Economic Development

Coverage of projects, big and small, and the people who create them, which promote the economic health of a community, including manufacturing, retail, office, and hospitality developments.

Communication technology expands to parts of Van Buren County 

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Economic Development
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March 25, 2010

Bloomingdale Communications Inc. will under take an $8.2 million expansion of voice, data and video service to most of Paw Paw Township and parts of Almena, Antwerp and Waverly townships. The service also will extend into Mattawan. The expansion is one of  22 projects nationwide to be awarded grant money from Rural Utilities Services. The services to be made available include telephone, IP video with digital video recording and high-definition video with Internet speeds up to 20MB. Faster speeds will be available in the future. The company provides digital cable, DIRECTV and local and long distance telephone services. Emegency services and hospitals can use added bandwidth that will open up when a second fiber path from Paw Paw to the main office in Bloomingdale is constructed. It provides a second path for service in case the fiber backbone is damaged or destroyed. Construction work is to begin this summer. Laying the backbone of the system is expected to take one year and the entire project, connecting homes and businesses to the backbone, is expected to take two years, BCI's Sales and Marketing Supervisor Shari Wykrent says. Bloomingdale Communications Inc. serves Van Buren County and parts of Allegan County. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Shari Wykrent,  Bloomindale Communications Inc.

Latest in Economic Development
Internships aim to keep young pros in Michigan
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Economic Development
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March 25, 2010

The availability of internships has been shown to help states keep educated young people from fleeing for other places to live and work.The importance of Internships definitely is on the rise. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the percent of interns converted to full-time employment rose form 35.6 percent  in 2001 to 50.5 percent in 2008.Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Lois Brinson-Ropes, the internship coordinator for the Student Employment Services, works with local employers to find the right young people for intern positions, which ideally bring an advantage when seeking full-time work.KVCC's Community Partners Internship Program has recently arranged for five winter semester placements. They are:-- David Curtis, a graphic-design major, Paw Paw Wine Distributors.-- Graphic-design/illustration student, Amy O'Donnell, Wraps & Signs By Trim It.-- Brittany Bauman, another graphic-design enrollee, The Strutt.-- Morgan Wellman as an administrative assistant, Abies Chiropractic Clinic.-- Chelsea Spencer, a business-administration major will do a marketing internship at Global Clinical Connections, which is located at M-TEC of KVCC and sponsored a graphic-design intern during the fall semester.The placements are funded for a three-year period by the KVCC Foundation. With $100,000, at least 55 students can be placed with enterprises interested in a grow-your-own-workforce alliance.The bulk of the grant funds is being used to pay up to 50 percent of the wages for each intern. The companies they work for pay the balance. The program runs through December of 2011.Salary terms are established on a case-by-case basis and agreed upon prior to the start of the internship.  The pay can range from the minimum wage of $7.40 to $12 per hour.An internship usually lasts 15 weeks, but students can apply at any time and assignments are made year-round.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Lois E. Brinson-Ropes, KVCC

Baseball great says Stryker’s latest hip replacement technology scores
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Economic Development
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March 25, 2010

Johnny Bench loves his new hip from Stryker. The baseball hall-of-famer is a paid spokesperson for the Kalamazoo company, and who better to talk about the new implant than a guy who suffered hip pain due to the punishment his body took during many years as catcher for the Cincinnati Reds.Bench reports that one month after his replacement he already nearly has full range of motion back, an accomplishment he attributes to the implant and his physical therapists.The implant Bench is promoting is the latest from Stryker Orthopaedics. It's the next-generation technology for hip replacement surgery and is designed to minimize the risks associated with total hip replacement surgery. It's called the ADM X3 Mobile Bearing Acetabular System.Innovative designs in the newly launched hip implant are built in to give it more longevity than other designs. Its unique large polyethylene insert gives it a larger range of motion and also addresses concerns of metal-on-metal inserts that have caused unexpected medical consequences, such as pseudo-tumors. It also is designed to reduce the risk of dislocation.The new design increases range of motion by using two points of movement rather than a single point."We believe that mobile bearing hips will become the new standard of care in total hip replacements and are committed to offering advanced technologies that benefit both surgeons and patients while adding value in ways that have the potential to reduce costs to the healthcare system,"  says Bill Huffnagle, Vice President and General Manager of Hip Reconstruction at Stryker Orthopaedics.ADM X3 is the third major hip product launch by Stryker in the past year. Stryker Orthopaedics is a division of the Stryker Corporation. Stryker Orthopaedics offers an extensive orthopaedic product portfolio including hip, knee and upper extremity reconstructive devices, bone cement, trauma implants, bone substitutes and spine systems. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Bill Huffnagle, Stryker Orthopaedics

