Six West Michigan companies were among the 50 honored at the fourth annual “Michigan Celebrates Small Business” for entrepreneurs and small business l ... Read More eaders April 24 in Lansing. The honorees are second-stage companies, the category accounting for most new job creation. All are based in Michigan, privately held, past the start-up stage and growing with between 6 and 99 employees and from $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital in place.

The event was hosted by the Edward Lowe Foundation, MEDC, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Small Business Association of Michigan and U.S. Small Business Administration – Michigan. The West Michigan companies recognized include:

• D&D Logistics LLC, Muskegon Heights, Freight Transportation Logistics
• Modern Fire & Security Systems Inc., Grand Rapids, Electrical Contractor
• ProNAi Therapeutics Inc., Kalamazoo, Biopharmaceutical Products
• StelterPartners LLC, Grand Rapids, Furniture for Commercial Spaces
• The DECC Co. Inc., Grand Rapids, Industrial Coating Application
• Workforce Strategies Inc. (WSI), Kalamazoo, Staffing Services
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Source: MEDC

Workstage, a Grand Rapids real estate development and design/build firm, was the only Michigan company named to Entrepreneur Magazine's 2008 Hot 100 fastest growing companies.

The magazine ranks each business by sales, which must exceed $1 million, and the amount of positive job growth over a four-year period.

Jack Cottrell, Kent Riddle and Donald Slaght founded Workstage in 2000 with just four employees. Last year's sales logged in at $61.6 million and, by 2009, the company will employ some 60 workers.

"We identified the need for buildings people want to be in," Cottrell says, "and we're on the books for 2.5 million square feet of LEED projects. Our whole take on buildings is to make them wonderful for the people who use them. That's our passion."

Notable West Michigan buildings by Workstage include the GVSU MAREC building and the renovation of the Custer Office Furniture Building. The company operates in some 30 states, serving customers such as Royal Caribbean and PayPal.

"We've added 10 to 15 designers, architects and construction project managers over the past year," says Cottrell. "We hope to add another five to ten jobs over the next six months."

Entrepreneur Magazine selected Workstage from almost 21 million entries.

Source: Rapid Growth
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The idea came to Rick DeVos while he listened to church leaders describe how they were going to use email to help people get involved in church activities.

"It seemed like a nightmare of useless emails filling up everyone's mailboxes, and an administrative nightmare," DeVos says. The more he thought about it, the more he realized there was no online tool to help organizations connect people in need with the people who could help.

So DeVos talked to Ben Gott and the two created TheCommon.org, an online site that helps people lend a helping hand.

For just $1 per user per month, churches and organizations authorize interested members to list their needs, such as a ride to work, car repairs, or home repairs. Members with the abilities to meet those needs receive notices through the web site and can choose to offer their services. Once the need is met, the messages disappear from the members' queue.

"There's a high level of security, integrity and accountability," says Gott. "Everything is done through an administrator assigned by the organization, everyone attends an activation event and brings a photo ID, and community leaders have to okay your membership."

Members list their abilities, which are matched with different needs as the needs come online. In addition to connecting individuals, the site also can connect organizations.

Ada Bible Church launched TheCommon.org in February.

"We're using it to match abilities and needs within our congregation because it's so large," says spokesperson Janet Conzelmann of the 5,000-member church. Some 350 members have signed up, so far. "People are actually meeting each other. One elderly gentleman needed a ride to work and a young man is meeting that need. They might not have met otherwise."

Source: Rapid Growth
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You don't have to be famous to write a memoir. Everyone has a story to tell. In fact local writer Deb Moore has developed a business around telling them

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Green building has become the standard in West Michigan. But what, exactly, is the standard? How much does it cost? And, in the end, are the economic, environmental, and social returns on that investment worthwhile? To sort it all out Daniel Schoonmaker went to the construction site of an inner city office building aspiring to achieve sustainability

Source: Rapid Growth
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Miller Canfield, a Detroit-based law firm that's been around 155 years, celebrated the 25^th anniversary of its Grand Rapids office this month. The celebration marked another year of growth and the addition of three attorneys and two support staff to its 99 Monroe location.

