GLBM September 2015

BUSINESS MONTHLY GR E ATE R LANS ING

SEPTEMBER 2015

FRONT COVER

In this issue •

SMALL BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH AFFORDABLE CARE ACT REGULATIONS

•

EAST LANSING BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO SEE GROWTH IN 2015

•

THE LANSING RIVER TRAIL BRINGS NEW BUSINESS TO THE LANSING AREA

•

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EURO AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY L

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SEPTEMBER 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

SEPTEMBER 2015

News New Lansing Area Projects Create Jobs and Boost the Economy..................................... 6 General Motors Invests in the Next Wave of Automation Right Here in Lansing...... 8

Features Lansing River Trail.................................................................................................................................... 10 Small Talk with a Bitcoin Venture Capitalist ............................................................................... 14 Technology Trends in Healthcare..................................................................................................... 16 In this issue •

SMALL BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH AFFORDABLE CARE ACT REGULATIONS

•

EAST LANSING BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO SEE GROWTH IN 2015

•

THE LANSING RIVER TRAIL BRINGS NEW BUSINESS TO THE LANSING AREA

•

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EURO AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY

Small businesses Continue to Struggle with Affordable Care Act Regulations........ 18 2015 Downtown Businesses Openings........................................................................................ 22 A Primer on the European Union (EU) and the Euro.............................................................. 24

Departments The Greater Lansing Business Monthly (Volume 28, Issue 9)

Commentary ................................................................................................................................................. 4

The Greater Lansing Business Monthly is published monthly by M3 Group at group 614 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933.

Periodicals postage paid at Lansing, Michigan USPO. USPS number 020w807.

Man on the Street ................................................................................................................................... 28

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

Regional Roundup.................................................................................................................................... 36

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Copyright © 2015 The Greater Lansing Business Monthly, Inc. All rights reserved.

GLBM List ................................................................................................................................................... 30 Legislative Update.................................................................................................................................... 34

Real Estate................................................................................................................................................... 38 Business Calender .................................................................................................................................. 40 Notable News............................................................................................................................................. 42

Editorial Office: 614 Seymour Street, Lansing, MI 48933 lansingbusinessnews.com 2

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

SEPTEMBER 2015

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G R E AT E R

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BUSINESS MONTHLY Publisher: Tiffany Dowling tiffany@m3group.biz Sales Manager: Jennifer Hodges jhodges@m3group.biz Media Specialist: Jill Bailey Account Managers: Megan Fleming Manny Garcia Production Director: Kelly Mazurkiewicz Art Director: Brooke Erwin Brand Manager: Ami Iceman Creative Manager: Mark Warner Editor: Alicia Pilmore Graphic Artist: Mike France

Don’t Buy into the Fear Factor

F

ear can make people move. It can make people panic. Fear can span the globe and be contagious. I’ve never been a fan of the Chicken Little “sky is falling” scenario; I think it makes people act rashly and make decisions without all the facts.

For instance, global fears about China’s economic slowdown over the last month or so hit the stock market hard. The Aug. 24 decline of 588 points was the worst for the Dow since August 2011. In fact, within minutes of the opening bell on a Monday morning the Dow plummeted more than 1,000 points, solidifying the largest drop ever in one trading day.

The subsequent days were up and down and made some gains, but the panic in the market was what was particularly interesting to me. The domino affect that occurs when we hear bad news about another economy is staggering. I definitely understand the anxiousness of the trading public. After all, it is still too soon to forget the terrible days of the 2008 recession and investors worried about the slowing U.S. economy, escalating debt problems threatening Europe and the prospect that fear in the markets would reinforce itself. Can you say repeat?

Web Manager: Skylar Kohagen Event Calendar Manager: Jaime Hardesty

GLBM Editorial Board: April Clobes — President and CEO, 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

What do they say? When you’re in the woods confronted by a bear, you don’t have to outrun the bear just your travelling companion. This is the type of behavior I see when the stock market begins to dip. It’s that rush to security for individuals that are fearful or nervous that starts a panic. I know that some investors are closer to utilizing their resources because of retirement or family events; however most individuals should pay attention to how history repeats itself and hang in for the long term.

Roben Farzad, a senior writer for Bloomberg Businessweek agrees with me. He said on “The Early Show” at the time of the tumble that investors should deal with recent financial events by considering their long-term approach before panicking and pulling out of the market.

“Truth be told, if they need that money to keep the lights on, to pay the rent, they shouldn’t be in the market, but if they are in this for the long haul ... then they should just stick to their plan,” Farzad said. “We saw the last time a panic like this was felt in the spring of 2009, which was a generational low for stocks, a lot of people sold out and were kicking themselves a year later.”

Don’t let fear drive your trading decisions or business plans. We talk a lot about how issues like the economy or healthcare impact our businesses. We need to make short-term plans and long-term goals. We need to be thoughtful in decision making after understanding the facts, historical perspective and trends that will impact today. Reacting through panic is not a strategy I recommend.

Be dynamic in all you do,

Tiffany Dowling | Publisher 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

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NEWS

New Lansing Area Projects Create Jobs and Boost the Economy

BY MICKEY HIRTEN

B

efore the Great Recession leveled Michigan’s economy, Lansing was humming with projects that leveraged its unique assets: Michigan State University, two world-class auto assembly plants and state government.

The economic collapse shut down financing, disrupted the workforce and decimated individual and commercial real estate assets.

Call it a bump in the road. The area economy is again pulsing with more than $2.5 billion in projects under construction or planned.

“We’ve gotten back to the long-term trend,” said Karl Dorshimer, director of business development for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP).

“There are lots of different types of projects, both residential and mixed use.

Even manufacturers are expanding. It’s happening across all fronts.”

The large projects are really large; the MSU Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a large addition to General Motor’s Delta plant and its new Lansing Grand River stamping plant and expansions of Jackson National’s headquarters are underway. The Red Cedar Renaissance — redevelopment of the city’s abandoned Michigan Avenue golf course and the SkyVue on Michigan, on the opposite side of the street, are in the planning stages.

But there are dozens of smaller retail, housing and industrial projects providing balance to the resurgent economy. Some require private and public investment; others proceed without government assistance. Banks and other lenders are again seeking opportunities, said Dorshimer.

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“Lenders are still looking for good projects, but the type of projects that fit their model has gotten broader,” he said.

“They are starting to look at projects that have a speculative component to them.

Now lenders are trusting the economy.”

Lansing Township’s Director of Planning and Development, Steven Hayward, noted the interest by national companies in Lansing projects.

“We’ve been actively promoting the region pre-recession, during the recession and post recession. There is more interest now from developers. A few years ago we had to call them; now they are calling us,” Hayward said.

“So far what I see is almost the exact definition of sustainable. It’s retail, office, hospitality and industrial — a broad spectrum of growth.”

Many of the region’s largest projects and related developments costs are identified

by LEAP, especially those involving government support. Information on other projects comes from municipal planning and building departments or from principals. The following list identifies some of the more significant projects and their estimated total costs, including public investment. These numbers are based on the most readily available information to the public.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION Jackson National: $123.7 million headquarters expansion. New jobs: 1,200; public investment: $9.7 million.

MSU Facility for Rare Isotope Beams: $824 million publicly financed on-campus particle accelerator. New Jobs: 90.

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General Motors: $562 million Delta Assembly Plant expansion. New jobs: 38; public investment: $4 million.

Niowave: $235 million medical isotope production facility near the Capital City International Airport. New jobs: 75; public investment: $32.4 million.

General Motors: $175 million Grand River Assembly stamping plant. New jobs: 65; public investment: $13 million.

MSU Federal Credit Union: $46 million, three-story, 188,000 square foot second headquarters building adjacent to Coolidge Road in East Lansing.

Sparrow Health System: $40.3 million estimated cost for construction of a new 132,000 square foot cancer treatment center on the site of the shuttered Bingham Elementary School in Lansing.

Related is an $11.6 million (permit value) parking deck.

Gillespie Group: $26.5 million “The Outfield” residential apartments project at Cooley Law School Stadium. New jobs: 15; public investment: $12.5 million.

KIRCHHOFF Van-Rob: $24.8 million Watertown Twp. plant to supply auto parts and components to GM. New jobs: 175.

DTN Management Co.: $17 million 125-unit apartment complex, The Vista at the Heights, adjacent to the Eastwood Towne Center.

Ferguson Development: $14 million apartment/townhouse project on the Butler-Ottawa block in Lansing. New jobs: 7; public investment: $2 million.

P H OTO B Y M A R K WA R NER

NEWS

The Gathering Place will be the new addition to Sparrow Health System’s main building.

Preyde One, LLC: $10 million Fairfield Inn and Suites, adjacent to the Eastwood Towne Center.

Whole Foods Market: $4.5 million (permit value) 42,000 square foot food store and offices in Meridian Twp. New jobs: 150.

Kaynick Properties LLC: $620,000 for the new United Electrical Contractors headquarters on North Larch Street in Old Town. New jobs: 32; public investment: $20,000.

Triton Industries, Inc.: $4.8 million boat manufacturing facility. New jobs: 44; public investment: $400,000.

Sparrow Health System: $14 million (estimate). New three story, 70,000 medical offices/drive-through pharmacy on the site of the demolished Lansing Medical Dental Building on East Grand River.

Feldman Chevrolet of Lansing: $4.1 million redevelopment of dealership site on Michigan Avenue in Lansing. New jobs: 20; public investment: $600,000.

Sparrow Health System: $11.2 million (permit value), 4,000 square foot addition to the main building called Gathering Place.

The Eyde Company: $1.7 million renovation of former Capitol City Books.

Public investment: $151,654.

Lansing Business Part LLC: $1 million-plus for former redevelopment Leaseway property on St. Joe Street and Rosemary Avenue.

Gillespie Group: $1.6 million for the Lansing Brewing Company to be located at 518 E. Shiawassee St. New jobs: 40; public investment: $100,000.

ALDI/The Eyde Company: $950,000 (permit value) 25,000 square foot store on Marsh Road in Okemos. New jobs: 20. A 21-unit Eyde built apartment building on the same site.

McRae Hospitality Group: $1.6 million for a 7,500 square foot Boston’s family restaurant to the left of Capital Prime at Eastwood Towne Center.

IN THE PLANNING STAGE

hotel/housing/office project on the site of the closed Lansing golf course. Public investment: $75 million.

RISE Development: $99.5 million SkyVue development along Michigan Avenue, opposite the proposed Red Cedar Renaissance. Public investment: $17.5 million.

