July 2, 2015 
On January 24, 1931, hundreds of spectators gathered in downtown Battle Creek to watch the dedication ceremony for the newly constructed Central National tower. It was quite the event, evidenced by the two radio stations broadcasting to listeners, half a dozen photographers, and even someone with a motion picture camera. At the time, the Central National tower, known today as the Battle Creek Tower, was…
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July 2, 2015 
Overview Roger Hinman began his career in real estate in 1967 and founded the Hinman Company in 1977. The company has since established a diverse portfolio of office, retail, and residential properties. Roger has invested in and successfully developed millions of square feet of space in the Midwest; owning over 50 properties throughout Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. The Battle Creek Tower is a 184,000 square…
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June 23, 2015 
Southern Michigan Bank and Trust (SMB&T) has broken ground on its first bank branch in Portage. The bank has 14 locations throughout the region including those in Battle Creek and Three Rivers. The bank currently plans to open in Portage with six new full time employees, and the number of employees could rise to seven if a mortgage originator is hired. The new bank will…
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October 23, 2014 
As the retail economy in Portage continues to expand retailers are looking for ways to enter the market. “Currently, there are more retailers looking to enter our market than there are good options available,” says Cole Rathbun, Marketing and Leasing Associate for Hinman Co. One of the places they are finding options is on the Westnedge Avenue retail corridor from Kilgore Road to I-94. The…
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June 12, 2014 A national mortgage lender has a new headquarters in the region after years of growth. AmeriFirst Home Mortgage, founded in 1983, has moved out of its 12,000-square-feet space in Portage, at 616 W. Centre Ave., into a 21,827-square-feet space in Kalamazoo, at 950 Trade Centre Way. “This is an exciting time for the AmeriFirst team,” said Mark Jones, president and co-founder, AmeriFirst Home Mortgage. “We…
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May 8, 2014 By December Portage will be the home for Earth Fare, a supermarket of natural and organic food. The first Michigan store for the retailer that started in 1975 in Asheville, N.C., has locations across the Midwest and Southeast and calls itself “The Healthy Supermarket” will open in a new shopping center at the southwest corner of Kilgore Road and Westnedge Avenue, near Lowe’s. Earth Fare…
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March 10, 2014 Portage, Michigan Veteran real estate developers, Roger Hinman (The Hinman Company) and Joe Gesmundo (AVB), are pleased to announce the Hilton Homewood Suites will be the second hotel to be developed at Trade Centre. The first hotel, a Courtyard by Marriott, opened in October of 2013. The Homewood Suites will have 97 rooms with all of the typical amenities of the brand. The hotels add…
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January 15, 2014 5475 Beckley Road, now known as Minges Shoppes, has been given a facelift by the Hinman Company. This is one of four Battle Creek buildings that have been given a major overhaul in the past three years by Hinman. The former Furniture Row building, located at the corner of Beckley Road and Riverside Drive, sat vacant for years before it was eventually purchased by Hinman…
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April 4, 2011 MUSKEGON – The Warner Norcross & Judd law firm in Muskegon is on the move, transferring its offices from the Terrace Plaza office building to the former SPX office building on Muskegon Lake. The move could be the first of a wave of changes in downtown Muskegon, according to local officials who say they see renewed interest in locating downtown. Other downtown office tenants are…
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April 4, 2011 KALAMAZOO – There is an upside to being able to lean across a cubicle wall to ask a colleague a question, rather than make a phone call or stroll down the street. For InterAct of Michigan, a Kalamazoo-based nonprofit organization providing mental health and substance abuse treatment, a building at 610 South Burdick Street represents an opportunity to bring its staff under one energy-efficient roof. The agency…
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