Community

OUR WHOLE
community IS
TAKING OFF.

With an expanded concourse, a new control tower, more parking, enhanced rental car capabilities and improved baggage inspection technology, Elevate is taking travel—and West Michigan—to new heights.

Community Business Supporters
Legislators and Sources of Funding

Senator Peters

Secured more than $1.2 million in federal funding in FY22 to implement safety upgrades and expand Gerald R. Ford International Airport. The Congressionally Directed Spending funds will help to support the expansion and widening of Concourse A, which includes safety upgrades, such as an updated fire alarm and public address system. Thanks to Senator Peters’ work, the FY23 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) budget includes funding for the design of a new Air Traffic Control Tower.

Senator Stabenow

Thanks to Senator Stabenow’s work, the FY23 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) budget includes funding for the design of a new Air Traffic Control Tower at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

Former Representative Meijer

Supported H.R. 2471, the Fiscal Year 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act that will help to fund the Concourse A Expansion and Widening project. Representative Meijer continues to advocate for and support federal investment in a new Air Traffic Control Tower at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

Representative Moolenaar

Representative Moolenaar continues to advocate for and support federal investment in a new Air Traffic Control Tower at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport will receive $8,687,870 from U.S. DOT’s Airport Terminal Grant Program, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL, to support the addition of eight new passenger boarding bridges on its Concourse A expansion and widening project.

Contractors
Artists

George Eberhardt III – Terrazzo Artist

George Eberhardt III, inspired by aspects of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” referenced Lake Michigan and its water elements in his design that measures a diameter of 15 feet.

With a background in program development and curriculum design, Eberhardt focuses on enriching the lives of youth and diverse communities as an artist, muralist and art teacher.

A previous ArtPrize winner, Eberhardt’s mural work can be seen across West Michigan with pieces at Slows BBQ in downtown Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Public Schools, West Grand Neighborhood Organization, Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, among many others.

Instagram: @the_third_ge

George Eberhardt’s terrazzo design

Kim Nguyen – Terrazzo Artist

As the selected artist for the City category, Kim Nguyen referenced the cities and towns of Grand Rapids and surrounding West Michigan areas, while also including representations of Grand Rapids’ agricultural, medical and manufacturing industries in her terrazzo floor design. Her installation will pay homage to our community’s former moniker “Furniture City,” while winding the Grand River and Grand Rapids’ proximity to the shores of Lake Michigan.

As a designer and illustrator, Nguyen’s previous clients include Sweetwaters Café, Universal Music Group and Adult Swim. Nguyen was also selected as one of the 27 local artists to paint portraits of influential women on mechanical boxes located throughout downtown Grand Rapids, as part of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.’s “Rad Women” public art project.

Website: thaikim.com

Instagram: @thaikim

Kim Nguyen’s terrazzo design


I am overjoyed and feel incredibly honored to be one of the artists helping new residents and future travelers see the beauty of our home through artwork beneath their feet. I have always felt a fondness for airports because they bring me the thrill of travel, and in the case of Ford International Airport, the relieving feeling of being almost home.

I have a photograph where I am two years old and meeting my three older brothers at Ford International Airport, it is there that I met them and my grandparents for the very first time. Though I was born in Grand Rapids, my family are refugees and immigrants from Vietnam, and I can’t imagine what they felt when they landed here in West Michigan.

Kim Nguyen


Maureen Nollette – Terrazzo Artist

Maureen Nollette, inspired by a photograph she took of a Sand Cherry shrub on a roadside beach in Michigan, created designs to showcase the vastness of the Lake Michigan Dunes and the region’s native flora.

She is currently a visiting assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in the department of visual & media arts. Nollette was a resident artist for the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Ngo Le Korsa Project in Sinthian, Africa, as well as a resident artist for the Marble House Project in Dorset, Vermont.

Her collections can be found at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, J. Jill Group, MGM Mirage Hotel and Yves St. Laurent.

Website: nollettestudio.com

Instagram: @maureen.nollette


Maureen Nollette’s terrazzo designs

Michael Pfleghaar – Terrazzo Artist

Michael Pfleghaar recently completed a collection of plein air paintings which was translated into his terrazzo designs to replicate West Michigan’s natural forestry and agriculture.

Pfleghaar has permanent collections at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Steelcase, Inc., Herman Miller, the State of Michigan and Grand Valley State University. Apple, HBO, CBS, ForeSee, Hayworth and Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts are a few of the organizations that have utilized Pfleghaar’s artwork as illustrations.

Website: blog.pfleghaar.com

Instagram: @pfleghaar

Michael Pfleghaar’s terrazzo designs

Stay tuned to learn more about the artists as selections continue.

Airlines
Economic Impact

Construction impact

23

gate counters

135

column enclosures

47800

square feet of metal panels

1780

total metal panels

Over 34 Business Partners
90% locally based business partners
  • Over 13,000 punched holes in a stainless steel column enclosure base
  • Over 132 miles of low voltage and copper wiring
  • Over 1,200 light fixtures added
  • Over 4,300 structural steel pieces
5,120 yards of concrete. Enough to build 16 miles of sidewalk.
26,105 Cubic Yards of Soil Handled. Enough to fill 176 dump trucks.
169

tons of steel decking

88000

lbs of aggregate used within the terrazzo flooring

11987

total number of ceramic tiles

1200

speakers added

128

tons of concrete reinforcing steel

14025

pieces of custom carpet tiles

129

total doors

1012

panes of glass

Long-term impact

$5,200,000,000 Total Economic Impact. $407,600,000 Project Elevate Investment.

*Estimated total Elevate capital expansion improvements.

271 Construction Jobs Created Annually.

Considered one the top 12 transformational projects that could reshape West Michigan’s ability to attract visitors, new residents, and employers.

40k jobs. Enough to employ everyone living in Cascade Township twice. $418 million in spend from visitors outside the region, anticipated.