Entrepreneurship : Innovation + Job News

Homewaters Recreational Real Estate in Traverse City has a new director of operations, Joel Greene.
 
Greene has an MBA from Lawrence Technological University and brings business experience including strategic planning, management, recruiting and mentoring to the real estate company.
 
Homewaters was founded by brokers and owners Chad and Mandy Brown, and now has ten agents who represent buyers and sellers of river, lakefront and other recreational properties in northwest Michigan.
 
"We could not be more excited to have Joel on board to support our company and help shape our future within the real estate industry," says Chad Brown. "He joins Homewaters at a critical time as we launch our spectacular new website and leverage our growing presence in key markets."
 
Greene's duties include recruiting new agents, training and career development, community and civic involvement and business development in the communities Homewaters serves.
 
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Homewaters Recreational Real Estate

Springfield, Inc. has a new field operation manager after hiring Trevon Cole to the position recently.

Cole joined the team earlier this year and comes in with more than 10 years experience in the construction industry. His responsibilities with Springfield, Inc. include supervising field operations to make sure the company's commitment to top-quality service and production is upheld.

Cole has a bachelor's degree in construction management from Purdue University and has his OSHA 30 card as well.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Springfield, Inc.

Ryan Sullivan has a new position with Rehmann Retirement Builders in Traverse City after being named recently to the position of Principal-in-Charge.

In his new position, Sullivan will be responsible for overseeing all of the company's retirement plan services divisions, which includes everything from advisory services to administration and consulting. The company, which provides retirement solutions for over 1,100 plans, is responsible for more than $3 billion in total plan assets.

"Ryan has demonstrated time and again his capabilities for this new role," says Steven Kelly, the chairman and CEO of Rehmann. "I'm confident that, with his leadership, we will continue to enhance our services to our many valued retirement plan clients."

Sullivan has over 12 years of experience as a financial advisor. He has a bachelors in finance from Michigan State University.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Rehmann Retirement Builders

A national parking payment company and Traverse City Parking Services have teamed up to make instant parking payments from your mobile or smartphone possible as summer tourism season rolls around for Traverse City.

Parkmobile USA creates apps for Apple, Android, Windows and Blackberry products that allow customers to pay for parking with their phones. The apps are in use in many major cities and other Michigan cities as well.

The app is called Parkmobile and customers can register free online (www.parkmobile.com) or download the app. They can then use the app, the website or a toll-free number to pay for parking. The app also provides alerts and reminders about when your parking expires.

"Parkmobile is very excited to launch our mobile payment parking service in Traverse City, another progressive thinking city," says Cherie Fuzzell, CEO of Parkmobile USA, Inc.

The payment system already is offered in Petoskey, along with Mount Clemens, Birmingham, Ferndale, Dearborn, Grand Rapids and South Haven.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Parkmobile USA

Traverse City State Bank has announced two new arrivals on the bank's staff in two different branch offices.

At the bank's downtown Traverse City branch, Cindy Godmer will join the team there as assistant branch manager. Godmer brings more than 13 years of experience to the job, and is a Traverse City native and a Grand Valley State University graduate.

In Suttons Bay, Chris Milliron will be the new branch manager for that location. Milliron has more than six years of banking experience including consumer and commercial lending, marketing and management. He's a Leelanau County native and Glen Lake High School graduate, and holds degrees from Lake Superior State University and Davenport University.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Traverse City State Bank

Petoskey's Power IT has been acquired by Troy-based Center for Computer Resources. CCR is an IT company, while Power IT provides business technology solutions.

"We are beyond excited about this opportunity," says CCR President and CEO, Curtis Hicks. "This acquisition of Power IT will give us the ability to extend our geographical reach in the great state of Michigan, as well as extend the services we can offer our clients."

Power IT was founded in Petoskey in 2000 by Del Ingalls and has built a faithful client base over the years. CCR says it hopes to combine that with its own backend support to strengthen both companies.

