Kalamazoo and People’s Food Co-Op partner on $1.7 million expansion

People's Food Co-Op, a 40-year-old natural grocery business currently at 436 S. Burdick St. in Kalamazoo, is working with the city's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to relocate and expand into a block-long, mostly food-business development at 507 Harrison Street in the River's Edge district.People's Food Co-Op will build a larger 6,000-square-foot building and hire at least six part-time employees. The new store would be located near MacKenzie's Bakery and One Way Products, two other brownfield relocation and redevelopment projects meant to make the most of land that was contaminated by a paper factory while also bringing cohesiveness to similar businesses.The new facility will increase People's Food Co-Op by more than four times its current size and will make room for a larger prepared foods section, with seating, as well as the addition of a fresh meat section and expanded local and organic produce, grocery, bulk foods, frozen, and refrigerated items.By expanding its storefront, the Co-Op expects to increase the amount it purchases from local farms and processors by more the $100,000 it spent in 2009 and to expand on existing programs, including the relocation of the 100-Mile Farmers Market to the new site. In addition, the project will include 1,400 square feet of space to be leased to Fair Food Matters' Can-Do Kitchen, a food business incubator which will expand their support of local entrepreneurs in the creation of unique products for resale.People's Food Co-Op is a community-owned business with over 750 individuals and families owning a shares and receiving discounts and rebates as a return on their investment.People's Co-op hopes to raise at least $450,000 in loans and equity from owner-members."We are so excited to be able to offer a way for the community to invest in good food, in local farming, and in our own economic success" says Chris Dilley, General Manager of People's Food Co-Op.Writer: Kim North ShineSource: City of Kalamazoo, People's Food Co-Op

Japanese battery producer picks Battle Creek, 50 to 60 jobs expected

A Japanese battery producer has picked Battle Creek for its first foray into the U.S. market. It plans to create 50 to 60 new jobs, a $70 million "green tech" manufacturing plant and then some. A plan to produce lithium-ion vehicle batteries at a soon-to-be-built facility in Battle Creek became official Feb. 16 when Toda America Inc., a subsidiary of Toda Kogyo Corp. in Japan, finalized a $35 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy, letting locals, Michigan and the U.S. play a part in the electrification of cars and other vehicles. Toda will match the $35 million award from the DOE in order to build the plant at Battle Creek's Fort Custer Industrial Park, a site where pre-construction preps such as environmental remediation have already begun. "The Toda project contributes triple benefits of strategic acceleration of U.S. electrification of vehicles, immediate creation of green tech jobs, and redevelopment and reuse of existing industrial land in support of urban revitalization," says David Han, president of venture development firm Turtlerock Greentech, and a consultant to Toda. Construction on Phase 1 of the Toda plant will begin in one to two months and the plant will begin operating by February 2011. The plant will manufacture cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries for electric and non-electric vehicles. It is currently a leading manufacturer of cell phone and computer batteries. The company, which is working with the Department of Energy as part of the Reinvestment and Recovery Act, is receiving other economic development incentives from the City of Battle Creek and the State of Michigan. Both worked to convince Toda to choose Battle Creek over several other cities. The plant will expand in phases through 2013, eventually producing 4,000 tons of finished products each year at a total sales volume of about $130 million. The Michigan Department of Economic Development says 50 to 60 direct new jobs will be created at the plant and up to 148 new jobs, including 91 indirect jobs, will result from the construction and operation of the plant. "This is a critical step for Toda Kogyo Group in our quest to maintain our global leadership as the premier supply chain partner to both battery and electric vehicle manufacturers around the world," Junichi Nakano, President and CEO of Toda America, said in a statement released last week. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: PRNewswire

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Wind-turbine technician academy ready for second go round

