Benton Harbor

Water plays a big part in this city in the southwestern corner of Michigan. Benton Harbor boasts a river and a Great Lake. The river offers not only a backdrop for recreational boating and fishing, but also for businesses growing along the waterfront. Jean Klok Park is the perfect spot to sit with a bag lunch and enjoy the view. Tourists come for the water sports and stay to check out the area’s fruits and vegetables. Manufacturers like Whirlpool Corp. call it home.

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

St. Joseph sponsors a summer of dog gone fun

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Economic Development

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June 3, 2010

Dogs from the past and the future were part of the fun when St. Joseph unleashed its summer public art display, Hot Diggity Dogs. Think Dyno-Mutt in a dinosaur costume and a mechanized Robo Dog solar panel and you'll get the picture. The dogs will remain downtown until Oct. 1.Some, like artist James O'Haver of St. Joseph, dressed for the occasion the day the dogs went on display. O'Haver in overcoat and deerstalker cap matched his creation, the basset hound Sherlock Hound. Numbers on the statue's base read 221, a tip of the deerstalker cap to 221 Baker St., the home of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.Excerpt: "I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan, along with Hercule Poirot and other British mystery genre that's on television," O'Haver said. "I really love that stuff. I loved the whole idea of doing one of the animals as Sherlock Hound."O'Haver said initially he wasn't going to do Sherlock Hound, but when he came downtown and learned there was no address between neighboring Marie's Hallmark at 219 State and Signal Travel and Tours at 223 State, he couldn't resist. There had to be a 221, he said."I thought that would add a little mystery to it, and I thought of doing Sherlock Hound on a base that has 221 - the missing address," said O'Haver, an artist with a studio at the Box Factory for the Arts. "I seem to be creating a quite little stir. The costume helps a little bit, but the kids like the idea of Sherlock Holmes."For more information on St. Joseph's sixth year as sponsor of a downtown public art project, read the entire story.Source: Herald-Palladium

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

Lawmakers ask Amtrak to add another train between Chicago, Kalamazoo

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In The News

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May 6, 2010

State legislators representing Southwest Michigan have asked the Michigan Department of Transportation to make a formal request to Amtrak for additional train service between Chicago and Kalamazoo, the Herald-Palladium reports.If approved, the train service would depart Kalamazoo earlier in the morning and depart later in the evening from Chicago than trains now in service. Lawmakers pointed out the train would allow southwestern Michigan residents the opportunity to spend a full day in Chicago -- conducting business, working, attending to medical needs -- and return home in one day on the train.Excerpt:The legislators last week sent a letter to MDOT asking for an additional train leaving Chicago Union Station every evening at 10 p.m., and a return trip leaving Kalamazoo at 6 a.m. each morning. The proposed train would make stops in Hammond, Ind., New Buffalo, Niles, Dowagiac and then Kalamazoo.Currently there are two trains between Chicago and Kalamazoo. Amtrak's Blue Water train leaves Chicago Union Station at 4:10 p.m., arriving in Niles at 6:51 p.m., and the Wolverine leaves Chicago at 6 p.m. and arrives in Niles at 8:43 p.m.Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman based in Chicago, said Amtrak should be able to reach a decision on the request within a year, "perhaps even by this fall."For a list of the legislators who signed the letter to MDOT, read the entire story.Source: Herald-Palladium

New business will set up and install wind turbines

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In The News

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April 29, 2010

Michiana Wind Systems launched in April as a complement to the owners existing business, Ferguson Michiana Inc., reports the Herald-Palladium.The company does directional drilling, cable and duct construction and aerial and underground cable installation, primarily for AT&T. So getting into the business of selling and instaling wind turbines was a good fit for Dave Ferguson, who owns Ferguson Michiana with his brother, Jim. Office manager Tracy Galbreath co-owns the wind business with Dave Ferguson.Excerpt:"We researched for about a year and found this would be a good complement to Ferguson Michiana," Dave Ferguson said."We already have the equipment to do it. We learned by doing. The first one is a demonstration unit that serves this property. Our own employees installed it."Ferguson and Galbreath said they hope to add to the current Ferguson Michiana workforce of 35 as they get wind turbine customers."It seems to be sort of a hot market. There are a few wind turbines around, but we believe this is the first wind turbine business in Berrien County," Ferguson said.The owners divide the market into three categories: Small wind -- enough energy for an individual residence, farm or small business; community -- bigger towers serving 25 to 50 houses or a larger business; and big wind -- a power company that decides part of its power will come from wind. Ferguson expects their biggest market to be country homes and small businesses.For information on what the company expects from its first wind turbine now that the blades are spinning, read the entire story.Source: Herald-Palladium