"The vision for our Grand Rapids office is the vision for our whole firm," says Rick Gaffin, managing director. "We're focusing on biotech and life sciences, and on intellectual property. We've added a number of lawyers with PhDs throughout the firm and expect to keep adding people."

Locally, Miller Canfield's attorneys handle all types of legal matters, but specialize in healthcare and emerging technology companies. Some of those companies are located in Boston.

"We follow what companies are doing and with the new emphasis on technology we try to expand our services to meet the needs," Gaffin says. "Boston is a hotbed of technology development, biopharm, biotech, and with MIT and Harvard, there's a lot of talent, and we advise some of those companies. The clients aren't just down the street anymore, they're around the world and down the street."

Miller Canfield employs 350 lawyers company-wide and has 14 offices, including three in Poland and two in Canada. A Shanghai office opens later this year.

Source: Rapid Growth
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The West Michigan Strategic Alliance announced last week its intent to offer the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) to help West Michigan job seekers show they are competent in basic skills needed for most jobs, and especially for those jobs of interest to them.

WMSA announced the plan at its annual State of the Region conference.

Some 203 employers, who, collectively, employ 35,000 Michigan residents, are requesting or requiring the certificate for employees and new hires. The certificate is based on a system called WorkKeys, which provides skills assessments, job analysis and training to prepare workers to meet basic job requirements.

The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) WorkKeys Innovation project successfully piloted the NCRC program in 2007, issuing 11,732 certificates. But full-scale implementation will cost an estimated $60 million. WMSA leaders hope to garner that money through donations and government grants.

Source: Rapid Growth
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During the 2007 NP20/20 conference for nonprofit professionals held at GVSU's Johnson Center, it became apparent to many of the 20- and 30-something attendees that the emerging leaders in the industry needed support within the industry if they were to develop their career paths and be successful.

And so, in October, 20 young nonprofit professionals showed up for a meeting and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Grand Rapids (YNPN) was born.

The vision of the organization is "fostering the development, recruitment and retention of young and emerging professionals." The YNPN plans to provide training, personal and professional growth opportunities, resources and services to its members, who must be between the ages of 21 and 35.

"We have a lot to learn from each other," says founder Tera Wozniak, who works at the Johnson Center. "Whether you're a board member of a nonprofit and work in the business sector, or you're a volunteer, or you work for a nonprofit, you can be involved. We're also planning quarterly social events so we can get to know each other."

The organization is affiliated with the national YNPN.

"Networks are really important in the nonprofit sector," Wozniak says. "Grand Rapids is a unique area for nonprofits and there are a ton of emerging leaders here that we want to bring together."

Source: Rapid Growth
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With an eye to transforming a child's environment into a hands-on learning and growth experience, the Grand Rapids Children's Museum was one of three to garner national attention this month for its innovative programs, bringing home honors and a cash award.

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Amid a nationwide movement to harness wind power and reduce greenhouse gases, three Wisconsin developers have launched a feasibility study for establishing wind farms offshore in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

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The latest concepts for the Shaping Our Square proposed area specific plan could mean re-defining what "neighborhood" means in south Grand Rapids. Those concepts were presented last Saturday at a fourth planning meeting for the Boston Square neighborhood.

That "neighborhood" isn't a traditional neighborhood defined by political boundaries, but where the Oakdale Neighborhood, Fuller Area Neighborhood, Southeast End Neighborhood and the Boston Square Business corridor converge.

"The Boston Square area is characterized by a large triangle bounded by Kalamazoo Avenue, Fuller Avenue and Adams Street," says Tom Bulten, executive director of Oakdale Neighbors. "In that triangle is Adams Park School, which will soon be vacated, large parking lots, and an old railroad right of way that's just vacant land. There are great businesses, but a fair amount of underutilized land."

