Edgerton Trails Elementary School is an innovative addition to Rockford Public Schools and is their first new school in nearly 25 years. This state-of-the-art PK-5 facility was made possible through the community’s support of a $174 million bond issue passed in 2019. Designed to accommodate the growing population on the west side of Rockford, Edgerton Trails alleviates overcrowding in neighboring schools. The school is a testament to the district’s mission to provide safe learning environments that give students the academic and social skills needed to be successful, lifelong learners in a global society.

The school’s colorful interior is inspired by Rockford’s elementary science curriculum, with each grade level housed in distinct “neighborhoods” that reflect local habitats. The neighborhoods — The Pond (DK), The Woodlands (K-1), The Lakes (2-3), and The Dunes (4-5) — provide age-appropriate and fun environments that connect back to what they are learning. Students can feel emotionally and physically safe as the layout ensures they interact primarily with their peers in spaces designed specifically for their developmental stage. The integration of natural themes also extends to the building’s outdoor learning spaces, which includes a small classroom amphitheater and access to the district’s nature center. Two playgrounds on site also cater to the needs of lower and upper elementary age students.

Holland Heights Elementary School is embarking on an exciting transformation to create updated learning environments and to enhance nature-based learning. This $21.2 million project, funded through a bond passed by voters in May 2021, will bring new classrooms, a media center, and updated playground to K-5 students.

The oldest portion of the building, originally opened in 1952, will be demolished to make room for new construction. The project will retain and renovate key existing facilities such as the gym, cafeteria, and main office, while creating new specials areas including a music room, STEM lab, and art room.

This renovation and addition project will transform the Stadium Club at Western Michigan University (WMU)’s Waldo Stadium Field from primarily game day use to a 24/7/365 a year entertaining, fundraising, and intimate conversation space. The goal of the updated suite is to offer an elegant and welcoming experience to patrons unique to WMU.

A more modern and luxurious feel within the space, enhanced by high-end finishes and unique backgrounds, will add an excitement that can be easily shared on social media channels.

Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs and research opportunities, empowering their students to become whole-brain engineers. Students from the McCormick School of Engineering are equipped with the tools to pursue a wide range of careers, advanced study, and experiences after graduation.

Northwestern was looking for a strategic partner that could bring their brand and graduate programs to life. With 11 separate and distinctive programs to promote, the GMB team met with each program director to understand what makes them unique and how their different prospective student groups live in the digital space. Our plan included diving deep into target audience demographics research, discovering appropriate channels to reach each audience, and establishing budgets. Each digital marketing campaign speaks to the School of Engineering brand, while weaving in unique language that tells the story of each graduate study program. The programs were not using graphic type ads previously, and this gave a consistent look and feel across the portfolio while speaking specifically to the individual program. These programs include artificial intelligence, robotics, biomedical engineering, engineering management, design and innovation, and more.

GMB, The ODC Network (ODC), and the City of Holland partnered to create the Sally Smoly Nature Playscape at Window on the Waterfront Park (WOW). This 1-acre park within a park had a $350,000 budget, the last $100,000 of which was raised through a $50,000 crowdfunding and a matching grant from MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program in the summer of 2021. 

Located two blocks from downtown Holland, the project introduces the first playground within a 20-minute walk and also serve residents of nearby senior living facilities. The project supports ODC’s mission to connect people to nature and provides play and learn spaces.

Sally Smoly Nature Playscape is sited in a central greenspace on existing parkland. The park offers climbing structures constructed of logs, nets, rocks and boulders; slides; fully accessible, looping walking paths and features making the space usable for people of all abilities; creative play areas that include a playhouse, sand, a deck lookout and sledding hill; hammock posts; an amphitheater and stage space plus a pavilion and benches; large grassy greenspace for games and activities; landscaping with a focus on a natural environment with an abundance of native plants and vegetation; fencing for the early childhood area; and adjacent parking.