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1993-2012

Business

July 2012 $2.00

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New Products Corporation

Walter Miller, Founder 1922 - 1954

Stanley Miller, President 1954 - 2001

Cheryl Miller CEO 2001 - Present

Inside Featur es
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2 Small Business Start-Up Tips

By Eric Mills The Midwest has gone from being one of the hardest hit areas during the recession, to being an engine that is driving the nation back to recovery. The job numbers are improving, incomes are up and so is consumer spending. During the last two decades, small and new businesses have created two of every three new jobs in the United States. According to the National Economic Council, small businesses employ 60 million Americans or half of all jobs in the country. The numbers are impressive and the success stories are many, but even long hours of hard work and steadfast dedication dont guarantee success. In fact, more than half of small businesses fail within the first five years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. What makes the difference between success and failure? After years of helping entrepreneurs start everything from restaurants to biotechnology firms, I have found several fundamental factors that can determine whether a business succeeds or fails. Experience. A business owner needs experience because he or she will initially play every role, with little room for learning on the job. It is difficult to imagine a mechanic switching professions and operating a successful restaurant. A potential lender will want to be assured that the owner or an in-house expert knows how to run the business. A plan. A solid business plan is a must. Include everything from prices to competition, as well as risks and financial projections. A banker will want to know if the business can be successful, but just as important, the owner needs to know what success looks like. A number of resources are available to help you develop a business plan, including nonprofit organizations such as SCORE, your local chamber of commerce, colleges and universities, and the Small Business Administration. Your banker is also a valuable resource for developing a business plan. Money. Because most businesses will not make a profit initially, start-ups must be well capitalized. In fact, undercapitalization is one of the prime reasons small businesses fail. While banks and other lenders can provide the cushion needed, most lenders expect owner equity of 20-25 percent. Strong credit. To attract financing, business owners must demonstrate that they are capable of meeting their obligations, and that means having a strong credit rating. Outside income. The owner should have access to savings or outside income until the business does well enough to provide a salary. Bench strength. A business owner needs to surround himself or herself with a team of trusted advisers an accountant, an attorney, an insurance agent and a banker. Small businesses, particularly new businesses, generally will not have enough funds to pay for a fulltime employee to fill the accountant, legal and financial positions. Strong financial controls. Every business needs quality financial reporting, accounting systems and controls. Everything learned in accounting class will come in handy. Friends. The business owner needs a lot of support. Family, friends and advisors will help owners through the difficulties that come with starting a business, including long hours away from home and other sacrifices. Energy. The business owner needs to be ready and willing to work harder and longer than ever before. It takes commitment. A good team. A business owner cant know all and do everything. He or she must be able to trust in-house experts to help make the business successful. A realistic perception of success. Know the timeline for success or failure. A business owner needs to know what success looks like so he or she can decide whether to celebrate or think of a new career. The best part of starting a new business is that there are a number of resources to help with the process, including a personal banker. Remember, theyve been there before and have helped many other businesses get off to a successful start. Eric Mills joined Huntington National Bank in 1994 as a banking office manager. From there, Eric was a business banker and a business banking team leader. In 2002, Eric became the Business Banking Market Manager.

Finance, Insurance & Banking

The inaugural edition of the New Mini Finance/Banking/Insurance Publication is brought to you by Business Update Publications and will be released the final Thursday of each month. Features, columns and press releases that are industry related, current and timely. T have your news included or to submit artio cles for potential inclusion reply to prupdate@businessupdate.com. For sponsorship and advertising contact diane@businessupdate.com or jim@businessupdate.com.

Insights on Business Financing

By Jane Whittington It takes many things to be an entrepreneur. It takes confidence and courage, the willingness to work hard and take risks; it takes long hours and self-sacrifice. And it takes money. The adage, It takes money to make money, may well have been coined byor for entrepreneurs. A business, whatever size it is, from the mom-and-pop on the corner all the way to companies that employ thousands, needs money to start, and it needs money to grow. And thats where banks that provide business financing play a role. Recent interviews with two banking professionals in the Grand Rapids area shed light on the current state of business financing. Jos A. Infante, Senior Vice President for Commercial Lending at Independent Bank, and Mark Martis, Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer for Grand River Bank, shared their insights. Infante says, At Independent Bank, we welcome new applications for business financing. We pride ourselves on being flexible in meeting the customers needs and working closely with them in order to serve them in the most responsible way possible. We customize our products and services for individual needs. He continues, We here in West Michigan continue to see growth in the business sector. In fact, growth here consistently outpaces the rest of Michigan, and I believe we will continue to see that growth continue. Recent changes in state regulations make doing business in the state more responsive to the needs of the community, and that can only work in our favor. And Infante has more good news. He says, Our first quarter this year has been as profitable as all of last year combined. This positive trend encompasses the entire region, not only Grand Rapids but also Ionia, Muskegon, Holland, Kalamazoo and Traverse City. Grand River Bank is the new kid on the block. Founded in 2009 by a coalition of business owners in West Michigan, it understands the needs of the small businessperson. According to Mark Martis, We had to raise capital in the beginning just like any other business. That, and the fact that we are locally owned and operated, makes us particularly responsive to small business owners in the area, and we specialize in that market. We think of our business as relationship banking. He adds, Our lending team is comprised of people with a background in commercial markets, and commercial lending is where we concentrate our efforts. Besides our focus on business and industry, we also make loans for owner-occupied real estate. Martis also reports positives for our region. He says, Theres been an uptick in residential construction with some developments starting back up again after a few years of little activity. As inventory in new homes diminishes, we are seeing more houses being built on spec, and this indicates a return to a healthier economy. According to the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), Michigan made significant strides in an annual entrepreneurial scorecard issued by SBAM. The states entrepreneurial climate ranked 15th nationally in 2011, compared to 45th in 2010. Their report points to little dramatic change but rather a slow continuation of positive trends. According to Independent Banks Infante, Most of our business loans over the past year have been for business expansion rather than for new businesses. Strong sectors of the economy continue to be manufacturing, especially in automotive and furniture manufacturing. And we are seeing a surge in the past few years in the service industry, particularly in healthcare fields. Martis of Grand River Bank echoes that observation. He says, Through 2008 and 2009, many businesses struggled and had to reduce overhead due to slumping sales. While they are not yet back to pre-2008 levels, things are getting better. Down cycles are still possible, but overall we see the economy and the business climate continuing to improve. While banks remain cautious in their lending practices and policies, they are interested and invested, as we all are, in seeing the economy rebound. Committed to the communities they serve, they continue to provide start-up and expansion funding that will benefit us all. Jane Whittington is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Grand Rapids.

New Products Corporation Celebrates 90 Years of Continuous Manufacturing

Benton Harbor - How do you create a legacy that is sustained from generation to generation? Walter Miller, a young electrical engineer from Switzerland, was not likely thinking about legacies upon moving to Michigan during the early 20th century; He was busy inventing, manufacturing and starting new ventures in southwest Michigan. In 1922, Miller founded New Products Corporation (NPC), one of six companies he established in Benton Harbor and neighboring communities. Among the most widely known were Modern Plastics Corporation that was instrumental in the development of the plastics industry, and V-M Corporation (Voice of Music), which developed and produced record changers and tape recorders. Miller started New Products as a one man tool and repair shop in a small 15 foot square rented space. As the business grew, it moved and expanded into a sophisticated manufacturing facility at North Shore Drive and Klock Road in Benton Harbor. I can only imagine what my grandfather would say about our company today, Cheryl Miller, NPCs president and CEO said. Miller, who was featured in the January 2011 issue of Forbes magazine, added Indeed, he generated a valuable asset for Michigan and the local economy that was nurtured by my father Stanley O. Miller for more than 60 years. Since its founding, NPC has become a global supplier of custom, precision die cast aluminum and zinc parts for hundreds of applications in dozens of industries worldwide including automotive, marine, military, industrial machinery, medical instruments, household appliances, transportation equipment, furniture and fixtures, and more. ollowing Stanley Millers death in 2001, his wife Phyllis Clemens Miller ensured the companys continuity by stepping in to assist at the age of 85. She served as NPCs Secretary/Treasurer for 50 years. Their daughter Cheryl stepped in at the same time and became the third generation to run the company and is committed to carrying the legacy forward. I dont even know if the word legacy was in my grandfathers vocabulary, Miller. For our family, it has always carried a much greater meaning. Its about a commitment to serving others including customers, employees and families, and the local community. According to Miller, it is NPCs vision of a commitment to excellence that has led to the companys continued growth and success. As a world class supplier, the company has achieved an extraordinary record of a parts-per-million defect rate in the single digits. Another extraordinary achievement is the companys retention of some customers for 70 years and more. The average length of employment22 years- is also remarkable. During the past year two employees achieved more than 47 years with the company. In February 2012, NPC was granted its first property tax abatement in the companys 90 year history. The abatement aids NPC in purchasing new computerized equipment and adding six new jobs to its three shift operation, which employs 100 peoplea third of whom live in Benton Harbor. The company enjoys a long history of continuous improvement from Walter Miller's smart expansion to Stanley Miller's facility modernization and innovative engineering, through to today's leading edge equipment purchases and lean manufacturing techniques. Miller and her team are surrounded by sophisticated technology and machinery--producing millions of parts each year, including engine covers for the next generation of green vehicles. Sustaining the legacy of NPCs founder has not been without challenges, including the severe economic downturn which forced many die cast operations in Michigan and throughout the United States to close or move their operations overseas. Celebrating 90 years of continuous operations in 2012, NPC is the only surviving manufacturer and largest employ-

er in Benton Harbor, a community that is faced with a serious array of social, financial and political issues. We have a long history of being good neighbors and spend millions of dollars each year with businesses and organizations in our community, said Miller, who is concerned about recently proposed amendments to Benton Harbors zoning ordinance that could potentially limit the companys growth. In the past, weve been quiet about NPCs many achievements because our family was not seeking recognition. However, this year we achieved a significant milestone that few companies reach, and were proud to let everyone know we intend to be around another 90 years. For more information about New Products Corporation, visit www.newproductscorp.com.