The goal is a transit- and pedestrian-oriented community hub with that triangle at its core; a mixture of commercial/residential surrounded by residential.

"Traditionally, Grand Rapids neighborhoods have had major commercial corridors on their edges," Bulten says. "We're operating from a point where a neighborhood has commercial activity at its center, with a gathering point like a green space or a square with a fountain."

Bulten says the city's Master Plan supports the concept. Other neighborhoods -- such as Eastown, Midtown and Madison Square -- have completed or are undertaking similar plans.

"They are good examples of this idea and inspire us very much," Bulten says.

Bulten expects to have a final design meeting to give neighbors one more opportunity to participate. The date and location have not been determined.

Source: Rapid Growth
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Comprenew Environmental, a Grand Rapids-based e-waste recycler, received nearly 20 LEED designs from students for its building at 629 Ionia SW, the subject of the 2007 NaturalTalent Design Competition sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council Grand Rapids Chapter. The payoff has been in green.

Simple changes curtailed substantial heat loss in the 40,000-square-foot e-waste processing center. Keeping the massive garage doors closed, putting spring closers on the entry doors, and dropping the heat a couple of degrees reduced natural gas usage 40 cubic feet, saving $2,600 in three months.

"One GVSU design student did a study of our water usage and found out we were on track to use a million gallons in a year," says Lynell Shooks, Comprenew spokesperson, "and our recycling process doesn't use water and there are only 20 people in the building."

So they called in the Grand Rapids Water Department, who showed them how to monitor the plumbing for leaks.

"We shut off everything at the end of the day, but the meter still showed usage in the morning," Shooks says. "Some toilets ran continuously and we had leaks under some sinks. We found out leaks are expensive."

After some simple repairs, the company used just 69 metered units in the first quarter this year compared to 334 metered units used in the first quarter of '07. The cost savings? $980.42.

"It's what you do as an organization that makes a difference," Shooks says. "If you do a lot of little things they make a big difference."

The company is moving ahead with plans to contain its storm water, create a rain garden and convert every light bulb to energy-saving bulbs.

Source: Rapid Growth
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Artist and designer Shelly Klein might be Grand Rapids' most famous best kept secret. Her work has been featured in Real Simple, People, and the New York Times. Now you can read about her in Rapid Growth 

Source: Rapid Growth
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An informal survey of small business owners in the Grand Rapids area revealed one important fact to Business Librarian Amy Cochran: the need for a resource center dedicated to helping business owners conduct market and industry research to help them keep their businesses alive and growing. The Grand Rapids Public Library main branch filled that need by establishing the Small Business Research Center.

"According to the Small Business Association, 80 percent of small businesses fail," Cochran says. "In Greater Grand Rapids 83 percent of all businesses are small businesses. The difference between success and failure is the amount of research the business owners do ahead of time."

Cochran procured a $20,000 grant to create the center, and the library contributed some $60,000 in equipment and materials already on hand. The center features two designated workstations with computers, fax machines, and a copy center.

"Our online content is amazing," Cochran adds. "We subscribe to over 70 databases, seven of which are dedicated to small business research.

The library added BusinessDecision, an in-demand database that combines census demographics, consumer spending habits, and market segmentation with GIS mapping technology.

"Business owners can pick a location, create a report on what people in the area are likely to spend their money on, and decide if a business will be supported there," Cochran says.

Print resources include periodicals, Standard & Poor's industry surveys, Small Business Encyclopedia, and, of course, books.

"You're not only getting access to the resources and online content, but we also have librarians who are specialists in law, business and government resources."

A grand opening reception is planned for Wednesday, April 30 from 5:30 to 7:30.

Source: Rapid Growth
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Last week, Dr. John's Candies LLC introduced its new sugar-free herbal lollipop to the dental health community at the Michigan Dental Association's 2008 Annual Session. Made with an extract of Chinese Licorice Root that attacks damaging bacteria, but leaves healthy bacteria untouched, just one Dr. John's Herbal Lollipop twice a day for 10 days will prevent tooth decay for three to six months.

