Mark Sanchez: It's not just becoming a tech hub, but there's a much broader thing at work here, which is, you know, over a decade, maybe two decades, Michigan trying to become much more diverse in the economy instead of just relying on the auto industry and manufacturing. So, you've seen a lot of universities with their tech transfer labs, their business accelerators, their business incubators, much more support out there for entrepreneurs, starting companies and startup companies, especially in the technology space.
Now comes a story, this is maybe one of those questions about how far we've come or how far yet do we still have to go? I did a piece this week. It's a company based in England, in the U.K. It's called Hatch Oxford. It's based in Oxford, England. They've opened an office here in Grand Rapids in the Bamboo facility on Fulton Avenue. And Hatch Oxford basically works with companies and universities and university spin outs and trying to commercialize intellectual property and innovations coming out of university research labs. And again, they've set up a base here in Grand Rapids to break into the U.S. market.
Basically, how they connected here with Michigan is there's a big battery show each year in Novi. A number of years back these folks attended that show because that's part of the area where they work in, and that type of technology. And they just started exploring and learning more. And what they found is, you know, the industrial Midwest, we're pretty darn good at making things here. Engineering, designing, prototyping, manufacturing. And so, they've been wanting to get into the U.S. market and do what they do here. And they kind of see Michigan as what they describe as the Midwest Silicon Valley for technology development. That there's a lot of innovations here at the universities and they want to get into that game here in the U.S. and become part of that ecosystem here in Michigan. So again, it's named Hatch Oxford and they've set up an office here in Grand Rapids to begin reaching out and working with universities around the state and the Midwest.
Patrick Center: There's so much that goes into making these decisions. What kind of support systems have they identified to really help them launch and to grow in the state?
Mark Sanchez: There's so much more going on today in not just Michigan, but in many states. You see just about every university has some kind of a tech transfer office where students, faculty, researchers come up with an innovation. How do you get it to the marketplace? How do you build an innovation into a business? You know, we see that up on The Hill here in Grand Rapids with Michigan State and its research center and business incubator. And the Michigan State University Research Foundation has probably a couple hundred small startup companies in its portfolio that it's working with, it's nurturing, helping to network, helping to access capital, helping to vet marketplace for their innovation and develop that innovation into a product or service in the marketplace. And that's what they saw as they came to Michigan and started learning more about the state.
In a couple of areas they're working on is this site where they're working with a company in England and part of their mission is to perhaps they can find an innovation here in Michigan that a manufacturer in England can build or there's an innovation there back home that they can bring to the U.S. and commercialize and a manufacturer here in the U.S. can produce.
And one of the companies they're working with back home helps clean up wastewater from copper mines. Well, we have a few of those old copper mines in the Upper Peninsula, so they're exploring that aspect. Again, it's another organization that wants to become part of that entrepreneurial startup innovation ecosystem here in Michigan. And they really see this state as the place to start in the U.S. market.
Patrick Center: Earlier this week, up near Rockford, Plainfield Township, they cut the ribbon on the $13.5 million Meijer Sports Complex expansion project. A big deal, not just for athletes, but for the area's economy.
Mark Sanchez: Yeah, you know, this youth sports, Patrick, you you've been involved a little bit in youth sports. I know you're a soccer coach. This is big business around these parts these days. And the West Michigan Sports Commission does annual economic impact analysis on just how much is it? And this project alone, this expansion of this sports complex up there near Rockford, is going to add about a million dollars to that economic impact.
Just to take a look at the numbers, the complex has attracted about 200 weekend travel tournaments in events. That's about 8,800 different teams, 287,000-plus visitors since the inception many years ago. And that generates about $69 million in direct visitor spending in Kent County for hotels, restaurants, shopping, and other things. So, you've seen this $13.5 million expansion of the sports complex, and it's going to add to that kind of that sports tourism economy that's been cultivated here in Grand Rapids for a number of years.
You know, part of the expansion of the sports complex is the addition of 20 pickleball courts. And there's also kind of new concessions, new restrooms, storage, a new playground area, bleachers, a synthetic turf field installed and one of the championship baseball fields, some flex use diamonds for youth and amateur baseball and softball. It was quite an extensive expansion up there and yes, pickleball courts, because that's the big thing right now.
Patrick Center: We're talking with Crain’s Grand Rapids Business staff writer, Mark Sanchez. Howard Miller, not so long ago, Howard Miller was calling it quits but now resurrected. Howard Miller is back.
Mark Sanchez: Yeah, that was last August. We all saw that announcement, and I think everybody felt a little sad about it, because that is one of the iconic companies back in the harken the furniture days of Grand Rapids. It's a century-old company, and basically had run its course, and the family was closing it. And then last week, we learned the has been sold to the Huizenga Group here in Grand Rapids. J.C. Huizenga's investment firm has acquired the clock business of Howard Miller. And then there's another couple of former employees, they acquired the memorial business basically making earns and memorial earns. So those are two businesses that are going to live.
Now, the production facility in Zeeland will remain shut down. Howard Miller for many years used offshore contract manufacturers. The new owners, the Huizenga Group will continue that, but the business lives on, and the brand lives on. So, it's kind of a feel-good story to see somebody step in and at least preserve a few jobs and preserve that brand, one of those defining brands that folks remember for many years here in the West Michigan area.
Patrick Center: Before you go, Grand Rapids Park Department has acquired six land bank lots that they intend to turn into trails and green space.
Mark Sanchez: And we'll see what that develops into. Basically, you have the land bank that was formed a few years back. Land banks generally, they acquire obsolete lots, properties that are just no longer functional and try to get some redevelopment on those parcels to generate tax base and put them back into good use.
Well, these were six lots around the city that were considered that the Grand Rapids Land Bank kind of considered really undevelopable.
So, they were basically turned over to Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department and they're in the Oakdale, Southeast Community, Action, Burton Heights and Roosevelt Park neighborhoods. And the Land Bank Authority basically turned those over in December and now the Park Department's looking at how do we use those. And you're right, some more green space for the neighborhoods, more parks. There's a mention in the story that my colleague Rachel Watson did this week about the potential for one of them to become kind of a community garden. So, it's an opportunity for the Parks Department to have some land that it can look at and maybe do some more green space or park developments down in the neighborhoods.
Patrick Center: Crain's Grand Rapids Business staff writer Mark Sanchez, thank you so much.
Mark Sanchez: Thank you, Patrick.