Mid-Michigan technology giant, Liquid Web, broke ground on an $80 million, 90,000 square foot data center in Delta Township, a move that will bring Liquid Web's employee count to 600 over the next several years.

“This should lastthree to four years depending on sales growth,” says Travis Stoliker, spokesman for Liquid Web. Liquid Web’s data centers house client servers. Liquid Web has two centers in Mid-Michigan. The second, located in west Lansing, is nearly full, a result of adding 250 to 300 customers every month.

Liquid Web currentlyhas 140 employees and expects to hire 10 employees a month through2009. Stoliker says when the data center is complete in early 2009, thecompany will have to increase its monthly hiring standard.

“Wedon’t lose many customers, and we don’t lose many employees, so we’reconstantly growing,” Stoliker says. The new, 90,000 square foot datacenter will have second-floor office space for Liquid Web employees.

LiquidWeb is on track to hit revenues of $20 million this year. From 2006 to 2007, Liquid Web grew by 67 percent. Liquid Web isgrowing into international markets and expects several new hires tospeak foreign languages.

“We are very invested in finding the 600 employees from the Lansing area,” he says.

LiquidWeb is trying to make its third datacenter more energy efficient andpocketbook-friendly. Data centers require constant air-conditioning, arequirement that doesn’t help the company’s $40,000 a month energybill. To reduce this cost, Liquid Web is installing a louver systemthat will pull cool air from the outside into the data center. Stolikersays this green effort may reduce energy costs by 10 to 20 percent.

LiquidWeb is also looking into other green building solutions, such as solarpanels, that could reduce costs and minimize the company’s carbonfootprint.

“It’s something that we’re really concerned about—we all live on this earth,” Stoliker says.

Source: Travis Stoliker, Liquid Web

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Michigan State University (MSU) broke ground on its $13.3 million recycling and surplus store, a development that’s expected to double the recycling rate of five materials by 2010.

“The recycling facility and surplus store provide us a greater opportunity to re-use and recycle the enormous amount of materials we bring to this campus,” says Kathy Lindahl, MSU’s assistant vice president for finance and operations. “Part of environmental stewardship is changing the MSU community culture, and each person has to contribute in order to makes the changes we need.”

According to the Office of Recycling, 14 percent of white and mixed office paper, newspaper, cardboard and plastics are diverted from landfills in Lansing through the current recycling program.

By increasing recycling rates in 549 campus buildings, this rate is set to hit 28 percent by 2010.

The MSU Surplus Store will move from its current Harrison Road location to the new center. Storage facilities on Harrison Road will remain at the existing location and an additional 23,000 square feet of storage space will be available when the project is finished in the summer of 2009.

Source: Kathy Lindahl, MSU

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

The first of many homes in the $11 million Avondale Square development in downtown East Lansing has opened its doors.

“I think this will dramatically improve that area of East Lansing,” says Bob Schroeder, with Mayberry Homes, builders of the project.

The City of East Lansing spent $4 million to acquire the properties and $7 million in private investment was put into the developments. When the project is complete, 14 new townhouses and 16 single-family homes will line the 600 block of Virginia Avenue in downtown East Lansing.

Twelve of the units will be set aside for households earning no more than 80 percent of area's Median Income ($51,900 for a family of four). The rest will be market-rate units.

“We’ve had a good response,” Schroeder says. “I think it’s unique. It’s a new urban, alley-style project.”

Although the project is still in the early stages of development, one lot has been sold and a second lot has been reserved.

Source: Mikell Frey, City of East Lansing

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Riverview Church has moved into phase two of its $4.5 million expansion and renovation.

The 26,400 square foot addition, which included a new 1,200-seat auditorium, large lobbies, bathrooms and nurseries, is complete. Now the church is renovating its existing auditorium, which it will turn into a small wedding chapel, classrooms and a new lobby area.

Exponential growth fueled the expansion. Pastor Noel Hikkinen says in 2000, they had a plan to grow their 200-person congregation to 500 by 2008. They hit 500 people within three months.

“We’ve grown 1,000 percent, and we have 2,000 to 3,000 people,” he says.

While Hikkinen says speculating the cause of the growth is “complete conjecture.” He did say that the church intentionally caters to college students, singles and young families.