Finance/Insurance Briefs
Sparta ChoiceOne Bank announced their participation in financing of the Newaygo Area District Library expansion project. The total library expansion project will cost $1.2 million with ChoiceOne Bank financing $450,000. Grand Rapids Lake Michigan Credit Union announced the promotion of Julie Grace, Director of Branch Operations, to Vice President of Branch Operations. Fremont Fremont Insurance, a Michigan-exclusive property and casualty insurance carrier, announced that the Company hired Christopher Clinton, CPCU, as Vice President of Commercial Lines and Product Development. Washington, DC Clark Hill, PLC, expanded its presence in Washington DC to premier office space at 601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, North Building Suite 1000. Lansing More than 4.5 million people are now members of Michigan credit unions, setting a new record, according to 2012 first quarter data just released by the National Credit Union Administration. Statewide, credit unions also reported record checking account balances at the end of the first quarter of 2012, aided by near-record quarterly balance growth and new checking accounts. Bay City Tricia Raquepaw was promoted to Vice President, Director of Marketing at Independent Banks Bay City office. Cedar Springs Michael Wolfe joined Independent Bank as a Mortgage Loan Officer at the Cedar Springs office, serving customers in Kent, Mecosta and Montcalm counties. Grand Rapids Benjamin Hammond, construction law attorney, will speak about Insurance Coverage for Construction Defect Claims at the IRMI Construction Risk Conference in Orlando, FL, November 13, 2012. Grand Rapids The State Bar of Michigan recognized the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP with the 2012 Pro Bono Circle of Excellence award. The distinction is reserved for law firms that provide free or reducedfee representation to low-income individuals or organizations. Grand Rapids John R. (Jack) Oostema, a shareholder with Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge, was named by Chambers USA as a leading attorney in Michigan in the area of general commercial litigation. In addition, Smith Haughey has been named as a leading law firm in the same category.

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5 What is Factoring?
By Brian Birnbaum Banks dont seem to have any money to lend right now or at least none they want to and equity markets arent a great value proposition for many companies with investors skeptical about, well, everything. U.S. Bancorp recently commissioned a survey of 1,004 companies nationwide with annual revenue of $10 million or less that showed slightly less than a third of those surveyed said their bank provides everything they need when it comes to financing and other business services. Yet business needs to go on. Businesses still need to buy goods, meet payroll, cover seasonal adjustments and even seize market opportunities. So what are they to do? Many small to mid-size businesses are turning to factoring, an alternative to bank lending that provides businesses with capital when needed on a flexible formula basis that is proportional to sales. The factoring line grows as the sales to credit worthy customers increase giving clients an opportunity to capitalize on market opportunities. Following are some of the most frequently asked questions about factoring showing how business owners can benefit: Q: What is factoring? A: Factoring is the purchase of corporate accounts receivable. Its generally used when a company is in its infancy or experiences a growth spurt and gives that company access to capital through non-traditional means. Q: How does factoring work? A: A factor purchases a businesss accounts receivable and gives them a large percentage of the total creditworthy accounts receivable up front and the remainder when they are collected. The factor handles all the credit checks, collects the accounts receivable and ledgers the receivable so the client is able to concentrate on growing their business. Q: How does factoring differ from other types of financing? A: Factoring differs from traditional bank loans because the credit decision is strictly based on receivables rather than other criteria how long the company has been in business, working capital and personal credit score, for example that a bank would take into consideration. Factoring differs from equity financing in that factors dont take equity in the company. Since contracts are short term, the client could elect to stop factoring whenever they choose. Q: Who can benefit the most from factoring? A: Generally, any business-to-business company that has the ability to increase their sales but are held back because of a lack of capital can benefit from factoring. The industries that tend to use factors now are service-based because they have a high labor component (must pay employees weekly). Without factoring, they wouldnt be able to expand. The transportation industry is big; truckers factor because they have to pay employees and fuel costs every week and truck rentals monthly and with receivables collected every 45 days, it would be impossible to grow without factoring. Staffing is another industry that benefits. Q: What are some common misconceptions about factoring? A: The biggest misconception is that people believe factors are a lender of last resort but thats not true. In addition to providing financing, the factor will do credit checking, receivables accounting and reporting, and all the collection work, thus saving the company the salary of employees hired to handle these same tasks. As well, most employees tasked with these duties are not trained credit or collection professionals which exposes companies that want to offer payment terms to customers to increased risk. Trained employees are expensive and hard to find. Some companies do not offer credit terms for these reasons even though they could be doing more business. Using a factor dramatically reduces these risks. Most clients are motivated to contact a factor for the money, but they soon realize the services and flexibility are equally as important. Q: How do factors differ from one another? A: Businesses in need of a factor have long had only two choices: they could go to a large factoring company in a far away city or to a smaller, local operation. At the larger companies, the client can never talk to the decision maker like they could with a smaller company. Conversely, the smaller companies cant provide the same sophisticated back office system the larger company can offer or the assurance of funding capabilities. With the advent of companies like Liquid Capital, the client can have both the back office perks, assurance of funding capacity and direct access to the decision maker, who often is a member of their own community. Brian Birnbaum is the president of Liquid Capital of America Corp., an international franchise network with more than 60 offices across North America. For more information, visit liquidcapitalcorp.com or www.lcfranchise.com.

Business

update
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Publisher: Gary Kralapp

Business Development Senior Vice President: Diane LaPreze Senior Vice President: Jim Lroy Circulation: Aubrey Day Contributing Writers:Eric Mills, Jane Whittington, Brian Birnbaum, Greg Hammermaster, Simon A. Thalmann, Patrick Dati, Brian Allred, 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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6 Mortgage Industry Offers Encouraging News

By: Jane Whittington In challenging economic times, purchasing a home can be a leap of faith and selling one can be a daunting prospect. And once decisions are made, navigating the way through the mortgage process can be overwhelming. However, local banks are ready to help make that most American of American dreams, home ownership, a reality. While the median home price in the US as of June 18, 2012 was $235,774, Grand Rapids realtors report a median price of $93,933 on 552 houses sold from March through May of 2012. Affordable prices coupled with mortgage rates at historic lows make buying ones dream home a doable prospect. According to Cynthia Lowman, President of United Bank Mortgage Corporation (UBMC), Michigan, and in particular West Michigan, is showing good activity on both the purchase and refinance market side. We are seeing a positive trend for the home buying public. She continues, While home prices remain relatively low, sellers are now making the decision to sell in this market to take advantage of low rates and purchase their next home at the same discounted level. I think it has taken some time for property owners to come to grips with their loss of home equity, but they are now seeing advantages for them to sell and buy in this new market. While home values peaked from 2006-2008, that bubble has burst, and Lowman says home prices are unlikely to rebound in the foreseeable future. In terms of standards for qualifying for a mortgage, Lowman says, Credit score is back on top. Right now, for the best rate from government sponsored enterprises like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae a credit score of 720 + is the only way to avoid fees pegged to credit. Down payment is more important than in previous cycles as the Michigan companies are pricing to risk. For borrowers with really low scores (650 or less), there are few choices other than FHA and RD (Rural Development loans). Reports are that West Michigan has a very healthy credit market, and there has been an increase in construction for the first time in several years. As for activity in the mortgage industry, Lowman says, As interest rates have fallen on home loans, we have seen an uptick in mortgage aps. For a time, rates fell to 2.75 percent fixed, but these rates were not marketed aggressively. Rates continue to be low, and we are doing a brisk business in both new home loans and refis. Currently, about 60 percent of our business is refinancing and 40 percent new home purchases. Lowman has good news for our region. She says, This market should remain pretty hot until election time. We know that if rates rise by just one percent, it will freeze up any more of the refinancing for a time. Those borrowers who can take advantage of low rates are doing so at record number at UBMC. The future of the GSEs will take more time than originally anticipated to restructure or wind down, and we watch that activity very closely as we are a big user of those markets. Jane Whittington is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Grand Rapids.

Finance/Insurance Briefs
Seattle, WA Ernst & Young, LLP, announced Greg Enell, CEO of Double Down Interactive, makers of one of the world's largest free-to-play casinos on Facebook, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2012 Award, in the hyper-competitive social gaming category in the Pacific Northwest Region. Midland Chemical Bank announced Joel Rahn was promoted to Regional President West, to provide oversight for Chemical Banks West Michigan community including marketing and management of retail, commercial and private banking groups. Lynn Kerber was promoted to Executive Vice President and Regional President South, including management of the banks retail and commercial banking groups located in Benton Harbor, Niles, Kalamazoo, Marshall/Albion and Holland. Grand Rapids Ben Stoep joined Varnum LLP as an associate in the Grand Rapids office. Stoep is a member of Varnum's corporate practice group, focusing on manufacturing and banking industries - advising on mergers and acquisitions, securities regulations, regulatory matters, and corporate governance. Brighton LifeSecure Insurance Company was recognized by the International Academy of the Visual Arts as the winner in the print design category of three 2012 Communicator Awards, the worlds largest and most competitive awards program honoring the creative excellence of communication professionals. Grand Rapids Mierendorf & Co. P.C., certified public accountants, announced a new venture entitled InPayroll, LLC. InPayrolls primary mission is to provide businesses with a professional payroll system that can be customized to fit their needs. Grand Rapids Richard A. Roane, partner with the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, has been elected president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Detroit Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP is the only law firm to be named as one of this years Michigans Economic Bright Spots by Corp! Magazine. Grand Rapids Chambers USA named Rhoades McKees Litigation Practice Group as a leader in Michigan Commercial Litigation. Chambers defined this legal team as a 23 strong practice group which handles a variety of commercial litigation matters, including white collar criminal defense, shareholder disputes, and personal injury cases. Grand Rapids In an effort to support student veterans with the rising costs of college tuition and to honor their dedication to their country, the law firm of Plachta, Murphy & Associates, P.C., announced its inaugural Veterans Scholarships Program. Lansing Laura Chappelle joined Varnum's Lansing office as counsel in the firm's energy regulatory practice bringing to the firm more than 20 years of regulatory and legal policy experience involving energy, telecommunications and advanced communications sectors.

