BusinessBusiness

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

July 2012 $2.00

Inside Inside FeaturFeatureses

MorMortgages & Financingtgages & FinancingDental/VDental/Vision/Hearingision/Hearing

Community CollegesCommunity CollegesCellularCellular

Electrical ContrElectrical ControlsolsConstrConstructionuction

Walter Miller, Founder1922 - 1954

Stanley Miller, President1954 - 2001

Cheryl Miller CEO 2001 - Present

NNeeww PPrroodduuccttss CCoorrppoorraattiioonnNNeeww PPrroodduuccttss CCoorrppoorraattiioonn

2

Small Business “Start-Up Tips” By Eric Mills

The Midwest has gone from beingone of the hardest hit areas during therecession, to being an engine that isdriving the nation back to recovery. Thejob numbers are improving, incomes areup and so is consumer spending.

During the last two decades, smalland new businesses have created two ofevery three new jobs in the UnitedStates. According to the NationalEconomic Council, small businessesemploy 60 million Americans – or halfof all jobs in the country.

The numbers are impressive andthe success stories are many, but evenlong hours of hard work and steadfastdedication don’t guarantee success. Infact, more than half of small businessesfail within the first five years, accordingto the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration.

What makes the difference betweensuccess and failure? After years of help-ing entrepreneurs start everything fromrestaurants to biotechnology firms, Ihave found several fundamental factorsthat can determine whether a businesssucceeds or fails.

Experience. A business ownerneeds experience because he or she willinitially play every role, with little roomfor learning on the job. It is difficult toimagine a mechanic switching profes-sions and operating a successful restau-

rant. A potential lender will want to beassured that the owner or an in-houseexpert knows how to run the business.

A plan. A solid business plan is amust. Include everything from prices tocompetition, as well as risks and finan-cial projections. A banker will want toknow if the business can be successful,but just as important, the owner needsto know what success looks like. Anumber of resources are available tohelp you develop a business plan,including nonprofit organizations suchas SCORE, your local chamber of com-merce, colleges and universities, and theSmall Business Administration. Yourbanker is also a valuable resource fordeveloping a business plan.

Money. Because most businesseswill not make a profit initially, start-upsmust be well capitalized. In fact, under-capitalization is one of the prime rea-sons small businesses fail. While banksand other lenders can provide the cush-ion needed, most lenders expect ownerequity of 20-25 percent.

Strong credit. To attract financing,business owners must demonstrate thatthey are capable of meeting their obliga-tions, and that means having a strongcredit rating.

Outside income. The owner shouldhave access to savings or outsideincome until the business does wellenough to provide a salary.

Bench strength. A business owner

needs to surround himself or herselfwith a team of trusted advisers – anaccountant, an attorney, an insuranceagent and a banker. Small businesses,particularly new businesses, generallywill not have enough funds to pay for afulltime employee to fill the accountant,legal and financial positions.

Strong financial controls. Everybusiness needs quality financial report-ing, accounting systems and controls.Everything learned in accounting classwill come in handy.

Friends. The business owner needsa lot of support. Family, friends andadvisors will help owners through thedifficulties that come with starting abusiness, including long hours awayfrom home and other sacrifices.

Energy. The business owner needsto be ready and willing to work harderand longer than ever before. It takescommitment.

A good team. A business ownercan’t know all and do everything. He orshe must be able to trust in-houseexperts to help make the business suc-cessful.

A realistic perception of success.Know the timeline for success or failure.A business owner needs to know whatsuccess looks like so he or she candecide whether to celebrate or think of anew career.

The best part of starting a newbusiness is that there are a number of

resources to help with the process,including a personal banker. Remember,they’ve been there before and havehelped many other businesses get off toa successful start.

Eric Mills joined HuntingtonNational Bank in 1994 as a bankingoffice manager. From there, Eric was abusiness banker and a business bank-ing team leader. In 2002, Eric becamethe Business Banking Market Manager.

The inaugural edition of the New MiniF inance/Banking/ InsurancePublication is brought to you byBusiness Update Publications and willbe released the final Thursday of eachmonth. Features, columns and pressreleases that are industry related, cur-rent and timely.

To have your news included or to submit arti-cles for potential inclusion reply to prup-date@businessupdate.com. For sponsor-ship and advertising contactdiane@businessupdate.com orjim@businessupdate.com.

Finance, InsuranceFinance, Insurance& & Bank ing Bank ing

Insights on BusinessFinancing

By Jane Whittington

It takes many things to be an entre-preneur. It takes confidence andcourage, the willingness to work hardand take risks; it takes long hours andself-sacrifice. And it takes money. Theadage, “It takes money to make money,”may well have been coined by—or for—entrepreneurs. A business, whateversize it is, from the mom-and-pop on thecorner all the way to companies thatemploy thousands, needs money tostart, and it needs money to grow. Andthat’s where banks that provide busi-ness financing play a role.

Recent interviews with two bank-ing professionals in the Grand Rapidsarea shed light on the current state ofbusiness financing. José A. Infante,Senior Vice President for CommercialLending at Independent Bank, and MarkMartis, Senior Vice President and ChiefLending Officer for Grand River Bank,shared their insights.

Infante says, “At IndependentBank, we welcome new applications forbusiness financing. We pride ourselveson being flexible in meeting the cus-tomers’ needs and working closely withthem in order to serve them in the mostresponsible way possible. We customizeour products and services for individualneeds. ”

He continues, “We here in WestMichigan continue to see growth in thebusiness sector. In fact, growth hereconsistently outpaces the rest ofMichigan, and I believe we will continueto see that growth continue. Recentchanges in state regulations make doingbusiness in the state more responsive tothe needs of the community, and thatcan only work in our favor.”

And Infante has more good news.He says, “Our first quarter this year hasbeen as profitable as all of last yearcombined. This positive trend encom-passes the entire region, not only GrandRapids but also Ionia, Muskegon,Holland, Kalamazoo and Traverse City.”

Grand River Bank is the “new kidon the block”. Founded in 2009 by acoalition of business owners in WestMichigan, it understands the needs ofthe small businessperson. According toMark Martis, “We had to raise capital inthe beginning just like any other busi-ness. That, and the fact that we arelocally owned and operated, makes usparticularly responsive to small busi-ness owners in the area, and we special-ize in that market. We think of our busi-

ness as ‘relationship banking’.”He adds, “Our lending team is com-

prised of people with a background incommercial markets, and commerciallending is where we concentrate ourefforts. Besides our focus on businessand industry, we also make loans forowner-occupied real estate.”

Martis also reports positives for ourregion. He says, “There’s been an uptickin residential construction with somedevelopments starting back up againafter a few years of little activity. Asinventory in new homes diminishes, weare seeing more houses being built onspec, and this indicates a return to ahealthier economy.”

According to the Small BusinessAssociation of Michigan (SBAM),“Michigan made significant strides in anannual entrepreneurial scorecard issuedby SBAM. The state’s entrepreneurialclimate ranked 15th nationally in 2011,compared to 45th in 2010.” Their reportpoints to “little dramatic change butrather a slow continuation of positivetrends.”

According to Independent Bank’sInfante, “Most of our business loansover the past year have been for busi-ness expansion rather than for newbusinesses. Strong sectors of the econo-my continue to be manufacturing, espe-cially in automotive and furniture man-ufacturing. And we are seeing a surge inthe past few years in the service indus-try, particularly in healthcare fields.”

Martis of Grand River Bank echoesthat observation. He says, “Through2008 and 2009, many businesses strug-gled and had to reduce overhead due toslumping sales. While they are not yetback to pre-2008 levels, things are get-ting better. Down cycles are still possi-ble, but overall we see the economy andthe business climate continuing toimprove.”

While banks remain cautious intheir lending practices and policies, theyare interested and invested, as we allare, in seeing the economy rebound.Committed to the communities theyserve, they continue to provide start-upand expansion funding that will benefitus all.

Jane Whittington is a freelancewriter and editor who lives in GrandRapids.

New Products Corporation Celebrates 90 Years of Continuous Manufacturing

Benton Harbor - How do you createa legacy that is sustained from genera-tion to generation? Walter Miller, ayoung electrical engineer fromSwitzerland, was not likely thinkingabout legacies upon moving to Michiganduring the early 20th century; He wasbusy inventing, manufacturing and start-ing new ventures in southwest Michigan.

In 1922, Miller founded NewProducts Corporation (NPC), one of sixcompanies he established in BentonHarbor and neighboring communities.Among the most widely known wereModern Plastics Corporation that wasinstrumental in the development of theplastics industry, and V-M Corporation(Voice of Music), which developed andproduced record changers and taperecorders.

Miller started New Products as a oneman tool and repair shop in a small 15foot square rented space. As the busi-ness grew, it moved and expanded into asophisticated manufacturing facility atNorth Shore Drive and Klock Road inBenton Harbor.

“I can only imagine what my grand-father would say about our companytoday,” Cheryl Miller, NPC’s presi-dent and CEO said.

Miller, who was featured in theJanuary 2011 issue of Forbes magazine,added “Indeed, he generated a valuableasset for Michigan and the local economythat was nurtured by my father StanleyO. Miller for more than 60 years.”

Since its founding, NPC has becomea global supplier of custom, precision diecast aluminum and zinc parts for hun-dreds of applications in dozens of indus-tries worldwide including automotive,

marine, military, industrial machinery,medical instruments, household appli-ances, transportation equipment, furni-ture and fixtures, and more.

ollowing Stanley Miller’s death in2001, his wife Phyllis Clemens Millerensured the company’s continuity bystepping in to assist at the age of 85. Sheserved as NPC’s Secretary/Treasurer for50 years. Their daughter Cheryl steppedin at the same time and became the thirdgeneration to run the company and iscommitted to carrying the legacy forward.

“I don’t even know if the word ‘lega-cy’ was in my grandfather’s vocabulary,”Miller. “For our family, it has always car-ried a much greater meaning. It’s about acommitment to serving others includingcustomers, employees and families, andthe local community.”

According to Miller, it is NPC’s visionof a commitment to excellence that hasled to the company’s continued growthand success. As a world class supplier,the company has achieved an extraordi-nary record of a parts-per-million defectrate in the single digits. Another extraor-dinary achievement is the company’sretention of some customers for 70 yearsand more.

The average length of employment-22 years- is also remarkable. During thepast year two employees achieved morethan 47 years with the company.

In February 2012, NPC was grantedits first property tax abatement in thecompany’s 90 year history. The abate-ment aids NPC in purchasing new com-puterized equipment and adding six newjobs to its three shift operation, whichemploys 100 people—a third of whomlive in Benton Harbor.

The company enjoys a long historyof continuous improvement from WalterMiller's smart expansion to StanleyMiller's facility modernization and inno-vative engineering, through to today'sleading edge equipment purchases andlean manufacturing techniques. Millerand her team are surrounded by sophis-ticated technology and machinery--pro-ducing millions of parts each year,including engine covers for the next gen-eration of green vehicles.

Sustaining the legacy of NPC’sfounder has not been without challenges,including the severe economic downturnwhich forced many die cast operations inMichigan and throughout the UnitedStates to close or move their operationsoverseas.

Celebrating 90 years of continuousoperations in 2012, NPC is the only sur-viving manufacturer and largest employ-

er in Benton Harbor, a community that isfaced with a serious array of social,financial and political issues.

“We have a long history of beinggood neighbors and spend millions ofdollars each year with businesses andorganizations in our community,” saidMiller, who is concerned about recentlyproposed amendments to BentonHarbor’s zoning ordinance that couldpotentially limit the company’s growth.“In the past, we’ve been quiet aboutNPC’s many achievements because ourfamily was not seeking recognition.However, this year we achieved a signifi-cant milestone that few companies reach,and we’re proud to let everyone know weintend to be around another 90 years.”

