BusinessBusiness

upda teupdate1993-2012 u b l i c a t i o nu b l i c a t i o n

April 2012 $2.00

FeaturFeatures:es:Bank SBA LendingBank SBA Lending

Hospitals/SafetyHospitals/SafetyE-marketingE-marketing

Metal FinishingMetal FinishingMichigan WMichigan WineineEnvirEnvironmentalonmental

2SBA Licenses First Nationwide

Impact Investment FundWashington, DC – The U.S. Small

Business Administration today licensedthe first nationally-focused ImpactInvestment Fund, SJF Ventures III, LP.The fund will make equity investmentsin cleantech and technology companiesin communities nationwide as part of animpact investment initiative to investup to $1.5 billion in high-growth smallbusinesses.

“SJF Ventures III, LP is yet anotherimportant new ally in SBA’s commitmentto foster small business growth and jobcreation in emerging sectors,” said

Administrator Karen Mills. “They’re anexperienced team that is well-positionedto drive more investment in high growth,positive impact companies. We will con-tinue to grow this and other public-pri-vate partnerships by licensing morefunds and putting more capital in thehands of small business owners to growand create good jobs.”

SJF Ventures invests growth equityin companies with strong financial,community and environmental results.SJF’s areas of focus include: efficiencyand infrastructure; reuse and recycling;

sustainable agriculture and food safety;and technology enhanced services. Thethird fund managed by SJF Ventureswill build upon a successful track recordof returns and impacts across 34 SJFportfolio companies from its first twofunds. Citi Community Capital (Citi),the community development lendingand investing group of Citi, is the leadinvestor in SJF Ventures III, LP, anunleveraged Small Business InvestmentCompany (SBIC) fund. The fund is com-mitting up to $75 million of investmentcapital over the next five years.

The impact investment initiative ispart of Startup America, a White Houseinitiative to bring together public and pri-vate organizations to accelerate thegrowth of America’s entrepreneurs. Theinitiative uses the infrastructure of theSBA’s SBIC program, an established andsuccessful program that operates at nocost to taxpayers. The SBIC programbegan in 1958 to supplement the flow ofprivate equity capital and long-term loanfunds to small businesses. In FY 2011,the SBIC program provided $2.8 billion offinancing to 1,339 U.S. small businesses.

The announcement follows on aJuly, 2011 SBA licensing ofInvestMichigan! Mezzanine Fundwhose investment targets a state orregion, primarily Michigan, in SBA’snew impact investment initiative.

The impact investment initiativewill drive up to $1.5 billion into thehands of small businesses over the nextfive years. It provides funding for high-growth companies that will generate notonly a financial but also a “social”return by focusing on businesses locat-ed in underserved communities or com-munities facing barriers to capital.

Through the initiative SBA willcommit $1 billion to investment fundsfocused on investing in underservedmarkets or in sectors that have beendefined as national priorities. Impactinvestments can be:

• Place-based, targeting small busi-nesses located in or employing resi-dents of low or moderate income areasor economically distressed areas; or

• Sector-based, targeting industrysectors that the Administration has iden-tified as national priorities. Currentlyonly clean energy and education havebeen identified as priority sectors.

To serve these markets SBA willcollaborate with private, institutionalinvestors to identify impact investmentsand provide expedited licensing andcapital to fund managers who qualify toorganize and operate an ImpactInvestment SBIC. SBA will provide up toa 2:1 match to private capital raised bythese funds, partnering with privateinvestors to target “impact” invest-ments.

Continued on page 34328 Three Mile Rd., NW, Ste. 200 • Grand Rapids, MI

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SBA RecognizesOutstanding Michigan

LendersDetroit – The U.S. Small Business

Administration’s Michigan DistrictOffice presented its fiscal 2011 lenderawards at SBA’s 2012 Small BusinessLending Conference, Michigan’s premierlending event, held in Dearborn onMarch 15. Huntington National Bankwas named Michigan Lender of theYear, SBA’s award for the best overallperformance. Huntington NationalBank approved 612 SBA loans worthmore than 128 million in fiscal 2011.This is the third year in a row thatHuntington has one this prestigiousaward.

“Although it was difficult to selectonly one lender, Huntington NationalBank did an excellent job of using ourloan programs to help Michigan lead thecountry in 7(a) loans, and come in sec-ond in the country for all SBA loan pro-grams,” said Gerald Moore, SBAMichigan District Director. “HuntingtonNational Bank also received awards forbeing the SBAExpress and 504 Lenderof the Year.” Other award winnersincluded:

• SBAExpress Lender of the Year –Huntington National Bank

Award for the lender which had themost SBAExpress loans. HuntingtonNational Bank approved 519SBAExpress loans. HuntingtonNational Bank has won this award forthe last three years.

• PLP Lenders of the Year – LakeMichigan Financial

The most loans approved by a pre-ferred lender, which enjoy full delega-tion of lending authority. Of their SBAportfolio, 35% of the loans wereapproved using their PLP authority.

• Business Development Lender ofthe Year – Capital Bancorp and ChemicalBank

This year there is a tie for BusinessDevelopment Lender of the Year. It isthe award for the lender with the largestincrease in loan approvals. In fiscal2011 Capital Bancorp approved 45loans for more than $20 million andChemical Bank approved 61 loans formore than $22 million.

• Community Lender of the Year–Traverse City State Bank

Best overall performance amongMichigan-based, non-PLP lenders.Criteria include total volume, new mar-ket activity, and comparison with his-torical performance. Traverse City StateBank approved 46 SBA loans for morethan $ 13 million.

• 504 Lender of the Year –Huntington National Bank

In recognition of the best overallsupport of SBA’s 504 loan program,Huntington supported 25

504 deals for over $14 million lastyear.

• Diversity Lender of the Year –Chase

Best overall performance in sup-porting new markets businesses(minorities, women, and veterans), wasawarded to Chase for its percentage ofSBA loans that went to new marketsand its support for the full diversity ofthe population in fiscal 2011. This isthe fourth year in a row that Chase haswon this award.

In fiscal 2011, the MichiganDistrict Office guaranteed 2303 loansworth more than $798 million. Over thepast four years SBA has provided guar-anties on 7382 loans worth more than$2 billion to small businesses inMichigan. “I want to thank all of SBA’sparticipating lenders for their outstand-ing support of our loan programs,” saidMoore.

Impact Investment FundContinued from page 2

High-growth firms are a small partof the small business community, butthey create a large number of net newjobs each year. The initiative will helphigh-growth companies receive thefunding they need to continue toexpand and create jobs in America’s

underserved communities and prioritysectors.

For more information on the impactinvestment initiative please visithttp://www.sba.gov/content/impact-investment-initiative.

United Bank of Michigan: The key to 125 years of success

No business survives for 125 years– let alone succeeds – without an endur-ing commitment to the right things. ForUnited Bank of Michigan, since itsfounding in 1887 serving the stagecoach stop of Wayland, that has takenthe form of a philosophy that builds suc-cess on strong communities and long-

term customer relationships.“One of the things I think success-

ful community banks have to bear inmind is that our company can be nomore prosperous than our communityis,” said Art Johnson, CEO of UnitedBank. “So we have to be devoted notonly to our individual customers, but tothe community as a whole. We have tobe the place that is at the forefront ofthinking about the success of our com-munities.”

A popular understanding of com-munity support is that it starts withmonetary donations. United Bank isgenerous in that area, but Johnsonbelieves that is not the whole idea – oreven the most important part of it.

“We have to make sure those insti-tutions that are foundations of commu-nities are successful, and that means notonly writing a check once in awhile, butalso being personally involved,”Johnson said. “Where most communityorganizations fail is not because of lackof money. It’s because of lack of leader-ship or involvement. The communitieswe’re in are models of success.”

The bank’s involvement in commu-nity organizations, especially schools, isbuilt on personal involvement. FromUnited Bankers who teach JuniorAchievement to others who volunteerfor Teach Children to Save Day in localschools – the personal commitment typ-ically goes much farther than a check,although the checks can certainly help inthe right situation.

These principles have been part of

United Bank from the beginning, andremained as the bank has evolved andgrown. The bank was first chartered in1903 as Wayland State Bank. The fami-ly that serves as the bank’s primarypresent-day owners first arrived in1940, when Arthur H. Johnson (latefather of the current CEO) became thebank’s cashier – its day-to-day managerin those days. He would eventuallyascend to the leadership of the bank. Inthe 1950s and 1960s, under Johnson’sleadership, the bank expanded with theopening of several other communitybranches – setting the stage for its cur-rent-day role serving a variety of WestMichigan communities through localbranches.

While the bank’s emphasis waslargely agricultural for most of its firstcentury – an emphasis that fit the com-munities it served – that began tochange dramatically in the 1980s. A cru-cial milestone in that transition wasUnited Bank’s designation in 1987 as alender with “Preferred” status by theSmall Business Administration.

As a result, United Bank was in astronger position than ever to help facil-itate the economic growth of the localcommunities it served. But just becausethe bank had money to lend, Johnsonsays, did not automatically make itstand out.

“We have to add value to any rela-tionship we have,” Johnson said.“Otherwise, why would anybody care tochoose us over someone else? Everydollar we lend has 100 cents in it, just

like every dollar that everyone elselends. Our dollars can’t be differentiatedfrom anyone else’s, but what can be isour attention to detail, the service, thetime we will take to understand you andyour business and your needs. It’s thedesire to help you become successful.”

Maintaining such a philosophy,Johnson said, is easier for a closely heldcommunity bank that is not under con-stant pressure from shareholders to hitcertain targets every quarter. Absentthat pressure, a community bank canfocus more on building relationshipswith pay off over the long term. Andwith local decision-making, customerscan be confident that they are beingserved by professionals who know themwell and understand their needs.

Even during the recent “GreatRecession,” United Bank has fared wellevery year. Johnson attributes that suc-cess to a longstanding belief that nocustomer is expendable.

That shows in the nature of UnitedBank’s personal service. One customerrecently described it as the equivalent ofconcierge service in a banking environ-ment – the type that makes customersrealize how valued they are.

United Bank achieves that with anapproach that’s described as “high-tech,high-touch.” Customers get access tofull online banking service, mobileapplications and other features of themodern era. But there is still a humanbeing who answers the phone, and thereare still bankers who know the cus-tomers personally and understand theirneeds.

It’s not too different, really, fromthe early days servicing that burgeoningstagecoach stop. A bank that’s commit-ted to building the community will like-ly succeed, and grow with it. That canlead to a lot of years of success. Maybeeven another 125.

4

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Finance/Insurance BriefsGrand Rapids - Price Heneveld® LLPannounced the addition of Peter A.Cummings as an associate of the firm.Cummings is a registered patent attorneywith over two years of experience pro-tecting and enforcing all areas of intel-lectual property law in a general practicesetting, where he also practiced corpo-rate and environmental law.

