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1993-2012

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June 2012 $2.00

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EHTC celebrated 35 years at Scott Lake Country Club

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2 Building a Solid Foundation, Firekeepers Casino Not Gambling on Future

By: Jeremy Martin It began in 2009 with a master plan designed by Las Vegas firm Thalden, Boyd and Emery and has over the past three years grown into a gleaming tower of glass and steel rising about I-94 just east of downtown Battle Creek. From its conception in 2008 Firekeepers casino had hoped to grow and expand beyond its original 38 acre footprint. With the completion of a fourstar hotel and convention center-due to open during the fourth quarter of 2012it will have a brand new 280,000 square foot addition to attract guests both new and old. We have an existing primary market area within 50 miles. Fifty to 100 miles is considered a secondary market but beyond 100 miles we have very little penetration because of overnight accommodation, R. Bruce McKee, Firekeepers CEO said. So what were trying to do is expand our market as well as accommodate some of our existing customers that stay in third party hotels that are nearby. The accommodations will go beyond simply giving gaming enthusiasts a place to rest, as the structure will include 21 suites, two presidential suites, a business center, a health center, a pool, and a state of the art convention center. The addition will also see the doubling in size of Firekeepers bingo operation. Its really multifaceted; we have an event center which is attached to it, the warehouse expansion, the bingo expansion. We dont really look at it just as a hotel, McKee said. I dont think there will be anything comparable in our area, Thalden, Boyd and Emery were once again called on to design the tower after having created the master plan and the original concept for the casino. We thought it a fitting extension of their services to design the hotel. They have done over 300 hotels and 500 total projects in the gaming and hotel industry, McKee said. The actual construction has been done by Clark Construction of Lansing, the same firm that built the original structure. They are a local firm. We have always emphasized working with local subcontractors and business. Clark did the original casino construction and we had a very favorable relationship, they brought it in on time and on budget and thats what were looking for, McKee said. Beyond contracting locally for the construction, Firekeepers will also be adding upwards of 300 new positions once the hotel is completed. Some of the management staff have already been engaged and the GM has been here since late last year, Mckee explained. If all goes well with the construction, McKee is hopeful that the new hotel will only constitute a small part of the companys future expansion, as the 2009 master plan allows room for more on site growth. It provides for another similar tower to connect to the existing tower, so we could double our rooms and expand the convention center space as well. Originally this was going to be a three to five year expansion and phase two would be beyond that. It is possible that we could expand sooner depending on the success of the first tower, McKee said. For more information on Firekeepers casino or to track the progress on the hotel please visit: firekeeperscasino.com

Current Business Trends: Modest Growth

Grand Rapids - The greater Grand Rapids industrial economy is experiencing modest but slightly slower growth, 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 May. The surveys index of business improvement, called new orders, moderated to +20 from +24. The production index eased considerably to +5 from +25 and employment tapered off to +12 from +20. Long said staff reductions were reported by 13 percent of local businesses. Some firms are starting to liquidate the inventories they built over the past six months in anticipation of higher prices, said Long. Overall, our current statistics are still positive, but slightly less robust than what we would like to see. Even though the local economy is still growing, the future is starting to look less certain than it did a few months ago. Long said automotive parts producers should keep statistics positive for a few more months and the office furniture business remains soft, but there are signs several firms are stabilizing. He said business conditions remain positive for industrial distributors and the performance for capital equipment firms remains stable because of the uptick in the automotive industry.

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3 Increasing Loyalty by Enhancing Employee Benefit Offerings, Not Costs

Prepared by MetLife Todays small business owner faces a number of challenges including a slow economic recovery and volatile investment markets. In addition to those, according to MetLifes 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefit Trends, many may also be facing employee retention issues as employee loyalty has significantly declined in the last few years. Only 44% of employees reported a strong sense of loyalty to their current employer a sharp contrast from 2008 where 62% of those surveyed felt a great sense of loyalty. Though small businesses may be facing some hurdles, todays environment may present opportunities for employers to help retain and recruit employees by improving benefit offerings while maintaining the line on costs. Voluntary Benefits Though benefits such as medical, prescription drugs, dental, life, disability, and vision coverage, are considered by many employees important to have, about one-third of small business do not offer one or all of these. Among employees, however, interest is still very strong. The study shows that approximately half of employees find it important to have benefits like life, dental, and disability insurance available to them through the workplace even if they have to pay all of the cost themselves. Therefore, voluntary benefits are another option for small business employers seeking a cost-effective way to increase their benefits offerings while improving employee retention. When faced with a choice of either paying for some benefits or losing them entirely, many employees indicated that they would choose to pay for them. Retirement Solutions For individuals today, saving for retirement has become a daunting task. It is safe to say that a majority of individuals today feel that they have not saved enough for retirement, and the anemic economic recovery has not assuaged those fears and concerns. One way small businesses may be able to help employees with their retirement savings goals is to offer educational programs. 75% of small business employees (those who work for employers with fewer than 500 workers) who report taking time off to deal with, or spend more time at work thinking about personal financial issues than they think they should, said they would be interested in receiving advice and guidance through their employer. Employers are somewhat reluctant to do so, understandable giving these challenging times. But there are clearly some productivity and loyalty implications for an employers decision not to address the financial worries of employees. Overall, many financial advice and guidance programs and tools can be implemented with minimal cost and effort. Opportunities To the small business owner, the question of whether or not to offer employee benefits is more a question of how to spend more effectively versus spending more. Many employee benefit solutions can be implemented by a small business owner at a minimal cost, and the rewards can be quite substantial as these benefits foster a sense of loyalty among employees. Company loyalty, in turn, may lead to a more positive work environment, a place where employees feel they have a network of support and greater job satisfaction. Therefore, to help prevent small businesses suffer employee productivity losses from losing talented staff or from having dissatisfied employees, they should be encouraged to work with their brokers to ensure that their benefits program is meeting the needs of employees and that the benefit offerings remain relevant and competitive. A well-designed, cost-effective benefits program can help small business employers attract, retain, reward and motivate those who make the business run effectively and efficiently. Prepared by MetLife Delivered courtesy of Doug Detmer, Financial Advisor, Investment Advisor Representative, Financial Services Representative at MetLife 330 East Beltline NE Suite 4 Grand Rapids, MI 49506 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166.

Comerica Regional Economic Update

by Robert A. Dye & Meaghan A. Derrick, Comerica Bank Central West Michigan Benefits from Manufacturing Boost Central West Michigans unemployment rate of 6.9 percent in February is well below the February state wide rate of 8.8 percent, as well as the March national rate of 8.1 percent. And while Ann Arbor maintains the lowest unemployment rate of the region, at 5.8 percent, Central West Michigans other three metro areas (Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Lansing) all ended February with unemployment rates of 7.5 percent or below. A revitalized auto manufacturing sector has helped boost employment across the region. GM has announced it is adding 600 new workers to its Lansing Grand River assembly plant, as it launches a second shi??. Toyota is hiring 150 engineers, technicians and scientists at its Technical Center in Ann Arbor. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings will add about 300 workers to the region through early 2013. Central West Michigan furniture manufacturers are feeling steadier but demand is expected to be flat in 2012 as office construction remains weak. Continued on page 6

Echelbarger, Himebaugh, Tamm & Co. PC (EHTC) 4 Not your typical CPA Firm.
Grand Rapids Echelbarger, Himebaugh, Tamm & Co., P.C. (EHTC) was established in 1977 by Dennis M. Echelbarger. His passion for public accounting and community outreach has made EHTC what it is today. His ambition was to know people on a more personal level. His drive was the everyday challenge of resolving issues for individuals, nonprofit organizations, and businesses, while building long term relationships. Dennis found his abilities to help others reach their full potential very rewarding. EHTC has grown and evolved to become one of the most successful local multi-service accounting firms in the Greater Grand Rapids area. The firm is a recognized leader in the business community, as well as a participant in professional organizations and volunteerism. That success is based upon being large enough to serve a diverse clientele, while remaining small enough to pay personalized attention to each customer. This year EHTC celebrates 35 years of business. More importantly, we are celebrating 35 years of giving back to our community by helping businesses strive through hard economic times, individuals gain control of their finances and plan for the future, while raising money to help support local charities Dennis Echelbarger, founder of EHTC said. This year also marks EHTCs 26th Annual Chipping for Charity Golf Outing. In the last 25 years, EHTC has raised over $200,000 for local charities. This years outing is scheduled for September 19, and the recipient is Hospice of Michigans James B. Fahner M.D. Pediatric Hospice Care Program. Many employees spend additional time volunteering for organizations such as teaching a Personal Finance Class at Grand Rapids Womens Resource Center or serving on Boards and committees for organizations such as Gerontology Network, Kent Medical Foundation, and American Cancer Society. Currently, Mr. Echelbarger is assisting Governor Snyder by serving on the Commission on Community Action and Economic Opportunity. The Commission aims to reduce the causes and effects of poverty and help foster self-sufficiency for low-income Michigan residents. The secret to EHTCs success relies strongly on the firms core values: Work/Life Balance and Family, Teamwork, Communication, Integrity and Trust, Innovation and Flexibility, Exceeding Clients Expectations, Relationships, Opportunity, Profitability, Accountability and Responsibility. EHTC shareholders motivate employees to reach their full potential through continuing education, working together as a team, experiencing life, and helping customers do the same. EHTC is not your typical accounting firm. Shareholder History Prior to EHTC, Dennis Echelbarger spent eleven years as an employee and partner in another local CPA firm, and two years as the Chief Financial Officer of a large Grand Rapids based distributor. Originally, he planned to remain a sole practitioner. He hired Diane L. Friar, CPA/ABV/CFF as his receptionist/secretary two weeks after opening his office. (Diane became the first staff person to rise to shareholder status in 1985.) The firm's first location was on 36th Street in Grand Rapids and Mr. Echelbargers first partner was added in 1978. Subsequently, new partners replaced him. They are no longer with the firm, but the name EHTC still thrives. Since inception, the firm has focused on the needs of mid-size businesses, and offered tax planning and preparation, audit and accounting services, forensic accounting, business valuation, litigation support, and business consulting. The belief was to offer one-on-one customer services and concentrate on building winning relationships. As the firm's clients became more successful, the business grew and so did the number of team members. Robin M. Stoner, CPA/MST joined the firm as an administrative assistant in 1985. She became a shareholder in. David G. Echelbarger, CPA joined the firm as a staff accountant in the Audit and Accounting Department in 1986. Following his father's entrepreneurial spirit, David founded EHTC's Technology Solutions Division in 1986. In 1994, a strategic decision was made to collaborate with a select group of software vendors, including Microsoft Corporation. EHTC Technology Solutions was initially formed to support the sales and marketing of this software and related solutions. Since then, it has evolved into a business technology consulting practice with many unique aspects. Efforts are no longer simply focused on the sales and support of specific software but include services such as data integration between systems, custom-developed software solutions, and in-depth expertise with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. EHTC moved to its new and current office at 5136 Cascade Rd in 2000. Dave Echelbarger, CPA became a shareholder in 2004. Robert E. Milanowski was a subcontracted consultant for EHTC Technology Solutions for over ten years before becoming our newest shareholder in 2005. To discover more about Echelbarger, Himebaugh, Tamm & Co. PC (EHTC) and their 35 years of business, log onto www.ehtc.com or call (616) 575-3482.

