Member News

DUCA Granite & Tile Celebrates 15 Year Anniversary

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:00:00 -0400

DUCA- Granite & Tile ? llc is a local Holland Company, for quality tile & stonework. We pursue creative use of methods and materials, from concept to construction, to make your projects both unique and enjoyable. Thankful for 15 years in which we have seen opportunity and challenge. We realize that our natural & enduring products as well as our local quality service are much appreciated in our greater Holland community. Come & Celebrate with us: September 15th ? Open house 12pm-3pm.

Fall 2010 Business Magazine Now Available!

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:00:00 -0400

We are pleased to announce the Fall 2010 issue of our Holland Chamber magazine, Business, is now available in print and online. The fall edition features stories on an exciting new cutting-edge industry coming to Holland. The fall issue came out recently, and was distributed in The Holland Sentinel to 18,000 subscribers. If you did not see the latest edition of Business, click here to view, or you can pick up a copy at the Holland Chamber office. Business will be published quarterly, so look for the next edition in winter 2010. Click Here to view the Holland Chamber magazine.

Hospital Receives Gold Performance Award from Cardiology Foundation

tbreed@hollandhospital.org (Tim Breed) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:00:00 -0400

To receive the ACTION Registry ? GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award, hospital staff consistently followed the treatment guidelines in ACTION Registry ? GWTG for 24 consecutive months. The guidelines include aggressive use of medications such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin and anticoagulants.

?The American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association commend Holland Hospital for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols,? said Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, ACTION Registry ? GWTG Steering Committee Chairperson and Director of Ahmanson ? UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. ?The full implementation of acute and secondary prevention guideline-recommended therapy is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients.?

?Our teams strive to be current on evidence-based practice initiatives and we make this a part of our culture in providing cardiac care,? said Todd Knight, Director of Holland Hospital?s Cardiovascular Laboratory. ?It?s nice to be nationally recognized by our conscious efforts, but more importantly, it?s great to be able to provide this high quality care to our community.?

Holland's New Call Center Aims to Show It Was Worth Millions in Tax Incentives

cknape@grpress.com (Chris Knape | The Grand Rapids Press) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:00 -0400

Employees will start at wages described as "just above minimum wage," though more specialized positions requiring people with expertise in health care and other more technical fields will pay more.

NOVO 1 CEO Mary Murcott said the company chose the area because of its available work force, education level, neutral accent and the incentive package.

"Some places are overbuilt with call centers," she said. "You guys aren't overbuilt. You have a high labor availability with high education. I don't need everybody with a college degree, but most people graduate from high school and some college is important to us."

Murcott said she hopes the Holland facility will play a role in NOVO 1's growth as a provider of call center service for health care-related businesses.

NOVO 1 invested more than $2 million to open the facility, with federal, state and local incentives worth nearly $2 million stacked on top of that. The incentives required the company to hire low- and moderate-income people who live in the area for many of its positions.

Murcott noted most of the public money spent for the project went toward road improvements and other infrastructure investments that should benefit the rest of the area around the call center.

She noted the significance of opening the facility before Labor Day.

"We can think of no better way to celebrate Labor Day than by creating new jobs in America," she said.

E-mail Chris Knape: cknape@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Kcorner

The Stow Company (formerly Windquest Companies Inc.) Celebrates 25 Years

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

The Stow Company (formerly Windquest Companies Inc) will be celebrating 25 years of business along with a new name and new look. Join them as they celeberate this milestone with an open house being held on Tuesday September 14th, 2010 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Catering will be provided by Butch's. The Stow Company is located at 3311 Windquest Drive in Holland.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, SAVE!

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

The video contest is one of several components of the ABA Education Foundation?s Teach Children to Save program. This component is a unique competition that encourages youth to inspire others to become lifelong savers.

"We are delighted to continue our commitment to financial education through this opportunity created by the ABA and look forward to seeing the creativeness and resourcefulness of our contestants,? Kerber added.

To participate, students aged 13-16 can stop by any Chemical Bank location for an entry form and contest details. Videos will be accepted at Chemical Bank Offices and will be judged on creativity, content and message. Chemical Bank will host the first round of local level judging and will submit one winning video to compete on the national level for a chance at a $3,000, $1,500 and $500 in U.S. Savings Bonds and an iPod� Touch.

Chemical Financial Corporation is the third-largest bank holding company headquartered in Michigan. The Company operates through a single subsidiary bank, Chemical Bank, with 142 banking offices spread over 32 counties in the lower peninsula of Michigan. At June 30, 2010, the Company had total assets of $5.1 billion. Chemical Financial Corporation common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol CHFC and is one of the issues comprising the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Member FDIC.

Phase I of the Mixed-Use Redevelopment of Holland Town Center Commences

andyw@sugaroak.com (Andy Walsh) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

In addition, SugarOak will be converting Buildings A & B to mixed-use retail/office/medical business condominiums. SugarOak?s vision for the redevelopment of Holland Town Center is to create a vibrant mixed-use center, where retail, office, medical, restaurants and even R&D/tech users will call home.

