Crain's Detroit Business, November 13, 2023 by Crain's Detroit Business

CRAINSDETROIT.COM I NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Mortgage delinquencies creep higher No alarm bells, but consumer worries grow

St. Mary and St. Philopater Coptic Orthodox Church in Troy broke ground this summer on an $8.5 million expansion. | LAUREN ABDEL-RAZZAQ

Growing church makes big real estate push Denomination buys up buildings, plans $40M campus | By Sherri Welch The Coptic Orthodox Church is looking for sites vacated by other religious groups in Ann Arbor and the Lansing and Grand Rapids area to accommodate its growing numbers. The hunt for vacant church buildings comes amid an $8.5 million expansion in Troy and

early planning for a $40 million campus with a convention center, hotel, working farm, sports arena and senior housing in nearby Monroe County. A Christian church with roots in Egypt, the Coptic Orthodox Church is growing in Michigan as Egyptian professionals and students move

to the region from their native country and other states for college and jobs, said the Rev. Maximus Habib, senior assistant pastor at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church and St. Mary and St. Philopater Coptic Orthodox Church in Troy. See CHURCH on Page 45

By Nick Manes

Late payments

While still relatively low, the number of people late on mortgage payments is on the uptick, according to new data. Recent earnings reports from two of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders — both based in Southeast Michigan — and new national data show that the current economic climate of higher interest rates, elevated home prices and likely other factors such as the resumption of student loan payments, may be starting to weigh on consumers. The overall mortgage delinquency rate in the U.S. stood at 3.29% in September, up 12 basis points from a month earlier, but still roughly ¾ of a percentage point below pre-pandemic September 2019, according to a late October report from Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE — formerly known as Black Knight), a housing data firm. Similarly, here in Mortgage City where two of the largest lenders are based, recent earn-

As mortgage interest rates have risen, so, too, have loan delinquencies. The data shows those who were behind 60 days or more on mortgage payments and excludes those who were in forbearance due to federal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rocket

UWM

1.5

1.13% 1

0.5

1.09% 2021

2022

2023

Sources: Rocket Cos. Inc. and UWM Holdings Corp.

ings reports and securities filings show that Rocket Companies Inc. and United Wholesale Mortgage are seeing increases in borrowers behind on payments. See MORTGAGES on Page 44

Stellantis supplier plans new Detroit factory New plant, expansion of existing site mark a big move for Tiberina By Kurt Nagl

Automotive supplier Tiberina Group is expanding its presence in Detroit with a new 160,000-squarefoot plant on the west side and an expansion of its first U.S. factory near the Hamtramck border. The Italian company, which specializes in body-in-white and metal stampings for the automotive industry, signed a long-term lease for the large chunk of space

at Gateway Industrial Center at I-96 and Southfield Freeway, said Sean Cavanaugh, SVP at JLL who brokered the deal on behalf of Innovo Development Group LLC. “The transformation the property has undergone since Innovo purchased it in 2020 is a success story for Detroit and we look forward to expanding on that success as we lease up the remaining space,” Cavanaugh said in an email.

The move marks a significant expansion for Tiberina, which announced in 2019 its U-form hot stamping plant near the American Axle & Manufacturing HQ campus by the Hamtramck border. The company employs around 50 at that plant, its first in the U.S., said Geaneen Arends, VP and director at Butzel who counts Tiberina as a client. See TIBERINA on Page ?

Innovo Development constructed a new 421,000-square-foot spec building at Gateway Industrial Center in Detroit, which was completed in April. | PROVIDED

NOTABLE LEADERS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION | PAGE 7

Tigers manager sells Birmingham condo for $2.35M By Nick Manes

Detroit Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch has off-loaded a Birmingham condo, Crain’s has learned. Property listings show that a townhouse condominium unit near the Oakland County city’s downtown area was sold on Oct. 30 for $2.35 million. Title information shows the more than 4,000-square-foot condo was bought by Hinch and his wife, Erin, in March of 2021 for $1.75 million. Messages sent to the Realtor who represented Hinch in the sale, Christine Drinkwater with The Agency Hall & Hunter in BirA.J. Hinch mingham, were not returned. Dan Gutfreund with the Birmingham office of Signature Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer, who is not known at this time. Hinch’s reasons for selling the condo are unclear, as is where he and his family intend to move to. Having just concluded his third season as manager of the professional baseball team, Hinch has repeatedly expressed encouragement with the direction of the club and

Tigers’ Manager A.J. Hinch sold a Birmingham condo last month. | NICK MANES

his intention to stay put as manager. A spokesperson for the team declined to comment for this report. But in an end-of-season press conference last month with Hinch and Tigers President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris, the manager touted the close relationship the two have built and his intention to keep leading the team going forward. “When it comes to being the De-

troit Tigers’ manager, I’m thrilled and proud (and) I’m honored,” Hinch said. “And I know, I have a lot of expectations on me to do my part, to be better. We’re not where we want to get to. We’re trying to get there as fast as possible. I hope that our fans, our front office (and) or ownership understand the positive step forward that we took on the field this year, very important. But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

striking millwork, light-filled rooms and stunning details.” A former player, Hinch joined the Tigers as manager in 2020 after stints coaching the Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros, and has a contract with the Detroit Major League Baseball team through 2025, according to reports. In his three years with the organization, he has a record of 221 wins and 265 losses.

The five-year-old condo with three bedrooms and four-and-ahalf baths makes for a “beautifully appointed luxury townhome (and) offers an elevated and gracious lifestyle experience,” according to the listing. “This sophisticated residence boasts the perfect blend of functional space, style, and convenience,” the listing continues. “Elegantly designed interiors offer

PREMIUM LOCATION CENTRALLY LOCATED IN TROY, MICHIGAN

248.644.7600 | KOJAIAN.COM 2 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Plante Moran names veteran partner to top job By Anna Fifelski

Automotive plastics supplier Unique Fabricating is based in Auburn Hills. | COSTAR GROUP

Troubled supplier to GM, Rivian to liquidate Unique Fabricating files for Ch. 7 bankruptcy after financial woes By Kurt Nagl

An automotive plastics supplier to major automakers and tier one manufacturers has filed for bankruptcy after months of financial distress. Auburn Hills-based Unique Fabricating NA Inc. filed a petition for voluntary Chapter 7 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on Wednesday, according to a company filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company makes plastic, rubber and foam components for customers including Stellantis NV, General Motors Co., Yanfeng Automotive Interior Systems, Rivian Automotive Inc. and Bosch.

It has up to $50 million in estimated liabilities and between $10 million and $50 million in assets, according to a bankruptcy document. The largest creditor of more than 1,000 in the case is Detroit-based Peninsula Fund V LP, an investment fund registered to William Y. Campbell, an investment banker who launched the first investment banking firm in Detroit in 1988. The fund owns 12.075% of equity in the company. NYSE American LLC announced Thursday that it initiated proceedings to delist the company from the stock exchange in light of the bankruptcy.

Unique Fabricating, which operates plants and warehouses in Michigan, Georgia and Kentucky as well as Mexico and Ontario, filed for bankruptcy with eight entities under the Unique Fabricating umbrella. Liquidation pro-

Unique Fabricating announced in April that it was facing insolvency. ceedings likely mark the final chapter for the long-troubled company, which made its initial public offering in 2015 at $11 per share. It has since lost nearly all of its value, trading below $1 per share for the past year. See BANKRUPTCY on Page 44

Plante Moran has named a new leader, only the eighth managing partner to take on the role in the firm's 99-year history. The Southfield-based accounting and consulting firm announced on Thursday that Jason Drake will succeed Jim Proppe. He will oversee 24 offices across Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado and in Mexico, India, Japan and China. When his new role becomes effective on July 1, 2024, Drake plans to focus on organic growth throughout his role. Plante Moran is the largest accounting firm in Michigan, which Drake credits to the company’s “Wheel of Progress.” “It’s almost like a cycle: you hire good people, they’re able to do great work and take care of clients — clients that are willing to pay good fees that allow us to pay good salaries,” Drake said. This type of structure allows Plante Moran to “grow organically,” Drake said, and he will continue to harness it throughout his role as managing partner and through the company’s 100year anniversary in 2024. Drake said that while Plante Moran will continue to look at merger opportunities, that will not be what primarily drives the company’s growth. “For us, culture is so important to our firm — culture is why we made it 100 years, culture is why we’re going to continue for another 100 years,” Drake said. “So, if we look at merger opportunities, (we’ll) just be making sure that we have it right, and we’re not going to reduce our cultural expectations just to find a merger opportunity. So it’s about trying to find the right firms to make that cultural fit … I’m excited about the future of the firm. I’m excited about serv-

Jim Proppe

Jason Drake

ing the firm, and I love our culture. That’s why I’m here today and that’s why I’ll be here for the rest of my career.” Drake joined Plante Moran in 1999 as an intern from Michigan State University and has been with the firm full-time since 2000. Before being named managing partner, Drake worked as a group managing partner for the Chicago-area and Ohio offices and the international offices. “Probably my greatest experience at the firm was really helping when we opened our offices in China, Mexico, India and Japan,” Drake said. “Learning how to do business in those countries, and (setting) up those operations, which was an invaluable experience and a lot of fun as well.” Crain’s recognized Drake in 2015 as a “40 Under 40” recipient for helping the firm increase international business revenue by 400%. Proppe has served as Plante Moran’s managing partner for seven years and will work alongside Drake to transition the firm to new leadership. Proppe will retire in October 2024. “There are a variety of reasons why the partnership selected Jason as managing partner — from his vision for the future, experience in multiple service lines and international experience, to his deep relationships and connections with firms and colleagues around the world,” Proppe said in the press release.

