Page 546 – Second Wave

Life EMS completes $2 million expansion project in Kalamazoo

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June 3, 2010

Leaders of Life EMS Ambulance service have shown renewed commitment to the Kalamazoo area with a $2 million expansion and renovation of its property on the city's North Side.Mark Meijer, president of Grand Rapids-based business said the company was glad to be a part of the community.Excerpt:"We're primarily thankful every day for the trust that Kalamazoo and Portage puts in us and our medics in providing these critical services," Meijer said.Life EMS has a service contract with a consortium of area governments including the city of Kalamazoo, Oshtemo Township, Parchment and Cooper Township.Its workers operated for most of the past year out of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety's former station at North Rose Street while its offices on North Street were being expanded from about 6,500 square feet to 18,170 square feet.Life EMS, which started with two ambulances and about eight workers serving the Kalamazoo area, now has about 80 workers here who utilize 14 paramedic transport vehicles and 10 wheelchair transport vans.For more on the dedication of the property at 517 E. North St., read the entire story. Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Increase in tourism expected to heat up summer business in South Haven

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Economic Development

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June 3, 2010

Last summer leasing agents in South Haven reduced rental rates in anticipation of a season slowed by harsh economics. Those days are gone, reports the Kalamazoo Gazette. Already, Shores Vacation Rental in South Haven has seen a 3 percent increase in bookings over last year. Other rental firms in the city also report bookings are up over last year. Statewide, tourism travel is expected to increase 2 percent over last year while spending is expected to rise 3 percent. Excerpt: The South Haven/Van Buren County Convention & Visitors Bureau also is encouraged by early season indicators, such as the 30 percent increase in traffic on the bureau's website this year over the same period in 2009, said Lisa Shanley, executive director of the bureau. "A lot of those turn into actual visitors," Shanley said. "We're very optimistic about this year." The Southwest Michigan Tourist Council markets hotels, resorts and other tourist activities in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. The office has been flooded with calls from people from North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and other southern states inquiring about vacationing in Southwest Michigan, said Millicent Huminsky, the council's executive director. The reason? The massive oil slick lapping on the shores of several Gulf states that are home to popular tourists sites. "We've gotten calls from all over," Huminsky said. "People are looking for clean water and clean beaches. I feel bad about the disaster down there, but it actually might help us." Information on vacancies at local marinas also is reported in the story. Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Battle Creek saves money with innovative software

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Innovation News

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June 3, 2010

Printed pay stubs are a thing of the past for City of Battle Creek employees.They were eliminated as part of a money-saving effort."Like so many cities out there, we are looking at a deficit and budget cuts in 2010, so we are taking a close look at our processes and services to find better ways of doing business," says Linda Morrison, finance services manager for Battle Creek. The city is saving time and money by using New World Systems' eSuite to eliminate printed paystubs. "By empowering our employees, we are also freeing up time that would normally be spent processing paper or fielding calls for personnel information," says Morrison.Michigan-based New World Systems has more than 750 customers comprised of more than 1,500 public sector agencies across the United States.New World Systems, a public sector software company in Troy, has provided software solutions for public safety and public administration organizations since 1981. The Company designs, develops, markets, supports and implements the fully integrated Logos Public Administration Suite for local governments and the Aegis Public Safety Suite for Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Linda Morrison, City of Battle Creek

Stryker, Acuitec work together on operating room systems

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Innovation News

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June 3, 2010

Stryker's Communications business unit and Acuitec have signed an agreement that will integrate both companies' technologies within the operating room.The move will provide customers with a comprehensive offering that combines in-room integration with desirable workflow solutions.Stryker's Infinity Control System allows staff within the operating room to route video, control multiple devices and PCs, and teleconference. The Acuitec software platform can be integrated with the SwitchPoint Infinity System to work seamlessly with hospitals' postacute care and electronic medical record systems to provide a comprehensive before-, during-, and post-surgery solution featuring patient tracking, electronic charting, remote presence monitoring, video boards, case status, and dashboards.The intuitive Acuitec software can also be accessed, managed, and routed to any display within the operating room through the Stryker SwitchPoint Infinity touch panel interface."The agreement with Acuitec will allow us to offer our customers the most innovative information systems available for hospitals today, creating greater efficiencies and enhanced care within the operating room," says Spencer Stiles, Stryker Communications General Manager. Stryker, with corporate headquarters in Portage, Mich., is one of the world's leading medical technology companies and is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals perform their jobs more efficiently while enhancing patient care. The company provides innovative orthopedic implants as well as state-of-the-art medical and surgical equipment to help people lead more active and more satisfying lives.Acuitec offers the only fully integrated, comprehensive workflow solution designed by critical care clinicians that features remote presence monitoring and situational awareness. The Acuitec product line is designed to enhance clinical outcomes, patient care, and safety while improving caregiver efficiency, regulatory compliance adherence, reimbursement, and overall business value.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Spencer Stiles, Stryker Communications

