Crain's Detroit Business, July 24, 2023

THE COMPLEX COSTS OF NO-FAULT COVERAGE IN MICHIGAN

Three years after a dramatic rework, jury is still out on auto insurance. STARTS ON PAGE

Metro of ce market still a struggle, except for one city

Worst in years — still. ose are four words you can use to describe the vacancy rates in some of the region’s most prominent o ce markets. Most of them, at least (ahem, looking at you, Birmingham).

Kirk Pinho

Data going back to 2000 provided by the local o ces of New York City-based brokerage house Newmark shows that, in

spite of what is largely a return to normalcy in everyday life after the COVID-19 pandemic, ofce landlords in Detroit and its suburbs continue to feel the sting of remote work policies and a reduction in space needs resulting from those.

e pain is likely far from over, said Andrew Hayman, president of South eld-based o ce and

multifamily landlord Hayman Co.

“We’re in the fourth or fth inning of a nine-inning game here,” Hayman said. “We’re in a cycle and I don’t think anybody knows” when it’s going to end.

(One recent report was particularly ominous. It found that ofce values nationwide likely won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until 2040.)

See OFFICES on Page 21

At this Detroit sandwich shop, pickles are the bread

By Jay Davis

Detroiter Leona Milton’s new restaurant has left people in a pickle, pondering what, exactly, constitutes a sandwich.

Milton is the owner of What’s e Dill, a pickle-centered sandwich shop at 4088 W. McNichols Road near the University of Detroit Mercy. Milton opened the business on Nov. 12, 2022, turning a concept she has loved since childhood into a successful, if quirky, small business.

“I just love pickles, the taste of them,” Milton said. “I shared how I eat them once at a pop-up shop and it blew up.”

What’s e Dill o ers sandwiches where large kosher dill pickles and cucumbers take the spot traditionally reserved for the bread. Milton then lls the pickles with fresh vegetables and meats like turkey, corned beef, chicken, ham, and crab. Her shop’s signature offering includes corned beef, turkey, bell peppers, lettuce, sweet and spicy mustard, cheese, and seasonings. Side dishes include tuna salad and chicken salad. Desserts include Oreo cheesecake.

Milton says the shop is bringing another healthy dining option into the city.

“ at’s what this is all about. I’ve always been a healthy eater,” Milton said. “Everybody loves a really good sandwich, but you don’t always want a lot of bread. e pickles just give it that extra avor.”

ere’s one special menu item that takes it even further: 12 varieties of Kool-Aid pickles. e pickles are brined in avors like tropical punch, grape and orange, put on a stick and then served frozen.

e idea for the frozen treats, with origins in the South, came from a

customer, Milton said.

“I don’t like sweets, but I mixed the Kool-Aid pickles up and some customers at a pop-up loved them,” she said. “ ey’re a nice, sweet treat.”

Finding a space to o er the sandwiches and treats took a while to establish.

Milton began o ering her stu ed pickles in 2019 at various pop-ups, parties, and catering events, working at more than 200 pop-ups over two years before de-

ciding in 2021 to go after a brickand-mortar location.

She and her husband, Kenny, operate the business together. e 527-square-foot space o ers enough room for three to four employees. She said various members of their family ll in when they’re able to.

“ e goal with this business is to ensure my family stays nancially stable,” Milton said. “We’ve had a lot of struggles. We want them to see that if you have a dream and

you pursue it, you can make your own opportunities.”

What’s e Dill operates 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon-7 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

Items are available beyond store hours.

A selection of What’s e Dill items are available at the Woodward Corner Market in Royal Oak, including sandwiches, soups and the Kool-Aid pickles. Milton is also in talks to o er products at the Rivertown Market on Je erson Avenue in Detroit.

Milton’s current plans include possible expansion with more brick-and-mortar sandwich shops, but that will depend on the success of the products at grocery stores, Milton said.

Visibility in the community is also a goal of Milton’s.

Milton hosted food drives during the 2022 holiday season and plans to be involved in several community events in the future, she said.

“If somebody is ever in need, we’d like to help them out,” Milton said. “ at’s what life is all about, doing for other people. You can’t take (the money) with you so you might as well help out if you have the resources.”

Leona Milton and her husband Kenny own and operate What’s the Dill. Other members of their family help out behind the counter when they’re able. | JAY DAVIS

The Big Dill Delight, consists of corned beef, ham, turkey, chicken, pepperoni, salami, cheese, veggies, and spices stuffed between a large, cut-in-half dill pickle. |

WHAT’S THE DILL

Rocket offers buyouts for employees

Incentives offered in effort to trim headcount

By Nick Manes

Rocket Mortgage and its a liated companies continue to seek to trim headcount amid a challenging home lending market by o ering buyouts.

1st oor of Ford Piquette plant museum opening to public

Birthplace of the Model T underwent yearlong renovation project

By Sherri Welch

e Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum this month will open the historic plant’s rst oor to the public for the rst time in decades.

Following a yearlong renovation project, the former front ofce area of the plant known as the birthplace of the Model T and other early Ford models is now a wide open space suitable for temporary exhibits and event rentals even during the day, when the museum is open.

Up until now, areas of the second oor that are part of the museum (and a berth for 65 historic vehicles) have been available for weddings and other rentals, but only for after-hours events.

“ e hope is some day to bring the rst- oor space back as close

to the original and make it a part of the museum with exhibits,” President and COO Jill Woodward said.

But for now, it will help generate revenue to sustain the museum’s operation and fund additional restoration projects at the 119-year-old plant.

“We can now monetize this ( rst- oor) space at any time during the week, increase hospitality for bus tours and tour groups and connect with the public in new ways through museum programming,” Woodward said. e 4,100-square-foot area the museum is calling the Piquette Assembly Room once housed the o ce of Ford Motor Co.’s rst general manager, James Couzens, and accounting and

While the speci c number of buyouts being o ered is unclear, the cuts will be targeted at all employees of Rocket Central — which provides a variety of support services such as HR and legal for the publicly traded umbrella company, Rocket Companies Inc. (NYSE: RKT) — as well as an unspeci ed number of jobs within Rocket Mortgage, the nation’s second-largest mortgage lending company.

e job cuts are being characterized as “a voluntary career transition opportunity to several teams within the organization,” and aim “to better align resources with the needs of both our business and today’s mortgage market,” Mike Malloy, chief administrative o cer for Rocket Central, said in a statement.

e incentives being o ered to employees include: 12-24 weeks of pay, depending on tenure, along with extended bene ts.

◗ Compensation for banked personal time o .

◗ Early vesting of certain stock awards.

◗ Outplacement services, including one-on-one career coaching, resume building and job search assistance.

“Our goal is to always provide our team members a ful lling career where they can grow and challenge themselves,” Malloy said in the statement. “ e career transition plan is a way for us to be

true to this mission, whether our team members build their career here or use our support to nd that opportunity elsewhere.”

Employees being o ered the buyouts have until July 26 to accept, and their nal day of employment would be Aug. 11.

Detroit-based Rocket o ered multiple rounds of buyouts throughout last year as interest rates rose rapidly, resulting in a shrinking mortgage market, as well as a home-buying sector challenged by a signi cant lack of inventory for buyers.

Rocket Companies’ overall headcount fell almost 29 percent from the end of 2021 to the end of 2022 with the number of employees shrinking from about 26,000 employees to roughly 18,500, according to Rocket’s annual report last year.

Total mortgage originations are forecast to decline 20% year over year and fall to less than $1.8 trillion this year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. e trade group forecasts an uptick in originations to more than $2.16 trillion and next year and nearly $2.5 trillion in 2025.

He makes it his business to get college athletes paid

Detroiter founds Athlytic as online marketplace

Jay Davis

Detroiter Ashton Keys is like many people who believe college athletes should get paid for their name, image and likeness. And he’s doing something about it.

A graduate of Detroit Cass Tech and Michigan State University, Keys established Athlytic in May 2020 with Brooklyn native Jared Eummer. e online marketplace, o cially launched in July 2021, affords current college athletes the ability to use their name, image and likeness for endorsement deals with brands that include

Shinola and Lansing-based Moneyball Sportswear.

e online platform and app works within NIL rules that govern how college athletes are allowed to receive nancial compensation, primarily through marketing and promotional e orts that can include autograph signings and social media posts. NCAA rules still prevent schools from paying players directly. e NCAA adopted an NIL policy on June 30, 2021.

Athlytic launched on July 1 that same year.

e platform uses data to pair its athletes with speci c brands.

Requests for a partnership can come from either side, according to Keys. Payment and terms are negotiated by both sides. Once terms are agreed upon, payments are held in escrow until the athlete meets the terms of the deal, Keys said. A deal could consist of one Tiktok post, a handful of Tweets or posts to other social media sites.

“For a lot of college athletes, that time is when their earnings potential is at its highest,” said Keys. “When I think about NIL, from a brand’s perspective, talent makes the di erence. But a brand is still all about numbers, views, cost per click, (return on investment). Our platform provides

brands with that infrastructure, data on graphics, ROI data.”

Companies that use Athlytic have a couple of options. Brands can pay $29 a month for one cam-

paign, which may consist of a mention on one social media post. A full- edged campaign runs $499 a month. All the athletes within the marketplace are made aware of each deal and can enter to be paid based on the performance of their content. Companies then receive analytics data on how well the athlete’s posts are performing.

Athlytic currently has about 200 athletes it works with and about 2,000 users, Keys said. Notable athletes working with Athlytic include MSU basketball player Malik Hall and UM softball standout Lexi Blair.

A 1912 Baker on loan to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum for the upcoming “EVs: Then and Now” exhibit is the rst to take its spot in the newly renovated rst- oor space at the museum. | FORD PIQUETTE AVENUE PLANT MUSEUM

Detroiter Ashton Keys is working to help college athletes capitalize on NIL through his company, Athlytic. | VENTURE FOR AMERICA

“The hope is some day to bring the rst- oor space back as close to the original and make it a part of the museum with exhibits.”

Jill Woodward, president and COO, Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum

Rocket Mortgage is based in downtown Detroit. | NICK MANES

Two condos sell at new Greektown building for nearly $1.5M each

By Nick Manes

Two million-dollar penthouse condos in one of downtown Detroit’s newest buildings are o the market.

Real estate listings show that two of the four condo units on the top oor of e Exchange in downtown Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood sold on July 10, totaling $2.9 million in two separate transactions.

e construction of e Exchange building has been closely watched for well over a year, as the building was built using technology that enabled it to be constructed from the top down.

e two units — 1602 and 1604 — are side by side on the top of the new-construction building along Gratiot Avenue, and both o er views of the downtown Detroit skyline.

Buyers for the two units are unknown, but both were cash deals meaning the transactions could close even though the building

has not yet received a certi cate of occupancy, said Hannah Hoppough, a Realtor with @Properties Christie’s International Real Estate in Detroit who represented both buyers as well the property’s developer.

e developer for the building is Exchange Detroit LLC, an entity connected to South eld-based general contractor Barton Malow Co.

e transactions mark the rst two closed sales for the 16-story building, with condos on the top two oors and apartments below.

ere are currently four units with pending sales and six remain, Hoppough said.

As one of the few new-construction, for-sale projects to pop up in downtown Detroit in several years, buyers have been expressing interest in the building, according to Hoppough.

Many, she said, are particularly drawn to the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatement, which o ers lower taxes to buyers.

Several older condo developments in the city have also had Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatements, but the period of reduced taxes available for several of those buildings is now starting to expire.

e two units at e Exchange — which di ered in size by about 250 square feet — were both sold for more than $1.4 million, and equate to costs of $915 per square foot and $760 per square foot, with the former believed to be a record for a condo sale in the city, Hoppough said.

e overall condo market in Detroit has seen some over-saturation for the last several years, and prices and fees for units vary widely building by building.

“Obviously, people have been watching this building for quite a while and we de nitely get lots of eyes just because of the way it was constructed,” said Hoppough. “But at the end of the day ... buyers looking downtown, they appreciate new construction.”

New bar opens inside the Siren Hotel

By Jay Davis

ere’s a new upscale bar open inside the Siren Hotel.

Ash-Bar Detroit quietly opened by o ering dinner service in midJune and began o ering breakfast on July 10. Billed as an all-day cafe, Ash-Bar Detroit o ers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a happy hour.

Ash-Bar, on the second oor of the Siren Hotel at 1509 Broadway St., also o ers aperitivo, Italian for a “pre-meal drink,” 2 p.m.-5 p.m. daily. Brunch, referred to at AshBar as “Breakfast du Weekend,” runs 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Ash-Bar operates 7 a.m.10 p.m. daily.

e bar o ers a full food and

drink program run by the Siren Hotel food and beverage Director Nick Arone. Menu items rotate daily and seasonally. Featured items include steak frites, chicken

milanese, and trout a la meuniere. Fresh-made pastas will also be offered.

Chef Scott Martinelli, who previously served as executive sous chef at Sylvan Table in Sylvan Lake, will run the kitchen.

Ash-Bar takes the place of lunch counter restaurant Karl’s, which closed late last year.

e boutique Siren Hotel, an Ash property, sits inside the morethan-100-year-old Wurlitzer Building. e Siren is also home to Candy Bar cocktail lounge, eight-seat restaurant Albena, and Sid’s Gold Request Room karaoke lounge. Ash has hotels in Baltimore, New Orleans and Providence, Rhode Island.

The two units — 1602 and 1604 — are side by side on the top of the Exchange Building along Gratiot Avenue, and both offer views of the downtown Detroit skyline. @PROPERTIES CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

Ash-Bar Detroit bills itself as an all-day cafe. | ASH-BAR

The wait for an ambulance may get longer — for safety

Ambulance service is built on response time — the ability to get to a su ering patient and to the hospital swiftly to save blood loss, an appendage or a life. e public has come to not only expect but demand the quickest response possible because, frankly, emergencies are frightening.

But, in reality, only about 5% of patients transported by ambulance actually bene t from “hot” rides, where the ambulance’s lights and sirens are ablaze, growing research suggests, including a study by the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Yet three-quarters of all 911 transports in the U.S. run hot, while the chance of a crash with a patient onboard rises threefold.

“Racing around all the time, we’re going to kill somebody on the way to a call for somebody that didn’t even need an ambulance anyway,” said Kolby Miller, CEO of Clinton Township-based MedStar, the state’s largest emergency medical services group jointly owned by Ascension Health, Henry Ford Health System and McLaren.

But MedStar ambulances run hot anyway because their services are contracted by municipalities almost exclusively for one performance metric — response time. In fact, 70 percent of its roughly 100,000 ambulance requests annually involve an ambulance running lights and sirens.

Miller wants to change that and is part of an informal nationwide e ort to educate municipalities and medical control authorities that contract emergency medical

services on the dangers of lights and sirens and what little factor they play in aiding patients.

