Archive for September, 2011
ARTchitecture Tour
Sep 28th
Have you been downtown Grand Rapids to see ArtPrize Yet? Did you know about the ARTchitecture Tour? There are QR codes on six buildings throughout downtown Grand Rapids that will link you to the the history and architectural features of that building. This is part of CARWM’s “Do the Driveby” campaign. The QR codes will link you to a site where you will also be able to enter for a chance to win a free iPad!
Won’t be able to make it downtown? You can still participate in the ARTchitecture Tour from home! Just go to www.carwm.com and click on “Do the Driveby”. From there you can view the buildings that are part of the tour and also enter to win the iPad!
Look for posters like this one!
NAI Wisinski of West Michigan Hosts Global Road Show
Sep 16th
GRAND RAPIDS, MI (September 13, 2011)
NAI Wisinski of West Michigan had the privilege of hosting NAI Global in Grand Rapids this past week. NAI Global’s Executive Vice President, David Blanchard, and NAI Global’s Leadership President, Kevin Fitzgerald, ramped up a crowd of 60 plus brokers from NAI Wisinski of West Michigan (Grand Rapids), NAI Mid-Michigan Vlahakis (Lansing), NAI Farbman (Detroit) and NAI Harding Dahm (Ft. Wayne). The NAI Global “Road Show” is going across the continent to re-energize the NAI family of brokers and to launch its brand new suite of technology. NAI has been, and continues to be, the leader in technology and has landed the industries highest awards. NAI Global, who ranks internationally in the top five in the commercial real estate industry, continues its strong push with the largest Managed Network of commercial brokerage companies at 373 offices worldwide to date. The uniqueness of NAI is the global reach with local expertise. This global reach and local touch makes clients such as Hertz, Pepsi, and the US Post Office glad they have chosen NAI to manage their real estate.
The Road Show was a two day event which brought new industry tools and benefits to the newly merged NAI Wisinski of West Michigan. The former S.J. Wisinski brokers were astounded by the host of services NAI Global offers. “The Road Show really excited me about NAI,” Mary Anne Wisinski-Rosely explained, “Learning about what is available and how it can benefit our clients is incredible. I am really looking forward to implementing these tools!” These tools include REALTrac™, NAI’s proprietary web-based real estate management software giving the client 24-hour access to each and every step of the marketing process including all listing and closing documents. Another is NAI’s Opportunity Broadcast system, a global email blast system, which allows brokers to share and inquire about listings with over 5,000 NAI members worldwide. “During this tough economic climate, every tool we can offer our clients that increases their ability to move their real estate is a bonus,” says Kurt Kunst. “Our team is well prepared to manage the waters ahead. We are committed to West Michigan. Connected to the World.”
Forbes: The Grand Rapids-Wyoming Metropolitan Area Most Optimistic For Hiring This Summer
Sep 2nd
Jacquelyn Smith, Forbes Staff
Employers in all 50 states expect the bleak employment picture to perk up during the three-month period ending in September. In fact, hiring managers in dozens of metropolitan areas anticipate considerable increases in hiring, while others present a darker forecast.
The employment services firm ManpowerGroup has surveyed more than 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas to find out who’s hiring, who’s firing and who plans to maintain their current staff levels in the third quarter of 2011, July through September. Of the surveyed employers, 20% anticipate an increase in staffing levels in their second quarter hiring plans, while 8% expect a decrease in payrolls. The difference between those numbers gives you what ManpowerGroup calls a net employment outlook of 12%–or 8% when seasonally adjusted, which is still up from 6% for the same period last year. Sixty-nine percent of employers expect no change in their staffing, and the final 3% of employers are uncertain.
The survey reveals that the metropolitan area with the most optimistic forecast of all for hiring this summer is Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Michigan.
“This is the strongest outlook we’ve seen in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming market in almost three years,” says Melanie Holmes, a vice president at ManpowerGroup. “The market results are considerably more optimistic than last quarter and one year ago. Among our clients, we’ve seen real strength among manufacturing employers as well as a demand for clerical and customer service support.”
The Grand Rapids-Wyoming region enjoys a 24% net employment outlook, the percentage of employers that expect to add employees (30%) minus the percentage that expect to reduce their workforce (6%). Another 61% said they anticipate no change, and 3% didn’t know.
“This does not come as a surprise,” says Kevin Stotts, vice president of community programs at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. “The employers I have spoke with, either large or small, have been very optimistic over the past several months. In fact, a persistent challenge with many employers in the area has been finding qualified talent to meet their needs. While specific sectors may not have rebounded as quickly, most are doing better than 2010, which was a strong year.”
To read the rest of the Forbes article, please click here.
