Crain's Detroit Business, May 30, 2022 issue by Crain's Detroit Business

DETROIT BUSINESS CRAINSDETROIT.COM I MAY 30, 2022

BUILDING BRIDGES

MACKINAC POLICY CONFERENCE 2022 Mackinac primer: What to know about the conference. PAGE 3 District Detroit: Ross, Ilitches lay out vision for next steps. PAGE 3 50 Names to Know in Lobbying: Movers and shakers at the Capitol. PAGE 8 Crain’s Forum: Expungement backlog a big employment barrier. PAGE 26

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Private 200: Largest privately held companies in Michigan. PAGE 34

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THE CONVERSATION: How Tarick Salmaci parlayed boxing into brokerage PAGE 46

Testing waters: New $175-a-head restaurant opens. PAGE 7

CRAINSDETROIT.COM I MAY 30, 2022

AN EXPANDED VISION: ROSS, ILITCHES LAY OUT

NEW FUTURE

COURTESY OF RELATED COS. AND OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT OF MICHIGAN

FOR DISTRICT DETROIT

A rendering of the Henry Street hotel in District Detroit.

Broadened Detroit Center for Innovation vision includes hotel, parks, community space |

n updated vision for property around the proposed Detroit Center for Innovation includes a new hotel, commercial and residential space on under-developed District Detroit land. If billionaire developer and Detroit native Stephen Ross and the Ilitch family are able to

fulfill the new vision, it would bring a sizable chunk of the area to life with new construction that has largely eluded it to the degree initially promised — minus a handful of new buildings outside of Little Caesars Arena — in the nearly eight years since the District Detroit was unveiled. Anchored by the $250 million Detroit Cen-

BY KIRK PINHO

ter for Innovation, a University of Michigan graduate school campus focused on research and innovation, the updated Ross/Ilitch plan would bring a long-envisioned new hotel to the unused land south of the arena, new office and retail space on the Woodward-fronting surface parking lots for Comerica Park, more commercial development along Columbia

Street and affordable and market-rate residential space along Park Avenue. Some of the envisioned development — the Woodward project (originally residential), the hotel on Henry Street and a community space over I-75 (long envisioned as retail) See FUTURE on Page 45

Stellantis move spotlights regulation

MACKINAC POLICY CONFERENCE

BACK TO THE GRAND

Fines in Detroit played a role in decision

Michigan’s most prominent gathering of business, civic and political leaders is gearing up to return to a more traditional format and spot on the calendar. The Mackinac Policy Conference, put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber, is set to run Tuesday-Thursday at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The conference is essentially “sold out,” the chamber says, at its capacity of 1,300 people.

BY KURT NAGL

MICHAEL LEE/CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

See MACKINAC on Page 43

Regulatory climate played a role in Stellantis North America planting its $2.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant investment in Indiana over Michigan, where its environmental reputation has taken a beating due to enforcement of air quality violations at its Jeep plant in Detroit, according to officials involved in the site selection process. Stellantis pointed to site readiness and providing career growth opportunities for employees in Kokomo, Ind., as reasons for choosing the site some 100 miles from Michigan’s border. The $186.5 million worth of incentives offered by Indiana, plus additional incentives

from the county and utility Duke Energy Indiana, also played a role. “Stellantis already has a significant and diverse footprint in Michigan, which offers our employees greater career opportunities than in a community with an exclusively powertrain focus, an important consideration as we transition to electrification,” Stellantis said in a statement to Crain’s. But the automaker and its joint venture partner Samsung SDI were also lured by Indiana’s “business friendly” policies, according to Charlie Sparks, president and CEO of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance. Sparks said See STELLANTIS on Page 44

REAL ESTATE INSIDER

Council member wants DEGC to ‘educate’ residents on benefits

Kirk

PINHO

A Detroit City Council member who considers himself an ardent supporter of tax incentives to help grease the skids for new construction and building renovation is pushing for more public education

on the subject. Scott Benson has requested that the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. teach city residents about incentives, not through things like fliers or costly radio or TV spots, mind you, but through engagement during community meetings and the like (costing merely staff time and “sweat equity,” he says). Incentives are a point of public contention and are almost always granted in real estate development projects in Detroit. More on that in a little bit. Benson believes, in the long run, they are net positive for the taxing jurisdictions: The city, school system, library, etc. And they help take vacant, long-dilapidated buildings and convert them to productive use, or help get new construction projects on vacant land across the finish line. In a statement, the DEGC says it “is working with Benson’s office to host a series of tax incentives education sessions across the city to educate citizens on what tax incentives are, how tax incentives support development, and how they are evaluated.” “I believe there’s a significant gap between what most people will understand and what they hear on the streets,” Benson told me last week. “And I just want to make sure that we’re providing facts for people and really educating our residents, be-

Tax incentives can help get a project off the ground, but they aren’t typically among the top five things investors and developers consider when deciding where to build a project. | LARRY PEPLIN FOR CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

cause it took a long time for me to understand it and municipal finance it’s complicated.” Indeed, it is. Not everyone will know the insand-outs of the state’s so-called “transformational brownfield” law or Public Act 210 (the Commercial Rehabilitation Act, which grants a 10-year property tax freeze) or Public Act 198 (for industrial facilities, an up-to 12year reduction by 50 percent on taxes on new investment) or tax-increment financing. And that’s just a handful of the tools available. But some people have serious philosophical differences about tax incentives, fundamentally believing that forgoing tax revenue for schools or libraries or other basic services is a problem. Especially when going to fund companies that, at least on the

face of it, have more than enough money to complete a project — although perhaps not as profitably — without coming up to the public trough. Think: Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock LLC, Ford Motor Co., Stellantis/FCA US LLC, the Ilitch family’s Olympia Development of Michigan, just to name a few that have received hundreds of millions in public financing in the last decade for major projects in Detroit. For example, John Mozena, a critic of real estate development incentives who is president of The Center for Economic Accountability, says state and local incentives have been ranked eighth in importance in site selection, behind things like labor costs, labor availability and energy availability and costs. “The nationwide evidence tells us that roughly four out of every five

times a company gets an economic development incentive, it would have done basically the same thing regardless of the subsidy,” Mozena said in an email. “To be fair, that percentage may be higher in Detroit, given that the city is often found to have the highest industrial and commercial property taxes in the country. If we want Detroiters to truly understand what’s going on, the DEGC should be going around explaining that Detroit is so overtaxed that the only way to get a company to do a big project in the city is to cut them a deal where they don’t pay the same taxes as everyone else. That might be a way for Detroit’s politicians to get some good headlines and get invited to the ribbon cutting ceremonies, but it virtually assures that the burden of the city’s taxes will keep falling disproportionately on homeowners and the small and medium businesses who don’t have friends in City Hall or consultants who used to work for the DEGC.” (The property tax question has been the subject of discussion recently.) Still, less well-heeled developers will argue that the incentives are without a doubt needed to get their projects across the finish line in Detroit, particularly on the smaller end of the development spectrum. Chase Cantrell is a real estate developer who is the founder and executive director of Building Community Value, which provides professional training and technical assistance to smaller developers in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park. In those training sessions, he said there are often “light bulb moments.” “We get all kinds of people in class, pulling from all districts in the city,” he said. “We have some people who are

very much return minded, who want to build generational wealth. There are some people who are in it because they are community advocates. Then we get a mix, some people who want both of those things. For the folks who are solidly community advocates — and I put myself in that category — who want to keep rent at $600 a month, they come to technical assistance time and ask, ‘Why is my pro forma in the red? Why is this a negative number? What did I do wrong?’ You didn’t do anything wrong. What you’re seeing is that gap this market has created, and it’s a learning moment.”

Shifts in Oxford Cos.’ leadership structure Oxford Cos. CEO Jeff Hauptman is stepping away from some of his dayto-day duties to focus on growing the company and its role in Ann Arbor. Hauptman retains the CEO title, but will turn over a lot of those duties to the executive team, which shifted some titles around. Among them:  Molly Haller becomes CFO, a promotion from controller.  Joe Mifsud becomes president of Oxford Property Management; he was previously director of property management.  Andrew Hauptman becomes president of Yellowstone Integrated Architecture and Construction.  Wonwoo Lee becomes chief real estate officer, a promotion from director of asset management.  Andrew Selinger becomes chief investment officer, a promotion from investment director. Contact: kpinho@crain.com (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

NEED TO KNOW THE WEEK IN REVIEW, WITH AN EYE ON WHAT’S NEXT

CANNABIS

 DEMOLITION OF DETROIT INCINERATOR TO BEGIN

 GILBERT FOUNDATION PLEDGES HELP FOR RENTERS

THE NEWS: Demolition of the controversial and now-shuttered trash incinerator plant at 5700 Russell St., in Detroit is set to begin. The entirety of the approximately $10 million project will take about six months, starting with the lower trash processing portion and culminating with the implosion of the smokestack, the city announced Tuesday.

THE NEWS: Weeks after the city of Detroit passed an ordinance giving renters at risk of eviction the right to have an attorney represent them in their defense, the Gilbert Family Foundation said it would spend up to $13 million over three years to help renters avoid eviction in the city. The money will be shared among three organizations already doing eviction prevention work: The United Community Housing Coalition, Lakeshore Legal Aid and Michigan Legal Services will receive $4 million each, divided evenly over three years. An additional $1 million will be used to finance a study of the effect of the work.

WHY IT MATTERS: The incinerator has long been criticized by community members who reported health and environmental concerns stemming from the odors and emissions released. According to state environmental records, during the last five years of its operation the incinerator exceeded pollution emission standards more than 750 times.

 SOUTHWEST DETROIT TO GET NEW PARK THE NEWS: An abandoned lot in southwest Detroit that used to house a school is set to be transformed into a $2 million eco-friendly park for residents of Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge. Located at 12001 Gleason in Detroit, the 6-acre plot of land will be used for a community house, amphitheater, playground and various botanical and vegetable gardens. 4 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

WHY IT MATTERS: The park will also have a “park within a park” aimed specifically for those experiencing Alzheimer’s disease. It’s one of the few outdoor public recreation facilities in the country to provide respite specifically for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.

 NEW HOME PERMITS DIP IN METRO DETROIT THE NEWS: The number of single-family home permits in metro Detroit fell in April by 27 percent to 303 permits in Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties, down from 414 in March. There is also a steep year-over-year decline, according to data from the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan. In April 2021, there were 436 permits pulled, a 31 percent drop. WHY IT MATTERS: There are several factors at play — rising labor and materials costs, higher interest rates and longer lead times to get supplies. But overall, these factors are combining to put homebuilders off new construction.

WHY IT MATTERS: The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the difficulties faced by renters in the city of Detroit and the vast disparity between who can afford representation in court. An analysis of 30,000 eviction cases from 36th District Court in Detroit showed that just 4 percent of tenants had representation in defense of eviction filings, while 83 percent of landlords did. More importantly, studies show more than 90 percent of tenants who are represented by counsel stay in their homes.

Kalkaska to get first public weed consumption lounge  Michigan’s first public marijuana consumption lounge is scheduled to open June 1 in downtown Kalkaska. Kalkushka Cannabis Lounge, located about 25 miles east of Traverse City, is a 3,000-square-foot cannabis lounge for people 21 and older. The lounge’s capacity is capped at 72 with seating for about 40 patrons. It will be available to rent for parties and live entertainment. Some $1 million has been invested into the project, said Jayme Taylor, marketing and communications director of Lansing-based owner Carbidex. That includes costs to expand the building that holds the lounge and dispensary, The Botanical Co. This is the state’s second cannabis consumption lounge. The first, Hot Box Social, opened in March in Hazel Park for private events. The venue expects to open to the public within the next 30 days. Customers at Kalkushka will be charged a $10 cover fee and can choose to bring their own cannabis or purchase from The Botanical Co. next door to receive a discount on the cover charge. Lounge visitors can also get cannabis products delivered as state law allows. Russ Chambers, CEO of Carbidex, noted that the opening of the Kalkaska consumption lounge means that the Carbidex family of companies is the first to have achieved full vertical integration within the Michigan cannabis market. Kalkushka Cannabis Lounge is the state’s first public cannabis lounge. | KALKUSHKA CANNABIS LOUNGE

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COMMENTARY

Surplus offers Michigan historic opportunity BY SANDY PIERCE AND HOWARD UNGERLEIDER

Stellantis North America chose to locate its $2.5 billion electric battery plant in Kokomo, Ind. |

STELLANTIS

EDITORIAL

Looking for lessons in loss of Stellantis plant O

nly about a hundred miles separate Stellantis’ new battery plant from the Michigan border, but the gulf it represents is much wider — and growing. The state lost out on another major project last week when Stellantis North America chose to locate its $2.5 billion electric battery plant in Kokomo, Ind., dashing the hopes of economic development officials who are desperately seeking to keep high-tech investment here. Some of the reasons Stellantis cited for skipping over Michigan are familiar: lack of shovel-ready land; concerns about workforce availability; more lucrative tax breaks elsewhere. Those challenges have been enumerated many times since Ford dropped a bombshell in November that it was investing $7 billion in two plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. Stellantis specifically pointed to better site readiness and career growth opportunities for employees in IndiIT’S IMPORTANT ana. The $186.5 milworth of incenFOR MICHIGAN’S lion tives offered by Indiana, plus addiECONOMIC tional incentives from FUTURE THAT the county and utility Duke Energy Indiana, BUSINESSES also played a role, as FEEL Crain’s Kurt Nagl reon Page 3 of this ENCOURAGED TO port week’s issue. EXPAND HERE. But another reason emerged this week that has little to do with Stellantis’ “official” explanation. Michigan’s regulatory climate was an uncomfortable factor for the company, whose environmental reputation has taken a beating due to air quality violations at its Jeep plant in Detroit, officials involved in the site selection process told Crain’s. Since September, Stellantis’ Mack Assem-

bly Plant in Detroit has been hit with five violations, most recently on May 20, since it started production last year. The state also created a website dedicated to tracking the violations and the status of air quality at each Stellantis facility in Michigan. The automaker has declined to comment on what role the violations may have played in its site selection. But Indiana officials’ comments about the friendlier business climate in their state speak volumes. “If you were just to look, as far as imposing regulations on businesses, I would just say we probably do less of that than some of our surrounding states,” said Paul Wyman, an Indiana county commissioner. Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Quentin Messer told Crain’s in an interview Thursday that he didn’t want to speak to Stellantis’ motives. But he said perception doesn’t equal reality on Michigan’s regulatory climate. “There are dated perceptions of who we are as a state,” Messer said. “We have work to do, but we have substantially reduced the regulatory burden on businesses of all sizes.” It’s important for Michigan’s economic future that businesses feel encouraged to expand here. There are multiple ways to do that: targeted financial incentives, elimination of local government red tape, aggressive marketing of available land. It’s also important for residents who live near factories to be able to breathe clean air. A central point of vehicle electrification, after all, is to reduce pollution and the negative impact on climate. There would be an irony to allowing any kind of new plant to operate unencumbered by common-sense environmental regulations. We can’t say what the tipping point was for Stellantis. But smart economic development and environmental protection don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Michigan leaders need to make that case going forward.

hroughout history, Michiganders have taken on big challenges and driven global change — we put the world on wheels, we were the Arsenal of Democracy. And, our companies and people are already in the middle of another historic Sandy Pierce is shift. the chairman of As the center for mobiliHuntington Bank Michigan ty, we’re on the forefront of and the Private the autonomous and elecClient Group trified vehicle revolution and Regional beginning to take hold. To Banking director usher in the next generaof Huntington tion of innovation and adBank and is a vancements, Michigan Business Leaders will need to outthink and for Michigan outperform the competivice chair. tion. However, where Michigan finds itself today — ranked 29th nationally for economic competitiveness — means that to compete and win, we need to up our game. Business Leaders for Michigan has been benchmarking Michigan’s position for over a decade and while we’ve made progress, getHoward ting from the middle to the Ungerleider is top will require all of us to the president think and act differently. and CFO at If we were a Top 10 state Dow and is the Business Leaders today, Michigan would look very different. We’d for Michigan have: Board 350,000 new jobs, equal chairman. to having all the full-time U.S. employees of Google, Apple and Facebook move to our state, $11,631 more annual income per house hold, 4,280 new businesses created — annually. While those numbers can feel daunting, there is ONE clear through-line — for Michigan to overtake the competition, we must invest in Michiganders and in economic growth. Business Leaders for Michigan studied the state’s competition and developed a comprehensive plan to “Compete to Win.” It comes down to four key focuses — we need to do better by our kids, invest in people, accelerate our economy and get the fundamentals right. By staying committed to these recommendations, and by making near-term investments with long-term, sustainable and systemic impact, Michigan will be on a path to becoming a leading state for growth. As policymakers negotiate the state budget, we are encouraged by proposals that invest in our key focus areas.

Doing better by our kids Education is key. Near-term, we need to stem the tide of teacher losses, establish fellowships to train and support new teachers,

Write us: Crain’s welcomes responses from readers. Letters should be as brief as possible and may be edited for length or clarity. Send letters to Crain’s Detroit Business, 1155 Gratiot Ave, Detroit, MI 48207, or email crainsdetroit@crain.com. Please include your complete name, city from which you are writing and a phone number for fact-checking purposes. 6 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

develop retention programs for experienced teachers and get more money into the classroom by identifying operational efficiencies across districts such as standardized technology and shared services. Funding equity will ease gaps experienced by students in poverty, those with special needs, and those who are behind due to COVID disruptions.

Investing in people Post high school, we need to build bridges to college, apprenticeships and certificates that will assure Michigan’s talent base is second to none. Currently, Michigan ranks 35th in post high-school educational attainment. Plans to increase financial support to colleges and universities, is a good start. But we’ll need a long-term commitment to these investments if we hope to overtake states such as Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. Reaching 60 percent of our working age population earning a degree or certification by 2030 is a laudable goal set forth by the Whitmer administration in 2019, and more than likely one we’ll need to surpass. Investing in people means removing barriers to work and career progression too. High-quality child care, accessible transportation and affordable housing are all important, as are finding pathways for returning citizens and those with disabilities.

Accelerating our economy We’ve also seen progress on making Michigan more competitive as the transition to electric and autonomous vehicles creates both challenges and opportunities for our state. The bipartisan $1 billion economic development package signed into law last December was a positive step to strengthen our state’s competitiveness. To win the transition, we’ll need to build on that momentum with a consistent and comprehensive approach to economic development. We also must secure Michigan’s position as a destination for research and development investment and as a supportive partner for entrepreneurs to incubate and grow here in Michigan. We need to prepare shovel-ready sites and provide competitive incentives for business attraction and retention.

Get the fundamentals right And we need to get the fundamentals right, investing more in infrastructure, supporting good governance, and enhancing Michigan’s attractiveness so this is a place people and businesses are proud to call home. Michigan was 49th nationally after the Great Recession, and we have worked hard to get to 29th. Our ranking has improved in large part due to the collaboration between policymakers, business leaders and community leaders. We are appreciative of all the efforts underway to make our state stronger and more prosperous for all Michiganders. Let’s build on that success and take advantage of the more than $20 billion in federal funds and state surpluses to invest in Michiganders. The ROI will be enduring.

Sound off: Crain’s considers longer opinion pieces from guest writers on issues of interest to business readers. Email ideas to Managing Editor Michael Lee at malee@crain.com.

FOOD & DRINK

$175-a-head ‘supper club’ opens beneath Detroit steakhouse BY JAY DAVIS

Heirloom Hospitality Group LLC founder Jeremy Sasson believes his company’s latest offering will help make fine dining special again. Cash Only Supper Club, a new fine-dining and live entertainment concept from the Birmingham-based restaurant and hospitality group, opened May 20 in a 1,500-squarefoot, 52-seat space below Prime + Proper steakhouse at 1145 Griswold St. The restaurant is in a space built in 1912 that previously housed Sasson the Cash Only Cocktail Bar. It features a tuxedo-wearing staff and a multi-course menu. The staff is led by 20-year veteran Executive Chef Anthony DiRienzo, who most recently worked with Arizona-based Prime Steak Concepts as a corporate chef. The menu will change every four to six weeks, Sasson said, and the price point is tied to the menu and experience. Despite its name, diners do not have to pay in cash. The supper club’s initial menu, priced at $175, features lobster tartelette, uni crispy rice, A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef, king crab Vera Cruz, short rib on the bone, salmon and sorrel, along with a tableside “Cash Caesar” and truffle risotto. The restaurant also features a large liquor, wine and cocktail list. Work on the project began in February. Sasson, who put about $250,000 into the project, said the venture further showcases what his brand is all about. “The entire ethos around Heirloom as a brand is about creating experiences and being more than a restaurant company,” he said. “At the root of it all, the room just felt like a special place where you can kind of get lost in something special. It felt like a blast from the past. It’s important to keep that kind of special place alive in Detroit.” A strict “fancy” cocktail to black-tie dress code will be enforced and dinner jackets are required for all male guests, according to a news release. Local and regional musical acts will entertain Cash Only guests each night. It will operate initially 5 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. The plan is to expand to three or four days a week, with the remainder of the days reserved for private events, according to Sasson. Once that happens, more staff will be added to the current 15 employees. Sasson believes there’s a place in the Detroit market for this type of concept. He hopes patrons will celebrate special, life-changing moments at the restaurant. “There’s not a lot of things like this in the area. We’re kind of bringing the old in with the new,” said Sasson, a 2016 Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree. “I say it ties back to dining of years ago when fine dining felt special in a cel-

ebratory space. We want this to be a place where someone proposes to a loved one, celebrates an anniversary. Our expectation is that guests will forget what’s happening on the outside and immerse themselves with the people they’re with.” Contact: jason.davis@crain.com (313) 446-1612; @JayDavis_1981

Cash Only Supper Club, the newest offering from Heirloom Hospitality Group, is open in a space below Heirloom’s Prime + Proper restaurant in downtown Detroit. | NEAR PERFECT MEDIA

THERE’S

POWER IN NUMBERS.

And the powerful number this year is 3,800. That’s how many new Wayne State University graduates are making an impact for the better. A force in our community and across the globe, bringing new ideas, new innovation and new perspectives. Graduates who are ready to tackle the real world because that’s exactly where they earned their degrees: in classrooms, of course, but also in labs, in offices, on construction sites, in the middle of the day and in the middle of the night. That’s why we’re proud to say there are now 3,800 new Wayne State graduates, who are proving that there is power in numbers — and prepared for the best that’s yet to come.

wayne.edu

MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 7

More than 1,400 lobbyists are registered with the state of Michigan. Their lobbying activities vary from a school superintendent trying to get more money for his or her K-12 district to the partner of one of Lansing’s biggest multiclient lobbying firms. Not all “registered lobbyists” spend their days standing on “the tiles,” the black- and-white marble floor of the halls outside of the Senate and House chambers on the second floor of Michigan’s Capitol building. This 50 Names to Know in Lobbying guide is a selection of professionals representing trade groups, major corporations, law firms and multiclient firms. “The tiles” — which are, yes, literally the lobby — are where these professionals in the persuasion business stake out each day, waiting to get some face time with a senator or representative. This is not a complete listing nor a ranking. And to be fair, in making these selections, we limited the multiclient firms to no more than two lobbyists each — because there was no shortage to choose from. Profiles by Chad Livengood

8 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

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HOW TO REACH HER: Email: bechler@ paaonline.com

BECKY BECHLER

Managing Partner

Gov

Public Affairs Associates

Clar

Why she should be on your speed dial: Becky is a 29-year veteran of Lansing’s lobbying corps with clients and deep connections in Southeast and West Michigan. One of her main clients is the Health Care Association of Michigan, the trade group representing nursing homes and long-term care facilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has worked to secure $20 million in state funding for nursing facilities to buy personal protective equipment, retain employees, improve infection-prevention practices and purchase technology to connect residents with loved ones. In 2015, working for Kent County, Becky convinced lawmakers to transfer governance of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids from the county to a regional authority. Becky’s other clients include General Motors Co., Trinity Health, the Michigan Funeral Directors Association, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network and the Motion Picture Association. Bechler joined PAA in 1993 and became one of the firm’s two managing partners in 2014. The other managing partner is Bill Wortz.

Why has and

WENDY BLOCK Vice President of Business Advocacy & Member Engagement Michigan Chamber of Commerce

HOW TO REACH HER: Email: wblock@ michamber.com

Why she should be on your speed dial: Wendy is the chief lobbyist for one of Michigan’s most powerful business advocacy organizations. She’s a go-to source on tax policy, employment law and the state’s unemployment insurance system. Wendy’s major career highlights include working on reforms to Michigan’s workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance systems in 2011, the passage of Michigan’s right-to-work law in 2012, and lobbying for COVID-19 support and employer liability protections in 2020 and 2021. Wendy has worked in and around Lansing’s policy and political circles for more than two decades. Before joining the Michigan Chamber in 2004, Wendy served as a policy adviser for the House of Representatives focused on health insurance, financial services and education issues. She previously held other policy-related positions in the Michigan House and Senate.

BEN BODKIN

Fifty-plus years

Partner Capitol Services Inc.

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: bbodkin@ capitolservices.org

Our experience. Your results.

ADAM CARLSON Senior Vice President of Advocacy Michigan Health & Hospital Association

HOW TO REACH HIM:

www.karoub.com

Why he should be on your speed dial: Ben has nearly two decades of experience working as a lobbyist for both associations and corporate clients. He’s been with the multiclient firm Capitol Services since 2014 following a nearly 10-year run as chief lobbyist for the Michigan Association of Counties. Ben was named a partner in the firm in 2016. His areas of specialty include appropriations, local government, technology, law enforcement and health and human services issues. Ben’s clients include Google Cloud, Legal Services Association of Michigan, the Michigan Association for Family Court Administration, the Michigan Communications Directors’ Association, the Michigan Poverty Law Program, Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, National Grid Renewables (formerly Geronimo Energy), Peninsula Fiber Network and Oakland Community Health Network, Oakland County’s community mental health agency. He got his start at the Capitol as a legislative assistant for Republican legislators in the House in the late 1990s before working his way up to a chief of staff job for then-Sen. Cameron Brown.

Email: acarlson@ mha.org

Why he should be on your speed dial: As the chief lobbyist for a powerful Lansing advocacy organization, Adam is a key player in any change to laws affecting hospitals, health systems, insurance and other aspects of the multibillion-dollar industry in Michigan. This role includes overseeing a lobbying operation on behalf of hospitals that seeks to shape public policy for the health care sector and secure taxpayer funding in the appropriations process. One of his primary focuses at MHA has been redesigning state payments to hospitals in small and rural areas of Michigan to stabilize those hospitals’ finances. Adam joined MHA in 2018 as a senior director of government affairs and was promoted last year to the group’s top lobbyist position following the departure of Chris Mitchell, who became CEO of the Iowa Hospital Association. Before joining MHA, Adam worked in the State Budget Office at the end of the Snyder administration and the Michigan House for Republican lawmakers in various budget and policy roles.