The Golf Club at Harbor Shores to host Senior PGA Championship

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

Communities that host a Senior PGA tournament typically realize an average of at least $22 million economic benefit from the event. So there were a lot of happy people when Benton Harbor and St. Joseph heard they would host the event in 2012 and 2014.The prestigious event will take place at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, an 18 hole public Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, located in the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph area. Whirlpool Corporation's KitchenAid brand will serve as presenting sponsor of the Senior PGA Championship from 2011 through 2014.The announcement, made as a part of the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, was shared locally via a live feed with local officials and the media. "We look forward to the chance to have the eyes of the world on our communities," says City of St. Joseph Mayor Bob Judd. "It provides us the opportunity to share the many amenities that make our community and the entire region Michigan's Great Southwest." Harbor Shores is a 530-acre mixed use real estate development with an estimated 20 year build out. Plans for Harbor Shores include a variety of distinctive neighborhoods with varying residential product totaling nearly 720 residences. The plans also call for a wide array of recreational amenities, including a town center, deep water marinas, retail shops and restaurants and recreational trails.In addition to the projected economic impact, Cornerstone Alliance Chairman of the Board Ken Kozminski says hosting such a prestigious event creates endless opportunities for Cornerstone's ongoing economic development efforts. "This gives our community and the entire state the opportunity to showcase the community to new investors and job providers as we work to grow jobs in the area. New companies locate in communities that have a vision for positive change, that is what we have here," Kozminsk says.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Jamie Nilson-Balkin, Cornerstone Alliance

Art therapy use expands to help with grief and loss

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

Sometimes when there are no words, art can help.This month, Borgess Hospice will hold Camp Hug, an Expressive Arts Bereavement Camp to help family members learn to cope with the death of a loved one through creative outlets.A registered art therapist, a music therapist and grief counselors, with support from Borgess Hospice RNs, other staff and volunteers will be camp facilitators."When a person is undergoing a traumatic event such as the loss of a loved one, she or he may have difficulty expressing the experience directly or effectively in words," says Kathleen Buday, a registered board-certified art therapist who serves as Expressive Arts Coordinator. "A creative process can be a non-threatening means to express oneself."Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice has been expanding its grief support services for Kalamazoo and the surrounding communities by offering art therapy programs.Since 2009, Borgess Hospice has offered Creative Crossings: An Art Therapy Bereavement Group for Children and Teens. Through art and other artistic means, such as movement and music, youth creatively express the feelings that occur when dealing with grief and loss.Buday also provides art therapy to hospice patients and family members or both if they desire to use artistic media to explore feelings, reconcile emotional conflict and assist in communication.No special artistic ability or experience is required. Suitable techniques and art experiences can be designed for virtually every level of physical capability.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Kathleen Buday, Expressive Arts Coordinator for Borgess VNA Home Health & Hospice

WMU med school plans move forward with appointment of interim dean

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

Dr. Jack R. Luderer has been deeply involved in the development of Western Michigan University's medical school initiative. Now he's heading it up.Luderer became interim dean effective June 1. He has served the past five years as executive director of WMU's Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center, a life-sciences research center that assists startup companies. A national search for a founding dean was launched in February. It will likely be several months before one will be in place to lead the school.Luderer, a board-certified medical specialist in internal medicine with sub-specialty certification in clinical pharmacology, has a background that includes positions as a clinical vice president for Pharmacia Inc. and Upjohn and vice president for research at WMU. In addition to serving in his BRCC role, he has spent the past two years working with WMU President John M. Dunn and the Kalamazoo medical community to develop a new school of medicine. The Kalamazoo initiative has filed a letter of intent and has been awarded applicant status with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the group that accredits medical schools in the United States and Canada. A school of medicine in Kalamazoo has been under discussion and in the planning stage since late 2007. During a November 2009 meeting, Dunn announced a $1.8 million anonymous gift made to provide seed money for the next steps in the development process, including the search for a dean.Dunn says with this appointment Luderer's full attention will be on two goals: maintain existing momentum toward obtaining the money necessary to found the school and bringing the search for dean to a successful conclusion. The initiative is collaboration with Kalamazoo's two major hospitals -- Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare -- as well as other interested medical organizations in West Michigan. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Cheryl Roland, WMU

