GRBJ - The Newsmakers of the Year - 2014

54 FINALISTS 16 NEWSMAKERS 2014

WE TIP OUR HATS!

Congratulations to the 2014 Grand Rapids Business Journal Newsmakers of the Year Award recipients. We applaud those working hard to keep Michigan moving forward.

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Grand Rapids Community College has been nestled in the heart of West Michigan for 100 years. The first community college in Michigan, GRCC was founded in 1914 to provide educational opportunities that would open doors for local citizens. That mission continues today as the college celebrates its centennial.

Part of the

community since 1914

The GRCC Experience is seamless transfer to more than 35 college and university programs; faculty with industry practice; state-ofthe-art, flexible and online learning options; honors, study away and experiential learning courses; and business partnerships to develop tomorrow’s workforce.

Grand Rapids Community College West Michigan’s Best Choice.

Peter Varga and the Silver Line 2015 Newsmaker of the Year Finalist

Silver Line. Experience the momentum.

Experience an innovative, new way of getting around. The Silver Line, Michigan’s first rapid transit system, is moving in a new direction. See how quickly we get there.

Where The Rapid goes, community grows. ridetherapid.org/silver-line

Newsmakers: ACTION FIGURES IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY

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ased on the analysis of economic researchers and economic developers alike, the Greater Grand Rapids metro region moved the needle in 2014 by many measures: new business startups; all facets of real estate including residential, commercial and industrial; manufacturing; retail; health care; technology; and even sports.

The Business Journal added significantly this year to the number of “action” industries, from 10 in 2013 to 16 in 2014.

Slightly more than 150 individuals were nominated for consideration as Grand Rapids Business Journal 2014 Newsmakers, not only for the number of headlines but for the markers they set during the year.

The Business Journal published more than 3,000 unique stories about the business community in 2014; of those, 1,230 were exclusively reported at grbj.com, and almost 2,000 additional stories were published in the print publication and

eventually online.

Whittling that number down to 150some individuals was easy compared to the final process of selecting the top three Newsmakers in 16 categories. Reporters and editors review the impacts those newsmakers had in the region and provide this overview of accomplishments of those who made such strides.

The Food industry led with 20 Newsmaker nominations, Sustainability garnered 13 nominations, Manufacturing 11 and Technology 11. Individuals in those industries, in particular, showed new and continued breadth and successes. The Business Journal notes their growth fueled a great deal of business activity in the Arts & Entertainment and Sports categories, as well.

The individuals profiled here are the faces of 2014 — the action figures giving momentum to 2015.

The profiles were written by the Business Journal reporters.

—Carole Valade

Website: www.grbj.com; General Editorial Inquiries: editorial@grbj.com; General Sales Inquiries: advertisingsales@grbj.com

PUBLISHER John H. Zwarensteyn: jzwarensteyn@geminipub.com EDITOR Carole Valade: cvalade@geminipub.com MANAGING EDITOR Tim Gortsema: tgortsema@geminipub.com COPY EDITOR Donna Ferraro: dferraro@geminipub.com ONLINE EDITOR Chris Ehrlich: cehrlich@geminipub.com STAFF REPORTERS Pete Daly: pdaly@grbj.com

Charlsie Dewey: cdewey@grbj.com Mike Nichols: mnichols@grbj.com Rachel Weick: rweick@grbj.com

STAFF RESEARCHER/REPORTER Pat Evans: pevans@geminipub.com NEW MEDIA, DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER Scott Sommerfeld: ssommerfeld@geminipub.com ASSISTANT DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER Chris Pastotnik: chrisp@geminipub.com ART COORDINATOR Kelly J. Nugent: knugent@geminipub.com

DESIGNERS/PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Melissa Brooks: mbrooks@geminipub.com Kristen VanOostenbrugge: kristenv@geminipub.com Robin Vargo: rvargo@geminipub.com

Craig R. Rich: crich@geminipub.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Johnny Quirin

CIRCULATION & MARKETING MANAGER Scott T. Miller: smiller@geminipub.com

GENERAL SALES MANAGER Randy D. Prichard: rprichard@geminipub.com ADVERTISING SALES CONSULTANTS Christina McDonald Meister: cmeister@geminipub.com Jenn Maksimowski: jmaksimowski@geminipub.com

ADVER. SALES ASSISTANT/ COORDINATOR Karla Jeltema: kjeltema@geminipub.com

CIRCULATION & MARKETING COORDINATOR Alex Fluegel: afluegel@geminipub.com CIRCULATION & MARKETING ASSISTANT Katrina Peshka: kpeshka@geminipub.com

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Pamela Brocato, CPA: pbrocato@geminipub.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Tina Gillman: tgillman@geminipub.com RECEPTIONIST/CLERICAL ASSISTANT General Inquiries: info@grbj.com Addie Donley: recept@geminipub.com TO ORDER REPRINTS Karla Jeltema: kjeltema@geminipub.com, (616) 459-4545

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 5

arts & entertainment 8

Categories & Finalists

Glenn Del Vecchio

Rick DeVos

beverages 9

Mark Sellers

Kris Larson

economic development 10 Chris Andrus/Max Trierweiler

Chip Richards/Chris Muller

Brett VanderKamp

education 12

Birgit Klohs

Peter Varga

John Dunn

finance 14

Steven Ender

Richard Pappas

food 16

Laurie Beard

Sandy Jelinski

Jim Gordon

Michael Price

health care 18

Cliff Meeuwsen

Craig Smith

6 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Steve Davidson

Marsha Rappley

Roger Spoelman

law 20

manufacturing 22

Jeffrey O’Hara

Brent Willis

(NOT PICTURED)

Ed Bardelli

Perrin Rynders

(NOT PICTURED)

Rita Woodruff/Mary Gill-Thornton

nonprofits 24

real estate 26 Mike VanGessel Darel Ross

Jim Staargaard

Diana Sieger

(NOT PICTURED)

Peter Wege

retail 28

Duke Suwyn

John Wheeler

Earl Clements

Doug and Hank Meijer

sports 30

start ups 32

Mike Guswiler

Scott Miedema

Steve Jbara

J.K. Symancyk

sustainability 34

Justin Herd

Gillian Henker/Carolyn Yarina/Katherine Kirsch

John Sorenson

Kris Spaulding

technology 36

George Heartwell

Dan Nally

Meredith Bronk

Keith Brophy

Robert Pero

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 7

category: arts & entertainment

Glenn Del Vecchio

Grand Rapids Ballet A re-imagined production of “The Nutcracker” by Grand Rapids Ballet garnered a lot of local and national attention in 2014 and will undoubtedly bring more attention to the city in the future.

Grand Rapids Ballet teamed up with East Grand Rapids native Chris Van Allsburg — the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator of “The Polar Express” and “Jumanji” — along with Tony Award-winning set designer Eugene Lee and choreographer Val Caniparoli to produce a completely new version of the classic ballet.

Lee has designed sets for Broadway productions such as “Sweeney Todd” and “Wicked.” Caniparoli has choreographed for more than 35 ballet companies across the globe.

“We are absolutely thrilled to bring some of the greatest artistic talents from around the country — the world, for that matter — together to create a very special, new, exciting and fully re-imagined ‘Nutcracker’ production for West Michigan,” said Glenn Del Vecchio, Grand Rapids Ballet executive director, who is in his fifth season with the ballet.

Patricia Barker, former principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, is the artistic director.

“The Nutcracker” premiered Dec. 11 at a gala event held at the Steelcase Ballroom in DeVos Place and at DeVos Performance Hall that benefitted the ballet and Hospice of Michigan’s pediatric program. Approximately 20,000 people saw the show during its twoweekend run at DeVos Performance Hall.

The new production was part of a $2.5 million campaign launched in 2013 to help elevate the company.

Plans to tour with the new production are also in the future.

Rick DeVos

Kris Larson

ArtPrize

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.

ArtPrize gave away the most money in its history and is expanding to Dallas.

Those were the major highlights in 2014 for the annual art competition started by Rick DeVos. Anila Quayyum Agha came away as the big winner at ArtPrize 2014 with her piece “Intersections.” With a newly formatted award system, Agha took home $300,000 in prizes, including the $200,000 public vote grand prize and half of the $200,000 juried prize that she split with “The Haircraft Project” by Sonya Clark.

ArtPrize 2014 introduced several new aspects, including an expanded lecture series called Critical Discourse, and an improved mobile phone app that included interactive walking paths and user-created lists.

New sustainability initiatives also were a highlight, including a focus on alternative transportation and waste diversion. The Rapid also offered unlimited rides on the Silver Line and DASH transit system.