ADRIAN CAZAL Partner Muchmore, Harrington, Smalley and Associates LLC

NOMINATE SOMEONE

EXCEPTIONAL FOR RECOGNITION BY CRAIN’S

HOW TO REACH HIM:

Email: acazal@ mhsa.com

crainsdetroit.com/nominate 10 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

Why he should be on your speed dial: Adrian lobbies for several of Michigan’s biggest companies, including Ilitch Holdings Inc., Amway, ITC Holdings Corp. and Jackson National Life Insurance Co., as well as Business Leaders for Michigan, the state’s CEO roundtable group. A registered lobbyist since 2001, Adrian has been at the forefront of the last three rewrites of Michigan’s business tax code. In addition to tax policy, Adrian’s specialties include economic development policy and incentives, banking, insurance and energy. His national clients include Enterprise Rent-A-Car, PhRMA, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, JPMorgan Chase and Semco Energy. He recently successfully lobbied for the Legislature to appropriate $50 million for the Michigan Potash and Salt Co.’s development of a massive potash mining operation near the booming town of Evart in northern Michigan. Adrian joined MHSA in 2015 after working as an assistant vice president of legislative relations at the Michigan Economic Development Corp., a legislative liaison for the Department of Technology, Management and Budget and as an aide to three state senators. HOW TO REACH HIM:

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DELBERT CHENAULT

MARK COOK

TROY CUMINGS

KATE DEVRIES

Government Affairs Director

Vice President of Government Affairs

Partner

Clark Hill PLC

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Warner Norcross + Judd

The WinMatt Group

Why he should be on your speed dial: Del has worked in politics, state government and lobbying for more than 30 years. Since 2007, he’s been Clark Hill’s on-theground government affairs director in Lansing, serving multiple clients with legislative and regulatory issues in fields that include health care, telecommuHOW TO REACH HIM: nications, transEmail: dchenault@ portation, energy, clarkhill.com K-12 education and public health. His clients include 7-Eleven Inc., ASPCA, Churchill Downs, Detroit Public Schools Community District, Johnson & Johnson, K12 Inc., Lyft, Midland Cogeneration Venture, Total Health Care and Priority Health, Verizon, Vivid Seats Inc., the car-sharing company Turo and FreightVerify, an Ann Arbor-based automotive and health care logistics company. Del’s previous lobbying work includes expanding school choice laws, securing increased funding for at-risk students in Detroit, the 2013 passage of the Healthy Michigan program extending Medicaid health insurance to low-income adults and the Legislature’s 2016 update of the state’s renewable energy standards.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Mark is the top lobbyist for Michigan’s dominant health insurance company, which has a powerful voice for health care and insurance laws and Medicaid appropriations under the Capitol dome. Mark has been with Blue Cross for 22 years, leading a government affairs team HOW TO REACH HIM: that looks out for Email: mcook@ the insurer and its bcbsm.com customers’ interests at the state and federal level. Mark was heavily involved in getting the Legislature to pass a 2013 law that converted BCBSM to a not-for-profit mutual insurance company, a sea change in how state government regulated the Blues. He also played a leading role in reforming the small-group insurance market in Michigan. Prior to joining Blue Cross, Mark worked in former Gov. John Engler’s administration and as an aide to three Republican state senators.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Troy’s wheelhouse is resolving intractable problems at the intersection of law, policy and politics. For the past 21 years, Troy has been navigating problems for clients deemed unsolvable in Lansing as both a lawyer and lobbyist for Warner Norcross + Judd, Michigan’s secHOW TO REACH HIM: ond-largest law Email: tcumings@ firm in terms of townj.com tal in-state attorneys, according to the Crain’s Data Center. His areas of specialty include banking, economic development and tax incentives, energy, health care, labor, licensing and Michigan’s tax code. Troy doubles as both a lobbyist and a campaign finance and election lawyer, representing statewide candidates, ballot campaigns, political action committees, nonprofit entities and political parties. Troy also is highly connected within Republican politics. He served as transition director for former Attorney General Bill Schuette in 2010, worked on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and has chaired the Republican National Lawyers Association since 2019.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Kate is one of the few lobbyists in Lansing focused on the adoption of electric vehicles and all of the regulatory and consumer issues that come with the auto industry’s transition away from the internal combustion engine. Her clients include California-based luxury HOW TO REACH HER: electric vehicle Email: kate@ maker Lucid Mowinmattgroup.com tors and the Economic Development Leaders for Michigan, a coalition of regional economic development organizations that was closely involved in lobbying for taxpayer subsidies of General Motors Co.’s investments in EV and battery manufacturing plants in Oakland and Eaton counties. Kate’s path into Lansing’s lobby corps was nontraditional. Her career started in marketing and magazine publishing. Prior to joining forces with former Democratic Party Chairman Brandon Dillon in a small multiclient firm in early 2020, Kate worked in the House for Democratic state Rep. David LaGrand of Grand Rapids. Her other clients include Western Governors University, American Medical Response and Vita Inclinata Technologies Inc.

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MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 11

HEATHER DRAKE

CHRISTINE ESTEREICHER

DUSTY FANCHER

BARB FARRAH

Vice President of Corporate Government Relations & Public Affairs

Director of Public Affairs, North America

Partner

Lobbyist/owner

Stellantis

Midwest Strategy Group

Governmental Consultant Services Inc.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Christine is a 25-year veteran of the Auburn Hills-based automaker, starting her career with Chrysler Corp. in Washington. She leads a government affairs team for Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) in economic development policies, tax incentives and manufacturing site selections. Her other areas of expertise include dealer franchise laws, energy poliHOW TO REACH HER: cy, emission reguEmail: christine.esterlations, autonoeicher@stellantis.com mous vehicles, mobility, data privacy, health care and benefits. In 2019, Christine led a two-year negotiation with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the city of Detroit to secure an incentives package for FCA’s $4.5 billion, multiyear investment in Southeast Michigan plants, including Detroit’s first new auto assembly plant in nearly three decades. Christine also serves as the automaker’s head of global philanthropy and president of the Stellantis Foundation.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Dusty is regarded as Lansing’s go-to lobbyist for all matters related to public transportation. She was heavily involved in the passage of a 2012 law that created the Regional Transit Authority for Southeast Michigan and worked to ensure public transit agencies got a share of a multiyear funding increase for roads and infrastructure that the LegislaHOW TO REACH HER: ture passed in Email: fancher@ 2015. The Michimidweststrategy.com gan Public Transportation Association is one of Dusty’s main clients at Midwest Strategy Group. Her other clients include Aetna, the Great Lakes Education Project, the Michigan Association of Health Plans, the Michigan Recycling Coalition, the Michigan Townships Association and the e-learning company Pearson. Her other major lobbying achievements include the repeal of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s notfor-profit tax status and the creation of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, as well as the 2014 creation of the Healthy Michigan expanded Medicaid insurance program. She joined Midwest Strategy Group in 2007 after working in Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Barb has spent three decades working in and around local and state government. She’s been a lobbyist at GCSI since 2009, representing corporations, municipalities, trade associations and nonprofit organizations before the Legislature’s a p p ro p r i a t i o n s committees and working on a large portfolio of issues, including economic development, energy, HOW TO REACH HER: gaming, health Email: farrah.b@ care, higher edugcsionline.com cation, insurance, manufactur ing, Twitter: @barbie56201 procurement, tax policy, telecommunications, transportation and infrastructure. Her clients include the Association of Affiliated Pharmacies and Apothecaries; AT&T Michigan; the Arab American and Chaldean Council; the cities of Dearborn, Detroit and Taylor; Michigan International Speedway and NASCAR; Michigan Medicine; Roush Enterprises Inc.; Stellantis; the University of Michigan; Wayne County; Wayne County Airport Authority; and Wellpath. Barb previously represented the Downriver community of Southgate in the Michigan House from 2003 to 2008 and served on Southgate’s City Council and worked in Wayne County government in the 1990s and early 2000s.

SCOTT FAUSTYN

MONIQUE FIELD-FOSTER

AMANDA FISHER

CHRIS FISHER

Partner

Executive Partner

State Director

Partner

Karoub Associates

Warner Norcross + Judd

National Federation of Independent Business

Midwest Strategy Group

Why he should be on your speed dial: Scott is one of Lansing’s mainstay lobbyists, having worked at the oldest firm in town since 1986. He was in the lobby corps for more than a decade before term limits permanently changed the Legislature. Scott has lobbied under five administrations, 14 speakers of the House and more changes in House and Senate majorities than he can count anymore. His areas of concentration include banking and insurance, manufacturing and retail, HOW TO REACH HIM: consumer credit, Email: sfaustyn@ economic develkaroub.com opment and pension issues. Scott’s principal clients are Ford Motor Co., Bank of America, FedEx, Phantom Fireworks, Voya Financial, Comerica Inc. and Municipal Employees’ Retirement System. He is Karoub’s senior partner and directly oversees management of the firm’s 100-plus clients among a team of 10 lobbyists. Scott’s partners at Karoub are Shelly Stahl, Tabitha Zimny, Matt Breslin and Matt Kurta.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Monique has more than two decades of experience working in the executive and legislative branches, the Lansing lobby corps and the executive ranks of Michigan State University. She has worked with clients to pass legislation or change regulations impacting renewable energy, transportation, procurement, higher education, sports betting and securing multimilliondollar state contracts. Monique counts among her career highlights negotiating a $100 HOW TO REACH HER: million contract Email: mfield-foster@ extension for Ingewnj.com nix United Healthcare and negotiating a $120 million, multiyear contract for professional services giant Accenture with the state of Michigan. Monique got her start as an aide in the Legislature in 2000 before working in then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration and later making a jump into the lobbying business at Wiener Associates. After five years as assistant vice president of strategic initiatives at MSU, Monique joined Warner Norcross — Michigan’s second-largest law firm — in 2017. In January, she was named executive partner, in charge of the firm’s Lansing office.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Amanda is among just a handful of lobbyists at the Capitol whose sole focus is the interests of small and family-owned businesses. She started at the National Federation of Independent Business 20 years ago, working on grassroots advocacy for entrepreneurs in Michigan and six other states. Amanda became NFIB Michigan’s deputy director in 2006 and was promoted to the state director post in January, succeeding Charles Owen, who is now NFIB’s HOW TO REACH HER: regional director. Email: Amanda. Amanda’s career Fisher@NFIB.ORG highlights include working on the successful passage of new laws reforming unemployment insurance benefits, stopping municipalities from adopting their own labor laws, and eliminating the Michigan Business Tax, reducing the burden of personal property taxes on businesses. Most recently, Amanda led an effort to increase the small-business exemption for commercial personal property from $80,000 to $180,000, amounting to a $75 million tax cut for small and medium-sized businesses.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Chris is a go-to source at the Capitol for labor and employment law and all things concerning the construction industry. He joined the multiclient lobbying firm Midwest Strategy Group in 2016 after nearly a decade of being CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, the trade group for nonunion construction companies. ABC remains one of his primary clients. Chris was a key player in the repeal of MichiHOW TO REACH HIM: gan’s prevailing Email: fisher@ wage law, the 2017 midweststrategy.com overhaul of the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System (MPSERS) and the creation of Michigan’s task force on forensic science in 2021. His other clients include The Innocence Project, CURE Auto Insurance, Saginaw Valley State University and Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. Prior to working in association management and the Lansing lobby corps, Chris’ career started as an aide in the Legislature.

The Auto Club Group (AAA Michigan)

Why she should be on your speed dial: On issues of Michigan’s unique auto no-fault law, Heather is a go-to person at the Capitol from the auto insurance industry standpoint. The Legislature’s 2019 overhaul of the no-fault law came after years of lobbying for changes to the 1970s law by Heather and others in the insurance industry. She also counts laws HOW TO REACH HER: for seatbelt enEmail: HKDrake@acg. forcement, pasaaa.com senger restrictions for inexperienced drivers and strengthening Michigan’s distracted driver laws among her career accomplishments at AAA. She’s been with AAA since 1996 and was promoted to the vice president level of the Dearborn-based insurer in 2013. While Heather serves as AAA’s primary lobbyist in Lansing, she also directs lobbying in other states where The Auto Club Group does business. Heather’s portfolio includes media and public relations, community outreach and corporate philanthropy.

12 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

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JARED FLEISHER

MIKE HAWKS

SARAH HUBBARD

STEPHANIE JOHNSON

Vice President of Government Affairs and Economic Development

CEO

Principal

Managing Partner

Governmental Consultant Services Inc.

Acuitas LLC

Khoury Johnson Leavitt

Why he should be on your speed dial: Mike knows the importance of cultivating relationships as well as anybody in Lansing’s lobbying business. He approaches lobbying members of the Legislature with a great deal of strategy and relationship-building that starts before a legislator even gets elected. As an owner of one Lansing’s most prominent and influential lobbying firms, Mike and his team play a role in virtually every major piece of legislation HOW TO REACH HIM: that moves from the Capitol to the Email: hawks.m@ governor’s desk. gcsionline.com GCSI is regarded Twitter: @Inthelobby in town as one of the top firms, in part, because of its A-list clients: AT&T Michigan, the Auto Dealers of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Consumers Energy and the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association. Other clients Mike works for include Accident Fund Holding Inc., Detroit Salt Co., Emergent BioSolutions, Wayne County Community College District and the cities of Detroit and Lansing. Mike joined GCSI in 1989. In 2011, then-Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Mike to the Eastern Michigan University board of regents.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Sarah has been a consensus-builder for Southeast Michigan business interests for the past quarter-century. In 2010, she co-founded the multiclient government relations consulting firm Acuitas LLC with longtime friend Kevin Korpi (see Page 18) after a 16-year run in lobbying for the Detroit Regional Chamber, where she was senior vice president of government relations. The Detroit chamber has remained HOW TO REACH HER: one of her top clients in the dozen Email: shubbard@ years that she’s acuitasllc.com been a multiclient Twitter: @S4Hubbard lobbyist. Sarah’s specialty areas include tax law, energy policy, infrastructure, health care and appropriations. Her clients include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Henry Ford Health, ITC Transmission, Johnson Controls Inc., Amazon, Walgreens, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Detroit Mercy. Sarah was a 2005 Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree and Women to Watch honoree in 2008. In 2020, Sarah was elected to the University of Michigan board of regents as a Republican.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Stephanie is a 22-year veteran of the Lansing lobby corps whose clients are as varied as the Mental Health Association of Michigan and major labor unions such as the Operating Engineers Local 324 and the Michigan State Utility Workers Council. Her career highlights include rewriting Michigan’s antiquated horse racing statute, beating back legislative efforts to pre-empt local governments on HOW TO REACH HER: land-use zoning and securing state Email: stephanie@ licensure for boilkjlteam.com er operators and speech pathologists working in Michigan. Since 2015, Stephanie has been at the firm co-founded by Ronald Khoury (the firm was formerly known as Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore or KRKM). Stephanie previously spent 15 years at the multiclient lobbying firm Capitol Services Inc., where she was a managing partner. Her other clients include Canton Township, Catapult Learning, the Food Bank Council of Michigan, the National Fire Sprinkler Association, Physicians for Fair Coverage and the Utility Workers Union of America.

Rock Central

Why he should be on your speed dial: Jared hasn’t been around Michigan politics very long, but he knows his way around the halls of power in Lansing and Detroit pretty well. Jared is a Los Angeles-born, Washington, D.C.-trained lobbyist who first got connected with public policy in Michigan in 2014 through the backers of the QLine streetcar project in Detroit. One of those backers was Rocket HOW TO REACH HIM: Mortgage founder Dan Gilbert, who Email: JaredFleisher@ hired Jared full rockcentraldetroit.com time in 2016 to be the principal in-house lobbyist for Gilbert’s mortgage, financial services and real estate companies. Since then, Jared has played a behind-the-scenes role in some of Michigan’s biggest policy initiatives: Overhauling Michigan’s auto insurance law in 2019, financing the QLine, the failed 2016 metro Detroit transit tax vote, new tax breaks for Gilbert’s transformational brownfield redevelopment projects in Detroit and the creation of a new $1 billion tax incentives fund for major economic development projects. He was a Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree last year.

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CHANGER This fall, Warren Evans will seek his third term as Executive of Wayne County — a municipality that was on the edge of bankruptcy when he took the helm seven years ago. In a candid interview at his downtown Detroit office this month, Evans talks about the calculated risks and collaborative approach that contribute to the county’s turnaround story. By Tom Walsh for Crain’s Content Studio

t a recent business event, a Detroit CEO stepped up to introduce one of the speakers, asking the audience: “How many folks in this room would have thought, when Warren Evans first got elected as Wayne County executive in 2014, that we’d be sitting here today with Wayne County as an A-rated bond community?” Indeed, as Evans took the Wayne County reins seven years ago, Detroit had just become the largest U.S. city to declare Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy. Bond rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s had slammed Wayne County’s bonds to high-risk “junk” status. The county’s pension liabilities had swelled to more than $1.5 billion. A half-built jail project had stalled, ridiculed as the “fail jail” amid massive cost overruns. And a horse racing track Wayne County spent $36 million to build had fizzled and shut down in about two years. The prevailing wisdom in 2014 was that Wayne County would soon follow its largest city into bankruptcy court. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Evans assembled a strong team, balanced county budgets six years in a row and achieved investment grade A bond ratings. HOW DID HE DO IT? Today, Evans, 73, is poised to run for a third term as county executive this fall, 52 years after joining the Wayne County Sheriff ’s Department as a deputy. In a recent interview at his office in the Guardian Building, Evans talked about why, after nearly 40 years in law enforcement, he decided to tackle the executive’s role when Wayne County was on the brink of financial collapse. “I knew in 2014 the county was in dire economic straits,” Evans said. “There was no question in my mind — it was just, ‘how deep is the hole?’

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE Photo by Brett Mountain for Crain’s Content Studio

“A LOT OF DECISIONS, WHILE ULTIMATELY MY DECISIONS, WERE TEAMCREATED DECISIONS. LIKE A SYMPHONY, YOU NEED A DIRECTOR, BUT DAMN, IF YOU DON’T HAVE SOME GOOD MUSICIANS OUT THERE

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“When you work somewhere for 30 or 40 years and its reputation goes in the tank, you feel like, ‘I don’t want to waste those years.’ I didn’t think the county’s employees ought to take a long-term hit for mistakes or problems that others created.” Once he took office, Evans’ track record made a difference — for county employees and voters. “I ran for sheriff several times and dealt with the collective bargaining units,” he said. “When you get into tough negotiations with a bad financial situation, it helps when folks know each other. So, the early negotiations were helped just by people having a pretty good idea that when I said, ‘this is all we can do,’ this is all we can do.” Evans wanted to avoid bankruptcy, and he knew there would be no repeat of the so-called “grand bargain” that raised more than $800 million in foundation donations to protect city-owned artwork and shore up city workers’ pensions as part of Detroit’s bankruptcy approval. His advice for those in a similar situation: seek out an objective third party. Evans, a Democrat, contacted Oakland County’s longtime top executive L. Brooks Patterson, a Republican, and asked to borrow Patterson’s deputy and finance whiz, Deputy County Executive Bob Daddow. “We were able to come up with a plan, and I took all the information — the worst of the worst from Bob Daddow and everybody else — and I must have emailed it to every human being in a power position in Wayne County, saying, ‘this is the problem we’ve got. Here’s the supporting documentation related to the problem.’ “We knew everybody was tired of bankruptcies, and employees were scared to death. I think we were able to do it because we were open and honest about the level of the debt, we got a good financial team and we pulled it off.” The fiscal results: six consecutive annual budget surpluses; more than $1 billion in cost cuts from revamping employee and retiree health care obligations; and achieving investment grade bond ratings. “Our bond rating was so bad for awhile — I think we were borrowing money at 6.5%, 7%. The rate now is at least 3 percentage points less,” Evans said. “As things get better, we want to be able to give back to employees,” Evans said. “We can’t go back, but over the last few years we’ve raised salaries for employees relatively significantly and we’re able to start attracting people.” Sandy Baruah, CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, who introduced Evans at the recent event, summed it up this way: “Warren Evans has executed one of the most impressive turnarounds of a public entity, and he did it without fanfare or parades, through smart, strong, non-flashy but effective leadership.” THE ‘FAIL JAIL’ DEAL When Evans took over as the executive in January 2015, there were several long-standing dormant projects in need of attention. One of the most notorious was the so-called “fail jail” project: developing a new jail off Gratiot Avenue in downtown Detroit. Launched in 2010 under former County Executive Robert Ficano, the project stalled due to massive cost overruns, and the site stood unfinished for about four years until Evans replaced Ficano. By then, businessman Dan Gilbert had become a huge player in Detroit’s downtown revival efforts. Gilbert didn’t want the dormant jail project as the gateway to the city’s nascent comeback and made overtures to buy the site, but he couldn’t get Ficano’s administration to budge. Matt Cullen, former head of General Motors worldwide real estate who joined Gilbert’s

ABOVE: Following a time of crisis management in Wayne County, Executive Warren Evans and his team, along with partners at the Wayne County Airport Authority and the public-private Detroit Region Aerotropolis economic development partnership, are focusing on growth. Photo by Brett Mountain for Crain’s Content Studio. In December, Wayne County sold the 650-acre former Pinnacle racetrack site. Two Amazon warehouses have been built on site, and a Home Depot warehouse is underway. Photo courtesy Wayne County

executive team years earlier, said things changed when Evans was elected. Cullen is now chairman and part-owner of Jack Entertainment, which operates casinos and a racetrack in Ohio previously owned by Gilbert’s family of companies. “Dan wanted that site. The idea of renovating those old jail buildings wasn’t feasible,” Cullen said. “I think Warren knew that. Warren wanted to get to the right outcome.” In 2018, Gilbert’s Bedrock real estate group opted to take over the county’s dormant failed jail site. In return, Bedrock promised to build a

new Wayne County Criminal Justice Center near the I-75 service drive. Slated for completion later this year and initially budgeted to cost $533 million, the complex features a courthouse, adult jail, juvenile detention facility, a building for sheriff and prosecutor staff, and a utilities building. Bedrock plans to develop an innovation center at the former jail site. CLEANING UP MCLOUTH “MONSTROSITY” Thirty miles south of Detroit’s “fail jail” project is another eyesore: the McLouth Steel complex in Trenton, mostly dormant since McLouth’s bankruptcy in 1995.

The Wayne County Criminal Justice Center near the I-75 service drive is slated for completion later this year and will feature a courthouse, adult jail, juvenile detention facility, a building for sheriff and prosecutor staff, and a utilities building. Photo courtesy Wayne County

Whe in 20 nee jail” had over

Once America’s ninth largest steelmaker, McLouth was hammered by the recession of the early 1980s and filed bankruptcy a decade later. Ever since then, 45 rusted buildings with broken windows stood as a testament to a bygone industrial era.

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Trenton officials pleaded for help when Evans took office, but $4 million in back taxes were in arrears on the polluted site, and it was legally unclear whether foreclosure would make Wayne County liable for future environmental cleanup. Khalil Rahal, chief administrative officer at Wayne County and a former prosecutor whom Evans had tapped to lead his economic

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snowball. Nobody’s going to be able to stop it in terms of the positive impacts it’s going have on the community, the airport and the citizens who live in the aerotropolis area – Taylor, Romulus, Van Buren Township and also Washtenaw County.” Evans agrees, but stressed the importance of individual communities working together. “There’s a lot more economic development that can occur,” he said, now that a major national developer like Hillwood is investing here. FUTURE FOCUS: WILLOW RUN Following this period of crisis management, Evans and his team, along with partners at the Wayne County Airport Authority and the public-private Detroit Region Aerotropolis economic development partnership, are focusing on growth.

Cleanup of the former McLouth Steel site in Trenton, which he recalls as a “monstrosity” alongside the Detroit River, is a point of pride of the Warren Evans administration. Photo courtesy Wayne County

executive was the Pinnacle Race Course. Jerry Campbell, a banking executive and horse breeder, had convinced county and state officials in 2008 to back a thoroughbred racetrack in Huron Township, south of Detroit Metro Airport, where the McNamara Terminal had opened a few years earlier to high praise and hopes that the modern airport complex would spur a wave of economic growth. Amid the brutal economic recession of 2007-09, the racetrack fizzled and closed two years after opening.

A future priority for the Warren Evans administration will be an expansion to develop about 1,500 acres around Willow Run Airport, already a major hub moving more than 200,000 tons of cargo annually. Photo courtesy Detroit Region Aerotropolis

This past December, Wayne County sold the 650-acre Pinnacle racetrack site for $4.9 million to a joint venture of Dallas-based Hillwood Enterprise and Michigan-based Sterling Group, which have committed to invest $40 million into the property within five years. Already on the renamed Pinnacle Aeropark property two Amazon warehouses have been built and another warehouse building is underway for Home Depot. To attract the right users for the Pinnacle property, Evans’ team deployed the same tactic they had used in the McLouth deal. The Pinnacle property owed back taxes of nearly $5 million. “Governments don’t usually pay $5 million for a piece of property unless they really need it for a public use,” Rahal noted, “so before we even owned the site, we got multiple bids, and when we landed on somebody, we said, ‘You can have the property for the back taxes. You put up the money and we will turn the site over to you, but you have to agree to a few things: a minimum amount of investment, a workforce hired locally, that kind of thing, and within so many years we want to see some progress.”