Biggest Powerhouse Gym set to hit Partridge Creek By Kirk Pinho

The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township has filled the long-vacant former Carson’s department store. Novi-based Powerhouse Gym is opening its largest location in the world in the two-story space, empty since 2018, totaling about 120,000 square feet in the first quarter of 2025, the mall and gym announced Nov. 3. The news is a shot in the arm for Partridge Creek, whose owner, Miami Beach, Fla.-based Starwood Capital Group, had struggled paying hundreds of millions in commercial mortgage-backed

securities debt tied to Partridge Creek and three other malls around the country. A press release says the location will have features like a swimming pool, basketball court, dry sauna, track, a spin room, personal trainers and fitness classes. It is also believed to feature the largest free weight area in the country, the release says. “As a lifestyle center, The Mall at Partridge Creek offers an ideal setting to bring the newest and now the best Powerhouse experience to new audiences looking for serious results, regardless of their fitness level,” William Da-

bish, co-founder of Powerhouse Gym, said in the release. “Our vision is to make the Partridge Creek gym the crown jewel of all Powerhouse Gym locations, offering the community the best suite of services and amenities as we motivate them to achieve their fitness goals.” In an interview, Dabish said the buildout is expected to cost about $9 million. The new location is at least double the size of Powerhouse Gym’s “super gyms,” which were rolled out in 2015 and run between 45,000 and 60,000 square feet, Dabish said. See GYM on Page 45

The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township has snagged a new anchor tenant to replace the long-vacant Carson’s department store. | COSTAR NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 3

YEOANDYEO.COM

Our goal? To help you reach all of yours. At Yeo & Yeo, we’re here to listen. To dream alongside. To plan with. And ultimately, to help you thrive. We are business success partners, walking with you every step of the way. CPAS & ADVISORS MEDICAL BILLING

TECHNOLOGY

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

WeWork Inc. abandoned its 91,000-square-foot space at 6001 Cass Ave. a year ago. Its Detroit-based landlord, The Platform LLC, has a more than $5.1 million unsecured claim in the coworking space giant’s bankruptcy case. | COSTAR GROUP

REAL ESTATE INSIDER

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

Michigan’s #1 Financial Advisor by both Barron’s* and Forbes** Charles C. Zhang CFP®, MBA, MSFS, ChFC, CLU Founder and President

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

www.zhangfinancial.com 101 West Big Beaver Road, 14th Floor Troy, MI 48084 (248) 687-1258 Minimum Investment Requirement: $1,000,000 in Michigan $2,000,000 outside of Michigan. Assets under custody of LPL Financial and Charles Schwab. * As reported in Barron’s March 11, 2023. Rankings based on assets under management, revenue generated for the advisors’ firms, quality of practices, and other factors. * * As reported in Forbes April 4, 2023. The rankings, developed by Shook Research, are based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm for advisors who have a minimum of seven years of experience. Other factors include client retention, industry experience, compliance records, firm nominations, assets under management, revenue generated for their firms, and other factors. See zhangfinancial.com/disclosure for full ranking criteria.

CRAIN’S PARTNER PROMOTE AND PUBLICIZE YOUR INDUSTRY EVENT NEWS INCREASE ATTENDANCE AT YOUR WORK EVENTS Submit an event to Debora Stein at dstein@crain.com

4 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

WeWork’s bankruptcy filing hits Detroit landlord hard

eWork Inc.’s bankruptcy case hits hard for Peter Cummings and his Detroit-based real estate company. The Platform LLC is owed more than $5.1 million in lease termination fees, making it one of the New York City-based coworking company’s largest unsecured creditors outside of its own executives, according to the 53-page Chapter 11 reorganization filing Nov. 6 in New Jersey Bankruptcy Court. The filing was not unexpected as the Wall Street Journal and others reported based on anonymous sources that it could come last week. The debt stems from last year, when WeWork bowed out of its space in a former Wayne State University building The Platform now owns at 6001 Cass Ave. in Detroit’s TechTown area. The 91,000-squarefoot lease was WeWork’s largest in the city and, when announced, marked the company more than doubling its footprint here. Fast forward four years from that announcement and The Platform could get pennies on the dollar in the case, marking perhaps a major loss for the company Cummings founded in 2015. I’ve reached out to The Platform through a spokesperson seeking comment. The Platform’s $5.1 million unsecured claim is the sixth-largest listed in the bankruptcy filing. Unsecured creditors owed more are New York City-based U.S. Bank Trust Co. ($170.7 million); Wilmette, Ill.-based The Alter Group ($11.9 million); U.S. Bank Trust Co. ($9.5 million); New York City-based Westfield Fulton Center LLC ($8.2 million); and Beverly Hills-based Kennedy-Wilson Properties Ltd. ($7.8 million). They are likely to take a bath, said Marc Swanson, principal and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Group leader for Detroit-based Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone PLC, a

nization process. WeWork Crain’s Detroit Business on Nov. 7 filed a motion to 40 Under 40 honoree in reject 69 of its leases, but 2021. the two Detroit locations “Typically in this type of were not included in that case, unsecured creditors motion. do not come out anywhere In a statement, a Weclose to whole,” Swanson Work spokesperson said: said. “It’s more likely than "Detroit remains a key not that they receive a Kirk Pinho market for WeWork and large discount on their we are fully committed to claims.” But that doesn’t mean there providing our members here with won’t be a fight, Swanson said. Typ- world-class, flexible workspace ically a group of unsecured credi- solutions for the long term. Our tors like The Platform form an un- commitment to the city is unwaversecured creditors committee to ing as we continue to work collaboratively with our landlord partners, increase the payout. “I’ve sat on unsecured creditors aiming to craft solutions that set all committees for clients and typically parties up for sustainable success." In a message obtained by Crain's the major and predominant focus is increasing the payout,” Swanson that was sent to space users just besaid. “I would anticipate that would fore 10 p.m. Monday, WeWork CEO be a major point of contention in David Tolley said the company is "here to stay." the case.” “Our spaces are open and operaThe Platform is not the only local tional, and our team is here to serve landlord that may feel the sting. WeWork currently has two re- you,” the message reads. “Throughmaining Detroit locations in down- out this (bankruptcy) process, Wetown buildings owned by Dan Gil- Work spaces will continue to be bert’s Bedrock LLC real estate operated to the highest standard.” “Your membership agreement company: 54,700 square feet in the 317,000-square-foot 1001 Wood- will not be impacted by this proward office tower and 35,100 cess,” the message continues. “Your square feet in the 48,000-square- membership agreement remains foot building at 1449 Woodward active and we will continue to honAve., according to CoStar Group or our obligations under your Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real agreement.” WeWork’s footprint in Detroit is estate information service. I emailed a spokesperson for Bed- small compared to hubs like New York City — where at one point it rock seeking comment last week. Two entities tied to those Detroit was the largest private tenant in the leases, 1001 Woodward Ave Tenant city — and San Francisco. The comLLC and 1449 Woodward Avenue pany’s total footprint represents a Tenant LLC, are WeWork-con- tiny percentage of the overall downtrolled and filed for bankruptcy town Detroit office market. The bankruptcy comes nearly protection as well. Their petitions, along with hundreds of others, are three months after WeWork admitexpected to be consolidated into ted “substantial doubt” in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission one bankruptcy case. But the fate of those two spaces is filings it could continue operations not yet known. They could be shut- following years of losses that were tered, remain open post-bankrupt- later compounded by a shaky office cy or have lease terms restructured market caused by the COVID-19 all through the Chapter 11 reorga- pandemic.

EDITORIAL

he Democrats lost their majority in the Michigan House Tuesday night. It wasn’t because Republicans toppled them but, rather, two of the legislators won mayoral races in metro Detroit and will be leaving the chamber. The departures of the Lori Stone, of Warren, and Kevin Coleman, of Westland, leave the state House evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, 54-54. While “gridlock” is typically a pejorative in politics, this development isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, we welcome the turn of events. It’s not because we want a deadlock – far from it. We would like to see our state’s legislative bodies function well and solve problems for all citizens and businesses of Michigan. But since January, when Democrats took control of the House and Senate, while maintaining power in the governor’s mansion, legislating has been a one-way street with a single party ramming through its priorities. The Democrats haven’t operated any differently than when the Republicans had control of all three levers of power in Lansing. Unfortunately, too often that is how our hyper-partisan politics work these days. That is why we welcome the even split in the state House if for no other reason than it

Even split in House a welcome development T

may force more conversations, if not compromise. Perhaps that sounds naïve. After all, this is a temporary situation until Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calls special elections to fill the seats of Stone and Coleman in the state House. Both districts lean Democratic, so there’s a strong possibility the party will regain their majority at some point in 2024 (a timeline for special elections has yet to be laid out). But even if the balance of power in the House is short-lived, we’ll take it.

To be clear, ours is not a political statement in favor of one party or against another. We seek common-sense solutions that will help Michigan grow and flourish, keeping in mind that a strong business environment is essential to the state’s prosperity. Unfortunately, too often this year since the Democrats took total control in Lansing, we’ve seen much legislation moving too quickly that would be detrimental to businesses. The latest was legislation to require more

renewable and clean energy that is headed for Whitmer’s signature. While of course we favor a healthy environment, this legislation on one of the most complex issues there has been a prime example of the need to pause, listen to all stakeholders, and understand the consequences of dramatically rewriting laws in a hurry. This rewrite will impose big costs on residents and businesses. How much? And for what benefit? It would have been nice to have more time with the final bills to consider those questions more fully. We need more of that kind of deliberation and debate in Lansing and less partisan railroading. Even if the 54-54 split in the House is temporary, at least it will provide a period of time where one party will know it cannot unilaterally shove through its priorities at will. The Democrats, at least for a time, will need to consider their Republican colleagues when it comes to making new laws. That consideration, brought on by a balance is power, will lead to serving more of Michigan, and not just those who support one political party. If nothing else, this temporary split of power seems a good time to remind ourselves about how our government should work.

COMMENTARY

Universities breathe energy into Michigan’s cities

as the institutions also know that niversity of Michigan board many young people want to be in OKs construction of $250M vibrant, walkable urban centers Detroit satellite campus. that are alive with activity. This is a State lawmakers approve $30M case where the universities and for Grand Valley’s downtown the cities can complement each Grand Rapids tech center. other, with benefits for both. Wayne State plans new $40M “Just as these students would law school building on Detroit benefit from the energy of the urcampus. ban campus experience, so too These are headlines that were Mickey would Grand Rapids benefit from published in just the past few Ciokajlo is weeks by Crain’s Detroit Business executive editor the energy of an influx of more Lakers and their eagerness to be and Crain’s Grand Rapids Busi- of Crain’s ness. Detroit Business part of the downtown community,” Karen Ingle, Grand Valley’s asThey follow stories earlier in the and Crain’s sociate vice president for facilities year about Michigan State Univer- Grand Rapids planning, told Crain’s earlier this sity’s expanded partnership with Business. year regarding the university’s Henry Ford Health on its developmaster plan. ment in Detroit’s New Center In Detroit, the University of Michigan neighborhood as well as MSU’s majority Board of Regents last month approved coninvestment in the historic Fisher Building. Michigan’s universities are driving major struction of a new $250 million Center for development projects in the state’s two Innovation downtown. For the University of Michigan, which was founded in Detroit largest cities. This is a good sign. The state’s public universities are not is- in 1817 before moving to Ann Arbor, to lands for simply providing post-secondary make such a major investment toward the education to our young people. At their city’s comeback is clearly good for Detroit, best, they are interwoven into our commu- and also for UM. Its institutional rival, Michigan State, has nities and helping to drive economic development and job growth, improving quality also been making major moves in Detroit. In June, MSU announced it was taking a of life. At a time when there is so much talk controlling stake in the iconic Fisher Buildabout the need to attract and retain young ing. The move came just a few months after people in the state, it’s good to see the the announcement of its expanded partstate’s largest universities stepping up in nership with Henry Ford Health, which our core cities. Sure, there’s a self-interest, plans to build a new hospital tower and de-

