantly.

“We weren’t playing a small game anymore,” Mast said.

At that point, Mast had a handful of employees and warehouse space in Chicago, and was filling orders in Chicago and Grand Rapids.

In January 2015, Bloem acquired a brand new Wisconsinbased start-up called BloomBagz.

BloomBagz had developed a series of patent-pending fabric planters made from a material consistent with recycled water bottles. The product line, now called BloemBagz, provide a unique, ecofriendly solution for urban gardening and other situations requiring a portable planter.

The product provided Bloem with its first non-molded plastic planter, paving the way for the growing company to broaden its product offerings.

At the time of the acquisition, Mast said, “The quality and versatility of the products, combined with the environmental commitment and stylish designs, are aligned with our long-term objectives. Emerging material technology is the future of container gardening.”

The company followed that acquisition with another a year later.

In January 2016, it bought American Designer Pottery of Apopka, Florida, which was a division of Fiskars Brands.

That acquisition extended Bloem’s reach from 3,000 retailers to 10,000 retailers. It also made Bloem one of the largest designers and manufacturers of decorative planters, with more than 30 percent of the market.

Mast said between 2012 and 2013, Bloem had grown to eight and a half times its previous size, and then grew another two and a half times from 2013 to 2014.

From 2014 to 2015, the company doubled, and this year he expects Bloem to grow four and a half times its size last year.

The company currently has 160 employees.

Today, Bloem’s corporate headquarters are still located in Hudsonville. It has a satellite warehouse in Joliet, Illinois, and its primary facility for production is located in Florida.

Bloem does business with national retailers and garden centers in all 50 states.

Mast said the company does some international business, as well, but he noted Bloem’s products are a tough item to ship internationally, so international markets aren’t a big focus for the company.

He said he doesn’t just want to see his company get bigger, but instead, he’s focused on building a healthy company.

He said some of the challenges Bloem faces include being a seasonal business; having lots of wellestablished competition within the industry; and the crucial need for inventory planning and operating at a high volume to be successful.

Mast also said it’s important to him that Bloem become an innovator within the industry.

He noted that, in the past, consumers simply looked for a flowerpot that was approximately the right size, but more recently consumers have become much more interested in the design and color of the flowerpots they purchase.

“There is now a more ‘fashionable’ approach to the flowerpot,” he said.

He said that means keeping up with trends and making sure the products Bloem is producing are on trend.

He said Bloem products have shown up on some of HGTV’s design-centric shows and have made some other television appearanc-

es, as well.

For instance, he mentioned a planter’s appearance on the NBC sitcom hit “The Office.”

“The little pot that sits by Pam’s desk was one of our planters prior to our acquisition,” he said.

Mast said thus far Bloem has mostly focused on industry branding, but he realizes there is an opportunity for the company on the consumer branding side, as well.

Last year, the company created a concept store at Countryside Greenhouse in Allendale to help it begin to understand consumer shopping and buying habits.

“We learned a lot in our concept store,” he said.

Bloem will once again have its concept store at Countryside this summer to continue its research on what consumers buy.

Mast also expects Bloem to move from an acquisition model to an internal approach to innovation. He said the company would be hiring new employees with an eye toward innovation to support that goal.

He said he hasn’t had any issues attracting the employees the company needs; indeed, he points to West Michigan as a great location for the business because talent wants to move here.

He added there are a lot of individuals who are ready to leave large organizations for smaller ones, and Bloem is a great destination for them.

Does he ever wonder what life would have been like if he’d stayed at Western Michigan University and become a commercial pilot?

“Looking back now, the entrepreneurial spirit was probably the direction I was gifted to go into,” Mast said. “I’m passionate about people and organizational health, and growing and developing a business.

“Had I gone down the path of aviation flight science, I wouldn’t have been happy.”

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Comment & Opinion 16 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2, 2016

EDITORIAL

Heeding rankings will help sustain West Michigan business achievements

G Of concern is the West Michigan ranking of “slightly below” the national averages for employee education and development, and diversity and inclusion, employee recognition, selection and orientation.

GUEST COLUMN Fred Molnar

West Michigan is destination for life sciences startups

rand Rapids Business Journal notes this week the number of West Michigan companies that have attained rank in the Michigan Business and Professional Association’s 2016 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, an honor especially for its rigorous evaluation in 15 categories with 30 pages of documentation.

The integrity of the process (which includes not just CEOs and C-suite staff but also confidential information from employees) is guarded and reviewed by the Illinois Institute of Technology and Center for Research and Development.

That process also revealed overall weakness among West Michigan businesses as a whole.

In full disclosure, the Business Journal acknowledges its participation on the MBPA West Michigan board, a perch from which the process is observed.

More than 1,000 companies competed for the Best and Brightest accolades, each completing the grueling documentation. That, too, is noteworthy, especially in West Michigan where privacy is prized among the many privately held businesses.

What is compelling here is the comparisons that can be made: West Michigan to Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Milwaukee, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego and Boston. It may be no surprise that West Michigan companies

W

est Michigan’s legacy as a manufacturing region began to take a turn two decades ago with the founding of the Van Andel Institute and the birth of the Medical Mile. Since then, the area has built a new reputation, becoming one of the fastest-growing life sciences clusters in the country.

We’ve reached a point at which impactful institutions across the life sciences sector are calling West Michigan home, with more than 44,000 local jobs related to biosciences. Global leaders in pharmaceutical manufacturing, health care services, and preclinical and biomedical research are headquartered here. Over the past decade, the region has experienced a 38.7 percent industry job growth, well above the national average of 21 percent.

It’s only natural, then, that entrepreneurs and small startup companies in the industry would be attracted to this region. And with support from organizations like the Michigan Economic Development Corp., there has been an abundance of early assistance.

From providing affordable lab space to connecting entrepreneurs with an extensive network of mentors to offering business accelerator and incubator programs,

scored “significantly above” the national benchmark in community initiatives and right at the national benchmark for work-life balance.

The latter certainly provides recruiters with bragging rights for the region against all others in the country.

Association president Jennifer Kluge noted: “This is a testament to the advantage of West Michigan as a tight-knit community. It shows employers’ commitment to the community and working together to ensure West Michigan is a destination for top talent. … West Michigan is truly competitive in these areas.”

Of concern is the West Michigan ranking of “slightly below” the national averages for employee education and development, and diversity and inclusion, employee recognition, selection and orientation.

Kluge explains that West Michigan’s “strong work ethic” is valuable but suggests the West Michigan region would find greater business success in spending time on training leaders and supervisors.

That was also an observation made by judges evaluating 138 nominees earlier this year for Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 50 Most influential Women in West Michigan.

Consensus among the judges from Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit was that West Michigan is home to “a lot of do-ers and uber

volunteers, but far fewer leaders and innovators.”

As businesses in West Michigan continue to compete with other

the entrepreneurial ecosystem has been growing at a remarkable pace.

Until recently, there was still a missing puzzle piece: capital.

The mix of state-funded incubators like the Grand Rapids SmartZone, business competitions, research partnerships and university collaborations has allowed entrepreneurs and small startups to put their ideas into motion. Some were highly successful, wisely maximizing their use of the resources available. Ultimately, though, there hasn’t been the access to capital needed to take many companies to the next stage. Until now.

In its 2016 Annual Research Report, the Michigan Venture Capital Association revealed “Michiganbased venture capital firms have more capital under management than ever before: $2.2 billion, a 47 percent increase in capital used to power Michigan’s entrepreneurial economy in the last five years.”

The report identified life sciences as one of the top two sectors of focus for investment deployment in 2015, along with information technology.

It will take time — and a continued upward trajectory of investing — to build a truly sustainable environment that can attract and

support life sciences startups, but West Michigan is already seeing the impact of this increase.

One example is Kalamazoobased Armune BioScience, an emerging leader in breakthrough cancer diagnostics. Armune initially received funding and business support through a variety of resources, including MEDC’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation initiative, which provided early funding and critical counsel, and helped Armune attract additional financial support.

Last year, the company launched its first product, Apifiny, a blood test developed in partnership with the University of Michigan to detect prostate cancer at its earliest stages. Today, Armune is a growing venture-backed company, with international reach and a global laboratory network. The company recently raised nearly $9.1 million as part of a Series A capital raise to support further commercialization, which came from 46 investors, according to a

regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Another local groundbreaking company benefiting from the VC increase is RespondWell, a Grand Rapids-based digital health company that has developed software allowing physical therapists and physicians to engage patients regardless of physical location through telerehabilitation. The concept of virtual health care is gaining significant momentum throughout the industry, and this unique approach aims to increase adherence rates to prescribed rehabilitation, improve outcomes and reduce costs. The company is backed by multiple investments, including Start Garden and Michigan Accelerator Fund I, and is seeking another funding round to support further development.

These are just two examples of the many West Michigan life sciences startups that have felt the

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

of the Business Journal. Letters and columns may be edited for reasons of space or clarity. Please submit to: The Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 549 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or e-mail bjletters@grbj.com.

U.S. regions, it is especially important to see leadership training and employee engagement as a part of the succession plans.

MI VIEW WEST Garth Kriewall

Michigan journalist, kriewall@hotmail.com

OK. So we’re not performing at Meijer Gardens.

But we are in the Meijer Potting Sheds, and that’s close!

Continued on page 28 8

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MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 17

FAMILY BUSINESS MATTERS Tom Emigh and Tamara Rosier

Family meetings: identifying exactly who is in the room E

veryone has that odd uncle who shows up at family events and creates awkwardly memorable situations.

What if that uncle is not just a family member but you “get to” work with him every day in your family business?

Family businesses often have an interesting cast of characters, each of whom contributes uniquely to the organizational culture and the climate of family meetings. If the meeting is going to run smoothly and be productive, it is helpful for the facilitator to understand each person in the meeting and how to respond to him or her.

1. The godfather (or godmother): What seems like “strong leadership” at first can end up being highly controlling behavior.

