Builders Exchange of Michigan 2007 Eastcastle Dr SE Grand Rapids, MI 49508 616 949 8650 www grbx com
CONTENT & PROJECT SUPERVISION
Katie Hawley Business Manager
Builders Exchange of Michigan
DESIGN
Courtney Howe
The Yellow Umbrella Creative
AD SALES
Cheryl Rose Member Services Manager
Builders Exchange of Michigan
The Source Quarterly (TSQ) is published for the benefit of the visiting public and members of the Builders Exchange of Michigan While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this document, no responsibility will be assumed by Builders Exchange of Michigan, or any of its partners, for errors or omissions No warranties are made regarding the information contained herein Endorsement, views, and opinions in advertisements is not binding All of the information furnished herein is subject to change without notice All rights reserved No portion of this document may be reproduced without prior written consent
BX Events
On Your Radar Planning Projects to Watch
8 Meet the Team: BX Employee Highlights
Further Develop Your Construction Team with ASPE 5 Platform Pointers with Cheryl
2025 BX BOARD OF DIRECTORS
KEN JANSEN, Board President Lake Michigan Insurance Agency
JODI VAN HAREN, Board Vice President Advantage Mechanical Refrigeration
MARK LAUTENBACH, Board Treasurer VBA CPAs
GLENN RAHN, Director Retail Design Consultants
DAVE MOORE, Director Grand Rapids Gravel
CARRIE WILSON, Director Freedom Construction
ELGIN CLARK, Director AbsolutAire Inc
DON TUCKER, Director Standard Lumber / Standard Kitchen
BRUCE COURTADE, Director Rhoades McKee PC
DAN OOSTERINK, Past President Dave Cole Decorators
CHRISTIAN ANTONINI, Executive Vice President Builders Exchange of Michigan
New location, new event format, same great opportunity to build your network of construction peers!
Platform Pointers
with Cheryl
It’s time to do some “Spring cleaning” of your BX account by using the Administration Tab to update your company information, lists of users and company types according to the CSI Divisions for better searchability in our Private Planroom.
To make these changes, log-in, go to the Administration Tab and click on the drop down menu
The Administration Tab offers three options to manage your BX Account and any user can access these pages to make changes We are going to focus on the third choice which allows you to Edit Your Company /User Information
Please note; changes made will not be immediately reflected, as they go into a queue and wait for approval for spelling, formatting and authorization from the Primary Administrator on the account This process can take up to 24 hours
If you need immediate assistance, please send a personal email to cheryl@grbx.com with all of the pertinent information provided.
We appreciate you helping us update your information!
Cheryl Rose Member Services Manager, Builders Exchange of Michigan
Step 1: Confirm Company Info
This step will allow you to change any company information by just overwriting the fields and proceeding to the next step
Step 2: Users
This step provides you with information concerning your users. You can update names, titles, email addresses or add and delete users from here. While you can add personnel here, remember, they won’t show up until they are processed from the queue. You’ll also see a circle under the column marked ITB. Fill in the circle beside the name of the person that is most likely to respond to Invitations to Bid sent by General Contractors through Private Planroom, this will be your default contact for the Private Planroom only, not the Primary Administrator designated to your BX Account To change the Primary Administrator, you must call our office or email cheryl@grbx com
Step 3: Company Types (PP+)
This step provides a list of company types by CSI division and only pertains to the Private Planroom Select all types of work you do within the appropriate division pertaining to your company This is helpful to General Contractors when they are looking for Specialty Contractors in various trades for upcoming projects
Step 4: Designations
This step allows you to select any business designations that your company qualifies for such as disadvantaged, minority & women-owned businesses.
Step 5: Labor Affiliations
This step allows you to indicate any applicable labor affiliations to your BX Account.
ON YOUR RADAR Project Watch with Becky Colón
Becky has been with the Builders Exchange of Michigan as a Construction News Reporter since 2010. She enjoys finding out about projects in the early planning stages and building relationships with project owners, architects, and engineers.
