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Runway work begins at state’s third busiest airport

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Development News

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May 13, 2010

A new runway is under construction at W.K.Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek.The 4,100-foot-long, 75-foot-wide runway is intended to improve the safety and efficiency of the airport, says Airport Manager Larry Bowron.Bowron says the runway, being built southeast of the airports existing 10,000-foot runway, will separate high-speed jets and slower general aviation aircraft. The existing larger runway will be freed up primarily for the faster traveling jets, although the slower aircraft will have the option of using either runway as available.The runway is expected to cost $7.2 million primarily paid for through the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement program. The city and state are picking up the outstanding 5 percent of the cost.The work is expected to be done by the end of the summer.The project allows the airport to accommodate the growth it has seen over the past six to eight years, primarily that of Western Michigan University's School of Aviation and Duncan Aviation, Bowron says.Other airport projects are wrapping up or are completed. A $5.1 million air traffic control tower paid for by the federal government has been constructed.A previously stalled corporate hangar for the Kellogg Co. is now being built for about $10 million. When the project is complete, Kellogg will lease the hangar for about $35,000 a month. The W.K. Kellogg Airport, owned by the City of Battle Creek, is the state's third busiest airport after Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the Oakland County International Airport. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Larry Bowron, W.K. Kellogg Airport

FireKeepers Casino keeps its word to Battle Creek

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Arts & Culture

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May 13, 2010

FireKeepers Casino has kept its promise to spend locally, reports the Battle Creek Enquirer.About 40 percent of FireKeepers' spending happens within a roughly 60-mile radius of the Emmett Township casino, according to the newspaper's analysis of spending data provided by the casino.Excerpt: FireKeepers spent nearly $12.8 million on supplies between its August opening and late-April, according to the documents.About 22 percent of that $12.8 million was spent in nearby counties, including $2.5 million, or about 20 percent of the casino's total spending, in Calhoun County.FireKeepers spent about $1.94 million in Battle Creek, according to the documents.The story goes on to say a big, positive impact on the local economy was one of the casino's biggest selling points to critics before it opened.And $2.5 million could be a big, positive impact for Calhoun County, said George Erickcek, a senior analyst with Kalamazoo's W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research who is studying FireKeepers' impact on Calhoun County. While FireKeepers could be tough competition for existing restaurants, the casino is spending the kind of money that could allow the beneficiaries of that spending to add jobs, Erickcek said.For a further breakdown on the casino's spending, read the entire story.Source: Battle Creek Enquirer

NIH grant for $1.83 million goes to Kalamazoo company

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Development News

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May 13, 2010

A Kalamazoo company working with researchers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis is dedicated to finding treatments for human papillomavirus, or HPV, the cause of most cervical cancer.The National Institutes of Health continues to support that effort. Kalamazoo-based Nanovir and scientists at the University of Missouri–St. Louis have received a $1.83 million, five-year grant. The funding, designated as an ROI grant, is intended to support a specified research project. The grant is called "Biophysics of Drug Interactions with Viral Episomes," and will allow scientists to learn more about the small, circular pieces of DNA known as episomes.Three previous small business grants have specifically have been designated to help NanoVir work on commercialization of the treatments it is pursuing, rather than basic research. This grant, however, will fund studies of the fundamentals of the anti-viral drug necessary to take it to market, says Chris Fisher, director of biology at NanoVir, LLC.The lead investigator for the project, James Bashkin of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Center for Nanoscience at UMSL, is collaborating with Fisher."We are working toward an understanding of molecules that were designed to be therapeutic treatments for early intervention against cancer-causing forms of HPV," Bashkin says.Specifically, the researchers are seeking insight into how episomes binding the viral DNA results in its elimination from cells.Bashkin says there are two vaccines on the market that protect against two of the eight known forms of HPV that cause cancer. Further, the vaccines currently available aren't yet used by enough people to have realized their full potential impact. A new drug therapy would treat women who would not benefit from the vaccines.In 2007, the National Cancer Institute estimated that 11,000 women in the United States would be diagnosed with this type of cancer and nearly 4,000 would die from it. There are no drugs currently approved in the United States that specifically treats HPV infection. Cervical cancer is second only to breast cancer among lethal cancers that affect women worldwide.NIH supported the collaborative project through three previous Small Business Technology Transfer grants to NanoVir, one of which is still ongoing. Bashkin and Fisher founded the company in 2003.The NIH, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.Writer: Kathy JenningsSources: Chris Fisher, NanoVir, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis

Windy City residents invited to check out St. Joseph

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In The News

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May 13, 2010

When Chicagoans pick out their next vacation home they're being invited to look a bit closer.Instead of heading hours up the shoreline of Lake Michigan the Windy City summer refugees are being asked to look at a new development in St. Joseph, reports Crain's Chicago Business. About 100 miles from Chicago, Harbor Shores sits on 530 acres assembled by Evergreen Development LLC, a nonprofit partnership for economic renewal headed by retired Whirlpool Corp. CEO David Whitwam.The development group has ambitious plans to put up close to 800 residential units, with some custom homes topping $1 million.The 18-hole golf course at the center of the development will open in June, with designer and professional golf legend Jack Nicklaus slated to attend a grand-opening celebration on Aug. 10.Excerpt:Ron Eng, director of marketing, predicts that 60 percent of Harbor Shores' buyers will come from Chicago seeking second homes. Billboards on Interstate 94 already promote the development, and ads in Chicago media will soon follow."For years, vacationers looking along the lakeshore skipped the twin cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph because we were viewed as manufacturing centers," he says. Now, Harbor Shores will create "a Grand Traverse-type of experience with three or four hours' less driving."Source: Crain's Chicago Business

Whirlpool Building Blocks will help in company’s own backyard

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Development News

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May 13, 2010

This year, the fifth for the program, homes will go up in communities in which Whirlpool Corporation has manufacturing, customer service and administrative offices: Benton Harbor, Mich.; Cleveland, Tenn.; Findlay, Ohio; Williamsburg, Iowa; and Yakima, Wash. Homes also will be built on university campuses to involve college students in the program.Details regarding build dates, university campus build locations and volunteer opportunities will be posted to the Whirlpool brand Web site and the Whirlpool Building Blocks Facebook page when available.In total, 36 Habitat homes have been built with partner families in Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta as part of the Whirlpool Building Blocks program. The program, created in 2006, is an extension of Whirlpool Corporation's support of Habitat for Humanity. Whirlpool has donated more than 10,000 products to Habitat ReStores and has engaged more than 6,000 employee volunteers.The company's commitment to Habitat also includes sponsorship of and participation in Habitat's Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project and the donation of a range and refrigerator to every new Habitat home built in the United States, totaling more than 110,000 appliances to date. In 2011 Whirlpool Corporation also will support every Habitat home built globally, either through home sponsorship, product donation or volunteerism.Whirlpool's marketing partnership with Habitat for Humanity recently was named the No. 6 most influential cause marketing program of the past 30 years by Advertising Age.Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International, says, "We are grateful for all the ways that Whirlpool Corporation -- and its employees -- help strengthen families, and we are excited about what the next phase of the partnership holds."Writer: Kathy JenningsSource:  Jeff Noel, Whirlpool Corporation

A cup of coffee that can change someone’s life in St. Joseph

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Health

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May 13, 2010

New Beginnings has a program that not only helps people get a new start each day, but changes lives, reports the Herald-Palladium.The program works with people with mental illnesses, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and personality disorder. Participants range in age from 18 to their 60s. Some, because of their mental illness, haven't graduated from high school, while others were leading normal lives until their illness sent them off track. New Beginnings has opened Kaffe de Art, where its members can learn skills they missed along the way. Excerpt: The shop, at 301 Main St. in downtown St. Joseph, serves espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, regular coffees and other beverages and snacks such as yogurt, granola, pastries, muffins and bagels. New Beginnings helps its "members," as Kray calls them, get their GED certificate, go to college or get a job. There are about 40 participants, a staff of eight, and two volunteers. New Beginnings members will work at Kaffe de Art, or at 2nd Impressions, the consignment shop next door that will open in June, if it helps them with their rehabilitation. The story goes on to say the program emphasizes  holistic wellness, including nutrition, exercise, mediation, relaxation and general stress management," Kray said. "We also offer financial literacy classes and encourage and assist individuals to move toward independent living or find safe and affordable housing. Basically whatever they need to live productive, stable and satisfying lives."To find out more, read the entire story. Source: Herald-Palladium