When Warren Evans took over as the executive in 2015, there were several stalled projects in need of attention including the so-called “fail jail” project: a new jail off Gratiot Avenue that had been stalled for years because of cost overruns. Crain’s Detroit Business file photo

A rendering shows a future Home Depot warehouse on the site of the former Pinnacle racetrack. Revitalization of the vacated site will be a legacy of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans during his time in the county leadership role. Photo courtesy Wayne County

development team, said the late Kyle Stack, Trenton’s mayor at the time, requested he have lunch with her at Sibley Gardens restaurant so he could stare directly at the McLouth site. “I need you to focus on this monstrosity across the street,” she told him, “and I need you to think through it and tell me how to fix it.”

use, in a deal also negotiated with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Evans asked the county treasurer to foreclose on the site. Trenton and Wayne County sought bids to see if there was development interest. The land was sold for the $4 million in back taxes to Crown Enterprises, a Moroun family firm that also pledged to invest about $20 million to clean up the polluted site and put it into productive

Last December, the EPA Region 5 presented a 2021 National Notable Achievement Award to the McLouth Steel Superfund site “for remediating and revitalizing the McLouth Steel plant on the banks of the Detroit River through a collaborative private, local, state and federal partnership.” NO MORE HORSING AROUND Another disappointment for Wayne County in the years preceding Evans’ arrival as county

One final twist to the Pinnacle saga: During the Obama administration, The Federal Emergency Management Agency flood plain map was rewritten, showing that a significant amount of this property was under water. “We had to work with FEMA to get those things redrawn, and that took months, but we have three buildings being built there, all with long-term leases and we just got our first check for almost $1 million in taxes.” Chad Newton, CEO of the Wayne County Airport Authority, called the Pinnacle sale a game changer. “We got the investment groups that came in, and the county executive and his leadership team took a failing enterprise and turned it into the beginning of something that years from now, we’re going to look back and say, ‘That’s what started it all.’” “This is really a snowball effect. We’ve got a decent size snowball that’s rolling downhill right now, but in just a few years this is going to be a huge

“Now we’re in position where we look more credible,” Evans said, referring to having two airports just 10 miles apart: Detroit Metro in Wayne County and Willow Run, with an air cargo focus on the Wayne/Washtenaw County border. “That’s unique to anything in the country. Developers look at that and say, ‘Man there’s some potential here.’ ” The concept of an “aerotropolis” district with 6,000 acres of developable land between the Detroit Metro and Willow Run airports is now back in vogue and gaining momentum. Looking forward, one of the future priorities for the Detroit Region Aerotropolis will be on expansion to develop about 1,500 acres around Willow Run Airport, already a major hub moving more than 200,000 tons of cargo annually. Newton, the WCAA chief executive, said the airport authority has recently invested between $25 million and $30 million, mostly underground, to put in new water, sewer and electrical to attract potential tenants at Willow Run. “We are on the brink of one or two deals that are going to make a huge impact out there,” he said. “If we can get Willow Run to be the cargo hub that we want it to be, that could be a huge job creator as well.” Evans and his team are now hoping for the state’s approval to fund more highway infrastructure along the I-94 freeway entrance and exit ramps. “Anybody can throw up a building on a vacant piece of land, but you have to be able to get to these places,” Evans said. “Otherwise, potential developers take a look and say, ‘Well, it looks like the infrastructure’s not done, so we probably need to look elsewhere.’ “I think the state understands that the airport development we’d like to do now at Willow Run makes sense, creates jobs, yet they have a whole state to look at and have to prioritize where to spend available dollars,” Evans said. “I’m not fighting with the governor about it. I support her, but we’ve got people ready to sign leases. It’s not like we’re pipe-dreaming whether we can do this or that.” RISKY BUSINESS Whether the challenge is cleaning up messes from past failures or enticing new investors to invest in Michigan, Evans doesn’t shy away from risk, says Rahal. “Pinnacle racetrack had a ton of negative history. So, he doesn’t shy away from risk – and if you’re going down a path where you think the pieces are there, it just requires execution,” Rahal said. Evans himself is quick to deflect credit for successful risk-taking to members of his team. “A lot of decisions, while ultimately my decisions, were team-created decisions,” he said. “Like a symphony, you need a director, but damn, if you don’t have some good musicians out there it ain’t gonna be worth spit.”

MIKE JOHNSTON Vice President of Government Affairs Michigan Manufacturers Association

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: johnston@ mimfg.org

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Why he should be on your speed dial: Ron’s firm does both direct lobbying of the legislative and executive branches as well as management of trade associations and campaign finance compliance for a variety of clients. Ron has been at the negotiating table of every change to Michigan’s laws legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use. Chicago-based cannabis wholesaler Cresco Labs Inc. is among his clients. He has a longtime working relationship with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and its operations of the Kewadin Casinos in the Upper Peninsula. Ron’s other clients include Comcast, Deloitte & Touche, Microsoft, ITC Holdings Corp., Wild Bill’s Tobacco and the Chaldean Chamber of Commerce and Chaldean Community Foundation. Ron co-founded the lobbying firm formerly known as Kandler Reed Khoury & Muchmore or KRKM. The firm changed its name to Khoury Johnson Leavitt LLC in 2019 after three of Khoury’s longtime partners exited the business and lobbyists Stephanie Johnson and Andy Leavitt became partners. Marcy Lay, who runs the firm’s association management services, also is a partner in the firm.

KEVIN KORPI

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Why he should be on your speed dial: Mike is the day-to-day lobbyist for a 1,700-business association of manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace, bioscience, chemical, food and beverage, defense, electronics, furniture, medical, metals and plastics industries. MMA’s members include the Detroit 3 automakers, other OEMs and auto parts suppliers at all three tiers. Mike has been with MMA since 1999, and he was promoted to vice president of government affairs in 2008. His lobbying accomplishments include the December 2021 creation of a $1 billion job-attraction fund that the Michigan Economic Development Corp. used to secure $6.5 billion in electric vehicle manufacturing investment from General Motors Co., and a legislative effort and successful ballot proposal to eliminate the personal property tax on manufacturing equipment. Mike also has worked on environmental issues over the years, including the Great Lakes Compact, a multistate regional agreement to guard against water withdrawals from the Great Lakes basin.

Executive Director | Michigan Forest Products Council |

All loans subject to credit approval. NMLS# 520256

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: kkorpi@ acuitasllc.com

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Why he should be on your speed dial: Kevin has spent three decades in the public affairs business and has a deep background representing the interests of Michigan companies, starting with posts at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber and Michigan Chamber of Commerce. Since 2002, Kevin has been the executive director of the Michigan Forest Products Council, carving out a specialty representing the interest of Michigan’s 1,500 logging companies. In 2010, Kevin founded Acuitas with his friend and fellow lobbyist Sarah Hubbard. Acuitas — the Latin word for insight, sharpness and perception — does direct lobbying, grassroots advocacy management and communications work. The firm’s Michigan Avenue office is steps away from the Capitol.

DETROIT

ALEXA KRAMER

YOUR VOICE, AMPLIFIED.

Director of Government Operations Small Business Association of Michigan

HOW TO REACH HER: Email: Alexa.Kramer@ sbam.org

Why she should be on your speed dial: Alexa’s lobbying practice focuses solely on public policy and regulations affecting small businesses in Michigan. Her areas of focus include workforce, education, economic development, tax policy, health care and business regulation. SBAM is an influential business organization at the Capitol and has recently had a series of legislative victories in the establishment and ongoing funding of the Going Pro talent program, the Michigan Reconnect college scholarship for working adults to complete two-year degrees and get high-quality credentials, and grants for businesses severely impacted by pandemic-related shutdowns and restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Alexa joined SBAM in November 2021 after working in government affairs at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. She previously worked at the multiclient lobbying firm MGS Consultants.

DAVE LADD Partner Kelley Cawthorne

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18 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

Email: DLadd@ kelley-cawthorne. com

Why he should be on your speed dial: Dave is regarded by his colleagues as one of the most deeply connected and knowledgeable lobbyists working under the Capitol dome each day. Among the multiclient lobbyists, he’s a go-to source on K-12 education policy. He also is effectively Ford Motor Co.’s lead voice in the absence of a day-to-day in-house lobbyist stationed in Lansing for the Dearborn automaker. His other major clients include mining giant Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., 3M Co., the Michigan Aggregates Association, American Express, Lake Superior State University, Henry Ford College and the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators. His specialties include energy, financial services, transportation and infrastructure, telecommunications, maritime law and boating, tax policy and the Great Lakes and environment. During former Gov. John Engler’s third term, Dave was director of Office of Great Lakes and the youngest member of Engler’s cabinet. He was previously an environmental policy adviser to the three-term Republican governor and worked in the state environmental department on legislative affairs.

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RICK LANTZ A F e e - O n l y We a l t h M a n a g e m e n t G r o u p

Vice President & Chief Lobbyist Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana

Michigan’s #1 Financial Advisor by both Barron’s* and Forbes** HOW TO REACH HIM:

Charles C. Zhang

Email: rlantz@ deltadentalmi.com

CFP®, MBA, MSFS, ChFC, CLU Founder and President

Charles is the highest ranked Fee-Only Advisor on Forbes’ list of America’s Top Wealth Advisors**

DAVID LEWIS AT&T Michigan

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: dl132r@att.com Twitter: @DavidcLewisSr

Minimum Investment Requirement: $1,000,000 in Michigan $2,000,000 outside of Michigan. Assets under custody of LPL Financial, TD Ameritrade, and Charles Schwab

Why he should be on your speed dial: David is responsible for the telecom giant’s statewide regulatory, legislative and external affairs, as well as community and industry relations. His legislative accomplishments include passage of a law that accelerated the deployment of small cell technology and 5G wireless service. David successfully lobbied for the expansion of FirstNet — the nation’s only communications network for first responders — through the state appropriations process. He most recently lobbied for a framework of how tens of millions in federal funds will be doled out to rural communities for the expansion of broadband internet access in underserved areas of Michigan. Dave became AT&T’s top Michigan-based executive in March 2018 after more than 13 years of working in external and corporate affairs for AT&T in Indiana. Before moving to Michigan, David had a long career in public affairs and law in Indiana, where in 2003 he was appointed clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court, the Hoosier State’s Court of Appeals and Tax Court — a post he held for three years.

CARRIE LINDEROTH Partner

*As reported in Barron’s March 12, 2022. Rankings based on assets under management, revenue generated for the advisors’ firms, quality of practices, and other factors. **As reported in Forbes April 7, 2022 and August 16, 2021. The rankings, developed by Shook Research, are based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm for advisors who have a minimum of seven years of experience. Other factors include client retention, industry experience, compliance records, firm nominations, assets under management, revenue generated for their firms, and other factors. See zhangfinancial.com/disclosure for full ranking criteria.

Kelley Cawthorne

HOW TO REACH HER: Email: CLinderoth@ kelley-cawthorne.com

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Why she should be on your speed dial: Carrie is a health care attorney who has built a lobbying practice at one of Lansing’s largest multiclient firms centered on securing Certificate of Need licenses for hospital beds and other regulatory and licensing issues for health care businesses. Only a handful of Lansing lobbyists specialize in this area. Carrie’s clients include McLaren Health Care Corp., Fresenius Kidney Care, War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie and the Dickinson County Healthcare System based in the Upper Peninsula’s Iron Mountain. She joined Kelley Cawthorne in 2010 after 12 years as a senior associate at the Lansing multiclient lobbying firm of Kheder Davis & Associates Inc. Prior to working in the government relations business, Carrie worked in both the securities and banking industries for Kemper Securities and Old Kent Bank in Grand Rapids, which is now part of Fifth Third Bank.

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Partner McAlvey, Merchant & Associates

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: jmcalvey@ mcalvey.com

Why he should be on your speed dial: For past three decades, Jeff has been one of Lansing’s most influential lobbyists, particularly among Republicans. His career in Lansing started with working under former Gov. John Engler in the Senate when Engler was majority leader. He followed Engler to the governor’s office and led legislative efforts during Engler’s first two terms. In 1997, Jeff started his own multiclient lobbying firm. Today his clients include the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan, AT&T Michigan, Consumers Energy, DoorDash, Hurley Medical Center, the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, Michigan Paving & Materials, Oakland University, Rivian Automotive and the Thompson Education Foundation. As a lobbyist for the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, the industry trade group for auto insurers, Jeff played a central role in shaping and defending the 2019 law overhauling Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance law. His lobbying accomplishments range from years of lobbying for university appropriations to building a coalition that pushed for primary enforcement of Michigan’s seatbelt law. Rusty Merchant is Jeff ’s partner in his lobbying firm.

ERIN MCDONOUGH Executive Director Insurance Alliance of Michigan

20 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

JEFF MCALVEY

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Em mca

President

www.zhangfinancial.com 101 West Big Beaver Road, 14th Floor Troy, MI 48084 (248) 687-1258

Why he should be on your speed dial: Rick has spent 25 years in government relations for Delta Dental of Michigan, the state’s largest provider for dental health insurance benefits. Delta Dental’s business matters before the Legislature include a range of health care policy issues, insurance industry regulations and Medicaid dental insurance coverage for adults and children. Delta Dental holds the majority of a $650 million state contract for the Healthy Kids Dental program that’s shared with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Rick has been Delta Dental’s top lobbyist since 2018 after 21 years as manager of government relations for the Okemos-based dental insurer. He previously worked in government relations in the mid-1990s for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and got his start in public policy as an aide to former U.S. Rep. Dave Camp.

HOW TO REACH HER: Email: erin@insurancealliancemichigan.org

Why she should be on your speed dial: Erin is a 17-year veteran of Lansing’s trade association management circles. Erin’s job representing Michigan’s property and casualty insurance companies is her third leading a special interest group with issues before the Legislature and executive branch. She became IAM’s executive director in April 2020 and has spent the last two years working on the implementation of the Legislature’s bipartisan 2019 auto insurance reform law that curbed costs for insurers and gave drivers more choice in their injury coverage. Erin previously was president of the Michigan Oil and Gas Association, lobbying on behalf of the state’s oil and natural gas exploration, drilling, refining and transportation companies. Before that, she spent 10 years at the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the last five of which she was executive director of the environmental conservation group.

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RUSTY MERCHANT Partner McAlvey, Merchant & Associates

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: rmerchant@ mcalvey.com

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Why he should be on your speed dial: Rusty is a deeply connected lobbyist at the Capitol who represents some powerful business interests. His clients in the state’s business community include Huntington National Bank, Business Leaders for Michigan, the Economic Development Leaders for Michigan group of regional economic development excutives, The Right Place Inc. in Grand Rapids and the Insurance Alliance of Michigan. Rusty played a behind-the-scenes role in a yearslong fight that led to the successful passage of auto insurance reform in the Legislature in 2019. A resident of Kent County, Rusty’s client base is primarily centered around Grand Rapids businesses and institutions, including Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids Public Schools, John Ball Zoo, the Van Andel Institute and Education Advocates of West Michigan. He also represents credit card giant Visa Inc., the Michigan Center for Youth Justice and the Michigan League for Public Policy. Prior to joining forces with longtime lobbyist Jeff McAlvey in 2003, Rusty was vice president for public policy at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.

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HOW TO REACH HER: Email: MyersS11@ michigan.gov

Why she should be on your speed dial: Shaquila emerged during the pandemic as the Democratic governor’s negotiator with Republicans who control the Michigan Legislature. As a registered lobbyist for the governor’s office, Shaquila played a central role in crafting a deal with Republicans in December to create a new $1 billion economic development incentive fund that was used to secure a $6.5 billion investment by General Motors Co. in electric vehicle and battery plants in Michigan. She was promoted to a senior adviser to Whitmer in February after serving as Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II’s chief of staff for the past three years. She became Gilchrist’s top aide in the Senate after more than a decade of working as a legislative director and policy analyst for Senate Democrats. It’s in those roles where she forged close working relationships with Republican staffers who are key in the sausage-making process of crafting laws. For Gilchrist, she spearheaded his criminal justice reform initiatives and Thriving Cities tour.

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Regional Director of State Government Relations General Motors Co.

HOW TO REACH HIM: Email: Brian.OConnell@ gm.com

Why he should be on your speed dial: GM holds a lot of sway at the Capitol when it comes to tax policy for manufacturers and laws governing energy and economic development. That was evident in late 2021 when Brian helped GM negotiate a $666.1 million taxpayer incentive package for a $6.5 billion investment in electric vehicle and battery plants tied to the creation of 4,000 jobs. Brian is a nearly 30-year veteran of the Capitol, getting his start as a legislative aide in the House of Representatives and then serving seven years as chief of staff to a former longtime Senate Appropriations Committee chair, Shirley Johnson. Before joining GM in 2010, Brian was director of state government affairs for the pharmaceutical giant Wyeth. He oversees GM’s government relations work in Michigan and 12 other states in a region that extends from Ohio to the Dakotas.

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MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS 5/9/22 3:42 PM| 21

DOMINICK PALLONE

DAVE PALSROK

MELISSA REITZ

BRENDAN RINGLEVER

Executive Director

State Government Affairs Director

Principal

Shareholder

Co-o

Michigan Association of Health Plans

DTE Energy Co.

McCall Hamilton

Michigan Legislative Consultants

Muc

Why he should be on your speed dial: If you’re trying to navigate an issue involving Medicaid or health insurance law in Michigan, Dominick is on a short list of experts you call. Dominick has been lobbying full time for managed-care health insurance companies since 2014 HOW TO REACH HIM: and worked in and Email: DPallone@ around the Capitol mahp.org for nearly two decades. In 2017, Dominick became the head of MAHP, advocating on behalf of 11 health insurers with a share of Michigan’s multibillion Medicaid insurance programs for low-income adults and children. He’s most recently been lobbying for integration of the physical and behavioral health Medicaid managed care systems under the Medicaid program. MAHP’s members include Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, McLaren Health Plan, Paramount Care of Michigan Inc., Physicians Health Plan and Priority Health. Prior to joining MAHP, Dominick was a partner at the multiclient firm Midwest Strategy Group, specializing in lobbying on appropriations for the multibillion-dollar health and human services budget. He got his start in Lansing as a clerk on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Dave has sat in almost every seat in the legislative process. He started out as a legislative aide in the House of Representatives and then became a chief of staff to then-Sen. Michael Bouchard. From there, Dave made the jump into the advocacy busiHOW TO REACH HIM: ness, working on Email: david.palsrok@ public policy isdteenergy.com sues for the Michigan Realtors and a group seeking more taxpayer investment in broadband internet. In 2002, Dave was elected to the House representing a district around Manistee. He served three terms before being term-limited. From the House, Dave joined the lobby corps as a Small Business Association of Michigan lobbyist and later joined the Dykema law firm’s government relations team in 2012. In April 2021, DTE Energy Co. hired Dave to be the utility’s chief in-house lobbyist. His previous areas of focus have included business taxes, regional transit and water policy, and he’s been at the negotiating table of several rewrites of Michigan’s telecommunications and energy laws.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Melissa (formerly Melissa Cupp) has built a government consulting and lobbying practice around helping hospitals seeking certificate of need approval from state regulators to expand bed space or build new medical facilities. She has secured HOW TO REACH HER: CON approval for Email: reitzm@ 25 ambulatory surrwca.com gery centers across the state, including Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi, the only newly licensed hospitals constructed in Michigan in the past two decades. For the past 15 years, Melissa has been engaged in every major public policy change to Michigan’s hospital-licensing law, which governs everything from bed capacity to building design. Her clients include Ascension Michigan, Ciena Healthcare, Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, MidMichigan Health and Spectrum Health. In May, Melissa’s all-women government affairs law firm changed its name from RWC Advocacy to McCall Hamilton. The firm is now named after Eva McCall Hamilton, Michigan’s first elected female legislator who won a single Senate term in 1920, the year women gained the right to vote in Michigan. Melissa’s firm was founded in 1989 as Wiener Associates and changed its name to RWC Advocacy in 2011.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Brendan has a network of deep relationships at the Capitol that he uses to identify the right opportunities to push a bill at the right time, with the right champion. His lobbying achievements for clients include passage of the HOW TO REACH HIM: Michigan Indian Email: brendan@ Family Preservamlcmi.com tion Act, implementing Michigan’s high school dropout recovery program and helping guide the recent enactment of Michigan’s state and local taxes (SALT) cap deduction. Brendan’s lobbying clients include Zillow, McDonald’s, Fifth Third Bank and the Huron Band of the Potawatomi. Before joining Michigan Legislative Consultants in 2004, Brendan spent a dozen years working as a staffer in the Legislature. As the son of a Dutch immigrant, Brendan is a founding member of the West Michigan Global Initiative, where he helped initiate the state’s first formal state trade mission to the Netherlands. Brendan’s partners in Michigan Legislative Consultants are firm President Tim Ward and Tony Des Chenes.

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Co-leader, Governmental Relations and Regulatory Practice Group

Partner

Owner & CEO

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Scofes & Associates Consulting Inc.

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Why he should be on your speed dial: Tyrone is a 25-year veteran lobbyist at one of Lansing’s oldest lobbying firms who specializes in gaming law and regulations, telecommunications and corporate law and state and local governmental procurement. As MGM Grand Detroit’s lead external lobbyist, Tyrone helped the casino operator win passage of HOW TO REACH HIM: new laws authorizing sports and onEmail: sanders@ line betting in paaonline.com Michigan. His career highlights include lobbying on behalf of the Ontario Truckers Association and Transport Canada to secure an agreement to construct the Gordie Howe International Bridge. He also was the lead lobbyist for a coalition that convinced the Legislature to require health insurance companies to cover autism therapies. Tyrone’s clients include C.L. Moore & Associates Inc., DTE Energy Co., Detroit Manufacturing Systems, H&R Block, Kellogg Company, Waste Management, the Ascension Michigan health care system, the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, Professional Psychological & Psychiatric Services Inc., the Wayne County Airport Authority and the Oakland County Commission. Tyrone is an attorney and has been with PAA since 2004 after six years of lobbying for two AT&T predecessors, SBC Communications and Ameritech.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Steve and his firm specialize in procurement of government information technology and cybersecurity contracts for IT companies. Scofes has worked in government affairs for nearly 40 years in Lansing and Washington, D.C., including as a lobbyist for the Michigan Dental Association, the former Highway Users Federation HOW TO REACH HIM: and the now-defunct Michigan Email: steve@ Merchants Counscofesconsulting.com cil. In 1995, Steve formed his own multiclient lobbying firm. His practice is focused in the areas of energy, environmental, gaming, IT, pharmaceuticals and transportation policy. Steve’s lobbying and consulting clients include Blackstone, Dell Technologies, Eli Lilly, Ellucian, Google Cloud, Intel, Kroger Co., the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Nokia of America Corp., ServiceNow Inc. and the global biopharmaceutical company UCB Inc. Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark is one of Steve’s business partners in consulting on procurement of U.S. Department of Defense contracts. Scofes & Associates has offices in Lansing, Chicago, Austin, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.

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MainStreet Legislative Consulting Services LLC

Why he should be on your speed dial: Jared is deeply connected in West Michigan business and political circles, having co-founded the West Michigan Policy Forum in 2011, a public policy organization for Grand Rapids-area businesses that’s closely aligned with the DeVos family. He’s now running a boutique lobbying firm that the Small Business AssociaHOW TO REACH HIM: tion of Michigan started to create a Email: Jared.Rodridirect lobbying guez@mainstreetlc.com service for smaller companies that typically can’t afford large multiclient firms that cater to big corporate clients. Jared joined MainStreet in late 2020 and became managing partner in 2021 following the retirement of Goeff Hansen, a former state senator who founded the firm. Jared previously was CEO of his own firm, Calder Group LLC, a multiclient issue advocacy, political campaign and nonprofit management firm he founded in 2013 after leaving WMPF. Jared’s clients include the Childcare Providers Association of Michigan, the Metamora Land Preservation Alliance and Metamora Preservation Advocacy Fund, the Michigan Greenhouse Growers Council, Square One Education Network in Waterford Township and the Michigan Association of Security and Investigative Professionals.

22 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

Honigman LLP

Why he should be on your speed dial: Peter literally got rid of the smoke-filled rooms in Lansing. He is credited with lobbying for the successful passage of Michigan’s landmark 2009 law banning smoking in restaurants, bars and workplaces. Peter, with two decades in the Lansing lobby corps, specializes in education, health, HOW TO REACH HIM: workforce development, state apEmail: pruddell@ propriations and honigman.com election law matTwitter: @ruddellp ters before the Legislature and regulatory agencies in the executive branch. He joined Honigman’s Lansing office as partner in the law firm in 2018, co-leading the governmental relations practice with longtime Lansing insider Dennis Muchmore and a team that includes Mark Burton, a former chief strategist for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Peter was previously a partner at RWC Advocacy, the government affairs law firm founded by another longtime Lansing insider, Rick Wiener. Peter’s clients at Honigman include Accenture, U.S. Steel, Delta Air Lines and Central Michigan University. His signature bow ties stand out in a crowd in the Capitol.

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Karoub Associates

Michigan Realtors

Detroit Regional Chamber

Why he should be on your speed dial: Jon has been a key player in the passage of several landmark changes to Michigan government over the past three decades. In 31 years at the multiclient lobbying firm referred to as MHSA, Jon counts his appropriations victories in the bilHOW TO REACH HIM: lions of dollars. Email: jsmalley@ He’s lobbied for mhsa.com several major new laws, including the implementation of managed care for Michigan’s Medicaid insurance for the poor; the expansion of Medicaid eligibility for low-income adults; the establishment of Michigan’s charter school law; and major public infrastructure projects that include the expansion of Detroit Metro Airport, Comerica Park, road funding for Oakland County and new buildings at multiple universities and community colleges. His areas of expertise include appropriations, physical and behavioral health, procurement and gaming issues. His biggest clients include BHSH System (the combined entity of Beaumont Health, Spectrum Health and Priority Health), International Gaming Technologies, HTC Global, the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan and the Arab Center for Community and Economic Social Services or ACCESS.

Why she should be on your speed dial: Shelly has been a multiclient lobbyist through four governors and a constantly churning Legislature. Karoub Associates is Michigan’s oldest and largest multiclient lobbying firm and is headquartered just steps from the Capitol. Legislators use HOW TO REACH HER: Karoub’s first-floor Email: sstahl@ event room and bar karoub.com on Allegan Street to host fundraisers for their re-election campaigns and leadership committees, boosting the firm’s profile in Lansing’s competitive lobbying industry. Shelly’s lobbying practice includes a focus on public policy affecting gaming, economic development, K-12 and higher education, health care, transportation and workforce development. Her top clients include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Greektown Casino-Hotel, Wayne County, Michigan State University, Plante Moran, the Teamsters union, Apple Inc. and Anheuser-Busch. Shelly joined Karoub in 1997 and previously worked in campaign finance and fundraising for Republicans and former Gov. John Engler.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Brad is the chief lobbyist for Michigan’s trade organization representing 28,000 real estate agents, brokers and other professionals. He was most recently involved in the passage of a new law creating a tax deduction for contributions to savHOW TO REACH HIM: ings accounts for Email: bward@ first-time home mirealtors.com buyers of up to $5,000 for individTwitter: @WardBrad uals and $10,000 for couples. Brad works on legislative and regulatory issues that intersect with real estate transactions, licensing, taxation, finance, environmental issues and land use. He has worked for the Michigan Realtors since 2001, starting as director of legal affairs and a liaison to local Realtor associations in mid- and northern Michigan. Since 2013, Brad has been the Realtors’ head lobbyist and in-house legal counsel. He also manages the association’s policy agenda and grassroots political network.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Brad is the chamber’s day-to-day lobbyist at the Capitol, keeping tabs on everything from policy affecting manufacturers and hospitals to economic development and K-12 and higher education. The chamber and its automotive policy group, HOW TO REACH HIM: MICHauto, lobEmail: bwilliam@ bied for the Legisdetroitchamber.com lature’s December 2021 creation of Twitter: @thebradwilthe Strategic Outliams reach and Attraction Reserve Fund, a $1 billion taxpayer incentives fund used to attract a $6.5 billion investment by General Motors Co. A 14-year veteran of the chamber, Brad is often a key player in getting Detroit-specific public policy through the Legislature. Brad was involved in the successful passage of the 2014 “Grand Bargain” legislation to get Detroit out of bankruptcy. He’s been a leading advocate for expanding mass transit options in Southeast Michigan and works on statewide transportation policy and funding issues. Brad also oversees the chamber’s political action committee. Brad was a 2016 Crain’s 40 under 40 honoree.