“We intentionally focus on that group of people, and that group of people in American Christianity is largely unreached,” he says.

Hikkinen says the church’s casual atmosphere, which includes Indie rock and bluegrass bands, is attractive to this demographic.

“As soon as we can, we’re going to build an entirely new children’s phase,” Hikkinen says.

Riverview Church is on Willoughby Road in Lansing, close to the intersection of College Road and Willoughby Road.

Source: Ed Granger, Granger Construction

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Williamston resident Christine Benington has always loved clothes, but it wasn’t until she went to Stevie Wonder’s birthday bash in the Bahamas that she decided to open her own upscale consignment store.

At the party, she met one of Wonder’s next-door neighbors, who just happened to be a designer. They agreed that the economy has hurt the retail market, but has done nothing to curb people’s appetite for nice clothing.

For many, the only way to afford designer clothing is by getting it second-hand.

“You have to offer a good price, because the way the economy is, people don’t want to spent $200 on a dress,” Benington says.

When she got home, she started building her designer inventory. Saturday, she officially opened Sequels Consignment Boutique. The 1,300 square foot store is at 153 E. Grand River in Williamston, across from the Red Cedar Grill.

Sequels Consignment Boutique has women’s clothing, a small line of men’s clothing, shoes and accessories, and a fairly large bridal section.

“I think you kind of need to find a gimmick with this kind of niche, and we have with the bridal and formal line,” she says. Aside from creating a niche for herself, Benington also wanted to put her business in a growing area.

“Williamston is really trying to change the face of the downtown area,” she says. “There have been so many vacant buildings down here, but some of them have been restored. It just looked like this was the prime time to be doing something like this.”

Source: Michelle Aniol, City of Williamston

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Westside Lansing barber Steven Cribley and his wife, Julie Cribley, recently took over the English Cut in Williamston.

After 22 years of working on Lansing’s Westside, opportunity and fate opened an entrepreneurial door for Cribley. The 133 W. Grand River barbershop became available after the former owner, Jerry Allen, passed away.

The Cribleys reopened the 488 square foot shop May 12, roughly two weeks after Allen’s death.

“It’s pretty important with a barbershop to get it opened as soon as possible,” Julie Cribley says, adding that if doors stay shut for too long, necessity forces customers to take their business elsewhere.

“Jerry’s customers have been very receptive to giving us a try,” Cribley says. “That’s why we left the name, ‘The English Cut.’ He really built a wonderful business.”

Though being a business owner is a new role for Steven, Julie has owned her own Williamston-based holistic health services business for years.

“I love this small town community and I really love the arts that are offered here,” she says. “We have live theater and a lot of local artists really get involved in the community.”

Source: Julie and Steve Cribley

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

In light of its new status as an international port, the Capital Region International Airport is in the middle of building a permanent, $5 million, 14,000 square foot Federal Inspection Station on its premise.

“This facility really serves as a cornerstone in international development in the area,” says Robert Selig, executive director of the Capital Region Airport Authority.

The city’s new port will allow international travelers and corporations to disembark in Lansing rather than requiring them to first stop off at a larger location, such as Chicago. This will make international business freight transactions and travel more convenient for area businesses.

“Expanding existing business in the region to have a more international focus will, of course, result in the expansion of jobs,” Selig says.

Until the new inspection station is up and running, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will operate out of a 2,100 foot interim facility. The interim site will process aircraft that have up to 20 passengers. The 14,000 square foot facility, which is expected to open in June 2009, will process roughly 200 passengers per hour.

Source: Bob Kolt, Kolt Communications

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.  

The City of East Lansing just opened the last capital improvement that was part of its ambitious $500,000 Envision East Lansing Capital Development Campaign.

The final piece of the puzzle includes the opening of the $75,000 Ledebuhr Fountain in Downtown East Lansing near the Refinery clothing store.

The fountain “represents the investment that people have made in our downtown,” says Lori Mullins, with the City of East Lansing.

The Envision East Lansing development campaign encouraged business owners to donate money for dozens of community improvements in the downtown. Some of these projects include benches, sculptures, the clock tower and the Ledebuhr Fountain.

“This fountain was one of the first things pledged, and one of the last things to be installed from that campaign,” she says.

