Doing business in Grand Rapids

[Rizzo]

How about digging out from under the city and installing a subsurface parking lot... It will be huge, conveninet, and a magnet for shady characters.

[dbrok]

I also work in the technology field, though more with the internet rather than software and hardware. The internet field is steadily growing and there is always a need for more and better web designers. My impression of GR is that there are very few quality firms that can compete on a national level. I can only think of two or three total that I would even consider working with. So for an overall internet business environment, I don't think Grand Rapids is among the elite cities in the country.

However, I think there is a lot of potential to become an internet hotbed with so many college students in the area, especially now downtown with GVSU's campus. It would be great to convert some old abandoned warehouse dt into a place where internet/IT firms would be able to build and grow start-ups, maybe with a lowered rent or other subsidies from entrepreneurs or private companies. Starting something grass roots with an emphasis on entrepreneurship is the way to attract and retain professionals and make GR a mini "Silicon Valley".

[GRDadof3]

Hey, just click on my signature and you'll see some nice images of Grand Rapids. Downtown is extremely clean, with a great mix of old and new architecture. And on warm days, the sidewalks are pretty bustling, considering we don't have a MAJOR UNIVERSITY in our midst. I guess in a way I'm glad people are trying to compare GR to Calgary and Denver. I mean, we are a city of maybe 1/2 millon or so. And don't get me started on Holland or Muskegon being part of the Metro. Very few, if any, people who live in those cities give two rats a**es about our downtown.

[Rizzo]

What made Silicon Valley - Silicon Valley? What attracted all the business, the silicon, taxes, people, what?

[PBJ]

What made Silicon Valley - Silicon Valley? What attracted all the business, the silicon, taxes, people, what?

A huge University base of extremely smart people with Stanford right there was a HUGE help in my opinion. The warm weather helps i'm sure, but you had a large amount of highly trained people, with the financial backing (Stanford isn't cheap someone paid for it) to try things out. Granted much of it failed, but there are a lot of "left over" companies now in the valley doing just fine.

[GaryP]

However, I think there is a lot of potential to become an internet hotbed with so many college students in the area, especially now downtown with GVSU's campus. It would be great to convert some old abandoned warehouse dt into a place where internet/IT firms would be able to build and grow start-ups, maybe with a lowered rent or other subsidies from entrepreneurs or private companies. Starting something grass roots with an emphasis on entrepreneurship is the way to attract and retain professionals and make GR a mini "Silicon Valley".

Doing this would cost soooo much less than the billions we spend trying to grow the life science industry. I completely agree this could and should be done.

[HolidayInnExpress]

Hey, just click on my signature and you'll see some nice images of Grand Rapids. Downtown is extremely clean, with a great mix of old and new architecture. And on warm days, the sidewalks are pretty bustling, considering we don't have a MAJOR UNIVERSITY in our midst. I guess in a way I'm glad people are trying to compare GR to Calgary and Denver. I mean, we are a city of maybe 1/2 millon or so. And don't get me started on Holland or Muskegon being part of the Metro. Very few, if any, people who live in those cities give two rats a**es about our downtown.

True...but it

[GRDadof3]

I could agree with more The DDA is in the midst of "branding" Grand Rapids, and a group was hired to split downtown into separate sectors:

http://www.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?binobjid=1402

and to try and steer development incentives based on these areas. It's moving in the right direction. I do think creating a high-tech "incubator" zone as dbrok and other mentioned would be very instrumental.

Ann Arbor does have the MITC

The funny thing is is that many of the high-tech R&D facilities moving into the Ann Arbor area are way out in the Townships, and not downtown.

[GR8scott]

QUOTE(HolidayInnExpress @ Jan 3 2006, 02:04 PM) *

I agree with HolidayInnExpress, that GR is laking in the airpot and research universities two areas. The airport is important because companies need a lot of direct flight options and connecting flights are more expensive and take longer. We only have 16 direct flights compared to about 40 at the Raleigh airport, and except for NWA the other airlines seem to be leaving or cutting destinations like Toronto, Phila, Pittsburhg, St. Louis, Indy, and CHI midway since I can remember. I would think the Toronto flight would be important as well as adding flights out west maybe LA and Denver. Also we are loosing airlines, hopefully Southwest and jetblue come here that would help.