Grand Rapids – John V. Byl, a partnerwith the law firm Warner Norcross &Judd LLP, has been recognized byMichigan Lawyers Weekly as one of its2012 Leaders in the Law.

Grand Rapids - Miller Johnson sharesthe news with you that Chambers USA2012 will recognize seven attorneys as“Leaders in their Field:” Jeffrey S.Ammon, Mary V. Bauman, Frank E.Berrodin, James C. Bruinsma, Peter J.Kok, Jon G. March, and Jon R. Muth.

Grand Rapids – The law firm of WarnerNorcross & Judd LLP has elected threepartners to serve on its ManagementCommittee. Susan Gell Meyers andStephen C. Waterbury will each servethree-year terms on the law firm’s 10-member Management Committee.Jonathan P. Kok, who was completing aone-year term on the committee, waselected to serve a three-year term.

Grand Rapids - Steve Hallead hasjoined Independent Bank’s treasurymanagement group as a vice president.Hallead joined Independent Bank in2001 and most recently served as a com-mercial lender.

Grand Rapids – Warner Norcross &Judd LLP has welcomed Brian P.Lennon as a new attorney. Lennonbrings more than 17 years of experiencewith the federal and U.S. Marine Corpscourts to his new role as senior counselin the firm’s Criminal Defense Practice.

Grand Rapids – Lake MichiganInsurance Agency (LMIA) announcedKen Jansen, vice president of LMIA, willbe serving on the Grand Rapids Homeand Builders Association (HBA) Boardof Directors.

Grand Rapids – For the 10th consecutiveyear, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP hasbeen recognized as one of the leadinglaw firms in Michigan by Chambers USA2012. Additionally, 10 attorneys wererecognized individually for their work.The 10 attorneys are: James H. Breay;Douglas A. Dozeman; Richard A. Kay;Anthony J. Kolenic ; Mary Jo Larson;John H. McKendry, Jr.; Robert H.Skilton III; George L. Whitfield; Lisa B.Zimmer; Stephen C. Waterbury.

Grand Rapids – Randall J. Groendykhas been appointed to the Retail LendingCommittee of the Michigan BankersAssociation. Groendyk will assist inanalyzing pending legislation and pro-vide appropriate direction to legislatorsand regulators. Committee membersserve a three year term.

Lansing - Foster Swift Collins & SmithPC welcomes back Frederick D. Dilleyas a shareholder for the law firm's GrandRapids office and a member of the General Litigation Practice Group.

Grand Rapids - Todd Setchfield hasjoined Independent Bank’s mortgagelending team at the East Beltline office.He is a mortgage loan officer servingcustomers in Kent County. The office islocated at 4200 East Beltline.

Grand Rapids - Miller Johnson sharesthe news with you that Mary V.Bauman is named as one of the “FiftyMost Influential Women in WestMichigan” based on professionalachievements and community contribu-tions.

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MI Credit Unions’ Strong Performance in 2011 Points to Improving Economy

Lansing – Strong improvementacross several key industry indicatorsdemonstrate that the state’s economycontinues its turnaround, with Michigancredit unions providing solid support forlocal businesses and consumers, theMichigan Credit Union League said todayas it announced year-end results for2011.

“Credit unions continue to step upand support both small businesses andlocal families, as other institutions arestepping back,” said David Adams, CEOof the Michigan Credit Union League &Affiliates. “Michigan still has a long wayto go to recover from the recession, butour credit unions are demonstrating thatthey can be counted on to support localeconomic growth and development as webegin to turn the corner.”

Newly released data showsMichigan credit unions’ total assets rose

to an all-time high in 2011, reaching$41.9 billion on Dec. 31, an increase of$383 million for the quarter and $1.9 bil-lion for the year. Overall deposits atMichigan credit unions rose by 4.8 per-cent in 2011. Deposits continued to growfaster than lending, and the industry’sloan-to-share ratio declined to 64.33 per-cent, down from 67.26 in 2010.

Total loans by year-end 2011reached $23.2 billion, and finished theyear with annual growth of 0.2 percentover 2010, recouping all the decrease intotal loans occurring in the first quarter.For the quarter, consumer lending grewby $130 million for first home mort-gages, $55 million for unsecured creditcards, and $100 million for used cars.

Credit union member business loansincreased by 21.7 percent in 2011, a ratewhich is more than three times higherthan the annual increase for all U.S. cred-

it unions. The data showing increasedsmall business support from Michigan’scredit unions comes as bank lendingremains sluggish, a trend dating back tothe 2008 recession. According to theFDIC, U.S. banks’ small business lendingcontinued to decline in the fourth quarterof 2011 with a year-over-year bankdecline in small business loans of 4.3percent in 2011.

New bankruptcy filings dropped24.3 percent in 2011, with Michigancredit unions reporting 13,613 membersfiling for bankruptcy. Furthermore, thepercentage of loans charged off due tobankruptcy in 2011 fell to 29.19 percent,down from 31.22 percent in 2010, repre-senting a 6.5 percent improvement.

“In the wake of significant growth inseveral key areas last year, Michigancredit unions begin 2012 in a very strongposition. Credit union savings and lend-

ing are growing at healthy rates, and areshowing some of the strongest results inseveral quarters. Credit union member-ship also rose to 4.47 million as of Dec.31. These are all trends which demon-strate the industry’s and the state’sresilience,” Adams said.

According to MCUL’s analysis,Michigan credit unions added 24,751new members and 87,209 new checkingaccounts in the fourth quarter of 2011,the strongest fourth quarter growth in atthe past several years, despite continueddeclines in the state’s population. In all of2011, the state’s credit unions added87,209 new checking accounts.

“Our membership growth shows thatmore families across our state and all overthe nation are embracing what creditunions offer in the way of great rates andlower fees and as they continue to look forways to stretch every dollar.”

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Finance/Insurance BriefsGrand Rapids - Miller Johnson sharesthe news with you that Mark Penderyhas joined the firm’s litigation and taxgroups.

Detroit – Phillip D. Torrence, the officemanaging partner for Honigman MillerSchwartz and Cohn LLP in Kalamazooand chair of the firm’s FinancialInstitutions Practice, has been named byMichigan Lawyers Weekly as one of its25 “Leaders in the Law” for 2012.

Grand Rapids - Price Heneveld® LLPannounced the addition of Peter A.Cummings as an associate of the firm.Cummings is a registered patent attorneyand in addition, he has prior engineeringexperience related to industrial manu-facturing and electromechanical tech-nologies.

Richland - Gayle Jenkins joinedIndependent Bank as a mortgage origi-nator at the Richland office. Jenkins isserving customers in Allegan, Berrien,Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale,Kalamazoo and Saint Joseph counties.

Lansing - Ray H. Littleton, an associateat Foster Swift Collins & Smith P.C. hasbeen appointed into the State Bar ofMichigan Representative Assembly inthe 6th Circuit. The RepresentativeAssembly is the final policy-makingbody of the State Bar of Michigan.

Grandville – Berends Hendricks Stuitwas recently honored by the InsuranceJournal as the Best Agency to Work Forin the Midwest. Unbeknownst to man-agement, many BHS employees nomi-nated the agency helping it earn thisaward. The employees mentioned theirstrong feeling of being valued within theorganization as their primary reason fornomination.

Grand Rapids – Lake Michigan CreditUnion announced the promotion of MattCook to branch manager at the Jenisonbranch location. Cook previously heldthe assistant branch manager position.

Richland - A.J. Harma has joinedIndependent Bank’s mortgage lendingteam as Senior Mortgage Loan Officer atthe Richland office.

Lansing - Foster Swift Collins & SmithPC welcomes back Frederick D. Dilleyas a shareholder for the law firm's GrandRapids office and a member of theGeneral Litigation Practice Group.

Grand Rapids - Miller Johnsonannounces that Rachel J. Foster andSara G. Lachman have been elected toMembership at Miller Johnson. Foster isin the business/corporate section andLachman is in the litigation section.

Grand Rapids – Rodney D. Martin, theDiversity Partner with the law firm ofWarner Norcross & Judd LLP, wasappointed to serve on the Diversity andInclusion Advisory Council of the GrandRapids Area Chamber of Commerce.

Detroit – J. Patrick Lennon, a partner inHonigman Miller Schwartz and CohnLLP’s Real Estate Department, waselected chair of the Urban LandInstitute-Michigan (ULI), WesternRegion. He was also appointed to theULI-Michigan Executive Committee,which is comprised of leaders in the realestate profession throughout the state. Midland – Chemical Bank celebrated its95th Anniversary, and 95 years in pro-viding individualized banking solutions,and personalized customer service.

Holland - Macatawa Bank Corporationannounced its Consent Order with regula-tors was terminated. Macatawa Bankentered into a Consent Order with FederalDeposit Insurance Corporation andMichigan Office of Financial andInsurance Regulation. Macatawa agreedto the terms of the negotiated ConsentOrder without admitting or denying anycharges of unsafe or unsound bankingpractices. The Consent Order imposed nofines or penalties on the Bank.

Grand Rapids – For the 10th year in arow, the law firm of Warner Norcross &Judd LLP has been named one of WestMichigan’s 101 Best & BrightestCompanies to Work For.

Detroit – J. Patrick Lennon, a partner inHonigman Miller Schwartz and CohnLLP’s Real Estate Department, wasrecently elected chair of the newlyformed Urban Land Institute-Michigan(ULI), Western Region. He was alsoappointed to the ULI-Michigan ExecutiveCommittee, which is comprised of lead-ers in the real estate profession through-out the state.

Grand Rapids – For the seventh consecu-tive year, Plante Moran, PLLC has beennamed one of West Michigan’s 101 Best &Brightest Companies to Work For.

Grand Rapids - Dennis Echelbarger,CPA, CFF, the founder and chairman ofthe board for the accounting firmEchelbarger, Himebaugh, Tamm & Co.,P.C. in Grand Rapids has been appointedby Governor Rick Snyder to serve on theCommission for Community Action andEconomic Opportunity.

Grand Rapids – Selma Jakupovic hasjoined Lighthouse Group as a PersonalLines Insurance Agent. She is licensed inProperty and Causality Insurance andbrings with her over 10 years of experi-ence. Anna Constant has joinedLighthouse Group as MarketingCoordinator. Katie Furman has joinedLighthouse group in their Muskegon,Michigan office as a Personal LinesInsurance Agent.

Grand Rapids – Peter DeBoer has joinedLegacy Trust as an investment opera-tions associate. DeBoer will work closelywith the operations team and seniorinvestment managers to support portfo-lio management, securities trading andclient communication activities.

Grand Rapids – Jonathan P. Kok hasbeen named chair of the Labor andEmployment Group of Warner Norcross& Judd LLP. Kok, a partner with thefirm, will lead the 20-member practicegroup.

