News and Events

SERF’S UP — AND NOT JUST AT THE BEACH

The Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities is moving green development forward. Printed in: Heartland Real Estate Business magazine (January 2011) Written by: Maureen Mann Article can be viewed in PDF form here

The West Michigan Chapter of TMA held Kalamazoo's Inaugural Event

January 18, 2011, was the inaugural meeting for the West Michigan Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association at The Skydeck in Kalamazoo. Bob Wolford is the President of the West Michigan Chapter. Dr. Donald Alexander, formerly with the Federal Trade Commission and currently Professor of Economics at Western Michigan University, was the guest speaker. Established in 1988, The Turnaround Management Association (www.turnaround.org) is the only international non-profit association dedicated to corporate renewal and turnaround management. TMA members are a professional community of turnaround and corporate renewal professionals who share a common interest in strengthening the economy through the restoration of corporate value. Photos available for download if requested. E-mail tony@midwestrealty.com to inquire.

SERF’s up, dude: Joseph Maguire's organization provides alternative to LEED to promote green facilities

Monday, January 10, 2011 By Nathan Peck | MiBiz npeck@mibiz.com WEST MICHIGAN — Joseph Maguire sees opportunity in making sustainability a little clearer for building owners. Maguire, president of the newly formed Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities (SERF) and president of Wolverine Development Group, has launched SERF as a means for the property owners to certify their properties as green. Much of the problem with existing certification programs — which Maguire takes great care not to call any out by name — is that they are vague and that changes occur making it difficult for an owner to understand whether they are being responsible or not. “We see a void, one of the voids is clarity and a lack of complexity. We realized we needed to be more clear in terms of our criteria,” Maguire said. In order to be a SERF-certified facility, a building’s owner must complete a certification application that gauges the facility’s sustainability along 20 criteria, have a licensed architect or engineer sign off on the application, and submit the application and fees to SERF. The process doesn’t involve third-party evaluations, but rather relies on a self-guided process. Maguire wants to speed the process and avoid creating ...

New green property certification makes waves

SERF and Creekside Commons hit the press yet again. Read all about it @ MLive High-quality PDF can be viewed here on MRG's site.

Creekside Business Park receives SERF Certification

For Immediate Release (REVISED attachment included). . . . Who: Buildings II and III of Creekside Commons Business Park What: Received SERF Certification. When: December 20, 2010 Details: SERF is an acronym for “Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities”, which is a coalition of property owners, businesses and professionals, certifying and promoting environmentally responsible commercial and residential structures (www.SERFgreen.org). SERF provides property owners with an independent down-to-earth guide for certifying both new construction and existing or renovated facilities as “Environmentally Responsible” under pre-established practical standards. Midwest Realty Group worked with Bosch Architectural to achieve the SERF Certification for its two multiple-tenant professional buildings, located at 8075 and 8175 Creekside Drive, Portage, Michigan. Mr. Joseph Maguire, the Executive Director of SERF, toured and formally certified the two Creekside Commons professional buildings on December 20, 2010. Upon Mr. Maguire’s on-site property tour and discussion with the developer, Rick DeKam, he commented that “We need to complete a Case Study on this development to illustrate how Practical Environmental StewardshipTM can be achieved in the development of an environmentally-sensitive property like Creekside Commons.” This Case Study has been completed and attached. The Creekside Commons Business Park development was initially started with de-mucking, site balancing, and ...

Trophies and Train Wrecks

Commercial real estate challenges continue. By Nathan Peck | MiBiz npeck@mibiz.com WEST MICHIGAN — Now is a great time to buy real estate with prices at their lowest point in years. Looking to sell? Well, er…how about the heat this summer? The slow recovery from the Great Recession, persistently high unemployment and reduced tolerance for risk from lenders are slowing the real estate markets, say many within the industry. Combined with commercial property owners and homeowners feeling the pinch from the recession, real estate brokers are seeing a split in the marketplace in the form of activity in the best and worst segments of the market. “First-class properties are starting to sell. We are seeing beautiful property moves and good demand there. If you have office space in the suburbs, or worse yet, a retail strip center, there is a lot of supply. What we are seeing, a quote we’ve been using internally, is that it is all trophies and train wrecks that are selling,” said Derek Hunderman, VP and managing partner of Colliers International in Grand Rapids. “On the train wrecks side, there is no surprise that there are properties in trouble, owners who can’t afford their mortgages, can’t ...

Catching Up With: Rick DeKam

Published in The Kalamazoo Gazette's Business Section. Written by Alex Nixon (anixon@kalamazoogazette.com) Download the interview in PDF form here.