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Business Development Senior Vice President: Diane LaPreze Senior Vice President: Jim Lroy Circulation: Aubrey Day Contributing Writers: MetLife, Robert A. Dye, Meaghan A. Derrick, Bill Knudson, Tom Jager, John Tschohl, Adam Riggs, Managing Editor: Carol M. Kralapp Associate Editor: Jeremy Martin Printing/Distribution: News Web Printing Accountant: Michael Tawney & Company Legal: Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone
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5 Food and Agriculture: Holding Michigans Economy Steady

By Bill Knudson If Michigans food and agriculture system were a Fortune 500 company, it would come in solidly at No. 47. Unlike manufactured goods and tourism, food is a necessity. Therefore, those of us at the Michigan State University (MSU) Product Center werent surprised that food and agriculture fared better than other industries in an economic downturn. But even we were surprised to see the size of the sectors increase during a global recession. In 2010, the most recent year of available data, Michigans food and agriculture system accounted for an estimated $91.4 billion in economic activity annually. The system also accounted for about 923,000 jobs. Thats according to The Economic Impact of Michigans Food and Agriculture System, published in April by the MSU Product Center. You can find the full report, as well as the executive summary, under the research tab at www.productcenter.msu.edu. Economic impact Michigans food and agriculture system encompasses farming, food processing and manufacturing, leather processing, and food wholesaling, retailing and food service, as well as the floriculture/ornamentals/turfgrass and ethanol industries. Altogether, the sector accounts for a total of $91.4 billion in total economic activity direct, indirect and induced activity. Direct activity refers to the level of sales in the industry; indirect activity refers to the impact on input industries; and induced economic activity is the impact on the general economy resulting from the Most of the economic impact is derived from wholesaling and retailing, which include everything from restaurant service to the purchase of l a n d s c a p e plants. The direct impact of food wholesale and retail activities was $29.05 billion, with a total impact of $51.07 billion. Food processing and manufacturing accounted for $14.66 billion in direct economic activity and $24.56 billion in total economic activity. The farm sector accounted for $7.24 billion in direct economic activity and $13.09 billion in total economic activity. One important and often neglected part of the system consists of floricultural, ornamental and turfgrass services and retail. This sector contributed $2.47 billion in direct activity and $4.52 billion in total activity to the states economy. Impact on employment Michigans food and agriculture system is a major source of employment, accounting for 22 percent of all Michigan jobs. The food and agriculture system employs more than 923,000 Michiganders in direct, indirect and induced jobs. Of them, nearly 618,000 are directly employed within the sector. Farming and food processing employment in Michigan grew by 14,000 jobs, a 6.3 percent increase from the 2006 study. Unfortunately, the recession did not leave the workforce unscathed. Overall employment in the system dropped by about 112,000 jobs between 2004 and 2010. Food wholesaling and retailing took the hardest hit, losing 124,000 jobs, a 15.9 percent decline. Its not surprising that there were job losses in the service sector, Peterson said. Fewer people are eating out, which leads to fewer waitstaff, cooks, restaurant hosts, etc. However, were seeing the numbers of new jobs created in food processing plants and on farm continue to increase. Western Michigan plays a vitally important role in the system. Western Michigan is a major producer of fruits and vegetables and, therefore, a major processor of these products. Also, western Michigan leads the state in turkey and egg production and is a major producer of nursery and greenhouse products. Bill Knudson is the product marketing economist for the Michigan State University Product Center and the lead technician on the study. He can be reached at knudsonw@msu.edu. Learn more at productcenter.msu.edu.

industry in this case, various food and agriculture industries. That $91.4 billion is a 51.9 percent increase from 2004, as indicated by a previous study conducted in 2006. Then the food and agriculture sector was determined to be valued at $60.1 billion. An interim study in 2009 showed an increase in value to $71.3 billion. The newest study shows that the food and agriculture system is on a consistent growth trend. Youd be hard-pressed to find another business sector that has pulled through the recession with those kinds of numbers in just six years, said Chris Peterson, director of the MSU Product Center.

6 Identity Fraud, Protecting Yourself and Your Family

By: Tom Jager Identity fraud is one of those things you just don't want to think about. But then you hear the stories like Bill in Cadillac who discovered someone had "borrowed" his name and health insurance to have surgery. This surgery was now part of Bill's medical record. Or how about Jeanne in the Detroit area who received a call reminding her she was late on the payments for her new car; unfortunately Jeanne did not buy a new car. Someone had stolen her identity and now she had to convince the creditor that it was not her but someone using her personal information. Identity theft is when someone illegally has your personal identifiable information. It becomes identity fraud when they use the information. In the United States last year, there were an estimated 11.6 million cases of identity fraud. The typical person trying to correct the wrongs from a single fraud event on their record will have about $1,000 in extra expenses and even worse about 160 hours of time. There are cases where the thieves have opened over 50 fraudulent accounts in the name of a single person. In cases like this, the victim can spend years trying to restore their name and credit. If you're like most people, than right about now you are thinking; "ok, I get it, identity theft is a problem and it could happen to me. But honestly, I have no idea what to do. How do I protect myself and my family"? Here are the 3 main things you should look for in an identity theft solution: First; you need a program that will provide you with fully managed recovery. If you are a victim, you need a recovery specialist to come alongside you and help you from start to completion of the recovery process. Don't settle for a program that sends you a recovery kit and leaves you to fend for yourself. You are not an expert and this is not a situation where you want to learn as you go. The risks are too high for the trial and error method. Second; you want a program that will reimburse you for the extra expenses you encounter. You may need the help of a local attorney and you may miss time from work. These and other things can cost money out of your pocket. Finally; you want a program that lets you set up monitoring. This monitoring should be both financial and non-financial. The financial will allow you to view your credit reports and will automatically alert you whenever there is a change such as a new account being opened. The non-financial monitoring component will check for inconsistencies in public records. Things like finding your social security number associated with some else's name. Over half of identity crime is nonfinancial so this is a critical part of any comprehensive program. One other thing to keep in mind is you should get the program for the entire family, even your kids. Identity thieves like to get the social security numbers of children. They can use it to establish a new identity and since the social security number comes from a child, it can go undetected for many years. There are many good protection programs out there. Some are overpriced due to extremely high advertising costs. Shop around to find the right coverage and price, and remember, group programs can provide excellent family coverage at very low cost. Tom Jager works for Nulty Group. They provide identity theft solutions to Credit Unions for their members. He can be reached at TomJager@nulty.com

Finance/Insurance Briefs
Grand Rapids A survey of professionals who attended Changing World of HR seminar at Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, found that one of the top priorities of West Michigan human resources and benefits managers, was filling full-time positions with nearly 73 percent planning to increase hiring of full-time employees within the coming 12 months, while 35 percent planned to increase hiring of part-time workers. Approximately 66 percent of survey respondents said that hiring college interns would remain unchanged on a year-over-year basis, while slightly under half said they planned to increase hiring of new college graduates. Grand Rapids Rodney D. Martin, the Diversity Partner with the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, received the prestigious President's Award from the Grand Rapids Bar Association. Lansing Michigan companies in the advanced and renewable energy sector unveiled a benchmark study on the economic and jobs impact of residential and commercial energy efficiency products in Michigan. The study, conducted by The Hill Group based in Carnegie, Pa., found that the manufacture of these products has the potential to impact more than $2 billion annually on Michigan, supporting more than 9,000 jobs, and producing more than $71 million in local and State tax revenues. Energy efficiency is an important and growing sector in the advanced energy industry and currently supports jobs throughout Michigan, said Ed Clemente, president of the Energy Innovation Business Council. This report tells the story of Michigans energy efficiency manufacturers and shines a light on their economic contributions to our State. Muskegon Lighthouse Group of Muskegon announced the hiring of Becky Reynolds as a Title Settlement Officer with over 20 years of experience as Settlement Closing Agent and Title Insurance Examiner. Grand Rapids Jason Marvin, a certified public account and partner with Plante Moran, PLLC since 2009, was inducted into Grand Valley State University Accounting Hall of Fame. Grand Rapids Miller Johnson welcomed Isidore U. Okoro, Director of Information Technology (IT), and Jessica M. Fields, Library Information Services Manager, as part of the firms administrative team. Muskegon Anthony J. Kolenic Jr., a partner with the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, has been elected chair of the Great Lakes Area Tax Exempt-Government Entities Liaison Council. West Michigan Peg Lutz, CFP, CDFA, and Paul Singer - owners of Divorce Financial Consultants, LLC, recently attended a divorce conference in TN through the Institute Financial Analyst. of Divorce Muskegon Toni Strait joined Lighthouse Group in their Muskegon office as a Personal Lines Account Manager. Grand Rapids Sarah Riley Howard, a partner with the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, has been elected to the Grand Rapids Bar Association's board of trustees.