Kalamazoo company takes top award for its hugs and more

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Development News

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May 13, 2010

It was an award ceremony recognizing elite companies in West Michigan, the 101 Best and Brightest.As the awards were announced one-by-one, nerves mounted for the owners of Valley Oak Financial as they tried to imagine telling their employees the award for Elite Small Business had gone to another company. Matthew and Amber Rzepka didn't have to deliver that talk. Valley Oak Financial was named "Best of Best" among West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. Not best of just the small companies, best of all companies.All 101 companies were honored at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville, Mich., and 11 Elite winners were named. There were awards for: Communication, Community Initiatives, Compensation and Benefits, Diversity and Multiculturalism, Employee Education and Development, Employee Engagement and Commitment, Recognition and Retention, Recruitment and Selection, Work-Life Balance, Small Business and the "Best of the Best." The "Best of the Best" award from the Michigan Business and Professional Association goes to the company that excels in every category and hits a high score in all areas its human resource practices.Amber Rzepka can barely contain her excitement as she tells how the 10-person financial services company in Kalamazoo with 550 clients came to receive the coveted recognition. She attributes it to the company's dual ownership system that calls for one person to focus on serving the clients and another that places equal emphasis on Valley Oak Financial's employees."We believe that any environment goes toxic if left untended," she says. "We work to maintain an excellent culture for both our clients and our employees."From hiring to every-day operations, the company works to keep employees happy in the belief that engaged employees better serve its clients.In the interview process, prospective employees' families are invited to come in to find out about the company. Valley Oak Financial also uses reverse interviews for prospective employees. Once employees have joined the company and they are using their strengths every day, further programs offer frequent rewards and recognition. Through the company's HUG program any supervisor can award an employee $50 whenever they recognize a job well done. Employees are treated especially well on their birthdays when they get to go on a shopping trip. There is a more serious side of employee engagement, as well. Using the Harvard Business School case study model employees are brought in on business decisions to see how they are made. Reviewing the case studies also serves as training. "We want our employees to be not just good CPAs but good business people." For the Best and Brightest award, companies initially nominate themselves. Information they submit is corroborated and evaluated by a third party. Each company's entry is evaluated by an independent research firm. "It is with careful consideration that we have chosen our Elite winners this year. We are proud to provide a platform for West Michigan companies to demonstrate all they provide to their employees," says Jennifer Kluge, COO and executive vice president of the Michigan Business and Professional Association. "These select 101 companies recognize employees with competitive community initiatives, as well as other significant factors."Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Amber Rzepka, Valley Oak Financial, PLC

Wind turbine class winds up for round three

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Innovation News

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May 13, 2010

Kalamazoo Valley Community College is looking for a home for the wind turbines created by its first two classes. And for more students who want to learn how the first two classes did it.For the third time, KVCC will offer a course beginning in September that teaches wind turbine design, how to fabricate its components, assemble the power-generating unit and make sure it produces electricity. There are no technical prerequisites.  The course that combines lecture and lab work is open to 18 students on a first-come, first serve basis. Students learn machining, drafting and design and welding and fabrication.  "The goal is to produce a functioning wind turbine that generates one to three kilowatts of electricity," says Howard Carpenter, instructor and project leader.The students perform the basic functions and tasks in the design, critical machining and welding phases that produce shafts, blades and other components.The more detailed and complex jobs are handled by the instructors and advanced students."It's the process that is important for the students to see and understand," Carpenter says. "The turbine we build will produce electricity, but that's not the main function. Its function is to demonstrate the basic design, manufacturing, welding and electrical skills that are needed in making a turbine."To register for the course, go to the school's website or contact Sue Hills at 269-488-4371Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Howard Carpenter, KVCC

