Dinderbeck, a made-up word that means nothing but sounds cool, is the creative moniker for a new studio and gallery space on Grand Rapids' West Side – a place where printmakers can fire up the presses, both vintage and modern, and express their artistic visions on paper. The studio, 323 Straight Ave. SW, is across the street from the former Tanglefoot Co. warehouse, which is now a hotbed of artists and art studios.With nearly 2,000 square feet of work and display space, Dinderbeck has plenty of room for artists to lease space for a private show or for those who want to rent time on the specialty printing presses: a 1951 325G Vandercook Hand Proof Press for relief printing, or the soon-to-be-refurbished Fuchs & Lang lithography press rescued from a scrap yard. An intaglio press is on the wish list. "Our first intent was to use the space as a private studio for our own work," says Brandon Alman, "but we wanted to figure out how we could use the space and generate interest within the space, so we decided to expand it and offer it to more people."Alman is a partner in the endeavor with Kyle Isbell, Trevor Hill-Rowley, Anthony Mead and Lucas Schurkamp. All of the partners are artists, four of them are printmakers and they are all students or graduates of Kendall College of Art & Design. Besides the print shop, artists can rent the studio's woodshop with woodworking tools.Dinderbeck hosted its first show in June and will be the site of "Kung Fu (hard work + reward)" on Oct. 22, featuring the works of the nine artists in The GR8 Death Squad, formerly The GR8.Source: Brandon Alman, Dinderbeck Studio, Dinderbeck GalleryWriter: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

Hope College scientists received a major grant from the National Science Foundation to expand their work on the development of a computer assembled from off-the-shelf parts. Once finished, the computer will be housed at Hope, but will be accessible to other scientists from throughout the country. According to excerpts from the story from The Holland Sentinel: A group of scientists including Hope College chemistry professors Brent Krueger and William Polik recently received a major National Science Foundation grant to expand what's known as a "commodity supercomputer," assembled from high-end, but off-the-shelf, parts. Read the complete story here: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/topstories/x1616323356/Hope-scientists-score-300K-supercomputer-grant

The Muskegon Chronicle writes that despite the housing market crash and other horror stories brought about by the tough economic times, the renovation of a former bank in downtown Muskegon into high-rise condominiums is still planned.According to excerpts from the story:Nearly everything changed in the commercial development world with the economic meltdown in September 2008. But plans for a high-rise condominium in downtown Muskegon survived. Parkland Properties of Michigan's plans for the reclamation of the historic Comerica Bank tower at 285 W. Western have changed since the $10.5 million residential project was unveiled in mid-2008. But Parkland President Jon Rooks' resolve to complete the 48-unit bank tower project hasn't faltered. If sales and financing fall into place as Rooks suspects with the ongoing economic recovery, construction of High Point Flats could begin next spring and the building could be occupied by 2012. Read the complete story here.

John Rumery MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry recently completed an acquisition of Venux.net, a Grand Rapids-based firm with expertise in custom web and mobile applications software.  According to Pete Brand, the Co-Founder of MINDSCAPE at Hanon McKendry, the acquisition of Venux.Net is really a sign of the times.   In Brand's opinion, technology is changing so rapidly that organizations can't "take a week off of learning." For MINDSCAPE, "it was time to bring custom programming in-house," states Brand.   By adding the Venux.net team, their firm now has in-house expertise to rapidly meet the demands brought on by new technology.  Trending fast is the explosion in mobile technology. Many businesses are trying to figure out the best way to optimize an existing web site for a mobile device, or improve the engagement and transactions through a smart phone or tablet such as the iPad. Despite the tough economy, Brand indicates his firm has been able to grow at about 30% for the last five years.    "One reason for our growth is we are very diverse in the companies that we serve; we're really not focused on any one niche," he says. "Venux.net not only brings outstanding talent, but also adds to our geographic diversity with a concentration of clients outside of West Michigan. " Venux.net's "incredible, talented team" is an example of what Brand feels is a strength of West Michigan's workforce. "There is a tremendous creative community (of) designers, creative marketing people, in the area," he says. However, Brand cautions that "hardcore tech talent" can be a bit more difficult to find with some of these individuals having left town. As the knowledge economy continues to expand, Brand's advice to those in career transition is "to become an all-star." He stresses the need to "be extremely passionate about the industry and be a voracious learner. Everything changes." As an example, Brand points out that Google recently introduced "Google Instant," which he says is a game changer that will have a tremendous impact in search engine optimization.  "Organizations and individuals have to be flexible and adaptable," he says. John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI.  He can be reached at [email protected]  For story tips you can e-mail [email protected]

John Rumery

MomsinTow.com is an online community in West Michigan providing area merchant discounts and information on networking opportunities to mothers interested in maintaining an active lifestyle.  

MomsinTow.com Founder Jenny White, 29, came up with the idea for the online venture soon after she moved back to Holland, MI from Colorado with her husband, a professional cyclist, and their newborn son, Macen.