The City of East Lansing launched the campaign in the 1990s as a way to help small businesses beautify the downtown. Unlike strip malls and outdoor shopping centers, independent small businesses don’t have money to install community improvements. The Envision East Lansing Capital Development Campaign allowed them to do this.

Source: Lori Mullins, City of East Lansing

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Three music and production-based companies have joined forces, opening a 3,440 square foot media complex in Dimondale.

The Epiphany Media Complex includes a sound production company, a band promotion company and a video production company.

Musician Jon Herrmann and sound engineer Casey Cooper opened the complex in February.

“Since we acquired the building, we’ve found ourselves as kind of a bridge between musicians and work,” Herrmann says. “My goal is to get more exposure, not just for myself and my company, but to get musicians working.”

Cooper and Herrmann do some work with commercial audio. They also help musicians mix and compose music. When the musicians are done recording, they can walk a few steps over to Torpid Rising Entertainment for band promotion.

The 3,440 square foot building was built for production, so Cooper and Herrmann didn’t have to make any changes to the building.

“The studio itself is just immaculate,” Herrman says. “Years were spent on the design. A lot of effort was put into sound isolation. It’s really the type of professional studio environment you’d expect to see in New York or L.A. or in some other big music market, but it’s right here in Michigan.”

Source: Jon Herrmann, Epiphany Media Complex

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Lansing’s first organic brewing supply company, Materagaia, recently opened in Downtown’s Lansing City Market.

Materagaia owners, Jaclyn and Brad Barcroft, only recently decided to turn one of their favorite pastimes—home brewing—into a business.

“We opened on [June] 7th in the west wing of the City Market,” Barcroft says. “I think we started seriously pursuing it in January.”

The Barcrofts sell everything from ingredient kits to malts, yeasts to brewing books. While many brewing products include chemicals and pesticides, the products the Barcrofts sell are free of chemicals.

“As far as the organics are concerned, all of our ingredients are organic,” Barcroft says. “I’m not aware of anyone in the state that offers that. I think that will change.”

Barcroft says going organic increases the quality of the beer. Barcroft is in the midst of trying to find local, organic barley suppliers.

“I would absolutely love to source all local ingredients, but that’s definitely something we’re going to strive towards,” he says.

Down the road, the Barcrofts would like to have their own storefront. In the mean time, they’re working on getting booths at local farmer’s markets.

“We’ve had a lot of interest,” Barcroft says. “I was pretty surprised because we haven’t done a lot of advertising yet.”

Source: Brad Barcroft, Materagaia

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.  

In October, Lansing-based design firm, MAYOTTE Group Architects, received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Mid-Michigan 25 Year Award for its work on the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in East Lansing.

The award recognizes excellent in design for buildings constructed more than 25 years ago. The buildings cannot be significantly modified from their original design and need to be used for their original purpose.

The church has remained virtually untouched since its dedication in 1968. Minor changes have been made to the west end of the church to accommodate the addition of a pipe organ.

“It’s unique in terms of the design,” says MAYOTTE Group owner, Mike Mayotte. “It was created in response to what was going on in Catholic worship at the time.”

Mayotte describes the 40-year-old building as a “modern example of post-Vatican” design. When the church was constructed, it boasted the largest faceted glass window in the world. The window is a mosaic of the life and history of the church.

“It was considered to be a very impressive achievement, especially for Mid-Michigan to have a church with such a gorgeous window,”Mayotte says.

The Mayotte Group has been in the area for more than 50 years and recently designed the $2.5 million renovation of Burcham Hills in East Lansing.

Source: Mike Mayotte, MAYOTTE Group Architects

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Lansing’s NorthWest Initiative is working with the City of Lansing to turn Saginaw Street, a one-way, four-lane street on Lansing's Westside, into a more community-friendly two-way street.

“It’s not friendly to business and it’s not friendly to pedestrians,” says Jessica Yorko with the NorthWest Initiative.

One-way streets, especially large one-way streets with high speed limits (the speed limit on Saginaw is 40 miles per hour) discourage pedestrians and residents from walking through the area. As a result, area businesses have a hard time retaining foot traffic, Yorko says.