Finance, Insurance & Banking

The inaugural edition of the New Mini Finance/Banking/Insurance Publication is brought to you by Business Update Publications and will be released the final Thursday of each month. Features, columns and press releases that are industry related, current and timely. T have your news included or to submit artio cles for potential inclusion reply to prupdate@businessupdate.com. For sponsorship and advertising contact diane@businessupdate.com or jim@businessupdate.com.

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7 Who says the government never has a good program?

Michigan - Working with the Economic Development Foundation and using the U.S. Small Business Administration temporary 504 debt refinancing program has helped Professional Uniforms, Inc. to continue to thrive and grow. Lydias Professional Uniforms was started over 40 years ago as one retail store that eventually grew to four locations. Catalogs and a website were added to satisfy the national demand for Lydias uniforms. Now 40 years later, three generations of Lydias family have been dedicated to getting their clients the latest, in-style scrubs and medical uniforms at the best value. Through all the years, Professional Uniforms headquarters have grown and expanded and now are housed in a 100,000 square foot warehouse for their 90 staff members and extensive inventory. Economic Development Foundation was able to structure the SBA 504 temporary refinancing program to reduce the payments on the building while using their existing land equity for the down payment without any outlay of capital. This has allowed Professional Uniforms to efficiently maximize resources. Martha Lambros, CEO of Professional Uniforms, explains the SBA 504 refinance program is a great program. EDF makes it an easy process. The SBA 504 refinance program is a terrific opportunity for companies that are looking to refinance their existing debt on buildings, land or equipment. Economic Development Foundation is eager to explain the many advantages of the temporary SBA 504 refinance program. Currently this program is scheduled to expire in September 2012, so companies need to act soon. Bradd Pierce, loan officer for EDF states, This was a perfect fit for Professional Uniforms, Inc. and the SBA 504 refinance program. What a smart move to lower their monthly payments and conserve capital for other uses. Three more generations will be working at Professional Uniforms, Inc. for the next 50 years! For additional information regarding EDF and the SBA 504 loan program, call (616) 459-4825 or visit www.growmichigan.com.

New International Trade Crossing Will add Thousands of Jobs

Grand Rapids The construction of a new bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario will provide an estimated 12,000 jobs per year for each of the four years of the construction phase according to the analysis recently released by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit research organization. Furthermore, the analysis concludes that once the bridge is operational, more than 8,000 permanent jobs will be created. The published study, Analysis of the Economic Contribution of Constructing the New International Trade Crossing: A New Bridge Linking Detroit and Windsor, indicates numerous opportunities will be generated from both the construction and operation of the bridge, the New International Trade Crossing (NITC). Initially, the construction of the bridge itself will serve as an economic stimulus, providing jobs and tax revenues. Once construction is completed and bridge operations have begun, the regions additional freight shipping capability could attract private-sector investment, augmenting the gross regional product and creating more employment opportunities, said Kim Hill, director of Sustainability and Economic Development Strategies at CAR and the studys lead. Additionally, the bridge project will make Michigan eligible to receive Federal matching funds that can be used on other highway infrastructure projects throughout the state, helping to improve Michigans highway system and supporting the states transportation employment, added Hill. Clearly, a project of this scale, along with the federal matching funds, will have employment and economic effects that will impact many diverse industries throughout the state. Rick Baker, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, noted that the bridge project plays a vital role in our local economy as well as the states. The New International Trade Crossing is one of those crucial decisions that will dramatically impact Michigans future a project that will benefit Michigan and our children for decades to come, said Baker. One in seven jobs here in West Michigan is linked to trade, and the CAR study confirms that local companies need the infrastructure to connect them to the marketplace to ensure they can compete. CAR has significant experience conducting economic impact analyses and has carried out the majority of completed national level automotive economic contribution studies in the United States since 1992. The NITC report is the product of research performed by the Sustainability & Economic Development Strategies and the Transportation Systems Analysis groups at the Center for Automotive Research. The report was written by Hill, Richard Wallace, director of Transportation Systems Analysis, Deb Menk, senior project manager and Joshua Cregger, industry analyst.

8 Construction Briefs
Lansing C2AE, a full-service architectural, engineering and planning design firm, announced the promotion of Tobi Lyon to their leadership team as the Director of Marketing and Communications. She will be responsible for overseeing and executing marketing initiatives to meet the strategic goals and growth objectives of the company. Holland Elzinga & Volkers welcomed Brett Lesiewicz as Assistant Project Manager. Brett will provide assistance to the Project Managers within the companys health care market. Kalamazoo CSM Group welcomed Kalamazoo Public School Intern Dorrin Beverly. CSM Group has participated in a construction management internship program with the Kalamazoo Public Schools for 5 years. Lansing Clark Construction Company achieved yet another safety milestone as the company reached the milestone of having gone three million worker hours without lost time due to injury. The historic safety accomplishment has covered all Clark Construction projects since 2001. Holland Redmon Heating & Cooling, Inc., a Grandville/Holland-based HVAC business, was honored at the Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems annual dealer meeting with a Tier 2 Medal of Excellence Award - the fourth year in a row that Redmon has won the award. Grand Rapids - Signature Associates has negotiated: the sale of a 9,828 square foot industrial building located at 2151 Chicago Drive, Wyoming for the seller, 2151 Properties, LLC. and the buyer, Gipson Properties, LLC. Gipson Fabrication is a contractor to the restaurant industry. the lease of 1,764 square feet of office space located at 1221 11th, Niles for the landlord, Niles Plaza, Inc., and the tenant, First American Title. Ada Dan Vos Construction Company achieved a remarkable safety milestone on Monday, June 4, 2012, when it surpassed four years without a lost time accident. The company credits the accomplishment to its thorough safety program and its employees dedication and commitment to safety and each other. Lansing Randy Jobin, Vice President of Planning, Estimating and Business Development, will be retiring from Clark Construction on June 29 after more than 21 years of outstanding service at various positions at Clark. Brighton ASTIs President, Tom Wackerman, has been appointed to the Building Industries Association of Southeastern Michigan's Board of Directors. Additionally, ASTI adds Robert Anderson who brings more than 25 years of experience in the environmental services industry and will direct ASTIs Site Redevelopment Services Group. Kalamazoo As of January 1, 2012 StructureTec Corporation is now StructureTec Group. Due to growth and expansion, StructureTecs Board of Directors strategically developed and approved a plan for restructuring the corporation to a holding company. StructureTec, Construction Services Group, Building Products Group, Maintenance Service Financial Corporation and ServiceTec are now deemed subsidiaries under StructureTec Group. Grand Rapids Falcon Custom Homes won the following awards from the Kalamazoo Parade of Homes for its million dollar mansion on Gull Lake called The Highfield: Best Landscaping Elements; Best Interior Elements and Design; Best Master Suite; and Smart House. Grand Rapids Michigan Commercial Space Advisors / ITRA Global, formerly known as International Tenant Representative Alliance, was selected as the Grand Rapids affiliate for ITRA Global, being officially voted into the organization at its upcoming conference in London in September. ITRA Global is an organization of real estate professionals specializing in representing tenants and buyers in the leasing, acquisitions and disposition of office, industrial and retail facilities. Michigan Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, funded on May 24, 2012, will use its $1,880,000 Qualified Low Income Community Investment loan from CEI Capital Management LLC of Portland, ME to build 10 homes in distressed areas of Kent County where poverty rates are between 25.90% 40.60% and unemployment is between 1.45 3.71 times the national average. The homes will be completed between May 2012 and December 2013. Grand Rapids Progressive AE announced Eric Gerding, Michelle Hoffner, David Trost, and Jamie Wansten joined the firm. Gerding joins the firm as a Graduate Project Architect; Hoffner joins as Project Architect; Trost and Wansten join as Graduate Design Architects. Lansing, Norway and Ypsilanti Mead & Hunt, Inc. and Barnard Dunkelberg & Company merged on June 1, 2012. These two firms provide aviation planning and environmental services. Mead & Hunt also provide architecture and engineering services to airports across the country, environmental and historic preservation consulting services to diverse markets that include aviation, dams and hydropower, education, food processing, industrial, military, municipal infrastructure, renewable energy, transportation and water resources throughout the US. Barnard Dunkelberg is a nationally-recognized civilian and military airport planning firm with offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Denver, Colorado. Lansing C2AE announced the opening of a new office at 211 E. Water St., in Kalamazoo, which is the fifth location for the growing firm headquartered in Lansing. Muskegon - Signature Associates has negotiated the lease of 4,505 square feet of retail space located at 10150 US 31, Montague to John Kessler for the landlord, Douglas A. Borns Trust.

