MiBiz

Amway cuts 47 positions, more layoffs to come
ADA — Global direct-selling giant Amway Corp. has eliminated 47 information technology positions in another round of cuts to its workforce, the company confirmed to…
GRCC purchases former Holland Twp. JCPenney building
HOLLAND TWP. — Trustees at Grand Rapids Community College have voted to purchase a former JCPenney store in Holland Township to convert it into a consolidated…
Founders Brewing chair to lead ‘disruptive’ startup hydroponics farm
GRAND RAPIDS — A deepening partnership with a Spain-based minority shareholder provided Founders Brewing Co. Executive Chairman John Green the perfect timing to jump back into…
Groups aim for compromise on short-term rental legislation
After intense debate in recent years, Holland’s short-term rental pilot program has proven to be less eventful than some city leaders had feared.
Strong growth drives Mary Free Bed’s latest addition
GRAND RAPIDS — Strong growth in patient volumes over the last several years led Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital to take on an expansion project much…

Plascore undergoing $6M expansion in Zeeland

ZEELAND — Plascore Inc., a manufacturer of lightweight composite products, is investing nearly $6 million to expand its footprint in Zeeland.

Amway cuts 47 positions, more layoffs to come
ADA — Global direct-selling giant Amway Corp. has eliminated 47 information technology positions in another round of cuts to its workforce, the company confirmed to…
GRCC purchases former Holland Twp. JCPenney building
HOLLAND TWP. — Trustees at Grand Rapids Community College have voted to purchase a former JCPenney store in Holland Township to convert it into a consolidated…
Founders Brewing chair to lead ‘disruptive’ startup hydroponics farm
GRAND RAPIDS — A deepening partnership with a Spain-based minority shareholder provided Founders Brewing Co. Executive Chairman John Green the perfect timing to jump back into…
Groups aim for compromise on short-term rental legislation
After intense debate in recent years, Holland’s short-term rental pilot program has proven to be less eventful than some city leaders had feared.
Strong growth drives Mary Free Bed’s latest addition
GRAND RAPIDS — Strong growth in patient volumes over the last several years led Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital to take on an expansion project much…

Food/ag interests push for caution, common standards in PFAS testing
As the hunt for PFAS contamination has expanded into crops and livestock, it has revealed new food safety concerns related to the limited state-led testing system and lax federal standards.
West Michigan industrial vacancy remains at all-time low
GRANDVILLE — After searching for vacant sites in several other regions, the owners of Littlefoot Coffee Roasters LLC found space in Grandville that allows them to plant their roots back…

Delays extend Grand Rapids Whitewater start to 2021
GRAND RAPIDS — Officials expect to begin the $45 million project to restore the rapids in the Grand River by July 2021, later than they had originally projected.
Michigan’s attractiveness grows among aerospace manufacturers
Michigan is the most attractive state in the Midwest for new aerospace manufacturing businesses.

Ascension Borgess purchases land in WMU Business park
KALAMAZOO — Ascension Borgess Hospital has purchased 8.2 acres of land from Western Michigan University for the future development of outpatient services.

Q&A: Melissa Cook, Cardiovascular rehabilitation coordinator, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health
Melissa Cook, cardiovascular rehabilitation coordinator at Metro Health, spoke with MiBiz about the move in health care toward helping people to change their lifestyle to prevent or better manage disease…

Ottawa Kent Insurance sells to PE-backed High Street
JENISON — Ottawa Kent Insurance Agency Inc. was acquired by Traverse City-based High Street Insurance Partners Inc., an insurance agency platform formed last year by Huron Capital Partners LLC, a Detroit-based…

Farmland prices show stability, despite economic concerns
Agricultural land values have remained relatively stable throughout most regions in Michigan, even though many farmers continue to face serious headwinds.

Spartan Motors acquires California-based Royal Truck Body
CHARLOTTE — Spartan Motors Inc. continues to build its presence on the West Coast with its second acquisition of a California company in three months.

Consumers Energy plans large-scale solar buy in Calhoun County
Consumers Energy announced plans Thursday to purchase a majority of the output from a large-scale solar project in Calhoun County, among the first deals under the utility’s shift to renewable…

‘MOVE THE NEEDLE’: Cornerstone Alliance launches initiative to reverse population declines
BENTON HARBOR — A new campaign aims to stanch Berrien County’s population losses and attract thousands of new residents over the next decade.

Nonprofits working on homelessness turn attention to LGBTQ youths
GRAND RAPIDS — A house on Union Avenue SE may soon become part of the solution to providing safe and stable housing to the city’s growing population of homeless youths.

HIGHER ED: Michigan colleges prepare students for influx of cannabis careers
As students head off to college this fall, some of them in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be blazing a trail when it comes to new fields of study: growing and…

MiBiz parent company sells Revue West Michigan to Serendipity Media
GRAND RAPIDS — The parent company of MiBiz has sold its Revue West Michigan title to Serendipity Media LLC, a Grand Rapids-based custom publisher and marketing firm.