“You think you want an ambulance to get you to the hospital at 100 mph, but at 100 mph that vehicle travels 450 yards before it can stop. We bring risks and accidents into the system while chasing a false metric,” Miller said. “Response time just doesn’t have the impact on patient outcome we want to believe it does and we’re jeopardizing everyone’s safety.”

Little need for speed

e focus of ambulance response times dates back 50 years to the Emergency Medical Systems Service Act of 1973, which stated that 95% of all ambulance response time should be within 10 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas.

But municipalities and medical control authorities began demanding quicker responses in the late ’70s as research indicated intervention within 6 minutes of cardiac arrest substantially increased survivability.

at’s led to quicker and quicker response times, no matter the injury or emergency.

Today, the national standard for EMS performance agreements is eight minutes and 59 seconds, meaning a response must be under nine minutes. Due to competition and expectations, that means most emergency calls receive an ambulance within four to six minutes, Miller said. e national average is seven minutes.

Nationally, about 72 percent of 911 calls requesting an ambulance

receive one with lights and sirens, and 21 percent of those ambulances transport the patient with lights and sirens on.

It’s not just the average response time that leads to ambulances traveling at high rates of speed and splitting tra c when they can.

Many emergency dispatch operations are run by the municipalities or counties and do not require someone with medical training. So because response time is critical with cardiac arrest and a small percentage of other emergencies, ambulance services have no choice but to travel quickly, said Angela Madden, executive director of the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services.

“Many (dispatchers) don’t have medical training, so they cannot clearly work through the patient’s symptoms,” Madden said. “Without that understanding of the patient’s issue, ambulances have to go to the scene with lights and sirens.”

Miller said about 30 percent of the time a MedStar ambulance — which serves patients in Bay, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Ingham, Lapeer, Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties — arrives at the

scene, a patient doesn’t even require an ambulance transport to the hospital.

However, when the EMS provides the dispatch service, there’s a noticeable change.

Grand Rapids-based Life EMS Ambulance, which has a 4,600-square-mile service area from Kalamazoo to West Michigan and has certi ed medical emergency dispatchers in most of its communities, only sends an ambulance with lights and sirens on 36% of its more than 100,000 transports, said Mark Meijer, president and founder.

“We’ve been fortunate to have some forward-thinking medical directors and medical control systems overseeing our clinical care,” Meijer said. “ at’s really helped drive down our use of lights and sirens and helped us ascertain what calls require them or not.”

Miller said he’s worked hard to educate decision-makers about reducing lights and sirens use by setting up informational meetings, but “hardly anyone shows up.”

ere is supporting evidence.

Mecklenburg County EMS Agency, which provides services

to the county in North Carolina that includes Charlotte, recently changed its response protocols after an in-depth study of the way its dispatch operated.

e county discovered that 74% of its 911 ambulance requests were dispatched as life-threatening and required the use of lights and sirens. However, after arriving to the scenes and accessing the scenarios, only 5% were determined to actually be life-threatening and require lights and sirens.

Being able to distinguish between the two aids in resource distribution. Paramedics ride in advanced care ambulances, which are equipped with life support equipment. Non-life-threatening calls receive basic life support ambulances, which have medical equipment but lack the advanced equipment of an advanced life support ambulance.

Since October 2021, for calls that are determined to be nonemergency calls, Mecklenburg EMS set a target of a 60-minute or less response time. After 12 months, Mecklenburg EMS reported an average response time of 32 minutes with zero patients adversely impacted.

Study: Health care labor shortages to remain over next decade

Labor shortages have been rampant across the health care sector for years — and it’s likely going to get worse.

Nearly all professions in the sector in Michigan are expected to face labor shortages and elevated turnover between now and 2032, according to research by the Michigan Health Council.

e council, a nonpro t founded by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Michigan State Medical Society and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, received a grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to create an action plan to address workforce issues in the sector. e Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index is the rst step before making recommendations to business leaders, education administrators and legislators.

Home health and personal care aides are expected to have the

largest labor shortage by volume over the next decade, followed by nursing assistants, medical assistants and dental assistants.

But the index takes into account other metrics, such as job demand, wage growth and turnover.

Dental assistants and nursing assistants rank the lowest in all four measures and pose the greatest threat to the system, said Michelle Wein, director of research

for the MHC.

“ ere is a lot of con rmation of some things we expected,” Wein said of the rst index of the state’s health care occupations. “Lowwage, low-education occupations struggle in the index. Wage growth hasn’t pushed them higher on the list. ose jobs also experience a lot of turnover, so we need to identify solutions to those issues to keep the system in good health.”

Nursing shortages have lled headlines for years, largely due to poor working conditions that included longer-than-normal hours and pay that didn’t keep up with in ation during the early days of the pandemic.

A University of Michigan survey of more than 9,100 nurses across the U.S. conducted last year found that 39 percent of responding nurses said they planned to leave the profession within a year. e Michigan Health & Hospital Association estimated earlier this year that nursing shortages have resulted in hospitals sta ng 1,700 fewer beds than in 2020.

But the MHC research shows while nurses remain a problematic eld, they are nowhere near among the worst in terms of shortages and turnover.

Registered nurses rank 17th on the list and nurse practitioners rst in terms of most healthy occupations in the industry over the next 10 years.

“Certainly nursing has been an issue,” said Craig Donahue, COO of the MHC. “ ere has been turnover and those leaving the profession early. at is a problem we need to think about and address. But the key thing is the comprehensive look at the whole health care workforce. We need those workers in the lower-wage, lower-educated jobs. So we have to look at how we develop pathways and get them up the workforce ladder.”

And there’s an equity component as well.

Black workers disproportionately hold the least “healthy” and lowest paid occupations in the sector, holding 36% of nursing assistant and 30% of home health and personal care aide jobs. e average wage for a nursing assistant in 2021 in Michigan was $17.09 per hour, according to the MHC research. Home health and personal care aides made $13.49 per hour. Turnover topped 86% for both.

Dustin Walsh

About 70 percent of 100,000 MedStar ambulance requests annually involve an ambulance running lights and sirens. | MEDSTAR AMBULANCE

By Dustin Walsh

Nursing supervisor Carissa Gray (left) and patient care secretary Laurie Walker check patient information at Memorial Healthcare Hospital in Owosso in 2021. | NIC ANTAYA

Bankruptcy helped Detroit, but let’s avoid repeat

In recent weeks, Detroit has looked back on the legacy of its historic Chapter 9 bankruptcy 10 years later.

It’s a city much changed over that decade — for the better, in many ways, and often because of the bankruptcy, not in spite of it.

Make no mistake: ere was pain in the bankruptcy, especially for city retirees who took hits to their pensions and health care. e trip through bankruptcy also reinforced a national view of Detroit as a once-great city that became a basket case.

But the bankruptcy allowed structural changes to happen that cleared the way for long-term, sustainable nancial success for the city, in a way that a straight bailout from the state or federal government never could have.

It stopped the can from being kicked down the road.

at combined with Mayor Mike Duggan’s focus on the details and friendliness toward business and economic development in the years since the bankruptcy have resulted in many wins for the city, from the city’s well-chronicled downtown renaissance to new and retooled automotive plants to the historic renovation of Michigan Central Station.

We’re even seeing new life on some of the properties the city surrendered in the bankruptcy, including the redevelopment of the parcel where Joe Louis Arena used to stand.

It’s hard to see how the nancially bur-

dened Detroit that came out of the Great Recession could possibly have lured that kind of investment.

e city’s bond rating has seen a series of improvements and is now one rung below investment grade.

S&P said it succinctly: “Ten years on from its bankruptcy ling, Detroit’s nancial position and economic condition are the strongest they’ve been in decades. Liquidity and reserves are at record levels, the debt burden is manageable, population decline is attening, the stock of blighted and vacant properties is down considerably

thanks to extensive city-managed programs, assessed property values have increased in ve consecutive years [...], and taxable wages continue to grow.”

In other words, Detroit’s historic and unprecedented trip through Chapter 9 was bankruptcy working as intended, offering a lifeline that let the city work through otherwise intractable nancial problems.

Detroit has many problems, but the city government’s nancial health, a direct result of the bankruptcy, remains an advantage going forward over many major cities

still struggling under the weight of enormous pension obligations.

As Detroit builds from this solid foundation, there will most certainly be pressures from time to time to dip too far into the coffers. Current and future leaders must resist this temptation and safeguard the books. Good scal health is the wellspring from which all of the services residents and businesses want and need are dependent.

We would do well to remember what led Detroit to its nancial breaking point, remember the pain of bankruptcy — and never repeat it.

Time to equitably address Detroit’s housing de ciencies

The following three statements are true:

1. Michigan is facing an unprecedented housing supply and a ordability crisis.

2. Michigan released its rst-ever statewide housing plan last year that identi ed racial equity and justice as a key priority.

3. ere is now more funding available than ever before to equitably address our region’s housing de ciencies.

At this very moment, Michigan is currently allocating $180 million in federal funds to support housing e orts across the state — $36 million of which will be invested into metro Detroit real estate projects. Michigan is also nalizing the guidelines that determine how a ordable housing awards will be allocated.

If you are thinking that this is an incredible moment of opportunity with a clear solution, we couldn’t agree more with you. An in ux of $36 million into Detroit’s neighborhoods would directly bene t the residents of the city who are most in need and most deserving of this economic support.

Why does this matter? Many of the U.S.

states that are growing in population share one thing in common: increasingly thriving and dynamic cities. As of the 2020 census, Detroit remains 76% Black, with 86% of all residents residing outside of the downtown area. We’re not just a metric. We’re 550,000 human souls. What’s good for Black residents of Detroit, is good for Detroit as a whole. What’s good for the neighborhoods of Detroit, and its hundreds of thousands of residents, is good for Detroit as a whole. Innovative policies and investments that drive equitable economic sustainability in Detroit are good for Michigan as a whole and will help propel our state’s population in the right direction.

While statistics clearly show us where both the concentration and majority of need lie, we continue to see critical economic real estate resources inversely distributed to where Detroiters actually live.

When the city of Detroit received $13 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation last year, we at the Real Estate Association of Developers (a nonpro t organization of Black develop-

ers with over $1.9 billion in development experience) watched with disappointment as 100% of those funds went to support projects in Downtown Detroit with limited a ordable housing commitments.

A thriving downtown is critical to the continued revitalization and economic sustainability of our city. We want to see the economic engine of our city ourish, but Detroit cannot ourish if adequate resources and services are not allocated to the communities where its residents live.

Investing in Detroit’s neighborhoods isn’t just common sense. It aligns with Michigan’s rst statewide housing plan initiative, which declared a commitment to deliver 75,000 housing units with a focus on a ordability, equity and racial justice. e neighborhoods are where attainable a ordability will be for most residents as the market rate o ering of neighborhood developments, up to 80% of available rental units, is typically much cheaper than downtown rental o erings.

Additionally, Michigan has a tremendous opportunity via its quali ed allocation plan to state clear its priorities by reserving tax credit equity allocations for emerging and local developers, just as it

does for rural developers via set-asides. Reserving funding for these groups will help grow economic opportunity and talent for Michigan’s emerging developers and keep the dollars generated within our community.

We are in a pivotal moment of opportunity. Detroit has historically led the nation in cultural, technological and political innovation. Real Estate Association of Developers believes in working together on big ideas and in the exciting possibility of a transparent system that allocates resources based on shared values, objective criteria and quanti able metrics to measure success. e state of Michigan and city of Detroit hold in their hands an unprecedented amount of funds that can be used to ensure that development in Detroit genuinely helps residents who desperately need quality a ordable housing, addresses the region’s ever-widening wealth inequality and helps grow Detroit’s tax base and Michigan’s population.

David Alade is president of the Real Estate Association of Developers and CEO of real estate development rm Century Partners.

We continue to see real estate resources inversely distributed to where Detroiters actually live.

Graf ti artists Melo and Ayem created this multicolored bankruptcy mural along Van Dyke Avenue in Detroit in 2013 as a way to represent the many layers they saw in the subject. | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

Could ARPA dollars go to Detroit retirees?

By Arielle Kass

Detroit’s retirees — whose pensions were cut a decade ago and who often struggle with health care gaps — could be helped with some of the $826.7 million windfall the city received in federal coronavirus relief aid, a recent report said.

e city’s legislative policy division, in a report looking for “potential remedial strategies” for the pension cuts, suggested some American Rescue Plan Act dollars could supplement retirees’ incomes or help pay utilities. Retiree-focused housing aid, home repair subsidies or expanded medical coverage for those who are too young for Medicare — or who never paid into the federal system — could also be paid for with ARPA funds, the report said.

Released July 11, that report covers both the General Retirement System of the city of Detroit and the Police and Fire Retirement System of the city of Detroit.

“Although ARPA funds cannot be used to make direct payments in the GRS/PFRS pension systems, ARPA funds represent a unique opportunity for the city to aid retirees without having to rely on the General Fund,” the memo said. “ ere are various ways that the city could appropriate ARPA funding to help retirees who have struggled nancially during the pandemic.”

It goes on to explain that cities like Ann Arbor, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles have dedicated funds “to provide direct guaranteed income payments to various vulnerable populations over a number of months or years.” Money can be targeted to people who were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury, a group that can include certain low-income households or others who qualify for government assistance.

But Mayor Mike Duggan quashed the idea, saying the funds had already been allocated and he didn’t think the payments would be allowed.

“ ere’s a speci c federal prohibition about using ARPA funds for issues earlier than March of 2020,” he said. “So I can’t imagine how it could even be done legally.”

In Los Angeles, the legislative policy division found, 3,200 residents received cash payments of $1,000 every month for a year. at program was directed toward families with children who had income below the federal poverty level and who experienced hardship due to COVID-19. It cost $35 million.

With 27,000 Detroit retirees in the legacy pension programs, the report said, “Implementing a similar program in Detroit would cost signi cantly more depending on the number of bene ts allocated to each individual, whether the benets would be a one-time payment or take place over time and whether the bene ts will be provided to all retirees.” It said because many retirees are likely struggling to cover household costs and medical care, they are a group that has been disproportionately impacted by

the pandemic.

No one from the legislative policy division returned a phone call seeking comment about the legality of such a plan.

Council Member Fred Durhal, who asked that the matter be analyzed, said he’d also requested a legal opinion from the city. While he said the research shows similar programs in other states, Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy creates di erent complications.

“We want to ensure we’re being careful,” he said. “I don’t think the focus is only on ARPA dollars. It’s, ‘can we do it in the rst place?’ ... If we can’t, at least there’s a solid,

written reason why we cannot.”

Durhal said he was still going over the report. He requested it because there’s been an “outcry” from retirees seeking some relief.

