Business

There are some mighty happy people at the Berrien County Parks Commission today, but the real excitement is in the community of Watervliet following word that the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund recommended a grant of $296,000 for the Phase 1 development of Watervliet County Park located along the Paw Paw River in Watervliet.
 
Phase 1 park development includes approximately 20 acres with 1 mile of Paw Paw River frontage. Natural features include river frontage, a pedestrian bridge connecting to the island, mature trees, birding, fishing, and other recreational opportunities. The park will connect Watervliet directly to the St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan on the designated Paw Paw River Water Trail. The location will be a trailhead for the water trail with an ADA kayak launch, hard surface walkways, parking area, security lighting, trash and recycle bins and bench seating which will enhance recreational opportunities for the region.... ...Read Full Story

Sean Kellogg's innovative teaching idea dubbed "Sunny Side Up Chickens" has earned the Benton Harbor educator a $2,000 Voya Unsung Heroes Grant for Innovative Teaching. She'll get her check Friday afternoon in a brief assembly before the student body at Countryside Academy where she is an instructor.... ...Read Full Story

The men and women of Whirlpool got a nice little ego boost here in the holiday season thanks to Forbes Magazine which has released its Just 100 — a recognition designed to celebrate America's best corporate citizens.... ...Read Full Story

The search for a new president at Lake Michigan College has drawn a solid measure of high caliber leaders from other institutions and that has allowed the school's Board of Trustees to narrow the search to a final four candidates who will visit the campus early next year with hopes of getting the office filled shortly thereafter.... ...Read Full Story

It's hard enough for the U.S. Marine Corps and thousands of helpers to produce enough toys to make Christmas bright for the less fortunate children of the world. So it's downright evil to steal money intended for the cause by helping yourself to a service station's Toys for Tots cash donation box. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened late Sunday night at the Shell Mart gasoline station at 102 N. Front Street in Dowagiac.... ...Read Full Story

In a typical year, the City of Dowagiac, which operates its own utility services to commercial and residential customers, will see anywhere from 10 to 15 utility poles go down in the wake of adverse weather or as the result of a traffic accident. In order to maintain essential electric service to the community with as short a down-time as possible, the city takes its utility service duties very seriously. That's why the Dowagiac City Council stepped up to the plate last night and approved the purchase of a new line truck to replace a 28-year old maintenance truck that is fading fast.... ...Read Full Story

He called himself "No-Risk Rich," but pretty soon he'll just change that to either Rich or "No-Worries Rich." Rich Trzupek and his wife Irene are stepping away from the helm of the payroll and human resources solutions business they established more than 25 years ago. As they step away from the pay window, the business is also relocating to new quarters about a block away in the Southtown neighborhood of St. Joseph.... ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor Public Safety Officials have asked for the public's help in finding the person or persons responsible for what they are now classifying as a homicide case. They are currently offering  $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the death of a 28 year old man, whose body was found in the snow early Sunday morning, December 11, 2016.... ...Read Full Story

Change can range from exciting to overwhelming, but in the case of Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Clarence William Brown, Jr. of St. Joseph, change has also been absolutely transformational. In fact, the change includes not only rebranding to a new name for the practice, but also a major contingent of all new equipment in the house.... ...Read Full Story

Horizon Bank officials are reportedly developing plans to establish a branch network in the Grand Rapids region. Newly appointed Grand Rapids market president David Quade recently told MIBiz reporter Mark Sanchez in Grand Rapids that plans are in the works to add three or more new Grand Rapids offices over the next five years.... ...Read Full Story

In the middle of Sunday's storm along Lake Michigan, a section of Interstate 94 ended up being closed for six hours or better following a wreck involving a commercial semi tractor trailer and a passenger car. It wasn't that the wreck was terribly serious. In fact, no injuries were involved in the crash. However, there was concern over damage to a critical bridge that forced the extended shutdown.... ...Read Full Story

One small part of the Christmas story in Michigan's Great Southwest that has been ongoing for some time will mark its ten-year milestone this year…and despite some major changes for the key player it's still alive and well, but could use a little extra boost this year.... ...Read Full Story

A year after filing petitions alleging foreign competitors were illegally dumping washing machines from China into the United States, Whirlpool Corporation learned Friday that the U.S. Department of Commerce had issued a final decision charging Whirlpool competitors Samsung and LG Electronics had, in fact, engaged in ongoing dumping of the machines in violation of U.S. and international trade laws. The Department of Commerce ruling is in response to Whirlpool's petition filed in December of 2015.... ...Read Full Story

What was once a logistics center for Whirlpool Corporation in South America has been transformed into a new cooking range manufacturing facility which will create 300 new jobs for Argentina. ... ...Read Full Story

The growth of the public art movement in Michigan's Great Southwest has made its way to downtown Baroda. With regular displays in waterfront parks by a broad array of artists curated by the Krasl Art Center, and the more whimsical Public Art campaign sponsored each summer by the City of St. Joseph, public art is seemingly always a simple turn of the head away to residents and visitors alike. Now, that movement is portrayed along Baroda's main drag.... ...Read Full Story

