Grand Rapids

Quick Cash with Invoice Factoring

Invoice factoring, also known as accounts receivable financing, is a common funding solution companies use to speed up their cash flow as it eliminates the wait on slow-paying customers.

The process works by selling your receivables to a factoring company, at a discount, in exchange for quick payment.

While there are several factoring companies in Grand Rapids and throughout Michigan, Scale Funding offers many advantages.

• Quick approval process in as little as 15 minutes
• Same-day funding
• Competitive advance rates
• Low factoring rates
• 24/7 online customer support
• 22-plus years of experience
• Added back-office support
  • Dedicated collector
  • Account manager
  • Accounts-receivable management
  • Credit department

Industries That Use Our Grand Rapids Invoice Factoring Programs

Many different industries benefit from our Grand Rapids invoice factoring programs. Because of our 22-plus years of experience in several industries, companies trust our services over other factoring companies in Grand Rapids.

• Telecom & Wireless
• Trucking & Freight
• Oilfield Services
• Heavy Construction
• Utility & Pipeline
• Government Contractors
• Staffing Agencies
• Renewable Energy
• Technology
• Many More

Your Cash-Flow Solution

We understand that a steady and reliable cash flow is essential. When many industries deal with slow-paying customers, it can cause a cash-flow gap which makes it stressful to operate and grow.

Our flexible and customized Grand Rapids accounts-receivable financing programs are able to provide funding to companies in a variety of situations and stages. From start-ups and growing companies, to those with financial challenges, we can help.

Our factoring programs are dependent on your sales volume rather than your financial history or credit. This helps companies that are unable to get funding from a bank, the opportunity to operate and grow.

Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids is Michigan’s second-largest city (the largest is Detroit). Sitting on the Grand River about 30 miles east of Lake Michigan, Grand Rapids has around 188,000 residents in the downtown area and over a million in the greater metropolitan area. The city is home to several of the world’s top office furniture companies.

Grand Rapids gets its name because it developed on the banks of the Grand River. There used to be a set of rapids here, and ships could navigate up to the fall line, stopping short of the rapids. Steep bluffs and hills surround the flat, narrow river valley. Further away from the river, rolling hills become more common. The countryside is filled with a mix of farmland and forest with orchards to the northwest.

Summers in Grand Rapids are hot and humid, while winters are cold and snowy. Springs and autumns are short and mild. Although the city is situated in the middle of the continent, it experiences some maritime effects from Lake Michigan, including delayed fall cooling, delayed spring warming, frequent cloudy days in the fall and winter, and lake effect snow. In fact, Grand Rapids is one of the snowiest major cities in the country.

History

The history of Grand Rapids stretches back thousands of years and reflects the contributions of many diverse peoples. Some of the high points include:

• Native Americans: More than 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell people lived in this area. Some of the great earthen mounds they built remain preserved in the city today. Around 1700 AD, the Chippewa, Potawatomi, and Ottawa Indians established villages around the river.
• Early Settlers: In 1806, Joseph and Magdalene La Framboise established the first fur-trading post. Around 20 years later, Louis Campau built a cabin, a trading post, and a blacksmith shop on the banks of the river; Campau is known as the city’s official founder. Grand Rapids officially became a city in 1850.
• Gypsum Mines: Gypsum, or plaster, mining was the first major industry in the area. Commercial Gypsum operation started in the mid-1800s; soon, there were 13 different mine operators. Grand Rapids workers sent plaster from this area to everywhere around the world. These mines, no longer active, are now dry storage sites.
• Furniture City: In the late 1800s, Grand Rapids became a major lumbering center, processing logs that other locations in the region floated down the Grand River. This plentiful supply of timber gave way to the second significant industry in the city: fine wood furniture. Grand Rapids was, at the height of the lumber boom, home to more than 40 furniture companies. Today, the focus has shifted from residential furniture to office furniture.
• Railroads: Founded in 1854, The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad became the longest north-south rail line in the country. About 100 years later, railroad operations ceased; much of the old railway has now been converted to paved running and biking trails.
• Health Care: Grand Rapids is noteworthy for being the first city in the world to add fluoride to its drinking water in 1945. Local innovators have also pioneered advances in generic drugs, rehabilitative care, and more.