“ ey made one of the biggest sacri ces,” he said. “One of the things that is recognized is that they need help.”

e report also looks at what it would take to restore some of the cuts; the analysis concluded “it would require enormous city resources” to trigger the bene ts restoration process. To get the GRS pension program in position and to restore a half-percent of the 4.5% cut would cost an estimated $561

million; it would be $498 million for the PFRS pension to reach appropriate funding levels to pay for a 10% increase in a cost-of-living adjustment that was reduced to 1% in bankruptcy.

“ at’s not something that anybody’s going to consider,” Duggan said of the price tag, which tops a combined $1 billion.

Duggan was insistent that the city’s pot of federal funds wasn’t the answer.

“As soon as you start directing it to retirees, you’re running afoul of the very explicit ARPA provision... and they speci cally also exclude pension payments.”

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan quashed the idea of using ARPA funds to compensate city retirees who are ghting for their pensions and health care, saying the funds had already been allocated and he didn’t think the payments would be allowed. |

Notable Leaders in Energy are standout professionals developing new strategies to improve environmental sustainability, educate future leaders and develop innovative products and services for utility, automotive, construction and other industries in Michigan and around the globe. e honorees featured in this report were nominated by their peers, companies, friends and family and then selected by Crain’s Detroit Business editors based on their career accomplishments, track record of success and contributions to their elds and communities.

Notable Leaders in Energy is managed by Special Projects Editor Leslie Green, lgreen@crain.com. e pro les, written by freelancers and sta members, are based on the nomination forms submitted.

Crain’s Detroit Business is now accepting nominations for Notable Leaders in Employment & Labor Law and Notable Leaders in DEI. Visit crainsdetroit. com/notablenoms for details.

Cedric Ballarin

Executive Vice President, BOSAL Energy

Cedric Ballarin is managing BOSAL Energy’s transformation from a producer of combustion engine-derived products to a producer of energy conversion modules that t the emerging “hydrogen economy,” which is a decarbonization of industries that are di cult to electrify.

Ballarin supervises the marketing, sales, engineering and industrialization of heat exchangers, like solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysers, which are expected to grow in sales by 22% over the next ve years, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. He increased BOSAL Energy’s customers from 21 to 43 in one year.

He was president of the French American Chamber of Commerce in Michigan between 2013 and 2022, and is a guest lecturer for MBA classes at Oakland University, North Carolina State University and Eastern Michigan University.

Tonya Berry

Senior Vice President of Transformation and Engineering, Consumers Energy

Tonya Berry is helping Consumers Energy develop more wind and solar farms, improve its energy e ciency and prepare Michigan’s energy grid for an increase in electric vehicles.

“Tonya Berry’s leadership is helping us transform Michigan’s energy landscape,” said Garrick Rochow, the president and CEO of CMS Energy and Consumers.

Berry oversaw new agreements for wind and solar power generation that are expected to generate over 2,900 megawatts by 2026. And she created a partnership between Consumers Energy and Swisslane Farms to convert cow waste into natural gas used to heat 1,000 homes.

She has also helped Consumers Energy reduce its high-risk safety incidents by 27%, cut $58 million from its operating costs and automate over 500,000 work hours.

She serves on the boards of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the Leadership Advisory Board of the University of Michigan College of Engineering.

Energy industry employment by industry sector

Greg Bolino

Global Head of Sustainability Strategy and Asset Consulting, Jones, Lang, LaSalle

Greg Bolino grew the sustainability strategy at Jones, Lang, LsSalle and increased revenue in his sector by 50% with a focus on energy e ciency, renewables and infrastructure to support electri ed transportation. His team helps businesses and cities reduce water usage and waste, achieve net-zero carbon emissions, improve their social value and reduce risk.

Bolino is also a founding board member of the Equitable Ann Arbor Land Trust, which aims to develop a ordable housing with a focus on environmental sustainability.

“Greg brought his global experience in sustainability and decarbonization to Ann Arbor and has volunteered his time to help Ann Arbor achieve its ambitious sustainability goals as well as improve access to housing in our city,” said Andrea Darden, CEO of Darden Wealth Group.

His energy projects at JLL are bringing the company closer to its 2040 goal of net-zero carbon emissions in all its managed real estate.

Rose Dady Director, Of ce of Community Engagement, Of ce of State and Community Energy Programs, U.S. Energy Department

Rose Dady, rst-ever director of the Energy Department's new Community Engagement o ce, works with communities to achieve the clean energy goals established by the Biden Administration and help business owners implement and reach their energy eciency goals.

“Rose Dady is a quintessential energy guru who has proven she is especially equipped to bring understanding and resources to marginalized communities across the states,” said Brigitte Maxey, communications director at Advanced Decision Vectors. “ ese same communities have felt the brunt of global warming and su er from energy insecurity that often leaves them choosing between paying for energy or other essentials such as food.”

Formerly, she was the U.S. Department of Energy’s regional intergovernmental and external affairs specialist for the Midwest and worked with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce to convene a Sustainability Summit that explored how federal climate change policies impacted private businesses.

Her past work has focused on public transportation issues, voting accessibility and anti-discrimination e orts.

Lillian Epstein Stotland President and CEO, Vesco Oil Corp.

Lilly Epstein Stotland took over Vesco Oil, a more than 75-year-old family company that distributes automotive and industrial lubricants, and has doubled its annual sales and expanded the business to 10 sites across the Midwest. Vesco is one of Crain’s 100 Largest Michigan Privately Held Businesses and No. 6 of largest Woman-Owned Businesses in Michigan.

Epstein Stotland has turned her focus for the company to alternative energy solutions, “driving Vesco into expanding its operations focusing on alternative energy solutions, including electric vehicle and other alternative energy solutions,” said Alex Stotland of Stotland Craig PLLC. Epstein Stotland is committed to providing Vesco’s automotive and industrial customers with environmentally sound services for recycling used oil and other products.

She also serves in various volunteer and civic positions, including the Board of Governors of Cranbrook Schools, president of the Cranbrook-Brookside School’s Mothers Council and the Board of the Harvard Club of Detroit.

Xiaohong Gayden

Founder and CEO, Intecells

Xiaohong Gayden provides battery solutions to companies, universities and national laboratories that shrink their environmental impacts and costs and increase their outputs.

Gayden has raised over $5.3 million from investors for Intecells, a battery manufacturing technology startup with atmospheric cold-plasma technology that reduces the cost of high-performance electrodes for battery-cell production.

“It’s all coming together and is at the very beginning of what will be an accelerated trek through the production development process,” said Bob Galyen, chairman of the SAE International Battery Standard Steering Committee. “No one can match what Intecells does.”

Gayden is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers International Advanced Battery Concepts committee. She holds over 50 patents and has published 20 articles in technical publications.

Eric Grif n Director, Energy & Resiliency, Great Lakes Water Authority

Eric Gri n expanded metering and power quality monitoring at the Great Lakes Water Authority, giving the agency better tracking of its energy use.

He also led the development of a data system that helps GLWA improve energy e ciency and treatment processes.

“Eric successfully led the challenging task of integrating multiple sources of energy data into a comprehensive energy dashboard, developed automatic routines to parse and evaluate this energy data and initiated and implemented efforts to share this data throughout the organization to help motivate e cient and e ective use of energy,” said John Norton, the GLWA’s director of energy, research & innovation.

Gri n has made GLWA energy-use reports publicly available; and within the agency, he created the Energy Champions program to highlight employees who help improve energy e ciency.

James Hamman Area Director of Disposal-Michigan, WM

James Hamman oversees safety, engineering and environmental operations, procedures and technologies that help the waste management company meet sustainability goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ese e orts include harnessing land ll gas and converting it to renewable energy. Hamman is also leading WM’s e ort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42% over the next 10 years at 14 land lls in Michigan and Ohio. He also works with the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Energy and Environmental committee.

He mentors younger sta members in sustainability and has been honored by WM with three Circle of Excellence awards, most recently in 2022, for those e orts and for his commitment to his work.

Natalie King Founder and CEO, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners

Natalie King has grown Dunamis Clean Energy Partners to 150 employees since founding it in 2012. e company promotes renewable and cost-cutting energy sources for its clients with a focus on LED lighting, horticultural lighting and electric vehicle charging stations.

King participated in the Stellantis-NBL National Black Supplier Development Program and Apple’s Impact Accelerator program, which helps diverse entrepreneurs in the clean energy sphere develop their businesses.

She serves on the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Energy & Environment Committee and helped found Blacks in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure. She also founded the Doing the Work Foundation, which focuses on clean energy resources and entrepreneurial education while addressing homelessness and poverty.

Matt Lentini

Senior Vice President, Energy and Industrial teams, Barton Malow Company

Matt Lentini has expanded Barton Malow’s wind project portfolio across and beyond Michigan. Under his leadership, the company completed its Delta Energy Park, a natural gas- red plant that will help the Lansing Board of Water & Light become Michigan’s largest utility to generate coal-free power by 2025.

“His leadership is holistic, seeking government process eciencies and supporting growth of the union trades within the solar market,” said Ryan Johnston, a project director at Barton Malow.

Lentini also championed new initiatives at Barton Malow that include the development of robotic-assisted module setting equipment, new racking installations for safer torque tube installations and new safety standards for the solar team.

His project portfolio generated $600 million and is expected to grow to $2 billion.

Chief Financial Officer

Congratulations, Heather!

Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence for BWL customers and all in the energy industry. Your team is so proud of you!

Arun Murali Project Development Leader, Power Generation, HDR

Arun Murali led the design of a lithium-ion battery energy storage project for DTE Energy that will help it meet its decarbonization goals and set a blueprint for future energy storage projects.

“Arun has provided excellent support for my team on several projects including the company’s rst large-scale battery storage venture,” said Marcus Rivard, a senior strategist at DTE Energy. “His technical and industry knowledge coupled with his ability to communicate and coordinate with a variety of project partners has been a key driver of our success.”

Murali also developed a computer program to track HDR’s energy portfolio, called the Hydrogen Project Development Toolkit, and is currently helping a data center client develop low-emission, base-loaded power generation.

Murali has spoken at conferences for RE+, PowerGen International and Electric Power, and he serves on PowerGen International’s advisory committee.

Edwin Olson CEO and Co-founder,

May Mobility

“Ed’s passion for improving lives through autonomous technology is why I joined the company,” said Tom Tang, the chief people o cer at May Mobility.

“His vision for bringing more sustainable, equitable and accessible transportation to communities all over is one that inspires everyone who works here.”

Edwin Olson co-founded May Mobility to develop autonomous technologies that would increase the safety and equity of autonomous transportation. e company has $200 million in funding with over 300 employees and its clients include city planners, public transit agencies, college campuses and municipalities.

May Mobility also o ers public ride services where bus routes are ine ective. e company has launched 11 sites and provided more than 320,000 rides.

Olson is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, where he has helped develop levels of driving automation and served on the On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards Committee.

CONGRATULATIONS TO TONY TOMCZAK

As a distinguished leader in energy who manages, mentors, innovates and gives back to his company, industries and communities where he lives and serves, he truly deserves this honor. DTE is proud and honored to have Tony on our team.

Julie Roth Senior Energy Analyst, City of Ann Arbor

e Ann Arbor Solarize program that Julie Roth created brings residents together to learn about residential solar power and gives neighbors the option to bulk-purchase solar power for their homes. In three years, it has helped residents add over 540 rooftop solar installations.

“Julie is a clean energy evangelist who works tirelessly to ensure everyone, regardless of age, income, ZIP code, homeowner status, has the ability to participate in and bene t from the clean energy revolution,” said Missy Stults, Ann Arbor’s sustainability and innovations director. Roth works with residents of low-income neighborhoods, as well as with businesses, to help them nd clean energy solutions She is also working on the city’s Commercial Solar Initiative, a program that screens properties for solar assistance, and she is putting together a guidebook to help residents in home owners associations reduce their energy consumption.

Derron Sanders CEO, SG Energy Solutions

As founder of the company with nearly 100 employees and seven locations representing some of the largest energy and utility companies around the world, Derron Sanders oversees e orts on business acquisitions,nancing and partnership strategies.

In addition to its projects with energy companies, SG has provided services for pension systems, banks and family o ces in 35 countries.

“His leadership style has created a work environment where every team member feels valued and appreciated, and they are motivated to work hard to achieve the company’s goals,” said Jack Brusewitz, senior adviser for ENGIE.

Sanders serves on various boards, including at First Independence Bank and the Detroit Regional Chamber, and is a member of the Alma College Board of Trustees. In 2024, Sanders will become the rst African American president of the Detroit Athletic Club.

Dan Scripps

Chair, Michigan Public Service Commission

As adviser to the governor on power outages and energy transmission, Dan Scripps leads e orts to improve electric reliability and oversees electricity, natural gas, telecommunications and infrastructure siting proceedings.

He manages an annual budget of $32 million and a sta of about 175 who award $50 million annually under the Michigan Energy Assistance Program and $50 million this year in Low-Carbon Energy Infrastructure and Economic Development grants. In February 2022, the commission established the Low Income Energy Policy Board that has become a national model to improve energy assistance, energy waste reduction and outreach to vulnerable individuals and communities.

As part of the Michigan Council on Climate Solutions, he helped develop a roadmap for the state to reduce carbon emissions by 52% by 2030, with a goal of economywide net zero emissions by 2050.

His also works with regulators from other countries and participates in peer-to-peer workshops on four continents.

John Satkowski Vice President and CFO, Henry Ford College

John Satkowski led the creation of an energy master plan at Henry Ford College that reduced its electricity costs by 60%, its carbon footprint by 50% and its water costs by 40%.

e $23 mil-

lion Integrated Energy Master Plan is a joint venture between the college and Johnson Controls. It saves costs by using solar panels, improved heating and cooling efciency, new water and light xtures and new windows and roofs.

“ is project strengthens HFC’s track record by giving students hands-on experience and training with state-of-the-art clean energy equipment, while bene ting the college with greater energy e cient systems,” said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Dearborn, during a visit to the campus.

It is expected to be completed in August, and the college will receive the cost back in savings by 2027. Johnson Controls also committed, as part of the project, to teach HFC students about the technology and how to install it.

Heather Shawa

CFO, Lansing Board of Water & Light

Heather Shawa oversaw the Lansing Board of Water & Light’s bond o ering for its $500 million Delta Energy Park, a natural gas plant that replaced the agency’s coal- red power stations. She was also the executive project sponsor for BWL’s $67 million BSmart program, which added advanced metering and new information systems for customers, geography and distribution management.

“Under Heather’s nancial direction, BWL became an industry leader with technological advancements which contribute to keeping rates competitive,” said Stephen Serkaian, BWL’s executive director of customer experience. “Her expertise allows BWL customers to receive a superior product and service at an over 10% rate-di erential to our nearest competitor, which has attracted major business developments to the Lansing region.”

Shawa also serves as thenance chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region, as a board member for Peckham Inc., and on the Lansing mayor’s nancial health team.

Laura Sherman President, Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council

As president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, Laura Sherman has increased its membership by nearly 50% and doubled the internal team.