Comerica Regional Economic Update

Continued form page 3 Con Home prices in Central West Michigan have fallen 19 percent since their 2005Q3 peak. The U.S., by comparison, has fallen about 16 percent from its much later peak in 2007Q1. Price declines in the region slowed over the course of 2011, and are poised for mild improvement in 2012, likely in the range of 2 percent year over year. Following a prolonged dip through the second half of 2010 and most of 2011, housing starts in the region spiked in the last quarter of 2011, driven by a boom in single family construction. Looking ahead, the Central West Michigan region, like most other areas of the state, faces demographic challenges, with all four metro areas in the region expected to show continued net out migration. Personal income growth for the region is expected to lag na??onal growth by about one percent in 2012.

7 Hospitals Continue to be a Leader in States Economic Recovery

Lansing - Michigan hospitals continue to boost the states economic recovery by creating new jobs, delivering high-quality care at costs below national averages, and leading the nation in patient safety and quality improvements, finds a new report issued today by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA). The report, Value Proposition: The Unique Role of Michigan Hospitals in Achieving a Healthier State and a Stronger Economy finds: Michigan hospitals are among the highest quality and safest in the nation, led by the MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality collaborative initiatives that have saved thousands of lives and reduced health care costs by hundreds of millions of dollars. Michigan hospitals continue to serve as the health care safety nets of their communities, caring for nearly 2 million Medicaid beneficiaries and 1.3 million uninsured residents. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, Michigan hospitals provided nearly $2.6 billion in community benefits to local citizens, including more than $761 million in community health improvement services (immunizations, clinics, free/discounted prescriptions, counseling and more) and other voluntary benefits; more than $970 million in uncompensated care including $360 million in charity care and $609 million in uncollectable funds (bad debt); more than $633 million in unreimbursed Medicaid services; and more. As the largest private-sector employer, Michigans health care sector is leading the states economic recovery. Michigan hospitals and other health care providers directly employ approximately 555,400 people who earn more than $31 billion in wages, salaries and benefits, and together with their employers, pay more than $7.4 billion annually in local, state and federal taxes. Hospitals alone provide nearly 222,000 direct jobs. The states Medicaid program generates substantial federal matching dollars for Michigan and should be appropriately funded. For every dollar Michigan invests in Medicaid, the state receives an additional $1.95. This means that a $100 million investment by the state brings in $195 million more in federal funds. Affordable care is a priority for Michigan hospitals. As a result, costs at Michigan hospitals ranked 5 percent below the national average in FY 2010, saving at least $500 million. At the same time, the average operating margin of Michigan hospitals was a narrow 2.8 percent, compared to 5.5 percent at hospitals nationwide. Michigan hospitals number one priority is to provide the right treatment to every patient, every time, said MHA President Spencer Johnson. To that end, hospitals have invested in achieving higher-quality, safer care; employing hundreds of thousands of dedicated caregivers; and ensuring that every patient who walks through their doors gets the care they need, despite their ability to pay. Johnson said the report, and the continued outstanding performance of Michigan hospitals, illustrate why an investment from the state in Medicaid, graduate medical education and other mechanisms that protect and enhance access to affordable health care is so critical to achieving a physically and fiscally healthier future. As Gov. Rick Snyder and state lawmakers prepare the state budget, we urge them to recognize the tremendous value Michigan hospitals provide to citizens in every community, Johnson said. Investing in health care protects patients, communities and jobs and ultimately helps achieve a healthier Michigan. Based in Lansing, the MHA represents all of Michigans community hospitals and successfully advocates on behalf of hospitals and the patients they serve. The MHA addresses key issues in the legislative and regulatory arenas to advance initiatives that protect quality, cost-effective and accessible care. To learn more, visit http://www.mha.org.

Health Care Briefs

Grand Rapids Community Health Accreditation Program, Inc. announced that Hospice of Michigan has been reaccredited under the CHAP Standards of Excellence through December 2014. Through CHAP certification, Hospice of Michigan is also certified as a Medicare provider. Holland As part of its annual National Hospital Week celebration, Holland Hospital named Kerri Souter, RN, as the recipient of the hospitals Dorothea Milbrandt Mentorship Award, and Pat Den Boer, RN, as the recipient of the Judeth Newham Award for Nursing Excellence. Grand Rapids Wendy Balivet, MD joins Advantage Heath Physician Network at its Caledonia office, specializing in family medicine. Grand Rapids Dr. Michael Kwast, a chiropractor at Peak Performance Chiropractic, announced an addition of a detoxification cleansing to flush harmful toxins out of bodily tissues, as being among its current list of services including chiropractic adjustment, nutritional counseling, massage therapy, and other rehabilitative techniques. Allegan Patricia Seiler, MD, recently became board certified in sleep medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine, in a joint venture with the American Board of Internal Medicine and three other American Board of Medical Specialty boards. Grand Rapids Hope Network announced that Ron Schutt has been named Executive Vice President of Development and External Relations for Hope Network, and Lona McLincha has been named Vice President of Talent Management for Hope Network. Allegan Ryan Seim, MD was recently appointed Medical Director of Allegan General Hospitals Emergency Department. Grand Rapids - Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Grand Rapids Phillip W. Weaver, President and CEO of Hope Network, has been selected by the Brain Injury Association of Michigan as the recipient of its Community Service and Leadership Award.

8 Health Care Briefs

Grand Rapids Pine Rest Foundation announced Peter Boumgarden, Professor of Management at Hope College, and community volunteers Peg Breon, and Kathy Dunlap as new board members to the Pine Rest Foundation Board of Governors. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital announced that Dr. Larry J. Diaz was designated a fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, or SCAI. Grand Rapids Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA, Vice President of Hospital Finance of Spectrum Health Hospital Group, has been named the new President and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Grand Rapids Clark Retirement Community entered the main building at 1551 Franklin Grand Rapids, MI in the 2012 National Battle of the Buildings contest hosted by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Partnering with their HVAC service company, Hurst Mechanical last fall, an energy audit was conducted which resulted in an Energy Star* benchmark score of 12 out of a possible 100 for the 258,677 sq. ft. Franklin building. The goal is to improve their Energy Star* score from 12 to 40 which would equate to a 20% reduction in energy consumption. All buildings in the competition which prove an energy reduction by 20% or more will receive national recognition. Holland Thomson Reuters released its annual study identifying the 100 top U.S. hospitals based on their overall organizational performance. Holland Hospital, for the seventh consecutive year, is the only hospital from the western Michigan area to make the list. Lansing Michigan Osteopathic Association awarded Samer Totonchi, D.O. with the top prize during the 2012 Scientific Research Exhibit competition which provides osteopathic medical students, residents, fellows and attendinglevel physicians throughout Michigan an opportunity to present their medical and scientific research to the osteopathic profession. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital announced that Dr. Fadi A. Saab has been designated a fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography. Kalamazoo Bronson Methodist Hospital was named a recipient of the 2012 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award by HealthGrades, the leading provider of information to help consumers make an informed decision about a physician or hospital. Grand Rapids The Grand Rapids Area Chapter for the Hearing Loss Association of America has been selected to receive the 2012 HLAA Chapter Website Award, which recognizes chapter websites that excel in design and content in support of the HLAA mission. Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids The Fertility Center announced a new Assured IVF Program guaranteeing qualified patients less than thirty-eight years of age, successful In-Vitro Fertilization or their money back. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital announced that Kathleen M. Campbell has joined the hospital as Vice President of Clinical Services and will be responsible for developing and implementing an integrated model of clinical programs that control medical costs, create clinical efficiencies, and improve patient health in support of the hospital's short and long-term strategic goals. Wyoming Metro Health announced the promotion of Cindy Allen-Fedor to Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Helen Berghoef to Vice President of Ancillary and Emergency Services, and Erika Duncan to Vice President of Human Resources. Grand Rapids Health Care Management announced its acquisition of Applied Technology Methods and Practices (ATMP Solutions), a healthcare technology and compliance consulting group based in southeast Michigan, to assist health care providers in implementing HIPAA-compliant security management practices. Joe Dylewski, founder of ATMP Solutions, will join Health Care Management as a Managing Director. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital announced that Gerri Navarre, Administrative Director of Medical Education, was inducted as a fellow of the Association of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators. Grand Rapids Seth Wolk, MD, MHSA, joined the Spectrum Health Medical Group as Department Chief of Surgical Specialties with special interests in patient safety and quality of care, interdisciplinary team building and coordinated care, risk management and graduate medical education. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital named Dr. Peter Goebel its 2012 Nursing-Chosen Physician of the Year, which is given annually by Metro Healths Professional Nursing Council to recognize a physician who exemplifies best practices and who also supports the role of nurses as part of the healthcare team. Dr. Goebel specializes in internal medicine and is a hospitalist. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital named Delphia Croff its 2012 Nurse Exemplar. The award is given annually to recognize a registered nurse involved in direct patient care at Metro Health who has demonstrated exceptional nursing practice. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital has been recognized as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies in Michigan.