Dr. John Bruinsma and his wife, Debra, a former dental hygienist who now runs the candy company, founded Dr. John's Candies LLC to provide patients with tasty sugar-free alternatives that satisfied sweet cravings without contributing to tooth decay.

Scientists developed the extract for the lollipop by researching 2,000 herbs the Chinese have used for healthcare for thousands of years. After an eight-year process, they narrowed the bacteria fighting properties to two herbs. The scientists discovered Dr. John's Candies on the web and asked Dr. Bruinsma to consider their extract for use in a lollipop.

The Bruinsmas worked for over a year before they settled on a recipe that tasted good and still allowed the herb to be active.

The lollipop has garnered international media attention, including a feature last month on Good Morning America. Since then, the lollipop's web site has logged over a million hits.

"We're selling it all over the world," says Deb Bruinsma. "We hope to have a lot more people who have decay problems using it. We want to develop it into other candies, too."

While the average cost of a cavity filling is $160, a 20-pack (one dose) of lollipops runs $10.

Source: Rapid Growth
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On May 7, the great grandniece of Thomas Edison will bring her unique style of teaching innovative thought methods to Frederik Meijer Gardens for a one-day workshop.

Sarah Miller Caldicott, author of Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America's Greatest Inventor, says that for America's workforce to become globally competitive, employers and employees need to take risks, engage in whole-brain thinking and work collaboratively or they will never move from the industrial mindset to the information-age mindset.

"Most of us think of Edison as the lone guy in the lab and it's not true; he created teams," says Miller Caldicott, who also founded the consulting firm Power Patterns. "He started over 150 companies and had thousands of employees in his organizations. In the information age, information and authority needs to flow horizontally in a flat organization. Edison"s organizations were set up as flat organizations."

She goes on to say that Edison taught his teams how to think innovatively.

"Using his methods, we can teach employers and employees how to shift their patterns to more innovation oriented patterns," Miller Caldicott says.

Workshop participants will learn about Edison's Five Competencies of Innovation through a series of hands-on exercises. The afternoon session focuses on the fifth competency: how to generate volume.

"Edison was a master at commercializing his ideas. We'll demonstrate how to bring innovation into the business plan and how to look at markets and customers from new perspectives."

Hosts of the workshop are The Right Place, Inc. and its InnovationWorks team. For more information, click here.

Source: Rapid Growth
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Scott Sikkema, formerly of Sweetwater Products, recently launched Viable, a start-up product design firm co-owned by Via Design, a Grand Rapids-based architecture and design company.

Located at 44 Grandville Avenue, Viable will specialize in creating custom products that architects and designers want to use in their designs but can't find because what they want isn't on the market.

"Let's say they want certain furniture or lighting, or maybe a surface material, but it's just not out there, not being made by anyone. There are probably other architects and designers who want it, too," Sikkema says. "We'll research the products and the firms who want them, and develop a few products each year and sell them to the national market."

Sikkema expects to rollout two products this year, beginning in the fall with an undisclosed product currently being researched and developed.

Valerie Schmieder, who is Sikkema's sister, and Brian Barkwell own Via Design, the partner company, and have been looking to diversify. While it's common for designers to create for other companies, few design firms tackle the complexities of design, manufacturing and distribution themselves.

"Instead of wishing [for a particular product]," Schmieder says, "we'll create and market these products ourselves."

"All of our products will contribute to LEED points and will be designed with the environment in mind," says Sikkema.

Source: Rapid Growth
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Focused on the demand for increased bandwidth in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, banking and education, Grandville-based Trivalent Group has bumped up its services to become one of Michigan's first firms to offer gigabit Ethernet -- connectivity with 1,000 times the capacity of T-1s.

The steady growth of the company since its inception in 2003 has created 41 jobs in five years -- three of those in the last six months, with another three computer engineer positions coming online in the next six months.

