Grand Rapids Business Journal
Courtesy Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority
Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority named Kent County Commissioner Emily Brieve to its board of directors.
She will serve a three-year term in the general oversight of the airport alongside six other board members, including board chair Dan Koorndyk and vice chair Floyd Wilson Jr., who were reelected to their roles. Birgit Klohs was newly elected as board secretary.
“I’m honored to join the board of the Ford airport, which is a cornerstone of our region,” Brieve said. “The airport serves a critical role by connecting West Michigan to the world and by serving as an economic catalyst for our region. I look forward to contributing to the board as we continue to establish the Ford airport as an industry leader.”
Change-Ups: FBA names Burns director
The Family Business Alliance has named Robin Burns its director. Burns will work with the board and staff to develop and implement the strategic plan of the association whose sole mission is to ensure family businesses throughout West Michigan succeed generation to generation. Burns most recently served as the marketing director and management team member at Rhoades McKee. Established in 2006 in partnership with the Grand Rapids Chamber and Grand Valley State University and re-organized in 2018 as a 501(c)(6) within the Grand Rapids Chamber, the FBA has grown to serve over 160 members.
ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING
Benton Harbor-based
Death of Grand Rapids Chicks player may have marked the end of an era
Joyce Hill Westerman played for the inaugural Grand Rapids Chicks team in 1945, and she may have been the last surviving player from that year s team. Author: Matt Gard Updated: 1:44 PM EST January 30, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich When it comes to Grand Rapids sports legends, Joyce Hill Westerman may not be the first name that comes to mind. After all, her only season with the Grand Rapids Chicks was her rookie year, a year in which she only had 18 at bats over nine games.
But the 1945 season Westerman spent in Grand Rapids was historic for the city. The Chicks franchise had just moved from Milwaukee, where the team struggled to compete for fans with the Brewers, which at the time was a minor league franchise.
Grand Rapids Business Journal
Photos courtesy Grand Rapids Public Museum
DeVante Barnes
Guillermo Sotelo
Jalexia Stoutmyre
The Grand Rapids Public Museum has a new exhibit, Windows GR, that features three large-scale art pieces created by local artists of color.
Jalexia Stoutmyre, a multimedia artist; DeVante Barnes, a visual and musical artist; and Guillermo Sotelo, artist and graffiti writer, created three pieces of art for the Windows GR project.
After the Back Lives Matter protest in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer that turned into a riot resulting in damage to vehicles and buildings last year in downtown Grand Rapids, Stoutmyre, Barnes and Sotelo partnered with Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts and a special group of creatives to use the plywood-covered windows as blank canvases, allowing artists to paint pieces that speak out about racism.
Have You Seen These Guys Dancing Around Town?
Tom Hillen from WOOD TV noticed them.
The inflatable Air Dancers are scattered around town as part of World of Winter. These are 20 foot tubemen are on top of ten buildings downtown Grand Rapids. These fun and bright dancers can be seen from those walking through downtown, but also those driving on 131 and 196 as they pass through.
You can see the dancers on top of these buildings:
Studio Park