| Grand Rapids Developer Imparts Business Tips to Construction Community | |
| Grand Rapids, April 26, 2006 – Jack Buchanan, a local developer, from Blue Bridge Ventures, LLC, spoke at a West Michigan Construction Alliance (WMCA) luncheon meeting at Branns Restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI. Many area construction-related businesspersons attended the meeting.
Jack Buchanan in the background is shown reinforcing his points with WMCA members at their recent luncheon. | |
| Mr. Buchanan thanked the audience for the opportunity to speak to Alliance members. He stated that developers are not end users. Developers are a conduit for someone who wishes |  |
| to use space. A major objective of a developer is to meet that market demand.
He gave examples of how relationship building with construction contractors and labor sources adds value and is significant to current and future projects to a developer and ultimately to the end user. Mr. Buchanan added that it’s important to understand a developer’s philosophy or preference concerning urban or suburban development. He posed the following questions to his audience and reinforced the importance of how construction organizations should respond: “Why should the end user come to this proposed space?” “How does a relationship with your organization differentiate this project for the developer or end user?” “How does your organization offer to be price competitive?” “How can your organization offer distinctive quality demonstrating a true cost value?” “How can your organization demonstrate efficiency in design or functionality of a particular project? Mr. Buchanan commented that states are in competition with themselves and that urban cities like Grand Rapids are in competition with cities of similar size. He stated that the City of Grand Rapids has not fully realized they are in a competitive situation with neighboring cities. The red tape of developing property in Grand Rapids is costly, but reminded the audience that money is available. Tax incentives, which are difficult to obtain, have driven rehab work within the City. Due to the Grand Rapids City Commissioners being, part-time they lean heavily on the information supplied by their full time staff. He stated that, “Commissioner’s staff can make or break projects with the information they provide.” He stated further that “sometimes the good old boy network” within the City of Grand Rapids creates a difficult environment for those outside of the ‘network.’ Hype is valuable to any development project, therefore the media can make or break a project with its reporting tactics. Mr. Buchanan concluded by saying that construction organizations like the WMCA can help local developers by working through the red tape, developing political alliances with local leaders, and working on productivity issues that effect project costs. Bruce Hawley, President of the WMCA thanked Mr. Buchanan for sharing his expertise. UA-174 Marketing Representative, Buck Geno also was thanked for his efforts in obtaining Mr. Buchanan for the luncheon meeting. The West Michigan Construction Alliance is a labor/management partnership of the organized construction industry. Cindy Morse, Executive Director of the West Michigan Mechanical Contractors contributed to the content of this article. | |