"We believe we're the first in Michigan to offer the gigabit Ethernet," says CEO and Founder Larry Andrus. "Clients can get more capacity for a similar investment as their old capacity, and they don't need to add more T1s to get it, we can just increase the capacity on the same line."

The new technology allows companies to link multiple locations, reducing the equipment costs and allowing for flexible and scalable bandwidth levels.

"When you think about it, there are two things driving our jobs," Andrus says. "You get data over the network, and then what do you do with it when you get it? You've got to store it, manage it and back it up. That's where we're uniquely positioned to help our clients."

Trivalent acquired six floundering technology companies in its first year of operation. Within months, the company had successfully blended the various cultures of the organizations and was financially sound. Trivalent generated over $20 million in revenue in 2007.

Source: Rapid Growth
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The announcement of a new opera practice house planned for Grand Rapids places another jewel in the performing and visual arts community's crown, joining such notable developments as the only LEED-certified art museum, the versatile new ballet theater, and a dramatically refurbished civic theater.

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In the wake of one of the country's largest pharmaceutical firms leaving the region, the dream of a thriving life sciences corridor in southwest Michigan got a major boost this week with the announcement that thousands of new research and development jobs are headed to the region.

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The relocation of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine to downtown Grand Rapids, projected to draw tens of thousands of students, researchers and instructors and their families to the area, could be the single most economically influential event in the city.

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Bill Howard and Jean Treece, partners in Grand Rapids-based Howard P.C., seriously considered moving their law firm to Byron Center to accommodate the company's growth. But their hearts were in Heartside, the crux of downtown's emerging entertainment district, and since the firm was already at 64 Ionia SW, they looked for new digs in the same area.

On April 1, the firm moved into a second floor suite in the Lemon Wheeler Building, 25 Ionia SW, boosting their operating space to 2,100 square feet -- a 40 percent increase.

"We like the entertainment district because it's more uplifting, more vibrant than other parts of downtown," says Bill Howard. "The businesses here seem to be more vibrant and alive."

The $30,000 buildout includes five private offices, an elevated conference room surrounded by sleek contemporary glass walls, a kitchen/copy area, and a smaller conference room that's handicap accessible. Rich, dark wood highlights the lighter tones of the exposed brick walls. Full-length windows with cornices and deep sills accentuate the height of the 14-foot ceilings and flood the room with natural light.

"Accessibility to the highway was a key factor in our decision to remain on Ionia," says Jean Treece. "And many of our clients come to the area for recreation at the (Van Andel) Arena, McFadden's or HopCat; they're already familiar with the area and they know where parking is, so the location is convenient for them."

Mark Schaafsma of Design Build handled the design and construction. Furniture came from Michigan Office Environments, Kalamazoo.

Source: Rapid Growth
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Nederveld Inc., a civil engineering firm, land planning, and surveying company founded 30 years ago in Hudsonville, will soon relocate to Grand Rapids' Heartside district.

This fall, the Hudsonville and Cascade offices will both operate from 217 Grandville, bringing 35 employees downtown.

"Many people in our organization truly believe in a strong urban center," says CEO Greg Raad. "With a strong urban center, the other centers around it feed off that and are strengthened as well. We've seen a lot of good things happen in Grand Rapids and we want to move closer and be part of that."

The company will also relocate its survey crews and use the central location as a dispatch hub.

"People don't think of downtown Grand Rapids as an easy location to get in and out of, but we feel the proximity to US-131 and I-196 makes it very convenient for our survey crews," says Raad.

The dispatch office will have a small presence on the main floor, while the majority of the offices will occupy nearly 10,000 square feet on the third floor. Raad plans to preserve the concrete floors and interior brick walls of the historic building, and create an open environment to promote collaboration among employees.

"We've been looking for space for about 11 months," Raad says, "and we chose this location because the current revitalization in the area was encouraging to us, with the new Founders Brewing nearby, and Hopson Flats and the transit hub across the street."

Lott3Metz created the architectural design. Orion Construction will handle the buildout.

