ALLENDALE, MI (WHTC) - Admitting that it was “a little bit of a surprise, given the national economy,” Dr. Brian Long of Grand Valley State’s Seidman College of Business said that the greater Grand Rapids industrial economy has returned to experiencing modest growth. His monthly survey of purchasing managers showed a significant rise in the business improvement index, while the production, activity and employment indices also improved. Dr. Long cited strong recent figures in car and office furniture sales for the better local economic numbers.