9 For Whitaker Construction, Flexibility is the Key to Its Strength.

By: Jeremy Martin Nathan Whitaker, project manager for Kalamazoos Whitaker Construction explains that his company has experience working on a wide range of projects. Were very diverse and we do anything from small commercial projects to huge remodels and factory type work, Whitaker said. But that doesnt really explain the scope and variety of jobs that Whitaker has worked on over the years. As an example of the companys flexibility in the workforce, Whitaker created the US-131 Motor Speedway in Martin, a multi-use sports complex with outdoor seating featuring a custom dragstrip running down its center. More recently, the company was responsible for the construction of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, a multi-million dollar state of the art project. It can also scale back and work on projects a bit more humble in nature, such as the Portage Central Library or one of several school buildings that have gone up recently. Weve got experience in quite a few different areas of construction, Whitaker said, underselling his companys abilities. Since 1970 Whitaker Construction has been on the forefront of the West Michigan construction scene, bidding for and creating structures that stand as landmarks in and around Kalamazoo. Whitaker called the early 1970s a boom time in construction, and said that the company which was founded by his Grand Father was immediately able to find and sustain work for itself. Stan Whitaker first came to Kalamazoo in the late 1960s when Giem Construction transferred him from its Kansas office to a facility it was building in West Michigan. The Arkansas native and graduate of Arkansas Baptist College found himself settled well enough in Kalamazoo that he was able to procure the funding to buy out his boss and found his own eponymous company. He did a laundry list of jobs before he founded the firm, Whitaker said. Progressing steadily up the business latter until he was running his own office, the elder Whitaker acquired the vast assortment of skills and the flexible nature that the company is known for today. Because of this, Whitaker Construction is not afraid to diversify beyond general contracting or to research other options within the construction world. For example, the firm has recently gotten involved with non-invasive underground utility locating; a service that not only has allowed the company to expand its repertoire but has also given it the chance to add a few new hires. Continued on page 16

10 10 Reasons to Integrate Your Payments Environment

By Greg Hammermaster 1. Improve cash flow When you integrate all your pointsof-payment directly to your bank for settlement and to your accounting system for reconciliation you maximize your cash flow. Sitting on checks and receipts minimizes your cash position, which impacts your business liquidity. 2. Optimize sales channels Any payment method whether a credit card terminal, e-commerce web site, or a mobile phone equipped to take payments thats not integrating directly to your accounting system isnt optimized for sales execution and back-office efficiencies; therefore, increasing cost-ofsales. 3. Eliminate manual data entry Manually entering data in both a point-of-sale (POS) solution and an accounting solution doubles the time it takes to complete the payments process. By integrating your payments environment, you can reduce time spent on accounts receivable (A/R) processing so you can spend more time on revenuegenerating opportunities. 4. Automate the reconciliation process Duplicate data entry also results in more manual errors, which someone has to untangle and reconcile. When payments automatically post-back to the accounting system, errors are reduced and posting and reconciliation are streamlined, saving time and money. 5. Organize your payments environment The payments industry is highly fragmented and confusing. An advanced, integrated payments portal can offer Web and mobile access to a reporting dashboard, merchant statement, billing support, a single toll-free customer support line, and administration of all your connected payment devices, applications, and services. 6. Improve your PCI compliance situation Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified payment platforms can improve your PCI compliancy as a merchant. These platforms remove your connected payment solutions from the scope of PCI (PADSS) by ensuring all connected payment solutions never store or transmit unencrypted credit card data. In return, your PCI audit is more streamlined. More importantly, your business is secure and your customers data is safe. 7. Improve your audit position Manual processes increase auditor scrutiny and require additional sampling of data and processes, driving up your costs and use of resources. Automating those manual payment processes can cut costs on financial and regulatory audits. 8. Gain the value of consolidation An automated and integrated payments environment is often offered by a single vendor or consortium, creating price efficiencies across a spectrum of payment services, while reducing the cost and complexities of managing multiple vendors. 9. Take advantage of whats next An extensible, integrated payments platform is more capable of adding advanced features and solutions, such as mobile payment apps, automated invoicing, or integrated loyalty systems. Traditional merchant accounts are standalone solutions that dont connect or offer opportunities to add integrated payment services. 10. Because you can High costs and heavy IT requirements for building custom solutions have previously made integrated payment systems an option for only larger businesses. Now, business software providers are bringing pre-integrated payment solutions to market, so small and midsized businesses (SMBs) can easily and cost effectively turn on an integrated payments environment from inside select accounting or ERP solutions. Greg Hammermaster as president of Sage Payment Solutions, Sage North Americas payment processing division, he is responsible for the companys credit card operations based in Virginia and check operations based in Florida.

Education Briefs
Big Rapids The Ferris Foundation Board of Directors has extended $37,000 in Exceptional Merit Grant Awards for proposals designed to advance the Ferris State University goals of engagement and learning to: David Baker, Department Chair, Ferris Grand Rapids Digital Animation and Game Design; Arn McIntyre, Michigan Energy Center Director, College of Engineering Technology; Christopher Westerkamp, Associate Professor of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences; Sgt. James Wing, Department of Public Safety; Bonnie Wright, Associate Professor of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences; Changqi Zhu, Assistant Professor of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences. Grand Rapids Grand Valley State University was named one of 29 institutions in the U.S. as an Exemplar of Real World Engineering Education by the National Academy of Engineering for providing students with real-world experience and serving the growing need for engineers. Lansing The 2012 class of W.K. Kellogg Foundations Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellows, announced each of the 74 recipients of the highly competitive WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellowship (64 enrolling in 2012 and 10 deferring their enrollment) will receive $30,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge masters degree program preparing them to teach in Michigans high-need urban and rural secondary schools for three years. All of the 2012 Fellows majored in a science, technology, engineering or math discipline. Kalamazoo Western Michigan University is offering a new educational opportunity, The Master of Arts in Leadership for Organizational Learning and Performance, for working adults to become leaders in the areas of organizational learning and performance. The program will be offered on WMU's main campus in Kalamazoo, as well as the University's regional location in Grand Rapids.

New Mechatronics Academy Launched

Kalamazoo - Kalamazoo Valley Community College is launching a new Career Academy called the Mechatronics Academy. This 18-week, full time, competency-based training program will prepare students for careers in automated industrial equipment maintenance and repair. The Mechatronics Academy, which begins on August 20, 2012, was designed to assure that graduating students have the knowledge and skills essential to perform troubleshooting, service, and repair on automated industrial systems. Applications are now being accepted. An informational session about the new Academy is set for Wednesday, June 27 from 4-5 p.m. at the Groves Center of Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 7107 Elm Valley Drive, Kalamazoo. Mechatronics is a term that describes the integration of mechanical, electrical, and computer technologies. Industrialized machines have included mechanical, electrical, and computer systems for quite some time, but past methods looked at each separately, said Lesa Strausbaugh, Director of Career Academies for Kalamazoo Valley Community College. In todays manufacturing environment, these disciplines are combined into a mechatronics systems approach for resolving problems. Through lab exercise, simulation and self-directed projects, students in the Academy will develop safety, critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Students are taught on devices which simulate automated production where fluid, robotic, and electronic control are essential. Students will be expected to perform routine service, use condition monitoring tools, troubleshoot problems and make necessary repairs. An understanding of lean manufacturing and quality control systems will be demonstrated.

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11 A Growing Problem: How Kellogg Community Colleges Is Dealing With Rising Enrollment.
By Simon A. Thalmann Kellogg Community College Kellogg Community College enrolled record numbers of students during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years, and while enrollment dipped slightly last fall the college seemed as busy as ever. We used to know when our peak times were and when it would taper off, but now were busy all the time, Meredith Stravers, Director of Admissions at KCC said. Our peak times are often very, very busy, and our nonpeak times are still busy. The years of record enrollment were fueled largely by an influx of newly unemployed adult learners into the education system at the start of the Great Recession, and required the college to reassess the way some processes were done so employees could serve additional students without exhausting institutional resources not accustomed to handling such capacity. According to Stravers, this has included working to leverage technology to help automate systems that in the past would have been handled manually. The college is currently working on an overhaul of its selective admissions process for the Nursing and Allied Health programs, for example, hoping to make the process more streamlined. You just get really creative and you learn how to make it work, Stravers said. You learn how to develop more efficient processes, assess what youve been doing and figure out how to make things better. travers said the department also hopes to use technology to make admissions processes more efficient for international students and for high school students wishing to dual enroll. The dual enrollees a group Stravers said has increased 64 percent since 2005 are among a younger population Stravers said is increasing as the older adult learners from record enrollment years graduate and are reabsorbed into the workforce. The average age of students at the college rose from the mid-20s to the low-30s as enrollment increased a few years ago, she said, and its expected to trickle down as those adult learners move on. Also assisting the age shift this fall will be the addition of students from the first class of the Legacy Scholars program, which offers eligible high school students a scholarship to KCC. Institutional efficiency Kellogg Community College President Dennis Bona said a slight decrease in the colleges enrollment isnt necessarily a bad thing, and must be balanced as a factor of what he called the measure of institutional efficiency. As the state funding and tax dollars that keep the college operational are doled out independently of how many students the institution enrolls each year, he said, there needs to be a happy medium where funding and enrollment meet to provide a maximum return for students while also keeping the college out of the red. That can be hard to do in years like those of the Great Recession, where property values and tax revenues actually went down as enrollment went up. We had a real tight budget the last couple of years, theres no question about that, Bona said. But we are fiscally conservative and work hard to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Indeed, while graduating a record number of students this spring, KCC is still among the top 5.4 percent of public two-year colleges in the nation when it comes to the lowest net prices for the cost of education, according the data from the U.S. Department of Education. And even as enrollment is projected to go down this fall, Stravers anticipates working as hard as ever. I think that were going to continue to be busy, she said, laughing. I dont ever see us getting to a point where its going to be like it was before enrollment spiked.

