Business

My Town: Construction company donates talents to West Michigan's homeless

Submitted by Anonymous on Friday, July 18th, 2:21 pm

WALKER, Mich.-- The sale of a new home in Walker is helping West Michigan’s homeless.

After handing over the keys to the new owners of 4588 Gordonshire NW, Ver Woert Construction handed over a $35,500 check to Degage Ministries. The company built the home with the intention of donating the proceeds to the charity. Owner Ken Ver Woert came up with the idea after listening to a sermon at his church about using his gifts and talents for God’s glory.

“My firm has enjoyed building this home, knowing our hard work would be benefiting others in need,” said Ver Woert. “We are also grateful for the kind hearts of our subcontractors who pledged to join us in this mission, raising the amount we were able to provide Degage Ministries.”

PREVIOUS STORY: New home’s sale to help West Michigan’s homeless

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My Town: Local restaurants named winners of wine

Submitted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 16th, 11:21 am

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—At least half a dozen restaurants in West Michigan have made the cut for the corks they pop.

They are among 3,748 restaurants worldwide to make Wine Spectator’s 2014 Restaurant Wine List Awards. For the first time this year, top honors went to Clos Maggiore in London, La Toque in Napa, Nice Matin in New York, Saison in San Francisco, The Stonehouse in Santa Barbara and Studio in Laguna Beach. They join 68 other winners of the Grand Award, which honors restaurants that generally offer guests 1,500 or more wine selections and for superior cellars, service, ambiance and cuisine.

The program’s entry-level Award of Excellence went to 2,791 restaurants; another 883 restaurants earned the Best of Award of Excellence for typically offering a list of 350 or more quality wine selections. Locally, the following restaurants made the cut:

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My Town: Meijer sponsors program for booming prescription drug industry

Submitted by Anonymous on Monday, July 7th, 12:50 pm

WALKER, Mich.— Meijer is sponsoring a program to help meet the need of the growing prescription drug industry.

The Walker-based retailer is teaming up with the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology to train the under and unemployed to become pharmacy technicians.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of pharmacy technicians needed is expected to increase 20 percent by 2022. Meijer also anticipates higher demand because of national health care and an aging patient population that relies on more prescriptions.

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My Town: Consumers Energy backs solar projects for local businesses

Submitted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 2nd, 10:19 am

KENT COUNTY, Mich.—What does a Kalamazoo area school, Ottawa County hops producer and the West Michigan Sports Commission have in common?

All three are teaming up with Consumers Energy to produce solar power.

Consumers has selected 22 projects to back, including five non-residential programs at Paragon Die & Engineering in Kentwood, Monsignor Hackett High School in Kalamazoo Township, Pure Mitten Hops in Ottawa County, the West Michigan Sports Commission in Grand Rapids and Bonobo Winery in Grand Traverse County.

In addition, Consumers is backing 17 solar projects for residential customers, including those in Kent and Ottawa counties. The customers were chosen as part of Consumers’ Experimental Advanced Renewable Program. Consumers will soon be accepting applications for the next phase of EARP. The deadly to apply is 5 p.m. Aug. 6.

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My Town: Job outlook for the area largely positive

Submitted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 19th, 7:00 am

KENT COUNTY, Mich.—Despite the harsh winter, businesses in West Michigan added 9,500 jobs during the first quarter of 2014.

That’s according to a newly released report by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Analysts found employment in West Michigan’s six metropolitan areas jumped 1.1 percent. The biggest increases were reported in manufacturing and private service sectors.

In the Grand Rapids-Wyoming area, employers added 7,200 jobs in the first quarter, driving down the area’s unemployment rate to 5.8 percent. Analysts say there was solid growth across all sectors, and they expect the job market to remain strong in the coming months.

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Submitted by Rob Byrne, Sales Executive

Thursday, June 12th, 2014, 5:00pm

My Town: Local First offers family-friendly Local Treasure Hunts this June

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- Local First has put together Local Treasure Hunts for families to do this June.

Participants can choose from two hunts: one in Grand Rapids and one on the lakeshore. Hunters can enter to win prizes in each hunt by texting in codes at each location. The hunts started on June 1 and will conclude at 11:59 on June 30.

In Grand Rapids, participating businesses include:

Grand Rapids Children's Museum
Grand Rapids Bicycle Company
The Cheese Lady
Fulton Street Farmers Market
Hop Scotch Children's Store
Nantucket Baking Company
Romence Gardens & Greenhouses
Schuler Books
The Rapid Central Station
GoNuts

On the lakeshore, the following businesses are treasure hunt stops:

Families riding bikes with Velo City Cycles, a stop on the Lakeshore Local Treasure Hunt this June.

Kids playing at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, a stop on the Grand Rapids Local Treasure Hunt this June

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My Town GR Central: New attorney joins Varnum

Submitted by Tyler Lecceadone on Tuesday, June 3rd, 7:00 am

Grand Rapids, Mich. – Varnum is pleased to welcome attorney Jeffery D. Koelzer to the firm's Grand Rapids office.

Koelzer is a member of the firm’s corporate practice team and focuses on contracts, acquisitions, regulatory compliance, secured transactions and corporate governance. He has experience in a wide array of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing and banking.

Koelzer received his law degree from University of Michigan Law School where he was a Dean's Scholarship recipient, received the Merit Certificate in Corporate Finance, and graduated cum laude. He earned his bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan where he graduated magna cum laude and was a James B. Angell Scholar Award recipient.

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