Grand Rapids Business Journal 05.18.20 by Grand Rapids Business Journal

FURNITURE dealer leans into the future of work.

PAGE 3

MAY 18, 2020 VOL. 38, NO. 19

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

THIS WEEK

LEARNING THE HARD WAY Coming out of school during a recession, HR Collaborative founder Beth Kelly spent months getting very familiar with the job market. Page 12

H-2B limbo Some hospitality workers are here with no work while others wait in their homelands for clearance. PAGE 3

Back at it Many builders spent COVID downtime educating employees and emphasizing safety. PAGE 3

SPECIAL DEPOSIT Banks offering employees additional pay during pandemic. Page 7

THE LISTS

The area’s top banks. Page 8 The area’s top credit unions. Page 9

Pine Rest: COVID-19 will have lasting impact on mental health Study ﬁnds unemployment spike is risk factor in suicide attempts. Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

Michigan is expected to experience a spike in mental health issues even after COVID-19 dies down. According to a study by experts from Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, COVID-19 has led to an emergence of many of the conditions that are known to increase risk for suicide. Economic downturns overall are shown to increase suicide rates 1.3% for every percentage point increase in unemployment, according to the study. Michigan’s unemployment rates rose more than 17% with over 1 million Michigan residents filing for benefits in

just one month. While Pine Rest said the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order has been effective in saving lives, the study acknowledged Michiganders are finding themselves separated from their core social supports of friends, extended family, coworkers, teachers and health care providers. Additionally, the Michigan economy has slowed dramatically, driving up unemployment, threatening health care benefits and shuttering businesses throughout the state. The Michigan unemployment rate is now 21%, the second highest in the nation, according to the study. Taking this spike into account, Pine Rest estimated an increase in suicide deaths of at least 23% in the coming year. In the two years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, 16% of those who died by suicide had experienced a job loss or financial problem. Calls to national suicide hotlines have increased an average of 47%, with some crisis lines expe-

riencing a 300% increase in calls, health issues. “If you work in health care or if according to the study. Crisis calls to a hotline in southeast Michigan you’ve had loved ones who passed away, that can affect your mental already have increased 35%. health,” Eastburg Along with said. social distancing “We have seen an Eastburg said comes isolation, increase in the level the organization which can lead to increased suiof severity of people has not yet seen cide risk. Living who are coming to our a spike in mental health cases as a alone and feelhospital and an result of COVID, ings of loneliness but similar to are strong predincrease in people other health care icators of suicidwanting to extend providers, Pine al thoughts and their outpatient care Rest has observed suicide attempts, growing trend of according to Pine through telehealth.” apeople delaying Rest. the care they need Q u a ra n t i n e s Dr. Mark Eastburg for fear of conalso increase detracting the virus. pression, acute “We have seen an increase in stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, insomnia the level of severity of people who are coming to our hospital and an and cognitive symptoms. Pine Rest President and CEO increase in people wanting to exDr. Mark Eastburg, who co-au- tend their outpatient care through thored the study, said Mich- telehealth,” Eastburg said. igan also could experience a CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 spike in trauma-related mental

Entrepreneurs create ear-saving inventions Products are designed to be kind on the pressure points of all-day mask wearers. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Wearing a face mask all day can be a pain in the ears. After hearing about this problem from frontline workers such as grocery store employees, hospital staff, first responders and other members of the in-person essential workforce, a pair of local businesses got to work producing irritant-free solutions that are currently available to order online. Alex and Kayla Benda are husband-and-wife co-founders of Byron Center-based Oh, Hello Co. — a retail and marketing company with three divisions: Oh Hello, Pa-

per & Gifts; Oh, Hello Stationery; and Oh, Hello Branding Group, all of which can be found online at ohhelloco.com. Alex Benda spoke to the Business Journal this month about his “aha moment” that led to the creation of the Ear Savers, a pair of laser-cut acrylic pieces connected with a hair tie and designed to be hooked to the straps of a face mask, so that the straps fasten at the back of the head instead of behind the ears. Benda said he started looking into a new solution in March after noticing some common patterns for ear-saving devices on the internet and in the local maker community seemed needlessly complex and took forever to produce using 3D printers. While chatting on the phone with his mom one night, brainstorming solutions, the idea for the Ear Savers suddenly came to CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

The Headband Aid is a headband with buttons sewn onto the side over which mask straps can be looped securely. Courtesy Kat Samardzija, Locker Lifestyle

Inside Track ...... 12 Guest Columns.. 16 Expand the safety net

MANUFACTURER develops contact tracing solution.

Change-Ups ..... 28 Calendar .......... 28 Public Record ... 28 Street Talk ...... 34

PAGE 20

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

H-2B hospitality workers in limbo for summer season Some are here with no work while others wait in their homelands for clearance to come here. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

The tourism and hospitality industries are reeling from the effects of the coronavirus, and as a result, immigrants with working visas and those who are waiting in their home countries for their guest worker visas are between a rock and a hard place. Kim Clarke, partner and immigration attorney for Varnum LLP, said the Department of Homeland Security authorized an additional 10,000 H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker visas. However, Clarke said processing has been suspended because of the pandemic. The Business Journal previously reported that the current cap for H-2B visas is 66,000. While visas are pending for individuals in other countries, there are immigrants with H-2B guest worker visas in the U.S. who, like U.S. citizens, have fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. Todd Callewaert owns several businesses on Mackinac Island: Island House Hotel, Starbucks, Seabiscuit Café, Mary’s Bistro, Pancake House & Grille and Ry-

ba’s Fudge Shop, as well as rental properties. He said he and his family have been hiring immigrants with H-2B visas for 25 years to do seasonal jobs. “We don’t have the local pool of workers on Mackinac Island,” he said. “There are about 500 people on Mackinac and in the surrounding areas the population is about 10,000 people, so we don’t have the local pool. We have to draw from someplace else. We look for people in Michigan and not many people want to come to Mackinac to work a seasonal job for six months and go back home. There are not a lot of American workers who want to do that. So, that was when we decided to use the guest worker program. These jobs are housekeeping, lawn cutting, groundskeeping, dishwashing and prep cooks. Those are the positions they fill. We also employ other American workers so we can open. About 12% of our staff are foreign nationals and the rest are American workers.” Callewaert said normally his businesses would open on May 1, but because of the pandemic and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-athome order, they have not been able to open and as a result he has cut staff from 250 to 113. Callewaert said he does have foreign nationals who are on the island, but they are not able to work because paperwork still needs to be completed and due to the suspension of immigration services they are unable to do so.

Todd Callewaert owns several hospitality businesses on Mackinac Island. He said tourism to the island might drop by as much as 60% this year. Courtesy Island Photo

Clarke said H-2B visas are valid for three years, but employers have individual contractual agreements with each immigrant for up to 10 months. Clarke said generally H-2B visa holders cannot file for unemployment. “Historically, the way unemployment would work is you cannot collect unemployment if you are not available for other work,” she said. “Work visas are seen as employer specific and that means that you are not available for other

work and it would be denied. Part of the coronavirus relief response and benefits is that workers are generally eligible for unemployment without regard to whether or not they are available for other positions. So that consideration has been removed in many states. Unemployment is processed on a state-by-state basis. It is uncertain whether that availability requirement would then make H-2B visa holders eligible. Most likely not, but there is still some uncertainty

with how the coronavirus relief has been implemented in some states.” Callewaert said 1 million people visit Mackinac Island annually, but now he would be happy if the vacation spot drew 400,000 this year. While the fate of foreign workers is in the hands of the government, Callewaert said he believes more American workers will want CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Furniture dealer leans into the future of work

Construction roars back into gear

Trellis assembles product packages for customers to address the rise of remote work, social distancing.

Ehren Wynder

Many builders spent the downtime educating employees and emphasizing safety. ewynder@grbj.com

Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Knowing life won’t just resume “business as usual” after the economy reopens, a local furniture dealer is working to help companies shift their floor plans and/ or provide remote workers with home office furnishings. Bill Payne, CEO, and Will Payne, vice president of marketing and design, are co-owners of Trellis — a Herman Miller furniture dealer based in Grand Rapids with locations in Kalamazoo and Traverse City. The father-son duo last year

The Trellis showroom/headquarters at 37 Ottawa Ave. NW in downtown Grand Rapids features flexible, adaptive pieces that can fit with any work environment. Courtesy Trellis

acquired the three former MarxModa dealerships from seller Joe Marx and rebranded them as Trellis. “We think of a trellis as an element of architectural style and design within a garden, but most

importantly, it is a framework, a support system for growth and stability,” Bill Payne said at the time. Never has a framework been CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Michigan’s construction industry is dusting off and back in the field after nearly a month-long shutdown, and West Michigan leaders are boasting of the industry’s resiliency. The Business Journal recently reported Gov. Gretchen Whitmer implemented an amendment to the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order on May 7, allowing construction trades to resume work provided they still follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety guidelines. Pioneer Construction was ready, said Executive VP Chris Beckering. The Grand Rapids-based general contractor started early in anticipation of reopening by working with trade associations “Construction is in a unique position,” Beckering said. “Our people are already wearing PPE per their jobs, so having another

layer of protection on that is easy to implement. Our people, every day before they start their job, they’re developing a safety plan.” According to Whitmer’s amendment, workers in the construction industry — including plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, etc. — were allowed to resume work provided they practiced CDC-mandated safety guidelines, such as staying 6 feet away from others and wearing the proper PPE, as well as develop a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan. Construction companies also must restrict the number of workers on site, promote remote work to the fullest extent possible and prevent workers from entering a premise if they show respiratory symptoms or have had contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. Bob Filka, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Michigan, has been a vocal advocate for reopening Michigan’s construction industry. He said the new order took a lot of stress off everybody’s shoulders. “People are getting anxious about survival, honestly,” Filka said. “Good news is all our guys have spent the last several weeks CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

MAY 18, 2020

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PADNOS LAUNCHES STAFFING AGENCY PADNOS employees were working at Clean Rooms International to produce carts and fans needed for safe ventilation at hospitals while also practicing social distancing requirements. Courtesy PADNOS

Scrap management and recycling company sends employees to customers that need extra help. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

As a company that prides itself on its flexibility and innovation, PADNOS has launched a staffing firm that provides employee labor to customers that need it. Holland-based PADNOS, a recycling and scrap management business with sites all over Michigan, last month launched PADNOS Staffing Solutions, an internal staffing agency it had been considering before the pandemic and decided to fast-track due to demand. “It’s always been a goal of ours to launch into this area,” said Kristy Loomis, chief human resources officer at PADNOS. “When a crisis hits, it forces innovation to come a little faster.” Loomis said the new offering was an outgrowth of PADNOS’s core strengths and values: its flexible workforce and history of innovation as a company, combined with its commitment to caring for employees. “For us, it was HR’s way of living our company values of being innovative and good people who really want to take care of our team members and make sure that we have work for every team member that wants to work during these times, as long as we can.” The additional motive was to serve its customers well in a time of crisis, she said. “Companies are asking themselves two questions right now: how lean are we, and how are we doing on that journey in regards to flexible manufacturing?” she said, adding many companies that have pivoted to making personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic have lacked the skilled staff needed to meet demand. The decision to launch a staffing arm came after PAD-

NOS itself began rolling with the changes brought about by the pandemic’s impact on the marketplace. Of its three main recycling platforms — paper, plastics and metals — Loomis said PADNOS saw increased demand for recycled paper in the form of cardboard shipping containers for grocery stores and recycled plastics for making PPE, such as face shields. “Initially, we were having a lot of conversations with our team members to say, ‘We need you to move out of the metals area and what you’re doing here and go apply those skills in a different area of our business,’” Loomis said. As a result, PADNOS created a cross-functional leadership team that meets daily to determine internal staffing needs and allocate surplus employees in one area to work in another. Based on feedback from the company’s sales team, which was in close contact with customers to understand their needs, PADNOS realized now would be a good time to create a staffing firm. “Some of our customers, because they pivoted, they needed additional people, like Clean Rooms International. They were making new products and needed additional shifts and lines of people,” Loomis said. “We were able to take our team members we may have had a surplus (of ) that day or week and offer them to our customers through PADNOS Staffing Solutions.” PADNOS primarily serves manufacturing companies. While the company does not disclose customer names (unless they have given permission, like Clean Rooms International), Loomis said so far, PADNOS had been able to place about 40 employees in temporary gigs for its customers as of early May. About 100 of the 700 PADNOS team members companywide have taken on new roles during the pandemic as part of the cross-functional training and upskilling PADNOS has been doing to maintain optimum flexibility. Some roles PADNOS team members are filling through the

staffing agency include manufacturing and assembly; logistics/ fleet, including truck drivers who can make deliveries; as well as engineering, fabrication and machining employees who can help companies retool to make PPE. “We have such a diverse skill set across our business, and there are people that are ready to work and want to help our customers in any way, so we’re able to talk to our customers and understand what their needs are exactly and where they’re saying, ‘We can’t find the skill set in the marketplace or with staffing agencies, but you guys clearly have it,’” Loomis said. “So we might put on hold a project of our own internally so that we can pivot and let them use that skill set so that they can finish their project. It’s just really being flexible in every sense of the word.” Additionally, the company’s sales team — which is not at its highest demand point right now — has taken the opportunity to learn the different sides of the business by doing a variety of jobs they have not previously done. “We had the opportunity for them to go internally and work with some of our manufacturing teams to really understand that other end of the process, which will make them a stronger sales team,” she said. “Nobody’s off limits. We’re all trying everything, rolling up our sleeves and doing whatever the work is for that day.” She said the staffing agency has allowed PADNOS to keep employees working as the labor force changes, but PADNOS also has accommodated some employees who needed to take voluntary leaves of absence due to health issues or child care arrangements that won’t allow them to continue working at this time. “I’m really fortunate that we’re all working together to do whatever it takes to be safe and keep fighting during these times as one company,” Loomis said. According to Loomis, PADNOS plans to keep the staffing agency running after the pandemic subsides “as long as it meets our customers’ demand.”

