“It is critical that both current and future business owners develop their business plans, but not all business owners are able to find the time to focus on this process,” said Cathleen Kaiser, MI-SBTDC statewide training manager. “The Venture Plan Online course has been tailored to allow owners the flexibility to develop their business plans without dramatically changing their workday schedule.”

The eight-week online program uses several tools to lead the course and assist in building and updating business plans. The program includes an hour-long Webinar led weekly by business and industry experts, video and textbook resources, program specific business planning software, and a MI-SBTDC consultant to work directly with the owner to develop an individual business plan.

Upon finishing the course, participants will have a completed business plan, continued access to a MI-SBTDC business consultant and valuable resources to grow their businesses. 

The February and March Venture Plan Online courses filled quickly with more than 200 participants now actively working on their business plans with MI-SBTDC consultants.

Business owners are able to register for the May 1 and June 4 Venture Plan Online opportunities. Cost for the course is $90 (list price is $450) which is due upon registration. The program has been generously discounted by a grant from the MSU Broadband Technology Opportunity Program. To register or for more information, call (616) 331-7480 or email growth@gvsu.edu.

The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) provides counseling, business education, information-based planning and technology commercialization to new and existing businesses throughout Michigan’s 83 counties.

The MI-SBTDC is located at the Grand Valley State University Seidman College of Business in downtown Grand Rapids. As host of the MI-SBTDC State Headquarters, the Seidman College of Business oversees the 11-region MI-SBTDC network.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners may access the services of their nearest MI-SBTDC by calling (616) 331-7480 or visiting www.misbtdc.org.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of March.

The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, came in at +23, up from February’s +16 and up considerably from the 0 reported in January. (In this diffusion index, that means 23 percent more respondents reported increased orders vs. those who reported falling orders. Thus, readings above 0 indicate a growing economy, and the farther above 0, the faster the growth.)

In other components of the overall index, the production index came in at +22, up slightly from +21. The employment index rose to +26, from +22.

“The auto parts suppliers are still underwriting the strength of the Michigan economy,” said Long. “The production schedules continue to be revised upward for some particular lines of cars and trucks, which generates optimism among local firms. The capital equipment firms are still widely mixed, but this month’s bias is clearly to the up side. The office furniture firms are still positive, but the market shows signs of topping out or stabilizing at the current level. An improvement in the office rental market would help to boost sales.”

Long said in early May, the debt ceiling will be reached and there will again be the possibility of a government shutdown. He also said it will take many more years before the unemployment rate returns to 5 percent, given that some economists are now suggesting 5 percent is the new norm.

“Not that many years ago, 5 percent unemployment was considered to be characteristic of a recession,” Long said.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management.

An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

For more information, contact Brian Long at (269) 323-2359.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of January.

The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, came in at zero, down from +4. Following the slowdown trend, the production index flipped negative to -6, down from +11. Activity in purchasing offices also turned negative at -1, down from +11. The employment index remained modestly positive at +10, although down from +14.

“In contrast to the last few months, comments from local business representatives are more optimistic,” said Long. “Like last month, some firms are at full capacity, some are reporting all-time highs in sales, and some are very optimistic about 2013. Only two reports from the 71 firms in this month’s survey were seriously negative.” 

Long said he agrees with Mike Dunlop’s quarterly report on the furniture industry, which says the industry remains on a very steady, but flat trend line. He said the auto parts suppliers remain positive, but many local firms may be topping out.

At the national level, Long said reports were more positive than expected. After six consecutive modestly negative reports, the national index of new orders bounced to +7 from -7 and the production index also shot up to +6 from -4. The employment index rose from +0 to +5. “Much of the gain can be attributed to new export orders,” Long said. “Any way you look at it, January was a good month for the national industrial economy.”

Long said there are still two elephants in the room — the problems of the March 1 budget sequester and the debt ceiling, due to hit around March 20.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

For more information, contact Brian Long at (269) 323-2359.

“Health Check: Analyzing Trends in West Michigan 2013” was released Friday during a health care summit at the Eberhard Center on GVSU’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The report was compiled by Seidman College of Business professors Sonia Dalmia and Paul Isely; it was made possible by a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, and Priority Health.

The fourth annual report studies ongoing trends in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties, looking at the job market, medical patents, demographics, health care profiles and economics. The full report is online at www.gvsu.edu/healthcheck; key findings are below.