CATHY WILSON

JUSTIN WINSLOW

TRACY WINSTON

JAMIE ZANIEWSKI

Executive Director of State Government Affairs

President and CEO

Government Policy Advisor

Consumers Energy

Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association

Director of Government Affairs for Michigan, Ohio and Indiana

Why she should be on your speed dial: Cathy has been Consumers Energy’s principal lobbyist for the past dozen years and with the Jackson-based utility company for 20 years, working with the administrations of four governors, all of their appointees to the Michigan Public Service Commission and an e v e r- c ha n g i n g Legislature due to term limits. All of HOW TO REACH HER: that means continuous relationEmail: catherine. ship-building, eswilson@cmsenergy.com pecially as the Twitter: @cathy_ House’s and Senwilson11 ate’s energy policy committees turn over every two to four years. With her expertise in environmental and energy policy, Cathy was at the negotiating table in 2008 and 2016 to win bipartisan support for the past two rewrites of Michigan’s renewable energy standards, policies that will guide Consumers Energy’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Prior to joining Consumers in 2001, Cathy was deputy policy director under then-Gov. John Engler.

Why he should be on your speed dial: Justin spent much of the past two years in the trenches of pandemic-era restrictions imposed by state government on the operations of restaurants, bars and hotels. He was the industry’s most prominent lobbyist involved in loosening public health orders that curtailed indoor dining during the height of HOW TO REACH HIM: COVID-19 outbreaks. Justin also Email: jwinslow@ successfully lobmrla.org bied for a liquor Twitter: @jlwinslow1 buyback program, providing short-term financial relief for shuttered bars and restaurants that were sitting on thousands of dollars of inventory during the spring 2020 lockdown. He also advocated for passage of new laws allowing curbside sales of beer, wine and cocktails and the creation of social districts for outdoor alcohol consumption in public spaces. Justin, who started at the Michigan Restaurant Association in 2011 as vice president of government relations, was promoted to CEO in 2015. In 2018, he merged the restaurant group with Check In Michigan — a trade group for hoteliers — to form the MRLA.

Waste Management

Why she should be on your speed dial: Tracy joined Waste Management Inc. as the waste hauling giant’s top lobbyist in Lansing in April following three years of lobbying for the Dykema law firm’s clients at the Capitol. At Dykema, Tracy worked for clients on tax policy issues, economic development, higher education, HOW TO REACH HER: auto insurance, local government, Email: twinston@ Medicaid reform wm.com and appropriations for the departments of Health and Human Services and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Tracy previously worked in the Michigan House as a policy adviser, focused on Medicaid work requirements, no-fault auto insurance reform in 2019 and MDHHS’ multibillion-dollar budget. A licensed attorney in Michigan and Texas, Tracy previously worked in private practice in family law, estate planning and business formations. Her career in public affairs started in the Texas House of Representatives as a staffer for the defense and veteran affairs commitee. She is the current chair of Lansing Mayor Andy Schor’s neighborhood advisory board.

Dykema Gossett PLLC

Why she should be on your speed dial: Jamie specializes in public policy impacting the health care, insurance and nonprofit sectors. She has shepherded legislation impacting Michigan’s insurance accreditation status, the state’s certificate of need standards for health care facilities and the public health and mental health codes. Her clients include the HOW TO REACH HER: Michigan Association of Health Email: JZaniewski@ Plans, Health Allidykema.com ance Plan, the Michigan Nonprofit Association, Michigan Saves, Service Corporation International, Families Against Narcotics and Universal Health Services. She’s been a lobbyist with the law firm Dykema Gossett PLLC since 2017. Jamie was previously a policy advisor in former Gov. Rick Snyder’s office and the Republican Senate majority’s office. She has a background in health care administration, having started her career as a contractor administrator for Beaumont Health System before going to work for Senate Republicans.

MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 23

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THE QUESTION OF WEED: Should Michigan set aside old pot convictions? PAGE 28 COMMENTARY: ‘Jobs Court’ can open doors to employment, AG Dana Nessel writes. PAGE 30

EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS

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GAME K’Juane Isaac poses for a portrait in his home in Detroit. Isaac is in the process of getting more than one felony expunged. | NIC ANTAYA/SPECIAL TO CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

Michigan has a groundbreaking felony expungement law. Why have so few benefited from it? | BY CHAD LIVENGOOD caine in April 2014 that are eligible for expungement — or set aside where a past crime no longer appears in criminal background checks — under a law that went into effect in April 2021. Some 13 months later, though, Isaac was still waiting for final court approval in Wayne County to remove the gun conviction from his record, meaning he was still a convicted felon and ineligible to obtain a better-paying job in the union. Isaac’s application for expungement of both his past crimes could WE PUT THIS PAPERWORK IN OVER A not be done in tandem. And both got YEAR AGO. ... AND THEY’RE JUST slowed by a court and criminal justice DRAGGING THEIR FEET.” system that’s been — K’Juane Isaac inundated with backlogs and worker shortages But in order to be a UAW officer, during the pandemic. you can’t be a convicted felon. “I haven’t been in trouble in years. I Isaac had two felony convictions for meet the criteria,” Isaac said. “I’ve possession of an unlicensed condone everything I was supposed to cealed handgun during a traffic stop in do. We put this paperwork in over a December 2013 and possession of coOver a year ago, Detroiter K’Juane Isaac set out to get two criminal convictions from 2013 and 2014 wiped off his record using a new law designed to give people a clean slate — and better prospects for jobs and housing. Isaac, 35, had been planning to seek election as a union shop steward for the United Auto Workers — a job that pays roughly double what he makes at Stellantis NV’s Sterling Heights Assembly Plant repairing trim parts on new Ram pickup trucks.

26 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

year ago. ... And they’re just dragging their feet.” Isaac’s case underscores a lingering barrier to employment in Michigan: If you are convicted of a crime, no matter how long ago or whether you already paid your debts to society, exercising a legal right to get the conviction erased from public records takes time, persistence, patience and, in some cases, money to hire a lawyer. His attorney, Paul Tylenda of Tylenda Law PLLC in Grosse Pointe Farms, said getting a crime expunged under the new law has “turned into the old message in a bottle” in order to get approvals from the county prosecutor where the crime occurred, the Michigan State Police, the attorney general’s office, and, eventually, a judge. “I’m going to put this (expungement application) in a bottle, I’m going to throw it out into the ocean and I’m going to wait and see what happens,” Tylenda said. “And I’m going to wait, and I’m going to wait and I’m

Number of expungement applications In the five years before the pandemic, the attorney general’s office averaged fewer than 3,100 applications for expungement of criminal records annually. In the first four months of this year, the number of applications exceeds the pre-pandemic annual average. A 2020 law loosening restrictions on expungements went into effect in April 2021. 8,000 7,037

7,000 6,000 5,000 3,771

4,000

3,470

3,000 2,000

3,350

3,325

3,206 2,384

1,446

1,000 0

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021 2022** * County courts were closed for much of 2020 due to COVID-19, leading to a drastic reduction in expungement applications. ** Total number of applications from Jan. 1 through April 30 of this year. SOURCE: MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE

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Kendra Buckingham (left), 31, of Inkster, reads over her criminal history report from a 2015 home invasion conviction during an expungement fair outside of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in downtown Flint. She was joined by her friend Talicia Harris, 33, of Detroit, who also was convicted in the same home invasion charge. Both women are trying to get their records wiped clean in order to improve their job prospects. | CHAD LIVENGOOD/CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

going to wait and not necessarily have any way of tracking that bottle as it drifts in the ocean — and maybe one day somebody will find my message and respond.”

Justice delayed? Law enforcement officials acknowledge Michigan’s expungement system has a monthslong backlog in most cases, caused by both internal government worker shortages and a massive influx of applications since the new law went into effect and advocacy groups started raising public awareness about the tens of thousands of residents who qualify to have their criminal records erased. “We’re all short-staffed and we could all use additional people,” said Eaton County Prosecutor Douglas Lloyd, president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan. “It’s a slow process because when you open the door and say, ‘All of these crimes have the right to be expunged’ and then on top of that local organizations are working to help people obtain those expungements and then on top of that you have a pandemic that shuts down government, that’s going to overload the local courts as well as the other government (agencies).” Criminal defense attorneys and advocates for previously incarcerated citizens say most expungement applications get an initial court date set that has to be rescheduled multiple times because of delays in the approval process. Tylenda said he’s had multiple clients whose journey through the expungement process has taken six to nine months since the new law took effect. The bureaucratic delays, Tylenda said, are akin to “justice delayed is justice denied.” Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office has a backlog in expungement applications “just short of two months” from the time a criminal history report arrives from the state police to the time its office responds, spokeswoman Amber McCann said. (The AG’s website says “the current

wait time to receive a response from the attorney general’s office is approximately six months.”) McCann said the AG’s office is dealing with triple the number of expungement applications and a small team of four employees to handle the influx of requests. Before the law change, the AG’s office had one full-time attorney and a paralegal to handle expungements. Since the change, that team has been doubled in size, McCann said. But the volume of monthly applications for crimes to be expunged has more than tripled. In April 2019, the AG’s office handled 284 expungement requests. Last month, the office handled 910. “Our department is also working to augment our technology to speed up the review process,” McCann said in an email to Crain’s. “We believe the additional staff and upgrade in technology will help to eliminate the existing backlog.” As a matter of practice, court clerks previously set a hearing within 56 days, giving the attorney general’s office a deadline to complete its review of each expungement application. Changes in court practices in recent years eliminated the 56-day deadline, giving the attorney general’s office more time to respond, Tylenda said. “The government saying ‘we’re not behind’ is the oldest story in the book,” Tylenda said.

What can and can’t be expunged Michigan’s new expungement laws, some of the most expansive in the nation, were approved by a Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic governor in the fall of 2020 after years of debate about the effectiveness of leaving the blemish of a felony or misdemeanor offense on one’s records for years, or even decades, after the fact. The new laws increased the number of felonies that can be expunged from one to three and expanded the scope of expungements to include a

number of non-assaultive crimes, first-time drunken driving convictions and marijuana convictions for possession or use of the drug that’s now legal in Michigan. Lawmakers also made most traffic offenses eligible for expungement, including convictions for reckless driving, driving on a suspended license or no license and traffic misdemeanors like driving with an expired license plate or without auto insurance.

“It was so expansive that even I was surprised,” said Barton Morris Jr., criminal defense attorney with the Law Office of Barton Morris in Royal Oak. Morris said he’s seen a large increase in clients since the law took effect in April 2021 — and it’s not necessarily because people need to rid themselves of a felony to get a better job. “One of the reasons people most want felonies expunged is they want the ability to possess and carry a firearm,” Morris said. “That’s the No. 1 thing — they can’t be in possession of a firearm.” Lawmakers also authorized an automatic mass expungement in 2023 that will erase certain crimes from public record as prescribed by a computer algorithm still being developed. “The automatic process is truly a scalable solution that’s going to seal a lot of people’s records in this state,” said John Cooper, executive director of Safe & Just Michigan, a Lansing-based nonpartisan organization that advocated for the clean slate laws. The law excludes from expungement assaultive crimes that are punishable by up to life in prison, such as murder, and traffic offenses that cause injury or death, criminal sexual conduct and second-degree child abuse, as well as using a computer to commit a sex crime and human trafficking offenses. Any crime punishable by 10 or more years in prison also is ineligible to be set aside. And even though marijuana can now be legally possessed in small quantities, past convictions for large-scale marijuana growing and distribution also are ineligible for expungement. Brandon Davis, a former prosecutor in Wayne and Muskegon counties, said there are still some gray areas in

the law that need to be cleared up. For example, assault with intent to cause great bodily harm is a conviction that can be expunged. But assault with intent to murder cannot be set aside, he said. “That assault with intent to murder in Calhoun County may have been charged as assault with intent to do great bodily harm in another county,” said Davis, who now runs Grand Rapids’ expungement program. “It’s difficult to legislate for the gray area.” Davis said a more clear-cut shortcoming is a law that makes stealing from a safe “punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for life,” according to the Prohibition-era statute. Some prosecutors in Michigan have convicted defendants on that charge for stealing from an open safe during an unarmed robbery of a party store, Davis said. “Those type of crimes, to me, should be expunged,” Davis said. “But based on the way the law is written, it would never be expungeable.” “I wish there was some discretionary component where judges could at least consider those type of life offenses,” Davis added.

‘It’s a hindrance’ The new law allows felonies more than five years old to be expunged, cutting the previous waiting period in half. That prompted 31-year-old Kendra Buckingham of Inkster and 33-yearold Talicia Harris of Detroit to drive to Flint on a recent Wednesday for an expungement fair outside of the Genesee County sheriff’s office. Buckingham and Harris were both convicted of home invasion in 2015 during what they said was a fight with See WAITING GAME on Page 29

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Should Michigan set aside old pot convictions? BY CHAD LIVENGOOD

Michigan residents can freely purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for recreational use. They also can grow up to 12 cannabis plants in their basement without fear of prosecution, thanks to a 2018 voter-approved law loosening Michigan’s decades-old prohibition of weed. But if they were convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in the past for exceeding these limits, even by a few plants, they can’t get that conviction wiped off their record under a set of expungement laws that went on the books a year ago. Advocates for individuals who were prosecuted for marijuana crimes prior to 2018 argue this is an injustice given that Michigan has created a booming billion-dollar industry around the cultivation, distribution and sale of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use. “There are people doing those things making millions of dollars while some are still suffering under the old system where that was a crime,” said state Rep. Yousef Rahbi,

gan, which lobbied against opening D-Ann Arbor. A series of new laws that went into up more marijuana convictions to effect in April 2021 opened up the Michigan’s mass expungement law. “If you were in a position (in the door for tens of thousands of criminal convictions older than five years past) where you were dealing drugs to be set aside and cleared from pub- illegally, well, that was a crime then, lic records used in employment and it still is now,” he said. Rahbi believes the hard-line background checks. That included civil infractions and stance of some prosecutors keeps misdemeanors for possession, grow- many individuals with past marijuaing and dealing of small amounts of na convictions from being able to pot, as well as misdemeanor charges move up the economic ladder. Lawmakers have just “scratched for possession of marijuana parathe surface in what needs to be done” phernalia, such as pipes and bongs. But lawmakers didn’t want to open to wipe marijuana convictions from the floodgates of expungement after groups NEW LAWS OPENED UP THE DOOR representing police officers and prosecutors ar- FOR MANY CONVICTIONS OLDER gued that the new high- THAN FIVE YEARS TO BE SET ASIDE. ly regulated cannabis industry was set up to eliminate the people’s records, Rahbi said. “Clearly, the voters have spoken black market that dominated mariand have a different, more modern, juana culture for decades. “It’s still illegal — if you’re not pos- perspective on marijuana,” Rahbi sessing it correctly you can still be said. “But I think there’s many law charged with the larger quantities of enforcement and folks in the crimimarijuana,” Eaton County Prosecu- nal justice system — judges, prosecutors, etc. — that have a more antitor Douglas Lloyd said. Lloyd is president of the Prosecut- quated approach to cannabis and ing Attorneys Association of Michi- cannabis use in general.”

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From Page 27

the girlfriend of Harris’ father that spilled into the woman’s home, resulting in a charge by the Wayne County prosecutor’s office of third degree home invasion — a five-year felony. They said it was one bad day in their lives that went horribly wrong. Home invasion on their record conjures up images of forceful entry, Buckingham said. “That’s what employers think when they see it,” she said. “After my background check comes in, I get fired — unless it’s like Taco Bell.” Harris said she’s trying to shed the felony so she can break out of factory and warehouse jobs. “I want it off my record so I can go work at Quicken Loans,” said Harris, referring to the Detroit-based online mortgage giant now known as Rocket Mortgage. For Isaac, the lifelong Detroiter is just trying to move on from a past life on the streets, where he said carrying a handgun is a means of survival. Isaac said his December 2013 conviction for having a concealed gun in his car followed by the drug possession charge a few months later set him back in life. He previously worked at credit unions and a Comcast call center. But his felonies blocked him from that line of employment. “When you have a criminal record, they don’t want you working around

Social Security numbers and credit cards,” Isaac said. “Pretty much factory work, manual labor, those are the only jobs you can get with a record.” Isaac’s felonies bar him from living in apartments, condominiums and other co-joined rental housing. In April 2021, Isaac’s lawyer filed a motion with the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County to expunge the drug charge. The attorney general’s office greenlighted that expungement in late July 2021, Tylenda said. But because of how the expungement process is set out in law, Isaac had to wait until December to get the older gun charge cleared from his record, according to his attorney. “You’re going backwards down the timeline to erase all of these events,” Tylenda said. The law doesn’t allow an individual to seek up to three felonies expunged all at once. “It would make sense, but it’s one of those things where how do you write that instruction (into law)?” Tylenda said. As a result, Isaac missed an opportunity to run for a UAW shop steward election at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights truck assembly plant on May 2. The attorney general’s office signed off on Isaac’s expungement application May 5, his lawyer said. “The (union) election I was supposed to be in this year I missed because we couldn’t get the court paperwork to get (approved by a judge) before the election,” Isaac said. “And we started on this process a year ago in anticipation of the election.”

Expungements denied when residents owe BY CHAD LIVENGOOD

Court debtors need not apply. That’s the message from legal aid organizations and advocates of the formerly incarcerated for individuals trying to get an old criminal conviction removed from their public record. Michigan’s 2021 law expanding the expungements comes with a caveat — those who owe unpaid fines and fees at the courthouse still have to cough up the money. Detroit’s Project Clean Slate, a unit of attorneys within the city’s law department that helps Detroiters apply for expungement of past criminal convictions, won’t even submit an application for expungement to Wayne County judges until a person’s fines are paid in full. “In order to put our resources in the best spot, we don’t open files if money is owed,” said Stephani LaBelle, executive director of Detroit’s Project Clean Slate program. “That’s not to say that somebody who has other convictions on their record for which they don’t owe money, we will open for those.” In 2021, more than 11,000 Detroiters applied for an expungement of

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a criminal conviction that’s eligible to be wiped clear from their record, LaBelle said. For individuals living in poverty, old court fees and fines can be a Catch-22, advocates say. They can’t get a better job to pay off their debts to the judicial system because of the felony conviction on their record that they’re trying to get erased, said Nicole Neal Goodson, president and CEO of the Legal Aid & Defender Association Inc., a Detroit-based nonprofit that helps indigent Wayne County residents navigate the criminal justice system. But Neal Goodson’s organization advises individuals with court debts against seeking expungements until their debts are paid in full. “The down side of that is if the court decides to rule and deny them because of (unpaid fees), they can’t re-apply (for expungement) for three years,” Neal Goodson said. One problem with old convictions is the court records on fines, fees and restitution may be outdated, particularly in Wayne County’s 3rd Circuit Court, she said. “Honestly, I don’t think they’re all accurate,” Neal Goodson said. “So that’s the barrier.”

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Managed care: Advancing affordable individualized care Dominick Pallone is the Executive Director of Michigan Association of Health Plans. How many of us really know the costs or medical efficacy behind every prescription drug we take? It’s tough enough to pronounce the drug names correctly, let alone recall the laundry list of side effects. I am reminded of a standup comedy routine by Jerry Seinfeld where he talks about how drug companies view their customers. Like the illustration, we are viewed as the classic picture of a human body, face turned sideways, extremities extended, no eyes and our mouths always wide open ready to ingest the medicine they’re prescribing. Unfortunately, we often blindly and inherently trust the opinions of our doctor and the marketing suggestions of drug makers when it comes to medicine. Furthermore, our doctors and drug makers are too often unable to quantify the anticipated cost of the treatment they are suggesting compared to other equally effective treatment options. That can be a dangerous combination and a sure sign that individualized care is lacking, and out of touch with keeping healthcare affordable.

This is why health insurance providers are constantly working to deploy and improve utilization management best practices and value-based payment models. Health insurance providers initiate techniques that doctors and drug makers must follow such as prior authorizations, step therapy and other protocols for using equally effective generic medications first. • Do you think drug makers want you to try a similar or cheaper medicine that costs you less before taking their brand name drug? Unlikely. • Do you think your well-intended doctor is fully aware of the costs you could otherwise avoid if they used other similar forms of treatments or drugs they’re prescribing you? Unlikely. These daunting tasks should not fall on you alone! Your health insurance provider strives to force doctors and drug companies to develop individualized treatment plans by prioritizing the medical efficacy of their customer’s care at the right cost.

these changes interfere with medical privileges. They have called for the elimination of prior authorizations, step therapies, and other such utilization management controls that have unfortunately become the only way to keep healthcare affordable. These best practices simply require their justifications for medical procedures and encourage the use of clinically appropriate, safe, and less expensive treatments and similar medicines first, which cost you less. They don’t like the checks and balances because these changes are forcing them to engage and understand their patients’ health care benefits more personally. Hopefully, the days of a doctor telling you to call your insurer after your visit to find out the costs of their treatment or their prescription will be a thing of the past. Imagine a day when patients won’t have to navigate the costs of prescription medications or medical treatments alone. Until then, health plans will lead the way to keep healthcare affordable by pushing drug makers and doctors to better understand and individualize their care for you.

In recent months, doctors and drug manufactures have targeted health insurance providers for these valuecentric changes. They like to argue that

MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 29

EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS COMMENTARY

‘Jobs Court’ opens doors to employment

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30 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

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her public safety spending s Michigan emergpriorities in her budget. es from the past The next step is for legislatwo pandemic tive Republicans to inyears, the time for innovaclude funding for the protive programs that help gram in the budget they raise up our residents and will soon deliver to the grow our economy is now. governor’s desk for her The time has come to fully signature. fund and implement Jobs This is a smart criminal Court. If given the choice Dana Nessel, a between prison time or Democrat, is the justice reform that adgetting a job, I believe attorney general dresses two dire needs: matching employers with most people would of Michigan. able-bodied workers and choose to go to work. Jobs reducing the cost and Court is that choice. strain on our criminal justice sysIt is a prosecutorial diversion tem. program that addresses both the Participants would be monitored backlog of criminal cases created by for one year and be required to the pandemic and the need to promaintain frequent and open lines of vide eligible pretrial defendants communication with the employer with an opportunity to obtain and and wraparound services from the maintain gainful employment. state of Michigan to ensure acThe initiative, part of the larger countability and compliance with MI Safe Communities framework the requirements of the program. laid out by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Prosecutors would have the option would make a $5.5 million investto dismiss charges against Jobs ment to establish a pilot program in Court participants who successfully Wayne, Genesee and Marquette complete the program. counties. Up to 450 eligible defenI have already heard from job dants accused of low-level, nonvioproviders across Michigan that are lent crimes would have the opporeager to partner on this project. tunity to obtain and maintain Our employers are in need of a gainful employment. workforce with the motivation to Connecting participants to a job get and keep a job. This program and providing appropriate services capitalizes on that need and reducand support options, can ensure ines the heavy burden on our courts dividuals who interact with the and our criminal justice system. criminal justice system have an opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive outcome I HAVE ALREADY HEARD FROM JOB through Jobs Court. PROVIDERS ACROSS MICHIGAN Participants will receive employment con- THAT ARE EAGER TO PARTNER ON nections, assessment THIS PROJECT. and referral to services, as well as active superJobs Court can break the cycle of vision, to ensure that needed serrecidivism and place residents who vices are available and utilized. want to be employed into a marketJobs Court participants would place clamoring for workers. also be able to use wraparound soIt checks all of the boxes: it’s cial services, such as mental health smart on crime, reduces the burcare, transportation to and from den on our criminal justice system, work, and access to a social worker puts offenders on a permanent with the goal of putting participants path to success, helps our local in the best possible position to sucbusinesses, and makes our comceed. munities safer. Whitmer made good on her comJobs Court is an innovative solumitment to support this initiative tion and a worthy investment. by highlighting Jobs Court as one of

COMMENTARY

Give inmates an education and they’ll be less likely to re-offend

s Michiganders, we pride ourselves in coming together on practical ways to address complicated issues in our state. Today, violence has risen in places from which law enforcement has retreated, and there is distrust between communities and those sworn to protect them. Public safety is a core function of government that requires practical, proven and effective approaches. Michigan families can rest assured that the Legislature is currently considering solutions that can reduce repeat crime, expand the workforce, and make everyone safer along the way. The Safer Michigan Act is a bipartisan package of public safety bills that have garnered the support of crime victims, law enforcement, faith communities, and business leaders throughout the state. These bills would implement two buckets of reforms designed to target the root causes of crime. First, it would establish incentives for eligible prison inmates — who will eventually be released back into their communities — to participate and complete rehabilitation programs such as education and job training. These programs prepare them for life outside prison, setting them up for successfully rejoining the workforce and reducing the chances that they would reoffend and re-victimize. Those convicted of the most violent and serious crimes would not qualify. But for those who are allowed to participate, they would be held accountable and do their time, while they learn the tools needed to earn their own success, contribute to the

State Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian, represents the 57th House District in Lenawee County. David Guenthner is the senior strategist for state affairs at the Mackinac Policy Center, a Midland-based conservative think tank. state’s economy, and support themselves and their families. Opponents claim to represent victims and argue that they won’t support such an approach. To the contrary, victim groups like Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice — which represents thousands of victims in Michigan alone — strongly support this legislation. Throughout the sentencing process, survivors and their families would be kept informed every step of the way. And importantly, this reform would only look forward. Other states with similar programs have seen resounding success. According to a recent report co-authored by two renowned former corrections officials, Ohio prisoners who took part in a college degree program while behind bars were half as likely to commit new crimes. These programs also lead to millions of dollars worth of savings for taxpayers, with Pennsylvania saving more than $400 million after 10 years. Besides tackling cycles of crime,

the Safer Michigan Act expands support for victims of crime and their families. Earlier this month, House Bills 4674 and 4675 — which reform the victims compensation program — passed out of both chambers and now await Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature. These reforms are historic for Michigan. These bills expand access to the victim compensation program so that all victims of violent crime can apply and have more time to do so. Under existing law, Michiganders have only 48 hours to report a crime to be eligible for the program. These reforms eliminate these limits, and lengthen the time frame needed to apply from one year to five years. Additionally, the spending cap for compensation coverage will increase, so that it can cover actual costs resulting from victimization, such as funerals, lost wages, or relocation. When we support victims, we give them hope and prevent them from falling into cycles of trauma. And when we safely reduce victimization by incentivizing rehabilitation for those who are coming home from prison one day, we strengthen communities and our economy. Michigan families deserve to feel safer and to have an economy that includes everyone. The Safer Michigan Act gets us there. The Legislature took one big step forward in reforming victims compensation. We should now finish the job by passing the part of the Safer Michigan Act that directly addresses rehabilitation, a widely praised policy that makes our communities safer and can truly make a positive difference in all of our lives.

