GLBM January 2015

BUSINESS MONTHLY GR E ATE R LANS ING

JANUARY 2015

FRONT COVER

A look at 2014 and 2015 newsmakers In this issue •

LANSING SURPASSES ANN ARBOR IN ECONOMIC GROWTH

•

A LOOK BACK AT 2014

•

A DEEPER LOOK INTO SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

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JANUARY 2015

G R E AT E R

L A N S I N G

BUSINESS MONTHLY

BUSINESS MONTHLY G RE ATER L A N S I N G

JANUARY 2015

News Lansing Regional Economic Growth Surpasses Ann Arbor.................................................... 6 For Meridian Entertainment, There’s No Business Like Show Business......................... 8 2014 Year in Review............................................................................................................................... 10 Buy Local Movement, an Economic Boost for Small Business........................................... 14

A look at 2014 and 2015 newsmakers In this issue •

LANSING SURPASSES ANN ARBOR IN ECONOMIC GROWTH

•

A LOOK BACK AT 2014

•

A DEEPER LOOK INTO SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Cover illustration by Brooke Erwin

The Greater Lansing Business Monthly (Volume 28, Issue 1) The Greater Lansing Business Monthly is published monthly by M3 Group at 614 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933. Periodicals postage paid at Lansing, Michigan USPO. USPS number 020w807.

Subscriptions: Subscriptions are available at $22 per year for postage and handling or $38 for two years.

Call (517) 203-0123 or visit lansingbusinessnews.com to subscribe.

Value and Relevance are Keys to Sustainability for Today’s Associations.................... 16 Tier 1 Auto Supplier Brings 125 New Jobs to Lansing Region.......................................... 18

Features Newsmakers of the Year....................................................................................................................... 20 Capitol Region to Host Record-Breaking Numbers in 2015.............................................. 36 Old Town Business Celebrates 30th Anniversary................................................................... 38

Departments Commentary.................................................................................................................................................. 4 GLBM List.................................................................................................................................................... 40

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Greater Lansing Business Monthly, 614 Seymour Ave., Lansing, MI 48933. Send additional subscription requests and address changes to The Greater Lansing Business Monthly, Inc., 614 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933.

Copyright © 2014 The Greater Lansing Business Monthly, Inc. All rights reserved.

He Said/She Said....................................................................................................................................... 42

Editorial Office: 614 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933 lansingbusinessmonthly.com

Business Calender................................................................................................................................... 52

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Man on the Street.................................................................................................................................... 44 Regional Roundup.................................................................................................................................... 46 Legislative Update.................................................................................................................................... 48

Notable News............................................................................................................................................. 54 JANUARY 2015

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C O M M E N TA R Y

G R E AT E R

L A N S I N G

BUSINESS MONTHLY Publisher: Tiffany Dowling tiffany@m3group.biz Sales Manager: Jennifer Hodges jhodges@m3group.biz Media Specialist: Jill Bailey Account Managers: Manny Garcia Penny Meadows Production Director: Kelly Ritter

A Look Back at the Year’s Top Newsmakers

I

think everyone can agree that it has been an exciting year in mid-Michigan. I can’t imagine anywhere else I would rather grow my business. This community has a lot going for it and a lot of people making a difference, as you’ll see in this issue of GLBM. We wanted to take a look back at the year and highlight some of the top news stories. I hope you’ll enjoy the timeline that our team put together for an at-a-glance review.

Our cover story also depicts some of the top stories of 2014, but we also gave our prediction of some things we’ll talk about which will be newsworthy in 2015.

Highlighting the news is great, but we also wanted to give that personal touch. With this in mind, we listed our Newsmakers of 2014 and 2015 based on an executive committee vote of our GLBM board of directors.

Art Director: Brooke Erwin Brand Manager: Ami Iceman Creative Manager: Mark Warner Graphic Artist: Mike France Web Manager: Skylar Kohagen Event Calendar Manager: Jaime Hardesty

GLBM Editorial Board: April Clobes - Executive Vice President, MSU Federal Credit Union Trish Foster - Senior Managing Director & COO, CBRE|Martin Lisa Parker - Director of Alumni Career and Business Services, Michigan State University Alumni Association Deb Muchmore - Partner, Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore Tom Ruis - Vice President, Fifth Third Bank Doug Klein - Executive Director, Mason Area Chamber of Commerce Mark Hooper - Partner, Andrews Hopper Pavlik Diontrae Hayes - Legislative Director for State Senator Coleman Young, II

2014 was a much better year than we’ve seen in a while, and business leaders surveyed by EPIC-MRA in November 2014* are optimistic for the year ahead if these results are any indication: • • • •

78 percent say they are satisfied with the economy now 75 percent say the economy will improve in 2015 66 percent think prospects for business will improve in 2015 The top concerns of business leaders surveyed: • 14 percent – finding/keeping clients • 11 percent – finding/keeping quality employees • 11 percent – the economy • 7 percent – healthcare costs

The remaining 54 percent (3 percent undecided) was distributed among areas like: no concerns, new business growth in Mich., competition, taxes, lack of lending, poor roads, industry decline, lack of education funding, etc.

As a business owner, I align fairly well with other business leaders. However, my concerns also include the perception of our area and how we consistently downgrade ourselves and mid-Michigan. We are our own worst critics in most cases. These types of perception issues correlate with finding new clients, getting and keeping valuable employees and having companies choose to start businesses in our community.

In the New Year, I encourage you to be part of the solution. Think about the positives in our community and remind yourself to spread the word when good things are happening. If you need to see and hear from other business leaders about why Lansing is an amazing place to live, work and play, consider coming to GLBM’s Connections and Coffee networking event at 8 a.m. on Feb. 3 at the University Club.

We will talk with last year’s Entrepreneurial Award winners. They should have a lot to say about doing business in the Lansing region.

Have a dynamic year,

Tiffany Dowling | Publisher (*Survey was commissioned by Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP and Crain’s Detroit Business) 4

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

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5

NEWS

Lansing Regional Economic Growth Surpasses Ann Arbor

BY MICKEY HIRTEN

I

t was the grand opening of the Knapp’s Building in downtown Lansing, complete with the requisite speeches celebrating the renovation — rebirth, actually — of the city’s iconic department store.

“In the last 10 years Lansing has become a major player in the global economy. Rather than a competitive thing, comparing us to Ann Arbor is an excellent measuring stick,” Trezise said. “The old Lansing thinking is that we are not in the category of an Ann Arbor or a Grand Rapids. The new thinking is that without question we are.”

Among the dignitaries was Lansing Economic Area Partnership President and CEO Bob Trezise, microphone in hand, reeling off a long list of Lansing economic development superlatives: The Accident Fund project, MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, expansion at Jackson National Life. His list of accomplishments went on for a full two minutes.

The largest industry in both regions is federal, state and local government, which surprisingly contributed $5.7 billion dollars to the Ann Arbor economy in 2013 compared with $4 billion in Lansing. The economic might of University of Michigan and Michigan State University is bundled into overall government spending.

But what stirred the crowd most was his proclamation that the rate of economic growth in Lansing is surpassing that of Ann Arbor. Go Green. Go White.

Spurred by a resurgent auto industry, but broadly staged, the Lansing region’s GDP grew by 2.4 percent in 2013 compared with .7 percent in the Ann Arbor region. Statewide, GDP growth was two percent.

Both regions create about the same GDP: $20.37 billion for Lansing and $20.42 billion in Ann Arbor. The parity is somewhat tempered by the population difference in the two regions: 465,000 in Lansing compared with 350,000 for Ann Arbor. But the trend, as reported by the U.S Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, suggests that Lansing is closer to recovering from the economic downturn than Ann Arbor.

The economy in the Lansing region, which includes Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties, crested in 2006 and measured by GDP as just 3.3 percent from the peak. Ann Arbor, which includes Washtenaw County, peaked in 2007 and is 5.5 percent away from full recovery.

Although the statistics reflect last year’s performance, Trezise says the momentum in the region is continuing.

“2013 was sort of a supercharged year, a record-setting year,” Trezise said. While acknowledging the cross-state rivalry, he says the comparison to Ann Arbor’s economy is best served by highlighting Lansing’s emergence as an economic power.

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Lansing leads its southeast rival in durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, which accounts for $2.8 billion of GDP, and in finance and insurance, a $2.1 billion share of the economy. In Ann Arbor these manufacturing and finance segments account for $2.1 billion and $677 million respectively.

The relative strength of the Lansing economy compared with Ann Arbor and other regions in the state is supported by the October RealTime Labor Demand report prepared by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. It uses the Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series to track job openings by category, occupation and education requirements.

Its October snapshot for the Lansing region reported that monthover-month help wanted queries increased by nearly a half percent with strong hiring by the State of Michigan (290 ads), Dart Container (200), the Michigan Association for Public School Academies (100), Michigan State University (100) and Meijer (90). Based on 490 help wanted ads, the most in any category, truck drivers seem to be in high demand. Nursing too, was a sought after profession with ads increasing by 23 percent.

Job strength in Ann Arbor came from the University of Michigan (670), followed by Trinity Health (210), Consumers Energy (190), Sears Holding Corp. (150) and Thomson Reuters (140). Businesses

JANUARY 2015

NEWS

LEAP Projects Throughout the Year

there also need truck drivers. Other than a minor increase in help wanted ads in Detroit (.1 percent) and a 1.1 percent increase in the Grand Rapids area, the Real-Time Labor Demand report for all other regions in Michigan was negative.

Projects advanced by LEAP in 2013 reflect $467 million in investment and will create about 2,100 jobs. It’s a diverse mix that includes, headquarters, advanced manufacturing, offices, high tech, mixed use and recreation/tourism. The projects, investment and job potential include:

Trezise projects that 2014 will close out as another strong year for the area economy with between $250 million and $300 million in LEAP projects. And he stressed the fact that growth is happening on many fronts.

Jackson National Life: $114 million, 1,000 jobs Jackson National Life Zone: $12 million, 200 jobs GM Logistics Center: $40 million, 200 jobs Niowave Isotope Production: $202 million, 125 jobs Niowave R & D Facility: $5.1 million, 25 jobs Norplas (Magna): $75 million, 400 jobs L & W Engineering: $13.8 million, 100 jobs Saboury Project: $2.9 million, 10 jobs High Grade Materials: $1 million, 2 jobs Hope Soccer Complex: $1 million Ionetix: 10 jobs Meridian Star: 2 jobs

“We’ve got the Lansing Grand River stamping plant. That’s $160 million. There’s the Outfield project at $12.5 million; the Ottawa/ Butler project, $12 million; GM’s expansion at Delta, $38 million,” he said. “You could make an argument that we have as diverse an economy as there is in the state.”

Mickey Hirten is an award winning writer and editor. He has been executive editor of the Lansing State Journal, the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, and was the financial editor and a columnist for the Baltimore Evening Sun. He is the current president of the Michigan Press Association.

His wife, Maureen Hirten, is director of the Capital Area District Library.

Source: Lansing Economic Area Partnership

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NEWS

For Meridian Entertainment, There’s No Business Like Show Business

BY MICKEY HIRTEN

I

t’s Wednesday and Kevin Meyer is in Nashville. On Friday, it’s Los Angeles. Over the weekend, he’s in Las Vegas.

That’s the music business in December for Meyer and his Meridian Entertainment Group (MEG).

P H OTO B Y M A R K WA R N ER

The annual trip is one way he keeps his Lansing-based music production and promotion company a successful player in what Meyer refers to as the “live event industry.”

It’s the show business niche that includes Lansing’s Common Ground Festival, one of MEG’s large annual events, but also venues like casino shows, fairs, art competitions and stage shows, which it also produces. Altogether, the company puts the annual value of the performances it stages at more than $15 million.

“We are producing events for about 50 clients and collectively about 200 nights of entertainment a year, whether it’s a night at Soaring Eagle or a night at Common Ground,” Meyer said.

Kevin Meyer, owner of Meridian Entertainment Group.

It is MEG’s involvement staging Common Ground that would be most familiar to music fans in mid-Michigan. The week-long music

festival is Lansing’s signature entertainment event attracting more than 50,000 people to festival grounds set up in July at Adado Riverfront Park along the Grand River.

Big-Name Acts Meridian Entertainment Group offers its clients live acts that span the music spectrum. Among the genres are 70’s Rock & Pop, Old School R&B, Adult Alternative, Contemporary Christian and more. A sample from its website includes: C OUN TR Y

8 0 ’ S RO C K & PO P

ACTIV E RO CK

$10,000 – $25,000 range: Diamond Rio, Lee Greenwood, Ricky Skaggs

$10,000 – $25,000: Atlanta Rhythm Section, Fine Young Cannibals

Up to $25,000: Blackstone Cherry, Winery Dogs

$25,000 – $50,000: Charlie Daniels Band, Tanya Tucker, Sawyer Brown

$25,000 – $50,000: Gregg Allman Band, Rick Springfield

$25,000 – $50,000: Capital Cities, Cyprus Hill, Seether

$50,000 – $100,000: Dwight Yoakam, Big & Rich, Trish Yearwood

$50,000 – $100,000: Alice Cooper, Black Crowes, Ted Nugent, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Jackson Browne

$50,000 – $100,000: 311, Flaming Lips, Marilyn Manson, The Strokes

$100,000 – $250,000: Little Big Town, Martina McBride $250,000 – $1 million: Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum

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$100,000 – $250,000: Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, Meatloaf $250,000 – $1 million: Rush, Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

$100,000 – $250,000: Counting Crows, Jack White, Stone Temple Pilots Over $250,000: Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kid Rock

NEWS

Meyer and his company of seven full-time people, which includes partners Brad Coombs and Rick Shimel, were there at the beginning.

“The cool thing is that it’s gotten to be this community’s event. There are people who met at Common Ground, who got married there.

It’s part of the local culture and folk lore.”

And it’s really Meyer’s show. He hires the acts, oversees the production and staging, and handles ticketing, promotion, staffing, even clean-up. The city, through its Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority and its Center Park Productions, a non-profit set up to work with MEG on Common Ground, has backed away from hands-on involvement, Common Ground is one of Michigan Entertainment Group’s largest annual events. having discovered that it lacked the experience and expertise to produce a big-name music festival.

“When you are out here having meetings,” Meyer said from Los Angeles, “they ask who did you have at Common Ground last year.

While Common Ground is large by Lansing standards, for MEG it People are impressed with the amount of new talent. They talk about is a mid-sized event. The company each year stages the summer us in the same breath as some pretty hip festivals.”

Cavendish Beach Musical Festival on Prince Edwards Island in Canada, which draws upward of 70,000 people for shows with acts For the past three years, MEG has been edging Common Ground from like Eric Church, Keith Urban and the Mavericks. its Baby Boomer roots. “We decided to move in a new direction. We needed to. Continuing with the music of the seventies and eighties was not sustainable. The audience was aging out and we needed new fans,” Meyer said.

AND IT’S REALLY MEYER’S SHOW. HE HIRES THE ACTS, OVERSEES THE PRODUCTION AND STAGING, AND HANDLES TICKETING, PROMOTION, STAFFING, EVEN CLEAN-UP.

Five years ago Common Ground headliners included Alice Cooper and Sammy Hagar. Last year big names were Big Sean and Brand New. “It was Walt Disney who said change is inevitable; growth is optional,” Meyer said. For MEG, acknowledging that dynamic nature of the music business and adapting is essential for the company’s success.

Even larger is MEG’s production of the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, Motorcycle and Music Festival, a nine day event that last year featured headliners like Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper, Collective Soul, Florida Georgia Line, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, on its main stage. Buffalo Chip bills itself as the “Largest Music Festival in Motorcycling,” and is an integral part of the South Dakota summer motorcycle rally that draws upward of 400,000.