This person is always in charge, sometimes openly and other times behind the scenes. All roads lead through him/her, and it is tough to get anything done without his/her blessing. This can have a disheartening and demotivating effect on the rest of the team while stifling deep engagement, new ideas and fresh thinking.

A skilled facilitator will do the best work outside the meeting, as taking on this powerful person in the meeting will lead to significant conflict. Outside the meeting, a facilitator can both affirm the leader while also helping him/her identify new leaders who can be given a chance to express their leadership style and ideas. Looking ahead to a time where the godfather will not be as engaged is one way to motivate this thinking and get him to

loosen his grip.

2. Visionary Victoria: Vicky is a BIG thinker. Her ideas are on a grand scale. To some she seems incredibly visionary and forward thinking but to others she seems unrealistic. While she may not be great at implementation, she ensures the group will not “settle” for simple thinking or easy solutions.

She can be a catalyst who helps the group break free from ruts or tradition, even though she drives the practical members nuts.

But Vicky creates a positive tension in the group, and a skilled facilitator can manage that. It is a bit of a dance: Let Vicky go if the group needs some energy and fresh thinking, but dial her back if she gets too “out there.” Identify someone who can partner with Vicky and help her develop an implementation/ feasibility plan.

Ask Vicky to prioritize her big ideas. Statements such as “Vicky, that is some good thinking, any feedback or questions from the group?” or “What are your top 3 strategies, and who can help develop a plan for implementation” can stimulate broad group investment and active response to her energy.

3. Hijacker Harry: Harry has no popup blocker; he says whatever is on his mind. From “we’ve tried this before and it doesn’t work” to emotional explosions and overlong explanations that hijack the meeting with items that are neither relevant nor on the agenda, Harry is all over the place.

There are some simple verbal prompts that can signal these wandering family members that it is

time to return to the meeting: “Let’s come back to the agenda item we were discussing” or “Can you help us by linking your comments to the question we were discussing?” A more direct intervention could be, “I need to interrupt you and see if there are any other perspectives on this matter.”

4. Questioning Quentin: Quentin asks questions persistently until he feels he has enough information. Generally, he does this out of his deep detail orientation, rather than being passive-aggressive.

Even though he asks more questions than anyone else in the room, his questions deepen everyone’s understanding. But people might begin to check out if it goes on too long. How to strike a balance?

A good facilitator is patient and realizes a healthy team is a selfregulating team. You don’t have to answer all of Quentin’s questions, but merely prod the team to stay in the discussion. You role is to keep it moving, watch the time and enable everyone’s participation.

If a team is frustrated with a member’s legitimate need, you might consider asking them to take a step back to prioritize their questions, meeting with the person offline, or bringing the agenda item back at a future meeting. Above all, do not appear to take sides. The facilitator is on the side of fairness, good process and the group’s stated goals.

4. Smooth It Over Sam: Instead of letting a good conversation proceed, even with disagreement or debate, Sam will interject to pull the group to a neutral, but unpro-

ductive, place. Watch for statements such as, “Well, I think the important thing is that everyone is happy about the decision” or “Hey, everyone tried really hard and that’s what counts.” Over time, this can either be self-marginalizing behavior for Sam, or others might become influenced by Sam’s discomfort and be less likely to fully invest in tough conversations.

In the meeting, a facilitator can let Sam know you are “on it” (developing conflict). You can observe, “I think Jack and Barb are helping us understand this complex problem much better; thank you.”

5. Busy Biff (Buffy) is always late, always in a rush, and gives others the impression there are more important things he could be doing. Biff is rarely prepared, very distracted, and spends time interacting with his phone.

This is very distracting to the other members of the team, and can have the effect of eroding others’ behaviors if left unchecked.

Clear agreements about how we conduct ourselves while meeting is a great start and arms the facilitator with the necessary standing to ask Biff to comply with the previously agreed upon standards. Refusing to backtrack and cover items already discussed for those who come late is another means of providing accountability to stick with reasonable agreements. Finally, chronic behavior may require a sidebar during a break or between meetings to remind Biff that his contribution and focus are important to the team, inviting him to a higher standard.

A good facilitator is patient and realizes a healthy team is a self-regulating team.

One of the most difficult aspects of doing good, effective work in a family meeting is keeping people focused, engaged and participating in ways that not only achieve the goals of the agenda but also don’t leave permanent marks on the relationships between the team members.

It is a challenging balance to strike and daunting for any family member to facilitate a family meeting. It is likely significant work will need to be done outside the meeting, and for some, it may be best to find someone who specializes in facilitation and isn’t part of the family.

In either case, it is helpful to identify who is in the room. Hopefully, these “characters” will both cause you to smile and have a plan for responding to them.

Tom Emigh and Tamara Rosier are principals at Acorn Leadership (acornleadership.com), an organizational and leadership development consulting firm based in the Grand Rapids area.

SALES MOVES Jeffrey Gitomer

I’d rather have no sales advice than bad sales advice I

can’t help it. I read some bad sales advice today and I gotta say something. I’ll try to keep it positive, but my tongue is already bleeding from biting it.

The title of the article was: “When sales calls stall.”

Every salesperson has experienced that barrier in one form or another, so I wondered what this “expert” had to say.

Note well: I try not to read current sales material because I don’t want to copy, or be accused of copying, someone else’s work or ideas.

It started with the usual sales dialog: You have a meeting with a prospective customer; they’re hot, hot, hot, for your product or service; they ask for a proposal, you quickly oblige, and a week later you call the hot customer, and they have evaporated — won’t return your calls or emails.

What to do?

Get ready — here comes this guy’s (name withheld) expert advice: He recommends every manipulative “sales technique” from implying urgency (buy today or the deal goes away) to getting cre-

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ative (whatever that means; no explanation or examples given), to using intrigue to connect (no explanation or examples given).

He advises: Be prepared like a boy scout, appeal to a higher authority, assume all is well and they are just busy, use the admin as an ally, and a bunch of sales talk mumbo jumbo that any seasoned executive or their assistant would smell like a skunk that hasn’t bathed.

This is why this type of approach to a reluctant or otherwise busy buyer will never work: First: The prospect is not returning your calls for a reason.

Wouldn’t it be important to find out why? If you could discover that, it would help your next 1,000 sales calls.

Second: Why did you ever offer a proposal without making a firm face-to-face follow-up sales appointment in the first place? This is one of the most powerful — yet mostly overlooked — elements of the sales cycle.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of 13 books. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at gitomerlearning academy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit gitomer.com or email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com.

Third: Stop trying to sell. Stop trying to be cute. Stop trying to be manipulative.

Fourth: For goodness sake, stop trying to butter up the admin or executive assistant. These people are smarter than your lingo and loyal to their employers, not you.

Fifth: The salesperson (not you, of course) did a lousy job in the presentation, left some holes, never discovered the prospect’s real motive to purchase, was subjected (relegated) to a proposal/ bidding process, never followed relationship-based strategies, was more hungry for the sale and the commission than uncovering what would build a relationship.

You didn’t connect; you didn’t engage. Why are you blaming the prospect for not calling you? Why don’t you take responsibility for

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doing a poor job, and taking a lesson? Not just a sales lesson, a relationship lesson.

Point five caution: Maybe their daddy decides, and you’ve never met daddy, let alone know who he is. Maybe someone else higher up the ladder told your prospect “No,” and your prospect is embarrassed, or doesn’t care, to tell you.

Sales reality check: In sales you have one chance — one chance to engage, one chance to build rapport, one chance to connect, one chance to be believable, one chance to be trustworthy, and one chance to meet with the real decision-maker.

You have one chance to differentiate yourself, one chance to prove your value, and one chance to ask for (or better, confirm) the sale.

Bad news: If you miss your chance or blow your chance, recovery chances are slim. OK, none.

Not being able to reconnect with a prospect is not a problem, it’s a symptom. And it’s a report card on how well you’re doing. Or not doing. How well the relationship is going. Or not going.

Good news: Lost sales and sales

gone wrong are the best places to learn.

Better news: If you make a firm commitment to meet a few days later — not by phone, to meet faceto-face — you have a better chance of discovering the truth.

Best news: Once you get to truth, you have a chance at sale. Or better stated, you will have created the atmosphere where someone wants to buy from you.

Sales techniques are increasingly becoming passé. So are the people who stress using them rather than emphasizing the relationship- and value-based side.

I grew up selling, and I grew out of it.

If you have lost a connection, or if a hot prospect evaporates or refuses to call you back or respond to you, the worst thing you can do is try a sales technique. Why don’t you try something new? Try being honest. No, not just with the customer, with yourself.

I promise that a harsh selfdiscovery lesson may not help you reconnect with the customer you lost, but it’s connection insurance for the next thousand. Take a chance. It’s the best one you’ve got.

Tina Gillman: tgillman@geminipub.com

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18 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2, 2016

Loeks says movie theater is good for downtown 7 Continued from page 1 with Downtown Grand Rapids. As Larson settled in, the South Arena Visioning plan began to reveal how the city would handle the disposition of public assets such as the Area 5 parking lot, which was the original site proposed for the theater. The current proposed site is on a combined piece of land using Areas 4 and 5 behind the arena.

Combined with Arena Place, total investment in the South Arena District nears $200 million since 2012, with three parcels remaining, including a potential mixed-use garage in the lot directly behind Van Andel Arena.

“I felt strongly that if we were to sell land, we need to know what we’re selling land for,” Larson said.

“Under what conditions would the DDA sell land? What are the priorities? In those conversations, we really began to understand and have a better sense of what really could be.

“What came from it looked a lot like their project.”

Following the South Arena Visioning, the project was still approximately two years from its final iteration. Larson acknowledged much of the past two years has been spent on development of Arena Place and the challenge of daytime parking that has arisen.

One of Larson’s biggest challenges was conveying the certainty that the movie theater project would still happen and giving business owners confidence the area would change for the better.