“From microgrids to solar to largescale energy storage and more, Laura can explain every angle of clean energy technologies including the policy frameworks and business models that support or limit,” said Liesl Clark, the former director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “Most importantly, Laura understands how clean energy helps people by creating jobs, reducing emissions, and supporting business in Michigan.”

Sherman regularly contributes to the state of Michigan policy discussions around clean energy, increased the council’s testimony to the state Legislature and improved the nancial strength of the MI-EIBC.

She has also in uenced the nomination of the last three commissioners at the Michigan Public Service Commission and is quoted in several energy publications.

Brian Slocum

Senior Vice President and COO, ITC Holdings

Brian Slocum’s team led ITC Holdings through the recovery of the 2020 Midwest derecho, a storm that knocked out power across several states and is considered by ITC to be the worst weather disaster it ever faced.

Slocum’s team also guided ITC’s development of the Michigan umb Loop, a $512 million transmission line designed to serve the wind energy potential of Michigan’s “ umb” region.

“Brian exempli es leadership through his everyday focus on operational excellence, ensuring our system performance, reliability, safety and capital project execution are among the best in the industry,” said President and CEO Linda Apsey. “He and his team are at the forefront of transforming the transmission grid to meet our future energy needs.”

Slocum serves on the boards of the North American Transmission Forum, the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center for Homeland Security and the Reliability Issues Steering Committee of North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a regulatory authority that he chairs.

State Energy Of ce Director, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Julie Staveland has helped guide state projects that include NextCycle Michigan, a waste and emissions reduction program, the RESTART energy assessment program, which uses retired engineers to provide free energy audits to small businesses and the C3 Accelerator, a Lawrence Technological University clean energy project.

She administers programs for energy e ciency, renewable energy, recycling infrastructure, electric vehicles, EV charging infrastructure, as well as the policies and methods to t within the context of state and federal guidelines.

Staveland also oversees the Catalyst Communities Initiative, which provides education, training, planning and technical resources to local public o cials.

“Julie is a dedicated clean energy advocate for communities and businesses, now as the director of energy she is in the pivotal role as we transform the way for the state in mitigating the impact of climate change,” said Dan Radomski, the CEO of C3 Accelerator.

Beau Taylor CEO, Public Lighting Authority, Detroit

Beau Taylor manages the city’s lighting grid, including its strategic planning, development and 18 team members. Under his leadership, Detroit transitioned to all-new LED streetlights, with more than 65,000 installed since 2014. He has put a focus on safety, including improving response times to within 20 minutes once downed power lines are reported. He also developed ways to tap local talent, including launching the PLANT program, a pipeline for Detroit residents to apprentice before entering the skilled trades. Over 65% of the lighting authority’s workers reside in the city.

Rob Threlkeld

Director of Global Energy Strategy, General Motors

Rob relkeld developed General Motors’ strategies on energy e ciency, sourcing clean energy and energy storage, and the company’s support of policies and regulations around renewable energy.

Under his leadership, the automaker increased its renewable energy purchases and shortened its expected timeline for 100% renewable energy by 15 years.

“His contributions to the energy industry and GM can be seen around the world,” said Kristen Siemen, chief sustainability ocer at General Motors. “Rob works tirelessly to support the development of a reliable, a ordable and decarbonized grid.”

IGM is ranked high in the auto sector for clean energy procurement, partly as a result of relkeld’s work, and the automaker’s renewable energy purchases have reached 1.5 gigawatts, with 800 megawatts coming from Michigan sources. relkeld serves on the boards of the Clean Energy Buyers Association and the American Clean Power Association. B E

“Under Beau’s leadership, Detroit’s 65,000 streetlights are shining bright because they are well-maintained. ... I’m proud of the accomplishments and dedication Beau has provided to the city and our residents to keep Detroit brilliant,” said Lorna omas, board chairwoman of the Public Lighting Authority. Taylor currently sits on the Detroit Board of Electrical Examiners.

Julie Staveland

LEADING THE CHARGE FOR A GREATER GRID

Chris Thurston Director of Energy & Sustainability, Lineage Logistics

Lineage Logistics has recently been ranked as the top corporate user of solar power by the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Chris urston developed that program for the company.

He has overseen more than $100 million over four years in energy project investments across the company’s U.S. network and its more than 400 facilities worldwide. For example, Lineage’s European solar footprint increased about 40% year over year.

urston brings a decade of experience in energy management and has held various corporatenance roles. Colleagues say his decisions have optimized operations and work ows.

urston is a member of several industry organizations, including the Edison Electrical Institute, Clean Energy Buyer’s Association, Smart Energy Decisions and Advanced Clean Transportation.

Carla Walker-Miller

Founder and CEO, Walker-Miller Energy Services

Carla Walker-Miller leads approximately 225 team members across the country and manages approximately $60 million in assets. e founder of the Water Access Volunteer Effort Fund and a founding member of Blacks in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, Walker-Miller has created workplace development programs that train diverse talent, o ering the opportunity for participants to earn certi cations through the Building Performance Institute and access to resources and networks within the energy e ciency sector.

Walker-Miller Energy Services is the rst Black-owned company in Michigan to achieve Certi ed B Corporation status.

She is executive committee chair for the Detroit Means Business Coalition, and she serves on the Building Performance Association, the mayor of Detroit’s Workforce Development Board and the Michigan Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, among others.

Tony Tomczak

Vice President, Electric Sales & Marketing, DTE Energy

Tony Tomczak leads e orts to market and develop major accounts in the transition to electric vehicles and electri cation for one of the state’s largest utilities. Recently, he attracted the only U.S. based battery maker, Our Next Energy, to DTE’s territory. A past chair of the Michigan Minority Development Council, Tomczak has made signi cant strides in addressing inclusion. Under his leadership, DTE’s spending with rms owned by women and minority entrepreneurs increased from $192 million in 2010 to $472 million in 2018.

“Tony is a role model that represents best traditional practices but is also open minded to pushing DTE forward to building a more diverse supplier base,” said Khalil Rahal, director of DTE’s economic development.

Tomczak is a member of the Downtown Detroit BIZ Executive Committee, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Board of Directors and the Focus: Hope Advisory Board, among others.

Bobbi Westerby

President and CEO, Environmental Consulting & Technology Inc.

As a biologist and renewable energy development consultant, Bobbi Westerby helps lead the $35 million environmental solutions rm in consulting work for energy clients in 35 states.

Westerby’s work includes the development of more than 2,000 megawatts of wind and solar production and hundreds of miles of new and rebuilt transmission in Michigan.

Her accomplishments include supporting Isabella Wind, the largest wind energy facility in Michigan to date, and the Michigan umb Loop, a regional capital project providing 140 miles of connective transmission infrastructure to support competitive renewable energy capture.

Westerby has prioritized mentoring employees and clients, as well as college students, and also is involved with industry groups such as American Clean Power and the Women’s International Association of Utility Professionals.

AUTO INSURANCE REFORM

THE COMPLEX COSTS OF NO-FAULT COVERAGE IN MICHIGAN

By Rachel Watson

Metro Detroit resident Stan Gra nski is paying $6,972 a year, or about an eighth of his net income and more than his monthly house payment, to insure three vehicles for himself and his family.

Gra nski is semi-retired and works a part-time job with the city of Eastpointe, roughly 11 miles northeast of downtown Detroit. He pays a total of $581 per month for his auto insurance policy with Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Co., which covers his 2020 Ford F-150, 2020 Ford Explorer and 2019 Ford Escape.

He switched to Pioneer in February after his previous yearly premium of $6,552 was set to almost double through his previous insurer, West eld Insurance. Pio-

neer’s rate was the best deal he could nd.

He said he never lowered his coverage levels after the 2019 no-fault auto insurance reform took e ect, ending the mandatory requirement that every motorist purchase unlimited personal injury protection or PIP medical coverage.

Gra nski is one of many Michigan residents who feel the no-fault auto insurance system is still broken despite the reforms.

e PIP portion of insured motorists’ total monthly premium pays for a person’s auto collision-related medical expenses, attendant care and lost wages after they’ve been injured in a car accident.

PIP bene ts are required to be paid without regard to fault in accidents.

Michigan is one of 12 no-fault states and for many years has had the highest auto insurance costs of any U.S. state due to the unlimited PIP requirement for drivers. Similarly, Detroit has long been the most expensive city in the nation for auto insurance due to myriad nondriving factors used by insurers to set rates.

In the few years leading up to 2019, public gures like Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and groups such as the Insurance Alliance of Michigan and the auto insurers they represent lobbied the then-Republican-majority Legislature for reform.

e 2019 law that resulted was designed

SPONSORS

to lower PIP premium costs for motorists by letting drivers opt out of unlimited PIP or choose lower coverage levels and by setting a rate cap on PIP depending on the coverage level chosen. It also instituted a medical fee schedule that set caps on how much providers like hospitals, doctors, rehabilitation clinics and other care providers could be reimbursed for treatment related to car accidents, to rein in what reform advocates described as rampant overcharging for care and to make the market more attractive to auto insurers that previously would not do business in Michigan.

See INSURANCE on Page 14

Three years after new coverage rules were enacted, reaction is mixed |

Duggan said at the bill signing in 2019 that he believed most people in the state would save over $500 on their annual premiums as a result of reform, and that Detroit-area residents would have “savings upwards of $1,000.”

But according to research conducted in summer 2022 by the Poverty Solutions team at the University of Michigan, most people (79.9%) are still opting for unlimited PIP coverage for their vehicles.

Folks like Gra nski never changed their coverage because, through comparison shopping, he learned switching would save him less than $150 a year — an amount he said “wasn’t worth” the risk of losing his peace of mind.

“It sucks,” he said of his high costs. “It’s a good chunk of money. … I’ve got a pension, I’ve got Social Security, and I’m working part time. While I’m making, overall, a decent amount of money, it sucks that (auto insurance) is taking that much out of it.”

One of his fellow residents of Eastpointe, retired and disabled senior Linda Irvine, said she is still paying about 10% ($166.16) of her monthly net income, or $1,994 per year, toward her Frankenmuth Insurance policy for her 2014 Chevy Sonic. She said her total premium went down by less than 1.7% in the rst full year after reform took effect.

Irvine drives about 3,800 miles a year, has a clean driving record and stores her vehicle in a locked garage in her gated yard — all factors that increase her frustration over the cost she pays despite being what she sees as a low risk.

Like Gra nski, Irvine said she never felt comfortable opting out of unlimited coverage. Her annual premium decreased from $2,024 in 2020 to $1,990 in 2021. She said she believes the cost decrease was largely due to her increasing her deductible and lowering some of her other liability coverage limits, rather than the PIP rate caps, though it’s hard to say de nitively.

Now, in 2023 under the same insurer, her annual premium has crept back up to $1,994.

Due to many factors that have historically been used for rate setting, car insurance costs are lower on the west side of the state, but residents there told Crain’s they feel they’re still too high.

Mercedes Watts, of the Grand Rapids suburb Jenison, works as an assistant public defender for Ottawa County. In 2020, the rst year choice was available, she lowered her PIP coverage level to $500,000.

After switching to Liberty Mutual this year, she now pays $134 a month ($1,608 per year) for two vehicles: a 1997 Royal Crown Victoria and a 2009 Buick Enclave. Watts said she switched because her previous insurer, Allstate, was

about to raise her monthly premium to $207.

Watts said post-reform, she didn’t see any cost savings; in fact, her rates continued to climb.

“I can’t not have it,” Watts said about her car insurance. “Whenever it increases, it’s a little bit of a hardship, I just have to move some things around because it has to get paid.”

Ned Andree, an independent contractor for nonpro ts who lives in Grand Rapids, said he also didn’t see cost savings. His family’s unlimited PIP policy with Auto-Owners Insurance currently covers his and his wife’s 2021 Jeep Cherokee and their daughter’s 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan.

Prior to reform, they had two

additional vehicles on their policy — a sports bike and their son’s vehicle. Since they’ve dropped those from their policy, he said it’s hard to gure out an apples-to-apples cost comparison pre- and post-reform, but his general sense is that his family didn’t save much, proportionally, on car insurance.

Andree said even though he periodically uses an agent to help with cost comparisons, he still feels like he “needs a Ph.D. in car insurance” to understand the changes and his options.

“I’d say that (insurance) is a worry because my wife and I, we need it, and we really want our kids to have the best full coverage — and paying for that, it’s expensive, but you feel like you’ve got to do it because if you don’t have good coverage, it could go badly,” he said.

How PIP coverage works is complicated, which means the question of whether reform saved consumers money is a thorny one.

Essentially, there were three main ways the PIP overhaul was meant to save motorists money.

e private nonpro t corporation the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association — which is governed by a board of directors composed of insurance executives — reimburses no-fault insurance companies for PIP medical claims paid above a set amount on policies of unlimited lifetime coverage. Currently, with reform, that amount is $600,000. at means that the insurance company pays the entire claim on policies providing unlimited lifetime coverage but is reimbursed by the MCCA for medical costs over $600,000.

e MCCA assesses all auto insurance companies operating in Michigan to cover catastrophic medical claims stemming from auto crashes. Insurance companies typically pass those assessments on to their auto insurance policyholders. e reform legislation required the MCCA to cut that

assessment from $220 per vehicle per year to $86.

Secondly, in November 2021, following reform, with a $5 billion surplus in the MCCA fund, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the MCCA would refund $2.2 billion to eligible motorists in the form of $400 rebate checks, touting the cost controls included in the reform as one of the reasons for the surplus. But then, the MCCA in 2022 went from a surplus to a $3.7 billion de cit due to stock market losses, the Andary v. USAA decision that overturned retroactive payment cuts for survivor care, and the rebate checks. As of July 1 or their next policy renewal, motorists who have unlimited PIP will see their MCCA fee rise to $122, and drivers who choose any other PIP option, including opting out, will be charged $48 for “de cit recoupment,” negating a part of this second bucket of savings.

e other major PIP-related savings component baked into the

Stan Gra nski of Eastpointe switched insurance carriers this year, he said, after his rates on his family’s three vehicles were set to nearly double. QUINN BANKS

Linda Irvine said her rates after reform went down less than 2%. | QUINN BANKS Mercedes Watts says, post-reform, her auto insurance rates have climbed. | BRYAN ESLER

“... It’s expensive, but you feel like you’ve got to do (full coverage) because if you don’t ... it could go badly.”

Ned Andree of Grand Rapids

Can Michigan’s auto insurance law be improved?

Not everyone agrees that Michigan’s 2019 auto insurance law needs debugging — but its critics have a few ideas for xing it. |

By Rachel Watson

DEFENDING REFORM

Some of the original advocates for reform feel the law is working as intended.

“More than 200,000 new drivers purchased insurance in Michigan since the reforms took effect, and 83,000 of those hadn’t had insurance in over three years,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement to Crain’s. “Tens of thousands of Detroiters have been able to afford insurance for the rst time, and tens of thousands of others, particularly our senior citizens, have seen huge rate reductions because they used the new choices available.”