Review of Coach Yourself to Win

your life even if their content is as insubstantial as a summer breeze. In contrast, Howard M. Guttman provides a steady stream of valuable content that can help you make your life better. A respected executive coaching expert, Guttman presents seven easy-to-follow steps you can use to coach yourself to achieve lasting positive behavioral change. He delivers invaluable knowledge, wisdom, savvy tips and practical expertise as he explains how to apply proven executive coaching principles to modify your behavior and achieve a happier, more productive life. getAbstract recommends this completely useful self-coaching guide. It will be worth far more than its cover price if you practice its principles. Howard M. Guttman. Coach Yourself to Win: 7 Steps to Breakthrough Performance on the Job and in Your Life. McGraw-Hill, 2010. 272 pages. List Price: $25.00. ISBN-13: 978-0071640343. getAbstract is the leading provider of business book summaries, with thousands of titles covered. www.getabstract.com

By Rolf getAbstract

Dobelli,

Chairman,

Some motivational authors claim that their books, with their snappy covers and glowing recommendations, can change

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9 Running For a Healthy Tomorrow

By: Jeremy Martin West Michigan offers countless opportunities to stay in shape and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Fitness clubs offer year round access to equipment and trainers, miles of beautiful coastline provide swimming and boating adventures at every turn and the areas numerous trails, tracks, and races give those inclined to run or bike plenty of motivation to get out and move. But no matter what activity you choose, most experts will agree that the younger you begin, the more inclined you will be to stay active as you age. Carrie Wilson is an advocate for a childhood filled with exercise and play. She herself began running at a young age and continued her passion for movement through her high school years where she ran both track and cross country. Following a motor vehicle accident that jeopardized her ability to run distances she decided to share her enthusiasm and expertise with a younger generation of girls. Now the Council Director of Girls on the Run-Calhoun County, Wilson organizes annual events and teaches youngsters how to not only exercise correctly, but also how to appreciate who they are and where they are headed. I was in a car accident and injured pretty severely so this is kind of my way of keeping the passion alive with running and also a way to share what running did for me and my self esteem as a young girl, Wilson said. Each year, beginning in early spring Girls on the Run begins a 24 lesson curriculum that teaches girls in grades 3-5 the basics of how to run, eat healthy, set and achieve goals and most importantly how to have confidence in yourself. We have lessons about self respect, discovering yourself, basically it empowers the girls to be comfortable with who they are; not only their bodies but how they think about themselves and how they would pick their friends. We teach them about healthy eating, exercise. There is a different lesson each time that covers a core value that is important for them to be aware of. And it all leads up to the annual Girls On the Run 5k, which is held at the end of May at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. We do a lot of setting running goals during practices, some of the girls there arent always runners but we get them moving a little faster with their pace. We have them start setting goals and they build up to it eventually, Wilson said. Though not every girl that has gone through the program has gone on to compete in track or cross country, but the vast majority have at the very least adopted the healthy lifestyle that Girls On the Run advocates. Some of them have written me notes saying how much they enjoy running. But I have a lot of girls who tell me how much healthier they are, they may not necessarily be runners but they are definitely concerned about their bodies and the food they put into it and just being healthy, Wilson said. Wilsons passion for helping area youth has allowed GOTR-C to grow from 45 participants in 2006 to well over 600 in 2012. Its been word of mouth, then also I do recruitment in the fall for our spring season where I will send out letters and site applications to all the elementary schools in Calhoun county, Wilson said. We try to add anywhere between five to eight sites per year so we can grow our numbers. If you have a child who might be interested in participating in the 2013 curriculum please visit gotofcalhoun.org for more information.

Metro Cab Announces its Alternative Fuel Initiative

Grand Rapids - Metro Cab of Grand Rapids is incorporating a bi-fuel system using mainly clean-burning propane and switching to gasoline on exceptionally long trips when propane refueling is not available. Metro Cab recently installed two 1,000 gallon propane tanks as their commitment to using environmentallyfriendly vehicles. Propane is recognized as a Clean Air Choice by the American Lung Association and is officially considered an alternative fuel by the U.S. Department of Energy and produced in the United States, decreasing reliance on foreign energy sources and reducing the environmental impact associated with oil production and transportation. Metro Cabs efforts were recognized when they received the prestigious Exceptional Energy Fleet Award in 2007 from the Propane Education & Research Council for their forward-looking investment in a propane fleet, one of only three companies in the nation to receive this recognition.

10 Construction Briefs
Kalamazoo CSM Group welcomed John Garay to the team as a Construction Manager working on their Food and Beverage team. Grand Rapids Integrated Architecture hired Michael VanSchelven as a Senior Designer. Lansing Swartz Creek Community Schools held a groundbreaking event to mark the beginning of construction for their high schools new 45,000-squarefoot performing arts center, for which Clark Construction will be the project manager. The cost of this project is estimated at $13.6 million, with an estimated completion date in August 2013. Kalamazoo CSM Group hired Receptionist, Sarah Lettow, and Monroe Brown intern, Andrew Dobbs as a fulltime Project Engineer to their team. Holland Elzinga & Volkers Professional Services announced the addition of Mike Huizen as National Sales Representative, the promotion of Jamie Schippa to Accounts Payable Clerk, and the addition of Jenna Cassity as Accounting Assistant. South Haven A major expansion is underway at South Haven Family Campground with special attractions, and will nearly double the offerings and amenities currently at the campground, which sits on 50 acres just a mile from the Kal Haven Trail and 5.5 miles east of the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. Currently, the campground offers 37 sites, five cabins and one cottage, as well as a camp store, restroom facilities, dump station, laundry facilities, game room, Triple K Raceway and Camp Grounds Espresso Bar and Caf. Allegan Nick Grigsby, owner of Mr. Electric of Allegan, Ottawa and Van Buren Counties, completed the highly regarded Eaton Certified Electrical Vehicle Training along with his service professional David Passmore. Kalamazoo CSM Group announced Lindsay Mukans was selected as Monroe Brown Construction Management Intern for the upcoming summer. Lansing Clark Construction announced the addition of 12 students to assist in the companys upcoming projects through internships: John Bort, a student at Michigan State University; Jacob Carney, a graduate of Ferris State University; Darcy Christian, a recent graduate of Michigan State University; Kenneth Hall, a graduate of Michigan State University; Jonathon Irby, a student at Northern Michigan University; Alex Kimble, a student at Central Michigan University; Lindsay Kneale, a student at the University of Michigan; Alex Newman, a student at Ferris State University; Courtney Parks, a junior at Ferris State University; Adam Pathfinder, a student at Michigan State University; Terry Stewart, a graduate of Central Michigan University; and Haley Wright, a student at Mason High School. Kalamazoo Tara Nisenson joined CSM Group in their Kalamazoo office as Human Resources Manager. Comstock Park Three members of the DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen Team Bill Wolf, Jayne Wolf and Pam Schlosser, recently attended the national Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Chicago. West Michign - First Companies, Inc. announces: the lease of 10,460 SF industrial property at 7425 Clyde Park SE, Ste. G, Byron Center to tenant Supreme Great Lakes for landlord First Baker LLC. the least of 3,205 SF industrial propery at 4282 Brockton Dr. SE, Ste. B, Grand Rapids to tenant Excel Systems Group Inc. for landlord Steve Marcusse. the least of 4000 SF industrial property at 3420 Broadmoor SE, Ste. 6, Grand Rapids to tenant Hoffman Lawn Care for landlord Core Realty Holdings Management, LLC. Byron Center Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. announced construction commencement at Byron Center Public Schools including major renovations to Brown Elementary, the high school, Marshall Elementary and Nickels Intermediate. The project is funded as part of the $23.6 million bond, passed by voters in November 2011, with TowerPinkster as project architect and a completion date in August 2014. Wyoming Dave Van Houten, owner of Home Works Corporation, was selected by Remodeling Magazine as one of its Remodeling Big50, and is one of only two Michigan-based professional remodelers to be recognized. Mt. Pleasant The City of Mt. Pleasant will begin its first stage of the redevelopment of more than 300 acres of land purchased from the State of Michigan in 2011, and has elected to remarket and repurpose remaining machinery, equipment and other assets through online auctions utilizing Orbitbid.com, scheduled to begin May 14, and continue through the first week in June. Kentwood - First Companies, Inc negoiated a least of 5,463 SF industrial property at 4101 40th Street, Ste. 1, Kentwood, MI 49512 for tenant, Sentinel Technologies Inc. for landlord, Laser One LLC. Wyoming Dave Van Houten, owner of HWC-Home Works Corporation, was selected by Remodeling magazine as one of its Remodeling Big50. Mid West Allen Edwin Homes has been recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with a 2012 ENERGY STAR Leadership in Housing Award. Lansing Clark Construction presented Jacki Hilgendorf, project manager for the St. Johns Public Schools, with the John M. Clark Service Award during the companys annual meeting/safety seminar at the Clark Construction Headquarters in Lansing. Grand Rapids - First Companies, Inc. announces the lease of 67,375 SF industrial property at 4741 Talon CT, Grand Rapids to tenant Corium International for landlord 4741 Talon Court, LLC.

11 Tapestry Square will bring new Housing and Retail to Grand Rapids South East Side
We are creating a setting that will support our rigorous academic expectations," Brian Cloyd, chair of the UPrep board and vice president of global corporations for Steelcase said. From a construction and design standpoint, this building is going to be an example and model for future education buildings." Once complete, the building will accommodate upwards of 500 students and should be fully functional by the fall of 2013. An 11th grade class is expected to be the first group of students in the building, as they will begin studying on site this fall. "This is a great example of how the schools and the community partners can come together to do great things to advance the learning of children," interim Grand Rapids Schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal said. "I am excited for the students and staff members to have this opportunity." Bradford said that the overall construction of the neighborhood will be completed in several segments. He mentioned that phase one which includes two mixed use buildings along Wealthy Street between Sheldon and LaGrave avenues is nearly complete. The next phase will involve the restoration of a 97 year old apartment building located at 528 Sheldon Avenue. The structure will be remodeled and modernized to fit the needs of todays consumer. It is not yet clear when the neighborhood will be fully completed but Bradford said that demand has already been high for the residential units and that ICCF has received several letters of inquiry from prospective retail tenants.

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By: Jeremy Martin The Grand Rapids based non-profit Inner City Christian Federation recently announced the creation of the citys newest neighborhood. Dubbed Tapestry Square, the community will be a four block development with its boundaries being Wealthy St. to the north, Buckley St. to the south, Division Ave. to the west and Lagrave Ave. to the east. The ICCF created a for profit arm of its housing development operation to create this mixed use space which had until now been known as The Wealthy-Jefferson Neighborhood Initiative. The strength of any community is found in the rich variety of uses and diversity of its residents, Jonathan Bradford, president and CEO of ICCF said in a statement. ICCF is deeply honored to build on these strengths here toward a place of balance and opportunity for all who live and work here. Living and working is exactly what ICCF hopes people will do in this new neighborhood as a mix of residential apartments and townhomes will offer housing opportunities near a planned grocery store and retail outlets. Green and park space has been built into the master plan, allowing residents and workers alike to enjoy a natural setting while remaining only a few blocks southeast of the citys core. The plan allows for the Grand Rapids Public Schools to construct a brand new $9.2 million structure on southern corner of Logan and Division which will house the Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy.