And a love of music. Meyers, a drummer, who played in bands from junior high school through his college years at Michigan State University, attends 50 or more live shows a year. He’d like to do more.

These large festivals feature camping, dining and lots of hotel accommodations. The Cavendish grounds accommodate about 30,000 compared with about 12,000 for Common Ground, Meyer said.

Still, the scale doesn’t diminish the luster of Lansing’s show.

Mickey Hirten is an award winning writer and editor. He has been executive editor of the Lansing State Journal, the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, and was the financial editor and a columnist for the Baltimore Evening Sun. He is the current president of the Michigan Press Association.

His wife, Maureen Hirten, is director of the Capital Area District Library.

“One of the best parts of the night,” Meyer said of Common Ground, “is to look over those thousands of people and to know that you had something to do with it. I love live shows.”

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P H OTO B Y A MB ER STOKOSA

“It started out as a multi-day music festival with music from the seventies and eighties,” he said.

2014 YEAR IN REVIEW

JANUARY

MARCH • Mike Rogers announces he will not be running for re-election.

• Michigan State University (MSU) wins Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988, winning 24-20 against Stanford.

• President Barack Obama announces NSA reforms based on panel recommendations and public outcry.

• An 18-month-old undergoes the second medical surgery ever involving 3-D printed material at the University of Michigan hospital. The child required life-altering surgery and the construction of splints for both bronchi, which were placed by Dr. Richard Ohye.

• The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams breaks ground on MSU’s campus.

Senator Debbie Stabenow attended the occasion stating that our state will benefit from, “$1 billion in economic activity […] 5,000 construction jobs, 400 permanent jobs. We’re going to see 800 scientists from around the world coming to Michigan State University to conduct their research.”

• “Yooper” was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

• Governor Rick Snyder joins the Two Men and a Truck team, including Founder Mary Ellen Sheets, to celebrate the company’s recent 22,000 square foot expansion and renovation of 30,000 square feet.

FEBRUARY

APRIL

• The MSU Federal Credit Union Art Exhibit showcased over 100 pieces of local high school students’ art, with over 9,000 participants in the People’s Choice voting.

• Barack Obama signs a nearly $1 trillion farm bill at MSU. The bill will help farmers navigate the subsidies currently in place for them, manage risks in their business and expand operations.

• The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics took place from Feb. 6-24. The US took home 28 medals, including nine gold, seven silver and 12 bronze.

• Michigan makes top 10 list of places with highest student loan debt.

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JANUARY 2015

• Comedian David Letterman, host of CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, announces his planned retirement in 2015.

• Scientists announce that they have successfully cloned stem cells from two adult men, potentially opening doors for new health care treatments.

• An Islamist militant group is accused of kidnapping around 280 girls from a school in Nigeria. The kidnapping was met with international outrage and concern as the Nigerian government was unable to locate the girls.

2014 YEAR IN REVIEW

MAY

JULY

• Supreme Court ruling fines General Motors $35 million dollars (the maximum fine allowed) for the company’s delayed recall of models with faulty ignition switches.

• The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge goes viral during July-August after multiple celebrity personalities accepted the challenge and posted it to social media. Since July 29, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $115 million in donations.

• AT&T agrees to buy Direct TV for $48.5 billion dollars.

• East Lansing gets a finer dining experience in the heart of downtown with the opening of the Black Cat Bistro.

• In the most heated decade of international “Space Race,” the Abrams Planetarium opened on the campus of MSU. The planetarium celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with the installation of a new star projector and the welcoming of a new director, Shannon Schmoll.

• Artist, Imran Qureshi paints street art in East Lansing to protest suicide bombings and deaths in Pakistan.

JUNE • Supreme Court rules against contraceptives mandate. Corporations such as Hobby Lobby cannot be forced to pay for insurance that covers contraception for female workers (under the Affordable Care Act), due to violating their religious freedom.

• City Council approved $23 million plan for Cooley Law Stadium project which will result in upgrades to the stadium itself, as well as an 80 unit apartment development above the outfield.

• New Haven, Mich. school earns Silver Michigan School Wellness Award and the Brightest Award for new programs implemented to encourage healthy lifestyles, such as free zumba and yoga classes, vending machines that offer snacks that contain less than 200 calories, a daily morning snack period for high school students and free CPR certification in cooperation with the Lenox Township EMS during health classes.

AUGUST • Guardians of the Galaxy becomes the biggest box office hit of the year, bringing in $771,826,145 worldwide (numbers taken as of Dec. 7, 2014).

• New vendors call Lansing City Market home including Dublin Jerky, For Crepe Sake, Wildtree, Reiner’s Meat Shop and L & J Sales: Bella Soaps and Lotions.

• Signs of the $67 million, 30-month long project called “Build Forward” on Lansing Community College’s campus starts to take form.

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2014 YEAR IN REVIEW

SEPTEMBER • President Obama orders airstrikes against ISIS in Syria after American journalists are killed.

• First Ebola case confirmed in US in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 30.

• Gillespie Group’s new $6.8 million 66-unit, mixed-used development opens on the Michigan Avenue corridor. The complex known as The Midtown features high-end apartments, a PNC Bank branch and a rebuilt Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine.

• Apple’s iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and new Apple watch are debuted via livestream.

OCTOBER • Lansing hosts Michigan’s first ever “Maker Week” from Oct. 6-12, with participants from all over the state. The Maker Movement emphasized inventing, innovating and do-it-yourself projects, innovations in advanced manufacturing and preparing citizens for other 21st-Century careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

• GM announces $63 million investment into Delta Township Plant to add approximately 263,000 square feet to the facility that produces the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave large crossovers. This is in addition to the $174 million investment announced to add a new stamping facility to the Lansing Grand River Plant.

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• The City of Lansing recently added a nearly 6-mile, $1.8 million southside connection to the Lansing River Trail. The new extension, funded mostly with federal dollars, runs along a Consumers Energy power-line corridor mostly south of Jolly Road, from Aurelius Road to South Waverly Road.

• Filming for Batman takes place at Broad Art Museum on Michigan State University’s campus. Ben Affleck took time to visit the Spartan’s weight room and wish Coach Mark Dantonio good luck on their upcoming game.

JANUARY 2015

2014 YEAR IN REVIEW

NOVEMBER • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati ruled 2 to 1 to uphold bans on same-sex marriage in four states including Michigan. Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. admits that although samesex marriage across the nation is practically inevitable, the issue should be settled through the democratic process and not the judicial one.

• One World Trade Center opens in Manhattan.

• Grand Jury declines to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed African American 18 year-old, in Ferguson, MO. • Lansing Sexton and Lansing Catholic play at Ford Field to compete for state title.

• Knapp’s building has grand re-opening.

• US and China reach agreement on climate change initiatives with China committing to stopping its emissions from increasing by 2030.

All contributions to the timeline were sourced from local, national and international news outlets and modified for use within this article. This timeline serves as an overview and is not a comprehensive collection of events/stories.

2014

DECEMBER • The “film incentive” bill designed to bring TV, movie, video game and commercial producers to Michigan is passed by the House and expected to pass with the Senate’s blessing.

• Lansing’s GDP growth reaches 2.4 percent over 2013, compared to Ann Arbor’s growth of .7 percent.

• The Statesmanship Institute in Lansing awards local Okemos student, Catherine Wingrove, the John Quincy Adams award for her community involvement and dedication to public service.

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NEWS

Buy Local Movement, an Economic Boost for Small Business

BY MICKEY HIRTEN

Not to be outdone, small retail businesses have their designated shopping day, built on the growing buy local movement and sponsored by American Express and the federal government’s Small Business Administration. Advertised as “Small Business Saturday,” two days after Thanksgiving, it encourages shoppers to support local retailers and the often unrecognized value they bring to a local economy.

No less a figure than President Obama kicked off this year’s Small Business Saturday.

“Small businesses are the cornerstones of our communities. From shops and restaurants that showcase the talents of entrepreneurs to innovative companies that bolster local economies, small businesses define our neighborhoods and towns,” Obama said. This year, more than ever.

Many small business retailers are reporting strong sales as the Michigan economy recovers and surveys by the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) find that they are more optimistic than they were last year.

“I think people are more comfortable making large purchases than they have been in a couple of years,” said Heather Thornell, an interior consultant at Custom Home Interiors in Charlotte. “Sales have been good, real steady. A lot of people have been doing a lot of projects.”

An MRA survey of retailers found that 63 percent projected better holiday sales than last year and about one-third expected sales to increase by more than 14

five percent, said Tom Scott, the association’s senior vice president, communications and marketing. MRA’s president and CEO James P. Hallan, commenting on the survey, acknowledged progress, but cautioned that there are bumps along the road.

“There has definitely been improvement in the economy.

But it is still uneven month-tomonth,” said Scott.

The association’s monthly Michigan Retail Index for September, based on a survey done jointly with the U.S. Federal Reserve, reported that 53 percent of retailers increased month-over-month sales, that 35 percent had lower sales and 12 percent showed no change.

“The results create a seasonally adjusted performance index of 62.1, up sharply from 46.0 in August. A year ago September the Index stood at 52.8,” MRA reported.

P HOTO B Y M I K E FR A N CE

T

he unofficial start of the holiday shopping season may be Black Friday, which is dominated by large retailers.

Polka Dots in Old Town is one of many small businesses in Lansing.

Custom Home Interior, like many small businesses, does not accept American Express. But it believes that the Small Business Saturday buy local movement helps.

So does Becky Beauchine Kulka, owner of the Okemos jewelry story that bears her name. “We, of course, were excited about it. But we didn’t join this year,” she said, explaining that her advertising agency didn’t enroll her — an oversight.

“I certainly would have participated. I’m all about that kind of thing.” Despite the lapse,

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Kulka said business is great, particularly sales of her Alex and Ani bangle bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings. “We’ve sold 10,000 bracelets this year.”

Her store participated in the Small Business Saturday program last year, Kulka said, but indicated that it was difficult to determine whether it directly contributed to sales.

“Honestly, the year before, no one really said that they came in for Small Business Saturday. But even if they didn’t, the exposure is a great reminder for people to shop at local businesses.”

NEWS

The Small Business Administration offers these holiday marketing tips for businesses with limited budgets: • • •

Host an “Open House” to showcase holiday season gifts, menus and merchandise.

Work the holiday magic for faithful customers to showcase holiday season gifts, menus and merchandise.

Feature products or services of the day or week — 12 days of “your product” or a product or service of the month.

MRA has a program similar to Small Business Saturday called “Buy Nearby,” which it describes as an “ongoing, yearround, feel-good campaign intended to create excitement about the great shopping in Michigan and the advantage of supporting retailers and communities in Michigan.”

“Our Buy Nearby campaign is very well received. We believe more people understand how important it is,” Scott said. It kicked off this year on Oct. 4.

• • •

Offer gift certificates; recipients often spend more than the value of the certificate.

Partner with other businesses to develop complementary cross-promotions.

Get involved in community and charitable events to generate awareness for your business.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Grace Boutique had some specials and as Schriner puts it “a huge increase in business.”

“I think people are really making an effort to shop local. Small business is sort of a thing of its own,” she said. “The day has become bigger than American Express.”

Mickey Hirten is an award winning writer and editor.

He has been executive editor of the Lansing State Journal, the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, and was the financial editor and a columnist for the Baltimore Evening Sun. He is the current president of the Michigan Press Association. His wife, Maureen Hirten, is director of the Capital Area District Library.

While the primary goal is to increase sales for MRA’s 5,000 members, Buy Nearby also reinforces the economic clout that retailing provides in Michigan. The association cites these benefits: “Half of every dollar spent in a Michigan store is returned to the local and state economy; 866,000 Michigan jobs depend directly on retail sales; and that 18 percent of the state’s gross domestic product comes from the retail sector.”

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“The overwhelming number of retail business are small to medium sized. Ninety percent of them have only one store,” Scott said.

Few places better represent this scale of retailing than Old Town in Lansing.

“It’s come a long way. I see it growing in leaps and bounds,” said Summer Schriner, owner of Grace Boutique, which specializes in woman’s clothes, shoes, accessories and specialty products for men. She didn’t formally participate in Small Business Saturday since her store doesn’t use American Express, yet she recognizes the benefits.

TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE If you are a homeowner, own or manage a commercial building, or are an industrial user, our team at T. L. Hart, Inc. is well-equipped to meet your painting needs.

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NEWS

Value and Relevance are Keys to Sustainability for Today’s Associations

BY MICKEY HIRTEN

“Associations have to get back to the core reason of why they were formed; that industries or professions could do more together than by each going out and doing their own thing,” Ronk said.

While there are about 3,000 associations in Michigan, MSAE represents organizations with professional staff, many of them based in the Lansing area.

“Some organizations are constantly able to reinvent themselves. It means their staff and members are really busy looking at what they need to do to offer value to their membership. But some organizations pretty much stay the course. The challenging thing is to really know what your members are going through,” Ronk said.

To position themselves for a viable and sustainable future, MSAE tells members to address these issues: technological change, economics, environment, politics and social demographics. This is a new way of thinking.

16

“We offer a relevant value proposition and involve younger members in the leadership pipeline. What you see now wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago,” Lord said.

For young dentists in Michigan, overriding concerns are finding a job and paying down debt. In response, the MDA has developed programs like customized job plans and resume and cover letter reviews to attract and hold younger members, who pay $1,700 a year in dues, which also includes membership in the national and local dental associations.

“The MDA brand is return on investment,” Lord said. “As a member you will earn back every dollar of that investment. We have turned the corner. Over the last six years the Dental Association has been able to grow the share of Millennials to the highest generation market share. We represent 84 percent of all Millennial dentists in the state of Michigan.”

The Michigan Osteopathic Association solidified its relevance with training programs, said former manager of

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

s Politic

y og ol hn Te c Econ Environment

“About 10 or 12 years ago there was a laundry list of things that associations felt they needed. They had to have a magazine.

They needed a website, a convention and lobbyists. Now all of that has been thrown on its ear,” Cheryl Ronk, president and chief executive officer of the Michigan Society for Association Executives (MSAE), explained.

l ics cia ph So gra o m

For many of them, all is not well.

Membership is declining. Finances are shaky. The institutions or individuals they represent are questioning the value and relevance of their associations, many of which are more than 100 years old.

“Understand that associations have been built on a model that does not resonate with the needs of today’s generation,” said Josh Lord, director of membership and strategic initiatives for the Michigan Dental Association (MDA), which represents 5,500 of the state’s 7,000 dentists. He chairs MSAE’s emerging professionals committee which is developing programs and tactics to help associations attract younger members. He uses the dental association’s success as an example of what works.

De

A

s Michigan’s capital, the Lansing region is home to hundreds of the state’s trade and professional associations.

omic

s

communications, Kevin McFatridge, now the director of marketing, communications and public relations at Michigan State Medical Society.

“From a healthcare perspective, and to represent our physicians, we have to provide continual medical education. We provide discounts for members,” he explained.

Whereas some associations find themselves representing members in declining industries, the medical business has been jolted by the Affordable Care Act. “It’s been a huge thing,” McFatridge said.

“Advocacy has been a great benefit for our membership. It’s about making sure that we stay relevant with our members’ needs.”

The association represents 8,000 doctors, residents, interns and medical students, with different membership rates. Doctors pay $473 (husband and wife DOs get the second membership at half price). Residents, interns and medical students pay no dues.

And there are other rates, McFatridge said.

NEWS

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) will hold its annual meeting in Detroit next year, a prophetic choice. As ASAE members wrestle with change and how best to adapt, they will gather in a city that is a model for change, said Larry Alexander, president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

to be relevant to their customer base,” he explained.

But it is a challenge and it is happening quickly, Alexander said. “Businesses are turning to the association community to provide leadership. The good ones are ahead of that. They are proactive rather than reactive.”