Loeks stayed involved in community meetings regarding the area, especially when it came to parking, but for part of the last year, the development simmered on the back burner.

Loeks kept the project fairly quiet as he sought development partners whom he trusted and were in the same frame of mind to help create a community-changing project.

He said listening to the South Arena Visioning suggestions and speaking with other community developers has led to a project that is nearly 10 times the original size.

$369M

Studio C! is expected to bring nearly 250,000 people to downtown that wouldn’t otherwise come. An early study

by DGRI suggests the development would have an economic impact of $369 million in its first 10 years.

616 Development was first contacted in the summer of 2015 and it quickly became apparent the company’s values and past projects align with the communitycentric ideals of the downtown theater, Loeks said.

Loeks said the project was always intended to be more of a community asset than one to make his company money, as a movie theater is one of the top five amenities residents want to see in a downtown. He suspects the company’s suburban Celebration! Cinema theaters will provide somewhat of a flotation device,

financially, but the downtown theater will add to the vibrancy of Grand Rapids and will drive overall growth in the community and his company.

“In some ways, it’s like a piece of art. You didn’t know exactly what it wants to be, but you have a notion of what you want to do,” Loeks said. “The other thing to understand from our perspective is we know we make more money out in the suburbs. We go downtown Grand Rapids because this is our hometown and we believe a strong community needs a strong urban core. When you’re in it for community development reasons in the first place, you might as well do it right.”

Following conversations with other developers, it was obvious to Loeks the development should include a residential component to help bring the 10,000-person “critical mass” downtown that could create a tipping point for more amenities to be viable there.

Larson said one of the next steps will be to focus on soft-goods retailers, which often cluster together in a new area.

Studio C! is expected to bring nearly 250,000 people to downtown that wouldn’t otherwise come. An early study by DGRI suggests the development would have an economic impact of $369 million in its first 10 years.

“That’s awesome when you put it in context to Van Andel Arena,” Larson said.

“Van Andel has been an amazing catalytic investment for our community. Within a year, 16 bars and restaurants had opened around it. What does the theater do to continue to change and evolve the downtown?”

Despite the theater’s parking garage providing 300 more spac-

CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS GENERAL CONTRACTORS DESIGN BUILDERS

es than the current surface lots, where all the new visitors will park remains a hot topic. Larson pointed out the theater will have parking spots for various times of the day when different users need it.

He said there could be a crunch when there is an event at Van Andel Arena and a major movie is playing in the theaters, but recent parking changes can add supply and change consumer behavior.

Without parking, Loeks said, a movie theater in downtown isn’t viable, so an extra step has to be taken to make the parking affordable for movie goers.

Loeks said a parking validation program is likely, but no solution is perfect.

“The only question is, how do you sell it to a community that can’t understand the validation program?” Loeks said. “People have their biases. Ask five different people what they want from parking, and you get 20 different answers. You want to be respectful of that, and at some point you need to make some compromises to get to the bigger picture that ultimately has very little to do with parking.”

Larson said many residents want to see a city similar to what Grand Rapids was in the 1940s and 1950s, when downtown boasted plenty of retail and entertainment options.

“We’ve had a fabulous run the last three or four years, with probably between three-quarters of a billion and $1 billion in new investment,” Larson said. “It’s a game of chess, a really long game of chess.”

Michigan corridor meeting set for Thursday 7 Continued from page 3 to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. •Installing green infrastructure such as street trees, meridian islands and infiltration basins designed to soak storm water into the ground to filter out pollutants and reduce runoff.

•Installing pedestrian islands to create a shorter crossing distance.

Schulz said these proposed changes have been “modeled to death” and noted the important impact they could have on changing the preferred modes of transportation on the heavily trafficked road, where more than 90 percent of the cars are single-occupant vehicles, she added.

“It’s like putting a whole big puzzle together,” Schulz said.

“People might not understand the full picture, but we need to have a 40 percent mode shift toward public transportation.

“The better we can do that, the more economic development we can facilitate on this corridor — and if we fail, it will be much more difficult to get around.”

The city is encouraging the public to participate in Thursday’s meeting; the proposed concepts are not final, and citizen feedback could help determine the final design, she said.

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Top Area Commercial Real Estate Brokers (RANKED BY TOTAL NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL LISTINGS) Brokerage Owner(s) Or Manager(s)

Year Established In W. Mich.

Number of W.Mich Licensed Agents/ No. of Licensed Agents Staff with 6+ Transactions

Total No. Of Commercial Listings

Sample Of Current Listings Offered

Thrice gilded NAI Wisinski principal Stan Wisinski recently received three Excellence Awards from the Michigan Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors.

1

NAI Wisinski of West Michigan 100 Grandville Ave. SW, Suite 100 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 776-0100 f 776-0101 naiwwm.com

Dave Smies Doug Taatjes Stan Wisinski Tom Kilgore Kurt Kunst Mary Anne Wisinski-Rosely Rod Alderink Bill Tyson Jason Makowski

2011

26 9

DND

749

300 and 301 36th St. SE (Wyoming); 530 S. State St. (Sparta); 5251 Clyde Park Ave. SW (Wyoming)

2

Colliers International 333 Bridge St. NW Grand Rapids 45904 p (616) 774-3500 f 774-3600 colliers.com/en-us/westmichigan

Duke Suwyn Kris DePree

1987

26 7

21

723

For Sale: 3470 Roger B. Chaffee Memorial Blvd. SE For Leases: 333 Bridge St. NW

3

Callander Commercial 50 Louis St. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 459-8000 f 459-3300 ccmichigan.com

Ellie Callander

2006

14 DND

13

486

DND

4

Northstar Commercial LLC 660 Cascade West Pkwy. SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 247-9600 f 247-9601 northstarcommercial.net

Steve Millman Steve Wilson

2009

12 1

11

460

6755 Kalamazoo Ave. SE; 420 Baldwin St. (Jenison); 5550 Clay Ave. SW (Wyoming); 1750 Woodworth St. NE; 1710 Woodworth St. NE

5

DAR Development Inc. 5500 Northland Drive NE Grand Rapids 49525 p (616) 361-2307 f 361-8875 dardevelopment.com

Darrel Herweyer Dave Denton

1996

5 0

3

218

2500 East Beltline SE

6

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

Mark Muller

1958

6 DND

4

132

Rockford Promenade, 8 E. Bridge St., Rockford (For lease); Celebration Village, 2090 Celebration Drive; Woodland Corner Shops, 3464 28th St. (For lease)

Colliers International was recognized by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals 2016 Global Outsourcing 100 List for the 11th straight year in April.

7

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate 502 Northland Drive Rockford 49306 p (616) 447-7070 bhhsmicommercial.com

Steven Fase

1953

6 DND

3

129

5251 & 5253 36th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, 4790 Alpine Avenue NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321, 5111 Thornapple River Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512

Fresh paint

8

First Companies Inc. 4380 Brockton Drive SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 698-5000 f 698-0900 firstcompanies.com

Jeff Baker

1967

4 9

3

112

2144 E. Paris Ave. SE; 4595 Broadmoor Ave. SE; 523 Ada Drive SE (Ada); 4436 Broadmoor Ave. SE

9

CBRE|Grand Rapids 634 Front Ave. NW, Suite 550 Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 831-2200 f 831-2201 cbregr.com

Van Martin Tricia Foster

1998

9 2

9

84

Northbrook Office Park, 2920-2944 Fuller Ave. NE; 3770 Hagen Drive SE; 6420-6514 Byron Center Ave. SW (Byron Center)

10

Sperry Van Ness / Silveri Co. 580 Cascade West Parkway SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 949-7776 f 949-7929 svn.com

Glenn Turek

1983

5 DND

5

73

DND

11

The Hinman Company 2851 Charlevoix Drive SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 957-3711 f 942-9411 hinmancompany.com

Kirk Driesenga Valery Young

1977

2 4

2

66

For Lease: Centennial Plaza, 2851 Charlevoix Drive SE; 77 Monroe Center NW; Ramblewood Offices, 2845 & 2855 44th St. SW (Grandville)

12

Realvesco Properties 4180 44th St. SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 698-7600 f 698-1875 realvesco.com

Thomas Koster

1981

3 DND

2

65

211 Hilltop Road (St. Joseph); 625 Kenmoor Ave. SE; 3800 36th St. SE

13

X Ventures 44 Grandville Ave. SW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 726-2700 f 726-2704 xventureswm.com

Chip Bowling Diane Dusendang

2012

9 0

8

34

161 Ottawa Ave. NW; 940 N Monroe Ave.; 1595 Galbraith SE; Wilson Crossings (Wyoming)

14

Bradley Company 250 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 426 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 717-5602 bradleyco.com

Sally Tucker

2013

7 0

2

26

4430 East Beltline SE; 2780 28th St. SW (Wyoming); 1916 28th St. SE; 1940 28th St. SE

15

Midwest Realty Group LLC 8175 Creekside Drive, Suite 210 Portage 49024 p (269) 323-0717 f (269) 323-0784 midwestrealty.com

Rick DeKam

1998

2 0

2

21

5001 S. 11 Mile Road; 1192 Dunks Road (St. Joseph); 507 W. Atherton Road (Genesee)

16

Dodgson Realty Co. 4265 28th St. SE Grand Rapids 49512 p (616) 458-1588 f 235-3423 dodgsonrealty.com

Steve Dodgson

1971

2 0

2

18

DND

17

Gable Ventures 44 Grandville Ave. SW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 774-4100 f 774-4141 gableventures.com

Ned Quinn

2003

2 1

2

15

4174 56th St. SW; 7200 Kalamazoo Ave. SE; 4124 56th St. SW; 5764 Comstock Park Drive NW; 6450-6500 28th Ave., 1057 28th St. SE

18

Michigan Commercial Properties 3280 Beltline Court NE, Suite 300 Grand Rapids 49525 p (800) 599-2320 f 559-2320 michigancommercialproperties.com

Mark Baker

1999

1 1

1

14

919 36th St. SW (Wyoming); 7061 W. 48th St. (Fremont); For lease: Retail Power Center, 14229-14315 Northland Drive (Big Rapids)

19

Grand Rapids Real Estate 5156 Amanda Drive SW Grandville 49418 p (616) 862-1736 grandrapidsproperties.com

Kim Hain

2004

2 0

2

9

590 84th St. SW (Byron Center); 43 100th St. (Byron Center); 290 92nd St. (Byron Center)

20

Bera Group Inc. P.O. Box 640 Rockford 49341 p (616) 974-0222 f 773-1009 beragroup.com

George Bera

1996

1 1

1

3

High profile corner for sale at Broadmoor & Kraft

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of Top Area Commercial Real Estate Brokers, ranked by the total number of commercial listings, 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 86 companies; 30 returned surveys and 20 are listed. To be considered for future lists, e-mail jobrien@geminipub.com. DND = Did not disclose

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22 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2, 2016

Hudsonville prepares for $5M worth of downtown renovations Farmers market, community center at heart of creating walkable spaces.

