What We Do
Four Pillars, One Thriving Community
A thriving neighborhood provides opportunity
We work with neighbors in four areas designed to build racial equity, create better health outcomes and provide opportunities for economic mobility.
- Economic Opportunity
- Health and well-being
- Mixed-Income Housing
Amplify Neighbor Ideas
Providing grants for neighbor-led ideas + critical home repairs
Attract jobs + build business ownership
Supporting neighbor entrepreneurs + bringing jobs back
Connect residents to learn + grow
Collaborating with educators to impact student + adult learning
Improve + expand affordable housing options
Designing new options + supporting current homeowners/renters
Support neighbor priorities for community
Connecting neighbors through events and resources for healthy living
Activate space in neighborhoods
Repurposing and rebuilding space for neighbors + businesses
Shiny Diamond Auto Detailing and Hand Wash
Adam Hoeksema is a Grand Rapids native who grew up on the Southeast side. As a current neighbor in Madison Square, he has been detailing cars since he was 17 years old. Today, Adam is a master detailer with proven expertise in the industry and a passion for community.
With that work and the support of Spring GR, he started Shiny Diamond in 2019. Adam now uses his business focused on car detailing to bring vibrancy to the Madison Square Business District with a brick-and-mortar location at 1600 Madison Ave SE.
Neighbors now have access to a hand-wash facility and car detailing services that opened in late 2021.
In addition, Adam hopes to have a food truck(s) on-site to bring warmth and community to the corner of Madison Ave. and Crofton St.
Shiny Diamond Auto Detailing and Hand Wash reflects the building’s original focus on automotive use, consistent with the building’s original design and placement, focused on cleanliness and community service.
Details coming soon on this Madison Ave. property near Oakdale St.!
Not every business is focused on its surrounding community and neighbors. It is exciting when a tech company like MCPc decides to put down roots and bring jobs back to a community.
“After years of disinvestment, I’m glad to see this area growing,” shared Burl McLiechey, a 60-year resident who lives near the future home of MCPc. “I’m excited to see living-wage jobs coming back to the neighborhood and a continued focus on diversity.”
Neighbors will have access to nearly 100 jobs in technology positions at 1601 Madison Ave. that offer growth opportunities in a booming industry. MCPc is committed to hiring locally and providing good wages. Find out more here:
For nearly two decades, 1601 Madison, previously home of Dexter Lock, has sat vacant in the heart of Cottage Grove. Neighbors have provided consistent feedback around activating vacant spaces, remediating environmental contamination, and creating more economic opportunity in the neighborhood, in particular with companies that have a commitment to good wages and local hiring.
Key partners that made this opportunity come to life include:
- Southtown Corridor Improvement Area
- Madison Square Business Association
- City of Grand Rapids
- Rockford Construction
- Amplify GR
The current vacant property at 1445 Kalamazoo Ave. at the corner of Oakdale St., formerly the auto maintenance business, Good Shepherd will become Kzoo Station.
Managed by Spring GR, an incubator kitchen will open in late 2021 or early 2022 to provide residents with access to a commercial kitchen to grow their food business or to test out their ideas. In the second phase of this repurposed building, an eatery will open to allow food entrepreneurs to sell their products directly to the public.
Boston Square Together is a community-focused design planning process where neighbors, business owners, and local and city partners are working together to advance a neighborhood vision for the heart of Boston Square. The partners are committed to advancing an equity-focused, shared vision that weaves Health, Education, Arts & Culture, Recreation and Technology (H.E.A.R.T) into a mixed-use, mixed-income 10-acre redevelopment area in the neighborhood.
If you’d like to see the process of how together with neighbors we decided on the shared design below, check out bostonsquaregr.com.