As long as you can get the financing and some sunshine, it appears that solar power can be a good long-term investment. According to the story in MLive: One of the largest solar installations in Michigan went up on the Muskegon sailboat business' storage building roof last summer, and so far the results are positive, Torresen and the solar project's officials say. "We learned a lot from the project," said Torresen co-owner Brian Torresen. "We have definitely found it feasible. If you can get financing, it's a no brainer." The 150-kilowatt array of solar panels on Torresen's roof is financed and owned by Chart House Energy of Chicago. Chart House leases the roof from Torresen and used Inovateus Solar of South Bend, Ind., as a supplier of Scheuten Solar panels made in Germany. You can read the entire story here.

A report in MiBiz.com says several West Michigan nonprofits are part of a new statewide coalition whose goal is to improve local economies through transportation policy reform and smart investments in roads and bridges. According to excerpts from the story:Making Michigan's towns and economies more robust through transportation policy reform and smart investments in roads and bridges is the ambition behind Transportation For Michigan (Trans4M). The new coalition was announced today during a statewide telephone press conference. "This coalition is dedicated to establishing public policies that enable more frequent, reliable and affordable transportation options and smart, effective prioritization of upkeep for our existing roads and bridges," said Dan Gilmartin, executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. "To be competitive, Michigan must recognize the vital role that these services play in our economy and our quality of life." Read the complete story here.

As an expert in operations and Lean processes, Christopher Wilson's preretirement career was all about efficiency. While at Amway Corp./Alticor, Wilson had a variety of responsibilities within operations for the direct sales giant from around the globe.   Near the end of his time at Amway, he was a part of a volunteer team that, as a service project, tackled a logistics problem for a nonprofit by applying the same Lean process tools used at Amway.   According to Wilson, the results were an unqualified success. "We had a problem to solve and we ended up creating more products with the same space and the same staff," he says. "We increased the productivity." After that experience, Wilson says he was approached by Doug DeVos, who suggested that when he retired he should consider doing the same type of consulting for other non-profits to help them do things better. With that as the backstory, Wilson is embarking on his second career. Now an entrepreneur, Wilson is launching NonProfit Process Excellence (NPX) with a goal to assist nonprofit organizations by improving their key processes. Wilson has quickly learned that many nonprofits move at a different rhythm than their for-profit counterparts. "I'm positive that this will transform their operations, but it requires time to grasp the concept," he states. "An investment into this service will allow nonprofits to do more with less, to be more efficient." Wilson is counting on strong word-of-mouth among nonprofits and donors to drive his service.   "Would you, as a donor looking to invest money into an organization, be interested in donating if you you knew some of this money would be used for these processes?" he asks. Wilson is betting the answer is yes. To learn more about his service, you can visit his website here and contact Wilson directly. Source:  Christopher Wilson, Nonprofit Process Excellence Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor.

The Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) recently announced their list of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to work for in West Michigan.    For one organization -- Mindscape at Hanon McKendry, a web-design and marketing firm -- the recognition only reinforces their view that human resource management is an important strategic decision. According to Ellen Winterburn, director of HR, this accolade is the result of a comprehensive human resource policy that addresses not only work-life balance, but also empowerment, creativity and employee appreciation. "We've found that giving employees a work/life balance is really critical in getting the best work out of our employees," she says. "A number of our team members are able to work four ten-hour days with two four-day weekends a month."   Besides the scheduling flexibility, Winterburn also explains that the they are always searching out ways to share information internally.    "We do this within a very open format at our monthly meetings and then through technology tools, like our "idea generator," which helps us manage our new idea projects," she explains. "We also take an annual long weekend trip to Florida to celebrate our successes and plan out the upcoming year." Winterburn reports that Mindscape has grown from 11 employees at the end of 2009 to 21 at the end of 2010. Currently, their team is looking for individuals with PHP and .net programming skills and content managers who can create online content for their clients. The companies that have been recognized by MBPA will now vie for awards in various categories. From that list, there will be one organization chosen as "best of the best" at a May luncheon at the Pinnacle Center. Source:  Ellen Winterburn, Mindscape at HM Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs Editor