Source: Rapid Growth
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This is a big week for Grand Rapids-based myway Mobile Storage. On Tuesday the firm moved into spacious news digs and, on Wednesday, film crews arrived to film an Eye On America documentary on inventive new franchise opportunities.

The company's latest 2,700-square-foot work venue is light-years beyond where everything started just two years ago -- a 600-square-foot shack inside a warehouse on Turner Avenue. But it's just a stone's throw from the company's former office suite in the same building --15 Ionia SW.

For the past 15 months, myway has operated from a 1,100-square-foot executive office suite on the fifth floor. But the company has already outgrown that space. So Founder and President Bryan Houck, who loves the building, scouted out a new headquarters on the second floor -- Suite 230.

"I expect this new space to accommodate current and new staff, and am hoping it will be large enough for four years, but I suspect we may outgrow it before then," Houck says.

"We've acoustically enhanced the conference and training center to eliminate all echoes," he adds, gesturing around a room brightened by natural daylight. Strategically placed transom- and clerestory-style windows pull the light from the perimeter offices into the center of the suite.

The new suite was one huge empty space eight weeks ago when the buildout began. Now the urban loft layout, with its 14-foot ceilings and exposed brick walls sports a contemporary lobby/reception area, three private offices with floor to ceiling windows, a kitchen, and a custom-designed call center that's expandable to accommodate from six to 12 employees.

Tom Nemitz and Luann Nemitz of Cornerstone Architects handled the architectural design and interior design, respectively. Rosema & Wurn handled the buildout.

Source: Rapid Growth
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We shape our public spaces, Winston Churchill once suggested, and thereafter our public spaces shape us. That means a plan and money to upgrade metro GR's underperforming parks is essential to the community's economic, environmental, and cultural vitality. Fortunately, the work already is underway    

Source: Rapid Growth
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The housing market looks stalled out. But developers are wasting no time making new places to live for the wave of medical professionals expected on Health Hill. Converting the former Bethlehem Lutheran Church into luxury residences is perhaps the most innovative project yet

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On April 14, Hope Network cut the ribbon on a new 84,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that provides space for 80 new jobs as well as part of the organization's training and rehabilitation programs. The facility was established in partnership with the building's owner, Robert Grooters Development Company.

Hope Network's primary work is to repackage products for the food and furniture industries, and the organization uses that work to provide on-the-job training for persons with disabilities, ex-offenders and immigrants new to the area.

"We give them the chance to walk in and show a potential employer that they have experience on a manufacturing floor and that they have a good work record," says CEO Phil Weaver. "We give immigrants an opportunity to work and learn about our society. That way, these folks aren't depending on government assistance, but learning a job and getting training on their own."

Last year, the former plant, located around the corner at 755 36^th Street, generated approximately $3.5 million in sales. The new facility will enable the company to increase its workload and output significantly.

"Our previous space was half this size and we had to rent a nearby warehouse and truck supplies to the manufacturing plant," Weaver says. "This will allow us to have manufacturing and warehouse space at one location."

The company plans to create the new jobs over the next year, bringing the total workforce to about 200.

Source: Rapid Growth
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On Tuesday, Right Place Inc. presented the results of a groundbreaking collaboration with Doug Hall, founder of Cincinnati-based Eureka! Ranch: a standardized process for determining the market value of innovations and a web based national network of ideas where entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and investors can connect to bring those innovations to production and, ultimately, the market.

InnovationWorks's online Idea Portal will be the beta site for the national network and will connect West Michigan entrepreneurs, manufacturers and investors with the national network when it's completed. Other states will access the national network through one of 59 manufacturing extension partnerships across the nation.

"If companies want to grow their businesses, they need to develop and find intellectual property to manufacture something new to be unique in the marketplace," says Jim Ross, Vice President, Innovation & Technical Services for The Right Place and leader of the InnovationWorks initiative. "You can't have just one unique idea; you have to have something unique all the time to stay ahead."

