Business

Business
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F Fo oo ot t a an nd d A An nk kl l e e
M Mi i c ch hi i g ga an n S Sm ma al l l l B Bu us si i n ne es ss s
G Gr ra ad du ua at te e a an nd d M MB BA A P Pr ro og gr ra am ms s
May 2014 $2.00
2
The Right Place supports creation of 446
local jobs in West Michigan
Grand Rapids Regional economic
development organization The Right Place,
Inc. and the Ionia County Economic
Alliance, along with local municipal part-
ners and the Michigan Economic
Development Corporation (MEDC), today
announced three West Michigan economic
development projects that will bring 446
new jobs and $52.1 million to the region.
These three projects reaffirm the
strength of West Michigans diverse eco-
nomic base, said Birgit Klohs, President
and CEO, The Right Place, Inc. From
advanced Italian manufacturing technolo-
gy to worldwide customer contact centers,
West Michigan has become a destination
for global business success.
INglass
$300,000 incentive from the MEDC
for $17.6m capital investment in Byron
Township; 109 local jobs projected over
the next four years
Todays approval of a $300,000
Michigan Business Development Program
performance-based grant is part of a
$4.52 million total incentive package that
will bring $17.6 million in capital invest-
ment and 109 new jobs to Byron
Township over the next four years. The
company recently agreed to terms with
NAI Wisinski to purchase land at 720
74th Street SW, Byron Center, Michigan
for new construction.
In the following years, this decision
will lead INglass and HRSflow to a growth
equal or greater to the one that we
achieved in the past, said Maurizio
Bazzo, President, INglass group. West
Michigan in particular was chosen due to
its strategic position in the plastic injec-
tion market. We thank The Right Place,
NAI Wisinski, and local and state partners
for their assistance, building the business
case for INglass to be in West Michigan.
The new location will establish the
companys first Michigan presence for its
HRSflow division, dedicated to manufac-
turing hot runner systems for plastic injec-
tion molding. The company chose Michigan
to better support its local customers and
ensure just-in-time delivery, prompt serv-
ice and closer sales relationships.
The close partnership between The
Right Place, NAI Wisinski, and Byron
Township was critical to the success of this
project. As a global company based in Italy,
working with one cross-functional team
streamlined the project, providing a single
source for business success in West
Michigan.
This cohesive team was able to beat
out several other states for the INglass
business. It has been an absolute pleasure
working with INglass. They have a
strategic business model that is unlike
their competitors and determined it was
critical to have a US Manufacturing Plant
to help them compete globally, said Stan
Wisinski, Partner, NAI Wisinski of West
Michigan, and Kurt Kunst, Partner, NAI
Wisinski of West Michigan. INglass
knew what they were looking for and
after touring them past approximately 51
sites we were able to put 720 74th Street
under contract. We were able to assist
them with all aspects of the building
process and look forward to seeing the
completed project. The building they
intend to build will have some very
unique features unlike any other building
in West Michigan.
NOVO 1, Inc.
$550,000 incentive from the MEDC
for $1.5m investment in Cascade
Township; 287 local jobs projected over
the next three years
The approval of a $550,000
Michigan Business Development Program
performance-based grant will help bring a
$1.5 million total investment, and 287
new jobs to Cascade Township over the
next three years. The new site for Fort
Worth, Texas-based NOVO 1, Inc., part of
the new Dialog Direct expansion will be
located at 2905 Lucerne SE, Grand
Rapids, MI 49546.
NOVO 1, Inc. customer contact cen-
ters provide solutions for a variety of ver-
tical markets, including: healthcare,
insurance, financial, utilities and retail.
The companys contact centers are near
capacity and additional space is required
to meet new client needs. The companys
Holland site currently employs nearly 500
employees and was established in 2010.
West Michigan competed against 23
other potential sites around the U.S.
Finally, Michigan was chosen over a com-
peting site in Texas. The Right Place
worked with Jeff Pappas and Susan
Arledge of Dallas-based Cresa Dallas, a
commercial real estate firm, representing
NOVO 1, and Peter Colvin of Sperry Van
Ness Investment Property Advisors.
The combination of community
support, an outstanding labor market and
our desire to create jobs in Michigan
helped us make the decision to invest in
Grand Rapids, said Douglas Kearney,
CEO of Dialog Direct.
Individuals interested in exploring
employment opportunities should call
616-834-9700 or visit www.novo1.com
and click careers/Holland, Michigan.
Herbrucks Poultry Ranch
$500,000 incentive from the MEDC
for $33m expansion in Saranac; 50 local
jobs projected over the next three years
The approval of a $500,000
Michigan Business Development Program
performance-based grant for Herbrucks
Poultry Ranch will assist the locally-
owned egg producer with a $33 million
expansion and 50 new jobs to the Village
of Saranac over the next three years.
We are privileged to help Herbruck
Poultry continue to grow their legacy in
Ionia County, said Jennifer Wangler,
Ionia County Business Development
Specialist, The Right Place, Inc. As a
national leader in the egg production
industry, we are pleased that this expan-
sion will continue to keep Herbruck
Poultry embedded in Ionia County.
Herbrucks will invest $1.5 million in a
new, public main sewer line tied directly to
the Lakewood system. The companys
expansion of this sewer line, although
funded and managed by Herbrucks, will
not be dedicated to the company. Any com-
pany along the line will be able to tap into
and utilize this new, improved infrastruc-
ture. The expansion of this line may spur
additional economic growth in the area.
To support Herbrucks growth, the
Lakewood Wastewater Authority is waiving
the sanitary sewer connection fee of
$405,000.
Dedication within our multi-genera-
tional family business to create jobs and
invest in Ionia County is a priority for our
company, said Herb Herbruck, Vice
President of Operations, Herbrucks Poultry
Ranch. Expanding and investing in our
community is now a reality with the assis-
tance provided by the Ionia County
Economic Alliance and the MEDC.
Design, Fabrication, Manufacturing, PVC Coating, Insulation, Stripping,
Sandblasting, Repairing, and Rebuilding of Anodizing, E-Coat, Painting,
Plating, Powdercoating and PVD Racks, Baskets, Barrels and Screens
Phone: 616-453-8261 Fax: 616-453-3811
2855 Marlin Court N.W. Grand Rapids, MI 49544 racks@expertcoating.net
Chow Hound Celebrates 25 Years of
Serving Pets and Their Owners
By Jane Whittington
According to The Humane Society of
the United States, Pet ownership in the
U.S. has more than tripled from the
1970s, when approximately 67 million
households had pets, to 2012, when
there were a total of 164 million house-
holds with pets. In 2012, 62 percent of
American households included at least
one pet. That number includes over 83
million dogs and over 96 million cats.
That same year (2012), according to
the American Pet Products Association,
Americans spent more than $50 billion
(yes, that is $50 billion) on their cats,
dogs and other animal companions.
Those statistics certainly help
explain the success of Chow Hound, a
locally owned and operated chain of pet
stores. But just as important is the level
of customer satisfaction, the wide range
of products and the value-added shop-
ping experience.
According to Tyson Keane, My
brother Greg was living in Ohio when he
called me with an interesting idea. He
had noticed several pet supply stores
where he lived and, knowing that the
market was untapped in Grand Rapids,
suggested that we go into business
together and open one. Our father had
been an entrepreneur, and we both liked
the idea of starting our own business. So
we did our research, developed a busi-
ness plan, secured a loan and opened our
first Chow Hound in April of 1989. It was
on Jupiter just off Plainfield. We moved
that store to Northland Drive and, over
time, we have opened a total of seven
stores in Grand Rapids, Holland and
Grand Haven.
Chow Hound now employs about
120 with a mix of part-time and full-
time employees. Keane says, Just about
all of our management team has been
promoted from within. We have a top-
notch staff, many of whom have been
with us for years.
While the recent recession impacted
many across Michigan, Keane says that
their business is relatively recession-
proof. He says, People dont economize
on their pets. Even if a family cant take a
vacation or buy a new car, they want their
animals to be healthy and happy. Our
business stayed strong throughout the
recession, and we are continuing to
grow.
He continues, Over the years, peo-
ple have begun to treat their pets like
family. In the past, dogs and cats were
used as guard dogs, barn cats and the
like. Today, they live with us in our
homes, and we care for them as compan-
ions, not possessions.
Chow Hound caters primarily to dog
and cat owners, but they also have sup-
plies for fish, wild and tame birds and
small animals like hamsters and gerbils.
Keane says that well over half of their
business comes from the canine and
feline categories.
It used to be that dog food was dog
food, but today there are literally hun-
dreds of brands of both dog and cat food
competing for the consumer dollar, and
Chow Hound seems to carry most of
them. Besides food, Chow Hound carries
just about anything a pet (or a pet
owner) could need or wanttoys, leash-
es, brushes, supplements, beds, houses
and treats of all kinds. In addition, six of
the stores have self-serve dog washes
complete with premium natural shampoo
and conditioner, towels and high speed
professional blow dryers. And after Fido
is clean and sweet-smelling, there are
lovely sweaters and bows to complete the
look!
Chow Hound helps with pet adop-
tions with special events at their stores
in conjunction with Humane Societies
and rescue groups. Every store houses
and takes care of cats available for adop-
tion, usually two to a store. Over the
years, Keane says that they have facili-
tated the adoption of close to 200 cats
and kittens.
As responsible corporate citizens,
Chow Hound sponsors numerous com-
munity organizations and events. And
their community impact doesnt end
there. Keane says, We are not only
locally owned and operated, but we do
our best to patronize local businesses
whenever possible.
The writer Anatole France once
said, Until one has loved an animal, a
part of ones soul remains unawakened.
The people at Chow Hound understand
that and help us to make our animals
lives the best that they can be.
Jane Whittington is a freelance
writer and editor who lives in Grand
Rapids.
3
A question every company should ask
Are we getting what we want from our marketing?
By John Graham
The only way to find out if your mar-
keting is performing the way you want is
to doubt everything youre doing.
Instead of guessing, jumping from one
initiative to another, hoping for the best, or
taking advice without knowing how to eval-
uate it, start at the beginning by questioning
your assumptions, your expectations, your
personal preferences, and, particularly, your
perceptions of what marketing should do for
the company.
