Best Food Services, Inc., a Chicago-based food services company, has purchased a 50,486 squarefoot industrial building in Lansing’s Midway Industrial Park.

BestFood Services, Inc. provides Asian food to restaurants. Due to anincreasing Michigan-based customer base, company owners decided topurchase a warehouse in Lansing.

“They hadquite a few accounts here in Michigan and this distribution center wascentrally located, allowing them to do business in Chicago andMichigan,” says Blair Moore with CB Richard Ellis/Martin (CBRE).

The warehouse opened in September.

Thebuilding is located at 5615 Enterprise Dr. on Lansing’s Southside andwas a former GM building. The building was vacant for six months beforeBest Food Services, Inc. moved in.

Source: Blair Moore, CBRE

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Downtown Lansing recently landed on the National Register of Historic Places, which expedites the process for commercial building owners in the district who want apply for federal historic preservation tax credits.

Brian Anderson, with the City of Lansing’s Economic Development Corporation, says the designation helps speed up the process developers need to take to obtain federal historic tax credits when rehabbing a building.

“It saves time and money for getting those credits,” Anderson says.

Essentially, the designation impacts the buildings sitting on a 16-block area of Downtown Lansing. The district includes the area of Washington Square, Grand Avenue Capitol Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Allegan Street, Washtenaw Street, Kalamazoo Street, Lenawee Street and Townsend Street.

The Lansing Economic Development Corporation received a $15,000 matching grant with the State of Michigan to hire a consultant to help with the application process.

Source: Brian Anderson, Lansing Economic Development Corporation

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

The Pizza House in East Lansing is in the middle of its second expansion. The popular restaurant is expanding its 6,400 square foot space into a 10,000 foot space.

“We’ve done it before and they’re hectic,” says Pizza House's Chris Tice. “We’ve gotten to that point again.”

The Pizza House, located in the Hagadorn shopping mall in East Lansing, opened in 2001 and added two dining rooms and a liquor license in 2003. Tice says business has once again reached a point where expansion is the only real option.

“We’ve kind of become the place around town where people know they can bring and big group and get good food and good services,” he says. “We want to be able to accommodate everybody.”

The expansion will include a new bar, sit-down area, new seats, a new design and expanded kitchen. The renovation will be done in phases so the Pizza House will not close during renovations.

“It will be hectic, but we hope the public will be patient with us,” Tice says. “We hope that everything will be completed in April.”

Tice says he’ll have to hire 25-30 more people when the renovation is complete. The Pizza House is located at 4790 S Hagadorn Rd.

The Pizza House Ann Arbor location has also undergone several expansions.

Source: Chris Tice, Pizza House

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here. 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Michigan State University(MSU) students David Spitzer, Adam Root and Joseph Brummitt spent theirsummer developing a website to save MSU students and money by deliverygroceries to their dorms and apartments—for free.

“Most students do not have any efficient way of getting their groceries and bedroom supplies,” Spitzer says. “The bus to Meijer can take upwards to two hours and the groceries at Sparty’s have a high markup.”

Students can peruse through Spartanicity, add items to their cart, pay for the items with credit card or Spartancash and specify when they want them delivered between 5 p.m. andmidnight.

“We don’t charge to deliver and we don’t accept tips,” Spitzer says.

Spitzersays they’ve worked out deals with distributors so they can sell theirproducts for less. Right now they’re working with advertisers to boostadvertising and revenue for the site.

They launched the site during the first week of school and operate out of a small office at 1231 Michigan Ave.

All three business owners are seniors. Spitzer’s a hospitality major and Root and Brummitt are in finance. Root won the recent Eve of Ignition event, giving Spartanicity access to community entrepreneurs to foster their business.

“Ourgoal as of right now is to get this off and running the best we can;and if we can, we’ll expand to other schools,” Spitzer says.

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Inventure Enterprises, a company that specializes in streamlining background checks and other business processes, has moved into East Lansing’s Technology and Innovation Center (TIC).

“They offer a lot of services here (in the TIC), says Robert Fulk, president of Inventure Enterprises. “The whole idea is to have a big support system to get businesses in here.”