While in Colorado, White had been involved with a group of young mothers that got together for hiking and biking and supported kid-friendly stores.  Wanting to meet other new mothers in Holland, who were interested in active lifestyles with their children, White had an idea for a website that would serves a platform for these moms to interact and to share ideas, plus serve as a catalyst to meet offline as well.   

Taking it one step further, White felt that besides being a resource site, why not use this community of active moms to approach local businesses to see if they would provide discounts on their products or services in exchange for patronage by this customer base?

According to White, "merchants have loved this concept," and she has very positive and encouraging feedback from everyone she has discussed this with. 

Which is good, because White, who has no background in sales, admits to being  "very nervous" when initially approaching the business community with the idea. But, local businesses immediately saw the benefits of direct marketing to young families early in developing their purchasing patterns.

White now has a core listing of select businesses that provide discounts to members of MomsinTow.com. There is no cost to the merchant to become part of the first level of the network. White also has a paid sponsorship program for businesses that will provide them extra visibility to this community.

For the moms, in order to get these discounts, there is a $30.00 annual membership fee, soon increasing to $48.00.  White says the primary benefit of membership is to "save money at local businesses." 

White is also quick to point out these businesses are not just mom-related, but family-related. For example: "We just partnered with a plumbing firm," White says. "Moms are usually the ones at home and have to deal with the plumber."

White will be relying heavily on word-of-mouth and social media to spread the word. She points to their Facebook page as key source of marketing. 

White also is very appreciative and amazed at the help she has received from the entrepreneurial community. She recently pitched MomsinTow.com at pitch night at Startup West Michigan and took first place.

"I am just discovering the support groups for entrepreneurs," she says. "Pitch night was terrific evening."  

For more information, you can visit the MomsInTow.com or attend their launch party on Thursday, October, 14, details on their Facebook page.

Source. Interview with Jenny White

 

John Rumery is the Innovation and Jobs Editor for Rapid Growth Media. He is an educator, board member of AimWest, WYCE music programmer, entrepreneur, raconteur and competitive barbecuer living in Grand Rapids, MI.  He can be reached at [email protected]

 For story tips you can e-mail [email protected]

Deborah Johnson WoodTwo West Michigan business competitors, Kharmai Video Productions and Fresh Look Video & Multimedia, have discovered that collaborating on projects and sharing resources is a great way to make money and have fun doing it. And now, owners Navin Kharmai and Casey Stormes have moved the video production companies from individual home offices to a shared space at the Goei Center's International Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, 818 Butterworth St. SE, Grand Rapids. The Goei Center is a renovated furniture factory that houses Eastern Floral, a banquet facility and collaborative workspaces designed to provide growth opportunities for startup businesses owned by women and minority entrepreneurs. "I am the first generation East Indian-American born here, and I was born in good old Butterworth (Hospital)," says Kharmai. "I grew up in Grand Rapids, so I like to tell people that I'm as Dutch as the next guy. Ninety-five percent of the time my skin color is not an issue with clients, and I've been really able to expand my interests in the film and video industry."Stormes operated Fresh Look for seven years in Hudsonville before moving to Grand Rapids on September 1. "Navin and I met about 10 years ago, and we've found it's beneficial to collaborate and share resources and equipment. We hire each other when we need help on projects, and offer advice on projects and a second set of eyes."Both companies provide similar services, such as HD video production for corporate clients, public relations videos, and live event production services, like video recording and playback, projection, and staging, sound and lighting. "We're a one stop shop in terms of creative new media storytelling," Kharmai says. "We looked at office spaces downtown, but they had very stark spaces with white walls, and we really liked the feel that's here – an old building that's very artsy with an urban feel."Source: Navin Kharmai, Kharmai Video Productions, LLC; Casey Stormes, Fresh Look Video & Multimedia, LLCRelated ArticlesAbandoned GR furniture factory now bustling International Entrepreneurial CenterDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].

Federal grant money is to be awarded to a local brewers guild to help promote local hop production.  Guild organizers feel Michigan has an opportunity to supply breweries throughout the region with high-quality hops.

According to excerpts from the story in the Kalamazoo Gazette:

The Michigan Brewers Guild will receive $74,000 in federal dollars to help promote Michigan-grown hops. Guild president Scott Graham said he learned Thursday his organization, which represents more than 60 breweries around the state, would get the funding. The MBG is one of 21 projects selected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture to share$1.4 million in grants to create, enhance or expand agriculture development ventures across the state.

Read the complete story here:

http://www.mlive.com/kalamabrew/index.ssf/2010/09/michigan_brewers_guild_receive.html

An article in Art Showcase Magazine brags up Grand Rapids as one of the premier art and cuisine destinations in the Midwest.According to excerpts from the story:Hop in your car, point it west and in a couple of hours you'll be in one of the most progressive and welcoming cities in the Midwest—a city bursting with galleries and avant-garde outdoor art, shaded parks and some of the most impressive farm-to-plate restaurants found anywhere. The city? Grand Rapids, Michigan—a thriving, walkable destination of 192,000 on the banks of the Grand River; a river crisscrossed with bridges connecting downtown in European style.Read the complete story here.