The Lawton Group: $19 million Metro Place Apartments on the site of the longclosed downtown Lansing YMCA building.

Public investment: $3 million.

Preyde One, LLC: $18 million 139 unit Hilton Homewood Suites next to Hyatt Place in Eastwood.

Sam Eyde Management: $7.3 million prep work at former John Deere site, 4000 N. Grand River. New jobs: 25; public investment: $275,000.

The Eyde Company: The Avenue, a mixed use project with 220 residential units and 15,000 square feet of commercial space west of Foods for Living in Meridian Twp.

Continental/Ferguson Development: $375 million Red Cedar Renaissance L

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NEWS

General Motors Invests in the Next Wave of Automation Right Here in Lansing

BY MICKEY HIRTEN

S

tarting with the 2017 Cadillac CTS, General Motors will build its most advanced self-drive automobile in Lansing.

The technology to automate driving functions is already available on some GM models and the proposed enhancements to the Cadillac line, most notably, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, represents a significant automotive advancement.

Not that drivers are yet able to hop into their car, order up a destination and zone out until they arrive. But this is likely, perhaps in the next decade or later, said John Capp, GM’s director of global safety and vehicle programs.

“It’s fun to talk about what might be in 20 years, but it’s kind of an academic conversation,” he said.

Still, the features GM is promoting for the CTS scheduled for release in December 2016 foreshadow its vision of the future.

The company is investing heavily to ensure its leadership in the wave of automation sweeping the auto industry. For GM, the new technology fits into what it identifies as “Driver Awareness” and “Driver Assist” packages.

The automaker’s CEO, Mary Barra, outlined GM’s plans in an address to the Intelligent Transport Society in 2014, a vision for transportation that she called provocative, inspiring and transformative.

“Cadillac will build GM’s first V2V equipped car in the 2017 Cadillac CTS,” said Barra. “Thanks to V2V, Onstar and a full suite of safety features, I believe that the CTS will be one of the most, if not the most, intelligent and connected production vehicles on the road.”

Already, current CTS models are available with radar, vision sensing cameras and ultrasonic sensors, a safety strategy that the company brands as “control and alert.”

It comes in two flavors.

GM’s Driver Assist Package includes, among other features: • Adaptive cruise control, which manages and regulates a vehicle’s speed and the distance between other cars.

• Front and rear automatic braking, a feature that is particularly useful in stopand-go traffic.

• Blind-side zone alert, which flashes a signal in outside mirrors alerting the driver to a vehicle in the blind zone.

The Driver Awareness Package has, among other features: • Rear cross traffic alert, which monitors oncoming traffic as a car backs out of a parking spot.

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© G EN ER A L M OTOR S

In 2017 GM is adding V2V functions to the already available autonomous safety features.

• Lane departure warnings, which sense a lane change being made without the use of a turn signal.

• Forward collision alert, which warns of a possible rear-end collision ahead.

Altogether there are 11 advanced safety features in the two packages, many of which appear in one form or another in the automaker’s different vehicles.

These safety features are considered autonomous, affecting only the vehicle.

The advancement that GM is promoting in the 2017 CTS is vehicle-to-vehicle technology that allows cars to communicate with one another or with roadside sensors to share information about location, speed, headings and system status. Experts say that integrating these data streams withinvehicle autonomous safety features will prevent most accidents.

Referring to the CTS, Capp said it already has advanced safety technology. “In many ways, we have the building blocks to learn how to do more with automated features.

We need to design systems that work in the real world.”

Production of this new generation of autonomous vehicles introduces a new set of manufacturing challenges at the Grand River assembly plant.

“It is very complicated to manufacture.

We have special floor space in the plant where the vehicles can be pulled in to test and align the sensors. The radar has to be calibrated and aligned to look straightforward. We check that the aim of the cameras isn’t too high or too low. Then there is software validation,” Capp said.

“It added a lot of complexity as you install high tech sensors into a vehicle. That’s why we built this new Milford test laboratory dedicated to testing these active safety features,” he said. GM spent about $14 million to develop what it terms “one of the largest active automotive safety testing areas in the country.”

Announcing the enhancements to its 52acre test facility, GM said the complex included a 16-acre dynamics pad and various road networks to evaluate sensors, algorithms and the performance of these features, including cutting-edge systems involving autonomous control and vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Also, GM has partnered with the Mobility Transformation Center at the University of Michigan on the development of connected and automated vehicles and systems technology.

In July, MTC, working with the Michigan Department of Transportation, opened a 32-acre test facility called Mcity to simulate a full range of driving experiences. The $10 million complex has five lane-miles of roads, intersections, traffic signals, roundabouts, underpasses and stationary and mechanized pedestrians. The university has partnered with an array of businesses that are shaping the future of mobility. These include auto manufacturers and suppliers, insurance companies, data companies, telecommunications firms and more.

“The goal is to be the leader in this revolution. This is a private partnership of industry, government and academia to develop the foundation for a commercially viable vehicle,” said Susan Carney, communications director for the Mobility Transformation Center and MCity. “Mcity is all about providing space for testing connected and automated vehicles before they are tried out on the road.”

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Lansing River Trail

Key to Attracting Talent to the Region

BY KRIS TINE RICHMON D

C

yclists, runners, walkers and cross country skiers are among the many nature-lovers who enjoy the Lansing River Trail year round; even commuters use the trail to get to work.

The trail combines the energy of a bustling urban landscape with the tranquility of a scenic rural setting.

The Lansing River Trail is quickly becoming a key factor in attracting businesses and talent to the Greater Lansing region. With the addition of the almost six-mile, $1.8 million south side connection completed last year, the River Trail is turning heads

as businesses look to invest in the region and create jobs.

The City of Lansing has made a significant investment in the trail, especially over the past five years. With the latest addition of the south side connection and the Moores River Drive Regional Network Connection, more than 16 miles of pathways make up the city’s trail system. The trail winds along the riverbanks from Michigan State University in the east to Delta Township on the west, and from Old Town in north Lansing south to Holt.

“The last five years of expansion of the river trail has been about reinvention, putting it into its proper position,” said Chad Gamble, director of public service for the City of Lansing. “I call the river trail system the central nervous system of the Lansing parks properties because it links so many different amenities, parks, destinations and spots to go visit.”

REGIONAL COLLABORATION The Lansing River Trail’s evolution has encouraged a greater collaboration among businesses and organizations to further

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P H OTO B Y MA R K WA R NER

Accident Fund Holdings utilizes the River Trail as a major component in promoting a culture of health among its employees.

invest in the trail. Developers, such as Gillespie Group, are investing millions in residential and commercial projects tied to the riverfront’s future. Community groups like the Friends of the Lansing River Trail, a nonprofit, grassroots initiative focused on better promoting and maintaining the trail across the region, are committed to raising funds to ensure the future of the River Trail.

In November 2014, Ingham County voters approved a new millage to support the development of a county-wide regional trails and parks system. The .5 mill levy will raise an estimated $3.5 million per year over the next six years. The county recently hired a consulting team to determine how to allocate the funds and what projects to invest in to maximize the impact of this new revenue.

“With 40 percent of the Ingham County population living in Lansing, and an even greater percentage of active trail users in the county using the Lansing River Trail, we feel trail users should have a say in how the money is spent,” said Kevin Shaw, founder and president of the Friends of the River Trail. “We are trying to get ourselves a seat at the table and have made ourselves available for input.”

ATTRACTING TALENT TO THE REGION

president of human resources at Accident Fund Holdings.

Investment in the trail and in other amenities not only helps to enhance quality of life, but it is also necessary to attract talent to fill the jobs being created by our region’s employers.

Accident Fund’s wellness program is called eBalance. It is composed of specific health programs designed to help employees and their family members lead healthy lifestyles. Even though this program is optional, employees take advantage of it because they can earn health points based on healthy activities and turn those points into cash. Activities include onsite fitness classes, reflexology, nutrition counseling, blood pressure screening and weight measurement. The company also offers an annual health promotions fair and multiple walking events throughout the year including the National Walk at Lunch Day and fitness Fridays.

“Whether a company is looking to expand its current region or is ready to relocate, businesses are looking for amenities such as a strong river trail, cultural amenities like the Broad Art Museum, Wharton Center, not to mention the thrill of football Saturdays and Big Ten basketball,” said Tim Daman, president and chief executive officer of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. “All of those pieces combine together for an enhanced quality of life there’s something here for everyone.”

Businesses along the river trail are taking advantage of this incredible gem.

Headquartered in downtown Lansing, Accident Fund Holdings utilizes the River Trail as a major component in promoting a culture of health among its employees.

“In our building, it’s impossible not to highlight the river trail. Employees can walk the river trail at lunch. In fact, we have an active and progressive program of wellness,” said Darcy Kerr, senior vice

According to Kerr, the top reasons their candidates choose to work in Lansing are interesting work, low cost of living, high quality of life, cultural diversity, the great amenities and the city’s size and central location to attractions and places to visit across the state.

Born and raised in Chicago, Said Taiym, Accident Fund Holdings’ chief information officer, moved his wife and daughter to Lansing nine months ago.

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F E AT U R E

“We felt like it was home away from home,” said Taiym. “What attracted us was the downtown area — the river trail for kayaking, biking and walking. And we loved Lake Lansing; we spend a lot of time there.”

A COMPETITIVE EDGE Greater Lansing is doing a good job of creating an environment that encourages business investment and job creation, but it’s about continuous improvement, added Daman. “As a region, we are very competitive. As you look around the state, we have one of the most diversified economies in Michigan.”

“Sitting here with MSU — a global research university — and one of the top

community colleges, we are continuing to improve on the attraction [piece]. When you look at the larger talent growth, we are a diversified economy that is growing in multiple sectors — with the entrepreneurial eco-system, strong insurance, financial services and health care and manufacturing,” added Daman.

To continue to be competitive and move forward, Daman says that infrastructure improvement should be at the top of our priority list.

“How do we make this region more attractive? Focus on infrastructure investment projects. By cleaning up our entry points, like keeping medians mowed and landscaped, it will make for an overall inviting environment. Streetscaping has

already been done in downtown, Old Town and REO Town, so let’s take this effort and broaden it out further into our region,” Daman explained.

For more information about the Lansing River Trail, visit lansingrivertrail.org. To learn more about Friends of the River Trail, visit friends.lansingrivertrail.org or facebook.com/lansingrivertrail.

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.