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EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS COMMENTARY

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mistakes of my youth, I was or adults living in Michready to get my own place. igan with a criminal I found a house for lease history, most of whom close to my aging grandare parents and grandparmother and decided to apents, recently passed Clean ply. I had been denied preSlate legislation means not viously, but that was when having to worry about who I had first come home. I will give them the opportuniwas light years away from ty to feed and house their that. I had taken accountfamilies. Ashley Goldon ability, served my time and For the rest of us who are is the statewide redeemed myself through ineligible, however, we con- program years of service, advocacy tinue to quietly suffer in director of and academic excellence. endless pursuit of meeting Nation Outside, I toured the home with our most basic of needs. a Genesee the property manager and Take myself, for instance. County deputy was completely upfront I was sentenced to three sheriff and a about my record. She asyears in the Michigan De- second-year sured me exceptions were partment of Corrections as doctoral made for circumstances a young person. Almost a candidate of like mine. After bouts of decade post release, after social work at homelessness earning a bachelor’s degree the University of transient and moving nine times in in psychology, a dean’s Southern nine years relying on scholarship to the Universi- California. friends and family for ty of Southern California for housing, I was relieved to graduate school, and years finally be obtaining my own shelter. of being the first to arrive and the last A short time later, I received an to leave work, I made it to manageemail stating I had been denied. I felt ment, overseeing therapeutic prohopeless. I had done everything gramming for hundreds of youth at right. How could this be? I called the one of the largest child welfare faciliproperty manager and asked to ties in Southeast Michigan. Having a speak with the director. successful career, a decent credit “Ma’am, the system says you don’t score and coming so far from the

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ing the way he spoke to me. Isn’t there anything we can do? Isn’t this employment discrimination? How are we supposed to take care of ourselves?” All good questions, but I didn’t have an answer. Sadly, despite all my progress, if I were to lose my job or home again today, I would be in the same boat. And so, I have my own question: When we preclude Michiganders who are ineligible for a clean slate from the very things they need to survive and contribute to their communities, are we really improving public health and safety?

Michigan’s economy includes returning citizens Ashley Carter is director of the Michigan Justice Fund. Ric DeVore is president of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Between 2 million and 3 million people in Michigan have a criminal conviction. More than 8,000 come home from prison each year across the state. To realize Michigan’s full economic promise, we must support the economic mobility of these returning

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conviction from three decades ago that she didn’t qualify. She was frantic. “Now I cannot get approved for public housing. I need a place to live for me and my granddaughter. What am I supposed to do?” Another peer who had been out of prison for several years reached out upset after having been, not only denied a job, but berated for being a “bad person” by the hiring director. “Do you have this in writing?” I asked. “No, they asked me to call so he could explain verbally,” the peer replied. “It was so hurtful and degrad-

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qualify due to your gun felony. We don’t want to impose risk to the community. There’s nothing I can do.” I tried to reason with her to no avail. “I am responsible for the state’s youth. Surely, I am responsible enough to rent a house.” Unfortunately, this is not uncommon for adults who have convictions on their record that carry up to a life sentence. My dear friend Lisa, a mother of three, called me one day after being recently released. I recalled in our last conversation she mentioned finally securing a job interview with a local motel. “So, how did it go?” I asked with excitement, expecting to hear good news. “They told me I wasn’t even good enough to clean up after people,” she replied. In my current work as statewide program director of Nation Outside, a Michigan based grassroots and advocacy organization entirely led by the formerly incarcerated, we have been providing technical assistance for clean slate expungement clinics all over the state. In confirming people for pre-registration, I had to break the news to a grandmother with a drug trafficking

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Don’t forget those of us who can’t get a ‘clean slate’

citizens. Involvement in the criminal legal system can significantly impact an individual’s access to employment, housing and other opportunities. This harms individuals and families and further constrains the economic development of communities that an inordinate share of individuals with criminal records call home. There is a direct link between lack of investment in community resources, socioeconomic disparities and incarceration rates. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by incarceration in Michigan. Black people represent roughly 14% of the population, but a staggering 53% of the state’s incarcerated population. These cycles of poverty, racism and imprisonment have garnered the

philanthropic community’s attention. In 2020, initiated by Melanca Clark, president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and several other funders established the Michigan Justice Fund to advance equitable justice policy and support transformational change taking place in communities throughout the state. The collaborative, which the Community Foundation manages, has grown to include 14 national and local foundations. The Michigan Justice Fund has invested more than $5 million in organizations throughout the state that focus on issues in the criminal legal system. One of the Michigan Justice Fund’s key objectives is to improve economic outcomes for people impacted by mass incarceration. Many of our organizational partners work to break down employment barriers for returning citizens. For example, a Michigan Justice Fund grantee, the New Beginnings program, which is based at the Women’s Resource Center in western Michigan, helps women in Kent County Jail find jobs after incarceration. Services include mentoring, individualized employment plans and connection to community resources. Eighty-five percent of the center’s clients secure employment and 86% remain

employed six months later. The Flint-based M.A.D.E. Institute, another Michigan Justice Fund grantee, gives returning citizens practical items like hygiene products and clothing, as well as pens and briefcases to take to interviews. M.A.D.E. Institute also helps its clients find affordable housing and train for work as entrepreneurs or in the Green Collar Economy. The Michigan Justice Fund is proud to support these programs and other initiatives designed to expand access to economic opportunity. Returning citizens are valuable contributors to our workforce and provide energy and ideas that stimulate our statewide economy. Michigan can and should do better. State and local governments currently offer an inconsistent patchwork of resources and access to opportunity that is often jurisdictionally determined. This area is ripe for innovation and exciting programming. Apprenticeship programs led by the small business community and public-private partnership pilots designed to address gaps in our current workforce would place Michigan at the forefront of economic development nationwide.

transportation, housing and childcare needs would revitalize our current approaches to reentry. Relying less on incarceration, which the state currently funds to the tune of $2 billion per year, and more on community-based reentry supports designed to catalyze pathways to higher education and job opportunities for this unique population, can have a measurable impact on our statewide economy. We also should ensure eligible individuals have the support they need to take advantage of Clean Slate legislation Michigan passed in 2020. Clean Slate helps residents more easily set aside public criminal records and broaden their access to employment opportunities. Michigan Justice Fund partner Safe & Just Michigan has been instrumental in advancing these efforts. Michigan must focus on building strong, thriving communities and an inclusive economy. Investing in returning citizens’ success reduces crime, curbs recidivism and helps to build a brighter future for impacted individuals, their families and communities, and our entire state. Visit cfsem.org/justice to learn more about the Michigan Justice Fund.

Our collective acknowledgment of the complexity of rebuilding life after incarceration also is essential to returning citizens’ success. Wraparound services contemplative of

MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 31

EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS COMMENTARY

Continued injustice in ‘heavy-handed’ war on drugs

At the same time, we still hen Michigan vothave too many people who ers overwhelmcontinue to be haunted by ingly passed canthe ghosts of prohibition. nabis legalization and regThousands of people conulation in 2018, they did so tinue to have jobs, student with the understanding that loans or housing opportuit would come with several nities denied to them simbenefits for our state. Many ply because they have a of those promises have past cannabis offense on been fulfilled, but we’re still Ryan Basore is their record. leaving too many people CEO of Past convictions are also behind. Redemption preventing parents from Michigan ranks third in Cannabis and participating in their kids’ the nation in terms of jobs founder of The school activities. We created, with more than Redemption 31,000 directly employed by Foundation and should not be punishing people for something they the cannabis industry. Great Lakes did in the past that is now And last year, the state Expungement legal today, but here we treasury took in $172 mil- Network. are. lion in excise tax revenue Our lawmakers recogdedicated toward local govnized the unfairness of this situation ernments where cannabis businessand attempted to address the legacy es are located and to schools and of prohibition by passing a series of roads statewide. criminal justice reforms that would Most importantly, we are not allow people with low-level cannawasting law enforcement resources bis and other types of minor offenses policing a plant that has real medical a path to clear their records. benefits and that research shows to The Clean Slate legislation went be far less problematic than either into effect in April 2021, giving hope alcohol or tobacco. to roughly 1 million Michiganders Policymakers and cannabis induswho are estimated to be eligible to try insiders from across the country have their records expunged. point to Michigan as a state that is As someone with a criminal regetting legalization right.

cord myself, I know what it’s like to be denied opportunities. I left my corporate insurance job to become one of the early entrants into Michigan’s medical cannabis market and launched one of the state’s first medical provisioning centers shortly after the 2008 medical marijuana law was passed. I paid the price dearly and was sentenced to four years in federal prison for trying to provide medical marijuana to sick people. When I came back to Michigan, I was disqualified from obtaining my own licensed cannabis business. Today, instead of operating my own licensed facility, I run a cannabis brand that licenses my personal story and mission to other growers. We donate 10 percent of the proceeds from Redemption Cannabis products to causes that help right the wrongs of prohibition. We started The Redemption Foundation, which has helped provide resources to free cannabis prisoners like Michael Thompson, a Flint man sentenced to 60 years in prison for selling a few pounds of cannabis. More people like Michael continue to serve time for something that businesses make millions of dollars doing today. Legalization is failing

those individuals. The Redemption Foundation also launched the Great Lakes Expungement Network, which seeks to help people through the state’s new expungement process. GLEN provides free legal support to walk applicants through the process of filling out their application and petitioning their local court to have their record cleared. GLEN has held expungement clinics across the state where more than 1,100 applicants to-date have been fingerprinted and screened for expungement eligibility. Of those applicants, the program has been able to submit expungement applications for nearly 500 people who are now playing a waiting game. The backlog of expungement applications means that it can take up to eight months for people to have their records cleared. Every day they wait means they are delaying improving their lives. It could mean a new job or promotion lost. Or it could mean having to wait until the next semester before they can apply for their student loan and begin working toward a degree that will propel them in their career. Given the fact that only 10,000 of the 1 million eligible Michiganders

statewide have applied to have their records cleared, the backlog is certain to get worse before it gets better unless serious efforts are made to address this issue. Fortunately, Michigan lawmakers are in a position to lift up those who have been left behind by legalization. The state is currently sitting on $2 billion in American Rescue Plan dollars plus one of the largest revenue surpluses in state history. By dedicating just half of one percent of those resources, lawmakers could fund a coordinated statewide expungement program that gives hundreds of thousands of people a chance at a better life. The injustice of cannabis prohibition and the heavy-handed War on Drugs has entrapped people across the state. A recent study published in the Harvard Law Review indicates that people often see their wages rise by 23 percent after having their past conviction cleared. That will translate to more purchasing power to support local small businesses and an economic boost for the entire state. Let’s make sure cannabis legalization works for everyone and not just the select few.

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CARING FOR KIDS

Using ingenuity, creativity to advocate for Michigan kids and families ABOUT THIS REPORT: On this monthly radio program, The Children’s Foundation President and CEO Larry Burns talks to the community, government and business leaders about issues related to children’s health and wellness. This hour-long show typically airs at 7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month on WJR 760AM. Here’s a summary of the show that aired May 24; listen to the entire episode, and archived episodes, at yourchildrensfoundation.org/caring-for-kids

Johnny Crowder

Dr. Janet Nunn, M.D.

Todd Krieger

Founder & CEO, Cope Notes

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Central

Chief Officer of Strategic Partnerships and

Michigan University

Community Affairs, The Children’s Foundation

LARRY BURNS: Larry Burns: What are you seeing in students?

LARRY BURNS: You are the newest member of the leadership team at The Children's Foundation. Tell us about your project we funded while you were at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

LARRY BURNS: Tell me about Cope Notes. JOHNNY CROWDER: Cope Notes sends

randomly timed text messages to train your brain to think in healthier patterns. It could be a psychological fact or a journaling prompt, something to pull you out of a negative thought pattern and catalyze a positive one instead.

Burns: How many of these might occur during a day? Crowder: Usually one or two, based on your preferences. We

realized that if we text people too often, they come to expect the messages and they don’t feel as surprising. If we don’t text people often enough, then it won’t form new neural pathways.

Burns: How do people sign up? Crowder: Go to CopeNotes.com and type in your phone

number.

You can also give gift subscriptions for friends or family members. It’s not just for people who are living with mental illness. We serve many people who are trying to stay on top of stress and take good care of their brains. Burns: What would be an example of a message? Crowder: Half of what makes Cope Notes effective is the actual text

message and the other half is the delivery, the fact that it’s surprising your brain. I like this text a lot: “When anxious, your body hunches over to protect the heart and lungs. Show your body that it’s not in danger by standing up straight with your shoulders back.”

Burns: Could you share some advice? Crowder: Experiencing abuse as a youth made me less trusting of adults. A lot of the people that were trying to help me were kind and professional, but I had this prejudice against them simply because they were adults. They might have reminded me of people who had hurt me. Now, I tell clinicians that some of the resistance they face from a teenager or a child might be because of past experiences that they haven’t shared with you. Establishing trust is where a lot of focus should be. Burns: How would you encourage others to help young loved ones that may be struggling? Crowder: The first thing that helped me was feeling included. I had this narrative in my mind that if I just isolated myself enough, I would be safe. In fact, that put me at greater risk because I was living with fairly severe mental illness. Being included and feeling invited helped combat my tendency to isolate. If there's an opportunity to proactively engage with that child consciously and on purpose, include them in something that you didn't need to include them in.

A companion to that piece of advice is if you can find a way to, when you're having that interaction with them, encourage the sharing of opinions. That will help establish trust and safety, hopefully to the point where if they are experiencing something, they feel safe in telling you. Every ounce of effort you put into building a relationship with a troubled teen is not wasted, even if that teen rejects you.

JANET NUNN: I've been at CMU for

two years working in the student health clinic. The number one concern students have is their inability to focus. They're not able to sustain attention on lectures like they used to. They're very distracted, forgetting things and not retaining information. As a psychiatrist I have the job of determining where the focus issue is coming from. Is it ADHD? Anxiety? Depression? Focus is a pretty common complaint that can overlap with lots of different issues. Anxiety is probably the second most common thing I see, with depression third. Oftentimes anxiety and depression go together. A distant fourth would be people who are presenting with symptoms consistent with bipolar disorder. The age group, 18 to 25-years-old, is when we tend to see that diagnosis first present. I have the honor of seeing people for the first time coming in with those symptoms and treating them from there.

Burns: What are you seeing specifically with freshmen? Nunn: Probably 75 percent of them are coming to me never

having tried a medication before or never wanting to. Another 25 percent come in already on a medication that they want to continue in college. I do a lot of psychoeducation about alcohol use and cannabis use in particular. Cannabis is by far the most common substance being done at our college campuses. I provide education on the mental health effects of these substances and how that might adversely affect their treatment plan, including making their medications not work as well.

Burns: If a student is home for the summer and it appears they're having issues, what advice can you give the adult in that person’s life? Nunn: The biggest thing in psychiatry is watching for functional

TODD KRIEGER: We did a community assessment and some of the data showed that kids in the Jewish community were struggling with anxiety, sadness and depression. We created a community-wide program focused on reducing stigma. The program increased support and educated parents so they could help their kids. The Children’s Foundation provided funding for a series of videos featuring kids telling their stories. It was one of the most impactful things that we did because it let kids know that it was okay to talk about those feelings and to get help. Burns: What are you working on now for The Foundation? Krieger: My role is focused on our grantees and our partners. That

includes identifying new ones and helping existing ones be more successful. I'm getting to know our partners and making connections that will further The Foundation’s mission and the organizations that we support.

Burns: I have often said I would like The Children's Foundation to be similar to the Jewish Federation in the way it engages community members and partners with organizations and works with affiliate organizations. Krieger: The Jewish Federation has been around for 100 years and is

one of this area's historic philanthropic organizations. What the Federation has done well is create an amazing platform for every Jewish community member to engage, not just with the organization, but with philanthropy and Jewish causes. It provides a lot of different avenues and mechanisms for people who are philanthropic and want to do great things with the resources that they have there.

impairment. People feel anxious or depressed from time to time but by and large, they're still able to do their normal things. If a parent or grandparent identifies somebody that is sleeping 16 hours a day, not coming out of bed, not going outside, not eating as much as they should be or taking care of their personal hygiene, that would be a big sign that something needs to be addressed. People that are anxious tend to have physical symptoms — stomach aches all the time, nausea, or chest pain or pressure. Anxious people also tend to not want to be alone. If some of those things are happening, that would be a warning sign that there's a mental health issue going on.

Burns: Tell us about your role with First Tee.

Burns: And if they see these warning signs, what next?

Burns: What excites you the most about your new position at The Children's Foundation?

Nunn: The great thing about this current college generation is

that they talk about mental health. I have the sense that if somebody was concerned and they approached the person, they would be able to have a conversation. If there is a problem, the best place to start would be a therapist. A therapist can help identify an issue. If there’s a need for medication, the therapist would refer to a psychiatrist. Primary care doctors are wellversed in first-line management of anxiety and depression and they know local resources.

Krieger: First Tee is a youth development organization that uses golf

to teach kids important life lessons, like goal-setting, hard work and resiliency. I'm the lead staff member for that organization. We aren't just a funder, we're also helping manage it in a very deep way, including the back office work, marketing and fundraising. We have this unique role because the chapter was struggling and we believe in this program. It needs to be here for the kids. I encourage anyone to think about volunteering or making a financial contribution by going to FirstTeeGreaterDetroit.org.

Krieger: There are a lot of reasons, but two stand out. The first is I like to work on hard, complicated issues and there's no shortage of them in this area. I have the opportunity to make a significant difference for the kids in Michigan and that's a tremendous gift to me.

The second is the culture that I'm now working in. The creativity and ingenuity here is incredible. I'm incredibly excited to be a part of The Foundation. I thank you for bringing me on board.

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

TOP EXECUTIVE

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

PENSKE CORP., Bloomfield Hills 48302-0954

Roger Penske Sr. chairman

$37,000.0

23.3%

1,644 60,000 e

Retail automotive, truck leasing and logistics, motorsports racing

ILITCH HOLDINGS INC., Detroit 48201

Christopher Ilitch president and CEO

$3,800.0 1

-7.3%

NA NA

Food, sports and entertainment and real estate development industries

248-436-5000; bartonmalow.com

BARTON MALOW HOLDINGS LLC, Southfield 48034

Ryan Maibach president and CEO

$3,341.8

43.0%

1,536 3,000

General contracting, construction management

MOROUN FAMILY HOLDINGS, Warren 48089

Matthew Moroun 2

$3,323.2 e

20.4%

NA NA

Ambassador Bridge and various trucking and logistics companies

PLASTIPAK HOLDINGS INC., Plymouth 48170

William Young president and CEO

$3,248.6

12.0%

640 6,650

Manufacturer of rigid plastic containers and recycled plastic material

SERRA AUTOMOTIVE INC., Fenton 48430

Joseph Serra president and CEO

$3,039.6

38.5%

561 2,352

Automobile dealership

PISTON GROUP3, Southfield 48075

Vinnie Johnson founder and chairman

$2,855.3

-0.7%

911 9,325

Automotive supplier

H.W. KAUFMAN GROUP INC./BURNS & WILCOX LTD., Farmington Hills

Alan Kaufman chairman, president and CEO, Kaufman Danny Kaufman EVP, Kaufman, president, Burns & Wilcox

$2,800.0

14.3%

234 1,800

Insurance services

SOAVE ENTERPRISES LLC, Detroit 48207

Anthony Soave CEO

$2,446.0

44.9%

399 1,731

Diversified management holding company

WALBRIDGE , Detroit 48226 313-963-8000; walbridge.com

Michael Haller CEO John Rakolta III president

$2,262.3

18.3%

500 1,500

General contracting, design-build, construction management

LAFONTAINE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, Highland 48357

Michael LaFontaine chairman and owner

$2,004.1

61.5%

1,532 1,734

Automobile dealerships. Sales, service, parts and body shop

248-594-1144; belfor.com

BELFOR HOLDINGS INC., Birmingham 48009

Sheldon Yellen CEO

$1,960.0

10.2%

1,646 NA

Property restoration

BRIDGEWATER INTERIORS LLC, Detroit 48209 313-842-3300; bridgewater-interiors.com

Ronald Hall Jr. president and CEO

$1,653.7

5.5%

1,357 2,250

Automotive seating/interiors

MCNAUGHTON-MCKAY ELECTRIC CO., Madison Heights 48071

Donald Slominski Jr. CEO Mark Borin president

$1,651.5

23.7%

403 1,646

Electrical distribution

GENERAL RV CENTER INC., Wixom 48393

Robert Baidas CEO Loren Baidas president

$1,609.0

31.7%

621 1,952

Recreational vehicle dealership

LINEAGE LOGISTICS LLC , Novi 48377

Greg Lehmkuhl president and CEO

$1,568.3 e

8.9%

NA NA

Cold-storage warehousing and logistics

FELDMAN AUTOMOTIVE INC., New Hudson 48165

Jay Feldman chairman and CEO Dave Katarski COO & executive VP

$1,562.9

20.9%

1,243 NA

Auto dealer

WOLVERINE PACKING CO., Detroit 48207 313-259-7500; wolverinepacking.com

Jim Bonahoom president

$1,499.0

16.1%

NA NA

Wholesale meat packer and processor; wholesale meat, poultry and seafood distributor

THE DIEZ GROUP, Dearborn 48126 (313) 491-1200; thediezgroup.com

Gerald Diez chairman/CEO

$1,383.7 e

9.4%

NA NA

Aluminum and steel sales, processing, warehouse and logistics companies

CARHARTT INC., Dearborn 48126 313-271-8460; carhartt.com

Mark Valade chairman and CEO

$1,354.6 5

25.3%

780 NA

Apparel manufacturer

LIPARI FOODS, Warren 48089 586-447-3500; liparifoods.com

John Pawlowski president and COO Thom Lipari CEO

$1,290.0

13.1%

1,157 2,201

Wholesale food distribution

SYNCREON GLOBAL HOLDINGS LTD., Auburn Hills 48326

Brian Enright CEO

$1,275.0 6

6.0%

NA NA

Logistics services

313-739-1000; kenwal.com

KENWAL STEEL CORP., Dearborn 48126

Stephen Eisenberg 7 chairman and CEO

$1,187.0

91.5%

176 310

Steel service center

INTEVA PRODUCTS LLC, Troy 48084 248-655-8886; intevaproducts.com

Gerard Roose president and CEO

$1,123.0

18.2%

249 8,481

Automotive supplier of closure systems, interior systems, and motors and electronics.

INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS, Southfield 48034

Manfred Gingl CEO

$1,076.8 e 8

3.0%

NA NA

Supplier of interior automotive components and systems including cockpits and overhead systems

ATLAS OIL CO. , Taylor 48180

Sam Simon founder & chairman

$1,037.8 e

23.1%

NA NA

Petroleum distribution and fueling solutions

U.S. FARATHANE, Auburn Hills 48326

Andrew Greenlee president and CEO

$1,000.8 e

11.2%

2,099 5,428

Plastic injection molder, extruder, thermal compression molder

ALUDYNE 9, Southfield 48034

Andreas Weller president and CEO

$1,000.0

42.9%

293 4,750

Chassis and subframe, body structural components, ev components

248-648-2000; penske.com

313-471-6600; ilitchcompanies.com

586-939-7000

734-455-3600; plastipak.com

810-936-2730; serrausa.com

(313) 541-8674; pistongroup.com

48334 248-932-9000; hwkaufman.com

313-567-7000; soave.com

248-887-4747; thefamilydeal.com

248-399-7500; www.mc-mc.com

248-349-0900; generalrv.com

800-678-7271; lineagelogistics.com

248-486-1900; feldmanauto.com

248-377-4700; syncreon.com

248-455-7000; iacgroup.com 800-878-2000; atlasoil.com

248-754-7000; usfarathane.com 248-728-8700; aludyne.com

$30,000.0

$4,100.0 e $2,336.5

$2,761.1 e $2,900.0 $2,195.1 $2,876.3 $2,450.0

$1,688.3 $1,912.3

$1,241.0 $1,778.9 $1,567.6 $1,335.0

$1,222.0

$1,440.0 4

$1,292.3

$1,291.3

$1,265.0 e $1,080.9

$1,141.0

$1,203.0 4

$620.0 $950.0

$1,045.7 e 8 $843.0 $900.0

$700.0

Researched by Sonya D. Hill: shill@crain.com | This list of privately held companies is an approximate compilation of the largest companies in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Washtenaw counties that do not have stock traded on a public exchange. It is not a complete listing but the most comprehensive available. Crain's estimates are based on industry analysis and benchmarks, news reports and a wide range of other sources. Unless otherwise noted, information was provided by the companies. Companies with headquarters elsewhere are listed with the address and top executive of their main Detroit-area office. The following no longer qualify for the list because they were recently acquired: Suburban Collection, which was No. 7 was acquired by Lithia Motors Inc. in April 2021, ProQuest, which was No. 29 on last year's list was acquired by Clarivate plc in a deal that closed in December 2021. Caniff Electric Supply, which was No. 160 on last year's list was acquired by McNaughton-McKay Electric Co. in December 2021. Truck Hero Inc., which was No. 17, Fisher Dynamics, which was No. 40, Easton Steel Bar Co., which was No. 51 and Amerilodge Group which was No. 175 on last year's list all declined to participate. NA = not available. NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. 1. From Forbes.com. 2. Director of Universal Logistics Holdings Inc , vice chair of Central Transport, chair of P.A.M. Transport and owner of the Ambassador Bridge. 3. Holding company for Piston Automotive, Irvin Automotive, Detroit Thermal Systems and Airea. It was announced in October that Airea would cease operations by the end of the year. 4. Estimate from Transport Topics Top 50 Logistics Companies. 5. Changed its year-end from December to June. The company has restated its fiscal year performance for 2020 and 2021 due to this change in its fiscal year. 6. From Transport Topics Top 50 Logistics Companies. 7. Succeeded Kenneth Eisenberg, effective Nov. 12. 8. Crain's estimate. North American revenue. 9. Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2015, but reorganized and emerged in July of that same year.