MAY 18, 2020

Thank You... We are Honored to be selected for a third year in a row.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

MEAT PROCESSING PLANTS ADJUST AS SAFETY MEASURES ARE ENFORCED Installation of PPE is diminishing capacity at some facilities, but it’s only temporary. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

Meat processing plants in Michigan are facing some disruption as they look to stock the shelves of grocery stores throughout the state. According to George Quack-

enbush, executive director of the Michigan Beef Industry Commission, there have been closures of some meat processing plants in the state, while others have reduced their operational capacity. “We have seen temporary closures, and that has been a moving target in terms of the extent,” he said. “We have seen some plants close for a few days, others close for a week or even longer.” One of the facilities that was closed in West Michigan was the JBS meat packing plant in Allegan County after about 60

of its staff tested positive for COVID-19. The plant has since reopened. As a result of those closures and the safety and health concerns that surround the meat industry, plant operators are implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which have resulted in a slowdown in the meat supply processing chain. Mary Kelpinski, chief executive officer of the Michigan Pork Producers Association, said there is a large pork processing plant in Coldwater, Clemens Food Group,

that has been able to stay open throughout the pandemic, but it has slowed down production while personal protective equipment is being installed. “They have made adjustments to their production line so there is more space between workers,” she said. “In some areas, there are plexiglass (barriers) between workers. They have been able to secure the personal protection equipment that they need as far as masks and face shields.” In addition to revamping the workspace at meat processing plants to meet the CDC guide-

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lines, the industry is facing an issue that has plagued it for years: a labor shortage. “A lot of the processing plants that are open are not working at 100% because of some of the absenteeism related to COVID-19 or other issues, so some plants are open at 50% of production and then if they can’t get enough (employees) to be open themselves, then they are closed,” she said. With some processing plants operating at half capacity, Kelpinski said one of the changes that people will notice in the meat section of grocery stores is how the meats are cut. “Now that the processing plants are not open 100%, they have smaller capacity to get meat through,” she said. “They are not able to make as many custom cuts as they used to. A lot of the products that you will find in the grocery store might be bigger packaging. Instead of having small pork steaks, you might find a full-size pork shoulder roast that is a little bit bigger than what you are used to. There might be more bone-in products and less boneless products because it takes longer to take the bones out. They are trying to get as much product through the plant as possible and that means they can’t make different varieties as they used to.”

“A lot of the processing plants that are open are not working at 100% because of some of the absenteeism related to COVID-19 or other issues, so some plants are open at 50% of production …” MARY KELPINSKI

About two-thirds of all pigs and cattle that are raised in Michigan are processed in the state with the rest going to outof-state plants. Quackenbush said in Michigan the bulk of cattle herds produce dairy; however, the bull calves that come from dairy farms are raised and later processed into beef, which he said happens largely in-state. “There are other breeds of cattle that are raised specifically for beef and a lot of those cattle are processed outside of Michigan because the plants that specialize in those cattle are largely outside of the state,” he said. Despite the current lag in processing, which has disrupted the supply chain up and down the line, Kelpinski said it is only temporary and production will return to full capacity. “There is plenty of meat to go around, so we don’t want people to hoard meat,” she said. “Just go to the store, buy what you can use. It is not the time to fill the freezers. Just put the meat in the refrigerator, use it up quickly and then go back and get more. Don’t hoard!”

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Banks offering employees additional pay during pandemic TCF, Fifth Third recognize the hazards of essential employees working with the public. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

TCF Bank and Fifth Third Bank are providing additional compensation to their essential workers as they work on the frontlines to assist customers. TCF Bank has provided a temporary wage increase to more than 2,600 of its employees. The

increase in wages is $3 for its hourly team members and a onetime bonus of $1,000 for salaried employees who can’t work from home, such as those working at the bank’s call centers and drivethrus, among other places. “Our intent is to take care of employees who are working on the front line at branches and offices where they can’t work from home either because of the nature of their positions or the fact that they have no ability to work from home,” said Tom Wennerberg, chief marketing and communications officer. The bank has more than 500 branches in Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado and

Michigan. In Michigan, there are branches in Grand Rapids, Walker and Wyoming. Wennerberg said the payments started in April and will continue through the end of May, at which time the program will be re-evaluated. “We want to definitely make sure on a state-by-state basis we are complying with the orders that the governors are issuing, but once those expire, we are going to start putting plans together to make changes to our locations,” he said. “Right now, a lot of our locations do not have lobby hours but drive-thrus are available. So, we are going to come up with

MAY 18, 2020

D ED IC A T I O N T O O U R

S TA FF

THE

RIGHT BALANCE

D ED IC A T I O N T O O U R

C LIE NTS

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

THE LIST

Top Area Banks (RANKED BY 2019 COMMERCIAL LOAN PORTFOLIO) Top executive(s) 1

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

Year established No. of W. Mich. in W. Mich. employees

Women leaders

No. of W. Mich. locations

2019 commercial loan portfolio

Commercial loans as percentage of all loans

Commercial deposits

Retail loan portfolio

Retail deposits

Independent Bank was recognized by Women on Boards, an education and advocacy campaign committed to increasing the number of women on corporate boards. The bank has three women directors out of 10 total members.

Robert Kaminski

1997

311

$1.61B

91%

DND

$161M

$907.18M

TCF Bank 150 Ottawa Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 588-3800 tcf.com

Krista Flynn

1998

500

$1.4B

DND

$800M

DND

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

Ronald Haan

1997

358

$1.1B

79%

$980.91M

$287.6M

$779.68M

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

Kelly Potes Bradley Henion

1898

155

$545M

DND

$38.85M

$710M

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

Arthur Johnson Joseph Manica

1887

172

$541.06M

58%

$225.91M

$387.52M

$304.08M

BMO Harris Bank 250 Monroe Ave. NW Suite 400 Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 717-5696

James Hess

2019

$520.13M

DND

$31.65M

DND

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

Jefra Groendyk Daniel Bitzer Cindy Kole

2006

$463.4M

94%

$401.22M

$27.42M

$98.65M

West Michigan Community Bank 5367 School Ave. Hudsonville 49426 p (616) 669-1280 f 669-7944 wmcb.com

Philip Koning Jeffrey Berens Jim Bishop Rick Wieringa Mike Skinner

1976

$457M

88%

$311M

$62M

$190M

Independent Bank 4200 East Beltline Ave. NE Grand Rapids 49525 p (616) 363-1207 f 363-1584 independentbank.com

William Kessel

1864

182

$365M

80%

$59.31M

$82M

$93.07M

Grand River Bank 4471 Wilson Ave. SW Grandville 49418 p (616) 929-1600 f 929-1610 grandriverbank.com

Mark Martis Marcia Borowka Elizabeth Bracken Patrick Gill Todd Gray

2009

$249.4M

85%

$160M

$47.5M

$115.7M

First Community Bank 60 Monroe Center NW Grand Rapids 49503 p (616) 454-8447 f 454-2465 firstcb.com

Mark Brant

1996

DND

Comerica Bank became the 11th Gold-Level Veteran-Friendly Employer certified in Michigan for its efforts to recruit, train and retain military veterans.

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

David Quade

2016

DND

Joining the team

Level One Bank 2355 Burton St. SE Grand Rapids 48334 p (616) 872-4400 f 469-2882 levelonebank.com

Patrick Fehring Greg Wernette

2007

DND

Northpointe Bank 3333 Deposit Drive NE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 940-9400 northpointe.com

Charles Williams Michael Winks Kevin Comps

1999

301

DND

$40.51M

$11.24B

$1.28B

Old National Bank 5200 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids 49546 p (616) 228-6000 oldnational.com

DND

2015

DND

New addition

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area banks, ranked by 2019 commercial loan portfolio, 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 38 banks; 15 returned surveys and 15 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose

Macatawa Bank added John Pasquinelli as mortgage loan officer; Chad Creevy as vice president and portfolio manager; Justin Van Beek as senior vice president and chief risk officer; and Jeff Tatreau as senior vice president and chief technology officer.

Reaching gold

Premier Banking, part of Lake Michigan Credit Union, hired Jon Weisenbergeras as a premier banker.

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

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

THE LIST

MAY 18, 2020

Top Area Credit Unions (RANKED BY 2019 TOTAL ASSETS) Chief executive officer/ chief elected officer

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

No. of W. Mich. service Year established locations/ in W. Mich. employees

Total assets (as of 12/31/ 2019)

No. of members (as of Associations/ 12/31/2019) accreditation memberships

Member services

Sandra Jelinski Gretchen Tellman

1933

32 1,133

$6.92B

460,107

NCUA, CUES, MCUL, chamber of commerce, Economic Club of GR, Local First, BBB, Right Place, MBA

MSU Federal Credit Union 3777 West Road East Lansing 48823 p (517) 333-2424 msufcu.org

April Clobes

2017

1 9

$4.73B

288,083

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, CUES, chamber Checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates, of commerce, CCUFC, SHRM mortgages, personal loans, credit cards, vehicle loans, youth accounts, business accounts and IRAs

Consumers Credit Union 7200 Elm Valley Drive Kalamazoo 49009 p (800) 991-2221 consumerscu.org

Kit Snyder Brent Bassett

1951

20 307

$1.24B

101,444

CUNA, CUES, NCUA, FHLB, MCUL, Right Place, Southwest Michigan First, Lakeshore Advantage, Forest Hills Business Association, Northeast Area Business Association (Grand Rapids), Michigan Business Brokers Association, Local First (Grand Rapids and Holland), Home Builders Association of Greater Grand Rapids, Home Builders Association of West Michigan (Kalamazoo), Grand Rapids Association of Realtors, Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors, West Michigan Lakeshore Association of Realtors, Women’s Council of Realtors West Michigan and others

Adventure Credit Union 630 32nd St. SE Grand Rapids 49548 p (616) 243-0125 f 243-9970 adventurecu.org

Savings accounts, checking accounts, mortgages, insurance, investments, commercial lending, home equity loans, auto loans, credit cards

Simple, interest or business checking accounts (w/instant-issue debit cards) and access to more than 30,000 fee-free ATMs; eBanking – 24/7 account access through online, mobile, text or voice access; business banking services and loans; loans – mortgages, home equity (and HELOCs), auto, RV, boat, motorcycle and personal loans; credit cards – rewards, low-rate and business options; savings - special savings, Christmas account, money markets, CDs, youth accounts and IRAs; retirement planning services; educational blog featuring free financial wellness information

Ann Marie Nelson Charles Breneman

1936

6 117

$367.39M

30,308

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, NASCUS, BBB, 4% edge checking, savings, CDs, money markets, CUES, GRACC, GRAR mortgages, auto loans, business lending, investment products, financial consulting

Community West Credit Union 4045 60th St. SE Kentwood 49512 p (616) 261-5657 f 698-0955 communitywestcu.org

Jon Looman Pamela Hove

1967

6 78

$188.64M

24,449

NCUA, CUES, CUNA, MCUL, area chambers of commerce and BBB

Mobile and online services, high interest checking and savings accounts, HSA accounts, low interest consumer loans, low interest mortgages, mortgage refinance, home equity, HELOC, construction loans

Preferred Credit Union 3767 Sparks Drive Grand Rapids 49546 p (800) 328-4131 f 942-2302 preferredcu.org

John Yeomans Russ Herman

1968

6 75

$179M

24,354

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Ionia Chamber of Commerce

Free online banking services and bill payer, Visa credit cards and gift cards, personal loans, ATM and Master Money debit cards, free share draft accounts, mobile banking with remote deposit program

West Michigan Credit Union 1319 Front St. NW Grand Rapids 49504 p (616) 451-4567 f 451-8850 westmichigancu.com

DND

1956

5 68

$165.98M

16,159

MCUL, CUNA, chambers of commerce in every community we have a branch in

Savings, CDs, IRAs, two checking accounts with debit cards: simple checking (basic checking, free with eStatements) or simply better checking (added benefits, like identity protection for $4 per month), loans: auto/RV, personal, home equity, mortgages; types of credit cards: Better Rate (competitively low rate) or Better Reward (cash back on purchases), fee-free ATM network, shared branching, financial wellness partnership

Bloom Credit Union 1414 Burton St. SW Wyoming 49509 p (616) 452-2161 f 252-2545 bloomcu.org

Best Financial Credit Union 1888 E. Sherman Blvd. Muskegon 49444 p (231) 733-1329 f (231) 737-1425 bestfcu.org

Daniel Baines Roxanne Speck

1951

5 43

$143.84M

14,061

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, NASCUS, BBB, CUES, various chambers of commerce and Creston Business Association

Free checking, online banking, versatile app (with mobile deposit, ATM finder, bill pay, instant balances), 30,000 ATMs, credit score analysis, all types of loans, business loans, credit cards, financial planning

Morgan Rescorla

1955

2 45

$93.18M

11,694

MCUL, ECUC

Loans, real estate lending, direct deposit, debit cards, credit cards

Meijer Credit Union 2410 Gaynor Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49544 p (616) 784-4822 f 784-3442 meijercreditunion.com

Cathy Ellis Tom Riddle

1958

2 36

$67.3M

13,432

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, CUES, TEA, Savings, loans (personal and business), SHRM, Rockford Chamber of mortgages, CDs and money market, IRAs, ATMs, Commerce, Grand Rapids Chamber of checking, HSAs, home banking, mobile and text Commerce banking, RDC, bill pay and mobile bill pay, service centers, audio response, e-statements, mobile wallet

Muskegon Co-Op Federal Credit Union 1051 Peck St. Muskegon 49440 p (231) 726-4871 f 722-2628 muskegoncoop.com

John Rupert John Lester

1949

2 30

$64.85M

9,881

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, chamber of commerce

Secure checking, savings, loans, money market, debit cards, home banking, CDs, IRAs

Kent County Credit Union 1619 Plainfield Ave. NE Grand Rapids 49505 p (616) 336-3490 f 363-3666 mykccu.com

Barbara Page Jon Denhof

1956

2 23

$48.99M

5,308

NCUA, MCUL, CUNA, Creston Business Association, Creston Neighborhood Association, chamber of commerce(s)

Consumer loans, mortgages, home equity, free checking, savings, term certificates, Visa credit cards, IRAs, youth accounts, online/mobile banking

The Grand Rapids Business Journal list of top area credit unions, ranked by total assets, 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. To showcase a broader range of credit unions, the Business Journal extended the usual West Michigan area by also surveying credit unions within surrounding counties. The Business Journal surveyed 59 credit unions; 12 responded and 12 are listed. To be considered for future lists, email dnelson@grbj.com. DND = Did not disclose

Additional officers Consumers Credit Union has added mortgage loan officers Heather Chapin in the Grandville office, Zach Cook in the Cascade office and Holly Madill for the Kalamazoo market.