12 BIFMA Announces Over 40 Furniture Manufacturers With level Certified Products

Chicago, IL The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) has reported that 41 commercial and institutional furniture manufacturers now have more than 1,800 furniture products level program certified. BIFMA is pleased to announce that the level sustainability certification program for furniture has exceeded the 40 manufacturer mark on the rapidly growing list of companies who produce level certified products. level provides interior designers, architects, facility managers, and others across all industries with an easy method to identify increasingly sustainable products, said Tom Reardon, BIFMA Executive Director. We are extremely pleased to see the efforts that these 41 manufacturing companies have made. Developed in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures, level is the label awarded to office furniture products that meet multiple criteria of the stringent, multi-attribute ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard. Earning the level mark requires validation by an approved third-party certification body. Level establishes measurable performance criteria to address environmental and social aspects of product manufacturing throughout the supply chain, including the areas of Materials, Energy and Atmosphere, Human and Ecosystem Health, and Social Responsibility. Choosing level certified products assures that the product is produced in an environmentally and socially conscious manner and comes from a responsible manufacturer. Presently the program includes three conformance tiers, level 1, 2, and 3, each requiring specific prerequisites and conformance to optional credits. level 3 is the highest conformance tier under the current ANSI/BIFMA program. The level certification program allows facility managers, architects and designers to evaluate products using a level playing field, based upon the product and manufacturers environmental and social impact. A complete list of certified products can be found at www.levelcertified.org

Industrial Briefs
Belmont Kimberly-Clarks manufacturing plant in Belmont, one of the companys leading manufacturing sites of safety products, will be celebrating their win of Kimberly-Clark Corporations Crystal Eagle Award, which is awarded to company facilities that have demonstrated exceptional safety practices. Grand Rapids The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Byron Township announced the approval of $450,000 in Michigan Business Development Program incentives for Grand Rapids-based Altronics Energy, LLC. The incentive will enable the company to move forward on a $2.5 million expansion, generating 90 new jobs for the area over three years. Grand Rapids A year ago, Guilford of Maine launched their new brand identity The New Black, which speaks to the very real need for simplicity, efficiency, and performance in the Office, Education, and Healthcare markets. Since then, the company has been focused on making life easier for customers, while giving them the freedom to explore a wider range of design possibilities. Chicago, IL The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association has collaborated with NSF International, an independent global organization that writes standards, tests and certifies products for the commercial furnishing, construction, food, water, and consumer goods industries, to develop a Product Category Rule (PCR) for the seating industry. This seating PCR provides a science-based and internationally recognized method for reporting environmental impact of seating products throughout their entire life cycle. Grand Rapids Atlas Ergonomics was awarded its second U.S. patent in 18 months, for a system that determines which workplace adjustments are most likely to reduce on-the-job discomfort and injuries for a variety of work spaces including offices, vehicles, and classrooms. Chicago, IL MyConfigura took Best of NeoCon Silver for winning the Software/Technology category in the annual competition held in conjunction with NeoCon Worlds Trade Fair. Configura worked with CET Designer users to create MyConfigura, a web service which features functionality similar to Facebook and Google Docs, and officially launches with CET Designer 3.0 on June 18. Kalamazoo SteelForms, with offices in Moscow, has been named as the distributor of Landscape Forms complete product line throughout Russia. Grand Rapids Grand opening event for DTE Energys new public fueling station for vehicles operating on compressed natural gas in Wyoming will be on display and fueling will be demonstrated. Compressed natural gas is the other alternative fuel and is rapidly growing as a fuel of choice for truck and bus fleets having the same power and cruising range as comparable gasoline vehicles, but fuel costs are costs are cut in half and emissions are cut by 70 to 90 percent.

13 Increase Export Sales, Safely Lower the stakes with Trade Credit Insurance
By Patrick Dati We all saw how quickly the economy went south only a few years ago. Since that time the recovery has not been complete. In fact, many economists say the worlds economy is actually more vulnerable than it was before the crisis. American companies realize it could all happen again. At the same time, American companies are starting to take advantage of more export opportunities. U.S. export volume grew roughly 15% last year, and the forecast for 2012 is for continued double-digit growth. Exporters are still competing for business, however, and sometimes winning the business means offering payment terms. A sale is made, but with it comes to credit risk and the potential for bad debt. What is credit risk? Its the risk involved in selling on the basis of trust. If we sell to you without receiving payment up front it's because we believe you are trustworthy, i.e. creditworthy, and that you will pay us after we ship the goods or provide services to you. Although a simple concept, credit risk has a profound impact on company stability since bad debt losses have a direct impact on profitability. One method used to mitigate this risk is export trade credit insurance (also known as accounts receivable insurance). Credit insurance is a beforesales credit risk management product that insures commercial accounts receivables against non-payment. Even if the your customer defaults on payment or goes bankrupt, payment will still be made by the insurance company subject to the terms and conditions of the policy. By assuring payment, your stability and growth will be greatly supported. In Europe most commercial transactions are covered under credit insurance. In the U.S., although credit insurance is not very well known, it is a multi-million dollar industry that has been around for over 100 years, but overlooked by far too many businesses. Protecting your receivables is no different than the logical need to protect inventory, buildings, intellectual property, computer system, employees, and the business itself - which is why companies take out fire insurance, workman's compensation, general liability, etc. Unlike other insurance products though, credit insurance can be a proactive credit management tool. The benefits of credit insurance include: Catastrophic Loss Protection: In some cases, there can be a concentration of credit exposure among a few customers or even just one key customer. In this situation, just one sudden, unexpected loss could have a devastating impact on business. Credit insurance is a tremendous safety net to remove this catastrophic risk and cap your exposure. Expanding Sales Safely: Many companies use credit insurance to be able to expand on existing credit limits without having to put themselves at additional risk. It is also helpful in covering open credit sales to new accounts where you might have limited information on your new buyer. Strengthening Credit Risk Management: The insurance carrier is going to actively research, approve and monitor the insured accounts. This in turn allows the exporter to focus on internal resources such as cash flow management. Enhancing Borrowing Power: If you borrow against your receivables, credit insurance can provide additional protection to the lender so they may be able to enhance the borrowing arrangements. This allows you to maximize the amount of working capital available from the same pool of receivables. Exporting on Open Credit: With more companies sourcing customers outside their own borders, the risk of granting credit terms has to be balanced against maintaining competitive terms with other sellers. Export credit risk insurance is one tool exporters can use to offer competitive open credit terms without additional risk, or the hassle of arranging letters of credit. Cost Effectiveness: Besides the above benefits, the cost of credit insurance is very reasonable compared to the cost of potential losses. In view of not only the potential losses that an exporter could incur, but also in terms of gross profit margins of most companies as well, the cost of credit insurance is one of the greatest values around. To compete in the global marketplace, American companies have no choice but to adopt more sophisticated approaches to risk management. Already widely used in the rest of the world, credit insurance is a product whose time has come in America. Take a serious look at your accounts receivable. Are you at risk should any of your customers default or go bankrupt? Export credit insurance can help you manage these risks, as well as expand safely into new export markets. For more information, visit www.coface-midwest.com Patrick Dati, James L. O'Brien Associates, Inc, Authorized Agents for COFACE N.A. Toll Free: 888-562-0981. Reprinted with permission.

Dow Chemical And General Motors Awarded New Energy Department Investments
Michigan - The Energy Department announced new investments in Michigan supporting American leadership and global competiveness in manufacturing. The Energy Department awarded $9 million to Dow Chemical to create a low-cost carbon fiber production process that could potentially reduce production costs of carbon by 20 percent and reduce total carbon dioxide emissions output by 50 percent. General Motors will also receive nearly $2.7 million investment to develop an integrated super-vacuum die casting process expected to achieve 50 percent energy savings compared to current processes used to manufacture car doors, resulting in serious fuel economy improvements and carbon emission savings. The U.S. reclaimed the position as the worlds leading investor in clean energy and has nearly doubled clean, renewable energy use in the country over the past few years. The Michigan-based projects are part of a $54 million investment by the Energy Department leveraging $17 million in cost share from the private sector for 13 projects across the country advancing transformational technologies, materials and processes that can help American manufacturers dramatically increase energy efficiency of their operations and reduce costs while creating jobs and expanding American exports.

14 DTE Energy Opens First Fueling Station in West Michigan

Grand Rapids DTE Energy hosted a grand opening event for its new public fueling station for vehicles operating on compressed natural gas (CNG) on Thursday, June 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Padnos Iron & Metal facility at 450 44th Street SW in Wyoming, Mich. Compressed natural gas is the other alternative fuel and is rapidly growing as a fuel of choice for truck and bus fleet operators due to its advantages as a cleaner, less costly option than petroleum-based alternatives. While todays electric vehicles are suitable for short commutes and other limited applications, CNG-powered vehicles perform just like gasoline-powered vehicles. They have the same power and cruising range as comparable gasoline vehicles, but fuel costs are costs are cut in half and emissions are cut by 70 to 90 percent. Natural gas vehicles offer a safe complementary technology to gasoline, hybrid and electric vehicles and they are particularly well suited to mediumand heavy-duty applications, said Jerry Norcia, President and Chief Operating Officer of MichCon & Group President DTE Energy. NGVs are ready for the road today with technology that operates like a gasoline vehicle, but with lower fuel costs and significantly lower emissions. The advantages of CNG over traditional fuels like diesel are compelling: Nearly 40% fewer CO2 emissions than gasoline, 20-30% less than diesel Costs nearly 40% less than diesel at the pump. Similar savings over gasoline Easier on spark plugs and motor oil reduced maintenance costs Up to 84% lower particulate emissions than diesel* (*U.S. Dept. of Energy) With the opening of the Wyoming fueling station, DTE Energy is taking a fundamental step forward in developing a fueling infrastructure to better serve fleet operators in West Michigan. Regional fleet operators are poised to save thousands of dollars in annual fuel charges and prevent the emission of hundreds of tons of CO2 and particulate emissions each year The fueling station will serve as a backdrop where Jerry Norcia, president of MichCon and Sean Reed from the Clean Energy Coalition along with leadership from DTE Energy and Cummins Bridgeway will join elected officials and fleet operators to discuss the positive impact this new location will have on the region. There will also be a live fueling demonstration and an exhibition of assorted CNG vehicles and equipment to explore. To register for the event, please visit dteenergy.com/cngevent.