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12 Commercial Alliance of REALTORS Strong and Poised for Growth

Grand Rapids - Committed to collaboration, cooperation and sharing of information for the betterment of the real estate community; the Commercial Alliance of REALTORS (CAR), a West Michigan based REALTOR association is dedicated to serving commercial real estate practitioners. The nearly 400 member trade association is celebrating its ten year anniversary and is focused on providing services and benefits for both REALTORS and Affiliate members. The CAR Board of Directors began meeting in 2003, led by then President, Stanley J. Wisinski III, Partner/Associate Broker of NAI Wisinski of West Michigan. "Commercial REALTORS felt the need to branch off from the Grand Rapids Association of REALTORS, which is residential-REALTOR driven, Wisinski said. "Commercial practitioners have different needs in the arenas of education, political advocacy, forms, networking and in the listing of properties. It made sense that these needs could be met through an exclusively commercial-focused association. During 2003 great efforts were made to set the foundation for what CAR is today." Duke Suwyn, President/CEO of Colliers International West Michigan, explained that Having been involved in the industry for 20 plus years, and being involved with the Inaugural Board of CAR, I take great pride in the progress that this group has made. Over the years Ive been involved in numerous national commercial real estate organizations. It has become clear to me that we have a unique asset here in West Michigan that is rare and is the envy of many commercial Realtors across the United States and North America, Suwyn said. For competitors in our industry to collaboratively work together and serve the client and community through shared resources is certainly not something that happens in very many other places. Even with the resources available to us through an international real estate firm such as Colliers, we still daily rely on the resources and services provided by CAR, He said. George Bera, The Bera Group, has been a member of CAR from the beginning and is a current Board member. "As an independent Broker, my membership in CAR is important because it provides services that allow me to compete on a level playing field with my colleagues, Bera states. Through the services offered I am able to assist my clients professionally, network with the commercial practitioner community, and take advantage of educational opportunities. The importance of seeking the expertise of a CAR member is critical to those contemplating a commercial real estate transaction. As a commercial real estate broker, I have my finger on the pulse of the West Michigan market and am able to translate that into great value for all of my commercial clients, Tony Pearson broker at True North Real Estate said. I have several residential agents that recognize this and pass their commercial clients to me because they see the advantage I can provide. In turn, I am happy to refer my residential clients to them for their expertise. Its a great relationship! Affiliate member relationships are also an important part of CAR, and over thirty companies are represented among affiliate members. Attorney Jon Siebers, of Smith Haughey Rice and Roegge, shares When I joined CAR less than 3 years ago, I knew only a handful of commercial real estate professionals in West Michigan. Today, thanks to my affiliate membership in CAR, I know most of the key players in our market. CAR is staffed by Executive Director Shari Veldman, REALTOR Certified Executive. Working for the commercial real estate community is fantastic. Their professionalism and commitment to their clients has created this wonderful sense of community, and their dedication to CAR is very special, Veldman said. "2012 has been a year of significant change and expanding opportunities for the Commercial Alliance of REALTORS", states 2012 President Mary Anne Wisinski-Rosley, Associate Broker, NAI Wisinski of West Michigan. "Relocating CAR's office near downtown, implementing ways to improve services while cutting expenses and strengthening relationships with commercial practitioners from outlying areas sets our direction for the future. We believe that CAR members will see many positive results from these initiatives, and we continue to appreciate the participation and support of the membership." Visit www.carwm.com to search for commercial properties and to learn more about the Commercial Alliance of REALTORS.

Construction Briefs
West Michigan - Signature Associates has negotiated: the sale of a 3,992 square foot industrial building located at 1302 S. West Silver Lake Road, Traverse City for the seller, TC Group I, Inc. and the buyer, Grasshopper, LLC. the lease of 29,000 square feet of office space located at Bridgewater Place, 333 Bridge Street NW for the tenant, Willis of Michigan, Inc. totaling 8,800 square feet and also just recently completed a lease with New York Life Insurance Company totaling 20,000 square feet. Willis Insurance is moving downtown from a suburban building and New York Life is doubling its current presence downtown. Holland Elzinga & Volkers received recognition as one of only 12 Elite Category Winners from the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, which is the third time in the last four years the company has earned an Elite designation.
Grand Rapids - Signature Associates has negotiated: the lease of 2,250 square feet of retail space located at 311 Fuller Avenue NE, Grand Rapids for the landlord, Marogil Family, LLC and the tenant, CHZ Enterprises (The Cheese Lady). the lease of 15,000 square feet of industrial space located at 750 E. Ellis Road, Muskegon, to Morris Motor Sports, LLC. for the landlord, H & E Realty, LLC. the lease of 1,500 square feet of retail space located at 4775 E. Apple Avenue, Muskegon to Direct Line Communications, Inc. for the landlord, Livingston Howell Properties, LLC.

Kalamazoo CSM Group welcomes the Adam Jones. Adam will be working on our education team as a Project Manager. Muskegon The staff of the Muskegon branch of the Social Security Administration announced they are moving to a new building at 340 Morris in downtown Muskegon. Wolverine Building Group and Landmark Design, both of Grand Rapids, worked together on the 10,800 square foot facility and adjacent parking lot which will provide

office space for more than 30 employees. Norton Shores Encore Seating Restorations recently received special recognition from the Historic Hawaii Foundation for the restoration of seating at Paschoal Hall, which was built in 1916 to serve as a gathering place in Kalaupapa National Historic Park district. Grandville JDH Engineering, Inc. announced Jason Shingledecker received the Young Structural Engineer of the Year award, given by the Structural Engineers Association of Michigan.

Kalamazoo CSM Group announced Amanda Mason was awarded the New Leader Award by the National Association of Women in Construction, and also welcomed Kelsey Cox as the new Business Development and Marketing Intern for the upcoming summer.

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13 West Michigan Companies to Exhibit at NeoCon

By: Jeremy Martin Chicago-The tagline for NeoCon 2012, North Americas foremost convention for commercial interiors and design is Think Big. But at least one company that will be exhibiting in Chicago from June 11th to the 13th is hoping their most recent product will lead to big thinking. The US Chair, designed by Jeff Weber for American Seating is the first in a line of several multi-purpose seating developments meant to meet the needs of American colleges and universities. According to a press release from the Grand Rapids based company The Us chair aims to be the new standard of seating for any college or university environment as it can be used in a variety of settings, including: Small and large learning environments; commons areas; convention spaces; dining facilities; dorm rooms; lecture halls; administrative offices; and sports facilities. The US Chair line features six freestanding base models and three fixed seating base models and can be purchased in any one of 15 shell colors and 4 frame colors. Buyers will also have the opportunity to add one of the 434 fabric options to their purchase. The US Chair is constructed of recycled materials and can help an institution acquire LEED points in the MR2 and MR4 categories. As American Seating states; The Us chair further solidifies American Seatings mantra that, We have the campus covered. American Seating will be only one of several West Michigan companies attending NeoCon which will be hosted in the worlds largest commercial building, which has been affectionately dubbed the Merchandise Mart. The building, which has 11 floors of permanent show space and is made up of 4.2 million gross square feet will not only play host to companies who design products for the real world, but also business that design products for the virtual one as well. Grand Rapids based Configura which creates software for the likes of Steelcase, Teknion, Haworth and others will be on site to introduce CET Designer 3.0, a User-based license model and storage program for projects in MyConfigura. The product allows users to install and use CET Designer on as many computers as they want, as opposed to being tied down to one machine. According to a Configura press release the company will also launch MyConfigura, a portal webservice connecting Users to all of Configuras cloudbased services. For CET Designer Users, MyConfigura is also like an umbrella under which everything from licensing information to current projects, renderings, even videos can be safely stored, easily accessed and readily shared. Any purchase of CET Designer 3.0 will feature MyConfigura and allow the user access to tools such as: Movie Studio, RevLink Extension, Reconfiguration Tool, Watermark, Photo Lab, and more. NeoCon runs from Monday June 11th to Wednesday June 13th, 9am to 5pm every day. Besides being a showcase of new and potential products, the convention will also feature; seminars, speakers, student classes, an awards ceremony and plenty of opportunities for designers and buyers alike to network and mingle. For more information on NeoCon 2012 please visit: neocon.com

Industrial Briefs
Rockford Wolverine Worldwide announced that it, along with Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Collective Brands, Inc.s Performance + Lifestyle Group, adding to Wolverine's existing portfolio, which is led by Merrell, Hush Puppies, Wolverine, Sebago and Caterpillar Footwear. Allegan Perrigo, announced two hires - Robert Michaud as Head of Consumer Healthcare Pricing, and Scott Shcroeder as Corporate Environmental Health and Safety Engineer. Grand Rapids - MedDirect, Inc. will receive a $750,000 Michigan Business Development Program incentive and proposing to invest up to $2.1 million and create up to 300 new jobs over the next three years. Amway will receive $1.6 million incentive from the MEDC for $81 million local expansion creating 200 new local jobs projected over three years. Amway will proceed with the construction of their new manufacturing facility for its NUTRILITE brand. The expansion will create 50 jobs at start-up and 200 total over a three-year period. Center Manufacturing, Inc. was approved to receive a $300,000 incentive from the MEDC for $1 million local expansion and create up to 100 new local jobs projected over three years. The incentive will allow Center Manufacturing, Inc. to expand its product offerings and increase production of components for Honda Power Sports. Jackson The Michigan Manufacturer Association presented Chrysler Group LLC, Amigo Mobility International, Automatic Spring Products Corporation, Eagle Alloy, Inc., Anderson Global, and Full Spectrum Solutions, Inc. with the prestigious John G. Thodis Award. Grand Rapids A new FedEx Freight facility located at 5454 52nd Street SE, Grand Rapids held a grand opening June 7th. The center will serve as a local pickup and delivery facility to provide needed capacity and growth opportunity for the Grand Rapids marketplace by handling increased shipments from surrounding centers. Walker Tubelite, Inc. named Steve Mikkelson to the newly created position of Quality Manager working closely with Tubelites production and executive management teams. Grand Rapids After registering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Safe Quality Food Institute, as well as obtaining experience in Kosher certification, Praxis Packaging Solutions has expanded on its Culture of Quality by registering their satellite facility in Columbus, OH with the Environmental Protection Agency which will allow Praxis to offer additional flexibility in the types of products they can package while appealing to a broader customer base.