A rendering of the planned joint research institute between Henry Ford Health System and Michigan State University in Detroit. | BEDROCK DETROIT

velop the surrounding area in collaboration with MSU and the Detroit Pistons. In a guest column published in Crain’s, MSU interim President Teresa Woodruff noted that MSU’s history in Detroit dates back to the 19th century and that the university, in collaboration with the community, wants to play a role in the city’s revival. “MSU will continue to build on our legacy as a beacon of opportunity and transformation for Detroiters and as a partner in the community’s continued growth and success,” Woodruff wrote. Not to be forgotten is Wayne State, which of course has been centered in Detroit for more than 150 years. It, too, is making important investments, notably the new Hilberry Gateway, the first of several develop-

Write us: Crain’s welcomes responses from readers. Letters should be as brief as possible and may be edited for length or clarity. Send letters to Crain’s Detroit Business, 1155 Gratiot Ave, Detroit, MI 48207, or email crainsdetroit@crain.com. Please include your complete name, city from which you are writing and a phone number for fact-checking purposes. 6 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

ments tied to the arts. Earlier this month, Crain’s reported the university has secured state funding to develop plans for a new $40 million, 80,000-square-foot building for its law school. In Grand Rapids, Michigan State has also played a vital role with its developments in the downtown’s Medical Mile area. Grand Valley State University, the hometown university, has truly been an engine that has helped make downtown Grand Rapids the thriving success it is today. While GVSU’s main campus is 15 miles away in Allendale, university leadership has smartly developed in downtown Grand Rapids over the years, and both GVSU and the city have benefited tremendously as a result.

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

NOTABLE LEADERS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION This year’s Notable Leaders in DEI champion diverse workforces, equitable and just financing, housing and education, and inclusive, welcoming opportunities. They hold difficult conversations, create innovative opportunities and take training to a higher level. Peers, colleagues, friends and family nominated this batch of Notable Leaders in DEI. Crain’s Detroit Business editors selected the leaders featured in this report based on their career accomplishments, track records of success and impact in their fields and communities. Each profile is based on honorees’ detailed nomination forms. For questions about Crain’s Notable series, contact NotablesDetroit@ crain.com or Special Projects Editor Leslie D. Green, lgreen@crain.com.

Tonya Adair

Marseille Allen

Tina Alonzo

Alize Asberry Payne

Chief Development, Diversity and Engagement Officer United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Principal The Fairfield Group

DEI Administrator, Office of the Executive Vice President of Administration Michigan State University

Racial Equity Officer Washtenaw County

Tonya Adair directed the United Way’s equity audit to integrate DEI programs into operations. She implemented initiatives such as the 21-Day Equity Challenge; the Faith Forward Fund, which connects with residents with COVID relief support through faith-based organizations; and the Racial Equity Fund, which is investing up to $3.2 million to help Black, Indigenous and people of color build power. So far, the fund has supported 49 small nonprofits. “Tonya … has initiated programs which have transformed cultures, deepened investments in BIPOC-led organizations, and advanced our vision of creating more equitable communities across Southeastern Michigan,” said United Way President and CEO Darienne Hudson.

Marseille Allen launched The Fairfield Group consulting firm in 2018 to, essentially, empower organizations, individuals and communities “to achieve tangible, sustainable transformation.” One client is SustainabiliD, a climate-related advisory firm that she counsels on DEI and accessibility matters. Allen’s community work includes membership in the Michigan League of Conservation Voters board and service as a board trustee for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Previously, Allen was a senior political adviser to the Michigan Democratic Party and a special adviser to the U.S. Department of Labor. She also played a key role in founding Waciyanpi (“Helping My People”), a grass roots organization in the Dakotas supporting families of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

Tina Alonzo is an active member of the city of Lansing’s Racial Equity board and helped launch its DEI advisory board. She’s also a member of the Michigan Diversity Council advisory board and the Council for Supplier Diversity Professionals. At MSU, Alonzo is key to developing strategy and then implementing the school’s DEI agenda. “Tina’s exceptional expertise drives excellence, yielding tangible outcomes that advance Michigan State University’s 2030 Strategic Plan, particularly in becoming a national leader in diversity, inclusion, equity, and disparities elimination on and off campus,” said Melissa Woo, chief information officer and executive vice president for Administration at MSU.

Alize Asberry Payne joined Washtenaw County when it established a Racial Equity Ordinance in 2018 and developed an anti-discrimination/anti-harassment policy and the $8 million Community Priority Fund initiative to support “grassroots, community-led organizations.” Under her direction, the county partnered with the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, city of Ypsilanti and Renovare Development to build affordable homes in a walkable community. “Alize has been a champion of DEIB, positively impacting the fabric of our entire county’s operation, which has changed the way services are delivered and driven access and equity, from contracts to programs,” Brandon Tucker, vice president and chief workforce and community development officer at Washtenaw Community College.

Jabbar Bennett Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Michigan State University

Lester Booker Jr.

Jessica Brown

Paul Bryant

Vice President and Head of DE&I Communications Citizens Financial Group Inc.

Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer St. Clair County Community College

Partner of Advocacy, Equity, and Engagement Plante Moran

As head of the Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, Jabbar Bennett manages a $2 million budget, 15 employees and the Diversity Research Network. His work has included evaluating and ranking the more than 200 recommendations that arose from MSU’s 2021 DEI Report and Plan and creating an implementation plan and nearly 20 action teams comprised of students, faculty, staff and administrators. Bennett, who is a past chair of the Association of American Medical College’s Group on Research, Education, and Training, is a former member of the Council of Graduate Schools’ Diversity and Inclusiveness Advisory Committee. He also served on the Association of American Universities’ Advisory Board on Racial Equity in Higher Education.

Before joining Citizens, Lester Booker established measurement benchmarks for DEI communications at General Motors and successfully advocated for the automaker to invest $10 million to support organizations that promote inclusion and social justice. In 2022, Booker launched a Citizens’ listening tour to evaluate DEI-related challenges and opportunities. He has produced a colleague documentary focused on the meaning of Juneteenth and enhanced external media coverage in several Black-run publications. Booker is also developing new pipelines for diverse talent, closing the wealth gap for “men of color” and crafting and implementing an initiative that provides students with access to educational financial literacy content and a share of Citizens stock.

Jessica Brown established St. Clair County Community College’s DEI Office to help students thrive. She leads eight team members responsible for recruitment, DEI and TRIO, a federal funding program that helps first-generation students successfully navigate school. Her work has led to the creation of the college’s DEI staff training, adaptive wheelchair basketball team, STRIVE Mentorship program, Women in Sports panel discussions and more. “Jessica has led the college and its southeast Michigan community to a greater understanding of DEI and the important, immeasurable role it plays in creating an accessible environment where individuals feel valued and included,” said Kirk Kramer, acting president and COO at St. Clair County Community College.

Paul Bryant joined Plante Moran 30 years ago as an intern and worked his way up to become the firm’s first Black partner. He founded the DEI Council and now oversees the Track program, a multiyear leadership and internship program for racially diverse college students. Bryant’s leadership led to Plante Moran partnering with the Center for Audit Quality’s Accounting+ awareness campaign focused on creating awareness for Black, Hispanic and Latino students in high school and college. In addition, Bryant is a member of the MICPA pipeline acceleration task force. MICPA President Bob Doyle said Bryant spearheads initiatives for students in historically underserved communities that help them see themselves having successful accounting careers.

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 7

NOTABLE LEADERS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Michelle Cantor

Artina Carter

LaRonda Chastang

Robyn Childers

Jaye Clement

Owner Volar Consulting LLC

Chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Huron-Clinton Metroparks

Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trinity Health

Co-founder and President Welcome Home Yoga & Wellness

Vice President, Community Health Programs and Strategies Henry Ford Health

Vice Me Sm

Artina Carter is one of a few of DEI professionals with leadership positions in the United States’ public park systems. She is develops, implements and evaluates annual training for 1,046 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees and enhances employees’ cultural competency and designed data collection instruments to measure DEI results. “(Artina’s) profound impact in the (DEI) space is truly a testament to fostering understanding, catalyzing change and embedding an appreciation for diversity,” said Dr. Hayley W. Murphy, director and CEO, Detroit Zoological Society. Previously, Carter helped the Community Foundation of Greater Flint secure $9.6 million to support the teaching of cultural competence in health care at the University of Michigan Flint.

LaRonda Chastang is responsible for developing innovative and effective ways to promote diversity and inclusion within Trinity Health — impacting more than 120,000 colleagues and about 26,000 physicians and clinicians in 26 states. “Under her leadership, (she) has implemented many great initiatives, including the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Equity Symposium, which has become one of our signature events” said Claire Ofiara, Trinity Health DEI program manager. Further, Chastang partnered with Trinity’s Integrated Clinical Operations and Community Health and Well-Being teams to advance health equity, particularly for populations at risk. She also advises the health system’s advocacy programs promote health equity, reduce gun violence and provide other support.

“Jaye is an outstanding leader who exceeds expectations in consistently driving conversations, related to DEI, within the broader southeast Michigan community,” said Michelle Johnson Tidjani, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Henry Ford Health. Under Jaye Clement's direction, the Women-Inspired Neighborhood Network: Detroit successfully opened a Group Prenatal Care Center last year and created a community health worker hub. Now she’s leading the creation of a Community Information Exchange partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to create food security and improve maternal health, housing and child care. She’s also board chair for the Michigan Community Health Workers Alliance.

“( valu wor Sm Troy O that vari in S Det ty & mem Ste at h ly im serv H abo the indi And Gro striv will end inju

Michelle Cantor created Conscious Leadership, an interactive training experience that helps companies create more inclusive work environments and individuals learn about systematic injustice and the power of bias. Her clients include the Pontiac Community Foundation, which she helped develop an action plan that addresses Pontiac residents’ racial health inequities. Cantor has also led DEI initiatives at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra that include collaborating to develop an “as-is” assessment, a DEI mission and statement and priority actions. “Since (Michelle’s) approach has leadership being an active and critical part of the entire process, our leadership team is already embedding a more inclusive and equitable mindset into everything we do,” said DSO CFO Linda Lutz.

When Robyn Childers founded Welcome Home Yoga & Wellness, they were determined to make its yoga and wellness practices accessible to everyone. Welcome Home began as a one-person operation. Childers, a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, now employs 10 professionals. A Detroit-based, LGBTQIA+owned and -operated small business, Welcome Home offers bodywork, educational workshops, massages, meditations and trainings. The organization also hosts a Pride-themed 5k in Detroit’s Palmer Park. “Robyn is a dedicated, energetic and inspiring community leader whose roots are firmly grounded in uplifting the lives of others and bringing about positive change,” said Deana Neely, founder and CEO, Detroit Voltage LLC.