Michigan’s Entrepreneurial Climate

Michigan - The Small BusinessFoundation of Michigan’s eighth annualEntrepreneurship Score Card finds thatMichigan has dramatically improved inthe measure called EntrepreneurialClimate, rising to 15th in the nation in2011 compared to 45th in 2010. “We areespecially pleased to see this improve-ment in Entrepreneurial Climate, becauseit’s a key measure of Michigan’s gains inthe general business, capital access andtechnology/innovation qualities of oureconomy,” says Rob Fowler, presidentand CEO of the Small BusinessAssociation of Michigan. “This is astrong indicator of healthier conditionsfor future small business and entrepre-neurial activity.”

Other Score Card measurementsshow little dramatic change but rather aslow continuation of positive economictrends. Notably, Michigan’s five-yearbusiness survival rate, which had beenunderperforming since 2003, is now atthe U.S. average.

The Score Card finds thatMichigan’s economic assets remain post-

secondary education and a highly skilledworkforce. Science, engineering andgraduate program output remainshealthy and technology competitivenessis an asset, giving the state above aver-age performance in the Research &Innovation metric. On the downside,Michigan remains challenged by suchtrends as the cost of doing business andregulatory/legal measures (althoughthere are select tax, fiscal and regulatorypolicies and outcomes upon which thestate is now scoring higher.) Fortunately,these negatives are all areas where pub-lic policies are currently being focused(for example, business tax reform tookeffect on Jan. 1, 2012.)

“These public policy efforts arevitally needed to help overcome low per-forming trends like the fundamentals ofK-12, infrastructure and quality of life,”says Fowler. “Michigan needs to contin-ue its efforts to further accelerate entre-preneurial growth if we are to reach ourgoal of being counted among the top fivefriendliest states in the nation for smallbusiness and entrepreneurship.

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Authentication Issues in HealthcareBy: Scott Montgomery

After conducting more than 700 ITSecurity Assessments for dozens ofhealthcare providers over the last fewyears I have gained some insight intocommon security issues within thehealthcare environment.

System authentication continues toremain a problem within the healthcareindustry. The problem arises with assur-ing that individual systems are onlyaccessible by authorized individuals. Inaddition, the ability to audit systemaccess is a growing concern.

Application level security, primarilythe security to the organization’s coremedical systems, is generally good. Myfocus has been the authentication securityfor desktops, servers and network.Maintaining a high level of authenticationcontrol and auditability to these compo-nents are essential to assure good IT secu-rity and the protection of ElectronicProtected Health Information (ePHI).

To remedy this problem, manyorganizations have implemented authen-

tication aids such as proximity readers,smart card readers and biometricdevices. These components generallyprovide quick access to network basedsystems, however the implementationscan be costly and difficult to integrate.Many of the organizations that I haveworked with are using traditional systemaccess methods, such as account namesand unique passwords.

Simple and trivial passwords remaina big security risk to many healthcareorganizations. To compound the issue,many organizations continue to get push-back from healthcare professionals whenrequests to improve passwords are man-dated. The question of how to balanceauthentication strength with end-userconvenience is not a simple one to solve.

Auditability also remains a concern.Although not an acceptable practice,there are still organizations that accessePHI using generic, shared accounts andpasswords. If an organization can’tassign a set of fingers that were used totype on the keyboard, it may have anauditability problem. To compound this

problem, I’ve experienced numerousoccurrences where uniquely assignedaccess credentials become commonlyshared. Continual audit reviews willidentify these issues and allow manage-ment to gain valuable insight.

The first step in solving these com-mon problems is management’s accept-ance of and a desire to heighten overallsystem level security. The second step isto develop and implement an acceptablepractice that includes password strengthand auditability controls. The probabilityof acceptance with this practice willincrease if the organization takes multi-ple, small steps over a period of time.Overall security will increase as each stepis completed.

It is also important to train end-users on the practices you wish to seeimplemented. Well informed users willgenerally accept new security measureswhen they understand the risks with thecurrent environment.

Some Keys for system securityinclude:

• Don’t allow passwords to be the

same as the account name.• Don’t allow the organization’s name

or acronym to be used as a password.• Discourage common, weak and

trivial passwords such as “password1,summer12, nurse, doctor, welcome, etc.”

Increase the minimum length of apassword that can be used. A length of 7characters or more is generally accept-able as a means to reduce security risks.

Do not authorize the use of genericaccount names, or accounts/passwordsto be shared by multiple users. Train theusers of the importance of not sharingpasswords with others or using anotherperson’s account to access a system.

Regularly audit the controls youalready have in place. Determine whataudit information is available and assigna review task to be completed on a regu-lar basis.

Scott Montgomery is the Manager ofthe OST Security Practice. He comes hasover 25 years of IT and IT Security relat-ed experience. Scott has a Degree inComputer Information Service fromFerris State University.

Health Care BriefsGrand Rapids – Saint Mary’s HealthCare announced three new members oftheir board of trustees: Mary EllenSullivan is the founder and managingmember of Med-Law ConsultingServices. Juan R. Olivarez, Ph.D. is therecently installed seventh President ofAquinas College. Julie M. Ridenour isthe Trust Business Development Officerof Founders Bank and Trust andTreasurer of East Grand Rapids Board ofEducation.

Grand Rapids – Gerontology Networkhas hired on Jennifer Feuerstein asDirector of Marketing, Communicationsand Development as part of their long-range strategic plan to develop new pro-grams and expand existing programswithin West Michigan to serve olderadults.

Holland - Holland Hospital is offeringPET/CT scans in partnership withAlliance HNI mobile imaging. Themobile PET/CT imaging services are pro-vided at the Holland Hospital MedicalBuilding in Zeeland once weekly.

Woodbury, NY and Grand Rapids, MI –Learn360Health, a division ofLearn360 and healthcare’s first single-source digital content provider of PatientEducation, Relaxation, Entertainmentand Pediatric K-12 Education Servicesannounced that it has partnered withOptimal Solutions’ eVideonHealthcare to bring the Classroom tothe Hospital bedside. The partnershipwill integrate Learn360’s highqualityeducation video content with theeVideon Healthcare interactive patientTV system.

Kalamazoo – Bronson MethodistHospital announced their Bronson’sClinical Pastoral Education program isconsidered highly regarded as a trainingprogram for religious leaders that areinterested in learning how to providespiritual care in a healthcare setting.This is an accredited program that trainsindividuals from all religious communi-ties.

Brighton – Ross Medical EducationCenter is now open for students to enrollin their Pharmacy Technician programthat will be offered in addition toMichigan, Indiana, and Ohio. This pro-gram is an expansion of the AlliedHealth School. Additional programs willalso include Medical Assisting, DentalAssisting and Medical Insurance Billing,and Office Administration.

Ann Arbor - Aastrom Biosciences, Inc.developer for multicellular therapiesused to treat chronic cardiovascular dis-eases, began patient enrollment for theREVIVE Phase 3 clinical trial to observethe efficacy and safety of ixmyelocel-T inthe treatment of patients with criticallimb ischemia.

Grand Rapids – Hope Networkannounces the following staff promo-tions: Tamera Kiger has been promotedto Executive Director of BehavioralHealth West Michigan. Jamie Bragg-Lovejoy has been promoted to ExecutiveDirector of Behavioral Health EastMichigan. Josh Hagedorn has been pro-moted to Director of Informatics.

88New Report Finds Greater Use of Genetic Testing

Washington, DC – A new report byUnitedHealth Group’s Center for HealthReform & Modernization finds that amajority of physicians are utilizinggenetic testing. The report, titled“Personalized Medicine: Trends andprospects for the new science of genetictesting and molecular diagnostics,” pres-ents new findings on how genetic testscan help diagnose disease, target preven-tion, and ensure that patients receive themedicines that will best treat their condi-tions.

Genetic testing is currently availablefor about 2,500 conditions, includingcancers and communicable diseases, andit is estimated to be growing by doubledigits annually. Full genome sequencing,which maps an individual’s entire genet-ic code, is also expected to become wide-ly available, possibly beginning as soonas later this year.

“Genetic science offers unprece-dented potential to prevent disease andimprove diagnosis and treatment, usher-ing in an era of truly personalized care,”said Simon Stevens, executive vice presi-dent, UnitedHealth Group, and chairmanof the UnitedHealth Center for HealthReform & Modernization. “But forpatients to realize these practical bene-fits, we will also need new models ofresearch and care delivery combined withinformed choice and appropriate con-sumer safeguards.”

The report sheds new light on threeimportant questions:

- What do U.S. doctors and patientsthink about genetic testing and moleculardiagnostics?

– How are these tests currently beingused, and how might their use grow?

– What practical action can be takento ensure proper safeguards while accel-

erating progress for patients?Report Includes New Survey Results

on Patient and Physician Views onGenetic Testing

Most American consumers are opti-mistic about the potential benefits fromadvances in genetic testing, according toa national survey of U.S. adults conduct-ed by UnitedHealth Group/HarrisInteractive, included in the report. Aboutthree-quarters of survey respondentsagree that genetic tests help doctors diag-nose preventable conditions and offermore personalized treatment options.Most consumers expect that five yearsfrom now the use of testing will haveincreased. However, the coding systemused across the country to monitor med-ical tests offers few codes to describegenetic tests for specific diseases.

The survey also finds that a majorityof U.S. doctors say that genetic testing willimprove care across a range of healthproblems in the future, allowing for morepersonalized medical decisions and moretargeted choice of therapy. On average,physicians report having recommendedgenetic testing for 4 percent of theirpatients over the past year. Looking aheadfive years, physicians on average feel that14 percent of their patients will have had agenetic test; however, nearly three-in-fivedoctors say that they are very concernedabout the cost of genetic tests.

“The mapping of the human genomeand use of genetic testing in diagnosingand treating diseases are landmarkbreakthroughs in modern medicine,” saidReed Tuckson, M.D., chief of medicalaffairs at UnitedHealth Group, and for-mer chair of the U.S. Health and HumanServices Secretary’s Advisory Committeeon Genetics, Health and Society. “It isnow up to all of us to foster an environ-

ment that encourages innovation in thesetests and related treatments, as well astheir responsible use, so as to bring aboutreal-world improvements in care.”

New Data on Current Usage andExpected Trends

The report contains new analyses ofthe experience of individuals covered byUnitedHealthcare that show the cost ofgenetic and molecular diagnostic testingfor UnitedHealthcare health plan partici-pants in 2010 was approximately $500million.

Per-person spending on genetic test-ing for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare andMedicaid members was higher than forUnitedHealthcare’s employer-sponsoredand individually insured population by16 percent and 24 percent, respectively.

Extrapolating from these data, thereport suggests that national spending onthese services in 2010 may have reachedaround $5 billion.

Looking forward, the report containsprojections on how this spending maygrow in the coming decade, potentiallyreaching between $15 billion and $25 bil-lion annually in the United States by 2021.