The NorthWest Initiative has been trying to trim down Saginaw’s one-way reach for some time. The City of Lansing recently got on board with the plan, agreeing to host community meetings about the plan. The proposed Saginaw “road diet” could be included in the City’s new master plan.

“The goal is to make it more conducive to business development and neighborhood life,” Yorko says.

Many people view the Saginaw/Oakland corridor on Lansing’s Westside as a gateway to Downtown Lansing.

Source: Jessica Yorko, NorthWest Initiative

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

The state is giving Lansing developer Gene Townsend a financial boost for his proposed $11.9 million Ottawa Street project.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) will allow Townsend to use $1.1 million in state and local property tax money collected from the project toward site cleanup and other project expenses.

Last year, Townsend announced his plans to put a mixed use development on a five-acre space in Downtown Lansing. The space is bound by Butler Boulevard, Ottawa, Sycamore and Ionia Streets.

The project will include 70 condos and a 5,000 square foot retail center. Townsend plans to use environmentally friendly building practices while constructing the mixed-use space.

The project is slated to break ground at the end of the year.

Source: Deb Whipple, Governor’s Office

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

The $2.5 million expansion and improvement of the Burcham Hills community in East Lansing is complete.

The 43-acre non-profit retirement community just finished a $2.5 million, 10,000 square foot addition that includes additional therapy, rehab and living space.

To stay competitive and keep residents happy, Burcham Hills embarked on its mission to expand its health center two years ago. The health center hadn’t been updated since its construction 36 years ago.

“When you’re asking around about where the best place to be is, it's Burcham,” says Burcham Hills Executive Director Pam Ditri. 

The expansion is sizeable considering that Burcham Hills has an overall square footage of 211,000 square feet.

The expansion also includes 3,300 square feet for the facility’s rehab amenities. Many Burcham residents go through rehab after an accident or a sickness and then return to their homes.

“We’re very proud of that because we have in-house therapists,” Ditri says.

The expansion also includes 3,300 additional square feet of living space on the second and third floors.

“We didn’t add any beds,” Ditri says. “This was about the fact that our residents needed space. It’s more about quality, really.”

Source: Pam Ditri, Burcham Hills

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

The Wharton Center and the City of East Lansing are partnering on a proposed $8 to $10 million cultural center in East Lansing.

The proposal has the Wharton Center managing the performing arts center that is included in the plans for East Lansing’s City Center II project.

The partnership would help the Wharton Center accommodate the many shows that come through East Lansing each year and would give the city a thriving theater, says Michael Brand, with the Wharton Center.

“Both of our small theaters are very over programmed and I have a very hard time getting to them,” Brand says. “We have more than 150 programs a year that range from Broadway to jazz.”

The city and the Wharton Center are working on designs for the project, which will likely include at least a 400-seat theater, Brand says. East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton says the space will be between 10,000 and 12,000 square feet and will connect to a parking lot by a skyway. It will also likely be next to the Naya Bistro & Wine Bar.

“This gives us a chance to have a theater right downtown next to an upscale restaurant,” Brand says. “I think we’re going to look at the stuff that appeals to the younger demographic. This would be the perfect environment for them.”

Source: Mikell Frey, City of East Lansing

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

A 3,200 square foot salon in DeWitt recently changed hands and names. The former Water’s Edge salon was purchased and re-opened by entrepreneurs and business partners, Misty Schaberg and Jen Nolan, in April and renamed the Pure Day Spa and Salon.

Schaberg described business as “smashing,” adding that she and Nolan "haven’t had any time to breathe" since they reopened the renovated business.

“We thought we’d have time to do lots of things, but we got our butts handed to us and it has not slowed down,” Schaberg says.

Schaberg is an Aveda product fan. This spring, when she went to get her Aveda stock from the former Water’s Edge salon, the owner told her it was for sale and “half an hour later I had a deal to take over the whole salon."

“We do have a lot of returning clients that used to come here and they’re just delighted with the new operations,” Schaberg says, adding that she and Nolan made minor renovations to make the salon appear more upscale.

Schaberg and Nolan have 12 employees.

“We have people coming from Okemos, Williamston, Eagle, Grand Rapids and Howell,” Schaberg says. “We just have people who are working here that are at the top of their game in their field.”