Jessica Brown

SC4 Chief Diversity Officer

CONGRATULATIONS,

JESSICA BROWN

On being named a Crain’s Detroit Business Notable Leader in DEI

SC4 8 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

gies

ons, er y,”

al ry

d oit

r alth

tion

rity

Oscar Cobb Jr.

Jesse Cox

Scott Alan Davis

Tracye Y. Davis

Christina Drake

Vice President and Senior Mechanical Engineer SmithGroup

Chief Diversity Officer Madonna University

Vice President of Inclusion and Economic Development SEEL LLC

Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Henry Ford College

Principal Renaissance Venture Capital

Scott Alan Davis oversees Solutions for Energy Efficiency and Logistics ’s justice, diversity, equity and inclusition initiatives and 16 team members striving to make energy efficiency a more inclusive industry. He created an innovative initiative with the Ameren (Illinois) Workforce Development program to provide formerly incarcerated individuals with the ability to return to the workforce through SEEL. “In (Scott’s) role, his resolute dedication to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are a vital part of SEEL’s company culture and community engagement,” said E’Lois Thomas, president, SEEL LLC.Davis is a member of the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition, the national board of the Association of Energy Services Professionals and the Midwestern Energy Efficiency Alliance.

In this newly created role, Tracye Y. Davis oversees the collaborative development of a vision and strategy that showcases the ways in which DEIB is essential. In particular, she strives to demonstrate how it can enhance growth in Henry Ford College’s surrounding community and improve employee well-being and student success. “With (Tracye), we enhance ongoing efforts at being a welcoming campus that not only understands and values our vibrant diversity, but becomes a leading institution in leveraging our equity, inclusion and belonging efforts to support our student success mission,” said Henry Ford College President Russ Kavalhuna. Davis helps the college reduce its talent selection biases and increase its diverse talent pipeline.

“(Oscar’s) commitment to JEDI values shines through in his words and actions,” said SmithGroup Managing Partner Troy Thompson. Oscar Cobb Jr., an engineer that designs HVAC systems for a variety of industries, is a leader in SmithGroup’s national and Detroit Justice, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion committee and a member of the Design Justice Steering committee. Each looks at how SmithGroup can positively impact the communities it serves. He has led conversations about difficult topics, such as the advancement of Black, indigenous and people of color. And, as a member of SmithGroup’s board of directors, he’s striving to create a platform that will initiate the firm’s goals to end systemic racism and injustice.

Jesse Cox, who joined Madonna University a little over a year ago, serves on the school’s senior leadership team and president’s cabinet. He revived and works collaboratively with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging standing committee, which includes student representatives, to enhance DEIB campus wide. “Jesse is a real DEIB champion,” said Sister Nancy Marie Jamroz, co-director, Center for Catholic Studies and Interfaith Dialogue at Madonna University. Cox worked with the school’s Student Government to ensure students have Martin Luther King Jr. Day off and have celebratory events throughout January. Now he is advocating for a DEIB minor degree program, to provide an accessibility map for differently abled students and to create heritage events to deepen understandings on campus.

“Christina’s enthusiasm and experience is a big plus to the state’s innovation community, especially diverse startups,” said Chris Rizik, president and founder, Renaissance Venture Capital. “Christina is helping Renaissance connect these Michigan companies with the country’s investment community and major Michigan companies looking for innovation partners.” Christina Drake helped connect more than 118 diverse startups with more than 200 investors by organizing DEI UnDemo Day. Previously, Drake was vice president and investment adviser at FEG Investment Advisors, where she founded the firm’s DEI committee and women’s resource group. In addition, she enhanced the firm’s hiring and retention policies, conducted a gender pay audit and ensured new hires were more diverse.

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 9

NOTABLE LEADERS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Ime Ekpenyong

Kelli Ellsworth Etchison

Mary Engelman

Sandra Etherly-Johnson

C. Paschal Eze

Tra

CEO SGRX Health

Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Diversity Officer LAFCU

Executive Manager Detroit Police Department

Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Relations Flint & Genesee Group

Chief Diversity Officer City of Westland

Vice Com Rel Mag

Under Ime Ekpenyong’s leadership, SGRX (ScriptGuideRX) revenue has risen more than 60% since 2017. SGRX provides pharmacy benefit management services to clients in 13 states. The company recruits people with diverse talents and ideas and support community-based initiatives and small minority businesses. Ekpenyong is the chair of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council’s health care sector and serves with the National Black Men in Leadership Summit. “Having leadership that keeps DEI at the forefront of everything we do has led (to) the development of a strong and inclusive company culture and aided in the overall success of SGRX,” said SuVon Treece, sales and marketing communications manager at SGRX.

10 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Employed by LAFCU for 30 years, Kelli Ellsworth Etchison has advanced from a loan interviewer to its CMO and CDO. “Having been hired many decades ago to ‘fill a quota,’ Kelli has proven she not only belongs, (but) she thrives,” said Tim Daman, president and CEO, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. “She raises others by helping us recognize the biases and injustices around us so they can be met head-on.” Ellsworth Etchison created a DEI program at LAFCU that led to national and regional recognition and positively impacted the credit union’s more than 150 employees. She created the DEI mission statement, LAFCU: Listening Allows for Cultural Understanding and LAFCU Pathway to Financial Transformation.

Mary Engelman leads the Detroit Police Department’s newly created DEI team and the Department’s Committee on Race and Equality. She creates initiatives and training programs for individuals at all levels of the 3,000-member organization. Staff and recruits receive pre- and post-assessment tests and surveys. Then Engelman captures and analyzes the data to help evolve and grow the department’s DEI initiatives. Previously, Engelman served as deputy director and CFO of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. In that role, she helped the department close 1,257 formal complaints and secure more than $1.22 million in settlements for the claimants. She also earned a seat on the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.

“Sandra challenges the Flint & Genesee Group to move beyond intention to impact, whether that’s in strategic planning efforts, program execution, staff development or fostering a collaborative culture within the organization,” said Flint & Genesee Group CEO Tim Herman. “She has become a trusted adviser for our team, focusing on positive momentum and exemplifying honest and open conversation.” In addition, Sandra Etherly-Johnson’s is project manager for the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge, an online directory for BIPOC-owned small businesses that helps companies develop more diverse group of suppliers.

The Westland City Council approved a resolution in September to start a “Westland Multicultural Week” complemented with a parade. The author of that resolution, C. Paschal Eze, also directed a survey encouraging employees to speak about their interpersonal issues, senses of value and belonging. “He is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in his work, research and training programs not only as it relates to employees but also throughout the entire community,” said Chief Human Resources Director Stephani Field. Eze, who has led Westland’s DEI efforts since 2020, works with the city departments on DEI initiatives and liaises for the DEI commission and the disability advocacy committee.

Tr Inte the incl ee r T com prom dial incl emp eXc com and —w influ “H en a eve She at a und our Mag gov

n, a es on-

ting n in g s to ut hief

DEI EI

Tracy Fuerst

Keesha Garrett

Ckera Goff

Marnita Harris

Tony Hollamon

Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations Magna International

Corporate Responsibility Director Michigan Lottery

Vice President of Administration & Controller American Roads LLC

Vice President, Racial Justice & Economic Equity Detroit Regional Chamber

Executive Vice President Epitec

This year, Keesha Garrett helped start “The Strength of Michigan Women in the Workplace, Then and Now,” an event celebrating Women’s History Month that drew more than 800 participants. Garrett also created the Michigan Lottery’s first diversity, equity and inclusion plan. A book club, a monthly newsletter, a virtual tour of the Jim Crow Museum and celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and LGBTQ+ awareness all started under Garrett’s direction. “She approaches her role with an openness that fosters involvement from staff and creates robust dialogue around important DEI topics,” said Joseph Froehlich, the Lottery’s deputy commissioner of legal affairs and charitable gaming.

Ckera Goff created the first diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy and blueprint for American Roads’ parent company and its subsidiaries. She added new trainings, a newsletter and other programs to help the company reach its DEI goals. She also developed a community service day off and a platform for employees to equitably decide which nonprofits receive company donations. “Goff has provided extraordinary and exemplary service and performance towards enhancing American Road’s DEI initiatives,” said CEO Neal Belitsky. “Goff has demonstrated an outstanding commitment both professionally and personally towards helping people in a way that words cannot express. Without a doubt, Goff has made American Roads a better employer.”

“Marnita worked hard to shift our internal culture, build new partnerships and communicate to members why DE&I is a business imperative,” said Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah. “She knows how important DE&I is to every organization’s operation and that businesses must contribute meaningfully to those they serve.” Marnita Harris raised over $3.8 million for the Detroit Regional Chamber’s foundation programs and $1 million to fund a quality-of-life survey that elevated issues important to Detroit-area residents. She worked with more than 100 community leaders on the Gallup Center on Detroit Resident Voices Survey, which was sent to 150,000 residents.

Tracy Fuerst expanded Magna International’s DEI space with the creation of a diversity and inclusion council and an employee recognition program. Three employee resource communities — Edge, which promotes race and ethnicity dialogue; Pride, which promotes inclusivity for Magna’s LGBTQ+ employees; and the Women’s eXchange, which develops the company’s female employees and female recruitment efforts — were started with Fuerst’s influence. “Her empathetic and data-driven approach to DEI ensures everyone feels like they belong…. She has increased representation at all levels and created genuine understanding and unity among our workforce” said Misti Rice, Magna’s executive director of governmental affairs.

Women-owned staffing company Epitec expanded from 40 employees to over 1,500 under Tony Hollamon’s guidance. He’s responsible for more than $100 million in revenue. He played a central role in the acquisition of a minority-owned staffing firm and has created DEI programs for Epitec customers with a focus on early workforce development for disadvantaged groups. “Tony exemplifies remarkable selflessness,” said Epitec President Rebecca Bray. “He generously and consistently gives his time, talent and resources to others across many communities. Not only does he better the lives of people in his vicinity, but he offers unwavering support and serves as a strong advocate for people who may not have one.

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 11

NOTABLE LEADERS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Ann Hollenbeck

Bridget Hurd

Julie Jones

Partner Jones Day

Vice President, Inclusion and Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Director of Organizational Development and Training PACE Southeast Michigan

Ann Hollenbeck added diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies to the recruiting, trainings, and promotions at Jones Day’s Detroit office, where she served as diversity partner before becoming a partner-incharge. She has organized DEI-related mentorships, summer programs and pro bono services, and this year she started a panel of Detroit female leaders who discussed their life experiences. Hollenbeck worked toward more equitable health care by guiding the creation of a community-hospital cancer research network, expanding drug pricing benefits at pharmacies, establishing joint ventures between community health care providers and academic medical centers and helping health care providers expand their telehealth services during the pandemic.