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is developing the national network and evaluation standards. The plan is that InnovationWorks will help entrepreneurs assess, translate and value their idea, then send everything to the national network where it will be put through a complex process to determine its market value.

"We have one of the finest manufacturing regions in the world," Ross says, "and these manufacturers can be exposed to these ideas and get their own proprietary product, get more clients and grow their businesses. The whole point is to connect people."

A soft launch will be announced on April 22. Ross expects it will take a year to streamline the process and create the standards before the network goes nationwide.

Source: Rapid Growth
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As downtown Grand Rapids continues to redefine itself with new shops, condos, and unique eateries, one of the city's luxury hotels does dining just like it always has -- amid accolades and recognition.

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Earlier this month, Michigan established a tax incentive package to entice filmmakers to bring what lawmakers hope will be multi-millions of dollars to the state's economy and create new local jobs in the film industry.

Source: Rapid Growth
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West Michigan companies and entrepreneurs will soon be able to access innovations from across the country thanks to a new partnership between innovati ... Read More on guru Doug Hall, Founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based Eureka! Ranch and The Right Place Inc. The collaboration includes creating a standardized evaluation system for assessing the market value of ideas and building a national network of ideas for companies to electronically access via the internet.

Today at a special program open to the public, Hall and the InnovationWorks team presented the results of recent collaborative efforts and shared best practices for creating an innovation-driven company. Through the national network, West Michigan businesses and entrepreneurs can gain access to vetted ideas from around the country, and inventors whose ideas cannot effectively be commercialized locally can gain national exposure. InnovationWorks’ recently launched Idea Portal, accessed through its website at www.innovationworkswestmichigan.org, will serve as West Michigan’s conduit to the national network.

“The work we had already done with the Idea Portal and our commitment to accelerating innovation and commercialization in West Michigan positioned us perfectly to create this partnership with Doug,” said Jim Ross, Vice President, Innovation & Technical Services for The Right Place. “As the beta site for this new system, West Michigan companies will be among the first in the U.S. to access a wealth of proven, validated innovations they can use to increase market share, improve competitiveness and, ultimately, grow our regional economy.”

Although vetting and accessing new ideas is at the heart of the new network, Ross notes that InnovationWorks goes far beyond matchmaking.

“So much of what you see happening nationally is based on brokering inventions,” he said. “As part of an economic development organization, our goals are much more holistic. We are focused on collaborating regionally to increase West Michigan’s capacity to create and develop innovations at all stages of the commercialization process. West Michigan is already a center of excellence for advanced manufacturing; we want it to become a center of excellence for innovation as well.” View Less

Source: The Right Place

The horror stories about Michigan’s mass exodus of college grads might leave one wondering if there are any young people left in the state. But GVSU’s record says an amazing 79 percent of its grads are finding jobs right here in West Michigan.

Source: Rapid Growth
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With a financial boost from the Grand Rapids DDA, a prime piece of real estate at the gateway to downtown could maximize its historic location with banking services and a much-needed urban grocery.

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Three West Michigan cities have been awarded $800,000 in brownfield grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – the first time any such fun ... Read More ding has come to the region.

Part of a $74 million release of grant funds to communities in 43 states, the money will be used to fund brownfield site assessments in targeted redevelopment areas within Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Kentwood.

“Michigan has been a leader in brownfield redevelopment for more than a decade,” said Rick Chapla Right Place Vice President, Urban Redevelopment, noting the state’s passage of groundbreaking brownfield legislation in 1996, which subsequently served as a model for other states. “West Michigan has taken full advantage of that leadership, becoming one of the most active redevelopment regions in the state. It is a credit to that momentum that we were able to work with these cities to secure this funding.”

The brownfield redevelopment is a large part of a growing regional commitment to sustainable principles, and is at the heart of projects like Grand Walk – a sustainable business park in northern Grand Rapids – as area municipalities use public dollars to make at-risk urban properties financially competitive with suburban and rural greenfields.