Young owners, hip businesses headed downtown

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Development News

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May 13, 2010

The year's not even half over and already downtown Kalamazoo has welcomed five new retailers, two new restaurants, one bank branch and one theater. Two more retailers are in the wings. That doesn't even count a retailer and restaurant that opened their doors downtown during December -- the scooter store, Ace's Cycle, and fine European dining spot, Rustica.Rob Peterson, of Downtown Kalamazoo Inc., says this business boom is really not surprising. The newcomers simply are meeting a demand that has been growing in Kalamazoo for shops and restaurants not like those found anywhere else. "People in Kalamazoo have been craving something a little unique. They don't want the same store you can find in every other town."The new shops also are opening because other local retailers are running their businesses well and it is attracting business downtown. "They're focusing on customer service and they are creating something wonderful for patrons -- something more than putting merchandise on a shelf." As more shops continue to stay open later in the evening and patrons find there is more to downtown than athletic shoes and attire at Gazelle Sports, Peterson expects the current momentum to continue to build.Another encouraging note -- the majority of the new businesses are being started by young owners, so the next generation of downtown businesses could be growing up. Here's the roll call:• Retro, 240 S. Kalamazoo Mall, sells vintage furniture and accessories, primarily from the 1950s through the 1970s. The store moved from its previous South Westnedge Avenue location where it has been for the past 10 years;• An eclectic new store, i heart ipanema, 115 W. Lovell St., got its start at the online retail site Etsy. It offers apparel for women and men. It also sells art and vinyl;  • Big Steps shoe store, 245 S. Kalamazoo Mall, sells sizes 13 to 22 for men and 10 to 17 for women. It fits into 850 square feet of the commercial space that formerly housed Terrapin. (Terrapin moved next door.); • Cakes Boutique, 245 S. Burdick, is a clothing retailer doing business in 1,000 square feet of the space, owned by Patti Reinholt. Its motto is bringing big city shopping for women's apparel and accessories to Kalamazoo at affordable prices. It shares space with Big Steps; • Isabel Soto Jewelry, 155 Farmers Alley, offers pieces designed by artisans from around the world. The new showroom is open only by appointment;• Consumers Credit Union, 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall. The downtown Kalamazoo branch, will be Consumers' 13th credit union branch in West Michigan. The 3,000-square-foot branch is expected to employ four people;• Studio 246, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall, is the home to Crawlspace Evictions Productions, Fancy Pants Theater, and Kinetic Affect. The troupes appear in rotation at the theater; • Casa Bolero, fine Mexican restaurant with a full wet bar, now doing business at 116 Portage Road;• Studio Grill, 312 W. Michigan Ave., opened this winter as a bakery and coffee shop and now offers casual dining restaurant as well.Joining them soon will be Brewer's Garden, 248 N. Kalamazoo Mall. It will offer specialty ingredients that homebrewers otherwise might not find in the Kalamazoo area -- such as organic hops grown by Michigan farmers. The 800-square-foot space is in the 200 block of the North Mall across from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Confection, a specialty baker, 230 S. Kalamazoo Mall, will be a full-service bakery that will sell muffins, cones, cookies and donuts. When it opens the plans are for a full espresso bar, sandwiches, salads and some entrees for lunch. Peterson says downtown retailers and restaurateurs lobbied DKI two years ago to focus on recruiting and retaining businesses, duties that had been spread among several DKI employees. It became his job to pay attention to what could be done. "The first thing I ask myself each morning is what can I do to move the cause forward." And while he says he does not want to give himself too much credit, that attention has helped lead to success downtown.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Rob Peterson, DKI

Kalamazoo salon ships hair clippings to nonprofit to help environment

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In The News

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May 6, 2010

Hair clippings converted into mats and tubes to soak up oil spills? You heard that right. A Kalamazoo salon is sending more than a few hanks of hair to a group that helps turn the clippings into effective tools for relief efforts in disasters like the recent oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. Blue 302 Salon and Spa fills a 3-foot by 1-foot by 1-foot receptacle full of hair at the end of each week. Rather than toss it out, that hair now is shipped at Blue 302's expense to Matter of Trust, a 12-year-old San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that connects other nonprofits in need with in-kind donations. Victoria Elkins, a Blue 302 employee suggested the move after reading about the initiative.Excerpt:"We just think it's going to be great for the environment," Elkins said. "Everybody here, we're all animal lovers and some of us are a little bit more rabid about the environment than others."She was excited about the idea of helping with spills that result from such incidents as the early April Chinese boat crash at Australia's Great Barrier Reef and last week's oil rig explosion off the shores of New Orleans.For more on the Reuse Of Society's Abundance program, read the entire story.Source: Kalamazoo Gazette