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34 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

TOP EXECUTIVE

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

29 30 31

DAKKOTA INTEGRATED SYSTEMS LLC, Brighton 48116

Andra Rush chairman and CEO

$907.0

99.3%

1,800 3,000

Automotive complex assembler and sequencer

NEAPCO HOLDINGS LLC, Farmington Hills 48331

Kenneth Hopkins president and CEO

$885.0

13.6%

768 2,922

Designs, manufactures and distributes driveline systems and service parts

ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL INC., Farmington Hills 48334

Earl Tushman president and CEO Larry Tushman VP, secretary

$871.0

19.5%

28 NA

Meat importing and trading

32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

PLANTE MORAN PLLC, Southfield 48075

James Proppe managing partner

$812.3

8.6%

1,322 3,465

Accounting and management consulting firm

AMERISURE MUTUAL INSURANCE CO., Farmington Hills 48331

Gregory Crabb president and CEO

$711.9

-5.7%

NA 692

Property and casualty insurance company

UNITED ROAD SERVICES INC., Plymouth 48170

Mark Anderson president and CEO

$637.4

10.5%

385 1,429

Vehicle transportation and logistics

PVS CHEMICALS INC., Detroit 48213

David Nicholson president and CEO

$635.0

19.8%

250 1,200

Manufacturer, marketer and distributor of industrial chemicals

JIM RIEHL'S FRIENDLY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC., Warren 48093

James Riehl Jr. president and CEO

$608.8

61.6%

300 0

Automobile dealership

NYX INC., Livonia 48150

Jatinder-Bir Sandhu CEO

$601.0 e

13.4%

NA NA

Automotive supplier specializing in plastic interiors and subsystem components

CAMACO LLC, Farmington Hills 48331

Flavia De Veny president and CEO

$549.6 e

13.4%

NA NA

Automotive seat structure assemblies

GOLLING AUTOMOTIVE GROUP1, Bloomfield Hills 48302

Bill Golling president

$533.0

18.7%

452 452

Automobile dealership group

MSX INTERNATIONAL INC., Detroit 48226

Frederick Minturn president and CEO

$504.0 e

0.4%

NA NA

Business process outsourcing service provider for global automotive retail segments and human capital managed service provider

BARRICK ENTERPRISES INC., Royal Oak 48073

Robert Barrick president

$500.7

56.6%

10 10

Petroleum wholesaler and retailer

ROUSH ENTERPRISES, Livonia 48150

Evan Lyall CEO

$495.0

6.5%

3,300 3,450

Engineering, product development, performance vehicles, aftermarket components and alternative fuel systems

BELLE TIRE DISTRIBUTORS INC., Allen Park 48101

Jack Lawless III CEO

$494.0

22.6%

1,550 2,500

Retailer of tires and automotive services

HUNGRY HOWIE'S PIZZA & SUBS INC., Madison Heights 48071

Steven Jackson president and CEO

$478.0

8.1%

25 29

Pizza franchisor

SOUTHFIELD CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM, Southfield 48034

Chris Snyder general manager

$470.4 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealerships

ACRO SERVICE CORP., Livonia 48152

Ron Shahani president and CEO

$465.3

4.2%

296 2,672

Staff augmentation and workforce technology services

MOTOR CITY ELECTRIC CO., Detroit 48213

Dale Wieczorek chairman, president and CEO

$454.5

33.1%

1,112 1,200

Electrical contractor

THE CHRISTMAN CO., Detroit 48202-3030

Joseph Luther $454.2 vice president and general manager, $338.3 Southeast Michigan operations Mary LeFevre regional vice president of Business Development

34.2%

105 NA

Construction management, general contracting, design/build, facilities planning and analysis, program management, real estate development, self-perform skilled construction trades

ARISTEO CONSTRUCTION, Livonia 48150

Michelle Barton president

$412.4

5.1%

340 422

General contractor with self-perform earthwork, concrete, steel fabrication and steel erection services

COMMERCIAL CONTRACTING CORP. , Auburn Hills 48326

Steve Fragnoli president and CEO

$382.0

-2.3%

201 315

General contractor, construction manager, machinery installer, concrete, steel fabrication & installation, carpentry

CHASE PLASTIC SERVICES INC., Clarkston 48346

Adam Paulson president Kevin Chase CEO Carole Chase vice president

$370.0

45.1%

77 142

Specialty engineering thermoplastics distributor

STRATEGIC STAFFING SOLUTIONS INC., Detroit 48226

Cindy Pasky founder, president and CEO

$365.5 e

5.1%

NA NA

Consulting and staff augmentation services, vendor management programs, customized solution, call center technology and a domestic IT development center

53 54 55 56 57 58

ELDER AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, Troy 48083 248-585-4000; elderautogroup.com

Tony Elder president

$353.1 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automotive dealerships

PRESTIGE AUTOMOTIVE, St. Clair Shores 48080 586-773-1550; prestigeautomotive.com

Gregory Jackson chairman and CEO

$341.3 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealerships, real estate and insurance

CLARK HILL PLC, Detroit 48226 313-965-8300; clarkhill.com

John Hensien CEO

$340.0

10.1%

NA NA

Law firm

REDICO, Southfield 48076

Dale Watchowski CEO, COO and president

$333.1

172.8%

1,447 NA

Commercial and residential real estate and senior housing

GREAT EXPRESSIONS DENTAL CENTERS PC, Southfield 48034

Dan Hirschfeld CEO

$330.1 e

8.0%

NA NA

Dental care, including general and preventive care, cosmetic, orthodontic and specialty dental services

DETROIT LIONS INC., Allen Park 48101

Sheila Ford Hamp principal owner and chair

$330.0 2

-19.7%

NA NA

National Football League franchise

49 50 51

(517) 694-6500; dakkota.com 248-669-6500; neapco.com

248-855-5556; orleansintl.com

248-352-2500; plantemoran.com 248-615-9000; amerisure.com

734-947-7900; unitedroad.com

313-921-1200; pvschemicals.com

586-979-8700; jimriehl.com 734-462-2385; nyxinc.com

248-442-6800; camacollc.com 248-334-3600; golling.com 248-829-6042; msxi.com

248-549-3737; barrickent.com 734-779-7000; roush.com

313-271-9400; belletire.com

248-414-3300; hungryhowies.com

248-354-2950; southfieldchrysler.com 734-591-1100; acrocorp.com

313-921-5300; mceco.com

313-908-6060; christmanco.com

734-427-9111; aristeo.com

248-209-0500; cccnetwork.com

248-620-2120; chaseplastics.com

313-596-6900; strategicstaff.com

(248) 827-1700; redico.com

248-203-1100; greatexpressions.com

313-216-4000; detroitlions.com

$455.0 $779.0 $729.0

$747.7 $754.9

$576.8 e $530.0 $376.6

$530.0

$484.6 e $449.0

$501.8 e $319.7 $465.0 $403.0 $442.0

$425.3 e $446.5 $341.4

$392.5 $390.8 $255.0

$347.6 e

$319.2 e $308.6 $308.9 $122.1

$305.5 e

$411.0 2

NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. 1. Formerly Roseville Chrysler Jeep Inc. 2. From Forbes. Net of stadium revenue used for debt payments.

MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 35

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

TOP EXECUTIVE

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

STEWART MANAGEMENT GROUP INC., Harper Woods 48225

Gordon Stewart president

$321.2 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealerships

ABC APPLIANCE INC., Pontiac 48343

Gordon Hartunian chairman

$302.5 e

7.1%

NA NA

Appliances, electronics and car audio, bedding and furniture

SMITHGROUP, Detroit 48226 313-983-3600; smithgroup.com

Jeffrey Hausman Detroit office director Russ Sykes chairman and managing partner

$301.6

12.9%

317 1,283

Architecture, engineering and planning

DEARBORN MID-WEST CO., Taylor 48180

Todd Begerowski president

$295.0

90.3%

135 NA

Material handling systems, construction, tooling/equipment installation, plant maintenance services, life-cycle improvement

THE MACOMB GROUP INC., Sterling Heights 48312 586-274-4100; macombgroup.com

William McGivern Jr. CEO Keith Schatko EVP

$290.0

7.4%

145 410

Distributor of pipe, valves, fittings, heating and cooling, control and instrumentation, boilers, pumps repair, steam products, sanitary piping products, fire protection.

DICKINSON WRIGHT PLLC, Detroit 48226

Michael Hammer CEO

$285.0

11.6%

354 928

Law firms

SNETHKAMP AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY, Highland Park 48203

Mark Snethkamp president

$281.6 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealerships

PAT MILLIKEN FORD INC., Redford 48239-1492 313-255-3100; patmillikenford.com

Brian Godfrey president Bruce Godfrey chairman

$280.0

30.2%

140 NA

Automobile dealership

THE IDEAL GROUP, Detroit 48209 313-849-0000; weareideal.com

Linzie Venegas vice president Frank Venegas Jr. chairman and CEO

$270.7

14.0%

206 447

General contracting, specialized miscellaneous steel manufacturing and distribution of protective barrier products, global supply chain management, other

248-548-4100; royaloakford.com

ROYAL OAK FORD/BRIARWOOD FORD, Royal Oak 48067

Eddie Hall president and CEO Eddie Hall, III general manager

$267.5 e

10.6%

229 229

Automobile dealership

248-334-2000; auchconstruction.com

GEORGE W. AUCH CO. (DBA AUCH CONSTRUCTION), Pontiac 48342

Vince DeLeonardis CEO Jeff Hamilton president

$256.0

-8.4%

110 110

General contractor and construction manager

REVERE PLASTICS SYSTEMS LLC, Novi 48375 833-300-4043; revereplasticssystems.com

Glen Fish CEO

$255.8 e

11.2%

NA NA

Engineered plastic injection molded assemblies and systems

GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE ALLIANCE LLC, Detroit 48210

Kevin Williams president and CEO William Pickard executive chairman

$253.3

10.6%

174 1,280

Warehousing, contract assembly, freight forwarding, contract logistics, procurement, quality control and inventory management

ATWELL LLC, Southfield 48076

Brian Wenzel president and CEO

$250.0

36.6%

144 817

Civil engineering, land surveying, land solutions, land planning, environmental consulting, natural resource management, program management and construction management

RONCELLI INC., Sterling Heights 48312 586-264-2060; roncelli-inc.com

Gary Roncelli chairman and CEO Tom Wickersham president Gino Roncelli vice president

$241.0

-1.6%

178 212

Construction services, program management, construction management, design and build

UHY ADVISORS INC., Farmington Hills 48334

Steven McCarty CEO Thomas Callan Great Lakes regional managing director

$221.5

17.1%

517 1,324

Licensed CPA firm

ALTIMETRIK CORP., Southfield 48075

Uday Deo $220.6 chief transformation officer Midwest $142.5 and Europe Raj Vattikuti executive chairman

54.8%

93 NA

Digital business enablement focused on data, DevOps, innovation, platform engineering, product engineering.

DYKEMA GOSSETT PLLC, Detroit 48243

Leonard Wolfe chair and CEO

$220.0

9.6%

237 736

Law firm

JOHN E. GREEN COMPANY, Highland Park 48203

Michael Green president and CEO

$215.0

4.9%

500 NA

Mechanical and fire protection contractor

NATIONAL FOOD GROUP INC., Novi 48377-2454

Sean Zecman president and CEO Jim Moore senior vice president

$210.0

16.3%

110 130

Wholesale and retail food manufacturing/distribution with the focus on large volume accounts.

313-432-6200; gordonchevrolet.com

248-335-4222; abcwarehouse.com

734-288-4400; dmwcc.com

313-223-3500; dickinsonwright.com

313-868-3300; snethkampauto.com

313-849-3222; gaasolutions.com

248-447-2000; atwell-group.com

248-355-1040; uhy-us.com

248-281-2500; altimetrik.com

313-568-6800; dykema.com

313-868-2400; johnegreen.com

800-886-6866; nationalfoodgroup.com

$290.4 e $282.4 e

$267.2

$155.0

$270.0

$255.3

$254.6 e

$215.0

$237.5

$241.9

$279.6

$230.0 1

$229.1

$183.0

$245.0

$189.2

$200.7

$205.0

$180.6

313-221-1600; devonindustrial.com

DEVON INDUSTRIAL GROUP, Detroit 48226

David Burnley president and co-CEO Stephanie Burnley co-CEO and General Manager

$202.0

20.2%

51 NA

Construction management, general contracting, program management

HUMANETICS GROUP, Farmington Hills 48335 734-451-7878; humaneticsgroup.com

Christopher O'Connor president and CEO

$200.0

24.5%

185 850

Designs and manufactures safety equipment, including crash test dummies, simulated testing software, crash avoidance test equipment, custom electronic and fiber sensors and related test solutions.

DETROIT PISTONS, Detroit 48201

Tom Gores Owner

$192.0 2

-15.4%

NA NA

National Basketball Association franchise

CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC., Detroit 48207

Keith Crain chairman KC Crain CEO

$190.0

26.7%

225 630

Publisher of business, trade and consumer publications and related websites

BOWMAN AUTO GROUP (BOWMAN CHEVROLET), Clarkston 48346

Katie Bowman Coleman president and owner

$189.4

16.5%

108 108

Auto dealer

313-471-7000; nba.com/pistons

313-446-6000; crain.com

248-795-1841; bowmanchevy.com

$168.0

$160.7

$227.0 3

$150.0

$162.6

NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. 1. Plastics News estimate. North American injection molding sales. 2. From Forbes. For 2020-21 season. 3. From Forbes. For 2019-20 season.

36 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

TOP EXECUTIVE

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

SECOND NATURE BRANDS1, Madison Heights 48071

Victor Mehren CEO Mack Phillips chief supply chain officer

$185.0 e

0.0%

370 NA

Snack food manufacturing and distribution; premium chocolate, premium confection

VESCO OIL CORP., Southfield 48076

Lillian Stotland president and CEO Marjory Epstein chairman of the board

$182.0

11.0%

176 232

Distributor of automotive and industrial lubricants and chemicals, auto aftermarket products

JEFFREY TAMAROFF AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY, Southfield 48034-1928

Jeffrey Tamaroff chairman and CEO Jason Tamaroff and Eric Frehsee, vice presidents

$179.2

42.6%

178 NA

Automobile dealerships

87 88 89

RPM, Royal Oak 48067

Sergio Gutierrez CEO

$177.7 e

8.9%

NA NA

Transportation logistics provider/3PL

SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY GROUP (STG), Troy 48084

Anup Popat chairman and CEO

$172.0

2.4%

732 NA

Information technology services

FORI AUTOMATION INC., Shelby Township 48315

Paul Meloche vice president of sales Mike Beck president

$171.0

-10.3%

257 NA

Automated material handling, assembly, testing and welding systems for the automotive and non-automotive industries

EPITEC INC., Southfield 48033 248-353-6800; epitec.com

Josie Sheppard president Jerome Sheppard CEO

$168.6

28.1%

969 1,679

IT, engineering and professional staffing

91 92 93 94 95

CHEMICO LLC, Southfield 48033 248-723-3263; thechemicogroup.com

Leon Richardson CEO, chairman, president

$165.2

4.5%

93 444

Chemical manufacturing, chemical management

EHIM INC., Southfield 48033-2154

Mindi Fynke president and CEO

$161.4

13.1%

142 NA

Pharmacy benefit manager

INTERNATIONAL EXTRUSIONS INC., Garden City 48135 734-427-8700; extrusion.net

Nicholas Noecker president and CEO

$161.0

49.1%

260 261

Manufacturer of aluminum extruded profiles, powder-coat painting and fabrication facilities

RAY LAETHEM INC. , Detroit 48224 313-886-1700; raylaethem.com

Jeff Laethem president

$160.0 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealership

TECHNOSOFT CORP. (DBA APEXON) 2, Southfield 48076

Sriniketh Chakravarthi CEO 3 Radhakrishnan Gurusamy founder, Apexon

$158.4 e

5.1%

NA NA

Information technology services

96 97 98

MILOSCH'S PALACE CHRYSLER-JEEP-DODGE INC., Lake Orion 48359

Donald Milosch president

$156.8 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealership

DESHLER GROUP INC., Livonia 48150

Robert Gruschow president and CEO

$154.2

29.0%

220 460

Industrial manufacturing group, incorporating fabrication, design, assembly, logistics, transport and information technology

LOAD ONE TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS, Taylor 48180

John Elliott CEO

$148.0

25.4%

578 NA

Transportation and logistics. Services including ground expedite, air charter, air freight, logistics management, truckload, and specialized curtain-side flatbeds

CHELSEA MILLING CO., Chelsea 48118

Howdy Holmes chairman, CEO

$145.0

3.6%

340 325

Dry baking mix manufacturer

E.W. GROBBEL SONS INC., Detroit 48207

Jason Grobbel president

$143.0

30.0%

320 NA

Meat manufacturer

MPS GROUP INC., Farmington Hills 48331

Charlie Williams chairman

$142.0

39.2%

257 837

Waste management, paint shop cleaning and management and industrial cleaning

MJS PACKAGING, Livonia 48150

Nick Haratsaris president

$140.0

48 83

Rigid packaging distributor

KIRCO MANIX , Troy 48084

248-354-5100; kircomanix.com

Douglas Manix president

$140.0

12.0%

40 NA

Design and build, construction management

GRANGER CONSTRUCTION CO., Novi 48377 248-724-2950; grangerconstruction.com

Tim VanAntwerp vice president

$138.7

8.7%

105 NA

Construction management, design build, general contractor

MIDWEST STEEL INC., Detroit 48211

Thomas Broad president

$138.0

2.2%

500 NA

Structural-steel contractor

AVIS FORD INC., Southfield 48034 248-355-7500; avisford.com

Mark Douglas president Walter Douglas Sr. chairman

$137.1

21.4%

120 NA

Automobile dealership

107 108

DURAVENT INC., Detroit 48226 800-835-4429; duravent.com

Simon Davis president and CEO

$134.3 e

11.9%

NA NA

HVAC manufacturer

SACHSE CONSTRUCTION, Detroit 48201 313-481-8200; sachseconstruction.com

Todd Sachse CEO Steve Berlage president and COO

$134.0

10.3%

150 NA

General contracting, construction management, design/build and tenant coordination

109 110 111

VILLAGE FORD INC., Dearborn 48124 313-565-3900; villageford.com

James Seavitt president and CEO

$133.3 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automotive dealership

WORKFORCE SOFTWARE LLC, Livonia 48152 877-493-6723; workforcesoftware.com

Mike Morini CEO

$128.2

15.8%

245 640

Workforce management software

JAMES GROUP, Detroit 48209 313-841-0070; jamesgroupintl.com

John James president Lorron James CEO

$127.4 e

8.9%

273 335

Supply chain and logistics solutions

ROGER ZATKOFF CO. (ZATKOFF SEALS & PACKINGS), Farmington Hills

Gary Zatkoff president and CEO

$126.4

23.0%

63 200

Distributor and manufacturer of seals and sealing products

99 100 101 102 102 104 105 106

112

248-588-1903; secondnaturebrandsus.com

248-557-1600; vescooil.com

248-353-1300; tamaroff.com

855-585-1910; rpmmoves.com 248-6439010; stgit.com

586-247-2336; foriauto.com

248-948-9900; ehimrx.com

248-603-2600; apexon.com

248-393-2222; palacecjd.com

734-525-9100; deshlergroup.com 734-947-9440; load1.com

734-475-1361; jiffymix.com

313-567-8000; grobbel.com 313-841-7588; mpsgrp.com

734-744-4900; mjspackaging.com

313-873-2220; midweststeel.com

48335 248-478-2400; zatkoff.com

$185.0 e

$164.0

$125.7

$163.1

$168.0

$190.7 e

$131.6

$158.0 $142.7 $108.0

$144.7 e $150.7 e

$141.8 e $119.5 $118.0

$140.0 $110.0 $102.0

$125.0 $127.6 $135.0 $112.9

$120.0

$121.5

$120.6 e $110.7

$117.0

$102.8

NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. 1. Acquired by London-based private equity investor, CapVest Partners LLP on April 26. Second Nature Brands is the holding company name for the brands Kar's Nuts, Sanders and Second Nature Snacks. 2. Merger between Technosoft Corp., Apexon and Infostretch Corp. completed on April 13. 3. Named new CEO after the merger of Technosoft Corp., Apexon and Infostretch Corp.

MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 37

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

Melissa Sauter CEO

$125.7

33.0%

179 852

Human behavior and data analytics firm

OLIVER/HATCHER CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT INC., Novi

Paul Oliver principal Paul Hatcher president Jason Salazar senior vice president

$124.0

-22.0%

37 NA

Construction manager, general contractor and design/build

GORNO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, Woodhaven 48183 734-676-2200; gornoford.com

Ed Jolliffe president

$123.6

-0.0%

110 110

Automobile dealership

GHAFARI INC., Dearborn 48126 313-441-3000; ghafari.com

Yousif Ghafari chairman

$121.8

10.1%

463 711

Engineering, architecture, process design, consulting, construction services and professional staffing

MJC COMPANIES, Macomb 48044 586-263-1203; mjccompanies.com

Michael Chirco founder and president

$120.9

28.5%

72 72

Residential, apartment, commercial construction, builder and developer

COLASANTI CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC., Macomb Township 48042

Carey Colasanti CEO Pat Wysocki president

$116.0

-30.5%

465 NA

General contracting and construction management and design/ build; self-perform concrete services

BIG BOY RESTAURANT GROUP LLC, Southfield 48033

Tamer Afr CEO, co-owner, chair

$113.7 e

16.0%

NA NA

Restaurants and food manufacturer

SCRIPTGUIDERX (SGRX), Grosse Pointe Park 48230

Ime Ekpenyong CEO Vikki Columbus chief pharmacy officer

$113.1

8.4%

29 NA

Pharmacy benefit management and third party administrator

BILL PERKINS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, Taylor 48180

Bill Perkins president

$111.8

14.4%

64 NA

Automobile dealerships

KASCO INC., Royal Oak 48067

Michael Engle vice president

$109.7 e

-9.4%

NA NA

Construction management, design/build, construction program administration

C.E. GLEESON CONSTRUCTORS INC., Troy 48083

Charles Gleeson II president and CEO Brad Baker vice president of construction operations

$108.0

27.1%

43 49

General contractor/construction manager

124

PROPER GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC., Warren 48089

Geoffrey O'Brien CEO

$107.3 e

11.2%

NA NA

Complex plastic injection molds, premium injection molded parts and assemblies, consumer products, polyurethane and skin form tooling, microcellular foam tooling, conformal cooling technologies, vacuum metalizing, rapid prototyping and web-based management of tooling and process data

125

APPLIED IMAGING, Southfield 48075 800-521-0983; appliedimaging.com

Casey Lowery VP of operations John Lowery CEO

$104.8

17.5%

128 493

Office technology solutions provider

126 127

LINK ENGINEERING CO., Plymouth 48170 734-453-0800; linkeng.com

Roy Link Chairman and CEO

$104.1 e

9.8%

NA NA

Manufacturer of testing systems and provider of commercial testing services

BULLSEYE TELECOM INC., Southfield 48033 248-784-2500; bullseyetelecom.com

Thomas Tisko president and CEO

$102.4 e

3.7%

NA NA

Single source provider of Network Security, VoIP, SD-WAN, Internet, Broadband, Wi-Fi and traditional phone service for business customers across the US.

THE MARS AGENCY, Southfield 48033-7496 248-936-2200; themarsagency.com

Ken Barnett global CEO and chairman

$101.5 e

6.8%

NA NA

Marketing

GLASSMAN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC., Southfield 48034

George Glassman president

$99.5

24.7%

96 NA

Automobile dealerships

ARBOR BANCORP (BANK OF ANN ARBOR), Ann Arbor 48104

Tim Marshall president and CEO

$99.1 1

1.7%

NA NA

Financial services provider

NATIONAL BUSINESS SUPPLY INC. (DBA NBS COMMERCIAL INTERIORS), Troy 48083

Heather Lanier COO and principal Richard Schwabauer president

$98.3

-4.6%

150 NA

Interior integrator of commercial furnishings, audiovisual equipment and architectural products

WADE TRIM, Detroit 48226 313-961-3650; wadetrim.com

Andrew McCune president and CEO

$97.0

14.8%

172 493

Consulting engineering

SKYWAY PRECISION INC., Plymouth 48170 734-454-3550; skywayprecision.com

William Bonnell president

$95.3

31.8%

199 275

CNC production machining

FRANK REWOLD & SONS INC., Rochester 48307

Frank Rewold president and CEO

$92.8

-12.8%

60 NA

Construction manager

DIVERSIFIED COMPUTER SUPPLIES INC., Ann Arbor 48108

Joseph Hollenshead chairman, and CEO Brian Leek president

$92.6

12.8%

49 NA

Imaging/printer supplies, IT strategies, clients and supports back-end connectivity with XML feeds, EDI integration and an e-commerce platform

MILLER, CANFIELD, PADDOCK AND STONE PLC, Detroit 48226

Megan Norris CEO

$92.0

-1.1%

293 414

Law firm

AUBURN PHARMACEUTICAL CO., Troy 48083

Jeffrey Farber chairman, president and CEO

$90.4 e

0.9%

NA NA

Distributor of generic pharmaceuticals

DEMARIA, Detroit 48202-3008

313-870-2800; demariabuild.com

Joseph DeMaria Jr. CEO Anthony DeMaria president

$90.2 e

-9.4%

NA NA

General contracting, design-build, construction management, program management, pre-construction services

WOLVERINE TRUCK SALES INC., Dearborn 48120 313-849-0800; wolverinetruckgroup.com

Lynn Terry president

$89.1

16.2%

123 NA

Truck sales, parts and service

MICHAEL BATES CHEVROLET, Woodhaven 48183 734-676-9600; michaelbateschevy.com

Michael Bates owner and dealer principal

$86.2 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealership

113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123

128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

TOP EXECUTIVE

ESCALENT, Livonia 48152 734-542-7600; escalent.co 48377 248-374-1100; oliverhatcher.com

586-598-9700; colasantigroup.com

586-759-6000; bigboy.com

313-821-3200; sgrxhealth.com

734-287-2600; taylorchevy.com 248-547-1210; kascoinc.com

248-647-5500; gleesonconstructors.com

586-779-8787; propergroupintl.com

248-354-3300; glassmanautogroup.com 734-662-1600; bankofannarbor.com

248-823-5400; yourNBS.com

248-651-7242; frankrewold.com 800-766-5400; dcsbiz.com

313-963-6420; millercanfield.com

248-526-3700; auburngenerics.com

NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. 1. From 2021 annual report. 2. From 2020 annual report.