Promotion Lake Michigan Credit Union promoted Peter Rahrig to vice president of commercial lending for its Michigan region.

Welcome aboard Craig Sutherland joined Kalamazoobased Arbor Financial Credit Union as senior commercial lender in the Kent County market.

ATM available Muskegon Co-Op Federal Credit Union has a new ATM at the entryway of its 1051 Peck St. location.

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

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MAY 18, 2020

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4Front Credit Union a.j. Veneklasen, Inc. ABD Engineering & Design, Inc. Adventure Credit Union AEBetancourt Air Lift Company Allied Business Services Allied Electric Inc. Amerifirst Home Mortgage Andy J. Egan Co. Arbor Financial Credit Union Armstrong International Axios HR Baker Holtz, CPAs and Advisors Barnes & Thornburg LLP Baudville Brands BDO USA, LLP Beene Garter LLP Bell’s Brewery Inc. Belwith Products, LLC BHS Insurance BizStream Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Blue Medora LLC Brink, Key & Chludzinski Broadmoor Motor Sales Buist Electric Butterball Farms, Inc. CasterDepot Charter Capital Partners Choice Schools Associates Clark Retirement Community Comfort Research CompHealth Consumers Credit Union CTS Telecom Davenport University DeWys Manufacturing, Inc. DFCU Financial DK Security Dominion Systems Inc Easter Seals - Michigan, Inc. Eckert Wordell Eenhoorn Emmanuel Hospice Epitec EQI, Ltd. EV Construction Express Employment Professionals

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MAY 18, 2020

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

INSIDE TRACK

Kelly learns HR the hard way Coming out of school during a recession, the HR Collaborative founder spent months getting very familiar with the job market. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

s the first of six children, Beth Kelly is a natural leader. Kelly, the president and founder of HR Collaborative, was born into a family where both her parents were educators who found themselves constantly on the move during her childhood until her father settled into the role of superintendent of the Chippewa Valley school district in southeast Michigan when Kelly was in the sixth grade. Kelly said throughout that time she was able to develop people skills as she constantly built friendships and assimilated to different environments. After high school, the Ohio native attended the University of Michigan, where she initially wanted to major in something that led to public service, such as political science or law, but instead found herself with a liberal arts education. During her time as a Wolverine, however, she stayed connected to public service. Kelly became the student coordinator of the school’s public service internship program, where she helped a cohort of students participate in internships in Washington, D.C., every year. After she graduated from U-M in the early ’80s, Kelly faced a job market that was unsettling. At the time, there was an economic recession. “I started looking for a job,” she said. “I was in the job market for probably eight months. That was a real challenge. I did have the internship experience but no real practical experience in the human resource field. It was really a tough time. I made looking for a job a full-time job and, from my perspective, I think that is something that every HR person should have to do in their life because it gives you great empathy. It gives you a great sense of what the job search is like for the person looking for the job — the highs and the lows. “I can remember to this day that when people would tell me they

were going to make a decision on Friday, 12 o’clock on Friday came and they still hadn’t called me. I would call and ask, ‘Do you have a decision for me?’ Some of them were very kind, but some of them were like, ’Well, it is only 1 o’clock, it is going to take a lot longer than that.’ So, it is a whole different experience. It is something that you need to feel and internalize to be able to be a good HR person.” After an unsuccessful job search, Kelly went on to Michigan State University, where she earned a master’s degree in human resources and labor relations. After six months on the job hunt for an entry-level human resource position, she landed a job at Foremost Insurance, which is now Farmers Insurance. Kelly said her role was to write job descriptions and conduct hiring of non-exempt employees. Kelly worked at Foremost Insurance for a year and a half until she found her second job. “Someone who I had interviewed with, Dan Wiljanen, at the time was leading the learning developing area at Steelcase,” she said. “He didn’t have a position for me that he could hire me for, but he really became a good friend and took me under his wing and made connections for me. One day he called and he said, ‘A friend of mine is working as a consultant with a small plastics company on the southeast side of town and I think you would be a great candidate for them. They are looking to hire their first HR manager.’ I went over and interviewed with the consultant and then I got a chance to meet Fred Keller and the company I went to work for was Cascade Engineering.” As the company’s first HR manager, Kelly stepped in with a company that was in a fast-growth mode. She said she set up the employee filing system, helped to write the company’s first handbook and helped to facilitate the company’s quality circle meetings, which Kelly said were really important to Keller. She helped to set up different programs at the company, including the employee

BETH KELLY Organization: HR Collaborative Position: President and founder Age: 60 Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio Residence: Rockford Family: Husband, Paul; sons, Sean and Brian Business/Community Involvement: Vice chair of Clark Retirement Community board Biggest Career Break: “Going to Cascade Engineering and getting a chance to create a world-class human resource department from the ground up.”

After hiring her first employee, Beth Kelly remembers knocking on doors because the fledgling firm now needed to cover payroll. Photo by Snap Studio

assistance program, welfare-towork hiring program and learning programs. Kelly said while she was there, Cascade Engineering grew from 150 employees to over 1,000 employees over a 10-year period. She went on to become the senior vice president of human resources at D&W Food Centers, which has since been acquired by SpartanNash. While Kelly was at D&W, the retailer had 29 stores in West Michigan. The stores employed about 4,500 people. Kelly said she stayed there for four years. “I left there in large part because I was going to stay home with my family,” she said. “I had two young sons at the time. Their lives were getting busier and it became difficult to juggle their commitments and my commitments, professionally. Today, we would say, ‘Well, of course, everyone does that,’ but back in 1997 and ’98 that wasn’t the case. It was very difficult to both work and raise your children at the same time.” For the first five years of her children’s lives, Kelly said she was able to have someone look after her sons and then she was able to take them to daycare. But as they grew older, life became complicated. “I was privileged, and I don’t take it for granted,” she said. “I was privileged to have a good, reliable daycare and a supportive husband, supportive partner, because he was as much their dad as I was their mom. When it really got complicated was as they were going to school, you want to volunteer in the classroom, you want to go to

the parties, you want to go on the field trips, you want to pick them up after school because you want to hear about their day and all those other things. That was when it got really complicated. When they were smaller, they didn’t have to go to many places, and I trusted our daycare service provider, so it wasn’t challenging at all.” Kelly was fortunate to have a steady stream of household income as her husband owns a business, Foremost Graphics. While Kelly was home taking care of their children, she was doing some part-time work as a contractual HR consultant for The Right Place and the chamber of commerce. “My work was pretty much part-time and project oriented,” she said. “It was just me alone, so I didn’t have to worry about paying anyone or have a reliable stream of income coming in. I had a working spouse, so between the two of us we made enough money to live. My work was to primarily keep me abreast of my profession, to keep me connected to the professional colleagues that I came to admire and respect so much and basically to provide a small additional income.” She later became the director at the Employee Assistance Center for three years, but Kelly said she actually was working as a consultant and a stay-at-home mom. Afterward, she worked at Crandall/Partners, an HR consulting firm, where she helped to manage different projects and operational work. After a couple of years, she went back to HR consulting and created a company called Connexsource, first with a partner and she

then worked independently. The company later became HR Collaborative in 2013. At the time, Kelly only had one employee and she quickly realized the growing pains of owning a company. “I had done HR work all of my life but typically it was done in larger organizations where I had a team of technical experts and experts in payroll, insurance, office setup and technology,” she said. “So, I did my part and everyone did their part and we all succeeded, but when I went out on my own I realized — first of all, very quickly — that the IT department is totally unappreciated, but also I quickly learned that there are an awful lot of elements to the work that we do that needed to be considered. So, for the first year it was very difficult. ‘How are we going to pay people? How are we going to create budgets? Oh, I have to buy workers compensation.’ I didn’t know that. I didn’t know how it was calculated. I had to buy unemployment insurance. How do I set that up? All the different elements of setting up a working organization with a collection of people in it were part of the challenges I faced as well. After I hired my first employee, I remember going out and knocking on doors because we needed income coming in to cover payroll.” Seven years after officially opening HR Collaborative, Kelly now has 26 employees and before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had 80 clients that covered industries ranging from nonprofits to education to technology, among others.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

Gill Industries takes next steps in consolidation Auto supplier sells Georgia, Kentucky plants; is on track to combine three Grand Rapids facilities into one. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Gill Industries is a few steps closer to wrapping up its four-year consolidation plan. David DeGraaf — president and CEO of the Grand Rapids-based supplier of seat structures, mechanisms and other components to the automotive, off-highway vehicle and furniture markets — said this month his company has sold its manufacturing locations in Richmond, Kentucky, and Trenton, Georgia. The Richmond facility has been purchased by Walker-based Challenge Manufacturing, and the Trenton facility has been purchased by Trenton Pressing, a newly incorporated U.S.-based subsidiary of USG Automotive Holdings Inc., the U.S. branch of a Germany-based private investment company with strong ties to BMW. Terms of the respective deals were not disclosed. DeGraaf said the approximately 200 employees at the Richmond plant and the 150 or so employees at the Trenton site all have been retained by the new owners. In a statement released to employees at both facilities, DeGraaf said, “While it goes without saying much of the time, I wanted to specifically communicate to you that our success over the years has been a direct result of your dedication, flexibility, operational excellence and commitment to quality. On behalf of the Gill family, I would also like to express their gratitude to all of you as well. They sincerely appreciate all your hard work and dedication to the company.” Rita Woodruff, a Gill family member and chair of Gill Industries’ board, echoed his words. “The Gill family and the Gill Industries board has spent nearly four years developing long-term goals for our manufacturing facilities,” she said. “We are proud of the hard work our associates have put in day in and day out, which led us to the main goal of producing high-quality products for our customers while at the same time protecting our employees and the communities we serve. The sale of our facilities does just that.” Founded in 1964, Gill provides value-added and welded assemblies and stampings and non-automotive components, as well as the components mentioned above. Longtime customers of the Richmond site include Nissan and Toyota, while the Trenton facility supplies parts for BMW and Club Car. In addition to the Richmond and Trenton facilities, Gill currently operates three manufacturing facilities in Grand Rapids and two in Mexico. Last year, Gill announced plans to consolidate two of its Grand Rapids locations — 706 Bond Ave.

NW and 2180 Avastar Pkwy. NW, off Alpine Avenue NW — into a single location at its Plainfield Township headquarters, at 5271 Plainfield Ave. NE. The sale of the Bond plant to Spectrum Health was recently completed. Production ceased in March, and the equipment in that facility was to be sold in an online auction last week (May 14). DeGraaf said Gill Industries will turn the facility over to Spectrum in July. Closure of the Alpine facility and the handoff to the plant’s

landlord, Haviland Enterprises, will be wrapped up late this month or in early June, DeGraaf said. All of the 515 employees across the three Grand Rapids locations will be retained and brought back to work in the Plainfield location following the authorization of return-to-work, unless the employees choose to move on, DeGraaf said. The location will handle pressing, bending, welding and assembly of seating components for customers such as General Motors, Ford, Avient and Magna.

All of the 515 Gill employees across the three Grand Rapids locations will be retained and brought back to work in the Plainfield location. Courtesy Gill Industries

Among West Michigan’s 2020 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For

HAIL TO THE CAREGIVERS Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is proud to be named one of West Michigan’s 2020 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. Being recognized many times over the years is evidence of our commitment to work-life balance, employee growth, diversity, and more. It’s a great time to be a part of a health system so focused on community—and that includes our own.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

Pine Rest: COVID-19 will have lasting impact on mental health CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Predictions in the study also are based on research of previous epidemics, including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Asia in 2003. “It’s hard to predict because this is new territory for us as a country and a region, but if we take examples from the SARS epidemic and data coming out of China, we can expect a spike in depression and anxiety,” Eastburg said. According to the study, early phases of the SARS epidemic saw increases in depression, anxiety, panic attacks, psychomotor agitation, psychotic symptoms, delirium and risk of suicide. Suicide rates in Hong Kong also rose 31.7% two years after SARS. Conversely, health care providers’ reaction to SARS can provide a blueprint for dealing with the long-term mental health affects of COVID. Examples of what worked with SARS include: •Multidisciplinary mental health teams supporting patients and health care workers •Specialized mental health services for COVID-19 patients with comorbid mental health disorders •Provision of psychological counseling via tele-technology for patients, families of patients and the general public •Regular screening for depression, anxiety and risk of suicide by mental health workers for COVID-19 patients and health care professionals

Before COVID-19 hit the U.S., Pine Rest already was moving in the direction of giving people the option to seek tele-therapy, Eastburg said. “Our patient doors are virtually wide open,” he said. “We were fortunate if people were in the middle of care they could keep that going.” Eastburg said many businesses have employee assistance programs that provide outpatient counseling. For business leaders going forward, it’s time to find out what those services are about and devise a communication plan for their employees to understand what’s available to them, he said.