* There are more people over age 65 in West Michigan than in prime working ages of 35-44. Also, there are more people ages 45-64 than people ages 20-34. Researchers said these two factors are significant as an aging population results in higher health care costs, and there are fewer workers to replace retirees.

* The poverty rate in West Michigan has increased 6.1 percent since 1999 (from 8 percent to 14 percent in 2011).

* Risk factors like heavy drinking, smoking and inadequate physical activity have also increased. Researchers said about 17 percent of the area’s population reports having five or more drinks at least once in the previous month; that number is higher than populations in Detroit and the U.S.

* Cancer rates in West Michigan are lower than other areas in Michigan and the U.S., and rates of diabetes are lower but tracking closely with obesity. Researchers said people with asthma increased by 3 percent from 2004 to 2011.

Jean Nagelkerk, vice provost for health at GVSU, said while health-related statistics are similar to last year’s findings, the report shows increases in health care jobs and the number of medical patents awarded in West Michigan.

“The information provided in this presentation will help inform health care policy and community decisions about the types of health care professionals, services, costs and delivery systems that best serve the needs of our community,” she said.   Nagelkerk added that Health Check 2013 provides a framework to understand the health care needs of West Michigan residents. Jeff Connolly, president of West Michigan operations and managed care for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, agreed.

“We want to help guide this discussion so the public can make the most informed decisions for themselves and their family members,” Connolly said.

The MI-SBTDC provides counseling, business education, information-based planning and technology commercialization to new and existing businesses throughout Michigan’s 83 counties. With offices statewide, the center impacts the economy by strengthening existing companies, creating new jobs, retaining existing jobs, and assisting companies in defining their path to success.

“The funding will support the network’s efforts to provide growth and startup companies with tools, resources and one-on-one counseling they need to grow their businesses in Michigan,” said Jennifer Deamud, associate state director of the MI-SBTDC. “We serve 16,000 businesses and entrepreneurs every year by helping them raise capital, create jobs and start businesses.”

The center has four teams of consultants: Small Business Regional Team, Growth Group Team, Finance Specialist Team and Technology Commercialization Team.

As host of the MI-SBTDC State Headquarters, the Seidman College of Business oversees the 11-region MI-SBTDC network.

For more information contact Jennifer Deamud at (616) 331-7480 or visit www.misbtdc.org.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of December.

The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, came in at +4, considerably lower than the +17 reported last month. The production index backtracked a little as well, remaining positive but coming down to +11 from +21. Activity in purchasing offices picked up slightly to +11 from +8. In a similar move, the employment index rose to +14 from +13.

“We’ve returned to an unimpressive growth pattern,” said Long. “Despite the optimism of our November report, December and 2012 ended rather flat.”

Long said December was a little slower month than expected for the office furniture business.

“The specialty furniture firms did not have a good month at all,” he said. “The auto parts suppliers remain positive, but with a couple exceptions, continue to show signs of topping out. The capital equipment firms were widely mixed, probably because of the volatile nature of year-end activity. For industrial distributors, once again the performance came in mixed, although the bias was still to the upside.”

Long said he doesn’t predict a recession but said 2013 will be a year of “leveling out” with some months recording negative numbers.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of November.
The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, rose significantly to +17,
from +6. In a similar move, the production index jumped to +21, up from -1. Activity in
purchasing offices came back to +8, up from -7. The employment index modestly
improved to +13, up from +4.

“This month’s statistics clearly bucked the trend,” said Long. “For the last four years, our
local economy has often been stronger than either the national or international economies, and this month’s report is no exception.”

Long said auto parts suppliers remain positive and firms supporting lines of smaller cars
are continuing to do better than those supporting large SUVs and trucks. “This month’s
statistics were also bolstered by the recent uptick in the office furniture business, which
has resulted in several firms ending the year much better that expected,” said Long. “For
industrial distributors, this month’s performance came in mixed, although the bias was
clearly to the upside.”

Long is also following the debate over the “fiscal cliff,” a dilemma involving $600 billion in spending cuts and tax increases that are set to automatically be triggered if a budget
solution cannot be reached by Jan. 1.

“There is now a movement brewing that some legislators would like to see us go over the
fiscal cliff in order to secure a huge de-facto tax increase and a huge reduction in defense
spending,” he said. “Some legislators feel these goals cannot otherwise be achieved for
many years. They are willing to risk a recession and the loss of jobs for 3.4 million people
in order to accomplish these goals, and suggest new-found revenue be used to provide
extensive benefits for the newly unemployed.”

