Grand Rapids Chamber pushing creative fields
3/8/19 Grand Rapids Business Journal
The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is making a push to enhance creative fields locally.
… A Filipino transplant who graduated from the GRCC fashion program in 2015, (RC) Caylan has a studio in downtown Grand Rapids, at 80 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 308, where he is available by appointment for wedding dress design and other services. Though he said his prices are more reasonable, local women often shop from designers based elsewhere, perhaps because they don’t know he exists or because his name is not as widely known.
As Ferndale contemplates Baker College’s “community fit,” Owosso serves as example
3/10/19 Oakland County Times
Ferndale, Owosso, MI- As the City of Ferndale and Baker College continue with negotiations for constructing a campus in Downtown Ferndale, one of the key questions and points of debate is whether or not the college is a good community fit.
… Graduation rates have been an issue raised by some residents who question the quality of the school. Online reports show numbers ranging from 9-21% depending on the campus and the years for the data. As far as private colleges, Baker is at the low end of the list. They are, however, in the same ballpark as schools like Henry Ford College (7%), Jackson College (10%), Macomb Community College (11%), Oakland Community College Bloomfield Hills (11%), Mid Michigan Community College (12%), Wayne County Community College (12%), Delta College (14%) and Grand Rapids Community College (14%). State-wide, twenty public colleges had graduation rates of 20% or less according to CollegeTuitionCompare.com.
![Poster for the GRCC Culinary Speak Series. The poster has photos for each of three upcoming events, “Paths to Becoming a Chef” on February 4, “Zingerman’s Building a Culture of Great Service” on March 11, and “Creating Magic-Creating Outstanding Experiences and Positive Change” on April 1. The text reads: “Culinary Speaker Series. Paths to Becoming a Chef. [First event] Monday, February 4, 2019. 5:30 p.m. Reception, sponsored by Key Impact Group. 6:15 p.m. Speakers: Shawn Kohlhaas, President ACF Greater Grand Rapids Chefs Association and Owner of Culinary Cultivations; Werner Absenger, Ph.D., M.S., Program Director for the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education. Looking to advance your career, but not sure how? Join us to learn about the paths to becoming a chef and the pieces necessary to achieve that goal. We’ll talk about different certifications and academic degrees that may provide opportunities for upward mobility. 7:30–8 p.m. Q & A. [Second event] Zingerman’s Building a Culture of Great Service. Monday, March 11, 2019. 5:30 p.m. Reception, sponsored by Way Point. 6:15 p.m. Guest Speaker, Tabitha Mason. Tabitha Mason has served as Service Steward for the entire Zingerman’s organization. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing and implementing Zingerman’s nationally renowned approach to customer service for its ten businesses. She did this by analyzing and leveraging companywide service data, managing internal customer service training, and chairing a committee of service champions to execute companywide service improvements. Tabitha has continued her role as a trainer with ZingTrain, in which she shares the renowned Zingerman’s approach to giving great service with businesses throughout the country. 7:30–8 p.m. Q & A. [Third event] Creating Magic-Creating Outstanding Experiences and Positive Change. Monday, April 1, 2019. 5:30 p.m. Reception, sponsored by Hormel and Fontanini. 6:15 p.m. Guest Speaker, Ken Wasco. Ken Wasco is the Customer Effectiveness Manager at Gordon Food Service. He conducts hundreds of seminars and workshops on ways to achieve higher levels of personal effectiveness through an emphasis on communication skills across the foodservice industry. 7:30–8 p.m. Q & A. The events are held at GRCC’s Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center (ATC) at 151 Fountain St. NE. For more information, please contact the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at (616) 234-3690, or email culinary@grcc.edu. All participants are welcome. Those in need of accommodations please contact Secchia Institute for Culinary education at (616) 234-3690.”](https://grcctoday.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/grcc-acf-speaker-series-2019_108297.png?w=558)
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