“Bridget Hurd has positively transformed both the culture of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the communities we serve,” said President and CEO Daniel Loepp. “Her leadership has inspired employees to continue nurturing our cultural competency, and her expertise has been vital to the important work of ensuring that our communities can achieve equitable health outcomes.” Hurd designed the BCBS strategy to grow its patient care equity. Under her guidance, the provider continues to receive top scores in third-party DEI reviews, such as the Disability Equality Index and the Corporate Equality Index. Further, she co-chairs the health care transformation task force health equity advisory group.

PACE employees’ sense of belonging increased by 43% and their understanding of diverse backgrounds rose by 7% under the leadership of Julie Jones. Jones, who created a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice advisory group, spearheaded implicit bias training, implemented events on topics like intersectionality and won more inclusive employee benefits. Jones also led PACE to expand its maternal leave policy from solely birth mothers to include anyone involved in childbirth, adoption, or fostering — regardless of gender identity. “She never claims to be an expert, but she’s passionate and fearless in fostering courageous conversations. Her safe, inclusive approach makes hard conversations possible,” said PACE President and CEO Mary Naber.

Kimberly Keaton Williams Vice President, Talent Acquisition and Development & Chief Diversity Officer McLaren Health Care “Kimberly has been the steward of our health system’s efforts to advance this important (DEI) work,” said Dr. Justin Klamerus, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at McLaren. Kimberly Keaton Williams organized a partnership with Wayne State University allowing McLaren to provide implicit bias training to clinicians and raise DEI retention and recruitment goals. She implemented an apprenticeship program for employees to job shadow and explore new career opportunities while they work. She also advocated for partnerships with universities to help employees pursue higher education at a reduced rate. Keaton Williams also chairs a group that uses patient data to remove obstacles to care for underserved populations.

Joseph Lentine Jr.

President and CEO DENCAP Dental Plans

Vice Div The

Joseph Lentine Jr. continues his father’s legacy of building equity for area residents. As current president and CEO, he built an employee base comprised of 44% minorities and 79% women. He negotiated the purchase of rival insurer Golden Dental Plans, which expanded DENCAP’s union-based customers and led the company’s work with Books for Kids. Lentine also raised female and minority membership at the Detroit chapter of Entrepreneurs Organization when he was chair. “I’ve witnessed his DEI passion. As an African American woman and future EO leader… it has been especially important having his advocacy and support, personally and on the board,” said April Clarke, president-elect of Entrepreneurs Organization’s Detroit chapter and co-founder of Xpress NEMT Inc.

S the Auto sup tech emp T cult prog “H but and a de imp sole enc othe ass corp ACG M rate tion disp just peo

OAK L AN D COM M U N ITY HEAL TH N ETWORK

CONGRATULATIONS, OSCAR FROM YOUR FRIENDS & PARTNERS

OAK L AN D COU N TY’ S PU BL IC M EN TAL HEAL TH SYSTEM

Notable Leader in Diversity Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Honoree

Vice DE& Don

CRAIN’S DETROIT 2023 NOTABLE LEADER IN D.E.I.

OSCAR COBB JR.

Congratulations Oakland Community Health Network’s Director of Training and Justice Initiatives, Trisha Zizumbo

PE, LEED AP BD+C

VICE PRESIDENT & SENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER Non-emergency ACCESS 248-464-6363 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 (24 hours/7 days) www.oaklandchn.org smithgroup.com

IN SPIRE HOPE • EM POWER PEOPL E • STREN G THEN 12 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

COM M U N ITIES

D Stel McD and dive She “S imm adv incl with to in said tion tion M com grou incl the lead sup 80 m com

e of ans,

ed ks

hip he

an … it

port,

ect ’s r of

Kenneth Mathies

De’Andrea Matthews

Eric McCloud

Laurel McGiffert

Vincent Mercader

Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer The Auto Club Group

Vice President of Diversity and Community Engagement Detroit Zoological Society

Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Detroit Lions

Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plunkett Cooney

Principal, Practice Leader BDO USA P.C.

Since Kenneth Mathies started the DEI office five years ago, the Auto Club Group increased supplier diversity, helped build DEI technology portals and started employee resource groups. The organization has also grown culturally inclusive events, training programs and DEI metrics “He hasn’t taken any short cuts, but has invested the time, energy and commitment required to lead a department, while producing impressive results. Why? For the sole purpose of making a difference, making an impact with others,” said Keith Mobley, assistant vice president of corporate social responsibility at ACG. Mathies also started a corporate social responsibility organization to address socio-economic disparities, advocate for racial justice and advance education for people of color.

“Dr. De’Andrea Matthews is vital to the Detroit Zoological Society’s success, and her work ensures our organization is welcoming to all,” said Detroit Zoo Executive Director and CEO Hayley Murphy. Matthews expanded the organization’s collaboration with KultureCity, which focuses on sensory accessibility and inclusion, and was key to the creation of senior day and sensory-friendly evenings. She also reestablished Dream Night for families with children who have chronic and terminal illnesses or disabilities to visit at no cost. Previously, Matthews was director of Wayne State University School of Medicine’s office of diversity and inclusion, where she helped increase the application and enrollment of underrepresented medical students by more than 700%.

Eric McCloud works to solve the needs of the most marginalized by cultivating a workplace where psychological safety, individuality, and belonging are celebrated and encouraged. He runs the Lions’ DEI strategy and supports the DEIB council, employee resource groups, and other cultural committees. Previously, he was manager of diversity and inclusion at Campbell Ewald and then diversity and belonging business partner at Neapco, where he developed the automotive supplier’s DEIB strategy. McCloud’s community work includes leading the Black Men’s Cancer Action Council through the Karmanos Cancer Institute. The council uses the perspectives of community members to address cancer-related concerns.

Senior Partner Laurel McGiffert became Plunkett Cooney’s first DEI director in 2018 after transitioning from practicing medical litigation and employment law. With her aid, Plunkett Cooney earned a Mansfield Rule Certification, which promotes diversity and inclusion in law firm leadership. She also changed the way the firm tracks DEI metrics, increased the focus on pitching diverse legal service teams to clients, and collaborated with the president and CEO to increase diversity in leadership roles. McGiffert is a founding member of the Detroit African American Partners Collaborative, which aims to improve DEI in the legal industry, and an active member of the ALFA International DE&I Leaders Forum, a consortium of 140 law firms. She also helps regional bar associations develop DEI programs.

Shelia Minetola

Bruno Alejandro Olvera Diaz

Surabhi Pandit

Shawna PattersonStephens

Vice President and Director of DE&I Doner Doner clients, such as Stellantis, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Consumers Energy and others, reached their diversity supplier goals under Shelia Minetola’s directorship. “Shelia Minetola has made immense contributions to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Doner with clients, empowering them to increase DEI&B initiatives,” said Lois Valente, global solutions strategist at MSXI International Junior League of Detroit. Minetola expanded her company’s employee resource groups from two to nine to include more programming for the multicultural staff. And she lead Kaleidoscope, a diverse supplier fair that connected over 80 minority-owned suppliers to companies.

Senior Manager, Head of North America Diversity Supplier Development Stellantis Bruno Alejandro Olvera Diaz is responsible for $7.9 billion of spending with minority-owned businesses. He is commerce director of Latins in Connection, a business resource group at Stellantis, chair of the Veteran Owned Business Roundtable and a member of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council and Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council boards. “His leadership has set a high standard in DEI, making him a true champion for diverse businesses and a genuine advocate for inclusive progress,” said Duc Abrahamson, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce.

Director, DEI & Community Engagement Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Surabhi Pandit led the creation of a DEI strategy at the Community Foundation that includes measurable goals, internal policies to promote staff well-being and inclusion, and education sessions on racial equity, anti-ableism, bias, belonging and inclusion. She successfully advocated for more inclusive policies, such as a 4 1/2-day work week and increased paid time off and was instrumental in starting more DEI training at the foundation. Pandit also led the launch of the Southeast Michigan Immigrant & Refugee Funder Collaborative, which supports immigrant and refugee nonprofits in the region and has raised close to $900,000 in grants for housing, health care, legal services and other resources.

Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging Central Michigan University Shawna Patterson-Stephens created and guided Central Michigan University’s five-year diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging plan and engages school districts, businesses, and community organizations . “She champions DEI strategies by living these strategies. I have always been amazed by how she communicates, engages and discusses these topics,” said CMU President Bob Davies. “She is able to work with the most ardent supporter and the strongest critic with grace and dignity. Above all, she is an educator and lives her values.” Patterson-Stephens was previously associate vice chancellor for the office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Vincent Mercader diversified BDO USA’s services and started its Detroit valuation group. He also leads BDO Detroit’s multicultural alliance, where he gives employees a platform to discuss cultural issues. His team led a Pride Month initiative that encouraged LGBTQ+ community members to share their experiences and hosted an event featuring Indian food and presentations from the company’s Indian employees. “His growth of the valuation practice and leadership as BDO Detroit’s DEI chair is essential to creating the most inclusive culture possible” said BDO assurance market leader Kevin Patterson. Mercader is on the DEI subcommittee of the Detroit chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and the board of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Michigan.

Chamika Phillips Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Administrator Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network Chamika Phillips collaborated with the National Disability Institute and Detroit institutions to establish the Detroit Coalition on the Intersection of Disability, Race, Ethnicity and Poverty. She also established a DEI coalition of 24 health care providers and community leaders to better understand the needs of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network patients. “Chamika stays updated on the latest industry trends and best practices, ensuring that our organization remains at the forefront of DEI efforts,” said Sheree Jackson, DWIHN vice president of corporate compliance. “Her ability to instill unity and togetherness had a transformative impact at DWIHN.”

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 13

NOTABLE LEADERS IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Camille Proctor

Caryn Reed-Hendon

Damali Sahu

Khalilah Spencer

Steve Spreitzer

Executive Director The Color of Autism Foundation

DEI Director Lawrence Technological University

Member Bodman PLC

Partner, Inclusion, Equity and Social Responsibility Partner Litigation Department Partner, Honigman LLP

President Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion

Vice Cla

“Camille is an inspiration to me because she strives every day to empower families of color, enhance their ability to advocate for their autistic child and develop programs to address long-standing disparities in service access that affect underserved families and communities,” said Brian Boyd, professor of education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a committee member for Autism Speaks. The Color of Autism Foundation, which supports between 1,500 and 2,000 clients yearly, serves minority families impacted by autism. Under Camille Proctor’s direction, the foundation launched the Spectrum Community Care Partners project to increase access to resources for underserved families and raised the number of families the foundation serves by 20%.