MBStrategies is a corporate coaching firm that helps associations reinvent themselves.

The process requires associations to look at their past, present and future, to test their relevancy by focusing on the current needs of members. Principal in the firm, Mike Bills, frames the process with these actions: • Analyze the purpose of the organization.

“About every 100 years Detroit reinvents itself. You can go back to the fur traders, how the city moved from the water to manufacturing, to the arsenal of democracy — cars and tanks. Here we are now, 313 years later, and Detroit is going through another reinvention,” Alexander said.

He suggested that there are parallels between the city and associations.

“We are surrounded by case studies of companies and businesses and industry segments that have reinvented themselves

• Consider the original purpose and the

Mickey Hirten is an award winning writer and editor. He has been executive editor of the Lansing State Journal, the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, and was the financial editor and a columnist for the Baltimore Evening Sun. He is the current president of the Michigan Press Association. His wife, Maureen Hirten, is director of the Capital Area District Library.

current mission.

• Determine the current needs of members

and how to exceed their expectations.

• Build on current strengths and passions.

• Ensure that there is a desire for change.

• Commit fully to the process of change.

In Greater Lansing, tourism can mean anything from meetings and conventions, sports tournaments, parents visiting children at MSU or a weekend getaway. A critical benefit of a healthy flow of traffic to the Greater Lansing region is the money tourists inject into the local community - $472 million each year in economic impact!

6,400 Local Jobs 4.7 Million Annual

+ $472

Visitors

Over 6,400 Greater Lansing area residents work to support visitors to the region.

omic Impact Million in Econ

______ __________ __________

OUNTS! TOURISM C

Do the math and it’s easy to see – Tourism Counts!

Learn more at www.lansing.org Source: Anderson Economic Group 2013

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NEWS

Tier 1 Auto Supplier Brings 125 New Jobs to Lansing Region

BY KRIS TINE RICHMON D

T

ier 1 automotive supplier KIRCHHOFF Van-Rob is getting ready to open its second plant in Michigan by occupying an existing 125,000 square foot building in Clinton County’s Watertown Township in 2015. The company will create 125 jobs within the first six months with additional expansion plans.

“We are so grateful to KIRCHHOFF Van-Rob, because fundamentally this is about families. We can talk about 125 jobs, but I like to refer to it as 125 families, and that is just phase one. These jobs really matter. These will be good jobs — good for our residents and families who have income like this that will contribute to the schools, housing and the tax base overall,” said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP).

KIRCHHOFF is investing $25 million into the facility on Felton Road, west of Capital Region International Airport, with plans to add an additional 40,000 square feet in another year to 18 months, said Tony Parente, president and chief operating officer of the North American arm of KIRCHHOFF VanRob. The family-owned company will make parts for General Motors Lansing-built vehicles when it starts production in October 2015. “ WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO KIRCHHOFF VANROB, BECAUSE FUNDAMENTALLY THIS IS ABOUT FAMILIES. WE CAN TALK ABOUT 125 JOBS, BUT I LIKE TO REFER TO IT AS 125 FAMILIES, AND THAT IS JUST PHASE ONE.” – BOB TREZISE “We are here because of our strong business partnership with GM, and our commitment to them to manufacture 75 parts on the next generation Chevy Camaro, 6th generation 2016. We are only about six miles from our customer in the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant,” said Parente.

The company plans to make structural vehicle components, including dash panels and wheel wells, for the Chevrolet Camaro 18

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Officials say the move will not only give the Lansing region a competitive advantage and greater philanthropic support, it will also provide families with more job opportunities.

Bob Trezise speaking at the press conference.

and front and rear wheel house assemblies and Plenum assembly for the C1 next-generation Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia.

KIRCHHOFF has already hired a handful of people to begin moving equipment into the building in January and expects to add 88 more

by October for the Camaro launch. Then in another six months when the company starts making parts for the Traverse and Acadia, “we’ll be up to 138 in full launch between the two vehicle platforms,” said Parente.

LEAP partnered with Capital Area Michigan Works! (CAMW!) and Lansing Community College (LCC) to address the challenge of supplying KIRCHHOFF Van-Rob with a skilled and ready workforce.

CAMW! gave KIRCHHOFF Van-Rob the opportunity to submit a Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF) application through Michigan’s Workforce Development Agency. The company received funding for training for both their Tecumseh and Lansing facilities, according to Jim Bunn, Business Services Representative at CAMW!.

“The goal of STTF is to provide a marketable skill or recognized credential for individuals being trained so that participating businesses and employees with the necessary talent are able to compete, expand and can make a positive contribution to their local and state economies, according to the Michigan WDA,” said Edythe Hatter-Williams, CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works! in a Nov. 30, 2014 Lansing State Journal article.

JANUARY 2015

NEWS

Dr. Brent Knight, president of LCC and Bo Garcia, interim dean of Community Education and Workforce Development and executive director of LCC’s Business and Community Institute, were charged with putting together an accelerated training program in just over 60 days, according to Trezise.

The Business and Community Institute specializes in creating programs for regional industry partners in a very responsive manner; typical turnaround time is within two weeks.

“A couple years ago, Dr. Knight created a program called “Get a Skill, Get a Job or Your Money Back.” Because of the growth in manufacturing, the president wanted to make sure we were a valuable resource in this community,” said Garcia.

CAMW! officials say that the Lansing region may be adding over 1,000 new, autorelated jobs in 2015.

KIRCHHOFF Automotive bought VanRob in 2011. KIRCHHOFF Van-Rob has 12 North American facilities with over 30 manufacturing sites around the world.

We’re

more than mail

The first session of the new Welding Basics for Entry Level Manufacturing began Dec. 29 and runs through Jan. 9. This 64 hour accelerated training program enables individuals to acquire an entry level skill set in welding to begin a career in that field. Those who complete the program are guaranteed that if they are unable to receive employment within 12 months, LCC will refund their costs.

“Dr. Knight established this unique program to be as responsive and marketdriven to our regional employers in various fields. This program is in anticipation of numerous welding positions that are around the regional economy in hopes of creating a career pathway,” added Garcia.

LCC plans to offer additional courses in CNC operation and manufacturing production and certified production technician. Other customized and relevant technical training is available and can be tailored to the company’s needs. For more information, visit lcc.edu/getaskill or lcc.edu/bci.

“This speaks to cooperation and collaboration of this region, that we are able to get things done like that; we are dedicated to the businesses and the job seekers,” said Hatter-Williams.

Kristine Richmond is the Public Relations Specialist at M3 Group. She specializes in helping clients tell their stories of changed lives, fiscal success, philanthropic support and more by creating engaging messages that grab customers’ attention and cause them to act.

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COVER

NEWSMAKERS of the

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BY KEL LY RITTER | IL L UST R AT I ON S B Y B RO OKE E R W IN

014. It was year of growth. It was a year of success. It was also a year of learning and development.

2015 welcomes a fresh start and a new beginning. It’s an opportunity to take what we’ve learned in 2014 and apply those lessons in 2015.

Throughout the year influential people, organizations and developments in our area have had huge impact on our local economic growth and our state’s overall progression.

Many accomplishments should be noted in 2014. Take a look at the $100-million expansion announcement made by Jackson National Life earlier this year.

Initial plans included a 260,000 square foot addition adjacent to the existing facility along with an additional 80,000 squarefoot Data Imaging Center on the property.

This project will bring an estimated 1,000 jobs to our area and will generate significant growth in tax revenue for the city. Jackson is situated close in proximity to several top-tier universities and nearby metropolitan areas for staff recruitment. It was decided by leadership at Jackson that mid-Michigan was the perfect location for this expansion project.

Others have taken advantage of the Lansing comeback as well. Cooley Law Stadium started a $23 million plan to upgrade the facility and develop the outfield while, Michigan State University’s (MSU) Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (F-RIB) is underway and began its construction plans in June and started the building process in July with the first concrete pour. And the historic Knapp’s Building in downtown Lansing also celebrated its grand reopening in November.

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YEAR 2014

Each of these developments and many more not listed here is why Lansing surpassed Ann Arbor in economic growth.

In early 2014, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) released its 2013 Year End Project Report announcing that LEAP projects have helped the private sector create 2,105 direct private sector jobs and $466,824,000 in direct investment for the Lansing area.

Not only is the mid-Michigan area thriving from an economic standpoint, it has garnered some additional milestones in 2014. The MSU Spartans won the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988, winning 24-20 against Stanford. Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing), who is term-limited and finished her service to our state in December, spurred a discussion and debate about women’s access to insurance. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan launched Right to Health, a nonprofit focusing on women’s health care. It’s mission is to educate and inform women of the laws being passed or considered that could have a negative impact on women.

The Right to Health organization will provide facts and information needed in order for individuals to take a stand.

Taking a look back at 2014, newly reelected Governor Rick Snyder has a lot to discuss as well. Detroit is emerging from bankruptcy and Michigan’s legislature is looking at a long-term, comprehensive plan to improve its roads and bridges. This plan will ensure $1.2 billion in additional funding through a proposed constitutional amendment to increase the state sales tax to 7 percent.

Additional options that would include changing the 19-cent per gallon gas tax and 15-cent per gallon diesel tax to a wholesale tax. These taxes would increase by 2 percent

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JANUARY 2015

each year for three years. These changes are subject to a statewide vote.

At the end of December, Gov. Snyder announced the new Department of Talent and Economic Development and the Michigan Talent Investment Agency in an effort to keep Michigan a national leader in talent development and skilled trades. This transition fits with business leaders in our state who are eager to receive additional worker retaining options to fill available jobs and boost the economy, said a recent EPIC-MRA poll.

As 2014 comes to an end, it’s natural to look back, but it’s also an opportunity to look forward.

Sparrow Health System is planning to build a brand new stand-alone cancer center and office building on East Michigan Ave. This building will include a five-story, 132,000 square-foot office building with commercial retail space on the first floor.

Sparrow also has plans to build a threestory 73,000 square foot medical office and drive-through pharmacy in the area of Lansing’s Frandor Shopping Center.

In addition, Gillespie Group’s Outfield project is also well underway. Just north of Cooley Law School Stadium, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, this mixed-use building will feature approximately 80 residential units accompanied by approximately 6,000 square-feet of commercial space giving residents spectacular views and a unique, modern living space connected to a ballpark.

With new residents coming to the city, MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) has longterm growth plans as well. In order to meet the demands of its growing membership (an average increase of 5 percent each

year), MSUFCU will be constructing a second building on the headquarters’ campus in June. The 186,350 square foot building will be three floors, will include a basement and should accommodate 564 additional employees.

Internal changes for MSUFCU include Patrick McPharlin, president and CEO announced his retirement after 41 years of service and leadership. Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer April Clobes was named his successor in March.

Ron Boji, President at Boji Group and owner of a number of large office buildings in downtown Lansing is rumored to have major plans for a new development

in 2015. More information about this announcement will be available in the February issue of GLBM. An opportunity to tell the state of progress made in our region, 2015 Newsmaker Mayor Virg Bernero will bring back the Lansing-area reception as part of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Policy Conference in May 2015. There is much to talk about and the Mayor said it best in the article he wrote last month, “Metro Lansing is ahead of many communities in that we have regionalized our economic development efforts through the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, rather than competing with one another as municipal adversaries.”

All Newsmakers should agree that if we are to continue growing locally and on a statewide level, we all must work together to help mid-Michigan realize its full potential.

Kelly Ritter is a graduate of Michigan State University.

She currently works at M3 Group as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications. M3 Group is a full-service branding agency that specializes in creating and implementing integrated marketing and advertising services to help brand businesses forward. For more information email kelly@ m3group.biz.

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F E AT U R E

I’M ALSO WHERE I AM TODAY BECAUSE I’ VE ENJOYED SO B OB TR E Z I S E LA N S ING E CONO M I C A R EA PA RTNE R S HIP (L E A P ) JR. P R E S ID E NT A N D C EO, 4 Y E ARS

MANY GREAT MENTORS WHO GAVE ME CHANCE AFTER

opening of the Knapps building in downtown Lansing, GM’s announcement that the Camaro production was moving to Lansing (and the subsequent many auto suppliers to the region), Niowave’s completion of its new $202 million Medical Isotope Production facility and the announcement of the $200 million Red Cedar Renaissance project on Michigan Avenue. All must be mentioned because each is not just a project, but one that can individually set the tone for either a whole new industry in our region, or anchor the development of a whole new area in a new, global and innovative way.

Q: What has made it possible for you to

get where you are today?

A: My mom and dad. They are amazing

individuals in this community.

CHANCE TO LEARN FROM

Q: Tell us about you/your organization’s

AND SUCCEED.

I’m also where I am today because I’ve enjoyed so many great mentors who gave me chance after chance to learn from them and prove myself and succeed.

A: LEAP was able to follow up with a record

Q: In your industry, what trends were

I am indebted to the incredible staffs that I have surrounded myself with, eight of which

THEM AND PROVE MYSELF most notable accomplishment of 2014?

setting 2013 year in economic development for our region ($466 million and 2,100 private investment and jobs for the Lansing region equating to a 2.4 percent growth in regional GDP), with a very strong 2014 year of approximately $250 million and 400–800 private investment and jobs for the region by the private sector.

These are not all economic development results for the region, just projects that LEAP added significant value to with direct assistance. Each represents the total economic activity of the region. One of our most complex projects was enjoying the grand opening of the Knapps building.

What a historic achievement that was.

Q: What was the biggest change or

adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

A: Trend shifts in the economic

development field continue to move toward talent and place making initiatives from the more typical use of incentives. Thus, LEAP created a Diversity Work Group with the goal of creating a talent retention/attraction tool box in addition to the continual development of our entrepreneurial eco system, arts and culture work.

Q: What do you think the

biggest Greater Lansing business story was in 2014?

challenge of 2014?

A: Thankfully there were genuinely A: While we negotiated two very complex

and difficult development agreements for the Red Cedar Renaissance project and the Outfield project, as well as landed numerous GM expansion projects and auto suppliers, our most difficult work was completely creating, transforming and re22

numerous, biggest economic stories in 2014. Certainly, the breaking ground and construction start of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (F-RIB) at Michigan State University was an historic moment, but so was the grand

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

PH OTO BY M ARK WARN ER

2014

organizing much of the entrepreneurial start up infrastructure — primarily the Technology Innovation Center (TIC) in the Regional SmartZone and the fashion incubator called the Runway. The financial negotiations, budgets, planning efforts as well as construction build outs all proved to be very difficult, yet critical to helping create a new Lansing region sporting a climate of a business startup/ entrepreneurial community.

F E AT U R E

have moved on to run or lead their own economic development organizations. They really made me look good.

Finally, my wife Kerri and my four incredible kids who mean everything to me and have sacrificed much for me to work night and day in this fishbowl of a job.

Q: What do you think is the key to success?

A: The three P’s. Persuade and Persevere

with Passion and do it relentlessly. If you do those three things, nothing can stop you.

And make sure to do it with total honesty, a sense of diplomacy and grace.

Q: What would friends and family say is

your biggest quirk?

A: My family and some friends would laugh

at my public persona because they know I am actually a huge reader of novels and poetry. I write poetry in a pretty serious way. In fact, I’m just completing my sixth private book of poetry. It’s the best one yet. That keeps my sanity. I would be totally lost in life without writing my poetry.

Q: Tell us about you/your organization’s

most notable accomplishment of 2014?

in the State Senate, it can be difficult to accomplish the goals you would ideally like to tackle. It is incumbent on us to find our opportunities when we can. A great example of that this year would be raising the minimum wage. We saw an opportunity to address that earlier this year and, with a great deal of work and negotiating, we were able to accomplish that in a bipartisan fashion with the support of the business and labor communities. Michigan’s minimum wage is going from $7.40 to $9.25/hr and that is going to make a big difference for a lot of people.

world, but it also follows many of the same trends as other lines of work.