The myriad manufacturing companies across the Southwest Michigan landscape will likely appreciate the latest legislative work of U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow, Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown on their behalf. Stabenow, is of course, a Democrat from Michigan while Portman is a Republican and Brown a Democrat from the Buckeye state. Collectively they have introduced legislation amending tax laws to support American manufacturers and job creation on the home front.... ...Read Full Story

Ever the sustainability seeker, Whirlpool Corporation has broken ground this week on yet another wind turbine project…this time at its clothes dryer manufacturing facility in Marion, Ohio. ... ...Read Full Story

A technology giant that grew up in Paw Paw and has become the top selling battery case manufacturer in North America is expanding its footprint in Michigan's Great Southwest and will create 65 new jobs as a result. Mophie, the now California-based tech company that manufactures accessories for smartphones and other mobile devices, will invest $685,000 in a new call center in Texas Township between Paw Paw and Kalamazoo thanks to the help of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation which helped land the center in Michigan rather than a competing site in Utah. ... ...Read Full Story

If Rob Cleveland were sitting on Santa's lap this week, he'd likely ask for somebody in the community of Michigan's Great Southwest to craft a modern, 75,000 square foot manufacturing building with 32-foot ceilings and relatively close proximity to the Interstate highway system in the region as the Christmas gift of the year. Cleveland is President of Cornerstone Alliance and he and his board members and colleagues rolled out the non-profit economic development agency's next five year strategic plan to investors and community leaders at the Inn at Harbor Shores tonight.... ...Read Full Story

People are passionate about many things, but none quite so much as politics and pets. When the two mix, a veritable powder keg situation can't be far behind. With that in mind, and in light of a tremendous outpouring of voices, opinions and arguments leading up to a planned public hearing on the Berrien County Animal Control Ordinance, county leaders have elected to cancel that public hearing "pending further review," so to speak. ... ...Read Full Story

That lost feeling in the pit of your stomach that accompanies a life changing moment like this morning's announcement regarding the projected permanent shutdown of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant at Covert can be more than gut-wrenching. It can be psychologically devastating if you don't have the support systems to get you through the impending loss of a long time or even lifetime job. Fortunately for Entergy workers employed at the plant, help is on the way.... ...Read Full Story

Nine years ago the face of gaming in Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana changed dramatically as the Four Winds Casino at New Buffalo burst onto the scene thanks to the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. Now, shortly after the 10th anniversary of that milestone, the Four Winds brand will welcome its fourth casino into the fold with Four Winds South Bend.... ...Read Full Story

The genius marketing decision to portray Lakeland Health physicians as artists and their patients as works of art — or better yet, as individual "masterpieces" — has paid off handsomely as word comes of a Silver victory in the 2016 Davey Awards competition. We're not sure if it came in a wood crate marked "fragile," but it's a pretty major award. ... ...Read Full Story

As reaction continues to roll in on multiple fronts regarding this morning's announcement that the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert will be shutdown permanently in the fall of 2018, Congressman Fred Upton and a long time political activist, Kevin Kamps are among them.... ...Read Full Story

Shock waves are reverberating through the Van Buren County community of Covert and well beyond in the wake of news this morning that Entergy will permanently shutdown the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant there in 2018. In fact, the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy Policy, Aric Nesbitt, who represents the district that includes the plant, is already demanding reconsideration of that plan.... ...Read Full Story

A major Michigan shopping center developer responsible for more than 30-million square feet of retail space since they were founded some 30-years ago now has the keys to the Fairplain Plaza Shopping Center in Benton Charter Township, and says they have exciting plans for the center. Lormax Stern Development, based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has purchased the nearly half-million square foot Plaza for an undisclosed amount sum.... ...Read Full Story

If there is one day that the spirit of camaraderie is in peak performance mode in any given year at Lake Michigan College, it is the day that the staff and students work like a well-oiled machine to assemble holiday food baskets for 100 local needy families and at-risk elderly members of the community in an outright labor of love.... ...Read Full Story

When it comes to attracting business talent and business investment, State Senator John Proos knows all too well the disadvantage or border communities like those he represents in Lansing. That's why he has supported Senate passage of legislation designed specifically to help spur business investment in Michigan border communities.... ...Read Full Story

Since kindergarten we've all been taught that in the rules of the road green means go. Now, the winter road crews are hopeful we can change the paradigm a bit and recognize that at times "green means slow," as in slow down. MDOT officials are rolling out the word that new green flashing lights are being incorporated on winter maintenance vehicles in Michigan this winter. And while motorists are used to green meaning go – in this case, green means slow down.... ...Read Full Story

Recognizing that upgrading the skill base of regional workers in order to get them into highly skilled manufacturing jobs is paramount to the success of high tech local manufacturers, Team Kinexus has successfully secured a sizable grant from the State of Michigan's Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF) to help get the job done.... ...Read Full Story