New Recommendations to EnsurePatients Benefit from Scientific Advances

The report offers six recommenda-tions to help ensure patients benefit from

the new science. These include:• protecting and supporting patients,

through data confidentiality, nondiscrim-ination safeguards and decision support;

• strengthening clinical evidence toinform patients and their physiciansabout which tests work best, for specificconditions;

• better aligned reimbursementincentives to encourage innovation andappropriateness in test development andusage;

• improved care monitoring andmore transparent test coding practices;

• ensuring lab tests are performedsafely and accurately; and

• making it easier for health profes-sionals to stay abreast of new develop-ments in genetic science.

“Advancing genetic testing is one ofthe greatest contributions we can make tothe future of personalized medicine.Doing it conscientiously requires taking aclose look at the challenges ahead with afocus on bringing to consumers the fullbenefits that this new technology promis-es,” said Otis Brawley, M.D., chief med-ical officer of the American CancerSociety. “I commend the UnitedHealthCenter for Health Reform &Modernization for taking this initiative.”

General BusinessGrand Rapids – The community built onentrepreneurship will host the nationalorganization dedicated to teaching entre-preneurship to tomorrow’s leaders.Junior Achievement of the MichiganGreat Lakes announced that GrandRapids will host the JA 2012 NationalLeadership Conference on July 16-19,2012 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hoteland DeVos Convention Center. The four-day conference will host 400 JA staffmembers and other attendees and con-sists of three themed days focusing onleadership, innovation and impact.

Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids-based artand disabilities non-profit VSA, changedthe name of their organization to ArtistsCreating Together. The change is arecommitment of the organization’s staff,volunteers and board members to focusenergy on the West Michigan community.

Southfield - Center for BusinessInnovation’s (CBI) Southfield office hasmoved from their previous location onHilltop Street. CBI’s new Southfieldaddress is 29425 Northwestern Hwy.Suite 100 Southfield, MI 48034.

9Re-developing Brownfield Legislation and Incentives By: Jeremy Martin

Michigan’s construction and re-development industries, like most othercapital intensive lines of work rely tosome degree on government incentivesand legislation to help large projects getoff the ground.

In the case of Brownfield develop-ments the way legislation and the appro-priation of incentives are used is chang-ing, both of which could potentially alterthe construction and re-developmentfields drastically.

Thomas Wackerman, the director ofthe Brownfield Restoration Group atASTI Environmental explains that “Thenew incentives are more focused andsmaller. As a result, their impact onoverall economic development will beless than what was anticipated under oldprograms that they replaced.”

Wackerman does suggest that some,primarily smaller developments will ben-efit from the changes, while largerindustrial re-developments will mostlikely find it more difficult to survive inthe new environment.

“The incentives will help some

developments and hurt others. My per-spective is that the developments thatwill be helped will be smaller, urban,mixed-use, rehab projects in areas thatare very difficult to redevelop. With thesmall pool of money, and this urbanmixed-use focus, the larger projects willprobably not get the funding they need,which will, or course, hurt them by mak-ing it more difficult to develop,”Wackerman said.

When referring to ‘the small pool ofmoney,’ Wackeman references adecrease in government funded incen-tives for the coming business year.

This past December GovernorSynder signed into a law a five bill pack-age which allocates $100 million inincentives for what have been deemed‘highly competitive projects.’

The moneys allocated however areonly about 20% of the funds previouslygiven on a yearly basis for constructionand re-development projects, includingthose deemed as ‘brownfield.’

According to epa.gov brownfieldproperties are project sites “which maybe complicated by the presence or poten-tial presence of a hazardous substance,

pollutant, or contaminant.”Needless to say, a brownfield site

constitutes not only potentially more riskfor the worker and eventual owner of theproperty but also inherently is moreexpensive to re-develop.

“The problem, which was originallyaddressed when Brownfield legislationbegan, is that the properties that needthe most help are Brownfields. On theseproperties there is an additional cost todevelopment that makes them unattrac-tive, especially when compared to green-fields and grayfields,” Wackerman said.

Wackerman explains that the newincentives are targeted towards thesmaller, urban based projects that don’tpossess the brownfield stigma, and aretherefore cheaper and quicker to develop.

“They will not generally help thoseBrownfield properties that need it most,”Wackerman said. “My calculation is thatit is only 10 percent of the needed funds.The rest is going to have to come fromthe developers, investors, or from com-plex, multi-layered financing. More real-istically, it means that some projects willnot be done until the economy changes.”

An argument has been made thatthe new legislation will create a hurdle injob creation making it tougher for theindustry to create enough work for those

who are currently unemployed.Wackerman on the other hand

argues that incentive and legislationalone do little to create jobs anyway, soany changes to the structure would havea minimal impact on the state’s unem-ployment rate one way or the other.

“We cannot incentivize our way tojobs. To me, incentives imply unsustain-ability,” Wackerman said. “Jobs mustcome from business reinvestment inmarket areas that have good fundamen-tals. Businesses will invest in states thatprovide them with advantages, and thoseadvantages include many, many itemsthat are not incentives; trained workers,quality of life, cost of doing business,social equity, psychological return oninvestment, etc.”

All in all however, Wackermanbelieves that despite new legislation andfewer monetary incentives the industrywill continue to move forward.

“We had real estate development inthis state before the incentives, and wehad real estate development in this stateduring the incentives that didn't useincentives. While the lost incentives willaffect projects, a great project is still agreat project,” Wackerman said.

Construction BriefsLansing - John Clark, Board Chairmanof Clark Construction, was selected toreceive Michigan State University’s2012 Outstanding Alumnus awardfrom the MSU College of Agriculture andNatural Resources Alumni Association.

Grand Rapids - Baker-Wierenga, LLC,anounced the lease of 5,000 SF industri-al space to the HelloLife. HelloLife willuse the space to increase their output ofproduction.

Holland - Jill Smalldon was promoted toMarketing Representative forLighthouse Title Group in its Hollandlocation. Smalldon has both title and realestate experience and ties to the Hollandcommunity.

Holland - Elzinga & Volkers hiredLarry Wolters as a Field Manager.Wolters is responsible for scheduling,ordering, field supervision, quality con-trol and production of all phases of con-struction.

Grandville - JDH Engineering, Inc.announced Tim DenHartigh has joinedtheir team as a Structural Engineer.Bringing 13 years of engineering experi-ence with him.

Grand Rapids - First Companiesannounced the Office Lease of 7,500 SFto tenant, Crisis Care Network, Inc. forlandlord, Core Realty for an insurance-company looking to continue expansionin West Michigan.

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10New Construction For Inpatient Services

Grand Rapids – It’s the first newclinical construction in more than eightyears. Construction on the Pine Restmain campus in Cutlerville started inJanuary 2012 and will be completed bySeptember 2012.

The adult inpatient unit will becomea new wing of the Van Andel Center hos-pital building at 300 68th Street. Locatedbetween the adult south and adult eastinpatient units, the new wing will meas-ure 20,417 square feet and includes 22inpatient beds: four single barrier-freerooms, six single rooms and six semi-private rooms.

It will be dedicated to the treatmentand care of patients with co-occurringdisorders, making it one of only a coupleof specialty treatment units in the coun-try. Pine Rest has seen an increase in theincidence of co-occurring, substanceabuse and mental illness, disorders inour current patients across our adult

units.The new inpatient unit allows Pine

Rest to further its model of care by creat-ing a comfortable, state of the art, safeand therapeutic environment for patientsunder the duress of mental illness andsubstance abuse.

Investments in new technology formobile computers and phones allowsstaff members to be more integrated withpatients and give them more efficienttools to do their job. This will be one ofonly a few units in the country focusedon specialty-level treatment of co-occur-ring disorders.

The completed 22-bed facility in theVan Andel Center will first be used as astaging unit during the 12-month con-struction and renovation of the MulderCenter units. This provides a strategicopportunity to expand the Pine Resthealing ministry without taking anypatient beds off-line or displacing cur-

rent staff in the process.The Mulder Center will undergo

major construction. The Van Andel CookCenter for Dementia and GeriatricBehavioral Health, which will house theOlder Adult 26-bed inpatient unit, and

the Mulder West 22-bed inpatient unitwill both be rebuilt.

Once the Mulder Center units arecompleted, the Van Andel Center unit willopen to co-occurring disorders patientsin January 2014.

Construction BriefsMuskegon - D L Morse and Associates,Inc. has promoted both Adam Morseand Nick Cadarette to Assistant ProjectManagers. They also welcome KyleSiegert as Project Manager, StevenMoore as Superintendent and JeffLeMieux and Tim Bonter as TeamLeaders. D L Morse and Associates, Inc.has been providing General Contractingservices nationally for over 35 years.

Lansing - Clark Construction announcesthe hiring: Josh Pettijohn will serve as aProject Superintendent. He will initiallybegin at the Beaumont Hospital 7th FloorWest Bed Tower renovations in Troy;Andy Richter has been hired as a ProjectEngineer by Clark Construction and willinitially work on the St. Johns PublicSchools 2010 Bond Program.

Grand Rapids - Reverend John andLinda Grier announced construction onDelaware Manor. Delaware Manor cur-rently houses 47 units, providing resi-dents with a cafeteria, computer center,community gathering spaces, and anonsite service coordinator. The expan-sion includes the addition of 36 units tothe senior community. ContractorWolverine Building Group and archi-tectural firm DTS Winkelmann lead theconstruction adjacent to the existingdevelopment. After planning and seek-ing assistance, the project received afully-funded grant from the U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment.

Grand Rapids/Lansing/Kalamazoo/FarmingtonHills & Cincinnati, OH - The Board ofDirectors of Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr &Huber, Inc. announced the promotions ofKerri A. Miller, P.E., LEED AP BD+C andKamran Qadeer, P.E. to SeniorAssociate and Vice President and thepromotions of Anthony R. Kuhtz, P.E.,LEED AP, Stephen J. MacDonald, P.E.,and Timothy Platz, P.S. to Associate.Senior Associate and Associate are keymanagement and leadership positions.

Grand Rapids - C. D. Barnes Associates,Inc. was awarded the construction of theHoulihan’s Restaurant. The single-storyrestaurant features indoor and outdooreating areas. Houlihan’s is a modernrestaurant with an open kitchen designand prominent bar.

Lansing - American Council ofEngineering Companies of Michiganawarded the following firms for engi-neering excellence: Soil & MaterialsEngineers; Ruby & Associates;Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber;Ghafari; NTH Consultants; SpicerGroup; HNTB; Mannik&Smith Group;Abonmarche; Wightman &Associates; Prein&Newhof; NTHConsultant; HNTB;Johnson&Anderson; C2AE; in additionthe Vernon B. Spalding LeadershipAward was presented to David R.Matthews, PE, to honor outstandingleadership in community organizations.