For more information about NewProducts Corporation, visit www.new-productscorp.com.

4

Finance/Insurance BriefsSparta – ChoiceOne Bank announcedtheir participation in financing of theNewaygo Area District Library expan-sion project. The total library expansionproject will cost $1.2 million withChoiceOne Bank financing $450,000.

Grand Rapids – Lake Michigan CreditUnion announced the promotion of JulieGrace, Director of Branch Operations, toVice President of Branch Operations.

Fremont – Fremont Insurance, aMichigan-exclusive property and casual-ty insurance carrier, announced that theCompany hired Christopher Clinton,CPCU, as Vice President of CommercialLines and Product Development.

Washington, DC – Clark Hill, PLC,expanded its presence in Washington DCto premier office space at 601Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, NorthBuilding Suite 1000.

Lansing – More than 4.5 million peopleare now members of Michigan creditunions, setting a new record, accordingto 2012 first quarter data just releasedby the National Credit UnionAdministration. Statewide, creditunions also reported record checkingaccount balances at the end of the firstquarter of 2012, aided by near-recordquarterly balance growth and newchecking accounts.

Bay City – Tricia Raquepaw was pro-moted to Vice President, Director ofMarketing at Independent Bank’s BayCity office.

Cedar Springs – Michael Wolfe joinedIndependent Bank as a Mortgage LoanOfficer at the Cedar Springs office, serv-ing customers in Kent, Mecosta andMontcalm counties.

Grand Rapids – Benjamin Hammond,construction law attorney, will speakabout Insurance Coverage forConstruction Defect Claims at the IRMIConstruction Risk Conference inOrlando, FL, November 13, 2012.

Grand Rapids – The State Bar ofMichigan recognized the law firm ofWarner Norcross & Judd LLP with the2012 Pro Bono Circle of Excellenceaward. The distinction is reserved forlaw firms that provide free or reduced-fee representation to low-income indi-viduals or organizations.

Grand Rapids – John R. (Jack)Oostema, a shareholder with SmithHaughey Rice & Roegge, was namedby Chambers USA as a leading attorneyin Michigan in the area of general com-mercial litigation. In addition, SmithHaughey has been named as a leadinglaw firm in the same category.

Once a MemberAlways A Member!

Many savings and investment products are available American Express Financial Advisor services

We offer a full range of services:• Mortgages • Home Equity loans• Visa • Mastercard Debit Program• Auto Loans • ATM Card Services• Recreational Loans • Recreational park ticket sales

24/7 online banking services at www.rrccu.com

Membership eligibility for those living in or working in the townships of:Alpine, Algoma, Casnovia, Sparta, Solon, and Tyrone. Related by blood or marriage.

Service Hours are: Monday -Thursday 9-5, Friday 8-6, and Saturday 9-12

What is Factoring?By Brian Birnbaum

Banks don’t seem to have anymoney to lend right now – or at least

none they want to – and equity marketsaren’t a great value proposition formany companies with investors skepti-cal about, well, everything.

U.S. Bancorp recently commis-sioned a survey of 1,004 companiesnationwide with annual revenue of $10million or less that showed slightly lessthan a third of those surveyed said theirbank provides everything they needwhen it comes to financing and otherbusiness services.

Yet business needs to go on.Businesses still need to buy goods, meetpayroll, cover seasonal adjustments andeven seize market opportunities. Sowhat are they to do?

Many small to mid-size businessesare turning to factoring, an alternative tobank lending that provides businesseswith capital when needed on a flexibleformula basis that is proportional tosales. The factoring “line” grows as thesales to credit worthy customersincrease giving clients an opportunity tocapitalize on market opportunities.

Following are some of the most fre-quently asked questions about factoringshowing how business owners can ben-efit:

Q: What is factoring?A: Factoring is the purchase of cor-

porate accounts receivable. It’s generallyused when a company is in its infancy orexperiences a growth spurt and givesthat company access to capital throughnon-traditional means.

Q: How does factoring work?A: A factor purchases a business’s

accounts receivable and gives them alarge percentage of the total creditwor-thy accounts receivable up front and theremainder when they are collected. Thefactor handles all the credit checks, col-

lects the accounts receivable and ledgersthe receivable so the client is able toconcentrate on growing their business.

Q: How does factoring differ fromother types of financing?

A: Factoring differs from traditionalbank loans because the credit decision isstrictly based on receivables rather thanother criteria – how long the companyhas been in business, working capitaland personal credit score, for example –that a bank would take into considera-tion. Factoring differs from equityfinancing in that factors don’t take equi-ty in the company. Since contracts areshort term, the client could elect to stopfactoring whenever they choose.

Q: Who can benefit the mostfrom factoring?

A: Generally, any business-to-busi-ness company that has the ability toincrease their sales but are held backbecause of a lack of capital can benefitfrom factoring. The industries that tendto use factors now are service-basedbecause they have a high labor compo-nent (must pay employees weekly).Without factoring, they wouldn’t be ableto expand. The transportation industryis big; truckers factor because they haveto pay employees and fuel costs everyweek and truck rentals monthly andwith receivables collected every 45 days,it would be impossible to grow withoutfactoring. Staffing is another industrythat benefits.

Q: What are some common mis-conceptions about factoring?

A: The biggest misconception isthat people believe factors are a lenderof last resort but that’s not true. Inaddition to providing financing, the fac-tor will do credit checking, receivablesaccounting and reporting, and all the

collection work, thus saving the compa-ny the salary of employees hired to han-dle these same tasks. As well, mostemployees tasked with these duties arenot trained credit or collection profes-sionals which exposes companies thatwant to offer payment terms to cus-tomers to increased risk. Trainedemployees are expensive and hard tofind. Some companies do not offer cred-it terms for these reasons even thoughthey could be doing more business.Using a factor dramatically reducesthese risks. Most clients are motivatedto contact a factor for the money, butthey soon realize the services and flexi-bility are equally as important.

Q: How do factors differ from oneanother?

A: Businesses in need of a factorhave long had only two choices: theycould go to a large factoring company ina far away city or to a smaller, localoperation. At the larger companies, theclient can never talk to the decisionmaker like they could with a smallercompany. Conversely, the smaller com-panies can’t provide the same sophisti-cated back office system the larger com-pany can offer or the assurance of fund-ing capabilities. With the advent ofcompanies like Liquid Capital, the clientcan have both the back office perks,assurance of funding capacity and directaccess to the decision maker, who oftenis a member of their own community.

Brian Birnbaum is the president ofLiquid Capital of America Corp., aninternational franchise network withmore than 60 offices across NorthAmerica. For more information, visit liq-uidcapitalcorp.com orwww.lcfranchise.com.

Publisher: Gary Kralapp

Business DevelopmentSenior Vice President: Diane LaPrezeSenior Vice President: Jim LroyCirculation: Aubrey Day

Contributing Writers:Eric Mills, JaneWhittington, Brian Birnbaum, GregHammermaster, Simon A. Thalmann,Patrick Dati, Brian Allred,

Managing Editor: Carol M. KralappAssociate Editor: Jeremy MartinPrinting/Distribution: News Web PrintingAccountant: Michael Tawney & CompanyLegal: Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone

The monthly published Business Update Inc.®

all rights reserved. No portion can be repro-duced without the written permission of the pub-lisher. The management of Business Update Inc.®

is not responsible for the opinions expressed byits writers or editors. Nor is it responsible for anyinformation contained on any schedule or calen-dar. We invite editorial suggestions, reader par-ticipation, or article submissions. We reserve allrights in communications sent to our editorialstaff as unconditionally assigned for publicationor any other use Business Update Inc.® in its solediscretion, shall deem appropriate. All submis-sions are subjected to our unrestricted right toedit and comment. For further information con-cerning this publication, or past issues, pleasewrite or call:

8742 Bethany Dr SWByron Center, MI 49315

Phone: (616) 583-1577Fax: 888-728-0045

Email: prupdate@businessupdate.com

BusinessBusiness

upda teupdateu b l i c a t i o n

5

6

Mortgage Industry Offers Encouraging NewsBy: Jane Whittington

In challenging economic times, pur-chasing a home can be a leap of faith andselling one can be a daunting prospect.And once decisions are made, navigatingthe way through the mortgage processcan be overwhelming. However, localbanks are ready to help make that mostAmerican of American dreams, homeownership, a reality.

While the median home price in theUS as of June 18, 2012 was $235,774,Grand Rapids realtors report a medianprice of $93,933 on 552 houses soldfrom March through May of 2012.Affordable prices coupled with mortgagerates at historic lows make buying one’sdream home a doable prospect.

According to Cynthia Lowman,President of United Bank MortgageCorporation (UBMC), “Michigan, and in

particular West Michigan, is showinggood activity on both the purchase andrefinance market side. We are seeing apositive trend for the home buying pub-lic.”

She continues, “While home pricesremain relatively low, sellers are nowmaking the decision to sell in this marketto take advantage of low rates and pur-chase their next home at the same dis-counted level. I think it has taken sometime for property owners to come to gripswith their loss of home equity, but theyare now seeing advantages for them tosell and buy in this new market.”

While home values peaked from2006-2008, that bubble has burst, andLowman says home prices are unlikelyto rebound in the foreseeable future.

In terms of standards for qualifyingfor a mortgage, Lowman says, “Creditscore is back on top. Right now, for the

best rate from government sponsoredenterprises like Freddie Mac and FannieMae a credit score of 720 + is the onlyway to avoid fees pegged to credit. Downpayment is more important than in pre-vious cycles as the Michigan companiesare pricing to risk. For borrowers withreally low scores (650 or less), there arefew choices other than FHA and RD(Rural Development loans).”

Reports are that West Michigan hasa very healthy credit market, and therehas been an increase in construction forthe first time in several years.

As for activity in the mortgageindustry, Lowman says, “As interestrates have fallen on home loans, we haveseen an uptick in mortgage aps. For atime, rates fell to 2.75 percent fixed, butthese rates were not marketed aggres-sively. Rates continue to be low, and weare doing a brisk business in both new

home loans and refis. Currently, about60 percent of our business is refinancingand 40 percent new home purchases.”

Lowman has good news for ourregion. She says, “This market shouldremain pretty hot until election time. Weknow that if rates rise by just one per-cent, it will freeze up any more of therefinancing for a time. Those borrowerswho can take advantage of low rates aredoing so at record number at UBMC. Thefuture of the GSEs will take more timethan originally anticipated to restructureor wind down, and we watch that activi-ty very closely as we are a big user ofthose markets.”

Jane Whittington is a freelancewriter and editor who lives in GrandRapids.

Finance/Insurance BriefsSeattle, WA – Ernst & Young, LLP,announced Greg Enell, CEO of DoubleDown Interactive, makers of one of theworld's largest free-to-play casinos onFacebook, received the Ernst & YoungEntrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2012Award, in the hyper-competitive socialgaming category in the Pacific NorthwestRegion.

Midland – Chemical Bank announcedJoel Rahn was promoted to RegionalPresident – West, to provide oversightfor Chemical Bank’s West Michigan com-munity including marketing and man-agement of retail, commercial and pri-vate banking groups. Lynn Kerber waspromoted to Executive Vice Presidentand Regional President – South, includ-ing management of the bank’s retail andcommercial banking groups located inBenton Harbor, Niles, Kalamazoo,Marshall/Albion and Holland.

Grand Rapids – Ben Stoep joinedVarnum LLP as an associate in theGrand Rapids office. Stoep is a memberof Varnum's corporate practice group,focusing on manufacturing and bankingindustries - advising on mergers andacquisitions, securities regulations, reg-ulatory matters, and corporate gover-nance.