Digital media really came into its own during the 2014 election cycle. Nearly every organized campaign, from the U.S. Senate race all the way down to local races, spent as much time planning and executing a digital media plan as they did a traditional advertising campaign. Social media has also given people a greater opportunity to see their government at work, and even participate in it. The antibullying speech I gave a few years ago went viral earning over 400,000 views on YouTube in just 72 hours. Overwhelming national attention and scrutiny leveled at the Senate version, ultimately changed the trajectory of the debate.

WHETHER IT IS PUBLIC

Q: What do you think the biggest Greater

A: When you lead the minority caucus

SERVICE OR PRIVATE BUSINESS, SUCCESS OBVIOUSLY TAKES A TREMENDOUS PERSONAL EFFORT. BUT IF YOU ASSEMBLE A TEAM OF TALENTED PEOPLE

2014

COMMITTED TO THE SAME GOALS, IT BREEDS SUCCESS.

Lansing business story was in 2014?

A: I think the story is about optimism.

As I talk to people throughout the area, they are more optimistic about our region’s future than they have been in years. The national economy continuing to grow is obviously playing a big role in that, but some of the investments we see companies large and small making here in the Greater Lansing area are making believers out of a lot of people.

Q: What has made it possible for you

to get where you are today?

Q: What was the biggest change or

challenge of 2014?

A: Road funding. It has been an issue

GRETC HE N W HI TM E R MICHIG AN S E NAT E DEMO CR ATIC LE A D ER HOU S E 2 0 0 1 -2 0 0 6 , SE N AT E 2006 -2 0 1 4

A: Politics often operates in its own

the legislature has punted on for years, if not decades, now. Governor Snyder and I are really on the same page on this issue — the people of Michigan deserve a real solution. Unfortunately, to say it has been a challenge to get some legislators to agree to take the tough votes needed for a comprehensive road fix would be an understatement, but I am hopeful that by the time this is published we will have agreed on a responsible solution that has been signed into law.

Q: In your industry, what trends

A: Fortunately, I have been mentored

by many great leaders throughout my life. I count both of my parents among them. As a candidate for the House, I was extremely fortunate to have someone like Frank J Kelley, our former Attorney General, support me and advise me along the way. I know how a few words of encouragement can open up so much possibility. My friend Dan Loepp was the first to suggest that I think about running for office, and both my parents quickly voiced their support. Before that it had not really dawned on me and that is why I make such an effort to encourage people to engage in this process and to run for office.

were adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

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F E AT U R E

Q: What do you think is the key

to success?

A: Hard work and building a strong diverse team around you. Whether it is public service or private business, success obviously takes a tremendous personal effort. But if you assemble a team of talented people committed to the same goals, it breeds success. We have had that here in the Senate, and that has strengthened my role as the highest elected Democrat here in the Capitol.

Q: What would friends and family say is

your biggest quirk?

A: I am fastidious flosser and tooth

brusher — which is probably why my husband, who is also my dentist, appealed to me so.

2014

A: This past year culminates four years of

meaningful accomplishments for Michigan’s comeback and reinvention. Among these is restoring optimism and confidence in and for Detroit, as the city emerged from bankruptcy this fall, setting a renewed course for Michigan’s largest city. This has far reaching and positive benefits for our entire state and will be one of the great comeback stories in American history. It’s no longer Detroit versus Michigan; it’s Detroit, Michigan and all are coming back.

Since becoming Governor, Michigan has created more than 300,000 new private sector jobs, and our unemployment rate stands at its lowest rate in over eight years.

Healthy Michigan enrollment began, and now more than 487,000 low-income, hard-working Michiganders have access to affordable and quality health insurance. And we are well on our way to becoming a no wait state for preschool.

Q: What was the biggest change or

challenge of 2014?

Q: Tell us about you/your organization’s

most notable accomplishment of 2014?

24

Q: What do you think the biggest

Greater Lansing business story was in 2014?

A: Greater Lansing continues to rebound,

and as companies expand and create more and better jobs, you can see the positive impact on the region’s overall economy.

Two Men And A Truck’s unwavering commitment to the Lansing area should be recognized. In 2014 alone, the company opened a 22,000 square foot addition of its Lansing headquarters, while also renovating a large portion of its preexisting offices. The addition allows the company to continue growing while handling customer care, franchise business consulting, training and development and more right from Lansing.

It speaks volumes that although Two Men and a Truck has nearly 300 franchises across the country, they choose to call Lansing home. Their presence in the region and commitment to the state is a vital part of Lansing and Michigan’s recovery.

A: One of the biggest changes this past

year that will have long-term benefits for so many small businesses in the Lansing area is the elimination of the personal property tax. That tax discouraged companies from purchasing equipment that helps them grow and create more and better jobs. Anyone who runs a small business knows how painful the personal property tax was and we were able to pull together a strong bipartisan effort to remove the tax, while still providing the revenue needed for local community services.

RICK S NYD E R GOVE RNOR , S TAT E O F MI CHIG AN, E LE C T E D NOVE MB E R 2 0 1 0 A N D H A S S ER VE D THE P E O P L E O F T H E S TATE O F M ICHI G A N SI N C E JA NUAR Y 2 0 1 1 . R E- EL E C T E D NOVE MB E R 2 0 1 4 F O R A NOTHE R F O U R Y EA R S

jobs and started to fundamentally change the way people think about Michigan.

Q: In your industry, what trends were

adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

A: I am proud to be the nation’s token CPA

Governor. My private sector background has allowed my team and I have to govern in a different manner, applying business principles and a common sense approach to ensure efficient and effective government.

In 2014, we tackled the state’s toughest of issues. We worked to help find solutions for financial emergencies, passed bipartisan healthcare reform, created more and better

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

IT GOES BACK TO THAT MESSAGE OF BEING INNOVATIVE AND DIFFERENT AND NOT AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. IT IS ABOUT MOVING THINGS FORWARD, JUST LIKE WE ARE DOING HERE IN MICHIGAN. Q: What has made it possible for you to

get where you are today?

A: My wife, Sue, and our three kids, Jeff,

Melissa and Kelsey, draw on one another for strength and support. They have been with me every step of the way. It was actually on a date night back in 2010 when Sue first suggested the idea that I run for Governor.

Our love for Michigan and our commitment to its reinvention, coupled with the positive results, helped make my first term enjoyable

F E AT U R E

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F E AT U R E

for everyone in the family and we look forward to the challenges ahead in a second term as Michigan’s First Family.

We are planning for the Federal Reserve Bank’s determination on when to raise interest rates as they work to stabilize the rates to a more normal range. Rates have been historically low at 0.25 percent since 2008 and most financial institutions are planning strategies to mitigate interest rate risk in a rising rate environment.

We also have a great team in place working together to keep Michigan moving forward.

But our state’s success depends greatly on this family of 10 million Michiganders. Back in 2010, we all had to make sacrifices to get Michigan back on the right track. Today, our sacrifices are paying off, and there is a great optimistic spirit here that says our best days are ahead.

Q: What do you think is the key to success?

A: Relentless Positive Action, or RPA,

serves as my guiding principle. RPA is this concept that we need to remain positive in our relentless pursuit of solutions. Think about it. You fail to accomplish much if you spend all of your time blaming others and looking for excuses. Could you imagine what Washington D.C. could get done if everyone there quit arguing with each other all the time?

In Michigan, we stopped fighting and worrying about who would get the credit, and instead dedicated all of our time and energy to finding positive solutions that would better the state.

Q: What would friends and family say is

your biggest quirk?

A: When I first ran for office, I was known

as ‘One Tough Nerd,’ and people said that I was a bit of a different kind of candidate.

One of the first things they noticed was that I seldom wore a necktie. Today, people recognize me without the tie, but it actually started years ago when I decided to do something a little different and stop wearing a tie. It goes back to that message of being innovative and different and not afraid to try something new. It is about moving things forward, just like we are doing here in Michigan.

26

2015 AP R IL CLO BE S E X ECU TI VE VI CE PR E S I D E N T/ C H I E F OPE R ATI N G OF F I CE R , I N COM I N G CE O, M S U F CU, 1 8 YE AR S

Q: Tell us what you plan to accomplish

in 2015?

A: MSUFCU will open its 15th branch location, which is the 13th location in the greater Lansing area in May. The branch located at Jolly and Okemos roads will be a full service branch with drive-up tellers and ATMs. Additionally, we expect to break ground on the second building located on our headquarters campus. This building will be 187,000 square feet with three stories and a basement. The building will house our call center, eServices and Information Technology departments. The building is estimated to be complete in mid-2017.

We will continue to advance our online services with updates and enhancements to our website, internet banking and mobile apps. We will be adding bill payment to the mobile app, switching from account number login to username login, revitalize the website and many more new features.

Q: What will be the biggest hurdle of 2015?

A: Our ongoing challenges will most likely continue to be the low-rate economic environment and the everchanging regulations.

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

Additionally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on track to introduce several new regulations related to the financial industry. While most of the regulations don’t directly impact the credit union because we are already in compliance or our current policies are superior to the proposed regulations, there is always an impact to the financial institution. The impact can be related to wording changes in disclosures, programming changes in the core software, new policies and procedures, etc. Our goal is to be compliant with the regulations without impacting service and access to our members.

I THINK YOU NEED TO LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND SHARE YOUR PASSION WITH OTHERS. YOU NEED TO INVEST IN PEOPLE AND THE COMMUNITY. YOU ALSO NEED TO BE WILLING TO SAY YES. TRY SOMETHING NEW, TAKE ON AN EXTRA PROJECT AND ALWAYS WORK HARD. Q: In your industry, what trends were

adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

A: I think in financial services you are beginning to see major adoption of mobile services by consumers. Many are using mobile apps for household financial management. We also have seen a large adoption of mobile check deposit.

F E AT U R E

As an industry we are seeing improved lending and access to credit for consumers and businesses. I think that this will continue to improve as the economy continues to rebound in 2015.

The ability to deliver financial service to members wherever and whenever they want it. We need to have the best service online, in person and via the phone. There are many articles written that physical locations are no longer relevant. That is simply not true.

Branches may need to look and engage the member differently, but it is critical to have a physical presence so consumers know they have somewhere to go to speak in person with an expert.

Q: What do you think the biggest Greater Lansing business story will be in 2015?

A: I am hoping that the biggest stories will focus on growth and development in our community. In order to retain and attract talent to the region, we need to continue to invest in arts, culture and access to events to continue to foster a sense of community pride where individuals want to live. I am proud to say that the credit union is a significant contributor to programs that help to create a sense of place in our region. Our programs, such as the MSUFCU Visiting Jazz Artists, bring world-renowned musicians to the MSU College of Music

to not only work with MSU Students, but also the local elementary and high school students. These programs help to change lives and possibly encourage the students to achieve their dreams.

Q: What has made it possible for you to get where you are today?

A: I am successful today because great people have believed in me, such as my boss, Patrick McPharlin. Without his mentorship, I would not have the opportunity I have today to lead the credit union in the future.

I also think that hard work, continuous learning and a willingness to take a chance has helped me excel when opportunities were presented. And, most importantly, the continuous support of my mom, who always told me I could achieve anything!

Q: What do you think is the key to success?

A: I think you need to love what you are doing and share your passion with others.

You need to invest in people and the community. You also need to be willing to say yes. Try something new, take on an extra project and always work hard.

Q: What would friends and family say is your biggest quirk?

A: There are so many! I often say, music

makes my heart happy. I love music. I have over 7,000 songs on my iPhone. And, those who really know me, would say I have an unhealthy habit of buying shoes and tote bags.

2015 TO M BRE S S E N I OR VI CE PR E S IDENT AN D CH I E F AD M I NIST RAT IVE OF F I CE R , S PAR ROW 6 YE AR S

Q: Tell us what you plan to accomplish

in 2015?

A: In 2015, we’re doing a number of

PH OTO PROVID ED

things to provide greater access to health care. First, we’ll renovate the 6th floor of the main campus providing 40 private inpatient rehabilitation rooms through our partnership with Mary Free Bed. We’ll open that by the middle of the year.

A new medical center will be created northwest of Frandor. We’re constructing a three-story building for many of our Sparrow primary care physicians, senior services, radiology services and a full service pharmacy. We will break ground on this building in early 2015.

On our main campus in downtown Lansing, we will break ground on a plaza to be located across the street from the main L

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to bring these needed capabilities to Mid-Michigan.

P H OTO P ROV ID ED

In 2015, infrastructure investments and partnership trends will likely continue.

I believe we’ll also see an increase in consumer influences in the health care industry. People like to talk about the Affordable Care Act, and other politically charged topics, but consumer demands are arguably having just as big an impact on health care change. Consumers are more often paying for their health care out of their own pocket, and therefore they want the same types of technology and service convenience they see in other industries.

This year you’ll see more and more health care institutions respond to that demand.

Q: What will be the biggest greater

Lansing story in 2015?

A: I think the biggest story has the

hospital. A new, state of the art Cancer Center will be on the first two floors of this four-story, 120,000 square foot facility. The response from the community to this news has been incredible. Cancer impacts so many people, and this Center will give patients a more spacious, comfortable, healing environment where they can access the best medical minds and technology.

We’ll also be adding parking capacity and redesigning our main campus to increase green space and make the area more walkable. We’ll be adding retail and shopping capacity, including a “Gathering Place” and expanded pharmacy in the main hospital lobby.

Q: What will be the biggest hurdle?

A: The biggest hurdles will be time and

pace. We want to accomplish so much this year, the challenge will be aligning people and resources in such a way that the projects complement each other.

Q: What trends were adopted in 2014

and do you see trends changing?

28

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU HAVE PASSION FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING, A POSITIVE APPROACH, AND YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN AND LEARN, THEN YOU HAVE MOST OF WHAT YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL .

A: The biggest trend in the health care

industry is the movement of health care providers to focus more on population health management. The best way to control health care costs is to improve the health and wellness of your community.

It takes significant infrastructure investments for health care institutions to make this shift, and we saw a lot of that investing occur across the industry in 2014. At Sparrow we’ve invested in technology infrastructure as well as in partnerships with industry leaders like the Mayo Clinic and Mary Free Bed

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

potential to be the coming together of different entities across the region to collaborate toward community goals.

We have so many strong businesses headquartered in the Lansing area, as well as great educational institutions and civic leaders. Efforts like the Capitol Corridor and other partnerships and developments are exciting, and I think you’ll see more of these things take off.

Q: What has made it possible for you to

get here?

A: Everything I get to do would not be

possible without so many incredible physicians, nurses, caregivers and support people at Sparrow. More and more patients want to come to Sparrow because of our great caregivers, and that demand and growth drives the projects that my team gets to deploy. I also have a terrific team of people who have a track record of success. When your team delivers value, you pretty quickly have demand for more.

Q: What is the key to success?

A: I believe that if you have passion for

what you are doing, a positive approach, and you are willing to listen and learn, then you have most of what you need to be successful.

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F E AT U R E

Q: What would family, friends and

coworkers say is your biggest quirk?

A: My family thinks it’s pretty odd that

P H OTO B Y V IRG INIA B ER NERO

most days I get up at 4 a.m. And they think it’s even more odd that if I should happen to “sleep in” until 7 or 8 on the weekend I often feel disappointed that I missed a big part of the day.

Mayor Virg Bernero, Frank Koss, Joel Ferguson and Bob Trezise signing the Red Cedar Renaissance agreement.

A: Overcoming the barriers and breaking

2015 V IRG B E R NE RO MAYO R OF LANS I N G 9 Y E ARS

down the siloes that make progress on regional cooperation, collaboration and consolidation dishearteningly slow.