Lansing River Trail: Latest Projects SOUTH LANSING PATHWAY:

MOORES RIVER DRIVE REGIONAL NETWORK CONNECTION:

Cost: $1.8 million

Cost: $1.615 million

Completion date: Dec. 2014

Completion date: Oct. 2014

3 Phases:

This project reconstructed Moores River Dr. east of Waverly Rd. from a four-lane boulevard to a two-lane road, removing the existing seawall and constructing a pathway with a sloping embankment along the shoreline. Mt. Hope Ave. was converted from a four-lane road to a three-lane road with bike lanes. During the project, The Board of Water and Light replaced a water main along Mt. Hope in the vicinity of the project.

1) East: Pennsylvania Ave. to Cavanaugh Rd. (length: 2.2 miles), cost: $718,000 2) Center: Pennsylvania Ave. to MLK Jr. Blvd. (length: 1.8 miles) 3) West: MLK Jr. Blvd. to Waverly (length: 1.8 miles)

The Moores River Drive Regional Network Connection project was done with the co-operation of MDOT, FHWA, Tri-county Regional Planning Commission, MDNR and Tri-County Bicycle Association.

Cost for phases 2 and 3: $1,369,300 The South Lansing Pathway consists of three sections (east, center and west) of a non-motorized pathway along the Consumers Energy utility corridor in South Lansing. In contrast to the existing River Trail, which is primarily recreational in focus, this pathway is utilitarian in focus, providing a non-motorized transportation corridor for east-west travel along the south side of Lansing for school, work and other activities, while still accommodating recreational uses.

PROPOSED FUTURE PROJECTS: Cavanaugh to Spartan Village (2.25 miles): This section would run north along US-127 to MSU’s Spartan Village (Bear Lake).

Waverly to Old Lansing (3.2 to 3.5 miles): This section would run west into Eaton County and connect to Fine, Fulton and Olds Anderson parks and the Woldumar Nature Center.

The South Lansing Pathway project was done with the co-operation of MDOT, FHWA and Tri-county Regional Planning Commission.

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F E AT U R E

Small Talk with a Bitcoin Venture Capitalist

BY KRIS TINE RICHMON D

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P HOTO B Y MA R K WA R NER

recently sat down with Matthew Roszak, founder and CEO of Tally Capital, a Chicago-based venture capital firm that’s focused on digital currencies and block chain-based technologies. With more than 18 years in private equity and venture capital, he has invested over $1 billion of capital (from start-up to IPO) in a broad range of industries.

Roszak was asked by Startup Grind Lansing Director, David Smith, to speak at their July event held at the Technology Innovation Center in East Lansing, Mich. This community of local startups gathers monthly to actively educate, inspire, connect and build partnerships with each other.

For more information about Startup Grind Lansing, visit startupgrind.com/lansing.

Q: IS THE TREND TOWARD STARTUP ENTREPRENEURISM GROWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY? A: It used to be that people wanted to be doctors and lawyers, then investment bankers, venture capitalists and now the hot thing that students want to be are startup entrepreneurs. You are seeing that energy across lots of campuses, from entrepreneurial curriculum to entrepreneurial clubs and just the whole startup culture is definitely a dynamic we are seeing across the country.

Q: DO YOU SEE A BIG PUSH FOR MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL CURRICULUM IN UNIVERSITIES TODAY?

Matthew Roszak, founder and CEO of Tally Capital

A: Entrepreneurship has always been a theme in universities, but now the volume has been turned up and it continues to find utility in lots of universities. Colleges and universities are realizing that sometimes getting a four-year degree is not preparing a student for some of the realities of business. Having an entrepreneurial program is a multi-disciplinary program, which resonates with students in terms of trying to get those extra skill sets like salesmanship, how to analyze a market or how to write a business plan. Whether they are working for a big company or starting their own business, having these critical skills is valuable. As an employer, if I see on someone’s resume that they have entrepreneurial coursework, I would view that as a plus. If I were given two resumes that were basically the same, and I see something with an entrepreneurial bent to it, I would say that person is unique and special and a little more ‘game ready.’

Q: WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE YOU WANTED TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?

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A: I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. All through my growing up years, I always tried to start businesses. In college I started my own entrepreneurs club. One of the key lessons I learned is to be a furious networker — following up and trying to build out that personal/professional network as best you can. I was lucky to have some great mentors at school that introduced me to some great entrepreneurs that I was able to bring in to school as speakers — everyone from Jeff Bezos of Amazon to Gordon Segal of Crate & Barrel. Getting through school then going into private equity and venture capital, I’ve always had a desire to build, grow and invest in companies. When I don’t see someone addressing a particular industry or pain point, I’m very interested in finding entrepreneurs, finding a platform company and actually starting and investing in that business that is not being addressed. You have to have the right network of people, the right entrepreneurs, the right set of partners to help you do that; you can’t do it all by yourself — it takes a great team.

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WHEN I DON’T SEE SOMEONE ADDRESSING A PARTICULAR INDUSTRY OR PAIN POINT, I’M VERY INTERESTED IN FINDING

you have this appreciation where you have this ability to have privacy, security and the freedom to convey value in data — this is a very powerful thing and for me, it ranks up there with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Q: WHAT IS BITCOIN?

ENTREPRENEURS, FINDING A PLATFORM COMPANY AND ACTUALLY STARTING AND INVESTING IN THAT BUSINESS THAT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED.

Q: HOW DID YOU BECOME A VENTURE CAPITALIST? A: I got in right out of college. I had interned with a private equity firm and they hired me, which is how I got my first job. From there I kept scaling into other firms and joined Advent International in London, which is one of the largest private equity firms in the world. I had a great career investing in companies in emerging Europe. I was mainly focused on private equity — investing in a lot of high growth businesses that already had revenue and profits, like food processing, breweries, billboards or mobile phone operators. I always had this desire to invest in technology companies, so in the late 1990s when the Internet boomed, I was more motivated to jump ship and get into new technology investing, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 15 years.

Q: WHY DID YOU BECOME A BITCOIN INVESTOR? A: I’ve been a tech investor for a while now and a lot of times you are chasing themes in markets and technologies that continue to evolve as technology evolves — from mainframe to client server to cloud and now to block chain — you are seeing this evolution, and big companies evolving with it. When bitcoin and block chain arrived, it really resonated with me. The more you learn about bitcoin, the more

A: Bitcoin is digital money. It’s a unique kind of digital money because it is decentralized — there is no central authority. There’s no government, no PayPal, no Bank of America in the middle of a transaction; it’s run on a decentralized network of computers. It’s also scarce; there’s only going to be 21 million bitcoin in existence, and we are about two-thirds of the way there now. There is a finite number of bitcoins that can be issued, which was determined when the software was issued. Each bitcoin can be decimalized to 100 million; so with 21 million bitcoins, there’s 2.1 quadrillion units of bitcoin.

Q: HOW CAN BITCOIN BE USED? A: One use for bitcoin is micro transactions — giving someone a nickel, a penny, a half a penny or one 100th of a penny. Why is that important? Currently, in order to do micro transactions, or micro payments, it is very difficult for you and I to give $1 to earthquake victims or to a musician that we want to tip because the payment mechanisms make it expensive, cumbersome or not allowed.

By having bitcoin, you can send small denominations directly to people, which is very empowering. You and I sending a nickel is not a big deal, but if one million people or 100 million people send a nickel, this could actually change someone’s life and it could be done instantly without a bank in the middle.

Another use is remittance. Everyone [who] sends money to friends and relatives in an undeveloped country knows the costs associated with that — between 7 and 15 percent, depending on where you are sending money to, and you could collapse that dramatically by using bitcoin.

A third use is ‘banking the unbanked.’

You have parts of the world where if you are a goat herder in Ghana or a soccer mom in Brazil, you have no ability to get a bank account or a credit card; you are the ‘unbanked.’ With bitcoin, you can download your bitcoin wallet, buy bitcoin, then purchase stuff with bitcoin and be a participant in the global economy.

Q: WHERE DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF BITCOIN? A: Bitcoin is in the early days of development; it’s still in the infrastructure phase where we are building out the bridges, roads and tunnels of bitcoin in order to realize its promise. This is similar to the Internet in the mid-90s where you had a lot of development and slow Internet access. The same dynamics apply to bitcoin and block chain technology. Over the last couple of years, bitcoin has had a lot of negative PR which has compressed some of the adoption. But it you look at the last six months, the tide has certainly changed. You are seeing household name financial services companies like Citibank, UBS, Goldman Sachs and the New York Stock Exchange all publicly stating that they are investing in and developing projects around bitcoin and block chain, which is a profound turnaround in terms of the dialogue in the industry. We are in an unprecedented time where these household name financial services and big tech are getting into bitcoin, and then you are also coming off the back of a billion dollars of venture capital invested in this ecosystem. All of the metrics, both quantitative and qualitative, point the compass in a very positive direction.

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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Technology Trends in Healthcare COMP IL ED BY AL ICIA PI L MOR E

As technology continues to advance, people everywhere are gaining more and more control over their healthcare options and physicians are more accessible than ever. mHealth, or mobile health, is a term used for the practice of medicine and public health, supported by mobile devices and it is quickly becoming the most popular way to keep track of personal health.

Below is a list of some of the biggest technology trends in healthcare today. Check it out to see how people all over the country are taking control of their health through technology.

97,000

There are more than 97,000 mobile apps related to health and fitness.

52 percent of smartphone users gather healthrelated information on their phones.

Mobile health apps generate up to 4 million free and 300,000 paid downloads per day.

By 2017, 50 percent of smartphone users will have downloaded mobile health apps.

50% By 2017, the total mobile health market revenue will reach $26 billion.

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Exercise and weight loss apps are the most popular types, with more than 76 million downloads combined.

54 percent of the people who have downloaded mobile healthcare apps are men.

80 percent of physicians use smartphones and medical apps. More than 25 percent of physicians are using mobile technology to provide patient care.

In a recent survey released by Cisco, 70 percent of patients surveyed said that they felt comfortable communicating with doctors via text, email or video in lieu of seeing them in person.

A recent trial conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services using remote video conferencing between nurses and recently discharged patients, delivered a 97 percent success rate in preventing readmissions.

Nearly 3 million patients will be monitored via mobile networks by 2016.

40%

40 percent of physicians believe that mobile health technologies can reduce the number of visits to doctors’ offices.

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SMALL BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE with Affordable Care Act Regulations

B Y M ICK EY H IRTEN

W

hile the Affordable Care Act has contributed to a significant reduction in the number of people without health insurance and has helped to somewhat contain healthcare costs, it continues to challenge businesses.