Just to be clear, question every mar-
keting activity, every plan, every great
idea, and every recommendation. Its the
only way to move from hoping and
assuming to getting marketing right for
your company and heres how to do it:
1. Clear away customer roadblocks.
Seemingly minor missteps drive customers
crazy and then away, and the bar goes
higher every day. Being put on hold for
even a few seconds raises ire and is
never forgotten. Failing to respond
promptly to an email (an hour or less) is
deadly. Theres little tolerance for excuses.
One supermarket chain guarantees no
more than three customers in a check out
line or the manager hands out $1.00 bills to
let customers know they understand what
customers expect. Starbucks and Panera
have smartphone apps so customers can
order and pay ahead so theres no waiting.
Starbucks app will also add a tip.
When customer loyalty is more frag-
ile that ever, making it easy to do business
is a huge part of the solution.
2. Get the messaging right. To their
credit, more businesses are working at
getting technology right, but they tend to
lump the smartphone in with computers
and tablets. And thats a mistake. We use
computers and tablets to do things such as
performing tasks and accessing entertain-
ment, but the smartphone is qualitatively
different: its an extension of ourselves.
Theres no putting it aside and theres a
profound sense of loss and stress if it isnt
with us at all times. Lou Paskalis, Bank of
Americas enterprise marketing and media
chief, describes the smartphone as the
gateway to the consumer mind.
Because the smartphone is personal,
messaging should be, too: conversational
rather than ad like, talking to one person
instead of broadcasting to many, and
always with new messages. With 79 million
Millennials checking their smartphones 45
times a day as one study shows, texting
may be preferable to emailing.
3. Make engaging customers the
goal. And that means not focusing on
what you want to sell. We have just what
will be right for you. Customers once wel-
comed such words, being almost eager to
be told what to buy. Today, the same
words only antagonize. No one wants to
be told what to buy.
Experienced salespeople often have an
intuitive sense of what a customer is look-
ing for; even so, keep your mouth shut if
you want to make the sale. Get customers
involved by asking questions, offer reliable
and helpful information, and walk with
them through the process at their pace.
A tile salesperson questioned the cus-
tomer about the project until he had a clear
understanding of what they wanted to
accomplish. Then, he made several sugges-
tions, getting feedback as he went. Before
they knew it, the customers were satisfied
they had made the right selection.
4. Copying others says we dont have
what it takes. Theres nothing as common as
marketing and sales plagiarism. Go to a
meeting, attend a webinar, read it on a blob
and find what someone else is doing and
use it. Or, as expressed by songster Tom
Lehrers satirical lyrics about mathematician
Nicolai Lobachevsky, plagiarize, dont
shade your eyes. It also applies to many
companies when it comes to marketing.
On the other hand, Amazons success
comes from leading, not following and from
innovating, not copying. Were missionar-
ies about inventing and simplifying on
behalf of customers, says Amazon Kindle
Vice President Peter Larsen in USA Today.
When we can buy whatever we want
elsewhere and often at a lower price, mar-
keting success is far less about products
and prose and more about what compa-
nies do to make life easier and more
enjoyable for customers.
5. Match marketing and sales mes-
sages to your customers. Seems obvious,
particularly when so much data is avail-
able and customers expect personalized
marketing messages. The Dear John
greeting on a CVS email offering a 50%
discount was intriguing until I found it
was for womens skin care and beauty
products. The CVS message had unintend-
ed consequences: After all this time, they
really dont know me, I thought.
Whenever this occurs, it creates
messaging dissonance. When some-
thing isnt quite right, it makes us feel ill
at ease and we reject it. Once doubt creeps
in, trust erodes. Matching messages to
customers is critical.
6. Follow through and keep your
promises. The contractor said, Well be
back to you in a week with a proposal. After
10 days or so, there was no response and the
homeowner sent an email asking about it.
We got busy and fell behind, came the
response. Have it to you at the end of the
week. Needless to say, it never came.
Broken promises, even seemingly
small ones, are killers today. When this
happens, customers dont just feel let
down they feel betrayed. They invest
time and effort and put their trust in some-
one, only to be rejected. When this hap-
pens, they react by posting negative com-
ments, make sure others know about their
experience and they never forget.
Following through by keeping cus-
tomers informed with good news and bad
builds trust.
7. Slow down and think it through.
Act now; think later may be the number
one marketing mantra. And it may also be
the number one reason why marketing
gets a bad rap. It takes time and imagina-
tion to think through even the most basic
marketing activity.
The place to start is by asking the right
questions: How does it fit in our overall
marketing strategy? What are the implica-
tions and possible outcomes if we do this?
What can go wrong? What are the
expected results and how will we measure
them? The best way to get what we want
from marketing is to start by slowing down
and thinking it through.
John Graham of GrahamComm is a
marketing and sales consultant and busi-
ness writer. He publishes a free monthly
eBulletin, No Nonsense Marketing &
Sales. Contact him at johnrg31@me.com,
617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com.
4
Publisher: Gary Kralapp
Business Development
Senior Vice President: Diane LaPreze
Senior Vice President: Jim Lroy
Circulation: Aubrey Day
Contributing Writers: Jane
Whittington, John Graham, Kevin
Higgins, Margaret Page.
Associate Editor: Jeremy Martin
Printing/Distribution: News Web Printing
Accountant: Michael Tawney & Company
Legal: Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone
The monthly published Business Update Inc.

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Business Business
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Review of
Thought Leadership
Provided by www.getabstract.com
This refreshing, original treatise
takes on a rarely served but important
topic. British author and executive Laurie
Young points out that few people write
about or study thought leadership for its
true worth. Yet, collectively, corporate
thought-leadership budgets are enormous,
rivaling those for advertising. getAbstract
recommends Youngs insights to business
leaders, students, investors and all who
want to understand the power of thought
leadership, including how to create, dis-
seminate it and benefit from it.
Laurie Young. Thought Leadership:
Prompting Businesses to Think and Learn.
Kogan Page, 2013. 344 pages. ISBN-13:
978-0749465117.
getAbstract is the leading provider of
business book summaries, with thousands
of titles covered. www.getabstract.com
5
We offer degrees you wont
find at most other universities.
Executive MBA
This distinctive program is for senior managers seeking to broaden their
horizons. Its designed to enhance skills in leadership, strategic management,
and organizational development including a global capstone experience.
Master in Data Analytics
One of only a few online programs of its kind in the U.S. This program is
designed for a general audience, and offers graduates a high-demand job
market with high average salaries.
Medical Case Management
Only offered at Davenport, this unique undergraduate degree offers 80% job
placement and average salaries around $80,000.
Health Information Management
This unusual degree, offered at both the graduate and undergraduate levels,
combines healthcare, business and technology into one program. Graduates
can expect a wide-open job market with higher-than-average salaries.
davenport.edu | 800-686-1600
Davenport University students excel at Business
Professionals of America National Competition
Over 5,000 students from 20 states
participated in the Business Professionals
of Americas (BPA) 48th annual National
Leadership Conference in Indianapolis,
Indiana from April 30 May 4, 2014.
Forty three students from Davenport
Universitys W.A. Lettinga, Holland, and
Kalamazoo campuses qualified and repre-
sented the university at the conference.
DU students received 13 1st place awards
and 90 top ten finishes. Over the last 6
years, DU students have earned 1st place
awards in 63 National events, which is an
all-time BPA record.
We are extremely proud of our stu-
dents outstanding achievements at the
National Leadership Conference, said
Ron Draayer, Davenport University
Faculty Member and BPA Advisor. Our
Davenport students continue to win more
awards than any other college or univer-
sity in the nation, helping them to become
better prepared for successful careers in
business and technology fields.
There were numerous noteworthy
highlights for Davenport at this years
competition. Chris Lammers of Grand
Rapids successfully defended his 1st place
title from last year in Network
Administration using Microsoft. Crystal
Roberts of Holland was also a defending
national champion in Banking and
Finance, and the Grand Rapids Network
Design Team of Gene Bursley, Chris
Lammers and Shannon Shovan were also
defending national champs. Chris
Lammers of Grand Rapids won two 1st
place individual events and a team event.
In addition to BPA competitions, 12
industry certifications for IT were award-
ed to Davenport students.
In a presentation to the BPA Board of
Trustees, the BPA Executive Director rec-
ognized the exemplary performance of DU
students at the conference! If interested in
joining this winning team, contact one of
the BPA advisers, Deb Kiss.
Check out Davenport BPA on
Facebook to learn more and to see more
photos from the event and see the entire list
of student award winners on Davenport
Universitys blog the DU Hub.
Davenport Collegiate DECA students bring home
awards at the 2014 International Competition
After qualifying at the state competi-
tion in February, seventeen members of
Davenport Universitys Collegiate DECA
team from the Universitys W.A. Lettinga
Campus in Grand Rapids attended the
international competition in Washington,
D.C. on April 22-27. These savvy busi-
ness students came home with 8 Top-Ten
finalist awards proving Davenports aca-
demic excellence once again this year.
Davenports team fared exceptionally
well beating out many other schools
including Tulane, Oklahoma State,
University of Wisconsin, Johnson and
Wales, and University of Central Florida
and many others from all across the U.S.
International chapters include Ontario,
British Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Davenports 2014 National Finalists
Ben Dean & Logan Poe-
Emerging Technology Marketing
Solutions
Hannah DeJong & Alec Loomis-
Business Ethics
Kara Green & Alycia Lenoir-
Business-to-Business Marketing
Admir Lugonic- Fashion
Merchandising
Sara Osantowski- Corporate
Finance
6
Legal/Accounting/Consulting Briefs
Ottawa County Lakeshore Advantage,
an organization catalyzing economic
growth in Ottawa County, appointed eco-
nomic developer Jennifer Owens, as
President.
Grand Rapids NALS of West Michigan
honored Gerardyne M. Drozdowski,
Attorney with Warner Norcross & Judd
LLP, as 2014 Legal Professional of the Year.
Grand Rapids Beene Garter, LLP,
accounting and business consulting firm,
was named West Michigans 101 Best
and Brightest Companies to Work For
by Michigan Business and Professional
Association.