WITH THE HELP OF MY TEAM, 2015 WILL BE A BANNER YEAR FOR LANSING AS THE

Q: Tell us what you plan to accomplish

ECONOMY CONTINUES

in 2015?

TO PICK UP STEAM AND

A: With the help of my team, 2015 will be

a banner year for Lansing as the economy continues to pick up steam and investors launch new projects that will grow our economy, strengthen our tax base and create jobs. We will continue to transform our capital city into a next generation urban center that attracts and retains young talent, builds a strong sense of place through public investments in arts and culture, strengthens our housing stock to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and celebrates the rich diversity that makes our community so strong and resilient.

Q: What will be the biggest hurdle

of 2015?

30

are working to reinvent cities for a new era that requires us to focus on rebuilding our critical infrastructure, driving innovation and entrepreneurship and adapting to the rapid pace of technological progress. These trends will continue in 2015 and beyond.

INVESTORS LAUNCH NEW PROJECTS THAT WILL GROW OUR ECONOMY, STRENGTHEN OUR TAX BASE

Q: What do you think the biggest

Greater Lansing business story will be in 2015?

A: The Red Cedar Renaissance and the

arrival of the Chevy Camaro at GM’s Lansing Grand River assembly plant.

Q: What has made it possible for you to

get where you are today?

A: Family and faith.

Q: What do you think is the key

to success?

AND CREATE JOBS.

A: Planning, perseverance and a little bit

Q: In your industry or position, what

What would friends and family say is your biggest quirk?

trends were adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

A: As cities across the country emerge from

the Great Recession, mayors everywhere

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

of luck.

My obsession with Italian gelato!

F E AT U R E

Q: In your industry, what trends were

adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

markets. Each area is now quickly approaching the next level of critical mass, which will only continue to support and encourage this growing movement.

A: In 2014 we saw the momentum build

2015 PATR I C K K. G I L L E S P I E GI LLE S P IE G ROU P PRES ID E NT, CE LE B R AT I N G 20 YE ARS

for both business and residents seeking an urban footprint. After years of suburban sprawl, we have seen the attentions move back to downtown corridors. In 2014 we were able to fill 236,000 square feet of office and retail space all in downtown areas! Also, in 2014 our residential units were all brought on line within the urban core and we are thrilled to say that they are all thriving!

in 2015?

Continuing to build upon the momentum that has been put in motion over the last couple of years, we see 2015 having great promise. We have multiple projects currently in the pre-development stages and look forward to bringing a number of those to fruition over the next year. Our main area of focus will be within the Stadium District boundaries. We envision bringing on even more residential rental units as well as entertainment focused venues to compliment and service the growing demand.

A:

Greater Lansing business story will be in 2015?

A: My prediction: In Dec. of 2015 the

biggest story in the Lansing area will be that the MSU football team will be preparing to play in the college football playoff system for the National Championship!

SUCCESS YOU MUST

As far as the biggest greater Lansing business story in 2015: After having 12 consecutive months of good news in regard to new employment, new manufacturing facilities, new hotels and housing coming on line and with our regional medical center expansion underway the feeling of optimism and momentum will be felt by many and will help to set the foundation for an explosive 10 year run for our region.

STAND STRONG IN YOUR

Q: What has made it possible for you to

We see that trend accelerating in 2015. If you have driven to Detroit, Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo recently it is obvious that the growth is happening in the downtown

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE Q: Tell us what you plan to accomplish

Q: What do you think the biggest

BELIEFS AND VISION AND BE COMMITTED TO SEEING SOMETHING THROUGH. SIMPLY PUT, DON’T GIVE UP!

get where you are today?

A: I have had the great fortune of being

able to surround myself with great people; both professionally and personally. This has been a key ingredient in helping me take my visions and bring them to reality. Taking risk comes natural to me, which can be

Q: What will be the biggest hurdle of

2015?

Focus! Being an entrepreneurial company, we are motivated to do a lot in a tight timeframe. As a company and team, we will be charging ourselves with the mission of investing both our financial and human resources on those developments/ projects that will bring the most impact.

Personally it will be to ensure that my kids and family remain my focus. With a senior in high school this year I am really trying to enjoy all of the special moments with them.

PH OTO PROVID ED

A:

The Marketplace is a new apartment complex in the Lansing area.

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F E AT U R E

good, and well, risky! To my great benefit I have been able to draw from each one of my experiences and learn with every single step.

Together, with the team we have assembled, we are able to leverage our successes from those initial building blocks and continue to do so.

Q: What do you think is the key

to success?

A: First and foremost, I would say having a

strong passion for what you do and always staying true to who you are. In order to achieve success you must stand strong in your beliefs and vision and be committed to seeing something through. Simply put, don’t give up! For someone that is driven to reach high levels of success you must also learn to have some patience; some things take a little longer than you would like! Setting goals and making sure you are focused on the ‘bigger picture’ is also something that I think is key.

My father and I started the company in 1998 with the purchase of Michigan National Tower, renamed it Boji Tower, which retains its status as the tallest building in Lansing and figures prominently on the Capitol’s skyline.

Q: Tell us what you plan to accomplish

in 2015?

A: I plan to complete a number of projects

in the Lansing and greater Detroit area that have been in the works for some time. We are going to work to continue to grow our property management and construction management arm where we feel our attention to detail allows us to have our tenants be number one, making us proud to be number two.

TRULY BELIEVING IN COLLABORATION AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE

Q: What would friends and family say is

your biggest quirk?

PARTNERSHIPS THAT SERVE

A: Wanting to do so much when there

THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL

aren’t enough hours in the day. Never want to say “no.” Staying focused (shiny object syndrome.)

INVOLVED, BUILDING LONGTERM RELATIONSHIPS THAT

2015

ALLOW GIVE AND TAKE ON INDIVIDUAL TRANSACTIONS AND A STRONG WORK ETHIC AND UNWAVERING DRIVE TO SUCCEED.

Q: What will be the biggest hurdle

of 2015?

A: Finding the right projects, the ones

RON B OJI , P R E S I D E N T BO J I G ROU P, LLC 26 YE AR S

34

that best fit with our company’s strengths and goals — following a pursue, rather than chase strategy.

The availability of and access to economic incentives for challenging projects to make them a successful outcome.

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

Q: In your industry, what trends were

adopted in 2014 and how do you see trends changing in 2015?

A: A continued trend in all business lines

is the proper marriage between personal connection and utilization of modern technology.

Q: What do you think the biggest

Greater Lansing business story will be in 2015?

A: How downtown Lansing looked only 15

years ago, and how different it will look 15 years from now. The foundation has been built. What we do with that opportunity in the next 15 years is up to the leaders that care about the community.

Q: What has made it possible for you to

get where you are today?

A: I have been blessed with awesome

family and friends that provide me not only with steadfast support, but also lively debate and mentorship. I have surrounded myself with great people — a majority of my employees and consultants have been with me for 10 years or more. Some of which I even inherited when I bought the tower in 1998.

Q: What do you think is the key to

success?

A: Truly believing in collaboration and

public-private partnerships that serve the best interest of all involved, building long-term relationships that allow give and take on individual transactions and a strong work ethic and unwavering drive to succeed.

Q: What would friends and family say is

your biggest quirk?

A: My staff unanimously says that it is my

persistence. I guess you could take that any number of ways.

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Capitol Region to Host Record-Breaking Numbers in 2015

BY BRENDAN DWYER , C TA

W

hat does a tourist look like? How does one know when someone is a visitor to a given area? When they’re wearing a Hawaiian shirt and big mouse ears in Orlando, it’s pretty easy. In other locations it’s more difficult. While it’s maybe a little harder to spot a visitor here, the fact is tourism in Greater Lansing is big business — and 2015 is shaping up to be a year for the record books.

THE N U M B E R S TE L L T H E S TO R Y

According to a 2013 study performed by the Anderson Economic Group, the Greater Lansing region welcomes 4.7 million visitors every year, generating an annual economic impact of over $472 million dollars. While that influx of outside spending is great for local businesses, there is more. Lots of local jobs. Research shows that over 6,400 Greater Lansing area 36

residents work in fields that help support visitors to the area. Last year, Greater Lansing residents earned $140 million in wages working in the tourism industry and then used that money building a life in our community. A healthy tourism industry helps provide significant tax relief for area residents as well. Guests to our region pay taxes on fuel, lodging, food and much more. The total is an average of over $22 million dollars in state taxes annually and $395 million dollars to the Greater Lansing GDP. WH Y DO TH E Y V IS IT?

Of course thousands come each year to visit our local attractions like museums, galleries and the State Capitol Building.

Millions more travel to the region to visit family attending Michigan State University or to attend a Spartan sports

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

event. But it doesn’t stop there. An increasingly large number of the visitors to the Greater Lansing area, especially those that stay numerous days in area hotels, are visiting for a conference, sports tournament or convention. Why and how do these groups choose Greater Lansing?

Enter the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau (GLCVB) and the Greater Lansing Sports Authority (GLSA); local non-profit entities dedicated to retaining, recruiting and assisting with meetings, tournaments and events for the area. How is that accomplished? The GLCVB/GLSA’s efforts are two-fold: One, marketing Greater Lansing to event professionals and tournament rights holders across the country as a potential host-city and two, working with local organizations and clubs to make events already held in the area bigger and better than ever.

F E AT U R E

AN INCREASINGLY LARGE NUMBER OF THE VISITORS TO THE GREATER LANSING AREA, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT STAY NUMEROUS DAYS IN AREA HOTELS, ARE VISITING FOR A CONFERENCE, SPORTS TOURNAMENT OR CONVENTION.

PLA NTING S E E D S FO R T H E F U T U R E

With one of the longest sales cycles you’ll find, seeds planted in the destination marketing industry often don’t bear fruit for several years. After all, choosing the destination is just one of many key

components of planning an event for 100, 1,000 or even 10,000 attendees. All that said, the seeds have taken hold, creating an event orchard of sorts and bringing about the busiest convention year in Greater Lansing since the GLCVB was founded in 1960.

B I G G ROU PS , BIGGE R IMPACT

Key groups coming to the area include the National Order of the Arrow, scouting’s second-largest national event, bringing over 17,000 visitors to East Lansing in August and $3.5 million in economic impact. Then consider Odyssey of the Mind; a massive international event held in the area every other year bringing 8,000 competitors and 10,000 coaches, officials and family members as well as an influx of $8 million for the local economy. The 2015 USA Girls Hockey Tier II National Championships will bring 36 teams and over 2,500 coaches, family and fans to the

area. Did you know there is a conference for people that plan conferences? It’s called OrgPro, and when it comes to downtown Lansing in June 2015, the over 400 event professionals in attendance will be evaluating the Capitol region as a potential host for future events. These are just a few of the over 200 events headed to the Capital Region in this recordsmashing 2015.

So to finally answer the question — what does a tourist in Greater Lansing look like? In 2015, simply look around. One is probably sitting right next to you.

Brendan Dwyer is the Manager of Marketing Communications with the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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F E AT U R E

Old Town Business Celebrates 30th Anniversary

BY JA SON GRADWOH L

B

uff N’ Shine Professional Textile and Floor Care is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. President Joseph Gradwohl founded the business in his East Lansing home in October 1984 with the goal of becoming the region’s service provider for cleaning home and office flooring and textiles.

Buff N’ Shine helps homeowners and businesses maintain their investments in carpets, upholstery, vinyl, ceramic, masonry and marble stone flooring to create a healthier indoor environment.

“I’m proud of the 30 years of service I’ve provided to the Lansing area, and appreciative of the many regular clients and their referrals that rely on Buff N’ Shine to keep their homes and businesses clean,” Gradwohl says.

I am also extremely grateful to my wonderful crew who deliver our outstanding services. Manuel Garcia Sr. has been with me for over 26 years making sure my clients have the best floor care. Luther Barbza has been with me over 10 years, giving us a combined

experience of 66 years serving the Greater Lansing community.

Buff N’ Shine has excelled in an extremely competitive market by providing high-quality service, including free consultations and recommended cleaning schedules, and a satisfaction guarantee. Gradwohl is an advocate of consumer education and publishes a quarterly newsletter in which he shares tips to extend the life of carpeting upholstery and flooring.

To stay on the cutting edge of fastchanging technology, Gradwohl regularly attends training and certification programs offered by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and trains his staff on new cleaning technologies and environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions.

The Physician Loan from Dart Bank Helping those who help others

The Physician Loan is a residential mortgage loan specifically created for licensed doctors to help make obtaining mortgage financing easier.

• No down payment • No mortgage insurance required • Available to medical doctors and residents

Anyone interested in Buff N’ Shine’s services can call (517) 351-3436, or visit buffnshine.net or buffandshinefloors.com.

The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

www.dartbank.com

Joe Gradwohl is owner of Buff N’ Shine, a professional textile, carpet cleaning , and floor care business serving homeowners in the Lansing, Michigan area since 1984.

Give us a call at 517.853.5100 to find out more about your lending options.

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G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

With three employees, Buff N’ Shine services Lansing, Dimondale, Grand Ledge, Dewitt, East Lansing, Haslett, Okemos, Williamston and Mason. His clients include medical and dental service providers, office buildings and busy homeowners who want to protect their investments through natural stone flooring restoration, marble floor polishing, vinyl floor care, ceramic tile and grout cleaning, carpet, upholstery textile cleaning and wool area rugs.

JANUARY 2015

ENTREPRENEURS UNITE

GREATER LANSING BUSINESS MONTHLY PRESENTS THE 2015 ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED NOW Once a nomination has been received, follow up contact will be made by a member of the selection committee.

Deadline: Jan. 15, 2015

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GLBM LIST

New Businesses in the Region in 2014 Each month, The Greater Lansing Business Monthly compiles a list relevant to the publication’s theme. The lists are not comprehensive, but rather, a snapshot look at what is publicly available on various industries and organizations. The following is a list of new businesses in the region in 2014.

Name

Address

City

Services/Products

Amari’s Cleaning Service

1218 Burr St.

Jackson, MI

Cleaning

Apple Store

Eastwood Towne Centre, 3003 Preyde Blvd.

Lansing, MI

Computers and Electronics

Bikram Yoga

1355 East Grand River Ave.

East Lansing, MI

Yoga Teaching and Practise

Creative Mugs and More!

127 Willow St.

Springport, MI

Print Media Promotion

D.C.H. Construction

3122 Matthews St.

Jackson, MI

Construction/Home Improvement

Fahrenheit Salon

145 South Main St.

Eaton Rapids, MI

Salon

Firehouse Subs

200 South Washington Sq.

Lansing, MI

Sub Shop

Front 43

3415 East Saginaw St.

Lansing, MI

Bar and Pub

H&M

Meridian Mall, 1982 West Grand River Ave.

Okemos, MI

Swedish Retailer

HEAT Blow Dry and Beauty Boutique

2900 Hannah Blvd.

East Lansing, MI

Salon and Boutique

Hollow Mountain

611 East Grand River Ave.

East Lansing, MI

Comic and Board Game store

Sweet Lorraine’s Fabulous Mac N’ Cheese

Grand River Ave.