Brighton – LifeSecure InsuranceCompany was recognized by theInternational Academy of the VisualArts as the winner in the print designcategory of three 2012 CommunicatorAwards, the world’s largest and mostcompetitive awards program honoringthe creative excellence of communica-tion professionals.

Grand Rapids – Mierendorf & Co. P.C.,certified public accountants, announceda new venture entitled InPayroll, LLC.InPayroll’s primary mission is to providebusinesses with a professional payrollsystem that can be customized to fit theirneeds.

Grand Rapids – Richard A. Roane, part-ner with the law firm Warner Norcross& Judd LLP, has been elected presidentof the Michigan Chapter of the AmericanAcademy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Detroit – Honigman Miller Schwartzand Cohn LLP is the only law firm to benamed as one of this year’s Michigan’sEconomic Bright Spots by Corp!Magazine.

Grand Rapids – Chambers USA namedRhoades McKee’s Litigation PracticeGroup as a leader in MichiganCommercial Litigation. Chambersdefined this legal team as a “23 strongpractice group which handles a variety ofcommercial litigation matters, includingwhite collar criminal defense, sharehold-er disputes, and personal injury cases.”

Grand Rapids – In an effort to supportstudent veterans with the rising costs ofcollege tuition and to honor their dedica-tion to their country, the law firm ofPlachta, Murphy & Associates, P.C.,announced its inaugural VeteransScholarships Program.

Lansing – Laura Chappelle joinedVarnum's Lansing office as counsel inthe firm's energy regulatory practicebringing to the firm more than 20 yearsof regulatory and legal policy experienceinvolving energy, telecommunicationsand advanced communications sectors.

The inaugural edition of the New MiniF inance/Banking/ InsurancePublication is brought to you byBusiness Update Publications and willbe released the final Thursday of eachmonth. Features, columns and pressreleases that are industry related, cur-rent and timely.

To have your news included or to submit arti-cles for potential inclusion reply to prup-date@businessupdate.com. For sponsor-ship and advertising contactdiane@businessupdate.com orjim@businessupdate.com.

Finance, InsuranceFinance, Insurance& & Bank ing Bank ing

Quality Office Furniture, at a price you can afford!

Bill Feyen616-554-0200

billfeyen@exceloffice.com

7

Who says the government never has a good program? Michigan - Working with the

Economic Development Foundation andusing the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration temporary 504 debtrefinancing program has helpedProfessional Uniforms, Inc. to continueto thrive and grow.

Lydia’s Professional Uniforms wasstarted over 40 years ago as one retailstore that eventually grew to four loca-tions. Catalogs and a website wereadded to satisfy the national demandfor Lydia’s uniforms. Now 40 yearslater, three generations of Lydia’s fami-ly have been dedicated to getting their

clients the latest, in-style scrubs andmedical uniforms at the best value.

Through all the years, ProfessionalUniforms headquarters have grown andexpanded and now are housed in a100,000 square foot warehouse fortheir 90 staff members and extensiveinventory. Economic DevelopmentFoundation was able to structure theSBA 504 temporary refinancing pro-gram to reduce the payments on thebuilding while using their existing landequity for the down payment withoutany outlay of capital. This has allowedProfessional Uniforms to efficiently

maximize resources. Martha Lambros,CEO of Professional Uniforms, explains“the SBA 504 refinance program is agreat program. EDF makes it an easyprocess.”

The SBA 504 refinance program isa terrific opportunity for companies thatare looking to refinance their existingdebt on buildings, land or equipment.Economic Development Foundation iseager to explain the many advantagesof the temporary SBA 504 refinanceprogram. Currently this program isscheduled to expire in September 2012,so companies need to act soon. Bradd

Pierce, loan officer for EDF states, ‘Thiswas a perfect fit for ProfessionalUniforms, Inc. and the SBA 504 refi-nance program. What a smart move tolower their monthly payments and con-serve capital for other uses. Three moregenerations will be working atProfessional Uniforms, Inc. for the next50 years!”

For additional information regard-ing EDF and the SBA 504 loan program,call (616) 459-4825 or visitwww.growmichigan.com.

New International Trade CrossingWill add Thousands of Jobs

Grand Rapids — The constructionof a new bridge connecting Detroit,Michigan and Windsor, Ontario will pro-vide an estimated 12,000 jobs per yearfor each of the four years of the con-struction phase according to the analy-sis recently released by the Center forAutomotive Research (CAR), an AnnArbor-based nonprofit research organi-zation. Furthermore, the analysis con-cludes that once the bridge is opera-tional, more than 8,000 permanent jobswill be created.

The published study, “Analysis ofthe Economic Contribution ofConstructing the New InternationalTrade Crossing: A New Bridge LinkingDetroit and Windsor,” indicates numer-ous opportunities will be generatedfrom both the construction and opera-tion of the bridge, the New InternationalTrade Crossing (NITC).

“Initially, the construction of thebridge itself will serve as an economicstimulus, providing jobs and tax rev-enues. Once construction is completedand bridge operations have begun, theregion’s additional freight shippingcapability could attract private-sectorinvestment, augmenting the grossregional product and creating moreemployment opportunities,” said KimHill, director of Sustainability andEconomic Development Strategies atCAR and the study’s lead.

“Additionally, the bridge projectwill make Michigan eligible to receive

Federal matching funds that can beused on other highway infrastructureprojects throughout the state, helping toimprove Michigan’s highway systemand supporting the state’s transporta-tion employment,” added Hill. “Clearly,a project of this scale, along with thefederal matching funds, will haveemployment and economic effects thatwill impact many diverse industriesthroughout the state.”

Rick Baker, President and CEO ofthe Grand Rapids Area Chamber ofCommerce, noted that the bridge projectplays a vital role in our local economyas well as the state’s.

“The New International TradeCrossing is one of those crucial deci-sions that will dramatically impactMichigan’s future — a project that willbenefit Michigan and our children fordecades to come,” said Baker. “One inseven jobs here in West Michigan islinked to trade, and the CAR study con-firms that local companies need theinfrastructure to connect them to themarketplace to ensure they can com-pete.”

CAR has significant experienceconducting economic impact analysesand has carried out the majority of com-pleted national level automotive eco-

nomic contribution studies in the UnitedStates since 1992.

The NITC report is the product ofresearch performed by theSustainability & Economic DevelopmentStrategies and the TransportationSystems Analysis groups at the Centerfor Automotive Research. The reportwas written by Hill, Richard Wallace,director of Transportation SystemsAnalysis, Deb Menk, senior projectmanager and Joshua Cregger, industryanalyst.

8Construction BriefsLansing – C2AE, a full-service architec-tural, engineering and planning designfirm, announced the promotion of TobiLyon to their leadership team as theDirector of Marketing andCommunications. She will be responsi-ble for overseeing and executing market-ing initiatives to meet the strategic goalsand growth objectives of the company.

Holland – Elzinga & Volkers welcomedBrett Lesiewicz as Assistant ProjectManager. Brett will provide assistance tothe Project Managers within the compa-ny’s health care market.

Kalamazoo – CSM Group welcomedKalamazoo Public School Intern DorrinBeverly. CSM Group has participated ina construction management internshipprogram with the Kalamazoo PublicSchools for 5 years.

Lansing – Clark Construction Companyachieved yet another safety milestone asthe company reached the milestone ofhaving gone three million worker hourswithout lost time due to injury. The his-toric safety accomplishment has coveredall Clark Construction projects since 2001. Holland – Redmon Heating & Cooling,Inc., a Grandville/Holland-based HVACbusiness, was honored at the BryantHeating & Cooling Systems annual deal-er meeting with a Tier 2 Medal ofExcellence Award - the fourth year in arow that Redmon has won the award.

Grand Rapids - Signature Associateshas negotiated:• the sale of a 9,828 square foot indus-trial building located at 2151 ChicagoDrive, Wyoming for the seller, 2151Properties, LLC. and the buyer, GipsonProperties, LLC. Gipson Fabrication is acontractor to the restaurant industry.

• the lease of 1,764 square feet of officespace located at 1221 11th, Niles for thelandlord, Niles Plaza, Inc., and the ten-ant, First American Title.

Ada – Dan Vos Construction Companyachieved a remarkable safety milestoneon Monday, June 4, 2012, when it sur-passed four years without a lost timeaccident. The company credits theaccomplishment to its thorough safetyprogram and its employees’ dedicationand commitment to safety and eachother. Lansing – Randy Jobin, Vice Presidentof Planning, Estimating and BusinessDevelopment, will be retiring from ClarkConstruction on June 29 after morethan 21 years of outstanding service atvarious positions at Clark.

Brighton – ASTI’s President, TomWackerman, has been appointed to theBuilding Industries Association ofSoutheastern Michigan's Board ofDirectors. Additionally, ASTI addsRobert Anderson who brings more than25 years of experience in the environ-mental services industry and will directASTIs Site Redevelopment ServicesGroup.

Kalamazoo – As of January 1, 2012StructureTec Corporation is nowStructureTec Group. Due to growth andexpansion, StructureTec’s Board ofDirectors strategically developed andapproved a plan for restructuring thecorporation to a holding company.StructureTec, Construction ServicesGroup, Building Products Group,Maintenance Service FinancialCorporation and ServiceTec are nowdeemed subsidiaries under StructureTecGroup.

Grand Rapids – Falcon Custom Homeswon the following awards from theKalamazoo Parade of Homes for its mil-lion dollar mansion on Gull Lake called“The Highfield”: Best LandscapingElements; Best Interior Elements andDesign; Best Master Suite; and SmartHouse.Grand Rapids – Michigan CommercialSpace Advisors / ITRA Global, former-ly known as International TenantRepresentative Alliance, was selected asthe Grand Rapids affiliate for ITRAGlobal, being officially voted into theorganization at its upcoming conferencein London in September. ITRA Global is

an organization of real estate profes-sionals specializing in representing ten-ants and buyers in the leasing, acquisi-tions and disposition of office, industrialand retail facilities.

Michigan – Habitat for Humanity ofKent County, funded on May 24, 2012,will use its $1,880,000 Qualified LowIncome Community Investment loanfrom CEI Capital Management LLC ofPortland, ME to build 10 homes in dis-tressed areas of Kent County wherepoverty rates are between 25.90% -40.60% and unemployment is between1.45 – 3.71 times the national average.The homes will be completed betweenMay 2012 and December 2013. Grand Rapids – Progressive AEannounced Eric Gerding, MichelleHoffner, David Trost, and JamieWansten joined the firm. Gerding joinsthe firm as a Graduate Project Architect;Hoffner joins as Project Architect; Trostand Wansten join as Graduate DesignArchitects.

Lansing, Norway and Ypsilanti – Mead& Hunt, Inc. and Barnard Dunkelberg& Company merged on June 1, 2012.These two firms provide aviation plan-ning and environmental services. Mead& Hunt also provide architecture andengineering services to airports acrossthe country, environmental and historicpreservation consulting services todiverse markets that include aviation,dams and hydropower, education, foodprocessing, industrial, military, munici-pal infrastructure, renewable energy,transportation and water resourcesthroughout the US. Barnard Dunkelbergis a nationally-recognized civilian andmilitary airport planning firm withoffices in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Denver,Colorado.

Lansing – C2AE announced the openingof a new office at 211 E. Water St., inKalamazoo, which is the fifth locationfor the growing firm headquartered inLansing.

Muskegon - Signature Associates hasnegotiated the lease of 4,505 square feetof retail space located at 10150 US 31,Montague to John Kessler for the land-lord, Douglas A. Borns Trust.