Eastburg also warned West Michigan’s mental health resources were stretched thin even before COVID hit. He argued the U.S. has had a longstanding view of mental health care as a luxury or an addon to the health care system and it hasn’t been properly strengthened. “Pine Rest is the fourth-largest (such facility) in the country, but even in this state we are stretched,” Eastburg said. “A lot of areas have no mental health providers at all … I think this crisis will shed a light on the fact that if someone is mentally unable to function, that affects everything about their lives,

their family life, how they work as an employee.” Telehealth services have been a good way to spread resources to people who previously couldn’t find care, but similar to how health care providers reacted to the SARS epidemic, Michigan needs to prioritize its health care workforce and have more people ready to serve, Eastburg said. Other ﬁndings Michigan also has seen increased substance use as a consequence of the COVID quarantine. Since the onset of the virus, alcohol sales in the state have increased by 41%,

and marijuana sales have nearly doubled. Due to isolation and restrictions on gatherings, many of the support groups critical for substance use disorder recovery are limited, increasing the risk of relapse. COVID-19 both directly and indirectly causes sleep impairment and insomnia. This could be due to the physiological effects of the disease or the increased anxiety and stress that comes from navigating the pandemic. Insomnia has been shown to increase suicide risk two to four times for the general public, and 18 times for those with mental illness, according to the study.

H-2B hospitality workers in limbo for summer season CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

to work on Mackinac Island once the governor’s order is lifted and the tourism industry opens up because the country’s economy will take some time to get back to normal. The national unemployment rate in April was 14.7% and over 20 million people filed for unemployment. The percentages were even worse in Michigan. Peter Beukema, the CEO of Suburban Inns and a board member of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, said his business

was tracking a 5% annual revenue increase before the pandemic hit. “Over that (first) week we had, companywide, over $1 million in cancelations in March for March,” he said. “For groups that were booked in April, there were over $1 million in cancelations just for that month. It was a big hit for a small hotel and restaurant company like ourselves. It put us in kind of a scramble mode and we (had to) weather the storm. At that time, we had 773 employees and we were starting to hire for our summer help. Currently, we have a little over 650 of those employees

furloughed. I never dreamed that I would have to lay off 84% of my team. We are providing health insurance for all the team members who had health insurance before. We are optimistic that they will all come back, but the timing is out of our control.” He said Suburban Inns in the past has been unsuccessful in hiring H-2B workers and he doesn’t expect that to change when the executive orders are lifted. Beukema and his family have eight hotels: Holiday Inn in Midland; Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard by Marriott

and City Flats in Holland; Holiday Inn Express in Grandville; and Embassy Suites by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn in Grand Rapids. They also own nine different food and beverage outlets. “We are optimistic that business will come back and we will be able to do good in the summer because we rely on the summer months in the industry,” he said. “Statewide, our industry relies on the summer months to take us through the winter. My heart pours out to all of our brothers and sisters in the hospitality business that are north of Grand Rapids.”

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

Report shows solid Q1 start, emerging pandemic pain Citizens Business Conditions Index showed Michigan had strongest index growth of any state in Q1. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Michigan’s economic growth was booming in the first quarter with pandemic storm clouds gathering on the horizon, according to a new report. The national Q1 2020 Citizens Business Conditions Index, a quarterly report published by Citizens Commercial Banking, showed a slight decline in the index, from 61 to 60.8. But the Michigan report, compiled by Citizens Bank, showed an increase from 51.7 in Q4 2019 to 54.5 in Q1 2020. The Citizens Business Conditions Index is created using proprietary and public data about business production and employment gathered from private and public companies. That data includes revenue, manufacturing volumes and wages. An index greater than 50 indicates an expansionary trend. Citizens Commercial Banking said the first quarter of 2020 showed “a tale of two U.S. economies” — one that was “solidly grounded” in January and another that found itself “tipped upside down” by the end of March.

“The (recent) changes have been dramatic and more sudden than most of us have experienced in our lifetime.”

Tony Bedikian

“The U.S. economy was off to a strong start this decade and then the coronavirus spread globally and completely threw everything off track,” said Tony Bedikian, head of global markets for Citizens Commercial Banking. “Some sectors are doing better than others. Some have completely ground to a halt. The bull market went into a tailspin, though the government has stepped up to backstop the economy. The changes have been dramatic and more sudden than most of us have experienced in our lifetime.” The Citizens Business Conditions index is derived from a number of underlying components, most of which declined during the first quarter. •The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) was up due to increased certainty over U.S. trade with China and Brexit, but the ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI declined. •Unemployment increased during the first quarter, and wage growth stalled as the pandemic put the brakes on growth in several sectors. •Proprietary measures of busi-

ness activity among Citizens Commercial Banking’s more than 7,000 clients across the U.S. moderated as some sectors were hit harder than others. Rick Hampson, president of Citizens Bank Michigan, said Michigan, as compared to the rest of the bank’s footprint, as well as the national average, “had pretty significantly the highest (index) increase” from Q4 2019 to Q1 2020, at 5.2%. He said this was largely driven by the boom in the manufacturing sector.

“If you look at some of our key industries, overall in general, manufacturing still felt pretty good and positive. Automotive still had lots of, and still does have, lots of launches and activity and general positives,” he said. “It’s all tempered by where we are today versus where we were in Q1, but there was an overall positive feeling among business owners and leaders, and the activity levels showed that.” Hampson said on the flip side, Michigan also may see the biggest declines nationally due to

the pandemic, given the cyclical nature of manufacturing — an industry in which companies have either been shut down altogether or have seen “significant” revenue decreases due to the impacts of COVID-19. “I think we would see a bigger decline than the national average given that cyclicality,” he said. “What will really drive it is how quickly can things turn back on, depending on what kind of business it is, but there are plenty that will be challenged through at least this next quarter and proba-

bly many quarters. So directionally, it’s got to go downward.” Despite the “unprecedented” nature of this pandemic and the uncertainty of how the outbreak will continue to play out, Hampson said there is an emerging sense that the current recession will not be a one-quarter recession as initially hoped; “it’s likely to be longer than we would all like.” The Q2 index will more fully reflect the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to be published in July.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

COMMENT & OPINION

GUEST COLUMN Lou Glazer

Expand the safety net once the pandemic passes E very day, in every Michigan community, we see the vast number of low-wage workers who are struggling to make ends meet. You don’t need data to make the case that, structurally, the Michigan economy has too many of us working in low-wage jobs. Many also are without health coverage and almost none have paid leave. And because these low-wage workers are struggling to just pay the bills for necessities, most have little or no savings. Over the past decade or more Michigan has shredded its safety net. This was done in large part because too many of our policymakers (and the public) believe that many will choose not to work if public beneﬁts are available. It now should be crystal clear that this is wrong. The prime reason for so many struggling is not irresponsible adults coddled by a too-generous public safety net, but rather an economy, even when it is booming, that has too few jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and provide health coverage and paid leave. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made clear in recent Congressional testimony that a strong safety net is not the cause of the decline in labor force participation. The Washington Post reports on Powell’s testimony in an article entitled, “Why aren’t more Americans working? Fed Chair Powell says blame education and drugs, not welfare.” The Post writes: “U.S. senators asked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell about labor force participation this week, especially after Powell said getting more people into the job market is a ‘national priority.’ In response, Powell told senators to blame the education system and the opioids epidemic, not welfare. ‘It isn’t better or more comfortable to be poor and on public beneﬁts now, it’s actually worse than it was,’ Powell said. ‘ ... It’s very hard to make that connection, and

I’ll tell you why,’ Powell told (Senator John) Kennedy. ‘If you look in real terms, adjusted for inflation, at the benefits that people get, they’ve actually declined, during this period of declining labor force participation.” Powell’s assessment is aligned with the lessons the think tank I lead, Michigan Future Inc, has learned from Minnesota, the Great Lakes’ most prosperous state. There is little or no evidence that a too-generous safety net is a prime reason for Michigan being a national laggard in the proportion of adults working. Summarizing his findings on the topic in our “How Minnesota’s Tax, Spending and Social Policies Help It Achieve the Best Economy Among Great Lakes States” report, Rick Haglund writes: “Many states have cut benefits to the poor and unemployed in the belief that these payments dissuade people from looking for paid work. Minnesota takes a different view. It has created one of the strongest safety nets in the country, spending generously on benefits to help those who have lost jobs or been stricken by poverty get back on their feet. That protective net has not trapped Minnesotans and turned them into a bunch of government-dependent slackers. Far from it. Minnesota’s employment-to-population ratio of 67.2 percent in April was the fourth highest in the country, according to the latest data of the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project. In Michigan, which has trimmed welfare and unemployment benefits, 56 percent of the adult population was working in April. Michigan ranked 41st in that measure.” The data in Haglund’s report is from 2014. In 2018, Michigan ranked 38th in the proportion of those 16 and older who worked. Minnesota ranked 3rd. If the same proportion of Michiganders worked as Minnesotans, there would be 725,000 more Michiganders working today. So much

GUEST COLUMN

usiness, education and life as we know it has been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. West Michigan is where collaboration is abundant, business and education work closely, and innovation is central to who we are as a region. The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, representing 2,400 member businesses, and Grand Rapids Community College, a pillar institution of West Michigan offering pathways to close to 30,000 students from different walks of life, have enjoyed a longstanding partnership. We have shifted, and will continue to shift, to adapt to the needs of our community. There is no doubt our workforce demand will look different post-crisis. While GRCC and the Grand Rapids Chamber have enjoyed partnerships with organizations like West Michigan Works!, The Right Place and Talent 2025, the need for stronger partnerships and additional collaboration will

Bill Pink and Rick Baker

Next stimulus should include workforce development grants

for the premise that a strong safety net leads to people preferring public benefits over working. To their credit, policymakers in both Washington and Lansing have responded to our collapsing economy by temporarily expanding unemployment and paid leave benefits and are providing households with cash and expanded food assistance to help households pay their bills. All of a sudden off the table are calls to continue to shrink the safety net; impose work requirements to access public benefits; and unemployment benefits that do not cover part-time and gig-economy

workers. Not to mention sending households — no matter whether the adults are working or not — cash to help pay the bills. We need bi-partisan consensus to continue this expansion of the safety net once the pandemic has passed. This is the prime economic challenge of our times: having an economy that provides family-sustaining jobs — not just any job — so that all working Michigan households can raise a family and pass on a better opportunity to their children. Lou Glazer is president of Michigan Future Inc.

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Tech support ties a spike in trouble shooting requests directly to remote workers taking those, and I quote, ‘cute Facebook quizzes.’

only increase in the future. National organizations, like National Skills Coalition, are advocating for federal dollars that would support industry-community college partnerships. We support federal grant dollars that are ﬂexible and require businesses, community colleges and community-based partners to work together, be nimble, and meet the needs of the region. As a critical component to our economic restart, the Grand Rapids Chamber and GRCC calls on our federal government to consider these types of workforce development grant programs. West Michigan industries will look to institutions like GRCC to provide the training and knowl-

edge necessary to meet our future business needs. There is no better time to reimagine our workforce and provide pathways to success for our entire region, particularly those who have experienced the greatest disparities due to COVID-19, to accomplish a more prosperous West Michigan for all.

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Dr. Bill Pink is president of Grand Rapids Community College and Rick Baker is president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.

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MAY 18, 2020

GUEST COLUMN Michael Genord

Telemedicine has potential to permanently change health care

OVID-19 changed our world almost overnight: our bustling schools and thriving businesses closed, our busy streets emptied and, for many of us, our laptops, tablets and cell phones became our primary method of connecting with coworkers and loved ones. Evidence from some areas of the country indicates that if we remain focused on flattening the viral curve, we will be able to return to our everyday routines safely. We will be returning to a new “normal,” and telemedicine, which has played an important role in facilitating social distancing, has the potential to permanently change the way we access health care. For some time, health care insurers and providers have been promoting telehealth as a safe, cost-effective way to deal with routine health issues and to triage more significant health concerns. Now that we have spent several weeks staying home and staying safe, providers and patients who had been slow to adopt telehealth have increasingly turned to virtual health care visits, with positive results.

“As a medical doctor, I can assure you that a telehealth visit is an effective and satisfying way to interact with a health care practitioner. Primary care physicians use telehealth to address common ailments, like allergies, asthma, bronchitis, infections, and colds or the flu, and to manage heart conditions, blood pressure and diabetes. And, importantly, patients enjoy their telehealth experiences.” As a medical doctor, I can assure you that a telehealth visit is an effective and satisfying way to interact with a health care practitioner. Primary care physicians use telehealth to address common ailments, like allergies, asthma, bronchitis, infections, and colds or the flu, and to manage heart conditions, blood pressure and diabetes. And, importantly, patients enjoy their telehealth experiences. A 2019 survey from Massachusetts General Hospital found that 77% of patients found telehealth more convenient to schedule, 83% of patients reported that their care was as good as, or better than, an in-person visit, and 66% of patients felt a personal connection to their telemedicine practitioner. This feedback suggests that telehealth is an excellent everyday solution for treating common maladies and for monitoring chronic conditions without the risk and inconvenience of continual office visits. Telehealth has emerged as a key tool in our arsenal for adapting to life in a pandemic. It is critically important for doctors and patients alike that we avoid personal contact unless absolutely necessary — and telehealth allows us to continue providing routine medical care without the risk of transmission. Of course, telemedicine is just the first line of defense, and it does

not completely replace the need for in-person evaluation or care. Patients experiencing flu-like symptoms can start their path to treatment with a telehealth visit while limiting their personal contact with others. Many patients will find their telehealth visit effective, but patients remain the best judge of when and how to seek treatment, particularly with a rapidly evolving disease. Individuals consistently experiencing the key symptoms of coronavirus — shortness of breath,

fever and a persistent cough — should seek direct medical attention. When this pandemic is over and we return to our full schedules, telemedicine will transform from a useful tool for supporting social distancing into a common way of accessing medical assistance. We know that patients prioritize access to their physicians, and quick access is preferred, whether online or in person. A 2017 survey by American Well, HAP’s telehealth

partner, found that the average telehealth visit took between 13 and 15 minutes — an amazing time saver, compared with the average oﬃce visit that takes nearly two hours. Telemedicine is a tool, not the answer to all the challenges presented by this pandemic. But coronavirus has forced us to adapt and adopt new ways of behaving faster than we might have done before. If we learn to bring medical care to our patients more quickly and eﬃ-

ciently than we have in the past, I believe we can mitigate the impact of future public health crises. Until then, be well, stay safe, and know that quality health care is just a video call away. Michael Genord, M.D., is president and CEO of Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and president and CEO of HAP Empowered Health Plan Inc., which provides integrated care and coverage for Medicaid and dual eligible Medicare/Medicaid beneﬁciaries.

