John Rumery When it comes to learning about social media, there is certainly no lack of options in the West Michigan area. If you are a self-directed learner, there is wide variety of instructional materials available. A quick search on Amazon reveals thousands of books on social media.  There are a multitude of free networking and informational events, such as social media slams and lunches hosted by a variety of organizations.  There are all-day and multi-day seminars, college classes, and webinars that are readily available and can deliver insight into how to engage your customers -- all using social media.     Sensing an opportunity to fill a space between the "free slams and lunches which oftentimes serve as an introduction," the "day-long seminars, which can be expensive and time consuming," and the lone-wolf world of webinars and books, Michael Yoder, Social Media Strategist with local marketing company Deksia, has created a series of training seminars that focus on the most popular social media platforms such as You Tube, Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Yoder's workshops are 1 to 2 hour training sessions, offering three different levels of instruction based on an individual's previous experience.  For example, the LinkedIn series begins with LinkedIn 1.0, a session designed for someone who has created a profile, but hasn't engaged in the process. LinkedIn 2.0 advances the user to a more rigorous use, while LinkedIn 3.0 ends with a session for "power users."  Yoder has the same progressive series in the works for the other popular social media platforms. To deliver the training programs, Yoder and Deskia have partnered with New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, which allows participants to meet in a high-tech classroom setting.   Currently, the training is held in the Grand Rapids and Lansing locations, but if the demand warrants, the partnership also has the potential to scale into other regions where New Horizons has a presence. Yoder feels this type of deliver system is "affordable, bite size and specialized" and will appeal to wide variety of professionals looking for a "hands on" way to learn more about how social media can be integrated into their organization's marketing mix.  Quoting Brian Solis, an author and social media thought leader, Yoder feels the reality for all businesses in the marketplace is "engage or die."    The workshops cost $85 per session. For more information and to register, you can to visit http://www.regonline.com/CalendarNET/EventCalendar.aspx?EventID=885242&view=Month Source: Mike Yoder, Deksia 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 WoodGrand Rapids' Midtown Neighborhood Association believes its Fulton Street Farmers Market is fertile ground for growing the 90-year-old open-air market into a $3 million all-season marketplace. The group unveiled its proposed plans for a LEED-certified market this week at a public event.The proposed transformation of the market, 1147 E. Fulton St., maintains the rustic charm and warm-weather appeal with an open-air market with a permanent roof, a 2,000-square-foot building for year-round vendors, an expanded plaza, A.D.A.-compliant restrooms at both ends of the market and improved traffic flow."Rebuilding the plaza area where the Salvation Army sells hotdogs is tricky for foot and car traffic," says Christine Helms Maletic, an independent consultant leading the project. Maletic's involvement includes her service as Midtown board president and as project director of Midtown's Brikyaat Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. "We're going to have an area to sit and eat, and we're hoping to get vendors to sell prepared foods," she says, adding that the new plaza area and the year-round building provide enough space for 10 to 12 more vendors than the market can accommodate now. The new market will have about 250 parking spaces for customers and vendors – the same as the current market – but a new traffic pattern will allow cars access to either side of the market without having to exit the property. "Right now, when you pull in, you're committed," Maletic says. "You have to go all the way down the market and out on the opposite street, then re-enter."Sustainable aspects of the new plan include permeable paving, retaining 100 percent of the stormwater on-site and use of renewable energy sources such as rooftop wind turbines.Maletic hopes to break ground in late 2011 provided the capital campaign is successful. A philanthropic feasibility study completed by Hopkins Fundraising Consulting in July indicates there is enough community support to finance the project. Lott3Metz designed the proposed market. Source: Christine Helms Maletic, Fulton Street Farmers Market; City of Grand Rapids press releaseRelated ArticlesProposed $2.8M upgrades to Grand Rapids farmers market include new layout, year-round shopping Plan for historic Brikyaat district adopted into GR Master PlanDeborah 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].

Deborah Johnson WoodGrand Rapids Community College DeVos Campus is the new name of the former downtown Grand Rapids Davenport University campus purchased by GRCC in 2009. The DeVos and VanderWeide families contributed substantial gifts to the renovation of the campus, says Steven C. Ender, GRCC president. He did not indicate the amount of the donations.In addition to installing state-of-the-art Steelcase LearnLabs in two classrooms of Sneden Hall on the DeVos Campus, GRCC plans to renovate Warren Hall this winter for faculty offices and has relocated several departments – human resources, payroll, business and financial services, purchasing, and employee professional development and enrichment – to the new campus. That move frees up space in the College Park Plaza building on N. Division Avenue. The college will initially use the space for a staging area during the renovations of several downtown campus buildings, says Vicki Janowiak, executive director of operational planning. An August 25 press release states those buildings are the Peter and Pat Cook Academic Hall, the Main Building, and the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse."We're also going back through the main campus and installing new technology to upgrade the classrooms so faculty will have the type of instructional technology we're encouraging them to use," Janowiak says. "That will bring the entire college's technology up to a new standard level that each classroom should have."GRCC says the DeVos Campus renovation cost $34 million, $1.1 million less than the proposed cost of constructing a new classroom building. GRCC serves 30,000 students on seven Michigan campuses.Source: Vicki Janowiak, Grand Rapids Community College; Press Release from Grand Rapids Community CollegeRelated ArticlesRemodel of former Davenport Grand Rapids campus brings innovative classrooms to GRCC studentsDeborah 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].

Inc. Magazine has named several West Michigan companies to its 2010 Inc. 5000 list. Companies must be privately held, growing, and generating annual revenue of at least $2 million.According to excerpts from the story:It will probably come as no surprise to savvyInc. readers that it's not as easy to find growing companies as it was a couple years ago. In 2008, the second year of Inc.'s expanded list of 5,000 growing privately-held companies, there was much enthusiasm as firms across the country showed eagerness to be part of our list. The three-year growth rate of the company at the No. 5,000 rank doubled from 20 percent in 2007 to 40 percent in 2008. This year, the enthusiasm was still there, but very often, the growth was not.Read the complete story here.

The Muskegon Chronicle reports the wastewater site might be a perfect fit for wind-energy developers.

According to excerpts from the story:

 Muskegon County officials are preparing to seek proposals from wind-energy developers interested in erecting large, commercial wind turbines on the county's 11,000-acre wastewater site.

Citing the strong winds that blow across the property in Egelston and Moorland townships and its lack of nearby neighbors, officials have said they believe it is a prime spot for turbines. A mobile wind-test unit, purchased by the county, has gathered wind-speed data on the site, and the early findings show favorable winds for turbines.

Read the complete story here.