In November, the organization announced it had entered a three-year deal with a Dallas-based nonprofit to host ArtPrize Dallas, beginning in 2016. The event is exclusive to artists in the southwest region, including Colorado and Utah. ArtPrize will provide a variety of tools to help the Dallas event be successful, including technologybased engagement tools and other infrastructure. It also will train and support a Dallas-based team.

“ArtPrize Dallas is a natural next chapter in the ArtPrize story,” said DeVos, ArtPrize founder and board chairman. “It will create a dynamic pathway between our cities of new artistic, cultural, social, professional and economic opportunities for artists and spectators. The possibilities are thrilling.”

Last April, a video with local actors and public figures teased the upcoming summer’s Movies in the Park schedule.

Kris Larson and his Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. crew followed up the video with crowds looking to spend money on entertainment in the city.

The movie lineup, which followed a decades theme, included “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Grease,” “Dreamgirls,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Top Gun,” “Jurassic Park” and a voters’ choice, which turned out to be “The Sandlot.”

Movies in the Park, sponsored by Celebration! Cinema, was held at Ah-Nab-Awen Park. The six movies were estimated to draw approximately 19,000 people to downtown Grand Rapids resulting in an economic impact of $400,000.

Each movie was preceded by events such as drop-in volleyball and costume contests.

The finale, the double feature of “The Sandlot” and “Jurassic Park,” drew an estimated 5,300 people, the largest crowd of the summer.

The movies were a big draw, but Larson also used the movie screen for several other major events during the summer. World Cup action was shown as the United States took on Belgium, and a viewing of the Michigan State University football game against the University of Oregon in September finished up the viewing season.

Despite losing efforts by both teams being supported, large crowds showed the significant potential of the big screen — and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. — in the future.

8 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

category: beverages

Chris Andrus/Max Trierweiler

Mark Sellers

Brett VanderKamp

When Chris Andrus and Max Trierweiler opened Mitten Brewing Co. on the northwest side of Grand Rapids, they didn’t expect to have a packed taproom every night of the week.

They just thought it would be a place to hang out, drink beer and eat pizza. Instead, the beer is regularly listed among the best in the area and hundreds of pizzas are sold every week.

The brewery, located in a historic firehouse at 527 Leonard St. NW, quickly outgrew its taproom and added seating outside and upstairs, nearly tripling its seating capacity.

Grand Rapids made note of the marked improvement in the west side neighborhood.

The patio project won Best Exterior Renovation at the Neighborhood Business Awards, beating out competitors such as Founders Brewing Co. because the project changed the streetscape of an entire block, as noted by Mayor George Heartwell.

The increased demand for its beer also necessitated a brewery upgrade when the original three-barrel brewhouse that Trierweiler and Andrus had purchased in 2012 couldn’t keep up. A new 20-barrel brewery will be up and running soon across the street at a new production facility.

With several expansion projects coming to an end, Mitten Brewing also has seen an increased interest in its west-side neighborhood. Long Road Distillers will open this winter next door, and across the street Two Scotts Barbeque will open its doors, as well.

“We opened on this corner hoping to spur some redevelopment eventually,” Andrus said. “It’s happening a lot quicker than we expected.”

As owner of HopCat, named one of the top beer bars in the country, Mark Sellers is set to see his restaurant group’s entities double in less than year.

Barfly Ventures saw two new HopCats open in 2014 — in Indianapolis and Detroit — joining the original Grand Rapids HopCat, HopCat East Lansing, Grand Rapids Brewing Co., Stella’s Lounge and McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon in the restaurant group’s holdings.

At least three more Barfly projects will open in 2015 to continue the growth. Two new locations of HopCat — in Ann Arbor and in Madison, Wis. — will open, along with a tiki-themed barbecue restaurant called The Shrunken Head next to Stella’s Lounge on Commerce Avenue in Grand Rapids.

The Ann Arbor HopCat location will open this month, and Madison is set to be the chain’s second out-of-state location, opening in June.

Draft Magazine named the HopCat group to its list of best beer chains in America in January. HopCat also has been named to a variety of best beer bar lists on BeerAdvo cate.com, RateBeer.com, Thrillist.com and Craftbeer.com since its opening in 2008.

The Shrunken Head will give Sellers a new type of playground.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun with this place,” Sellers said. “I’m a barbecue fanatic and have also visited many tiki bars all over the United States and elsewhere. I think it will be fun to marry the two concepts into one crazy place. There will be a lot of original artwork, a retro look and some other fun surprises for people.”

For many, the announcement by New Holland Brewing Co. of a new taproom on Bridge Street on Grand Rapids’ west side didn’t come as a surprise, but the $10 million project will surely please many when it opens in early 2016.

New Holland President Brett VanderKamp had been looking for a location in Grand Rapids for several years, including consideration of a spot in Downtown Market, but the west side finally won him over.

“My mom is a west-sider. … I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the west side,” VanderKamp told the Business Journal. “(Rockford Construction’s) Mike VanGessel didn’t have to convince me. There’s great traffic, great visibility, but it’s still in a neighborhood.”

Having a more immediate impact, however, will be the brewery’s shifting of its executive officers to support VanderKamp.

The shifts begin with partner and former vice president of sales and marketing Fred Bueltmann moving into the role of vice president of brand and lifestyle to serve as New Holland’s spokesperson. The company then hired Joel Petersen as vice president of marketing. Previously, he was director of retail marketing for the Craft Beer Alliance in Oregon.

A few months later, the brewery brought on former Dogfish Head Craft Brewery vice president of sales Adam Lambert to fill the same role for New Holland. Lambert also had spent time with Rogue Ales.

The company finished up its shift of officers by promoting Amy Kenny to the role of COO/CFO in November, following a stint as a financial consultant.

Mitten Brewing

Barfly Ventures

New Holland Brewing Co.

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 9

category: economic development

Birgit Klohs

Chip Richards/Chris Muller

Peter Varga

The Right Place Inc. rolled out a new threeyear strategic plan to drive the momentum of economic development and new investment in the West Michigan region. Led by Birgit Klohs, president and CEO, the organization came close to meeting its three-year metrics by the end of 2014.

“We kind of outdid ourselves, frankly, I’m very proud to say,” said Klohs. “We were very happy with the year we had. We had 22 projects, and there is potential we will have 23 before the year is over.”

During 2014, the regional nonprofit development organization facilitated $315 million in capital investment, more than 2,100 new jobs, and new payroll of $75 million. The Right Place had envisioned creating 5,500 new/retained jobs, developing $183 million in new payroll, and securing $390 million capital investment by 2016.

Of the 22 projects, 14 were in the manufacturing sector with 1,554 new jobs created as a result. Four projects were in food processing with 139 new jobs. A couple of notable projects are Dicastal North America with an investment of $140 million and the development of 300 new jobs in Greenville, and Plasan Carbon Composite, which is investing $29 million and creating 620 new positions in Walker.

“We continue to see opportunities in manufacturing, we continue to see opportunities in food processing and medical devices, and we believe that if we can tackle the talent issue in our region, we can really become a leader in the country,” said Klohs.

Klohs also was appointed by the state of Michigan and the Ministry of Transportation of Canada as one of the six members of the new International Authority to oversee construction of the new International Trade Crossing between Canada and Michigan.

Chip Richards and Chris Muller are making a splash as the co-founders of Grand Rapids Whitewater, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring 2.2 miles of the Grand River stretching through downtown Grand Rapids.

The roughly $27.5 million restoration project includes removing five dams between 6th Street and Pearl Street, restoring the 18foot drop in river elevation, exposing the limestone shelf, re-creating boulder-strewn rapids, and installing an effective sea lamprey barrier.

With the restoration of the river, it is anticipated the native fish and lake sturgeon will increase and recreational activities will spur economic activity.

Grand Rapids Whitewater’s Grand River project was added to the Urban Waters Federal Partnership after preliminary plans were released last year. The project is anticipated to have a net economic impact of $15.9 million to $19.1 million per year, according to an Anderson Economic Group study released in September.

The report, The Economic Benefits of the Grand Rapids Whitewater Project, also indicated riverfront property value could increase by $117.7 million and generate $285 million in new development investment, along with 1,520 related new jobs.

“Commissioning the AEG study was the next step in moving this project forward,” said Muller. “We needed to demonstrate the viability of this project to our partners, members of the community and funders.”

After more than a decade of planning, the Silver Line rolled into Grand Rapids Aug. 25 as the first bus rapid transit with light rail-like convenience and comfort, connecting three municipalities: Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Kentwood.

The Rapid’s Silver Line was expected to cost roughly $39 million and was completed under budget by approximately $4 million.

Peter Varga, CEO of The Rapid, said the Silver Line is anticipated to provide up to 5,000 one-way rides per day, uses a dedicated lane and is the first BRT in Michigan.