Grand Rapids James L. Scott, partner at
law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP,
was chosen by Client Choice as winner of
Intellectual Property - Trademarks catego-
ry in Michigan.
Grand Rapids Hilger Hammond, PC,
announced Attorney Stephen Hilger was
named Adjunct Professor at Cooley Law
School, teaching Construction Law.
Grand Rapids For the ninth consecutive
year, Plante Moran was named one of
West Michigans 101 Best & Brightest
Companies to Work For.
East Lansing Gallagher Law Firm
announced they relocated from their Lake
Firm Lansing Road location to 2001
Abbot Road in East Lansing.
Battle Creek/Grand Rapids
EmploymentGroup, a solutions-oriented
staffing and outsourced services firm,
announced launch of its 2014 5 in 5
scholarship program. This year, three
winning students will be named recipi-
ents of scholarships totaling $5,000.
Grand Rapids Miller Johnson
announced Jon Muth was recognized by
Grand Rapids Bar Association with the
Donald R. Worsfold Distinguished Service
Award.
East Lansing Gallagher Law Firm
added Paralegal Gabriela Wasilewska to
their legal team.
Investment in R&D
Emerges as Significant
Economic Indicator
Ottawa County By meeting face-to-
face with more than 200 top employers,
Lakeshore Advantage has identified key
factors in our local economic climate.
Each year, the Lakeshore Advantage
team meets with top employers to conduct
an in-depth survey process, enabling our
region to be compared to other communi-
ties across the nation. In 2013, 73% of
area companies reported plans to expand
in the next three years, with the potential
for $900 million in investment, and 2,400
new jobs.
Being home to a community in
Michigan that produces the second great-
est number of patents per capita continues
to enable our companies to find value in
growing their business here in West
Michigan, said Bruce Adair, interim pres-
ident of Lakeshore Advantage.
Area companies invest significantly
more in research and development.
Nationwide, 12% of companies reported
spending more than 6% of total sales on
R&D, while 29% of Lakeshore area compa-
nies are spending more than 6% of sales on
new product, process and production
improvements. Reinvestment in a compa-
nys products, services and capabilities has
led to an increase in company sales.
In 2013, 77% of area companies
reported an increase in sales, compared to
57% of companies nationwide.
With area companies outperforming
their counterparts in other sections of the
country, the Lakeshore Advantage team
aims to focus targeted services based on
the survey data.
Current Business Trends:
Stronger Growth Returns
Grand Rapids - The greater Grand
The greater Grand Rapids industrial
economy experienced stronger growth in
April, according to the results of a
monthly survey compiled by Brian G.
Long, director of Supply Management
Research in the Seidman College of
Business at Grand Valley State
University.
The survey results are based on data
collected during the last two weeks of
April.
The surveys index of business
improvement, called new orders, bounced
to +40, up from +27. The production index
posted a more modest gain, and rose to
+28 from +23. The employment index
remained in double digit growth but back-
tracked to +13 from +19. The index of pur-
chases was unchanged at +19.
Our stronger statistics mean that
there are no segments that are doing
poorly, although there are exceptions
within each group, said Long.
Automotive parts suppliers remain
strong, although a couple firms back-
tracked because of the particular compo-
nents they were making. The integrated
office furniture companies turned in a
stronger performance, and smaller firms
are also doing well.
Long said the employment numbers
for West Michigan continue to be better
than the rest of the state. Among the
unemployment rates in the 83 Michigan
counties, Kent County reported the sec-
ond lowest in unemployment in the state
in April, followed by Ottawa County at
number three. Kalamazoo County eased
to fifth place. Between February and
March, Long said almost all of the coun-
ties in West Michigan posted minor
improvements in unemployment.
Finance/Insurance/Banking Briefs
Lansing LAFCU named regional Vice
Presidents Mike Loucks, to oversee opera-
tions in Mason, West Lansing, Eaton Rapids
and Charlotte, and Angie Ruzinsky, to
oversee operations in Owosso, Corunna,
DeWitt and South Lansing.
Grand Rapids Lake Michigan Insurance
Agency, division of Lake Michigan Credit
Union, was recognized as being among the
top 10% of all agents representing
Michigan Millers Mutual Insurance
Company, and was named a Preferred
Partner by Frankenmuth Insurance.
Grand Rapids Northpointe Bank
announced David Kuiper, Vice
President/Mortgage Loan Officer, was
once again named Top 1% Mortgage
Originators in America 2013 by
Mortgage Executive Magazine.
Grand Rapids Northpointe Bank
announced hiring Dan Cooper, formerly
from Bank of Holland, as Vice
President/Residential Lending.
Holland Macatawa Bank again
received honor of being named West
Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest
Companies to Work For, by Michigan
Business and Professional Association.
Grand Rapids Legacy Trust announced
Tom Werkman joined as Chief Operating
Officer, and will be responsible for leading
Legacys growth, ensuring key objectives
are met, and will take a lead role in admin-
istration of the Family Office division.
Ottawa County Lakeshore Advantage,
an organization catalyzing economic
growth in Ottawa County, appointed eco-
nomic developer Jennifer Owens, as
President.
Grand Rapids Lake Michigan Credit
Union announced hiring Madelyn
Shultis as Mortgage Loan Originator,
joining their metro Detroit retail mortgage
sales team.
Bangor, ME Cross Insurance, sub-
sidiary of Cross Financial Corp.,
announced it was recognized by
Frankenmuth Insurance as a
Preferred partner.
7
Four USDA Grants Advance Regional
Food Systems Research at MSU
East Lansing Researchers on staff
and affiliated with the Michigan State
University (MSU) Center for Regional Food
Systems (CRFS) have been awarded four
grants, totaling $1.95 million, from the
U.S. Department of Agricultures National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
The grants, made through NIFAs
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative,
will support much-needed research on local
and regional food systems in Michigan.
In a statewide project, Richard Pirog,
CRFS senior associate director, and Judith
Barry, CRFS academic specialist, will man-
age the development of a public-private
workgroup model to increase the viability
of small and midsized livestock producers
in Michigan who want to supply local and
regional markets with high-quality meat
products. The project was developed by
CRFSs Livestock Work Group, which is
composed of MSU faculty, staff and
Extension educators.
This project is a result of convening
Michigan meat and livestock stakeholders,
who identified challenges associated with
producing, processing, marketing and buy-
ing within Michigan, Pirog said. Although
market demand for local and regional meats
appears to be increasing, current efforts are
not coordinated along the value chain to
address the technical and financial chal-
lenges of smaller livestock producers,
processors and their buyers.
This project will support a marketing
specialist to strengthen networks and
business-to-business cooperation among
small to midsized livestock producers.
CRFS Livestock Work Group members will
examine constraints to small and mid-
sized farms through coordinated research
projects, with the goal of increasing the
volume of and profitability in local and
regional meat sales. The project will also
build the capacity of a public-private work
group model to collectively address value
chain challenges unique to these produc-
ers and processors.
CRFS Livestock Work Group members
collaborating on this project are Richard
Ehrhardt, MSU Extension specialist, Craig
Harris, MSU sociology associate professor,
William Knudson, MSU Product Center
marketing economist, Steven Miller, MSU
agricultural, food and resource economics
assistant professor, Jason Rowntree, MSU
animal science assistant professor and
Sarah Wells, MSU Extension meat science
academic specialist.
In addition to the award to CRFS,
NIFA recently announced three grant
awards to affiliates of CRFS. Two of those
projects are based at the MSU Upper
Peninsula Research and Extension Center
(UPREC) in Chatham, a research site with
programmatic emphasis in livestock,
plant and local food systems.
At UPREC, Rowntree will lead a proj-
ect to identify economically feasible
grass-finished beef production strategies
that build relationships between proces-
sors and distributors. These strategies
will also support small farms working to
meet the demand for locally sourced,
grass-finished beef. Faculty members
from across the MSU campus will collabo-
rate on this project. They include Wells;
Kimberly Cassida, MSU Extension spe-
cialist in the Department of Plant, Soil and
Microbial Sciences; Matthew Raven, pro-
fessor in the Department of Community
Sustainability; Janice Harte, associate
professor in the Department of Food
Science and Human Nutrition; and
Jeannine Schweihofer, an MSU Extension
educator.
In another NIFA-funded project,
Raven will establish an incubator farm at
UPREC. The farm will be a low-risk, expe-
riential learning tool that provides infra-
structure to growers interested in entering
the agriculture industry. It will provide
students and Upper Peninsula residents
with hands-on instruction in entrepre-
neurial, four-season food production.
Collaborators on the UPREC incubator
farm are John A. Biernbaum, professor in
the Department of Horticulture; Laura
Schmitt Olabisi, assistant professor in the
Department of Community Sustainability;
Rowntree and Cassida.
Brent Ross, an assistant professor in
the Department of Agricultural, Food and
Resource Economics, received the fourth
NIFA award, to examine collective entre-
preneurial action by small and midsized
farms. Researchers will study the devel-
opment of food hubs businesses or
organizations that manage the aggrega-
tion, distribution and marketing of
source-identified food products in
Michigan and Missouri. This research will
also inform the creation of teaching mate-
rials on collective entrepreneurship for
undergraduate, graduate and continuing
education courses for new and existing
agricultural practitioners. Robert Shupp,
associate professor in the Department of
Agricultural, Food and Resource
Economics; Randall Westgren and Fabio
Chaddad, associate professors of applied
economics at the University of Missouri,
will partner with Ross on this project.
Each researcher leading the recently
funded projects is a CRFS staff member or
affiliate, as are many of their collabora-
tors. This connection will provide oppor-
tunities for sharing progress and results,
facilitate collaboration across projects,
and contribute to the collective under-
standing of regional food systems.
The projects, awarded through
NIFAs Agriculture and Food Research
Initiative (AFRI), aim to promote econom-
ically, socially and environmentally sus-
tainable agriculture and resilient rural
communities. AFRI is NIFAs flagship
competitive grant program and was estab-
lished under the 2008 Farm Bill. It offers
competitive grant funding to support
work in six priority areas: plant health
and production and plant products; ani-
mal health and production and animal
products; food safety, nutrition and
health; renewable energy, natural
resources and environment; agriculture
systems and technology; and agriculture
economics and rural communities.