Kalamazoo - Signature Associates hasnegotiated: • the lease of 10,524 square feet ofindustrial space located at 4570Commercial Avenue, Portage for thelandlord, IPTV-B-C31, and the tenant,US Xchange, LLC.• the lease of 18,343 square feet ofindustrial space located at 4570Commercial Avenue, Portage for thelandlord, IPTV-B-C31, and the tenant,Lewis Paper International.• the lease of 1,029 square feet of officespace located at 77 Monroe Center,Grand Rapids for the tenant, State FarmInsurance. • the lease of 3,100 square feet of officespace located at 345 Fuller Avenue,Grand Rapids for the landlord, Four JaysProperty, LLC, and the tenant,Michigan Democratic State CentralCommittee. • the lease of 1,560 square feet of retailspace located at 1144-1146 WealthyStreet, Grand Rapids for the landlord,Marogil Family, LLC, and the tenant,One Girl’s Treasure.

11Changing the Way We Power Our Lives

By Daniel Schoonmaker

Imagine a future in which we areable to adjust the heating and cooling ofour home from the Internet. Or monitorhow much electricity our homes andappliances are using in real time. Andwhen we have to drive, it’s in vehiclespowered by electricity generated throughcost effective, abundant, environmental-ly responsible technology.

If you would prefer that the carsalso fly or that the appliances have arms,legs and odd accents, then you’re imag-ining a fairly distant future. But every-thing else might be just around the cor-ner.

Some Michigan residents alreadyhave the ability to “talk” to their appli-ances about how much they cost duringuse, and how much energy they are con-suming or CO2 they are generating atany moment. In Grand Rapids,Consumers Energy recently concluded aSmartStreet pilot program that intro-duced these concepts to the East Hillsneighborhood. The utility installed“smart meters” at approximately 60neighborhood homes and businesses,

allowing participants to view their realtime energy usage through web portalsand home energy display units. Peoplecould literally see their electric usage ris-ing and falling depending on how muchelectricity they used.

This type of feedback is critical indiscussions of energy efficiency and con-servation. People behave differentlywhen they are able to see the real costsof their activities or purchases. It’s a bitlike the difference between paying foreverything in cash and paying a creditcard bill at the end of the month. Whenyou start seeing immediate spikes inenergy usage associated with your activ-ities, you start questioning whether it’ssomething you have to do. When yousee the immediate cost of running thedishwasher, for instance, there is addi-tional incentive to wait until the dish-washer has a full load before running it.

A smarter electric grid can instantlydetect when the power shuts off, and ifnot address the issue automatically, atthe very least improve recovery timesubstantially. We will no longer have torely on utility employees to manuallyread meters. And it will allow us to use

and generate power more efficientlythrough peak loading strategies: Thereare certain seasons and times of day weuse more and less power.

Some power plants exist only to runduring these peak times, maybe only afew weeks each year. With a smartergrid, we can reduce or eliminate thesepeaks, perhaps simply by providing con-sumers incentives to use appliances dur-ing different certain parts of the day,such as running the dishwasher at night.Renewable energy also has its peaks andvalleys—the wind isn’t always blowingand the sun isn’t always shining.

One possible solution to the peakloading issues might be for everyone tostart driving electric cars, which canserve as both batteries and generators.Citizens can charge vehicles overnightwhen energy is cheap and abundant,drive to work or school and then plug in.When demand reaches its peak, parked

cars could serve as a back up to the grid.Parking lots are ideal places to installsmall scale renewable energy generationand could supplement vehicle charging.

So here’s a future in which we couldsubstantially reduce our use of energy ingeneral and costly fossil fuels such ascoal and gasoline. Practically everythingis cleaner, cheaper, more environmental-ly friendly and well, smarter. Certainlocal businesses are already experiencingsome of these benefits, if you’re not oneof them, you should contact your utilityto discuss what programs they mighthave available for you.

Daniel Schoonmaker is the MemberServices Director for the West MichiganEnvironmental Action Council, WestMichigan's preeminent resource for envi-ronmental education and advocacy since1968. Learn more at wmeac.org.

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Estimate Value of GreenInfrastructure

West Michigan - The West MichiganStrategic Alliance (WMSA) was awardeda grant from the Meijer Corporation inorder to improve their IntegratedValuation of Ecosystem Service Tools(INVEST) and to demonstrate their capa-bilities using the Owasippe Reservation(located in Blue Lake Township) as atrial run. WMSA and Grand Valley StateUniversity (GVSU) have teamed up towork on developing and “ecosystem cal-culator” whose purpose will be to esti-mate the environmentally friendly valuea parcel has under varying conditions.

The ecosystem calculator is set to bepart of the online tool INVEST, that will

put a dollar value on ecosystem services.WMSA developed INVEST alongsideGVSU as part of their GreenInfrastructure Initiative in 2007. Oncethe green project is completed andonline, the ecosystem calculator will helpusers adapt their own ecosystem systeminputs for both actual and prospectiveuses of parcels. It is estimated that ifOwasippe was protected with stable con-servation methods that the value of itsparcel would increase from an estimated$600,000 to approximately $970,000. Tolearn more about green infrastructure inWest Michigan you can visit WMSA’swebsite: www.wm-alliance.org.

12Michigan’s Top Engineering and Surveying Projects

Lansing – The American Council ofEngineering Companies of Michigan(ACEC/M) honored 13 firms for engi-neering and surveying excellence duringthe association’s annual awards ceremo-ny. Since 1965, firms have competed toreceive ACEC/M’s top honor – the presti-gious Eminent Conceptor Award.

This year’s engineering EminentConceptor winner was Ruby+Associates,Farmington Hills, for the Conversion ofthe Ottawa Street Power Station Projectin Lansing, MI. The project converted anabandoned vintage power station intothe corporate headquarters for AccidentFund Holdings, Inc. in downtownLansing. The project involved building anine-story steel-framed office buildinginside of an existing masonry structure,while preserving and supporting the his-toric brick. This project is the largest

power station conversion in the UnitedStates.

The surveying Eminent Conceptorwinner was Wightman & Associates,Inc., Benton Harbor, for theNottawaseppi Huron Band of thePotawatomi 2011 inventory project. Thissurveying project involved the creationof a Geographic Information System(GIS)to inventory their road system. Theresult was nearly doubling the existinginventory and obtaining 25% additionalroad funding.

Seven firms were honored with theHonorable Conceptor Award, the second-highest award of achievement: Fishbeck,Thompson, Carr & Huber for theColdwater WWTP Improvements,(Coldwater, MI) and the GVSU StormWater Wetland Complex (Allendale, MI);Ghafari for the Lithium Ion Battery

Manufacturing Facility project (Holland,MI); NTH Consultants for theDetroit/Wayne County Port AuthorityPublic Dock and Terminal (Detroit, MI);Spicer Group for the Lake Shore Drain#285 project (Chikaming/New BuffaloTwps.); HNTB for the Michigan State RailPlan (statewide); and a surveying awardto Abonmarche for the WoodsideCemetery project (Gun Plain Twp., MI).

Engineering Merit Awards were pre-sented to: The Mannik & Smith Groupfor the Frenchtown Township SeawallRehabilitation Project (Monroe, MI);Abonmarche for Harbor ShoresDevelopment (Benton Harbor, MI);Wightman & Associates, Inc. for theHickory Creek Interceptor Rehabilitation(Lincoln/St. Joseph Counties);Prein&Newhof for the M-57 PedestrianTunnel (Greenville, MI); NTHConsultants for the Oakland MacombInterceptor Drain Repair Program(Sterling Heights and Warren, MI):HNTB for the MDOT Design-Build-Finance Delivery System (Capac andFlint, MI); Johnson&Anderson for theVillage of Sparta Iron/ManganeseFiltration (Village of Sparta, MI), and asurveying merit award to C2AE for theBath Township Life Station Force MainExtension (Bath, MI).

The Judges’ Choice Award for BoardDesign was given to Fishbeck,

Thompson, Carr & Huber for the projectboard designed to ‘tell the story’ of theGVSU Storm Water Wetland Complexproject in Allendale, MI.

This year’s ACEC Vernon B.Spalding Leadership Award was present-ed to David R. Matthews, PE, formerSenior Vice President of McNamee,Porter & Seeley, Inc. (now Tetra Tech)and President of ProfessionalManagement Solutions LCC, to honor hisoutstanding leadership roles in ACECand community organizations.

Lansing – The American Council ofEngineering Companies of Michigan(ACEC/M) recently presented the 2012“FIRM OF THE YEAR” award, its highestfirm honor, to Soil and MaterialsEngineers (SME), headquartered inPlymouth, MI. This is the only awardprogram instituted to recognize ACEC/Mmember firms for their leadership in pro-fessional and community service.Recognition is based on actions taken bya member firm to progressively developits management practices and for assum-ing leadership roles in community out-reach activities and ACEC/M programsthat strengthen the profession for allACEC/M members.

General BusinessSt. Joseph - Williamson EmploymentServices, Inc., celebrating its 20thanniversary, with new owners, Judeeand Jeff Hopwood, daughter and son-in-law of Williamson EmploymentFounder Margaret Williamson.

Ann Arbor - The Betty Brigade, a full-service concierge company based in AnnArbor, is expanding its Lansing servicesto include contracting with large employ-ers, such as Michigan State University.

Peshawbestown - Grand TraverseResort & Casinos announced thatTimothy Norman will be the newGeneral Manager of Grand TraverseResort and Spa in Acme. Norman’s expe-rience in hotels and resorts spans over20 years.

Grand Rapids – Denise R. Kolesar, pres-ident and owner of Kohler Expos, Inc.,was recognized by The Grand RapidsBusiness Journal as one of the “MostInfluential Women in West Michigan”.Grand Rapids - Harvey Schaefer washired as Associate Copywriter atKantorwassink. Schaefer's work hasreceived ADDY Awards, HigherEducation Marketing Awards and hasbeen recognized in Print Magazine.Schaefer is a product of West Michiganand a recent graduate of ColoradoCollege.

Grand Rapids - Alexander Marketinghas named Chris Ehrlich its Director ofPublic Relations and Social Media.Ehrlich will direct the strategy andimplementation of PR and social engage-ment programs for both owned andearned media channels.

Rockford – The Wolverine CompanyStore opened just last September indowntown Grand Rapids is alreadybeing recognized as a “Top Retail StoreDesign” by Chain Store Age magazine inthe “Up to 5,000 Square Feet” category.Additionally, the concept was awarded aGold ADDY® by the AmericanAdvertising Federation of West Michiganand recently received a design awardfrom the Association of RetailEnvironments.

Grand Rapids - Modern RV center ofGrand Rapids has announced that KyleReurink has completed the DometicCorporation product training seminar onAir Conditioners, Refrigerators andawnings and has received a Certificate ofCompletion from the DometicCorporation.