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions
that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in
Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers,
distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey
conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are
asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report
and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at
www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

For more information, contact Brian Long at (269) 323-2359.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of October. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, edged up to plus 6, from zero. The production index remained negative at minus one, but that was an improvement from minus 10 the previous month. The purchasing index slipped back to minus 7, down from zero. The employment index was unchanged at plus 4.

“Part of the recent strength of our local economy relates to the uptick in the office furniture business, which is now significant for several firms,” said Long.  “For industrial distributors, this month’s performance can best be described as mixed.”

Long said Kent County reported housing starts up 32 percent over a year ago.

“With the housing market now nicely recovering from an apparent bottom, potential buyers are taking advantage of the record low interest rates to buy homes,” he said.

Long added many business owners are waiting until after the election and after the “taxmageddon” situation has been resolved before committing new resources. He said business owners don’t like to expand or hire new people in an environment of extreme uncertainty, and the way ahead should be much clearer in January.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

For more information, contact Brian Long at (269) 323-2359.

STC-SM Program Meeting: The Society for Technical Communication will meet on Agile Technical Writing Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Lawrence Technological University, Conference Room S108, Arts & Sciences Building, 21000 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield. This presentation will take you through the roots of agile technical writing, describe some of its common problems and pitfalls (such as scheduling and working to extremely small time boxes), and end with some real-life practice of the Scrum. More at www.stc-sm.org.

Award-winning chemist to speak at GVSU Ott Lecture: An award-winning pioneer in chemical methods is the featured speaker for the Grand Valley State University Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry. Kevan Shokat is an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California at San Francisco. He is a pioneer in the development of chemical methods for investigating cellular pathways. Shokat has received numerous awards including the Eli Lilly Award, given to the most promising biological chemist in the country under the age of 37. He has been inducted into the National Academy of Sciences (2010), the Institute of Medicine (2011) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011). Shokat will give a public lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 16, and a seminar for students on Wednesday, Oct. 17.  The Oct. 16 lecture, “Cancer Drug Discovery: Targeting How Cells make Decisions,” starts with a 5 p.m. reception at the Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus. The Oct. 17 seminar, “Chemical Genetic Analysis of Kinase Signaling Pathways,” starts at 1 p.m. in 123 Manitou Hall, Allendale Campus. The Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry was created and endowed by a gift from Arnold C. Ott and Marion Ott. Arnold Ott received his doctorate in 1943 from Michigan State University in chemistry, physics and bacteriology and was a leading chemist and entrepreneur in West Michigan. He was one of the co-founders of Grand Valley State University and served on the GVSU Board of Trustees for 28 years. For more information, contact the GVSU Chemistry Department at (616) 331-3317.

Merit Network Offers Info On Wires, Routers, Switches and Way Beyond: Make plans to attend Networking 2012: A Summit for Network Pros on Dec. 5 in Ypsilanti. The summit is an opportunity for networking mavens to focus on the current state of networking technologies, find out what other organizations are doing within their infrastructures, and get together to share stories about the realities of network-building. Registration for attendees from Merit Member organizations is just $69. Through the contributions of the Merit community supporters, Merit members are invited to register a second person to attend at no additional charge. You’ll also want to stay for the Network Performance Workshop that will be held the following day in Ann Arbor. Networking 2012: A Summit for Network Pros will be held at the Eagle Crest Conference Center in Ypsilanti. The agenda will begin with continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m., with presentations following from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration includes breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks. You can also register to attend both the summit and the Network Performance Workshop that will be held the following day in Ann Arbor. The price to atted both events is $79. This price does not include the Bring-a-Colleague option. Potential Members from higher education, K-12, libraries, health care and non-profits may attend for $99. Others may attend the event only through special arrangement. Please contact learning@merit.edu for more information.

Trivalent Group To Host Biasurvivor Disaster Recovery Workshop: Trivalent Group will host “BIASurvivor,” a no-cost disaster recovery workshop for the business community on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at its Grandville headquarters, 3145 Prairie St. SW. Disaster recovery experts from Trivalent Group will share strategies to increase an organization’s survivability by building an effective business continuity plan. The program starts at 11:30 a.m. and includes a working lunch. For more information and to registration, contact Margy Sneller at msneller@trivalentgroup.com or (616) 301-6301.