Erin McDonough, executive director of the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, pointed to a 2021 Zebra report that showed drivers saved 18% on car insurance in the rst year of implementation. She added the most recent data from an IAM survey of 90% of Michigan’s personal auto insurers showed that, as of April 2023, over 23% of Michigan drivers — nearly 2 million people — chose less than unlimited PIP coverage. That number increased by more than 250,000 drivers (3%) over the prior year.

“Choice was a really important part of reform, so as people have moved into these different PIP levels across the state, it also becomes really important that you protect the value of those PIP levels … and make sure that we have a reasonable medical fee schedule to control medical costs,” she said.

Tim Hoste is president of CPAN, a coalition that advocates for insurance policyholders, crash survivors and the medical providers caring for them. He said he wants to see “fair and equitable” reimbursements for catastrophic care providers, the 56-hour-per-week cap on family-provided attendant care lifted, and an amendment to utilization review, the component that lets auto insurance companies scrutinize the level of provider care prescribed.

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF CRITICS

Doug Heller, the Los Angeles-based director of insurance for the watchdog group Consumer Federation of America, is an outspoken critic of the 2019 reform, having studied Michigan’s insurance system in comparison to other states since 2016.

He said he believes the greatest problem in the Michigan industry is a lack of appropriate regulatory scrutiny of premiums and the way they interact with the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. The MCCA generates the money by levying assessments on insurers, which then pass those costs on to policyholders.

Heller said he understands that a huge part of price setting is an insurer’s “rate need,” i.e., how much money the insurance company needs to bring in to cover the cost of claim payments.

The other component is how the insurance company divvies up the rates among various customers. He believes it makes sense for pricing to reward good behavior and penalize bad. But he thinks other nondriving factors often outside a driver’s control, like credit history, homeowner status and what part of town you live in, should be de-emphasized.

He would recommend the law is revised so insurers can’t use anything like a credit score — including the so-called “insurance score” — in rate setting, and so there are strict rules around how companies draw the territories they use to determine rates.

“What I would have much rather seen was the Legislature rst question the insurance companies and then, once we got rid of all the excess fat from the insurance companies’ rating system, reviewed whether or not there remained additional challenges,” he said. “And they didn’t do that; they skipped over regulatory scrutiny and just went straight to diminishing consumer care.”

Amanda Nothaft, director of data and evaluation on the Poverty Solutions team at the University of Michigan, co-wrote a 2021 brief assessing no-fault reform and what could be done to bring costs down more. She pointed out that in states with lower PIP minimum requirements, health insurance becomes the primary payer after PIP limits are reached.

“Michigan’s new law allows auto insurers to offer a managed care option, where auto insurers contract with health care providers to cover the cost of care and medical deductibles for drivers. However, insurers are not required to offer this option,” she wrote in the brief. “Ensuring consumers have the choice of selecting a managed care option or a deductible on medical expenses could help further reduce rates.” Nothaft, who has lived in four other states that all had lower PIP requirements and the provision that health insurers are the second payer, told Crain’s that she doesn’t think shifting more of the responsibility for coverage to health insurers would increase health insurance premiums because auto crashes are a small portion of a health system’s overall cost liabilities.

She said the medical fee schedule was a good idea in theory, but the rate cuts for certain services subject to lower reimbursement rates may have been too dramatic.

New Jersey, for instance, has a regional fee schedule based on the “reasonable and prevailing fees of 75% of practitioners in the region,” Nothaft wrote. For fees not on the schedule, providers justify their fees based on fees billed to other payers. In Pennsylvania, fees not on the Medicare schedule are limited to 80% of the providers’ usual and customary charge.

overhaul was the reduction in PIP premiums. e law required insurance carriers to reduce the PIP portion of premiums until 2028 by a statewide average of 10% for those opting for unlimited PIP

coverage, by an average of 20% for the $500,000 plans, 35% for the $250,000 plans and 45% for Medicaid recipients who qualify for $50,000 of PIP coverage.

After 2028, the idea was that in-

need for the enforced rate cap.

Anita Fox, director of the state regulatory agency the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, which enforces the auto no-fault law, reported in early 2023 that 61 new companies and a liates entered the Michigan auto insurance market, 14 of them had rates approved, and 12 of them o ered personal auto insurance following no-fault reform.

“We did see new interest by insurance companies in providing auto insurance in Michigan,” Fox told Crain’s.

An analysis of the list by CPAN, a coalition that advocates for policyholders, crash survivors and their medical care providers, found that only four of those companies are newly selling auto no-fault insurance in Michigan — Berkley Insurance Company, Branch Insurance Exchange, CURE (Citizens United Reciprocal Exchange) and Vault Reciprocal Exchange.

“ at (competition that was promised) has not come to fruition,” said Doug Heller, director of insurance for the watchdog group the Consumer Federation of America. He also consults for CPAN.

Eric Poe is president and CEO of CURE, which began selling nofault policies in Michigan in 2021.

“ e reason why we came into the state is because we’re very familiar with no-fault, we only do states that have no-fault. … e problem with the system in Michigan was if you can’t predict behaviors, losses and statistics — nobody will do business in insurance when they don’t have predictability. For the rst time in the history of Michigan since no-fault law was passed, we have predictability.”

Poe said since the medical fee schedule was instituted, no-fault insurance is now the most pro table line of car insurance in Michigan. CURE is on pace to insure 90,000 Michigan drivers by year’s end and collect about $94 million in premiums.

He said about 94% of the customers CURE has written policies for have chosen a PIP coverage that’s less than unlimited. CURE’s Michigan customers have saved, on average, 43% over their previous plan. Poe said CURE is able to o er lower rates than competitors because, unlike other insurers in the state that were here before the fee schedule was implemented, CURE is not burdened by lawsuits brought by catastrophic crash survivors under the old system.

But whether consumers have saved on auto insurance largely depends on who they are.

at’s according to Amanda Nothaft, director of data and evaluation on the Poverty Solutions team at the University of Michigan. In 2021, she and her colleague Patrick Cooney published a brief assessing whether reform saved motorists money.

DIFS and the Insurance Alliance of Michigan.

But Nothaft recently looked more closely at Zebra’s methodology and concluded it was based on people opting for the minimum PIP coverage level, which could be either $250,000 for those on private insurance or $50,000 for Medicaid recipients — meaning that the savings for those who kept unlimited PIP was not reported.

“So I’m not sure, in reality, how much savings people are seeing,” she said.

Nothaft and Cooney also found that the Michiganders who were most cost-burdened prior to reform — residents of majority Black municipalities like Detroit and inner-ring suburbs like Eastpointe — remain the most a ected today. e 2019 overhaul took aim at reforming discriminatory rate-setting practices by prohibiting the use of sex, marital status, homeownership, education level, ZIP code and credit score when determining rates — all factors highly correlated with race owing to historical and persistent discrimination in housing and labor markets.

However, it didn’t prohibit companies from grouping insurance risks by “territory,” and those territories aren’t subject to insurance board approval, Nothaft said. e companies also can continue using an insurance score, which has one’s credit score as a component.

As a result, Nothaft and Cooney found, rates remain as “highly correlated” with race and location.

Additionally, the Poverty Solutions team and the Consumer Federation of America have found in their research that the PIP portion of premiums accounts for only 25% to 40% of the average total premium. e other elements include bodily injury liability — and no-fault reform increased the BI coverage requirements — and other factors that are subject to ination, like the cost to repair damage and replace lost wages.

But most people don’t pay per coverage; they pay their premiums, said Heller, with the Consumer Federation of America.

“If the numbers change around in the middle of the page, what’s important is at the bottom of the page,” Heller said. “We get a little bit of savings with PIP, and we see a bit of increase on bodily injury. It’s a di erent pocket, but it’s the same pair of pants. It’s still coming out of our wallets.”

Is change possible? A spokeswoman for Whitmer told Crain’s she “believes in exploring ideas,” though she did not share speci cs.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, sent a statement that “potential changes to Michigan’s auto insurance law are of interest to multiple caucus members,” but “no speci c policy change has been identi ed as of yet.”

creased competition from new insurers entering the market — largely due to the medical fee schedules controlling claims costs — would keep the PIP portion of rates naturally lower, ending the

After reviewing a 2021 report from Zebra, a cost comparison site, the pair determined between 2019 and 2020, estimated rates fell by 18% statewide on average. at same cost savings percentage from Zebra is often touted by

e o ce of Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said it’s “not uncommon” for major overhauls to old laws to require changes, including auto no-fault. She said the Senate is considering changes but did not disclose what they might be.

Survivors plead for change after care cutbacks

By Rachel Watson

Survivors of catastrophic car crashes want the state of Michigan to know that every day the “messy” no-fault auto insurance reform remains intact is another day their health, quality of life and nancial stability ebbs away.

e 2019 bipartisan overhaul of Michigan’s 1973 no-fault auto insurance law ended the mandatory requirement that every motorist purchase unlimited personal injury protection coverage for injuries and required insurance carriers to reduce PIP premiums by an average of 10% to 45%, depending on the plan, until 2028. e goal was to save money for drivers in what has been the most expensive state in the nation for auto insurance.

Along with targeting PIP cost savings, the law imposed the rst-ever fee schedule that capped the rates hospitals, doctors and rehabilitation clinics that treat injured drivers could be reimbursed for to around double what Medicare pays — 190% to 230% as of this year. e fee schedule was meant to rein in hospitals’ overcharging of auto insurers, a problem reform advocates described as prevalent for years.

Starting in mid-2021, the law also capped reimbursements to 55% of what home care businesses and other providers were charging for post-acute services not covered by Medicare in January 2019.

e caps fell to 54% in July 2022 and dropped to 52.5% this summer.

e law also limited family-provided attendant care reimbursement to 56 hours a week regardless of the number of hours of care they provide.

e legislation swiftly came under criticism because it slashed reimbursements for post-acute services to those hurt in vehicle

crashes before the law was enacted.

In August 2022, the State Court of Appeals ruled in Andary v. USAA that the Legislature did not clearly demonstrate an intent for the changes to apply retroactively and, even if it did, the revisions “substantially” impaired no-fault insurance contracts — violating the Michigan Constitution’s contracts clause.

e Michigan Supreme Court heard insurers’ appeal of the Andary ruling in March, but it is unclear when the court will rule on the appeals court decision.

But survivors living with catastrophic injuries and their families say the e ects on them in the meantime have already been devastating, from loss of care to declining health and nancial hardship. ey are pleading with the court to uphold the Andary decision — and for legislators to amend the law to ensure protections for current and future crash survivors.

From independent to feeling helpless

Detroit native Brian Woodward, 64, was in a catastrophic crash in 1983. He was thrown from the vehicle in which he was a passenger, broke his neck and became a quadriplegic.

In the rst years of his new normal, Woodward was cared for by family. He now has no living relatives able to care for him. Prior to no-fault reform, his insurance covered 24/7 care from an agency, which allowed him to work as a contractor 40 hours a week for Ford Motor Co., live independently in his own home and experience “the best life possible.”

Following the implementation of the fee schedule and slashing of reimbursement rates for care pro-

viders, Woodward lost his 24/7 caregiver because the agency couldn’t sustain the pay cut.

He then lost his job, was forced to move out of his home and has lived in three di erent residential rehabilitation facilities in the past two years — Maple Manor, Special Tree and now NeuroRestorative in Farmington Hills.

Meanwhile, Woodward is still paying to keep his home in the city of Detroit — including a new security system he had installed to watch over the place — out of his Social Security income and 401(k), in the hopes that he’ll one day be able to return.

“It devastated and destroyed my entire life,” he said in a recent vid-

How costs, fees affect auto premiums

Watson

Rachel

Insurance rates are determined by a number of factors, and many of those factors are numbers. Or, more speci cally, prices.

Primary among them:

Bodily injury liability

Bodily injury liability insurance covers passengers in Michigan so that if you are at fault in causing a collision and your passengers are injured, your auto insurance will pay up to your policy limit for pain and su ering compensation,

excess medical bene ts and lost wages owed after those injuries.

Erin McDonough, executive director of the Insurance Alliance of Michigan, said she isn’t sure why legislators raised the bodily injury limits to a minimum of $50,000 — it wasn’t something IAM requested — but Michigan’s bodily injury threshold is now the highest in the nation.

Personal Injury Protection

e reform in 2019 ended the mandatory requirement that every Michigan driver purchase un-

limited personal injury protection or PIP medical coverage. Motorists now can choose policies that cap PIP. e PIP portion of total monthly premiums pays for auto collision-related medical expenses, attendant care and lost wages. PIP bene ts are required to be paid without regard to fault in accidents.

“We also know that accidents have increased, and the severity of those accidents have increased,” McDonough said. “So you’re seeing all of these things kind of come to fruition, but it

doesn’t change the fact that we know that the reforms were in order to (control) that PIP portion of your auto insurance. If that hadn’t been controlled, our auto insurance rates would have been that much more expensive.”

Consumer advocate Doug Heller said there’s more than meets the eye to those PIP savings: rstly, because auto insurance costs hit an all-time high in 2019, so any savings motorists saw on the PIP portion of their bill was really just bringing the cost down to an average year.

eo discussing the changes to his reality since no-fault reform. “I had many, many instances of hospitalization, with life-threatening infections, medication withdrawals, constant degradation of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness. I feel like I’ve been ripped out of my home and put in jail, even though I had committed no crime, or had a day in court.”

Woodward told Crain’s that, due to the lower reimbursement rates, his current residential facility is operating with a “skeleton crew,” with little one-on-one care.

“ e response time at home was immediate, because I always had someone with me. But the response time here, and at the other places as well, is de nitely not immediate and at times has been over an hour before somebody actually responds. at’s the fear that we live with all the time, particularly if I’m choking on something,” he said.

e physical e ects have been intense, Woodward said. He used

Secondly, the average 10% to 45% PIP premium reductions that insurers were required to give in-

Brian Woodward worked as a contractor for Ford Motor Co. before the 2019 no-fault auto reform upended his life. | PROVIDED

Todd Neinhouse, founder of the post-physical therapy company Agevix in Traverse City, assists traumatic brain injury survivor Brittney Ruckle, center, with exercise therapy alongside her mom, Kris Ruckle-Mahon. COURTESY KRIS RUCKLE-MAHON

to have about two hours a day of physical therapy to keep his muscles calm and stretched, and now he gets about three hours a week.

is means he’s had to start taking additional medication and is looking at surgery to control the muscle spasms.

His doctors also had to surgically implant an indwelling catheter because the carers can’t take him to the bathroom as often as he needs. He’s got body sores from not being properly placed in his wheelchair and not getting turned enough, and he’s gained about 30 pounds due to the “heavy” food available at the facility and the lack of physical activity.

