The Michigan State University (MSU) Friends of Kresge raised $1 million for the $45 million Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at its annual Twilight in the Garden event.

The 46,000 square foot museum is being designed by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid who also designed the Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati and the Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck. The museum is slated for a March 2010 groundbreaking.

“Our Make it a Million campaign really allowed the whole community to come together to support the university and support the arts in the Lansing area,” says Scott Sowulewski, co-president of Friends of Kresge.

MSU alumnus Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe, donated $18.5 million toward the construction of the museum, giving an additional $7.5 million to commission a signature sculpture and to provide funding for acquisitions, operations and endowment for a total gift of $26 million, the largest gift ever made to the university.

“These donations are evidence of the community’s embrace of the museum,” says Susan J. Bandes, director of the Kresge Art Museum. “The support we receive from our donors shows their understanding of the importance of enhancing mid-Michigan’s cultural profile and of how this new signature building can contribute to economic and cultural tourism.”

The groundbreaking will be followed by 23 months of construction and a 2012 museum opening.

Source: MSU

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

John Foster, president of the bonds and insurance agency Mourer-Foster, is continuing the restoration of the beautiful 12,000 square foot Mourer-Foster building in Downtown Lansing.

Foster’s parents purchased the building in 1978. Since that time, Foster has put more than $500,000 into its restoration.

“I have a passion for keeping the place in good shape,” he says about the 615 N. Capitol Ave. building. “Whenever we do anything here we want to do it to it historical authenticity.”

Foster has done many of the renovations himself and has a workshop in his home. To date, renovations include stripping the staircase, adding a front desk, adding more office space, restoring and adding restrooms, rehabbing skylights, restoring mahogany doors, plaster moldings and woodwork and stripping and refinishing the floors among other things.

“You get your inspiration from the building itself,” says Foster, who frequently peruses the Internet for materials that will make the renovations authentic to the original structure.

The right side of the first floor is currently undergoing renovations and a portion of it will include new office suites. One upcoming project includes adding a deck that has a price tag of about $20,000.

The Mourer Foster building was a private residence before Auto-Owners Insurance took it over in the 1930s.

Source: John Foster, Mourer Foster

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

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

NuWave, an East Lasing-based technology management and telecommunications company, recently opened a new location on Lansing’s Westside.

The 3,500 square foot 6539 Westland Way location houses NuWave’s network services and telecommunications personnel.

“We were looking for office space that gave us mixed use and had both nice office and warehouse space,” says NuWave Vice President of Sales Chad Paalman. NuWave also has offices in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

NuWave recently added a new medical solutions division that focuses on electronic medical records as well as a residential network support division that focuses on the retail market. 

“There’s been a lot of downsizing and consolidation in the industry, and we’ve taken over a couple of companies,” Paalman says about company growth.

NuWave has added six to eight people within the last year and continues to grow.

“Probably over the next year we’ll add a couple of more people in the Lansing area,” he says.

Paalman says the company is testing a lot of new software, including the very recently released Microsoft Windows 7, which NuWave been running for six months.

“We try to be very bleeding edge so that we can keep our clients leading edge,” he says. “We internally test and run software months if not years before its available to the public so we’re up to speed for clients when it does become available.”

Source: Chad Paalman, NuWave Partners

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

Formally a vacant building, the 104 S. Main St. building in Eaton Rapids has been renovated and turned into a small business incubation center.

“The goal of the incubator is to offer early stage companies a place to start so we can foster and then incubate them and help them grow,” says Jennifer Painter, board treasurer for the center.

Like other incubators, the Center for Incubation and Education offers tenants reduced rent, access to shared services and access to advice from experienced business professionals. Young companies, those that have been around for less than two years, are ideal for the space.

“If we can help with shared expenses and give them an environment to grow and learn from those around them, they will hopefully become profitable, expand and grow jobs and wealth in Eaton Rapids,” she says.

With three tenants, the Center for Incubation and Education is currently at capacity. Tenants include a marketing company, chiropractic technology company and a nail technology company.

“If we had several people looking for space, we would consider expanding,” Painter says. The Center for Incubation and Education is run by a board and is in downtown Eaton Rapids.