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14 Want to be a Service Leader? It Starts With the Hiring Process

By John Tschohl Steve Jobs was a master at many things. He built Apple into a multi-billion giant, and he did it in large part because of the people he hired. His goal, he said, was to hire people who were creative, wickedly smart, and slightly rebellious to help him build the company that would invent the future. To say that he met his goal would be a gross understatement. In Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson quotes his subject as saying, Ive learned over the years that, when you have really good people, you dont have to baby them. By expecting them to do great things, you can get them to do great things. The original Mac team taught me that A-plus players like to work together, and they dont like it if you tolerate B work. Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D., echoes that view in his book, Top Grading. He defines topgrading as packing an organization with A players. That, he adds, usually involves removing chronic B and C players, those employees who dont put forth an effort to become A players. Companies packed with A players mercilessly annihilate companies burdened with B/C players., he writes. Its inevitable, and its happening at an accelerated pace. Take a minute and look at the people around you. Are they A players? Or are they B and C players? A players are motivated, creative, and have high expectations for themselves and for others. B and C players, on the other hand, often do just enough to get by and to be paid for it. The question now becomes, how do you find and hire A players? Service leaders typically hire one out of 50 people they interview; they are very selective. Too many organizations are in a hurry and dont want to spend any more time than necessary interviewing and hiring employees. They conduct one interview with a candidate before making a job offer. I recommend that you involve other people in the interview process, especially if theyre going to be working with the new hire. This is a critical for two reasons. It gives you their input, and it gets their commitment to the success of the person you hire. Ron Johnson, former senior vice president of Retail Operations for Apple, Inc. and recently named CEO of J. C. Penney Company, says that, in order to find mission-driven employees, you should conduct as many as eight interviews. I wholeheartedly agree. And Vernon Hill, former CEO of Commerce Bank and co-founder of Metro Bank London, says he never moves to a second interview if the applicant didnt smile during the first one. The strategy, he says, is to hire outgoing people pleasers; then we train, train, and train. So, what should you look for during an interview? Look for people who smile, are enthusiastic, and have a good attitude and a neat appearance. Develop a list of questions to use during each interview, so you get answers that are easy to compare and evaluate among applicants. Ask questions that require more than yes or no answers, ones that will require applicants to share real experiences. What are your strongest pointsand your weakest points? What was your biggest failure, and what would you have done differently? What do you think you can bring to this position? Describe a situation, and then ask the candidate to explain how he or she would handle it. If you want to be a service leader and reap the financial rewards that designation brings with it, pack your organization with A players. They will drive your organization to new heights. John Tschohl, the internationally recognized service strategist, is founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Described by USA Today, Time, and Entrepreneur as a customer service guru, he has written several books on customer service and has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs that have been distributed throughout the world. Johns monthly strategic newsletter is available online.

Industrial Briefs
Portage, IN Anthony Kuk joined the Ports of Indiana as port director for the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor located in Portage, Ind. replacing Peter Laman. Zeeland Gentex Corporation is providing a rearview-mirror-integrated display for the all-new Mazda CX-5, sold in Japan, which allows the vehicle to meet unique Japanese safety requirements while enhancing vehicle styling. Holland Chef Container, LLC announced the award of a five (5) year contract for the collection of single stream recycling in City of Plainwell located in Allegan County, and will provide the residents of the city with new Single Stream 96-gallon curbside carts to replace the aging and outdated current 18-gallon source separated collection bins. Grand Rapids Start Garden announced the results from the fifth week of submissions to startgarden.com. The idea selected by the Start Garden team for funding was Regular Coffee founder Kurt Stauffer of Rowsters Coffee on Wealthy Street, wants to innovate on a delivery service. The idea selected by the most endorsements from visitors was Design a Dream Shannon Gales, who runs Vue Design, a custom wedding dress shop, has an idea to make custom dresses more affordable and designable by the customer by breaking the dress down into parts which can be mixed, matched and sewn together. Grand Rapids Magnum Powder Coating began a 6,000 SF expansion May 21, of production and warehouse space, with a completion goal of mid August 2012.

15 Aquatic Invasive Species Cost Businesses Hundreds of Millions Annually

Lansing - Aquatic invasive Species (AIS), cost businesses and consumers in the Great Lakes region hundreds of millions of dollars annually in direct costs and even more from indirect costs related to removal, maintenance and management of those species. Meanwhile, state and federal governments are currently forced to spend additional millions as they attempt to control the impacts and prevent the spread of AIS, according to a new report by Anderson Economic Group (AEG), commissioned and released by The Nature Conservancy today. The industries most affected by AIS include sport and commercial fishing, water treatment, power generation and tourism. Together, these industries employ more than 125,000 workers in the Great Lakes region. The report details the many ways AIS impose economic costs in the Great Lakes region and it puts into context the scale of the impact on several industries directly affected by AIS. For example, the cost of controlling zebra mussels at one water treatment facility is approximately $353,000 annually. Some may think that $353,000 doesnt sound like much in the larger context of business costs, but when you consider that we have 381 water treatment facilities across the basin, those numbers add up quickly, said Alex Rosaen, consultant at Anderson Economic Group, and the primary author of the report. That means the region is spending over $100 million annually on managing a pest infestation we might have been able to prevent. The report also outlines how indirect costs are spread across the economy. Primary examples are the cost of government to respond to AIS, and the cost of regulations developed in response to AIS. Other economic costs associated with AIS include decreased productivity caused by resources that must be committed to dealing with the impacts of AIS, like removing zebra mussels from water intake pipes and reduced demand for goods and services, such as fewer tourists or fishermen at popular destinations due to impacted fisheries or beach closures. Weve long known in the conservation community that AIS causes a significant disruption to species in the food chain, but its important to be able to quantify that damage beyond environmental impacts into those that affect our economy, said Rich Bowman, The Nature Conservancys director of government relations in Michigan and the Great Lakes. This is not just an environmental problem, its an economic one, too. States across the basin are spending significant financial resources already on maintenance, control and prevention of AIS. According to the report, the state of Wisconsin spent more than $12 million on AIS in 2009 and 2010, while Michigan spent about $3.1 million. The AEG report highlights in particular the impact on power plants, which is estimated at spending $130 million annually to remove AIS from 106 plants that utilize water from the Great Lakes. For example, zebra mussels have become such a problem for power generation that in 1989, the Detroit Edison plant in Monroe the largest fossil-fuel plant in the world had to shut down operations for three days to clean their intake pipes. Controlling aquatic invasive species doesnt immediately come to mind when you think about the job description for a CEO, but thats a reality for me and many other major business leaders today, said Gerry Anderson, president and CEO of DTE Energy. It affects our bottom line and is another area that needs attention and management to effectively operate our assets. According to the report, the largest industry affected by AIS in the Great Lakes is tourism and recreation, which is responsible for employing more than 90,000 people in the region, generating $30.3 billion annually in revenue. Costs range from monitoring and controlling AIS to lost revenue from beach closings affecting hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses. AIS-related costs are not just relevant to businesses, but also to consumers. Cottage owners in Ontario spend an estimated $355 for each household to install a water filtration system to combat infestations of quagga mussels. The economic impact of new AIS entering the Great Lakes are particularly troubling, Asian carp (bighead and silver carp) are the most recent, alarming threat because of their unknown effect on the Great Lakes food chain and, as a consequence, to industries like commercial and sport fishing. In the Mississippi River, Asian carp agitated by the sound of passing outboard motors have been known to leap from the water, causing physical harm to people and damage boats and equipment. As new AIS invade the Great Lakes, new costs will accrue, additional resources will be used, and new initiatives will be needed, Rosaen said. Preventing the spread of new AIS into the Great Lakes would benefit each state.

Industrial Briefs
Chicago, IL Enjoy Life Foods announced the promotion of Ken Harris to Chairmen of the Board. Lansing The Where Development Begins Co-op (comprised of DeWitt Township, the City of DeWitt, Bath Township, and Watertown Township) presented Granger with a Creating Entrepreneurial Communities Award in the Contributing to the Community Category. Comstock Township Midlink Business Park announced that Kenco, a leading provider of value-added distribution, public warehousing, transportation services and intelligent information technology, is expanding its existing operations at Midlink West to service a new agreement with a U.S. company that manufactures products for the food industry. Southfield Maxitrol Company, a top manufacturer of precision gas control systems for markets supported by burgeoning natural gas and LP gas industries, will begin major renovation and expansion of its corporate headquarters starting in August 2012. Grand Rapids The Economics Club of Grand Rapids named James Hackett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Steelcase Inc., Business Person of the Year for making significant contributions for the betterment of the community. Grand Rapids Advantage Sign Supply added Dustin David to its Product Development Department and will also be specializing in supporting new additions to the equipment, RIP software, and ink portfolio product lines.