In July 2009, SugarOak purchased the Holland Town Center, previously known as the Holland Outlet Mall from Horizon Properties. SugarOak has extensive experience with revitalizing similar centers around the country, and plans to do the same for Holland Town Center by providing retail and office users with an opportunity to lease or purchase ready-to-use space at below market prices.

About SugarOak

SugarOak is a full service real estate company offering investment, management, and construction services across multiple property types. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, SugarOak has ownership interests and management portfolios across the US and Canada.

For more information on Holland Town Center see: http://www.hollandtowncenter.com
Fort Leasing or Condo Sales info call Andy Walsh at: 616-396-1808

Tulip Time Festival and Holland Area Arts Council Work Together on Art in Bloom Poster Competition

tulipnews@tuliptime.com (Sally Gruppen) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

A panel of three West Michigan art experts, to be announced at a later date, will judge all entries. These jurors will select 20 pieces of art from which the 2011 Tulip Time Festival poster will be chosen. All 19 finalists? original works plus the Official Tulip Time Festival Poster original artwork will be displayed at various downtown Holland merchant locations from May 1-12, 2011. Locals and visitors are encouraged to tour downtown Holland to view the 19 finalist poster designs and vote on their favorite one. The winners of the ?Viewer?s Choice Award? will be announced on May 14, 2011, 10am at the Holland Area Arts Council. First, second and third place will receive cash awards.

?The Tulip Time Festival is very excited to work with the Holland Area Arts Council on the Art in Bloom Poster Competition,? states Tulip Time Festival Chairperson, Sally Gruppen. ?The Tulip Time Festival Poster Program has been a major part of our festival for 28 years and will continue to be as we draw in artists and showcase the wonderful talent we have in West Michigan. We look forward to seeing the community involvement in both submitting the art as well as casting votes on the Viewer?s Choice Awards.?

Lorma Williams Freestone, Executive Director, Holland Area Arts Council commented, ?The Holland Area Arts Council looks forward to working alongside the Tulip Time Festival and our region's artists for the Art in Bloom Poster Competition. We are confident that this will be a wonderful opportunity for West Michigan and all its visitors to see the level of artistic talent that abounds here. Having organizations such as the Tulip Time Festival, the Arts Council, Holland Friends of Art and our area galleries collaborate on this kind of effort encourages more people to become involved in our festival and strengthens our community?.

For more details call the Holland Area Arts Council at 396-3278 or to download a complete prospectus visit tuliptime.com or hollandarts.org.

The dates for the 2011 Tulip Time Festival are May 7-14. For more information on the Tulip Time Festival call 800.822.2770 or visit www.tuliptime.com.

Keller Williams Realty Named Highest Ranked in Home Buyer Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates for Third Straight Year

amber.presley@kw.com (Amber Presley) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

?We are incredibly proud of our associates for earning this distinction and want to thank them for their commitment to their clients and communities,? said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. ?We see this honor as demonstration of our company philosophy that it is the agent?s brand that matters most and no amount of money spent on advertising can replace the influence and reputations our agents have in their local communities. Our associates have earned this on their own, by building relationships in their communities.?

The study was produced by J.D. Power and Associates to measure home buyers and sellers customer satisfaction. The results of the home-buying experience were determined by three factors including the buyer?s experience with their agent, the real estate office and a variety of additional services. Keller Williams Realty performed particularly well in the agent and office factors. And, overall satisfaction of buyers for the industry was up over last year.

Additionally, the study noted that the importance of real estate agents has increased substantially in the past year, with buyers and sellers relying on the negotiating skills of their chosen agent and help in navigating the market.

?It is thrilling to see our firm, once again, get public recognition for its incredible focus on customer satisfaction from such a prestigious group. Our associates continually demonstrate that it is possible to deliver the highest level of customer service in one of the toughest real estate markets on record,? said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty. ?We feel incredibly fortunate to be in business with them, and want to congratulate them on their hard work and dedication.?

In the past year, Keller Williams Realty has continued to grow despite the well-publicized turmoil in the real estate industry. In addition to becoming the 3rd largest real estate company in the U.S., surpassing RE/MAX�, Keller Williams Realty was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine and was voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises and the Trendsetter of the year for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

Macatawa Bank Brings Dave Ramsey?s EntreLeadership 1-Day Event To West Michigan

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

What is EntreLeadership? EntreLeadership combines the innovative spirit of an entrepreneur with the passion and drive of a leader. Since his first hire, Dave has made it a priority to train, mentor and refine his leadership team. The EntreLeadership principles have been at the foundation of his training process since day one.

Transform Your Business ? At EntreLeadership you will learn the keys to successful marketing, administration, accounting, management, and even unique life lessons that have directly impacted how Dave operates every day. If you study and gradually implement these lessons, you will not only reach your small business and leadership goals, but you will transform your organization into one where people love to work! You will also learn how to build better and stronger relationships with your team and how to best serve your customers. EntreLeadership will equip you to validate your team members while inspiring them to work with passion.

When/Where and How Much ? The EntreLeadership simulcast is scheduled Friday, November 5, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. at The Pinnacle Center, 3330 Highland Drive, Hudsonville. The cost is $49.00 per person ($39 for event ticket and workbook and $10 for lunch and beverages throughout the day).