The law is complicated and costly; requirements differ according to the size of a business and the composition of its workforce. There are also reporting deadlines with serious penalties for non-compliance, and it is particularly challenging for small businesses.

“There is still significant confusion about what their responsibilities are and what the regulations are doing to them,” said Rob Fowler, president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan.

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“Many of them, perhaps the majority, are not complying with the law, which is a little bit dangerous.”

As a result, businesses are seeking outside expertise to work through the ACA, particularly small companies without large HR departments. They are working with accounting firms, HR systems providers, payroll vendors and other specialists as the 2016 fiscal year fast approaches.

On the horizon for businesses with more than 50 full-time employees and for all self-funded plans is a mandatory report to the Internal Revenue Service and to a company’s workers that tracks and quantifies employee data. Based on the 2015 work year, the report details the individual’s work history and information

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

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about healthcare benefits. Adding to the complexity of this new report is the challenge of determining who qualifies as a full-time employee.

“Do they work more than 30 hours a week? Are they new? Or are they variable hour employees who work 25 hours one week and 36 hours the next,” said Gary Kushner, president and CEO of Kushner & Company, a human resources consulting and benefits firm based in Portage.

Penalties for failing to comply with this provision of the law are $250 for each violation, although they may be waived for businesses that the IRS finds acted in good faith to comply.

“YOU HAVE TO BALANCE THE COST OF BENEFITS WITH THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN STAFF, WITH THE EASE OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINALLY WITH COMPLIANCE WITH THE ACT ITSELF.” —EDWARD MURPHY “A lot of employers have not even started looking at how to collect the data, store it and how they will produce this report.

The new ACA reporting requirement to the IRS that is starting in January 2016 means that businesses have to report to employees and to the IRS whether they offer coverage, what kind of coverage and who took my coverage. They need to do it for employees and their dependents, month by month,” Kushner said.

His company has been working with the Small Business Association of Michigan to help small and mid-size businesses comply with this and other ACA issues.

“Many employers are suddenly realizing that they have got to get going on a host of compliance issues. Kushner & Company has created a self-help workbook to guide companies through some of the issues. It seems to be very effective for employers who have done it,” he said.

But coping with the law involves balancing competing interests, said Edward Murphy, president of PM Group Benefit Advisors II, an affiliate of the tax, audit and business advisory firm Plante Moran. He suggested that while businesses are sorting through the intricacies of the ACA, they need to understand that the underlying issue is employee healthcare.

“You have to balance the cost of benefits with the ability to attract and retain staff, with the ease of administration and finally with compliance with the act itself. You can usually solve one or two of these issues and once in a while you may solve three. But invariably you can’t solve all four and meet your objectives,” Murphy said.

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Ten things employers should consider regarding the Affordable Care Act 1. Make sure that all plan documents and Summary Plan Descriptions (SPD) are current and properly define all terms of the benefit plan and have been distributed (and that distribution documented) to all participants.

2. Ensure that the health plan’s Summary of Benefits and Coverages (SBC) is current and has been distributed (and that distribution documented) to all participants.

3. Determine if your organization (including any controlled group or affiliated service group members) is an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) under the ACA. This will mean you have additional responsibilities under the ACA. 4. Review your health plan(s) for meeting the Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) requirements, Minimum Value (MV) requirements, and determine if your employee contributions meet the affordability standards under one of the three safe harbors.

5. If your organization is an ALE and thus subject to the Employer Responsibility “play or pay” provisions of the ACA, model your risk for the $2,000 per full-time employee or $3,000 per person penalty if a full-time employee purchases health coverage on the Exchange and receives a premium tax subsidy.

6. Review or establish your organization’s Measurement, Administrative, and Stability period processes and implement.

7. Ensure that all required one-time and annual health plan notices have been distributed to all participants (and document that distribution).

8. If your organization sponsors a self-funded health plan or a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), make sure you’ve properly filed and paid the PCORI tax on IRS Form 720 by July 31st of each year.

9. Perform any required nondiscrimination tests on a self-funded health plan, flexible spending accounts, and any other health and welfare plans requiring such testing.

10. Make sure your organization has collected all necessary employee information month-by-month in order to properly file the new IRS Form 1094s and 1095s beginning January 2016 for the 2015 calendar year.

More information is available on their website at kushnerco.com.

Sidebar provided by Gary Kushner

What’s so special about the number 23?

The 23rd letter of the English alphabet is W. It takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate through the human body.

While playing for the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan’s jersey number was 23.

The tilt of Earth’s axis is roughly 23 degrees.

There are 23 Principals at Maner Costerisan Our low 1:4.5 ratio of principals to staff means that you’ll have involvement from our executive team starting at day one. We encourage communication with our principals and know that they add a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every engagement. Being accessible and involved is our priority. At Maner Costerisan, the numbers speak for themselves.

2425 E. Grand River Ave., Ste. 1 • Lansing, MI 48912-3291 • T: 517 323 7500 • F: 517 323 6346 • www.manercpa.com • www.manersolutions.com 20

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SEPTEMBER 2015

COVER

“For example, a business may have a structure that meets the “attract and retain” goals. Employees love it and it can be administered simply and might comply with the act itself. But at the end of the day it might fail on the cost side of the ledger,” he said.

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.

As with Kushner & Company, Murphy and his associates are working with clients to help them avoid poorly understood and potentially costly ACA violations.

The government will levy a so-called “Cadillac Tax” in 2018 on businesses that spend more than $10,200 for individuals or $27,500 for families. To avoid this trap — and the 40 percent penalty for amounts spent in excess of the threshold — many companies are offering low premium, high deductible plans and supplement higher employee out-of-pocket costs with sweeteners like health savings accounts (HSAs) or health reimbursements (HRAs).

This was thought to be an effective strategy, but that view is changing.

The initial draft of regulations stated that all costs associated with healthcare premiums — employer contributions, supplemental payments and even employee-funded premium payments from a HSA — must be counted to determine the threshold calculation.

“This was something that was missed by most employers and was missed by most agents and brokers,” Murphy said, adding that guidelines for this provision continue to evolve, which makes compliance even more difficult.

Then there is the inevitable increase in the cost of benefit plans, which also can begin to approach the Cadillac Tax threshold.

“It’s not a question of if [the tax] is going to hit, it’s when,” Murphy said. Businesses will minimize their exposure by reducing their costs. “Basically it comes down to the strategy and how to deal with it, how to prepare employees for the inevitable cost shift.”

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1. Adventures 2.GDuke’s 3.ODomino’s 4.R CGI ribbon cutting 5. Mediterran Ribbon Cutting 6. American Fifth 22 G R E in A TNew E R LMedia ANSIN B U S I Saloon NESS M N T H L Y ribbon S E Pcutting TEMBE 201 5 Drinks 7. Beer Grotto 8. Mayor Virg Bernero throwing pizza dough at Domino’s 9. Lorio’s ribbon cutting 10. Crafty Palate sandwhich

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11. Henry’s ribbon cutting 12. Customers enjoying drinks at American Fifth 13. Firefly Yoga 14. Mama C’sLribbon cutting a n s i n g B u s i n 15. e s s Beer N e w Grotto s . c o m 16. The Marketplace apartments 17. Think Space 18. Glazed and Confused (photos provided by Downtown Lansing Inc.)

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A Primer on the European Union (EU) and the Euro

BY MORDECHAI E. KR E I N I N

Editor’s note: this article is in a series of articles outlining the differences between the U.S. and European economies.

A

policy comparison between the U. S. and Europe requires background on the institutional setup of the European Union and the euro. The process of “integrating” the continent of Europe into something approximating one entity began in 1958 when six countries on the continent (Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg) formed a customs union, known as the European Common Market, later labeled the European Community. It means that all trade restrictions, such as import tariffs and quotas, between member states are eliminated and common restrictions, such as a common external tariff, apply to imports from non-members.

Thus, imports into Germany from the U.S. or Japan pay the tariff while its imports from France pay nothing.

Incidentally, a free trade area, such as the one that exists between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), also abolishes trade restrictions within the area, but each member imposes its own restrictions on imports from outsiders. A free trade area is a looser organization than a customs union.

For various reasons, the U.K. and certain other European countries did not join the Common Market at the time. Rather, they formed a “rival” organization, a free trade area of seven countries led by the U.K. Not until the 1970s did the U.K. and other countries join the community. Over half a century, the Common Market expanded in membership and also changed its name a few times. Today it is known as the European Union (EU) of 28 countries of which Germany, the U.K. and France are the largest. The EU, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, allows free movement of goods, services and people within its vast area, imposes a common external tariff on imports from nonmembers, supports the prices of agricultural product at about double the world level and administers a variety of common regulations which emanate from its Brussels headquarters. It negotiates as one unit on trade and related matters.

In its economic size the EU is roughly comparable to the U.S. U.K. membership in the EU is questioned by at least one British political party, as many in England dislike the fact that policy decisions affecting the country come from Brussels rather than London. To make membership more palatable, Britain’s Prime Minister attempts to renegotiate certain provisions with the EU, such as removing the countries’ obligation to provide social benefits to migrants.

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Partly because of an aversion to exchange rate fluctuations in the post-war period, the EU decided to form a common currency called the euro. Introduced in 1999, the euro is used by 19 continental countries, which means that nine EU members failed to adopt the euro and use their own currencies. Prominent among them is the U.K., which continues to use the pound sterling (£). It has its own central bank, the Bank of England.

While each country handles government finances in the euro zone separately, under certain central guidelines, monetary policy for the 19 countries is conducted in unison by a common central bank, known as the European Central Bank (ECB), domiciled in Frankfurt, Germany. It will be suggested in subsequent columns, devoted to monetary policy, that “one size fits all” monetary policy (namely one policy for 19 diverse countries) may not work well.

Why did the euro go through unstable periods over the 17 years of its existence? Some observers suggest that the Eurozone falls short of a full monetary union, especially in the absence of common or fully observed fiscal policy. Additionally, the Eurozone consists of countries with divergent economic strengths, with some strong economies in the north and

SEPTEMBER 2015

certain weak economies in the south. The paramount example of the later group is Greece. Indeed, in mid-2015 there were fears that Greece may default on its external debt and be forced to leave the Eurozone, namely drop the euro and return to its own currency. Such a move had no precedent nor was it anticipated in the treaty that formed the euro. It was also feared that other countries (such as Portugal) might follow Greece.

More on that and on the “debt burden” of countries in later columns.