Curbside Trash & Waste Services:
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866-669 2047 Jenison, Michigan
88
Physicians Generate $1.6 Trillion in Economic
Activity, Support 10 Million Jobs
Chicago, IL A new report released
today by the American Medical
Association (AMA) shows that physi-
cians have a huge influence on national
and state economies beyond their role of
safeguarding a healthy community and
productive workforce. Patient care physi-
cians enable economic growth, opportu-
nity and prosperity by contributing $1.6
trillion in economic activity and support-
ing 10 million jobs nationwide in 2012.
Physicians carry tremendous
responsibility as skilled healers, trusted
confidants and patient advocates, but
their positive impact isnt confined to the
exam room, said AMA President Ardis
Dee Hoven, M.D. The new AMA study
illustrates that physicians are strong eco-
nomic drivers that are woven into their
local communities by the jobs, commerce
and taxes they generate. These quality
jobs not only support the caring role of
physicians, but also generate taxes that
support schools, housing, transportation
and other public services in local commu-
nities.
The report notes that given the
changing health care environment, it is
paramount to quantify the economic
impact physicians have on society. To
provide lawmakers, regulators and poli-
cymakers with reliable information, the
report measured the economic impact of
physicians at the national level and in
each of the 50 states and District of
Columbia according to key economic
barometers:
Output: Each physician sup-
ported an average of $2.2 million in eco-
nomic output and contributed to a total of
$1.6 trillion in economic output nation-
wide.
Jobs: Each physician supported
an average of 13.84 jobs and contributed
to a total of 10 million jobs nationwide.
Wages and Benefits: Each
physician supported an average of $1.1
million in total wages and benefits and
contributed to a total of $775.5 billion in
wages and benefits nationwide.
Tax Revenues: Each physician
supported $90,449 in local and state tax
revenues and contributed to a total of
$65.2 billion is local and state tax rev-
enues nationwide.
According to the federal govern-
ment, spending on physician services
grew more slowly between 2009 and
2012 than at any time in the last 15 years
and accounts for only 16 percent of all
health care dollars spent in the U.S. in
2012. Yet expenditures for physician
services have a ripple effect through the
economy. Every dollar applied to physi-
cian services supports an additional
$1.62 in other business activity.
The study found that physicians had
a greater national economic impact than
each of the following industries: higher
education, home health care, legal servic-
es, nursing and residential care.
Grand Rapids Yacht Club, 82 Years of Sailing
By Jane Whittington
In the classic childrens tale, The
Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
has one of his characters say, Believe
me, my young friend, there is nothing -
absolutely nothing - half so much worth
doing as simply messing about in boats.
For those who concur with that senti-
ment, the Grand Rapids Yacht Club, on
the shores of Reeds Lake in East Grand
Rapids, is the place to be.
The yacht club was established in
1931 by its first commodore, R. Wallace
Hook, who lived on Reeds Lake and
offered his lawn as its home. By the mid-
30s, the yacht clubs success necessitated
a move to the larger Manhattan Beach,
then to Point Paulo and back to
Manhattan Beach. However, Manhattan
Beach was both a popular public beach
and a stop for the steamer Ramona, whose
captain had little regard for sailing boats
so it was time for another move.
In 1941, the current site on Reeds
Lake was purchased, and the yacht club
remains there to the present day. A club-
house built on the site burned in 1956.
Subsequently, a new clubhouse was built
and, over the years, has undergone peri-
odic renovations.
The club used to own a wider swath
of the lakefront, but in about 1960, part
of the land was given to the city for the
building of Collins Park.
East Grand Rapids and the yacht
club have partnered over the years, and
the yacht club has assisted in rescues
and regulation enforcement. Every
Fourth of July, the citys fireworks cele-
bration is launched from club property.
Membership is open to the public;
there are currently about 150 sailing
members comprising both individuals
and family units. In addition, there are
around 200 social members. Boat stor-
age is available, and there is a small,
sandy beach, playground equipment, a
wide lawn and a club house which may
be rented for events by its members.
Except for a caretaker, all the functions
of the club are taken care of by volun-
teers. During the summer, there are reg-
ular adult and student sailing races.
An important part of the Grand
Rapids Yacht Club is the sailing school
which has been in operation for over 30
years. It offers classes for adults, both in
sailing and in racing. But its primary
purpose is to open up the sport of sailing
to young people.
Volunteer Amy Todd heads up the
sailing school. According to Todd, We
offer sailing classes for kids from the
ages of five on up. The younger ones sail
on seven foot long boats called Optimist
Prams (Optis). The older students sail a
nine foot sailboat called a Butterfly. They
are taught by senior instructors who are
assisted by junior instructors who are 16
or 17 and by interns who are 14 or 15.
She continues, We offer four ses-
sions in the summer and usually have
about 300 kids participating. The ses-
sions run for two weeks, four days a
week. The youngest of the sailors have
shorter sessions. East Grand Rapids
Parks and Recreation Department han-
dles the registration for us, and we are
listed in their summer class schedule.
Adults who sail at the club all have
their own boats, but, for the children
who take classes, boats are provided.
The sailing school owns 10 Optis and 25
Butterflies.
The club participates in sailing
events throughout the summer. In fact,
the Western Regatta, held each year, will
be sponsored by the Grand Rapids Yacht
Club this year. It is taking place on White
Lake between July 30 and August 4.
According to Todd, Sailing teaches
young people problem solving, self-con-
fidence and the importance of teamwork
as well as water safety. And besides that,
its great fun!
For more information on the club
and sailing school, go to their website at
www.grandrapidsyachtclub.org
Health Care Briefs
Kalamazoo Bronson Internal Medicine
Hospital Specialists welcomed Ahed
Zayzafoon, MD; Bronson Internal
Medicine Oak Ridge welcomed Haley
Crites, PA-C; Bronson Pediatric Surgery
welcomed Cristy J. Burghardt, PA-C; and
Bronson HealthCare Midwest Vascular
& Endovascular Surgery welcomed
Jessica Kinnell, PA.
Grand Rapids Nine medical students
from across the country were matched
with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health
Services for the July 1, 2014, start of its
first residency class.
Kalamazoo For the 11th consecutive
year, Borgess Health was cited as West
Michigans 101 Best and Brightest
Companies to Work For by Michigan
Business & Professional Association.
Detroit The newly-launched Golden
Slippers Network is an online resource
with approved provider resources includ-
ing: Home Care Providers, Home
Modification Experts, Personal and
Vehicle Mobility Resources, and Medical
Equipment and Supplies.
MICHAEL A. TAWNEY
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
& COMPANY, P.C.
Professional services for your Business and Personal needs.
Accounting Payroll Tax
Call us today for courteous, dependable, and rapid assistance
(616) 456-4700
9
Foot and Ankle Specialists of West Michigan:
Making Running Pain Free
By Jane Whittington
Running certainly has health bene-
fits. No one denies that. Whether one is a
serious runner, participating in
marathons and other such strenuous
activities, or someone who just wants to
jog a few mornings a week before heading
into the office, running is excellent exer-
cise. Stanford University School of
Medicine reports that jogging is effective
in increasing lifespan and decreasing the
effects of aging with particular benefits
for the cardiovascular system. The
National Cancer Institute has released the
results of studies that suggest that jog-
ging and other aerobic exercise can
reduce the likelihood of lung, colon,
breast and prostate cancers. And the
American Cancer Society also reports that
jogging for at least 30 minutes five days a
week can help prevent some cancers.
So while we all agree that lacing up
our sneakers and heading out for a run is
a good thing, it can also bring with it a
myriad of foot and ankle problems, espe-
cially when our enthusiasm for physical
fitness outweighs advice that might pre-
vent injury.
When injury or discomfort occurs, we
often turn to the skilled practitioners of
podiatry. According to the American
Podiatric Medical Association, A podia-
trist is a doctor of podiatric medicine
(DPM), also known as a podiatric physi-
cian or surgeon. Podiatrists diagnose and
treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and
related structures of the leg.
They go on to say, Podiatrists are the
most qualified doctors to care for your feet.
They complete four years of training in a
podiatric medical school and three years of
hospital residency training. This training is
similar to that of other doctors.
In West Michigan, the Foot and
Ankle Specialists of West Michigan have
four offices and eight podiatrists to bring
health and healing to those who are expe-
riencing foot and ankle problems stem-
ming from running injuries or any other
cause. According to Karen Paradiso, Chief
Executive Officer, In January of 1999,
three podiatrists in the area merged their
practices to form Foot and Ankle
Specialists. All three of them remain with
the practice today, and they have been
joined by five others. We have three full-
time offices in Grand Rapids and one in
Muskegon. In addition, there are four
satellite offices which are open part-time;
they are in Greenville, Grand Haven,
Holland and Grand Rapids. They also
partner with other doctors to operate a
surgical center. We have 37 employees.
Corwyn Bergsma, Doctor of Podiatric
Medicine, often sees runners and other
athletes in his practice. According to Dr.
Bergsma, The main problem that runners
come to us for is heel pain. That can
include plantar fasciitis as well as injuries
to the Achilles tendon. These are usually
caused by micro-tears from overuse.
He continues, There are certain
shoes that are better for those with heel
pain and Achilles tendon problems. The
best shoe is one with a ten millimeter
drop; that is, they raise the heel ten mil-
limeters, and this helps alleviate tears.
Many of the problems we see are from
people wearing the wrong shoes or even
just walking barefoot in the house. For
those with ball of the foot pains, I would
recommend a zero drop heel. Something
as simple as changing the shoes someone
wears can make a world of difference.
It is also possible to alleviate pain by
the use of the cortisone shot, but these
shots can only be administered twice a
year. As part of the treatment, the doctors
may also recommend physical therapy.
They might also recommend orthotics, cus-
tom-made or off-the-shelf shoe inserts.
He points out that injuries can occur
whether someone is a serious runner, a
casual runner or not a runner at all!
Bergsma emphasizes that the proper
shoe should be worn at all times, not just
during exercise. The often offer coupons
for reputable athletic shoe stores through-
out the area.
Bergsma and the other doctors in the
practice work with all sorts of patients
with problems related to the foot and
ankle. One of the major issues related to
foot and ankle disabilities are those with
diabetes. They often consult with diabet-
ics in a proactive manner to prevent foot
and ankle problems and can make a big
difference in their continuing well-being.