Pat Evans

Grand Rapids Business Journal

As urban blight continues to impact small towns across Michigan, Hudsonville is poised to revitalize its downtown.

City officials hope to see construction begin on approximately $5 million worth of projects this summer after years of planning.

Imagine Hudsonville 2030 includes a community center and

center at the site of the former Hartman Chevrolet building.

During the community survey process, 91.7 percent of responses indicated a farmers market was at least “somewhat important” to the community.

The indoor/outdoor farmers market is scheduled to open at 3380 Chicago Drive in June 2017 if all goes according to plan. The building is planned to include space for a permanent food vendor or coffee shop, along with approximately 6,000 square feet of a banquet-type facility and co-working office space.

The Harvey Street “living street” project will likely begin in 2017. The project would extend Harvey Street to the east to inter-

farmers market, a beautification of Chicago Drive and a “living street” project on Harvey Street.

“It’s a painful circumstance for cities to confront,” Hudsonville Mayor Mark Northrup said regarding dying downtowns. “We want to bring back a vibrant, walkable downtown.”

Northrup said Hudsonville, which has one of the lowest millage rates in the state, will not raise its taxes for the projects. He said the projects likely will be funded through 20-year bonds, but there is sufficient cash in the city’s general fund for the developments.

The first part of the project will likely be the $1.9 million Terra Square project, which will include a farmers market and community

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A FORMER CAR dealership will be transformed into a community center and farmers market. Courtesy City of Hudsonville

sect with Terra Square and create a walkable, pedestrian-friendly street. It would include seating areas, bike racks and other familyfriendly areas.

Imagine Hudsonville 2030 will hopefully bring more retailers to the area.

“We really want to brighten up the downtown,” Northrup said.

“We are painfully aware we need to create more opportunities for people to come in and enjoy the downtown.”

The Chicago Drive beautification would likely begin in 2018, lining the north side of the road with pine trees to screen the railroad tracks.

Landscaping on the median and south side of the street would help slow traffic and draw interest to Hudsonville’s business district.

Northrup said Chicago Drive essentially bisects the downtown area and creates an impassable divider.

Along with slowing traffic down on Chicago Drive, the plan would make more of the streets interconnected for non-motorized routes to promote mobility.

The city of Hudsonville will work with Michigan Department of Transportation and CSX Rail to

improve connections across Chicago Drive and railroad tracks to help pedestrians cross the street.

The 2030 plan also has aspirations for a downtown village green, which would require land acquisitions, private-sector collaboration, and designing and constructing new streets. Other ideas include an amphitheater. Public art would be installed throughout civic spaces, parks and plazas to help the city’s aesthetic.

The entire Imagine Hudsonville 2030 plan has taken more than 12 years to come together and is the work of the city government during the terms of several mayors. The plan was awarded the Michigan Association of Planning’s Daniel H. Burnham Award in 2015.

Now is a good time to implement the projects, Northrup said, as younger generations want the vibrant downtown these projects will create.

“There have been lots of plans that have come and gone,” he said.

“Don Van Doeselaar and Jim Holtrop (former Hudsonville mayors) have carried a lot of water, and I just happen to be mayor as it starts.

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MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

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24 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2, 2016

Peter and Joan Secchia CarePartners program opens at Spectrum The initiative was created to coordinate care and appointments for critically ill children.

Charlsie Dewey

Grand Rapids Business Journal

An opening ceremony was held last week for the new Peter and Joan Secchia CarePartners program at Helen Devos Children’s Hospital.

The new program seeks to make life easier for young patients with complex medical needs and their families by bundling appointments and providing a program coordinator to assist them in navigating their care plan.

pointments.

The lounge will be open 8 a.m.4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and by appointment.

Children seeing three or more pediatric specialists at or affiliated with DeVos Children’s Hospital can be referred to the program.

Once referred, a CarePartners program coordinator will screen a child’s needs and coordinate appointments for the family.

The appointments will be scheduled in a compressed timeframe so families can see several specialists in an efficient manner, reducing travel time and missed days at school or work. The program coordinator also will explain medical jargon and diagnostic information and help patients and families throughout the course of treatment.

“This level of care coordination is something we have wanted

“CarePartners has been able to cut the time we spend at the hospital, and on the phone arranging trips to the hospital, in half. It’s great to know we have someone fighting for Quentin, someone as our ally who is working to make things as simple as possible for our family.”

The program was launched one year ago, and last week marked the opening of its new home at 35 Michigan St. NE across from Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Designed as a lounge for families to rest between appointments or testing, the location provides a conference room for care conferences, private spaces to allow for napping or quiet time, and lockers to secure belongings during ap-

Nick Kamps

to offer at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for quite some time,” Bob Connors, M.D., president of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, said previously. “Peter and Joan have made this dream a reality, and their vision and generosity will make a difference for so many patients and families for years to come.”

Spectrum Health said 11-monthold Quentin Kamps is one of the

first children to be referred to the CarePartners program.

Quentin was born at 25-weeks gestation and was very sick. Spectrum said he fell into the category of “micro-preemie” and was cared for in the Small Baby Unit at DeVos Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

He suffered from an infectious pocket in his brain along with E. coli sepsis and meningitis during his first two months. He also has hip dysplasia and chronic lung disease from being born so prematurely.

Quentin already has undergone 10 surgeries and has ongoing appointments with eight hospital teams: neurosurgery, pulmonology, endocrinology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, developmental clinic and pediatric surgery — all of which require weekly appointments.

His father, Nick Kamps, said being a part of the CarePartners program has made life easier for he and his wife, who previously spent several hours a week scheduling and attending appointments for their son.

“CarePartners has been able to cut the time we spend at the hospital, and on the phone arranging trips to the hospital, in half,” Nick Kamps said.

“It’s great to know we have someone fighting for Quentin, someone as our ally who is working to make things as simple as possible for our family.”

Peter and Joan Secchia became involved with the CarePartners program after a grandchild faced a host of appointments related to a complex medical issue.

“Because of a similar situation with our granddaughter, we realize how difficult it can be for fami-

JENNIFER KAMPS joins her son, Quentin, who was one of the first children to be referred to the CarePartners program, for his “tummy time” exercises. Courtesy Chris Clark/Spectrum Health

lies to face a complex health situation with a young child and then have to manage multiple appointments,” said Peter Secchia. “We had to line up several appointments within a day or two for our daughter and granddaughter.

“Joan and I understand the need for a program like this and wanted to make sure all families coming to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital have this support while going through such a difficult time.”

“We wanted to ensure the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital experience would provide special care to other families during stressful times,” added Joan Secchia.

Michelle Lancaster, R.N., has

been hired as CarePartners’ first coordinator.

Lancaster’s job is to provide guidance and support to patient families and help them understand medical information and treatment plans.

Lancaster will coordinate referrals, medical appointments, procedures and tests with the goal of reducing trips to the hospital.

She also will provide families with referrals to support services such as social work, pastoral care, financial counseling and other community resources.

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MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 25

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THAW offers hand up with energy bills, not a handout Pat Evans

Grand Rapids Business Journal

Mark Lane likes it when he hears people say they hope never to see him again.

Lane is the director of communications for THAW — The Heat and Warmth fund — a nonprofit dedicated to paying the utility bills of those in need, as long as their income qualifies at 150 percent or less of the poverty rate.

When Lane hears those words, it means THAW has done its job — and 80 percent of the time, it holds true.

“They need a hand up, not a handout,” Lane said.

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In the nonprofit’s more than 30 years in Michigan, it has distributed more than $160 million to help more than 223,000 households. Last year, the fund contributed more than $16 million in utility assistance to more than 23,000 homes.

Many of those houses, however, are in Southeast Michigan, and Lane and COO Matthew Phillips were in Grand Rapids last week to help further establish THAW’s roots in West Michigan.

On April 22, THAW held a Customer Assistance Day at the Diocese of Grand Rapids, with more than 350 registered customers hoping for assistance. THAW also offers an online application.

Phillips said 70 percent of the households include a child or senior, but there are no limits to the number of people in a household, even if it’s just one person struggling to pay the bills.

For the most part, THAW concentrates on light and heat, but occasionally will assist in water payments. Those seeking help must provide necessary proof and identification, and once verified, THAW sends payments to indanger or already-ceased accounts within 10 days. The customer receives a letter notifying them of a zero balance.

“We hope paying off the balance allows them to get back on their feet,” Lane said.

THAW has partnered with more 70 agencies throughout the state, including 19 in West Michigan, to facilitate applications and provide “wraparound” services: “Anything we can do to help bring people closer to being self-sufficient,” Phillips said. “If we just pay the bills and they don’t have a job or are in other debt, then they’re still in trouble. A lot of the people just don’t have enough to make ends meet.”

THAW doesn’t only help the unemployed; 51 percent of households assisted are working families.

THAW’s partners include Consumers Energy and DTE Energy.