Mordechai Kreinin is a University Distinguished Professor of Economics, emeritus at Michigan State University and past President of the International Trade and Finance Association. He is the author of about 200 articles and books about economics, including the widely used text, International Economics.

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WOLVERINE DEVELOPMENT REBUILDS SOUTH LANSING reater Lansing’s best kept secret may be the growth of the South Lansing business corridor — spurred in large measure by extensive redevelopment of commercial properties owned by Wolverine Development Corporation.

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South Lansing may be perceived by some to lack the retail and entertainment appeal of Lansing’s east and west commercial corridors as well as Eastwood Towne Center. In fact, South Lansing is the population and traffic hub of the region and a must-have location for regional and national retailers and restaurants.

“We own business properties throughout central and western Michigan,” said Wolverine Chairman Bruce Maguire, III. “Our South Lansing properties have some of our best population densities and traffic counts — that’s what these companies look for.”

A number of national and regional companies had been seeking a South Lansing presence — principally on S. Cedar Street — but were frustrated by the lack of suitable structures. Wolverine’s upgrading and reimaging of its properties have filled this void with spectacular results.

If you build it, they will come? Well, so it seems — at least in South Lansing.

Of course, many parties have contributed to the corridor’s recent boom. Meijer’s renovation of their storefronts on S. Cedar, E. Miller and S. Pennsylvania has provided a big boost. And enlightened organizations such as South Lansing Business Association and the City of Lansing foster a friendly business and development climate.

“We have found the City of Lansing to be a very hospitable place to invest in and improve our properties,” says Joe Maguire, president and CEO

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of the company. “I imagine that’s in part because we never come to them with our hand out for money.”

Unlike other developers, Wolverine Development has never sought nor received a single dollar of government financial assistance for its projects.

Wolverine also specializes in the reuse of existing structures. “It’s good business and good for the environment,” explains Joe Maguire. “It is said that the greenest building is the one that is already built.

We find that holds not only for the environment, but for the other kind of green as well.”

The Maguire family commitment to South Lansing extends beyond its business interests. In 2011, they donated a large parcel of land to extend the Lansing River Trail and dedicated Maguire Park at Jolly and Aurelius Roads as a gift to the people of Lansing.

Now in its 92nd year, Bruce J. Maguire, Sr. founded Wolverine Development in Lansing in 1924. It is in its third generation of Maguire family ownership and management.

For additional information contact (517) 337-8282 or visit WolverineDevelopment.com.

SEPTEMBER 2015

BEFORE

AFTER

5601 S. Cedar Street

BEFORE

AFTER

6019 S. Cedar Street

BEFORE

AFTER

6527 S. Cedar Street

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MAN ON THE STREET

M AN on the STR E ET What, besides price, do you look for when choosing a healthcare plan?

COMPIL ED BY K YL E D O W L I N G, G L B M’ S MA N O N T H E S TR EET

“I look at the coverage that I’m getting from my provider and if the deductible and copays are decent.”

Lovell Blane

“I see the benefits that I’m getting, like emergency or dental, and the copay is very important.”

Candace Embri

“I look for the availability to providers in my area, and sometimes you have to travel for specialists, so I look for that as well.”

Laura Wagoner

“I look for good accessibility to doctors and hospitals, making sure that I’m covered for everything.”

Jim McCreight

“I try to find good benefits and the best deals that I can.”

Carolyn Wattz

“I want total coverage and to learn what is covered and what’s not.

A good deductible and copay is always something to look out for as well.”

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The CDC, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, aims to prevent and control disease, injury, and disability. Its website ably reflects this mission.

Familydoctor.org

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The content on FamilyDoctor.org is intended for individuals who are seeking reliable health information written at a 6th-8th grade reading level.

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HealthFinder

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Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, healthfinder.gov provides reliable information culled from approximately 1,400 health-related organizations.

NetWellness

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Women’s Health Resources — Women’s Health Research from NIH

womenshealthresources.nlm.nih.gov

Women’s Health Resources web portal is a service of the National Library of Medicine and the NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) that presents topics pertaining to women’s health collected by the ORWH.

ourbodiesourselves.org

Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS) (formerly the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective) has been providing information on women’s reproductive and sexual health plus issues that affect access and care since their first publication of the revolutionary Our Bodies, Ourselves in 1971. The website contains information about women’s health topics including excerpts from the latest edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves, OBOS programs, publications, and news.

Society for Women’s Health Research

womeshealthresearch.org

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) was founded in 1990 by a group of physicians, medical researchers, and health advocates. SWHR aims to bring attention to the myriad of diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health

womenshealth.gov

Womenshealth.gov is a website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. It includes an A-Z list of health topics, e-publications, and news (blog, highlights, spotlight).

Our Bodies, Ourselves

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GLBM LIST

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 health care resrouces categorized by type in alphabetical order. To submit your company information for future GLBM lists, go to lansingbusinessnews.com/get-on-the-list.

MEN'S HEALTH

WEBSITE

INFORMATION

AHRQ Men Stay Healthy at Any Age

ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm

Men Stay Healthy at Any Age, from the Agency on Health Research and Quality, provides a checklist to help men maintain their health. Men are encouraged to obtain appropriate screening tests, take needed preventive medicine and to practice healthy behaviors, all explained more fully on the site.

Urology Care Foundation (American Urological Association)

urologyhealth.org

This site provides information on a wide variety of urological conditions affecting men. It also has information about female and pediatric urological disorders.

CDC Men's Health

cdc.gov/men

From the Centers for Disease Control, a website dedicated to men's health issues. This site offers a broad range of information aimed at both consumers and health professionals.

PARENTING AND KIDS

WEBSITE

INFORMATION

The Hospital for Sick Children

aboutkidshealth.ca

Provides evidence-based information for parents and children about health issues, how the body works (including animated video and quizzes), life stages, and education.

American Academy of Pediatrics

healthychildren.org

This comprehensive site from the American Academy of Pediatrics for parenting kids from prenatal until adulthood covers diseases, staying healthy, mental and social concerns, school problems, and safety.

KidsHealth.org

kidshealth.org

The Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health provides current information about diseases and conditions, nutrition and fitness, developmental issues, and preventive health care. Information is available in English and Spanish, and is available as an audio version also. They offer information written specifically for parents, children, and teens.

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

nctsn.org

Established by Congress in 2000, the NCTSN provides information on every type of childhood trauma from neglect to natural disasters to physical abuse.

They offer resources for parents, teachers, and policy makers.

superkidsnutrition.com

SuperKids Nutrition was founded by a registered dietician to promote good nutrition; it offers health information for parents, kids and health educators through a blog, activities and links to even more online resources. For parents, there are tips and toolkits to promote healthy living in the family.

For kids, an animated SuperKids Crew teaches about nutrition, and there are fun activities to print and complete.

SuperKids Nutrition

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GLBM LIST

SENIOR HEALTH

WEBSITE

INFORMATION

The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging

healthinaging.org

Health In Aging provides up-to-date information on healthcare and aging for older adults, caregivers, and providers. The site provides information and tip sheets on common health topics and resources to help find and communicate with geriatrics healthcare providers.

Benefits Checkup

benefitscheckup.org

Benefits Checkup is a service aimed at helping older adults find state, federal, and private benefits programs to help pay for prescriptions, healthcare, food, and other services.

Eldercare Locator

eldercare.gov

Eldercare Locator, service of the U. S. Administration on Aging, connects older adults and caregivers to services for seniors. The online search function provides lists of trusted local resources, organizations, and services.

caregiver.org

Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) provides information, services, and support for caregivers and families of persons with chronic, disabling health conditions. The website offers fact sheets on conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke as well as statistics, public policy information, and reports.

medicare.gov

The official U.S. government website provides a wealth of information on Medicare health plans, drug coverage, and costs. It also offers tools to find whether a test, item, or service is covered and for finding doctors, providers, hospitals, plans, and suppliers.

NIH Senior Health

hihseniorhealth.gov

This National Institute of Health’s website for older adults makes agingrelated health information easily accessible for those seeking reliable, easy to understand online health information. Well-illustrated and readable, it includes many short videos, tutorials, and links out to other sites for additional information.

OTHER USEFUL HEALTH SITES

WEBSITE

INFORMATION

AMA Doctor Finder

extapps.ama-assn.org /doctorfinder/recaptcha.jsp

DoctorFinder provides you with basic professional information on most licensed physicians in the United States. This includes more than 814,000 medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs). AMA member physicians are offered an expanded listing that contains additional information such as office hours, accepted insurance providers, educational history and other information.

CenterWatch

centerwatch.com

CenterWatch provides information on active clinical trials for both professionals and patients. It is searchable by disease categories and geographic area. All of the trials listed are open (enrolling new patients).

clinicaltrials.gov

ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry and results database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants conducted around the world. It provides easy access to information about the location of clinical trials, their design and purpose, criteria for participation and additional disease and treatment information

emedicinehealth.com

This site provides consumer health information. There is also information on medical emergencies, injuries, minor medical conditions and basic first aid. The site contains more than 900 health and medical articles written by physicians for the general public.

quackwatch.com

Quackwatch was formed by Dr. Stephen Barrett to expose health-related "frauds, myths, fads and fallacies.” Website includes well-researched and authoritative information on a wide range of practices deemed questionable or obvious "quackery."

The Family Caregiver Alliance

Medicare

ClinicalTrials.gov

eMedicine Health

Quackwatch

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SEPTEMBER 2015

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September 17, 2015 Timber Ridge Golf Club

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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

REDISTRICTING ISSUES ARISE FOR MICHIGAN POLITICIANS Over the past 20 years or so, I’ve written occasionally about one of those issues where the importance factor and the “glazed eyes” factor both register high: reapportionment which is the redrawing of legislative and congressional district lines every 10 years. We’re halfway through a decade, and to no one’s surprise, talk about Michigan’s system has resurfaced.

As many know, Michigan’s Constitution included a reapportionment commission, but it was never able to come up with a plan, as the equal party commission votes on the maps wound up with no decision and the matter had to be settled in court.

Fast forward to today, as it’s the legislature, with Republicans currently in control, effectively taking the lead in drawing up the maps. Frustrated Democrats complain that they’re drawn to greatly — and wrongly — favor Republicans, with some pointing to polling and presidential elections suggesting more Democrats than Republicans in Michigan.

That aside, one thing the current system has resulted in is a huge number of legislative general elections that are decided on primary election day in August, instead of the general election in November. That’s because the maps have been drawn to virtually hand over most districts to either one party or the other, with only a handful of contested ones.

