Rapid Growth Media

09/17/2025

Check out Rapid Growth Media's latest Published Together story with Anna Baeten.

What she has to share about plugging into tech with curiosity resonates beautifully with this year's The Right Place's Tech Fest Grand Rapids 2025.

There are more than 120 events this week to experience. Jump in, the water is fine.

Think you’re not part of the tech scene? Think again—every industry has become a tech industry, and Anna Baeten's Published Together explains why you're already a part of the conversation.

09/10/2025

Grand Rapids was just ranked LinkedIn’s #1 rising city to grow your career — and next week, Tech Week Grand Rapids will show why.

With 115+ events celebrating innovation, collaboration, and the future of technology, the city’s momentum is impossible to ignore.

Yes, Steve Wozniak’s keynote is sold out — but there’s so much more to experience: AI workshops, hands-on showcases, panels, networking events, and university-led programs.

Tech Week Grand Rapids surges with 115 events, featuring Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, as LinkedIn names city best for careers.

09/06/2025

West Michigan is full of incredible musical talent — and Kent District Library is making sure it gets heard!

Through KDL Vibes, the library pays local artists, streams their music, and brings the community together each year at Vibes Fest. This year’s free festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Cascade branch, featuring live performances from 11 local acts, food trucks, family fun, and even a classic car show.

From indie rock to jazz, folk to hip-hop, KDL Vibes highlights the rich diversity of our music scene — while ensuring artists are fairly compensated. Beyond concerts, the library also lends out instruments and gear so anyone can try their hand at making music.

Literacy isn’t just about books — it’s about creating access, connection, and opportunities to grow. KDL is showing us how libraries can be hubs for culture and creativity.

KDL’s Vibes program pays artists, streams local music, and hosts Vibes Fest on Sept. 13, connecting community members with West Michigan’s diverse musicians.

09/05/2025

For the 18 women who competed in Ms. Wheelchair America in Grand Rapids, a simple bus ride became something rare — the chance to travel together.

Thanks to Hope Network and Mary Free Bed, contestants rode accessible buses to Frederik Meijer Gardens, making memories and showing the power of inclusion.

“This was the only time they got to ride with peers without attendants hovering,” said Hope Network’s Jason Ulanowicz.

The week-long event highlighted why accessible transportation matters — it opened doors, built confidence, and created community.

Contestants at Ms. Wheelchair America experienced accessible transportation together in Grand Rapids, highlighting community partnerships improving inclusion and mobility.

09/05/2025

Standing in Roberto Clemente Park, John Fernandez was transported back to childhood days filled with baseball games, church bells, and corner-store treats. This year’s West Side Reunion wasn’t just about memories — it was about preserving them for future generations.

🎥 With the help of the Grand Rapids Media Initiative & Film Incubator (GR-MiFi), oral histories were recorded on site, capturing powerful stories from longtime residents like John Fernandez, his daughter, historian Dr. Delia Fernández-Jones, and 96-year-old community pillar Rosie Springs.

From tales of ice skating rinks and neighborhood baseball games to reflections on migration, activism, and resilience, these voices highlight the shared history of a community where generations of Black, Latino, and white families built lives together.

👥 “First thing, love. That’s what the West Side is built upon,” said interviewer Kuzari Olushola.

Now, thanks to the dedication of organizers, volunteers, and storytellers, these memories will live on — not just for today’s community, but for grandchildren and great-grandchildren to come.

Neighbors return to share memories as volunteers film oral histories to preserve Grand Rapids’ West Side community’s lessons for future families.

09/04/2025

For the second year, a memorial for Grand Rapids’ unclaimed dead will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery, 2531 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. The event is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Organizer Sarah Sun, a death care worker, began the memorial after learning that nearly 400 unclaimed people — many unhoused or without families able to afford burial — have been interred in an unmarked section of Oak Grove over the past decade.

In her story, Estelle Slootmaker writes that the ceremony will include reading names from cemetery records, laying flowers on the graves, and tying written prayers or wishes to a newly planted fruit tree. A “wind phone” installation, modeled after one in Japan, will also provide visitors a space to speak with lost loved ones.