38 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

$94.5 e $159.0

$123.6 $110.6 $94.1

$167.0

$98.0

$104.3

$97.7

$121.2 e $85.0

$96.5 e

$89.2

$94.8 e $98.8 e

$95.0 e $79.8

$97.4 2

$103.0

$84.5 $72.3

$106.4 $82.1

$93.0

$89.7

$99.6 e

$76.7

$78.0 e

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

141 142 143 144 145 146 147

TOP EXECUTIVE

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

HARLEY ELLIS DEVEREAUX (HED), Southfield 48033 248-262-1500; hed.design

Michael Cooper president and managing principal

$86.0

-5.5%

100 398

Design firm, including architecture, engineering, planning, interior design, landscape architecture and construction administration.

MADISON ELECTRIC CO., Warren 48093-1047 586-825-0200; madisonelectric.com

Brett Schneider president

$85.5

27.6%

NA NA

Electrical, electronic and automation distributor

EDUCATIONAL DATA SYSTEMS INC. (EDSI), Dearborn 48120

Kevin Schnieders CEO

$83.0

22.1%

59 850

Workforce development and consulting

MOTOR CITY STAMPING INC., Chesterfield Township 48051

Judith Kucway CEO and CFO

$82.6 e

28.5%

NA NA

Stamping plant, automotive welding, assembly, dies and prototypes

ANSARA RESTAURANT GROUP INC., Farmington Hills 48335

Victor Ansara president and CEO

$81.7

37.5%

950 NA

Restaurant

MARSH CONSTRUCTION (T.H. MARSH), Bloomfield Hills 48304

Ryan Marsh CEO

$81.5 e

-9.4%

NA NA

General contracting, construction management and advisory services

ARROW STRATEGIES LLC, Southfield 48034

Jeffrey Styers CEO

$80.2

35.9%

391 460

Staffing firm specializing in placement of professionals in the information technology, engineering, professional and health care services industries

148

BETTER MADE SNACK FOODS INC., Detroit 48213 313-925-4774; bettermade.com

Catherine Gusmano CEO David Jones president

$79.8 e

1.5%

NA NA

Snack food manufacturer/distributor

149 150

SHAW ELECTRIC CO., Southfield 48033 248-228-2000; shawelectric.com

Robert Minielly president and CEO

$79.2

1.0%

272 362

Electrical, fire alarm, security and teledata audio/ visual contractor

MULTI-BANK SECURITIES INC., Southfield 48075

Jeff Maccagnone president David Maccagnone chairman and CEO

$77.8

-33.8%

56 NA

Institutional broker-dealer that specializes in the sales, trading and underwriting of fixed-income securities

151

O'BRIEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY INC., Troy 48083 248-334-2470; obriencc.com

David Vivio president Timothy O'Brien principal

$75.7

-28.7%

50 NA

General contractor, construction manager

152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160

TRILLAMED LLC, Bingham Farms 48025 248-433-0582; trillamed.com

Frank Campanaro CEO

$74.5 e

8.9%

NA NA

Distribution of high tech medical equipment, MRO supplies and security/IT components

BLUEWATER TECHNOLOGIES GROUP INC., Southfield 48075

Suzanne Schoeneberger president

$72.5 e

8.3%

NA NA

Events and installations.

OHM ADVISORS (ORCHARD, HILTZ & MCCLIMENT INC.), Livonia 48150

John Hiltz president

$72.0

30.9%

NA NA

Architects, engineers and planners

ARC SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS INC., Taylor 48180

Greta Elliott president

$68.5

7.0%

43 NA

Transportation management systems, dynamic reporting, modal optimization, financial services and warehouse operations

ROBERTSON BROTHERS CO., Bloomfield Hills 48301

James Clarke president and CEO

$68.5

20.1%

43 NA

Builder and developer of single-family, condominiums and midrise condominiums

(734) 453-2500; jeannotte.com

BOB JEANNOTTE BUICK GMC INC., Plymouth 48170

Robert Jeannotte CEO

$67.9 e

10.6%

NA NA

Automobile dealership

BUSCEMI ENTERPRISES INC., Fraser 48026 586-296-5560; originalbuscemis.com

Anthony Buscemi president and CEO

$67.0

2.3%

590 590

Franchisor of pizza and sub party stores

RAPID GLOBAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS INC. (RGBSI), Troy 48083

Nanua Singh chairman and CEO

$64.1

-1.9%

NA NA

Software development, quality lifecycle management (QLM) software, IT services

RELIABLE SOFTWARE RESOURCES INC., Northville 48167

Ravi Vallem CEO Venkat Gone president

$63.4 e

5.1%

NA NA

Data and application services including big data, advanced analytics, business intelligence

161 162 163

GONZALEZ DESIGN GROUP, Pontiac 48340

Gary Gonzalez CEO

$62.8 e

9.8%

NA NA

Design engineering, staffing, manufacturing technologies, production systems, other

CLOVERDALE EQUIPMENT CO., Oak Park 48237

Todd Moilanen president, CEO and chairman

$62.5

29.1%

NA NA

Construction equipment rental & distribution

CONCORDE HOLDINGS, Livonia 48152

Drew Jackson president Jason Kavanaugh board member

$62.0

68.8%

20 188

Financial services - broker/dealer, investment advisor, insurance agency

164

EMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT INC., Troy 48084 248-794-5939; emagine-entertainment.com

Anthony LaVerde CEO Paul Glantz chairman and founder

$60.0

252.9%

NA NA

Movie theaters

164 164

DOMESTIC LINEN SUPPLY AND LAUNDRY CO., Farmington Hills 48334

Bruce Colton president

$60.0

0.8%

130 500

Facility management and textile rental

RONNISCH CONSTRUCTION GROUP, Royal Oak 48073

Frank Jarbou partner Bernd Ronnisch president

$60.0

81.8%

36 NA

Construction management, general contractor

167

SME (SOIL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERS INC.), Plymouth 48170

Mark Kramer president and CEO

$59.5

14.9%

155 321

Geotechnical, environmental, pavement, civil/survey, building and construction materials, building enclosures, and metals and coatings consulting and design services.

168

SEKO WORLDWIDE DETROIT, Romulus 48174

Michael Bartelo Tanya Bartelo owner, managing directors

$58.7

71.9%

30 6,450

Logistics services, including domestic and global air, ocean and ground transportation, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing and distribution and export crating. White glove services, MED-Tech, Omni channel logistics

169

BATTERY SOLUTIONS LLC, Wixom 48393 800-852-8127; batterysolutions.com

Thomas Bjarnemark president and CEO Dawn New-Echlin VP, Sales

$53.8 e

7.7%

70 126

Battery recycling management

170

734-479-8100; systrand.com

SYSTRAND MANUFACTURING CORP., Brownstown Township 48183

Sharon Cannarsa president and CEO

$53.7

-0.8%

161 206

Precision machining and assembly

313-271-2660; edsisolutions.com 586-949-8420; mcstamp.com

248-848-9099; ansararestaurantgroup.com 248-586-4130; thmarsh.com

248-502-2500; arrowstrategies.com

800-967-9045; mbssecurities.com

248-356-4399; bluewatertech.com 888-522-6711; ohm-advisors.com

877-272-3523; arc-scs.com

248-644-3460; robertsonhomes.com

248-589-1135; rgbsi.com

248-504-6869; rsrit.com

248-548-6010; gonzalez-group.com

800-822-7999; cloverdaleequipment.com

248-824-6710; concordeis.com

248-737-2000; domesticuniform.com

248-840-7910; ronnisch.com

734-454-9900; sme-usa.com

734-641-2100; sekologistics.com/detroit

$91.0 $67.0 $68.0

$64.3 e $59.4

$90.0 e $59.0

$78.6 e

$78.4

$117.6

$106.1

$68.4 e $66.9 e $55.0 e $64.0 $57.0

$61.4

$65.5 $65.3

$60.3 e

$57.2 e $48.4 $36.7

$17.0

$59.5 $33.0

$51.8

$34.2

$50.0

$54.1

NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 39

CRAIN'S LIST | PRIVATE 200 Ranked by 2021 revenue

COMPANY PHONE; WEBSITE

TOP EXECUTIVE

REVENUE ($000,000) 2021/2020

PERCENT CHANGE

DETROIT AREA EMPLOYEES/ WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JAN. 2022 TYPE OF BUSINESS

171

PMA CONSULTANTS LLC, Detroit 48243 313-963-8863; pmaconsultants.com

Robert Sanders executive director Gui Ponce de Leon CEO

$53.0

9.0%

38 268

Program, project and construction management consulting; expert witness services

172 173 174 175

LOWRY SOLUTIONS, Brighton 48116

Michael Lowry president and CEO

$51.2

40.3%

62 95

IoT, Enterprise Mobility and Managed Print Solutions

W3R CONSULTING, Southfield 48075

Eric Hardy president and CEO

$49.4

3.1%

NA NA

IT staffing and consulting, including application development, business intelligence and data analytics

KYYBA INC., Farmington Hills 48334

Thiru Ganesan president and CEO

$48.7

21.8%

NA NA

Engineering and IT staffing services, application software, off-shore development

STAFFWORKS GROUP, Auburn Hills 48326 248-416-1090; staffworksgroup.com

L. William Brann III chairman Jason Brann COO

$46.8

33.8%

NA NA

Staffing and recruiting agency specializing in commercial, health care, professional, and engineering

176

JOE VICARI RESTAURANT GROUP/ANDIAMO & JOE MUER SEAFOOD, Sterling Heights 48310

Joe Vicari CEO and president

$46.4 e

16.0%

NA NA

Restaurants

177

MARXMODA, Detroit 48226 855-242-9292; marxmoda.com

Whitney Marx Joe Marx principals

$45.0

-26.2%

60 NA

Office furnishings, culture, technology integration

178 179 180 181 182

BRAUN CONSTRUCTION GROUP INC., Farmington Hills 48331

Steven Braun president

$44.0

7.3%

20 NA

General contracting/construction management firm

ENGLISH GARDENS, Dearborn Heights 48127

John Darin president

$42.7

11.3%

276 210

Retail stores with nursery, garden center, florist (4 of the 6 locations), landscaping: full-service and assistance for do-it-yourselfers

ICR SERVICES, Warren 48092

Paul Gutierrez president and founder

$42.2 e

5.1%

NA NA

Industrial repair, service and automation provider

PRIZELOGIC LLC, Southfield 48033

Ryan LaMirand CEO

$41.9 e

6.8%

NA NA

Incentivized engagement for brands

A&S RV CENTER, Auburn Hills 48326

Larry Andree owner, president; Michael Andree and Kristen Manninen, general manager

$41.6

24.8%

34 51

RV dealership

183 184 185 186 187 188 189

MALACE & ASSOCIATES INC., Troy 48098 248-720-2500; malacehr.com

Larry Malace II CEO

$41.3

22.5%

NA NA

Staffing company

CAMBRIDGE INVESTORS LLC, Troy 48084 248 822-5100; cambridgeinvestors.com

Thomas Purther CEO

$39.4

5.1%

72 288

Private equity firm focused on fitness clubs, commercial real estate and lending.

CONTRACT DIRECT LLC, Southfield 48075

Elizabeth Hammond president

$39.1

15.7%

49 NA

Facility service provider

734-459-1670; aql-inc.com

AUTOMOTIVE QUALITY & LOGISTICS INC., Plymouth 48170

Sangeeta Ahluwalia CEO

$36.2

2.1%

157 1,562

Third party containment, repacking, staffing, warehousing,

ECLIPSE MOLD INC., Chesterfield 48051 586-792-3320; eclipsemold.com

Steve Craprotta president

$36.0

140 NA

Full service supplier who develops plastic injection molds and custom molded components.

ZAUSMER PC, Farmington Hills 48334

Mark Zausmer managing shareholder

$34.9

0.7%

170 170

Law firm

DESIGN SYSTEMS INC., Farmington Hills 48331

Dan Birchmeier Keith Swims Joel Schnelbach managing partners

$34.8

76.4%

164 217

Engineering for manufacturing process design and integration, Process optimization, supply chain and engineering consultant

190 191

CHAIN INDUSTRIES INC., Wixom 48393

James Chain president

$34.5

45.6%

22 24

Aluminum producer, metal slitter, distributor, warehouser and processing service center, oil distributor

ADVANCE PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES, Waterford Township 48329

Rob Cohen president Tom Risi vice president, Sales

$34.1

-6.1%

15 21

Design and distribution of automotive adhesive films and industrial packaging

192 193 194 195

EXHIBIT WORKS INC. (DBA EWI WORLDWIDE), Dearborn 48124

Dominic Silvio founder, chairman

$33.1

-61.9%

93 189

Experiential Marketing

WALKER-MILLER ENERGY SERVICES , Detroit 48202

Carla Walker-Miller founder and CEO

$32.7

10.1%

NA 163

Energy waste reduction firm

MICHIGAN BOX CO., Detroit 48211

Joseph Fontana CEO

$32.6 e

8.5%

NA NA

Corrugated box manufacturing, design, fulfillment and assembly.

AZTEC MANUFACTURING CORP., Romulus 48174

Greg Lopez president and CEO Mark Kroll executive vice president Richard Johnson secretary and treasurer

$32.0

9.2%

NA NA

Auto parts manufacturer

196 197 198 199 200

BLUE CHIP TALENT, Bloomfield Hills 48302

Nicole Pawczuk CEO

$31.5

29.7%

230 240

Staffing, talent acquisition

PRODUCTIONS PLUS - THE TALENT SHOP, Bingham Farms 48025

Margery Krevsky Dosey CEO and owner

$30.0

-54.4%

55 55

SAG franchised talent agency and event staffing agency

AMERICAN PLASTIC TOYS INC., Walled Lake 48390

John Gessert president and CEO

$29.0

-3.3%

185 285

Manufactures and distributes injection-molded plastic toys

MCNAUGHTON & GUNN INC., Saline 48176-0010

Julie McFarland president

$28.4

1.8%

155 155

Book manufacturing

WHITLAM GROUP, Center Line 48015

Richard Shaieb CEO

$26.5

NA NA

An industry leader in innovative labeling & packaging solutions.

+1 888-881-2477; lowrysolutions.com

248-358-1002; w3r.com

248-813-9665; kyyba.com

586-981-0888; vicarirestaurants.com

248-848-0567; brauncg.com

313-278-5244; EnglishGardens.com

586-582-1500; icrservices.com 248-663-8600; prizelogic.com

(248) 373-5811; asrvcenter.com

248-361-0427; contractdirect.net

248-851-4111; zausmer.com 248-489 4300; dsidsc.com

248-348-4555; chainindustries.com 248-674-3126; advancepac.com

734-525-9010; ewiworldwide.com 313-366-8535; wmenergy.com

313-873-9500; michiganbox.com

734-942-7433; aztecmfgcorp.com

248-858-7701; bctalent.com

248-342-4794; productions-plus.com

248-624-4881; americanplastictoys.com

734-429-5411; bookprinters.com 586-757-5100; whitlam.com

NOTES: e. Crain's estimate.

40 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

$48.6

$36.5 $47.9 $40.0 $35.0

$40.0

$61.0

$41.0 $38.4

$40.2 e $39.2 e $33.3

$33.7 $37.5 $33.8 $35.5 NA

$34.7 $19.7

$23.7 $36.3

$87.0 $29.7

$30.0

$29.3

$24.3

$65.7 e $30.0 $27.9 NA

DEVELOPMENT

EV, microchip companies consider Marshall ‘megasite’ Workforce issues remain primary concern for future development of Michigan site BY KURT NAGL

Electric vehicle and semiconductor manufacturers have recently visited a 1,600-acre site near Marshall that the state of Michigan is marketing as its premier site for development, according to officials. The swath of farmland near I-69 and I-94 in Calhoun County has long been targeted by the state for industrial development, but work has progressed quickly in the last nine months, especially after Ford Motor Co.’s investment down South in Tennessee and Kentucky laid bare Michigan’s lack of developable sites, said James Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance/Choose Marshall. “The Marshall site recently has had EV and semiconductor companies review the site,” Durian told Crain’s in an interview last week. “Over the past nine months, we’ve had many site selectors and companies looking at the site.” Durian, who has worked with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. for years to get the site up to snuff, said it is likely the most “shovel ready” in the state. Besides sheer size, it is also attractive due to its proximity to freeways and connection to Norfolk Southern Rail.

The Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance has a 1,600-acre tract of farm land near the I-69 and I-94 interchange in Calhoun County that it has been marketing for a decade for a new large-scale industrial development. | MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.

However, companies considering the site have pointed to workforce issues as a primary concern, Durian said. “I think they’re pretty happy with the site,” he said. “I think the one thing that’s come up is the workforce development issue.” Along with infrastructure, one of the top concerns of a company considering a major project is access to talent and the ability to attract it — things Marshall, and the state in general, could stand to improve, Durian said. There needs to be stronger engagement to build a pipeline of qualified

workers in the Marshall-Battle Creek-Jackson region, Durian said. That can be done by connecting area high schools with community colleges and making sure certifications and degrees align with skill-sets needed for the jobs. “I think that we need to better communicate the workforce development issue and maybe come up with some more innovative approaches to addressing how we’re going to attract the talent and working on building the talent ecosystem in the area,” he said. The MEDC has positioned the Marshall site as a top industrial op-

portunity as a flurry of large-scale projects look for a home. Microchip manufacturers are exploring Michigan sites and funding from the CHIPS for America Act, which aims to incentivize local production of semiconductors in the wake of a crippling shortage. Durian declined to name companies that have looked into the Marshall site. Eric Zuzga, director of community services for the city of Marshall, told Crain’s recently that he did not expect anything new related to the site “for the foreseeable future.” The Marshall site has received $1.8 million from various sources to help prepare it for development, according to a Detroit News report that also said Michigan House Appropriations Chairman Thomas Albert and Rep. Matt Hall visited officials in Marshall in March. Durian said the site has multiple property owners who have option agreements with the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance, which can trigger purchase of the parcels once a company commits to a project there. He said the site still needs significant investment in electric and wastewater infrastructure. One source for that investment could be the $1 billion fund OK’d by

“OVER THE PAST NINE MONTHS, WE’VE HAD MANY SITE SELECTORS AND COMPANIES LOOKING AT THE SITE.” — James Durian, CEO, Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance/Choose Marshall

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state legislators last year to attract businesses and prepare land for redevelopment. That funding tool, known as the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve package, could also be tapped by other sites, such as Buick City in Flint. Infrastructure can be built out relatively quickly, but workforce development takes more time, Durian said. Still, if a company was set on Marshall for opening a new plant and bringing thousands of jobs, Durian said the state would jump into gear to accommodate. “The state would make it work,” he said. “They would come up with the money and make it happen.” Contact: knagl@crain.com; (313) 446-0337; @kurt_nagl

JUNE 22 | 9AM-12:30PM THE MINT

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MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 41

COURTS

Public relations executive Peter Van Dyke sued by former firm BY NICK MANES

Just one month after launching a new firm, a Detroit-based public relations veteran and his fellow founding principals are being sued in federal court by a former employer. The lawsuit brought by Van Dyke Horn LLC, filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit, accuses former CEO Peter Van Dyke — along with two other executives of the new VVK PR & Creative LLC — of “intentionally diverting and misappropriating trade secrets of VDH and converting assets of VDH, including clients, for his own benefit after failing to force his partner, Marilyn Horn, to sell her interest in VDH to him for pennies.”

Principals with Van Dyke Horn say in court filings that their business has been damaged to the tune of more than $750,000 per year. The federal lawsuit says Van Dyke Van Dyke and his VVK co-founders violated the 2016 Defend Trade Secrets Act. Van Dyke, in a text message to Crain’s on Wednesday morning, said the allegations are without merit. “I’ve engaged counsel to address the law suit,” Van Dyke said in the text. “My focus remains on providing exception-

al PR services to my clients.” The VVK firm launched in late April as a project between Van Dyke and two collaborators, Jamie Kaye Walters and Michael Sherman, who rolled their video production firm, Velocity Cow LLC, into the new VVK firm. Van Dyke abruptly resigned as CEO of the Van Dyke Horn firm in early March, citing “different visions about the future of the company,” but declining to laborate further at the time. The lawsuit alleges that Van Dyke had sought to bring on Sherman and Walters as partners at Van Dyke Horn. Doing so would have diluted the ownership interest held by VDH Partner Marilyn Horn “to less than majority,” and would have disqualified the firm

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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from Minority Business Enterprise certification, according to court filings. The lawsuit says Horn “insisted that if they wanted to join the company as members, Sherman and Walters must simply buy into the company for fair value.” That led Van Dyke to offer to buy Horn’s interest for $170,000, which was “rejected immediately” by Horn “because the offer was well below fair value, less than one times annual profits, and insulting,” according to filings. A valuation for the company was completed earlier this year and found Horn’s membership interest to be more than five times higher than the amount offered by Van Dyke. “(S)hortly after receiving the valua-

tion, Peter Van Dyke secretly began to put into motion a plan to misappropriate the trade secrets and assets of VDH, including among other things the contracts, clients and employees of the company, with the help of Sherman and Walters, both of whom were vendors or employees of VDH, respectively,” according to the filings. Van Dyke Horn plans to announce a new name during next week’s Mackinac Policy Conference, according to Jeff Lambert, a minority partner at Van Dyke Horn, and the chairman of Lambert Global, which took a minority position in VDH in late March . Contact: nmanes@crain.com; (313) 446-1626; @nickrmanes

REAL ESTATE

To place your listing, visit www.crainsdetroit.com/people-on-the-move or, for more information, contact Debora Stein at 917.226.5470 / dstein@crain.com ADVERTISING / PR / MARKETING

DISTRIBUTION

NONPROFIT

The Bassett Business Group

National Food Group

DT Midstream Foundation

Leland K. Bassett, Chairman, and CEO of the Detroit-based strategic communication management consultancy, the Bassett Business Group, was recognized with the 2022 Jackson College Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes an alumnus who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to service and giving back. Bassett is recognized as an innovator of strategic communication planning and management and for establishing the Vera Bassett Nursing Scholarship in honor of his mother.

National Food Group, a leading provider of innovative wholesale and retail food solutions, is proud to announce the promotion of Brandi Brindley to Purchasing Team Leader. Brindley will provide hands-on coaching, mentoring, and strategic leadership to enhance the purchasing power of the company’s procurement team. Brindley has been with National Food Group for over four years and career procurement for more than eighteen years.

DT Midstream named Melissa Cox President of its newly formed DT Midstream Foundation. Under Melissa’s leadership, the Detroit-based foundation will build on the company’s long philanthropic history of giving to communities in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Louisiana and Texas. Melissa serves as DT Midstream’s Senior Vice President of Administration.

David Whitney Building hotel to take on new flag Aloft Hotel to become Autograph Collection BY KIRK PINHO

CONSULTING

FINANCIAL SERVICES

WTW

Trinitas Planning Group

Beztak

WTW welcomes Brian Pilarski, an award-winning risk professional. He’ll be working with a depth of WTW resources, focusing on Commercial Risk, including Property/Casualty, Financial and Executive Risks, Cyber, Climate, ESG and other risks facing our clients today and beyond. “Brian’s the perfect addition, his passion for solving complex risks with innovative solutions will propel us forward, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him,” says Ryan Pischke, Head of Risk and Broking in Michigan.

Trinitas Financial Group is thrilled to welcome Eric Frantz as a Senior Partner. Frantz, an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, has 38 years of experience helping Michigan-based clients with their financial well-being. His knowledge and approach to helping a diverse array of clients is a perfect match. Trinitas Planning Group is a full-service financial planning firm headquartered in Rochester, Michigan and provides comprehensive services assisting in all financial aspects of one’s life.

Beztak Companies is pleased to welcome Erik Prater as our new General Counsel. Prior to joining Beztak, Erik was in the real estate group at Bodman, PLC, for over seventeen years where he specialized in construction, real estate development and real estate finance, and spent the past five years at Marsh Construction. Erik obtained a Bachelor of Arts/Social Science from Michigan State University, and graduated magna cum laude from Wayne State University Law School.