Both companies provide THAW with a list of customers whose accounts are in jeopardy so the nonprofit can reach out directly to them.

The energy companies also accompany THAW during its Customer Assistance Days — it held more than 50 last year — and run educational programs on how to reduce energy and save costs, and also talk to those who are unemployed about potential jobs within the organizations.

DTE also offers the ability to go to customers’ homes and perform free energy audits, install programmable thermostats and replace light bulbs.

Walker Miller Energy also has a presence during Customer Assistance Days, providing packages aimed at reducing energy consumption that include pipe wraps, LED light bulbs and low-flow showerheads.

“While people are waiting, they get an education on energy savings,” Phillips said.

THAW is funded by government grants, public and corporate support. Knowledge of the program in West Michigan is lagging behind that in Southeast Michigan, and Phillips wants to change that.

Lane said a Customer Assistance Day held in Muskegon in December only had an attendance of approximately 45 people.

“There are a lot of vulnerable people in Muskegon, and we want them to know THAW is here and here to help,” he said. “There is someone out there for them when they’re in crisis.”

MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 27

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Brenneman loves history 7 Continued from page 3 and documents that might otherwise be destroyed or have no home after a while,” he said.

Brenneman said it’s important not just to collect the histories, but also to make them available for the public.

“If we are ignorant of history, we don’t learn its lessons and then we make the same mistakes,” he said. “It’s important that people understand what’s already taken place.”

He said the Western District Historical Society has set up a webpage, federalcourthistoricalwdmi. org, where people can access some of the videos that have been made using the oral histories that have been collected.

Historical photos and other memorabilia also are available through a digital archive.

The organization publishes a seasonal journal, The Stereoscope, that includes in-depth feature stories documenting the court’s people and influential cases.

Brenneman said the historical society is also in the process of writing a book about the Western District that he hopes to see published in 2017.

“We noticed the Eastern District had put out a very nice book on their district,” Brenneman said.

“We thought it was time for us to do that, too.”

Brenneman said he was “flattered” to be asked to take on the role of court historian after Miles’ death. He said he is excited to continue unearthing the Western District’s most interesting stories and finding ways to get them out into the public realm.

One reason for his commitment,

he said, is his belief in the importance of the court system.

“There are not many institutions today that people respect,” Brenneman said. “But I’ve found that distrust hasn’t carried over to judges yet. I think people still have faith in the judiciary. It’s important for the fabric of our society that people have the faith in the judiciary.”

Brenneman’s interest in history isn’t limited to the Western District. He said he has always had an interest in American history, particularly American political history.

He majored in history at Alma College before going to law school at the University of Michigan.

While in law school he joined the military and ended up serving with the Judge Advocate General Corps, or JAG Corps, for several years.

He went on to serve as a federal prosecutor in Grand Rapids, then gave private practice a try for a few years, finally being appointed as a magistrate judge with the Western District — a position he held for 35 years. He retired from the position last summer.

He said the biggest impact on the court system he’s observed during his time as a magistrate judge is the influence of technology on every aspect of legal practice.

“Technology has overtaken the courts,” he said. “Presentations in the courtroom rely heavily on electronically presented evidence.

We’ve redesigned the court to be comfortable with electronics and things online.”

Brenneman doesn’t doubt that someday the Western District Historical Society will probably document the history of that technological transition and its impacts.

West Michigan is destination for life sciences startups 7 Continued from page 16 impact of this puzzle piece coming into place.

While this increase should be celebrated, we won’t ignore the shortfalls that still exist. The MVCA also reported venture firms with a presence in Michigan missed their fundraising target by a substantial margin, and the MVCA experienced a drop in VC firm membership for 2016.

Additionally, access to capital beyond venture funding is a glaring hurdle. There is work to do — for policymakers, for economic development organizations, for universities. A collaborative effort across the state needs to keep the mo-

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Fred Molnar is vice president of MEDC’s Entrepreneurism and Innovation and executive director of the Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center.

Change-Ups & Calendar MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 29

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Full Circle Marketing & Design announced the addition of Mike Schurr, creative director.

GreenStreet Marketing & Design with locations in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, has received national certification as a Schurr Women’s Business Enterprise by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Jeff Lambert, founder of Lambert, Edwards & Associates, has been named the 2015 M&A All Star Consultant of the Year by the Detroit chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. Lambert leads the firm’s transaction communications initiatives, including deal closings, fundraising efforts, follow-on investments and internal/external messaging.

ARTS

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra honored principal tubist Robert Whaley for his 50 years of dedication. Whaley was recognized at KSO’s season finale concert, “Elgar & Stravinsky,” at Miller Auditorium.

AWARDS

The Economic Club of Grand Rapids announced it will present the following awards during its 29th Annual Dinner May 29: to Dan DeVos, chairman and CEO of DP Fox Ventures LLC, the Business Person of the Year Award; and to Mark Murray, vice chairman of Meijer Inc., the Slykhouse Community Leadership Award.

Holland-based Adventurate Founder and CEO Jake Santangelo is the recipient of the Character Award from the West Michigan Character Council for creating SafeWater Flint, an app that helps Flint residents find clean water stations, recycling centers and counseling service centers.

MAY 3 Downtown Grand Rapids Lions Club weekly luncheon meeting. “GRCC: The Second 100 Years,” by Steven Ender, GRCC president. Noon, University Club, 111 Lyon St. NW. Information/registration: murphym@jwmessner.com.

MAY 3 Grand Rapids Toastmasters Club No. 404. Meets every Tue. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Heather Hills, 1055 Forest Hill Ave. SE. Information/registration: grandrapids. toastmastersclubs.org.

MAY 3, 10, 17 Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women Small Business GPS: Business Basics. May 3: Strategic Planning; May 10: Choosing Your Business Structure; May 17, Successful Relationship Building. 6-9 p.m., 25 Sheldon Blvd.

SE, Suite 210. Cost $60/three classes.

Information/registration: (616) 458-3404 or growbusiness.org.

MAY 4 Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce New Member Connections.

7:30-9 a.m., Celebration Cinema Wave Room, 2121 Celebration Drive NE, includes breakfast. Information/registration: grandrapids.org/events/event/memberconnections0516.

MAY 4 GVSU Toastmasters Club 4380.

Meets every Weds. Noon-1 p.m., James H. Zumberge, Room 3062, 1 Campus Drive, GVSU, Allendale. Information/registration: 4380.toastmastersclubs.org.

MAY 4 10th Annual West Michigan Sports Commission luncheon, with speaker Kirk Gibson, former Detroit Tiger. Noon, JW Marriott Ballroom, 235 Louis Campau Promenade NW. Cost: $90/person.

Information/registration: (616) 608-1836 or nrose@westmisports.com.

MAY 5 Downtown Rotary Club of Grand Rapids lunch meeting. Topic: “Update on West Michigan Economic Development,” by Birgit Klohs, president/CEO, The Right Place. Noon-1:15 p.m., University Club, 111 Lyon St. NW. Information/registration: grrotary.org.

MAY 5 Grand Rapids Area Chamber of

Michigan Celebrates Small Business announced the following West Michigan-based companies are among its Michigan 50 Companies to Watch: Abcor Industries, Holland; BizStream, Allendale; Code Blue Corp., Holland; Innereactive Media, Grand Rapids; IP Consulting Inc., Kentwood; ITC Inc., Holland; Modustri, Grand Rapids; Smart Bottoms, Ada; Steward Industries LLC, Battle Creek; and The Service Professor Inc., Grand Rapids.

Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce’s E-Awards recognized the following 2016 Entrepreneurs of Excellence: Wes Eklund, Fleet Engineers; Chris Witham, Motion Dynamics Corp.; Michael Brower, Chad Doane and Joel Kamp, Pigeon Hill Brewing Co.; Kathleen and John Riegler, The Cheese Lady; Mark Gongalski, Eric Hoffman and Jeff Jacobson, Unruly Brewing Co.; Troy Wasserman and Angie Nelund, Wasserman’s Flowers & Gifts; and Jake Nash, West Michigan Finishes.

U.S. Representative Justin Amash has received the 2016 Thomas Jefferson Award from the International Foodservice Distributors Association for supporting the free enterprise system.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Kentwood Office Furniture announced Tamara Valdiserri has joined the company as senior account manager in the Grand Rapids office.

X-Rite Inc. and its subsidiary Pantone LLC announced a cooperative agreement with HAVI Global Solutions LLC. HGS will support Valdiserri the PantoneLIVE ecosystem for digital color communications as part of its print quality management solution, ColorSentry, a web-based enterprise print and color quality management solution.

Management services provider SMG

Commerce Center for Community Leadership Fundraiser. 5:30-8:30 p.m., New Vintage Place, 889 Broadway Ave. NW. Cost: $60, includes hors d’oeuvres, cash bar. Registration: grandrapids.org/ events-programs/ccl-fundraiser.

MAY 5 Grand Rapids Opportunities For Women, Intro to GROW, free orientation to learn about programs. Noon-1 p.m. or 6-7 p.m., 25 Sheldon Blvd. SE, Suite 210. Information/registration: (616) 458-3404 or growbusiness.org.

MAY 5 Public Relations Society of America West Michigan Chapter Up, Up and Away: 31st Annual PRoof Awards. 6-9 p.m., Amway Hangar, Gerald R. Ford Airport, 5500 44th St. SE. Cost: $50/ members; $65/nonmembers; $30/students. Information/registration: wmprsa. org.

MAY 6 Calvin Center for Innovation in Business Leadercast: “Architects of Tomorrow.” 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Calvin College, Covenant FAC. Information/registration: calvin.edu/centers-institutes/ calvin-center-innovation-business/events.

MAY 6 Health Forum of West Michigan Breakfast/Panel Discussion, “Integration of Mental/Behavioral Health and Physical Medicine.” 7:309:30 a.m., GVSU Seidman Center, 50 Front St. Information/registration: (616) 331-5876 or dykstrdi@gvsu.edu.