"Our clients won't lose that local touch," says Ingalls, who will be part of CCR's executive team. "In short, and what I'm most excited about, is that we are now able to bring national caliber IT solutions to northern Michigan with the trust and partnership of a local neighbor."

He adds Power IT now will be able to offer cloud and hosted solutions to its clients, which CCR specializes in. Other new services will include PCI compliance for retail and hospitality clients. The current staff will stay on in Petoskey and Traverse City offices, and CCR plans to add more staff in both locations.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Power IT/Center for Computer Resources

Smith Haughey announced three summer hires company-wide, one of which is in the law firm's Traverse City office.

Selena Stanski is a current student at Wayne State University Law School and will be working with attorneys in Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge's Traverse City office, including attending and observing hearings, depositions, mediations, client meetings and trials.

Stanski earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and serves as the vice president of the Health Law Association at her school, and as director of finance for the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. In the past, she has worked as a legal clerk for the University of Michigan Office of the General Counsel. She will graduate from law school in the spring of 2014.

The two other students, both from Michigan State University College of Law, will work in Smith Haughey's Grand Rapids office for the summer. Smith Haughey also has an Ann Arbor office.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Smith Haughey

Living Light Massage has two new massage therapists now available for appointments at its Traverse City center.

Kirsten Grimm and Dawn Ross have joined the group of massage therapists at Living Light this spring.

Grimm came to Living Light in March, and is a nationally-certified therapist with 12 years of experience. Her specialties include deep tissue, relaxation, hot stone, pregnancy massage, and polarity therapy. She also is a licensed esthetician and certified yoga instructor.

Ross joined the team in April, and has been in the massage therapy and spa industry for the last four years. She specializes in deep tissue, sports, relaxation, hot stone and pregnancy massage.

Located at 134 West State Street in downtown Traverse City, Living Light Massage is open seven days a week with six treatment rooms.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Living Light Massage

Floor Covering Brokers in Traverse City has a new designer on staff.

Elizabeth McAllister has more than ten years of interior design experience, including working with architects, builders and homeowners. She holds a degree in interior design from Michigan State University.

McAllister will be part of Floor Covering Brokers' sales team at its Traverse City store, and also is available for design and consultation on flooring and window treatments.

Floor Covering Brokers specializes in the design and installation of all types of flooring, as well as window treatments. They also offer carpet cleaning services and complete residential and commercial flooring projects.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Floor Covering Brokers

Each year, companies across Michigan that are in the second stage of development and poised to grow and succeed are chosen for the 50 Companies to Watch awards.

This year, there are a significant number of them located in northwest Michigan, which says only good things about the direction our regional economy is headed.

All together, the 50 companies honored this year had $937 million in revenue and added 728 employees from 2009 through 2012.

Traverse City is home to six of the 50 businesses. They are Altus Brands, LLC, a specialty brand manufacturer founded in 2007; Cherry Capital Foods, a agricultural distributor which is expected to add up to 38 jobs in the next few years; Critter Control, headed by Kevin Clark, which will bring as many as 25 jobs to the state in the next few years; Grand Traverse Distillery, founded in 2006, a craft liquor manufacturer; retailer M22, founded in 2003 by Keegan Myers; and Moomers Homemade Ice Cream, which will add about 30 jobs in the next couple of years.

In Reed City, H&H Wildlife Design and Fur Dressing, Inc., headed by Mark Marlette and founded in 2002, was also on the 50 Companies to Watch list, as was manufacturer Cadillac Culvert, Inc. in Cadillac, founded in 2012 and owned by Donald Aldrich.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Members Credit Union in Traverse City has a new president and CEO, Andrew Kempf.

Kempf brings 20 years of experience in the credit union and finance industry to the TC-headquartered financial institution. He most recently was the manager and CEO of Preferred Federal Credit Union.

Members Credit Union has several Traverse City offices, along with  branches in Mancelona, Kalkaska and Manistee. It serves customers in Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Leelanau and Manistee counties.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Members Credit Union

Missed appointments at the doctor's, hair salon or garage might be a thing of the past with a new smartphone and tablet app designed by a Kingsley resident.