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Manufacturer develops contact tracing solution Fleetwood Group is taking orders for electronic badges to monitor workplace social distancing. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Proximity sensors that communicate with each other are placed in badges worn by employees at Fleetwood Group. Courtesy Fleetwood Group

Fleetwood Group is rolling out a technology solution to help prevent employees from spreading COVID-19 while on the job. The Holland-based manufacturer has two divisions: furniture and electronics. The former primarily develops products for learning environments, and the latter specializes in wireless, low-power devices. Jason Grant is president and

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CEO of the company. He said when the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear in March, and Fleetwood realized workplace social distancing standards would need to continue after the eventual return to full production, the company’s electronics division began developing a solution that could be used internally to keep employees safe. “Instant-Trace” is a contact tracing and social distancing technology that uses employee-worn badges equipped with proximity sensors that communicate with each other. The badges vibrate and blink when pre-set social distances — i.e., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of 6 feet — have been breached, serving as a reminder for employees to maintain safe distances. Programming and data storage are managed through an app downloaded on an iPad. Employees scan the QR codes on their badges at the end of each day as they’re clocking out after their shift, and the data is then uploaded to the cloud via the app. Contact tracing information can be stored for up to 21 days, should an employee test positive for COVID-19 and human resource departments need to determine who the employee was in contact with in the past 14 days to make decisions about who else to send for testing or put into quarantine. Additionally, supervisors can use the data to help retrain or discipline employees with hazardous contact patterns with others. As word spread about Instant-Trace in his personal network, Grant said other businesses began inquiring about whether Fleetwood Group would make the devices available for sale to their companies as they looked to phase their workforces back online with no clear way to prevent continued outbreaks. Their concern was that if work ramps back up, and someone comes down with COVID-19 with no way to pinpoint the source, the whole business will have to shut down again and sustain further revenue losses. Grant’s short answer — after ensuring the company completed technical trials to be 100% certain of the badge’s functionality — was, “Yes, we can share this.”

This week, the badges will be available to order at $99 apiece. Every employee needs to have their own badge, because each badge has a unique ID that’s associated with the employee’s ID number, and all of the data from that badge will be collected on one specific user and searchable by employee ID number. Grant said the design requirements Fleetwood set for the product was that it had to be small and lightweight, fast and easy to install, and not require any sort of onsite IT support or significant onsite hardware other than an iPad or Android tablet for the scanning kiosk near the time clock.

The device is designed to go into sleep mode when not in motion and is powered by a battery that lasts up to two months before needing to be replaced. Instant-Trace is best-suited to open work environments such as manufacturing floors, warehouses, construction sites, mining operations and other “fairly controlled” settings, Grant said. He said the devices won’t necessarily work for office settings, as the sensors transmit through walls and so may produce “false positive” notifications of violations between workers who are actually separated by walls and thus not in each other’s air space. Although retail and grocery stores are open-air settings, Grant said the contact tracing function would essentially be useless CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

“Some big companies like Apple and Google (are) working on mass consumer contact tracing applications that would make sense and maybe provide some benefit if you go to Meijer or you’re out in public. This system we designed for businesses to be able to use in predominantly manufacturing environments.” JASON GRANT

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Entrepreneurs create ear-saving inventions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Benda as a design that could be laser cut from the Oh, Hello Co.’s existing stock of materials and donated to anyone that needed them. The company already had its own laser cutter, and so Benda quickly cut a prototype and gave it to a neighbor who works as a nurse at Metro Health, so she could test it out. After some back and forth, Benda made tweaks and listed the product on the company’s website, along with instructions and a cut file, for people with home laser cutters who want to make it themselves. Benda said the product launch was not without challenges. “We put it online and shared it on social media, then fast-forward seven days, I didn’t sleep a full night, because every 40 minutes the machine needed to be changed to get more on there,” he said. “And then finally, about three days in, we got it to where I could change it every three hours. I literally slept on a hammock in our garage (in the ice-cold weather), and it was terrible. But we got them going, and then we got other people to jump in and help crank these out, so in one week, we had shipped just shy of 100,000 (units).” Those “other” helpers he referred to? They were his neighbors. The Bendas live on a small lake with about 100 homes. One of the neighbors found out Benda was sleeping in the garage to keep the laser machine running all night, and that person spread the word among the other neighbors, and soon, people were coming to Benda to ask, “How can we help?” He pointed those with access to a laser cutter to the online pattern, and for the rest of the volunteers, the Bendas developed a contact-free system where they place the products on the front porch, and people come and help stuff envelopes and ship the orders. “I would say more than half (our neighbors) have gotten involved,” Benda said. The porch system requires the Bendas to sterilize the Ear Savers, mark the number of units needed per order on a pre-labeled shipping envelope, and then the neighbors use a scoop to put the products in the envelopes, seal them and take them with them to drop in a mailbox. “It’s just been absolutely amazing, the help from neighbors doing that,” Benda said. Although the Bendas were initially fronting all the costs of materials and labor and donating the products, the Ear Savers are now listed online for 30 cents apiece, to cover the cost of materials. People ordering the products also pay shipping. Oh, Hello Co. had shipped about 130,000 units all over the U.S. to a wide variety of customers as of the beginning of May. Benda said although Oh, Hello Co.’s regular business has slowed to a trickle during the pandemic, the Ear Saver has been a true passion project. “We’re in some very dark times, and I’m someone who loves

helping,” he said. “If I can help, I need to … and here was a way we could help.” Around the same time but independently of the Bendas, Kat Samardzija, a 2019 Grand Valley graduate and founder and owner of the Grand Rapids-based startup Locker Lifestyle, locker lifestyle.com, began to notice the same need in the marketplace for a pain-free solution for mask wearers. Locker Lifestyle is a retail company that sells “wearable lockers” such as wristbands and headbands with built-in compartments to store personal items such as IDs, credit cards and keys while working out. In early April, Samardzija developed and launched the Headband Aid, which is a headband with buttons sewn onto the side over which mask straps can be looped securely. Samardzija and her helpers — consisting of her grandmother and mother (the latter of whom she hired as her manager and refers to as “momager”) — added the buttons to Locker Lifestyle’s existing inventory of headbands, which are “non-slip” with gel gripper dots, stretchy, lightweight, dry-wicking and easily washable, with a Velcro-sealed pocket at the back of the headband to hold an extra clean mask, keys, ID, lip balm, etc. Samardzija said the headbands were originally tested and verified by marathon runners as staying on all day, so they are well-suited to being worn during long work shifts. She added the headbands have been ordered by and proved popular among persons of any gender, with or without long hair. Although Locker Lifestyle has done and continues to do some donations, the Headband Aid retails on the company’s website for $18.50 — the value of the original Locker Lifestyle headband locker and its storage capabilities, combined with the costs of buttons, thread and labor. It comes in black and hot pink, with other colors in the pipeline. From the time of product launch in mid-April to May 1, Samardzija had sold about 500 units, which is in addition to the continuing orders the business has been getting for its existing products after Runners World magazine named Locker Lifestyle products the “top gear to have in 2020,” she said. Samardzija and her four parttime employees also are working to launch a new product line, which was to be announced in mid-May. The Headband Aid project is a labor of love, Samardzija said. “We’re doing this to provide a more comfortable solution to frontline workers who are required to wear masks for long periods of time. We want people to feel safe and confident about what they need to do and where they need to go,” she said. “We’ve been sewing and filling orders nonstop. Most days, we work from 8 a.m.-11 p.m., including weekends. … We’re developing additional products to make wearing masks more comfortable and accessible.”

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Furniture dealer leans into the future of work could send the catalog of options to employees and they could buy more called upon than now, when items at will. A primary challenge, Bill Payne the furniture industry is facing as much uncertainty as any segment said, will be meeting clients where of the economy due to the global they are at, because the Centers effects of the COVID-19 pandem- for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines may vary ic. The Paynes spoke to the Busi- based on the work setting, i.e., a ness Journal this month about the manufacturer will have different future of work — and furniture requirements than a service organization or an office environment. sales — in light of the new reality. The difficulty is that for many “First and foremost, I think we all have to accept it’s an extreme- jobs, personal interaction and colly dynamic environment. I don’t laboration are necessary to spur recall any time in my 40 years of innovation, he said. Human rebusiness leadership/management source departments and facilities teams will have where there have to rethink how to been so many “I don’t recall any foster such activmoving pieces time in my 40 years of ities while mainas there already have been in business leadership/ taining social distancing. the wake of this management where He believes COVID crisis,” there have been so some protocols Bill Payne said. “For all of our many moving pieces — such as having screencustomers, and as there already have health ing at employee even within our been in the wake of entrances, hand business, a key sanitizer stations, thing that we have this COVID crisis.” new daily desk identified and disinfecting regiare talking to our Bill Payne mens, conference customers about room occupancy is the need to be flexible, adaptable and responsive limits, more stringent room resto the needs of employees within ervation systems and, in some cases, a greater shift to video conthe work environment.” He stressed companies have to ferencing — will continue beyond look out for the physical and psy- the pandemic, and employers may chological safety of their employ- choose to eliminate shared work stations and change the layout of ees in their return-to-work plans. One way Trellis is helping cli- collaborative work areas to space ents approach this, Will Payne people farther apart. Will Payne said he has heard said, is by conducting “physical distancing studies” of clients’ of- from many organizations that fice environments to identify any remote work for nonessential conflicts with the need to keep ev- employees was much easier to institute and maintain than they eryone at least 6 feet apart. In some cases, problem areas thought it would be during the can be fixed by removing chairs; stay-at-home order, and it “wasn’t making certain areas, such as con- that bad.” He believes many of ference rooms or shared benching, them will keep it going. Although Trellis has not yet off limits; or reconfiguring furnihad the opportunity to work with ture and tables. “With that, though, comes a its health care clients to re-enreduced density in the workplace vision their spaces — due to the and reduced number people that fact that they are still in emergencan come to the office. Work from cy mode — Bill Payne said when home is going to continue as we the peak of the crisis has passed, potentially stagger employees that he wouldn’t be surprised if medare working different shifts,” Will ical facilities begin to reach out and seek help making changes to Payne said. Bill Payne added one statistic waiting areas, surfaces and clinihe read was that about 5% to 7% of cal settings to increase safety and the office professional workforce sanitation. As businesses begin the prowere remote employees before COVID-19, and now, office-based cess of coming fully back online, employers expect to have about Bill Payne said strong top-down 30% to 35% of their staff working communication will be important. “All businesses need to be very remotely going forward. To account for that, Trellis has transparent and, if anything, overassembled a couple of basic prod- communicate with their employee uct packages “to support employ- population with regard to what ees in their home offices.” The they’re doing and why they’re dopackages contain Herman Miller ing it,” he said. “As far as Trellis is concerned, items such as an ergonomic task chair, a height-adjustable desk, we’re trying to stay out in front monitor arms for keeping com- as one of the more expert organiputers at eye level for proper neck zations with regard to providing posture, and storage solutions to advice and consultation with our save space and keep work items customers on the range of options that are available that they could organized. Will Payne said Trellis has employ within their specific work brainstormed various ways com- environment. I think the key will panies could make these packages be, over the coming weeks, we’re available to employees, including all just going to have to be attenproviding a stipend or reimburse- tive to what changes take place as ment — such as is often done with we move through this fairly dycellphone plans — or employers namic time.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

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Construction roars back into gear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

training themselves on safety.” Filka argued the time off from work allowed Michigan builders to better equip themselves with the tools and knowledge to resume work and respond to COVID compared to neighboring states where contractors have remained working. “Customers and homeowners who are going to be concerned about people coming into their home to do work can rest assured those guys have gone through the training they need to be safe,” Filka said. Filka said HBAM has had thousands of its members participate in COVID safety training and he’s confident in their commitment to stay safe on the job. “Unfortunately, we represent four- or five-thousand people, and there are probably thousands more who need the training,” Filka said. “But I feel good about our membership and their commitment to safety.” Orion Construction in Grand Rapids also has spent the down time ensuring project superintendents and other staff understand the new safety protocol going forward, as well as making sure there’s enough hand sanitizer and PPE on site. As with everything, there will be some who embrace it and some who won’t, said Orion President Roger Rehkopf. “The challenge is to get everybody to understand.” Rehkopf expected there also will be a scramble among contractors to make up for lost time. Orion has a backlog of projects, he said, including some the company didn’t expect would go through when COVID hit, which should make up for projects that have slowed. The economic seas remain relatively calm for construction for the time being, Filka said. HBAM made a big education push early on to ensure members under-

stood the assistance they’re entitled to under the Paycheck Protection Program. The supply chain is likely going to experience a shortage as a result of the COVID lockdown, Filka predicted. If people want that special countertop or cabinet, they may have to be patient. Labor also is an area of concern, as it was even before COVID became a household name, but Filka was happy to say most HBAM members reported their workers are coming back in full force. Rehkopf added how other industries respond to the pandemic pose unanswered questions for construction. “The hospitality industry — hotels, bars, restaurants — what are they going to do? They’re probably not going to start projects for a while,” Rehkopf said. “Are interest rates going to hold or go up? Those are all factors that could play in a year, two years down the road.” There still is no shortage of work, Filka said. Many customers around the state know it’s hard to find a good contractor right now, and many contractors had long waiting lists before COVID hit. “There’s no question there were customers who wanted to get out of contracts,” Filka said. “The vast majority of our builders have experienced that, but each of them are handling those situations individually.” Beckering also reported a robust backlog of projects for Pioneer. While ongoing projects were put on hold during the shelter-in-place order, none were cancelled, and the contractor even was awarded new work during the hiatus. “We’re concerned about how the economy is going to respond, but we have a full load of work,” Beckering said. “The construction industry, I think, just needs to work smart and work safe. We are well-suited to lead the economy back into a working routine.”