According to Paradiso, the doctors do
make visits to nursing homes to work
with patients there, diabetic or otherwise.
Now that spring is here, outdoor
exercise is becoming much more pleasant.
But if you should experience difficulties,
The Foot and Ankle Specialists of West
Michigan can help you get back on your
feet and out on the running trail!
Jane Whittington is a freelance
writer and editor who lives in Grand
Rapids.
Multi Radiance Medical
Lasers on Elite Runners
Solon, OH Multi Radiance Medical
(MRM), manufacturer and marketer of
FDA-cleared lasers for drug-free pain
relief, announces that Alberto Salazar,
previously one of the top distance runners
in the world and currently the head coach
of the Nike Oregon Project, utilizes Multi
Radiance lasers to help athletes prepare,
perform and recover from injuries until
the pain is completely resolved. MR4
LaserStim/LaserShower and the MR4
ACTIV cordless laser provide a quick
and effective drug-free alternative to pre-
scription medication.
MR4 lasers are now my go-to
modalities for addressing lower extremity
injuries that are slow to heal, says
Salazar, who set the World Record for the
New York City Marathon in 1981, and is
currently renowned for helping to reshape
the status of American distance running.
The devices are typically used on all ath-
letes in the facility, but I always send the
portable MR4 ACTIV with any athlete who
is traveling or heading to an event. We
have seen great results.
MR4 laser technologys proven, pro-
prietary, synergistic wavelength
laser/light/magnetic field combinations
maximize laser treatment capabilities,
accelerating the recovery process and
temporarily relieving pain associated with
injuries and chronic conditions.
Were pleased to contribute to the
success of coaches and athletes involved
in the Nike Oregon Project, a group that
was created to promote American long
distance running through elite coaching
and revolutionary training methods,
says Max Kanarsky, president and CEO of
MRM. The Project is one of the most
prestigious training groups in the world,
committed to developing the best distance
runners in the world through rigorous
training and the utilization of cutting-
edge sports science and performance tech-
nology. MRM lasers are clearly in this elite
category.
Review of The
Metropolitan Revolution
Provided by www.getabstract.com
Local government leaders now guide
their areas destinies. Instead of taking
cues from federal and state governments,
cities and metropolitan areas are charting
their own course on a variety of initiatives
and innovations. Bruce Katz and Jennifer
Bradley of the Brookings Institution offer
an insightful take on how metropolitan
areas are enacting change and what they
can do to advance that role. Their report
curiously ignores the grittier political
aspects of local government, such as graft
and patronage. Still, getAbstract recom-
mends this timely overview to businesses,
local leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and
all those seeking to make their city a bet-
ter place to live.
Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley. The
Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and
Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and
Fragile Economy. Brookings Institution
Press, 2013. 258 pages. ISBN-13: 978-
0815721512.
getAbstract is the leading provider of
business book summaries, with thousands
of titles covered. www.getabstract.com
10
Construction Briefs
Brighton Environmental Professional
David Amir joined ASTI
Environmental's Site Redevelopment
Services group with more than 18 years
of industry experience with property
transactions, hazardous materials inspec-
tions, pre-demolition surveys, prepara-
tion of abatement and demolition specifi-
cations, underground storage tank man-
agement, and landfill testing.
Grand Rapids Signature Associates
announced former intern Cameron
Timmer as Sales Associate specializing in
industrial brokerage for their West
Michigan Team.
Kalamazoo Construction firm Owen-
Ames-Kimball Co. announced comple-
tion of Eatons Galesburg project, an
1,800 square foot employee fitness center
with more space, easier access, abundant
daylight, and room for new state-of-the-
art fitness equipment.
Grand Rapids Custer announced addi-
tion of Gregg Richardson, former
Director of Global Finance/IT at Byrne
Electrical Specialists, Inc., as CFO.
Grand Rapids Wolverine Building
Group and West Michigan Whitecaps cel-
ebrated three milestones April 8, 2014 -
20th anniversary of the ballparks origi-
nal construction, the home opener of
Whitecaps 21st season, and the first
game to follow the ballparks fire in
January 2014. Wolverine Building Group
teamed with architect ProgressiveAE on
the fast-track renovation project.
Grand Rapids Commercial real estate
development firm Third Coast
Development announced former Project
Manager Max Benedict was elected
Partner.
Grand Rapids Commercial real estate
firm X Ventures announced Steve
Penfield joined as Associate, and will
assist with client deals in Holland and
Grand Haven.
Grand Rapids Custer announced addi-
tion of Gregg Richardson, former
Director of Global Finance/IT at Byrne
Electrical Specialists, Inc., as CFO.
Grand Rapids Commercial real estate
development firm Third Coast
Development announced former Project
Manager Max Benedict was elected
Partner.
Grand Rapids Wolverine Building
Group and West Michigan Whitecaps
celebrated three milestones April 8, 2014
- 20th anniversary of the ballparks orig-
inal construction, the home opener of
Whitecaps 21st season, and the first
game to follow the ballparks fire in
January 2014. Wolverine Building Group
teamed with architect ProgressiveAE on
the fast-track renovation project.
Caledonia Dan Construction Co. began
renovation and a 4,636 sq. ft. expansion of
Dutton Christian Middle School with two
new 5th grade classrooms, new locker
rooms, staff restrooms, gymnasium stor-
age, and a newly re-redesigned front office,
with completion scheduled August 2014.
Grand Rapids Signature Associates, a
Cushman and Wakefield Alliance
Member, announced David Draft joined
as Executive Managing Director Principal.
Kalamazoo Granger Group, a national
real estate investment and development
firm specializing in healthcare,
announced it agreed to purchase vacant
property that was former home to
Kalamazoo Gazette.
Grand Rapids Progressive AE
announced Judy Torres, Graduate
Mechanical Engineer, was appointed to
represent American Society of Plumbing
Engineers on the U.S. Water Innovation
Challenge Team, a pilot program through
WorldSkills Foundation. Teams will com-
pete first in their home countries, and
then travel to Singapore during
International Water Week for the second
portion of the competition.
Grand Rapids Commercial real estate
firm X Ventures announced Steve
Penfield joined as Associate, and will
assist with client deals in Holland and
Grand Haven.
Ann Arbor Beckett & Raeder, Inc.
announced promotion of Brian Barrick,
LLA, to Senior Associate.
Muskegon - Signature Associates has
negotiated:
the sale of a 2,688 square foot retail
building located at 14771 Cleveland
Street, Spring Lake for the seller, Coastal
Real Estate Holdings, LLC, and the
buyer, John Wisniewski.
the sale of a 7,800 square foot church
located at 1996 Miner, Muskegon, for the
buyer, Mount Calvary Fellowship
Church.
the lease of 650 square feet of office
space located at 950 Norton, Muskegon
for the landlord, Park Row Building,
LLC, and the tenant, Education Action
Group.
the lease of 120 square feet of office
space located at 17218 Van Wagoner
Road, Spring Lake to Gordon & Shaw,
PLC for the landlord, Kelly Taggert.
the sale of a 4,236 square foot industri-
al building located at 1548 Marquette
Street SW, Wyoming for the seller, John
and Jennie Gipson, and the buyer,
Robert VanderVeen.
Health Care Briefs
Brighton The Brain Injury Association
of Michigan provides education, advoca-
cy, research opportunities, and support
groups to brain injury survivors and their
families in communities across Michigan.
Rochester Hills Wright & Filippis
announced: Robert H. Barrow was
named Vice President of Operations;
Mark W. Burns was named Vice
President of Sales; Paul M. Turek was
named Director of Information
Technology; former Vice President of
Facility Operations Steve Filippis was
named Executive Vice President of
Mergers and Acquisitions; and former
COO and CFP Robert DeWolf Jr. was
named President.
Grand Rapids Interim President Seth W.
Wolk, MD, MHSA, was named President
of Spectrum Health Medical Group.
Wyoming For the fourth consecutive
year, Metro Health Hospital was named
West Michigans 2014 101 Best &
Brightest Companies to Work For.
Kalamazoo For a second time, Bronson
Methodist Hospital attained Magnet
recognition from American Nurses
Credentialing Centers Magnet
Recognition Program, the highest honor
an organization can receive for profes-
sional nursing practice and places
Bronson among 7% of U.S. hospitals who
have earned this gold standard.
Review of
The App Generation
Provided by www.getabstract.com
Todays young people have never
known a world without ubiquitous digital
media. Education scholars Howard
Gardner the prolific multiple-intelli-
gences expert and Katie Davis argue that
the constant access to software applica-
tions apps and to online information
and communities changes how young peo-
ple approach the psychological challenges
of identity, intimacy and creativity. Some
of their conclusions seem mundane, but
many of their findings offer substantial
and surprising insights into evolving ado-
lescent psychology. getAbstract recom-
mends this study to anyone marketing to
youth, to parents and educators, to soft-
ware developers, and to young people
themselves, whether they read it on paper
or online (weve got an app for that).
Howard Gardner and Katie Davis. The
App Generation: How Todays Youth
Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and
Imagination in a Digital World. Yale UP,
2013. 256 pages. ISBN-13: 978-
0300196214.
getAbstract is the leading provider of
business book summaries, with thousands
of titles covered. www.getabstract.com
51 Billion in Taxes Cut
Lansing -- Michigan has been on a
tax cutting spree since 1994, slashing a
cumulative $51 billion in taxes that would
have been available to schools, law
enforcement, health care and other public
services, according to a new report taking
a long view of state taxation policies.
The tax cuts were sold as being the
key to creating economic prosperity for
the state but over that period,
Michigans national rank in per capita
income has tumbled from 18th to 35th
and the states unemployment rate,
aligned with the national average in
1994, last year was more than 25 percent
above the national average, according to
the report, Michigans Tax Policies:
Wrong Turns on the Path to Prosperity.
The report, by Douglas C. Drake, for-
mer head of the state Treasury
Departments Office of Revenue and Tax
Analysis and a top legislative tax commit-
tee aide, was commissioned by a number
of education groups to examine the
impact of Proposal A. It was expanded to
take an in-depth look at tax policies in
Michigan and nationally.