East Lansing, MI

Gourmet Mac and Cheese Restaurant

Lou & Harry’s Grill & Bakery

1429 West Saginaw St.

East Lansing, MI

Grill and Bakery

Mark’s Gourmet Hot Dogs

Lansing Mall, 5330 West Saginaw Highway,

Lansing, MI

Gourmet Hot Dogs

Polka Dots Bead-A-Full Boutique

1207 Turner St.

Lansing, MI

Red Fox Comics

723 Brookside Dr.

Lansing, MI

Comics and Games

The Runway

300 South Washington Sq.

Lansing, MI

Fashion Showroom featuring Michigan Based Designer products

S2

1982 West Grand River Ave.

Okemos, MI

Sephora

2916 Towne Centre Blvd.

Lansing, MI

Beauty Retailer

Strange Matter Coffee

2001 East Michigan Ave.

Lansing, MI

Coffee Shop

Tavern and Tap

101 S Washington Sq.

Lansing, MI

Tavern and Bar

We Love Kids N Dogs

1982 West Grand River Ave.

Okemos, MI

Pet Store and Collectable Shop

Whipped Bakery

1216 Turner St.

Lansing, MI

Bakery

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G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

Beads and jewelry-making items, along with home goods and women’s accessories

Value priced women’s clothing store for teens through their thirties.

GLBM LIST

Building Partnerships Into Innovative Solutions We are a progressive real estate development, property and construction management firm, providing commercial services for over 16 years.

Proudly headquartered in the heart of Lansing, we specialize in creating public-private partnerships and producing inventive solutions to achieve project goals. We can meet your real estate needs.

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Boji Tower – 21st Floor

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124 W. Allegan Street Lansing, Michigan 48933

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517.377.3000

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www.bojigroup.com

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“

“

HE SAID/SHE SAID

He Said She Said

Each month The Greater Lansing Business Monthly invites authors from two views — one conservative, one liberal — to share their thoughts on a rotating topic. This month’s topic: What organization do you see making a positive impact in 2015 and why?

MSU NEEDS A THRIVING AND, YES, “COOL” PLACE WITH MODERN HOUSING OPTIONS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN FACULTY AND PROFESSIONALS.

THE KEY TO GROWTH

By Joseph Maguire

Keep a close eye on MSU as it rolls out tools to help the Lansing region become a more vibrant community on a par with its own rising star.

Their offer, free for the taking, is leadership, consensus building and analytical tools to transform the Grand River/Michigan Avenue corridor into a World Class Built Environment.

Knowledge workers, the key to growth, demand functional, attractive places with livable neighborhoods containing diverse housing. Proximity to restaurants, shopping and services is essential.

The MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction has worked closely with residents, governments, economic 42

developers and builders to guide development decisions along this vital corridor.

With this input in hand, they have created a digital tool to measure the economic impact and return on investment of development geared to the actual needs of both current residents and young professionals.

MSU needs a thriving and, yes, “cool” place with modern housing options to recruit and retain faculty and professionals. The same is true of business’ efforts to sell Lansing to job candidates. Our insurance companies, for example, are working feverishly to recruit educated young professionals. They lose more than they land. Let’s change that.

It’s an open question as to whether the plan will gain traction. Lansing and East Lansing have not always cooperated, though recent agreements to share services are encouraging signs.

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

And there are many other stake holders involved — notably neighborhood associations. Indeed, we are all stake holders, no matter where we live and work in the region.

My own sense is the biggest obstacle lies in East Lansing’s bewildering notion that a Big 10 town is most livable with students out of sight, out of mind.

Far flung pockets have emerged to house these student exiles, denying downtown East Lansing the critical mass to put the core in any corridor. Reasonable minds need to dispense with this nonsense.

Our community has the ability to embrace the grand idea — consider the Blue Ribbon Committee to Retain GM. Facing regional economic peril at the loss of our automobile manufacturing, once-adversarial local governments, labor and management joined to forge and execute the plan that resulted in the creation of two new GM manufacturing plants.

I was at that table, and have every confidence we may likewise look to the future with the corridor that links our region’s other two defining heritages — Michigan’s Capital City and Michigan State University.

Joseph Maguire is President & CEO of Wolverine Development Corporation in East Lansing. He holds a MS in Urban Planning and Development from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.

HE SAID/SHE SAID

three years occurring at the beginning of every January. It was also suggested that fines could be doubled for truck weight limit violations. The overall plan should result in an average funding increase of 73 percent by 2018.

IN THE LONG-TERM WE’RE

Although this topic has prompted lots of discussion, and will ultimately decided by the voters, I think we can all agree that we have a problem that needs to be addressed. In the long-term we’re looking at additional jobs coming to the area, less repair bills and fewer accidents. It’s time to take action — your car will thank you for it.

LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL JOBS COMING TO THE

Kelly Ritter is a graduate of Michigan State University. She currently works at M3 Group as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications. M3 Group is a full-service branding agency that specializes in creating and implementing integrated marketing and advertising services to help brand businesses forward. For more information email kelly@ m3group.biz.

AREA, LESS REPAIR BILLS YOUR CAR WILL THANK YOU

By Kelly Ritter

AND FEWER ACCIDENTS. IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION

Everybody hates potholes. And because of this, I think roads will be a huge topic of discussion this year. They ruin tires and put unnecessary wear and tear on your vehicle. I don’t know about you but on my way to work I know exactly what lane to be in and when, based on the pothole-path in front of me. I know when I need to drive near the right side of the lane, I know that there’s a large gaping hole about a hundred yards from that one stop light (that’s usually when I change lanes) and I know that if I take one side street over another my car will be happier because of how many less potholes I’ll have to hit.

— YOUR CAR WILL THANK YOU FOR IT.

FOCUSED LEGAL STRATEGIES FOR YOUR BUSINESS

I think that one of the largest changes coming our way in 2015 is going to involve the road repairs needed in Michigan.

We’ve been talking about the need for this for a while now. We have crumbling roads and bridges that aren’t safe to drive on.

A plan was proposed at the end of last year by the state government to help ease this problem and raise the necessary funds needed for the infrastructure repairs. It was suggested that the money needed to foot the bill could come from eliminating the current 19 cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and 15 cents-per-gallon diesel fuel tax at the pump and replace it with a tax charged on gasoline wholesalers instead.

They plan is to increase the wholesale tax by two percent each year for the next

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MAN ON THE STREET

M AN on the STR E ET 2014 best questions and answers COMP IL ED BY K YL E D O W L I N G

How did you choose your home?

“I considered price. I wanted a fenced in yard, a good community and a good location. Being a reasonable distance from downtown Lansing was a high priority.”

Inna Musser What can we do as a state to attract more young talent?

“We need to make more incentives for people to move here and have a more vibrant downtown. Our downtown needs to have more stores than just restaurants, and the downtown area definitely needs another hotel. We need to make sure that the area is familyfriendly so that people that move here will feel comfortable staying in the city and starting a family, and not have them living outside the city. We used to have retail and grocery stores and movie theaters downtown but they’ve all moved outside the downtown area.”

Denise Peek What do you think of the Pure Michigan campaign?

“I’d like to see more touristy spots around Michigan, especially around northern Detroit. I hear really good things from visiting family.”

John Raber Why did you choose your financial institution?

“I’m a fan of credit unions because they are member owned.”

Rick Pluta What was the most important thing you learned in school?

“The most important thing that I was taught in school would have to be typing. Everybody needs to type nowadays.”

Ami Barkholz What do you do locally for entertainment?

“I usually go to bars and I go to a lot of Lugnuts games.”

kevin green

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G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

Michigan’s capital area is a vibrant and dynamic business community.

Taking on a proactive role, local companies are investing in the future of greater Lansing. General Motors and Capital Area Michigan Works! are working together to grow the region’s talent base and help our community thrive. Together, Capital Area Michigan Works! and General Motors are committed to creating a world-class workforce.

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Williamston – A Destination for all Seasons

BY LAURA HAW

W

In the spring, Williamston hosts the annual Memorial Day Parade, which runs along Grand River Ave. (M-43) through the historic and quaint downtown. Spring also kicks-off the start of the Farmers’ Market season. A growing attraction, the Williamston Farmers’ Market is located in McCormick Park, just one block north of the historic downtown core. A variety of vendors offer fresh produce, baked goods, crafts and nursery and garden supplies.

Indulging in a scoop of ice cream from the renowned MSU Dairy vendor, Farmers’ Market attendees can participate in events such as Nature Discoveries, 4-H Day, Dog Day and enjoy live music.

During the summer, when the treelined streets of downtown are in fullbloom, Williamston provides the perfect atmosphere for outside shopping and dining at any one of its unique restaurants and boutique shops. While walking downtown, you will take in the friendly atmosphere that people find contagious.

Smiling and saying hello to folks in passing is a common occurrence that immediately welcomes you and makes you a part of this community. Additionally, the City’s recent sale of the former public works building to a local brewer will soon result in Williamston having its own local brew pub (slated to open early 2015). With indoor and outdoor seating, the brew pub will be a hot spot for enjoying craft brews and small menu options. At night, catch a professional theatre production at the multi-award winning Williamston Theatre or a first-run film at the historic Sun Theater.

Other summer events include The Red Cedar Jubilee, ArtFest on the River, Dog Days of Summer, Grub Crawls and the 46

P H OTO P ROV ID ED

illiamston is a year-round destination with a variety of attractions, events, festivals and parades for both residents and visitors to enjoy in every season.

Williamston provides the perfect atmosphere for outside shopping and dining at any one of its unique restaurants and boutique shops.

Thursday Summer Concert Series which are held at the band shell in McCormick Park. Nestled along the Red Cedar River, McCormick Park offers waterfront views and recreation activities including walking trails, sand volleyball courts, pickleball courts, playground equipment and a fishing pier and boat launch. Visitors can also enjoy displays of public art located throughout the Park. Trees fallen to the Emerald Ash Borer were trimmed and shaped into wood sculptures from artisans across the globe, even as far away as Japan.

In the fall and winter months, as the holiday lights, garlands and bows decorate downtown, Williamston offers events such as Trick-or-Treat with Downtown Merchants, Small Business Saturday, Ladies Night Out and the Gingerbread Jamboree. At the Holiday Light Parade (named one of the top five in Michigan in 2014) over 50 innovatively designed floats are lit and parade down Grand River Ave., to the delight of spectators each year.

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

No matter what season you enjoy most: spring, summer, fall or winter, there is a reason to make Williamston your destination. With entertainment that will excite and engage audiences of all ages, a variety of eclectic and traditional boutiques, artisan workshops and galleries, restaurants and cafes, Downtown Williamston has something for everyone.

We encourage you to come see for yourself all that Williamston has to offer.

Laura Haw is a professional urban planner from McKenna Associates, a community planning consultant. Ms. Haw has served as the Community Planning Director and Downtown Development Authority Director for the City of Williamston since early 2014.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

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L E G I S L AT I V E U P D AT E

News, Notes and a Few Comments From the State Capitol

BY ROB BAYKIAN

B ODY C A ME R A S F O R S TAT E L AW E N F O RCE ME N T OF FIC E R S

A bill has been introduced in the Michigan House to require all state law enforcement officers to wear a body video camera.

House Republican Tom McMillan says, his bill will help create a clear record of all police interactions with the public.

McMillan says “camera’s don’t lie and they hold no bias.”

He adds that it will protect both Michigan citizens and law enforcement personnel from any misrepresentation of the facts, following a confrontation.

Also, under the bill, if a copy of a video is requested, the individual who is the subject of the recording must give consent for the video to be released. A recording must be retained up to three years in incidents involving use of force, if an arrest was made, a complaint was filed against an officer or the person videotaped requests that it be flagged and retained. Otherwise, the law enforcement agency is only required to retain the data for two weeks. The officer would be permitted to turn the camera off during personal time such as lunch and use of the restroom under the proposal.

The cameras would be financed by the Michigan State Police, under the proposal. Some local police departments are already using body cameras.

Michigan now ranks fourth highest among states which allow for exemptions. Nearly all states allow for religious exemptions. That’s been a long-time policy for sure. But Michigan is also one of just 18 states that allows exemptions based on personal or philosophical beliefs.

Certainly people have to know, and be concerned about, allergies to vaccinations and the like, and should respond accordingly.

But often the criticism we hear doesn’t seem to be aimed at that. Instead it’s a kind of unfocused, unscientific fear of vaccinations.

I hope those beliefs aren’t based on some of the opinions that appears in the blogosphere. These often don’t mention the dangers of not being vaccinated.

IMME DIATE JA IL TIME F O R DRIV E RS UNDER T HE IN F L U E N CE O F DRU GS

THE VAC C I NATI ON D E B AT E CO N T I N U E S

It wasn’t that long ago when new and effective vaccines were universally hailed and sought.

Scientists like Dr. Jonas Salk, of polio vaccine fame, were heroes.

But is that the case today?

Only 72 percent of children in Michigan are fully immunized.

Talk shows and blog sites seem to consistently carry some sort of commentary about the “dangers” of vaccinations, with nonscientists dismissing certain vaccines without producing their own peer-reviewed studies.

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Governor Rick Snyder has signed legislation into law that sponsors say will ensure immediate jail time for repeat offenders of Michigan’s laws against driving while under the influence of drugs.

The measure is in response to the deaths of Russell Ward and Koby Raymo of Avoca who were killed in a head-on collision with a repeat drugged driver.

The new law places a conditional bond on drivers who are arrested for operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs. The bond is also entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network. The law requires drugged motorists to be given a permit license similar to a drunken driving offense.

JANUARY 2015

L E G I S L AT I V E U P D AT E

N U CL E AR WAS T E S TO R E D I N CAN A DA?

INCOME TA X WITHHOLDING LOT T E R Y W I N N E R S

Seventy-six Michigan communities and local governments in Canada and other U.S. states have approved resolutions that oppose the construction of a repository in Canada that will store low and medium level nuclear waste.

A Michigan Auditor General’s report says the Michigan Lottery should consider withholding income taxes for anyone who wins $600 or higher on a ticket.

The U.S. House and Senate have also approved similar resolutions urging President Obama to oppose the facility.

No surprise there, since, for example, most internet shoppers in Michigan don’t report their purchases in the use tax section of their tax form. Michigan loses a lot more revenue from that kind of sale, for sure. We’ll update that in future columns.

State Senate Republican Phil Pavlov of St. Clair says underground storage of low and intermediate level nuclear waste less than a mile from Lake Huron poses a threat to health and the environment.

But Ontario Power Generation, which has planned the repository, disagrees, saying it is safer underground than it is in ground-level storage chambers, which is where it is now stored. And they note that they don’t plan to store “high level” nuke waste at the site.

Pavlov doesn’t necessarily believe that. He says spending a lot of money on a sophisticated storage site could create a slippery slope from “medium level” to “high level” waste.

MICHIGAN RANKS E N E RG Y J O B S

AMONG

TO P

TEN

IN

CLEAN

A new report from an environmental group says that Michigan ranks among the top ten states in clean energy jobs.

The report comes from the group Environmental Entrepreneurs.

It’s based on the number of new clean energy job announcements during the second quarter of this year.

The analysis also includes clean transportation jobs.

FOR

MICHIGAN

Currently, withholding doesn’t start until the winning ticket is worth $5,000 or more. If the threshold were moved down to $600, it would mean another $4.6 million for the state treasury.

Self-reporting is required for the winners below $600, but it’s believed a lot of winners don’t report it.

GO -TO PL ACE F O R VOTIN G A DV ICE

Again there was another election, and again I’m confronted by those from outside the capital loop who asked me beforehand who they should vote for, because they don’t understand the state issues brought up in the TV ads.

I tell them if they really want to understand them to go to websites, voter guides or traditional media they trust for information.

But if they ask me where I go, I often say only one place: The Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Senior Research Associate, Craig Their boasts that the small “think tank” has “no dog in the fight,” which is both music to my ears, as well as increasingly rare (who doesn’t have a dog in the fight these days?) They also don’t hire themselves out. They’re not the only brains on the political block by far, but their studies never seem to be linked to any effort to pass a bill, or put a slant on a controversy.

And no, they’re not sending me even a small check. They probably couldn’t afford it anyway.

Rob Baykian is director of news and operations at the 67-station Michigan Radio Network. He has been covering the Capitol since 1981.