Caryn Reed-Hendon implemented a twice-yearly campus survey, then used the results to identify student and employee needs and establish solutions. Her team expanded safe spaces for LGBTQIA2S+ students, increased support for students of color, and increased DEI-related awards to include faculty who advance women in STEM and students who champion a more inclusive campus environment. “Dr. Reed-Hendon, a valuable leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion, navigates complex issues with profound insight, finding common ground among diverse viewpoints, fostering understanding, and promoting cooperation within our institution,” said Lilian Crum, associate dean at the College of Architecture and Design and director of graphic design.

Damali Sahu supports the firm’s DEI efforts, manages more than 22 attorneys and staff. She also represents lenders with an aggregate value of more than $500 million and manages a team of eight attorneys and staff. Her efforts led Bodman to earn a Mansfield 6.0 Plus Certification. She oversees diversity training programs, which include seminars with the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusions. Sahu serves on the board of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion and the board of Detroit-based New Paradigm College Prep Academy. “She’s committed to achieving the academy’s goal of providing high-quality education to all in preparation for college and the rest of their lives,” said New Paradigm Principal Michael Bagley.

For the past five years, Khalilah Spencer has developed pro bono programs, such as the Honigman Academy, TutorMate, and Thrive Scholars, and helped the firm earn a Mansfield 5.0 certification. “In addition to being an accomplished trial attorney, Khalilah has been the driving force behind Honigman’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” said Honigman CEO and Chair David Foltyn. Spencer heads up Honigman’s women and minority recruitment and community outreach initiatives. Under her leadership, the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance also recognized Honigman for its diverse leadership. More than 50% of the firm’s partners are women. Spencer is secretary of the NAACP Detroit Branch.

We congratulate this year’s cohort of notable leaders in DEI, including our Vice President of elopment Scott Inclusion and Economic Development Alan Davis! SEEL offers a suite of energy solutions ons informed by justice, equity, diversity, ty, and inclusion. To learn more, contact us: s:

seelllc.com 313-841-5000 information@seelllc.com

14 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Steve Spreitzer built a coalition of over 200 faith leaders to address affirmative action-related issues. He curated a national exhibition on housing discrimination and organized mock trials around housing and justice that included federal judges and community leaders. With law enforcement agencies in three surrounding counties, he created Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust. Spreitzer leads a group that consults with companies, governments and nonprofits to build relationships in the community. “I have known Steve since his days in the corporate sector. He has demonstrated a lifelong interest in creating a just society for all,” said Dennis Talbert, chief visionary officer at Be-Moor Radio and Be-Moor Radio Institute.

J the Arch tect ee r wom sup equ sch stud tion ing. “A team forw is th agg cha our tion Con Sam thro proc yea

SPONSORED CONTENT

DEI SPONSORED BY MATRIX HUMAN SERVICES

LEADING A DIVERSE ORGANIZATION

By Brad Coulter, President & CEO, Matrix Human Services

here is nothing more energizing than working in a diverse organization where differences are celebrated, and staff have a sense of belonging. When I took over Matrix Human Services as CEO, I inherited a diverse organization that had a long history of hiring from the Detroit community it served. As a white male, I was the first man to lead the organization since its founding in 1906. That gender difference plus the fact that white employees only make up 10% of our employee base meant that being accepted as the leader was crucial to being effective. Previous to Matrix, I had the good fortune to spend eight years working in Asia – five years in India and three years in Thailand. Working internationally, especially in a non-European

environment where I was always in the minority, turned out to be a perfect training ground for managing a diverse organization in the United States.

organizational culture is crucial so that each employee group has leaders saying these are our values and this is how things should be done.

I learned that to be successful, you have to work to build a relationship with someone you seemingly have nothing in common with. Based on my experience, I believe learning to work in diverse environments, and being able to interact with people who are different than yourself, is the most important business skill you can learn.

Training programs also have to be tailored to the organization’s demographics. Unconscious bias training often focuses on the white-black dynamic, but in a diverse organization training must be much broader and emphasize that everyone must work to create a sense of belonging. For example, we had a major employee harassment claim filed by one of our heterosexual employees who worked in a department where LGBTQIA+ staff were in the majority. When investigating the claim, it became evident the LGBTQIA+ staff had never considered how their own unconscious bias set the tone in a work environment where they were the dominant group.

Leadership style is directly tied to successfully managing a diverse organization. Number one is being accepted as the leader and that means building personal relationships with all levels and groups within the organization. It means understanding people’s backgrounds, treating people with respect, and ensuring all groups have opportunities for advancement. Not being accepted by the diverse groups represented in the organization means the leader is doomed to fail. In addition, having a diverse executive and management team is crucial to success, especially when having to deal with under-performing employees. Accusations of racism or harassment can happen when poor performers are given corrective action. Having a diverse leadership group to back up

The future is diverse, both in this country and globally as the world becomes more interconnected. Successful organizations will be the ones who figure out how to modify management style and cultural trainings to create that sense of belonging needed to allow a diverse workforce to excel.

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 37

CRAIN'S LIST | OAKLAND COUNTY'S LARGEST EMPLOYERS Ranked by full-time employees July 2023 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN OAKLAND COUNTY JULY 2023

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN OAKLAND COUNTY JULY 2022

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES MICHIGAN JULY 2023

WORLDWIDE EMPLOYEES JULY 2023

TYPE OF BUSINESS

Tina Freese Decker 2 president and CEO, Corewell Health

14,580 3

14,644

44,596

Hospital system

2 STELLANTIS (FORMERLY FCA US LLC)

Mark Stewart COO, North America

11,524

11,615

40,716

82,944

Automobile manufacturer

3 GENERAL MOTORS CO.

Mary Barra chairman and CEO

7,451

7,983

50,457

167,000 3

Automobile manufacturer

4 UWM HOLDINGS CORP.

Mathew Ishbia chairman, president and CEO

6,000 4

8,058 3

Mortgage lender

5 HENRY FORD HEALTH

Robert Riney president and CEO

5,301

19,680

32,609

Health care system

Carol Schmidt senior vice president, Ascension, and ministry market executive, Ascension Michigan

5,219

5,498

17,826

Health care system

7 U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

Richard Moreton district manager

4,927 e

5,000 5

16,000 3

Postal service

8 OAKLAND COUNTY

David Coulter county executive

3,679

3,567

3,679

County government

Andy Jassy CEO Jeff Bezos executive chair and founder

3,650 6

1,850 6

15,235 7

Ecommerce, tech and telecom

Robert Casalou president and CEO, Trinity Health Michigan and SE regions

3,159 8

3,558 e

26,095 8

123,000 8

Health care system

Swamy Kotagiri CEO

2,640 9

2,640

12,450

174,500

Mobility technology

Steve Davis, Michigan Market president; Megan Crespi, senior executive vice president, chief operating officer

1,998

1,972

4,529

7,675

Financial institution

Raymond Scott Jr. president, CEO and director

1,958 9

1,958

4,290 3

168,700 3

Automotive supplier

John Silveri, interim superintendent; Debi Fragomeni, deputy superintendent for teaching and learning

1,900 10

2,020

1,900 10

Public school district

15 CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS U.S. INC.

Aruna Anand CEO

1,875 e

1,877 e

1,945 e

Automotive supplier

16 WALLED LAKE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

John Bernia superintendent

1,775 10

1,658 10

1,775 10

Public school district

17 OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz president

1,762

1,823

1,769

Public university

CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN/BLUE 18 BLUE CARE NETWORK

Daniel Loepp president and CEO 11

1,750

1,708

9,854

12,196

Nonprofit mutual insurance company and subsidiary companies

19 STATE OF MICHIGAN

Gretchen Whitmer governor

1,545

1,374

46,500

State government

20 U.S. FARATHANE

Andrew Greenlee president and CEO

1,317

1,222

2,689

6,142

Plastic injection molder, extruder, thermal compression molder

21 FARMINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Christopher Delgado superintendent

1,300

1,122

1,300

Public school district

22 MCLAREN HEALTH CARE

Philip Incarnati president and CEO

1,247 13

1,707

18,791

Health care system

23 FLAGSTAR BANK NA

Lee Smith, senior executive vice president and president of mortgage

1,158 15

2,102

2,660 15

8,988 15

Financial institution

24 BORGWARNER INC.

Frederic Lissalde president and CEO

1,130

1,135 3

1,700

52,000

Manufacturing company of components and systems solutions for electric vehicles

25 PLANTE MORAN

James Proppe 16 managing partner

1,125

1,068

2,017

3,895

Accounting, tax, management consulting and wealth management

COMPANY ADDRESS PHONE; WEBSITE

TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE(S)

COREWELL HEALTH 1 corewellhealth.org

1000 Chrysler Drive, Auburn Hills 48326-2766 248-576-5741; stellantis.com 300 Renaissance Center, Detroit 48265-3000 313-667-1500; gm.com 585 South Blvd. East, Pontiac 48341 800-981-8898; uwm.com 1 Ford Place, Detroit 48202 800-436-7936; henryford.com

6 ASCENSION MICHIGAN

28000 Dequindre Road, Warren 48092 866-501-3627; ascension.org/michigan 1401 W. Fort St., Detroit 48233-9998 313-226-8678; usps.com 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac 48328 248-858-1000; oakgov.com

9 AMAZON.COM INC.

150 West Jefferson, Detroit amazon.com

10 TRINITY HEALTH MICHIGAN

1600 South Canton Center Road, Canton 48188 trinityhealthmichigan.org

11 MAGNA INTERNATIONAL OF AMERICA INC. 750 Tower Drive, Troy 48098 248-631-1100; magna.com

12 COMERICA BANK

411 W. Lafayette, Detroit 48226 248-371-5000; comerica.com

13 LEAR CORP.

21557 Telegraph Road, Southfield 48033 248-447-1500; lear.com

14 ROCHESTER COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 52585 Dequindre Road, Rochester 48307 248-726-3000; rochester.k12.mi.us

1 Continental Drive, Auburn Hills 48326 248-393-5300; continental-corporation.com/en-us 850 Ladd Road, Walled Lake 48390 248-956-2000; wlcsd.org

2200 Squirrel Road, Rochester Hills 48309 248-370-2100; oakland.edu

600 E. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit 48226 313-225-9000; bcbsm.com

3042 W. Grand Blvd., Cadillac Place, Suite 4-400, Detroit 48202 313-456-4400; michigan.gov 12 2700 High Meadow Circle, Auburn Hills 48326 248-754-7000; usfarathane.com 32500 Shiawassee, Farmington 48336 248-489-3349; farmington.k12.mi.us

One McLaren Parkway, Grand Blanc 48439 810-342-1100; mclaren.org

14 5151 Corporate Drive, Troy 48098 248-312-2000; flagstar.com 3850 Hamlin Road, Auburn Hills 48326 248-754-9200; borgwarner.com 3000 Town Center, Suite 100, Southfield 48075 248-352-2500; plantemoran.com