Economy

Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 1,300 physicians and 23,000 staff. The Grand Rapids Medical Mile is home to world-class medical facilities such as Butterworth Hospital, Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion, and Spectrum Health’s Meijer Heart Center. Other facilities in this area include the Grand Valley State University’s Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, the Van Andel Research Institute, and the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Medical School’s Secchia Center.

Grand Rapids has also long been a center for furniture, aviation, and automobile manufacturing. Major manufacturers located here include Steelcase, Haworth, and American Seating. The city is also an important GE Aviation Systems location. Other well-known companies with headquarters here include Bissell, Alticor/Amway, Highlight Industries, Meijer, Wolverine Worldwide, Universal Forest Products, and Schuler Books & Music. The area surrounding Grand Rapids is also noted for its fruit production; the climate here is ideal for blueberry, peach, and apple farming due to its proximity to Lake Michigan.

Art and Culture

In 1969, La Grande Vitesse (an abstract sculpture by Alexander Calder) was installed on the Vandenberg Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids. This sculpture became the first public artwork in the country funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Grand Rapids has hosted an annual Festival of the Arts on “Calder Plaza” since then. This festival features free live entertainment, food booths selling ethnic cuisine, art sales and demonstrations, and lots of other arts-related activities. There are also other various ethnic festivals hosted here throughout the summer.

In 1973, the city hosted an outdoor public sculpture exhibition known as Sculpture off the Pedestal. This exhibition featured works by 13 world-renowned artists including John Henry, Mark di Suvero, John Mason, Kenneth Snelson, Lyman Kipp, and more.

The grand premiere of the film The Polar Express took place in Grand Rapids in 2004. As part of a seasonal holiday exhibit, the Meijer Gardens opened a Polar Express display. Also in 2004, the Grand Rapids Art Museum began work on their new (larger) building, which opened in 2007. The new building faces Maya Lin’s sculpture “Ecliptic,” located at Rosa Parks Circle.

Grand Rapids tied with Asheville, NC for “Beer City USA” in 2012. The following year, Grand Rapids was the sole winner. They determined the winner of this competition by casting votes online for cities around the nation.

There are also plenty of famous concert venues in the city such as the DAAC, the Orbit Room, the Intersection, Van Andel Arena, DeVos Performance Hall, Forest Hills Fine Arta Center, and the Deltaplex.

Sightseeing

One of the more interesting things to see in Grand Rapids is Heritage Hill, a neighborhood near the downtown area. Heritage Hill is one of the country’s largest urban historic districts and Grand Rapids’ first neighborhood. The homes here represent over 60 different architectural styles and date from 1848. The Meyer May House, in particular, is a prairie-style home designed in 1908 by Frank Lloyd Wright. Steelcase Corporation now owns and operates the house, holding special events and making the house available to the public for tours.

Here, you can also find the Gerald R. Ford Museum. US President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford are buried on the site. Visitors to the city can also see the John Ball Zoological Garden and Belknap Hill, as well as the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, which houses a movie theater, art exhibits, and a clay studio. Also of note are the reconstructed earthwork burial mounds, a riverwalk, and a fish ladder.

There are also numerous options for family fun no matter the season. Catch Air is a fun indoor play space; there are also comedy clubs, parks, bike trails, and many other options for indoor and outdoor recreation. If the weather is nice, check out a paddling tour on the river, the Grand Rapids Treetop Adventure Park, or the John Ball Zoo for some summer fun. Love the outdoors even in the winter? Skiing, ice skating, and bird watching are all popular activities here.

If you’re new to the area or if you’d just like to discover more about your own city, Grand Rapids is truly a place full of fascinating things to see and do with a rich history and culture to enjoy.