What some forget is that elections cost a lot of money. And when you’ve got a situation where most of those elections are decided before November (even if there may be other races/issues on the ballot), that’s just wrong.

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Democrats are again trying to make an issue of this with proposals to create a new commission, etc. But that’s where the whole “glazed eyes” thing comes in and raises questions over how much interest there is.

Longtime Lansing-based pollster Bernie Porn of EPIC MRA says that they tried to survey the redistricting issue many years ago and got nowhere. They had tried to test alternative approaches for redistricting.

“People just did not grasp it,” he said. “We ended up just bagging it.”

There’s no reason it should be that way.

Porn adds that redistricting “probably has more of an impact on the government — they have that choice — whoever they vote for.”

THE MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT TRANSITIONS TO A NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM The Michigan Supreme Court is now overseeing a major effort to transfer the business of courts in Michigan from the old mainframe computer system to a modern internet based system, a move that Chief Justice Robert Young Jr. says has been long overdue.

However, this is also happening during a time when hacking into internetconnected computer systems seems to be in the news on a near daily basis. And if there’s a system that contains a lot of sensitive material, the Michigan court system certainly is that. However, Court Justice Young is confident that their new system will be secure, although he adds that “you’d be foolish not to be worried about a security breach.”

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Despite that, this is a transition that just has to happen. Young jokes that they were getting worried they might have to start going to nursing homes to find mainframe computer system experts.

MICHIGAN’S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO GROW Who says they don’t make things in Michigan anymore? A new report from Headlight Data shows that Wayne County is number one among all counties in the U.S. when it comes to new manufacturing jobs.

And three other Michigan counties made the top 10. The report showed that Wayne County had added more than 4,200 new jobs last year, which was a 5 percent increase over 2013. Macomb County was third, Kent County was seventh and Ottawa County was tenth. The survey looked at job creation in nearly 2,750 counties nationwide.

THE PROS AND CONS OF FIREWORKS Every Independence Day since 2011, when Michigan significantly loosened its consumer fireworks law, there have been complaints about noise in otherwise quiet

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

daughter Charlotte and I have received from the many people I’ve known over parts of the past five decades in this town has been life affirming.

MICHIGAN’S NEWEST TRAVEL MARKET New Travel Michigan Vice President Dave Lorenz says they have their eyes on a lot of markets when it comes to bringing in tourists, including China. He predicts the China market will develop quickly, so they have been promoting heavily in places like travel bureaus and travel media. He says TV advertising in China is too expensive to utilize. As for the Chinese traveler, Lorenz says many of them have already seen places like New York and Las Vegas, so there’s more curiosity about Michigan.

That, combined with societal freedom in the U.S., makes Michigan a prime spot for more Chinese tourists. neighborhoods. People have complained that they can’t sleep and their dogs are upset when neighbors light firecrackers, roman candles and skyrockets. The complaints are not a surprise; a lot of people just don’t like explosions of any sort. But this year, we’ve heard from some who say returning veterans should not have to be subjected to the noise.

It’s believed that one in five returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Critics are now looking at the legislature and wondering what they were thinking when they approved the bill, which was also signed by the governor. Majority Republicans in the legislature might note, however, that they didn’t sponsor the legislation. In a rare move back in 2011, they allowed a minorityDemocrat Representative, Harold Haugh of Roseville, to sponsor the bill that went to the governor’s desk. Wondering if they were thinking ahead about possible fallout?

Some are trying to pressure lawmakers to repeal the law. But at the same time, we see reports that the law is bringing in plenty of new revenue for the state; $2 million in fees alone last year, not to mention over $26 million in sales. So don’t expect movement away from the law.

I want to thank East Lansing Ambulance for giving Sheila a chance and Sparrow I.C.U. for their tremendous efforts.

Thanks to family, my current and longtime reporter friends, as well as Sheila’s colleagues and associates at Sparrow Hospital’s Surgery Division.

And thanks to Sparrow for honoring her with a plaque for her 38 years of service, mostly as a Health Unit Coordinator.

This is the kind of support no one forgets.

As you may have noticed, I haven’t had a column here since the April issue.

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

In June of this year, I lost Sheila, my beloved wife of 23 years. The support my

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Businesses Thrive in East Lansing

BY TIM DEMPS EY

W

PHOTOS PROV IDED

ith each year that passes, the technology sector in East Lansing continues to grow and is becoming increasingly more vibrant. As the proud home of Michigan State University, there has been a continued focus on supporting the technology sector in the East Lansing/MSU community in order to bolster the economy, create new jobs and provide opportunities for students during and after college.

Earlier this year, IBM announced that it will be expanding its Crescent Road location, resulting in the creation of an additional 150 jobs in the fields of software development, program management, business analytics and information technology systems. IBM first opened its doors in East Lansing in 2009 as a Global Delivery Center, but with its latest expansion, the East Lansing location will now serve as an IBM Client Innovation Center. IBM is an Armonk, New York-based information technology giant that currently serves more than 60 North American clients from its East Lansing location.

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) continues to make progress on MSU’s campus as well. The groundbreaking for the $730 million project took place in March 2014, and construction of the facility is currently ahead of schedule. MSU was selected as the site for the FRIB in 2008 and the project is slated for completion between 2020 and 2022. Once completed, the FRIB will be capable of performing world-leading physics research by helping scientists better understand the forces that hold atoms together. The facility is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and will be operated by MSU. In the heart of downtown East Lansing, the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center (TIC) continues to see success with many graduates and new tenants coming on board regularly. The TIC opened its doors in 2008 and, through its support of business startups, has continued to facilitate the 36

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development of a technology-based economy in mid-Michigan, while bolstering the area’s professional workforce. In March 2010, MSU Technologies opened its doors as the anchor tenant in the SmartZone space adjacent to the TIC, along with MSU Business-CONNECT. The MSU Entrepreneurship Network, The Hatch and MSU Spartan Innovations were soon to follow. The TIC itself and several of its tenants have been honored with various awards and recognitions throughout the years and several

SEPTEMBER 2015

of the TIC’s graduating tenants have relocated and continued to run successful businesses out of the office space located on the second floor of The State News building. In its seven years in the East Lansing/MSU community, the TIC has supported more than 30 new businesses and remains an important anchor of the region’s growing technology sector.

IN ADDITION TO TECHNOLOGYBASED BUSINESS GROWTH, THE CITY HAS ALSO EXPERIENCED A REBOUNDING ECONOMY AND SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RECENT YEARS. THE FUTURE

15,000 Employees

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Locations worldwide

Hometown

CONTINUES TO LOOK BRIGHT FOR THE EAST LANSING/ MSU COMMUNITY.

Looking to the north part of the community, the little-known, but substantial technology company Vertafore opened its doors in East Lansing in 2012 and has continued to grow. Vertafore is headquartered in Seattle and serves the technology needs of the insurance industry. The company employs approximately 1,300 people nationally and has quietly grown its local presence to approximately 150 employees.

In addition to technology-based business growth, the City has also experienced a rebounding economy and significant investment in economic development in recent years. The future continues to look bright for the East Lansing/ MSU community.

Tim Dempsey is the City of East Lansing’s Planning, Building and Development Director.

Now HiriNg 120 Mid-Michigan positions open in IT, HR, Tax, Accounting, Engineering, Corporate Training and more.

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R E A L E S TAT E

The Obligation of Indemnification

BY TRICIA FOS TER

“Y

our business agrees to defend, hold harmless and indemnify Client from any loss or damage…” No doubt you’ve seen this or similar language in your business agreements. But do you know what it truly means or its real impact?

WHAT IS INDEMNITY? Indemnification is compensation or reimbursement from one party to another for loss or damage a party may have sustained.

It comes in two forms: or reimbursement owed is determined by a judge or a jury and normally kicks in when there is no indemnification language in an agreement. The interpretation of equitable indemnification differs from state to state.

Common Law or Equitable Indemnification: An implied obligation from one party to another based upon the law’s idea of what is fair and proper between parties. The compensation

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GREATER LANSING

R E A L E S TAT E

Contractual Indemnity: This is created through language in agreements. Its coverage is voluntarily given from one party to another to prevent the other party from suffering loss or damage. It is a promise to safeguard another from existing or future loss, liability or both. The voluntary promise to reimburse or compensate created in agreements may be broader and in the end, more costly than common law or equitable indemnification.

Key Components of Indemnification Clauses: Obligation to “Defend”: A defense clause or the inclusion of the word “defend” obligates your business to defend the other party in the event of a claim or lawsuit, including the payment of all legal costs such as expert witnesses and reasonable attorney’s fees.

Agreement to “Hold Harmless”: This means your business agrees that regardless of the actual chain of events, your business will not hold the other party at fault, and will shoulder 100 percent of the fault, and be 100 percent responsible for the payment of costs and/or damages related to the circumstance or chain of events.

Promise to “Indemnify”: In addition to possibly paying all legal costs and agreeing to be 100 percent at fault, to indemnify means that if the other party incurs any costs, expenses, losses and/or damages related to the occurrence or chain of events in question, your business will reimburse them for those items too.

As you can see, three short phrases can carry a hefty financial burden. While many indemnification clauses only include one or two of these terms, it is important to understand the implication of each. Bottom line is if you are signing business agreements with indemnification clauses, a contractual indemnity (i.e. voluntary promise of reimbursement or compensation) may be created when you sign on the dotted line. It is always a good idea to consult with both your Attorney and Insurance Agent so they can weigh in on any proposed language in advance of full execution of any document.

This article is not intended as a substitute for legal representation.

Tricia Foster, CPM®, ACoM® is Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at CBRE|Martin.

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BUSINESS CALENDAR

September 2015 BUSINESS EVENTS

Alex Jones, Emily Washburn, Amanda Washburn, Tom Hamp, Keith Rouse and Chris Buck attending a Chamber mixer.

9/1 1

9TH ANNUAL MAYORS’ RAMADAN UNITY DINNER, LANSING. Join Mayors Virg Bernero and Nathan Triplett for the 9th Annual Mayors’ Ramadan Unity Dinner, Hope Not Hunger. The dinner will be held at the Lansing Center, located at 333 East Michigan Ave., from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $15/college student, $25/ individual or $80/family of four. For more information, email rachel.huston@lansingmi.gov or call (517) 483-4141.

9/15

100 WOMEN WHO CARE MEETING, LANSING. 100 Women Who Care is a group of more than 100 women who get together four times per year to help local charities, nonprofits and worthy causes serving the greater Lansing area. Because of difficult economic times, many of these local charities’ resources are being depleted or greatly stressed due to the growing number of requests. 100 Women Who Care brings together women who want to make a difference in our community.