Huntington Speaker Focuses On Silicon Valley: The co-founder of Global Connect at the University of California, San Diego is the featured speaker at the Huntington Breakfast Lecture Series hosted by the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University. Gregory Horowitt, co-founder and director at Global Enterprise of Global Connect and author of “The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley,” will be the guest speaker Oct. 18. His book proposes a new theory to explain the nature of innovation ecosystems: human networks that generate creativity and output. It argues that free market thinking fails to consider the impact of human nature on the innovation process. Horowitt will speak about “Making Entrepreneurs: Lessons Learned from Silicon Valley.” The event begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Loosemore Auditorium of the DeVos Center of Grand Valley’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. This event is open to the public and seating is limited. Registration is required at (616) 331-7100.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of September. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, edged up to plus 2, from zero. The production index turned negative at minus 10, down from plus 5. The purchasing index flattened to zero, down from plus 8. And the employment index eased to  plus 4 from plus 18.

“All of these statistics continue to depict a flat economy, but not a recession,” said Long. “Because we have been reporting a relatively slow economy for many months, the fact that the economy has now turned flat will probably go unnoticed by most people on the street. After four years of economic weakness, it seems as though a flat or weak economy is simply becoming the new norm for many people.”

Long said automotive parts suppliers are still positive but they are no longer showing the rapid expansion of a few months ago. But he also said supply has not caught up with demand in auto sales. Long said office furniture firms and industrial distributors remain stable.

“The housing recovery continues to provide stimulus for the U.S. economy,” Long added. “The national Case-Shiller index released on September 25 pointed toward continued recovery in 16 of the 20 market areas in the survey. Local statistics also point toward recovery, and the number of houses being sold as well as the average price of the sales clearly indicates that things are finally getting better.”

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

For more information, contact Brian Long at (269) 323-2359.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of August. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, returned to 0, up from minus 6. The production index flipped back to positive at plus 5, up from minus 5. The employment index remained unchanged at plus 18, indicating strong hiring.

“Our automotive parts suppliers are still positive, but none are showing the rapid expansion we have had for most of the last three years,” said Long. “Despite the strong sales figures for autos, there are still considerable questions about the automotive production schedules for the rest of the year.

“Most major firms in the office furniture business continue to be stable. Not up, not down, but stable. It‘s possible the office furniture business will finish the year a little stronger than the earlier industry projections. The industrial distributors are also stable for the month. The capital equipment firms are more widely mixed, with some still up, but others fading.”

Long said some of the best news for the month came from the housing sector. “The closely watched Case-Shiller price indices were all up,” said Long. “The 10 Cities Composite, 20 Cities Composite, and the all-important U.S. National Composite indices all turned positive for the first time in more than two years. For Michigan, year-to-date sales are up 10 percent, and prices are up nearly 5 percent.”

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management.

Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” The percentages are tallied and expressed as a positive or negative number. If the number is positive, more respondents reported “up” than “down,” with the higher the number, the stronger the economic growth indicated. Conversely, if the number is negative, more respondents reported “down” than “up,” with the lower the number, the greater the economic contraction.

An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of July. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, came in at -6, down from +9. The production index also flipped negative to -5, down from +6. Employment remained positive at +18, but not as robust as the +25 in June.

“It is not a surprise to find that automotive parts suppliers are not sailing as high as they were a few months ago,” said Long. “Although July is a traditionally slow month for automotive, the September-October production schedules do not look as positive as they were once projected to be. As for the office furniture business, conditions are soft for some firms, but most are stable.”

Long said the GDP estimate of 1.5 percent for the second quarter of 2012, down from a revised growth rate of 2 percent in the first quarter, was big news.

“By comparison, our average growth rate for the 2004-2009 time period was 3.95 percent,” Long said. “Our current rate of growth is well below where we need to improve the unemployment situation and to fully recover from the Great Recession.”

Long added that the local economy could “dance back and forth across the zero growth line” for several quarters before finally resuming a slow recovery.  He said the local economy will be affected by the actions taken by Congress as the election draws near.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of March. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, was virtually unchanged at plus 15, down from plus 16. The was also little change in the production index, which edged up to plus 13, from plus 12. The employment index rose to plus 15, from plus 13.

Index levels above zero indicate economic growth, and the farther above zero the stronger the growth.

Long said there continues to be little change in the economic pattern in recent months. “Many of our local automotive parts producers are at or near capacity, so we cannot expect much more expansion out of this group,” he said. “Just as last month, the office furniture business is still flat or even slow for specific furniture types. The capital goods firms turned mixed in February, and remained mixed in March. However, most of the industrial distributors had a good month.”

Long said skyrocketing gas prices will not bring about another recession.