Inventure Enterprises is slated to occupy the TIC space formally used by Enliven, which recently moved out on its own, but that spot could change due to the shuffling of other TIC businesses.

InventureEnterprises doesn’t conduct background checks, but it enables organizations that do, such as school districts and government, to electronically access multiple databases — state police records, FBI records and state and federal data — to cross check potential employees. It also helps these entities comply with state and federal legislative mandates.

The company also streamlines other business processes. Fulk says they’re working on anew core system he projects will increase business. Fulk is working on obtaining a $12 million contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Fulk estimates that Inventure will be in 10 to 15 states within the next 15 months. He also expects to see a revenue stream of $5 million in 2010.

“We’re looking at rapidly expanding now,” he says, adding that this expansion will likely include 10-20 new employees.

Source: Robert Fulk, Inventure Enterprises

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

The 1,600 square foot Hilltop Yoga studio in Old Town Lansing recently changed both its façade — front and back — and its logo.

The new signage on the front and back of the building is much more noticeable than the previous façade. Braced on wire, shaped in a half circle, the colorful foam lettering on the front of the building draws attention. On the back, wood and rebar were used to create a similar design.

Mark Hahn, the Old Town recycled artist who’s done much of the artistic, poppy signage for other Old Town businesses like October Moon and Polka Dots, designed the Hilltop signage as well.

“The greatest thing about Mark is that Mark is devoted to Old Town,” says Hilaire Lockwood, owner of Hilltop Yoga. “The scraps of junk that he’s collected have been transformed into this great material.”

Not only did an Old Town artist make the signs, other Old Town business owners helped Lockwood design the signs and the new logo, which is prominently displayed in the front window.

“A lot of people around here have an artistic eye and we really used their help,” she says. “I didn’t want a sign, I wanted are presentation of who we are — fluidity, grace. This definitely was a cooperative effort.”

Source: Hilarie Lockwood, Hilltop Yoga

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here. 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

The Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) finished construction on its nearly $20 million chilled water plant, coming roughly $1 million under budget on the project.

The plant will provide air conditioning to several Downtown Lansing facilities including the Michigan State Police headquarters; all state offices; Ingham County offices; and the new Accident Fund headquarters. It’s the BWL’s largest investment in 20 years.

The four story, 12,600 square foot plant is 60 percent more energy efficient than the previous plant.

“Energy efficiency translates both into cost efficiency and, just as important, a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” says BWL General Manager Peter Lark.

Mark Nixon, spokesman for the BWL, says the state-of-the-art operating equipment and the transition from a steam operated facility to an electrically operated facility, greatly increases energy efficiency.

Lansing's Christman Company paid for the construction of the plant and will be gradually reimbursed for the investment by the state. The BWL broke ground on the plant in September 2008.

The plant is located on the southwest corner of Pine and Allegan.

Source: Mark Nixon, BWL

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here. 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

After going to Louisiana to play college basketball and California for a job, Leslie native Erika Ernst has returned home and is turning a 46,000 square foot historic building into a preparatory school for top-notch athletes.

Ernst is rehabbing the old school building on Woodworth Street in Leslie. She plans to open the Ernst Preparatory School in October.

“It’s not just a school boarding program for student athletes,” she says. “It’s only for high-level student athletes.”

The school will train students in baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, cheer and dance. This year, Ernst is accepting eighth through tenth graders. Eventually, she’ll accept post-graduate athletes.

Ernst likens the program to popular tennis programs where the athletes work with the same coaches and trainers throughout their training. She has a trainer and strength coordinator who works with the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Tigers lined up to work at the school and is recruiting other high-quality coaches. She says Florida-based IMG Academies is the only other program in the U.S. that offers similar services.

“This is a great thing for these kids because it helps them get their education rather than just pushing them through the system,” Ernst says.

Before Ernst came along, the building’s owner thought of turning it into a daycare facility or elderly home.

“What I’m trying to do with this school is bring it back to its history,” Ernst says. She’s tearing down walls, pulling out dropped ceilings to expose the original arches and replacing bricks.

