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Although it can be cheaper to tear down old buildings, sometimes developers pull out all the stops to find ways to save important old structures.

That was the case with the Metropolitan Center project on the 100 block of Michigan Avenue in downtown Kalamazoo, a project that is in the final stages of construction.

 

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LOWELL — A startup in Lowell hopes to prove that one firm’s waste is another company’s power.

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COOPERSVILLE — Companies looking for a model of how to maintain a highly skilled workforce might turn to the example set by an unlikely source, at least in West Michigan: a skilled trade union.

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GRAND RAPIDS — One of the city’s landmark development projects is nearing completion.

The Federal Building at 148 Ionia Avenue will provide much-needed space for Kendall College of Art and Design to expand its programs, namely its sculpture and ceramics departments, which will get new equipment and classroom spaces. The fourth floor will serve as home to the Wege Center for Sustainable Design, founded by a $1 million gift from philanthropist Peter Wege.

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KALAMAZOO — The “Pardon Our Progress” signs are up at the Kalamazoo Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites as it undergoes a massive remodel — a first for the guest rooms in almost 10 years.

Growing out of a corporate branding initiative that began in November 2010, Radisson’s “Ambition 2015” project has set out $1.5 billion for its North American hotels alone.

“This initiative raises the game of the service levels and products provided by the Radisson properties in the U.S.,” said Tim Rayman, director of hotels for Greenleaf Hospitality Group, which operates the Kalamazoo facility. “Looking at occupancy and traffic, we decided it was time to update our product.”

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GRAND RAPIDS — When Priority Health decided to reshape its customer service arm, the company looked to the Disney Institute for advice.

With health care reform spurring some of the service changes, Priority worked with Progressive AE architects to merge its call centers with the hope of better managing the customer experience.

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GRAND RAPIDS — Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber Inc. decided that if it wanted to walk the talk in helping clients with sustainable projects, it needed to complete a green building project closer to home.

The company recently outfitted its headquarters at 1515 Arboreteum Drive SE to meet LEED for existing buildings gold certification.

Through U.S. Green Building Council’s existing buildings program, FTC&H made numerous adjustments — from switching to green cleaning products to installing occupancy sensors — to complete the laundry list of requirements.

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ALLENDALE — While Grand Valley State University’s new library project is taking shape at the school’s main campus, students will still have to wait to turn the page to a new era at the state-of-the-art learning facility.

Construction of Grand Valley State University’s Mary Idema Pew Library began in April 2011. Contractor Pioneer Construction Inc. is close to finishing the structural steel phase and is preparing to transition into building the exterior envelope.

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MUSKEGON — In his TEDx Muskegon presentation, Dr. Alan Steinman, director for the Annis Water Research Institute at Grand Valley State University, talked about a “Blue Water Economy” and how the Great Lakes can continue to drive the region’s economy in new ways.

Now the AWRI is one step closer to increasing its ability to further research in what Steinman called “non-market economic value systems.”

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BATTLE CREEK — FireKeepers Casino has reached the halfway point on the construction of its 242-room resort-style hotel.

When MiBiz spoke to Lansing-based contractor Clark Construction Co., the company had made progress on the hotel exterior and nearly reached the eighth and final story. Project Manager Troy Multon said the tribe will take over the project by late fall.