“The strong urban center Grand Rapids enjoys is due in part to the dedication we have to making urban properties attractive for investment,” said Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, noting that Grand Rapids’ Brownfield Redevelopment Authority has approved over 65 brownfield redevelopment projects to date resulting in over $800 million in private investment and over 7,000 jobs. “The Right Place and our city Economic Development Department collaborate to make best use of tools such as state tax credits and these federal grants so that we can assist businesses and developers, thereby enhancing their investment in our community.”

“Kentwood has matured to the point that we have many of the same land use issues that are typically thought of in core cities like Grand Rapids,” added Kentwood Mayor Richard Root. “Working with partners like The Right Place to leverage resources like these grants is another way we are attracting investment and jobs for our community and showing that Kentwood is open for business.”

“Manufacturing has been a core industry in Wyoming’s economy and we are working to rebuild that investment,” said Wyoming Mayor Carol Sheets. “This funding will help us revitalize our available industrial properties making them more attractive for investment and expediting the re-growth of our manufacturing sector.”
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Source: The Right Place

Fulton Street Flats may corner the market on mid-range housing options with the renovation of the former apartment building at 458 E. Fulton in Grand Rapids.

The fifteen one- and two-bedroom units price out at $77,900 to $169,900 for square footages ranging from 657 feet to 1,134 feet.

Work on the three-story building began months ago when developer Andover Investments LLC decided to get out of the apartment rental game and into the condominium market. They gutted the building and rebuilt everything, adding two new boilers and new air conditioning.

Of the fifteen condos, the model will be ready for viewing and two spec units will be completed by the end of this month.

"We're the only thing downtown in this price range," says Lisa Spaugh of 1 Source Real Estate and Consulting.

The two-bedroom units have a bedroom and bathroom on opposite sides of an open plan living space with hardwood floors. That living space has hardwood floors. Buyers for the customizable units will be able to select the floor stain color, cabinetry, granite countertops and appliances.

All of the units have balconies -- many of the two-bedroom units have a balcony off the master bedroom suite and one off the family room.

On-site parking comes with each purchase. But Spaugh expects many residents will want the condos because of their proximity to downtown offices and other work locations.

"One couple that's considering a purchase has two cars, but the lady said 'I can put my car in storage because I walk to work anyway,'" Spaugh says.

TRY Construction of Middleville is handling construction.

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Pizza first arrived in the United States with a wave of Italian immigrants near the end of the 19th century. But some say the real recipe still hasn't made it to Michigan. Amy Ruis, Rapid Growth's roving foodie, offers her tips on some of the best pies in metro GR

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Memo to Meijer, Macy's, Gap, and other retailers: There's a growing crowd of customers gathering where you have yet to site stores - in downtown Grand Rapids. Independent shop owners like Gina VanGessel say sales are climbing

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Grand Rapids-based myway Mobile Storage is the subject of a five-minute documentary for Eye On America with Greg Gumbel, scheduled to be filmed in Grand Rapids on April 16. The show selected myway, located at 15 Ionia SW, as an example of the innovative new franchise opportunities popping up across the United States.

"With the shift in the economy, more and more people are starting their own businesses and franchises seem to be the way to go for many people," says Bryan Houck, myway founder. Myway began offering unique franchise opportunities just over a year ago -- hiring entrepreneurial trainees, paying them to learn the business, and after five years, 'graduating' them into their own franchises.

In that time, the company has sold four franchises in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Baltimore, grown from two to 11 staff, and doubled its sales every six months. What's more, Hauck is looking to add 17 jobs in the next few months: three marketing positions, eight call center staff, and six entrepreneurial trainees.

"This will give us some great national publicity, especially for franchise sales," Hauck says, adding that the company could draw potential franchisees to West Michigan after the documentary airs, probably some time in August.

"Our vision is to keep the headquarters, call center, training center, marketing, and IT supports based in downtown Grand Rapids," Houck says.

The documentary will air on the Travel Channel and 19 times on CNN Headline News, with distribution to 4,500 media outlets.

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