Source: Erika Ernst, Ernst Preparatory School

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Susan and Michael McPeak celebrated Old Town’s BluesFest with the grand opening of their gallery, the McPeak Healing Gallery and Ananda Soup.

The 3,000 square foot gallery area and 1,000 square foot studio are housed inside of the 20,000 square foot Old Town Medical Arts building on North Cedar Street.

“As soon as they gave us a tour of the building, we fell in the love with the space,” Susan says.

Michael McPeak's work was in the building before he and Susan decided to place a studio and gallery in the building. Peak creates silk giclee, a concept that involves printing photographs on a silk-like canvas.

“I tend to be more concerned with the inner life of what I’m taking a photo of as opposed to surface qualities,” Michal says. “It straddles the area between photography and painting.”

The McPeak Healing Gallery and Ananda Studio was designed to represent bliss, which is the meaning of “ananda.”

“We’ve really been blessed in this life and we want to share what Michael does with his art and his photography and share that beauty with other people.”

Source: Susan McPeak, McPeak Healing Gallery and Ananda Studio

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

Rick Washburn has expanded Grand Ledge's Comet Corner Sports Shop by 1,000 square feet, expanding his now 2,000 square feet business into a formally vacant downtown building.

“There’s still a lot of work out there, you just have to work a little harder to get it,” Washburn says.

Comet Corner Sports Stop produces screen-printing and embroidery for a variety of products, including clothing. The shop has facilities in Grand Ledge and Mason. The expanded Grand Ledge location includes retail and production space.

Comet Corner Sports Stop first opened in Mason in 1990. In 1995, Washburn opened a shop in Grand Ledge. During the next 10 years, he acquired embroidery machines and in 2000, opened a warehouse in Grand Ledge.

Last year, the company bought an ink jet printer cutter, which improves production time for certain graphics, banners, yard signs and window stickers.

“This required some space to work and operate, and we also saw an increase in demand,” he says. “It just happened that the other side of the building hadn’t been filled in a while so we took it , doubled our size and brought in more inventory.”

Comet Corner Sports Stop is located at 124 W. Ash in Mason and 201 S. Bridge St. in Grand Ledge.

Source: Rick Washburn, Comet Corner Sports Stop

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here. 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Well, it had to happen some time. Enliven Software is the first company incubated in Technology Innovation Center (TIC) in East Lansing to leave the tech hub and move into its own, bigger space.

By November, Enliven will move from its 402 square foot TIC space to a 1,100 square foot office next door to the TIC. The new office space is being built out and should be ready for occupancy fairly soon.

“We want a more cohesive space,” says Enliven's owner, Bunmi Akinyemiju. “We want to break out our business development from our operations team.”

Enliven specializes in e-invoicing and e-payment for small to mid-size businesses. It started with two or three people and has grown to 10. Akinyemiju expects that growth to continue and is excited about having a larger space without giving up access to TIC talent.

“I feel like this setting is good and its a great example of the success of the TIC,” he says.

The TIC was developed to foster small, technology driven businesses with the intention of seeing the businesses move to larger locations after three years of incubation.

“Companies can come in and ramp up and essentially start selling their product and then move into a space where they’re paying full rent,” he says. “We want to be close to the TIC because we want the same atmosphere in our office.”

Source: Bunmi Akinyemiju, Enliven

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

This fall, the Allen Neighborhood Center (ANC) and the Hunter Park Community GardenHouse are sponsoring Build a Backyard Greenhouse, a program that gives neighbors access to140 square foot backyard greenhouses.

“I think that this is something that, at least for serious gardeners who love to garden seasonally, will allow them to do it year round,” says Joan Nelson with the Allen Neighborhood Center. “This could also be a sweet little shelter in their backyard that they could duck into in February.”

The Allen Neighborhood Center and the Hunter Park Community GardenHouse worked on the six-foot tall greenhouse prototypes all summer. They’ve hosted several “how to” workshops for neighbors wishing to build the greenhouses, which can easily be placed in a small Eastside backyard.

Now, they’re putting together a manual with pictures and instructions so neighbors can put the $400 kits together themselves.

“We’ve found similar ones on the Internet that sell for $800 to $1,000,” Nelson says.