Source: Jennifer Painter, Center of Incubation and Education

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

Not long after finishing school, Eric Billsen opened a 400 square foot massage therapy business in Grand Ledge.

Ledges Therapeutic Massage is located at 213 N. Bridge St. Owner Eric Billsen specializes in relaxation, Swedish and deep tissue massage.

“You can make people feel better just by touch,” says Billsen. “I fell in love with it (massage) and I can’t see myself doing something else.”

This is not Billsen’s first shot at business. Several years ago, he started a Lansing-based truck driving business that he’s since handed over to his father.

Billsen moved to Washington for a few years, but moved back to Michigan to be closer to his family.

“I’m a sentimental type,” he says. “I grew up here and I love having a foundation. I’ve always been really big into my family.”

Billsen says that for now, he’d like to remain a sole proprietor.

Source: Eric Billsen, Ledges Therapeutic Massage

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

Lansing-based Elegante Studio moved down the street from its 1,000 square foot space on Vine Street to a 1,500 square foot space on Clippert Street.

Elegante Studio sells wigs, hats and cosmetics. Owner Carol Peterson opened the store 40 years ago when wigs were popular among college students. Peterson says daily wig wear is back in style thanks, in large part, to celebrities. She also caters to cancer patients and has a private room where woman can try on wigs and get a makeover.

“We have people from all over the place,” says Peterson. “We are the premier wig shop in Michigan.”

Peterson has increased her inventory from $5,000 to $50,000.

“We have a strong client base,” she says. I would say we’ve doubled in sales in the last four years.”

Peterson moved her business to 325 N. Clippert St. in June, making minor renovations to the former check and cash store.

“It hadn’t dawned on me that with the Michigan economy, people’s first reaction was that we were going out of business and we were actually expanding,” she says.

Source: Carol Peterson, Elegante Studios

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

This year has been a busy one for the Ingham County Land Bank. Using part of $5.9 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding the City of Lansing received as part of the economic stimulus package, the Land Bank just started construction on two foreclosed homes on the Southside.

“The Land Bank and the land bank statute is really a tool to be used by the community — and all members of the community — to accomplish an end,” says Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer & Land Bank chair, referring to the collective interest in rehabbing or removing foreclosed properties to improve neighborhood value.

The two new constructions are located on Risdale Street near Wainwright Elementary School. The Land Bank has roughly 300 parcels within the city, and about half of them include structures. Schertzing says the Land Bank picks up about 100 new properties every year.

The Ingham County Land Bank recently purchased 18 houses from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Land Bank will renovate the majority of the newly acquired proprieties.

“Those are really throughout the city,” he says. “If you look at where we own things, it’s pretty diverse.”

Source: Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Land Bank

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

In less than a year, Peckham completely renovated a 60,000 square foot facility in Lansing.

“Thisis an indicator of what the state of Michigan needs to do,” saysPeckham CEO Mitchell Tomlinson about the revamping of a manufacturingfacility to a high tech facility.

The facility houses a large part of Peckham’s business services operations, including National Passport Information Center (NPIC) services. Peckham is the primary contractor for the Department of State’s NPIC and is carrying out its first year of a five-year contract with for NPIC services.

Like Peckham’s headquarters, the NPIC facility is high tech and energy efficient.

“We’re pursuing LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification forcommercial interiors,” says Matthew June, Peckham’s director ofbusiness services.

The renovation cost $6million, with $3 million spent on infrastructure and the rest used fortelecommunications upgrades. Approximately 340 employees work at thefacility and 305 are working on the passport contract.

“I have about 80 seats that need filling for business development,” says June.

The facility is located at 2511 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Source: Bonnie Zimmerman, Peckham

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

Looking for a place to go after the bars close? Try Lansing’s Saylis Hookah Lounge & Café.

Located  in the southwest corner of the Frandor shopping center behind Video to Go, Saylis' is owned by Ilyas Bussuri, 26, and his brothers.

Bussuri’s family is from Egypt. He was born in Somalia, grew up in Kenya and came to Lansing many years ago with his family as a refugee. After working at General Motors and then driving trucks around the country, he invested $30,000 in the renovation of the 300 N. Clippert St. space.