Others in the top ten are: Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota and Utah.

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SPONSORED BY SIENA

Siena’s 2015 Financial Planning Desk Guide

T

he following is a non-exhaustive list of frequently requested financial, education and estate tax planning numbers for the 2015 tax year. This list is designed as a desk reference for use at home or at the office.

We encourage you to use this guide in collaboration with your accountant or tax professional. Siena Wealth Advisors will update this tax guide every January in the Greater Lansing Business Monthly.

IN C OME TA X & CAP I TAL G AI N S RATE S , W I TH D E D U CT I O N S FILING STATUS

RATE (%)

2015 TAXABLE INCOME ($) BRACKETS

Single

10

1 – 9,225

15

9,226 – 37,450

Married

25

37,451 – 90,750

28

90,751 – 189,300

33

189,301 – 411,500

35

411,501 – 413,200

39.6

Over 413,201

10

1 – 18,450

15

18,451 – 74,900

25

74,901 – 151,200

28

151,201 – 230,450

33

230,451 – 411,500

35

411,501 – 464,850

39.6

Over 464,851

Personal Exemption: $4,000 Itemized Deduction Phase-Out: Joint start at $309,900 Itemized Medical Expense Deductions: Subject to 10% floor for un-reimbursed medical expenses

• 56.5 cents per mile for business miles driven • 24 cents per mile driven for medical or moving expenses • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations • 2015 rates not available as of publication time

SOCIAL SECURITY EARNINGS LIMIT $15,720

Full retirement age

unlimited

IRA TRADITIONAL & ROTH CONTRIBUTION Standard

$5,500

50 & over catch up

$1,000

SIMPLE DEFERRAL LIMIT $12,500

Long Term Capital Gains Rate: 20/15/0%, plus 3.8% for taxpayers with over $250,000 AGI Married filing jointly

$3,000

Standard

$18,000

STANDARD DEDUCTIONS

50 & over catch up

$6,000

$12,600

Joint

183,001 – 193,000

Maximum Annual Payout at Age 62 from a Defined Benefit Plan: $210,000 Maximum Annual Contribution to a Defined Contribution Account: $53,000 Maximum Annual Compensation that can be used to determine benefits or contributions under a Qualified Plan: $265,000 Test to Identify Highly Compensated Employees: $120,000

Student Loan Interest: $2,500 PE RS O N A L RE S IDE N C E MAXIMUM EXCLUSION FOR SALE OF A RESIDENCE (OCCUPIED 2 OUT OF 5 YEARS)

FICA & Self-Employment: Taxable wages for Social Security/Medicare $118,500 / All

50

Not full retirement age

Standard

Joint Return

$116,001 – 131,000

E DU CATIO N S AV IN GS TAX RATE S

RE T IRE ME N T RATE S

50 & over catch up

$6,300

Single / Head of household

Mileage Rates (2014)

Qualified Dividends: 20/15/0%, plus 3.8% for taxpayers with over $250,000 AGI Married filing jointly

Single

ESTIMATED ROTH IRA PHASE-OUT

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

401(K) DEFERRAL LIMIT

HSA CONTRIBUTION LIMIT Self only / Family

$3,350 / 6,650

55 & over catch up

$1,000

JANUARY 2015

Single

$250,000

Married filing Jointly

$500,000

Home Mortgage Interest Deduction: $1,000,000 (maximum amount of note) Home Equity Interest Deduction: $100,000 (maximum amount of note) GIF T & E S TATE TA X Annual Gift Tax Exclusion: $14,000 ($28,000 for joint gift) Estate Tax Applicable amount: $5,430,000 (est.)

Exclusion

Maximum Estate Tax Rate: 40%

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BUSINESS CALENDAR

January 2015 BUSINESS EVENTS 2014 HOLIDAY EXHIBITION, LANSING. Visit the Lansing Art Gallery for the 2014 Holiday Exhibition. This is an opportunity for the public to not only view, but also purchase art from over 100 different established and emerging artists. Items will include: fine art, jewelry, sculpture, pottery and more. Visit the Lansing Art Gallery Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and the first Sunday of December from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit lansingartgallery.org or call (517) 374-6400.

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LOSE WEIGHT WITH INCREASED AWARENESS AND HYPNOSIS, EAST LANSING. Join Alliance Obstetrics & Gynecology and Aspen Bernath-Plaisted every Tuesday for four weeks for Lose Weight Now With Increased Awareness and Stephen Vermeersch, Elizabeth Balmer and Brock Hypnosis. This four-week session will give you the skills you need Rucinski attending the Lansing Regional Chamber Economic in order to achieve your ideal weight. Each class will be followed by Club luncheon. a hypnosis session to reinforce and enhance the information.

Classes will be every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. The cost for the four-week course is $60/person. Call (517) 651-5725.

CONNECTIONS AND COFFEE, EC T I NN LANSING. The Greater Lansing Business Monthly and the University Club of THE GREATER LANSING MSU host Connections and Coffee on Tuesday, AREA DR. MARTIN LUTHER Feb. 3 at the University Club. Enjoy a light KING JR. 30TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION breakfast, fresh, delicious coffee and the chance LUNCHEON, LANSING. Join the Greater to start your morning off right by networking.

N Lansing Area Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Event is free, please email virginia@m3group.biz D F COF Commission for the 30th Anniversary Celebration to register.

Luncheon in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event will take place at the Lansing Center, located at 333 East Michigan Avenue, with the program beginning at 11 a.m.

Tickets are $40/person or $320/table of eight. Visit lansingcenter.

HOW TO DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER com or call (517) 483-7637.

SERVICE, LANSING. In this informative one-day class you will learn how to turn every customer into an ally, outdo your competition, eliminate negative situations and overcome HUMAN RESOURCES COURSE, LANSING. burnout and stress. Pryor’s trained professionals will help your Have you been newly assigned to HR? If so, this company get on track to the road of success. This course will be course is for you. You will learn about FLSA, EEO, FMLA and held at Best Western Plus, located at 6820 South Cedar Street, ADA; record keeping; employee confidentiality; hiring and firing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. The cost to information and so much more. This one-day crash course will be attend this session is $179/person. For more information, visit held at the Radisson Hotel, located at 111 North Grand Avenue, pryor.com or call (800) 944-8503. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. The cost to attend is $149/person. Come and learn everything you need to get a jump start in your new position. For more information, visit 4TH ANNUAL HOUSE PARTY, LANSING. events.careertrack.com/293290 or call (800) 944-8503.

Habitat for Humanity Lansing will host their 4th

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Annual House Party fundraiser in style at the University Club of MSU. The event will feature music by The Black Barn Band and a silent auction. Join them for an opportunity to have a great night and give back at the same time. This fun-filled evening will be held from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. The cost is $75/person or $750/table of 10. One hundred percent of the proceeds go back to Habitat for Humanity Lansing to help eliminate poverty housing in the Greater Lansing area. Email dena@habitatlansing.org, visit habitatlansing.org or call (517) 374-1313 x. 20.

2/10

103RD ANNUAL DINNER, EAST LANSING. Join the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce for their 103rd Annual Dinner. This event has 800 plus attendees, making this the premier networking event in the region. The evening will include honoring outgoing Chair and Board members, remarks from the Chamber’s incoming Board Chair, honoring the ATHENA and ATHENAPowerLink recipients and more. This year’s dinner will be held at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center from 5:15 to 8:30 p.m. Early Bird tickets are $85/member, $140/non-member or $630/table of eight or regular tickets for $95/member, $140/non-member and $710/ table of eight. For more information, visit lansingchamber.org.

Business

2/22

MSU MUSEUM CHOCOLATE PARTY BENEFIT, EAST LANSING. Join the MSU Museum for their 26th Annual Chocolate Party Benefit. Watch as culinary competitors create edible masterpieces inspired by the film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and sample their delectable chocolate confections. On display will also be exhibits showcasing artifacts and specimens from the science and culture collections. Proceeds help to fund proper care of the Museum’s collections. Ticket prices are as follows: pre-general admission tickets are $30/person, Museum member tickets are $25/person, tickets at the door are $35/person or premier chocolatier tickets are $75/person and include early party preview, samples of competition and chocolatier pieces, master chef demonstration and a one-year MSU Museum membership. Don’t miss this fun event being held at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, located at 219 South Harrison Road, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Call (517) 355-2370.

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A.J. BOGGS INVITED BY US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO COMMERCIALIZE ITS RESEARCH A.J. Boggs & Company has been invited to attend the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Beyond Phase II Anderson conference and technology showcase in San Antonio, Texas. Clarke Anderson, A.J. Boggs’ CEO, will attend the conference to promote PISCES, a full text search engine currently in use at the US Library of Congress and the National Library of Medicine. The December conference showcases the SBIR Program’s active Phase II awardees’ technologies and provides a forum for match making with DoD agencies and prime defense contractors for commercialization opportunities.

The State of Michigan Strategic Fund and the Michigan Jobs Commission provided early support for the search engine. Collaboration with Michigan State University’s Internet Cataloging projects also provided key introductions to technical leaders at the Library of Congress. If any local companies with successful Phase II technology are looking for introductions to these DoD organizations and defense contractors, they can contact jca@ ajboggs.com with more information about their technology.

A.J. Boggs provides information technology services to businesses, government, and health care organizations. For more information, please visit ajboggs.com or call 517-3471100 ext. 121.

MSUFCU PARTNERS WITH TELAMON FARMWORKER IDA PROGRAM MSU CAMP students benefit from financial education and assistance.

MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) is pleased to announce its partnership with the Telamon Farmworker Individual Development Account (IDA) Program and the MSU College Assistance Migrant Program (MSU CAMP) to assist migrant students with financial hardships as they complete a postsecondary education.

The Telamon Farmworker IDA Program is designed to help low-income individuals create and maintain a savings account that will help participants develop money management skills and help decrease debts related to a post-secondary education.

MSUFCU works closely with Telamon and MSU CAMP in providing a total of 25 eligible students the opportunity to participate in this match savings program.

Savings accounts will be established for eligible students and when they meet the $500 savings goal, they can utilize $4,000 in federal and non-federal match funds. MSUFCU will assist

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FLY LANSING CONCIERGE TRAVEL CENTER AGENT WINS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION SPONSORED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPEDITIONS

Proposed itinerary for dream Costa Rica trip earns Tamara Olton the grand prize.

The eight months she spent living and working in Costa Rica are continuing to pay dividends for Tamara Olton, as her firsthand knowledge about the country allowed her to create the winning entry in the National Geographic Expeditions — Virtuoso Challenge.

students by opening and maintaining their savings accounts, conducting financial literacy training, and providing $2,000 in non-federal match funds per student. The savings earned throughout the year-long program is then used for postsecondary education and related educational expenses.

“By being involved with this program, we hope to make a big difference in the lives of participants,” said Patrick McPharlin, MSUFCU’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This savings program embodies our mission, as it allows us to help participants achieve financial security, their goals, and their dreams by providing them with the financial training needed to do so.”

Telamon Corporation is a nonprofit organization that brings human services to people and communities in twelve states, to improve the lives of those in need. For more information, visit telamon.org.

MSU CAMP is an educational program that offers individuals with migrant or seasonal farm work backgrounds, a unique opportunity to begin an undergraduate program at MSU. Initiated in 2000, this program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is designed to serve incoming migrant and seasonal farm worker students at MSU. For more information, visit mss.msu.edu/camp.

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N O TA B L E N E W S

Olton, a Traveline travel agent in the Fly Lansing Concierge Travel Center at Capital Region International Airport, crafted an original dream itinerary for a National Geographic Private Expedition. Her entry now joins the upcoming lineup of National Geographic Private Expeditions, a new line of tours that will be offered in 2015 through National Geographic Expeditions and Virtuoso.

Dr. Youatt, as the current provost and executive vice president at MSU, helps to ensure the quality of faculty by administering and monitoring procedures and criteria for faculty appointments and promotions, working conditions and tenure. She also manages the quality of student learning by overseeing the curriculum while encouraging and coordinating initiatives in undergraduate

education. Additionally, Dr. Youatt organizes recruiting and admissions for undergraduate and graduate programs and is responsible for supervising academic and budgetary planning and priorities. Dr. Youatt has spent her entire career at MSU, where she is also a professor of Human Development and Family Studies.

She also won passage for two on any National Graphic Expedition in 2015, a value of up to $37,000, depending on the trip she chooses.

The contest was open to members of the worldwide Virtuoso network of travel agents, who were asked to create their own dream itinerary incorporating their travel expertise as well as special experiences that align with National Geographic’s core brand and mission.

In creating the 11-day itinerary, Olton said she drew on her experience working as a travel agent in Costa Rica from July 2013 to February 2014, when she joined the Fly Lansing Concierge Travel Center staff.

Her trip highlights include staying in a remote eco-lodge that it is accessible only by whitewater rafting; witnessing the striking blue waters of the Rio Celeste, hiking in Corcovado National Park, and discovering some of the most stunning species on the planet.

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Dr. June Pierce Youatt, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Michigan State University (MSU), has been selected by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce as the 2014 ATHENA Award recipient.

Dr. Youatt was honored at the annual ATHENA Award luncheon in December at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.

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HONIGMAN EARNS RECOGNITION BY DETROIT FREE PRESS AS A TOP 25 LARGE WORKPLACE IN MICHIGAN FOR 2014 For the fourth consecutive year, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP was ranked among the top 25 large companies in the Detroit Free Press 2014 Top Workplaces in Michigan and the only law firm named in this category. The list includes many of Michigan’s most prominent and innovative companies, such as Quicken Loans/Quizzle, Title Source, Edward Jones and PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. More than 1,200 companies in Michigan were nominated and more than 60,000 employees were surveyed. Rankings were determined solely by employee survey responses, including comments on the individual’s job and opportunities for career advancement.

“We are very pleased to see that our team members have once again given our firm high ratings as a great place to work,” said Robert D. Kubic, Honigman’s Chief Operating Officer. “We continue to build on what is a truly a remarkable culture steeped in our strong values and commitment to excellence. Honigman is, without a doubt, a great place to work and our collective dedication to the firm’s clients and each other reinforces those values every day.”

Honigman is a leading business law firm based in Michigan with an international practice. Headquartered in Detroit with offices in Lansing, Oakland County, Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, the firm has attorneys practicing in more than 50 different areas of concentration. For more information, visit honigman.com.

MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE MICHAEL F. CAVANAGH TO JOIN LANSING LAW FIRM The longest-serving appellate judge in Michigan’s history, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael F. Cavanagh, has announced that he will be joining 56

Alane

the Lansing-based law firm of Alane & Chartier, P.L.C., following his retirement from the bench at the end of his current term, early next year.

Justice Cavanagh will retire from the state’s highest court upon the completion of his fourth 8-year term, on January 1, 2015. First elected in 1982, Cavanagh was reCavanagh elected in 1990, 1998, and 2006, and served as Chief Justice from 1991-1995. Before joining the state Supreme Court, Cavanagh served as a district court judge and on the Michigan Court of Appeals. In the 1960’s, Cavanagh worked on Great Lakes freighters, shoveling coal, in order to pay his tuition at the University of Detroit.

A&C partner Mary Chartier said, “Natalie Alane and I — just like everyone in the state’s legal community — have the utmost respect for Justice Cavanagh, and Chartier we believe his experience and wisdom will be of great benefit to our clients.” Partner Natalie Alane added, “We are honored to join forces with Justice Cavanagh, who has a brilliant legal mind and a heart for all people. He will be a great fit for our firm.”

Alane & Chartier, P.L.C., is a women-owned law firm founded in 2007 by attorneys Natalie Alane and Mary Chartier. A&C offers litigation and advocacy services in the areas of criminal defense, family law, federal litigation, and appellate advocacy.