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

By: Jeremy Martin

Nathan Whitaker, project managerfor Kalamazoo’s Whitaker Construction

explains that his company has experienceworking on a wide range of projects.

“We’re very diverse and we do any-thing from small commercial projects to

huge remodels and factory type work,”Whitaker said.

But that doesn’t really explain thescope and variety of jobs that Whitaker

has worked on over the years.As an example of the company’s

flexibility in the workforce, Whitaker cre-ated the US-131 Motor Speedway inMartin, a multi-use sports complex withoutdoor seating featuring a custom drag-strip running down its center.

More recently, the company wasresponsible for the construction of theKalamazoo/Battle Creek InternationalAirport, a multi-million dollar state of theart project.

It can also scale back and work onprojects a bit more humble in nature,such as the Portage Central Library orone of several school buildings that havegone up recently.

“We’ve got experience in quite a fewdifferent areas of construction,” Whitakersaid, underselling his company’s abili-ties.

Since 1970 Whitaker Constructionhas been on the forefront of the WestMichigan construction scene, bidding forand creating structures that stand aslandmarks in and around Kalamazoo.

Whitaker called the early 1970’s a‘boom time in construction,’ and said thatthe company which was founded by hisGrand Father was immediately able tofind and sustain work for itself.

Stan Whitaker first came toKalamazoo in the late 1960’s when GiemConstruction transferred him from itsKansas office to a facility it was buildingin West Michigan. The Arkansas nativeand graduate of Arkansas Baptist Collegefound himself settled well enough inKalamazoo that he was able to procurethe funding to buy out his boss andfound his own eponymous company.

“He did a laundry list of jobs beforehe founded the firm,” Whitaker said.

Progressing steadily up the businesslatter until he was running his ownoffice, the elder Whitaker acquired thevast assortment of skills and the flexiblenature that the company is known fortoday.

Because of this, WhitakerConstruction is not afraid to diversifybeyond general contracting or to researchother options within the constructionworld.

For example, the firm has recentlygotten involved with non-invasiveunderground utility locating; a servicethat not only has allowed the company toexpand its repertoire but has also given itthe chance to add a few new hires.

Continued on page 16

9

New MechatronicsAcademy Launched

Kalamazoo - Kalamazoo ValleyCommunity College is launching a newCareer Academy called the MechatronicsAcademy. This 18-week, full time, com-petency-based training program will pre-pare students for careers in automatedindustrial equipment maintenance andrepair.

The Mechatronics Academy, whichbegins on August 20, 2012, wasdesigned to assure that graduating stu-dents have the knowledge and skillsessential to perform troubleshooting,service, and repair on automated indus-trial systems. Applications are now beingaccepted. An informational sessionabout the new Academy is set forWednesday, June 27 from 4-5 p.m. at theGroves Center of Kalamazoo ValleyCommunity College, 7107 Elm ValleyDrive, Kalamazoo.

Mechatronics is a term thatdescribes the integration of mechanical,electrical, and computer technologies.

“Industrialized machines have includedmechanical, electrical, and computer sys-tems for quite some time, but past meth-ods looked at each separately,” said LesaStrausbaugh, Director of CareerAcademies for Kalamazoo ValleyCommunity College. “In today’s manu-facturing environment, these disciplinesare combined into a mechatronics sys-tems approach for resolving problems.”

Through lab exercise, simulationand self-directed projects, students in theAcademy will develop safety, criticalthinking, problem-solving and teamworkskills. Students are taught on deviceswhich simulate automated productionwhere fluid, robotic, and electronic con-trol are essential. Students will be expect-ed to perform routine service, use condi-tion monitoring tools, troubleshoot prob-lems and make necessary repairs. Anunderstanding of lean manufacturingand quality control systems will bedemonstrated.

1010 Reasons to Integrate Your Payments EnvironmentBy Greg Hammermaster

1. Improve cash flowWhen you integrate all your points-

of-payment directly to your bank for set-tlement – and to your accounting systemfor reconciliation – you maximize yourcash flow. Sitting on checks and receiptsminimizes your cash position, whichimpacts your business’ liquidity.

2. Optimize sales channelsAny payment method – whether a

credit card terminal, e-commerce website, or a mobile phone equipped to takepayments – that’s not integrating directlyto your accounting system isn’t optimizedfor sales execution and back-office effi-ciencies; therefore, increasing cost-of-sales.

3. Eliminate manual data entryManually entering data in both a

point-of-sale (POS) solution and anaccounting solution doubles the time ittakes to complete the payments process.By integrating your payments environ-ment, you can reduce time spent onaccounts receivable (A/R) processing soyou can spend more time on revenue-generating opportunities.

4. Automate the reconciliationprocess

Duplicate data entry also results inmore manual errors, which someone hasto untangle and reconcile. When pay-ments automatically “post-back” to theaccounting system, errors are reducedand posting and reconciliation arestreamlined, saving time and money.

5. Organize your payments envi-ronment

The payments industry is highlyfragmented and confusing. An advanced,

integrated payments portal can offer Weband mobile access to a reporting dash-board, merchant statement, billing sup-port, a single toll-free customer supportline, and administration of all your con-nected payment devices, applications,and services.

6. Improve your PCI compliancesituation

Payment Card Industry (PCI) certi-fied payment platforms can improve yourPCI compliancy as a merchant. Theseplatforms remove your connected pay-ment solutions from the scope of PCI (PA-DSS) by ensuring all connected paymentsolutions never store or transmit unen-crypted credit card data. In return, yourPCI audit is more streamlined. Moreimportantly, your business is secure andyour customers’ data is safe.

7. Improve your audit positionManual processes increase auditor

scrutiny and require additional samplingof data and processes, driving up yourcosts and use of resources. Automatingthose manual payment processes can cutcosts on financial and regulatory audits.

8. Gain the value of consolidationAn automated and integrated pay-

ments environment is often offered by asingle vendor or consortium, creatingprice efficiencies across a spectrum ofpayment services, while reducing the cost

and complexities of managing multiplevendors.

9. Take advantage of what’s nextAn extensible, integrated payments

platform is more capable of addingadvanced features and solutions, such asmobile payment apps, automated invoic-ing, or integrated loyalty systems.Traditional merchant accounts are stand-alone solutions that don’t ‘connect’ oroffer opportunities to add integrated pay-ment services.

10. Because you canHigh costs and heavy IT require-

ments for building custom solutions havepreviously made integrated payment sys-tems an option for only larger business-es. Now, business software providers arebringing pre-integrated payment solu-tions to market, so small and midsizedbusinesses (SMBs) can easily and costeffectively ‘turn on’ an integrated pay-ments environment from inside selectaccounting or ERP solutions.

Greg Hammermaster as president ofSage Payment Solutions, Sage NorthAmerica’s payment processing division,he is responsible for the company’s cred-it card operations based in Virginia andcheck operations based in Florida.

Education BriefsBig Rapids – The Ferris FoundationBoard of Directors has extended$37,000 in Exceptional Merit GrantAwards for proposals designed toadvance the Ferris State University goalsof engagement and learning to: DavidBaker, Department Chair, Ferris GrandRapids Digital Animation and GameDesign; Arn McIntyre, Michigan EnergyCenter Director, College of EngineeringTechnology; Christopher Westerkamp,Associate Professor of Biology, College ofArts and Sciences; Sgt. James Wing,Department of Public Safety; BonnieWright, Associate Professor of Sociology,College of Arts and Sciences; ChangqiZhu, Assistant Professor of Biology,College of Arts and Sciences.

Grand Rapids – Grand Valley StateUniversity was named one of 29 institu-tions in the U.S. as an Exemplar of RealWorld Engineering Education by theNational Academy of Engineering forproviding students with real-world expe-rience and serving the growing need forengineers.

Lansing – The 2012 class of W.K.Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow WilsonMichigan Teaching Fellows, announcedeach of the 74 recipients of the highlycompetitive WKKF-WW MichiganTeaching Fellowship (64 enrolling in2012 and 10 deferring their enrollment)will receive $30,000 to complete a spe-cially designed, cutting-edge master’sdegree program preparing them to teachin Michigan’s high-need urban and ruralsecondary schools for three years. All ofthe 2012 Fellows majored in a science,technology, engineering or math disci-pline.

Kalamazoo – Western MichiganUniversity is offering a new educationalopportunity, The Master of Arts inLeadership for Organizational Learningand Performance, for working adults tobecome leaders in the areas of organiza-tional learning and performance. Theprogram will be offered on WMU's maincampus in Kalamazoo, as well as theUniversity's regional location in GrandRapids.

JJack SSnyder IInc25 years & over 400 M&A Transactions.

Specializing in small manufacturing, distributors and service business.

616-889-8974

MM&&AA

JJSSII

11A Growing Problem: How Kellogg Community Colleges Is Dealing With Rising Enrollment.

By Simon A. ThalmannKellogg Community College

Kellogg Community College enrolledrecord numbers of students during the2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years,and while enrollment dipped slightly lastfall the college seemed as busy as ever.

“We used to know when our peaktimes were and when it would taper off,but now we’re busy all the time,”Meredith Stravers, Director ofAdmissions at KCC said. “Our peak timesare often very, very busy, and our non-peak times are still busy.”

The years of record enrollment werefueled largely by an influx of newlyunemployed adult learners into the edu-cation system at the start of the GreatRecession, and required the college toreassess the way some processes weredone so employees could serve addition-al students without exhausting institu-tional resources not accustomed to han-dling such capacity.

According to Stravers, this has

included working to leverage technologyto help automate systems that in the pastwould have been handled manually. Thecollege is currently working on an over-haul of its selective admissions processfor the Nursing and Allied Health pro-grams, for example, hoping to make theprocess more streamlined.

“You just get really creative and youlearn how to make it work,” Straverssaid. “You learn how to develop moreefficient processes, assess what you’vebeen doing and figure out how to makethings better.”

travers said the department alsohopes to use technology to make admis-sions processes more efficient for inter-national students and for high schoolstudents wishing to dual enroll.

The dual enrollees – a groupStravers said has increased 64 percentsince 2005 – are among a younger popu-lation Stravers said is increasing as theolder adult learners from record enroll-ment years graduate and are reabsorbedinto the workforce. The average age of

students at the college rose from themid-20s to the low-30s as enrollmentincreased a few years ago, she said, andit’s expected to trickle down as thoseadult learners move on.

Also assisting the age shift this fallwill be the addition of students from thefirst class of the Legacy Scholars pro-gram, which offers eligible high schoolstudents a scholarship to KCC.

Institutional efficiencyKellogg Community College

President Dennis Bona said a slightdecrease in the college’s enrollment isn’tnecessarily a bad thing, and must be bal-anced as a factor of what he called the“measure of institutional efficiency.”

As the state funding and tax dollarsthat keep the college operational aredoled out independently of how manystudents the institution enrolls eachyear, he said, there needs to be a happymedium where funding and enrollmentmeet to provide a maximum return forstudents while also keeping the collegeout of the red.

That can be hard to do in years likethose of the Great Recession, whereproperty values – and tax revenues –actually went down as enrollment wentup.

“We had a real tight budget the lastcouple of years, there’s no questionabout that,” Bona said. “But we are fis-cally conservative and work hard to begood stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Indeed, while graduating a recordnumber of students this spring, KCC isstill among the top 5.4 percent of publictwo-year colleges in the nation when itcomes to the lowest net prices for thecost of education, according the datafrom the U.S. Department of Education.

And even as enrollment is projectedto go down this fall, Stravers anticipatesworking as hard as ever.

“I think that we’re going to contin-ue to be busy,” she said, laughing. “Idon’t ever see us getting to a point whereit’s going to be like it was before enroll-ment spiked.”