“I decided instead of taking my business to another state, I’d rather build up my own city,” says Bussuri, who is the manager of Saylis.

Saylis' shop offers more than 40 different kinds of tobacco, a large room full of couches surrounded by a hand painted Egyptian mural and a VIP room.

Saylis has fantastic adani tea and wi-fi internet access. Saylis is only open in the evenings, but Bussuri would like to expand his hours and his kitchen.

Saylis is open until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. depending on the day of the week, and often gets the Trippers’ after bar crowd.

Source: Ilyas Bussuri, Saylis Hookah Lounge & Café

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

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Tim Falsetta is offering Capital region residents year-round access to produce.

Falsetta is the owner of the 300 square foot newly opened Falsetta’s Farm Market in Grand Ledge. The market carries seasonal Michigan-grown fruits and vegetables, but also imports produce from around the country during the long winter.

Falsetta has worked in farmer’s markets his whole life, but wanted to create something more sustainable — a business that would give residents year round access to healthy living.

“A lot of people wanted something like this, and so far it’s been pretty successful,” he says.

Falsetta’s Market is in a former ice cream shop on Bridge Street next to the Sun Theater.

“I will need to find something bigger by spring for sure,” Falsetta says.

Source: Tim Falsetta, Falsetta’s Farm Market

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

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

One of Lansing’s most popular boutiques has a slightly new look. Summer Schriner, owner of Old Town’s Grace, recently upgraded the store’s exterior and façade.

“We’re really just repainting and replacing the trim that needed to be replaced and freshening up the front and having signs made,” she says, adding that the store was in need of an update.

A couple of years ago, Schriner received a façade grant, which often encourages small business owners to beatify building exteriors. However, her latest update was done out of pocket.

Schriner is also updating her website.

“I guess I’m at a point where I kind of want everything to be redone,” says Schriner, who opened her business three years ago. “We’ve grown every year; it’s been really wonderful.”

Source: Summer Schriner, Grace

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

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) approved a $23.1 million state tax credit over 10 years for Auto Owners Insurance Groups’ future 250,000 square foot expansion.

The life, home, car and business insurance company plans to start construction on the build out in Delta Township in 2012.

“Theyadded a 140,000 square foot addition a few years ago and needed to lookto another place to expand to,” says Tom Shields, spokesman for Auto Owners.

The company will invest an estimated $105million to expand its corporate headquarters. 

Within the last 10 years, the company has added 900 jobs and expanded to 26 states. Approximately 1,800 employees workin the Delta Township office.

“The opening of the new complex will allow AutoOwners to create 800 new jobs and 400 spinoff jobs, continuing to makeLansing the leading insurance center of the state,” Shields says.

Source: Tom Shields, Marketing Resource Group

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

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Jackson National Life (JNL) just received approval from the Lansing city council for a $5.5 million tax break on its proposed $26.3 million data center.The data center will be located in an existing building on SeagerStreet and should be ready for use by late 2010.

“Wedidn’t want to completely gut something or do a tremendous amount ofwork on a building,” says Annie Topie, JNL manager of communityrelations. “We thought it would be the most cost-conscious andefficient to use something that already exists rather than building anew building.”

Topie says the company’sdecision not to outsource its IT has been the driving force behind thesearch for a Lansing-based data center. The $26.3 million investment includes money for infrastructure upgrades and relocation costs. The31,700 square foot facility formally housed a moving company.

Duringthe third quarter of 2009, JNL reported record retail sales anddeposits of $4.3 billion, an increase of 28 percent over the secondquarter of 2009, and 44 percent higher than the third quarter of 2008.Locally, JNL employs 1,650 people.

Source: Annie Topie, JNL

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

The 70,000 square footGovernor’s Inn hotel on Lansing's Southside will be demolished and is the future site of Lansing’s first Sonic, an old fashioned drive-in restaurant.

Sonic will occupy roughly one acre of the four-acre site. Ken Szymusiak, director of south and outer Lansing for the Lansing Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), says the demolition of the hotel will make room for additional developments.