Manufacturer develops contact tracing solution CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

there, as employees wearing the badges are exposed all day long to customers who are not wearing the badges. “Some big companies like Apple and Google (are) working on mass consumer contact tracing applications that would make sense and maybe provide some benefit if you go to Meijer or you’re out in public. This system we designed for businesses to be able to use in predominantly manufacturing environments,” he said. Grant expressed doubt that mass-scale contact tracing devices will be able to be successfully implemented, as individuals are “hypersensitive to being tracked” — even though most people nowadays voluntarily give tech companies full access to tracking their location via their smartphone apps. Instant-Trace does not track location, he said; it only monitors proximity between individuals. The badge system is designed to be just one part of a good COVID-19 protection toolkit, Grant said. “In addition to using Instant-Trace at Fleetwood, we have also implemented temperature monitoring, hygiene protocols and aggressive sanitation efforts as part of

a comprehensive approach to keeping our employees safe,” he said. “We are proud of this product and are excited about helping America get back to work again.” Grant added the Instant-Trace invention was never meant to be a huge money-maker; it was a solution designed to protect the vulnerable. “We have been sensitive to the fact that some people feel that we’re trying to capitalize and commercialize on what really is a crisis in our country, and that was never our intent. We started on a path of developing something that we thought was the right thing for our team, and along the way, we shared it with some of our own friends and others in our own networks. There was just an incredible interest in it, and it’s just really exploded.” The company set the Instant-Trace price at a threshold where Fleetwood could at least break even on sales vs. overhead. Grant said Fleetwood will provide training materials for HR departments and employers on how to use the devices as they are shipped. Fleetwood is preparing to scale up production “very quickly” and run multiple shifts to meet demand, and it has lined up local partners to help with overflow production as needed.

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Dedicated experience walking alongside families to help achieve their financial goals. Kevin Toler & Associates A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. 616.977.2639 36 Commerce Ave SW, Suite 310 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 www.kevinxtoler.com Kevin.X.Toler@ampf.com

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

HR realm rolls with the changes Consulting and services ﬁrm leader says remote capabilities that already existed are now in full use. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

A local human resources expert said the years-long movement in HR toward digital tools has allowed businesses to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis head-on. Beth Kelly, president of Grand Rapids-based HR Collaborative, said contrary to what people might think, many companies still are hiring during this time, and employers that had “good command and control” over their technology systems before the pandemic have been able to carry on successfully. Case in point on the hiring front: Alan Mack, president and CEO of Grand Rapids-based NxGen MDx, a client of HR Collaborative’s that does non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening for recessive genetic disorders, is hiring. Thanks to the testing platform NxGen had perfected over the years since its founding in 2013, the company was able to begin

developing a test for COVID-19 in early February and now has the capacity to do up to 7,000 tests a day, Mack said. NxGen has been conducting the tests using three “highly scalable instruments” in hospitals, physician offices and nursing homes. The business was looking into doing return-to-work testing at press time. Because of the level of demand for its testing platform, while other companies are furloughing or laying off workers, NxGen has been adding staff. As of the first week of May, the company had brought on about 20 new data entry employees to help with entering test results into its lab information system, and it was planning to onboard several additional sales representatives by the end of the month. Mack said thanks to the fact that NxGen had embraced a virtual Alan Mack interviewing process “years ago” for out-ofstate candidates, the transition to 100% remote interviews has gone smoothly. He added data entry employee training and daily “accessioning” — i.e., entering information into

the system — has to be performed onsite, but the company has been able to institute proper spacing between employees and give them all of the appropriate protective gear, such as a face mask, fluid shield and gloves, because they are now dealing with infectious pathogens. “It has definitely added a level of complexity, but at the same time, the people we have coming in and interviewing, because of what we’re doing, are passionate about (the work). So we find that the people that are coming (on board) with us are actually turning out to be even better employees than what we could have hoped for,” Mack said. Unlike data entry employees, sales staff go through a completely virtual hiring, onboarding, training and testing process, and when they are done, they can work remotely until it’s time to get back in the field. Interviews are done through a video interview portal or via teleconferencing; reference and background checks all are digital; offer letters are done via email; and onboarding is done through video meetings, webinars and e-learning. “The whole movement in HR toward the digital and toward being more adept from a technology standpoint has really come to light as a viable and important tool for businesses today,” Kelly said. “We’ve filled three jobs, from job order to offer, without ever personally interacting with the employee.” While there is some level of loss in not being able to meet candidates in person and interact face-to-face, Kelly said most

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companies understand they have to use digital technology or wait 90 to 120 days — or whenever the crisis is over — to fill a critical role, and they aren’t able to wait. “I’m always telling them, ‘At any point you can stop,’ and they’ve all been comfortable with moving forward,” she said. She said research has shown the face-to-face interview is one of the least important predictors of a candidate’s success as an employee. HR professionals have seen better outcomes using other tools, including reviewing work samples, administering work style assessments and skills tests, and checking the candidate’s job history and references — all of which can be done remotely. While the hiring process is digital, Kelly said most of the employee recruiting her firm is doing right now is for essential, in-person workers. “Now, you may say, ‘Why are you doing the interviews that way then?’ Well, in a couple of cases, we filled key nonprofit leadership roles (in partnership with) boards of directors and search committees. Those folks would typically come into a room and meet somebody and make the selection, and we don’t need to have them do that; we can do that over technology,” she said. In terms of remote engagement of new and existing employees, Kelly said for employers that didn’t have a good grasp of how to use technology, the first three weeks of quarantine were a struggle. “It really depended on where you were on the technology continuum,” she said.

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“But probably the most significant learning that we’ve come out of this with is that it is not nearly as difficult as we thought to have people work remotely, especially in today’s world where you can interact like we are, technology-wise, and where performance expectations have become much more results-oriented and less, ‘I’m watching you work so I know how much you’re doing.’ The significance of where you work is really very minimal.” Kelly said many employees have found that remote work actually allows them longer periods of “deep work” concentration. On the other hand, some parents of young children have found themselves obliged to either continue paying for day care — if they are deemed essential workers — or take leaves of absence from their jobs because they just can’t supervise and teach children from home while maintaining a full-time job, especially if they are single parents. Kelly said HR Collaborative only had one person out of 25 employees who “even considered” a leave of absence. “Most of the folks felt like they were going to be able to do both their job and their work at home, and for the most part, that has been the case,” she said. One factor making that possible is the pace and workload for the firm has slowed down during COVID-19. “We are not running at the same speed that we were in February, so it’s a little bit easier to do the full-time job, just because the fire hose isn’t shooting at you, and your plate isn’t quite as full.”

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MAY 18, 2020

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MAY 18, 2020

ARTS

Battle Creek-based Binder Park Zoo’s resident animals have made their way back to their outdoor habitats and the zoo has recently installed a new live web camera (“ZooCam”), which allows people to view the zoo’s savanna from their homes. The spring 2020 issue of the Innisfree Poetry Journal is highlighting the poetry and career of Jack Ridl, professor emeritus of English at Hope College. The publication shares 36 of Ridl’s poems drawn from multiple collections published between 1984 and 2019. The issue also includes work by 27 other poets. Ridl taught at Hope from 1971 until retiring in 2006.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Business Leaders for Michigan announced President and Chief Executive Officer, Doug Rothwell, will retire on Dec. 31. He has led BLM and its predecessor organization (Detroit Renaissance) for 15 years. A national search will be conducted to fill the position, with a successor expected to be announced in November 2020. Holland-based Shoreline Container announced New-Indy Containerboard LLC has acquired its company, a 50/50 joint venture between two well-known

family businesses, the Kraft Group and Schwarz Partners. The company will continue to operate the Shoreline Container facilities in West Michigan and will carry its customer-focused and community-minded approach under new leadership.

EDUCATION

City High Middle has been ranked No. 1 in Michigan and No. 21 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. This is up from the No. 2 spot in Michigan and No. 38 in the nation based on last year’s rankings. More than 17,700 schools were ranked nationwide. Hope College’s Boerigter Center for Calling and Career in Holland has been named a Program of Distinction by Colleges of Distinction, for its programs that have a superior ability to think ahead about how their students will succeed after they graduate.

GOVERNMENT

Kent County has once again received long-term Triple-A credit ratings from rating agencies S&P Global and Moody’s Investors Service. Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Council chairperson Jamie Stuck was recently appointed to the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force

WMTA digital cookbook features West Michigan recipes The West Michigan Tourist Association has rounded up the area’s best recipes for home cooks to try their hands at. Working with restaurants, farm markets, wineries and more from throughout the area, WMTA has compiled a cookbook full of delicious dishes and drink recipes from around West Michigan. Aspiring chefs and home cooks alike will find recipe options to re-create a favorite dish, make a homemade version of a restaurant staple, or try something new. Download a PDF of the cookbook at wmta.org/beer-dine-wine/west-michigan-cooks-athome-free-digital-cookbook/.

Editor’s note: The coronavirus response has affected many public gatherings. Please check organizations’ websites for the latest event information. MAY 18 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Virtual Advocacy Engagement Series. Topic: Tackling Poverty. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Information/registration: grandrapids.org. MAY 19 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Business Insights Program. Connecting people with those running successful businesses/organizations. 7:30-9 a.m., Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, 250 Monroe NW, Suite 150. Information/registration: grandrapids.org. MAY 19 Muskegon Chamber of Commerce 2020 Luncheon Lessons in Leadership. Noon-1 p.m., Baker College, 1903 Marquette Ave., Muskegon. Cost: $15. Information/registration: muskegon.org/. MAY 20 Massey Insurance Auto Reform Community Discussion. Topic: Changes To Michigan Auto No Fault Insurance. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Massey Insurance, 5384 S. Division, Kentwood. Snacks provided. Information/registration: (616) 532-6071. MAY 20 Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce STAR! Certification Training. Learn about Muskegon’s history, upcoming events, local resources and new developments. 1-5 p.m., West Michigan Works!, 316 Morris Ave. Suite 100, Muskegon. Information/registration:

muskegon.org/chamber-events/. MAY 21 Grand Rapids Opportunities For Women Intro to GROW, free orientation to learn about programs. Noon-1 p.m., GROW office, YWCA, 25 Sheldon Blvd. SE, Suite 210. Information/registration: (616) 458-3404 or growbusiness.org. MAY 21 SCORE Webinar. Topic: Don’t Let Fear Steal Your Dream Of Business Ownership by Jania Bailey, CEO, FranNet. 2 p.m. Information/registration: bit.ly/FranNetFranchiseWebinar. MAY 26, JUN 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 Grand Rapids Young Professionals Golf Clinic. First week, 6-7:30 p.m.; 6-7 p.m., thereafter, Thornapple Pointe, 7211 48th St. SE. Information/registration: bit. ly/GRYPGolfClinics. MAY 26 Wyoming Business Leaders Meeting. 8-9 a.m., Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW, Wyoming. Information/registration: (616) 261-4500 or d.kuba@instantcashmi. com. MAY 28 American Heart Association Virtual Grand Rapids Heart Ball (rescheduled from April 24). 4-5 p.m. Information/registration: heart.org/grandrapidsheartball. MAY 28 Grand Haven/Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Chamber of Commerce May BASH. Enjoy an evening of networking, appetizers and drinks. Spring Lake Yacht Club, 17500 W. Spring Lake Road, Spring

on Racial Disparities by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The task force will specifically examine how the COVID19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color throughout Michigan, and will act in an advisory capacity to Whitmer, and study the causes of racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19 and recommend actions to immediately address such disparities, as well as the historical and systemic inequities that underlie them.

GRANTS

Start Garden announced it selected 68 entrepreneurs for its 100 Comeback Fund. Entrepreneurs recently had 100 hours to apply for a grant and a review committee awarded more than $300,000 from the Start Garden 100 relief fund. The Porter Hills Foundation announced it has received $10,000 from the Community Foundation of Holland/ Zeeland, Grand Haven Area Community Foundation and Greater Ottawa County United Way Emergency Human Needs Fund to support its telehealth initiatives for low-income, nursing home eligible participants at LifeCircles PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) in Holland. LifeCircles PACE serves older adults living in Muskegon County and portions of Ottawa and Allegan counties.

HEALTH

A group of Ferris State University faculty and fourth-year pharmacy students are involved in a review of research reports and studies to help put the best COVID-19 information before doctors and other health care professionals in the Spectrum Health integrated health system. The various Ferris collaborators join with peers at the Van Andel Institute, Michigan State University, Henry Ford Health System and the Spectrum research office to assess more than 3,500 articles detailing research on the virus at the heart of this pandemic.