Neil Byrne, with the Allen Neighborhood Center, developed the concept and is available to construct the greenhouses.

“It’s a very cool idea,” Nelson says. “There’s this huge growing movement afoot all across the country about creating more green space. Combined with rising food prices, concerns about food safety and increased preference for locally grown produce, I think this will be appealing to a lot of residents.”

If you’re interested in getting information about the greenhouses, contact ANC here.

Source: Joan Nelson, Allen Neighborhood Center

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

It’s been less than a year since the Technology Innovation Center (TIC) opened in East Lansing and its already full—bursting at the seams, as some would say—and local entrepreneur Bunmi Akinyemiju is ready to add incubators number two and three to the region.

At the beginning of the month, Akinyemiju and Jeff Smith with the City of East Lansing announced the opening of The Hatch, an incubator for enterprising Michigan State University (MSU) students.

Now, Akinyemiju says he’s ready to open Skunkworks, a prototype lab incubator, in East Lansing.

“We’re hopeful that very soon we’ll see one in the City of East Lansing,” he says.

Skunkworks will be similar to the Hatch and may initially operate inside of the The Hatch. Skunkworks will be a prototype lab where entrepreneurs can test their ideas. Like the Hatch, it will also connect entrepreneurs to physical and intellectual resources necessary to get their ideas into the marketplace.

“We’re connecting the ideas to the lab,” he says. “This gives them a space to vet their ideas and then help sell investors on products that can be distributed.”

Ultimately, Akinyemiju would like to have several Skunkworks throughout the Capital region. He suggests each Skunkworks may have a “theme.” For example, one may exclusively focus on biotechnology.

“I think Skunkworks will really help people move their ideas toward commercialization,” he says.

Akinyemiju says the City of Lansing has also expressed interest in Skunkworks.

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

The City of Grand Ledge received a $323,500 grant from the Michigan Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to rehab downtown buildings for residential space.

The grant encompasses 12 blocks in downtown Grand Ledge and is specifically designated for the rehabilitation or creation of new apartments.

“The expectation is that there will be private landlords that will be a part of the project with apartments being created above the storefronts in the downtown,” says Jon Bayless, city administrator for Grand Ledge. “We think these will primarily be along Bridge Street in the heart of downtown.”

Property owners will contribute some of their own funds to the project. Bayless says the city expects to rehab two existing units and create six new ones.

Bayless says some of the projects within the central business district will also qualify. The city first needs to identify properties that may be available for the funds and then hire a third party administrator to fulfill the grant agreement.

“We have not received a grant like this in the past,” Bayless says. “This is a new experience for us and we’re hoping to have the same kind of success downtown Eaton Rapids has enjoyed.”

Eaton Rapids has been engaged in similar rehabs for the last couple of years.

“We think it will bring more people in to live in the downtown, which is good,” he says. “When you have more people living downtown you have more activity, and we would expect that to be good for the local economy and the central business district.”

Source: Jon Bayless, City of Grand Ledge

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here. 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Michigan State University (MSU) opened a $13 million Surplus Store and Recycling Center, allowing the university to handle three times the amount of recycling material processed by its old facility.

The 74,000 square foot facility houses recycling operations and an education center; the MSU Surplus Store; storage areas for compost and metal scrap; a truck scale; and space for roll-off and semi-trailer storage containers.

“The facility emphasizes the reuse and recycling functions that are critical to keeping waste out of the landfill,” says facility Manager Ruth Daoust.

The new building and expanded recycling programs will allow the university to expand recycling collection in 553 campus buildings.

MSU has submitted the facility for Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Green building components such as concrete with recycled green glass, rainwater collection tanks on the roof of the building and solar array panels, were used in the construction of the building.

Source: MSU

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

The Lansing Glass Company recently purchased an 18,000 square foot building on the Southside of Lansing, more than doubling its existing 8,000 square foot space.

The Lansing Glass Company was founded in 1993. The glass and architectural aluminum contracting company expanded in 1999, allowing the company to take on larger projects such as Jackson National Life’s headquarters and the Spartan Stadium expansion.

Now, the company is moving from its 2820 Alpha Access St. headquarters to 330 Baker St. as part of a second expansion.