Dowagiac - Pokagon Band ChairmanMatthew Wesaw has been selected bythe Native American Financial OfficersAssociation to receive the Tribal Leaderof the Year Award. Out of more than 550tribes in the United states.

Construction BriefsWashington, DC – Associated Buildersand Contractors (ABC) announcedWolverine Building Group’s work ofthe Helen DeVos Children’s Hospitalhas earned them a Pyramid Award, acategory of ABC’s Excellence inConstruction Awards.

Grand Rapids – First Companies, Inc.and Colliers International negotiatedthe lease of 7600 SF industrial space tothe tenant DMR Transportation, LLCfor the landlord Core Realty HoldingsManagement, LLC.

West Michigan - Signature Associatesnegotiated the lease of: 6,300 square feetindustrial space located in Muskegon toCMN Enterprises, LLC for the landlord,J. Crew Partnership; the long term leaseof 3,175 square feet office space locatedin Portage for the tenant, FarmersInsurance.

Grand Rapids - Signature Associateshas negotiated: • the sale of 29,245 square feet of officespace located at 1 Ionia Avenue SW,Grand Rapids for the seller BernardAinslie, LLC and the buyer, IoniaVentures, LLC.• the lease of 1,214 square feet of officespace located at 2922 Fuller Avenue NE,Grand Rapids to Real Life LivingServices for the landlord, NorthtownCenter, Inc.• the sale of 6,380 square feet of officespace located at 123 S. WestnedgeAvenue, Kalamazoo for the seller,Bowser, Moser & Gemrich and thebuyer, Munzer Abdulhak, MD anOphthalmologist, Cornea Specialist offer-ing suture-less cataract surgery, corneatransplant, macular degeneration, andretina procedures.

13

The West Michigan Metal Finishing Industry By: Jeremy Martin

Since the first settlers arrived inWest Michigan in the early 1800’s, thearea has been known around theMidwest as a productive and industriousregion. Originally a highly productiveagricultural center of the Great Lakesbasin, the area soon gave way to log-ging, manufacturing, education andhealthcare.

Despite the constantly re-inventingitself, West Michigan continues to be ahard working and productive area of thecountry.

Known for a time as the furniturecapital of the United States, the area hasalso created well known musical instru-ments, carriages and automobiles. Andthough the auto industry has begun tolose its grip on the state, West Michigannone the less continues to provide it withexpertise, parts and service that areunmatched in quality.

One area of the auto industry whereWest Michigan continues to excel is themetal finishing sector. Though not allfinishers work exclusively with cars andtrucks, the industry as a whole is reliedon to deliver constant, high quality prod-ucts to the State’s automobile manufac-tures and beyond.

Below are capsulated biographies ofmany of West Michigan’s metal finish-ers.

Metal Finishing Technology2652 Hoyt StreetMuskegon MI 49444231-733-9736mft2652@yahoo.com

Company History: David andDianne Bernd bought the company in2001.

Target Market: Metal FinishingTechnology works primarily with tooland die and machine shops.

What’s New: 2010 saw a buildingexpansion.

Moving Forward: Future productexpansion is a possibility.

Magnum Powder Coating5500 West River Dr NEGrand Rapids MI 49321616-785-3155www.magnumpowdercoating.com

Company History: Steve CouturierCreated Magnum Powder Coating in1992 in his garage. Now owned byNancy Couturier and operating from a12,000 square foot facility in ComstockPark, MPC specializes in both high vol-ume production coating and custom/res-idential coating.

Target Market: Metal or aluminumfabricators, often focusing on outdoorrailings, staircases and furniture.

What’s New: added 3,000 squarefeet to facility in 2008 and now in theprocess of adding 6,000 more feet tobuilding. Meeting with township to final-ize construction which should be com-pleted by August.

Moving Forward: As Mangum is atcapacity customer wise, the company willbe looking to better serve its current cus-tomer base in a more effeciant way.Beyond its final building expansion,Magnum does not intend to grow thebusiness any larger at this time.

Expert Coatings2855 Martin Court NWGrand Rapids MI 49544616-453-8261www.expertcoating.net

Company History: Privately heldsince its formation in 1951 on the westside of Grand Rapids. Services the autoand home industry by functioning as acoater for some of Michigan’s largestplating companies and has done so fromthe city’s west side since its move in1974.

Target Market: Expert Coatingsserves platers, painters and powdercoaters who work within the automobileand housing hardware industry.

Moving Forward: Expert Coatingswill look to continue serving its currentcustomers as it seeks to keep a foot holdin the industry.

Master Finish 245-1228 2020 Nelson S.E. P.O Box 7505 Grand Rapids, MI 49510www.masterfinishco.com

Company History: Independentlyowned member of the Grand Rapidscommunity since1959.

Target Market: US and CanadianOEM manufacturers of steel, brass, zincdie-cast, and stainless steel parts for theautomotive, appliance, plumbing, andhardware industries.

What’s New: Master Finishing Co. isnow an authorized chrome plating appli-cator for MacDermid Fashion Finishes®.The company’s Rack plating line hasrecently been upgraded with new com-puter programmable hoists allowing fortighter process control and reducedscrap.

5500 West River Drive, NE Comstock Park, MI 49321Ph:616.785.3155 Fax:616.785.3605

www.magnumpowdercoating.comMPC is expanding to better serve our valued customers

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14

Industrial BriefsRockford - Wolverine Worldwide hasbeen named one of the "Best Companiesfor Leaders," according to an independ-ent study conducted by Chief Executivemagazine and management consultingfirm Chally Group Worldwide.Wolverine Worldwide ranked 27thamong 40 other global companies, sev-eral of which are members of theFortune 50.

Grand Rapids - Arden Swisher, Jr. ofVan’s Delivery Service Inc. NamedMTA’s Driver of the Year. Arden hasworked for Van’s Delivery Service, Inc.for over 13 years with 1.5 million safedriving miles. He has been a profes-sional truck driver for 32 years, coveringmore than 3.5 million miles and earningnumerous safety awards and certificatesalong the way.

Grand Rapids - Walker Custom SheetMetal, a company who specializes incustom sheet metal fabrications fromhoppers and carts to industrial platformsand tanks, received national certificationas a Women’s Business Enterprise bythe Women Business Enterprise Council– Great Lakes, a regional certifying part-ner of the Women’s Business EnterpriseNational Council. Walker Custom SheetMetal is 100% women-owned.

Grand Rapids - Valley City Linen,announced the expantion of its CulinaryArts Scholarship Program now awarding$3000 in scholarships to studentsenrolled in the Culinary Arts Programsat: Baker College; Grand RapidsCommunity College; Henry FordCommunity College; Ferris StateUniversity.

Lansing - Randolph Kremm, ServiceManager with Super Service, LLC sasnamed Michigan's 2012 MaintenanceMan of the Year. Kremm has been withSuper Service (formerly GaineyTransportation) for 15 years and wasselected from a panel of 12 finalists.

Lansing - Michelle LaVon-Paddock withNorthfield Trucking Company, wasnamed Michigan's 2012 SafetyProfessional of the Year. LaVon-Paddockhas been Safety Director with NorthfieldTrucking for the past six years.

Lansing - Arden Swisher, Jr., profession-al truck driver for Van's Delivery Service,Inc. was named Michigan's 2012 TruckDriver of the Year, Michigan TruckingAssociation's (MTA) top driving award.

Grand Rapids - Gerald R. FordInternational Airport Boardannounced the partnership betweenparking vendor Standard Parking andauto detailing service Crystal Clean forthe “Fly ‘n’ Shine Detail Service”. Thisservice allows valet customers to chooseto have their car detailed while theytravel. Customers simply add the autodetailing charges to their parking fee.

Grand Rapids – The Right Place, in col-laboration with The Michigan EconomicDevelopment Corporation and CascadeCharter Township, announced theapproval of a $350,000 MichiganBusiness Development Program incentivefrom the Michigan Strategic Fund that willenable Lacks to move forward on a $31.9million expansion that could generate 120new jobs for the area.

Allegan - Perrigo announced that JohnHalford has been promoted to Directorof Global Indirect Procurement. In thisposition, Halford will be responsible forexpanding strategic, global purchasingpractices while reviewing and consoli-dating purchasing in the US. He will alsobe working to develop purchasing policyfor future Perrigo locations.

Allegan - Perrigo announced that SusanDalton-Akers has been hired as SeniorOperations Financial Analyst for the CostAccounting team. Dalton-Akers isresponsible for providing leadership andcoordination of financial planning,budgeting and forecasting for the com-pany’s tablet production.

Wyoming – The Wyoming City Councilapproved a 12-year tax abatementrequest for Michigan Turkey Producersduring its March 19 meeting. The HallStreet location is slated to receive a per-sonal property investment of $2.3 mil-lion and is estimated to add 25 new jobs.The Chicago Drive location is scheduledto receive a personal property invest-ment of $1.44 million and a real proper-ty investment of $9.2 million, as well asadd 10 new jobs.

Dearborn, Pleasanat Lake - The SMEEducation Foundation has provided a$25,000 grant to the Shop RatFoundation for the development andimplementation of a PartnershipResponse in Manufacturing Education inJackson County, with companion pro-grams to be added to the Jackson CountyCommunity College campus.

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Industrial BriefsWashington, DC - The Saint LawrenceSeaway Development Corp. recentlynamed the Port of Indiana-BurnsHarbor a recipient of the prestigiousRobert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for the2011 navigation season. This annualaward is presented to U.S. Great Lakesports that register an increase in interna-tional cargo tonnage shipped throughthe Seaway during the previous naviga-tion season. The port has earned thisaward nine times, previously winning in1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002,2006 and 2010.

Wakaruas, IN - UtilimasterCorporation, a subsidiary of SpartanMotors, Inc. announced that it has part-nered with Bi-Phase Technologies, LLCto sell and market propane conversionsfor Isuzu N-Series gasoline vehicles.Additionally, Utilimaster Corporationannounced that it has partnered withSmith Electric Vehicles Corp. to pro-duce and market the all-electric zero-emission Newton Step Van.

Grand Rapids - Steelcase Inc. was rec-ognized as one of FORTUNE magazine's2012 "Most Admired Companies" in theHome Equipment, Furnishings industrysector. Steelcase has also received recog-nition in the following categories:Information Week 500 for technologyinnovation; American Society forTraining and Development's BESTAwards for employee development;Inforum Board Access™ Award forwomen in leadership; iF Design Awardsfor product design and innovation.

Allegan - Perrigo announced that JannaMuller was promoted as LeadOperations Supervisor of the company’sMichigan Plant manufacturing facility.Muller is responsible for supervisingmanufacturing operations and ensuringefficient tablet production practices. Inaddition, Rebecca Pearson was promot-ed as Dispensing Manager for operationsin the company’s manufacturing facili-ties. Pearson is responsible managingthe dispensing process at Plant 4 andPlant 5 in Allegan.