The new, $11 million, one-story building will total approximately 25,880 square feet of space and will include a 2,980 square foot basement level. There will also be two outdoor components to this project, including a new public park and a police shooting range.
ProjectNumber2022-2EAE
In recent years, an interesting trend has emerged, transforming numerous golf courses into housing developments The decline in interest in the sport has created an opportunity to address the housing shortage and foster community growth Builders Exchange has followed many of these projects over the last several years.
Here are a couple that are currently moving forward.
Builders Exchange has been reporting on this project since 2022. Plans include 317 single-family homes, 137 detached condos and 84 duplex condos, with 151 of the condos designated for senior housing. Plans also include a clubhouse, sidewalks, trails, covered seating next to two pickleball courts and a splash pad. Plans are to possibly pave the first phase in October
ProjectNumbers2025-00B8 & 2025-00B2
The 147-acre golf course was permanently closed in 2021. Plans are to redevelop the northern half of the property for a large-scale single family residential development A total of 142 new residential homes are proposed. Plans for the southern portion of the former golf course include a new park with a variety of outdoor features, such as dog parks, pickleball courts, walking trails, nature outlook areas, and a disc golf course, with the goal of encouraging more outdoor activity and community engagement.
Groundbreaking for this $15 million project is planned for early 2026 with the grand opening slated for 2027. Plans for the 27,000 square foot facility include an indoor community track on the second story above a new gymnasium, a KidZone, community space, indoor splash pad and accompanying locker rooms, a new 6,000 square foot healthcare clinic, and physical therapy operations.
The developer is still working through conceptual plans with the township for this 360 unit apartment development The community will include a clubhouse featuring a large gathering room, a 24-hour fitness center, kitchen, coffee bar, and a resort-style pool and sundeck adjacent to the clubhouse Single phase construction is slated to begin in October after closing on the land.
This development is on 50 acres and will be anchored by a 123,000 square foot retail warehouse. Plans also call for a gas station, two 6,000 square foot retail buildings which may include a fitness studio and specialty shops, a 2,700 square foot drive thru restaurant, and an 80-unit attached single-family development
SENIORHOUSINGDEVELOPMENT/ProjectID2025-0C3C
Construction is slated to begin on this $16 million 51-unit development in early 2026 with completion planned for May of 2027. Units will have a modern, open floor plan with amenities such as kitchens with breakfast bars, oversized bathrooms, inunit laundry, central air and storage space Featured amenities include a community room, fitness center, picnic shelter, bike racks and community gardens.
Highlights Employee
Builders Exchange has been a really great place to grow as a person! I fell into the Planning team unintentionally, and grew to enjoy the work and its challenges, watching our team expand, and getting to know some great people here. My favorite verse, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain,” (Psalm 127:1a) reminds me daily that everything in my life has a purpose, and I hope to inspire others to see their own dreams fully “constructed”!
Outside of work hours I do my own personal sort of “construction” if you will, building worlds from scratch and writing fantasy with Christian themes. I also enjoy coffee dates with friends, plants and container gardening on my deck, and spending time with my cat. Someday I hope to train an adventure cat to go hiking with me! In 2023 two of my short story submissions were accepted into separate multi-author collections and published with Quill & Flame that same year and with Twenty Hills in 2024. I am currently working on a fulllength Egyptian- inspired fantasy novel which I hope will also be published in the future, Lord willing.
Meetthe Team at BX!
As a busy stay at home mother of 2 boys and a baby girl on the way, I am incredibly thankful to be a part of the GRBX team! I’m grateful to be able to switch gears during the day from cartoons and puzzles to adult conversation and stimulation! A few of my personal interests include gardening, camping, visiting new breweries with my husband and being outdoors, whether in nature or on a patio with friends! I have enjoyed learning new things through this position and becoming more informed on what is happening around our area.
