Business

November 2014 $2.00

update
1993-2014

ublication

Cover Story: G & T I n d u s t r i e s

C e l e b r a t e s 6 0 Ye a r s

Inside Features:
20 14 AB C E xce lle nc e i n
C o n s t r u c t i o n Aw a r d s
Re tirem ent Planning
E xerc ise & H ealth
Ken t Co unt y Fle et Se rvi ces

2
Long-Term Cost of College and Strategies for
Managing Sstudent Loan Debt
Detroit A new survey released
today by Charter One parent company
Citizens Financial Group finds that more
than three-quarters (77 percent) of former college students between the ages of
18 and 40 wish they had planned better
for paying down their student debt. At the
same time, 76 percent are unfamiliar with
the options that exist to re-design their
student loan packages through refinancing, according to the national survey of
parents, students and former students.
According to new research in
Citizens INFORMED Index: The Student
Loan Landscape, parents and current students today do discuss how student loan
debt can be managed, but former students
only recall having brief conversations,
if any. Only 46 percent of former students
recalled having this conversation at all.
The survey also found that 90 percent of former students believe that col-

leges should play a greater role in helping

students understand how to manage their
debt, and 91 percent believe high schools
should play a greater role.
Twenty three percent of former students are not currently able to make their
student loan payments, according to the
Citizens survey.
Despite the well-documented long
term value of a college degree, too many
Americans continue to struggle with paying
for the rapidly increasing cost well after
they have graduated, said Brendan
Coughlin, President of Education and Auto
Finance for Citizens Financial Group. Its
clear that a key step is having a plan for life
after graduation before you enroll in the
school of your choice to ensure the cost is
appropriate to the career you want. Also
revealing, was that most are unaware that
they have an opportunity to make their student loan debt more manageable through

refinancing something that 93 percent of

those who have refinanced say they recommend to others.
Citizens, which offers help with student loans via loan refinancing as part of
its Citizens Bank and Charter One private
student loan offering, last month became
one of the first banks in the country to

offer private refinancing for federal student loans. Previously, its Education
Refinance Loan had focused on private
student loan refinancing options only and
had saved borrowers an average of
$127[1] and helped them reduce their
average APR by 1.5 percent.

Education Briefs
Muskegon Baker College is offering a
Water Quality Management Associate
Degree where students will attend
Muskegon campus for three quarters and
then transfer to their Cadillac campus for
program-specific courses and two
required internships.
Allendale For the 19th consecutive year,
Grand Valley State University was
named one of Americas 100 Best College
Buys by Institutional Research and
Evaluation, Inc. in Georgia. No other
Michigan public institution made the list.

announced Marcie Hillary, Executive

Director of Hospice of Michigan - West
Michigan, and Bill Manns, President of
Mercy Health Saint Marys, were each
appointed to a three-year term on
Aquinas Board of Trustees.

Battle Creek Kellogg Community

Colleges Emergency Medical Technician
Paramedic Program was nationally
accredited by Commission on Accreditation
of Allied Health Education Programs effective through Sept. 30, 2019.

Muskegon Baker College welcomed

health care, education and business leaders
as well as the public to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of its new 35,000 sq. ft.
Health Science Center, with 60% percent of
the building being laboratory space that
replicates various medical settings.

Grand

Rapids

Aquinas

Grand Rapids Aquinas College honored

notable alumni Brad Smith (91),
President and CEO of Intuit, and
Jacqueline D. Taylor (80), Ph.D., Higher
Education
Administrator,
with
Outstanding Alumna Awards.

College

Current Business Trends:

Strength of September
Continues in October
Grand Rapids - The greater Grand
Rapids industrial economy continues to
experience modest growth, according to
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
October.
The surveys index of business
improvement, called new orders, remained
significantly positive at +26, down slightly
from +27 reported last month, and up convincingly from +9 in August. The production index came in at +23, lower than the
+29 reported last month, but still strong.
The index of purchases edged up to +20

from +14. The employment index, which

had risen to a three-year high of +34,
retreated to +25, with many firms saying
they are unable to locate qualified workers.
The office furniture business is now
seeing stronger sales, said Long. Mike
Dunlaps (Dunlap & Associates in Holland)
October survey reports an index of 57.58,
the strongest the index has been since July
2007. This compares with an all-time
record of 59.72 in the July 2005 report.
Long said the fall uptick is now in full
swing for the capital equipment firms, with
some firms rushing to make capital investments before the end of the year because of
budget and tax considerations. He said
industrial distributors were generally positive and the boom continues for most area
auto parts producers.

3
ABC Western Michigan Chapter Recognizes 2014 Icon
Winners During Annual Excellence Awards Ceremony
Grand Rapids - The Associated
Builders and Contractors Western
Michigan Chapter (ABC/WMC) held the
2014 Excellence in Construction Awards at
Keystone Community Church on Monday,
November 3rd. Nearly 300 attendees from
the commercial construction industry
joined together to recognize the best of the
best in construction projects and safety. A
highlight of the evening was the presentation of the ICON Award. 5 ICON honorees
were recognized for their significant long
term impact on the West Michigan construction industry.
The ICON award is a prestigious
recognition, paying tribute to an individual who has made a notable impact over a
period of years within the construction
industry and ABC/WMC members. All
ICON nominations were received from
ABC/WMC members and reviewed by the
Excellence in Construction Committee. The
top five nominees were honored at the

l to r: Norm Brady, President/CEO of ABC Western Michigan; James Moyer, Assistant Vice
President of Facilities Planning at GVSU; Peter Kok, Attorney at Miller Johnson; Keith Winn,
President of Catalyst Partners; Scott Wierda, Principal and Managing Partner at CWD Real Estate
Investment; Eric DeLong, Deputy City Manager at the City of Grand Rapids; and Paul Lemley, ABC
Western Michigan Board Chairman and Senior Vice President of Triangle Associates, Inc

Excellence in Construction Awards event .

The winner was determined via live voting
of those members in attendance at the

awards program. The 2014 ICON winner is

Peter Kok, Attorney at Miller Johnson
Peter Kok has been serving the merit-

shop, commercial construction industry in

West Michigan for decades. His depth of
knowledge on labor relations and employment law has ensured ABC Western
Michigan members have the tools they
need to combat union organizing and
influence. He has graciously given his
time and talents to the membership
through speaking engagements and oneon-one counsel. Mr. Kok is always just a
phone call away when support is needed
for member companies. ABC/WMC is honored to recognize Mr. Kok for his partnership with the construction industry.
Additional 2014 ICON honorees are:
Eric DeLong, City of Grand Rapids
James
Moyer,
Associate
Vice
President for Facilities Planning at Grand
Valley State University
Scott Wierda, Principal and Managing
Partner at CWD Real Estate Investment
Keith Winn, President at Catalyst
Partners

2014 Excellence in Construction Awards Winners

Grand Rapids - The Associated
Builders and Contractors Western Michigan
Chapter (ABC/WMC) held the 2014
Excellence in Construction Awards at
Keystone Community Church on Monday,
November 3rd. Nearly 300 attendees from
the 420 chapter member companies engaged
in commercial construction joined together
to recognize 65 construction projects, 8
Safety Award of Excellence nominees, and 5
ICON nominees. The Excellence in
CATEGORY
Exterior Finishes

Construction Awards are an annual Chapter

event celebrating the best projects recently
constructed in West Michigan by ABC member firms.
The Excellence in Construction Awards
are comprised of 27 categories in both the
subcontracting skilled trades and construction management/general contracting construction. Nearly 50 judges and committee
members travel to each project entry to score
the project on quality of construction and

Interior Finishes

MEMBER COMPANY
Architectural Glass &
Metals, Inc.
The Bouma Corporation

Fire Protection

Brigade Fire Protection

Pump Room
Mechanical
Process Piping
Electrical

HVAC Quality Air

Northwest Kent Mechanical
Godwin Plumbing
Parkway Electric

Low Voltage Systems

Parkway Electric

Concrete

Kent Companies

General Trades

Pioneer Construction

Glazing
Precast Concrete
Structural Steel

Architectural Glass &

Metals,Inc.
Kerkstra Precast
Pioneer Construction

Historic Under $1M

Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.