Michigans tax cuts have been deep
and dramatic. Going back to 1977, we
find that state and local revenues in
Michigan have increased by less than any
other state on a per capita basis, and are
42nd lowest when measured as a percent-
age of per capita income, said Drake.
Businesses have been major benefi-
ciaries of the tax cuts. Today, Michigan
ranks 49th in the nation in the share of
the state and local tax burden picked up
by business (out of 51, including
Washington D.C.).
Only 35.8 percent of state and local
taxes are paid by business. The national
average is 45.2 percent. In Texas, busi-
nesses pay 61.5 percent of the state and
local tax burden; Indiana is at 40.1 per-
cent.
We know these cuts have led to
major reductions in the size of govern-
ment a key goal of their proponents,
Drake said. But we can also see, from
this long view of the situation, that the
states economy has not improved, and
the average family in todays Michigan is
worse off than it was before we focused
on tax cuts as our primary economic
development tool.
The impact of these tax cuts has been
felt most heavily by education. Since
1994, tax cuts have reduced the amount
of revenue that would have gone to the
School Aid Fund and local schools by
$38.3 billion.
Michigans cities also have taken a
hit. Revenue sharing has been cut by $6.2
billion since 2000, contributing to cuts in
public safety, parks, planning and other
operations important to keeping cities
attractive, particularly to young college
graduates.
Michigans schools have certainly
felt the bite of these tax cuts, said Kathy
Hayes, executive director of the Michigan
Association of School Boards. And we
can see that the quality of Michigans
education system has suffered over this
period.
We know the states at the top of
achievement states like Massachusetts,
Maryland and New Jersey are spending
far more to educate a student in their state
than does Michigan, Hayes said. Those
states are also high in per capita income,
evidence that they are attracting the bet-
ter jobs that are critical to a middle class
economy today.
Samantha Harkins, director of state
affairs for the Michigan Municipal
League, said revenue sharing cuts to
cities, required to balance the state budg-
et following tax cuts, have hurt the abili-
ty of cities to maintain services and mod-
ernize infrastructure.
We all know that for Michigan to
succeed, it must do a better job of attract-
ing and retaining college graduates. We
need to do a better job of providing the
things those young grads want mass
transit systems, walkable neighborhoods,
artistic centers, nice parks. Those things
tend to cost money and Michigan cities
have been falling behind competitors in
offering them.
Gilda Jacobs, president and CEO of
the Michigan League for Public Policy,
said the states decision to reduce taxes
has had an impact on children. Its clear
our state is falling behind in providing
services needed to address the education-
al, mental health and needs of low-
income children and their families.
Rising class sizes in grade schools,
high teacher turnover, cuts in abuse and
neglect prevention services these are all
the results of decisions to reduce services
that can help reduce poverty in the
future.
A special section of the study
reviews the relative rankings of all states
by per capita income over the period 1929
to 2010. Its key findings: The poorest
states in the beginning of this period,
states such as Mississippi, Arkansas,
Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky and
Tennessee are still among the poorest
states in the nation today, even as they
have followed low-tax policies that lead to
low levels of public services.
We can see from Michigans results
since 1994, or from national data going
back to before the Great Depression, dra-
matic cuts in taxes do not increase pros-
perity as measured by the income of aver-
age citizens, Drake said. Michigan can
learn from this data, or continue to ignore
it, as it moves forward.
The report was paid for by the
American Federation of Teachers
Michigan, Michigan Association of School
Administrators, Michigan Association of
School Boards, Michigan Association of
Intermediate School Administrators,
Middle Cities Education Association,
Michigan Education Association and
Michigan School Business Officials. A
copy is available online at
www.masb.org/drake-report.aspx.
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GRCC, Construction
Workforce Development
Alliance to Fill Demand
Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids
Community College and the Construction
Workforce Development Alliance are
teaming up to offer 15 high school gradu-
ates full-tuition scholarships to a summer
program that will give them the skills to
fill high-demand construction jobs.
The alliance a collaboration of the
Home Builders Association of Greater
Grand Rapids, the American
Subcontractor Association of Michigan
and the Associated Builders and
Contractors of West Michigan is offer-
ing 15 full-tuition scholarships to GRCCs
Construction Core Jump Start program this
summer. The intensive three-week pro-
gram is open to all graduating high school
seniors. Its based on the Construction
Core Certification, a 96-hour program
offered through GRCC workforce training
with 11 learning modules covering
aspects of basic construction skills.
Workforce Training at GRCC is
excited to be a partner in this initiative to
meet the needs of the local construction
sector," said Julie Parks, executive director
of workforce training and Tassell M-TEC
at GRCC. The scholarship shows the tal-
ent need and construction employers
willingness to step up to meet that need.
This is a great example of how we collab-
orate with local employer partners to
ensure our region continues to supply the
best-trained talent in the world.
CWDA developed the scholarship
with assistance from MiWorks! of Kent
and Allegan counties to target young
adults who might not be interested in a
traditional degree program and who want
to begin their career quickly. The scholar-
ship will be awarded this spring, and, in
addition to providing students free tuition
for the three-week program, they also will
get a minimum of two job interviews fol-
lowing completion of the course and
job skills that can be applied immediately
in a high-demand industry.
11
Education Briefs
Ann Arbor University of Michigans
Ross School of Business announced
Fred Keller, CEO of Cascade
Engineering, will serve as the Center for
Positive Organizations first Executive-
in-Residence, a two year appointment.
Grand Rapids Grand Valley State
Universitys Center for Adult and
Continuing Studies started recruiting
students for new 19 month accelerated
degree program in the Liberal Studies
Leadership Program
Lansing Cooley Law School received
an A rating and ranked 17th out of 93
schools for being the most committed,
having the broadest offerings, and being
the most successful in terms of their
experiential training curriculum by The
National Jurist magazine.
Big Rapids Associate Provost Paul
Blake will serve as Interim Provost at
Ferris State University after current
Provost and Vice President for Academic
Affairs, Fritz Erickson, was selected as
President of Northern Michigan
University. Blake will assume full respon-
sibilities July 1, 2014.
Grand Rapids Joseph J. Horak was
named Director of Family Owned
Business Institute at Grand Valley
State Universitys Seidman College of
Business.
Grand Rapids Paul Chardoul, former
Social Sciences Professor at Grand
Rapids Community College, was named
2014 Emeritus Faculty at GRCC.
Grand Rapids Oliver Evans, former
President of Kendall College of Art and
Design, agreed to serve as Interim
President upon announcement of current
President David Rosens resignation.
Grand Rapids Joseph J. Horak was
named Director of Family Owned
Business Institute at Grand Valley
State Universitys Seidman College of
Business.
Lansing Cooley Law School Associate
Dean Joan P. Vestrand was honored as
Leader in the Law, and board member
Thomas Cramner was selected as Lawyer
of the Year by Michigan Lawyers
Weekly.
Battle Creek Kellogg Community
College announced launch of Kellogg
Community College Center for Diversity
and Innovation, an initiative to promote
racial equity and removal of systemic bar-
riers for vulnerable children, and operates
under the auspices of KCCs Student and
Community Services division.
Kalamazoo Western Michigan
University and Northwestern Michigan
College joined forces to expand the study
of fresh water by developing an interdis-
ciplinary curriculum allowing students to
earn a Bachelor of Science in Freshwater
Science and Sustainability beginning
September 2014, and will be taught at
Northwestern's Great Lakes Campus.
BGrand Rapids Calhoun County Judge
John A. Hallacy is Grand Rapids
Community Colleges 2014
Distinguished Alumnus.
Grand Rapids Diana Lawson, Grand
Valley State Universitys new Dean of
Seidman College of Business, will be
available for interviews at noon April 30,
in the Kirkhof Center, and will begin her
duties at Grand Valley July 1, 2014.
Grand Rapids Nursing student Susan
Murphy received Grand Rapids
Community Colleges Arthur Andrews
Award.
Kalamazoo Western Michigan
Universitys competition for business
ideas awarded: top prize of $1,500 to
student Rosie Hall for Dolly Xtractor, pro-
vides a more efficient way to work with
two-wheeled carts; second prize of
$1,000 was awarded to students
Elizabeth Mooney and Andrew Eaton for
Savvy Dress Rentals, an upscale consign-
ment boutique specializing in new and
gently used fashion; and third place prize
of $750, as well as People's Choice award,
went to student Jonathan Rhodes for
GoAnywhere Sleeper, an affordable and
secure way for off-road enthusiasts to
comfortably sleep within a Jeep Wrangler.
Allendale Grand Valley State
University announced Jeanne Arnold,
the first person chosen as Vice President
for Inclusion and Equity at the university,
is leaving after nearly seven years.
Its Time for Sales Managers to Tip the Boat!
How to Make a Splash by Managing at All Levels
by Kevin Higgins
Ongoing management. Low perform-
ers, mid-level performers and even high
performers need it. It does not assume high
performance, and once high performing,
does not assume it will always continue.
Everyone needs to be managed on a con-
sistent basis. In sales, the goal of ongoing
management is participation rate.
Participation rate is the percentage of
sales team members who are at or above
plan. For a sales team, participation rate is
easy to calculate. On a team of ten people
where four are above their sales plan on a
YTD basis, the participation rate is 40%.
Participation rate is a statistic that
rarely scrutinized. Why? Sales managers
are measured for making their quota. If
the quota is $100 million, the sales man-
agers goal to get each sales person to
deliver an average of $10 million. Some
will produce $15 million and others will
produce $5 million; the sales manager
only needs the total to add up to $100
million. The sales manager is incentivized
to keep average performers. A sales per-
son who only delivers 50% of their quota
is better for the sales manager than the
0% they would contribute if the sales
manager let them go.
Research reveals that a participation
rate of 60% or less will give sales man-
agers a 10% chance of making their rev-
enue plan. Sales managers must aim for a
high (70%) participation rate to have a
good chance of making plan, although it
is not guaranteed.
Given this, why do sales managers
tolerate poor performance? What stops
them from having tough conversations?
Sales managers are nice. They do not
want to rock the boat. Their strategy is
hope.
A sales reps performance can be
evaluated on two criteria behavior and
results. Assessing whether a sales rep is
or could be delivering results is fairly
straightforward its a math problem.
