GRAND RAPIDS - Startup Weekend is coming to Grand Rapids on Jan 13 to the Factory, where entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs can develop business plans in just 54 hours. Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists to build communities, companies and projects. It is known
LANSING - The Michigan House and Senate completed a deal on restoring home heating aid for the poor and sent that legislation (SB 364 and SB 864) to Governor Rick Snyder for signature. The House, despite some reticence among conservative Republicans, passed a new structure for the state's film incentive program (SB 569 ) with
GRAND RAPIDS ? The good news for West Michigan is for the first time in years the Grand Rapids area will add more jobs, says George Erickcek, senior analyst at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, who projects overall job growth of 1.1 percent next year, though public-sector employment will continue to
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder signed into law one of the biggest-ever changes to state employee benefits with an overhaul he said would prune $5.6 billion from the state's $15 billion in long-term unfunded liabilities. In signing HB 4701 and HB 4702 , designed to shore up the state's pension and retiree health care benefits,
ADA - Alticor, the parent company of Amway, has named former General Electric executive, Michael Cazer, as the company's chief financial officer. Cazer, 45, has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer of Alticor. In his duties as CFO, he'll serve as a member of the company's senior executive staff, reporting directly to
GRAND RAPIDS ? The Business Review will cease publishing its weekly tabloid newspaper and focus on expanding digital offerings for business-to-business readers. Business Review West Michigan ? formed 16 years ago as a regional business publication and initially known as Business Direct ? published its final print edition this week. The company also plans to
GRAND RAPIDS ? The long discussed year-around indoor market is finally moving forward. Demolition is expected to begin in January for the $27 million Urban Market at Ionia Ave between Wealthy and Logan streets. Initial site work including installing a safety fence, removing salvage materials, site evaluations and assessments has been completed. The seven buildings
LANSING - After eliminating the state's lucrative film subsidy and replacing it with $25 million in incentives, the Legislature approved a framework Thursday to dole out those funds, with an extra incentive to hire Michigan workers. Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe), the bill sponsor, has said the intent of SB 569 is to make
GRAND RAPIDS - More than 20 percent of the 1,400 chief financial officers surveyed for the Robert Half Financial Hiring Index said they plan to add full-time accounting and finance employees in first quarter of 2012. Only 11 percent forecast staff decreases. The resulting net 9 percent increase is up four points from the fourth-quarter
SAN FRANCISCO - The number of malicious apps mobile security firm Lookout has identified in less than six months has doubled to 1,000, according to a report from Lookout. The vast majority of those dubious apps are found on third-party app stores and alternatives to the official Android Market, the company said in a report