ICSC Next Generation Event - Sept 28th - Amway Grand - Downtown Grand Rapids

Come join fellow retail real estate professionals for a morning of networking and education with a panel discussion to follow. A diverse panel of professionals from the financial, development and education sectors will discuss how the value of retail real estate has been affected over the past 24 months. The discussion will conclude with questions from those in attendance. Also, learn what is new at ICSC. If you’ve been thinking about getting more involved, this program will give you a convenient opportunity to talk with members of ICSC’s Next Generation Committee about what you can do to help tune in to your local ICSC Network. Panelists: David BudgeDirector of LeasingDevelopers Diversified RealtyCleveland, OH Paul IselyChair Economics, Associate ProfessorGrand Valley State UniversityGrand Rapids, MI Dan RosenbergDirector, Capital MarketsCohen FinancialChicago, IL Register at: http://www.icsc.org/apps/meeting_display.php?meeting=2010N64

ICSC Next Generation - April 27th

Join us for the ICSC Next Generation Event, April 27th at The Amway in downtown Grand Rapids. More information to follow. See attachment.

West Michigan construction on hold

Even a year after the major crisis point in the financial world, many in the construction industry still say financing is one of the major issues keeping some projects from moving forward. Read the full article at MLive.com

Registration Is now open for the next West Michigan TMA event

The Turnaround Management Association is pleased to announce that registration is now open for their next event titled: "Real Estate Workout Trends in Today’s Environment". This event, scheduled for Tuesday, February 2nd, is presented by Midwest Realty Group and Rick DeKam of MRG will be a member of the discussion panel. Please see the announcement for registration information and additional details.

Some developers get creative with financing

With a frozen credit market, everyone is looking for a creative way to find financing. And Rick DeKam's idea is so simple, it just might work. DeKam, principal at Midwest Realty Group in Portage, wants to create a strip center that would require no traditional financing. Instead, it would be a unique collaborative effort among everyone involved in the creation of the building. Read more...

MRG Attends Innovation Michigan

Midwest Realty Group representatives were among the over 300 people that attended Business Review's Innovation Michigan event in Grand Rapids. The event was held in the courtyard of Grand Valley State University's Pew Campus and featured food and refreshments, entertainment and a number of booths set up by the finalists to present their innovations. We would like to thank Business Review for organizing this excellent event and congratulate all the companies that entered and presented. Midwest Realty Group has always believed that innovation is vital to the future of the Commercial Real Estate industry and we continue to look for innovative ways to better serve our client's interests. Please see the attached article for photos and a detailed overview of the event.

Consumers Credit Union gets No. 1 National Ranking

Consumers Credit Union, a Midwest Realty Group client, has recently been ranked as the number one credit union in the nation. Locally owned and operated by it's members, Consumers Credit Union has received the highest possible rating (5-star) from Bauer Financial for 20 consecutive years. Midwest Realty Group is currently assisting Consumers Credit Union as they expand their operations throughout West Michigan through site selection, due diligence and property management. Visit www.consumerscu.org for more information.

Request for Proposals

Midwest Realty Group is representing Context Marketing Group, Inc., in their search to identify and secure a new Downtown Grand Rapids professional office suite. We are seeking proposals from property owners and/or their agents that meet our basic space criteria outlined herein. Context MG is seeking to finalize a lease arrangement within 60 days and will therefore follow an abbreviated identification, review and selection process. Your response time, among other factors, will be important to winning this solicitation. Proposals are due no later than Tuesday, September 2nd. Please download the attached request for more information.

Commercial Real Estate Retools To Recruit

That's the training many commercial Realtors say they received on the job going back even 10 years or more. In some places that's still the case, some say. But that sort of baptism by fire in an industry so fraught with ropes it can take years to learn them all could be an obstacle for young professionals entering the field. Continued at mlive.com

We Lit the Night for Leukemia

Several Midwest Realty Group employees turned out on September 27 for the annual Light the Night walk. This is a two mile walk which helps raise money and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Rick, Val and Bill DeKam all were walkers who personally raised money. Midwest Realty Group also was a proud corporate sponsor. Several hundred people turned out in Bronson Park, carrying lit balloons for the walk: gold in memory of those lost, white in honor of those fighting and red for supporters. Food and water was provided by Wendy’s, while folk music was played by a local band. Many teams were out in full force walking for friends and family members who have been touched by this disease. Thank you very much to our friends and clients who supported us for this very important cause!

Construction nears completion at Alpine Crossing

Midwest Realty Group is happy to announce that the construction of phase two is nearing completion at Alpine Crossings, a three phase, 10 acre retail development in Grand Rapids, MI. the 12,500 sq/ft retail strip center is on schedule to be completed in September. This project is owned, developed and will be managed by Midwest Realty Group upon completion. For more information please contact Matt O'Connor at 269-207-0146.

Creekside Business Center Launches New Web Site

Creekside Business Center, which is managed by Midwest Realty Group, has launched its new web site. The new site features an updated look and additional information about CBC and its programs and services. We hope you'll take a look and let them know what you think! www.creeksidebc.com

Construction moves forward at Alpine Crossings

Construction is moving forward quickly on Alpine Crossings, a three phase, 10 acre retail development in Grand Rapids, MI. 12,500 sq/ft of retail will be completed in September 2007 with an additional 30,000 sq/ft coming on line in 2008. 850 to 3,900 sq/ft is still available in the building currently under construction. This project is owned, developed and will be managed by Midwest Realty Group upon completion. For more information please contact Matt O'Connor at 269-207-0146.