Printing the blueprints for the future right here in West Michigan
By Jeremy Martin A new Silicone Valley right here in West Michigan? If Kevin Wixson has his way that is exactly what will happen; and it all starts with a 3D printer. Wixson, an instructor at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts wants to pattern the Kalamazoo Makers Guild-a club comprised of local inventors, programmers and other people interested in creating advanced technologies-after the Homebrew Computer Club that fostered the technological genius of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and others. I hope to try to replicate that experience a little bit here in Kalamazoo, Wixson said. The driving idea behind the club first sprung up while Wixson was teaching a course at the KIA. On the last day of the web design class I was teaching I got into a discussion about 3D printing. One of my students is a jeweler, a fellow instructor at the KIA. Her name is Maryellen Hains. Hains and Wixson began discussing the possibility of creating a 3D printer from scratch; the devise would be shared with the greater Kalamazoo community in an effort to foster creativity and productivity among as many users as possible. I went to her later at a faculty meeting hoping that she could help me get a grant to build one, Wixson said. Instead, Hains lent Wixson the entire $900 start up fee to begin building the printer, giving him full creative control over the project, save for one detail. Mary Ellen supported the project on the condition that it would be made available to the public in some form or fashion, Wixson said. The devise that Wixson built is not unlike a standard paper and ink printer in that an operator imputes a binary directive and the machine prints a physical copy of the demands. However, unlike a standard printer, Wixsons devise creates three dimensional plastic models of the data. Actually models is the wrong word as the printer has the ability to create fully functional, working parts for toys, cars, furniture, or even another printer. The first thing that I made from the printer is another printer, Wixson said. Most of the parts of the printer can be printed. And thats the beauty of the devise, not only is self-replicating, but it can create working parts for nearly any devise or tool, and often at a fraction of the cost of having purchasing something anew. The way I like to describe the process is its exactly like a hot glue gun on a robot arm, Wixson said. Its drawing in plastic, heating it up and out of a nozzle comes a very fine bead of plastic. It moves around, puts down a layer of plastic on a surface, moves up a bit and puts down another layer of plastic and just keeps doing that over and over again. The plastic used is a durable high grade blend, not unlike the plastic found in Legos. Wixson intends to teach a course at the KIA, allowing people to become proficient in the use of the printer. The only problem being the difficulty in acquiring the plastic filament the printer uses to create objects. There are a number of online retailers, no local suppliers yet, but here is a $40,000 bounty right now on the person or team that can develop a do it yourself process to convert the plastic pellets into the plastic filament, Wixson said. Once that happens, Wixson said that the sky will be the limit in terms of what the printer will be able to cheaply and readily create. Many of the folks associated with the Makers Guild are already on board in attempting to print out the possibilities of tomorrow. People are doing really cool things there at the Guild. Weve had someone bring in a little robot that their building, someone is building a do it yourself Segway scooter, there are a number of us working on other replicating machines like laser cutters and 3d mills, Wixson said. But so far the centerpiece has been the printer. Wixson hopes the technology catches on to the point where Kinkos style store fronts open around the county offering customers the ability to print all kinds of useful objects in the same way they print or copy documents today. The more people that have access to machines like this, the faster the pace of innovation, Wixson said. Besides 3D printing classes, Wixson will also be teaching a 3D modeling class this fall at the KIA. For more information on the 3D printer or the Makers Guild please visit: meetup.com/kalamazoo-makersguild. For information on any of the courses Wixson will be teaching please visit kia.org.

15 Four Winds Casino and the City of Dowagiac are Betting the Farm on a New Resort
By Jeremy Martin Dowagiac-By Late summer of 2013 West Michigan gaming enthusiasts will have another option when considering which area casino to populate. On Wednesday June 13th the Pokagon band of Potawatami Indians announced that it will take the next steps towards building and operating a gaming facility and resort in Dowagiac. (This is) the next step in the continued economic development of the Pokagon Band and will build upon the tremendous success of our locations in New Buffalo and Hartford, Matt Wesaw, Tribal Chairmen of the Pokagon band of Potawatami Indians said. The Casino will fall under the Four Winds brand which operates the other two locations. The new development is expected to include a 26,000 square foot gaming facility holding 200 slot machines and four gaming tables. Four Winds Dowagiac will also feature a 3,000 square foot multi-purpose space and an on-site restaurant. As of now there is no plan to include hotel accommodations. The Pokagagon band purchased the 59 acre plot of former farm land near M51 and Edwards Street in the hopes of expanding its West Michigan footprint, as well as creating several new areas of employment. I think first of all, it offers some jobs to Pokagon Township residents, Township Supervisor Linda Preston said. The Casino will employ upwards of 100 people upon opening, with the possibility of new hires once the facility becomes established. There will also be a significant number of people working during construction, Wesaw added. Four Winds management hopes the new development will not only bring about first time players but also lure gaming enthusiasts that traffic the Pokagon bands other locations. In fact Matt Harkness, Four Winds General Manager explains that there will be benefits in place for folks to use all three facilities. "Players can expect to receive the same level of outstanding service at Four Winds Dowagiac that they receive at our casinos in New Buffalo and Hartford. They will also have the ability to earn and use W Club points at all three Four Winds' locations. W Club points are earned through gaming and can be traded in for merchandise, restaurant vouchers and other gifts. Despite Four Winds eagerness to move forward with the project, some area residents have been hesitant to welcome a new casino to West Michigan. According to Preston, more than 30 area residents attended a recent Township meeting to express their opinions on the development. A couple areas of concern included; increased traffic along M-51 and general public safety. Preston however is all in on the project and told residents that traffic would not drastically increase in the area. Wesaw seconded Prestons comments; stating this is not going to increase traffic to any noticeable extent. What Preston and Wesaw both hope the casino will increase are profits. Though exact revenue numbers for Four Winds other locations and earnings estimates for Dowagiac were unavailable what is knows is that a 2 percent share of revenue from the casino will go directly to Pokagon Township, the city of Dowagiac, the Cass County Intermediate School District and Southwestern Michigan College. "It's a big day for Pokagon Township,'' Preston said."It has been in the works for a number of years with a lot of hard work and concern for the residents and their safety. We will have a nice recreational facility for those who want to partake, and it will be revenue for the township and provide jobs."

General Business
Grandville RiverTown Crossings announced plans to begin construction on a 1,500-sq.-foot PANDORA jewelry store with projected plans of opening in early September. In addition to several other stores that are remodeling, PANDORA is the second retailer to open this year, joining White House | Black Market. Grand Rapids The West Michigan Public Relations Society of America welcomed new Chapter President Kate Washburn, APR of Wondergem Consulting, and four new board members who begin their three-year terms this year: Terri Howe, APR of Howe Marketing Communications; Bradley Gordon of WGVU Public Media; Kristie Burns of Lambert Edwards & Associates; and Jenny Luth of Clark Communications. Ann Arbor The Inc. 5,000 tech firm Open Systems Technologies, headquartered in Grand Rapids, is expanding in Southeast Michigan with office space in Ann Arbor to serve the firms growing list of clients that include Thomson Reuters, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Magna, Monroe Bank and ProQuest. and Design, renowned for excellence in ad creative, design, and next-gen web development, announced a dynamic new suite of Public Relations services for B2Bs, B2Cs, and Not-For-Profits throughout the Midwest and beyond, to further accommodate its expanding client list. Lansing - M3 announced Jeff Henry, Account Executive, joined their sales team under the direction of newlyappointed Senior Account Executive Pete Ruffing, and will be in charge of handling correspondence between clients and M3s creative team, making seamless transition from idea to execution, and staying on the forefront of technology and innovation. Grand Rapids i3 Business Solutions, LLC, announced the acquisition of Prime Focus Technology. Under this agreement, i3 Business Solutions will acquire the high-level strategic consulting as well as decades of experience and system integration expertise of Prime Focus in the areas of Business Productivity and Profitability, Risk Mitigation, Network System and Design, and On-Site Technical Services. Comstock Park Office Products Marketing & Advertising Inc. announced Ashlie Harper was hired as Copywriter/Proofreader and will be responsible for writing, proofreading, and coordinating assorted print and electronic marketing projects. Lansing Michigans only statewide public relations firm, Lambert, Edwards & Associates, announced it added 10 new clients to its Public Affairs practice client list, including Michigan Department of Education, HBO, Citizens for More Michigan Jobs, Count on Coal, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Vicksburg Public Schools, Partners for Parity, Northview Public Schools and Common Cause Michigan, as well as federal work for North Carolina-based Industrial Piping, Inc. Edwardsburg Firevine Advertising Grand Rapids Lambert, Edwards & Associates received two 2012 Bulldog Awards, which recognizes excellence in public relations and media campaigns. The firm received a Gold award in the Best New Product Launch-Consumer category for its A Better-for You-SNAK campaign, and a Bronze award in the Best Education/Public Service Campaign category for its Movers for Moms program. Grand Rapids i3 Business Solutions, LLC, announced it has earned certification for Apples Mobility Technical Competency (iOS). This certification enables i3 to successfully implement iOS devices in business environments.