Woodward’s body has been under such acute stress that doctors are preparing him for yet another surgery — putting in a pacemaker to keep his heart from going into atrial brillation.

On top of that, he is su ering from loneliness. He no longer has a driver to take him to his friends and church community, where he was a mentor, singer and teacher, and he rarely gets visitors because his facility isn’t near where he used to live.

“Almost all my freedoms have been taken away,” he said.

Woodward said he would like to see the caregiver reimbursement rate go back to 100% and the 56-hours-per-week cap on family-provided care reimbursement lifted.

“People can help by … writing to their legislators and strongly suggesting that this needs to change,” he said. “Please don’t let us be thrown away.”

Years of advocacy

Kris Ruckle-Mahon of Traverse City is the caregiver to her 25-year-old daughter, Brittney Ruckle, who was in a car crash in 2007 at age 9 that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and the need for round-the-clock care, including using the bathroom, bathing, daily hygiene, getting in and out of bed, feeding, and physical and occupational therapy.

During the rst 11 years post-injury, it was hard trying to maintain care — the family went through 167 caregivers at seven

local agencies due to sta ng turnover and low reimbursement rates from their auto insurance company — but with a lot of advocacy on Ruckle-Mahon’s part, they were able to at least get by.

In 2018, Brittney’s main home health aide of 10 years retired, and Ruckle-Mahon quit her job to take on the full-time caregiver role because the agencies couldn’t nd another full-time worker to replace the aide. en, the auto insurance reform passed. With the clause slashing reimbursement rates and family caregiver hours already set to take e ect in mid2021, COVID-19 then hit in March 2020, exacerbating the caregiver shortages and bottom-line impacts.

Stemming from a court order that was the result of the lawsuit she led in 2018, Ruckle-Mahon said Auto-Owners Insurance offered her an attendant care agreement to sign as an alternative to the 45% cut in reimbursement rate and 56-hour cap that was to take e ect as part of nofault reform on July 1, 2021. She signed the two-year agreement, which had a clause that she can’t discuss the rate that the insurance company pays her and whomever she hires to help.

“Let’s just say it’s less than I made in high school in 1982,” she said. “It’s pathetic, quite honestly.”

However, that contract was set to expire on July 1, leaving Ruckle-Mahon with little more than hope that she’ll get a new deal that will put her in better position than the current no-fault reform law does for other survivors.

Either way, Ruckle-Mahon said the constant haggling doesn’t solve the most basic impact of no-fault reform for pre-2019 crash survivors — the gutting of the home health care system.

e Brain Injury Association of Michigan commissioned the Michigan Public Health Institute to conduct phase 1 and phase 2 studies based o surveys issued in fall 2021 and spring 2022 showing the impacts of reform on care. It found the implementation of fee changes contributed to between 24 and 31 total closures of agencies that provide care and services to survivors, with another 14 that said they expected to close in

statewide averages rather than the average of the premiums in each individual market.

2023. e second study found that out of 19,994 employees from the 154 organizations that reported employment data, 4,082 (29%) jobs were eliminated since July 2021. e 144 organizations that had patient count data reported serving a total of 15,596 patients before July 2021 and 8,739 as of spring 2022, with a total of 6,857 discharges and an average of 42% reduction in their capacity to serve patients with auto insurance funding since July 2021.

Although she still has access to periodic exercise therapy and aqua therapy, Brittney Ruckle lost access to music therapy, regular massage therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

“Brittney’s therapies basically became nonexistent,” Ruckle-Mahon said. “… ere’s less providers. ere’s less therapists that are willing to work with the insurance companies because they don’t pay in a timely fashion, so in the end, Brittney loses her therapies and her care that was prescribed that she needs to continue the best life she can live.”

Ruckle-Mahon said her hope for her daughter and those injured prior to 2019 is that the Andary ruling is upheld. But for those who are a ected in the future, she hopes the Legislature will rewrite the “messy” law as it stands, removing phrases like “reasonable,” “necessary,” “customary” and “charges up to,” which insurers currently can interpret as they want.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any insurance company that’s going to pay the top of what should be paid, or in the middle. ey always try to pay the least amount as possible, so clear law is really important,” she said.

Ruckle-Mahon said she’d also like to see the standard of caregiver pay raised in any new legislation — for both family and non-family carers.

“Caregiving is probably the most under-appreciated job there is, from the CNAs and the home health aides that work in the hospitals and the nursing homes and in the home. … ere’s not many people that will do it and are good at it, and there should be a minimum standard of pay for these wonderful people.”

More reforms needed to save drivers money

In 2019, Michigan lawmakers pushed through a historic overhaul of this state’s auto no-fault insurance system. e stated rationale behind this was to save Michigan drivers money on their car insurance premiums.

Unfortunately, lawmakers went looking for solutions in all the wrong places. e results have been disappointing. By hurrying complex legislation through the Legislature in time for a photo opportunity at the Mackinac Policy Conference in 2019, lawmakers created a system that has already mercilessly denied and continues to deny medical care and treatment to thousands of our most catastrophically injured crash victims, jeopardized the nancial future of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims fund and driven essential medical care providers out of business and hundreds of skilled medical providers out of the state.

Steven Gursten is an attorney and owner of Michigan Auto Law.

ey need to create a level playing eld and get to work on providing the same regulatory powers to the Michigan insurance commissioner to prohibit auto insurers from charging “excessive” insurance premium rates, just as insurance commissioners have the power to do in almost all other states.

Lawmakers need to empower Michigan’s insurance commissioner to regulate excessive pro t margins for the auto insurance companies that do business with the 9 million registered vehicle owners who are legally required to buy their product. is was an oversight of seismic proportions.

cluded the reduction in the MCCA fee and were based on

“ e auto insurance market in Michigan has always been deeply bifurcated; it’s basically, Detroit and some other communities in southeastern Michigan are in one insurance market, and the rest of the state is another insurance market,” Heller said. “ e average PIP reduction had to be 10% statewide, and Detroit only accounted for about 10% of the book of business. Even if, for example, PIP premiums in Detroit are $3,000 a year, the average premium for unlimited was $300 a year. So to get down to your average premium from $300 a year, all you have to do is average getting it

down by $30. So $30 on a $300 policy is 10%, but $30 on a $3,000 policy is not even $3 a month. So, yes, you got these average reductions in PIP. (But it made) … very little di erence for the people most su ering under high insurance.”

Medical fee schedule

Proponents of the reform said the medical fee schedule and reimbursement controls were intended to lower costs for insurers, who would then pass on their savings to consumers in the form of lower premiums.

“Before reform, our no-fault system caused our auto insurance premiums to skyrocket,” Mc-

e goal of all of this tumult was savings for Michigan drivers, but these savings have been negligible at best (and typically only for those drivers who are willing to forgo substantial coverage protection which comes with its own extreme risks).

In spite of all the turmoil that the new no-fault law has brought, Michigan drivers are still paying among the highest rates in the country. We took away the things that made Michigan’s auto nofault system the very best in the nation, and we got very little in return.

If (and when) lawmakers are ever truly serious about generating meaningful and long-term savings for drivers, all they need to do is direct their attention to where they should have begun in 2019 to make Michigan’s auto insurance system a ordable for everyone.

Donough said. “Hospitals could charge three to even four times as much for procedures provided for injured drivers versus the same exact procedure being billed to other forms of insurance. … (It was) a broken system that incentivized overcharging and encouraged medically unnecessary procedures being pushed on patients. … And so as part of the reform … that medical fee schedule was put into place.”

DIFS told Crain’s July 7 that rate lings from Michigan’s personal auto insurance insurers were reviewed by the department’s outside actuaries and showed that about $187 million in savings were passed on to consumers.

Heller, the consumer insurance

Finally, instead of beating up on innocent car crash victims by stripping them of necessary personal injury protection bene ts that they need to live, survive and heal, lawmakers should be the champions they need to protect their rights and help them to stand up to the mistreatment and abuse they routinely su er at the hands of a virtually completely unregulated auto insurance industry in Michigan.

A good place to start today is with lawmakers stepping up in support of the Policyholder Bill of Rights in Senate Bill 329 and House Bill 4681. is proposed legislation still will not protect Michigan consumers and drivers from insurance company bad faith, which often devastates and destroys lives, but at least it will require insurers to “exercise good faith and fair dealing” with auto crash victims’ claims.

It is a good start to provide some modest protections for small businesses and consumers and small hospitals, as well as for car crash victims, all of whom can be too easily devastated by unchecked insurance company greed.

watchdog, said according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, insurers paid $6.7 billion in claims from 2020 to 2022, down from $7.1 billion between 2016 and 2019, so reform does appear to have reduced insurers’ claims cost.

But the same source shows that Michiganders paid $9.28 billion on personal auto insurance from 2020 to 2022, up from $9.049 billion from 2016 to 2019.

“I think it’s kind of a nancial wash, because partly, the problem is that it didn’t save money in the right way,” Heller said. “It didn’t provide the redress for the people most burdened by the cost of auto insurance over the years.”

LARRY PEPLIN

No-fault reform has worked to save Michiganders money

Before the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took action in 2019, Michigan’s broken auto no-fault system caused auto insurance premiums to skyrocket to the nation’s highest, impacting the state’s 7.2 million drivers. e old system was a cash cow for medical providers and a cash drain for Michigan drivers, with few limits on what could be charged and how much could be prescribed.

Take a look at the Citizens Research Council report and a Detroit Free Press investigative series for examples, like a medical provider charging $500 for an MRI through Medicare versus $5,000 when billed to auto insurance.

Every system, from private health insurance to workers compensation to Medicare and Medicaid, has cost controls. ey aren’t new or unique. Auto insurance just never had them.

Since bipartisan auto no-fault reforms, auto insurance companies have been working to ensure savings are passed onto drivers and medically necessary care is covered. e data shows reforms work.

A 2023 Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services report shows reforms have provided more than $5 billion in savings to Michigan drivers.

More than 202,000 uninsured drivers have purchased car insurance since the reforms, 83,000 of which didn’t have insurance for three years or more.

◗ Reforms reduce incentives to push needless and harmful medical procedures for pro t. A new system to resolve care disputes, called utilization review, uses third-party, independent experts coordinated through DIFS.

Safeguards are in place including a DIFS-created rapid response hotline (833-ASK-DIFS) to assist with individual cases where people need help with care.

◗ Nearly 2 million people are exercising their right to choose personal injury protection or PIP coverages other than unlimited. Prior to reforms, all Michigan drivers were forced to purchase unlimited, lifetime medical bene ts with their auto insurance, regardless of whether those bene ts t their budget or their family’s needs. With drivers choosing di erent levels of PIP coverage, it’s important to protect the fee schedule so consumers derive the maximum value. However, the reforms continue to be targeted by those who want to engage in overcharging and over prescribing again. Last fall, a Court of Appeals decision removed the ability to use portions of the medical fee schedule and we saw the impact in the

MCCA (Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association) fees increasing. e Supreme Court will soon determine whether aspects of the bipartisan reforms are allowed to continue reining in rampant overcharging, cracking down on fraud and providing savings to millions of Michigan drivers.

In addition to the Supreme Court, legislation eroding utilization review and drastically altering the medical fee schedule continue to be introduced in the Michigan Legislature. Legislation to bene t plainti attorneys — similar to laws that made Florida the most expensive state in the nation for auto insurance — waits in the wings.

Nationally, in ation is driving up the cost of auto repairs, replacement vehicles and rental cars, which is impacting other parts of auto policies. While state leaders

can’t control in ation, controlling medical costs in a reasonable manner can be done. e expectation cannot be that tools controlling costs can be stripped away and 7.2 million drivers still save money. e amount medical providers charge for services and prescribe for care, above and beyond what’s medically necessary, can be controlled and is proven to reduce the cost of auto insurance. People can and are still receiving quality care under bipartisan reforms.

Following the Supreme Court decision, pressure will be high to return to the old, broken system. We encourage the Michigan Legislature to be thoughtful and consumer focused. A system with proven, e ective cost controls works and needs long-term stability to save Michigan drivers money.

A very speci c change is needed for no-fault reform

Families grieving the unnecessary and cruel loss of their loved one. e lives of thousands of people living with disabilities and life-changing injuries turned upside down. People displaced from their home and discharged by care providers they have trusted for decades. Others nding it di cult to impossible to access necessary rehabilitation and care following a car crash. ousands of health care workers losing their jobs because their employers had to signi cantly reduce resources or close operations completely.

ese are the unsparing impacts of Michigan’s no-fault “reform” that implemented a draconian fee cap system cutting reimbursement by nearly 50% and imposing an arbitrary limit on the number of hours family members can provide care to their loved one.

ose of us who provide care to survivors of catastrophic auto accidents knew the destruction these elements of the 2019 law would cause and have advocated for a solution to end this crisis for over four years now; unfortunately, the Michigan Legislature has failed to act. ere have been several bills introduced over multiple legislative sessions, but none were given even a committee hearing. We were hopeful the new

majority would deliver the bill the governor has claimed she would like to see, but we are now entering another summer with continued inaction from our legislators.

e Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council continues to be committed to providing the Legislature with a sustainable solution that controls costs while ensuring car crash victims have access to early rehabilitation and necessary long-term care. e current system creates instability and chaos. It fails to meet the intent of the law. A true fee schedule provides consistency, predictability and fairness.

e council has developed a fee schedule that accomplishes these ends with a pay structure that will ensure insurers know what they must pay and providers know what they will get paid. e solution uses a disciplined methodology and statistical process to replace the baseless and arbitrary 45% reimbursement cap to reasonable rates that equate services to the Medicare multiplier written into the reform law. e outcome is rates in line with the intent of the law and with other funding sources that pay for these specialized services. In addition, this fee schedule for long-term cost factors brings down costs by reducing unnecessary delays and litigation. Most importantly, it allows providers to get back to

ful lling their mission of caring for all crash survivors, while guaranteeing consumers get the bene ts they paid for through their auto insurance contracts.

ere is nothing common-sense about the fee cap system put in place with the 2019 law. Any narrative about the impact of the reforms that doesn’t include the devastation caused is dishonest and incomplete. When the Legislature returns after Labor Day, their top priority should be to nally respond to car crash victims, their families, national- and state-level disability advo-

cates, and care providers who only want to be able to serve.

e solution of a fair, reasonable and sustainable fee schedule has been created — it needs to be enacted and implemented with immediate e ect. Any decision by the Michigan Supreme Court in the Andary case will still require legislative action. It is the responsibility of the Legislature to enact a holistic correction to end the crisis in care for all people injured in a car crash — now and in the future. e fate of thousands of Michiganders depends on it.

Erin McDonough is the executive director of the Insurance Alliance of Michigan.

Tom Judd is the executive director of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council.