PROJECT
Little River Band of Ottawa
Indians Government Center
GVSU Mary Idema
Pew Library
GVSU Mary Idema
Pew Library
GR Downtown Market
Grand Rapids Chair
Gentex: RO Reuse System
Johnson Controls Holland
Battery Test Facility
Central Wesleyan Church
Audio Upgrade
Hope College - Richard &
Helen DeVos Field House
GVSU Mary Idema
Pew Library
GVSU Mary Idema
Pew Library
Heeren Companies
GVSU Mary Idema
Pew Library
McKay Tower Ballroom

owner satisfaction. Projects must receive an

80% score to qualify for an award and in categories with more than one nominee, the top
score over 80% wins. Please see the supplemental attachment for the 2014 Excellence
in Construction winners.
Additionally, eight companies were
nominated for the 2014 Safety Award of
Excellence. This award is given to acknowledge outstanding safety performance by
ABC/WMC members. A safe work environHistoric $1-5M

ment is the goal of every member. Nominees

were required to submit extensive information including their safety program, safety
record, MIOSHA Form 300, Workers
Compensation EMR Letter, and STEP (Safety
Training and Evaluation Program) audit
form. A panel of three safety experts
reviewed all submissions and determined
the 2014 Safety Award of Excellence
Winner: Wolverine Building Group.

Renovation $5-10M
Renovation > $10M

40 Pearl - Trust Building

Renovation
The Christman Company
Metro Health Outpatient
Surgery Center
CSM Group
HARK Orchids
Wolverine Building Group
Silver Star, Phase II
Pioneer Construction
GVSU Mary Idema
Pew Library
Lakewood Construction -Bank of Holland/Grand Haven Branch
Pioneer Construction TowerPinkster
Pioneer Construction
Founders Brewing Company
(Beer Garden, Taproom
Expansion & Office)
Moyle Construction
Enstrom Helicopter Facility
Wolverine Building Group
James H. Zumberge Hall

Addition Sustainable
Building $1-5M

Erhardt Construction

GVSU Annis Water

Resources Institute

Sustainable Building
$5-10 Million

Rockford Construction

Rockford Construction
Office Complex

Sustainable Building
> $10 Million

Pioneer Construction

Downtown Market

New Const $1-5M

New Const $5-10M
New Const $10-20M
New Const < $20M
Renovation > $1M
TIE
Renovation $1-5M

Triangle Associates, Inc.

G & T Industries Perfects Foam Fabrication and 4

Continues to Grow
By Jane Whittington
Founded in Grand Rapids in 1954, G
& T Industries has grown far beyond its
original boundaries and now operates
facilities not only in Grand Rapids but
also in Reading, Pennsylvania; Jasper,
Indiana; and Ningbo, China. Sixty years
ago, founders Robert S. Greiner and K.
Kenneth Tarbell couldnt have known that
their idea, fabricating polyurethane foam
for the office furniture industries that
called West Michigan home, would one
day evolve into what it has become: a fullservice company offering not only foam
fabrication but also program management, design development, global sourcing of design components, distribution
and supply chain and logistic support.
With over 200 employees, G & T
Industries has, as their website promises,
a foundation of foam, a foundation on
which our business functions but which

Business

update
ublication

Publisher: Gary Kralapp

Business Development
Senior Vice President: Diane LaPreze
Senior Vice President: Jim Lroy
Circulation: Aubrey Day
Contributing Writers: Jane
Whittington, Timothy J. Tornga,

Associate Editor: Jeremy Martin

Printing/Distribution: News Web Printing
Accountant: Michael Tawney & Company
Legal: Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone
The monthly published Business Update Inc.

all rights reserved. No portion can be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The management of Business Update Inc.
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offers much more.

According to President and CEO
Roland Grit, In 1957, Bob Wood joined
Greiner and Tarbell in running the company. In the late 1980s, after the death of
Mr. Greiner and the retirement of Mr.
Tarbell, Wood bought the company, and
he became the sole owner. In 2005, Wood,
along with other employees, began to look
at ESOP opportunities.
ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership
Plan) is a method of providing a companys workforce with an ownership interest
in the company.
Grit continues, In looking at transitioning to an ESOP, it was felt that we had
a good leadership team in place and we
were in a solid financial situation. In
March of 2005, 30 percent of G & T
Industries was purchased from Mr. Wood
and in May of that same year, the remaining 70 percent was purchased, making it
a 100 percent employee-owned company.
He explains, Basically, that means
that every employee has a stake in the
company based on their level of compensation. We have a five-year vesting
schedule, so the employee is 20 percent
vested after the first year, 40 after the second and so on. We are still paying down
the original purchase price; right now
about 58 percent of the shares are in the
hands of employees. By 2020, that will go
up to 100 percent.
An independent board oversees the
operation of the company. The board
includes both employees and members
from outside the company.
The recent recession impacted G & T
Industries just as it did almost every company in the country. Grit says they were

heavily invested in both the marine and

furniture industries at that time, and both
those industries saw business fall off
about 45 percent. But G & T stayed viable
through the economic downturn, and they
not only weathered the storm but have
flourished since then.
In fact, according to Matt Wieringa,
Vice President of Sales and Marketing,
Last month was one of our best months
ever. We feel confident about the future.
G & Ts other facilities have been part
of the company for over 20 years. Both
the Pennsylvania and the Indiana facilities do basically the same kind of business as the GR location. The China operation, Global Trading Solutions, came into
being in 2007 and serves as an engineering and quality management company. It
also serves as a liaison for the sourcing of
parts purchased throughout the world.
Wieringa says, So the three plants
here in the US are primarily dealing with
foam fabrication. The three main industries we serve are office furniture, the
marine industry and packaging, which is
mostly returnable packaging. The packaging part of our business is mostly focused
on automotive suppliers.
He continues, Most of the time our
packaging customers come to us with a
design already developed. Other times, we
will design and then fabricate the packaging materials.
Foam used at G & T Industries is
purchased from a variety of vendors
depending on what type of foam is needed for the particular product. A wide
range of methods is used in the fabrication.
The services they offer in their
200,000 square foot facility in GR and

their 85,000 square foot facilities in

Indiana and Pennsylvania include:
Product development support
Design support
Prototyping
Testing
Converting
Foam assembly
Integrated assembly
Turnkey assembly
Cut, sew, upholstery
Foam kitting / staging / packaging
Inventory stock & release programs
Directtocustomer distribution/fulfillment
Grit says, We are beginning to work
more and more with value-added products. For instance, we are now creating
chairs and other furniture pieces for a
major furniture maker. It is all our work;
the pieces are created here from start to
finish and then are shipped out directly to
the furniture maker and its customers. We
are even doing the upholstery and adding
the feet which we have purchased
through our Chinese facility.
Wieringa adds, We have also been
contracted to build stools and ladders for
Cramer. These products dont use foam,
but do use parts sourced through our
Chinese subsidiary.
G & T Industries has been providing
its customers with cost effective, high
quality and versatile goods and services
for 60 years. The owners of the company,
employees all, plan to continue to meet
the demands of the global marketplace as
they go forward into the future.

