Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo’s name is so distinctive strangers around the world have been known to break into song at hearing the name. With such a recognizable moniker you’d think Kalamazoo wouldn’t need nicknames, but through the years changing names have reflected the city’s refusal to stand still. The Zoo, Celery City and the Mall City are a few. The innovative thinking that brought downtown K’zoo the nation’s first pedestrian mall in 1959 continues to work today. Innovators have developed thriving life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. They build on the expertise of Kalamazoo’s universities. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Davenport College all are centers of research, development and technology. They surround a downtown vibrating with condos, apartments and homegrown, top-notch restaurants. The universities are woven into the city’s social fabric and contribute to a cultural scene that Kalamazooans love to boast about. The Kalamazoo Symphony, Kalamazoo Institute of Art and a vibrant local theater community are a few of the offerings. Locals also love their festivals that fill the air with music and the scents of ethnic foods wafting over the Arcadia Festival grounds and the Kalamazoo River. Outdoor activities from biking on the Kal-Haven trail to disc golf and standard golf on a nationally-acclaimed course in Milham Park are the start of the city’s leisure side. Sports fans have competitive college teams, minor league baseball and hockey to follow. And it all comes with a Promise. All high school graduates who live in Kalamazoo qualify for a scholarship that pays 100 percent of their tuition at any public university or community college.

New philanthropy partnership brings in $2.7 Million

By Kim North Shine

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Development News

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March 11, 2010

Southwest Michigan businesses, residents, foundations, schools and others put their money behind a new fundraising partnership meant to bring additional services to people needing help.The Lifeline Initiative grew out of a partnership between Kalamazoo Community Foundation and the Greater Kalamazoo United Way.Leaders of the two organizations conceived the initiative in response to the economic downturn. Through the initiative, about $4 million dollars over the next three years will be invested in local programs that address joblessness, emergency food assistance, emergency shelter and transitional housing, and health care access.Over the last eight months, more than $2.7 million was raised."Kalamazoo's charitable spirit is alive and well. ... People and organizations that care deeply about our community have stepped forward to support this effort...," Juan Olivarez, president and CEO of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, says.His comments came during a Feb. 9 announcement of the partnership and its outcome.The Lifeline Initiative is described as a "unique and targeted collaborative fundraising effort" that took care not to adversely affect other charities."Our board leadership wholeheartedly endorsed the partnership between the Community Foundation and the United Way. We are proud to partner with the Community Foundation, and we are pleased to be a part of this unique and powerful response to help address the increased needs of our community," says Mike Larson, president and CEO, Greater Kalamazoo United Way."These funds will have an immediate impact and will play a major role in helping to address the increased basic a human needs we have witnessed in our area. While we applaud and thank both boards for their vision and leadership, the true credit for this effort goes to the incredibly generous donors who saw the need, and responded with tremendous compassion and generosity."The effort won't end here, they say.Community Foundation and United Way officials expect additional donations from donors who have expressed an interest in long-term support. This is only first grant-making cycle for community investments from the Lifeline Fund, they say. Writer: Kim North Shine Source: Community Foundation, Greater Kalamazoo United Way

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

By Newsroom

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Development News

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March 11, 2010

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

Wind-turbine technician academy ready for second go round

By Newsroom

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Innovation News

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March 11, 2010

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

MAVCON’s president becomes a believer

By Chris Killian

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General

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March 11, 2010

Turning old, vacant buildings to places for people to live and shop have made a downtown believer out of James Dally. Find out what's in the works.