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16 Education Briefs
Kalamazoo A new, high-tech device that generates intense pressure combined with heat to cut hard and brittle materials has been developed by Western Michigan University researchers and could soon have a huge commercial impact on the machining of difficult-to-machine engineered components. The technological breakthrough, spearheaded by Dr. John Patten, director of the WMU Manufacturing Research Center, and senior research associate and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Deepak Ravindra, uses high pressures generated by diamond cutting tools, along with intense and focused laser beam, to cut hard brittle objects such as glass, ceramics, semiconductors, porcelain, stone and more. Semiconductors are the bedrock of modern electronics and essential to the manufacture of computers, cell phones, music/entertainment devices and systems, and a multitude of other electronic devices. Grand Rapids The US Department of Education awarded Grand Rapids Community College a $387,630 grant to continue funding its TRiO Upward Bound Program which provides intensive educational, service leadership, and cultural opportunities. Grand Rapids Eight Grand Rapids Community College students took top honors at the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference. Reinier Fontaine-Perez earned 1st place honors in the entrepreneurship competition for his business plan and pitch for Fontaine Financial, an accounting and finance entity. Also representing GRCC at the conference were Alexi Bettig, David Colbert, Jacob Golden, Zachary Nestor, Samantha See, Dominick Sheridan and MacKenzie Shangle. Washington, D.C. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that University of Michigan was awarded $1.3 million in research grants, fellowships and scholarships to train and educate the next generation of leaders in Americas nuclear industry. Researchers at the University of Michigan will receive $831,876 for a research project aimed at developing new and advanced reactor designs and technologies that broaden the applicability of nuclear reactors. Big Rapids Ferris State Universitys student newspaper the Torch, will be led by the new editor-in-chief, senior Mary Benson during the 2012-13 school year. Kalamazoo Kaytlyn Witgen, who will graduate from Perry High School this month, is the recipient of a Mary Upjohn Meader Scholarship that is designed to cover major coursework for students studying geography, community and regional planning, or tourism and travel, and will pay up to $20,000 over the next four years for her to study at Western Michigan University. Big Rapids Ferris State University announced Matthew Adeyanju accepted an appointment as Dean of Ferris College of Health Professions, effective July 15, and Rick Kurtz accepted an appointment as Dean of Ferris State Universitys College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1. Grand Rapids Cheri Ackerman, a 2011 Calvin grad, has been awarded a 2012-2013 Hertz Fellowship, which supports gifted leaders in the applied sciences and engineering, and will pay her tuition for five years and provide her with a sizeable stipend. Big Rapids Clifton Franklund, professor at Ferris State University since 2006, was honored with the 2011-12 Distinguished Teacher Award. Grand Rapids Davenport University announced that Franco Bianchi, President and CEO of Haworth Inc., will join Davenport Universitys Board of Trustees, effective October 2012. Big Rapids Karl E. Huffman, President of Hedrick Associates in Grand Rapids, received the Ferris State University Distinguished Alumnus Award. Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Community College Computer Applications Adjunct Professor Cheryl Kautz was named a winner of a Blackboard Catalyst Award for Exemplary Course Program, which honors members of the community who design and develop exciting and innovative courses that represent the very best in technology and learning. Kalamazoo This summer, Western Michigan University will begin building a long-planned new home for its University Archives and Regional History Collections on the Oakland Drive Campus. Grand Rapids Lucas Brown and Colleen OConner, 5th graders at All Saints Academy, were presented with $500.00 scholarships from their entries in the Heritage Life Story Writing Contest, sponsored by Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes. Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Community College and Western Michigan University announced formation of a partnership that will offer students joint admission to both schools with the ultimate goal of obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. Students will be allowed admittance to both GRCC and WMU during their freshman year, and transfer to WMUs Haworth College of Business prior to beginning their junior year. GRCC transfer students must earn an associates degree with a minimum of a C in each class, and a 2.5 GPA to be admitted to WMUs Bachelor of Business Administration program. Kalamazoo U.S. News & World Reports recently published rankings of graduate programs, puts six Western Michigan University health programs among the best in the nation, with three of them--occupational therapy, physician assistant and speech-language pathology--rated both the highest in Michigan and among the top 50 nationwide.

Communication & IT
By: Adam Riggs Im a freelance programmer. I work from home. I make interactive user experiences. What this means is I create visually stimulating online programs that have animated components and are clickable. Typically, some company is introducing a new product, video game, movie or other such thing and wants a fancy looking website to go along with the launch. Im sure youve seen something like it before. Theres a loading screen, things move around and when you click on something it reacts in a cool way. There is usually a video that you can play as well; although I dont pay too much attention to the content. Im just there to make it all work. Im not a designer. I dont make the graphics, I make them interactive. By the time I get on board, the people that have hired me have been through months of meetings crafting every aspect of the advertising campaign. They send me pictures of how its supposed to look and I make it happen. Im like the construction crew after the blueprints have all been drawn up. But instead of using cranes and cement mixers, I use Photoshop, Flash Pro, Flash Builder, and Dreamweaver. I use Photoshop to break the pictures down into individual elements. The nice thing about Photoshop files is that everything can be put on a different layer. This makes it easy for me to either extract individual layers or group them together depending on how things are supposed to work. I use Flash Pro to then import the individual pictures that I exported from Photoshop. I need to use Flash Pro to do this so that I can identify which things are supposed to move around, respond to a click, be able to have text entered in them, update from a database, and so on. Basically, I recreate the original image while making portions of it interactive. I use Flash Builder to write the programming code that controls the interactive parts of the picture. This is the part that takes most of the time. You need to make sure that everything does exactly what its supposed to do and nothing more. Everything needs to be easy to use without ever acting strange or crashing. After I get the program written, I use Dreamweaver to embed it in a web page. Often, there are other pictures or logos that surround the program and those all need to be positioned correctly in a way that looks the same in all browsers. The work that I do can be pretty intense at times because theres often a hard deadline that cant be moved. There are usually a few last minute changes to be made when those who are in charge see how things are shaping up and decide that they want things to be a little different. Or, sometimes they dont give me things that I need until the last minute because the new product is super-secret and they dont want anyone to see it until the day it launches. I do work from home and my clients and people that I work with on projects

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are often on the other side of the country so I use email, chat, and Skype to keep in contact with the team. While Im working on a project I can expect a flood of emails, spontaneous chats, and daily Skype conference calls. I may not be near my coworkers but there are many lines of communication that are constantly open. All things considered I like my work. In contrast to other programmers, whose work is often not appreciated by non-programmers, the stuff that I make is designed from the start to be seen and enjoyed by the general public. Its pretty easy for me to show off what I do and have people appreciate it. Adam Riggs is a freelance interactive programmer specializing in the Flash platform. His clients have included Google, Microsoft, Axe, and Lexus. You can view his (somewhat outdated) portfolio at adamriggs.com and he can be reached via email at adam@adamriggs.com

Programming a User Friendly Experience From Home

Experienced IT Staffers in Demand

Grand Rapids - Over two-thirds of west Michigan companies adding information technology positions need midlevel applications staff, such as analysts, programmers, and web developers. Many companies have multiple openings. Half the companies are looking for senior workers and a third can use junior employees. There is a slight decrease in the number of firms outsourcing some IT projects. Perhaps they are bringing some projects back in-house as IT staffs increase. All of the retail/wholesale companies taking part in this survey say they are hiring new information technology staff in the next six months. More than 60% of all kinds of firms report that they will be hiring IT workers. This certainly agrees with other economic indicators: unemployment numbers in the west Michigan area are lower than the national and state average, and employment numbers are up. Non-profits, mostly government and education that depend on taxes for income, are the only employers with fewer than 50% adding IT staff Paragon Recruiting, a local technology recruiting firm, has just released its new Technology Employment Forecast for Summer/Fall of 2012. The information in this forecast can be indicative of the overall business climate in west Michigan and help companies make their strategic decisions. Unlike the larger national outlook reports, this one is restricted to west Michigan and information technology jobs. About 100 mid and west Michigan firms of varying sizes and industries participate in this semi-annual forecast. Most have been faithful participants since the first forecast for 2003.

Communications & IT Briefs

Lansing Motion Marketing & Media was presented a PACE Award of Excellence from the Central Michigan Public Relations Society of America. Grand Rapids SeyferthPR announced promotions of Megan Ochmanek to Assistant Account Executive, and John Balice to Account Coordinator, and hiring of Jessica Colwell, Account Coordinator, and Whitney Potteiger, Project Coordinator. Madison, WI TDS Telecommunications Corp. announced availability of managedIP Hosted Call Center. The call center environment connects callers and employees based solely on how a business wants to route calls by product line, season, and to single or multiple locations.