HUMAN SERVICES

Downtown Grand Rapids homeless shelter Degage Ministries continues to adapt to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, thanks to partnerships and donations from local businesses and Degage patrons employed by the organization. Degage is providing nearly 300 free to-go meals each day, which

Lake. Call for start time. Information/registration: (616) 842-4910. MAY 28 Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Virtual West Michigan Minority Contractors Meeting. Time: TBD. Information/registration: grandrapids.org. MAY 28 HealthWest ReCon Veteran Resilience Conference featuring former Detroit Lions QB Eric Hipple, military social worker April Thompson. 7:30 a.m. registration-5 p.m., Frauenthal Center, downtown Muskegon. Assisting military veterans, their families and veteran service providers in developing tools to lead resilient lives after leaving the military. Cost: free, includes light breakfast and lunch. Social work CEUs are being provided for a $25 fee. Information/registration: ReconEvent. org. MAY 28 SCORE Webinar. Topic: How To Find Opportunities And Test Your Ideas When Existing Assumptions Are Challenged by Dan Breeden, head of marketing partnerships, Yahoo Small Business. 2 p.m. Information/registration: bit.ly/NewMarketsWebinar.

CHANGE-UPS & CALENDAR

typically are provided at a cost of $2/ meal. In addition, hygiene services remain available three days each week. The Kent County and city of Grand Rapids Emergency Management Divisions have partnered with the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, Mel Trotter Ministries and The Salvation Army to establish a temporary and safe shelter for homeless women who are presumed negative for COVID19. The facility, located at Catholic Central High School, provides permanent shelters in the area to reduce their daily populations so individuals experiTaylor encing homelessness are better able to socially/physically distance. The Catholic Central High School gymnasium can hold up to 75 women and provides shower facilities, food services provided by The Salvation Army and other essential services. Kent County volunteers, the city of Grand Rapids Homeless Outreach Team and Mel Trotter Ministries staff will primarily staff it. West Michigan Sews Hope has donated 150 facemasks for Grand Rapids-based Exodus Place’s staff and residents.

LEGAL

Miller Canfield announced “Chambers USA 2020” has ranked 10 of the firm’s attorneys and six of its core practice areas among the best in the U.S. The firm earned rankings in: Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial and Real Estate.

MANUFACTURING

Rockford-based Wolverine Worldwide Inc. announced the appointments of Chris Hufnagel, Joelle Grunberg and Tom Kennedy to the company’s executive leadership team. Each will now be responsible for multiple brands within the company’s diverse portfolio. Grunberg is global president of Sperry. Grunberg will continue in that role, and Saucony, Keds and the Wolverine Kids Group will also now report to her. Hufnagel was named global president

registration: gvsu.edu/seidman/webinars. JUN 3 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Business Network and Beers. 5-8 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 2321 East Beltline Ave. SE. Information/registration: southkent.org. JUN 4 Jennifer Maxson & Associates Workshop, “Speak Up and Be Effective.” Craft messages that are clear, concise and focused. Cost: $680/person, $600/ person for two people, same program and date. Information/registration: (616) 8836458 or info@jennifermaxsonassociates. com. JUN 4, 11, 18, 25 Hudsonville Chamber of Commerce Annual Concerts On The Green Series. 7-8:30 p.m., Veteran’s Park, Hudsonville. Cost: free. June 4, Hooray for the USA with Brena Band; June 11, Western Night with Alan Turner; June 18, College Sports Night with Trixy Tang Band; June 25, Tropical Night with DB and the Dinos. Information/ registration: (616) 669-0200 ext. 1421 or ewalters@hudsonville.org.

MAY 28 United Way of the Lakeshore Virtual Annual Celebration 2020. 6 p.m. Information/registration: (231) 332-4003 or kara@unitedwaylakeshore.org.

JUN 6 Mel Trotter Ministries Casting Call, for movie “One Life At A Time.” Local actors and extras are needed. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., ResLife Church, 5100 Ivanrest Ave. SW, Grandville. Information/registration: meltrotter.org/mtmmovie.

MAY 29 GVSU Seidman School of Business Webinar. Topic: Navigating Supply Chain Disruptions. 1-2 p.m. Information/

JUN 8 Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters @ City Hall With Elected Officials. 8-9 a.m.,

of Merrell; he will continue in that role, and CAT Footwear, Chaco and Hush Puppies also will now report to him. Kennedy was named global president of the Wolverine brand. Kennedy will continue in that role, and Bates, HYTEST and Harley-Davidson Footwear also will now report to him.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Sabo PR has promoted Lisa Taylor and Hunter Zuk to senior associates.

RESTAURANTS

The Kent County Health Department announced it is extending the deadline for the annual food service licensing fees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline for the fees, originally April 30, 2020, has been extended to Aug. 31, 2020. Late fees will be assessed on or after Sept. 1, 2020. While the fee deadline is being extended, all Zuk restaurants were required to submit a renewal application by April 30, 2020. The application will ensure establishments remain licensed during the 2020-2021 operating period. If an establishment does not intend to renew its license, the application still should be returned but include a signed note requesting its license be cancelled.

TECHNOLOGY

Grand Rapids-based electrical solutions and industrial technology firm Feyen Zylstra is working behind the scenes in some local hospitals upgrading their wireless technology, remodeling networks and working in other infrastructure areas to help accommodate the hospitals in setting up testing areas and turning non-clinical areas into health delivery areas.

CHANGE-UPS POLICY: The Business Journal welcomes submissions to the Change-Ups section. Send announcements concerning personnel changes, new businesses, changes of address etc. to Change-Ups Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or email bjchangeups@grbj.com.

Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Road SE. Information/registration: (616) 531-5990 or michelle@southkent.org. JUN 9,10 Jennifer Maxson & Associates Workshop, “Speak Up and Be Effective - Momentum.” Engage customers, clients, teams, peers and leaders by crafting messages that communicate clear value and key initiatives to organizational vision. Cost: $2,300/person, $2,100/ person for two people, same program and date. Information/registration: (616) 8836458 or info@jennifermaxsonassociates. com.

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS Information: Stephanie Bradley, (616) 233-3577 or sbradley@experiencegr. com.

CALENDAR POLICY: The Business Journal welcomes submissions to the calendar section. Send items to Calendar Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal, 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 331, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or email bjcal endar@grbj.com. Submissions must be received at least three weeks prior to the event. The Business Journal calendar posted on the publication’s website (grbj.com) includes listings for events extended beyond those printed in the weekly publication that are limited by space restrictions.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

PUBLIC RECORD MORTGAGES

Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds CHRISTIANS, Jeffrey L. et al, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411434476020, $606,900 DUQUETTE, Jared et al Northpointe Bank, Parcel: 411803152021, $275,400 CAIRNS, Mark et al, Midwest Loan Solutions, Parcel: 411427480008, $430,000 DONOVAN, Brian J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411532102152, $372,000 DAS, Sheetal et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411507476004, $420,000 VILLARREAL, Juan et al, Independent Bank, Parcel: 412124301048, $306,680 STEMLER, Christopher et al, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411908301028, $338,400 DOYLE, Scott M. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411414227039, $735,000 FISHER, Wade P. et al, Wells Fargo Bank, Parcel: 410215100036, $348,600 CAVANAGH, Michael et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411810152012, $326,000 ORMISTON, Evan et al, Envoy Mortgage Ltd., Parcel: 412015200054, $348,000 KALMINK, Tyler et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411925480007, $292,800 CROWE, Zachary et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 410613378001, $294,500 LEE, Kaleigh et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 410635201019, $287,130 BEDFORD, William et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 411024331014, $368,524 MAXWELL, Damon J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412217308028, $354,350 SANDFORD, James J., Benchmark Mortgage, Parcel: 411532102117, $408,500 MIKE & JOHNNY BRANNS STEAK & SEAFOOD INC., Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 411313453013, $730,000 RALEY, James A., Meijer Credit Union, Parcel: 412226200032, $350,541 TAVARES, Erica et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411431135026, $376,500 HOYER, Jeremy W. et al, United Wholesale Mortgage, Parcel: 410728202016, $313,102 HUDENKO, Brian et al, Freedom Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411730352007, $314,944 GERARD, Christopher et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 410627251085, $427,500 HOPEWELL, Matthew A., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412336300034, $325,000

VANDEVENTER, Glen A. et al, TCF National Bank, Parcel: 411620300022, $689,500 PENA, Carlos F., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411904403005, $344,000 APK LEASING LLC, Chemical Bank, Parcel: 411427376007, $970,353 MATZEN, William et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 410618178031, $337,565 AZHER, Seema A. et al, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Parcel: 411411202065, $338,250 ELLS, Gary M. et al, Heartland Home Mortgage LLC, Parcel: 410817376012, $296,000 WILCOX, Richard M. et al, Hall Financial Group, Parcel: 411524101005, $510,400 SAPER, Vernon P., Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411426280018, $332,000 HAMSTRA, Lucas et al, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 412303101011, $324,000 JUEN, Maggie C., Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411431255021, $337,249 BAKER Cory et al, US Bank, Parcel: 411530176013, $340,000 DEAR, Charles E. III, Bank of America, Parcel: 411934326018, $400,000 DAILY, Donald et al, Union Home Mortgage Corp., Parcel: 411108326010, $320,000 GLADYS, Michael J. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 411727474003, $294,500 HARRISON, Bradley A. et al, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 412114177075, $332,000 ARINS, Geraldine A. et al, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 411634312028, $317,500 KORTH, Thomas A. et al, Chemical Bank, Parcel: 411524101013, $600,000 HAACK, Robert, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411607300019, $357,000 PALMA, Michael R. et al, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 410901251011, $290,400 GELDHOF, Richard A. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 410913400063, $375,000 HADY, Kari et al, US Bank, Parcel: 411110153046, $660,000 MARSIGLIA, Timothy G. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411020226068, $288,000 MULCHAY, Mitchell, Fifth Third Bank, Parcel: 412124301025, $291,900 FIGG, John W. et al, United Bank, Parcel: 411430177016, $291,750 HOLLINGSWORTH, Kristie, First United Credit Union, Parcel: 41102432900, $341,000 WITTE, Alexander J. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411121100064, $895,000 ZERFAS, Benjamin C. et al, Ruoff Mortgage Co., Parcel: 411803328015, $350,000

WEST MICHIGAN’S

WINNER 2020

TIMMER, Jeffrey M. et al, Independent Bank, Parcel: 410733100012, $404,000 ELHOUSSENY, Mohamed et al, Keller Mortgage, Parcel: 411801128001, $296,000 JTB HOMES LLC, Macatawa Bank, Parcel: 412114153014, $283,178 ARTINIAN, Hovig, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411324453051, $383,500 RUMMERLT, Michael et al, Finance of America, Parcel: 410627251353, $300,100 HAYDEN, Jeffrey L. et al, Ally Bank, Parcel: 411403251009, $310,000 RITSEMA, Kyle et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412217176014, $285,839 LYNCH, Leslie E. et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411109378014, $301,150 CALVARUSO, John et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412217176027, $280,000 CARLSON, Glenn A. et al, Grand River Bank, $360,000 CFT NV DEVELOPMENTS LLC, Citizens Bank, Parcel: 410935491001, $10,525,558 DURHAM, James E. et al, First United Credit Union, Parcel: 411411226019, $342,100 LEDGER BUILDERS INC., Macatawa Bank, Parcel: 412115159010, $310,851 OZINGA, Daniel A. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 412110480014, $326,800 MARKOWSKI, Matthew et al, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411403252011, $362,500 CRONKRIGHT PROPERTIES INC. et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Nelson Twp., $658,000 MCGAHAN, Brian R. et al, Mercantile Bank, Parcel: 410601100040, $303,700 BREYMEYER, Jennifer, Huntington National Bank, Parcel: 412205380012, $283,950 WALKER, Derrick et al, Consumers Credit Union, Parcel: 411310351013, $327,000 TOBERT, Conrad et al, JTB Homes LLC, Parcel: 411425102006, $417,720 RODE, Brian et al, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Parcel: 411114400043, $747,000 GU, Wei, Old National Bank, Parcel: 411425222014, $418,000 ALBRECHT, Jade L. et al, Quicken Loans, Parcel: 411731180006, $282,000 SHEPARD, Thomas, Northpointe Bank, Parcel: 412011353001, $406,724

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.

MAY 18, 2020

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MAY 18, 2020

Colleges strengthen virtual presence More campus tours are taking place online during social distancing. Danielle Nelson

dnelson@grbj.com

Grand Valley State University recently updated its website to include student-guided virtual tours. Courtesy GVSU University Communications

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Technologies

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Touring college campuses and attending open houses usually are among the deciding factors in where students will choose to continue their educational jour-

ney. But just like graduations and proms, the pandemic has uprooted the natural progression of high schoolers and left them scrambling for alternatives. Local colleges are adapting to the new normal with enhanced virtual reality tours. Jodi Chycinski, associate vice president and director of admissions for Grand Valley State University, said virtual tours always have been available for anyone on the admissions website, but now they are being enhanced with new video footage.

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“We will have a student talk through their campus tour experience,” she said. “We have students who give tours of campus so one of our students who has worked with us for a couple of years has (taken) a tour and will be moderating that. We are always adding new content. We are finding out what people want and adding that content for them and notifying our prospective students that it is available online. “The current virtual tour is really self-directed. So, when you go to the site, you click on what you want to see on the virtual tour. It is a matter of going to the map and clicking around and seeing the information about the buildings. What we will have online (soon) is where we will be directing the tour. Much like we would do on a tour if you would show up in person, we have a route that we go on to facilities we want to show them. So that is what we are going to be emulating with this new tool we’ll be putting online.” Chycinski said GVSU normally conducts campus tours every day with different prospective students, and also incorporates meeting with an admissions professional, which might be oneon-one or in a group setting to give more details about what it is like being a student at GVSU. Since that no longer is feasible, the school has created virtual appointments with an admissions professional and sometimes with faculty members. Aquinas College also offers a virtual campus tour on its website. Damon Bouwkamp, director of admissions for Aquinas, said the college recently hosted its first virtual open house for students, parents and faculty members that focused on different areas of academics and even a couple of sessions on athletics. In addition to student life, features also included the Aquinas Advantage Center and the Center for Diversity, Inclusion & Equity. “This is primarily designed for the underclassmen who are really caught in this really odd spot, where a lot of these students would have started their college search right around the time when everyone was sent home,” he said. “There is a pretty large college fair circuit in the spring in Michigan, including a national college fair that takes place at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids in April every year. That college fair at the DeVos Place would have had 150 different colleges from around the globe at their event. This is an opportunity for students to get more in-depth knowledge about Aquinas and have a chance to chat with faculty and staff and ask them questions.” Bouwkamp said during an April open house the school normally would have between 100 and 150 prospective students on campus, and that’s in addition to countless personal visits that occur during traditional high school spring break. “For a small school, that is a big number that we need to get back in touch with and hopefully have them experience Aquinas in some way,” he said.