“It’sreally exciting to develop a complete four acre site and bring in abrand that is a first in greater Lansing,” Szymusiak says.

Thehotel has been abandoned for about eight months and includes severalbuildings. The city hopes to capture brownfield funds for the estimated$720,000 site demolition and preparation.

“We think having an empty building brought back to life will have a huge ripple effect,” he says.

The site is right across from a new branch of NuUnion, which was also redeveloped on an old hotel site.

Thecity is shooting for a December demolition. Sonic is expected to openits doors in the spring of 2010. The site is located at 1000 Ramada Dr.

Source: Ken Szymusiak, City of Lansing

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

The City of Lansing invested $2.3 million in the Southside Community Center, renovating portions of the building as well as constructing a 5,656 square foot addition.

“This new community center will expand recreational opportunities for all of our residents,” said Mayor Bernero.  “Now children and seniors will be able to enjoy themselves, exercise or meet at this wonderful new facility.”    

The new community center is located in the former Harry Hill High School on Lansing’s Southside. As part of the investment, the city paid for renovations to the gym, pool and auditorium. The space also includes a game room, meeting space and an administrative area.

The Lansing School District and the city have agreed to share the building. The shared areas include the gym, swimming pool, oak room and auditorium. The addition is being used as administrative space for the city. The school district continues to use a portion of the building for classes.

The Southside Community Center is located at 5825 Wise Rd. 

Source: Murdock Jemerson, City of Lansing

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

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

An $187,632 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is allowing the Entomology Department at Michigan State University (MSU) to develop a 1,000 square foot space for its A.J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection.

The 1,000 square foot space is being renovated and will include two protective barriers against pests that feast on dead animal and plant matter. The funding will allow for the construction of cabinets and drawers that will protect the specimens from exposure.

“We will specifically get 13 cabinets, about 1,200 drawers and 35,000 trays,” says the collection's director and MSU Associate Professor Anthony Cognato.

When Cognato joined the department in 2006, nearly 90 percent of the collection space was filled.

“We didn’t have any floor space, either. We had part our butterfly collection out in the hall,” he says. "Now with this storage and new space, we should have enough for growth for the next 10 years. It will take about 10 years to fill up this space.”

The grant will fund what Cognato hopes will be a two-part renovation.

“We still have a room in the main part of the collection that has our vintage 1950s cabinets that we wish to replace because those do not close and are broken,” he says.

Cognato is from New York and worked at Texas A&M University before joining MSU.

Source: Anthony Cognato, MSU

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

A group of high schoolstudents and some very dedicated advisors are working on developing a3,200 square foot arts and technology center on the second floor of theRiverview Office Center in DeWitt.

“We weretalking about the possibilities of locating a creative area wherestudents could express their creativity and also try to get some spacefor them to start a business after they’ve gone through high school,”says Jason LaFay, faculty advisor for the DeWitt Creativity Group (DCG).

TheDCG was created to connect creative high school students to thecommunity and entrepreneurship. The group was founded last year.Although the group currently only occupies a portion of the 3,200square foot space, it has big plans to use it all.

“Itwill be a multi-use space,” LaFay says. “We’d like to put a little caféin there that’s sort of like a student-run business.”

He also wants to include a general study area, performance space and smaller areas where students can launch business ideas.

Not only does the 240 S. Bridge St. facility offer space for a group that engages the community, it also gives the community a better impression of what LaFay says is building that is a bit more modern looking than other DeWitt buildings.

“It has as spectacularview of the Looking Glass River in downtown DeWitt,” LaFay says. “Ithas that industrial feel that you get in cities like Chicago and NewYork.”

Right now the DCG is leasing asmaller space in the building, but is in the middle of a campaign toraise $50,000 to build out the rest of the space. LaFay and JeffCroley, who is the DCG director and also a faculty member at DeWitt High School,want to be able to hold meetings and events in the space as well asoffer a place where students can display their creative work.

TheDWC has hosted several events and has worked closely with communitymembers to build a bridge between students, community, business and thearts.

Nov. 12, they will host a discussion about the city after an "Our Town" performance. For more information, email LaFay here.

Source: Jason LaFay, DeWitt Creativity Group

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