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 MiBiz.
ZEELAND — Plascore Inc., a manufacturer of lightweight composite products, is investing nearly $6 million to expand its footprint in Zeeland.
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 Lakeshore campus.
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.
Grand Rapids’ economic development services manager leaving for WMU position
Written by Sydney SmithKALAMAZOO — Kara Wood, the managing director of economic development services for the city of Grand Rapids, will join Western Michigan University as an associate vice president for community partnerships on Oct. 7.
Whitmer taps outdoor recreation as economic driver, talent retention tool
Written by Andy BalaskovitzState officials in Grand Rapids on Wednesday touted the economic benefits of outdoor recreation, a sprawling statewide sector encompassing major industries like manufacturing and tourism.
Here is the growth report for September 14, 2019.
‘MOVE THE NEEDLE’: Cornerstone Alliance launches initiative to reverse population declines
Written by Sydney SmithBENTON HARBOR — A new campaign aims to stanch Berrien County’s population losses and attract thousands of new residents over the next decade.
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 an early-stage growth company.
HOLLAND — A financing program in Holland that helps residents pay for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades remains one of the only such programs in Michigan, and could be a model for more to come.
Backed by patent protection, medical device startup gets closer to commercialization
Written by Mark SanchezGRAND RAPIDS — Securing patent protection boosts the chances of a startup company to land the financing needed to commercialize a physical therapy medical device that was developed at Spectrum Health.
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 sooner than expected.
Legislation coming up for consideration in Lansing aims to alleviate so-called “surprise billing” in health care.
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.
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 in Michigan and have room to expand in the future.
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.
Despite a historically cold spring, a year-over-year decline in acreage and new outbreaks of pests, some local growers of hops are reporting record-breaking harvests.
Agricultural land values have remained relatively stable throughout most regions in Michigan, even though many farmers continue to face serious headwinds.
Working under the hot summer sun, Ricardo Martinez and Yolanda Garrido concentrated on meeting their quota. They lost track of the hours, but bucket-by-bucket, seven days a week, they picked blueberries at a farm in Southwest Michigan.
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.
Q&A: Melissa Cook, Cardiovascular rehabilitation coordinator, Metro Health – University of Michigan Health
Written by Mark SanchezMelissa 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 and how the Pritkin program fits with it.
KALAMAZOO — Ascension Borgess Hospital has purchased 8.2 acres of land from Western Michigan University for the future development of outpatient services.
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 private equity firm.
GRAND RAPIDS — Restaurant operator Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. has added to its growing portfolio of Wendy’s restaurants with the acquisition of five Texas locations.
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.
HOLLAND — Hoekstra Electrical Services LLC is relocating its headquarters to Holland after outgrowing its space in nearby Hamilton.
CHARLOTTE — Spartan Motors Inc. continues to build its presence on the West Coast with its second acquisition of a California company in three months.
West Michigan businesses cite talent needs in urging feds to support refugee resettlement
Written by Jessica YoungWest Michigan businesses are responding to reports from the White House that the U.S. government is considering drastic cuts to the number of refugees who are allowed to enter the country.
GRAND RAPIDS — Workplace interiors dealer Custer Inc. has acquired Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Productive Business Interiors.
BYRON CENTER — Mobile video technology manufacturer Pro-Vision Video Systems Inc. has been acquired by a Boston-based private equity fund.
Blandford Nature Center begins demolition as part of $6.6M Highlands restoration project
Written by Sydney SmithGRAND RAPIDS — Blandford Nature Center has launched a $6.6 million project to turn the former Highlands Golf Club property back to nature.
A monthly index of West Michigan’s economy returned to “moderate growth” in August after taking what economist Brian Long calls a “substantial dip” a month earlier.
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 energy.
WYOMING — Midstate Security Co. LLC, a West Michigan-based electronic security and monitoring systems firm, is under new ownership.
Pi Optima Manufacturing Inc., a Zeeland-based machine shop that supplies the aerospace and automotive industries, is under new ownership.
KALAMAZOO — Stryker Corp. said today it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mobius Imaging LLC, a Massachusetts-based advanced imaging technology company for about $370 million in cash.
GRAND RAPIDS — The assets of Grand Rapids Hydroponics Inc. were acquired by Denver-based GrowGeneration Corp., the largest chain of specialty hydroponic and organic garden centers.
After operating its brewing facility in a 700-square-foot space since 2017, the owners of Arvon Brewing Co. in Grandville say they are ready to grow the business.
Here is the revised text of the “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” issued by the Business Roundtable on Aug. 19:
GRAND RAPIDS — Spectrum Health wants to become one of the first cardiac care providers in the nation to use an innovative diagnostic device that monitors and warns cardiac patients of an impending heart attack.
GRAND RAPIDS — Acquiring a Detroit-based HMO gives Priority Health a greater market presence in Southeast Michigan.
GRAND RAPIDS — City officials are reviving plans for a solar project at a former Grand Rapids landfill as the city sorts through broader questions about potential generation at seven other city-owned properties.
When Grand Rapids-based Multi-Automatic Tool and Supply Co. started searching for prospective acquisitions several years ago, the move came as a reaction to many of the company’s customers buying directly from small shops.
‘BACK TO THE BASICS’: Startup Cedar Run Decoy brings traditional waterfowling gear back to the market
Written by Jessica YoungBATTLE CREEK — Cedar Run Decoy Co. LLC aims to provide hunters with new ways to get back to the basics of waterfowling.
GRAND RAPIDS — Spectrum Health aims to incorporate some of the lessons learned from operating the former Strive primary care and wellness office into its medical practices across West Michigan.
Grand Ventures I LP’s lead investment in a Chicago digital health company typifies what’s occurring in venture capital in Michigan and neighboring states: Funds based in the region are backing Great Lakes-based startups.