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Republic Services spends $20M in local communities

MAY 18, 2020

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

At least $50,000 of that total already has been used at West Michigan small businesses. Republic has more than 28,000 employees working on the front lines, including 240 in West Michigan. Courtesy Republic Services

Ehren Wynder

ewynder@grbj.com

In response to economic restric- one weekly dinner for employees’ tions brought on by COVID-19, families, and bi-weekly $100 gift Republic Services launched a cards. $20-million iniRepublic Sertiative to recogvices has 28,000 “The reaction nize its frontline frontline employemployees in the ees — drivers, from small business field, their fam- owners and employees technicians, etc. ilies and small — including 240 business custom- has been pure appreci- based in West ers across the Michigan. ation. Additionally, country, effec“Small busiour employees feel a nesses tively killing two are often sense of pride being birds with one hit the hardest stone. during times of able to give back to “Committed to uncertainty,” said the local community Tom Mahoney, Serve,” launched in the beginning West Michigan they serve.” of April, gives general managall of the recyer with Republic Tom Mahoney cler and waste Services. “The hauler’s frontline ‘Committed to employees two weekly meals, in- Serve’ initiative is a gesture of supcluding one employee lunch and port for both our employees and

our local small businesses, many of whom are our customers.” Even though Republic Services has relationships with national organizations like chain restaurants and big hardware stores, the focus of the campaign is to help local small businesses, and employees who receive gift cards are encouraged to spend them locally. “We want to reward our employees but also help our customers weather the storm,” Mahoney said. All meals are purchased from local small businesses in Republic Services’ 41 states of operation to help support customers and the communities it serves. To date, Republic Services has spent $50,000 with West Michigan restaurants including RainCONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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MAY 18, 2020

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Samaritas: Fostering needs are ‘greater’ than ever ‘Surge’ of new placements is expected when stay-at-home ends, yet fewer foster families are signing up. Rachel Watson

rwatson@grbj.com

Samaritas is ramping up recruitment of foster families for an anticipated increase in the number of calls to Child Protective Services. Laura Mitchell is executive director of foster care at Samaritas in Grand Rapids. She said statewide in Michigan, there are almost 1,000 children currently in foster care through Samaritas. The need for foster families to accept new placements “is even greater than it typically is due to COVID,” she said — not only because the pace of new foster families signing up has slowed, but because when the government restrictions due to the pandemic lift, CPS expects to see a burst of new issues being reported. Mitchell said CPS received about 5,000 complaints in the first week of March, resulting in the placement of 100 children in foster care. By the end of April, the number of complaints CPS received was fewer than 2,000, and 18 children were placed in care in the last week of April. “Numbers have significantly decreased, which causes a lot of concern for the safety of children

right now,” Mitchell told the Business Journal this month. “We expect that there will be a surge of new children needing foster care once we start to emerge from the stay-at-home orders and kids are again going out in public places where other adults can have eyes on them and see how they’re doing,” she said. “It is important that we are prepared when those kids need us.” Contrary to what the public may think, Mitchell said Samaritas is still able to continue recruiting and licensing foster families during COVID through a combination of virtual, phone and in-person screenings. Its field workers also are able to do home visits as needed to ensure the safety of children. Foster care can be a rewarding and joyous opportunity, in addition to the difficult parts, according to local couple Annmarie and Brad Jordan. In October 2018, the pair obtained their licensing as foster parents through Samaritas, and have since had one placement, a little girl who is over a year old whom they received when she was a newborn who is still living with them. They said they are “honored” to be in touch with the child’s biological mom and have a “very positive relationship with her.” “It’s been great to see this little baby who was in the NICU grow and overcome some health troubles and become the wild, amazing, adorable little girl she is today,” Annmarie Jordan said.

Annmarie and Brad Jordan are fostering a little girl who arrived as a newborn and now is over a year old. Courtesy the Jordans

Brad Jordan said foster care has been on his heart for a long time, as he grew up witnessing his grandmother’s work as a longterm foster mom for special needs children. The couple met while working as counselors at Camp Beechwood Hills in Hopkins, where one of the leaders was a foster dad who, with his wife, ended up adopting three of his placements. “We always thought that that story was very powerful. Just think of where they would have been without this wonderful family that brought them into their

home. I think from early on, we’ve always had great experiences and great relationships with people in foster care, and that kind of edged us into doing it,” Brad Jordan said. The couple has one son, Eli, who is 3 years old, but they had faced infertility issues conceiving him, so they agreed to look into becoming foster parents after he was born as another way to grow their family. Annmarie Jordan previously worked for CPS, so she knew the importance of caring for children until they can potentially be reunited with their parents.

“What really shocked me is how rewarding it’s been for us,” Brad Jordan said. “It’s amazing how much love you can have for someone else’s child.” Annmarie Jordan said if she could share one piece of advice to other parents, it’s not to listen to the doubt and fear that would hold them back from serving in this way. “If you have any tug, any inkling that you’re interested, pursue that, whether it’s contacting an agency or talking to other foster parents, (because) there is such a need,” she said. “The biggest fear I’ve heard people say is, ‘It’s so nice what you’re doing; I would love to do that, but I don’t know if I could say goodbye.’ That’s the whole idea of foster care, to love these kids while their families can grow and get safe and healthy, and they can be reunited. … The people who would love so hard that it would be hard to say goodbye — those are the ones who need to be foster parents. Those kids need that love, that safety, that security, and we as grownups can handle those goodbyes a lot better than a child can handle not knowing love, safety and security. “I am a big mush; I have a huge heart, and I will be selfishly crushed when our placements get reunified, but simultaneously, we’ll be happy for them and know that if we could be part of their life, whether it’s a week, a month, a year or forever, that’s what we were meant to do.”

GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

Fifth Third Bank employee Kandi Malmquist is one of those workers who must come to the office during the pandemic to complete their tasks. Courtesy Miranda Nichols

Banks offering employees additional pay during pandemic CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

plans to slowly reopen those banks on a case-by-case basis when the orders begin to expire.” Fifth Third Bank is giving its employees who are providing essential banking services to its customers a special payment of up to $1,000. Scott Stenstrom, regional marketing and communications director, said employees who conduct more than 50% of their work on-site have received two installments of $500 during the relevant pay period that is covered in April and May. Frontline employees who work on-site less than 50% of the time have received two installments of $250 for the relevant pay period of April and May. Stenstrom said about 55% of Fifth Third’s employees have received special payments and approximately 73% of those who work in West Michigan have received payments, totaling slightly more than 1,600 employees. “The special payments are consistent with actions we’ve taken in the past year that show how we value our employees,” he said. “Many of them, like our customers, are experiencing challenges during

this crisis and when we take care of them, they will likely take care of our customers. This builds upon our legacy of strong benefits for our employees.” Fifth Third Bank has more than 1,125 branches in 10 states, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. There are 185 Fifth Third Bank locations in the state, including ones in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Jenison and Rockford, among other cities. Stenstrom said last year the bank increased its minimum wage to up to $18 per hour, which followed another increase the previous year. “We went from $15 to $18 and the reason why we did that is because we wanted to make sure we invested in our employees so they could create a better customer experience and improve employee engagement,” he said. “It is really smart, in a business sense, because it helped us reduce employee turnover and we did see some positive impact on turnover as a result of all of that. Fifth Third has made a concerted effort to have a strong set of benefits for the employees so that is really what it comes down to. It is a long string of investments we have made in our employees, not just this one.”

Republic Services spends $20M in local communities CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

bow Grill in Grandville and Hudsonville, Hudsonville Grill, Teddy Spaghetti’s in Muskegon, Lombardo’s Pizzeria in Muskegon, Stanz Cafe in Grand Haven, Wolfies Sandwiches in Zeeland, The Farmhouse Restaurant in Zeeland, Spectators Sports Bar and Grill in Saugatuck and Hog Wild BBQ Holland. “The reaction from small business owners and employees has been pure appreciation. Additionally, our employees feel a sense of pride being able to

give back to the local community they serve,” he said. Republic Services also is donating $3 million to its charitable foundation to fund long-term nonprofits working to revitalize the places where employees live and work. “Committed to Serve” is fully funded by Republic Services, and the program will continue to run through the end of May, Mahoney said. Republic Services Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a national recycling and solid waste removal company operating in 41 states and Puerto Rico.

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GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MAY 18, 2020

Don’t be like Detroit Child’s play. BUSINESS JOURNAL STAFF

isability Advocates of Kent County caught wind of discrimination against disabled patients occurring in Detroit-area hospitals and wants to prevent the same from happening in West Michigan. During a weekly check-in call with sister organizations of Disability Network/Michigan, Lori Hill, executive director of Disability Network Wayne County and Detroit, revealed disabled members of the community were being refused COVID-19 testing and care because of their disabled status. “I’m willing to say, if I were to assess the different conversations I’ve had, there are at least 25% to 30% of people who would have those stories to tell you,” Hill said. In response, Disability Advocates of Kent County Executive Director Dave Bulkowski issued a letter to Grand Rapids-area hospitals, reminding them of their constitutional obligation to ensure the same will not happen here. “The main thing is, first and foremost, we were thanking the folks that were out there providing the care,” Bulkowski said. “We have a good health care system in Kent County, and we’re grateful for that … we want to make sure hospitals have their standards of 11011 GRBJwant Ads 101 Best.pdf care, and we don’t that to be

based on myths or fears.” The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a bulletin to health and governmental authorities to heed their obligations under federal laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination based on disability. Included in the bulletin was a directive stating, “persons with disabilities should not be denied medical care on the basis of stereotypes, assessments of quality of life, or judgments about a person’s relative ‘worth’ based on the presence or absence of disabilities.” The bulletin also reminds government officials and health care providers obligations under federal civil rights laws to ensure all segments of the community are served by: •Providing effective communication with individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired through the use of qualified interpreters, picture boards and other means •Making emergency messaging available in plain language and in languages prevalent in the affected area(s) and in multiple formats, such as audio, large print and captioning, and ensuring websites providing emergency-related in3 5/11/20 are 10:21 AM formation accessible

•Addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities, including individuals with mobility impairments, individuals who use assistive devices or durable medical equipment, and individuals with immunosuppressed conditions including HIV/AIDS in emergency planning Bulkowski also said Kent County is fortunate to have had a low rate of infection and patients in intensive care. “It’s, again, just keeping folks aware of how to treat people fairly, so when a crisis happens, we’re not devolving to these myths and stereotypes,” Bulkowski said. On the other side of the state, Hill said the main reason the problem arose in the first place was because there was a lack of education on patients’ rights. “There’s been a lot of situations where these things have happened, because individuals don’t know what their rights are,” Hill said. “You’re entitled to a ventilator whether you have underlying health issues or not.” Even more prohibitive to getting people care was the fact many members of the disabled population did not even know what COVID-19 was weeks into the pandemic, Hill said. Many frontline workers in the Detroit area

did not have proper PPE until just a few weeks ago. Disability Network Wayne County Detroit has been working to inform members of the disabled populace and their family members of the care they are entitled to, Hill said. The network features educational material on its website, https://www.dnwayne.org/, as well as live chats on its Face book page where individuals can contact specialists with questions. Making the grade West Michigan’s medical workforce earned high marks in the middle of a global pandemic, according to a national survey. Based on the most recent numbers from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, almost every hospital in West Michigan received an A or B grade for its spring 2020 scorecards, with the exception of Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, which received a C. “With everything going on during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s such an incredible accomplishment for our hospital, and for all our colleagues who continue to deliver safe, high-quality care to patients,” said Gary Allore, president of Mercy Health Muskegon. “Our physicians, nurses, clinicians, as well as our Environmental Services and Nutrition teams and all who work in our hospitals, continue to be committed to providing the highest level of safety for our patients.” The spring 2020 grades for all West Michigan hospitals are: •Ascension Borgess Hospital, Kalamazoo – C •Bronson Battle Creek – A •Bronson Methodist Hospital, Ka-

STREET TALK lamazoo – B •Lakeland Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph – A •Mercy Health Hackley Campus, Muskegon – A •Mercy Health Mercy Campus, Muskegon – B •Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Rapids – A •Metro Health-University of Michigan Health, Wyoming – B •Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital, Grand Rapids – A •Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids – B •Spectrum Health United Hospital, Greenville – A •Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital, Zeeland – A Nationally, 33% of hospitals received an A on their spring 2020 scorecards, and 25% of hospitals received a B. Additionally, 74.1% of hospitals maintained the same grade they received in fall 2019. All of the above West Michigan hospitals maintained the same grade they received in fall 2019 except for Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, which went up from a B grade in fall 2019 to an A grade in spring 2020. Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades assigns grades of A, B, C, D and F to over 2,600 general acutecare hospitals across the nation twice annually. The Safety Grade uses up to 28 national patient safety measures including hand hygiene, ICU physician staffing, nursing workforce, nurse communication, doctor communication and more. Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed, and the results are free for the public to view on hospitalsafe tygrade.org.

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We celebrate this honor with our employees. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a 2020 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For ® in West Michigan Winner

Confidence comes with every card.®

We are honored to be a recipient of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest award this year. Our gratitude goes out to each of our employees who helped us achieve this recognition. Now more than ever, your hard work and dedication to our members and the well-being of Michigan communities is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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