The Silver Line fleet includes 10 buses that stop at 34 stations round trip from 60th Street in Gaines Township to Bostwick Avenue NE in downtown Grand Rapids. Each of the stations includes a ticket vending machine to allow pre-boarding ticket validation, camera surveillance, level boarding, sidewalk snowmelt and real-time arrival signage.

Conveniences and comfort features on the buses include free wireless Internet for passengers and three-position bike racks.

Funding for the project primarily came from the federal government, with 80 percent of the cost covered; the remaining 20 percent is anticipated to be allocated from bus fares, state funds and property-tax revenue.

Varga said plans are underway for a second BRT to be called the Laker Line. He said the east-west service will connect Grand Valley State University’s Allendale campus with downtown Grand Rapids.

The Right Place Inc.

Grand Rapids Whitewater: Restore the Rapids

10 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

The Rapid/Silver Line

Congratulations, Laurie!

Founders Bank & Trust would like to congratulate our President, Laurie Beard, on being nominated for Newsmaker of the Year in the Finance category.

foundersbt.com | 616.956.9030

36665 GRBJ Laurie Congrats Ad.indd 1

Congratulations Mike Guswiler & the West Michigan Sports Commission!

1/12/15 5:00 PM

Wishing you many more years of success.

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 11

category: education

John Dunn

Steven Ender

Richard Pappas

Western Michigan University has taken flight with the introduction of new aerospace and aviation-related programs, proposed expansion projects for its aviation facility, and landing the 2014 Climate Leadership Award for its sustainability efforts.

Led by President John M. Dunn, the university currently has 12 LEED-certified facilities with an additional eight undergoing approval process. A team led by Dunn was presented with the 2014 Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature in Boston in fall 2014 recognizing its innovation and leadership in the field of sustainability.

When Sangreen Hall was designated with a Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, Dunn noted the facility represented WMU’s “commitment to keep sustainability at the core of everything the academic institution does.”

As a nationally recognized university in the field of aeronautics, WMU provides students with the opportunity to learn and train in the fields of aerospace and aviation. In fall 2014, WMU began offering an aerospace engineering graduate program, the second program of its kind in the state, and offers an aviation concentration within its Master’s of Business Administration program.

With continued student interest and projected growth in the industry, the university is pursuing a $19 million capital outlay from the state to renovate and expand its Aviation Education Center to grow its aviation maintenance technology program. WMU’s regional award-winning aviation team also brought home fourth place at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference in May.

Grand Rapids Community College is woven into the fabric of the West Michigan community. In 2014, it celebrated its milestone 100th anniversary with a number of events and activities while continuing to provide new and innovative programming.

President Steven Ender said the college cannot properly celebrate 100 years without including the community.

“West Michigan has made us what we are today, and it is a privilege to share this milestone with organizations and people who do so much good for our area,” he said.

Known for its flexible courses, job training, continuing education and workforce training programs through the Leslie E. Tassell M-Tec center, GRCC works closely with other organizations in the region to provide educational access and bridge the talent gap in the workforce.

For more than 25 years, the community college has provided specialized workforce training services, and has worked with more than 600 employers in the Kent, Allegan and Ottawa counties in the past year alone.

In 2014, GRCC was recognized along with Michigan Works Kent & Allegan counties and the Construction Workforce Development Alliance of West Michigan during the Michigan Works Prosperity Awards for their collaborative work to bring skilled workers into the construction industry.

The community college also announced a new partnership with Grand Valley State University to create a transfer agreement for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in clinical exercise science. Other new programs include a Homeland Security course for students and area professionals to identify and develop practical solutions to real work scenarios.

Richard Pappas, president of Davenport University, is leading the charge in providing students an educational experience rich with real world experience to prepare them for a successful career.

In 2014, Davenport was selected by the national nonprofit Council for Adult and Experiential Learning to participate in the Competency Based Education Jumpstart program, and announced the launch of an online competency-based MBA program to begin this month. The online curriculum is designed for experienced business professionals to earn credits based on their proficiency and is a completely different approach to graduate education.

“We’re a little unique in that all of our degrees lead to a career. We have strong math, strong science and strong English, and they are embedded into every degree we offer. It is a practical approach,” said Pappas.

This fall, Davenport launched a Master’s of Urban Education program with the oversight of Andre Perry, the founding dean of the College of Urban Education. The advanced degree program changes the model for how teachers are prepared to produce more effective educators in the urban setting.

“This will change not just Grand Rapids in terms of the model of effective teaching, but it will change the whole country if we are successful,” said Pappas in reference to the new program. “It is a major change as to how we are suggesting teachers should be prepared.”

To demonstrate the strength of Davenport’s programs, the university also announced a pilot program known as the “employment guarantee” for students who follow outlined criteria. It is meant to endorse the employability of students who earn a degree through programs at Davenport.

Western Michigan University

Grand Rapids Community College

12 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Davenport University

Congratulations

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mercbank.com

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 13

category: finance

Laurie Beard

Founders Bank & Trust Laurie Beard’s new boss — a banker — can explain how one plus one equals three.

Beard is the president and CEO of Founders Financial Corp., best known for its wholly owned subsidiary, Founders Bank & Trust.

In July, Old National Bancorp of Evansville, Ind., and Founders jointly announced Old National’s acquisition of Founders in an $88.2 million stock-and-cash transaction, expected to close in early 2015. Founders had almost $466 million in assets in July, with four banking centers throughout Kent County serving individuals and businesses.

Established in 1991, Founders Financial has had 78 consecutive profitable quarters, with significant income from its strong wealth management and residential mortgage businesses.

Beard has been in charge since 2001, when the bank was Founders Trust Personal Bank. The named changed in 2006.

As the two companies merge, there are no restructuring plans in terms of leadership or employee positions. Beard will assume the role of region president for Old National.

Old National, the largest bank based in Indiana, is strategically moving into Michigan.

Bob Jones, president and CEO at Old National, said the two organizations have a legacy of community support.

“Systems and balance sheets can all come together very easily, but what you really look for is if you can take similar cultures, great people and make one plus one equal three,” Jones said.

“We are looking to help Laurie and her team grow, to continue to do things that they have been doing, maybe give them some new products, a larger balance sheet and the ability to really do some great things in the marketplace.”

Sandy Jelinski

Michael Price

Lake Michigan Credit Union

Mercantile Bank

Sandy Jelinski is one of those happy CEOs in the financial world — that is to say, she’s a credit union CEO. There is somewhat of a revolution going on in the financial world and it’s all about credit unions.

Credit unions are riding a wave of growth in members and expansion of services, and making the banks nervous. To be fair, banks have been hobbled with government oversight in the wake of the Great Recession, probably more so than the credit unions.

Jelinski is the head of Lake Michigan Credit Union, which is based in Grand Rapids and the second largest CU in Michigan.

Lake Michigan appears to be the largest financial institution headquartered in West Michigan, counting banks and credit unions, with assets totaling $3.4 billion. It is easily the largest home mortgage originator in West Michigan. In 2014, it expanded its reach into southeast Michigan with new branch locations, challenging DFCU Financial, headquartered in Dearborn. Meanwhile, DFCU is returning the favor in West Michigan.

LMCU’s total commercial loan volume jumped about 40 percent in 2014.

LMCU isn’t alone; Educational Community Credit Union in Kalamazoo, for example, is building a commercial loans staff and just hired its first commercial loan officer this year.

LMCU, which has been in business more than 80 years and is closing in on 300,000 members throughout the Lower Peninsula, has two commercial loan portfolios: one for members’ businesses totaling about $50 million, and the other for investment properties at about $150 million.

Bank mergers can be challenging and complicated, as Michael Price, CEO of Mercantile Bank, well knows. The planned merger between Mercantile and Firstbank Corp. of Alma, announced in August 2013, was delayed until June 1, 2014.

It might have been finalized five months sooner, if not for a formal protest filed with federal banking regulators in October 2013 under the Community Reinvestment Act. The objection to the merger came from an attorney and self-appointed banking watchdog in New York, who claimed Mercantile did not offer mortgages to African-Americans or Latinos. It took the Federal Reserve System months of investigation to conclude the charge was groundless.

The successful merger makes Mercantile the fourth largest bank domiciled in Michigan, with assets of approximately $2.9 billion and 53 banking offices in central and western Michigan.

In November, Mercantile reported results of its first full quarter after merger. Net income in the third quarter for the expanded organization was $5.9 million, compared to $3.5 million in the same quarter last year.

Non-performing loan losses dropped more than 75 percent compared to the same period in 2013, and there were new loans of approximately $47 million during the quarter.

Mercantile, founded in Grand Rapids in 1997 with a focus on commercial lending, hired away three experienced commercial lending officers in 2014, individuals who had been with larger, longer-established banks in the Grand Rapids and Lansing regions.