There are four performer categories a
sales manager works with:
High Performers = Deliver results +
behave correctly
Coachable Performers = Behave
correctly but results are not 100% yet
Tough Performers = Deliver results
+ behave poorly
Poor Performers = Poor results +
poor behaviors
In an ideal world, a sales manager
would have 100% High Performers. Neat
concept, most likely not going to happen.
What is the next best thing? One hundred
percent High Performers and Coachable
Performers. This is attainable but its not
the norm.
Most leaders will have some Tough
Performers and some Poor Performers.
Imagine having ten direct reports with
two in these groups. Not bad, manage-
able. Now imagine four out of ten. Life is
tougher and tough moments happen on a
daily basis. At six out of ten, it is proba-
bly tough to get out of bed in the morning.
Ongoing management of performers
involves monthly (minimum) One-on-
Ones, observational coaching with feed-
back, sit downs to try and help all the
day-to-day routines to try and lift behav-
ior and results. When these fail to work,
thats when its time for the performance
conversation, which has five key steps:
Set a clear standard and set mile-
stones of performance for the direct
report.
Inform the direct report where they
are not meeting the standard and set
milestones.
Give the direct report the opportu-
nity to meet the standard and set mile-
stones.
Offer assistance to meet the stan-
dard and set milestones.
Advise the direct report of the con-
sequences of not meeting the standard
and set milestones.
Sales managers know how to do this
the issue is getting up the nerve. Sales
managers need to have the conversation
as soon as needed putting it off spares
no one. Sales reps who want to be with
you will step it up and improve. Those
who are not capable/not interested will
show very quickly (weeks not months)
after the performance conversation. If
things still dont improve, the sales man-
ager can move to the final warning, con-
sulting with HR to effectively handle this
and how to go your separate ways if that
is required.
Kevin Higgins is CEO of training
organization Fusion Learning, recognized
by Selling Power as one of the top 20
sales training companies in North
America and as one of Canadas Top Small
and Medium Employers for 2014. He is
the author of Engage Me: Strategies From
The Sales Effectiveness Source.
12
13
Industrial Briefs
Walker At its facility in Reed City,
Tubelite, Inc., increased production
capacity, as well as its aluminum extru-
sion capabilities, offering larger and more
complex shapes for storefront, curtain-
wall, entrance and daylighting systems.
Holland LeanLogistics, a global solu-
tions provider of transportation manage-
ment systems and supply chain services,
announced Chris Johnson, Vice President
of Research and Development, and Eric
Meister, Chief Operating Officer, were
named 2014 "Pros to Know" by premiere
magazine Supply & Demand Chain
Executive.
Ann Arbor Aastrom Biosciences, Inc.
announced appointments of Ross Tubo,
PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer, and David
Recker, MD, FACR, FACP, as Chief Medical
Officer.
Traverse City CPM Extrusion Group
and Ruiya Extrusion in Nanjing, China,
teamed with ECON GmbH of
Weisskirchen, Austria, to produce EUPC
line of underwater pelletizers for key
markets in Asia.
Grand Rapids Tetra Discovery
Partners LLC, a drug discovery company
developing innovative drugs for neuro-
logical and inflammatory diseases,
announced the company entered into a
collaboration with Broad Institutes
Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research in
Cambridge, MA, to test the potential of
Tetras drug candidates for improving
cognition in Stanley Centers proprietary
genetic models relating to schizophrenia.
Grand Rapids Nissan Forklift of
Michigan, Inc., is now Forklifts of
Michigan, Inc.
Allegan Perrigo, leading pharmaceuti-
cal supplier, hired: Brandon Persinger
as Quality Manager of Quality Assurance
for Tablet Value Stream team; Holly
Kequom as Systems Analyst I for
Information Technology and Systems
team; and McKensey Hedberg as
Customer Service Representative.
Jeffersonville, IN Mill Steel Co., a flat
rolled steel service center headquartered
in Grand Rapids, announced purchase
and expansion of its operations to add
120,000 sq. ft., and will be operational
June 2014, with an estimated 43 new
full-time positions.
Grand Rapids Crystal Flash appoint-
ed David Scigliano as Chief Executive
Officer, and will be responsible for ensur-
ing the company reaches its financial
goals.
Grandville GRIPS, Inc., announced a
new partnership with Consolidated
Controls, LLC, which provides A2LA
accredited certified calibrations to comply
with ISO, AMSE and QS manufacturing
requirements.
Grand Rapids Tetra Discovery
Partners LLC, a drug discovery company
developing innovative drugs for neuro-
logical and inflammatory diseases,
announced the company entered into a
collaboration with Broad Institutes
Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research in
Cambridge, MA, to test the potential of
Tetras drug candidates for improving
cognition in Stanley Centers proprietary
genetic models relating to schizophrenia.
AME Spearheads Efforts to Attract Larger Workforce
to Growing Manufacturing Industries
Rolling Meadows, IL - With the mar-
ket continuing to drive up demand for
more workers in numerous manufactur-
ing industries, the Association for
Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is lead-
ing the charge to reinvigorate the nation-
al workforce and attract new personnel.
AME continues to connect experienced
workers with new job openings and is
working with high schools to promote
manufacturing as a desirable, viable
career option.
According to the U.S. Bureau of
Economic Analysis, in 2011 the average
manufacturing worker in the U.S. earned
more than $77,000 annually. These high-
paying careers reflect the growth of stable,
profitable manufacturing industries within
the country. This growth has driven up
demand among these industries for highly
skilled engineers, operators and techni-
cians. In order to inspire the next genera-
tion to meet that rapidly growing demand,
AME is reaching out to schools across the
country to promote student growth and
rewarding careers in manufacturing.
AME's Adopt a School Initiative will
connect manufacturers with schools in
their community to give students an
opportunity to receive practical learning
experience. The initiative will complement
the growing number of science, technolo-
gy, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
classes in schools across the country by
providing students with hands-on experi-
ences. Through the initiative, students
will explore careers in manufacturing and
have access to mentors.
AME also provides scholarship
opportunities to those pursuing a career
in manufacturing. The Dr. Sherrie Ford
Manufacturing as a Career Path 2014-
2015 Scholarship provides an opportunity
for career-minded individuals to make
their mark on the manufacturing world.
High school graduates or those with prior
work experience who are seeking a col-
lege education are eligible to apply. The
deadline for applications is June 13, 2014,
for students applying for the fall term.
As job openings in numerous manu-
facturing industries continue to grow, so
does AMEs commitment to promoting
the value of a career in manufacturing to
students and those who will soon enter
the workforce. By working with schools
and bringing them together with the
manufacturers in their community, AME
hopes to inspire the next generation of
great engineers.
General Business
East Lansing New members being
inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall
of Fame are: Bill McGraw, innovator;
Charles Eisendrath, journalist and edu-
cator; Jennifer Moore, business reporter;
Ken Kolker, investigative reporter;
Cheryl Chodun, broadcast journalist;
Mick McCabe, prep sports reporter; and
William Serrin, reporter and educator.
The Michigan Hall of Fame Committee
will also give a Special Recognition Award
to Association Executive Edward Deeb
for his sustained contributions to
Michigan journalism.
Omaha, NE Gordmans first Michigan
store, with 54,000 sq. ft., opened in
Muskegon with the latest brands, fash-
ions and styles in apparel and home
dcor, and big savings of up to 60% off
department and specialty store prices.
Holland Holland City Council and
Holland Board of Public Works Board
of Directors voted to approve pricing and
sale of $158.84 million in municipal rev-
enue bonds to help fund a natural gas
power generating facility for the commu-
nity. The bonds are sold in denominations
of $5,000 at a rate of 4.08%.
The Line Between Labor and Leisure
By Margaret Page
At one time the line between our
labor and our leisure was abundantly
clear. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm was work.
Evenings and weekends were for play.
Today, in the age of entrepreneur-
ship, new workplace orderwhere going
to the gym happens on the job and chat-
ting at the cooler is encouragedthe line
between personal and professional time is
blurred.
Its important to remember that
whether you are spending a day on the
golf course with a client, or speaking to
one of your friends in a board meeting,
the rules of the games are still the same.
1. Good grooming is essential. It's
great that you ran 5K with a client during
your lunch break or took a spin class with
your assistant. Always take the time to
have a shower or at the least rinse off.
Nothing affects someone's credibility
more than poor grooming. If you worked
up a sweat, you need to take time to
refresh--no matter how much work you
have crammed into your day.
2. Loud language lingers. If you
drop a language bomb, the effects of it
will linger. And like all bombs, language
bombs spell danger. The words you use
leave a lasting impression on those
around you. Although Sandra Bullocks
slip at the 2014 Critics Choice Movie
Awards may have awarded her a few star-
tled chuckles from the crowd, it also over-
shadowed her acceptance speech. Do a
quick search of Sandra Bullock +
Acceptance Speech and youll find
dozens of videos and commentary on the
slip, with very few details about the actu-
al monologue.
Drop an f bomb and the following
occurs: credibility goes down; caution
goes up!
3. Meet people in their Model of the
World. The Golden Rule, treat others as
you would have them treat you, is no
longer enough in this age of connectivity.
Instead, the order of the day is the
Platinum Rule: treat others as they
would have you treat them. Some people
prefer to use e-mail to communicate,
while others use texting, social media and
Skype. And, yes, there are still those who
prefer a phone call. Everyone has a PMoC
(Preferred Mode of Communication), so
its best to find out what that is for each
business contactand use it.
And that's just the first step.
If you want to build lasting relation-
ships with clients and colleagues, know
and appreciate their model of the world.
For example: perhaps youre working
with a client that has specific days of the
week blocked off for meetings. Note this
so that you are certain to schedule meet-
ings on those specific days. Having this
awarenessand meeting people in their
model of the worldgoes a long way in
building strong business relationship.
4. How far do we go? How much of
your own personal challengesor suc-
cessesdo you share with your clients or
colleagues? Even though youve become
friends with some of your business con-
nections, there needs to be some level of
professionalism that is considered when
sharing personal information. It would
not, for example, be appropriate to share
the gruesome details of your spouses
infidelity with someone you work with
no matter how close you are. Keep the
information at a classified level if youre
reaching out for support from co-workers,
and refrain from seeking advice from
clients or your boss when it comes to your
personal life. Instead seek out someone
from HR for support, or find a coach or
therapist you can work with.