General Business Briefs

Grandville Bagger Daves Legendary Burger Tavern will celebrate its grand opening at 4553 Canal Ave. SW in Grandville on Sunday, May 13 at 10 a.m. The Grandville restaurant will be the seventh Bagger Daves in Michigan with other locations in Ann Arbor, Berkley, Brighton, East Lansing, Grand Rapids and Novi. Grand Rapids Start Garden, the $15,000,000 seed fund that selects ideas each week for $5,000 investments, announced: The idea chosen from visitor endorsements on the website was Ntewani, an online/brick & mortar hybrid retailing womens fashions and fabrics from around the globe. The idea submitter, Brandi Washington is from Raleigh, NC. Suya Foods LLC, a new business to bring packaged African food to the mainstream market. Sing Song Yoga For Kids, a video series teaching yoga poses to kids through song. Harbor Springs Boyne Highlands Resort announced a new resort amenity - The Spa, opening for business on Friday, May 25. Resort guests and day visitors can relax and rejuvenate at the new facility, which offers four treatment rooms, a relaxation area and spa boutique, and providing spa goers with access to an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, sauna and fitness facility. Grand Rapids Helping to commemorate Robinettes 100th year of business in 2011, Michigan Centennial Farm Association honored Robinettes with a 100 year sign, which is only given to farms that have been run by the same family for 100 years. Grand Rapids The following were elected to The Employers Associations 2012 - 2013 Board of Directors: Arthur Johnson, United Bank of Michigan; Dr. Peter Coggan, Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners; Cynthia Alt, Agape Plastics, who received an appointment as Director; Scott McLean, New Horizons Computer Learning Center and was elected Board Chair; and Jay Dunwell, Wolverine Coil Spring Co. and was reelected Treasurer. Grand Rapids Property Management Association of Michigan announced two new laws that took effect May 22, 2012, as specifically doing two things: First, it is no longer required that a formal police complaint be issued by the landlord in order to evict someone based upon the already-existing drug eviction statute (MCL 600.5714(b)). Now a police complaint can originate from any source, including the police themselves. Second, it adds a new 7-day notice to quit based upon violence or the threat of violence on the landlords premises, so long as the victim calls the police and it is not a domestic violence situation. Grand Rapids Eric Vorpi, owner of The Cheshire Grill (the former Sweetland Restaurant), at 2162 Plainfield Ave., NE, held an open house and ribbon cutting on May 22. Grand Rapids Click Plow and NxtMile Sport Insoles were selected by Start Garden, the $15,000,000 seed fund that selects ideas each week for $5,000 investments, from the first week of submissions of ideas to startgarden.com. The third idea, Dirty Water Beer was selected by visitors to who gave it the most endorsements. Farmington Hills Kyyba announced the addition of Kevin Dacey, as Executive Vice President, bringing with him more than 28 years of experience in the Professional Staffing Services industry. Grand Rapids Lane Cooper, David Chupp and Leanne Vandenbos are the three winners of the Third Annual Legacy Trust Award Collection. Each Legacy Trust Award Collection winner received a cash prize and will be entered in ArtPrize 2012. Paw Paw Lake Michigan Shore winery, St. Julian, was awarded the title of Best Sweet Riesling by the International Riesling Foundation at the Riverside International Wine Competition, in addition to wining Best of Class and a Chairmans Award, the latter requiring unanimous agreement among judges. Grand Rapids A.K. Rikks, a local mens and womens luxury boutique, is celebrating its 25th year of operation in 2012. Throughout the years they have grown from a small mens suiting store to the place to shop for mens and womens designer brands in Grand Rapids. Their new location will be at 6303 28th Street in Cascade, Michigan. Holland and Zeeland The Boards of Directors for both the Holland and Zeeland Chambers unanimously approved a resolution to merge into one organization, the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce, and will now go to a vote of the members of both organizations. They will begin operations on September 1. Kentwood Jakes Fireworks will be hosting a grand opening of a 40,000 square foot megastore Friday, May 25, with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:00 p.m., emerging as the top fireworks provider in the State of Michigan since the new law took effect January 1, 2012. Novi The nation's largest specialty golf retailer, Golfsmith, is swinging into Novi and opening one of the area's largest experiential retail golf stores located at 43135 Crescent Boulevard, in the Novi Town Center. The new location provides area golfers with an unrivaled golf retail experience of interactive, high tech features not found in most golf stores. Muskegon The renowned Muskegon Art in the Park fine arts and craft show, and the Michigan Marketplace will take place June 29 to July 1, 2012.

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Grand Rapids Kantorwassink was internationally recognized by the prestigious Communicator Awards for their work on the Amway Global Starter Kit Guide, the Wolverine Worldwide identity, and the Emergency Care Specialists Integrated Brand Campaign. Grand Rapids WGVU Public Media announced that its television production of Hope College Christmas Vespers 2011 has been named as a nominee in the 34th Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television and Sciences Michigan Chapter. Winners of the 2011 Michigan Emmys will be announced this June. Grand Rapids The Board of Directors and employees of Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women announced that William Hahn joined their staff as Microloan Program Manager. Muskegon LongerDays.com, which provides outsourcing services such as Web design, copy writing and administrative support to clients worldwide, signed a two-year agreement with Grand Valley State University to occupy business incubator space at GVSUs Alternative and Renewable Energy Center. Instead of companies outsourcing to India or countries other than the U.S., theyre outsourcing to Muskegon and supporting full-time jobs, said owner Chad Lawie, a 27-year old Muskegon native.

Finance/Insurance Briefs
Lansing Foster Swift Attorney, Michael Harrison, was presented the 2012 Glen L. Taggart Award for Community Contribution to International Understanding, an award given by Michigan State University. Grand Rapids The Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center selected Fifth Third Bank as the 2011 Outstanding Partner, as part of the Recognition of Excellence and Leadership awards. Grand Rapids Hilger Hammond, PC, announce the election of Benjamin H. Hammond as Trustee for the Grand Rapids Bar Association. Hammond will serve his term starting on July 1, 2012. Grand Rapids Plante Moran, PLLC, the nations 12th largest public accounting and business advisory firm, received recent recognition on the 2011 Top Ten list of the National Top Workplaces. Sparta ChoiceOne Bank announced the addition of John T. Goodrow as Mortgage Loan Originator.

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Grand Rapids Rhoades McKee announced Zoe S. Martinez joined the law firm as an associate. She will focus her practice in the areas of employment law and general litigation.

Coworkers Are Customers, Too Provide Them With the Best Service Possible
By John Tschohl When we talk about customer service, we usually think about how we deal with the people who walk through our doorsboth physical and virtualto purchase our products and services. What we often fail to realize, however, is that we also have customers within our organizations; those customers are our coworkers. Customer service means being responsive to a customers needs and being resourceful in meeting those needs. Customer service is many things: knowledge, communication, skill, attitude, efficiency, integrity, reliability, knowledge, and helpfulness. How you interact with coworkers and supervisors has a huge impact on the effectiveness of the team. When Dan asks for your help in completing a report, do you tell him that its not your responsibility, or do you eagerly offer to do whatever you can to help him meet his deadline? When Bethany points out an error, do you get defensive, or do you view her comment as constructive and vow to improve your performance? When you treat coworkers and supervisors with respect, when you help them solve their problems and meet or exceed the demands of the job, your value as an employee increases dramatically. Just as you should do whatever it takes to satisfy a customer, you should do whatever it takes to help a coworker. If you want to ensure that the service you are providing is exceptional, take these steps: 1. Develop a positive attitude. Your attitude is reflected in everything you do. It not only determines how you approach your job and your coworkers, it determines how they respond to you. Dont complainand dont hang around negative coworkers. Do whatever it takes to get the job doneand done right. Listen. You cant help a coworker unless you hear and understand what he needs. Listening shows that you care and provides you the information you need to do what needs to be done. Ask questions. Rephrase what your coworker is saying to ensure that you understand the situation. Then use that information to decide how to move forward. 3. Solve problems. Great customer service professionals are quick on their feet. They have the skills necessary to quickly analyze a situation and decide what needs to be done to solve the problem. Dont procrastinate. Develop a plan of attack, and handle the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible. Be accessible. This means returning phone calls and responding to emails as quickly as possible. Doing so sends the message that what your coworker needs is important to you and that you are available and eager to provide whatever assistance is needed. 5. Be honest. If a task is outside your level of expertise, or if you cannot meet the required deadline, admit it. Then offer to facilitate by helping your coworker identify someone in the organization who does have the expertise and the time to assist with the project. Honesty earns respect. The same holds true when you make a mistake. Admit it, apologize, and learn from it. Make your coworkers feel valued. Recognize them with a smile. Call them by name. Make eye contact. Be attentive to what they have to say. Compliment them when they do a good job. Ask for their advice. Make them feel important. 7. Perform. Deliver what you promise. Send the message that your

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coworkers can depend on you. Do what you say you will doand do it with quality, speed, and accuracy. If you say you are going to complete a report by Tuesday, do your best to complete it by Monday. There is great power in mastering the skills necessary to provide exceptional customer service. You will gain confidence in yourself and your abilities, you will earn the respect of your coworkers, and you will be recognized and rewarded. You will set yourself apart and be recognized as a valuable member of the team. And you will have satisfied customers. John Tschohl, the internationally recognized service strategist, is founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Described by USA Today, Time, and Entrepreneur as a customer service guru, he has written several books on customer service and has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs that have been distributed throughout the world. Johns monthly strategic newsletter is available online.

Finance/Insurance Briefs
Fremont According to the results of the 12th Biennial Michigan Association of Insurance Agents 2012 Agent Survey of Companies, Fremont Insurance was named the highest rated insurance company among independent agents across the state. Fremont was ranked as the top agency in Competitiveness, Service: Commercial Lines, Automation, Underwriting, Attitude and Management categories, a close second in Service: Personal Lines, Claims, and Agency Contract, and third in Compensation. Grand Rapids Rhoades McKee announced Jacqueline M. Appleman, Timothy R. Dudley and George Williams G. Futado have joined the firm as Summer Associates. Grandville Grand River Bank has expanded its Residential Mortgage team with the addition of Tim McAleece as Vice President Mortgage Manager. Grand Rapids Founders Bank & Trust announced that Scott LaBarge has been promoted to the newly created position of Chief Financial Officer of Founders Bank & Trust. Grand Rapids Plante Moran, PLLC, the nations 12th largest public accounting and business advisory firm, has been included on the 2012 List of Best Public Accounting Firms for Women released today by the American Society of Women Accountants and the American Womens Society of Certified Public Accountants. Grand Rapids Hospice of Michigan announced the hiring Susan Fenters Lerch as Corporate Director of Development, and will be responsible for all aspects of fundraising for Hospice of Michigan statewide. Sparta ChoiceOne Bank announced Robert Grove joined as Vice President of Information Systems and will direct and supervise the interfaces and support systems required for Bank-wide business operation. Grand Rapids Independent Bank received the Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in the North Central Region from the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Retail Banking Satisfaction StudySM. Grand Rapids Price Heneveld LLP announced Briana Emerson joined the firm as a Law Clerk. Lansing Frank Reynolds, a shareholder at the law firm of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, was presented with the Anne Schneidewind Impact Award by Big Brothers and Big Sisters for the Michigan Capital Region at the Kellogg Center at Michigan State University. Grand Rapids The Grand Rapids Griffins announced the hiring of Steve Ritsema as Corporate Sales Account Manager. Grand Rapids - Lighthouse Group announced the addition of Shawn MacDougall to the Kentwood team. Farmington Hills Dirk Beckwith, shareholder at the law firm of Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, was named President-Elect of the Transportation Lawyers Association. Grand Rapids Lake Michigan Credit Union announced the promotion of Bill Clancy, Director of Retail Strategy, to Vice President of Retail Strategy. Midland Chemical Financial Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Chemical Bank, has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 21 branches from Independent Bank located in Otsego, Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, Roscommon, Iosco, Ogemaw, Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2012.

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