According to its Facebook page, local mug clubbers and pub-crawlers are anticipating this summer's opening of the proposed Harmony Brewing in Grand Rapids' Eastown. The former Jack's Liquor store at 1551 Lake Dr. continues to move steadily toward its $350,000 transformation into a cozy neighborhood brewpub. Siblings Barry and Jackson VanDyke and Heather VanDyke-Titus, owners of Bear Manor Properties, began converting the combination store/house structure last summer and hope to have the place open in late June or early July. "Barry had seen a historic photo (of the building) and hoped the brick pillars were under the façade," says Jackson VanDyke. "We tore off the awning and all of the tongue and groove, and found three brick pillars and openings for windows."Patrons will have front-row seating for much of the onsite brewing process, where they'll be able to look through a glass panel into the house's basement-come-brew house. The living and dining room windows will open onto the fermentation room instead of the yard, says VanDyke. The building needed a new concrete basement floor to hold the 200-gal., 500-lb. tank. The plumbing is roughed in, and the electrical systems and mechanicals for the HVAC are in process. Part of the brewing system will use recycled food-grade dairy tanks. "We drove out to Wisconsin and bought three recycled dairy tanks from a guy who repurposes them," VanDyke says. "They're just as good as anything we could have bought new and they already have character."VanDyke says the pub's opening date depends in part on approvals for a state liquor license and issuance of a brew notice from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Source: Jackson VanDyke, Bear Manor Properties and Harmony BrewingWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor Related ArticlesLocal developers eye vacant Eastown storefront for Grand Rapids' brewpub

Grand Rapids graffiti artist SOBA.ONE, pseudonym of B.J. Johnson, hosts his first show this weekend at his Green Lion Gallery -- a temporary-by-design space established specifically as a 2011 ArtPrize venue for the work of Johnson and several other local artists. Leading up to ArtPrize (Sept. 21 - Oct. 9) the gallery at 150 E. Fulton St. will host at least three shows, says Johnson, and probably a couple more after that. Johnson took out a one-year lease on the space last February specifically so he could show his work and the work of his friends as part of ArtPrize without feeling like they had to tailor the art to specific venues or curators."We opened the gallery to have our own control of our ArtPrize venue, where I could have control and not appeal to a venue owner," Johnson says. "I'm a tattoo artist and a graffiti artist, and we'll have graphic artists, metal artists, graphic artists and others."The space is split into two galleries -- one for the art shows and one for the ArtPrize work "The Kiss: Inspirations from the Cure," featuring work inspired by the band of the same name. Johnson says he's posted a call for artists and expects to have about 20 exhibiting under that theme. "I've been working on the idea for a couple of years and have done a few pieces," Johnson says. "I really like metaphors and layered meanings in my work so I thought this would be appropriate. We'll close the ArtPrize exhibit on October 15, which is a Saturday night and is inspired by The Cure's song, 10:15 Saturday Night."In the meantime, Johnson's focus is on the upcoming show that opens April 9, "D-Bags and Dimwits," with works that juxtapose cartoon character bullies with their not-so-bright counterparts. The shows features works inspired by The Road Runner cartoon by Joachim Jensen, who was part of the ArtPrize 2010 entry Steam Pig Experiment, and works by Johnny Clausen, who helped create the painting The Waterprize for ArtPrize 2010. Source: B.J. "SOBA.ONE" Johnson, Green Lion GalleryWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

Making his second attempt at starting a coffee shop near the downtown campus of Grand Valley State University, Aaron Baker continues to learn life lessons from the school of hard knocks. According to the story in MLive A young entrepreneur whose rezoning request for a new coffee shop on the city's near West Side was denied in February is back. This time, Aaron Baker is asking the city to re-zone the former Metrol Controls building at 600 Lake Michigan Drive NW from residential to a "traditional business district" designation. You can read the complete story here.

Corp! Magazine readers have voted and elected six West Michigan companies to the coveted Michigan's Best in Business 2011 list. The companies represent varied industries from technology and green solutions to specialized manufacturing. According to excerpts from the story:Competition always brings out the best in contestants. In this case, Michigan businesses are proving once again that our state has the right economic climate for businesses to succeed. It hasn't been an easy journey though, but the proof of their grit and determination is in the pudding. Included in our awards list are businesses that have heard from their customers and taken action. They're learning that consumers are price shopping, and looking for companies who will treat them as important guests. Most importantly, it's high business ethics that the buying public is searching for. Competing business may look the same on the surface, but consumers are doing all they can to find the very best ones. Read the complete story here.