MAY 7 Junior League of Grand Rapids Open House for Prospective Members.

9-10:30 a.m., Mary Free Bed YMCA, 5500 Burton St. SE. Information/registration: juniorleaguegr.com.

MAY 9 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters @ City Hall with Elected Officials. 8-9 a.m., Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Road SE. Information/registration: (616) 531-5990 or michelle@southkent.org.

MAY 10 Downtown Grand Rapids Lions Club weekly luncheon meeting. “Working With International Visitors,” by Alan Headbloom, cross-cultural consultant.

has launched new mobile apps for Van Andel Arena and DeVos Performance Hall that will enable users to receive event schedules, ticket and seating information, day of event updates and more. Both apps are available on iPhone and Android operating systems and can be found in the App Store and Google Play.

CONSTRUCTION

Miller-Davis Co. in Kalamazoo welcomed project superintendents George Bogard, Jim Laughren, Chad Mulder and Kevin Stoll.

EDUCATION

Serendipity Media LLC intern Caitlyn Albrant was selected as Outstanding Intern of the Year by Grand Valley State University at its Annual Internship Recognition Luncheon.

Two Grand Rapids Community College student teams each won $1,000 at the MWest Challenge competition: Keyon Hall and Bessie Hall won an Impact Award for The Shop Supermarket proposal for businesses that provides customers with safe and properly equipped workspaces to work on their cars; Khrystal Jackson won an Impact Award for Tech-ulance, a proposal for a convenient phone repair service that makes house calls.

Secchia Institute for Culinary Arts student Nathan Westgage has received Grand Rapids Community College’s Arthur Andrews Award, which goes to the Delta Pi Alpha student with the highest cumulative GPA and greatest number of honor points.

GOVERNMENT

Ottawa County has a chapter devoted to it in the third edition of “The Disney Way” (McGraw-Hill: April 2016).

Authors Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson guided nearly all of Ottawa County’s 1,100 employees in 2013 and 2014 through an intense development program to create a culture committed to outstanding customer service.

Neurocore hires chief medical officer Brain performance training provider Neurocore has appointed Dr. Majid Fotuhi as its first chief medical officer. Fotuhi has been a groundbreaking brain health researcher, thought-leader and practicing clinician in the areas of memory and cognitive improvement. Fotuhi will work with Neurocore’s chief science officer Dr. Elyse White on the development of new client programs, the execution of clinical studies, and engaging fellow medical professionals to promote Neurocore’s services and outcomes. three existing buildings totaling 25,242 square feet on a 7.24 acre parcel that runs from 930 to 948 52nd St., as well as build new facilities, in an effort to expand services for the Grand Rapids community.

LEGAL

Dickinson Wright PLLC announced attorney Catherine Mish has joined the firm’s Grand Rapids office as Of Counsel.

NONPROFITS

The board of directors of the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan has two new members: Sarah Lucas, Networks Northwest, and Jon O’Connor, 1st Ward City Commissioner.

PUBLIC SERVICE

Gov. Rick Snyder announced the reappointments of Aaron Besmer, of Caledonia, to the Michigan Barrier Free Design Board, and Tony Blattner, of Lowell, to the Michigan Apple Committee.

RETAIL

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

Van Andel Research Institute has presented scientist Matthew L. Meyerson with the 2016 Han-Mo Koo Memorial Award for his contributions to the understanding of cancer genomics and targeted therapies.

TECHNOLOGY

Blue Medora announced CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Blue Medora to its 2016 Virtualization 50 list. The annual list recognizes channel-friendly companies that provide innovative virtualization technology.

MakerSpace, a suite of learning apps that support teachers and students, has been judged a 2016 finalist both as the Best Social Studies Instructional Solution and as the Best Reading/ Language Arts Solution.

Bethany Christian Services announced the purchase of property along 52nd Street in Kentwood. It will renovate

Carmichael Heating & Air Conditioning in Muskegon was recognized with Bryant Dealer’s Tier 2 Medal of Excellence Award; Kidder Heating & Air Conditioning in Marshall for the first time received a Tier 1 Medal of Excellence Award; and Schaafsma Heating & Cooling Inc. in Grand Rapids received a Tier 2 Medal of Excellence.

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, 549 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or e-mail bjchange ups@grbj.com.

Noon, University Club, 111 Lyon St. NW. Information/registration: murphym@ jwmessner.com.

Effective Meetings.” Information/registration: (616) 336-7070 or info@varnum consulting.com

MAY 10 Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce West Michigan Business Day at the Capitol. 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Capitol Building, Lansing. Chartered bus leaves from and returns to Cascade Meijer, 5531 28th St. SE. Cost: free/members. Information/registration: (616) 7710303 or grandrapids.org/capitol.

MAY 12 Downtown Rotary Club of Grand Rapids lunch meeting. Speaker: Kyle Caldwell, executive director, GVSU Johnson Center. Noon-1:15 p.m., University Club, 111 Lyon St. NW. Information/registration: grrotary.org.

MAY 17 Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance summit, “Diversity Alliance on Race and Inclusion.” 8:30 am.-3 p.m., Hope College, Holland. Cost: $50. Information/ registration: (616) 846-9074 or ethnicdi versity.org.

HUMAN SERVICES

MAY 10 GR Business Breakfast event. Topic: “Six Steps to Grow Your Business,” by Kevin Mays, coach/consultant. 7:309 a.m., SarahCare, 2211 East Beltline Ave. NE. Cost: $12/advance; $15/door.

Information/registration: grbusiness breakfast.org.

MAY 10 West Michigan World Trade Association World Trade Week dinner. 5:30-8 p.m., StoneWater Country Club, 7177 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Caledonia.

Cost: $35/members; $50/nonmembers; free/program volunteers and students.

Information/registration: westmichigan worldtrade.wildapricot.org/event2222064.

MAY 10 Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce New Members Breakfast.

7:30-9 a.m., Standard Computers, 678 Front St. Information/registration: (616) 531-5990 or michelle@southkent.org.

MAY 10 SCORE Grand Rapids SEO Best Practices Workshop. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan, 3215 Eaglecrest Drive NE. Cost: free, lunch provided. Information/ registration: grandrapids.score.org/local workshops.

MAY 11 Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women Start Smart Business Readiness Course. Prerequisite: Intro to GROW. 6-9 p.m., 25 Sheldon Blvd. SE, Suite 210. Cost: $25. Information/registration: (616) 458-3404 or growbusiness. org.

MAY 11 Varnum Consulting workshop, “Facilitate Effective Meetings: Lead

MAY 12 Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce Business Exchange Luncheon. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Blythfield CC, 5801 Northland Drive. Cost: $25/ member, $30/future member (may only attend once) or late registration after May 8. Information/registration: grandrapids. org/events-programs/business-exchangeluncheon.

MAY 12 Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce Politics and Pints. 5-7:30 p.m., Mitten Brewing Co., 527 Leonard St. NW. Cost: $20/members; $25/nonmembers or late registration after May 11. Information/registration: grandrapids. org/events-programs/politics-and-pints.

MAY 12 Varnum Consulting workshop, “Speak Up and Be Effective.” How to think on your feet, project confidence and manage your nerves. Information/registration: (616) 336-7070 or info@varnum consulting.com MAY 12 Women In Finance Brown Bag Lunch.

Topic: “Differentiating Yourself for Success,” by Deb Bailey, Steelcase.

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Comerica Bank. Cost: $25. Information/registration: acg.org/ wmich.

MAY 13 SCORE Grand Rapids workshop, “Overview to Planning and Starting Your Business.” 8:30-11:30 a.m., GRACC, 111 Pearl St. NW. Cost: $25. Information/ registration: grandrapids.score.org/local workshops.

MAY 17 Junior League of Grand Rapids Open House for Prospective Members. 7-9 p.m., Derby Station, 2237 Wealthy St. SE. Information/registration: juniorleaguegr. com.

MAY 17 Licensing and Regulatory Affairs free seminar for West Michigan entrepreneurs. “Understanding Your Options for Raising Capital in Michigan.” 8 a.m.-2 p.m., GVSU William Seidman Center, 50 Front St. SW, includes continental breakfast and lunch. Information/registration: w2.lara.state.mi.us/CapitalSeminar.

MAY 18 ACG Western Michigan seminar, “The True Costs of Human Capital, Today and Tomorrow.” 7:30 a.m. networking; 8-9 a.m. program, Kent Country Club.

Information/registration: acg.org/wmich.

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS Information: Janet Korn, (616) 2333545 or jkorn@experiencegrandrapids. org.

MAY 2-5 Michigan State Police – Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division 2016 Great Lakes Homeland Security Training Conference & Expo.

Citywide, DeVos Place.

MAY 2-6 National Garden Clubs 87th Annual Convention. Amway Grand Plaza.

CALENDAR POLICY: The Business Journal welcomes submissions to the calendar section. Send items to Calendar Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 549 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or e-mail bjcalendar@grbj.com.

Submissions must be received at least two weeks prior to the event.

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

Area Economy & Public Record 30 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 2, 2016

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Anirban Basu

Materials prices rise for first time in nine months

C

onstruction input prices rose on a monthly basis in March for the first time in nine months, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index by Associated Builders and Contractors.

Input prices expanded 0.9 percent on a monthly basis in March but are still down 3.4 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Nonresidential construction input prices behaved similarly, expanding 1 percent for the month but down 3.5 percent from a year ago.

The monthly price gain was largely driven by crude petroleum, which expanded 40.7 percent for the month, the largest increase since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the series in August 1991. Despite the large monthly gain, crude petroleum prices are still down 26 percent from March 2015.

Despite the rather profound percentage gain in oil prices and

the overall nonresidential construction material price increase, rapid material price inflation remains unlikely going forward.

There are a number of reasons for this, but perhaps the most important is the ongoing sluggishness of the global economy.