Golf course starts $80 million project that could transform SW Michigan

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Development News

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April 22, 2010

The start of the second season at the Golf Club at Harbor Shores on April 23 is just one of several signs of progress and accomplishments at the long-awaited Harbor Shores Resort Community along Lake Michigan.In July, depending on weather, the final eight holes will open, completing the Jack Nicklaus-designed course. Currently, 10 holes, which opened to the public last year, are playable. Tee times became available as of April 23.On Aug. 10, Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and some of his other still-to-be-announced, famed pro golfer buddies come to town for the official opening and celebration of the course, says Ron Eng, director of marketing for Evergreen Development, the master developer of the project.The golf course is the centerpiece of a Harbor Shores, a 538-acre planned community that straddles Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and Benton Township. Harbor Shores is a mix of residential, retail and resort developments on waterways, golf courses and in town, Eng says.The target market are tourists and second-home buyers from Detroit, Chicago and Indiana, Eng says."We are looking to outside residents to come in and invest in our community," he says.About $80 million has been spent over the last five years on the project, Eng says. Construction has begun or is starting next week on model homes, spec homes and custom homes. The community is divided into four districts: the River District, the Harbor District, the Fairway District and the Shores District.Cottages along the river, houses along the golf course, and townhomes and condos, all within walking distance of Lake Michigan, will make up the residential component. There also will be retail developments and a resort hotel, spa and restaurant, Eng says.All of it will mean new jobs and more investment.Already the golf club has 50 seasonal employees and many of the builders and their employees are local residents. "We're really trying to influence the economy and create a tourism and hospitality economy," Eng says. "This will result in all kinds of direct and indirect jobs," from hotel housekeepers, restaurant managers and workers to golf pros, massage therapists, builders and electricians.Evergreen Development was retained by Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment Inc., a nonprofit charged with economically remaking the region by capitalizing on the waters and outdoors and the people who seek them out to live, work and play. Once the nonprofit begins to turn a profit, funds will go back into the community, maintaining roads, supporting schools, improving public spaces and more.For more information, check out the Golf Club at Harbor Shores website.Writer: Kim North ShineSource: Ron Eng, Director of Marketing, Evergreen Development

Benton Harbor course may be ready for golfers by May 1

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Economic Development

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April 8, 2010

By May 1 golfers will be able to try out 10 holes of The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course near downtown Benton Harbor. Officials say they hope the entire 18-hole course will be up and running by July 1, reports the South Bend Tribune.A grand opening, featuring golf legends Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, is slated for Aug. 10, the story goes on to say."We're very excited," said Wendy Dant Chesser, trustee of Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment Inc.The par-71, 6,900-yard course is near downtown Benton Harbor, and officials say it could have a major impact on the city's economy as well as surrounding communities. There are also plans for townhouses, cottages, condominiums and a family hotel.The 530-acre development is situated near Lake Michigan and the Paw Paw and St. Joseph Rivers. Excerpt:"All individuals will be driving (through) downtown Benton Harbor to get there," said Mark Hesemann, managing director of Evergreen Development. "It will change the image of Benton Harbor." Dant Chesser said there could be $500 million in tax base incentives over the next 20 years, meaning job creation and increased consumer spending.The story continues, saying officials envision 20,000 rounds of golf played each year. They decided to release the latest news regarding the golf course in South Bend to emphasize the importance regionalism will play in the use of the course, and how the entire area could benefit from the success of such a venture.To find out other plans for the golf course, read the rest of the story.Source: South Bend Tribune