“We are a very strong community bank providing services and products that are unparalleled for community banks, and right on par with any of the large banks,” said Price.

14 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 15

category: food

Jim Gordon

Gordon Food Service After more than 115 years in business, Grand Rapids-based Gordon Food Service now ranks as the 34th largest privately held company based in the United States, according to Forbes magazine.

Forbes ranked GFS as one of the top 15 best family-run, privately held companies, competing against the likes of other large food service distributors such as Sysco, U.S. Foods and Performance Food Group. It is a major contender in the food industry supplying restaurants and dining facilities at organizations ranging from schools and universities to hospitals.

Though the company keeps a low profile, Forbes has estimated GFS annual revenues are in the realm of $9.75 billion, with 14,000 employees and 22 distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada.

It is one of the largest employers in the city of Wyoming.

The company continues to advance. In March, it acquired Glazier Foods in Houston, a frozen food pioneer serving more than 6,000 organizations in six states. In May, GFS expanded into the Mid-Atlantic Region with a new distribution center in Aberdeen, Md. In November, it was announced GFS Marketplace stores will now be known as Gordon Food Service Stores, and there is a new corporate logo, advertising tagline and even a new design for the art on its truck fleet.

“Our previous logo was a strong symbol of our brand that has served us well for over two decades,” said Jim Gordon, CEO. “But as our business evolves, we want to make sure that our look does, too.”

Cliff Meeuwsen

Craig Smith

Zeeland Farm Services

RedWater Restaurant Group

When it comes to soybeans, what goes around comes around.

At one time, a former biodiesel plant in Bangor was supplied with soybean oil by Zeeland Farm Services. Then a big jump in international demand for soy made soybean oil too expensive for biodiesel production.

Now the Zeeland-based, family-owned conglomerate has acquired a planned ethanol plant site in Gratiot County, a partially developed 435-acre parcel once owned by Liberty Renewable Fuels LLC. Construction stopped in 2008 when financing vanished in the Great Recession. The plant was going to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol per year, according to Ethanol Producer Magazine.

Cliff Meeuwsen, president of ZFS, said it is “in the middle of some of the best agricultural land in the state. They grow a lot of soybeans and corn around there, and that’s good for what we have planned over there.”

Those plans are still in flux, as Zeeland Farm Services talks to potential partners “about the site and what the uses could be,” said Meeuwsen. It could be “anything from soy processing and corn processing to feed and fertilizer facilities,” he said.

With annual sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars, it has the only soy-processing plant in Michigan, which it opened in 1996.

The company buys from 10 million to 11 million bushels of soybeans per year and extracts the oil and protein. Its exports to Asia are growing, but its biggest market is protein used domestically in feed for cattle, hogs and poultry.

ZFS also has two operating ethanol plants in other states and recently began selling E85 ethanol-blended fuel in Michigan.

RedWater Restaurant Group expanded — again and again — in 2014, much to the delight of epicureans throughout West Michigan, and much to the satisfaction of Craig Smith, COO of RedWater.

Smith maintains beverage selection is one of the most important aspects of the group’s restaurants.

“Unless you have someone who understands wine, spirits and beer, you’re in trouble,” he said.

Several years ago Smith was working in management at Steelcase, after an earlier career in food service management. He left office furniture to get back into the hospitality industry he loves, as a member of Watermark Properties’ ownership group. His focus was the restaurants at the three Watermark Properties golf courses.

Two years ago, Watermark bought Reds on the River in Rockford and created RedWater Restaurant Group.

The reorganization provided an opportunity to review the 16-year-old Watermark Grille, which shared the country club facility with the pro shop. The club is in the wellheeled Forest Hills area of Greater Grand Rapids so Smith and his team decided to rebrand, renovate and “create a better restaurant ambience,” he said.

The result was Cork Wine & Grille, with the largest wine list in the region. As 2014 was underway, RedWater opened another high-end dining establishment at Watermark Country Club: Vintage is known for its steak, seafood and fine wines.

In November, RedWater opened Gravity, a craft-beer-focused restaurant in the former Malarky’s location on East Beltline Avenue.

All told, RedWater now has a half-dozen notable dining establishments.

16 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Congratulations, Perrin Rynders and the Varnum Litigation Team!

Second largest judgment in Michigan in 2014 against Michigan’s largest health insurer.

Law Category Finalist

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category: health care

Steve Davidson

Agility Health As chief executive officer of Agility Health, Steve Davidson knows the importance of both diversification and consolidation in the field of health care.

Agility Health became a privately held rehabilitation health care provider in 2003 with revenue of $20 million, and since then has grown to a $63 million, highly diversified organization in terms of both market and geographic presence.

“You want a little international diversification in your portfolio to de-risk it, so I think that is something we have really tried to do with our geography play, but also in terms of our diversification of our clinical services,” said Davidson.

“The other thing we wanted to do was more of a partnering philosophy, so we really started partnering in different service lines,” he added.

Since 2013, the health care provider has successfully completed nine acquisitions, bringing its total geographic reach to more than 150 locations across states such as Michigan, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas.

Not only does the company provide services for outpatient clinics, hospital outsourcing, retail and industrial clients, but also it commercially launched AgileRPM in October 2014, with more than $3 million invested into the practice management software.

“We have a very strong clinical culture and we tend to be West Michigan conservative, so I think the combination of that clinical culture really adds to a lot of things that we do in terms of staff recruitment and acquisitions,” said Davidson. “It resonates with other clinicians.”

Marsha Rappley

Roger Spoelman

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Mercy Health

Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, under the direction of Marsha Rappley, has taken a step into the rehabilitation medical field to expose students and residents to educational and research opportunities in the West Michigan region.

In 2014, the college formally partnered with Grand Rapids-based Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital to create a rehabilitative research and educational initiative to foster physician and clinician participation in MSU academic research, create formal teaching positions at the college, and engage students in a clinical experience at the hospital.

“Mary Free Bed is an important institution in the city and the region and the state, and really the nation,” said Rappley.

“For us to be a part of that, to share in that mission with you around the research that we can partner with to drive it even further and for our students who will go out and work with the patients — it’s just a remarkable opportunity.”

On Nov. 21, the MSU College of Human Medicine announced the launch of its new Division of Rehabilitative Medicine, which provides medical students and residents with an elective opportunity to rotate through a clinical experience. The program not only provides students with a new opportunity to gain hands-on experience drawing on a number of medical aspects, but also was developed in recognition of a “growing need for specialized education” in the critical component of care, according to Rappley.

In 2014, Mercy Health, the regional health ministry of Trinity Health, not only announced a major renovation project for Mercy Health Muskegon, but also received funds for training equipment for its Regional Simulation Lab and invested in advanced equipment to improve patient care.

As a top-performing regional hospital in the Greater Grand Rapids area, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s was recognized by U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals 2014-15 for its high performance in medical specialty areas including cancer, pulmonology, diabetes and neurosurgery.

Mercy Health is led by Roger Spoelman, regional president and CEO of West Michigan Trinity Health. The health system began 2014 with a roughly $48.9 million planned renovation project for Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in downtown Grand Rapids.

By Feb. 19, the Mercy Health Muskegon announced a $220 million proposal for a nine-story, state-of-the-art medical center integrating all Muskegon-area inpatient services in a central location. The proposal not only incorporated long-term strategic planning but also input from clinical, medical and support staff in designing the facility.

The health system also opened up the new 70,000-square-foot Mercy Health Rockford facility in late October in Plainfield Township to increase access for personalized care.

Other notable projects Mercy Health announced during 2014 include: a new Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor System; investing in two Xenex UV light disinfection systems to reduce health care-associated infections; West Michigan’s first CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery system at Lacks Cancer Center; and receiving more than $12,000 from the Osteopathic Foundation of West Michigan for training equipment at Mercy Health Regional Simulation Lab.

18 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Congratulations Dan Nally, HBPW FINALIST

Sustainability Newsmaker of the Year

The Holland Energy Park will be a symbol of prosperity and sustainability for the Lakeshore community. The Holland Board of Public Works is thankful for Dan Nally's leadership and vision in the development of our energy future.

category: law

Ed Bardelli

Warner Norcross You don’t want to mess with the Warner Norcross team of litigators, at least according to BTI Consulting.

BTI named Warner Norcross to the 40firm honor roll in its ranking of Most-Feared Firms in Litigation as part of its 2015 BTI Litigation Outlook. The annual study of litigation firms is based on 300 interviews with the general and in-house litigation counsel of companies in industries from banking and construction to transportation and utilities. BTI also completed an analysis of client spending, goals, priorities and needs to analyze more than 160 law firms.

Attorney Edward Bardelli leads the litigation team as practice group chair. He has 17 years of experience in employment and commercial litigation and has racked up quite a few wins for the firm.

Warner Norcross has more than 70 attorneys and eight paralegals in its litigation department. The firm handles all types of litigation.

“There’s truly no litigation problem that we haven’t handled,” Bardelli said.

Recently, Bardelli successfully represented Whirlpool after an employee resigned and attempted to go to a major competitor with a substantial amount of confidential and trade secret information. Warner Norcross used computer forensics to gather evidence of trade secret misappropriation and, after a two-day trial, obtained an injunction preventing the employee from working for the competitor, despite the absence of a non-compete agreement.

Another recent case saw Warner attorneys Douglas A. Dozeman and James Moskal successfully defend Michigan-based ND Industries and Linear Group Services, which had been accused of infringing on patents for automated inspection equipment by rival Attica Automation.

Jeffrey O’Hara

Perrin Rynders

63rd District Court

Varnum

On Jan. 1, Jeffrey O’Hara became the first new judge to pick up the gavel in the 63rd District Court in four decades.

O’Hara was elected in November to take the place of retiring Judge Steven R. Servaas.

He will serve a six-year term.

Prior to joining the court, O’Hara operated a private practice. He said it originally was a general practice firm where he focused on real estate, civil law, divorce and criminal law, before eventually he began to specialize in criminal defense at both the state and federal levels.

His decades of experience in the courtroom are what prompted O’Hara to run for the 63rd District Court seat in the first place.

“I have a great deal of experience trying cases and being in court,” he said. “For the past 25 years, I’ve been in court on a daily basis for most of my career. As a result, I’ve observed the judges and court proceedings, and I’ve tried an awful lot of cases. I think I have a vast amount of experience.”

O’Hara said the legal profession is a service profession and he felt it was time to take the next step and begin serving the community in a larger capacity.

In addition to his practice, O’Hara has been involved with the annual Hillman Advocacy Program, which is a three-day seminar providing courtroom training to hundreds of trial lawyers. He has served on the steering committee and as a member of the faculty.

He also volunteers his time with the Rockford DARE program, which teaches students good decision-making skills to help them lead healthy and safe lives.

Three years of litigation came to a close for Varnum when the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not review a $6.1-million fraud judgment against Michigan’s largest health insurer for years of hidden fees.

Varnum brought the case against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, alleging it had collected millions of dollars in hidden fees over a nearly 20-year period from the employee health plan for Hi-Lex Controls Inc. and Hi-Lex America Inc. The Varnum litigation team of Perrin Rynders, Aaron Phelps and Stephen MacGuidwin handled the three-week trial in federal court in May 2013, the appeal in March 2014, and the U.S. Supreme Court proceedings in September.

The Hi-Lex case was the first to reach judgment in more than 50 similar cases pending in the Eastern District of Michigan, filed

by Varnum on behalf of other self-insured companies and their health care plans using BCBSM. The decision by the Supreme Court not to review the case clears the way for the remaining cases to move forward.

“On behalf of our client, we are very pleased the Supreme Court denied review and essentially agreed with the four other federal judges who reviewed this case,” Rynders said.

U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Roberts issued the original judgment in May 2013.

Varnum argued, and the court concluded, that BCBSM violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act through its practice of collecting additional compensation without customers’ knowledge. The court held that BCBSM engaged in illegal self-dealing and breached its fiduciary duties.

Judge Roberts entered a judgment in favor of Hi-Lex for $6.1 million, including a return of all hidden fees since 1994, plus interest.

20 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

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The most complete, accurate and trusted business lists in West Michigan. Download them now, including the 2015 Book of Lists, in Excel or PDF format.

category: manufacturing

Jim Staargaard

Plasan Carbon Composites “Auto supplier plans up to 620 jobs” isn’t a headline seen in West Michigan too often anymore, but it was a headline the Business Journal was glad to write.

Wixom-based Plasan Carbon Composites made the announcement in September, saying it would bring 620 new jobs to its facility in Walker as part of an expansion project it would undertake.

The company plans to invest $29 million in infrastructure and renovations to expand the production capability at its 197,000-square-foot Walker plant, 3195 Wilson Ave. NW. “Our experience in launching the new facility in West Michigan has been great and made the decision easy on how and where to expand with our next phase of growth,” said Jim Staargaard, president of Plasan Carbon Composites.

Along with the expansion, the company said it is expecting to add approximately 530 semi-skilled operator jobs and 90 administrative and managerial positions over the next three years in Walker.

Carbon Composites supplies carbon fiber parts to the auto industry. It is particularly known for its lightweight carbon fiber parts and assemblies for the Corvette Stingray, Viper SRT and Shelby Mustang GT500KR. Carbon Composites first began to establish itself in Walker in 2011 when it opened its plant there.

The company moved its headquarters from Bennington, Vt., to Wixom, Mich., in 2013, and in 2014 it ceased operations at its Vermont plant and started re-locating people, capital and production capabilities to its Walker plant.

Brent Willis

Rita Woodruff/Mary Gill-Thornton

Electronic Cigarettes International Group

Gill

“Vape” was recognized in 2014 as the Oxford Dictionaries international Word of the Year.

Oxford noted in its selection that use of the word had more than doubled from 2013 to 2014 alongside substantial growth of the electronic cigarette industry “from almost nothing to a multi-million dollar industry” in the last five years.

One company taking advantage of that growth is Electronic Cigarettes International Group, formerly Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp., led by CEO and Chairman Brent Willis.

ECIG, which is located in Spring Lake, manufactures, markets and distributes many of the world’s leading e-cigarette and vaping brands. Vapestick, Fin, Victory, GreenStix and VIP are among the trademarks the company owns.

The company was founded in 2010 as an online company before expanding distribution into retail outlets. It continues to expand as e-cigarettes gain a customer base.

Some of the company’s highlights from 2014 include: the acquisition of VIP, one of the U.K.’s “most profitable” e-cigarette companies; an investment deal with Man FinCo Ltd., the investment arm of the Mansour Group, for up to $60 million of equity capital ($20 million invested initially and an additional option to invest $40 million at a later date); and its expansion into Croatia and southeast Europe through a memorandum of understanding with TDR, which is part of the Adris group.

ECIG’s acquisition of Fin Branding Group made the company the largest independently owned e-cig company.

Family-owned Gill year started out on a high note, celebrating its 50th anniversary. But that wasn’t all that got people’s attention.

In March, Gill announced it had acquired GR Spring & Stamping, strengthening its position as a full-service supplier of engineered mechanical assemblies to the automotive, furniture and multi-use vehicle industries.

“By acquiring GR Spring & Stamping, we are able to diversify our customer base to include additional OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, enhance our product offerings and leverage our shared operational and technical expertise,” said CEO Richard Perreault.

Gill has grown out of humble beginnings.

Originally a tool-and-die shop providing parts for ashtrays inside Ford’s first Mustangs, it now has plants in Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky and Mexico, with another in the works in Ireland, as well as joint ventures in China and Korea, and sales offices in Japan and Germany.

The company also has added an electronics division, Gill Electronics, which is focused on developing wireless technology. The division received its first big order in 2014 and is poised to take off.

Second-generation family members Mary Gill-Thornton, Rita Woodruff and Joe Gill own the company and serve on its executive board, and they have big plans for the company’s future. You could say they want to take over the world — or at least every Starbucks in it.

“Our goal is that every Starbucks is going to have our wireless power on their tables,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff and Thornton-Gill also plan to see Gill become a $1 billion company within the next five years, which they said would happen through focusing on sales and acquisitions.

22 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

category: nonprofits

Darel Ross

LINC Community Revitalization Darel Ross aims to see that his career is spent giving back to the community in which he was born and raised.

Ross is co-executive director of LINC Community Revitalization, a Kent County neighborhood revitalization nonprofit that has poured millions of dollars into bringing economic changes to the area’s forgotten neighborhoods.

LINC, which was founded in 2000 and focuses on the four revitalization pillars of economic development, real estate development, resident services and neighborhood, was previously nominated as a newsmaker in 2012.

“Working in nonprofits and the community … it can be pretty selfless. So to get nominated was a surprise and an honor,” Ross said.

“LINC, over the years, has built up into one of the most dynamic and diverse organizations in the city. (I’m) blessed and honored to colead them every day (with) Jeremy DeRoo.” LINC recently completed work on a $10 million mixed-use development in the Madison Square neighborhood. Ross said he was especially proud that LINC held more than 60 community meetings this year, reaching more than 8,000 residents. It also saw a 13 percent voter registration increase in 2014 in the neighborhoods in which it works, he said, adding he expects to see more of the same this year.

“It’s an honor to work in the community I was born and raised in, to connect and give back to the residents and to connect them to opportunities,” he said. “I don’t work a day in my life. I love my job and I love my career. It’s good to make an impact you can see.”

Diana Sieger

Peter Wege

Grand Rapids Community Foundation

Wege Foundation

2014 was another big year for Grand Rapids Community Foundation and its president, Diana Sieger.

The nonprofit saw major strides in its education programs and its Our LGBT fund, which was developed to create a safe and welcoming environment in West Michigan for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.

“I am most proud of the Challenge Scholars program we created with the Grand Rapids Public Schools that is starting to experience positive results for the students and families in the Harrison Park Elementary School, Westwood Middle School and Union High School pipeline of schools,” Sieger said.

“I am very proud of all the efforts that we are continuing to highlight, like the Encore Program, which focuses on very active and engaged retired people who want to continue to give back to their community. And I am very proud of our accomplishments relating to making great grants, raising more than $17 million, and having excellent fiscal/investment results.”

Grand Rapids Community Foundation is currently in the process of creating its strategic plan to map out the next two to three years, Sieger said.

During that time, the foundation will continue to raise the resources needed to accomplish its aspirations through community leadership, its “dynamic board of trustees, superior staff and an impressive track record,” she said.

“The philanthropic sector is growing in complexity, in scope and importance,” she said. “As such, we are emphasizing strong partnerships with the public and business sectors, as well as the nonprofit sector.”

The city of Grand Rapids will never forget Peter Wege.

Wege, Steelcase heir, founder of the Wege Foundation and a community icon of generosity, passed away in July, but his reputation as one of the community’s most giving souls will live on for generations. Wege was so generous with his fortune that colleagues said they had no idea how much money he actually gave away over the course of his lifetime, but pegged it at millions of dollars.

Even after death, Wege continued to give, having his personal possessions auctioned off and the money donated to the community through his foundation.

“So many nice things have been printed and reported already about Mr. Wege’s legacy; however, to me what stands out is that he was a true visionary,” said Ellen Satterlee, executive director of the Wege Foundation.

In December, the Wege family and foundation staff held a retreat to determine how to continue the good works that were so important to its late founder, Satterlee said. A World War II veteran, author, business leader, philanthropist and devout environmentalist, Wege’s beliefs touched every facet of his world, she said.

“He was an environmentalist who studied and supported anyone he believed had the same passion to educate the ‘world’ on looking for positive ways to understand our planet and how to keep it healthy,” she said.

“He loved this community, education, arts and the environment, and has shown his support of people with leadership in all these areas. ‘Never give up. Never,’ was a quote he used to the very end.”

24 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR

NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR

NOMINATION! We are very proud of you and appreciate your leadership and hard work at Mercy Health in West Michigan.

We wish you all the best at the Grand Rapids Business Journal event!

Roger Spoelman President and CEO, Mercy Health West Michigan Region

category: real estate

Duke Suwyn

Colliers International West Michigan Duke Suwyn believes firmly in two things: his clients and his team.

Both scored high marks in 2014 for Suwyn, president and CEO of Colliers International West Michigan.

“Companies are not looking for ‘the guy with all the answers,’ but rather a team of people with varying talents that will work collaboratively to find a solution to their complex real estate needs,” he said.

“It is not about yourself. It is about the client. Focus on the client’s needs and desires, and the rest will take care of itself. Surround yourself with the very best team and realize that ultimately it is the Lord that gives the increase.”

Amid a highly successful year for Colliers, Suwyn highlighted his two favorite projects: renovation of the 900,000-square-foot Steelcase manufacturing plant in Kentwood and the transformation of the former Zondervan site into a new office for Kellogg.

“We were able to continue to work with great companies that enhance the West Michigan area through their growth and expansions,” he said. “Seeing large facilities that could have gone vacant or been completely underutilized being reconfigured for beneficial new uses is exciting to me.”

Although Colliers had a great year, Suwyn stressed this is no time to coast. The economic downturn caused many to leave the industry, particularly young talent, he said, and it’s time to get them back.

“We have a gap of talent in the younger age group, which is a vitally important aspect of our business,” he said. “We need to do whatever necessary to attract the talent to fill this gap promptly.”

Mike VanGessel

John Wheeler

Rockford Construction

Orion Construction

When future historians discuss the development of Grand Rapids’ west side, Rockford Construction and Mike VanGessel will surely be mentioned.

VanGessel, CEO of the Grand Rapidsbased company, oversaw more development projects in 2014 than can be listed here, a distinction he believes reveals how much the local construction industry has improved in the last five years.

“Five years ago, we were being strategic on innovation and right-sizing with the hope that it would pay off when the market returned,” he said.

“Those services are now critical as we look to be a full-service development, construction and management company. It’s fun to act in this capacity and help clients be a proactive resource for their idea, investment or project.”

There also was a surge in talent for the company, VanGessel said, adding that these talents provide him with his biggest sources of pride: “happy clients and a focus on community.”

“I plan to keep our culture vibrant, focus on adding value to our clients through innovation, and delivering exceptional quality through excellent relationships with key subcontractors.

“We are also looking to further invest in our millwork and carpentry division,” he said.

“We are grateful to work in such a great community with so many excellent examples of leaders who care and give back. Work is a gift and we at Rockford are happy to come into the field and office and participate on purposeful projects that add value to the lives of the community and our clients.”

John Wheeler has spent almost 40 years in the construction industry and has “enjoyed each and every minute of it.”

Wheeler, the director of business development for Grand Rapids-based Orion Construction, said although his company has been involved in more than 4,000 projects all over the country, his favorites are the projects that create positive change in Grand Rapids.

In 2014, Wheeler oversaw a lot of “favorite” projects.

“Some of the highlights of the year were the opportunity to work with the Grand Rapids neighborhood associations for the collaboration of such exciting projects as 7th Street Lofts on the west side, Eastown Flats on Wealthy Street, Arena Place in downtown, and announcing our partnership for the venue tower project at The B.O.B. location,” he said.

“Another very rewarding effort was the unanimous approval of the Belknap Neighborhood Association and the city planning commission for our Gateway Project in the Belknap neighborhood that will be starting soon. We highly prize the relationships that it takes to rezone property, to work within the city guidelines, and still maintain the economic structure each project must have to move forward successfully.”

Wheeler’s future plan for Orion is to keep developing and building properties that fulfill local needs.

“Our business has changed due to economic influence picking back up and less players in the field since the recession has forced so many out of the game,” he said. “It’s a bit tight on the workforce, but it will level out.”

26 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

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category: retail

Earl Clements

Centerpointe Mall One of West Michigan’s biggest retail real estate deals came together in 2014, thanks to Earl Clements.

Clements, principal at Colliers International West Michigan, was the man behind the scenes of the major “de-malling” of Centerpointe Mall and its changing of hands this summer.

The 525,000-square-foot Centerpointe Mall at East Beltline Avenue and 28th Street was sold by owner Bloomfield-based Lormax Stern Development Co. for $68 million in June.

The mall had undergone a $30 million redevelopment and de-malling process in 20122013 that eliminated interior common spaces and scaled back on leasable square footage.

In 2013, Centerpointe’s State Equalized Value was $19,833,700; that number rose to $26,249,300 in 2014.

Finally getting the exclusive assignment from the new owner for the leasing and management of Centerpointe was a 2014 highlight for Clements.

“2014 was a great year. I had the opportunity to work on several high-profile retail projects such as the Tanger Outlet, the Panera Bread expansion, Chick fil-A, and the Shops at Centerpointe and Westshore,” he said.

Part of the fun of his job is its unpredictability, Clements said. The local and national economies took an unexpected 180-degree turn in the last two years, he said, adding that one of the best parts of his job is being able to show off the growth of the city.

“We are a hidden jewel that is slowly being discovered,” he said. “Speaking specifically to Grand Rapids, we are now on the map, being recognized nationally, and I am proud to be a part of it.”

Doug and Hank Meijer

Scott Miedema

Meijer Inc.

Miedema Asset Management Group

Hank and Doug Meijer made a lot dynamic decisions last year involving their retail giant, Meijer Inc. In 2014, the Grand Rapids-based company rolled out a “first-of-its-kind” Pinterest-based program, partnered with U.S. Vision, penned a food pantry cookbook, and was named Employer of the Year by international nonprofit United Cerebral Palsy.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“This year, we continued our investment in Detroit’s revitalization by breaking ground on a second store in the city. We also entered our sixth state by opening a distribution facility in Wisconsin, and beginning construction on four stores in the Milwaukee area,” Doug Meijer said.

“The Meijer LPGA Classic presented by Kraft also made a significant contribution to our Simply Give program, which helps our food pantry partners fulfill their missions of feeding those in need,” he added.