Though we just entered the second quarter, the International Monetary Fund has already downgraded its outlook for current year global growth twice. World output is only expected to expand 3.2 percent this year.

Meanwhile, central banks in much of the world continue to take steps to fight off deflation, and a number of oil-producing nations have either announced expected reductions in production and/or are actively seeking to enter agreements that freeze production.

These occurrences have helped to stabilize a number of commodity prices, including oil and iron ore.

However, there are no guarantees that meaningful agreements to cut

production will be reached and faithfully implemented by oil producers. While global oil production growth is likely to slow, demand will continue to be weak, implying an uncertain price trajectory.

Seven key input prices rose in February on a monthly basis: •Crude petroleum prices expanded 40.7 percent from February 2016, but are down 26 percent from March 2015.

•Unprocessed energy material prices were up 6.1 percent on a monthly basis, but fell 24.1 percent on a year ago basis.

•Prices for steel mill products increased 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, but are down 15.8 percent on a yearly basis.

•Nonferrous wire and cable prices expanded 2.2 percent on a monthly basis, but fell 5.9 percent on a yearly basis.

•Iron and steel prices rose 1.6 percent month-over-month, but have declined 14.7 percent year-overyear.

•Softwood lumber prices were up 2.8 percent for the month, but have fallen 1.6 percent from the same time last year.

•Concrete product prices edged up 0.8 percent month-over-month and are up 3 percent year-over-year.

Four key input prices declined on a monthly basis: •Prices for prepared asphalt, tar, roofing and siding products fell by 1.1 percent from February 2016 and are down 1.3 percent from March 2015.

•Natural gas prices were down

22.2 percent for the month and are down 40.2 percent from the same period one year ago.

•Fabricated structural metal prices products declined 0.1 percent month-over-month and are down 2.4 percent year-over-year.

•Prices for plumbing fixtures and fittings fell 0.3 percent for the month but are up 0.1 percent from the same time last year.

Anirban Basu is chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors.

Featured West Michigan Stock SpartanNash Co. 12-Month Stock Activity 35 32 29 26

MORTGAGES

Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds KRUSHNAY LLC, Chemical Bank, Grand Rapids, $900,000 O’NEILL FAMILY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, Old National Bank, Cascade Twp., 9-6-10, $227,823 MCPHEETERS, Scott & Heidi Trust et al, NBKC Bank, Paris Park, Lot 178, $371,000 WILLIAM, Davis et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Windcrest Estates, Lot 23, $217,979 ALEXANDER, Brandi N. et al, Option 1 Credit Union, Misty Ridge Estates, Lot 36, $249,000 CULP, Kristen R. et al, Independent Bank, Grand Rapids Twp., 15-7-11, $245,471 WALZ, Edward M. et al, Chemical Bank, Whistle Ridge No. 4, Lot 135, $340,000 SWENSSON, Eric A. et al, Macatawa Bank, Providence Lake No. 6, Lot 134, $250,000 CAZER, Michael et al, Macatawa Bank, Condo-Darby Farms, $600,000 OHANESIAN, Nicholas M. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Cascade Terrace, Lot 9, $281,808 ARIAS, Jesus Jr. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Caledonia Twp., 18-5-10, $238,000 CLARK, Darin B. et al, Flagstar Bank, Byron Lake Estates East No. 2, Lot 49, $415,000 POPMA, Jason S. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Byron Twp., 22-5-12, $400,000 HIGHT, Christine Parker et al, Huntington National Bank, Condo-Sunflower Ridge, $283,100 FOSTER, Jason C. et al, Chemical Bank, Condo-Cascade Pointe, $372,000 WELCH, Thomas G. Jr. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage Co., Condo-The Ridge, $785,000 CROSS, Russell et al, Old National Bank, Condo-Summerset Meadows, $301,000 MAAS, Michael et al, Northpointe Bank, Elmridge Estates No. 7, Lot 182, $308,000 SIMS, Peter et al, Northpointe Bank, Cannon Twp., 31-8-10, $275,000 BARTZ, Richard et al, Northpointe Bank, Marlo Farms, Lot 16, $218,500 HOUSE, Jane et al, Northern Mortgage Services, Condo-Sunflower Ridge, $272,473 MCCULLOUGH, Joel E. et al, JG Wentworth Home Lending, Adacroft Commons No. 5, Lot 135, $210,732 POST, Nicholas et al, Grand River Bank,

Lowell Twp., 15-6-9, $368,125 JSG MANAGEMENT LLC, Chemical Bank, Condo-Preserve Of Boulder Creek, $210,000 MEYER, Mark A. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Bella Vista Shores No. 13, Lot 541, $260,000 MILLER, Toleman L. et al, Old National Bank, Evergreen Meadows No. 1, Lot 1, $274,400 CROZIER, Keith Carl et al, Old National Bank, Glen Valley Estates No. 5, Lot 158, $262,000 LYONS, Dorothy L. et al, American Lending Solutions, Van Singel Farms, Lot 6, $206,400 GROHOWSKI, Mitchell et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Twp., 15-7-10, $525,000 FARMER, James Robert et al, Grand River Bank, Wildwood Estates, Lot 26, $404,000 FOERSTER, Marc H. et al, Chemical Bank, Forest Glen No. 1, Lot 6, $260,000 COSTELLO, Brian et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Northbend Estates No. 3, Lot 95, $218,400 DEKKER, James R. et al, Huntington National Bank, Ada Twp., 6-7-10, $202,400 GRONDIN, Todd et al, Quicken Loans, Hartman Estates, Lot 28, $203,775 BUYZE, Scott D. et al, Clearpath Lending, Rivertown Valley II, Lot 51, $220,999 CARIGON, Stephen D. et al, First Community Mortgage, Ada Twp., 8-7-10, $234,600 ICE, Lauren L. et al, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Condo-43 North, $323,920 ROMO-VELASQUEZ, Juan Antonio et al, Churchill Mortgage Corp., Rivertown Valley III, Lot 100, $253,175 GAUTHIER, Nicole E. et al, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Condo-Squire Estates, $267,344 HOLBROOK, James et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Cannon Twp., 35-8-10, $311,200 SIEGERT, Judith H. et al, Old National Bank, Cascade Twp., 35-6-10, $222,000 MORDEN, Kasey L. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage Co., Condo-River Bluffs, $580,000 MACDONALD, Timothy et al, Guardian Mortgage Co., Griffith’s Lake Park Add., Lot 5, $270,000 DIEPHOUSE, Emily J. et al, VanDyk Mortgage Corp., Richview Park No. 2, Lot 33, $230,860 STRANSKY, David et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Windy Ridge Estates, Lot 14, $260,000 MCGOVERN, Brett et al, United Bank Mortgage Corp., Providence Cove, Lot 16,

$417,000 COOK, Derek et al, PNC Bank, Condo-Tall Pines, $250,000 BOMBERY, Eric et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Raymond Park Add., Lot 12, $296,468 GRAHS, Gary et al, Union Home Mortgage Corp., Planters Row, Lot 1, $253,000 WILLIAMS, Elizabeth et al, Mortgage 1, Condo-Crystal View Villas, $211,500 BAKRAC, Mirsad et al, Chemical Bank, Forest Farm Plat, Lot 7, $233,835 OFFSITE LAKE DRIVE LLC, Chemical Bank, Mc Collum Add., Lot 1, $640,000 TUITEL, Peter Jr. et al, Northpointe Bank, Planters Row No. 7, Lot 216, $329,900 LAMAR, Frank F. III et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Shawmut Park, Lot 28, $216,930 KLEIN, Cathleen R. et al, Nations Direct Mortgage, The Fairways, Lot 3, $265,109 SAALFELD, James et al, Macatawa Bank, Beverly Hills, Lot 126, $322,400 KEENE, William Philip et al, Huntington National Bank, Algoma Twp., 14-9-11, $221,880 PAKKALA, Joseph M. et al, Grand River Bank, Railside West No. 3, Lot 82, $416,800 MHV UNIT 4 LLC, Chemical Bank, CondoMetro Health Village, $810,000 DEPUYDT, Renee et al, Huntington National Bank, Bella Vista Shores No. 13, Lot 539, $251,000 WIERENGA, Jeffrey D. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Ada Woods No. 9, Lot 124, $275,000 ANSON, Andrea et al, Independent Bank, Courtland Twp., 33-9-10, $436,500 RUITER, Becky S. et al, Independent Bank, Courtland Twp., 14-9-10, $238,000 SEDELBAUER, Alexander Jay et al, Option 1 Credit Union, Beyhill Plat, Lot 18, $243,850 BONNING, Suzanne E. et al, American Financial Resources, Lake Drive Home Sites, Lot 22, $243,894 BROADMOOR OFFICE LLC, East Park, Kentwood, 25-6-11, $541,964 BROADMOOR OFFICE LLC, Mercantile Bank Of Michigan, Kentwood, 25-6-11, $500,000 BUTLER, Lewis et al, Finance Of America Mortgage, Ada Twp., 35-7-10, $239,400 MURITHI, Cheryl A. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Solon Twp., 4-10-11, $216,000 WITTE, John et al, Chemical Bank, Ada Woods No. 10, Lot 137, $316,000

23 20

A 15

M 15 J 15

J 15 A 15

S 15 O 15

N 15

D 15 J 16

F 16 M 16 A 16

$0.135 dividend paid in June, September and December. $0.15 dividend paid in March.