Schedg-It is an app available for download that connects service providers with their customers to confirm, remind, cancel or reschedule appointments, with their Apple or Android phone or tablet.

The creation of Alexa Bach, Schedg-it was inspired by missing a dentist appointment. Bach thought it would be helpful if the dentist could have sent the appointment information to her phone, and from there, she worked with family members and friends to create the app.

Service professionals like the dentist can enter appointments and send reminder alerts to clients through the app itself, text message, or email. Schedg-it also syncs with other calendars on the client's mobile device to avoid double-booking. Clients can use it to confirm, cancel or reschedule the appointment, with phone numbers for the service provider included and stored.

Bach has a business degree from the University of Findlay and is now operating and running a company backing the app from Kingsley, her hometown.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Schedg-It

It looks like Ann Bollinger will have a new title and a few more responsibilities at Traverse City State Bank while Dan Druskovich will settle into the role of newly-hired vice president.

TC State Bank announced that Bollinger was recently promoted to president of the financial institution, while Druskovich is a new senior vice president with the commercial lending team.

Bollinger will not only have a new role and new responsibilities, but she will continue her duties as the bank's chief financial officer and TCSB board member as well.

Bollinger has been with the bank since 2009 and has helped lead the team to profitable years in 2010, 2011 and it's most profitable year ever in 2012.

Bollinger has more than three decades of experience in banking, including positions in strategic planning and global strategy for large, multi-national institutions. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and is currently finishing up her master's degree in business administration.

Druskovich was recently hired as a senior vice president for Traverse City State Bank and has more than 25 years of lending experience. He was recently a vice president in commercial loans for another local bank.

Druskovich is a graduate from the University of Notre Dame where he earned his master's in business administration.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Traverse City State Bank

Several northwest Michigan businesses were among those honored as "Stars" of the state tourism industry in April.

The Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association hands out "Star of the Year" awards each year at the Pure Michigan Governor's Conference, and this year our area was well-represented, with award recipients from Acme, Bellaire, Gaylord and Traverse City.

Aaron McIntyre of Treetops Resort in Gaylord was awarded Seasonal Star of the Year for 2013. He's the assistant manager for the resort's golf and ski shop, and has worked there since 2005. He won the award for his personal initiative to improve the golf shop and willingness to take on any task.

Doug Cook is the kids' experience coordinator at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City, and oversees the resort's childrens' club. He won the 2013 Attraction Star of the Year award and also recently won the hotel's employee of the year award for the regard in which Cook's fellow employees and happy customers hold him.

The 2013 Sales and Marketing Star of the Year was Chris Hale at Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire. Hale is VP of the resort and oversees all departments that produce traffic and revenue. His marketing efforts for Shanty Creek's fiftieth anniversary included extending the brand message with a statewide campaign, new resort-wide campaigns and launching a custom print publication called "Traditions."

The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme received the Good Earth Keeping Award for 2013, accepted by general manager Tim Norman. It's not the first time the resort's environmental efforts have gained notice; it won the Northern Michigan Environment Action Council award in 2011. Among its achievements: in the first year of a new green program, the resort composted more than 100 tons of food waste, diverted more than 40 cubic yards of plastics from landfills, and reduced overall waste by more than 40 percent.

Other award recipients came from Birmingham, Dearborn, Detroit, East Lansing, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Sault Ste. Marie.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association

Northwestern Bank in Traverse City has a new VP, Scot Zimmerman. Zimmerman will be head of commercial lending as well as the bank's chief lending officer.

He comes to Northwestern Bank with more than 20 years of business and banking experience, previously serving as senior VP at another local financial institution.

Zimmerman is a TC native and got his undergrad degree at Central Michigan University, going on to earn a MBA degree from Pace University in New York. He's also the founding chair of the Northwestern Michigan Tooling Coalition and serves on the board of Grand Traverse Industries in Traverse City.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Northwestern Bank