Belmont – Kimberly-Clark’s manufac-turing plant in Belmont, one of the com-pany’s leading manufacturing sites ofsafety products, will be celebrating theirwin of Kimberly-Clark Corporation’sCrystal Eagle Award, which is awardedto company facilities that have demon-strated exceptional safety practices.

Grand Rapids – The Right Place, Inc.,in collaboration with The MichiganEconomic Development Corporation,and Byron Township announced theapproval of $450,000 in MichiganBusiness Development Program incen-tives for Grand Rapids-based Altronics

Energy, LLC. The incentive will enablethe company to move forward on a $2.5million expansion, generating 90 newjobs for the area over three years.

Grand Rapids – A year ago, Guilford ofMaine launched their new brand iden-tity “The New Black,” which speaks tothe very real need for simplicity, effi-ciency, and performance in the Office,Education, and Healthcare markets.Since then, the company has beenfocused on making life easier for cus-tomers, while giving them the freedomto explore a wider range of design pos-sibilities.

Chicago, IL – The Business andInstitutional FurnitureManufacturers Association has col-laborated with NSF International, anindependent global organization thatwrites standards, tests and certifiesproducts for the commercial furnishing,construction, food, water, and con-sumer goods industries, to develop aProduct Category Rule (PCR) for theseating industry. This seating PCR pro-vides a science-based and internation-ally recognized method for reportingenvironmental impact of seating prod-ucts throughout their entire life cycle.

Grand Rapids – Atlas Ergonomics wasawarded its second U.S. patent in 18months, for a system that determineswhich workplace adjustments aremost likely to reduce on-the-job dis-comfort and injuries for a variety ofwork spaces including offices, vehicles,and classrooms.

Chicago, IL – MyConfigura took Best ofNeoCon Silver for winning theSoftware/Technology category in theannual competition held in conjunctionwith NeoCon World’s Trade Fair.Configura worked with CET Designer®users to create MyConfigura, a webservice which features functionalitysimilar to Facebook and Google Docs,and officially launches with CETDesigner 3.0 on June 18.

Kalamazoo – SteelForms, with officesin Moscow, has been named as the dis-tributor of Landscape Forms completeproduct line throughout Russia.

Grand Rapids – Grand opening eventfor DTE Energy’s new public fuelingstation for vehicles operating on com-pressed natural gas in Wyoming will beon display and fueling will be demon-strated. Compressed natural gas is“the other” alternative fuel and is rap-idly growing as a fuel of choice for truckand bus fleets having the same powerand cruising range as comparable gaso-line vehicles, but fuel costs are costs arecut in half and emissions are cut by 70to 90 percent.

Industrial Briefs

12BIFMA Announces Over 40 Furniture Manufacturers

With level Certified ProductsChicago, IL – The Business and

Institutional Furniture ManufacturersAssociation (BIFMA) has reported that41 commercial and institutional furni-ture manufacturers now have morethan 1,800 furniture products level pro-gram certified.

“BIFMA is pleased to announcethat the level sustainability certificationprogram for furniture has exceeded the40 manufacturer mark on the rapidlygrowing list of companies who producelevel certified products. level providesinterior designers, architects, facilitymanagers, and others across all indus-

tries with an easy method to identifyincreasingly sustainable products,” saidTom Reardon, BIFMA ExecutiveDirector. “We are extremely pleased tosee the efforts that these 41 manufac-turing companies have made”.

Developed in accordance with theAmerican National Standards Institute(ANSI) procedures, level is the labelawarded to office furniture productsthat meet multiple criteria of the strin-gent, multi-attribute ANSI/BIFMA e3Furniture Sustainability Standard.Earning the level mark requires valida-tion by an approved third-party certifi-

cation body.Level establishes measurable per-

formance criteria to address environ-mental and social aspects of productmanufacturing throughout the supplychain, including the areas of Materials,Energy and Atmosphere, Human andEcosystem Health, and SocialResponsibility. Choosing level certifiedproducts assures that the product isproduced in an environmentally andsocially conscious manner and comesfrom a responsible manufacturer.

Presently the program includesthree conformance tiers, level 1, 2, and

3, each requiring specific prerequisitesand conformance to optional credits.level 3 is the highest conformance tierunder the current ANSI/BIFMA pro-gram. The level certification programallows facility managers, architects anddesigners to evaluate products using a‘level’ playing field, based upon theproduct and manufacturer’s environ-mental and social impact.

A complete list of certified productscan be found at www.levelcertified.org

13Increase Export Sales, Safely

Lower the stakes with Trade Credit InsuranceBy Patrick Dati

We all saw how quickly the econo-my went south only a few years ago.Since that time the recovery has not beencomplete. In fact, many economists saythe world’s economy is actually morevulnerable than it was before the crisis.American companies realize it could allhappen again.

At the same time, American compa-nies are starting to take advantage ofmore export opportunities. U.S. exportvolume grew roughly 15% last year, andthe forecast for 2012 is for continueddouble-digit growth.

Exporters are still competing forbusiness, however, and sometimes win-ning the business means offering pay-ment terms. A sale is made, but with itcomes to credit risk and the potential forbad debt.

What is credit risk? It’s the riskinvolved in selling on the basis of trust.If we sell to you without receiving pay-ment up front it's because we believe youare trustworthy, i.e. creditworthy, andthat you will pay us after we ship thegoods or provide services to you.Although a simple concept, credit riskhas a profound impact on company sta-bility since bad debt losses have a directimpact on profitability.

One method used to mitigate thisrisk is export trade credit insurance (alsoknown as accounts receivable insur-ance). Credit insurance is a “before-sales” credit risk management productthat insures commercial accounts receiv-ables against non-payment. Even if theyour customer defaults on payment orgoes bankrupt, payment will still bemade by the insurance company subjectto the terms and conditions of the policy.By assuring payment, your stability and

growth will be greatly supported.In Europe most commercial transac-

tions are covered under credit insurance.In the U.S., although credit insurance isnot very well known, it is a multi-milliondollar industry that has been around forover 100 years, but overlooked by far toomany businesses. Protecting your receiv-ables is no different than the logical needto protect inventory, buildings, intellec-tual property, computer system, employ-ees, and the business itself - which iswhy companies take out fire insurance,workman's compensation, general liabil-ity, etc. Unlike other insurance productsthough, credit insurance can be a proac-tive credit management tool.

The benefits of credit insuranceinclude:

Catastrophic Loss Protection: Insome cases, there can be a concentrationof credit exposure among a few cus-tomers or even just one key customer. Inthis situation, just one sudden, unex-pected loss could have a devastatingimpact on business. Credit insurance is atremendous safety net to remove thiscatastrophic risk and cap your exposure.

Expanding Sales Safely: Manycompanies use credit insurance to beable to expand on existing credit limitswithout having to put themselves atadditional risk. It is also helpful in cover-ing open credit sales to new accountswhere you might have limited informa-tion on your new buyer.

Strengthening Credit RiskManagement: The insurance carrier isgoing to actively research, approve andmonitor the insured accounts. This inturn allows the exporter to focus oninternal resources such as cash flowmanagement.

Enhancing Borrowing Power: Ifyou borrow against your receivables,

credit insurance can provide additionalprotection to the lender so they may beable to enhance the borrowing arrange-ments. This allows you to maximize theamount of working capital available fromthe same pool of receivables.

Exporting on Open Credit: Withmore companies sourcing customers out-side their own borders, the risk of grant-ing credit terms has to be balancedagainst maintaining competitive termswith other sellers. Export credit riskinsurance is one tool exporters can useto offer competitive open credit termswithout additional risk, or the hassle ofarranging letters of credit.

Cost Effectiveness: Besides theabove benefits, the cost of credit insur-ance is very reasonable compared to thecost of potential losses. In view of notonly the potential losses that an exportercould incur, but also in terms of grossprofit margins of most companies aswell, the cost of credit insurance is one of

the greatest values around.To compete in the global market-

place, American companies have nochoice but to adopt more sophisticatedapproaches to risk management. Alreadywidely used in the rest of the world,credit insurance is a product whose timehas come in America.

Take a serious look at your accountsreceivable. Are you at risk should any ofyour customers default or go bankrupt?Export credit insurance can help youmanage these risks, as well as expandsafely into new export markets.

For more information, visitwww.coface-midwest.com

Patrick Dati, James L. O'BrienAssociates, Inc, Authorized Agents forCOFACE N.A. Toll Free: 888-562-0981.Reprinted with permission.

Dow Chemical And General Motors Awarded NewEnergy Department Investments

Michigan - The Energy Departmentannounced new investments in Michigansupporting American leadership andglobal competiveness in manufacturing.The Energy Department awarded $9 mil-lion to Dow Chemical to create a low-costcarbon fiber production process thatcould potentially reduce production costsof carbon by 20 percent and reduce total

carbon dioxide emissions output by 50percent. General Motors will also receivenearly $2.7 million investment to devel-op an integrated super-vacuum die cast-ing process expected to achieve 50 per-cent energy savings compared to currentprocesses used to manufacture car doors,resulting in serious fuel economyimprovements and carbon emission sav-

ings.The U.S. reclaimed the position as

the world’s leading investor in cleanenergy and has nearly doubled clean,renewable energy use in the country overthe past few years.

The Michigan-based projects arepart of a $54 million investment by theEnergy Department – leveraging $17

million in cost share from the privatesector – for 13 projects across the coun-try advancing transformational technolo-gies, materials and processes that canhelp American manufacturers dramati-cally increase energy efficiency of theiroperations and reduce costs while creat-ing jobs and expanding Americanexports.

14DTE Energy Opens First Fueling Station

in West MichiganGrand Rapids – DTE Energy hosted

a grand opening event for its new publicfueling station for vehicles operating oncompressed natural gas (CNG) onThursday, June 21 from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at the Padnos Iron & Metal facilityat 450 44th Street SW in Wyoming,Mich.

Compressed natural gas is “theother” alternative fuel and is rapidlygrowing as a fuel of choice for truck andbus fleet operators due to its advantagesas a cleaner, less costly option thanpetroleum-based alternatives.

While today’s electric vehicles aresuitable for short commutes and otherlimited applications, CNG-powered vehi-

cles perform just like gasoline-poweredvehicles. They have the same power andcruising range as comparable gasolinevehicles, but fuel costs are costs are cutin half and emissions are cut by 70 to 90percent.

“Natural gas vehicles offer a safecomplementary technology to gasoline,hybrid and electric vehicles – and theyare particularly well suited to medium-and heavy-duty applications,” said JerryNorcia, President and Chief OperatingOfficer of MichCon & Group PresidentDTE Energy. “NGVs are ready for theroad today with technology that oper-ates like a gasoline vehicle, but withlower fuel costs and significantly lower

emissions.”The advantages of CNG over tradi-

tional fuels like diesel are compelling:• Nearly 40% fewer CO2 emissions thangasoline, 20-30% less than diesel• Costs nearly 40% less than diesel atthe pump. Similar savings over gasoline• Easier on spark plugs and motor oil –reduced maintenance costs• Up to 84% lower particulate emissionsthan diesel* (*U.S. Dept. of Energy)

With the opening of the Wyomingfueling station, DTE Energy is taking afundamental step forward in developinga fueling infrastructure to better servefleet operators in West Michigan.Regional fleet operators are poised to

save thousands of dollars in annual fuelcharges and prevent the emission ofhundreds of tons of CO2 and particulateemissions each year

The fueling station will serve as abackdrop where Jerry Norcia, presidentof MichCon and Sean Reed from theClean Energy Coalition along with lead-ership from DTE Energy and CumminsBridgeway will join elected officials andfleet operators to discuss the positiveimpact this new location will have on theregion. There will also be a live fuelingdemonstration and an exhibition ofassorted CNG vehicles and equipment toexplore. To register for the event, pleasevisit dteenergy.com/cngevent.