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16 Health Care Briefs

Kalamazoo Bronson Methodist Hospital and Bronson Battle Creek Hospital were both honored with an A Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The Hospital Safety ScoreSM was calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. Grand Rapids Spectrum Health was recognized with five 2012 Leadership Awards for outstanding achievements in Community Benefit, Sustainability and Clinical Excellence, by VHA Inc., a national health care network of not-forprofit hospitals and non-acute care facilities, for Spectrums commitment to provide quality care benefiting the community, and for effective strategies to build awareness. Grand Rapids Spectrum Healths Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital is listed as one of U.S. News & World Reports 201213 Best Childrens Hospitals. This is the first time the hospital has appeared in the rankings which feature 50 hospitals and ranked accordingly in five out of ten of the following specialties: Cancer - #43, Diabetes & Endocrinology #43, Nephrology - #47, Orthopedics - #46, and Urology - #44. Grand Rapids Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital welcomed Marcus Haw, MD, who joins current pediatric cardiac surgeon Neal Hillman, MD, in leading a major program expansion. Kalamazoo Borgess Medical Center will offer two of the most advanced hybrid endovascular surgical suites in the world where patients will have access to complex, minimally invasive endovascular procedures, as well as traditional surgery options. The two 1,000square-foot endovascular surgical suites and control station required the redesigning of existing space and installing new equipment at a cost of $4 million. Kalamazoo Bronson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lawton is a recipient of the 2012 Bronze American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Livings National Quality Award for dedication to improving quality care. Kalamazoo Lakeshore Neurology and EMG of HealthCare Midwest recently became the first laboratory in Michigan to receive Exemplary Laboratory Accreditation from the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Grand Rapids Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services welcomed Thomas Elzinga as the new Vice President of General Services. Elzinga will be responsible for managing contracts with insurance organizations, supervising facilities staff, and managing construction projects. Berkley User Friendly EMR achieved 2011/2012 Ambulatory Complete EHR ONC-ATCB Certification. User Friendly EMR was certified on May 23, 2012 under ICSA Labs ONC-ATCB Electronic Health Record program and is compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kalamazoo Bronson Healthcare announced promotions for the following members of its system executive team: Katie Harrelson - Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for Bronson Methodist Hospital; John Hayden Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer; John Jones - Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for Bronson Medical Practices; Cheryl Knapp, RN - Vice President, System Quality Standards & Accreditation and Chief Quality Officer for Bronson Battle Creek Hospital; Bill Mayer, MD - Vice President, Chief Medical Informatics Officer & Community Health; Mary Meitz - Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer; Sue Reinoehl - Senior Vice President, Strategy & Communication; Kirk Richardson - Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer for Bronson LakeView Hospital; Marijo Snyder, MD - Vice President, System Quality & Medical Staff Development and Chief Quality Officer for Bronson Methodist Hospital; and Mike Way Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Facilities & Real Estate. Big Rapids Mecosta County Medical Centers Inpatient Medical Rehabilitation Unit announced it ranked in the top 10 percent of inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the United States for facility performance for the second consecutive year. Holland For a second consecutive year, Holland Hospital has been awarded the national Midas+ Platinum Quality Award for Excellence in Clinical Outcomes by Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., which honors hospitals that score in the top 5% among their eligible peers. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital announced Edward Matusik joined the hospital as Clinical Director for the Assisted Breathing Center, being responsible for administration, collaboration and coordination of department activities among all hospital departments and the medical director. Kalamazoo Bronson Healthcare welcomed two new directors: Michael Rowe, Executive Director of Bronson Lifestyle Improvement & Research Center with management responsibility for the Bronson Athletic Club, and Cynthia Baranowski, Membership Sales Director of Bronson Athletic Club. Kalamazoo James Babel, MD, is the first Kalamazoo surgeon to remove a patient's gallbladder through a single incision using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. Dr. Babel performed the procedure June 15, 2012, at the Borgess Medical Center Robotic Surgery Program. Wyoming Metro Health Hospital received Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. In achieving accreditation, Metro Health engaged in rigorous reevaluation of its cardiac care and successfully integrated healthcare industrys best practices into its care of patients with cardiac disease. Grand Rapids The Facility, an integrated health, training and fitness center located at 5131 East Paris Ave, SE, will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, June 23 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Leaders of The Facilitys three anchor businesses: Chiropractic Unlimited, Michigan Rehabilitation Specialists and Barwis Methods Training, will be on hand to introduce visitors to their new wellness venture. Kalamazoo Bronson Healthcare began development of Bronson Commons, a rehabilitation and skilled nursing community, at 23332 Red Arrow Highway in Mattawan. Services currently provided at Bronson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Lawton, which specializes in long- and short-term nursing care and therapy for patients following illness, injury or hospitalization, will be relocating to Bronson Commons in 2013.

Whitaker Construction, Flexibility Strength.

Dontinued from page 9 Thats kind of niche were beginning to explore. Weve found that general construction is so competitive nowadays that youve got to have a niche or two or three to really excel. If youre just bidding on general projects, its very grim out there for general contractors, Whitaker said. Whitaker has also begun to explore the possibilities afforded by solar energy, but through careful research has decided the timing is not yet right to get too involved. There are some really attractive tax incentives right now. The issue with solar is Michigan is dead last in the amount of sunlight we get. Its still feasible, its still something that we have our eyes on but at this juncture theres just not quite enough demand from the public. Were on the outside looking in at the moment, Whitaker said. The company currently employs over 20 people and will look to expand that number as the economy continues to slowly work itself back. Until then, Whitaker will keep looking for niches to fill as well as continue bidding on contracts to create Kalamazoo area landmarks. No two days are the same, Whitaker said. You wake up every day and there is a new challenge, a new job to take a look at. For more information on Whitaker Construction visit whitaker-construction.com

17 Spectrum Health is Offering a Breath of Fresh Air

By: Jeremy Martin Over 1,800 Lung transplants were performed Nationwide in 2011, but none of those procedures took place in West Michigan. With the addition of lung transplant pulmonologist Dr. Reda Girgis Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids will now be able to aide several patients per year with this often life or death procedure. "We are fortunate to have a physician of Dr. Girgis' ability and stature to head our latest transplant endeavor," Matthew Van Vranken, executive vice president of Spectrum Health said. "He will build another critical service we can provide to the people of West Michigan. His arrival is an important step as we build a regional transplantation program." According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services there are currently 80 patients in Michigan awaiting a lung transplant. Before now however, These people would have had to go to Detroit, Ann Arbor or out of state, adding extra costs to an already stressful and expensive procedure. In order to alleviate some of that Stress, Spectrum Health has stated that the first 10 operations will be done for free as they are covered under the startup costs of the program. Beyond that, no insurance companies will cover the operating costs until Spectrum Health has performed the first 10 transplants. Girgis hopes the program will be off the ground by this Fall. I think certainly by the end of this year we would expect to have done our first transplant, Girigs said. Girgis- who spent his childhood in Grand Blanc- comes to Spectrum Health after earning his medical degree from the University of Cairo in Egypt. He worked previously at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and gained his advanced fellowship training in heart-lung and lung transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center in California. He also worked at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Asghar Khagani, a British surgeon who heads the heart transplant division will act as the lead surgeon for the lung transplant program. You cant do these things without experts, Khaghani said regarding the addition of Girgis. You dont want to get somebody who is not very experienced. Girgis, having completed over 200 lung transplants is one of the most experienced surgeons in the country. Accustomed to working for larger establishments, Girgis was attracted to Grand Rapids because the opportunity to build a program from the ground up was far too alluring. The Spectrum Health lung transplant program will be the third such program in Michigan and the first of its kind in the West side of the State. Currently the hospital is awaiting approval for the program from the United Network for Organ Sharing, a process which should take about two months.

Michigans Businesses Believe States Economy is Gaining Momentum

Lansing While national business surveys show that a restrictive and uncertain business climate is limiting business growth and economic recovery nationally, many business owners in Michigan believe the states recovery is gaining momentum, according to a recent survey of small- and mid-sized businesses. The survey showed across-the-board improvement regarding sales, profits, hiring and wages, with indications that further growth is expected in the coming months, with the strongest area of growth being in the Metro Detroit region. It appears the next big challenge for businesses in the developing recovery will be to help develop a highly skilled workforce, as the survey showed the lack of qualified workers in Michigan continues to be a growing concern for business owners. These findings come from the semiannual Michigan Future Business Index study, commissioned by Lansing-based Accident Fund Insurance Company of America and conducted by Marketing Resource Group, Inc. (MRG) in May 2012. A total of 864 Michigan business owners, operators, officers and managers were interviewed for this survey. This survey yielded some positive results despite the lingering sluggish economic conditions. The most promising sign noted in the survey was with regard to the level of dissatisfaction with economic conditions. Business owners who are now saying they are satisfied with the economy is at 43 percent, representing a 32-point jump in net satisfaction since October 2011. Additionally, 27 percent of businesses surveyed said they increased employee wages, a 12 percent improvement over the October 2011 survey when it was at 15 percent. Also a very positive sign, the percentage of businesses that have hired more employees has doubled since October 2011, with 22 percent of businesses saying they increased the number of employees in the past six months. These surveys continue to show increasing evidence that the business climate in Michigan is improving, Mike Britt, president of Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, said. Our customer base is primarily composed of small- and mid-sized businesses, so we are happy to see Michigan businesses continue to grow and prosper. A healthy business climate in Michigan is good for everyone. Other positive results from the survey include: Six-month business outlook. Over half (52 percent) of respondents said the business outlook for the next six months is good, with 16 percent saying it is very good. Six-month bottom line expectations. Forty-four percent of business owners said they expect sales to increase in the next six months, a five percent increase from October 2011. Thirty-four percent of respondents said they believe their bottom line will improve, compared to 24 percent last October. Hiring and layoffs. There has been a significant increase in respondents who say they plan to hire more employees in the next six months, now at 25 percent, up from 15 percent in October 2011. The percentage of those who said they will not hire more employees has dropped from 80 percent to 68 percent. The outlook for increased wages is also improving, with 24 percent of respondents indicating they plan to increase wages for their employees within the next six months, up 18 percent from October 2011. Regionally, the outlook for new hires is strongest in the Saginaw/Flint/Bay City region (31%); the Detroit Metro region (30%); and the West Michigan region (28%). The results of this latest Future Business Index survey are definitely encouraging, Chris Holman, CEO of the Michigan Business Network and publisher of the Greater Lansing Business Monthly, said. Many small- to mediumsized businesses across the state are saying they are seeing the positive signs needed to rekindle their optimism in Michigans economy. The continued investment in their businesses and their increases in hiring are a testament to their resiliency and commitment to improve Michigans business climate.