The converse is true here; when you
are on the receiving end of the conversa-
tion, be available to lend and ear to those
that need it. Just be very careful not to get
pulled into personal drama. The line can
become very blurred if you open the door
too wide. Take the time to listen, and
encourage them to get professional sup-
port if needed.
5. Leave things better than you
found them. What things? Everything:
people, plans and projectswhatever you
are involved in. Sometimes we dont real-
ize the implications of our interactions.
Too often average and good enough
are the standards that people reach for.
While average is great for your blood
pressure, it is not inspiring in the work-
place, and it is not likely to inspire others
around you.
How do you want people to feel when
they interact with you? Worse? Exactly
the same? Or better? You really do have
the power to make or break someones
day. Sometimes its the simplest gesture
that makes the biggest impact.
Imagine if you approached life, busi-
ness, and everything else that matters
with a vision of leaving it better than you
found it. Or each time you did something
you wanted to do it better than the time
before. If you set the bar at this height
you will always have a job, a career, a
place to go, and people who want to be
connected to you in some way.
While its true that the way we con-
duct business these days has changed,
the way we present ourselves is funda-
mentally the same. If you are well
groomed, speak profoundly, connect with
others, and make a positive difference in
the world you will succeed at work and at
play.
Margaret Page is a recognized eti-
quette expert, speaker and coach, who
helps people and organizations be more
professional. She is the author of The
Power of Polite, Blueprint for Success and
Cognito Cards Wisdom for Dining &
Social Etiquette. She is the founder and
CEO of Etiquette Page Enterprises, a lead-
ing Western Canadian training organiza-
tion. To contact Margaret, please visit her
website at http://etiquettepage.com/, or
call 604 880 8002.
14
General Business
Lansing Michigan Licensed Beverage
Association announced Techniques of
Alcohol Management, nations premier
alcohol server training program, was
approved by Michigan Liquor Control
Commission for online server training
certification.
Grand Rapids Shannon Andrus re-
opened her art studio Hearts for the
Arts in downtown and focuses on artists
with disabilities, but all individuals,
regardless of their age, background or
experience level are invited to take part.
Grand Haven C3 Exchange, an
Inclusive Spiritual Community,
announced addition of Interim Leader
Barbara Lee, former leader of Extended
Grace in Grand Haven.
Muskegon Historic Century Club
Shops on Western welcomed their
newest boutiques: LeFleur Flower
Shoppe, Apple Valley Yarn West,
Maggies Gourmet Food & Gifts, and
Glo's Repurpose on Purpose.
Boyne Falls Avalanche Bay Indoor
Waterpark at Boyne Mountain Resort,
largest indoor waterpark in Michigan,
was heralded as one of eight of The
Worlds Coolest Indoor Water Parks by
premier travel magazine Cond Nast
Traveler.
Zeeland Zeeland Farm Services
Ithaca, LLC, which has ownership con-
nected with Zeeland Farm Services, Inc.,
purchased a partially developed 435 acre
site in Ithaca with agricultural opportuni-
ties.
Lansing Small Business Association
of Michigan named Tony Stamas as Vice
President Government Relations, effective
April 14, 2014.
Meridian Township International organ-
ic grocery Whole Foods Market is sched-
uled to break ground and begin work in
early April on a 36,000 sq. ft. facility,
with completion scheduled for the last
quarter of 2014. It will feature a salad bar,
pub and coffee bar, cafeteria, and outdoor
seating with fireplace.
Allendale The Johnson Center is now
seeking candidates for the W.K. Kellogg
Community Philanthropy Chair at
Grand Valley State University - the first
university-based Endowed Chair specifi-
cally created for study and advancement
of community philanthropy - which was
created last fall to honor the legacy of phi-
lanthropy and civic investment of W.K.
Kellogg, founder of the Kellogg Company
and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Lansing According to Michigan Retail
Index, a joint project of Michigan
Retailers Association and Federal Reserve
Bank of Chicago, March sales declined
both from February and from a year ago
March after a long severe winter, but
expectations are building for improve-
ment in April.
Grand Rapids Family Promise of
Grand Rapids announced three new
board members: Chris Boike, Corporate
Funding, Inc.; Jeff Clark, Ada Bible
Church; and Wayne Randall, Western
Michigan Bank of America.
Grand Rapids McDonalds Corporation
announced McDonalds owner/operator
Ryan Reardon took ownership of
McDonalds restaurants at 1130 Fulton
St. SW, and 1240 S. Division.
Livonia Pet Supplies Plus, third largest
national pet specialty retailer, announced
Alex Roberts was named Vice President
of Franchising.
Holland Michigan West Coast
Chamber of Commerce honored Melissa
Fennel, of Herman Miller, and Bing
Goei, of Eastern Floral, at a Minority
Business Awards luncheon.
Grand Rapids A new partnership
between Goodwill Industries of Greater
Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids
Community College will provide
advanced manufacturing training in con-
junction with Goodwills flagship Achieve
program, which assists adults in setting
long-term career goals and providing a
dedicated team to work alongside them.
Communication & IT
15
In the Pipeline: Family-Friendly Pocket Change Debit
Card - Could This Be "The One Card To Rule Them All"?
Henderson, NV - What started out
as a project to develop a simple native
mobile application that parents could use
to remind their kids to do their chores
and also to transfer allowance money to
their hardworking children's debit cards,
has resulted in the birth of Pocket
Change, a reloadable Visa debit card
linked to the user's credit card accounts,
debit card accounts, and bank accounts,
all monitored and controlled through
Pocket Change's smartphone app.
"Pocket Change is a multi-function-
al e-wallet that will allow you to transfer
funds to or from any bank account or
card you link to through the software
app," says Myles Binford, Founder of
Pocket Change, Inc.
In addition to making retail pur-
chases from online vendors, Binford
says application users can easily pay out
and receive funds from anyone with a
debit card or bank account and an email
address, Twitter handle or Facebook
account. Transferring cash from your
Pocket Change app is an ideal way to pay
the babysitter when you do not have
cash, or to reimburse a friend for your
half of the dinner bill.
"Development of this application real-
ly started when my daughter came to me
and said, 'Dad, I want allowance,'" says
Binford. "I reached in my pocket and real-
ized that I don't carry cash anymore. So I
decided to figure out a way to use my
smartphone to transfer money from my
checking account onto a card that she
would be able to use at school or at the
mall."
Pocket Change provides family
accounts where parents have full-privi-
lege debit cards, and each of the children
will have their own sub-cards onto
which the parents can transfer money.
"We're building software right now
that sends a chore reminder to the child's
phone," says Binford. "Then, after the
child does that chore, they can click
'done' and the parents will get a person-
al notification that the chore is done.
When the parents see the notification
they can click 'pay', and it goes into a
queue, and the kids get money trans-
ferred to their debit cards once a week."
Binford says Pocket Change's securi-
ty is state-of-the-art. In addition to being
able to turn the debit card on or off using
the phone app, all online purchases made
with Pocket Change are made using a tem-
porary CVV number, assigned at the time
of purchase and valid for 20 minutes only.
"It wouldn't matter if a card thief
knew your name, your card number,
your card's expiration date, and the CCV
number you used for a purchase last
night," says Binford. "They could not
make a purchase with your card this
morning, as they would not have a valid
three-digit CCV number. And if this
patented card security protocol isn't
enough to put your mind at ease, your
money and your account are 100 percent
insured from loss by Visa, MasterCard,
and the FDIC."
Pocket Change card has the ability
to link to and control an unlimited num-
ber of bankcards (including gift cards)
and bank accounts, and Binford says,
because, it is a true e-wallet, he predicts
a good percentage of consumers will opt
to use the app after its release as the
highly-vaunted "One Card to Rule Them
All."
If not used for its amazing conven-
ience, Binford is certain it will be used
for its amazing price: Zero. No monthly
fees, no fees to load the card, no fees to
send and receive money from other
users, and no fees when using the card
at point-of-purchase when signing the
sales receipt (rather than use a PIN).
"With the functionality of an actual
account and all the consumer-friendly
features that we will be offering, more
than Google Wallet, PayPal, and Coin, it's
clear that we're not just a really cool gim-
mick for your pocket," says Binford. "Our
Pocket Change card is going to become
your new best friend."
Communications & IT
Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM 13
announced Greg Ghering, former News
Director at WOOD radio, is joining WZZM
13 News as Nightside Connection Desk
Editor.
Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM 13
announced Anchor Juliet Dragos will
receive an award from a statewide
organization.
Grand Rapids CU*Answers announced
they appointed Geoff Johnson, former
Executive Vice President, to newly creat-
ed position Chief Operations Officer.
Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM 13
announced Greg Ghering, former News
Director at WOOD radio, is joining WZZM
13 News as Nightside Connection Desk
Editor.
Holland Marketing communications and
public relations firm Boileau
Communications Management, LLC,
hired Kelly Vanden Bosch as Graphic
Designer.
Grand Rapids Advantage Sign and
Graphic Solutions announced addition
of Aristo line of cutting solutions to its
product offering, a state of the art flat-
bed high speed CNC cutter designed for
continuous, precise and reliable produc-
tion.
Grand Rapids Family Promise of
Grand Rapids hired Todd Buchta as its
first ever Director of Development and
Communications, and will be responsible
for engaging donors and congregations,
expanding events, growing their annual
fund, and seeking sponsorships and
grants from corporations and founda-
tions.
Grand Rapids Advantage Sign &
Graphic Solutions announced Matt
Wilson was promoted to Media Specialist
in their Product Development depart-
ment.
Grand Rapids WOOD TV8 announced
Target 8 Investigator Ken Kolker was
inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall of
Fame.
Detroit Technology consulting firm
C/D/H announced hiring Inge Rush, for-
mer Microsoft Customer Relationship
Management partner, as SharePoint and
Applications Consultant.
Grand Rapids Geek Group announced
a new membership program for local
manufacturers needing access to addi-
tional equipment to fulfill a job, to rework
their CNC programming, or to design and
prototype new product ideas.