Jane Whittington is a freelance

writer and editor who lives in Grand
Rapids.

General Business
Grand Rapids Family Christian, a nonprofit ministry and Christian retail chain,
announced Gregory Morrow, former Vice
President and General Manager of
Invisalign-Align Technology Inc., is the
new Family Christian Senior Vice
President of Marketing and Chief
Marketing Officer.

Lansing Michigan Agri-Business

Association President Jim Byrum
announced Dr. Tim Boring joined as Vice
President.

Grand Rapids Long Road Distillers

owners Kyle Van Strien and Jon OConnor
welcomed Brian Pribyl as the companys
head distiller.

Grand Rapids Steve Jbara, President of

the Grand Rapids DRIVE announced
Chemical Bank as Founding Partner, and
showcased with a center court logo.

Ottawa County Governor Rick Snyder

announced appointment of Ottawa
County Commissioner Dennis Van Dam
to Michigan Community Corrections
Board.

Rochester Kenneth M. Root, Director of

Membership
for
Small
Business
Association of Michigan, was recognized
with 2014 Emerging Leader Diamond
Award.

Grand Rapids West Michigan Tourist

Association welcomed Sarah Koupal,
Director of Image and Branding.

Lansing Michigan Womens Hall of

Fame Awards 2014 Contemporary
Honorees are: Dr. MaryLee Davis;
Jeanne Findlater; Dorothy A. Johnson;
Julie Krone; Barbara Roberts Mason;
Marylou Olivarez Mason; Andra M.
Rush; and Mary Ellen Sheets. The 2014
Historical Honorees are:
Elizabeth
Lehman Belen (1886-1975); Sr. Mary
Carmelita Manning, RSM (1888-1962);
and Dr. Lucille Farrier Stickel (19152007). This years recipient of Philip A.
Hart Award is Donald W. Maine.
Nashville, TN Harper Collins Christian
Publishing announced Doug Lockhart
joined as Senior Vice President of Bible
Marketing and Outreach.

5
Declining U.S. Dollar and Increasing Inflation
Continue to Stymie Americans
Midland The U.S. economy continues to show signs of growth coupled
with signs of concern, according to the
most recent Monthly Economic Outlook
released by Northwood University in
Midland, Michigan. Notably, the U.S.
unemployment rate dropped to 5.9 percent in September with the economy creating just under 250,000 jobs. At the
same time, the U.S. Labor Force
Participate Rate dropped to 62.7 percent.
The September Labor Force
Participation Rate was the lowest in the
United States since 1978, notes report

author, economist Timothy G. Nash, vice

president for Strategic and Corporate
Alliances and the Fry Endowed
Professor in Free Market Economics at
Northwood University. Its evidence
that Americans are frustrated and leaving the job market because they cant
find jobs, or if they can, they arent ones
that are paying well enough.
To support the rationale behind his
opinion that Americans are frustrated,
Nash offers a unique comparison
between economic data he uncovered
from 1938 and current data in this

Small Business Loans

Continue to Climb
NEW YORK, NY, Small business
loan approval rates at big banks reached
a post-recession high for the fourth consecutive month, according to the
September 2014 Biz2Credit Small
Business Lending Index, a monthly
analysis of 1,000 loan applications on
Biz2Credit.com. Small business loan
approval rates at big banks ($10 billion+
in assets) rose to 20.6% in September
from 20.4% in August.
Meanwhile, the percentage of loans
granted by small banks slipped to 50.3%
from 50.6% last month. In a year-to-year
comparison, small business lending
approval rates are up nearly 20 percent
at big banks, while remaining almost
stagnant at small banks.
Big banks really have roared back
into the small business finance marketplace, said Biz2Credit CEO Rohit Arora,
who oversaw the research. As the economy continues its slow but steady
rebound, small business optimism
grows, and entrepreneurs are more willing to invest in their companies.
Meanwhile, institutional lenders

granted 59.5% of the funding requests

they received in September, a slight
increase from 59.4% in August. Lending
approval rates by these institutional
lenders has increased every month since
Biz2Credit began monitoring this category of lenders in January 2014.
"We are seeing more creditworthy
applicants get funding from institutional
investors, whose interest rates are more
attractive than those of other non-bank
lenders, explained Arora, one of the
nations leading experts in small business
lending.
At the same time, approval rates at
alternative lenders -- merchant cash
advance companies, factors, and other
non-bank institutions -- slipped for the
eighth consecutive month to 62.6% in
September, from 62.7% in August. Credit
unions granted 43.4% of loan applications
in September, which matched its loan
approval rate last month. However, a yearto-year comparison shows that lending
approval rates at credit unions are down
as they continue to be an afterthought by
small business loan applicants.

Quality Office Furniture,

at a price you can afford!
Bill Feyen
616-554-0200
billfeyen@exceloffice.com

months report. As he points out, average U.S. household income was $1,731
in 1938, with the average cost of a home
at $3,900, a new car at $860 and
Harvard tuition at $420. A movie ticket
cost 25 cents, and a gallon of gas rang
up at 10 cents.
Today, average U.S. household
income is roughly $51,930, roughly 30
times more than that of 1938. However,
the average price of a new home is
roughly $273,600 (70 times more), a
car is $32,000 (37 times more), yearly
Harvard tuition is $59,600 (142 times
more), a gallon of gas is approximately
$3.40 (34 times more) and a movie ticket is $8.40 (34 times more).
This is not a pure measure of
inflation, as you can argue that the aver-

age home is larger and nicer today than

in 1938, and the point is true for the
automobile, as well, but clearly inflation
has been problematic for most
Americans, Nash says. Perhaps a better measure of inflation and its impact
on the average American is the cost of
key items as a percent of income in 1938
vs. 2014. In 1938, for example, you
could purchase 6,924 movie tickets with
your gross household income. Today,
you only could purchase 6,182. Our
examples arent perfect measures of
inflation but do reflect that the U.S. dollar has lost a tremendous amount of
value over the past 76 years.