Researched by Sonya D. Hill: shill@crain.com | This list of Oakland County employers encompasses companies with headquarters in Livingston, Oakland, Wayne, Macomb or Washtenaw counties. Companies with headquarters elsewhere are listed with the address and top executive of their main Detroit-area office. This is not a complete listing but the most comprehensive available. Unless otherwise noted, information was provided by the companies. Number of full-time employees may include full-time equivalents. NA means not available. NOTES: e. Crain's estimate. 1. Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health merged as an integrated health system with the temporary name, BHSH Health on Feb. 1, 2022. Rebranded as Corewell Health in October 2022. 2. Freese Decker became the head of the merged Beaumont-Spectrum system since its inception in February 2022. 3. As of January. 4. Total company employment as of Dec. 31, 2022, according to SEC Form 10-K. UWM declined to disclose updated employment figures. 5. As of July 2021. 6. Estimate based on numbers from MWPVL International Inc. 7. Estimate from MWPVL International Inc. 8. Includes Trinity Health IHA Medical Group. 9. As of July 2022. 10. Figure is FTE count from the Center for Educational Performance and Information. 11. Plans to retire at end of 2024. 12. Atlas Holdings LLC announced on April 25 that it had agreed to buy U.S. Farathane LLC from the Gores Group investment firm. 13. Includes numbers for McLaren Oakland hospital. 14. Formerly Flagstar Bancorp Inc. The acquisition by New York Community Bancorp Inc. was completed on Dec. 1, 2022. 15. Company estimate. 16. To be succeeded by Jason Drake as managing partner, effective July 1.

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

38 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Realtors watch for impact of sales commission ruling sions and, as a result, home prices. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire HathaResidential real estate profes- way-owned HomeServices of sionals in Michigan say they’re far America and two subsidiaries, as from pleased with the decision well as Keller Williams Realty were handed down recently in a Mis- among the other real estate groups souri courtroom regarding the in- the jury found guilty of conspiring. Under a century-old standard dustry’s long-held practice on created and maintained compensation for Realby the NAR, the agent for a tors. But they’re not exhome seller receives a actly fazed by it, either. commission and splits it A jury awarded damagwith the agent for the buyes totaling nearly $1.8 biler — usually, but not allion in a class-action lawways, dividing it in half. suit alleging collusion This results, according to between a national inthe U.S. Department of dustry association for ReJustice, in leading buyers altors and large brokerag- Frank Locricchio to believe they don’t pay es in an effort to keep prices high for homebuyers, but anything for the help of a broker, local industry leaders say the mat- while in fact the fee is built into the price. It also, according to the DOJ, ter is far from settled. There’s little to indicate at this prevents brokers from competing time that the decades-old model by offering lower commissions, as of commissions being paid to Re- the amount of commission being altors by home sellers is coming to offered is not made known to buyan end anytime soon, particularly ers. For their part, real estate broas the National Association of Realtors — one of the defendants in kers are largely touting their need the matter — said it would appeal in the marketplace. The commission structure, they say, helps enthe decision. “I wouldn’t imagine you’re go- sure they are working on behalf of ing to see any large, wholesale their clients, and pointing out that, changes in Michigan coming out in some cases, they work for free of this ruling,” said Brad Ward, vice for weeks or months on end with president of public policy and legal few assurances that a deal will affairs for the Michigan Associa- close. “There’s a need for real estate tion of Realtors, a statewide trade group for the industry. “I still think brokers. We facilitate transacwe’re a long way from seeing an tions,” said Frank Locricchio, broactual resolution to this. This is a ker and owner of Realty Executives decision based on damages. There Home Towne, a residential broweren’t any sort of orders coming kerage company operating largely out of this, or changes in the busi- in Macomb, Saint Clair and Saniness model. So it’s not time to pan- lac counties. “To say that’s going to go away is just naive. Now, to say ic.” The class-action lawsuit, filed in we shouldn’t adapt is also naive.” So what would adaptation look 2019, claimed the residential real estate industry’s customary com- like for real estate brokers if the mission structure throttles com- century-old commission structure petition that might lower commis- were to be done away with?

BLOOMBERG

By Nick Manes

One scenario noted by Locricchio is that lenders might have to bear the brunt and help buyers bake the Realtor compensation into their loan. The broker also pointed to another potential scenario. “What if we were like attorneys and just charge a $300-an-hour fee and get paid no matter what,” he said. “How many buyers could afford to do that? How many sellers would afford to do that? And there's no guarantee to sell.” Ward and Locricchio were also quick to point out that sellers have always been free to negotiate with a listing agent on the commission, although as personal finance website Bankrate points out, a seller usually needs strong leverage to do so. Additionally, if a commission is reduced, a buyer’s agent has less incentive to show the house. Still, not all in the industry are as calm about the current state of affairs given the legal maneuvering. “The outcome, no matter which way it goes, could have major con-

would be a case brought by the Justice Department to dismantle the commission-sharing structure altogether. The DOJ started investigating the real estate industry under the Trump administration, and NAR agreed to measures, including increased price transparency, to settle the case. Biden officials in 2021 pulled out of that agreement, saying they wanted the ability to pursue future antitrust claims against the group. A federal judge in January said the DOJ is still bound by that settlement. The department is appealing that decision, as the Biden administration expands antitrust scrutiny outside traditional areas. “While most industry followers are tuned into the class-action suits, we think that potential DOJ involvement, at some stage, could create a whole new set of challenges,” analysts at Stephens said. — Crain’s Chicago Business and Bloomberg contributed to this report.

sequences for the real estate industry and profession for years to come,“ Katie Johnson, chief legal officer for the NAR, said on a recent podcast, and as was reported by ResiClub, a residential real estate blog. “The plaintiffs are home sellers in Missouri represented by class-action attorneys. These home sellers used an agent who listed their home on one of four MLS's in Missouri. And the class-action attorneys representing the plaintiffs are alleging that the commissions paid by the sellers are too high as a result of the listing brokers offering compensation to buyer brokers. So what's really at stake here is the way that compensation is made from listing broker to buyer broker.” All told, the cases are a challenge to a commission system that is largely unique to the U.S. and seen as more expensive for consumers than in countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, as Bloomberg reported. Still, the bigger threat to the industry

The flavor of your dreams is finally here. No stick required.

Experienced. Responsive. Respected. AHP, a Full-Service CPA Firm, provides: • Auditing and Financial Reporting • Tax Services — Business, Individual, Not-for-Profit, Estates, and Trusts • Business, Cybersecurity, and IT Consulting • Retirement and Estate Planning Services • Fraud Detection and Prevention • Outsourced CFO and Controller Services You can count on AHP to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. We provide quality service and support every step of the way. Our Bloomfield Hills office is here to serve you. Give us a call today! 248.340.6050 | www.ahp.cpa 43252 Woodward Avenue Suite 150 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 Ann Arbor | Bay City | Bloomfield Hills | Flint Grand Rapids | Greater Lansing | Midland | Owosso | Saginaw

THE ONE TRUE POP. www.faygo.com

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 39

Report: Michigan hospitals continue decline in safety By Mark Sanchez, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business and Dustin Walsh, Crain’s Detroit Business

gan showing up in 2022. In the spring 2022 report card, 41 hospitals in Michigan earned an “A” grade and 27 got a “B.” AnThe decline in hospital patient other 17 earned a “C” grade and safety that began during the just one got a “D.” No hospitals COVID-19 pandemic has contin- received a failing grade at that ued throughout 2023 — far fewer time. “A lot of places around the state facilities earned a top grade compared to 18 months ago and more are getting worse, and that’s very concerning. Patient safety should received lower grades. Across Michigan, 24 out of 83 be the highest priority, and when hospitals rated in The Leapfrog someone comes into a medical Group’s fall 2023 report card facility their care should be paraearned an “A,” one better than in mount and the data’s telling us the spring but far fewer than in that’s not the case in many facilispring 2022. Another 27 received ties across the state,” said Bret a “B,” and the same number got a Jackson, executive director for the Novi-based Economic Alliance of “C” in the fall report card. Three hospitals in Pontiac and Michigan that coordinates the reDetroit earned a “D” and one, port card in the state with The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals have not gotten back on track like they were,” Jackson said. “It just that — Bret Jackson, executive director, Economic Alliance of Michigan appears there are more McLaren Flint, received a failing hospitals than not that need im“F” grade this fall, according to provement.” Southeast Michigan hospitals The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C.-based patient safety ad- that earned an “A” grade in the fall report card were: Ascension St. vocacy group. The fall 2023 grades reflect the John in Detroit; Corewell’s Beautoll that the pandemic has taken mont Hospital in Grosse Pointe; on hospital patient safety that be- Chelsea Hospital; Garden City

“It just appears that there are more hospitals than not that need improvement.”

YEOANDYEO.COM

McLaren Hospital in Flint is the one hospital in the state that received an F grade in the Leapfrog Group’s annual safety ratings. | MCLAREN

Hospital; Henry Ford Health West Bloomfield; Trinity Health Livingston Hospital in Howell; Trinity Health Oakland in Pontiac; and University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor. UM’s flagship Ann Arbor hospital has received an “A” grade since the creation of the Leapfrog rankings in 2012. More worrisome to Jackson is the rise since spring 2022 in the number of hospitals statewide earning a “C” grade — from 17 back then to 27 this fall — or worse. A “C” grade is “not good,” he said. “That doesn’t make me feel warm and cozy going into a facility,” Jackson said. As well, three hospitals received a “D” grade this fall, com-

LET’S THRIVE

pared to just one 18 months ago. The Leapfrog Group uses self-reported and Medicare data to evaluate hospital performance and issues letter grades on patient safety twice a year based on more than 30 metrics that include medical errors, injuries, accidents and infection rates.

‘Leadership and prioritization’ The decline in patient safety grades in Michigan began as staffing, financial and other pressures from the pandemic were hitting hospitals hard in the period from which data was used, although Jackson rejects that as a rationale for poor performance. “This shouldn’t be an: In good times we’re safe and bad times we’re not going to be safe. Patients should expect that something else bad is not going to happen to them when they go into a hospital,” said Jackson, who said he considers patient safety a cultural issue among providers. “You can go from facility to facility and see a major difference in the prioritization of patient safety, and it doesn’t have to be a hospital with all of the bells and

whistles and tons of resources,” Jackson said. “What it really comes down to is leadership and prioritization. The hospitals that I’ve seen that do really well in this area, every single person in the hospital — from the CEO to the janitors, to the cafeteria workers and the security folks — is out to make sure that patients are safe. When you have that prioritization from the top all the way down to the bottom and everybody is rowing in the same direction, you see the results. And they’re stark.” Nationally, Michigan ranked 23rd in patient safety in The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2023 report card, which compares to 24th last spring. Many of the worst grades recorded in the state this fall were at hospitals serving largely minority populations. The same trend has been occurring nationwide, Jackson said. “There is a correlation between low-income and ethnic and racial differences and the quality of care those places are receiving,” he said. “That’s really problematic. If we’re going to address health equity, we need to treat every patient regardless of their socio-economic status the same way.”