“Not all who wander are lost” – one of my favorite quotes that I find can be applied to many areas of life. We never know what is out there if we aren’t willing to roam off the beaten path and find out!
with BX since 1/27/23
JASON
with BX since 2/2/23
With a degree in political science and a career history that includes everything from restaurant management to software development, my background includes a little bit of everything. I was drawn to the Builders Exchange by an interest in property development, and I like to keep an eye on the growth of communities in Southwest Michigan while planning renovations to my own 1890’s farmhouse.
I’m an avid baker, drone pilot, and photographer, and can often be found hiking in the sand dunes around Grand Haven and St. Joseph with my Great Dane puppy, Gimli.
LIZ
with BX since 1/29/18
JAMIE
BECKY
with BX since 4/5/10
For the past 15 years, I've had the incredible opportunity to grow with Builders Exchange, embracing a range of roles, and for the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of leading as the Planning Team Supervisor. What fuels me most is building meaningful, lasting relationships, and inspiring others to unlock their full potential, working together as a unified team.
Outside of work, I find joy in camping adventures with my family, and being "GG" to my 2-year-old grandson. One of my guiding inspirations comes from Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." This verse reminds me of the strength and purpose that guide me, both in my personal life and professional journey.
with BX since 3/5/18
My name is Alvaro Jimenez, I am 28 years old and find joy in spending quality time with my son and have a passion for video games and sports. I value the importance of hard work, dedication, and treating others with kindness and respect.
I believe that success is not only about achieving personal goals but also about building meaningful relationships along the way.
CAMERON
with BX since 4/3/23
My name is Cameron, and I have been a Construction Reporter with the Planning Department at Builders Exchange for about two years. I have a background in teaching and education, so I really enjoy the research aspect of my role and being about to dig into new and upcoming construction projects around the state.
Having grown up in Ottawa and Muskegon counties, it is also fascinating to be able to learn about new developments taking place in West Michigan. It has been very fulfilling to learn more about the ins and outs of the construction industry, and I am still learning new things on nearly a daily basis.
ALVARO
Michigan Builders: Further Develop Your Construction Team with ASPE
Construction teams thrive when their members have wide skill sets. Project managers, field supervisors, estimators, and management professionals can all benefit from adding new skills or refining ones they already have.
Diversifying your team’s skill sets allows for greater flexibility in task allocation, can reduce burnout by task switching and increasing availability for team collaboration, and prevent bottlenecks when a sudden spike in workload occurs ASPE provides a rich library of core estimating courses to develop your teams’ estimating skills
These courses are designed and developed by estimating professionals around the country who are part of a vibrant network of preconstruction professionals. ASPE’s Certificate in Construction Estimating courses are facilitated by active members of the construction estimating
community and the facilitators are here to ensure student success Beyond the Certificate in Construction Estimating courses are courses to further enrich your team’s knowledge of specific estimating disciplines
The ASPE Estimating Academy offers all our courses online so they can be taken when learning is most convenient for the student. The courses are designed to augment each student’s knowledge based in a fashion that is efficient for both the student and the organization. Allowing organizations to increase their team’s adaptability to changing market conditions without downtime.
Special Builders Exchange of Michigan Pricing and Details
As a Builders Exchange of Michigan member, you can access ASPE's online Certificate courses at a discounted rate! Get a $50 discount per course
Courses Include:
Basic Estimating Math Plan Reading for Estimating
Introduction to Construction Estimating I
Introduction to Construction Estimating II
Construction Materials and Processes I Estimating and Bidding
Complete allsixcoursestoearntheASPECertificate in ConstructionEstimating.
Toreceivethediscounted rate of$525 per course,create a GRBXmember profile usingthis unique link. (Click here for step-by-stepinstructions orcontact Katie1@grbx.com for details.) Thenregisterforanyofthesix courses listed above. Investinyourestimating skillsandpavetheway for a successful constructioncareer! ▪
David Hopkins, CPE, Consultant at MC Consultants
National Education Chairman at American Society of Professional Estimators