6
Time to Dust Off the Retirement Plan Document
By Timothy J. Tornga, attorney,
Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones, Grand
Rapids, MI
The title, above, is somewhat misleading. A retirement plan document
should not be gathering dust. We live in
a dynamic environment and employers
have an obligation to manage their
retirement plans in the best interest of
participants and beneficiaries. This
requires a knowledge of plan provisions
and frequent revisiting of the plan document, so that the plan is responding to
changes in this industry. IRS rules compel review at this time to make sure that
they confirm to regulations.
Short Term Action
The first two issues are relatively
short-term issues for which a response
before year-end is due. One issue is that
many 401(k) and similar plans are operated in a safe-harbor manner. By
making certain minimum contributions,
the plan administrator can avoid the difficult process of ADP testing and return
of excess contributions, if any, to highly
compensated employees. In addition to
making the safe-harbor contribution
amounts, the plan administrator must
also distribute a safe-harbor notice to
plan participants. For calendar year
plans, the notice must be delivered on or
before December 1, 2014 to assure safeharbor plan status in 2015. (For noncalendar year plans, the due date is 30
days prior to the start of the plan year.)
Similar notice responses apply to plans
with automatic contribution and qualified default investment alternative
(QDIA) features.
The second is that documents must
comply with federal rules for same-sex
marriage by the end of the year. Even
though the status of performance of
same-sex marriage in Michigan is tied
up at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals,
same-sex marriage is available in an
increasing number of states. Regardless
of the outcome of the court decision,
Michigan employers must bring their
plans into compliance. Same-sex marriage status for retirement plan purposes
is only a week-end trip away for your
current employees.
Also hiring an
employee from one of the many jurisdictions that recognize same sex marriage

could raise the issue with a Michigan

employer. The rules addressing retirement plans prohibit naming a beneficiary without the spouses consent.
Likewise, in a plan providing for qualified joint and survivor (QJS) annuity
payments, the participant may not waive
the QJS benefit without the spouses consent. Regardless of state law defining
marriage, Federal rules recognize a marriage that is valid in the state in which it
was performed. Most of the plans we
have reviewed have neutral language
regarding the definition of spouse and
therefore no additional amendment is
necessary. However, if the plan defines
the terms marriage or spouse by reference to the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA) then a change must be made.
Regardless of whether plan document
changes are required, we recommend
circulation of a notice to all employees
describing some of the possible impacts
this change may have on those participants who are married to a person of the
same sex.
We are not aware of any additional
required amendments due to periodic
IRS action that require action by year
end.
Periodic Restatement
The next obligation is the need to
restate the plan document to incorporate
new language required by law and regulation accumulating over the last sixyear period. Individually designed plans
must be restated over a rolling, five-year
cycle. We contact employers as their
individually designed plans come due.
Individually designed plans have
become rare. The most common forms
of documents for small employers are in
the prototype or volume submitter format. These must be restated every six
years and all prototype and volume submitter 401(k) and other defined contribution plans must be restated between
April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2016. The
documents in effect from 2008 through
2013 were called the EGTRRA series and
the documents to be effective from 2014
through 2019 are called the PPA series.
The larger plan support organizations (Fidelity, Vanguard, Putnam, etc.)
have begun contacting the employers
using their platforms, and they are presenting restated documents for review

and signature. They dont want to get

stuck restating all the plans they support
in the last month. When employers
receive these documents, they should
pause to review them and to consider
whether any optional changes should be
made. Among the things to consider in
connection with restating your plan document (or independent of restating your
plan document) are the following:

Safe harbor status to avoid

ADP/ACP testing.

Plan administrators may also

want to consider adding an automatic
contribution feature to the plan. This
could boost the savings rate of your
employees and may also result in safeharbor status.

Fiduciary status. Several service providers are offering more comprehensive services that tend to relieve the
plan sponsor of fiduciary responsibility.

Service provider changes. Is

your service provider supplying your
employees with sufficient education
about investments and retirement
income? Are the fees out of line? The
new investment fee and performance
reports make it easier to compare one
provider with another. These reports
have tended to bring down expenses
overall. Since plan documents must be
amended in the two-year window, it is a
convenient time to switch service
providers, if appropriate.

Roth accounts. If adopted,

plans have been able to offer employees
the option to make after-tax Roth contributions for several years. More recently,
regulations have changed, permitting
employees to convert existing pre-tax
accounts to Roth accounts (subject to a
current tax cost).

Is your current plan design

accomplishing employer goals? If you
wish to make other discretionary
amendments to modify your plan terms
or change plan provisions, such as eligibility or vesting terms, or changes in
the definition of covered compensation,
this is an excellent time to consider
them.
If your 401(k) service provider
presents you with restated documents,
dont set them aside but begin review
promptly. Consider whether the plan
terms are appropriate for your circumstances or whether one of more of the
optional changes makes sense at this
time.
Timothy J. Tornga is a labor and
employment lawyer at Grand Rapids law
firm Mika Meyers Beckett & Jones.
Tornga received a bachelor of science
degree from Calvin College, a bachelor of
science degree in engineering from the
University of Michigan and a law degree
from the University of Michigan Law
School.

7
Zumba, Fun and Fitness with a Latin Flair
By Jane Whittington
Zumba has definitely achieved its
goal of bringing this unique combination
of dance and exercise to people around
the world. In fact, Zumba offers classes in
over 200,000 locations with over
15,000,000 people taking Zumba (yes,
thats fifteen million) in 180 or more
countries. Since the 1990s when it was
developed by Columbian dancer and choreographer Alberto Perez, Zumbas blend
of salsa, soca, hip hop,
samba,
merengue, tango, mambo and more has
brought fun and fitness to young and old
alike.
Zumba instructors are only allowed
to use the Zumba name if they have
taken a licensing class through Zumba
Academy. There are different Zumba
options: Zumba; Zumba Gold which targets the older population; Zumba Step,
the newest Zumba program which tones
and strengthens with a mix of Zumba
routines and step aerobics; Zumba Toning
for people who want to do their workouts
with toning sticks; Aqua Zumba, which is

done in a swimming pool; Zumba in the

Circuit which is dance combined with circuit training; ZumbaKids, designed for
children between the ages of 4 and 12;
Zumba Gold-Toning for older participants; and Zumba Sentao, a chair workout that focuses on using body weight to
strengthen and tone the body. Most of the
classes offered in this area are either
Zumba or Zumba Gold.
Zumba instructors have the option to
become a ZIN (Zumba Instructors
Network) member to receive bimonthly
training DVDs to assist with the creation
of music and choreography for their personal Zumba classes. Most choose this
option and combine tried and true Zumba
routines and music with their own creativity to maximize the experience.
Zumba prides itself on its commitment to local communities. Through
Zumbathons and other such events,
Zumba instructors and students around
the world have raised over $5.7 million
for many charitable causes.
Grand Rapids native Kate Woods has
been a Zumba instructor since 2008. She

says, I was overweight, plagued by health

issues and on a lot of prescribed medications. After the first Zumba class, I knew
this was for me. I have a dance background, and the combination of dance and
exercise was just what I needed. I kept taking classes and eventually took the training
to become an instructor. Over time, I lost 80
pounds, was able to stop taking most of the
medication I had been on and my increased
self-confidence gave me the strength to
leave a bad relationship.
She continues, Im licensed to teach
Zumba, Zumba Gold and Zumba Toning. I
have started my own business, Live. Dance.
Move, and offer classes taught by myself
and by a group of instructors contracted to
teach throughout the community.
Annie VandenBerg has been teaching
Zumba through the East Grand Rapids
Parks and Recreation Department for three
years. VandenBerg says, Its fun for me
and fun for the students. You cant do it
wrong; as long as youre moving and having a good time, youre doing in right. I
have people of all ages in my classes and
even one who is in a wheelchair.