LANSING ACCOUNTING FIRM ADDS STAFF Maner Costerisan is pleased to announce the addition of Cynthia Richmond and Casey Wendling to its professional staff.

Richmond will be serving as a senior consultant of controllership services.

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Prior to joining the firm, she spent 24 years at the American Red Cross where she climbed up the corporate ladder from Accounting Associate to Deputy Regional Executive Officer.

Having attended the University of Phoenix, majoring in Finance, as well as Davenport College, majoring in Accounting, Richmond currently resides in Eaton Rapids, Mich. with her husband, Kevin, and their four children.

Wendling is a staff accountant in the firm’s business accounting services department. His primary responsibilities are to generate financial statements and provide controllership services.

Wendling attended Saginaw Valley State University and is a current member of the SVSU Alumni Association. He made the Dean’s list while attending college. Having grown up in Maple Grove, Mich., Wendling is now a resident of Saginaw, Mich.

Maner Costerisan is a mid-market accounting and consulting firm located in Lansing, Mich. For more information, visit manercpa.com.

RONK JOINS BURCHAM HILLS BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Ronk

Cheryl Ronk, president of the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE), has been appointed to the Burcham Hills Retirement Community board of trustees.

Ronk has been the president of MSAE since 1988 and has been recognized as a national leader in association management certification training. Previously, as the director of communications and education for the Michigan Road Builders Association, she created successful public relations campaigns for 1982 and 1987 transportation legislation.

Ronk became a Certified Association Executive in 1995 and a Certified Meeting

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“It was an extraordinary experience … the level of skill, but also the power of the archetypes and the narratives were startling. And of course it was exquisitely beautiful.”

—Cate Blanchett, Academy Award-winning Actress

“Absolutely beautiful... It has become this one big poetic event. It was so inspiring, I think I may have found some new ideas for the next Avatar.”

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I’ve seen enough Broadway shows that still cannot compare to what I saw tonight. The best word to use is ‘mind blowing.’”

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—Richard Connema, renowned Broadway critic

“This show is really out of this world! There is no word to describe it… If I had to describe it, the words might be ‘divine,’ ‘reborn’ and ‘hope’… It’s beauty from beginning to end. You have to see it to believe it.”

—Christine Walevska, cello virtuoso

“It’s so beautiful. I’m amazed at how delicate it is, and clean and pure... There was something really touching about that. It was really sweeping and soulful. I was about to start crying.”

—Elan McAllister, Broadway producer whose credits include Spamalot and Hairspray

“I come away with feeling like a better human being for having experienced this magnificent event. It speaks not only to my intellect, but it speaks to my heart... It was a complete edifying experience of the human spirit.”

—Omega Medina, opera singer & former Senior Manager of Classical Music for the Grammy Awards

“When you see this show, you know that it’s so powerful... It’s going to save the world.”

—Iryna Orlova, conductor of Russian Folk Orchestra

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Professional in 2003. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisc. and a master’s degree in educational leadership at Western Michigan University.

Burcham Hills is a continuum of care retirement community providing quality retirement living in its Resident Center and short-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing care in its Center for Health & Rehabilitation. A not-for-profit community, Burcham Hills was founded in 1974 and offers the most flexible range of senior housing options on a 46-acre campus in East Lansing.

MSUFCU ANNOUNCES NEW BRANCH MANAGERS

MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) recently announced the promotion of Ashleigh Miller to Meridian Crossing Branch Manager and Leah LaFave to Farm Lane Branch Manager.

Miller has been with MSUFCU since May 2007 and was previously a Call Center Manager prior to being promoted to the Meridian Crossing Branch Manager.

She Miller received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in in Communication with specializations in Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, and Family and Child Ecology from Michigan State University.

LaFave began at the Credit Union in April 2014 and was a Store Director at JCrew before joining MSUFCU’s Management Development Program, then becoming the Farm LaFave Lane Branch Manager.

Additionally, she previously served in the Army National Guard. LaFave is currently pursuing a BA in business.

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SNYDER MAKES REAPPOINTMENTS TO STATE COUNCIL FOR INTERSTATE ADULT OFFENDER SUPERVISION Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the reappointments of Joseph Burke, of Ann Arbor; John Rubitschun, of Okemos; and Cheri Arwood, of St. Johns, to the State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision.

The five-member commission guides the transfer of offenders in a manner that promotes effective supervision strategies consistent with public safety, offender accountability, and victims rights.

Appointees will serve four-year terms to expiring Oct. 31, 2018. Their appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

LaVille, Emory D. Moore Jr. and Michael C. Zahrt.

Dickinson

LaVille

Moore

SNYDER MAKES APPOINTMENT TO BOARD OF REAL ESTATE BROKERS Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced the appointment of Patrick Dean, of East Lansing, to the Michigan Board of Real Estate Brokers.

Zahrt

LaVille and Dickinson will work in Foster Swift’s West Michigan offices, and Collins, Zahrt and Moore will be joining the Lansing office. Collins, Dickinson, LaVille, and Zahrt were 2013 Summer Associates at Foster Swift, and returned to the firm after graduation from law school.

Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC is a full service law firm founded in 1902. The firm employs 95-plus attorneys and more than 100 support staff in five locations; Lansing, Detroit, Farmington Hills, Grand Rapids and Holland. For more information, visit fosterswift.com.

DEWPOINT WELCOMES NEW EMPLOYEES TO LANSING

The nine-member board serves an advisory role, and assists the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs with overseeing the licensure and practice of real estate brokers and salespersons in Michigan.

Dewpoint, a leading provider of technology consulting and implementation solutions, is pleased to welcome several new employees to Lansing: •

Richard Balliet, Network

Dean will serve the remainder of a fouryear term to expire June 30, 2017. His appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

•

Administrator/Desktop Support

•

Michael Gallagher, Senior Systems Engineer

•

Vern Myers, Business Technical Analyst

Analyst/

•

Jaya Tamrakar, Analyst

Business

FOSTER SWIFT WELCOMES FIVE NEW ASSOCIATES

Collins

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC, is pleased to announce the arrival of five new associates in its 2014 class: Allison M. Collins, Leslie A. Dickinson, Julie C. JANUARY 2015

Senior

Founded in 1996, Dewpoint experts have a long success record of helping to develop short- or long-term strategic technology plans to maximize current resources and better position organizations for the future.

N O TA B L E N E W S

Dewpoint collaborates with enterprise clients across numerous industries, including state and local government, health care, financial services, biotechnology, manufacturing, insurance and more. Headquartered in Lansing, Mich., the company also maintains offices in greater Detroit and Indianapolis. While many of the company’s clients are located in the Midwest, Dewpoint also supports organizations across the country, such as New Mexico, California, Illinois and other locations.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK APPOINTS NEW OPERATIONS DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS TWO MEN AND A TRUCK / INTERNATIONAL, Inc. is proud to announce the recent promotion of Denise Droscha to operations director of its company headquarters in Lansing, Mich.

Droscha, of Charlotte, began her career with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK July 2004 as quality control specialist.

Droscha built the department to six Droscha employees as she advanced into leadership positions during the past 10 years.

Dewpoint recently relocated its headquarters to the newly renovated Knapp’s Centre in downtown Lansing, Mich. Additional information about the company is available at dewpoint.com.

03.31.15

THOMAS MEE NAMED PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF MCLAREN GREATER LANSING Thomas Mee, RN, BSN, MBA was named President and Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Greater Lansing today by the hospital¹s Board of Trustees. Mee Mee succeeds Rick Wright who resigned to pursue other opportunities.

“Tom’s background includes a valuable blend of front-line clinical and management experience as a nurse along with a proven track record of success in hospital administration,” said E. James Barrett, Chairman, McLaren Greater Lansing Board of Trustees. “The hospital¹s strong leadership team combined with Tom’s passion for quality, physician engagement and his strong sense of community will help us develop innovative ways to meet the growing health care needs of the Greater Lansing community.”

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Since 2013, Mee has served as McLaren Greater Lansing¹s Chief Operating Officer where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of both the main hospital campus on Greenlawn Ave. and McLaren Orthopedic Hospital on Pennsylvania Ave. L

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In her new role as operations director, Droscha leads the operations department, which consists of the sales, franchise support, and customer care teams with communications between each department at the corporate office, streamlining efficiencies at Home Office and within the franchise system, and moving the entire operations team forward in unison.

“I am excited to work together with key TWO MEN AND A TRUCK employees as we strive for excellence,” said Droscha. “I look forward to participating in unfolding our 2018 company vision and actively participating and representing the company in various community functions.”

VETERAN PR PRACTITIONER AND FORMER JOURNALIST KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN JOINS MARTIN WAYMIRE Kathy Barks Hoffman, an award-winning public relations practitioner with a strong background in public affairs, has joined Martin Waymire Barks Hoffman as a Senior Account Executive, where she will provide clients with strategic counsel and assistance with public relations, marketing, social media, public speaking and media training.

In her previous PR work with Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Hoffman advised a wide range of clients including Michigan’s University Research Corridor, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Retailers Association, Michigan Corporate Relations Network, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the Michigan Association of United Ways, and others. She won a Pinnacle Award at the 2014 CMPRSA PACE Awards for a series of op-eds written for the University Research Corridor.

Hoffman adds more depth to Martin Waymire’s substantial expertise in strategic public policy communications, 60

having covered Michigan and national politics for more than two decades as the head of The Associated Press’ Lansing Bureau and as a reporter for The Detroit News and Lansing State Journal. She has an insider’s knowledge of Michigan and national media, and spent many years as a panelist on public television’s “Off the Record” public affairs program.

Hoffman holds a bachelor¹s degree in journalism from Ball State University and a master’s degree in American Studies from Michigan State University, and has taught journalism courses at MSU and Lansing Community College.

Martin Waymire is a Lansing-based, fullservice public relations and social media marketing firm specializing in strategic public policy communications, media relations and social media.

ATTORNEY RICHARD KRAUS ELECTED TO AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION COUNCIL OF APPELLATE LAWYERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Attorney Richard C. Kraus of Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC, has been elected to a twoyear term on the executive committee of the American Bar Kraus Association Council of Appellate Lawyers. In addition, Kraus will continue in his position as state chairperson for Michigan.

Kraus has 35 years of experience in the areas of health care law, appeals, commercial litigation, constitutional litigation and economic crimes defense.

He is chair of the American Institute of Appellate Practice, an invitation-only association of experienced appellate attorneys. In addition, Kraus was honored as 2006 Lawyer of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Brief Award for Exceptional Appellate Advocacy before the Michigan Supreme Court, and has been appointed as a Special Master for the United States

G R E AT E R L A N S I N G B U S I N E S S M O N T H LY

JANUARY 2015

District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The American Bar Association Council of Appellate Lawyers is devoted to the professional development of lawyers who practice appellate law and the fostering of creative dialogue between those lawyers and appellate judges, both federal and state.

DEWPOINT NAMED CRAIN’S COOL PLACES TO WORK IN MICHIGAN 2014 Dewpoint, a leading provider of technology consulting and implementation solutions, is proud to be named a 2014 Crain’s Cool Places To Work In Michigan. Sponsored

by Crain’s Detroit and the Best Company Group, this survey and awards program identifies, recognizes and honors the best employers in Michigan, benefiting the state’s economy, workforce and businesses. Dewpoint ranked 11 out of 34 in the medium-sized business category.

“It’s a great honor to have been named one of Crain’s Cool Places To Work In Michigan, especially in our first year participating in the program,” said Dewpoint president and COO Ken Theis. “We work hard together and we play hard together as a team. This award is a reflection of the success this culture brings to the company.”

Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Cool Places to Work in Michigan. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Michigan, analyzed the data and determined the final rankings.

For more information on the Cool Places to Work in Michigan program, visit coolplacestoworkmi.com.

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NEW LAB AT MSU TRAINS STUDENTS TO SELL Michigan State University¹s Eli Broad College of Business has some new options for teaching students consultative sales techniques, thanks to a corporate partnership with the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters.

Lear Corporation Career Services Center opened its new sales lab in December with a ribbon-cutting and appreciation ceremony.

Five rooms in the Lear Center have been equipped with videography technology enabling students to be recorded conducting sales role plays and presentations and to receive customized feedback on the videos to improve their personal selling competencies.

The renovation was funded by a $75,000 gift from Thomson Reuters, a long-time

corporate partner of MSU’s sales program.

While the lab technology offers particular benefits to students studying sales, it also provides students across the college with the opportunity to evaluate, reflect upon, and improve their personal presentation skills vital to any business career.

MSU’s Eli Broad College of Business prepares students to make business happen through an innovative curriculum and collaborative culture, guided by a distinguished faculty. Broad students enhance their studies with a wide range of study abroad trips and real-world projects in research centers and experiential labs.

For more information, visit broad.msu.edu.

CARING4NURSES LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE Caring4Nurses, Inc., a greater Lansingbased Michigan company, has launched its website at caring4nurses.com.

Caring4Nurses (C4N) provides Michigan nurses with straightforward information: nurse advocacy, work/life balance topics, premium employment opportunities, quick and easy continuing education links, and It’s Your Money/It’s Your Life special features, always free of charge.

HAVEN HOUSE WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS, ANNOUNCES 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Haven House, the Lansing area’s homeless shelter for families, announced today that the following local community leaders will be serving on Haven House’s Board of Directors during the upcoming year.

Kimberly Hall (MESSA) and Roman Tyszkiewicz (Law Office Of Roman J. Tyszkiewicz PLLC) will continue to serve as President and Vice President respectively.

Tracey Mullaney (Warmels Comstock PLLC) has been elected Secretary. The

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organization welcomes Phil Harns, who will serve as Treasurer. Haven House also welcomes Regina Crudup (MESSA) and Kunwar Rajendra (MSU) as new board members.

Other members continuing their service in 2015 are Carol Bidgare (Primerica), Dan Ilgen (MSU, ret.) and Nathan Triplett (City of East Lansing). The Board of Directors assists Haven House in achieving their mission to help Lansing-area homeless families help themselves, and provides oversight and guidance to the homeless shelter. Board members serve staggered terms of four years.

Haven House provides emergency shelter and housing services for one- and twoparent families with children. It is the only homeless shelter in Ingham County known for keeping fathers together with their children and for not separating mothers from their teenage sons. It is also the only local shelter that can shelter a husband and wife together with their children to keep the family unit intact while they seek permanent housing. For more information visit havenhouseel.org.

A.J. BOGGS WELCOMES TWO NEW EMPLOYEES A.J. Boggs & Company is pleased to welcome Lisa Kelly to our software development team and Michelle Studer to our marketing team.

Studer

Kelly is joining A.J. Boggs as a Software Developer. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Michigan State University in Computer Science with an Honors distinction. She previously held a position as an intern for the NASA Ames Research Center as well as a position in MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. In her free time, Kelly enjoys composing and playing music for the cello, piano, and voice. She also likes to read magazines and books about science.

As a Marketing Specialist, Studer will provide her insight and expertise on marketing strategies in today’s everchanging technology industry. She is currently studying Advertising with a specialization in Public Relations at Michigan State University. She previously interned at Siemens Industry, Inc. in Georgia for two consecutive summers.

Studer is also part of the Spartan Fund at

MSU. In her free time, she does work with her sorority, including philanthropy for breast cancer education and awareness.

Her hobbies include watching college basketball, hanging out with friends, and watching Netflix.

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DEWPOINT IS PLEASED TO WELCOME SEVERAL NEW EMPLOYEES TO LANSING • Anthony

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Managed Services; Architecture Design and Implementation; and Applications Development and Maintenance. As Data Center experts, we also architect and support our clients’ strategic initiatives such as data backup and recovery, data storage, virtualized environments, database services, performance improvement and overall architectural design and implementation.

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