The Grand Rapids Business Journal reports the City of Zeeland's efforts to lure more retail businesses to its Main Street shopping district are working. While a sit-down restaurant with a liquor license, a possibility ever since residents voted in 2006 to end the near-century-long ban on the sale of liquor, remains absent, other shops have warmed to the "Feel the Zee" campaign.

According to excerpts from the story:

Feel the Zee is the name of the marketing campaign the city set up in 2007 with the help of The Image Group, a Holland marketing firm, and Abby deRoo, who was hired as city marketing director. Since the campaign began, she said, about 10 retail businesses have set up shop in the two-block business district of downtown Main Street.

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Mlive.com reports that two Grand Rapids companies expect to create 185 jobs and retain 50 existing jobs thanks to millions in brownfield development tax credits awarded by the State of Michigan. According to excerpts from the story:Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is helping nine companies grow in Michigan and backing two brownfield redevelopment projects. Gordon Food Service – State brownfield tax credits will support the consolidation of the company's Canadian operations and restructure its Wyoming, Michigan, campus to increase efficiency and provide space for future growth. New jobs: 173, Retained jobs: 50 jobs. (State brownfield tax credits valued at approximately $6 million) City of Grand Rapids – State and local tax capture valued at $561,700 will support a brownfield project to redevelop property at 248 Williams that will allow the Founders Brewing Company to expand its existing facilities. New jobs: 15 Read the complete story here.

A Facebook page for young West Michigan Christians to connect with each other? Why not, wondered roommates Michael Coller and James Leff. Launched July 1, Grand Rapids Christian Connect has grown beyond their expectations garnering more than 700 fans and spinning off plans to launch an international group as well. It is now in the process of becoming a 501c non-profit, they say.

Grand Rapids Community College has partnered with Farmers Insurance Group to help with the coordination and training of almost 1,600 new workers the insurance company will need over the next four or five years to staff its growing Caledonia Township site.

Deborah Johnson WoodTwo side-by-side buildings in downtown Zeeland have been transformed into two boutique-sized retail spaces, a residential condo, and a new dental office suite for a new dental practice, Smedley Dental.Meredith Smedley, D.D.S., who bills herself as an eco-friendly dentist, and her husband Shane, bought 131 and 133 E. Main Ave. with a plan to convert one building to her dental office, the other to retail. But those plans changed when they discovered that the front portion of both buildings had to be dedicated to retail. "About two years ago, the city passed an ordinance that requires the front 40 percent of a building downtown to be retail space," says Abigail de Roo, city of Zeeland marketing director. So Smedley and Grand Rapids architect David Maxam made new plans. "We have two retail bays up front that we will eventually lease out," Smedley says. "We took the back portion of both buildings for the dental office. There are already two apartments upstairs and we will combine them and that's where my family and I will live." The Smedley's have two daughters, ages five and three.This is Smedley's first solo practice, although she's been a dentist in Zeeland for over six years. Her goal is to make the waiting room look and feel like a living room to help patients relax, and she also aims to run an eco-conscious business. Besides carpet and countertops made from recycled materials and the use of no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and adhesives, Smedley plans to use as many reusable dental products as possible, such as headrest covers and drinking cups. She will also install special water filters that will filter out the mercury found in silver amalgam material used to fill cavities in teeth, and will let patients choose whether they want to use the amalgam or another less harmful filling material. "We're trying to be as eco-friendly as possible," Smedley says. "We want to be comforting and nurturing and make the experience very different than a typical dentist office."Source: Meredith Smedley, D.D.S, Smedley Dental; Abigail de Roo, City of ZeelandDeborah 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 didn't have much opportunity to renovate any of the former downtown Grand Rapids campus of Davenport University before students occupied some of the classrooms last year. This year is a different story. GRCC purchased the campus for $9.5 million in 2009, after Davenport announced its move to property in Caledonia. This summer, the three-story Sneden Hall, 415 E. Fulton St., has received new infrastructure, HVAC, new décor, wireless Internet technology and new technology in the classrooms.The most exciting development for faculty and students is the installation of Steelcase's LearnLab Environment in two classrooms, which could have a significant positive impact on how students learn. The technology includes the CopyCam Image Capturing System and the eno Interactive White Board."Tables are arranged in a five-point starfish design," says Vicki Janowiak, GRCC's executive director of operational planning. "There are three points around the room where images will be projected on mounted screens. From any point in the room any student can easily connect with the images.""We can capture digital images of any work students may do on any of the white boards around the room, the instructor can load it to Blackboard and the students can use the image to expand on their own work," Janowiak says. The technology also enables users to instantly email the work from any white board, print it or save it to flash drive or a LAN. Eno Boards act as a white board, magnetic board and multimedia projection screen and enable users to make notes on a projected image and save everything to post, print, email or project later to continue working. GRCC plans to conduct a research study on the effectiveness of the new concept. Source: Vicki Janowiak, Grand Rapids Community CollegeRelated ArticlesGRCC purchases former Davenport University for $9.5M, saves $25.5M compared to building newDeborah 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].

The Muskegon Chronicle reports the Grand Haven home of Frans and Karen Jungslager, highly rated for its energy efficiency, will appear in the national spotlight Friday morning, Aug. 13 when it's featured on NBC's "Today Show." The unique "green" home nestled in the woodland dunes of Mulligan's Hollow is now on the market, and will be highlighted in the program's weekly segment on real estate bargains throughout the nation.

According to excerpts from the story:

As a retired engineer, Frans Jungslager had a vision to design an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient home. He succeeded and his home was given a five star-plus energy rating -- the highest available. The Energy Star rating guidelines include properly installed insulation, high performance windows, energy-efficient cooling and heating systems, and Energy Star qualified appliances, lighting, and water heaters.

Read the complete story here.

Outside magazine lists Grand Rapids as the best town in the nation for mountain biking, and the city's new mountain bike park helped hammer it into lead position. According to excerpts from the story:Michigan's second-largest city will surprise you. For starters, the regional economy is both more diverse and more robust than Detroit's—and includes everything from furniture (Herman Miller and Steelcase) to health and beauty (Amway) to footwear (Wolverine Worldwide). Plus, despite the state's overall woes and high unemployment, G.R. is, dare we say, thriving. In 2004, the last year they issued report cards, the International Mountain Biking Association gave Michigan a B+, the same grade as New Mexico, Washington, and Alaska. The in-town mountain-bike park has a pump track (think rollers and berms), a skills area, and a new three-mile loop of singletrack in the works.Read the complete story here.