If you can function in tight quarters and work at great heights Kalamazoo Valley Community College's unique wind-turbine technician academy is looking for you.Applications are being accepted for the second 26-week program slated to begin June 1.The academy has 16 openings for students this year and the program is growing with funding from the federal government and instruction opportunities from a private donor.The federal government, through the United States Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education, kicked in $550,000. KVCC is awaiting word on how it will be able to spend the money on the program.A new opportunity for hands-on-experience comes from Crystal Flash Renewable Energy, of Grand Rapids. Academy trainees will work under the supervision of professional wind-turbine technicians, climbing the tower with them to learn preventive and corrective maintenance."This represents a way for us to invest in the future of the industry," says Martin Hamilton, of Crystal Flash Renewable Energy.The academy can be completed in six months, making the program attractive to retraining workers. The program also provides graduates with the credentials that are highly sought after by the wind-power industry for the construction, operation and maintenance of utility-size wind turbines, according to Cindy Buckley, executive director of training.KVCC's wind-technician academy is certified by the leading trainer for wind-turbine technicians across Europe and Asia — Bildungszentrum fur Erneuerebare Energien (BZEE). (That's "Renewable Energy Education Center" in English.) The certification makes academy graduates that much more attractive to employers.Companies already are contacting KVCC to find out how they can meet the academies graduates, Buckley says."The projection is that between 1,500 and 2,400 new technicians are needed annually to support the growing wind-energy industry," Buckley says. "Starting wages range from $14 to $21 per hour."Applications to the wind-turbine technician academy are accepted throughout the year. Qualified applicants who do not get into the June 1 class will be placed on the waiting list for  training that begins in December. A math test, results of a medical exam and documentation work experience in technical fields are part of the screening process. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Cindy Buckley, KVCC

Benton Harbor Arts District starts to jump

About 75 people packed the Livery Thursday (March 4) for a town hall-style session to get ideas on rejuvenating the Benton Harbor Arts District, reports the Herald-Palladium. The event was hosted by New Territory Arts Association Executive Director Julie Katz and board President Herb Caldwell. The pair spent about two hours taking suggestions about things that people want to see happening in the Arts District.Excerpt:"We're bringing Art Hop back, because we've heard from the community, 'bring Art Hop back' - so I'll need a bus to get around to some of the locations," Katz said.Other suggestions focused on needs that are being overlooked, and finding spaces for them.Krasl Art Center Education Director Julia Gourley asked what could be done to house digital art and media, which is something that "I have people asking me every day," she said.To find out more suggestions read the whole story about revitalizing the Arts District.Source: Herald-Palladium Southwest Michigan

Downtown event center debate is on

A culinary school, urban farms, spaces for artists, retailers andentertainers could be neighborhood spinoffs of an event center plannedfor downtown Kalamazoo, reports the Kalamazoo Gazette.Kalamazoo County Commissioners must decide whether to proceed with theproject by asking voters whether they can agree to a 1 percent tax onfood and drink at restaurants and bars, and an increase in the hoteltax from 5 to 6 percent to fund construction of a 6,800-seat, $81million arena. The county has until May 25 to make a decision onwhether to place the question on the August ballot. Commissioners began weighing their options after a committee recommended proceeding with the event center.Excerpt: The proposed downtown Kalamazoo arena is feasible because ofconservative cost estimates, said Bob Beam, the retired vice president ofbusiness and finance at Western Michigan University.The committee took a conservative approach, estimating the restauranttax would generate about $4 million a year initially and grow by 1.75percent a year, Beam said."We think we have been careful in our revenue estimates," he said. To find out more, read the whole story on the downtown arena proposal.Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Job retraining program in national spotlight

Job retraining programs in Benton Harbor and other parts of Southwest Michigan were the focus of a Fox News story on successes from the No Worker Left Behind Act, Fox News repoorts. The state and federal funding that comes from NWLB has put put new nurses, hotel managers and a variety of other occupations back into the workforce since it began retraining displaced workers in 2007.Excerpt from Lake Michigan College spokesperson: "Seventy-two percent of people in programs like this one have new jobs."To see the full story visit Fox News.  Source: Fox News

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