Rockford Construction has announced its intention to invest some $400,000 in the renovation of the downtown Grand Rapids' Peck Building that could bring a dozen new retail businesses to city center. Gina's Boutique and Lia Rose occupy a portion of the street level of the building, which fronts along both Monroe Center and N. Division Avenue. That leaves some 8,500 square feet for the development of Shoppes at Monroe and Division, or MoDiv -- small retail spaces for retail startups or established businesses that want to try out a downtown location."We're hoping for a mix of established retailers and startups," says Kurt Hassberger, Rockford COO. "We would like to see that mix where the startups can learn from the established people, and we're hoping to get some anchor (stores), if you will, to draw people down there."The shops could be as small as 100 square feet, Hassberger says, and will vary in size depending on the business's need. Movable walls and connections between stores are options to create a more open environment and promote business between shops. "We're hoping to have space where tenants could have fashion shows, wine tastings and create a very collaborative environment," Hassberger says. "We're trying to make this easy for people, to make the space ready so they won't need a lot of buildout dollars, and no long-term lease is required."The renovation plans include tearing off the brick wall along N. Division to make way for storefront windows. The project landed a $75,000 facade improvement grant from the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority. Hassberger says that although the Downtown Development Authority awarded the grant, the project at this time is not one of the locations under consideration for the downtown retail incubator program recently announced by the DDA.Another impetus for development now is the city's one-year pilot program to reduce traffic lanes along Division Avenue to slow down traffic and possibly make room for on-street parking. The first storefronts should be ready for tenants this fall.Source: Kurt Hassberger, Rockford Construction; Michael Zalewski, Seyferth PRWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

Grand Rapids businesswoman Marlene O'Donnell has been in the estate sale industry for over 35 years, conducting sales on location at her clients' homes. O'Donnell, who owns Heirloom Estate Services with business partner Peggy Miller, will open Heirloom Estate Sales at 929 E. Fulton with another business partner, Kyle Maxim. O'Donnell has been hopping busy, helping Miller run the estate services business, which hosts some 50 estate sales a year, while spending the past four years helping Maxim shore up and renovate a dilapidated century-old building for a consignment shop on the main level and a 950-square-foot rental apartment upstairs."Some places, like retirement homes, condominium complexes and others, don't allow estate sales," O'Donnell says. "In years past, we would get permission to bring that merchandise into people's homes and coordinate it with another sale, but sometimes people didn't want that or there wasn't room. Having this building eliminates the need to do that."When O'Donnell and Maxim started work on the building, it was pretty much an empty shell with no interior walls. They've acted as general contractors, hiring licensed electricians and plumbers, and doing a lot of the remodeling work themselves. Upstairs renovations include building a two-bedroom apartment with a new kitchen and bathroom, new windows and its own HVAC system. Downstairs renovations include an A.D.A.-compliant restroom, new exterior and a new roof. The store will be open periodically for specific estate sales. Interested persons can sign up on the Heirloom Estate Services' web site to receive email notifications of sale dates. Source: Marlene O'Donnell, Heirloom Estate Services, Heirloom Estate SalesWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

Speakers for the upcoming TED conference in Grand Rapids have been announced by organizers. According to excerpts from MLive: Local organizers have so far secured 14 speakers for the day-long event, each of whom will have no more than 15 minutes to relate their expertise to the topic of the day: Innovate X, "where 'x' is an undefined variable." You can read the entire story here:

WZZM13 reports that the City of Grand Rapids and Local First launched this week a new program to reward city residents for recycling by offering discounts and giveaways through local businesses.According to excerpts from the story:The City of Grand Rapids and Local First have formally launched myGRcitypoints.com , a rewards program for residents for recycling. The program was first announced in August by City Manager Greg Sundstrom. Residents can register online to receive points based on the amount of recycling they place in their city-issued single stream recycling bins. 61 local businesses have signed onto the program to reward residents for their points. Read the complete story here.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids received great news with the announcement of the $120,000, two-year grant from the Kellogg Foundation.   The grant will provide Goodwill with the resources to conduct a very comprehensive diversity training program that has the potential to impact their service delivery on multiple levels, as well as create a culture of inclusion among their nearly 400 employees. According to Susan Oestreich, marketing manager, Diversity Works! has two immediate audiences. "For our case managers, it will give them the tools to communicate more effectively with our clients, (who) represent a  very diverse group of people," she says. "For our retail staff, it will help them better serve the people that shop in stores." Oestreich points that the diversity among Goodwill clientele includes "education levels, income levels, ethnicity -- all the demographics. The training will strengthen our employee base and give our staff a broader understanding and help with our retail and job training programs." The training, conducted by an outside contractor is slated to begin in the spring and, according to a press release from Goodwill, will feature Cultural Competence and Micro-Inequity Training.      For more information on Goodwill Industries, you can visit their website here. Source:  Susan Oestreich, Goodwill Industries Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor

SoftwareGR (SGR), a nonprofit that was founded in 2003 by Atomic Object, is getting ready to host the 5th Annual Great Lake Software Excellence Conference (GLSEC) on April 16 at the Prince Conference Center, Calvin College.   The theme this year is "competitive innovation" and will feature many of the top experts in a variety of software-related topics including mobile technology, cloud computing, embedded development and much more. Kevin Hykin, who is a co-organizer of the conference and the director of engineering at Burke Porter Machinery, explains that the GLSEC Conference is a "cost-effective conference" that brings many leaders in software development to West Michigan. Hykin is quick to point out that the conference is organized by "volunteers that are passionate about developing the Grand Rapids area into a center of excellence for software." According to Carl Erickson, founder of Atomic Object, SGR is a volunteer-run organization that serves several purposes for members of the West Michigan tech scene including decreasing the need for travel and costly conferences by bringing "ideas, speakers and inspiration" to the area and also creating "a sense of community for the local tech scene by gathering technology companies and people." There is still time to register for the conference, either online or at the door. To learn more, you can visit their website here. Source: Carl Erickson, Atomic Object and Kevin Hykin, Burke Porter Machinery Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor

Representatives from LINC Community Revitalization will go in front of the City of Grand Rapids April 14 to request approval for 29 townhomes in the city's Madison Square neighborhood.LINC, formerly Lighthouse Communities, will present its plan for the modern multi-family units, which would be located on nine parcels on four streets near the intersection of Madison Avenue SE and Hall St. SE. The city has already approved development of a tenth parcel on Prospect SE. The proposal is part of the community development organization's $10 million plan to develop 55 residential units in the area. An additional 21 units will be located at 413 Hall, in the planned Southtown Square mixed-use development. The plan for the nine Madison Square units includes replacing aging multi-family buildings with the new, modern townhomes. Some of the structures that will be torn down are already vacant, while others are occupied. LINC Co-Executive Director Jeremy DeRoo says current homeowners will not be displaced, but will have the option to move into the new units. Rent for the townhomes will retain the current rental rates of $500 to $725, and Section 8 assistance will be available to low-income tenants. "The goal is to provide high quality, affordable housing in the neighborhood," says DeRoo. All units will be LEED certified, with two to four bedrooms and at least two bathrooms. DeRoo says the project has been well received in the neighborhood, with a petition for the project garnering more than 120 signatures. "The [housing] design is more modern than is typically seen in the area," says DeRoo. "There is room and a desire for improving the diversity of housing." The first phase of construction, slated to begin in June, will involve tearing down three parcels that are contaminated and boarded up.Source: Jeremy DeRoo, LINC Community RevitalizationWriter: Kelly QuintanillaRelated Articles: Grassroots Upstart Lighthouse Communities Becomes LINC with New Plans, New Tools