She continues, Its not just good for

your body, its good for your mind and spirit too!
Her students agree. One says,
When I am tired and tempted not to go to
Zumba, Im always glad I went! It always
makes me feel better!
Another says, Dancing with a group
of people in a really intentional way creates a lot of joy and friendship!
And finally, one student explains, I
am particularly fond of Annies Zumba
class because Annie is just a regular gal
who happens to be a great dancer. Im
just a regular gal who was always a bit
self-conscious about dancing in front of
others. But because of the light, fun vibe
that Annie brings to Zumba, Ive gained
confidence not just to dance, but to teach
a few dances and, even more importantly,
to be carefree, if only for an hour.
Who could ask for anything more?
Jane Whittington is a freelance writer
and editor who lives in Grand Rapids.

Workers Who Exercise Lower Health Risks, Cost Less

Ann Arbor - Get moving: just 20
minutes of exercise a day dramatically
lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease even for employees with a high-risk
of developing those conditions.
A University of Michigan study looked
at the impact of exercise on 4,345 employees in a financial services company that had

just started a workplace wellness program.

Roughly 30 percent of employees were
high-risk and suffering from metabolic syndrome, a dangerous cluster of risk factors
associated with diabetes and heart disease.
Overall, about 34 percent of U.S. adults
have metabolic syndrome.
The study found that when the high-

Health Care Briefs

Allegan For the fifth consecutive year,
Allegan General Hospital was named
Modern Healthcares annual Best Places
to Work in Healthcare list.
Kalamazoo Borgess Inpatient Services
added Anas Alsara, MD; Gurkaran
Garcha, MD; and Kimberly Morycz,
Nurse Practitioner.
Wyoming Metro Health Hospital
received recognition as one of Michigans
Best and Brightest in Wellness sponsored by Wellco and Michigan Business
and Professional Association.
Kalamazoo Nilam B. Patel, MD, and
Jessica D. Segedy, DO, joined Borgess
ProMed Physicians Pediatrics at their
Woodbridge Hills location.

Kalamazoo American Association of

Cardiovascular
and
Pulmonary
Rehabilitation announced recertification
for Borgess Heart Institutes Cardiac
Rehabilitation Program thru 2017.
Grand Rapids Pine Rest Christian
Mental Health Services announced hiring
James Eicher, M.D.; Umer Farooq, M.D.;
Madhavi Nagalla, M.D.; Cara Poland,
M.D.; and Amandeep Saluja, M.D.
Kalamazoo Nitin Gera, MD, MPH,
joined Borgess Heart Center for
Excellence, Borgess Heart Institute, as
non-invasive Cardiologist.
Kalamazoo James R. Jastifer, MD,
joined the staff of Borgess Orthopedics
as Orthopedic Surgeon.

risk employees accumulated the government-recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, their health
care costs and productivity equaled that of
healthy employees who didn't exercise
enough, said Alyssa Schultz, a researcher
at the Health Management Research Center
in the U-M School of Kinesiology.
This is also good news for companies
trying to cut health care costs, Schultz
said. Employees with metabolic syndrome
who exercised enough cost $2,770 in total
health care annually, compared to $3,855
for workers with metabolic syndrome who
didn't exercise enough. Pharmacy costs
alone were twice as much.
With a bit of imagination, employers
can develop and implement low cost interventions and programs that make it easy for
workers to exercise on the job, Schultz said.
Some examples include walking
groups, signs reminding employees to take
the stairs rather than the elevator, or devel-

oping and distributing maps of walking

routes that fit into a lunch hour, she said.
"These can give a huge return for all
employees and for employers," Schultz said.
If you can only do 10 minutes a day,
instead of the government-recommended
20, that's fine too, Schultz said. Any
amount of exercise is better than none. As
long as a person does something for
"more than zero minutes" there are benefits in terms of health and economic outcomes in the workplace.
Chin-Yu Chen and Xingquan Li,
researchers at the Health Management
Research Center, are also co-authors on
the study. "The Association of SelfReported Employee Physical Activity with
Metabolic Syndrome, Health Care Costs,
Absenteeism, and Presenteeism," appears
in the Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine.

Curbside Trash & Waste Services:

Trash Cart Yard Waste Cart Recycle Cart
866-669 2047
Jenison, Michigan

8
Michigan Continues to Make Significant Progress
Under Child Welfare Settlement
Detroit The latest report under the
Michigan Department of Human Services
(DHS) modified settlement agreement
with Childrens Rights, Inc. demonstrates
the dramatic improvement DHS continues
to make in its effort to improve child welfare services, an accomplishment a federal judge said represents great progress.
Areas in which Michigan has made
significant progress include rate and timeliness of adoptions, decreased caseloads
and improved staff qualifications and
training. Through its juvenile guardianship assistance program, Michigan has
also exceeded expectations every reporting period in assisting youth in gaining
permanent homes.
The monitoring report was presented
today in a public hearing before Judge
Nancy Edmunds in the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of Michigan. All
parties acknowledged the tremendous
progress that has been made under the

outstanding leadership of DHS Director

Maura Corrigan over the last four years.
What you have accomplished over
the last four years is truly, truly incredible, said Edmunds. I have the greatest
respect for what Director Corrigan has
accomplished and the brutal hard work
she has put in the last four years. I cant
say enough positive things about the
departments improvement.
Michigans child welfare system has
been under federal oversight since 2008.
This is the fifth monitoring report to be
filed since the agreement was signed in
2011 and measures progress made from
July 2013 through December 2013. It does
not reflect the most recent improvements
to Michigans child welfare system.
The court-appointed federal monitors
noted in their most recent report that DHS
finalized 2,361 adoptions during this time
320 more than the targeted goal. The
department also exceeded the federal

Health Care Briefs

Kalamazoo Bronson welcomed new
providers:
Bronson
Cardiothoracic
Surgery - Nathan Mollberg, DO; Bronson
Diabetes and Endocrinology Center Pamela Miller, NP; Bronson HealthCare
Midwest Vascular and Endovascular
Surgery - Wade W. Kang, MD; Bronson
Internal Medicine Hospital Specialists Christina Vaughn, DNP; Bronson
Lakeview Family Care Paw Paw - Mirsen
Lekovic, MD; Bronson Neuroscience
Center - Joseph Wheeler, PhD; Samer A.
Kanaan,
MD,
joined
Borgess
Cardiothoracic Surgery as a Thoracic
Surgeon; and Bronson HealthCare
Midwest Spine & Scoliosis Specialists Steven Allan, NP.
Grand Rapids Van Andel Research
Institute partnered with UK-based
research charity, Cure Parkinsons Trust,
on an initiative - Linked Clinical Trials - to
identify new treatments for Parkinsons
disease aimed at repositioning medications approved to treat other diseases,
which have also shown promise in slowing or reversing Parkinsons in preclinical
laboratory experiments.
Wyoming

Metro
Health
Cardiovascular Specialist Dr. Jihad
Mustapha was one of the first physicians
in the U.S. to use the Lutonix 035 Drug
Coated
Balloon
Percutaneous
Transluminal Angioplasty Catheter.

Zeeland Holland Hospital is now offering urgent care medical services at 8300
Westpark Way, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
seven days a week.
Grand Rapids For the tenth consecutive
year, Grand Valley Health Plan was
ranked as one of the highest-rated private
health plans, ranking #42, in the nation
by National Committee for Quality
Assurances Private Health Insurance
Plan Rankings 2014-2015.

standards for timeliness of adoptions in

2013 and surpassed the federal standards
for achieving permanent homes for children in foster care for extended periods
during 2013. During this time DHS has
significantly lowered caseloads, exceeding interim caseload targets for supervisors, Childrens Protective Services investigators and ongoing workers and meeting the final target for licensing workers.
Finally, monitors noted that 99 percent of 2,243 DHS child welfare caseworkers completed requisite in-service
training, 100 percent of the 143 new
caseworkers hired had a bachelors degree
in social work or a related field and virtually all new workers completed pre-service training within 16 weeks of hire.
DHS was represented in court by
John Bursch, who highlighted the departments continued efforts to increase
licensing in relative foster homes and to
improve safety for all children in the system. He noted the substantial depth and
breadth of system progress under
Corrigan's leadership of DHS.
Protecting children is at the heart of
what we do and their welfare must always
be front and center, Corrigan said.
Corrigan reiterated the departments

firm and ongoing commitment to work

relentlessly to improve child welfare and
regain state oversight of the system.
The monitors also expressed thanks
for Corrigans leadership and noted the
progress that has been made since she
became director. The monitors acknowledged that Michigans recent launch of the
Michigan Statewide Automated Child
Welfare Information System (MiSACWIS)
as its data reporting system is going to be
a valuable asset in the long run and
address some of the reporting challenges
Michigan has had historically.
As the result of a lawsuit filed by New
York-based Childrens Rights, Michigans
child welfare system came under federal
oversight in 2008. In early 2011, shortly
after Corrigan took the helm at DHS, she
and her team renegotiated the original consent decree to focus more on outcomes and
less on bureaucracy and process. The
resulting modified settlement agreement
took effect on July 18, 2011.
Childrens Rights attorney Sara
Bartosz said she had much gratitude for
what Corrigan has accomplished. Its
enormous what youve done, Bartosz
said. You have laid the foundation.

Review of The Power

of Noticing

Holland Holland Hospital was designated as a Breast Imaging Center of

Excellence by American College of
Radiology.

co-director of Harvards Center for Public

Leadership, does a fine job of examining
factors that lead you not to notice a lot of
what is going on around you. He identifies
conditions that make it harder for you to
notice. While some of his examples of
failure to notice are standard such as
the unseen gorilla in the basketball video
and the Challenger explosion mechanical
fault many are new. Bazermans unique
blend of humility, clarity and insight make
his exploration particularly appealing.
getAbstract recommends his research and
advice to anyone interested in the emerging field of behavioral economics or, generally, in how to think better and see more.

Grand Rapids BioLife Plasma Services

broke ground on a plasma collection center located at 2670 East Paris Ave, SE,
formally Sanford Brown Institute.

Max Bazerman. The Power of

Noticing: What the Best Leaders See. Wall
Street Journal Books (Simon & Schuster),
2014. 240 pages. ISBN: 9781476700298.

Grand Rapids Construction started on

an $8.5 million, 4,560 sq. ft. expansion
project, and an innovative 13,390 sq. ft.
15-bed memory care assisted living unit
for
Holland
Homes
Breton
Rehabilitation and Living Centre, with
expected completion date fall 2015.

Muskegon Shoreline Vision announced

Michelle Cassens as their new Executive
Director.

Provided by www.getabstract.com
In this lovely book, Max Bazerman,

getAbstract is the leading provider of

business book summaries, with thousands
of titles covered. www.getabstract.com

9
Kent County Department of Fleet Services
Keeps Vehicles Road-Ready
By Jane Whittington
Most of us have one or two vehicles
we need to keep up and running, in good
repair and ready for wherever life takes
us. Kent County has 230, many of which
face far more difficult circumstances than
the family Ford. We just need to get to
work, school or the grocery store. Kent
Countys vehicles need to be ready to
catch the bad guy, pick up the stray dog
running down the middle of the freeway,
get health department personnel to local
restaurants to make sure theyre clean
and healthy, maintain the countys parks,
perform environmental testing and, in
general, serve citizens throughout the
county.
The Kent County Fleet Services
department is located within the campus
which also houses the Correctional
Facility, Sheriffs Department, Animal
Control, the Health Department, the court
system and other county offices. Calvin
Brinks serves as Purchasing/Fleet

Manager while Eric Rubritius is the Fleet

Services Assistant Supervisor.
According to Brinks, Our department manages countys vehicles, mostly
related to law enforcement or court functions. We provide maintenance, fuel and
we also maintain vehicle and parts inventory.
Rubritius adds, We have five
employees, including two full-time
mechanics. Im the supervisor, but I also
work on the cars. Cal is the fleet manager
and then we have two radio techs who
install and maintain the communication
systems within the vehicles. Within the
facility, we have four hoist bays, four flat
bays, parts inventory and a vehicle washing bay. Most of the vehicles are also
fueled here so we have that capability as
well.
Of the 230 vehicles under the
purview of Fleet Services, 78 are Sheriffs
Department road patrol vehicles. The
remaining are various vehicles divided
among the Sheriffs Department and other

county departments.
Rubritius says, Of course, the
Sheriffs Department vehicles are
designed for their particular function and
have many special features. Other
employees could use their own cars for
their jobs, but we find it much more costeffective for the Department to provide the
cars.
Purchase decisions are made jointly
by Rubritius and Brinks for vehicles other
than Sheriffs Department. For that
department, the Road Patrol Captain joins
Rubritius and Brinks to make those decisions. Because of the specifications
required for the County vehicles, all are
American-made.
That State of Michigan has contracts
with automotive manufacturers, and government vehicles can be purchased at a
lower price than the individual consumer
can.
According to Brinks, We have
developed highly automated systems for
this department. For instance, we have

recently installed an automated fuel monitoring system that downloads key

records when vehicles are fueling at this
facility.
Rubritius adds, All of our work
orders are now electronic; we use an electronic fleet maintenance software program, and the parts department is also
electronically managed.
While we rely on the road-worthiness of the vehicles managed through
Kent County Fleet Services, we may not
often think of all that goes into making
sure that the employees of Kent County
are ready to serve the public in all that
they do. Fortunately, the men and women
of Kent County Fleet Services who keep
them mobile continue to serve us as well.

Lansing Michigan manufacturers will

see huge gains in competitiveness as
Michigan Workers Compensation Agency
announced the states workers compensation pure premium rate will drop for a
third year in a row. Michigan is the only
state in the nation with such an improvement in workers compensation costs,
and cumulative effect is a 27.7% reduction over the period from 2011 to 2015,
resulting in an estimated $277 million
savings for Michigan employers.

Grand Rapids Auto supplier Undercar

Products Group, Inc., expanded its
headquarters to accommodate $50 million
in new business for 2015, generated from
General Motors and Ford. In addition to
facility upgrades, Undercar created more
than 150 jobs to accommodate growth.

Jane Whittington is a freelance

writer and editor who lives in Grand
Rapids.

Industrial Briefs
Allegan Pharmaceutical supplier
Perrigo Company hired Clivetty
Martinez, Ph.D., as Vice President of
Corporate Global Compliance and Chief
Privacy Officer.
Kentwood Grand Rapids Area
Chamber of Commerce member Metal
Supermarkets, worlds leading suppliers
of small quantities of metal, invited representatives from the Chamber to be on
hand for their grand opening celebration.
Rockford Wolverine Worldwide
announced Rick Blackshaw was promoted to President of Sperry Top-Sider, and
Chris Lindner was promoted to President
of Keds.
Grand Rapids Cascade Engineering
announced CEO and founder Fred Keller
is transitioning his forty one year leadership role as CEO to current President
Mark Miller who will assume title of CEO
and also retain his title as President,
while Keller retains titles of Founder and
Chair of Cascade Engineering.
Byron Center Founded in 1954 as a simple foam fabricator of office seating, G&T
Industries announced this October is the
companys 60th anniversary.

Spring Lake Helen Zeerip, President of

Teddys Transport of Holland, was honored as 2014 ATHENA Recipient.
Rockford Wolverine Worldwide
announced appointment of Melissa A.
Howell to Senior Vice President of Global
Human Resources.
Rockford Wolverine Worldwide
announced appointment of Roxane
Divol, Senior Vice President of Alliances
for Symantec Corp., to the Company's
Board of Directors.
West MI West Michigan Chapter of
Chemical
Coaters
Association
International elected the following officers for their 2014-2015 Board of
Directors: President - Dale Mulder,
Chemquest; First Vice President - Rich
Saddler, ABCOR Industries; Secretary Bill Knape, Knape Industries; and
Treasurer - Bob Warren, retired.
Allegan Pharmaceutical supplier Perrigo
Co. hired Anthony Hogan as Factory OTC
Business Manager for their E-Commerce
team, Samantha Oudeh as Continuous
Improvement Engineer for their Technical
Operations team, and James Sebree as
Production Supervisor for their second shift
Liquid Value Stream.

Jenison Pleotint, LLC, innovator of selftinting Suntuitive glass products and

technology, announced appointment of
Chad Simkins as Vice President.

10

Communication & IT

A Closer Look at the Retirement Benefits Offered by

Michigan Municipalitie
East Lansing - Postemployment benefits, including healthcare, are a primary
driver of unfunded liabilities in Americas
cities, including a $12.7 billion liability in
Michigan. A new paper from Michigan
State University Extension economist Eric
Scorsone looks in detail at what drove
these municipal legacy costs to unsustainable levels and what cities can do about it.
Scorsone examined 174 actuarial
valuations from 108 municipalities in
Michigan, including 73 in southeastern
Michigan, the area of the state with the
most unfunded liabilities. Scorsone and
his team examined other postemployment benefit (OPEB) plan designs,
including factors such as age and service
requirements, benefit provisions, cost
sharing, and proportion of the membership already retired and receiving benefits and no longer paying into the system.
The report is the most extensive

look at OPEB plan designs ever conducted on Michigan municipalities.

After we were able to determine
the scope of the unfunded liability problem, including $4.9 billion in Detroit
alone, we wanted to explore the issue in
a more comprehensive way, Scorsone
said of the work he undertook with his
team. By analyzing the specific features
of the benefits that cities are offering, we
can learn whats working and what
isnt.
Cities are desperate for answers to
these difficult questions, and were trying to fill in those gaps.
They found that 66 of the 108 units
of government reported OPEB benefits
that featured all or some members
receiving complete premium coverage
paid by the employer. A majority of
employers analyzed offered premium
sharing and tiered benefit plans; only 10
employed a benefit cap on their plans.

Another factor driving up costs is

that many municipalities have a benefits
package membership made up primarily
of retirees. Of the 43 units that reported
data, 24 had retired membership compositions from 50 percent to 74 percent.
Such plans had almost twice the liability
as those with retired membership ranging from zero to 24 percent.
Another key factor driving up the cost
of postemployment healthcare plans is the
more comprehensive benefits given to
public safety employees. The average liability for general employees is $155,089;
the average liability for public safety
employees is $211,117 per member.
One of the key findings of the study,
Scorsone said, is that there should be more
consistency and more transparency in
what numbers are collected, and there
should be mechanisms in place so the public can more easily gain access to the information.

The more accessible these documents and the more consistent the data,
the better municipalities will be able to
quantify their obligations and compare
them to what similar cities and towns are
experiencing, Scorsone said.
More importantly, though, easy
access allows the public to look for themselves how their government is spending
money, and having this data available
can make the public more involved and
informed as cities face tough decisions
about how money gets spent and what
services to provide.
The paper, Local Government
OPEB (Other Postemployment Benefits)
in Michigan: A Closer Look, is available
on the MSU Extension website -http://msue.anr.msu.edu/resources/mun
icipality_legacy_costs. The paper was
written by Scorsone and MSU graduate
research assistant Traci Taylor.

Review of The One Week Communications & IT

Marketing Plan
an increasingly larger audience but
what matters is the simplicity and directness of Satterfields approach. He
acquired his knowledge teaching businesspeople in more than 75 niche sectors
how to expand their operations without
cold calls, hard sales or dependence on
client referrals. He details how to prepare
and implement his program, create a
steady stream of interested prospects
and transform them into customers you
can keep. Satterfield covers exactly what
to do, how to do it, when and why. If
youre working hard to market your
niche business but have yet to achieve
the desired results, getAbstract recommends Satterfields innovative, effective
program.

Provided by www.getabstract.com
Marketing guru Mark Satterfield
explains how you can plan and carry out
the most-effective marketing in just one
week. Naturally, after your initial success, you may have to repeat your single
week of activities over and over to gain

Lansing Michigan led the nation in

growth of Internet speeds over the last
year, according to Akamais new State of
the Internet Report with 11.8 Mbps
average connection speed in first quarter 2014, placing Michigan 9th in the
nation. Michigan also led the way in
growth of broadband connections above
10 Mbps speed threshold, with 101%
growth over the last year.
Grand Rapids Iserv Co. announced it
named Jeff Royce as President, and will
focus on new technologies and customer
service.

Rockford JobFLEX, a mobile estimating software provider, announced opening its first expansion and new headquarters to keep up with growth of their
product and customer base.

Mark Satterfield. The One Week

Marketing Plan: The Set It & Forget It
Approach for Quickly Growing Your
Business. BenBella, 2014. 320 pages.
ISBN: 9781939529787.

Grand Rapids Comprenew announced

Kristen Cichon as new Director of
Marketing.

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Lansing Jodi Parker joined Martin

Waymire, a full-service strategic communications and social media marketing
firm, as Graphic Design Specialist.

Grand Rapids Website Booyango is

specifically for working professionals in
discovering relevant job opportunities
as soon as they become available by
recruiters posting available job positions.