Communication & IT
Los Angeles, CA - TruConnect Mobile LLC today announced it has partnered with Walmart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to deliver Internet on the Go, a new prepaid mobile broadband service that offers a great value for casual users. Internet on the Go, which is exclusively sold at Walmart, is powered by the award-winning MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot and a service plan from TruConnect with no monthly fee and where the data balance never expires (if used once a year). This is different from other low-cost prepaid monthly services where unused megabytes are wasted at the end of the month potentially driving up the cost. In todays world of high connectivity, we want to make connecting to the Internet more accessible and affordable for our customers, said Seong Ohm, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for entertainment, Walmart U.S. By providing an assortment of mobile broadband products at a low price our customers can now choose to connect to the Internet when they want, where they want. Mobile broadband data services to date have been primarily used by road warriors those who are willing to spend $30-$60 every month to be online while on the go. But in fact, industry analysts report that 90 percent of all tablets in the U.S. in 2011 used Wi-Fi, not cellular, for Internet connectivity. Thats not because casual users dont want to be online while on the go, but because they dont want another expensive, contract-based monthly data plan. We think mobile users deserve fairness and honesty when it comes to the mobile Internet, and with Internet on the Go, users get exactly what they pay for and can use their purchased megabytes whenever they want to with no other hidden conditions or fees, said Kevin Hamilton, president and CEO of TruConnect. Were proud to have the opportunity to partner with Walmart, a company that puts great value on its customers and we look forward to sharing this exciting new service with mobile customers across the U.S. To get Internet on the Go, customers purchase a MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot by Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVTL), purchase the Internet on the Go service, register online and turn on the device. Customers can buy Internet on the Go service with refill, credit or debit

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Internet on the Go Low-Cost, Mobile Broadband Wireless Service with MiFi 2200
cards in increments of $10 for 100 MB, $25 for 500 MB or $45 for 1 GB and use this bandwidth as quickly or as gradually as they want. Online automatic refills are also available for $20 for 450 MB. To best understand which increment will work for you, its important to understand what can be done with a megabyte of data. For example, with the 100 MB plan, a subscriber could get as many as 700 web pages, send 1,5002,000 emails, post 1200 social media updates, listen to 100 minutes of music or view 50 minutes of a YouTube-quality video. The service supports Wi-Fiequipped devices using Windows, Mac OSX, Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems. In addition, there are no contracts, no activation fees, no monthly bills, no bundled data plans and no overage charges. Uesrs simply purchase the MiFi 2200 and the Internet on the Go service and achieve a secure WiFi network that can be used to connect up to five laptops or tablets to the Internet.

Communications & IT
Grand Rapids WZZM 13 and WideOpen West (WOW!) announced a new multi-year agreement that would make the Grand Rapids station the exclusive ABC affiliate on WOW!s West Michigan cable systems. Northville DataFactZ, a system and data integration company, announced the addition of two new clients Meijer, a regional American hypermarket chain based in Grand Rapids; and Chicago based Enova Financials, which provides reliable, real-time financial options for everyday, hardworking people facing immediate cash demands. GGrand Rapids Carl Apple, a veteran reporter who has worked for more than 10 years for WXMI FOX 17, was named the new Director of Communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids and will begin his new position June 4, 2012. Grand Rapids AAF West Michigan Board announced the results of the 2012/2013 board elections to serve three-year terms: Lisa Mia Kirschner, Senior Designer, Gordon Food Service; Brent Casanova, Designer, Square One Design; Jeff Terpstra, President, Scott Allen Creative; Christina Bivins, Account Representative, DVS; and Theresa Peterlein, current board member and President of Peterlein Consulting and Just a BiteMaybe More!, was elected Treasurer. rand Rapids Womens Lifestyle Magazine announced the following new staff members: Lauren Cole, Make Me Over; Cara Essick Ontiveros, Parenting; Susie Gordon, Sales & Advertising; Christina Hulstrand, Dating Diva; Two Eagles Marcus, Graphic Design & Webmaster; Allie Merrick, Wine & Whatnot; Raquel Salas, Legally Speaking; Stephanie Schlatter, Art Aficionado; Dakota Shayne, Fitness; Elizabeth Veltman, The Tender Foodie; Jaiyung Kim, Jenny Luth, Ruthie Paulson Gomez, Emily Pearce, and LeAnn Secord, Assignment Writers. Grand Rapids Vjays.com announced the grand opening of their flagship store in Grand Rapids, selling hundreds of different meal and recipe kits that are assembled fresh and include all the ingredients needed to make the meal at home. Clients order kits online, pick-up in store, and assemble at home based on easy to follow instructions. Burlington, MA Attunity, Ltd., a leading provider of information availability software solutions, announced its highperformance data replication software solution, Attunity Replicate, was awarded the Best of TechEd 2012 Award in the business intelligence category. The annual awards program is produced by Penton Medias SQL Server Pro and Windows IT Pro Magazines.

Communication & IT
Cellular Signal Boosters: A Painless Solution for Spotty Cell Phone Reception
By Brian Allred Can you hear me now? That question has become a cultural refrain thanks to Verizons ubiquitous advertising campaign a few years back. And it still resonates because we all continue to be plagued by spotty cell service and its fallout - garbled conversations, dropped calls, missed messages, endless waits for Web downloads, and those dreaded no-service dead zones. Weak or spotty cell service occurs almost anywhere. While its widely understood that cell service can be unreliable in rural or outlying areas, distance from the nearest cell tower is hardly the only cause of faint signal. Hills and other natural or man-made terrain features, or even trees and vegetation, can block or weaken signals from a nearby tower, leaving many suburban customers with inadequate coverage. Even in urban areas like New York City or Los Angeles that are well covered by cellular networks, a buildings construction materials, particularly concrete and steel, will often block a signal from getting inside where people can use it. And because cell phones are increasingly relied upon in every aspect of our daily work life, and not just for voice or text communications, people need quick, reliable access to Web-based or intranet information. Signal boosters offer a natural solution Cellular signal boosters let phone users answer the CYHMN question with a resounding Yes. They provide an easy, relatively inexpensive solution for facilities managers in search of ways to improve communications within the buildings they are responsible for by ensuring that their customers have the strongest, most consistent signal available. Whats a Cellular Signal Booster? Cellular booster systems take a weak signal sometimes too faint for a cellular device to detect and boost it so that strong, reliable signal coverage is available inside a vehicle, home, office, commercial building, warehouse or other structure. A typical system for any office comprises an outside antenna (usually mastmounted), a signal booster (also known as an amplifier) unit about the size of a paperback book, an inside antenna to retransmit the amplified signal within the offices (mounted on or inside a wall or ceiling), and coax cable to link the components. Much of the demand we see for signal boosters is due to the fact that buildings are so well built that the cell signal cant penetrate inside, Robert Galeano, whose southern California based company, Cellular Outlet, has done more than 100 booster installations said. In most situations, were able to quickly and easily install these systems with little or no disruption to the daily workflow and without unsightly equipment, Galeano added. Signal booster systems are a natural solution because: Boosters work with any cellularenabled device, including phones, tablets, cellular modems, etc. They support multiple voice and data connections simultaneously They are bidirectional, amplifying both the downlink (cell tower to device) signal and the uplink (device to tower) signal By in large most signal boosters are manufactured to be carrier and device agnostic they work no matter which operating system and provider network a device employs Signal boosters are capable of delivering faster data downloads up to 20 times faster in some 4G service areas And they extend battery life for cellular

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devices, which use less power when receiving a strong signal Boosters from Wilson Electronics provide additional advantages: Wilson boosters incorporate patented technical safeguards to prevent the booster from malfunctioning and causing interference on cellular networks Wilsons installation kits simplify and expedite installations on both new constructions and retrofits Its commercial products allow the installer to adjust the downlink gain (or amplification level) and uplink transmission power to optimize the booster for the particular structure and location where its installed Theyre type accepted by the Federal Communications Commission, and Industry Canada approved The need for cell signal boosters is huge, even in areas where youd expect signal strength to be strong. They are the most effective, cost-efficient solution to providing the strongest possible signal. You might say its something your businesses will hear loud and clear, Galeano said. Brian Allred is a Senior Manager with Wilson Electronics

AT&T Announces 10 cell sites along I-69, from Calhoun County to the Indiana state line
Michigan - AT&T announced the expansion of its mobile Internet network, by enhancing 10 cell sites along I-69, from Calhoun County to the Indiana state line, that provides coverage for area residents and businesses. The network enhancements extend access for advanced mobile services, devices and feature-rich audio and video content to customers who travel, live or work in these areas. "Job one in Battle Creek and across Calhoun County is attracting investment into our local economy," said state Sen. Mike Nofs (R-Battle Creek). "AT&T's commitment to expanded mobile Internet service right here in our own backyard is a great tool for both job providers and residents and will help support everyone working in the region to strengthen our economy." From 2009 through 2011, AT&T invested more than $1.5 billion in its wireless and wireline networks in Michigan. AT&T is an industry leader in delivering the benefits of mobile Internet networks<http://www.att.com/gen/pressroom?pid=2943>, devices and applications<http://www.att.com/gen/pressroom?pid=2899>. With the nation's fastest mobile Internet network, AT&T provides accelerated mobile data speeds and simultaneous voice and data capabilities for an amazing wireless voice and data experience. "Branch County is proud to welcome this exciting new investment from AT&T," said state Rep. Ken Kurtz (R-Coldwater). "Expanded mobile Internet coverage is a critical tool for small towns and rural communities like ours as we work to attract new jobs and new families to the region." AT&T's mobile Internet network is based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies that includes GSM and UMTS, the most widely used wireless network platforms in the world. AT&T has the broadest international coverage of any U.S. wireless provider, providing access to voice service in more than 225 countries and data service in more than 200 countries. AT&T also offers voice and data roaming coverage on more than 135 major cruise ships, as well as mobile Internet services in more than 130 countries.

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