Printing the blueprints for the future right here in West Michigan

By Jeremy Martin

A new Silicone Valley right here inWest Michigan? If Kevin Wixson has hisway that is exactly what will happen;and it all starts with a 3D printer.

Wixson, an instructor at theKalamazoo Institute of Arts wants topattern the ‘Kalamazoo Maker’s Guild’-aclub comprised of local inventors, pro-grammers and other people interested increating advanced technologies-after the‘Homebrew Computer Club’ that fosteredthe technological genius of Steve Jobs,Steve Wozniak and others.

“I hope to try to replicate that expe-rience a little bit here in Kalamazoo,”Wixson said.

The driving idea behind the clubfirst sprung up while Wixson was teach-ing a course at the KIA.

“On the last day of the web designclass I was teaching I got into a discus-sion about 3D printing. One of my stu-dents is a jeweler, a fellow instructor atthe KIA. Her name is Maryellen Hains.

Hains and Wixson began dis-

cussing the possibility of creating a 3Dprinter from scratch; the devise would beshared with the greater Kalamazoo com-munity in an effort to foster creativityand productivity among as many usersas possible.

“I went to her later at a facultymeeting hoping that she could help meget a grant to build one,” Wixson said.

Instead, Hains lent Wixson theentire $900 start up fee to begin build-ing the printer, giving him full creativecontrol over the project, save for onedetail.

“Mary Ellen supported the projecton the condition that it would be madeavailable to the public in some form orfashion,” Wixson said.

The devise that Wixson built is notunlike a standard paper and ink printerin that an operator imputes a binarydirective and the machine prints a phys-ical copy of the demands.

However, unlike a standard printer,Wixson’s devise creates three dimen-sional plastic models of the data.

Actually ‘models’ is the wrong word

as the printer has the ability to createfully functional, working parts for toys,cars, furniture, or even another printer.

“The first thing that I made fromthe printer is another printer,” Wixsonsaid. “Most of the parts of the printercan be printed.”

And that’s the beauty of the devise,not only is self-replicating, but it cancreate working parts for nearly anydevise or tool, and often at a fraction ofthe cost of having purchasing somethinganew.

“The way I like to describe theprocess is it’s exactly like a hot glue gunon a robot arm,” Wixson said.

“It’s drawing in plastic, heating itup and out of a nozzle comes a very finebead of plastic. It moves around, putsdown a layer of plastic on a surface,moves up a bit and puts down anotherlayer of plastic and just keeps doing thatover and over again.”

The plastic used is a durable highgrade blend, not unlike the plastic foundin Legos.

Wixson intends to teach a course atthe KIA, allowing people to become pro-ficient in the use of the printer.

The only problem being the difficul-ty in acquiring the plastic filament theprinter uses to create objects.

“There are a number of online retail-ers, no local suppliers yet, but here is a$40,000 bounty right now on the personor team that can develop a do it yourselfprocess to convert the plastic pellets into

the plastic filament,” Wixson said.Once that happens, Wixson said

that the sky will be the limit in terms ofwhat the printer will be able to cheaplyand readily create.

Many of the folks associated withthe ‘Maker’s Guild’ are already on boardin attempting to print out the possibili-ties of tomorrow.

“People are doing really cool thingsthere at the Guild. We’ve had someonebring in a little robot that their building,someone is building a do it yourselfSegway scooter, there are a number ofus working on other replicatingmachines like laser cutters and 3dmills,” Wixson said.

But so far the centerpiece has beenthe printer.

Wixson hopes the technologycatches on to the point where Kinkosstyle store fronts open around the coun-ty offering customers the ability to printall kinds of useful objects in the sameway they print or copy documents today.

“The more people that have accessto machines like this, the faster the paceof innovation,” Wixson said.

Besides 3D printing classes,Wixson will also be teaching a 3D mod-eling class this fall at the KIA.

For more information on the 3Dprinter or the ‘Maker’s Guild’ pleasevisit: meetup.com/kalamazoo-makers-guild. For information on any of thecourses Wixson will be teaching pleasevisit kia.org.

15Four Winds Casino and the City of Dowagiac are

Betting the Farm on a New Resort By Jeremy Martin

Dowagiac-By Late summer of 2013West Michigan gaming enthusiasts willhave another option when consideringwhich area casino to populate. OnWednesday June 13th the Pokagon bandof Potawatami Indians announced that itwill take the next steps towards buildingand operating a gaming facility andresort in Dowagiac.

“(This is) the next step in the con-tinued economic development of thePokagon Band and will build upon thetremendous success of our locations inNew Buffalo and Hartford,” Matt Wesaw,Tribal Chairmen of the Pokagon band ofPotawatami Indians said.

The Casino will fall under the ‘FourWinds’ brand which operates the othertwo locations. The new development isexpected to include a 26,000 square footgaming facility holding 200 slotmachines and four gaming tables.

Four Winds Dowagiac will also fea-

ture a 3,000 square foot multi-purposespace and an on-site restaurant. As ofnow there is no plan to include hotelaccommodations.

The Pokagagon band purchased the59 acre plot of former farm land near M-51 and Edwards Street in the hopes ofexpanding its West Michigan footprint, aswell as creating several new areas ofemployment.

“I think first of all, it offers somejobs to Pokagon Township residents,”Township Supervisor Linda Preston said.

The Casino will employ upwards of100 people upon opening, with the possi-bility of new hires once the facilitybecomes established.

“There will also be a significantnumber of people working during con-struction,” Wesaw added.

Four Winds management hopes thenew development will not only bringabout first time players but also luregaming enthusiasts that traffic thePokagon band’s other locations.

In fact Matt Harkness, Four WindsGeneral Manager explains that there willbe benefits in place for folks to use allthree facilities.

"Players can expect to receive thesame level of outstanding service at FourWinds Dowagiac that they receive at ourcasinos in New Buffalo and Hartford.They will also have the ability to earn anduse ‘W Club points’ at all three FourWinds' locations.”

‘W Club points’ are earned throughgaming and can be traded in for mer-chandise, restaurant vouchers and othergifts.

Despite Four Winds eagerness tomove forward with the project, some arearesidents have been hesitant to welcomea new casino to West Michigan.

According to Preston, more than 30area residents attended a recentTownship meeting to express their opin-ions on the development. A couple areasof concern included; increased trafficalong M-51 and general public safety.

Preston however is all in on the proj-ect and told residents that traffic wouldnot drastically increase in the area.

Wesaw seconded Preston’s com-ments; stating “this is not going toincrease traffic to any noticeable extent.”

What Preston and Wesaw both hopethe casino will increase are profits.

Though exact revenue numbers forFour Winds’ other locations and earningsestimates for Dowagiac were unavailablewhat is knows is that a 2 percent share ofrevenue from the casino will go directly toPokagon Township, the city of Dowagiac,the Cass County Intermediate SchoolDistrict and Southwestern MichiganCollege.

"It's a big day for PokagonTownship,'' Preston said."It has been inthe works for a number of years with alot of hard work and concern for the res-idents and their safety. We will have anice recreational facility for those whowant to partake, and it will be revenue forthe township and provide jobs."

General BusinessGrandville – RiverTown Crossingsannounced plans to begin constructionon a 1,500-sq.-foot PANDORA jewelrystore with projected plans of opening inearly September. In addition to severalother stores that are remodeling, PAN-DORA is the second retailer to open thisyear, joining White House | BlackMarket.

Grand Rapids – The West MichiganPublic Relations Society of Americawelcomed new Chapter President KateWashburn, APR of WondergemConsulting, and four new board mem-bers who begin their three-year termsthis year: Terri Howe, APR of HoweMarketing Communications; BradleyGordon of WGVU Public Media; KristieBurns of Lambert Edwards &Associates; and Jenny Luth of ClarkCommunications.

Ann Arbor – The Inc. 5,000 tech firmOpen Systems Technologies, head-quartered in Grand Rapids, is expandingin Southeast Michigan with office spacein Ann Arbor to serve the firm’s growinglist of clients that include ThomsonReuters, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Magna,Monroe Bank and ProQuest.

and Design, renowned for excellence inad creative, design, and next-gen webdevelopment, announced a dynamic newsuite of Public Relations services forB2B’s, B2C’s, and Not-For-Profitsthroughout the Midwest and beyond, tofurther accommodate its expandingclient list.

Lansing - M3 announced Jeff Henry,Account Executive, joined their salesteam under the direction of newly-appointed Senior Account ExecutivePete Ruffing, and will be in charge ofhandling correspondence betweenclients and M3’s creative team, makingseamless transition from idea to execu-tion, and staying on the forefront oftechnology and innovation.

Grand Rapids – i3 Business Solutions,LLC, announced the acquisition ofPrime Focus Technology. Under thisagreement, i3 Business Solutions willacquire the high-level strategic consult-ing as well as decades of experience andsystem integration expertise of PrimeFocus in the areas of BusinessProductivity and Profitability, RiskMitigation, Network System and Design,and On-Site Technical Services.

Comstock Park – Office ProductsMarketing & Advertising Inc.announced Ashlie Harper was hired asCopywriter/Proofreader and will beresponsible for writing, proofreading,and coordinating assorted print and elec-tronic marketing projects.

Lansing – Michigan’s only statewidepublic relations firm, Lambert, Edwards& Associates, announced it added 10new clients to its Public Affairs practiceclient list, including MichiganDepartment of Education, HBO, Citizensfor More Michigan Jobs, Count on Coal,Ottawa Area Intermediate SchoolDistrict, Vicksburg Public Schools,Partners for Parity, Northview PublicSchools and Common Cause Michigan,as well as federal work for NorthCarolina-based Industrial Piping, Inc.

Edwardsburg – Firevine AdvertisingGrand Rapids – Lambert, Edwards &Associates received two 2012 BulldogAwards, which recognizes excellence inpublic relations and media campaigns.The firm received a Gold award in theBest New Product Launch-Consumercategory for its ‘A Better-for You-SNAK’campaign, and a Bronze award in theBest Education/Public Service Campaigncategory for its ‘Movers for Moms’ pro-gram.

Grand Rapids – i3 Business Solutions,LLC, announced it has earned certifica-tion for Apple’s Mobility TechnicalCompetency (iOS). This certificationenables i3 to successfully implement iOSdevices in business environments.

MMIICCHHAAEELL AA.. TTAAWWNNEEYYINDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

& COMPANY, P.C.Professional services for your Business and Personal needs.

• Accounting • Payroll • Tax •Call us today for courteous, dependable, and rapid assistance

(616) 456-4700

15

16Health Care BriefsKalamazoo – Bronson MethodistHospital and Bronson Battle CreekHospital were both honored with an “A”Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The LeapfrogGroup, an independent national non-profit run by employers and other largepurchasers of health benefits. TheHospital Safety ScoreSM was calculatedusing publicly available data on patientinjuries, medical and medication errors,and infections.

Grand Rapids – Spectrum Health wasrecognized with five 2012 LeadershipAwards for outstanding achievements inCommunity Benefit, Sustainability andClinical Excellence, by VHA Inc., anational health care network of not-for-profit hospitals and non-acute care facil-ities, for Spectrum’s commitment to pro-vide quality care benefiting the commu-nity, and for effective strategies to buildawareness.

Grand Rapids – Spectrum Health’s HelenDeVos Children’s Hospital is listed asone of U.S. News & World Report’s 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals. This is thefirst time the hospital has appeared in therankings which feature 50 hospitals andranked accordingly in five out of ten ofthe following specialties: Cancer - #43,Diabetes & Endocrinology - #43,Nephrology - #47, Orthopedics - #46, andUrology - #44.