“They outgrew the building they were in,” says Blair Moore with CB Richard Ellis/Martin (CBRE). “They had been looking for a new place for about a year.”

The new location is less than two miles up the road from the former location.

“This will keep them local, and that’s very important for jobs and the local economy,” Moore says.

Source: Blair Moore, CBRE

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

The new, 11,000 square foot Lansing City Market is taking shape. City of Lansing officials and developers recently broke ground on the $1.6 million project.

When construction is complete, several tenants from the existing City Market will move into the new building. The new market is closer to the Grand River and is expected to open in November.

“I think the positioning of the market — bringing it closer to the river — will increase its visibility,” says Bob Trezise with the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. “Most importantly, it will become a center piece to the Market Place development and a mixed use urban environment.”

The Market Place and Ballpark North projects proposed by the Gillespie Group include two six-story, 120,000 square foot office buildings overlooking the baseball stadium, and an adjacent $24 million development with two residential towers, a 10,000 square foot commercial property on the river and an entertainment park. After the existing City Market is demolished, the Gillespie Group has 18 months to start construction on the Market Place development.

The new City Market will sit next to the newly redeveloped and nearly complete riverfront. Riverfront reconstruction has lasted the majority of the summer and will include a more “contemporary” style when finished.

“We’re beginning to have a total picture of what economic development should look like,” Trezise says, adding that the Accident Fund headquarters and riverfront development across the river from the City Market also add a new aesthetic to Downtown Lansing. “It’s two fold. It should be about jobs and a sense of place.”

Source: Bob Trezise, City of Lansing

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.

The long-awaited opening of the Michigan Brewing Company (MBC) taproom in Downtown Lansing has finally occurred, an exciting moment for many of Lansing’s beer lovers.

The 4,100 square foot “MBC Lansing” has been open for a few weeks, but just started serving beer. Ernie Pierre, general manager of the new MBC locations and former owner of the popular Hobie’s restaurants, says the vibrancy of Downtown Lansing is a perfect site for MBC.

“Now with Cooley downtown, all of a sudden it’s becoming an area full of young people,” he says. “It’s just a really enlivened downtown. It’s just dynamic.”

The MCB Lansing has 16 MBC beers on tap. The renovated space, which used to be a coffee shop/deli, doesn’t have TVs or loud music.

“We wanted people to really focus their energy on the beer,” Pierre says.

The MBC also has a full kitchen and Chef Stephen Joseph builds his menus around whitefish and Michigan products.

“We’re trying to be as Michigan as possible,” he says.

They also have wi-fi, so if you’re a nomadic worker, head down to 402 S. Washington Sq. and swap those coffee shops for a little hops. Eventually, beer will be sold for take-home purposes at MBC Lansing.

“This is evolving, but there really is a desire to do more of this,” Pierre says about the MBC taproom. “This might be the first in 10 of these.”

The MBC recruited Melinda Carpenter from Grand Rapids to run the new taproom.

Source: Ernie St. Pierre, MBC

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here. 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

The 80s are back. And with revived 80s fashion comes revived 80s logos. The new East Lansing clothing store Take 2 Authentics, is bringing back the growling face of “Gruff Sparty,” the Spartan logo popular on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus 20 years ago.

“It seems that vintage is the way things are going right now,” says Michael Krause, district manager for Take 2 Authentics. “We know there’s a huge market for the old school designs.”

These designs include cardigans and roll-neck sweaters, which Take 2 Authentics tested on MSU’s campus before adding them to its retail space.

“People were coming up to us all of the time and asking us about them,” he says.

The 3,000 square foot store opened just in time for MSU’s first football game. Take 2 Authentics also sells framed sports photos and other MSU gear. The East Lansing-based Take 2 Authentics is affiliated with the original Troy-based Take 2 Authentics. It’s located at 630 Grand River Ave. in downtown East Lansing.

Krause says the plan is to expand Take 2 Authentics to other Big 10 markets.

“We’re looking at Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan,” he says. “We’d like to go to most of the Big 10 schools.”

Source: Michael Krause, Take 2 Authentics

Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.