GR also lacks the major research university, I know GVSU is growing but it is quiet outside of GR, it is overshadowed by UofM, MSU, WMU, CMU, EMU, maybe even Oakland. I think that moving sports programs to D1AA at least, will improve all areas of the university. That would give it a lot more recognition and income for the whole university, as well as school pride.

[PBJ]

The funny thing is is that many of the high-tech R&D facilities moving into the Ann Arbor area are way out in the Townships, and not downtown.

You think that's b/c it's cheaper to lease out in the burbs? Didn't Sam over at 2nd story have some low lease price "incubator" space available at one time? Or wasn't he working on it? I swear I read something around here

[GRDadof3]

Yes, I believe he does have space in the Blodgett Block on Ionia as far as I know, but I don't know if it is geared to high-tech companies. I'm sure a lot of the Ann Arbor situation is parking and low cost land, but doesn't this smack right in the face of what we are talking about. If the key to economic growth is attracting young, talented workers into a vibrant, livable, walkable city, then they're not doing much of a better job than we are. In fact, I keep reading on the Detroit forum how Ann Arbor residents keep fighting developments moving into downtown that are more than 3 or 4 stories.

But I digress...

[GaryP]

How much was spent on the GVSU life sciences incubator? I'm sure for what ever its price was we could have had a large building, endowment and something left over to fund something like this.

[eyestosee]

If we could change the business climate in Grand Rapids, how would you do it? What things would have to change to make GR a beacon of business relocation? I'm talking about creating a mecca for business world headquarters, regional headquarters, and successful expansion of existing companies. Would it be tax breaks, or would it be a bold plan to eliminate SBTs in Michigan? Would it be The Grand Rapids Promise?

Where would you start?

Game Deign and productions. It is sexy and it is profitable. Also it only takes two elements to catalyze it

1. A passion to make it happen;

2. and, the universities turning out talent

Interactive Entertainment Industry to Rival Size of Global Music Business

San Diego, CA (November 9, 2005)

According to the latest forecasts from DFC Intelligence, the worldwide interactive entertainment market is expected to grow from about $28.5 billion in 2005 to around $42 billion in 2010. The interactive entertainment market consists of console video games, PC games, online games and dedicated portable systems.

[twoshort]

[Rizzo]

I do work in the video game industry, good luck to getting our points across... My buddy went to Ferris for game development, he left GR... I think this relates to the lack of properly educated talent due to no real insitution. I think Dad or someone said that we have a great desnse cluster of technolog firms, I think this will get us up there if we persue it.

I think if this market comes we will see it as a merging of medical usage not in video games but in the technology that produces video games.

[eyestosee]

I do work in the video game industry, good luck to getting our points across... My buddy went to Ferris for game development, he left GR... I think this relates to the lack of properly educated talent due to no real insitution. I think Dad or someone said that we have a great desnse cluster of technolog firms, I think this will get us up there if we persue it.

I think if this market comes we will see it as a merging of medical usage not in video games but in the technology that produces video games.

Very insightful, Rizzo. I agree.

[Rizzo]

thank you. By the way welcome to Urban Planet - GR!

[eyestosee]

I also work in the technology field, though more with the internet rather than software and hardware. The internet field is steadily growing and there is always a need for more and better web designers. My impression of GR is that there are very few quality firms that can compete on a national level. I can only think of two or three total that I would even consider working with. So for an overall internet business environment, I don't think Grand Rapids is among the elite cities in the country.

However, I think there is a lot of potential to become an internet hotbed with so many college students in the area, especially now downtown with GVSU's campus. It would be great to convert some old abandoned warehouse dt into a place where internet/IT firms would be able to build and grow start-ups, maybe with a lowered rent or other subsidies from entrepreneurs or private companies. Starting something grass roots with an emphasis on entrepreneurship is the way to attract and retain professionals and make GR a mini "Silicon Valley".

There is such a company in GR that is committed to making GR a hotbed of Game design and production. A company called Norseman Games. They were just recently named one of the 10 finalist for Newsmaker of the year-2005 GRBJ.

I would love to see the mini Silicon Valley happen sooner rather than later.