Point Gainers & Losers

% Gainers & Losers

Comerica Inc. ...................................... +3.18

Comerica Inc. .................................... +7.5%

Johnson Controls Inc. ......................+2.77

Johnson Controls Inc. ....................+7.0%

Flagstar Bancorp Inc. .........................+.95

Flagstar Bancorp Inc. ......................+4.1%

Herman Miller Inc. ............................. +.41

Fifth Third Bancorp. ....................... +1.8%

DTE Energy Co . ...................................+.39

Steelcase Inc. ..................................... +1.4%

Perrigo Co. ..........................................-31.38

Perrigo Co. ........................................ -24.4%

Whirlpool Corp. ................................ -10.21

Whirlpool Corp. .................................-5.4%

Universal Forest Products Inc. ......-3.53

Universal Forest Products Inc. .....-4.1%

Stryker Corp. ..........................................-.69

SpartanNash Co. ................................-2.4%

SpartanNash Co. ...................................-.69

Community Shores Bank Corp. .... -1.7%

SINGH, Sukhjinder et al, AmeriFirst Financial Corp., Candlewick Estates, Lot 19, $276,800 ALI, Ahmad El et al, American Financial Resources, Sweetgrass Ridge, Lot 40, $238,107 GOLDSBY, Kurt M. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Arlington Park No. 1, Lot 10, $220,000 RESOURCE LLC, United Bank Of Michigan, Winsor’s Add., Lot 1, $204,366 KOOISTRA, Jared et al, Macatawa Bank, Crabb’s Sub., Lot 46, $334,000 LOVALL, Amy M. et al, Independent Bank, Condo-Stone Crest Site Condominium, $215,350 CHRISTIAN, Marcus L. et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Condo-Maple Heights, $292,000

Monday mornings are better

The Grand Rapids Business Journal Report, only on WZZM 13 News.

WATCH IT EVERY MONDAY AT 6 A.M. www.grbj.com | www.wzzm13.com

JANNENGA, Dennis E. et al, Firstbank, Ada Twp., 1-7-10, $264,000 PALLOTTINI, Sam et al, Greenstone Farm Credit Services, Vergennes Twp., 32-7-9, $259,000 VARRAN, Chase et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Condo-Manchester Hills Condominiums, $899,900 TURNER, David B. Trust et al, Old National Bank, Condo-Crystal View Villas, $640,000 BUSSIES, Tiffany E. et al, Old National Bank, Dunton’s Add., Lot 5, $640,000 SLATER, Benjamin et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Golf View Estates No. 3, Lot 87, $226,800 REGAN, Herbert G. et al, Independent Bank, Condo-Bowen Lake Village, $320,000

STATE TAX LIENS

616 VAPORZ, $7,317.56 SOUTH KENT FAMILY CARE, $12,668 WICKED R POWERSPORTS GROUP INC., $10,608.81 MLC FOOD SERVICES INC., $14,448.06 ZEMKE ELECTRIC INC., $8,454 CLIQUE COFFEE LLC, $9,062.76

BANKRUPTCY

16-02043 – FAITH, Cintia S., 998 Four Mile, Ryan F. Beach (Ch. 7) 16-02049 – TENINTY, Susan J., 1118 Edmund NE, Travis T. Russell (Ch. 7) 16-02053 – POTTS, Bobby J., 3656 Wiersma, Cedar Springs, Rebecca L. Johnson-Ellis (Ch. 7) 16-02065 – KOWAL, Michael J., 53 Monticello SW, Christopher A. Hogan (Ch. 13) 16-02069 – VANOVERBEEK, Christine F., 11312 Mary Jane, Lowell, Travis T. Russell (Ch. 7) 16-02071 – GEORGE, Linda S., 830 Cobblestone Way SE, Byron Center, Jeffrey D. Mapes (Ch. 7) 16-02080 – BROWN, Tara N., 13150 Belding Road NE, Belding, Jeremy Shephard (Ch. 7)

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.

Street Talk MAY 2, 2016 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 31

Leaders of the pack History markers and makers. BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF

W

est Michigan’s business community has been blessed with abundant — and visionary — leaders, past and present.

Two of this era’s best will be recognized when the Economic Club of Grand Rapids hands out awards at its 29th Annual Dinner, May 31, at DeVos Place.

Dan DeVos, chairman and CEO of DP Fox Ventures LLC, will be recognized with the Business Person of the Year Award, and Mark Murray, vice chairman of Meijer Inc., will receive the Slykhouse Community Leadership Award.

Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be on stage with Susan Collins, professor of public policy and economics at U-M’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, as keynote speakers.

Tickets, which are $200 per person for members, are available at econclub.net.

DeVos was nominated for his leadership and contributions to the community. In addition to leading DP Fox Ventures, a diversified management company, he is majority owner and CEO of the Grand Rapids Griffins, chairman of the Orlando Magic, a limited partner of the Chicago Cubs and owner of sports management company DP Fox Sports & Entertainment LLC. He also is a partner with Ontario-based Georgian Automotive Group, CWD Real Estate Investment LLC and the West Michigan Auto Auction.

Prior to forming DP Fox, DeVos

was with Amway Corp. from 19802000. While at Amway, he served as vice president of the Pacific region and vice president of corporate affairs and director of U.S. special events. DeVos currently serves on Alticor’s board of directors and is a member of its audit committee.

Murray was nominated for The Slykhouse Community Leadership Award because of his contribution to the economic health of the Grand Rapids community.

The award recognizes those who have contributed through their time, talent and support to help the community grow and prosper economically.

Murray is the vice chairman of Meijer Inc., where he previously served as co-CEO and president.

Prior to joining Meijer, Murray was president of Grand Valley State University from 2001-2006.

This followed a two-decade career in state government and education in Michigan.

During his years in state government, Murray served as state treasurer, state budget director and in other leadership and staff positions. He also served as vice president for finance and administration at Michigan State University and as a member of the Detroit Public Schools board.

The Econ Club instituted its Business Person of the Year Award in 1988, when Richard DeVos, cofounder of Amway Corp. was the first recipient. Others have included Jay Van Andel, L.V. Eberhard, Peter Cook, Fred Meijer, Peter Secchia and Robert Pew.

The Slykhouse Community Leadership Award, formerly the Slykhouse Lifetime Achievement Award, was instituted in 2000, and George J. Slykhouse, attorney with Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey and president and founder of the Econ Club, was the first recipient. Past Slykhouse award recipients have included Arend D. (Don) Lubbers, Peter Wege, Ralph Hauenstein and Gerald R. Ford.

History repeats itself As CWD Real Estate Investment’s rehabilitation of The Rowe — once upon a time, the Hotel Rowe — on the corner of Michigan and Monroe nears the finish line, we’ve stumbled upon some interesting quotes from the recent and distant past about the building.

Check out this quote from last summer regarding The Rowe’s catalytic affect: “It’s a big return to the north side of downtown,” said Nick Koster, CWD’s vice president of operations.

“The north end of downtown hasn’t been paid much attention in recent years, and now there’s this big boom.”

Koster and others are bullish on the development of the North Monroe corridor beyond its history of factories into a true part of the city’s downtown.

They’re not alone, especially if you go back nearly 100 years.

Business Journal reporter Pat Evans was doing research at the Grand Rapids Public Library recently when he stumbled upon a

quote from The Rowe’s namesake, Frank Rowe.

“The Hotel Rowe is at the junction of Grand Rapids’ two widest streets, Michigan Street and Monroe Avenue. These are also the main avenues into the city from north and west. At the corner of Michigan Street and Monroe Avenue, more transfers are issued by the street railway company every day than at any other corner.

“It is true that the largest merchants are not located right around the Hotel Rowe, but this portion is developing with the greatest rapidity. Since work was begun, a dozen important building projects have begun right around, and more are being planned.

“Not only is the city naturally growing fast in this direction, but the hotel will increase its growth this way. This has already been demonstrated to me.

“The same situation existed around the Hotel Pantlind when it was built. There was almost nothing north of it. Now it is surrounded by the biggest commercial interests in the city.”

So now we play the waiting game to see what the future will bring.

Heart and sole The Gazelle Girl Half Marathon began in 2013 as Michigan’s first women-only half-marathon and has grown into a major charity fundraiser.

“We are thrilled to continue to see an increase in our participation numbers,” said Cara Zerbel, co-director of the event.

“The Gazelle Girl Half Marathon and 5K was started to celebrate Title IX and fundraise for local charities, but also to create an event where girls and women can train to complete a 5K or half-marathon in an encouraging, accepting and high-energy environment.”

The event’s Zero Waste initiative, aimed at reducing its envi-

ronmental footprint, is one of the largest efforts of its kind in the city.

Grand Rapids-based Sole Sisters collected discarded clothing from the starting line and along the course. The clothes will be repurposed for women in transition who are training for athletic events.

Bananas and oranges remaining from the post-event refreshments were donated to John Ball Zoo, and the 80 gallons of leftover water from along the course and the aid station will be donated to help the Flint water crisis.

“The Zero Waste effort associated with the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon and 5K resulted this year in a diversion rate of 97.5 percent,” said Chelsea Brehm, event committee member.

“That includes 760 pounds composted, 1,060 pounds recycled, 5,000 wrappers/packaging to TerraCycle, 150 pounds of food donated, 80 gallons of water donated to the city of Flint, 425 pieces of clothing and 23 pairs of shoes for Sole Sisters, and only 55.8 pounds of trash going into a landfill — a far smaller environmental footprint than most large road races.”

All proceeds from the event are donated equally to Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, Gazelle Sports Foundation, Kent County Girls on the Run and the YWCA. Good call AT&T has increased its coverage in West Michigan, which will be especially handy for customers using smartphones or tablets to surf the Internet.

The telecommunications giant recently announced its 4G network is now covering more of West Michigan, offering Internet speeds that are four times faster than 3G. AT&T upgraded speeds in certain areas within Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.

Colorful Lives Creating Community Colorful lives are created by a vibrant community rich with opportunities for personal growth, friendships, and fun.

To learn more about life at Clark Retirement Community, call 616-452-1568 or visit clarkretirement.org today.

Independent & Assisted Living Dementia Care Skilled Nursing Rehabilitation Home Care (Clark at Home)

& CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS

Unmistakably E&V

Our employees are what set us apart.

Elzinga & Volkers isn’t your average construction manager. We are noticeably different. Our employees’ hard work and great attitudes have built our success. Thank you for making us one of West Michigan’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For nine consecutive years!