Partnership puts Whirlpool appliances into thousands of dwellings

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Development News

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April 8, 2010

Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corp. has tapped into a whole new market for its appliances through an arrangement with one of the largest owner and operators of apartment properties in the United States. Equity Residential, also the largest publicly traded owner of apartment units, has signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement with Whirlpool, crediting the company's dedication to quality, outstanding products and service and its commitment to environmentally-conscious technology and practices."Equity Residential owns or has investments in 495 properties totaling 137,007 apartment units in 23 states and the District of Columbia," says Tom Halford, general manager of contract sales and marketing at Whirlpool Corporation. "As their exclusive appliance partner for new construction, rehab projects and appliance replacement, this will mean additional business for Whirlpool and we are honored to play this role." "Whirlpool Corporation brings many great things to the table as an appliance manufacturer," said Michael Manelis, senior vice president of property operations at Equity Residential. "They help support our commitment to creating places people are proud to call home."The agreement not only brings more Whirlpool appliances to consumers, it also uses a system called SmartWay Transport — a collaborative program between the Environmental Protection Agency and the freight industry — to deliver them with cleaner-operating, fuel-efficient motor vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. About 3,000 are employed in Benton Harbor.Writer: Stacie Carlson, Freelance WriterSource: Whitney Dean, Whirlpool Corp.

Downtown Benton Harbor new home for rags-to-riches Ravitron

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Development News

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April 8, 2010

David Ravitch has come a long way since the days when he was selling two-way radios from his 1969 Pontiac Catalina with the hood tied down by a long orange extension cord. He was fresh out of the military, living in a trailer with no heat and was offered the radio sales job as he attended college. That job was his introduction to the technology businesses. He went on to learn more through a series of jobs, including one laying the fiber to connect RV manufacturers, one at an area airport and one at HEI wireless where he worked three years in a building that he and his wife, Julie, now own.More than 20 years later, Ravitch, his wife and their employees are celebrating the opening of the new company headquarters of Ravitron in downtown Benton Harbor. Headquarters is a 3,800-square-foot, customized facility that's a far cry from the little brick building where Ravitch worked in 1992 just off the garage of his home as he built the business. Ravitron provides telephone systems and computer networks, including those by Vertical and Mitel. It also resells telephone and internet service. It provides telephone and voice data service to more than 100 local businesses, government, schools and non-profit organizations. The ribbon-cutting happens at 11:20 a.m. April 12. It's a celebration not only of a new facility but of the business' growth from one employee, Ravitch, to 10 today, and of $1 million in sales in 2008 and nearly that in 2009. Ravitron moved into its current location at 276 Colfax Ave. in Benton Harbor about 18 months ago. Since then Ravitch and his staff have been getting it ready for the ribbon-cutting and public opening. For the Ravitches, longtime local residents, putting their headquarters in Benton Harbor was an obvious move. The city's resurgence of business and arts in the were qualities that drew them to the downtown.One feature of the headquarters is a conference room designed with a special display that shows the workings of the telephones they sell and install. Prospective customers can see, for example, how a conference call can be set up on the computer in the same simple drop and drag maneuver most computer users are familiar with.Its tech room also is now ready to show off, Ravitch says. Sales are expected to do as well or better this year than last. Ravitch says the company rebills $20,000 a month in telephone service to customers who use telephones the business has installed.Ravitron is currently working on several large projects including, new phones and service for Edgewater Bank and Horizon Bank, both in St. Joseph, as well as the fiber campus, data and voice services for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. "Business has been good," he says.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: David A. Ravitch, Ravitron Equipment, LLC

Benton Harbor, MSHDA team up on Downtowns of Promise

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Development News

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April 8, 2010

Benton Harbor is one of seven communities taking part in the Downtowns of Promise program. The program will create a strategy for revitalizing the city's traditional downtown. Goals will be set and progress monitored as part of the program. "The goal of the Downtowns of Promise program is to ensure these Michigan communities have attractive downtown or traditional commercial neighborhood districts to live, raise a family and to start and grow a business," Keith Molin, executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), says."In order for the state's overall economy to succeed, its traditional downtowns and neighborhoods must gain population, generate business and attract private investment."The Downtowns of Promise program was created by the state as a way to assist with downtown housing development, build strong neighborhoods and help shape cities into places where people want to spend their working hours and free time. MSHDA's programs focus primarily on four areas: providing affordable rental housing, supporting home ownership, ending homelessness and creating vibrant cities and neighborhoods overall.The six other Downtowns of Promise are: Detroit, Flint, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Muskegon Heights and Saginaw.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Keith Molin, executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority