Lakeshore Advantage

🚨SOCIAL MEDIA TAKEOVER🚨 My name is Andrew Foley and this is my business, Atlas Headrest! My father started this company here in Holland, and there is nothing that I love more about business on the Lakeshore. My wife is a third-generation business owner in downtown Holland. This is our happy place; this community is what we are all about. We love watching it grow and prosper--we love watching Holland’s downtown area prosper. Atlas Headrest manufactures headrests for Herman Miller’s Aeron and Embody chairs, and the Haworth Fern Chair. Soon-to-be-released headrests include designs for the Steelcase Leap v2 and the Herman Miller Mirra 2 chairs. You can learn more about my journey as an entrepreneur here: https://zurl.co/lheq

Learn about who's joining us on stage at the SURGE Summit in September! 🎤 ✨ On panel number one: Unlocking Growth with Startup-Grownup Partnerships, is entrepreneur Tim Murphy: Tim Murphy is the CEO and founder of Airdrop Gaming, an innovative company that develops world-class gaming accessories. With over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, Tim is a proven entrepreneur and leader with a passion for leveraging technology to improve people's lives. Prior to founding Airdrop Gaming in 2012, Tim held various leadership roles at technology companies, where he honed his skills in product development, marketing, and business strategy. He has a track record of success in bringing new products to market, and is committed to delivering exceptional products and experiences to customers. Register and find more information about the SURGE Summit here: https://zurl.co/2vGe

Leadership isn't just about pushing through obstacles—it's also about knowing when to take pause. In her latest post, Jennifer Owens shares a personal story of ambition, motherhood, and the unexpected path that led her to her dream job with Lakeshore Advantage. Learn how a setback early on taught her valuable lessons about true grit and the importance of life's precious moments. Whether you're a working parent, an aspiring leader, or someone facing career challenges, this post offers insights on balancing ambition with what truly matters. Read to discover why sometimes, the best way forward is to take a step back: https://zurl.co/JCNu #LeadershipLessons #WorkingMoms #CareerGrowth #TrueGrit

🏭 Attention manufacturing leaders! What myths and misperceptions about modern manufacturing do you wish you could change? West Michigan Works! Discover Manufacturing Week is your chance to give students a new perspective; and it's coming up Oct 28 - Nov 8, 2024. Register by Aug 30th! Learn how: https://zurl.co/UU5s Let us know in the comments what you want students to know about careers in modern manufacturing and the myths you want to dispel. #DiscoverManufacturing #MFGDay2024

The future of innovation is taking shape in downtown Holland! 🏙️🚀 Here's a sneak peek inside The Next Center, our upcoming hub for entrepreneurship and economic growth. Opening this Fall, this three-story nexus of innovation will soon be home to: - A collaborative business incubator for 50 startups - A 50-person learning lab for workshops and seminars - New Lakeshore Advantage HQ and partner spaces - An anchor tenant or tenant(s) to fuel our ecosystem (take a peek at our 3rd floor listing: https://zurl.co/trg9 ) Special thanks to those who helped us make this project a reality! MillerKnoll Haworth , Gentex Corporation , The Brooks Family, Trans-Matic Mfg. Co , JR Automation , Bayside Capital, EV Construction , fairlife, LLC , Fifth Third Bank , Koops Automation Systems , PADNOS , and so many more! Stay tuned as we transform the corner of 7th and College into a launchpad for our region's next big ideas! #TheNextCenter #HollandSmartZone #EconomicDevelopment

Learn about who's joining us on stage at the SURGE Summit in September! 🎤 ✨ On our first panel, Unlocking Growth with Startup-Grownup Partnerships, is entrepreneur Tyler Blair: Tyler Blair is a passionate advocate for sustainable food and farming from West Michigan. Tyler worked as the greenhouse lead at Revolution Farms before becoming the Director of Campus Operations at Square Roots, an urban farming company co-founded by Kimbal Musk.  At Square Roots, he played a key role in the partnership with Gordon Food Service, which led to the founding of Bit-Farms, a venture born from the learnings of the GFS-Square Roots partnership. Tyler’s mission is to reconnect people with their food and ensure high-quality food is accessible to everyone. Register and find more information about the SURGE Summit here: https://zurl.co/2vGe

Hey, leaders - we need your help! This week, we launched the Lakeshore Emerging Worker Survey to understand what keeps young talent in our area—or makes them decide to move elsewhere. This is crucial for our long-term economic health. Help us share the survey with the young professionals in your networks and your life. 🎯 Target: - Professionals and emerging professionals aged 18-34 - Those who have lived or currently live in Allegan or Ottawa counties 🔗 Find a link to the survey on our website: https://zurl.co/KkqB Tag someone who should take the survey, or who could help distribute it. Participants are entered to win one of five $100 VISA gift cards. Survey closes Sept. 6! Help us shape a West Michigan that attracts and retains top young talent. Your influence can make a difference! #LakeshoreAdvantage #FutureOfWork #WestMichiganBusiness

🎉 Congratulations to Tommy's Express® Car Wash on breaking ground on their new 'World Model' facility at their global HQ in Holland! Our team was thrilled to attend the ceremony last week. We're excited to see this expansion bringing new opportunities and a training ground for cutting-edge car wash technology in our region. "When we built this headquarters, we intended to continue expansion to provide more opportunities for our team members,” said company President Ryan Essenburg. “Debuting the World Model at our Holland Headquarters allows us to keep developing the next innovation in car washing.” #EconomicGrowth #Innovation

Learn about who's joining us on stage at the SURGE Summit in September! 🎤 ✨ On our first panel: Unlocking Growth with Startup-Grownup Partnerships, is entrepreneur Rob Hamelink. Rob left his 17 year career in the automotive industry in 2013 to form G3 Acoustics and pursue his entrepreneurial interests with business partner, Dr. Brian Servis. Their startup mission was to leverage technologies discovered in the automotive industries and apply them entrepreneurially to other business markets such as aviation, marine, and hospitality.  Among other efforts, G3 Acoustics partnered with technology partner Bongiovi Acoustics to form an equity partnership, Bongiovi Aviation LLC, which provides speaker-less audio for private and business jet cabins. Bongiovi Aviation is on track to reach $3M in annual sales in 2024. Register and find more information about the SURGE Summit here: https://zurl.co/2vGe #TechWeekGR #SURGEsummit

Check out our hands-on learning in action: Discovering community treasures 🌿🐴 Earlier this year, Jennifer visited two of our region's amazing nonprofits: the ODC Network and RENEW THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER . These organizations are transforming lives through innovative education and therapy: ODC's Reimagine Education program brings nature-based learning to K-12 students Renew uses equine therapy to help children and adults with various challenges It's inspiring to see how these programs are shaping our community's future and improving lives. Read the full post to learn more about these local gems and their impact. https://zurl.co/QUaH #LakeshoreTreasures