Work begins on 38-unit, $3.4 million senior housing community in Kalamazoo

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

An estimated 120 new construction jobs are expected now that Presbyterian Villages of Michigan has broken ground on a $3.4 million senior housing community in Kalamazoo. Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM) received a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build the 38-unit senior apartment community at Sage Street south of Stone Brook Road. The funds are intended to help low-income seniors live safe, independent lives and promote construction jobs.The development will offer one-bedroom apartments of approximately 600 square feet as well as a community room, laundry facilities, lounge areas and library/internet cafe.Potential residents are 62 years of age and older and have a gross annual income of $22,000 or less for one person and $25,150 or less for a two-person household. Rent is based on 30 percent of residents' adjusted gross annual income and the remaining rent is covered by HUD. Roger Myers, president and CEO of Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, says he is pleased to offer this opportunity to the Kalamazoo community. "It reflects our mission to extend a hand to all seniors of all faiths throughout Michigan." The Village is PVM's 25th senior living community in the state. Results of a market study from Community Research Services LLC, show the development is needed because the primary market area for the project will experience a 17.9 percent increase in population of seniors age 62 and older by 2013 and a county-wide increase of 25.5 percent for the same demographic.PVM, headquartered in Southfield, is a faith-based, multi-site nonprofit that offers continuing care retirement communities, including apartments, assisted living, and skilled nursing, subsidized senior housing and market-rate senior housing. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Dawn Dyer Magretta, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan

The idea behind 4th of July barbecue is serious entertainment

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

The Boiling Pot Music Festival is about fun. It also has a mission.In its first year, Kalamazoo's newest outdoor celebration will bring together at least 40 musical acts, 30 artists and a full complement of forums designed to get people talking about areas of importance to the community -- agriculture and food security, energy, education, housing, human security, green space and transportation. Spiritual, mental and physical wellness also will be addressed. The July 3-4 festival is at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo. Matthew Lechel, event coordinator for the I.D.E.A. Association, says the festival can capitalize on what's already happening in the local music and arts scene. "We want to harness the social capital that's already being created as the community comes together and then take it to the next level," Lechel says. Boiling Pot also is a play on words for organizers trying to stir the pot of ideas regarding where creative energy needs to be focused in Kalamazoo.On white boards displayed throughout the festival community members will have a chance to "map" organizations and projects already happening in the community within eight identified sectors. Natural partnerships will be identified and information on a long-term project involving the community is expected to emerge. Art projects from seven previous events sponsored by the I.D.E.A. Association will be on display at Boiling Pot and eight new pieces will be made in the pavilion by those attending the festival.And because sustainability is important to the organizers a greening team has been assembled to make sure no paper, plastic or food from the public or vendors at the event ends up in a landfill.The Boiling Pot Festival is presented by The Strutt and The I.D.E.A. Association. Ticket prices, a schedule of events and a list of artists are available here.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Matthew Lechel

Super Saturday: It’s not just a one day event anymore

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Arts & Culture

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June 3, 2010

From 30,000 to 40,000 people are expected to turn out in Kalamazoo this weekend to take in the largest downtown event of the year.The event that began years ago as Super Saturday has morphed into the kick off of the summer season for retailers, restaurateurs and entertainment venues across downtown.The fun begins Thursday with the Greek Fest at Arcadia Creek Festival Place. Musical headliners are the Spin Doctors Friday and Night Ranger Saturday.Next up is the expanded Art Hop featuring art work in nearly 60 different locations across the downtown. Art on the Mall, traditionally a Saturday event, will open Friday night to cater to the Art Hop crowd. From 5 to 10 p.m. there will be a sneak preview of the KIA Art Fair in Bronson Park.Silliness steps off Saturday morning with the Do-Dah parade, a Kalamazoo tradition in which participants spoof just about anything as they march through downtown. Throughout the day people will be flocking to the 59th annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair where they'll find 200 artist booths, a kids art yard, live music, a beer garden and food court on South Street.Friends of the Library Book Sale, at the Kalamazoo Public Library, will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is a Ladies Library Ice Cream Social and a Historical Walk that starts in front of Gazelle Sports, 241 S. Kalamazoo Mall.The weekend concludes with the Concerts in the Park series at Bronson Park beginning at 4 p.m. with Kalamazoo Singers, one of the area's premier choral organizations.Downtown Kalamazoo Incorporated is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing Downtown Kalamazoo as an accessible, diverse, green, progressive and vibrant urban center. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Vicky Kettner, DKI