Grand Rapids – Helen DeVos Children’sHospital welcomed Marcus Haw, MD,who joins current pediatric cardiac sur-geon Neal Hillman, MD, in leading amajor program expansion.

Kalamazoo – Borgess Medical Centerwill offer two of the most advanced“hybrid” endovascular surgical suites inthe world where patients will haveaccess to complex, minimally invasiveendovascular procedures, as well as tra-ditional surgery options. The two 1,000-square-foot endovascular surgical suitesand control station required theredesigning of existing space andinstalling new equipment at a cost of $4million.

Kalamazoo – Bronson Nursing andRehabilitation Center in Lawton is arecipient of the 2012 Bronze AmericanHealth Care Association/National Centerfor Assisted Living’s National QualityAward for dedication to improving qual-ity care.

Kalamazoo – Lakeshore Neurology andEMG of HealthCare Midwest recentlybecame the first laboratory in Michiganto receive Exemplary LaboratoryAccreditation from the AmericanAssociation of Neuromuscular &Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Grand Rapids – Pine Rest ChristianMental Health Services welcomedThomas Elzinga as the new VicePresident of General Services. Elzingawill be responsible for managing con-tracts with insurance organizations,supervising facilities’ staff, and manag-ing construction projects.

Berkley – User Friendly EMR achieved2011/2012 Ambulatory Complete EHRONC-ATCB Certification. User FriendlyEMR was certified on May 23, 2012 underICSA Labs’ ONC-ATCB Electronic HealthRecord program and is compliant in accor-dance with the criteria adopted by theSecretary of Health and Human Services.

Kalamazoo – Bronson Healthcareannounced promotions for the followingmembers of its system executive team:Katie Harrelson - Senior Vice President,Chief Operating Officer for BronsonMethodist Hospital; John Hayden -Senior Vice President, Chief HumanResources Officer; John Jones - SeniorVice President, Chief Operating Officer forBronson Medical Practices; CherylKnapp, RN - Vice President, SystemQuality Standards & Accreditation andChief Quality Officer for Bronson BattleCreek Hospital; Bill Mayer, MD - VicePresident, Chief Medical InformaticsOfficer & Community Health; Mary Meitz- Senior Vice President, Chief FinancialOfficer; Sue Reinoehl - Senior VicePresident, Strategy & Communication;Kirk Richardson - Vice President, PatientCare Services and Chief Nursing Officerfor Bronson LakeView Hospital; MarijoSnyder, MD - Vice President, SystemQuality & Medical Staff Development andChief Quality Officer for BronsonMethodist Hospital; and Mike Way -Senior Vice President, Supply Chain,Facilities & Real Estate.

Big Rapids – Mecosta County MedicalCenter’s Inpatient MedicalRehabilitation Unit announced itranked in the top 10 percent of inpatientrehabilitation facilities in the UnitedStates for facility performance for thesecond consecutive year.

Holland – For a second consecutive year,Holland Hospital has been awarded thenational Midas+ ™ Platinum QualityAward for Excellence in ClinicalOutcomes by Affiliated ComputerServices, Inc., which honors hospitalsthat score in the top 5% among their eli-gible peers.

Wyoming – Metro Health Hospitalannounced Edward Matusik joined thehospital as Clinical Director for theAssisted Breathing Center, being respon-sible for administration, collaborationand coordination of department activi-ties among all hospital departments andthe medical director.

Kalamazoo – Bronson Healthcare wel-comed two new directors: MichaelRowe, Executive Director of BronsonLifestyle Improvement & ResearchCenter with management responsibilityfor the Bronson Athletic Club, andCynthia Baranowski, MembershipSales Director of Bronson Athletic Club.

Kalamazoo – James Babel, MD, is thefirst Kalamazoo surgeon to remove apatient's gallbladder through a singleincision using the da Vinci® RoboticSurgical System. Dr. Babel performedthe procedure June 15, 2012, at theBorgess Medical Center RoboticSurgery Program.

Wyoming – Metro Health Hospitalreceived Chest Pain CenterAccreditation from the Society of ChestPain Centers. In achieving accreditation,Metro Health engaged in rigorous re-evaluation of its cardiac care and suc-cessfully integrated healthcare indus-try’s best practices into its care ofpatients with cardiac disease.

Grand Rapids – The Facility, an inte-grated health, training and fitness centerlocated at 5131 East Paris Ave, SE, willcelebrate its grand opening on Saturday,June 23 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.Leaders of The Facility’s three anchorbusinesses: Chiropractic Unlimited,Michigan Rehabilitation Specialistsand Barwis Methods Training, will beon hand to introduce visitors to theirnew wellness venture.

Kalamazoo – Bronson Healthcare begandevelopment of Bronson Commons, arehabilitation and skilled nursing commu-nity, at 23332 Red Arrow Highway inMattawan. Services currently provided atBronson Nursing & Rehabilitation Centerin Lawton, which specializes in long- andshort-term nursing care and therapy forpatients following illness, injury or hospi-talization, will be relocating to BronsonCommons in 2013.

Whitaker Construction,Flexibility Strength.

Dontinued from page 9

“That’s kind of niche we’re begin-ning to explore. We’ve found that gener-al construction is so competitive nowa-days that you’ve got to have a niche ortwo or three to really excel. If you’re justbidding on general projects, it’s very grimout there for general contractors,”Whitaker said.

Whitaker has also begun to explorethe possibilities afforded by solar energy,but through careful research has decidedthe timing is not yet right to get tooinvolved.

“There are some really attractive taxincentives right now. The issue with solaris Michigan is dead last in the amount ofsunlight we get. It’s still feasible, it’s stillsomething that we have our eyes on but

at this juncture there’s just not quiteenough demand from the public. We’reon the outside looking in at the moment,”Whitaker said.

The company currently employs over20 people and will look to expand thatnumber as the economy continues toslowly work itself back.

Until then, Whitaker will keep look-ing for niches to fill as well as continuebidding on contracts to create Kalamazooarea landmarks.

“No two days are the same,”Whitaker said. “You wake up every dayand there is a new challenge, a new job totake a look at.”

For more information on WhitakerConstruction visit whitaker-construc-tion.com

17Spectrum Health is Offering a Breath of Fresh Air

By: Jeremy Martin

Over 1,800 Lung transplants wereperformed Nationwide in 2011, but none ofthose procedures took place in WestMichigan. With the addition of lung trans-plant pulmonologist Dr. Reda GirgisSpectrum Health of Grand Rapids will nowbe able to aide several patients per yearwith this often life or death procedure.

"We are fortunate to have a physi-cian of Dr. Girgis' ability and stature tohead our latest transplant endeavor,"Matthew Van Vranken, executive vicepresident of Spectrum Health said. "Hewill build another critical service we canprovide to the people of West Michigan.His arrival is an important step as webuild a regional transplantation pro-

gram."According to the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services there arecurrently 80 patients in Michigan await-ing a lung transplant. Before now howev-er, These people would have had to go toDetroit, Ann Arbor or out of state, addingextra costs to an already stressful andexpensive procedure.

In order to alleviate some of thatStress, Spectrum Health has stated thatthe first 10 operations will be done forfree as they are covered under the startupcosts of the program. Beyond that, noinsurance companies will cover the oper-ating costs until Spectrum Health hasperformed the first 10 transplants.

Girgis hopes the program will be offthe ground by this Fall.

“I think certainly by the end of thisyear we would expect to have done ourfirst transplant,” Girigs said.

Girgis- who spent his childhood inGrand Blanc- comes to Spectrum Healthafter earning his medical degree from theUniversity of Cairo in Egypt. He workedpreviously at Henry Ford Hospital inDetroit and gained his advanced fellow-ship training in heart-lung and lungtransplantation at Stanford UniversityMedical Center in California. He alsoworked at Johns Hopkins School ofMedicine.

Dr. Asghar Khagani, a British sur-geon who heads the heart transplantdivision will act as the lead surgeon forthe lung transplant program.

You can’t do these things without

experts,” Khaghani said regarding theaddition of Girgis. “You don’t want to getsomebody who is not very experienced.”

Girgis, having completed over 200lung transplants is one of the most expe-rienced surgeons in the country.

Accustomed to working for largerestablishments, Girgis was attracted toGrand Rapids because the opportunity tobuild a program from “the ground up”was far too alluring.

The Spectrum Health lung transplantprogram will be the third such program inMichigan and the first of its kind in theWest side of the State.

Currently the hospital is awaitingapproval for the program from the UnitedNetwork for Organ Sharing, a processwhich should take about two months.

Michigan’s Businesses Believe State’s Economy is Gaining Momentum

Lansing – While national businesssurveys show that a restrictive anduncertain business climate is limitingbusiness growth and economic recoverynationally, many business owners inMichigan believe the state’s recovery isgaining momentum, according to a recentsurvey of small- and mid-sized business-es. The survey showed across-the-boardimprovement regarding sales, profits,hiring and wages, with indications thatfurther growth is expected in the comingmonths, with the strongest area ofgrowth being in the Metro Detroit region.It appears the next big challenge for busi-nesses in the developing recovery will beto help develop a highly skilled work-force, as the survey showed the lack of

qualified workers in Michigan continuesto be a growing concern for businessowners.

These findings come from the semi-annual Michigan Future Business Indexstudy, commissioned by Lansing-basedAccident Fund Insurance Company ofAmerica and conducted by MarketingResource Group, Inc. (MRG) in May2012. A total of 864 Michigan businessowners, operators, officers and managerswere interviewed for this survey.

This survey yielded some positiveresults despite the lingering sluggish eco-nomic conditions. The most promisingsign noted in the survey was with regardto the level of dissatisfaction with eco-nomic conditions. Business owners who

are now saying they are satisfied with theeconomy is at 43 percent, representing a32-point jump in net satisfaction sinceOctober 2011. Additionally, 27 percent ofbusinesses surveyed said they increasedemployee wages, a 12 percent improve-ment over the October 2011 survey whenit was at 15 percent. Also a very positivesign, the percentage of businesses thathave hired more employees has doubledsince October 2011, with 22 percent ofbusinesses saying they increased thenumber of employees in the past sixmonths.

“These surveys continue to showincreasing evidence that the business cli-mate in Michigan is improving,” MikeBritt, president of Accident FundInsurance Company of America, said.“Our customer base is primarily com-posed of small- and mid-sized business-es, so we are happy to see Michigan busi-nesses continue to grow and prosper. Ahealthy business climate in Michigan isgood for everyone.”

Other positive results from the sur-vey include:

Six-month business outlook. Overhalf (52 percent) of respondents said thebusiness outlook for the next six monthsis good, with 16 percent saying it is “verygood.”

Six-month “bottom line” expecta-tions. Forty-four percent of businessowners said they expect sales to increasein the next six months, a five percentincrease from October 2011. Thirty-four

percent of respondents said they believetheir bottom line will improve, comparedto 24 percent last October.

Hiring and layoffs. There has beena significant increase in respondents whosay they plan to hire more employees inthe next six months, now at 25 percent,up from 15 percent in October 2011. Thepercentage of those who said they willnot hire more employees has droppedfrom 80 percent to 68 percent. The out-look for increased wages is also improv-ing, with 24 percent of respondents indi-cating they plan to increase wages fortheir employees within the next sixmonths, up 18 percent from October2011. Regionally, the outlook for newhires is strongest in theSaginaw/Flint/Bay City region (31%); theDetroit Metro region (30%); and the WestMichigan region (28%).

