These personal stories were a culmination of weeks of work. It all began at a Community Meeting where the outcome of one of the working groups was to collect personal stories from everyday folks in Grand Rapids on how Google Fiber would impact them personally. The call to action was accepted by Reagan van Antwerp who coordinated and wrote all the wonderful bios and questions asked during the taping. The conversations were captured by Thom Bell & Alexander Plewes at Bell Production Services, Inc. who can be reached at Thom@BPSVideo.com. Thom & Alex answered the call to service after seeing a posting on the West Michigan Film and Video Alliance. There was still the need for an editor, so another request was made through various connections and we were matched with Jen Proctor who put these stories together.
These stories would not be here today if it were not for these individuals and for that we owe them a deep debt of gratitude!
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Jane Gietzen is the IT Director at Spectrum Health and sits on the Board of the Grand Rapids Public Schools. Because of these
two positions, Jane is uniquely qualified to talk about the
transformative impact Google Fiber would have on the city of Grand
Rapids in both the areas of health care and education. Watch her video
to listen to Jane talk about the digital divide we are currently
experiencing and how she feels we are ready to bridge this divide should
Google choose to come here. |
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Ed Keeter is a consultant in Grand Rapids providing assistance to
aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them achieve their dreams of
self-employment. Ed is passionate about helping those with disabilities
be successful in their businesses, particularly in the start up phase.
He also volunteers with his sons at Crashs' Landing, a local no-kill cat
rescue center. He is also a member of the National Rehabilitation
Association. Listen to his video as he talks about one of the year’s
most popular movies, “Avatar”, and how he thinks having Google Fiber in
Grand Rapids could benefit the potential for having a film industry
take off here, along with other reasons why he believes Grand Rapids is
the right choice for Google Fiber. |
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Tina Derusha is a professional photographer and the owner of Artistry by Sonatina. In her profession, she spends a great amount of time online
working with data and transporting files. In her video she discusses how
having the benefit of Google Fiber would allow for her to run her
business with the upmost efficiency and why she feels Grand Rapids is
the right place for Google to select for this experimental fiber optic
network. |
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Carl Kelly is retired as the executive director for the West Michigan
Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT) where he worked in areas of
budgeting, human resources, public relations, and development. He also
worked at Herman Miller in management and as their supplier diversity
coordinator. In his video, Carl speaks on how he feels he personally
would benefit from higher internet capabilities and how he feels our
city, Grand Rapids, is a “city of the future”.
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Ruth Kelly is currently running for the second ward commissioner seat
vacated by David LaGrand. A school teacher in the GRPS for nearly 20
years, she is passionate about community and education. Ruth’s roots as a
local citizen run deep. She has been involved with Baxter Neighborhood
Association, Eastown Community Association, South East End Neighborhood
Association and Creston Family of Schools. In Ruth’s video she discusses
how Google can benefit from tapping into and retaining the vibrant and
talented young workforce we have here in Grand Rapids.
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Doug Lang is currently a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines and the Founder
of Grand Rapids Technology Partnership (GRTP). On his website, Doug
states the GRTP’s mission as "Help foster Grand Rapids into becoming a
technological hub city". Doug is interested in building the Grand
Rapids Technology Partnership into a valuable, computer technology
based, economic development partner to the city and other
organizations. Having the educational and business background in
technology, Doug, has a firm understanding of the kinds of projects
that could become a reality for our city as a whole if Google Fiber was
to come to Grand Rapids |
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Ryan Peel writes a blog “My Innovation Journey” where he encourages the
readers to let Google know how Grand Rapids can differentiate from other
cities by submitting three ideas imagining it is 2015 and Google is
giving out awards to individuals/companies that have well-utilized
Google Fiber’s capabilities. Ryan looks at Google Fiber as simply a
stepping off point for vast possibilities in areas of technology that
the average person may not have considered. Check out his video to hear
about his unique perspective.
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Ann Puckett is an IT Associate and Grants Administrator with the Grand
Rapids Community Foundation, in addition to which she keeps herself busy
with activities ranging from being a PTSA Executive Committee Member at
CA Frost Environmental Elementary School, Girl Scout Leader, and time
dedicated to causes she cares about such as the environment and animal
welfare. Watch Ann’s video to see her infectious enthusiasm for things
firsthand in how she feels about Google Fiber!
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Ryan VanderMeer is a young entrepreneur who wears a lot of hats,
including: Owner of Urban Pharm, a property management company managing
commercial and residential properties across the city of Grand Rapids;
Wealthy Street Business Alliance (board of directors); ArtPeers (board
of directors); and Weed and Seed (volunteer). Watch his video to hear
how this impressive young person turns his passion towards getting
Google Fiber to Grand Rapids!
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Bill Dukarski is President of the Greater Grand Rapids Association of
the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (GGRA/HH) and currently works part-time at
Spectrum Health with the hopes of working in their IT Department. He
went to school to achieve certification in the IT field and holds
certificates in A+, Network + and MCP. Bill’s involvement at GGRAD/HH
puts him in the center of an organization that distributes scholarships
for deaf/hard of hearing and he sees the opportunity of having Google
Fiber here in Grand Rapids as the next step towards employment for these
types of individuals. In particular, he believes Google Fiber can be a
great tool to help the deaf community provide sign language
communications using the video relay service (VRS) without slow
broadband, interruptions, and freeze-ups. Listen to his video to hear
more about why he thinks Google Fiber belongs here |
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