To date, they have given over $300,000 to local charities since their start in March 2010. Join the Lansing chapter of 100 Women Who Care for their next meeting at the University Club of MSU located at 3435 Forest Rd., beginning at 5 p.m. For more information, visit greaterlansing100womenwhocare.com, email rose@roseandev.com, donnaoade@glolawpc.com, or call (517) 332-4411.

9 /2 0

SPARTAN MARCHING BAND FOR KIDS CONCERT, LANSING AREA. What could be better than an intimate setting and the sounds of the Spartan Marching Band — one of the oldest and most recognized university 40

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marching bands in the country? Join us at the home of Tim and Cathy Staudt for this incredible event supporting the Sparrow Children’s Center and MSU Marching Band. The afternoon will include delicious food, music, auction items and the opportunity to mingle with your favorite MSU athletic coaches. Join the fun from 3 to 6 p.m. Gates will open at 2 p.m. For tickets and more information including the address, visit sparrowfoundation.org/ spartanbandconcert.com, email Stacie.Peltomaa@sparrow.org or call (517) 364-3532.

9/2 2

10 OVER THE NEXT TEN AWARDS, LANSING. Join Grand River Connection and the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce as they honor ten local young professionals who are expected to have a major impact on our community over the next ten years. Enjoy networking, hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. 10 Over the Next Ten will be held at the University Club of MSU from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit lansingchamber.org or grandriverconnection.com.

10 /10

GREATER LANSING HEART WALK, LANSING. Do you want to help raise the money needed to support the American Heart Association’s lifesaving research, programs and education in order to help fight heart disease and stroke? If so, join them at the Greater Lansing Heart Walk. This fun, non-competitive walk will be held at the Cooley Law School Stadium located at 505 East Michigan Ave. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 9:15 a.m. and the walk at 9:30 until 11 a.m. Help save lives and join the walk. For more information, visit LansingHeartWalk.org or email Rodney.Parkkonen@heart.org.

SEPTEMBER 2015

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W A L K FOR THE ANIMALS, GRAND LEDGE. Join the Capital Area Humane Society for their second largest fundraiser of the year, the Walk for the Animals.

Walkers register as individuals or as a team, collect donations and then join the walk on October 10 at Fitzgerald Park located at 133 Fitzgerald Park Dr. Additional activities will include: demonstrations, games, contests, vendors, lunch and more. Activities begin at 1 p.m., with registration from 1 to 2:45 p.m., lunch from 1 to 3 p.m. and the one mile walk and extended nature trail walk at 3 p.m.

The cost to participate is $25/person and includes parking, entry and lunch. Children 12 years of age and under are free. For more information, email events@AdoptLansing.org or call (517) 626-6060 x.120.

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MCLAREN RANKED AMONG THE NATION’S BEST BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

U.S. News & World Report has recognized McLaren Orthopedic Hospital for being among the nation’s best hospitals for hip and knee replacement. The annual U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 26th year, recognizes hospitals that excel in the treatment of patients afflicted with the most challenging conditions.

For 2015-16, U.S. News evaluated hospitals in 16 adult specialties and ranked the top 50 in most of the specialties. Less than three percent of the nearly 5,000 hospitals that were analyzed for Best Hospitals 201516 were nationally ranked in even one specialty. McLaren Orthopedic Hospital was recognized for hip and knee replacements.

“A Best Hospital has demonstrated expertise in treating the most challenging patients,” said Ben

LOCAL NOTABLE NEWS: LIFETECH ACADEMY PARTNERS WITH BUSINESSES TO BRING REAL-WORLD, HANDS-ON EDUCATION TO ITS LEARNERS

LifeTech Academy, a blended-model cyber public charter school for grades 42

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Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “A hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of.”

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, adequacy of nurse staffing and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. U.S. News used the same data, as well as the new Best Hospitals for Common Care ratings, first published in May, to produce the state and metro rankings.

The rankings are freely available at health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2016” guidebook, available in August from the U.S. News Store usnews.com/store.

7-12 based in Lansing, Mich., hosted an open house on Thursday, Aug. 20. More than 150 prospective Learners and their families took part in fun, interactive activities led by LifeTech Academy’s 12 strategic partners. Learners will choose one or two partners for a realworld, hands-on, project-based learning experience this fall.

LifeTech Academy marries the business and K-12 sectors through the use of strategic partnerships with local businesses and nonprofit organizations so that Learners can learn based on their field of interest. Learners that spend time at one of the approved partner sites not only fulfill their academic requirements

N O TA B L E N E W S

but they’ll develop relevant skills to make them career-ready.

LifeTech Academy’s strategic partners include Accident Fund insurance Company of America, AKEA Web Solutions, Dale Carnegie Training, Douglas J Aveda Institute, Greater Michigan Construction Academy, Information Technology Empowerment Center, LAFCU, M3 Group, Potter Park Zoo, U.S. Marines, Omega Youth Empowerment and the Michigan State University Wharton Center for the Performing Arts.

LifeTech Academy is a year round school serving Learners throughout the state of Michigan. For more information about how to enroll your child at LifeTech Academy, email info@lifetechacademy.org or call (517) 325-5469.

CASE CREDIT UNION TO OPEN NEW FULL-SERVICE BRANCH IN VERMONTVILLE

CASE Credit Union is pleased to announce the opening of its seventh branch location in cooperation with the Village of Vermontville. The new branch is housed in the current office building utilized by the Vermontville Village located at 121 Eastside Dr. in Vermontville, Mich.

CASE Credit Union offers a wide-array of financial products and services that are continuously expanding, including deposit accounts, loans, investment options, checking accounts, VISA credit cards, text and mobile banking, and online banking. The new CASE Credit Union location is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

VENTILATION SYSTEMS MANUFACTURER RETAINED AND GROWING IN GREATER LANSING

Munters Corporation, a global leader in energy efficient air treatment solutions,

recently announced that it will be constructing a new facility to house its growing operations. Munters has expanded quickly, outgrowing the current 62,500 square foot facility located in Vevay Township near the City of Mason.

The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) worked with the company to expand

locally once they deemed it impossible to expand at their current facility. LEAP conducted a site search for Munters and as a result, Munters selected a build-tosuit option at a site on Ena Drive in Delta Township. This new location is set to be the future site of a 110,000 square foot manufacturing facility with 13 docks, to be constructed within the next year.

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The new facility to be built for Munters in Delta Township represents $3.85 million in real property investment for the building itself, along with $315,000 of new equipment and other personal property attached to the project. This expansion will result in the retention of 57 local jobs in addition to the creation of another estimated 16 jobs based on the

company’s conservative expectation of growth over the next two years.

A Swedish company, Munters has five facilities across the U.S., along with a manufacturing and sales presence in 30 countries around the world. Munters manufactures product that touches a diverse array of industries and applications

including automotive, telecom, pharmaceutical and marine shipbuilding components. The Michigan operation focuses primarily on climate control systems for agricultural applications, taking the form of ventilation, cooling, heating and controls systems that go into livestock care and production.

LAFCU VICE PRESIDENT NAMED TO LCC FOUNDATION BOARD

LAFCU Vice President of Community and Business Development, Kelli A. Ellsworth Etchison, has been elected to the Lansing Community College (LCC) Foundation Board of Directors. Ellsworth Etchison will serve a three-year term, which can be renewed up to three terms.

The LCC Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports LCC and its approximately 18,000 students through scholarships, program improvements, technological advancements, staff development and capital expansions.

Ellsworth Etchison is a 30-year veteran of the credit union industry and an award-winning marketer. During the past 26 years, she has advanced through the Etchison ranks at LAFCU, beginning as a loan interviewer to her current position as vice president of community and business development.

Her initiatives and those she has supported have won numerous awards, including the Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award. Recently, the Michigan Credit Union League named Ellsworth Etchison the 2014 Credit Union Youth Advocate of the Year. She is also a recipient of the NAACP Community Service Award, the International Athena Award and the LAFCU Community Service Award. She holds an associate degree from LCC and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Northwood University.

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GREATER LANSING TOURISM UP THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR ON PACE FOR A RECORD 2015 The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau (GLCVB) is pleased to announce that, according to recent data from Smith Travel Research, Inc. (STR), the Greater Lansing region is on pace for a record year.

Through June, the hotels in Greater Lansing’s jurisdiction that the report 2015 Average Daily Rate (ADR) is 7.5 percent ahead of last year’s figure at $96.74. Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) is 11.3 percent ahead of last year at $58.89. Additionally, Greater Lansing area hotel occupancy has shown a strong 3.6 percent increase over last year with an occupancy rate of 60.9 percent.

The increases in regional hotel visitation is a positive sign for regional tourism; a key element to a healthy local economy.

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According to a 2013 study performed by the Anderson Economic Group, the Greater Lansing region welcomes 4.7 million visitors every year, generating an economic impact of over $472 million dollars. Guests to the Capital region pay taxes on fuel, lodging, food, retail and more. The total is an average of over $22 million in state taxes annually and $395 million to the Greater Lansing GDP.

NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES GENERAL CHAIR AND VICE CHAIRS FOR THE 2015 INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Northwood University’s Automotive Marketing department has named senior Michael Duffy as the general chair of the 52nd annual Northwood University International Auto Show. The student-run

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Each year, vice chair positions are chosen by the general chair through an interview process. In his new role, Duffy has tapped graduate student Christina Salmon to serve as vice chair of operations and senior Tanner Sova as vice chair of divisionals.

Duffy had previously worked with both Sova and Salmon on the 51st show’s executive board.

Duffy is the son of Sean and Christy Duffy of Dewitt, Mich. This Northwood University senior has been involved with the Auto Show for four years. He previously served as both a member and the captain of Team Chevrolet and as public relations chair on the executive board. After graduation, he hopes to work on the corporate side of the automotive industry.

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show will be held Oct. 2-4 on Northwood University’s campus located at 4000 Whiting Dr. in Midland, Mich. It is North America’s largest student-run, outdoor new car show.

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Salmon is the daughter of Greg and Suzanne Salmon of Brighton, Mich. She has been involved with the show for five years, serving as a member of Team Buick GMC; a captain of Team Cadillac for two years and vice chair of the 51st show in 2014. A recent Northwood University graduate, Salmon will be starting her studies at the university’s DeVos Graduate School this fall in order to earn her MBA. Following her graduation from DeVos, she strives to work her way up in a dealership, become general manager and hopes to one day open her own business.