Hank Meijer said their goals for 2015 are to “achieve growth that keeps our business dynamic, from opening stores to developing new and better ways to serve our customers.”

“Over the last five years, the supercenter has come to be a preferred place to shop across the country, even as newer ways of serving customers, from other physical formats to online retailing, are changing the landscape,” he said.

“We always say that we’re a company that understands the importance of supporting the communities where our customers and team members work and live,” Doug Meijer added.

“That sentiment couldn’t be truer today than it was when our family opened our first store more than 80 years ago. That is who we are and who we will continue to be.”

Scott Miedema knows better than anyone the auctioneering business is not for the faint of heart.

Last year, Miedema, COO of Miedema Asset Management Group, managed to stay balanced while his company’s economic footprint hit a growth spurt and its registered bidders grew to about 300,000 from more than 180 countries.

“We have been very blessed and our companies have shown a steady growth pattern over the years, growing from a few of us to now allowing us to employ nearly 200 professionals. The economic transition has created less opportunity in Michigan for work, so we are definitely expanding more each year on a national basis,” he said.

“2014 set a record for auctions and appraisals outside of the state of Michigan for our companies, and I predict 2015 may see that number even double.”

Miedema credited the company’s growth to his excellent team, his business partner and brother, Sid, and the company’s willingness to embrace cutting-edge technology.

“Among our best accomplishments for 2014 was our ability to work alongside over 30 local and regional West Michigan charities, assisting them to raise millions for their respective causes. That’s always a great feeling, and I’m honored every time,” he said.

“As far as business, we assisted and played a small role in helping the city of Detroit out of their financial crisis and, locally, we assisted with raising money for the creditors of Lamar Construction at our new facility.

“In all, we were involved with over 500 business deals, as well as thousands of individuals buying and selling.”

28 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

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category: sports

Mike Guswiler

Art Van Sports Complex Following six years of work, the Art Van Sports Complex hosted its first ball games this past summer, a beautiful sight to Mike Guswiler’s eyes.

The 60-acre, $7.8 million baseball and softball complex saw its first couple of tournaments in 2014 and a Michigan State University baseball game, but more importantly, the majority of 2015 already has been booked, with a projected injection of roughly $20 million into the region.

“A lot of the work from those six years will be off my shoulders now,” said Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission. “It’s exciting because now we get to watch all the operations.”

The quality of the fields should help the facility earn a reputation as one of the best in the Midwest.

“We have put a lot of effort into the operations to keep it at a level to be a premier travel-tournament type of complex,” Guswiler said. “It’s the level of quality of the fields grouped together — that’s where we were deficient in our community.”

Eventually, the complex will hopefully host the Michigan High School Athletic Association baseball championships, which were held at Michigan State University in 2014 after nearly 25 years in Battle Creek.

The championship diamond, with covered seating for 1,000, a full press box, concession stand and scoreboard, should help forward its case, said complex manager Bryan Baar.

“You will not find another Midwest complex with a centerpiece like this one,” Baar said. “When the whole thing is finished, it’s going to be an incredibly special place.”

Steve Jbara

J.K. Symancyk

Grand Rapids Drive

Meijer LPGA Classic

Basketball in Grand Rapids took a major jump forward in 2014 with the establishment of the Grand Rapids Drive, thanks to the efforts of Steve Jbara.

Professional basketball has graced the hardwood floors of West Michigan before, but the Drive signifies the arrival of the National Basketball Association to the market as the team serves as an NBA Development League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons.

The idea for the franchise began as a pipe dream of Jbara, the team’s president, and his friend, Wes Weir. The long process of securing the franchise began long before the news of a possible Pistons minor-league team made its way to Grand Rapids, with a formal announcement in April.

Jbara said the ownership group also eyed Lansing, Kalamazoo, Midland, Battle Creek and Toledo as possible cities for the team.

In September, the Drive landed former Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith as coach, and began filling the roster with some significant players, such as former University of Connecticut standout Hasheem Thabeet.

The team is making its presence felt in the community, as well, partnering with Calvin College, Chemical Bank and Metro Health, among others.

The Drive started the season with three losses but since has catapulted to the top of the Central Division.

Running a professional basketball franchise has been a strange turn of events for the 27-year-old Jbara.

“I had such a normal life,” he said. “I was working a 9-to-5; I knew what I had to do for the day. Now I’m running around here all night, trying to figure out how to get the shower height to 7-foot-3.”

Early 2014 saw an unusual advertising campaign sporting lots of red argyle.

Before long, Meijer Inc., its president J.K. Symancyk and the Ladies Professional Golf Association were taking Grand Rapids by storm. For one week in August, the Meijer LPGA Classic presented by Kraft brought the world’s best women golfers to Blythefield Country Club to play before more than 40,000 spectators.

The tournament will return to Grand Rapids and Blythefield in July 2015.

Following the tournament, representatives from the Meijer LPGA Classic made a $600,000 donation to Meijer’s Simply Give hunger-relief program.

The tournament was won by South Korean Mirim Lee, who beat Inbee Park in a sudden death playoff.

The week was full of events including a Meijer LPGA Jr. Clinic, a celebrity chef cookoff including Carla Hall, Gail Simmons and Cat Cora, a 5K race, and a community concert at Fifth Third Ballpark featuring Gary Allan and Big & Rich.

The tournament gave Michigan its first LPGA event since the Oldsmobile Classic was last held in Lansing in 2000.

“From the great weather to the enthusiastic crowds, the Meijer LPGA Classic presented by Kraft was a complete success in its first year and will have a longstanding impact for a long time coming,” Symancyk said. “The tournament afforded us an unmatched opportunity to raise awareness and funding to address hunger in the Midwest. We cannot thank the community enough for the way they embraced this tournament to help make a difference to those in need.”

30 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

category: start ups

Justin Herd

OneBowl

Entrepreneur Justin Herd designed an innovative microwaveable-safe bowl for users to cook, strain, eat and store their food in a single bowl.

Constructed from BPA-free polycarbonate, the OneBowl incorporates a built-in strainer that functions using a rotating handle and has a snap-on silicone lid.

After receiving previous funding from a variety of competitions and seed funds in 2013, Herd launched a fundraising campaign June 17 to raise $50,000 to commercially launch the product on the Kickstarter platform, which is designed for entrepreneurs to connect with potential investors.

As of July, the OneBowl Kickstarter campaign had gained more than $30,000 in pledges from individuals across 25 countries, which Herd said was a great validation that people really do want to own a OneBowl.

“Kickstarter is a really cool community of people who like to get involved with new products they think are cool at the earliest stage,” he said.

By the end of the fundraising campaign, Herd’s OneBowl had reached more than 1,200 backers pledging $58,463 to fund tooling costs to manufacture a steel tool used in the plastic injection process.

Prior to the Kickstarter fundraising campaign, Herd received more than $14,000 in capital investment including: $5,000 from Start Garden, $750 for second place at the GVSU Idea Pitch Competition, $5,000 from the Michigan State University Green Light Business Model Competition, and $4,000 at MWest Challenge Business Plan Competition.

Gillian Henker/Carolyn Yarina/ Katherine Kirsch

John Sorenson

Sisu Global Health is a medical technology startup based in Grand Rapids, and in 2014 it earned a $250,000 grant from the annual Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development global competition for Hemafuse, a manual autotransfusion device.

The competition was sponsored by organizations such as USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and by the government of Norway and the U.K.’s Department for International Development.

The for-profit social enterprise is led by: Carolyn Yarina, who manages business operations, development and vision for Sisu Global Health as chief executive officer; Gillian Henker, who leads product development as chief technology officer; and Katherine Kirsch, who drives partnership development, marketing and fundraising as chief marketing officer.

Over the past four years, the three founding members have performed research in Ghana and India and developed two patentpending medical devices.

In 2014, Sisu Global Health took second place at the MichBio Expo in Detroit in October, and had a white paper published in the International Journal for Gynecology Obstetrics on its premier product, Hemafuse.

The medical technology startup has a vision and mission to improve equality of access for rural and urban populations across the globe by developing commercial medical products.

The Hemafuse device is designed for retransfusion purposes during ruptured ectopic pregnancies and internal hemorrhages.

Yarina, Henker, and Kirsch have also developed (r)Evolve, a modular centrifuge that can travel with clinicians, since it can separate blood with or without electricity.

Vestaron Corp. made a breakthrough in the biopesticide industry after it received U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval in 2014, and closing an oversubscribed Series C Financing round in late October after gaining international investment.

The innovative Kalamazoo-based company focuses on developing naturally occurring and environmentally safe insecticides.

It received the EPA approval for its product derived from a peptide found in spiders.

Hopeful of a commercial product launch in 2015, Vestaron Corp. is in a position to impact the $20 billion valued global insecticide market.