Holland – Chef Container, LLCannounces a new agreement for the col-lection of single stream recycling withFruitland Township & DaltonTownship in Muskegon County. Eachtownship received two large (8’W x 24’L) recycling containers on Monday tokick off a new Single Stream residentialdrop off program at their transfer sta-tions.

Grand Rapids – WaterSolve, LLC hasbeen recognized as one of the 2012“Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” anawards program sponsored by theEdward Lowe Foundation and presentedby Michigan Celebrates Small Business.WaterSolve LLC provides a full servicesolution in dewatering operations bycombining highly technical environmen-tal remediation treatment products andservices for customized client solutions.

Education BriefsBig Rapids – Ferris State University’sSandra Burns, an associate professor ofDental Hygiene in the College of AlliedHealth Sciences, has been honored forher dedication to service learning by theMichigan Campus Compact. Burns, amember of the Ferris Academic ServiceLearning Steering Committee, was rec-ognized for her contributions to servicelearning at the university.

Kalamazoo - William D. Johnston ofPortage, and Jeanne Carlson of Novi,have been elected to serve for 2012 aschair and vice chair, respectively, of theWestern Michigan University Board ofTrustees. Johnston is president andchairman of Greenleaf Companies.Carlson is retired from the post of presi-dent and chief executive officer of BlueCare Network of Michigan.

Kalamazoo - Western MichiganUniversity students won over $30,000in micro grants and awards in theMichigan Clean Energy VentureChallenge, a competition that providesstudent teams interested in clean energyentrepreneurship, education, mentorshipand resources needed to accelerate theirideas. In addition to gaining experience,connections and feedback, participantscompete for micro grants and otherprizes totaling more than $100,000.

Grand Rapids – Davenport Universityannounced plans for a new athletic com-plex to be developed on 17 acres donat-ed by the Farmers Insurance Group ofCompanies®. The complex will includebaseball and softball stadiums, tennisfacilities and more. Lighting that willpermit night competition is planned forthe facilities, which will also include aconcession area, public restrooms, lock-er rooms and press boxes. Artificial turfwill be utilized for both the baseball andsoftball stadiums, which will seat 300and 200 spectators respectively.Dimensions for the baseball field are330' to left and right field and 400' tocenter, while dimensions for the softballfield are 200' to left and right, and 210’to center. The new athletic complex willalso include eight tennis courts.

Grand Rapids – Ferris StateUniversity’s Digital Animation andGame Design program was recognizedin a Princeton Review study of thenation’s premier schools for video gamedesign. Ferris was listed in “HonorableMention” as part of a study that con-cluded with an announcement of thePrinceton Review’s third annual rank-ings. Ferris’ DAGD program, with about150 students, ranked among thenation’s best.

Grand Rapids - Ian Ramirez, ExecutiveChef for Calvin College and CreativeDining Services, won the Taste ofElegance competition, gaining the title of“Chef Par Excellence”. This Culinarycompetition was put on by the MichiganPork Producers Association inLansing.

Cadillac – Baker College of Cadillac andAnthony Luurtsema Truck Lines cele-brated the grand opening of a trainingfacility in Zeeland. The new venture,called Baker College Trucking andLogistics, is a partnership betweenBaker College of Cadillac and ALTL, aprovider of transportation and supplychain management services.

Big Rapids - Michigan College ofOptometry for Collaborative HealthEducation at Ferris State Universityreceived LEED Gold certification fromthe U.S. Green Building Council.

Grand Rapids - Residents of Kentwoodand Wyoming now receive benefits fromPathways to Prosperity a programoffered through Grand RapidsCommunity College. Formerly, only res-idents of Grand Rapids qualified. Thischange will make more people eligible toreceive training through Grand RapidsCommunity College.Grand Rapids - Johnson Center forPhilanthropy at Grand Valley StateUniversity was awarded a grant to helplocal children. The grant from theWallace Foundation helps area nonprofitorganizations that serve underprivilegedyouth by increasing quality after-schoolcare. The Community Research, divisionof Johnson Center, compiles data, andprovides the information to communitypartners that allow them to use theirresources to help underprivileged.

16

Enhance Recycling and Waste Collection

Grand Rapids, Cincinnat, OH - Thecities of Cincinnati and Grand Rapids,Mich. have implemented an RFID-basedrecycling system from the duo of UPMRFID and Cascade Engineering. The twomunicipalities are using RFID technologyto optimize waste management processesand to motivate citizen behavioral changewith incentive-based recycling programsand pay-as-you-throw pricing.

Cascade Engineering’s RFID systemfor the waste management consists ofrecycling and trash containers mountedwith RFID xtreme tags from Xtreme RFID,which are powered by UPM ShortDipoleultra-high frequency inlays from UPMRFID.

When sanitation crews collect con-sumers’ garbage and recycling, the truck’s

on-board data collection system capturetag data, recording the time and GPS coor-dinates as well as weight of the pickup.This information can be used to automatedata collection and billing, while also pro-viding municipalities with insights theycan use to enhance service, from answer-ing customer queries about pickups tofine-tuning driving routes.

In Cincinnati, since installing theRFID system, citizen recycling participa-tion has increased 79% and lead to a costsavings of $930,000 in waste disposaland labor costs. The city of Grand Rapidsis extending RFID technology to wastecollection, implementing usage-basedpricing, in addition to using GPS and RFIDdata to plan sanitation crew driving routesfor optimal operational and fuel efficiency.

17An Obligation for Safety

by Carl Potter, CSP and Deb Potter,PhD

What is the Obligation?Organizations have an obligation

to make sure that they do not injureemployees while in pursuit of profit.Likewise, employees are obligated to doeverything they can to make sure thatthey do everything they can to not gethurt, create a work environment whereothers do not get hurt, and participate inthe safety process. The opposite ofthese actions is to be part of the prob-lem. There is no middle ground – youare either part of the solution, or youare part of the problem. Managementconsultant Price Pritchett, said, "Thefactory of the future will have twoemployees, a security guard and awatch dog. The guard is there to feedand water the dog and the dog is thereto bite the guard if he tries to touch themachines.” Workplaces are full ofinherent risks for injury, but the inten-tion is that apparent risks have a conse-quent mitigation.

The logical path to mitigationFor an employer to mitigate risk,

first the hazards must be recognized.Although that sounds simple, decadesof experience clearly demonstrate thatpeople see what they want to see. Inhigh-risk industries, this applies to bothemployees and employers. During awalk-through at a plant prior to con-ducting our work, it is apparent thatemployees, supervisors, managers andowners tend to overlook obvious haz-ards that can cause serious injury.

"Wow! How did we miss that onour inspections?" is a common state-ment during the walk-throughs.Interestingly, this individual will walkby without correcting or guarding thehazard. It is not unusual to find thatthis person has a high expectation foremployees and supervisors to make ademonstrated commitment to safety.Before we get too far in the walk-through, the question becomes, "So whyare you leaving this in the same condi-tion?" There is a gap between observa-tion and mitigation that we must over-come.

To handle the day in and day outhazards that show up in the workplace,the organization must have a processmuch like the one OSHA uses after aninspection to ensure that cited (unsafe)conditions are taken care of within a set

amount of time. This process must beone where every recognized workplacehazard is corrected and documented.Further, the safety management process(SMP) should include a root causeanalysis to determine the source of thehazard. In the best SMP, there will be aconstant mechanism for improving thesituation. OSHA supports this type ofprocess through ANSI Z10 and theVoluntary Protection Program. One ofthe key factors of the process is to con-duct an (FHA) Formal HazardAssessment.

Making the Effort to IdentifyHere’s why such a specific, validat-

ed hazard assessment is an essentialpart of an SMP. Imagine building afence around your entire plant.Whether you work in a manufacturer,service industry, or laboratory, the fence(even if it is imaginary) defines theboundary or scope of where to look forhazards. Once the assessment is com-pleted, you can begin a systematicprocess to evaluate the hazards identi-fied for the risk level and in turn makeconscious decisions to mitigate the risk.The challenge is that many employees,supervisors, managers and owners donot see the hazards. Conducting anFHA properly involves a significantnumber of people in the process toreduce the chances of missing hazards.The good news is that it is a black andwhite assessment or one might say,"The hazard exists, or it doesn't."Contrary to a perception survey, this

type of survey is not a cause for alarmby employees; they become theproviders of information about the haz-ards they face in doing their jobs.

The Result: Injury PreventionThe important concept to keep in

mind with the FHA is that you nowhave specific information to use in pre-venting hazards from causing injury inyour workplace. In addition, whenOSHA comes knocking on your door,you will impress them with yourprocess. Because of the inherent risksthat are involved with workplaces, tar-geting zero injuries is a tough job.Nevertheless, if organizations continueto just throw "safety stuff" at a perceivedproblem, they will never know how to

prevent injuries. Each organizationmust be obliged to have an SMP thatseeks to be specific in identifying haz-ards that are inherent to the workplaceas well as those that pop-up daily sothat everyone can go home every daywithout injury.

For more information about con-ducting an FHA that includes documen-tation that your organization can use intheir SMP and have ready to showOSHA your due diligence for creating aworkplace free of recognized hazards,contact Deb Potter, PhD or Carl Potter,CSP at 800-259-6209 to set up a con-ference call.

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Communication & IT 18

Communications & ITGrandville – Trivalent Group, Inc. wasrecognized as one of “West Michigan’s101 Best and Brightest Companies toWork For” for the third consecutive yearby the Michigan Business andProfessional Association. Additionally,Trivalent Group has been named toCRN’s second annual Tech Elite 250.Trivalent Group ranked 54 on NineLives Media Inc.’s fifth annualMSPmentor 100 Global Edition. Finally,Trivalent Group recently announced theappointment of Candace Dugan and there-election of Jack Robinson to theTrivalent Board of Directors.

Grand Rapids – i3 Business Solutions,llc announced it won first place in aMicrosoft national contest by selling thegreatest number of Office 365 SMB seatsby program tier. Microsoft’s award to i3Business Solutions recognizes its leader-ship in the SMB Tier.

Grand Rapids – CEO Sid Miedema andCOO Scott Miedema added an additionalcompany to their auction fold.Rangerbid.com, an online auction com-pany, allows businesses to sell directlyfrom their facilities to other businesses orend users internationally.

Grandville – Companies on the 2012Tech Elite 250 list represent an elitegroup of IT solution providers that haveinvested in training and education need-ed to earn the most technical certifica-tions in the IT Channel.

Grand Rapids – Summit announced itsnew DVD program, NFPA 70E: Controlthe Charge, which will ensure an electri-cally safe working area in response torising frequency of reported arc flashaccidents.