42 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

The David Whitney Building in downtown Detroit is changing from an Aloft Hotel with 136 rooms to an Autograph Collection hotel with 160 rooms following a renovation set to begin this summer. | THE ROXBURY GROUP

REAL ESTATE

Nearly a decade after reopening as the Aloft Hotel in the David Whitney Building, the hotel will take on a new flag following an upcoming renovation. The high-rise at 1 Park Ave. on Grand Circus Park downtown is to become an Autograph Collection hotel, part of the Marriott International Inc. portfolio of hotel brands, and expand to 160 rooms, taking away 24 of the apartments and leaving 80 residences on the top seven floors, Detroit-based developer The Roxbury Group announced on Wednesday. The existing 136 hotel rooms will be overhauled in a phased fashion, as well, and the lobby bar, atrium lounge and outdoor seating are to be renovated. The building’s event space, the approximately 7,000-square-foot, two-floor Capper & Capper, is to become restaurant space expected to be announced by the end of the summer. The project’s budget was not disclosed. “This was a good opportunity to rebrand and refresh the David Whitney at a time when it was about time to do so anyway,” said David Di Rita, principal of The Roxbury Group. “Marriott has been a great partner .... It’s been eight years and we have

been really thrilled with how the Aloft has performed at that location. What the Aloft Hotel at the David Whitney unleashed, it was the first new property of any scale, and the first branded hospitality in the market, since 2008 (when the Westin Book Cadillac opened). In many respects, the Aloft Hotel at the David Whitney launched the new wave of boutique hotels, including our own property (the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan), but also the independent boutiques like the Siren, the Foundation and the Shinola.” Renovations are to begin this summer and wrap up by late 2023. Detroit-based Patrick Thompson Design and Detroit-based Infuz Architects are working on the design; the Detroit office of Gensler is working on brand identity; and Troybased O’Brien Construction Co. will be construction manager. Di Rita said the hotel will remain open throughout the renovations. San Diego-based Azul Hospitality will remain the manager of the Autograph hotel once it reopens. Azul also manages the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan hotel, plus the Monarch Club rooftop bar on that building. Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

Detroit’s Inn on Ferry Street to reopen with new owner Pioneering inn had closed during COVID-19 pandemic BY KIRK PINHO

Like many other hotels, Detroit’s Inn on Ferry Street struggled to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shuttered for more than two years — at one point, it was believed to be closed for good — the historic collection of Victorian mansions and a carriage house in the Midtown neighborhood is being resurrected once again by a new owner. Susan Mosey, executive director of Midtown Detroit, confirmed that the property her organization jointly owns with the Detroit Institute of Arts is selling it, although she declined to identify the buyer or reveal the purchase price. She said she hopes the sale will finalize in about 30 days, and the new ownership would reopen it perhaps a month after that, she said. “We were approached by numer-

ous parties interested in it and the preference from the (Midtown Detroit) board was to keep it as a hotel,” she said, noting that the DIA has signed off on the sale as well. The art institute declined to comment. New York City-based Life House Hotels is expected to operate the property once it’s sold, Mosey confirmed. A pair of entities — LH 84 E Ferry License LLC and LH 84 E Ferry LLC — were set up earlier this month with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Filings list Remi Zeidan, the co-founder and CEO of Life House, as sole member of both entities. One of the properties that’s part of the complex is located at 84 E. Ferry St. east of Woodward Avenue. Life House Hotels did not return emails and calls seeking comment. Life House’s website says it owns hotels in Miami, Nantucket, Denver

and Miami Beach, and is in the process of opening hotels in Chattanooga, New York and Bali, among others. It also manages 41 independent properties, 11 branded properties and 22 restaurants and bars in the U.S. and Mexico. Hotel Management reported in 2019 that Life House had snagged $100 million in equity investment from Boston-based Blue Flag Partners as Zeidan and co-founder Yury Yakubchyk planned an expansion through acquisition of seven to 10 hotels. The company reportedly focuses on properties with fewer than 120 rooms and relies on technology and automation to drive profits. “We can make a small hotel profitable — or more profitable — in a meaningful way,” Zeidan told Hotel Management. “They have so (many) fixed expenses and GM and director of finance, housekeepers and

MACKINAC

The official themes of the event, which the chamber refers to as “pillars,” have a heavy focus on addressing the political rancor in American society:  Advancing diversity as a strength.  Utilizing civility and facts in public discourse.  Building a culture of empathy.  Advocating for the fundamental tenets of American democracy.  Not on the official list but clear in the lineup is another idea, that one area of

riage house on John R built in 1892, according to the hotel’s website. Mosey said the John R carriage house was recently sold to Nancy and Arn Tellem, who are currently renovating the property for an expansion of BasBlue, a new nonprofit gathering place for women and nonbinary individuals. Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

CLASSIFIEDS

COVID policy changes

The themes

housekeeping manager — all those positions in a small hotel really add up.” The Inn on Ferry Street reopened more than 20 years ago as hotel space following an 18-month renovation. It consists of the Pungs house, built in 1891; Roehm house, built in 1888; Scott house, built in 1886; and Owen house, built in 1887; plus the Smith carriage house built in 1892 and, until recently, a car-

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From Page 3

Last September’s Mackinac conference was marked by COVID-19 pandemic protocols, which included a lower cap on attendance, many outdoor events and a requirement to wear masks in certain areas. Perhaps most memorable were red, yellow and green wristbands meant to signal a person’s willingness to shake hands. (Those wristbands won’t be making a return engagement, the chamber says.) The conference also required proof of COVID vaccination. The chamber has eased vaccination rules for this edition of the conference, allowing unvaccinated people to show a negative PCR test for COVID to be able to enter the conference. The eased protocols have still caused some headaches. Republican candidate for governor Ryan Kelley first said he wouldn’t take part in a June 2 candidate debate tied to the conference in protest of the chamber’s COVID safety measures even though the outdoor debate has no requirement for vaccination or testing. After learning of that, Kelley said he would take part, before changing his mind again and saying he would skip the debate. One change that is sticking: a lower attendance cap on the conference. The chamber says it liked the vibe of a less-crowded event and wants to keep a cap of 1,300 attendees, down from 1,700 pre-pandemic.

The Inn on Ferry Street is being sold to new ownership, two years after the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down. | KIRK PINHO/CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

To place your listing, contact Suzanne Janik at 313-446-0455

MARKET PLACE

JOB FRONT

LEGAL NOTICE

POSITION AVAILABLE

The porch at the Grand Hotel is known as a center for schmoozing — and being seen schmoozing — at the Mackinac Policy Conference. | DALE G. YOUNG/SPECIAL TO CRAIN’S

society in which such division doesn’t exist and people come together is the world of sports, reflecting the involvement of the conference chair, Detroit Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem.

Republican debate On June 2, the chamber will host a Republican gubernatorial candidates debate. The event has been marked by some controversy over who can take part. As of May 25 and after Kelley’s withdrawal, the list of “invited candidates” consisted of former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, businessman and “quality guru” Perry Johnson, former auto dealer Kevin Rinke and Kalamazoo chiropractor Garrett Soldano. Two of those, Craig and Johnson, face uncertain eligibility for the race because of fraudulent petition signatures. Most prominent among the candidates not on the invitation list is media personality Tudor Dixon, who has received endorsements from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and the DeVos family. How the lineup might change due to the petition controversy or other issues is not yet clear. A chamber spokesman said Tuesday that organizers will watch decisions made by the state Board of Canvassers and change the lineup accordingly.

Who’s speaking The speaker lineup includes lumi-

naries from the political and business worlds including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and outgoing Henry Ford Health President and CEO Wright Lassiter III. In from out of town and from the world of sports are a pair of billionaire Detroit natives: former Microsoft CEO and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steven Ballmer and New York real estate mogul and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross — perhaps best-known locally for his hundreds of millions of dollars of donations to the University of Michigan. Ross will join a panel that also includes Keith Bradford, senior vice president of the Ilitch family’s Olympia Development, and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II focused on “talent-driven development.” Ross and the Ilitch family are working to put a new University of Michigan Center for Innovation in The District Detroit area surrounding Little Caesars Arena.

A sporty addition Also new this year: an invitation-only pre-conference golf event on the island on Tuesday that is expected to include business leaders and athletic legends including Lee Trevino, Isiah Thomas, Mia Hamm, Ben Wallace and others. The chamber says the event thematically fits the conference because sports can be a vehicle for understanding and civility in society.

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TODAY MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 43

STELLANTIS

From Page 3

he met with company representatives on a site visit, where business climate was a main discussion point. “We benefit from all of Indiana’s policies that support businesses — our tax environment, our regulatory environment,” Sparks told Crain’s. “I think our state Legislature and gubernatorial leadership over the years understand that if you want jobs, it’s important to listen to employers and understand their needs and concerns. Our state tax and regulatory policies do that.” Paul Wyman, commissioner of Indiana’s Howard County who pushed for the creation of the industrial park that Stellantis announced Tuesday it chose for its new battery plant, echoed the sentiment. “The business climate and the regulatory climate in Indiana was very attractive to them,” Wyman told Crain’s. “If you were just to look, as far as imposing regulations on businesses, I would just say we probably do less of that than some of our surrounding states.” Clean air and reduced emissions are central themes to the massive electrification push by automakers. Since September, Stellantis has made headlines for air quality violations and concerns. Its Mack Assembly Plant in Detroit has been hit with five violations, most recently on May 20, since it started production last year. One of the violations was for improper ducting, while the others have been for paint odor. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, which handles enforcement, also created a website dedicated to tracking the violations and the status of air quality at each Stellantis facility in Michigan. The automaker, whose North American headquarters is in Auburn Hills, declined to comment on what role the violations, and how the state enforced them, may have played in its site selection. The Michigan Economic Development Corp., which led Michigan’s unsuccessful bid to land the EV battery plant, said it discussed the violations and enforcement with Stellantis. “The MEDC was aware of the enforcement actions at the Mack Ave facility, and had conversations with Stellantis around those based on our longstanding relationship and as a normal course of business,” MEDC spokesman Otie McKinley said in an email. The agency declined to comment on the nature of the conversations or details of the incentives package it offered the automaker. Stellantis has said that the air quality around the Detroit plant is safe, but paint odor issues, which neighbors have bemoaned as a drag on their quality of life, continue to be cited by EGLE. EGLE Director Liesl Clark engaged with Stellantis about a potential new battery plant but not about air quality violations, department spokeswoman Jill Greenberg said. “The director was involved in discussions with Stellantis, but only about the proposed new facility,” Greenberg said in an email. “No dialogue occurred about our enforcement actions on the current facility.” Goodwill “certainly is significant,” and Indiana is well known among site selectors as having one of the most business friendly climates in the Midwest, said John Boyd, principal of The Boyd Co. Inc., a Flori44 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

Battery plants in the works Automakers and their battery partners are preparing to ramp up production over the next few years. Here are their plans: Ford Motor Co.

General Motors

SK Innovation

Stellantis

Toyota

Volkswagen Windsor, Ontario: Stellantis-LG Energy Solution will build Canada’s first large-scale EV battery plant in Windsor. Expected to open in 2024.

Delta Township, Mich.: GM-LG joint venture to build battery plant near two existing assembly plants. Expected to open late 2024.

Kokomo, Ind.: Stellantis-Samsung SDI will produce EV batteries for the North American market in Kokomo. Expected to open in 2025.

Lordstown Ohio: GM-LG Energy Solution JV building an Ultium battery plant.

Glendale, Ky.: Blue Oval SK Battery Park, a JV of Ford and SK Innovation, will comprise two battery plants. Expected to open in 2025 and 2026. Haywood County, Tenn.: Ford’s Blue Oval City will make batteries, and electric F-Series pickups, northeast of Memphis, Tenn. Spring Hill, Tenn.: GM-LG Energy Solution JV to build an Ultium battery plant near Cadillac Lyriq assembly plant. Expected to open in 2023.

Chattanooga, Tenn.: The VW complex has been expanded to begin battery-pack assembly for the ID4.

Commerce, Ga.: SK Innovation will build two plants northeast of Atlanta. Expected to open in 2022 and 2023.

Liberty, N.C.: Toyota Battery Manufacturing is eventually expected to run six assembly lines, enough to power up to 1.2 million vehicles annually. Expected to open by 2025.

SOURCE: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS RESEARCH

panies? Do you have the energy costs which are competitive on a national scale? Michigan has all that. Unfortunately, so does Indiana.”

Focus on microchips

The Stellantis Jeep assembly complex in Detroit, which launched about a year ago, was first cited for odor problems in September. | STELLANTIS

Microchip focus

LEFT: Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart announces $3.6 billion investment in Canada. RIGHT: The Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance has a 1,600-acre tract of farm land near the I-69 and I-94 interchange in Calhoun County that it has been marketing for a decade for a new large-scale industrial development. | GREG LAYSON/ AUTOMOTIVE NEWS (LEFT) AND MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.

da-based firm that consults on site selection for large companies, including Honda, Boeing and Dell. Stellantis is not a client. “There’s a very strong branding component that’s now fundamental to the site selection process, and it’s imperative to Stellantis to have goodwill amongst the public and lawmakers and regulators,” Boyd said. “It could be Indiana treating Stellantis more as a partner and perhaps Michigan treating Stellantis in a more antagonistic way via the way that regulation was enforced.” In its statement, Stellantis also said the Indiana site provided flexibility as the scope of the project evolved. “Early in the year, the scope of the program increased and a larger site was needed to accommodate the

change,” the automaker said. “Having additional land to further expand and co-locate suppliers was extremely important to our partners. The site in Indiana is nearly twice the size of the site that was being considered in Michigan.” The 1,600-acre Marshall megasite was proposed by officials, but it’s unclear if all or just a portion of the acreage was up for offer. EV and semiconductor manufacturers recently visited the site, according to James Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance/Choose Marshall, who said that companies expressed concerns about workforce development. A site in Dundee near Stellantis’ engine plant was also considered, The Detroit News reported.

While Michigan missed out on another EV opportunity, it was at least competitive this time around, according to officials and industry observers, unlike when Ford Motor Co. took its massive EV investments to Kentucky and Tennessee. “Like other states or provinces, Michigan is competing aggressively to earn future investments by Stellantis,” MEDC CEO Quentin Messer said in a prepared statement. “While no single state can, or will, win every EV and mobility investment, Michigan’s pipeline remains strong…” Messer cited the $7 billion investment by General Motors Co. to convert its Orion Township assembly plant for EVs and its JV in Lansing with LG Energy Solution, which separately is investing $1.7 billion to expand battery production in Holland. While the state approved $824 million in tax incentives to secure GM’s investment, the MEDC said it still has about $335 million left in the new Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund, plus another $500 million proposed. “Absolutely Michigan was a contender,” said Glenn Stevens, executive director of MICHauto, an auto industry advocacy nonprofit. “Do you have the business climate, including the incentives to offer companies? Do you have the talent and the workforce alignment with com-

With Stellantis, Ford and GM having selected homes for their first round of EV investments, Michigan’s focus has shifted to semiconductors. Michigan is launching a $1.5 million apprenticeship program centered on semiconductors as the automotive industry grapples with a microchip shortage, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Tuesday afternoon in a bit of counterprogramming to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s victory speech on landing the Stellantis plant in Kokomo. “As global demand for semiconductors continues to grow, Michigan is poised to be at the center of semiconductor and battery manufacturing and R&D efforts nationwide,” Whitmer said in a news release. Whitmer cited the SK Siltron plant in Bay County, Hemlock Semiconductor in Hemlock and KLA Corp. in Ann Arbor as examples of recent wins in the space. Intel committing at least $20 billion to build microchip plants in Ohio proves chip manufacturers are not afraid to invest heavily in the Midwest, but states must have the right incentives, Paul Krutko, president and CEO of Ann Arbor Spark, told Crain’s in an interview earlier this month. KLA, he pointed out, was lured to the state by an incentive program, Good Jobs for Michigan, that ended in 2019. Krutko said he is advocating “as strongly as we possibly can” for an R&D tax credit in Michigan, which he said is the only state in the Midwest without one, as companies are quick to notice when considering sites. “Does that put us at a competitive disadvantage when Intel is thinking about a location for a chip plant? Absolutely,” he said. “Would these companies invest here? Yes, if we give them the right set of responses consistently.” Contact: knagl@crain.com; (313) 446-0337; @kurt_nagl

FUTURE

From Page 3

— has conceptually been on the Ilitch family’s Olympia Development of Michigan’s real estate company’s drawing boards, Crain’s has previously reported, although none of it has gotten off the ground. In an interview Thursday morning, Ross — who is chairman of New York City-based developer Related Cos., owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and one of UM’s most prolific donors — said that although there may have been “buildings on this block or that block,” what differentiates this vision from previous ones is how “the plan works together to really create a viable center and pattern for growth in Detroit, and the ability to do so many different phases at one time so you can really create something that you can’t do building by building.” A Thursday press release described the vision as “conceptual initial areas of focus for future development that will benefit the community while also meeting the strong, nationwide demand for developments that make a positive difference and address critical social issues.” Among those are education, engagement, employment, economic inclusion and environmental justice, the release says. This mix of uses would allow for Related to bring in local development partners, Ross said. “There’s gonna be local partners we bring in, joining us in doing affordable housing,” he said. “If corporations want to come in and own their own properties, we are ready to work with them or other developers. We have a lot of land.”

A rendering of what Park Avenue would look like once in the newest vision for the District Detroit. | PHOTOS COURTESY OF RELATED COS. AND OLYMPIA DEVELOPMENT OF MICHIGAN

Shortfalls, successes Development in The District Detroit has not lived up to the vision laid out eight years ago, when the Ilitch family unveiled a sweeping plan for 45 to 50 blocks of redeveloped buildings and new construction that would fill out five distinct neighborhoods anchored by what became the $862.9 million Little Caesars Arena, now home to the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons and financed with $200 million in public money. However, some new construction and redevelopment — after years of wrangling and delay — has taken place, including construction of the Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business, a new office building at 2715 Woodward Ave., the new Little Caesars Global Resource Center and renovations of the Detroit Life Building as well as the Women’s City Club building along Park Avenue. In addition, the Hotel Eddystone was ultimately redeveloped into apartments, opening late last year. After years of delays, construction has also started at the United Artists Building on Grand Circus Park, converting the long-vacant high-rise into apartments. There is also a proposal to turn buildings at Cass Avenue and Henry Street that the Ilitches previously wanted to tear down into new housing through a partnership with Lansing-based Cinnaire Solutions. However, a pair of the Ilitch-owned buildings proposed for renovation into apartments five years ago to this day continue to sit vacant with no progress being made on the conversion, and a pair of buildings that started construction — also originally as residential space — sit partially-built near the arena. Much of the area remains a smattering of surface parking lots and vacant buildings. “As we continue to envision the

ABOVE: A rendering of the Woodward Avenue side of the Detroit Center for Innovation in District Detroit. LEFT: A rendering of Columbia Street in the District Detroit.

Stephen Ross | LARRY PEPLIN FOR CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

amazing possibilities for Detroit’s future, today is another important step forward in making The District Detroit a signature live, work and play neighborhood that improves lives in our community,” Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings Inc., said in the Thursday press release “The feedback we receive from the community will guide us as we work to continue creating life-changing opportunities through new housing, good jobs and education.” How much of the vision laid out by Ross and Ilitch Thursday comes to fruition and when is contingent on factors ranging from construction costs to financing, market demand, forging partnership agreements and fundraising for the DCI, among a host of others. Some, all or none of it could ultimately end up being built. Where this vision differs from the initial District Detroit vision is that it has the DCI as the anchor, not the arena.

That, Ross said, means that jobs, not sports and entertainment, are the catalyst. “Things change with jobs,” Ross told Crain’s. “Jobs are really at the heart of the whole thing. If you can create a center where people are in a place where they want to live, work and play, and what people are looking for, and to drive corporations to want to locate there and take advantage of the talent that’s driven to the city — that’s what the innovation center does in terms of bringing young talent.”

The Detroit Center for Innovation The Detroit Center for Innovation has been in the works for years but in December it was formally announced that it would move from Dan Gilbert’s 14-acre former Wayne County Consolidated Jail site at Gratiot Avenue and I-375 to a 4-acre surface parking lot west of the Fox Theatre in the District Detroit development area. The site is bounded by Cass and Grand River avenues and West Columbia and Elizabeth streets. The development is estimated to cost $250 million to bring a new 200,000-square-foot research and education center to the site, which also includes the Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge building at 2115 Cass Ave., expected be turned into a technology incubator. A new-construc-

tion nearly 300-unit residential ed heads over fundamental developbuilding would have housing along ment issues like building orientation, Cass Avenue, Related and Olympia sight lines, site entrances, interconsaid at the time. nectivity and accessibility and other The DCI building would be devel- issues — and how all of those imoped by Related and then donated to pacted the remaining 7 acres of GilUM, which would not pay taxes on bert land, a source said last year. the property. In October 2019, Gilbert’s DeRoss told Crain’s following the De- troit-based Bedrock, Related, Wayne cember event that $100 million to County and the city announced plans $200 million in fundraising for the for the Detroit Center for Innovation, DCI was still needed; Ross in Febru- which was planned to be a $750 milary 2020 committed $100 million to it lion development anchored by a $300 million graduate school initiahimself. He said Thursday that fundraisers tive for things like mobility, AI, sus“are getting out there” and that he is tainability, cybersecurity, financial “very comfortable that we’re going to technology and other fields. Ross had been looking at possible get the support that we need.” “I wouldn’t be going forward, do- “JOBS ARE REALLY AT THE HEART OF THE ing all the things we are doing and WHOLE THING.” bringing the corpo- — Stephen Ross, Related Cos. rations if I didn’t feel that money was there because I alternative locations for the Detroit think we’d be spinning our wheels a Center for Innovation at least since lot,” Ross said Thursday, adding that fall 2020, however, when he toured a construction is expected to begin next building on the Detroit riverfront (which Gilbert later bought himself ). year. Since then, limited liability compaHe said Related has “thought of” local and state incentives for the proj- nies following the Ilitch family’s methect but a spokesperson said “nothing od of operation for purchasing propconcrete” has been determined on erty in secret have been buying sites west of the Fox Theatre, including the which ones, if any, may be sought. The DCI was originally planned for Film Exchange Building and Bookies the former jail site but ultimately Bar & Grille building as well as consolwent to the District Detroit following idating ownership of vacant land. disputes between the Ross and GilContact: kpinho@crain.com; bert camps. Their respective deputies had butt- (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB MAY 30, 2022 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 45

THE CONVERSATION

Tarick Salmaci parlayed boxing success into brokerage firm Tarick Salmaci, principal broker/president at ARG Realty Group / The Tarick Salmaci Group, parlayed his success as a professional boxer into a Detroit area residential and commercial real estate practice with nearly two dozen brokers working under him. Now 50, he began investing in real estate when he was still fighting, a career that saw him not only become the North American Boxing Organization middleweight champion but also a contestant on the first season of NBC’s realty TV show “The Contender.” A boxer who narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in 1992 and who has recently gotten into boxing promotion as well, he trained in Dearborn beginning at age 8 and, later, the world-famous Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit. He spoke about his entry into real estate, what he’s seeing in the market and his boxing career. | BY KIRK PINHO What led you to get into real estate investing as a career? Prior to real estate, I was a boxer. During that time, I started investing in real estate and purchasing investment properties in the Detroit area. I ended up getting my license while still an athlete. After I retired in 2005 from boxing, people started asking for favors here and there, for residential, commercial, and all of a sudden I was becoming really busy and enjoying it. In 2008, I opened ARG Realty Group and The Tarick Salmaci Group. We do a lot of commercial and residential, and I have 23 agents. My main location is on Michigan Avenue in west downtown Dearborn, and I have a satellite office in 1001 Woodward downtown. You got into investment when you were still boxing. What was your portfolio like? It was more on the residential. I didn’t learn too much about commercial until later on. I was buying, flipping, doing a lot of rentals. I started learning more about commercial space when I got my broker’s license and I love the commercial side. What sort of trends have you been seeing during the pandemic with your brokerage? Residential kept all brokerages alive. Residential was the bread and butter for brokerages during the pandemic, being that commercial was kind of at a halt. No one knew what was going to happen. People were afraid to open up and do business during the pandemic. With the interest rates, residential just took off. All my agents were doing great in residential. I was still doing commercial as well, but it was a bit slow. As soon as the pandemic cleared up, commercial just spiked and took off again. So now it’s back to the way it was, although downtown hasn’t gotten there yet because downtown Detroit depends more on the workforce and the businesses. For a successful downtown, you need both residential and commercial, and we see a lot of residential development in downtown, a lot of construction going on, but we have 50

hurting themselves. When you get topnotch fighters, it’s really technical. The first couple rounds, you see where the guy is moving and you try to counter him.

percent less residential in our downtown than downtown Columbus, downtown Cincinnati. Detroit lacks that. Do you still box? At 50 years old? No.

How often does someone make a joke about you beating them up? People are like, “Don’t hurt me.” Outside of the ring, I’m a lover, not a fighter. You’d be surprised, boxers are some of the most gentle people you’ll ever meet, if you don’t cross the line.

You never know. I’m in shape and strong, but at that level, the split-second timing means everything. You gotta have that passion. I started boxing at 8 years old over at the south end of Dearborn where Dix Avenue and Vernor is, on the Dearborn side. That’s where I grew up. There was a recreation center over there. It was a city recreation program to keep kids off the streets. It was a lower-income area. They opened that sports center for us and we would do homework, play video games, shoot pool, play pingpong, all that stuff. One day they said they are going to do boxing. From the day I put on my gloves with the heavy bag, from that point right there, I knew that was my life. You’ve gotta have that passion. I was so passionate that, at 13 years old, if I didn’t have a ride to the gym, I would cry. Most kids, if it’s a hot day for football practice, they don’t want to go to football practice and they are happy to have the day off. At that gym, you’re not going through the motions. You’re trying to knock each other out. It’s hard. We don’t take it lightly and we go all out.

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What are some of the misconceptions about boxing? That it’s just two guys in there beating the hell out of each other. They call boxing the sweet science because it’s technical, it’s like a chess match. You won’t see that until you actually start watching boxing. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got those fights with two guys banging out with no teeth and that makes an exciting fight, but that’s not good boxing. They are

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RUMBLINGS

Fischers honored with Ellis Island Medal of Honor LONGTIME METRO DETROIT automobile dealer and Ambassador David Fischer and his wife, Jennifer Fischer, have been recognized by the Ellis Island Honors Society. The couple were among the recipients of the organization’s Medal of Honor at a ceremony earlier this month. The medals awarded by the organization honor those who “have shown an outstanding commitment to serving our nation either professionally, culturally or civical46 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | MAY 30, 2022

David Fischer

Jennifer Fischer

ly, among other criteria.” The Honors Society was created in 1986 to celebrate the contributions of

immigrants and their children to America. David Fischer was the longtime owner of the Suburban Collection chain of auto dealerships. He also served as ambassador to Morocco through last year and had a key role in the implementation of the Abrahamic Accords peace agreements. Jennifer Fischer is a community activist who sits on the board of the Washington-based Kennedy Center for the Arts, among other leadership roles. “Jennifer and I are incredibly hum-

bled and honored to be in the company of so many distinguished honorees,” David Fischer said in a statement. Jennifer Fischer: “The right history of Ellis Island and all who came here, sacrificed and persevered to make this country a better place can never be understated nor forgotten.” Other recipients of this year’s medals include the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, industrialist Charles Koch and his wife Liz Koch, and golfer Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez.

Chairman, Editor Emeritus Keith E. Crain Vice Chairman Mary Kay Crain President and CEO KC Crain Senior Executive Vice President Chris Crain Chief Financial Officer Robert Recchia G.D. Crain Jr. Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. Chairman (1911-1996) Editorial & Business Offices 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2732; (313) 446-6000 Cable address: TWX 248-221-5122 AUTNEW DET CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS ISSN # 0882-1992 is published weekly, except no issues on 1/3/22, 7/4/22, 11/21/22 nor 12/26/22, by Crain Communications Inc. at 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2732. Periodicals postage paid at Detroit, MI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 07925, Detroit, MI 48207-9732. GST # 136760444. Printed in U.S.A. Contents copyright 2022 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content in any manner without permission is prohibited.

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