Grand Rapids Comprenew announced

they partnered with Muskegon Habitat
for Humanity to handle electronic
waste from the Lakeshore area.
Grand Rapids Gannett-owned ABC
affiliate WZZM 13 added Amir Abbas as
Multi-Media Journalist and Weekend
Evening Anchor, and Laura Hartman
joined the weather team and will be part
of weekend morning newscasts.
Grand Rapids Information technology
and networking services firm, i3
Business Solutions, announced addition of IT Consultants Nick Herner and
James Lijewski to their team.
Grand Rapids KR Group, Inc,
launched a campaign to introduce a new
product DataKARE, a business continuity and disaster recovery product that
works to simplify data backup.

Seven Companies to Invest $281 Million,

Add 1,437 Jobs
Lansing The Michigan Economic
Development
Corporation
today
announced Michigan Strategic Fund
approval of a new $50 million skilled
trades equipment program for community
colleges along with economic development and community revitalization projects that will generate more than $281.6
million in new capital investment and create 1,437 jobs in Michigan.
Todays MSF actions will further
drive Michigans turnaround by generating new opportunities for our families and
businesses, said Governor Rick Snyder.
They will help to revitalize our communities, create jobs for our residents, lead
to new investment in our cities and
strengthen Michigans workforce.
The Michigan Strategic Fund today
approved the Community College Skilled
Trades Equipment Program (CCSTEP), an
initiative that will make $50 million available to Michigan community colleges for
the purchase of equipment that will allow
the colleges to deliver educational programs in high-wage, high- and middleskill, and high-demand occupations.
The community college funds will
assist in the delivery of educational programs, degrees and credentials required
for high-wage and high-demand occupa-

tions in skilled trades, Snyder said.

Michigan intends to lead our nation in
skilled trades training and providing community colleges with funding assistance
is a huge step forward in that direction.
Community colleges can request up
to $4.8 million in CCSTEP funds. The
Request for Proposals will be released in
November 2014 and applications will be
due by Jan. 31, 2015. Awards will be
announced in February 2015.
Michigan Business Development
Program incentives:
Autosystems America, Inc., is a subsidiary of Magna International, Inc., a
leading manufacturer of automotive systems, assemblies, modules and components, primarily for sale to the car and
light truck OEMs. Autosystems America
Inc., dba Magna Lighting, has secured a
new contract to supply automotive lighting components and systems to a large
OEM. This contract will require a new
manufacturing facility and consolidate all
of the companys engineering, R&D, sales
and marketing, as well as a new headquarters, into one location in Plymouth
Charter Township. The company will
invest up to $59.2 million and create 466
jobs, resulting in a $3 million Michigan
Business Development Program perform-

ance-based grant. Michigan was chosen

over several competing sites. Plymouth
Charter Township is offering support to
the project in the form of expedited
approval
of
development
plans.
Individuals interested in careers with
Magna
should
visit
www.magna.com/careers.
Magna Exteriors and Interiors, USA,
Inc. is a subsidiary of Magna
International, Inc. The company plans to
establish a new facility in Windsor
Township (Eaton County) for assembly
and sequencing of interior doors, floor
consoles, and production of instrument
panel components. The project will generate a total capital investment of $57 million and create 281 jobs, resulting in a $2
million Michigan Business Development
Program
performance-based
grant.
Michigan was chosen over several competing sites. Windsor Township has
offered support to the project in the form
of property tax abatement. For information on careers with Magna, visit
www.magna.com/careers.
Mobis North America, established in
2005 and headquartered in Toledo, manufactures Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep chassis systems. Mobis is at capacity in its
facility in Farmington Hills and plans to

11

purchase a larger facility in Plymouth

Charter Township to allow for growth in
R&D, engineering and sales operations.
The current location not only specializes
in vehicle headlamps but in the areas of
multimedia (Bluetooth, telematics, system
validation), steering, brake, AOS/ICS,
ADAS, autonomous vehicle, electric vehicle charging and many more. The project
will generate a total investment of nearly
$26.6 million and create 121 jobs, resulting in a $1.25 million Michigan Business
Development Program performance-based
grant. Michigan was chosen over the
companys headquarters facility in Toledo.
Plymouth Charter Township is offering
support to the project in the form of property tax abatement.
Shiloh Industries (Shiloh) is a global
supplier of lightweighting and noise,
vibration and harshness (NVH) solutions
to the automotive and commercial vehicle
markets. Shiloh and its wholly-owned
subsidiary,
Greenfield
Die
&
Manufacturing Corporation, plan to establish a new sales and technical center in
Plymouth Township, and expand its manufacturing
operations
in
Canton
Township, investing up to $48 million and
creating 128 jobs. Michigan was chosen
over competing sites in Ohio, Tennessee

Eastown Financial Services,

a Hometown Financial Planning Center
By Jane Whittington
Andrew Bos, President of Eastown
Financial Services, received his degree in
Finance from Calvin College and a conversation with his wife and mother-in-law
led to a business venture that is still going
strong 14 years later. Bos mother-in-law
was a financial advisor working out of her
home at the time, but when they started
their new business, the new partners
opened their current office. Conveniently
located at 1514 Wealthy Street, in an historic building which used to house the
Grand Rapids trolley system, Eastown
Financial Services now has four employees. Bos bought out his mother-in-laws
share in the business when she retired in
2010, and, according to Bos, A new
financial planner will be joining our staff
before the end of the year.
Bos says, We have three services we
offer. One is financial planning and
investments, and that constitutes about
40 percent of the business. We also do
taxes for individuals and small business;
this is another 40 percent. Finally, we do
accounting and payroll functions for local
small businesses. In addition, my wife

Suzi works here part-time, and she specializes in health insurance, guiding small
businesses and individuals in healthcare
insurance decisions.
Suzi Bos has been a licensed health
care insurance agent since 2004 and
works closely with local companies in
helping her clients make the right decisions and then work through the healthcare options and exchanges to establish
their own insurance plans.
Bos says, We started out with no
clients and have gradually built the business and now service about 1,000 clients.
Were not dependent on one or two large
clients, and this diversity serves us well.
He continues, While our type of business is not recession proof, it is recession
resistant. Even when the economy is not
doing well, as in the recent recession, people
still need to file their taxes, meet payroll and
make investment decisions. We rode out the
recession and our business is flourishing.
We dont do much advertising but depend
on our satisfied customers to get the word
out. We are on schedule for controlled and
steady growth.
Easttown Financial Services is
aligned with Money Concepts, a family-

owned business headquartered in Florida.

According to their website, We provide
infrastructure, tools, training, technology,
and nonproprietary products to help
financial firms to operate their business in
an unbiased environment. They are free
to focus solely on the best interest of their
client without the intrusion of private
product quotas requirements or limitations. They function as a broker/dealer
for Eastown Financials insurance and
other products.
Bos says, We concentrate on small
businesses and non-profits and on people
close to retirement age. Our firm is small
enough to offer superlative personal service but large enough that we can offer a
comprehensive range of services and
products.

The office also provides a monthly

newsletter with topics of interest to both
their clients and others with an interest in
financial issues. For instance, the October
issue had articles about year-end investment reviews, retiring and relocating,
leaving assets to your heirs and credit
reports.
Financial guru Dave Ramsey says, I
believe that through knowledge and discipline, financial peace is possible for all of
us.
As a guide to the goal of financial
well-being, Eastown Financial Services is
ready to lead the way.

Jane Whittington is a freelance

writer and editor who lives in Grand
Rapids.

A. T

ICHAEL
AWNEY
INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

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