Grand Rapids – WZZM 13 has won twoNational Press PhotographersAssociation awards. Andy Sugdenplaced third in the country in “Best NewsFeature Photography”. Lakeshore multi-media journalist, Jon Mills received anHonorable Mention in the “Solo VideoJournalist” category for a breaking newsreport about a house fire called “WhatBrandi Saw”

Grand Rapids - The Factory expandedan additional 5,000 SF in downtown.Owners Aaron Schaap, and Craig Hallplan to create a West Michigan entrepre-neurial hub, focused on technologystartups.

Lansing – Phil Harwood, Pro-MotionConsulting/Pro-Motion Marketing andRochelle Rizzi, Rizzi Designs, LLC,have successfully aligned in a businesspartnership benefitting both firms. RizziDesigns will purchase Pro-MotionMarketing’s book of business inexchange for Pro-Motion Consulting touse Rizzi Designs for their marketingand design needs as well as recommend-ing Rizzi Designs to their clients.

Grand Rapids - WGVU Radio has beennamed Station of the Year 2011 by theMichigan Association of Broadcasters.WGVU Radio and Television received atotal of 14 awards from the MichiganAssociation of Broadcasters at the annu-al MAB Broadcast Excellence Awardsceremony held on Wednesday, March 14in Lansing.

Increase Traffic to Your Website: Pay-Per-Click vs. Search Engine Optimization

By: Jeff Wendland

You might have the best website inthe world, but if no one can find it thenwhat good is it? More businesses arerealizing that it is necessary to investresources into Internet marketing if theywant to increase the visibility of theirwebsite.

There are two main techniques thatbusinesses can utilize to increase trafficto their websites: pay-per-click (PPC)networks or search engine optimization(SEO). The following will give anoverview of both techniques to helpdetermine which form of traffic genera-tion is best for your business.

Advantages and Disadvantages ofPPC

The most popular PPC platform isthrough Google Adwords, which are the“sponsored links” that you see on Googlesearch results. This platform also providesthe advertisements on certain websites.

One of the key benefits of PPC adver-tising is that it can bring targeted traffic toyour website as soon as the ads go live.You can manage your budget per day andyou can set the maximum amount that youwant to pay out per click.

The higher the price you set for yourmax PPC, the better placement your ad willhave on the search results. You also get tochoose the keywords that you want to bidon, which helps ensure that the traffic youget is targeted to the niche and specialty ofyour products or services.

However, there are some disadvan-tages of PPC advertising too. If you choosekeywords that are too broad, you may notbe getting the most targeted traffic. It’scritical that you thoroughly research thekeywords that you wish to bid on.

Moreover, the cost of PPC advertis-ing continues to rise. The most prizedkeywords can be pretty expensive. Thereis also a significant amount of click fraudthat occurs. Your competitors may see

your ad and click it just to charge youraccount to use up your budget, or a web-master could click the ads to increasetheir own earnings from the Adwordsprogram.

Advantages and Disadvantagesof SEO

SEO helps your website show up inthe organic rankings. This is separatefrom the sponsored links on the searchresults page of Google. For proper SEO,your site should be built in a way that iseasy for the search engines to navigate.It needs quality content that relates toyour products or services and a strongprofile of related websites that link toyour website (known as backlinks).

One of the biggest advantages ofranking high in search results is thatpeople have much more trust in resultsthat are not sponsored. SEO is a longterm solution to targeted Web traffic.Once your site is well optimized and youhave a strong backlink profile, you

should continue to rank well for the key-word over time.

The main disadvantage of SEO isthat it takes more time and effort. Somemarkets are so competitive that it may bealmost impossible to rank for certainkeywords. It’s also important to updateyour website regularly with good contentand to make sure that your site contin-ues to attract quality backlinks.

Finding the Balance It’s important to find that balance

that works for your business. Some startout using both techniques and then cutback on their PPC budget as their websiteclimbs the rankings. Others focus solelyon SEO to get the best ranking in thesearch results.

If you would like to learn moreabout PPC and SEO and how they canhelp your business succeed, contact BlueFire Media Group today at 269-492-1000 or visit them online athttp://www.bluefiremediagroup.com.

19Time to celebrate; April is Michigan Wine Month

By: Jeremy Martin

In 2006 the Michigan EconomicDevelopment Corporation, the state ofMichigan’s marketing arm creating the‘Pure Michigan’ brand.

In the past six years, the campaignhas spread across the country and hasbecome a widely known symbol forMichigan’s tourism industry.

Seeking ways to continue helpingthe state’s tourism effort as well as waysto spin ‘Pure Michigan’ that would bene-fit local business, Governor Rick Snyderrecently declared April to be ‘MichiganWine Month.’

This first ever celebration of thestate’s vineyards will take place just beforethe unofficial start of tourism season.

"April is a great time to kick off win-ery touring. Not only can travelers bene-fit from off-season rates and overnightpackages at hotels and B&Bs near winecountry, but tasting rooms are less busyin the spring, and staff are delighted toprovide visitors with extra attention,"Linda Jones, the Michigan Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development’sGrape & Wine Program Manager said.

Patrons of Wine Month will have 81state wide wineries to choose from,many like Lemon Creek Winery ofBerrien Springs began their lives a cen-tury or more ago as fruit orchards.

Tracing its fruit growing roots backto 1834 the Lemon family have beenwalking the rolling lake side hills of WestMichigan, tending its orchards for goingon four generations.

150 years after settling in Michigan,the Lemon family began producing highquality Michigan wines, a practice thatLemon Creek Winery takes quite seriously.

So inclined are they to spread theirwares across the state, the family openedan off-vineyard tasting room in the LakeMichigan town of Grand Haven lastNovember.

According to the room’s co-managerLisa Paulus, Lemon Creek’s overall saleshave increased and some of that can beattributed to reaching a larger customer

base, one that perhaps stops in for atasting while vacationing on thelakeshore.

“By judging our November, Januaryand February sales I think that we’re up,but that’s just by the feedback from peo-ple coming in. We see a lot of repeat cus-tomers and a lot of new people discover-ing us,” Paulus said.

The past couple of years have seena growth in Lemon Creek’s business thatmirrors the overall uptick in the state’swine industry.

According to the MichiganDepartment of Agriculture, Michiganwine sales were up nearly 12% in 2010while nation-wide wine sales laggedbehind at only a 4% increase.

Some of that may be attributed tothe ‘Pure Michigan’ campaign as well asother pro local industry advertisementscoming from the state-wide level.

But Paulus said there is no efficientway of actually knowing how LemonCreek’s business is affected by theState’s desire to push Michigan tourism.

“Even when we do our own thingand do our own advertising it’s hard totrack,” Paulus said. “We see a lot oftourists in general and I don’t know ifthat is because of ‘Pure Michigan’… It’shard to track specifically without askingevery person how they found out.”

Paulus isn’t sure how Michiganwine month will effect business, at leastnot from a purely numbers based view-point, but she is confident that it willhelp to raise the industry’s profile as awhole and spur people to think on amore localized level.

“When things aren’t being shippedacross the country and we’re doing it alllocally we’re helping everything out.We’re helping the environment, we’rehelping small businesses out, we’rehelping keep jobs here and keep peoplein business,” Paulus said.

Though the Lemon Creek tasting roomdoesn’t have anything specific planned tocoincide with Wine Month, it does have anEarth Day celebration that Paulus and herstaff have been working on.

“In honor of Earth Day weekendwe’ve invited different gourmetMichigan business to come by,” Paulussaid. “They’re all going to come and offertheir products for free tastings.”

Lemon Creek will also have livemusic, wine industry and eco-friendlyliterature and of course wine for sale andfor taste.

State-wide the Department ofAgriculture has helped arrange severalwine related events during the month ofApril and beyond. To find out what’shappening, the State of Michigan invitespeople to check out www.michigan-wines.com

Lodging & EntertainmentGrand Rapids - Civic Theatre welcomednew President Appointee, JenniferWilson, to the Board of Directors.Jennifer Wilson is CEO, GrandDevelopment Associates | Editor-in-Chief, Women's Lifestyle Magazine |Do Good Editor, Rapid Growth Media.

Grand Rapids – The Grand RapidsGriffins and Detroit Red Wingsannounced a five-year extension of theiraffiliation agreement, ensuring that therelationship between Michigan’s premierhockey teams will continue through atleast the 2016-17 season.

Grand Rapids - Kelly LeCoy, owner ofUptown Kitchen, announced its GrandOpening. Uptown Kitchen is an incuba-tor kitchen and event space open 24/7and will be available for rent hourly orby contract. It includes a prep kitchen,catering kitchen, pastry kitchen, andcool and dry storage.

Grand Rapids – The Country Inn EastBeltline was presented with the 2011Country Inns & Suites President’sAward. This property has been awardedthe achievement, four years in a row,having earned the highest scores inguest satisfaction for cleanliness as wellas for exceeding the brand’s productquality standards.

Grandville – RiverTown Crossingsannounces the grand opening of newnational retailer, Torrid, to the merchan-dise mix. Torrid is the destination forstylish young women who love fashionand wear sizes 12 and up.

Grand Rapids – Foliage Design Systemsof West Michigan is changing its name toIntegrated Plantscapes. The new namereflects the 26-year-old company’sexpansion into the design of large gar-dens and water features in corporatefacilities and hospitals.

Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids has a newfull-service hotel, Riverfront Hotel-Grand Rapids, to serve its central busi-ness district from one of the most promi-nent lodging locations, the formerRadisson Hotel on Ann Street. Local entre-preneur Bob Sullivan, owner of the 162-room hotel visible from US-131 North atthe Ann Street exit, said the name changereflects that he will be operating the lodg-ing as an independent hotelier.

Holland – LEED Gold CertifiedCityFlatsHotel was presented with theGood Earth Keeping Award at the Stars ofthe Industry Awards Dinner. This awardsdinner was part of the Pure MichiganGovernor’s Conference on Tourism thattook place March 25th – 27th.

Grand Rapids - Jeff Hoag, co-owner andoperator of the Scott Lake CountryClub, was named “Seasonal Operator ofthe Year” by the Michigan Lodging andTourism Association.

Grand Rapids - Ryan Slusarzyk ofAmway Hotel Corporation, was named“Sales and Marketing Star of the Year”by the Michigan Lodging and TourismAssociation.

Ann Arbor - The Michigan Recreation& Parks Association honored the Cityof Petoskey with a Design Award for theBear River Valley Recreation Area proj-ect. Beckett & Raeder, Inc. of AnnArbor, with offices in Petoskey andTraverse City, was the lead consultant onthe project.

New Buffalo – Four Winds® NewBuffalo announces its new, nine-story,250 room hotel tower, will open onFriday, June 29. The new hotel towercontains a mix of standard rooms andsuites furnished in the same exquisitestyle as Four Winds New Buffalo’s exist-ing 165 rooms.

Toll Free 800-968-8608

Fax 616-997-7263

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