Memorial honors unclaimed Grand Rapids neighbors at Oak Grove Cemetery, inviting all ages to pay respects to unhoused and forgotten lives.

09/03/2025

When Mitch Ermatinger opened Speciation Cellars in 2016, he was chasing the art of mixed culture fermentation. Today, his Wealthy Street taproom is a community hub — but like many small business owners, tough choices are constant.

Just days before learning he’d been awarded a 2025 Comcast RISE grant, Mitch debated spending $150 on a Chromebook. Now, his family-owned business will receive:
💰 $5,000 grant
💻 New tech + cybersecurity
📺 A pro-produced commercial with 6 months of airtime
🎓 Coaching + online courses

“This means more time with our community and less time worrying about tech,” Mitch says.

Speciation is one of 100 GR + Muskegon small businesses receiving RISE support this year — part of $160M invested in 14,500 businesses nationwide.

Now in its fifth year, Comcast RISE delivers $160 million nationwide, including 100 new grant packages in Grand Rapids and Muskegon.

09/02/2025

🚨 Hunger in West Michigan is at crisis levels 🚨
📈 Demand up 71% since 2021
💸 Federal cuts = $2.2M lost in food support
🍽️ Tens of thousands could go hungry

Feeding America West Michigan launched the Bridge the Gap Campaign to raise $1.5M — and every dollar up to $300K is MATCHED 💥

🙏 Donate. Volunteer. Spread the word.
Let’s make sure no neighbor leaves a food line empty-handed.

👉 FeedWM.org

📖 A Rapid Growth Media story, words + photos by Publisher Tommy Allen

Federal budget cuts risk pushing an additional 50,000 Michiganders into hunger. Feeding America West Michigan is urgently working to raise $1.5 million, with a $300,000 match, to sustain their mobile pantry programs.

09/02/2025

Fathers are playing an increasingly vital role in their children’s early learning — and access to child care is just as critical to their careers and wellbeing as it is for mothers.

Chana Edmond-Verley of Vibrant Futures believes that parenting today is closer to a true partnership.⬇️

🔗 bit.ly/ChildCareVitalForDadsToo

09/01/2025

For 10 years, David Marquardt helped transform Grand Rapids’ parks through collaboration, trust, and community vision. From new millages to youth paddling programs and vibrant public spaces, his legacy shows what’s possible when people come together.

Check out our latest story in our Parks-People-Possibility series, created with Friends of Grand Rapids Parks.

After a decade of revitalizing Grand Rapids parks, David Marquardt steps into a new leadership role in Kalamazoo.

08/31/2025

When Morgan and Levi Williams opened Coffee Clubhouse in Kentwood in 2023, their dream was simple: create the “village” every parent needs. A place to recharge, connect, and let kids be kids.

This summer, that dream found new caretakers in Chesley and Carl Roscoe, who are carrying the mission forward with fresh energy, new menu items, and events—while preserving the heart of Coffee Clubhouse.

💬 “It will always be a play café meant for connection, community, and a safe space for all,” Chesley says.

Read the full story by Kelsey Sanders 👉

A family dream café becomes a cherished community hub, surviving ownership change while preserving its mission of connection, support, and joy.

08/30/2025

This summer, the Pleasant Peninsula Mural Festival transformed downtown Grand Rapids with 20+ new murals — created by artists from across the country to celebrate Michigan’s ecosystems.

Among them:
✨ KCAD alum Emily Luyk (’17), who highlighted the endangered Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake 🐍.
✨ KCAD student Mikaila Doede, who apprenticed with muralist Dustin Hunt (Muralmatics) and created her own 4x4 ft. ecosystem mural.

For both, the festival was more than painting walls — it was mentorship, collaboration, and a chance to join the community of artists shaping Michigan’s creative future.

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KCAD students and alumni join national artists to create murals spotlighting endangered species during Grand Rapids' Pleasant Peninsula Mural Festival.