“Many economists have used $4 per gallon as a tipping point,” he said. “But, this is a country where consumers spend $15 billion per year on bottled water. We spend billions at Starbucks for morning coffee. Up to a limit, increased gas prices can be absorbed. After all the complaining is over, if we stay at $4 per gallon, the higher price will probably become the new norm, and people will build a life style around it. However, at $6 per gallon, we would encounter economic trouble because of the severe nature of the redefinition of our life style.”

Long noted that this month marks three full years since the recovery from the Great Recession began in the Greater Grand Rapids area.

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

The social entrepreneurs behind Impact Engine will meet with potential entrepreneurs and investors Tuesday, April 10 in a session sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

The meeting starts at 3 p.m. in the University Club, Room 107C of the DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton St. in downtown Grand Rapids. Visitor parking is available in nearby Lot 15 on Fulton Street. To RSVP, email almallas@gvsu.edu by April 9.

Impact Engine is a 12-week program, based in Chicago, that provides social entrepreneurs with seed capital, mentorship, business support and access to a network of impact investors. The program is to kick off in September.

Included in the program are $20,000 in seed funding, expert networking and mentorship with seasoned professionals with relevant expertise, business strategy and development classes led by successful entrepreneurs, a collaborative workspace in an 1871-vintage building in Chicago, and an Investor Day opportunity for portfolio companies to pitch to investors.

Applications are due in June 2012. For the most up-to-date information on the application process and to access the application form, please go to www.TheImpactEngine.com.

Researchers in both the Johnson Center for Philanthropy’s Community Research Institute and Grand Valley’s Seidman College of Business worked on the report, along with the Michigan Foreclosure Task Force.

The report reveals significant findings:

* Housing value in the state of Michigan decreased by $63 billion between 2006 and 2010;
* The drop in housing value in Detroit and Grand Rapids was even larger, with decreases over 40 percent;
* In rural areas, the average monthly foreclosure rate tripled between 2005 and 2010;
* Between 2005 and 2010, 416,116 residential units in Michigan faced a foreclosure auction filing.

The full report is available online, and the Web site allows users to download, print, and use foreclosure data for both the state and individual counties.

For more information on the report, contact Robert Shalett at (616) 331-9038 or view the report online at www.cridata.org/michiganforeclosuretaskforce.

The survey results are based on data collected during the last two weeks of October. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, retreated to +9 from +25. In a similar move, the production index edged lower to +8 from +25. The index of purchases backtracked to +6 from +14. The employment index fell to +15 from +27.

“Slow growth by any measure is still better that no growth at all,” said Long. “Our local statistics continue to be stronger than the rest of the country, and even the rest of the world. We hope that this trend will continue.”

Long said the automotive parts producers are keeping local statistics positive; in October auto sales for the industry were up by 8 percent. He said the office furniture firms are still holding steady, but the slowdown in the world economy is starting to erode the prospect for future performance. He also said industrial distributors are steady, but the slowing of the local economy has caused their sales to moderate.

“Despite the modestly positive numbers in this local survey, caution still remains that the world economy is still slowing and many countries may soon slide into a technical recession,” said Long. “For us, the big question remains about how much we will be drawn in if the economy for most of the rest of the world turns slightly negative. Barring an immediate collapse of the Euro, we still expect to see the current pattern of slow growth to continue in West Michigan for the next few months.  If we do slide into another recession, chances are this time we can blame it on the Europeans.”

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

Great Lakes Transportation Summit wind event coming to Grand Valley: The “Great Lakes Transportation Summit — Multimodal Solutions for the Wind Energy Industry” will be held Wednesday, July 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the GVSU Eberhard Center, 301 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids. Attend this year’s premiere wind energy manufacturing event. Hosted in partnership with the American Wind Energy Association, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Rockford Berge, the Great Lakes Transportation Summit brings together the industry leaders in transportation and logistics management.  Learn about the competitive logistical advantages of transporting large-scale wind energy components throughout the Great Lakes region. Discover the integrated logistics platform of water, road and rail transportation solutions and hear success stories from the current wind energy supply chain in the region. If you are a manufacturing supplier to the wind energy industry or regularly transport large manufactured components, you cannot miss this event. The event cost is $110 and the registration deadline is July 22. More at www.rightplace.org/CalendarTemplate.aspx?Details=59&month=7&year=2011&catID=27

Covisint Exec To Present On Managing Identities: The Compuware Corp. subsidiary Covisint says its chief security officer, Dave Miller, will present “Implementing Identity Management in the Cloud: Lessons Learned” at the Cloud Identity Summit in Keystone, Colo. Miller will point out how, with some 50 billion devices expected online by 2020, organizations need to embrace this dramatic shift and proactively manage enterprise cloud identities. He not only will show how organizations that ignore this advice do so at their own peril, but also will demonstrate patterns of cloud success Covisint has achieved in managing identities for extended workforces for more than a decade and across multiple industries. The event will take place at 11 a.m. Mountain time (1 p.m. Eastern time) July 21.