“The results of this latest FutureBusiness Index survey are definitelyencouraging,” Chris Holman, CEO of theMichigan Business Network and publish-er of the Greater Lansing BusinessMonthly, said. “Many small- to medium-sized businesses across the state are say-ing they are seeing the positive signsneeded to rekindle their optimism inMichigan’s economy. The continuedinvestment in their businesses and theirincreases in hiring are a testament totheir resiliency and commitment toimprove Michigan’s business climate.”

Communication & IT 18

“Internet on the Go” Low-Cost, Mobile BroadbandWireless Service with MiFi® 2200

Los Angeles, CA - TruConnectMobile LLC today announced it has part-nered with Walmart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) to deliver Internet on the Go, anew prepaid mobile broadband servicethat offers a great value for casual users.

Internet on the Go, which is exclu-sively sold at Walmart, is powered by theaward-winning MiFi 2200 IntelligentMobile Hotspot and a service plan fromTruConnect with no monthly fee andwhere the data balance never expires (ifused once a year). This is different fromother low-cost prepaid monthly serviceswhere unused megabytes are wasted atthe end of the month – potentially driv-ing up the cost.

“In today’s world of high connectiv-ity, we want to make connecting to theInternet more accessible and affordablefor our customers,” said Seong Ohm,senior vice president and general mer-chandise manager for entertainment,Walmart U.S. “By providing an assort-ment of mobile broadband products at alow price our customers can now chooseto connect to the Internet when theywant, where they want.”

Mobile broadband data services todate have been primarily used by roadwarriors – those who are willing to spend$30-$60 every month to be online whileon the go. But in fact, industry analystsreport that 90 percent of all tablets in the

U.S. in 2011 used Wi-Fi, not cellular, forInternet connectivity. That’s not becausecasual users don’t want to be onlinewhile on the go, but because they don’twant another expensive, contract-basedmonthly data plan.

“We think mobile users deservefairness and honesty when it comes tothe mobile Internet, and with Internet onthe Go, users get exactly what they payfor and can use their purchasedmegabytes whenever they want to withno other hidden conditions or fees,” saidKevin Hamilton, president and CEO ofTruConnect. “We’re proud to have theopportunity to partner with Walmart, acompany that puts great value on its cus-tomers and we look forward to sharingthis exciting new service with mobilecustomers across the U.S.”

To get Internet on the Go, customerspurchase a MiFi® 2200 IntelligentMobile Hotspot by Novatel Wireless, Inc.(Nasdaq: NVTL), purchase the Interneton the Go service, register online andturn on the device.

Customers can buy Internet on theGo service with refill, credit or debit

cards in increments of $10 for 100 MB,$25 for 500 MB or $45 for 1 GB and usethis bandwidth as quickly or as gradual-ly as they want. Online automatic refillsare also available for $20 for 450 MB.

To best understand which incrementwill work for you, it’s important tounderstand what can be done with amegabyte of data. For example, with the100 MB plan, a subscriber could get asmany as 700 web pages, send 1,500-2,000 emails, post 1200 social mediaupdates, listen to 100 minutes of musicor view 50 minutes of a YouTube-qualityvideo.

The service supports Wi-Fi-equipped devices using Windows, MacOSX, Apple iOS and Google Androidoperating systems. In addition, there areno contracts, no activation fees, nomonthly bills, no bundled data plans andno overage charges. Uesrs simply pur-chase the MiFi 2200 and the Internet onthe Go service and achieve a secure Wi-Fi network that can be used to connectup to five laptops or tablets to theInternet.

Communications & ITGrand Rapids – WZZM 13 andWideOpen West (WOW!) announced anew multi-year agreement that wouldmake the Grand Rapids station theexclusive ABC affiliate on WOW!’s WestMichigan cable systems.

Northville – DataFactZ, a system anddata integration company, announcedthe addition of two new clients – Meijer,a regional American hypermarket chainbased in Grand Rapids; and Chicagobased Enova Financials, which providesreliable, real-time financial options foreveryday, hardworking people facingimmediate cash demands.

GGrand Rapids – Carl Apple, a veteranreporter who has worked for more than10 years for WXMI FOX 17, was namedthe new Director of Communications forthe Roman Catholic Diocese of GrandRapids and will begin his new positionJune 4, 2012.

Grand Rapids – AAF West MichiganBoard announced the results of the2012/2013 board elections to servethree-year terms: Lisa Mia Kirschner,Senior Designer, Gordon Food Service;Brent Casanova, Designer, Square OneDesign; Jeff Terpstra, President, ScottAllen Creative; Christina Bivins,Account Representative, DVS; andTheresa Peterlein, current board mem-ber and President of PeterleinConsulting and Just a Bite…MaybeMore!, was elected Treasurer.

rand Rapids – Women’s LifestyleMagazine announced the following newstaff members: Lauren Cole, Make MeOver; Cara Essick Ontiveros, Parenting;Susie Gordon, Sales & Advertising;Christina Hulstrand, Dating Diva; TwoEagles Marcus, Graphic Design &Webmaster; Allie Merrick, Wine &Whatnot; Raquel Salas, LegallySpeaking; Stephanie Schlatter, ArtAficionado; Dakota Shayne, Fitness;Elizabeth Veltman, The Tender Foodie;Jaiyung Kim, Jenny Luth, RuthiePaulson Gomez, Emily Pearce, andLeAnn Secord, Assignment Writers.

Grand Rapids – Vjays.com announcedthe grand opening of their flagship storein Grand Rapids, selling hundreds of dif-ferent meal and recipe kits that areassembled fresh and include all theingredients needed to make the meal athome. Clients order kits online, pick-upin store, and assemble at home based oneasy to follow instructions.

Burlington, MA – Attunity, Ltd., a lead-ing provider of information availabilitysoftware solutions, announced its high-performance data replication softwaresolution, Attunity Replicate, was award-ed the Best of TechEd 2012 Award in thebusiness intelligence category. Theannual awards program is produced byPenton Media’s SQL Server Pro andWindows IT Pro Magazines.

Communication & IT 19

Cellular Signal Boosters: A Painless Solution for Spotty Cell Phone Reception

By Brian Allred

“Can you hear me now?”That question has become a cultural

refrain thanks to Verizon’s ubiquitousadvertising campaign a few years back.And it still resonates because we all con-tinue to be plagued by spotty cell serviceand its fallout - garbled conversations,dropped calls, missed messages, endlesswaits for Web downloads, and thosedreaded no-service “dead zones.”

Weak or spotty cell service occursalmost anywhere. While it’s widelyunderstood that cell service can be unre-liable in rural or outlying areas, distancefrom the nearest cell tower is hardly theonly cause of faint signal. Hills and othernatural or man-made terrain features, oreven trees and vegetation, can block orweaken signals from a nearby tower,leaving many suburban customers withinadequate coverage. Even in urbanareas like New York City or Los Angelesthat are well covered by cellular net-works, a building’s construction materi-als, particularly concrete and steel, willoften block a signal from getting insidewhere people can use it.

And because cell phones are increas-ingly relied upon in every aspect of our

daily work life, and not just for voice ortext communications, people need quick,reliable access to Web-based or intranetinformation. Signal boosters offer a natu-ral solution

Cellular signal boosters let phoneusers answer the CYHMN question with aresounding “Yes.” They provide an easy,relatively inexpensive solution for facilitiesmanagers in search of ways to improvecommunications within the buildings theyare responsible for by ensuring that theircustomers have the strongest, most consis-tent signal available.

What’s a Cellular Signal Booster?Cellular booster systems take a weak

signal – sometimes too faint for a cellulardevice to detect – and boost it so thatstrong, reliable signal coverage is avail-able inside a vehicle, home, office, com-mercial building, warehouse or otherstructure.

A typical system for any office com-prises an outside antenna (usually mast-mounted), a signal booster (also knownas an amplifier) unit about the size of apaperback book, an inside antenna toretransmit the amplified signal within theoffices (mounted on or inside a wall orceiling), and coax cable to link the com-ponents.

“Much of the demand we see for sig-nal boosters is due to the fact that build-ings are so well built that the cell signalcan’t penetrate inside,” Robert Galeano,whose southern California based compa-ny, Cellular Outlet, has done more than100 booster installations said.

“In most situations, we’re able toquickly and easily install these systemswith little or no disruption to the dailyworkflow and without unsightly equip-ment,” Galeano added.

Signal booster systems are a naturalsolution because:• Boosters work with any cellular-enabled device, including phones, tablets,cellular modems, etc. • They support multiple voice and dataconnections simultaneously• They are bidirectional, amplifying boththe downlink (cell tower to device) signaland the uplink (device to tower) signal• By in large most signal boosters aremanufactured to be carrier and deviceagnostic – they work no matter whichoperating system and provider network adevice employs• Signal boosters are capable of deliver-ing faster data downloads – up to 20times faster in some 4G service areas • And they extend battery life for cellular

devices, which use less power whenreceiving a strong signal

Boosters from Wilson Electronicsprovide additional advantages: • Wilson boosters incorporate patentedtechnical safeguards to prevent thebooster from malfunctioning and causinginterference on cellular networks• Wilson’s installation kits simplify andexpedite installations on both new con-structions and retrofits• Its commercial products allow theinstaller to adjust the downlink gain (oramplification level) and uplink transmis-sion power to optimize the booster for theparticular structure and location whereit’s installed• They’re type accepted by the FederalCommunications Commission, andIndustry Canada approved

“The need for cell signal boosters ishuge, even in areas where you’d expectsignal strength to be strong. They arethe most effective, cost-efficient solutionto providing the strongest possible sig-nal. You might say it’s something yourbusinesses will hear loud and clear,”Galeano said.

Brian Allred is a Senior Managerwith Wilson Electronics

AT&T Announces 10 cell sites along I-69, from Calhoun County to the Indiana state line

Michigan - AT&T announced theexpansion of its mobile Internet network,by enhancing 10 cell sites along I-69,from Calhoun County to the Indiana stateline, that provides coverage for area res-idents and businesses. The networkenhancements extend access foradvanced mobile services, devices andfeature-rich audio and video content tocustomers who travel, live or work inthese areas.

"Job one in Battle Creek and acrossCalhoun County is attracting investmentinto our local economy," said state Sen.

Mike Nofs (R-Battle Creek). "AT&T's com-mitment to expanded mobile Internet serv-ice right here in our own backyard is agreat tool for both job providers and resi-dents and will help support everyone work-ing in the region to strengthen our econo-my."

From 2009 through 2011, AT&Tinvested more than $1.5 billion in its wire-less and wireline networks in Michigan.AT&T is an industry leader in deliveringthe benefits of mobile Internetnetworks<http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=2943>, devices and applica-

tions<http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=2899>. With the nation's fastestmobile Internet network, AT&T providesaccelerated mobile data speeds and simul-taneous voice and data capabilities for anamazing wireless voice and data experi-ence.

"Branch County is proud to welcomethis exciting new investment from AT&T,"said state Rep. Ken Kurtz (R-Coldwater)."Expanded mobile Internet coverage is acritical tool for small towns and rural com-munities like ours as we work to attractnew jobs and new families to the region."

AT&T's mobile Internet network isbased on the 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP) family of technologiesthat includes GSM and UMTS, the mostwidely used wireless network platformsin the world. AT&T has the broadestinternational coverage of any U.S. wire-less provider, providing access to voiceservice in more than 225 countries anddata service in more than 200 countries.AT&T also offers voice and data roamingcoverage on more than 135 major cruiseships, as well as mobile Internet servicesin more than 130 countries.

Curbside Trash & Waste Services:Trash Cart • Yard Waste Cart • Recycle Cart866-669 2047 Jenison, Michigan

Professional Plumbing Service

New ConstructionRemodel-Repair

616-929-2282www.allareaplumbing.net