Lawmakers say they are open to continued reform efforts, but have not speci ed many changes. | GETTY IMAGES

WASHTENAW COUNTY'S LARGEST EMPLOYERS CRAIN'S LIST |

Ranked by full-time employees July 2023

ADDRESS PHONE; WEBSITE

1 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Ann Arbor48109 734-764-1817; umich.edu

2 TRINITY HEALTH MICHIGAN 1600 South Canton Center Road,Canton48188 trinityhealthmichigan.org

president and CEO, Trinity Health Michigan and SE Regions ShannonStriebich hosptial president and senior vice president, operations, Trinity Health Michigan RosalieTocco-Bradley chief clinical o cer, Trinity Health Michigan

3 U.S. GOVERNMENT 477 Michigan Ave.,Detroit48226 313-226-4910; usa.gov

4 ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2555 S. State St.,Ann Arbor48104 734-994-2200; a2schools.org

5 WASHTENAW COUNTY 220 N. Main St.,Ann Arbor48107-8645 734-222-6800; www.washtenaw.org

6 STATE OF MICHIGAN 3042 W. Grand Blvd., Cadillac Place, Suite 4-400,Detroit48202 313-456-4400; michigan.gov

7 EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY 900 Oakwood, EMU Student Center,Ypsilanti48197 734-487-4108;

18

(FORMERLY FCA US LLC) 1000 Chrysler Drive,Auburn Hills48326-2766 248-576-5741; stellantis.com

20

MILLING COMPANY 201 W. North St.,Chelsea48118 734-475-1361; ji ymix.com

ResearchedbySonyaD.Hill:shill@crain.com

|ThislistofWashtenawCountyemployersencompassescompaniesheadquarteredinWashtenaw,Oakland,Wayne,MacomborLivingstoncounties.Numberoffull-timeemployeesmay includefull-timeequivalents.Itisnotacompletelistingbutthemostcomprehensiveavailable.Crain'sestimatesarebasedonindustryanalysisandbenchmarks,newsreportsandawiderangeofothersources.Unlessotherwisenoted,information wasprovidedbythecompanies.CompanieswithheadquarterselsewherearelistedwiththeaddressandtopexecutiveoftheirmainDetroit-areao ce.Actualrevenue guresmayvary.NA=notavailableNOTES: e. Crain'sestimate. 1. Includes approximately16,000in-statepart-timeemployees. 2. TrinityHealthIHAMedicalGroup. 3. IncludesTrinityHealthIHAMedicalGroup. 4. AsofDec.2022. 5. AsofJuly1,2021. 6. FiguresareFTEcountsfromtheCenterforEducationalPerformanceand Information. 7. AsofJanuary. 8. AfterFaurecia'sacquisitionofacontrollingstakeinHella,thecombinedcompanyisnowknownasForvia.Faurecia'sacquisitionofHellawascompletedinFebruary2022. 9. AnnouncedJuly12,2022thatnamewould be changing to RealTruck. 10 As of January 2021. 11. As of July 2021. 12. Figure is FTE count.

Want the full Excel version of this list — and every list? Become a Data Member: CrainsDetroit.com/data

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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

ACCOUNTING

Doeren Mayhew

Doeren Mayhew, a top 60 U.S. CPA and advisory rm, is excited to announce the appointment of Joseph Akouri as Chief Information Of cer. Akouri joins Doeren Mayhew after nearly two decades of information technology experience in the professional services sector. As the CIO, Akouri is responsible for creating an IT strategy to drive the rm’s operations and continued innovation to protect data and maximize ef ciencies rmwide.

Oswald Companies

Oswald Companies, a Unison Risk Advisors company, welcomes Ben Osborne as a Senior Sales Executive on the Michigan Property & Casualty Insurance team. With over 17 years of experience, Ben specializes in mitigating risks within the construction industry. He is actively involved in the CFMA NW Ohio and Metro Detroit chapters and is a designated Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist and Cyber Risk Manager. He strives to help clients improve their risk pro les through creative strategies.

Strobl PLLC

Strobl PLLC adds additional banking expertise to the team.

ADVERTISING / PR / MARKETING

Truscott Rossman

Truscott Rossman welcomes vice president, Ryan Gajewski. With a proven track record in industries ranging from professional sports to economic development to consumer packaged goods, Ryan’s success extends beyond conventional and industry boundaries. He has earned a reputation for his innovative approach to digital content strategy and social media marketing and is always looking ahead to leverage cutting-edge trends to bene t clients. TR: Michigan roots, national reach, winning results.

INSURANCE / BROKERAGE

Kapnick Insurance

Natalie Criswell joins Kapnick as Vice President, Client Executive in their Business Insurance division.

Bringing ve years’ experience as a commercial insurance specialist and two years of top-tier executive training, she stands poised to elevate the division’s service. Holding both an MBA and a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University, Criswell will be based in Kapnick’s Troy of ce. She is keen to leverage her skills and enthusiasm to ensure robust protection to her clients.

Michael A. Kus brings expertise in regulatory compliance, real estate, corporate law, and licensing for nance companies throughout the U.S. His extensive experience in advising nancial institutions on compliance and regulatory laws allows banks to reduce risk and improve pro tability. Prior to Strobl, he was a partner at Kus, Ryan & Associates, PLLC. Jeffrey T. Goudie will focus on business banking, real estate, and probate law. Jeff navigates complex issues for nancial institutions and provides comprehensive representation in all aspects of business law and litigation. His background provides expertise in licensing matters, regulatory affairs, and transactional matters.

Michigan State, French research center team up on astrophysics lab

clear physics and astrophysics, the two organizations said.

ARCHITECTURE

National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)

Tiffany D. Brown, MBA, NOMA, Assoc.

AIA and Executive Director of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), of Detroit, Michigan, has won the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). The award is NCARB’s highest honor. Ms. Brown is recognized for her outstanding leadership of NOMA and her contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the architecture profession.

INSURANCE / BROKERAGE

Kapnick Insurance

Sherman Edwards, an experienced professional in the insurance sector, has joined Kapnick Insurance as a Vice President, Client Executive in their Employee Bene ts division. Prior to joining Kapnick, Edwards served as an Executive Director at a large independent insurance broker. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Operating from Kapnick’s Troy of ce, Edwards is poised to bring a fresh perspective to the team and enhance its success.

NONPROFIT

CNS Healthcare

Michele Reid, MD has been named Chief Operating Of cer for CNS Healthcare. She formerly served as the Chief Medical Of cer for CNS Healthcare, a non-pro t, Certi ed Community Behavioral Health Clinic with eight clinics and two clubhouses in Southeastern Michigan. Dr. Reid is also a Clinical Assistant Professor, Wayne State University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences. She is Chairperson of the American College of Psychiatrists, and the Area IV Representative to the American Psychiatric Association Assembly for the Michigan Psychiatric Association.

Michigan State University has entered an agreement with French research organization Centre National de la Recherche Scienti que to establish a research lab on its campus.

The five-year agreement establishing the International Research Laboratory on Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams on MSU’s East Lansing campus begins Sept. 1.

MSU, a global leader in nuclear science and astrophysics for more than 50 years, operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy O ce of Science, enabling scientists to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security and industry.

e new research lab located at the MSU facility will bring together world-class researchers from France and the United States to stimulate discoveries in fundamental nuclear physics and astrophysics.

“We are thrilled to work with our French colleagues to establish the rst international research laboratory dedicated to nuclear physics and astrophysics here at (the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams) in the heart of MSU’s campus,” MSU’s interim president Teresa Woodru said in a release.

“ is new agreement builds on MSU’s history of partnering with the best minds to solve challenging problems for the betterment of Michigan, the nation and people around the globe.”

e French institution is an interdisciplinary public research organization under the administrative supervision of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It has nearly 80 international research laboratories worldwide, including six others in the U.S. e new lab at MSU will be the rst dedicated to nu-

“ is agreement will bring together researchers in France and the U.S. for the bene t of future scienti c breakthroughs in nuclear physics and astrophysics,” Antoine Petit, CEO of the Centre National de la Recherche Scienti qin, said in the release.

“ is is the CNRS’s seventh international laboratory in the United States. It will join the growing family of collaborative international laboratories that provide a exible framework to help researchers push the boundaries of scienti c exploration.”

e new, nuclear physics and astrophysics lab will focus on fundamental nuclear science research including:

Nuclear structure and reactions. ◗ Nuclear astrophysics. Nuclear theory.

◗ Development of instrumentation for nuclear science research.

As part of the agreement, two scientists from France will be permanently located at the MSU facility, a world-class research, teaching and training center hosting a powerful rare isotope accelerator, the organizations said in a release.

“We are delighted to celebrate this new collaboration as an essential way to advance the frontiers of rare-isotope science and ful ll (the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams’) role as global tool for nu-

clear structure and nuclear astrophysics research,” said Tim Hallman, associate director for nuclear physics in the O ce of Science, U.S. DOE.

“ e Department of Energy Ofce of Science is eager to work with CNRS and MSU in this new framework to facilitate the sharing of expertise and ideas among scientists, leveraging our respective resources for the mutual bene t of all.”

Goudie

Sherri Welch

A group of students takes a tour inside the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University in November 2022. | MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

“This new agreement builds on MSU’s history of partnering with the best minds to solve challenging problems...”

Teresa Woodruff, interim president, Michigan State University

Corewell CEO selected to chair American Hospital Association

By Dustin Walsh

Corewell Health President and CEO Tina Freese Decker has been selected to be the next chair of the American Hospital Association.

Freese Decker will be the top elected o cial of the organization, which represents more than 5,000 hospitals and 43,000 health care leaders in the U.S., in 2025. She will replace Joanne Conroy, president and CEO of Dartmouth Health in New Hampshire, in the role. Wright Lassiter III, former CEO of Henry Ford Health and current CEO of CommonSpirit Health in Chicago, served as the AHA’s chair in 2022.

Freese Decker will serve as the chair elect next year. She’s also a member of the AHA’s board of trustees.

“We have many challenges and

many opportunities ahead of us,”

Freese Decker said in a press release. “ e greatest opportunity is to showcase our innovation, grit and compassion to evolve and transform health care. I look forward to serving the AHA and its members in our pursuit of better health.”

Freese Decker led the merger of Grand Rapids-based Spectrum Health, where she served as CEO, and South eld-based Beaumont Health, which merged last year and was renamed Corewell Health.

e merger created the state’s largest health system with 22 hospitals, 60,000 employees with a revenue of $13.8 billion in 2022.

She became the merged entity’s president and CEO immediately.

e health system also includes the 1.3 million-member health

plan Priority Health, the third-largest provider-integrated health plan in the country.

Prior to her promotion to president and CEO of Spectrum in 2018, Freese Decker helped streamline operations at Spectrum after several acquisitions as its COO and developed its outpatient strategy. For nearly two decades, Freese Decker has played an integral role in helping Spectrum quietly build a west side health care empire.

She was named a Crain’s Newsmaker in 2021 and 2022 and has been honored as part of Crain’s Most In uential Women list.

She also currently serves on the boards of e Right Place, Business Leaders for Michigan and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

She earned a bachelor’s from Iowa State University and a two master’s from the University of Iowa.

How an entrepreneurial incubator is changing with the times

Jay Davis

Nonpro t, entrepreneurshipfocused Venture For America is preparing its current crop of 182 fellows to work and start businesses in a changing landscape.

VFA o ers current college students and recent college grads a two-year, paid entrepreneur fellowship that serves to create economic opportunity. Fellows work fulltime positions with startups across the country.

e nonpro t is committed to ensuring those who have been historically excluded, particularly women and people of color, see themselves as future startup leaders or founders.

problem where they will learn, grow and develop quickly and have responsibility early in their career. ey want to be a part of a community where they will have support and structure.”

OFFICES

From Page 1

It’s hard to imagine the market righting itself without some reduction in the overall supply of o ce space in the region, said AJ Weiner, managing director in the Royal Oak o ce of Chicago-based brokerage house JLL.

in Q2 2011.)

Venture for America Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Keenan Covington

e organization is switching gears to focus on compensation and career development more so than ever before, VFA Vice President of Marketing and Communications Keenan Covington said in an email.

“Many early-career professionals expect quicker promotions than prior generations,” Covington said. “ ey expect to be recognized for their e orts within a year, and hope to advance rather quickly. We’re also seeing that mental health resources and wellness support is something that is valued, as well as companies with a social impact focus or lens.”

Flexibility is key, too, Covington says, as more than 50 percent of VFA fellows search for roles that o er hybrid work options.

“At VFA speci cally, we see that our fellows want to work for a company solving an interesting

Venture For America was started in 2011 by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. e company is currently led by CEO Eric Somerville, who joined VFA in 2021. Headquartered in Detroit, VFA has a sta of 39 employees, with capacity for 43, according to Covington. It has grown to offer programs in 13 cities after starting in ve. Current cities hosting VFA fellows include Baltimore; Birmingham, Ala.; Charlotte, N.C., Cleveland; Detroit; Kansas City, Mo.; Miami; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; San Antonio; St. Louis; and Tulsa, Okla.

Strong success rate

VFA receives nancial contributions from national and regional funders, according to Covington.

e company’s earned revenue comes by way of placement fees for matching incoming fellows with employer partners — referred to by VFA as company partners.

In 2021, its most recent nancial report, VFA revenues topped $6.8 million.

VFA company partners provide fellows with a full salary and bene ts over the course of the fellowship. e average salary for the 123 VFA fellows in 2022 was about $55,000, up from a minimum salary of $38,000 in 2019. More than

30 percent of fellows received equity options from company partners. Company partners are required to provide health insurance as part of a bene ts package or o er a stipend to secure health care. Around 80 percent of 2022 VFA fellows had full health care bene ts, and stipends provided averaged around $350 a month, according to Covington. Some VFA company partners also o er relocation assistance.

e current cohort of 182 VFA fellows is at training camp at Wayne State University now through July 26. e program is funded by support from the Gilbert Family Foundation, the William Davidson Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Local partners include Detroit-based integrated marketing rm 2050 Partners Inc., Ann Arbor-based Advaita Bioinformatics and Detroit-based Athlytic, which was founded in 2021 and brought in about $125,000 last year. It matches college athletes with brands that want to pay them to use their name, image and likeness.

VFA since 2011 has partnered with more than 950 companies and has a network of more than 1,600 current fellows and alumni around the country and VFA fellows nd success upon completing the program. Nearly 40 percent of VFA alums earn more than $100,000 a year, Covington said. Nearly 30 percent of VFA graduates have started businesses, and fellows have raised more than $960 million in investment capital.

“Ideally, we start to fundamentally shrink the market at a more steady clip, and that’s not happening right now,” Weiner said. “We want to see more buildings be converted into multifamily, or torn down for future developments.”

Downtown Ann Arbor’s o ce space is 10.4% vacant ... at least on paper, although the true vacancy rate is likely much higher as companies continue to ful ll their lease obligations but don’t actually occupy all of their space. And while 10.4% sounds halfway decent when compared to other markets, the last time Ann Arbor had double-digit o ce vacancy was a decade ago. At the start of the pandemic, it was just 2.3% vacant.