Portage residents say keep it up
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

Portage residents love their bikeway and trails system.They also think their parks are pretty great and they really dig the city's recycling program.So says 90-plus percent of residents responding to the annual city survey.Results of the the 24th Annual Citizen Survey let the city know what's important to residents each year.In 2010 it's quality of life, economic development, roads and neighborhoods, to name a few.Asked about the city services they receive, 85 percent gave a thumbs up. Economic development got a less enthusiastic 65 percent approval for the city's efforts to promote itself to business.The survey was conducted by mail by the Kercher Center at Western Michigan University.The City Council is listening and has made economic development, quality of life and infrastructure improvements, among other initiatives, priorities for 2010.Writer: Kim North ShineSource: City of Portage

Business booms nationwide for Kalamazoo’s iyeTek
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

Demand keeps growing for software developed for law enforcement agencies by the Kalamazoo information technology company, iyeTek.When iyeTek moved into Western Michigan University's Business and Research Park two years ago it had six employees and three interns. Today, 10 employees are on staff, and at any one time six to eight interns work on the company's software solutions for law enforcement agencies. Those are now used in 28 states compared to eight states that used iyeTek two years ago.When it moved into the research park in March 2008, iyeTek occupied 1,300 square feet of space at 4664 Campus Drive. Business has been so good since then the company has nearly doubled the amount of space it uses.The company's various software, including electronic ticket writing and crash reporting systems and information sharing with local, state and federal agencies, is now used all across Michigan. The software is used in handheld and mobile devices.Company co-founder and Director of Operations Salman Anwar gives much credit for the company's success to the support it has gotten in the BTR Park and its partnership with WMU. Among iyeTek's successes is the crash reporting system that has proved to be the most popular of its products, Anwar says."We're making the roads safer for people who drive on a daily basis," Anwar says. The iyeTek crash reporting system is one way it does that. The system helps police officers document crash details that give law enforcement agencies and traffic engineers information to analyze. It can help them determined the causes of crashes and also lead them, if need be, to take actions to make roadways more safe. "It's all about saving lives of police officers and citizens," Anwar says. Another popular software package involves information sharing that alerts officers during traffic stops and calls to be notified of any NCIC — National Crime Information Center — and FBI warnings related to a vehicle or suspect.The company was founded in Kalamazoo by Anwar and Jeremy Vainavicz, both alumni of WMU's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource Salman Anwar

Eaton Corp.’s hybrid system powers buses for the military
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

The federal government has purchased 35 fuel-sipping shuttle buses outfitted with hybrid electric power systems developed in Galesburg bythe Eaton Corp. The U.S. General Services Administration,using stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,bought the buses for use on U.S. Military bases. They will replace older, less efficient models, according to the GSA.Last year,the GSA announced it would spend $77 million in stimulus funds to buy3,100 fuel efficient hybrid vehicles. Altogether a hybrid fleetis expected to save an estimated 16.7 million gallons of fuel over thenext seven years. Using the vehicles could prevent the release of 334million pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The hybrid system used in the shuttle buses was developed at Eaton Hybrid Power System headquarters in Galesburg with assistance from the company's division in Southfield. Bus manufacturer Capitol Coach Works, Inc. of Capitol Heights,Md., purchased the system to use in the shuttle buses.  The hybrid business has proved to be a growth area for Eaton and the company has hired 10 engineers in the past year to support it. Buses powered by Eaton's hybrid power system have the pontential to have a big impact on environmental sustainability, says William Batten,Director of Government Accounts for Eaton's Vehicle Group."We've seen many positive results from commercial customers around the world,"Batten says, "and we hope that this announcement will lead to overall greater acceptance of hybrid technology within the U.S. federal fleet."Vehicles with Eaton hybrid systems typically see fuel savings up to 35 percent, with similar percentages in emission reductions. The vehicles also have extended brake life and idle time reductions of up to 87 percent. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: William Batten, Eaton Vehicle Corp.