Sova is the son of Steve and Lynette Sova of St. Louis, Mich. He has been a part of the Auto Show for four years, previously serving as a member of team Harley Davidson; a co-captain of Team Chevrolet and domestic chair on the executive board. Following graduation, Sova hopes to join his older brother and become the third generation to run their family used car business, Dick Sova Auto Sales.

The Auto Show will showcase more than 500 new cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, specialty, experimental and concept vehicles, along with an aftermarket

N O TA B L E N E W S

exhibit, on Northwood scenic campus.

University’s

The annual event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (989) 837-4432 or visit northwood.edu/ autoshow/.

LEAP WELCOMES NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT COORDINATOR

The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) welcomed a new Project Coordinator to the Business Development team this week. Gabriela Allum will support the team in a number of ways, including oversight and administration of economic development programs and incentives for potential projects and projects under development for the City of Lansing and the region. Funding for Gabriela’s position comes from an increase in the City of Lansing contract for services with LEAP. Prior to joining LEAP full-time, Allum served as the Business Incubation apprentice, supporting the New Economy division at LEAP, by working directly with the Technology Innovation Center and Runway business incubators to grow the incubators themselves and support the tenant companies.

Gabriela is a graduate of Michigan State University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and human capital in December 2014.

Christine Zarkovich, and assistant, Mandy Emmert.

executive

Zarkovich has a variety of experience in marketing, advertising, promotions and management. As Account Executive for Adams Outdoor Advertising, Zarkovich obtained clients through strategic networking and promotions and helped those clients gain exposure throughout

Michigan. Zarkovich has a B.A. in business management from Northwood University.

Zarkovich will work directly with Michelle Rahl, director of business development, to retain current members and enhance new member development for the LRCC. Emmert has a background in customer service and organizational management.

For many years, Emmert has worked

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The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) announces the hiring of new business development manager,

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to provide outstanding experiences for customers and clients as their first point of contact. As Office Assistant for Dr. Paul Ward, D.D.S., Emmert gained a specialization in schedule maintenance and record management. Emmert will assist the leadership team with support and be the main contact for visitors and LRCC initial inquiries at the front desk.

MICHIGAN KIDS WIN CHANCE TO LEARN HEALTHY HABITS FROM THEIR FORD FIELD HEROES Sixty kids from metro Detroit and Lansing youth organizations, ages six to 12, joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), Detroit Lions’ mascot Roary and members of the Lions youth programming staff for on-field activities

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and a player meet-and-greet Thursday, Aug. 13.

Ten of the participating children won their spot on the field by practicing healthy habits in Blue Cross’ #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge. More than 300 Michigan kids registered for the contest, which called on kids to pledge to complete four weekly health challenges throughout July. The kids spent the month, with the support of their parents and guardians, learning how to play, eat, throw and sleep like their favorite Detroit Lions players, including daily throwing challenges and getting active for at least 60 minutes a day.

Among the winners of the #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge was Dalton Frank of East Lansing. #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge supports Blue Cross’s ongoing commitment to children’s health and its #MIKidsCan campaign — an initiative focused on encouraging kids to adopt healthy habits early in life that are more likely to be carried into adulthood. Over the last 10 years, Blue Cross has given more than $6 million in support of kids’ health and wellness initiatives across the state, reaching more than 100,000 children. For more information on the #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge and Blue Cross’ ongoing efforts to help improve childhood health, visit AHealthierMichigan. org/mikidscan or follow #MIKidsCan on Twitter.

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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

FLEXcity Fitness, a locally owned fitness studio, has grown 25 percent in attendance in just the last year. With the growth, the studio has expanded the Lansing team with the addition of two trainers, Denae Matthews and Ashley O’Connell.

Matthews is an Arizona transplant who previously served as a director at an Arizona YMCA and worked for Character Quest, a leadership development company.

She received her bachelor’s degree in

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LOCAL FITNESS STUDIO EXPANDS, ADDS TWO NEW TRAINERS TO TEAM

SEPTEMBER 2015

Matthews

health science, health policy and hospital administration and a master’s degree in healthcare innovation from Arizona State University.

O’Connell previously worked for Mid American Pompon as a staff sister and is currently pursuing a degree in human development and family studies from Michigan O’Connell State University. She expects to graduate in the spring of 2016.

FLEXcity Fitness is owned and operated

by Lansing natives Trista Parisian and Jenny Quinn, who opened the Lansing studio in 2012, Grand Rapids in 2014 and Detroit in 2015. FLEXcity Fitness is an interval-based studio incorporating cardio, strength and flexibility into each

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Thursday Oct. 29, 2015 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center (55 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing). The ceremony begins with a reception at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the awards presentation at 7 p.m. Sponsorship and advertising information is available online at michiganwomenshalloffame.org. Reservations are $150 per person and include a one-year membership or $135 for members and can be made on our website or by calling (517) 484-1880 x203.

The 2015 contemporary honorees are:

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• Dean Jocelyn Benson of Detroit • Rep. Maxine Berman of West Bloomfield • Sue Carter of East Lansing • The Honorable Candice S. Miller of Harrison Township • Esther K. Shapiro of Detroit • Linda M. Woods, MSW, of Traverse City

The 2015 historical honorees are: class. The studio uses a variety of equipment such as treadmills, TRX suspension, Bosu, free weights, barre and more. For more 8/10/15 11:41 AM • Janet C. Cooper (1931-2002) of Detroit information, visit flexcityfitness.com.

• Mabel White Holmes (1890-1977) of Chelsea

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MICHIGAN WOMEN’S HISTORICAL CENTER ANNOUNCES 2015 HALL OF FAME HONOREES

• Maggie Walz (1861-1927) of Calumet • Myra Wolfgang (1914-1976) of Detroit

Ten outstanding women were chosen from more than 100 nominations to be inducted into the 32nd class of the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. The induction will take place at the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame Awards Dinner & Induction Ceremony on

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The Philip A. Hart Award will also be presented at this event.

This award is given annually by the Michigan Women’s Studies Association Board of Directors to a man who has demonstrated a unique understanding and support of women’s issues and concerns and has contributed to the advancement of women’s rights and interests. This year the award will be presented to Judge David Newblatt.

GILDEN WOODS EARLY CARE AND PRESCHOOL EXPANDS IN THE LANSING AREA Gilden Woods will open in Okemos, Mich. in November 2015 to meet growing demand in the greater Lansing area.

There are 16 Gilden Woods and AppleTree Early Care and Preschools located in the greater Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo and Lansing areas. Lisa Raths owns and operates an AppleTree Early Care and Preschool in East Lansing and recently opened a Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool in Haslett in June 2015.

(Available through marketing arrangement with LifeSecure Insurance Company.)

LifeSecure Insurance Company is solely responsible for the hospital recovery and accident products described in this ad. LifeSecure Insurance Company is an independent company that does not provide Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan products or services.

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The new school, located at 2190 Association Dr. in Okemos, will employ a total of 30 to 40 teachers and caregivers and two directors, allowing for the enrollment of up to 168 children. Once

SEPTEMBER 2015 8/10/15 11:34 AM

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open, the school will provide infant and toddler care, full and halfday preschool, Young 5’s and before- and after-school care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

DENTAL AND VISION

All residents and visitors are welcome and encouraged to schedule a tour at our current Haslett school during pre-enrollment. For more information visit our website at gildenwoods.com or call Tracy Davies, Regional Manager, at (517) 295-3641.

Fraser Trebilcock Lawyers Selected Among “The Best Lawyers in America©” DEWPOINT WELCOMES NEW EMPLOYEES TO LANSING Dewpoint, a leading provider of technology-related consulting and solution architecting professional services, is pleased to welcome these new employees to Lansing: • Joe Kunk, Application Architect • Alan McCarrick, Systems Engineer • Blake Waldron, Business Analyst

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We partner with leading technology providers such as Oracle, Symantec, Pure Storage, Cisco, NetApp, Brocade, VMware, Hitachi Data Systems, and others to incorporate the latest hardware and software solutions available.

PURE LANSING NAMED #1 IN USA FOR DIVERSITY IN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 8/10/15

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11:57 AM

A recent report named the Lansing MSA as the leading region in the country for quality of education and attainment gap across the nation. The study defines quality of education by public school system rankings, average quality of universities and the per capita number of enrolled students in top 200 universities.

The study, 2015’s Most and Least Educated Cities, determined Lansing to have very low gaps in educational attainment between gender and race based on the difference between the percentages of black and white bachelor’s degree holders and

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BCBSM.COM/EMPLOYERS Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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13 PROPERTIES THROUGHOUT MICHIGAN INCLUDING FORMER SAM’S JOINT RESTAURANTS! Online Real Estate Auction: Tuesday, September 15 8a.m. - 2p.m.

Athens, Plainwell, Coopersville, Greenville, Edmore & Kentwood: Six former Sam’s Joint Restaurants.

Kalkaska: 3BD / 2BA home lake front.

Evart: Two subdivision lots on Lake Miramichi subdivision.

Stevensville: Approx. five vacant commercial acres.

Detroit: 3BD / 1.5BA home in East English Village.

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Vanderbilt: Lender owned vacant condo units (17 & 18).

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Kalamazoo: Bank owned 2BD & 1BA home.

Stevensville: Approx. two vacant commercial acres.

between female and male bachelor’s degree holders.

Additionally, Lansing was ranked eighth overall in the educated cities study, which examined education level rank based on percentages of the population with various degree levels. The study analyzed data from the US Census Bureau, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, GreatSchools.org and the US News & World Report.

“This serves as further confirmation that Lansing has a large and diverse talent pool of Americans choosing to reside in the region following graduation from high school. It is also a huge testament to the excellence of the area’s education institutions, with Michigan State University and Lansing Community College leading the way,” said Keith Lambert, Tri County Development Manager at LEAP. COLDWELL BANKER HUBBELL BRIARWOOD RANKS AS ONE OF MICHIGAN’S TOPPRODUCING BROKERAGE FIRMS IN RISMEDIA’S 2015 POWER BROKER REPORT

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Coldwell Banker Hubbell BriarWood announced it’s ranking as the number 171 real estate firm in transactions and 330 in sales volume, according to RISMedia’s 27th Annual Power Broker Report. Coldwell Banker Hubbell BriarWood reported a total sales volume of $544,693,305 in 2014, representing 3,703 closed residential transactions.

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Part of the CBRE affiliate network

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SEPTEMBER 2015

Part of the CBRE affiliate network