Detroit’s central business district vacancy was 17.3% in the second quarter, highest in nearly eight years, when it was 17.6% in the fourth quarter 2015. (Although obviously not nearly as rough as the 35.2% vacancy rate

It’s not just denser downtowns. e suburbs, with their midand high-rises generously spaced apart, are also hurting (mostly). South eld sits at 26.6% vacant, a rate it hasn’t seen since the second quarter 2014. Ditto Farmington Hills, with the former’s 19.5% vacancy most recently matched in the fourth quarter 2014, and the latter’s 24.5% vacancy rate (minus its 25.3% rst quarter) a rate not seen since Q4 2014. e outcast of them all?

Birmingham. e swanky Oakland County burb actually saw a decrease in its vacancy rate since the start of the pandemic, falling from 10.4% in the rst quarter 2020 to 6% in Q2.

John DeGroot, research director for the local o ce of Newmark, said that’s a function of the city’s tenant market.

“ e general makeup of the Birmingham’s o ce market are smaller o ce users compared to other submarkets which have many heavy o ce users,” DeGroot said. “ e heavy o ce users are reducing square footage as many employees are working from home. We are not seeing smaller o ce users, particularly in the professional services sector, reducing o ce space. at is why Birmingham in particular is a bit insulated from the general o ce trend.”

Data going back to 2000 provided by the local of ces of New York City-based brokerage house Newmark shows that, in spite of what is largely a return to normalcy in everyday life after the COVID-19 pandemic, of ce landlords in Detroit and its suburbs continue to feel the sting of remote work policies and a reduction in space needs resulting from those. | QUINN BANKS

Tina Freese Decker

e payout varies by brand and by deal. Athlytic athletes, on average, earn about $500 per opportunity and between $2,000-$10,000 annually, Keys said.

Ideal brand ambassadors

Keys and Eummer were able to start Athlytic with $10,000 of their own funds. at covered trademark lings, logo selection, website design and research. e cost also included travel for pitch competitions, as Keys participated in a number of business accelerator programs. One of those programs was Venture for America, the entrepreneurship-building nonprofit founded in Detroit in 2011 by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Together, Keys and Eummer raised $1.4 million in venture capital to launch Athlytic. e company has a sta of ve employees. In 2022, Athlytic brought in about $125,000 in revenue, according to Keys. He expects the company to bring in about $300,000 in revenue this year. Revenues come in from participating brands, which pay for marketing, and access to the platform and athletes.

e window for most college athletes to capitalize on their earning potential is a short one. Keys believes this small group can serve as some of the best brand ambassadors around.

“What makes college athletes the best people for this is that fans, alums have a deep a nity and connection to that sport and school that they don’t have with a professional team,” Keys said. “I love the Detroit Lions, but I didn’t go to school at Ford Field. People will always have a passion for their school. You’ll never not be a Spartan or a Wolverine.”

Beyond that, the athletes can reach a younger audience that

PIQUETTE

From Page 3

administrative o ces for the automaker from 1904 until 1911 when production of the Model T moved to Highland Park. A cash safe remains as a reminder of the past.

Ford sold the plant to Studebaker in 1911, which operated there until the early 1930s. Subsequent tenants include Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (now 3M) and General Linen & Uniform Service from the 1980s until just before the pandemic.

e assembly room space can accommodate 200 strolling or 150 seated guests.

It brings the total space the museum has reclaimed in the plant to more than 45,000 square feet, or more than two-thirds of the plant’s total space, Woodward said.

EV exhibit

e museum will o cially open the space July 28-30 with “EVs: en and Now,” a one-weekend exhibit of antique and modern elec-

brands are desperate to get in with.

“ ere’s a huge opportunity because of the main demographic that follows the athletes, that 18-25-year-old group, which is the No. 1 demographic for consuming content. Brands want to get involved with those athletes and get into those demographics, and scale their business from those demographics,” he said. “ e athletes don’t even have to try. ey know what’s popular on Instagram, TikTok. ere’s a ton of people invested in their success. With a brand trying to get that investment, it’s a win/win.”

Athletes getting noticed

Local athletes are reaping the bene ts of working with Athlytic.

Central Michigan University freshman women’s track & eld athlete Nicole Olivieri since November 2022 has secured brand deals with Lansing-based Moneyball Sportswear and St. Louis cell phone accessory maker Flipstik.

Olivieri has added around 3,000 social media followers while serv-

ing as an Athlytic brand ambassador.

Olivieri, in an email to Crain’s, said the partnership has greatly enhanced her exposure.

“ is is so helpful for both my socials and the brand’s promotion,” Olivieri said. “ ey are so good with communication and being willing to o er help in any situation. I am truly so grateful for every deal they have sent my way.”

University of Michigan junior men’s soccer player Jason Bucknor since November 2022 has secured brand deals with Shinola, fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen, Moneyball Sportswear and Flipstik. Bucknor has seen his social media following grow by more than 20,000 since signing with Athlytic.

Bucknor in an email to Crain’s said he appreciates the variety of deals he’s been able to secure as an Athlytic brand ambassador.

“Athlytic has helped me get multiple opportunities with many di erent brands varying from food to appliances to even clothing/accessories,” Bucknor said. “Not only have they helped me earn

money but the communication, respect and kindness have been amazing.”

Help along the way

Keys credits his time with Detroit-based nonpro t Venture for America with preparing him to run his business. Keys after college completed a two-year, paid entrepreneurial fellowship that serves to create economic opportunity across America. Venture for America fellows work full-time positions with startups across the country. e nonpro t is committed to ensuring those who have been historically excluded, particularly women and people of color, see themselves as future startup leaders or founders.

Keys, who is Black and a project manager by trade, said Venture For America has been vital in his success.

“Being in that program gives you the time to build your company without the nancial fears. at was big for me because that helped me take a big leap into getting Athlytic o the ground,” Keys said.

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.

e new space is attracting attention even before its o cial opening.

e museum has already hosted events and booked $11,000 in rentals for it. Several are ttingly hosted by Ford Motor Co. ey include an event that will bring a modern Ford Bronco into the plant, and a video shoot for an undisclosed app commercial that has already taken place and a possible video shoot with Expedia Australia, Woodward said.

“I grew up on the west side of Detroit, graduated college, but you get questions from family when you want to start a business. Having the backing of Venture For America made a big di erence,” he said. “I didn’t grow up seeing startup founders. e entrepreneur for me was the barbershop owner, the car wash owner. Venture For America gave me the mindset to keep going.”

Venture For America o cials quickly took notice of Keys’ motivation.

Vice President of Venture Growth Andrew Albert in a statement to Crain’s said Keys possesses a level of focus and clarity that all of the most successful business founders have.

“I recall during his fellowship he told coworkers, ‘I’m here to start a company.’ While they thought it was youthful ambition, it’s energizing to see him follow up on exactly what he said he would do,” Albert said. “ e members of our community who have the most ful lling experiences and are great ts for our (programs) possess these qualities: constant curiosity, intense focus and self-awareness. (Keys) has all of these, and it’s clear with the success of Athlytic how these traits have helped his journey.”

e journey for Keys is just at the beginning. He has concrete plans on how he wants to scale Athlytic.

“A lot of what we’re looking to do is create the standard for how to execute NIL and the ROI eciently,” Keys said. “What we’ve created is a way to work with athletes in di erent markets to drive value to a particular business. (Quick service and fast casual restaurants) are targeting college campuses more and more as an integral way to scale. Consumer brands, drinks, they want to be centralized in a way to scale.

“We’re also working to create more opportunities for athletes. We want this to be very bene cial for all parties.”

Since restoration e orts began 23 years ago, the national historic landmark has seen new historically accurate windows, ooring, roo ng with wooden beams made of the same old-growth wood fortifying the structure and restored masonry, among other projects, at a cost of $2.5 million-$3 million.

But the bulk of the work is still ahead, Woodward said.

tric vehicles from the 1900s through the 1920s. Sponsored by Emily and Henry Ford III, the exhibit will feature a dozen electric vehicles of past and present. ey include a 1912 Baker on loan from Our Next Energy CEO Mujeeb Ijaz, other privately owned vehicles on loan from the Gilmore Car Museum in West Michigan, Stahls Automotive Foundation Museum in New Baltimore and e Henry Ford and modern-day electric vehicles on loan from Ford, including a 2000 Ranger

and the prototype of the Ford F-150 Lightning. e vehicles on display were made by companies including Edison Electric, Milburn, Baker and Riker.

e exhibit will include historical presentations and a panel discussion, “EVs: Today and Tomorrow,” with industry leaders: Ijaz; Dave Pericak, director of EV Truck Programs for Ford; Pina Vyas, business transformation leader for DTE Energy Co.; and Michael Tercheck, e-mobility OEM sales director,

e $50,000 cost to remove asbestos and old mismatched ooring, update HVAC, install electrical services and restore the concrete oors, wood windows and freight elevator in that part of the plant is expected to more than pay for itself in just the rst year. Woodward projects annual revenue for rentals of the space will be $60,000-$75,000.

e museum is operating on an $833,000 annual budget.

Part of a larger renovation

e rst- oor renovations are part of a broader, $8.5 million restoration project underway at the plant.

Remaining projects include the addition of bathrooms on all three oors, classrooms for expanded eld trips, installation of centralized heating and cooling systems, a new electrical system, expanded building security systems, new programming, a new passenger elevator, additional event spaces and paving the gravel lot across Piquette Avenue for parking.

“Our greatest artifact is the building itself. It’s one of the oldest auto plants in the world,” Woodward said, noting people come from as far away as New Zealand to see it.

e surrounding Milwaukee Junction area of Detroit is at a tipping point, now, she said.

“We just want to be part of that renaissance.”

UCLA tennis standout Patrick Zahraj, left, Athlytic founder Ashton Keys, former UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (now of the Cleveland Browns) and UCLA soccer standout Reilyn Turner at an Athlytic athlete-only branding workshop. | ATHLYTIC

Following a yearlong renovation project, the former front of ce area of the historic Ford Piquette plant is now a wide open space suitable for temporary exhibits and daytime event rentals when the museum is open.| FORD PIQUETTE AVENUE PLANT MUSEUM

Phil Cooley on slowing down life and focusing on family after Slows Bar BQ

Detroit entrepreneur Phil Cooley is having a life renaissance. The Slows Bar BQ founder, along with his brother and father, this winter sold their stake in the business they started nearly 20 years ago. Cooley’s found some other things to occupy his time, mostly rehabbing an Islandview building and being with family. Cooley, 45, continues to work as a general contractor with his brother Ryan’s O’Connor Development Group LLC. A past Crain’s 20 in their 20s honoree, Cooley talked to Crain’s about his post-Slows life and what he loves about Detroit.

How’s life after Slows?

It’s been great. I de nitely have more time to spend with my wife and kids. It’s our anniversary (in July) and it’s exciting to be able to focus on family more. Besides that, I’ve been doing construction. I bought a building. at’s been going great. I’m in the permitting, engineering process now, but the building’s all sealed up with new doors, new roof. It’s a building from the (early 20th century). It was almost un xable. It’s nothing remarkable. We’ve done a lot of work in Corktown, so we’re used to working on old buildings. A lot of those old buildings and factories I nd interesting. It’s nice to work on an old building and save it from being demolished. What made you decide to get into that?

I love Islandview. It’s unique. ere’s cool businesses like Spot Lite. It’s nice to have some great places to go. My commute is so short. I was in Core City before. I’m in Indian Village now, so I live a mile and a half away. It’s perfect. e building itself is perfect for me. I do a lot of the work. I don’t think the building would have been saved by a di erent developer. It was too beat up. It takes some patience. I have over 20 years of historic rehab experience. I’m not necessarily the best guy to do new construction. I’m more apt to take on more older, decrepit buildings. It’ll have some commercial space, residential. Where’d that passion come from?

It started out of necessity. e rst space, one of the three buildings Slows is in, I bought for $40,000 because that’s all I could a ord. It’s Detroit. I work in Detroit. I live in Detroit. I love Detroit. at’s sadly the condition of a lot of our real estate. It’s emotional, too. A lot of these old buildings you can’t build anymore. e cinder blocks are massive 12-inch blocks that are tough to move. If you have to re-use them, the masons and I are complaining being they’re just so heavy and unruly. It’s just nice work with old materials and buildings to make sure they don’t go away.

Has it at all been tough to not be involved with Slows?

I love Slows. I see a lot of the

By | Jay Davis

employees anyway. I’m friends with them, still socialize with them. We were ready for this. Luckily there was no animosity about it. We were ready to move on. A lot of people say it’s a win-win situation. I understand that. We’re a small business in a small town, and the reality is we all came to a happy place that allowed us to move on. Age is the biggest thing. I worked so many hours when I was younger — anywhere from 80-100 hours a week. I was single. Didn’t have a wife. Didn’t have two little kids. ere are plenty of older restaurateurs and restaurateurs with kids. For me personally, I didn’t nd the work/life balance in that industry. I kind of outgrew it. e industry itself has changed. Part of the reason we opened Slows was because we were tired of going to the same two or three restaurants. It’s totally di erent now. ere are probably too many restaurants in the city now. I’m glad there’s been a great recovery.

Are you working on anything outside of the Islandview building?

Just that. It’s about 11,000-square-feet. I’m lucky to be a orded the time to work there. It’s a smaller work crew. e trades are really hard. Hiring has been di cult. When we redeveloped a lot of Michigan Avenue we’d have seven, eight guys plus subcontractors because we kept them pretty busy. rough the years, folks have gotten out of the trades. We’ve adapted to that. I’ve learned to enjoy working alone or with one other person.

You’re the second person I’ve talked with recently who has mentioned the skilled trade shortage. Why do you think that is?

e world’s changing. Tech plays a big part in that. But we still have to build things. It’s been happening for a long time. e types of skilled trades that used to exist, the artistry they did, certain crafts we’ve lost because folks didn’t continue on. e jobs are labor intensive and cost prohibitive. It’s been a long time coming. It’s not as attractive to younger people to get into the eld. I’ve got plenty of friends without degrees who are making six gures. I don’t think it’s nancial. I don’t know what we

need to do. It’s a clear problem across the board. I’m concerned about how it’s getting worse.

How active are you now with the Ponyride nonpro t?

Not as active as I’d like to be. at’s something I’ll continue to get more involved in now that I have more time. We combined

my parents on the Fourth of July. I want to soak up as much quality time with them as I can. I worked on the Islandview project (recently) and my parents rode their bikes over and worked with me. ey’re still very active and strong. I want to take advantage of as much time I can get with them as possible.

Phil Cooley is an entrepreneur and general contractor. Cooley this winter sold his stake in Slows Bar BQ — a business he founded close to 20 years ago.

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