The center is named for Bill Seidman, founding chair of Grand Valley State University’s Board of Trustees and former FDIC chair.

Grand Valley will break ground at the site at 38 Front Ave. in downtown Grand Rapids  May 25 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Remarks begin at 6:15 p.m.

Participants will include Rich DeVos, lead donor and general chairman of the Grand Valley University Foundation. The philanthropist and founder of Amway first publicly broached the idea for this building during the memorial tribute to Bill Seidman on Grand Valley’s campus two years ago.

Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell will also be in attendance.

“The city commissioners and I were unanimous in our support for this project, which will mean so much to our beautiful riverfront and to the economy of the west side,” said Heartwell. “Grand Valley has made a significant impact on our city with $200 million spent on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus facilities in the past 20 years.”

More than $680 million is pumped into West Michigan communities because of the university’s activities. Grand Valley created 700 trade and construction jobs and pumped $32 million into the economy because of construction projects in 2010. More than 10,200 permanent off-campus jobs in the region exist due to the presence of Grand Valley’s campuses in those communities. Construction of the Seidman Center will be a major investment in the downtown Grand Rapids area, totaling $40 million in land acquisition, site preparation, construction and infrastructure improvement costs.
 
Grand Valley President Thomas J. Haas has noted that during this year of celebration for the university’s 50th anniversary, the private-public partnership that Seidman spearheaded to found Grand Valley is a cornerstone of Grand Valley’s relationship with the region.

“The success of this project is a reflection on the generosity of this community and the attractiveness of Bill Seidman’s original vision for Grand Valley and for the business school,” said Haas.

The Seidman College of Business has grown from 145 students to more than 3,300 over its 40-year history. The college offers an accelerated, full-time, integrated Master of Business program that has an innovative curriculum, a paid fellowship, international experience and a stint in Washington, D.C. The college has given Grand Valley international standing as one of only 173 schools of business worldwide that have a dual accreditation in both business and accounting.

The designer for the project is Robert A. Stern Architects, LLP, an internationally recognized firm known for attention to detail and a commitment to design quality. Local firms Integrated Architecture and Pioneer Construction will be part of the project.

The building will be Grand Valley’s 16th LEED-certified building.

The survey results are based on data collected in the last two weeks of April. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, moderated to +29, down from +38. In a similar move, the production index eased to +35 from +39. The index of purchases rose significantly to +51 from +34. The employment index also posted a nice gain and rose to +46 from +35.

Long said 50 percent of firms surveyed are still adding personnel and despite this month’s moderation in new orders, the growth rate for the local economy appears to be stabilizing at a moderate rate. He said there have been 23 consecutive months of positive reports since the recovery began in 2009.

“Despite our lofty employment index, our local industrial sector has not had nearly the impact on our local unemployment statistics as we would like,” Long said. “In this same light, the strength in the industrial sector has had little or no impact on the seemingly never-ending housing and construction crisis.”  

Long said local automotive parts suppliers continue to do well; none have reported any impact from the Japanese disaster. The report from the office furniture sector is still positive, but there are signs that the industry may be plateauing at the current level. 

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are purchasing managers from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors, and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.” An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.

The survey results are based on data collected in the last two weeks of December. The survey’s index of business improvement, called new orders, eased slightly to plus 25, down from plus 31. The production index rose higher to plus 29 from plus 19. The index of purchases also rose to plus 29 from plus 29. The employment index rose slightly to plus 29, up from plus 27.

Long said the recovery of the office furniture industry is still on track, stronger auto sales have resulted in more business for local auto parts suppliers, and several local firms are approaching full capacity. He said that in general, performance for industrial distributors remains positive and although capital equipment firms are still recovering, this month’s performance was mixed. Performance for the firms related to the aircraft industry was generally down.         

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the Grand Rapids area and 25 in the Kalamazoo area. The respondents are purchasing managers from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors, and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

An expanded version of this report and details of the methodology used to compile it are available at www.gvsu.edu/scblogistics.