“This is a game-changer for agriculture,” said John Sorenson, who was appointed the company’s CEO in January 2014, in reference to the EPA approval.

“Our bioinsecticide is safe for humans, safe for non-target animals and plants, and better for the environment.”

Vestaron conducted a Series C Financing round last year and announced the final close of the oversubscribed round Oct. 28 with total funding reaching $14 million.

After the initial closing announcement in August of receiving $10 million in financial support, which was led by investor Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, Vestaron received an additional $4 million in capital from Netherlands-based Anterra Capital. Other investors included Southwest Michigan First Life Science Venture Fund, Open Prairie Ventures, Pangaea Ventures and Michigan Accelerator Fund.

The company also entered into a collaborative agreement with Phyllom BioProducts, a California developer and marketer of low ecological impact insect technologies, to further the research and development of biopesticides.

Sisu Global Health

32 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

Vestaron Corp.

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Newsmakers of The Year 2014 | GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL 33

category: sustainability

Kris Spaulding

Brewery Vivant Since it opened in 2010, Brewery Vivant has had a focus on community and sustainability.

As part of that commitment, in 2014 it became a Certified Benefit Corporation.

Brewery Vivant submitted to the rigorous B Corp certification process through the nonprofit B-Lab, which has certified more than 1,000 companies in 33 countries based on social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

Kris Spaulding, who co-owns Vivant with husband Jason Spaulding, leads Vivant’s sustainability efforts. She was behind the company’s LEED certification and has committed the brewery to donating 10 percent of its net profits to local charities — efforts that helped the company achieve B-Corp status. It was the first commercial brewery in the country to receive LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Being a truly sustainable company means we consider the impact of our decisions on the natural environment, the people that may be affected and the financial health of our business. We want to balance all of these areas to operate our business with a longterm approach,” according to the company website.

The brewery publishes an annual sustainability report, “Beer the change,” which documents its progress toward 12 sustainability goals, including producing zero waste, 90 percent of expenses with local suppliers, donating 10 percent of profits to charities and achieving 200 volunteer hours.

The 2013 report shows Vivant donated 11 percent of its profits to charities, shared its profits with its employees (8.2 percent), bought a majority of its supplies from Michigan companies (57.7 percent) and volunteered more than 130 employee hours.

George Heartwell

Dan Nally

City of Grand Rapids

Holland BPW

Under Mayor George Heartwell’s leadership, Grand Rapids continued to gain the national spotlight this year for its commitment to sustainability and climate change preparedness.

Heartwell was in Washington, D.C., in November as part of President Barack Obama’s State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

“Cities are at the frontlines of climate change and must deal with its consequences through effective actions,” Heartwell said.

Heartwell’s leadership also has been acknowledged by two national publications.

The December 2014 edition of Governing magazine mentioned Heartwell in the article, “What Can Cities Really Do About Climate Change,” for developing the city’s environmental agenda and including measurable results. The article pointed to oversight provided by Heartwell in the areas of renewable energy usage, transit ridership and city parks.

Green Building and Design magazine included the city’s work in sustainability and resiliency in its November/December 2014 edition, including plans to return the Grand River to its original state.

“Grand Rapids is already known for its pro-environment community — it has more LEED buildings per capita than any other city in the country — and this is reflected in the municipality’s focus on improving the health of the urban ecosystem,” Green Building and Design reporter Brian Barth said in the article.

The city took a significant step forward in reaching its 2020 goal of sourcing 100 percent of the electricity it uses from renewable sources when it announced it would issue an RFQ-RFP to start the process of finding qualified solar energy developers for a proposed generating facility on the former Butterworth landfill site.

Holland BPW has been remediating a 26-acre site on the east end of Holland in preparation for a new $200 million gas combined-cycle power plant that will replace the James De Young Power Plant, a coal-burning plant on the waterfront.

Part of the site, which sits on the border of Holland and Holland Township, has served as an unofficial dump for years, accumulating tires, appliances, building materials and other waste.

“I think we took out over 350 tires,” said Dan Nally, director of business services for Holland BPW. “We recycled steel and metals.

We reclaimed a lot of concrete.”

The area also contained a slew of pollutants that had contaminated the soil and wetlands.

With the remediation work complete, Holland BPW will begin construction of the new power plant, which promises to be 50 percent more efficient than the old one.

“It’s a very clean, state-of-the-art power plant,” Nally said.

Nally expects the new plant to achieve Certified Platinum status under the Envision rating system, which he compared to LEED status for infrastructure.

The new power plant is part of an overall energy plan by the city to reduce its carbon footprint from 23 metric tons per capita to 10 metric tons per capita.

Holland BPW has entered into contracts for 32 megawatts of wind power and established programs to help homes, businesses and institutions improve energy efficiency.

The power plant will allow the city to substantially extend its snowmelt system and provide heating and cooling to commercial buildings downtown through a district heating system that would utilize the snowmelt system.

A portion of the 26-acre site will include walking paths for public enjoyment.

34 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

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category: technology

Meredith Bronk

Open Systems Technologies “As a woman in a technology company, I say throw out the stereotypes.”

In a nutshell, that defines who Meredith Bronk is as the president of Grand Rapidsbased Open Systems Technologies Inc. Bronk, who was named president in July, has already led the acclaimed company on a trajectory of tremendous growth in just a few months, adding more than 50 jobs last year alone.

“We’ve added solutions, expanded key client relationships, and grown in new geographies — and had fun doing it. Hands down, the thing I am most proud of is our team; when you have an organization committed to putting employees first, the responsibility is on all of us to maintain that culture,” she said.

“Our entire team has done an amazing job living out that responsibility every day, as reflected in our employee and client satisfaction results, at 97 percent and 96 percent, respectively.”

Bronk said OST has set a target of doubling its revenue in five years, and is well on its way to achieving that goal. Future growth will be driven by continued geographic expansion, accelerated growth in data analytics and design, and continued growth in OST’s other core solutions: infrastructure, application development and managed services.

“Technology is about problem-solving and bringing solutions to reality. Diversity of thought creates better outcomes; we need more women helping create those solutions,” she said.

“I love my job. We have a group of passionate, committed, servant-minded employees. I believe my job is to give them the best possible place to practice their art — and get out of the way!”

Keith Brophy

Robert Pero

Ideomed

Frontier Communications Corp.

Keith Brophy is probably as close as Grand Rapids will ever come to having its own technology wizard with a crystal ball.

Brophy, CEO of Grand Rapids-based tech firm Ideomed and widely known for his annual Tech Trends predictions, said his company succeeded last year by expanding its thinking about what can be achieved with care-team connected mobile health, particularly in managed Medicaid spaces.

“Ideomed achievements came from an incredible team of diverse skill sets from our West Michigan community and Ann Arbor. Our achievements also came from many great, caring health-care professionals who shared their expertise with us, locally and across the nation,” he said.

“As our product now rolls in to Spectrum as part of their broader digital strategy, these past achievements will still be a part of touching lives in the future through digital engagement. Ideomed is an example that companies can take many different paths. Ideomed’s path is not a traditional arc, but I believe we will see more businesses like this in the future — that make a mark, which then becomes a part of something larger.”

Technology is an industry of relentless change, Brophy said, and if any company wants to stay successful, it needs to brace itself for change.

And have a crystal ball.

“Health care is now also an industry of relentless change,” he said. “If you focus your career in health care technology, cultivate your understanding of how change impacts business and build your ability to be persistent and resilient in the pursuit of building great things.”

In the last 48 months, Robert Pero’s company invested more than $220 million in Michigan.

Pero, the senior vice president and general manager of Michigan operations for the Connecticut-based Frontier Communications Corp., said $30 million of that amount was invested in 2014.

And there’s more to come in terms of providing state-of-the-art broadband, voice, video and security communication solutions to rural communities in Michigan, he said.

“We added over 172,000 households to our base that previously did not have access to terrestrial broadband service that do today because of our investment in West Michigan and the entire state. We believe that those residences and business in our more rural towns, cities, on farms, in the woods or on the lakeshore, deserve to have communication services equal to the large cities … and we did just that,” he said.

“In addition to adding new services, we also launched new products like our Frontier Secure, Landline Texting, phone systems, Metro Ethernet — all while improving our network systems and processes.”

In the next year, Pero plans to continue delivering accelerated investment by expanding broadband Internet service all over West Michigan.

After all, he’s got to keep up with the fastest-changing industry on the planet.

“Five years ago, basic broadband service was adequate to meet most residential and commercial needs. Today, we have thousands of web-based applications, sophisticated business applications, streaming video and movies, home security, web-based gaming,” he said. “I don’t think any other industry has seen such a dramatic change in five years as the broadband Internet communication business.”

36 GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS JOURNAL | Newsmakers of The Year 2014

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