$350,000 supports WMU’s study of greenhouse gas storage
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

A total of $350,000 in grants to Western Michigan University will further studies into greenhouse gas storage as the push for clean coal energy heats up.WMU researchers are looking for ways to further develop clean coal technology by capturing the greenhouse gases it creates and storing them deep under the earth.Success could mean economic development opportunities for the state, including the creation of high-tech jobs, more affordable energy costs for consumers and reduction of pollution from the gases.The research, which has been ongoing in some form at WMU for six years, recently got a boost of $350,000 from federal stimulus funds.Most of the money comes from the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Illinois, which is studying four states for their suitability to store the greenhouse gas or CO2. Together, they contributed $306,000. The remaining $44,000 comes from the Department of Energy and Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative Inc., a nonprofit member-owned utility in Cadillac and is being used for engineering design and cost estimates for the capture of 1,000 metric tons of CO2 per day from a proposed power plant in Rogers City, MI.In science-speak, what WMU is doing is carbon capture and geological carbon sequestration research. In layman's terms, they are looking at deep geological formations underground in Michigan to figure out if they could be used to store captured carbon gases.Dr.David A. Barnes, professor of geosciences at WMU, is the principal investigator on the two research projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."Fossil energy has been fundamentally responsible for development in modern industrialized societies, but the associated greenhouse gas emissions are seriously threatening our environment," Barnes says. "The capture and deep geological storage of greenhouse gas emissions provide a critical bridging technology as we move, as aggressively as possible, to renewable energy technologies."Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: David A. Barnes

Local company’s parts help build soccer-playing robots
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

High school students around the world are building competition robots with parts provided by Parker Hannifen in Otsego.Parker Hannifin donated brass fittings and valves — a contribution valued at between $10,000 and $50,000 — in the kit of 577 items given to teams of robot builders as part of the  competition, which combines science, technology and a sporting event. A variety of companies provided part for the kits used in US FIRST — United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - competitions worldwide.US FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology.As part of the FIRST Robotic Competition, teams of high school studentsreceive motors, batteries, a control system, a PC and a mix ofautomative components. No instructions on how to assemble a robot areincluded. Instead, teams work with mentors to build, design, programand test their robots over a six-week period. The goal of the competition is to put the latest technology in the hands of students, give them the opportunity to use the same tools as professional scientists and engineers and ultimately impart skills they could carry into the workplaceThe robot-building kits were distributed to more than 1,800 teams of high-school students in January. More than 45,000 students from 12 countries will design and build robots for regional competitions, which are now underway. The world championship is scheduled for April 15-17 in Atlanta. Participants are eligible to apply for nearly $12 million in scholarships offered by universities, colleges, and companies.This year's competition is called Breakaway and it calls for robots that can shoot soccer balls into a net,  drive over a bump to round up soccer balls,and hang suspended from a tower. Robots that can hang from another robot earn extra points for their team.Paul R. Gudonis, of FIRST, praised Parker Hannifen for its contribution, saying the Fluid System Connectors Division has helped "to create a world where science and technology are celebrated… where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Paul R. Gudonis

Portage cheers $204,700 grant to improve city buildings
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

A number of projects meant to make Portage city facilities more energy-efficient are under way thanks to a $204,700 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.Thegrant comes from dollars set aside in the American Reinvestment andRecovery Act and will create additional jobs as work is done on fourseparate city buildings.City Hall will receive HVAC upgrades, window replacement, insulation and general weatherization. ThePortage Senior Center will also undergo similar work while the city'sPublic Services building will have its lighting upgraded.Fire Station No. 2 on Oakland Drive gets its boiler replaced and have a radiant heat system installed.The improvements could save the City of Portage $10,000 annually on energy bills.Writer: Kim North ShineSource: Devin Mackinder, CIO/IT Director City of Portage

More snowmobilers, more business
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Economic Development
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March 18, 2010

South Haven's downtown businesses are feeling warmed by a snowmobile-driven boost.

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