Source: Misty Schaberg, Pure Day Spa and Salon

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Westside Lansing is raising $6,000 to $8,000 for a community mural that will be designed by artists, local residents and junior high school kids.

The “Community Diversity Mural” will be outlined at Shanora’s beauty store on the corner of Saginaw and Butler. Shanora’s already has a mural largely represented by black leaders of the 1960s, but Jessica Yorko, with the NorthWest Initiative, says the new mural will depict diversity as well as national role models.

“The owner really wanted to get something up there that’s about diversity and working together,” Yorko says.

They also want to include role models that are still living, such as Serena Williams and Ben Carson, who is a famous African American surgeon. The group is asking kids ages 11-18 to design the mural. Area artists will help turn the concept into reality.

“We want them to come and brainstorm about their nationally recognized role models,” Yorko says. “We’re also going to teach them a little about how to sketch.”

“We’re hoping to engage 200 to 300 kids throughout this whole process,” Yorko says.

Painting is scheduled to start June 16.

Source: Jessica Yorko, NorthWest Initiative

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Prompted by growth in the Mid-Michigan area, Energy Systems Group (ESG) decided to open its 11th national office in Lansing.

ESG is an Indianapolis-based company that helps businesses cut energy costs by increasing energy efficiency.

“We are further pursing our options in Michigan and opening an office in Lansing just seemed like a great opportunity to better position us in the market,” says Meram El Ramahi, spokeswoman for ESG.

Roughly 10 employees work at the new 7804 Francis Court location. Lansing-based ESG employees work with government and university clients on building projects. El Ramahi says the company’s client base, which tends to grow with the advent of physical expansion in a region, is growing in Mid-Michigan.

“We’re just really proud and happy to open an office in Michigan’s capital city,” El Ramahi says. “This will help with our growing client base in the area.”

Source: Meram El Ramahi, ESG

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

A partnership between Lansing-based Ahptic Film & Digital and the Gillespie Group is going to bring Hollywood glitz, glam and money to Lansing.

The two are working on a $9 million, 71,000 square foot production facility that will include two 24,000 square foot stages, production space and post and screening facilities for feature films, sitcoms and other major productions.

“This sound stage is exactly what Hollywood wants,” says Matt Martyn with Ahptic.

The project’s potential economic impact to the state and the region is extraordinary. Last year, Michigan received less than $10 million rom the film industry—a number that Lansing alone could double or triple when City Center Studios is complete, says Ken Droc with the Michigan Film Office.

So far the state’s received 51 applications for films ranging from a $100,000 budget to a $40 million budget. Nineteen applications for various feature films, documentaries and TV pilots have been accepted.

“Before, the state wasn’t really a player on a national scope, but overnight it became the number one player,” Droc says. “There’s interest all over Hollywood to come to Michigan.”

Intense economic booms have followed other areas of the country, such as Louisiana, that have made an effort to attract Hollywood.

“Shreveport [Louisiana] is the same size as Lansing, and it’s just booming,” Martyn says.

Gillespie and Ahptic couldn’t have moved forward on the City Center Studios project without help from the state government, which recently passed the largest film industry tax incentive package in the country.

City Center Studios will be built on an empty parcel of land located between Cedar and Larch streets south of Saginaw Street and should be complete by the end of 2009.

Source: Denyse Ferguson, Leap, Inc.

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

In anticipation of a rising water table, the Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) has started a $4.6 million project to clean up a 40-acre former coal ash landfill.

The landfill, which was constructed in the 1970s, is near Lake Lansing Road and Wood Street. Since the 1970s, the water table has risen, bringing the water and coal ash closer together, increasing the chance of water contamination.

“There’s a chance, over many, many years, that [the ash] would leach into water supply,” says Mark Nixon with the BWL.

Nixon says no one is in immediate danger of contamination. If left unaddressed, contaminants could leak into the supply in about 50 years.

“This is not something that’s going to happen in the next couple of months or the next couple of years,” he says.

The BWL has hired a contractor to build a “slurry wall” to contain the coal ash and keep it out of the water supply. The wall will be 80 to 110 feet deep. 

The renovation should be complete this fall.

Source: Mark Nixon, BWL

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.