Douglas J Aveda Institute Is Nominated

For Neighborhood Business Award

Grand Rapids-----All the hard work that went into making the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Grand Rapids a very special place has been recognized with a nomination for a Neighborhood Business Award in the Best Reuse of Building category, Scott Weaver, Co-Owner and President of the Douglas J Company, announced today.

Neighborhood Ventures and the Neighborhood Business Alliance sponsor the awards, which recognize businesses in 11 categories for their significant contributions to neighborhood improvement and economic development within Grand Rapids. The awards will be presented at the 18^th Annual Neighborhood Business Awards ceremony on Thursday, November 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids.

“We are very pleased to be nominated for this prestigious award,” Weaver said. “It recognizes all the planning and work that went into rehabilitating the old post office building, and our commitment to contributing to the economic redevelopment of downtown Grand Rapids.”

The Douglas J Aveda Institute, located at 138 Commerce Avenue SW, in the historic Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids, opened in February. It provides a well-rounded education to aspiring professionals in the Salon/Spa Industry. The Institute was nominated for a Neighborhood Business Award by Deanna Demory, Director of Community Investment for the Heart of West Michigan United Way, which is located next door to the Institute.

“They took something ugly and made it a jewel in the Heartside neighborhood,” Demory, who also is a member of the Heartside Business Association, said “They did a fantastic job rehabbing that old building and they kept its historic integrity while making it beautiful both inside and out. Beside that, they’re great neighbors,” she added.

In May, the Douglas J Company received an Outstanding Historic Preservation Project Award from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission for the work that it did in restoring the building where the Douglas J Aveda Institute is located. “To receive that award and now be nominated for a Neighborhood Business Award makes this a very special year for us in Grand Rapids,” Weaver said.

For more information about Douglas J, please visit their Web site at www.douglasj.com

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