Earn up to

Just by using your Debit Mastercard!®

Everyone has the power to thrive. Yeo & Yeo is a business success partner. Using the power of listening, perspective, and connected purpose, we do whatever it takes to help our clients and communities thrive.

Scan to get started today! IndependentBank.com/5

CPAS & ADVISORS

TECHNOLOGY

40 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

MEDICAL BILLING

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Member FDIC. *Annual Percentage Yield (APY). Rate is accurate as of October 25, 2023. Rate based on monthly volume of debit card usage. Rate subject to change without notice. If eStatements are not selected, a $3/month fee will be assessed for paper statements. Fee is subject to change at any time. Fees may reduce earnings. $10 minimum deposit is required at account opening. Subject to standard account opening guidelines.

Wayne State University’s law school building. | GOOGLE MAPS

Wayne State plans new $40M law school building By Sherri Welch

Wayne State University is developing plans for a new $40 million law school building on its campus. The project secured a $30 million capital outlay from the state on Nov. 2 as part of $625 million in supplemental spending bills approved by the legislature. It’s unclear if the law school will replace the existing building or if it will be built elsewhere and the existing building will be repurposed. “The current thinking is that it will be on campus, but no final decision has been made,” said Matt Lockwood, associate vice president of university communications, in an email to Crain’s. Details of the project are still in their preliminary stage, Rick Bierschbach, dean of the WSU Law School and John W. Reed Professor of Law, said in a statement forwarded to Crain’s. But according to details provided on the state-issued list of capital outlay requests, the project would replace the existing 17,689-square-foot structure constructed on WSU’s Detroit campus in 1966 with a new, 80,000-square-foot building. The new building would house the law school, providing mock-trial and other classrooms and lecture areas as well as student and faculty work spaces. The increased space is needed to accommodate WSU’s new minor, bachelor, and master programs in law and growth in its juris doctor program, the state said. The legislature’s approval of the university’s capital outlay request “represents a clear recognition of the Wayne State Law School’s importance to and impact on the community not only in Southeastern Michigan, but throughout the state,” Bierschbach said in an emailed statement. In recent years, the law school has launched programs for non-lawyers, including a master of studies in law for working professionals and undergraduate minors and majors in law, programs that enroll nearly 600 students, he said. “Those programs, along with new interdisciplinary and service-oriented initiatives like the Warrior Housing Corps and Ho-

listic Defense Partnership, are attracting an increasingly diverse and talented group of students,” Bierschbach said. “As Wayne Law’s footprint has expanded, it has outgrown its current facilities, which were built in 1966 and are ill-suited to the law school’s needs of today. The state’s action is a critical anchor funding commitment that — combined with additional philanthropic and university support — will enable Wayne Law to further enhance its ability to meet growing workforce demands, recruit underserved and diverse students, and serve the community and the state through a world-class facility.” Other capital outlay requests from higher education institutions in Southeast Michigan approved as part of the supplemental bills included: ◗ $30 million to the University of Michigan-Flint for the $40 million construction of the Innovation and Technology Complex, a 50,000-square-foot expansion of the College of Innovation and Technology. The new facility will include classroom spaces, instructional laboratories and research spaces focused on areas including bioprinting, artificial intelligence, emerging mobility and clean energy and biotechnology. ◗ $30 million toward the $42.5 million renovation and expansion of Eastern Michigan University’s Engineering and Technology Complex — Phase II — Roosevelt Hall, which was built in 1924. ◗ $30 million toward the $40 million cost to renovate Oakland University’s 175,000-square-foot Science Complex to upgrade and address infrastructure, laboratories and classroom spaces. ◗ $26.3 million toward Macomb Community College’s $58.6 million renovation and expansion of its Mobility and Sustainability Education Center to add larger and more modern laboratory spaces, among other work. ◗ $5.8 million toward an $11.6 million renovation and expansion project at Wayne County Community College District to add new laboratories, studio and classrooms to accommodate digital based career education programs and to enhance virtual learning services.

It started with a smile and a handshake. Now you’re a regional leader. Reach into new markets — and stand up new offerings — with a business loan from Horizon Bank. HorizonBank.com/BusinessLoans

Showcase Industry Leaders Careers MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! Debora Stein | dstein@crain.com

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 41

Does metro Detroit have enough weed stores? Voters in four communities think so. By Dustin Walsh

Has metro Detroit hit its limit on weed? Tuesday’s election may indicate the five-county region is all but full up on where marijuana retailers can set up shop. Voters overwhelmingly rejected ordinances to allow for marijuana sales in Rochester, Birmingham, Grosse Pointe and Keego Harbor. In Rochester, more than 89% of the voters rejected the ordinance to allow up to three dispensaries in the city. Nearly 74% of voters in Birmingham and more than 61% of voters in Keego Harbor did the same. That’s a sharp contrast from last year’s election where voters in eight of the 12 communities in metro Detroit moved to allow marijuana establishments. Nearly 60% of voters in Royal Oak Township voted in favor of marijuana dispensaries last election, for instance. “Given the gaps by which the proposals failed, generally speaking, I’d agree that (metro Detroit is at the ceiling for new marijuana establishments) for the near future,” said Ben Sobczak, partner at Detroit law firm Dickinson Wright PLLC and former general counsel for marijuana company Pleasantrees. The issue is a mix between NIMBYism against the formerly illicit plant and access. Residents in Rochester voted in 2018 in favor of authorizing recreational marijuana sales in the state by a margin of 54% to 46%. Voters in Birmingham were even more decisive, passing the statewide proposal 58% to 42%. The majority of voters in these communities clearly agree marijuana sales should be legal, they

Voters in four metro Detroit communities voted down ballot issues that would have allowed cannabis retailers. | NIC ANTAYA

just don’t want dispensaries in their own backyards. And it’s not as if consumers there need to toil to find a nearby retail outlet. The closest dispensary to downtown Rochester, Joyology Orion in Auburn Hills, is just a seven-mile drive. So while there’s likely marijuana consumers in the city, the short drive is convenient enough for the commuters in the bedroom community. Same for Birmingham with Lume Cannabis’ Berkley location less than four miles from its city center. While the majority of weed retailers are dispersed near the Southern border in Oakland County, its nearly 1.3 million residents are generally no more than a 10-mile drive from the nearest dispensary, according to a map

maintained by the Cannabis Regulatory Agency. Which is in stark contrast to residents in farther-flung regions in the state — the nearest dispensary to consumers in Bad Axe in the Thumb region is more than 35 miles away, for example. And in those more affluent communities like Rochester and Birmingham, delivery is likely an attractive option. Most dispensaries offer delivery, making even a four-mile commute moot. Lume will deliver “discreetly” to a residence in Birmingham for free with a minimum order value, usually between $75 and $100. But for the weed industry, these wealthy communities — relatively close to highways — hold potential windfalls for high-margin products. Retailers certainly don’t feel the industry is saturated. And

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

the evidence supports their outlook. Recreational marijuana sales have flourished. In 2023 alone, monthly adult-rec sales have climbed from $196 million in January to $270 million in September. Early projections were always for the state to top out at $3 billion in sales as a total market. The state is likely to exceed that total this year with no real indications of hitting a ceiling … yet. But whether marijuana operators continue to pressure new communities to opt in for legal sales is another question. City councils from all four of the communities with votes did not set forth to pen an ordinance. These ordinance moves were brought forth by ballot drives, some driven by industry players. Open Stores in Keego Harbor

Committee and Open Stores in Rochester Committee were run by Keri Knipple, an employee of cannabis real estate firm Canna Zoned MLS. Canna Zoned is owned by developer Jeffrey Yatooma. Yatooma’s group has led ballot drives in several communities in recent years, including Auburn Hills, Brighton and others. The group’s perceived goal is to pen the ordinance, limiting licenses in the communities and selling off the licenses it gains to the highest bidder. But Doug Mains, partner and head of the cannabis practice at Honigman LP, said groups looking to turn communities with ballot proposals may have run out of rope, but they won’t stop trying to get access to local licenses. “At least not until everyone cannibalizes each other,” Mains wrote in a text. “But I’m not sure people will keep trying the ballot initiative route. At this point, I don’t see it being too fruitful.” And, for many communities, authorizing marijuana sales has been expensive and painful. Dozens of lawsuits across the state have cropped up, many ongoing, between marijuana operators and city councils over the license selection process. Pontiac remains embroiled in a lawsuit, for instance. At this stage in the industry rollout, each new territory is hotly courted and contested. The industry is effectively fighting over the scraps of valuable territory left in metro Detroit. But, as Tuesday’s election showed, the community members themselves may feel there’s enough weed to pass around without any new outlets.

Advertising Section 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

FINANCE

INSURANCE

NONPROFIT

TECHNOLOGY

Michigan CFO Associates

CU Trust

Kapnick Insurance

Mariners’ Church of Detroit

ChoiceTel

Scott Stoy joins Michigan CFO Associates as a Consulting CFO. He has 25 years of finance and operational leadership experience in a variety of management roles, from CFO at a privately owned equipment dealer to Finance Director of a large manufacturing division at a Fortune 500 public company. Scott translates data into actionable high-impact items, driving improved profitability and cash flow. He’s led numerous M&A engagements and is highly skilled in business valuation methods. Welcome, Scott!

In a continued expansion of the CU Trust team, Gillian Rendel has joined CU Trust as VP, Senior Trust Advisor. Prior to joining CU Trust, Gillian served as a Trust Advisor and Vice President with a top regional bank. She also served as an estate planning attorney and ran her own firm, where she developed a particular passion for administration of special needs trusts. CU Trust began offering trust and investment services in 2019 and has team members located throughout Michigan.

With over two decades of benefits experience with proven success in cost containment, self-funding, and strategic planning, Angie Parisho recently joined Kapnick’s Client Executive team. Her appointment reflects Kapnick’s commitment to enhancing its team with seasoned experts eager to deliver innovative solutions to Employee Benefits clients. In her role, Angie will manage client relationships, develop strategic benefit plans, and uphold Kapnick’s top-notch services.

Rev. Todd Meyer joined Mariners’ Church of Detroit as just its 20th pastor in its 180-year history. Mariners’ is a ‘house of prayer for all people’ and Rev. Meyer plans to open the doors even wider to see the church grow and serve Detroit. Mariners’ will host a welcome reception for Rev. Meyer and his wife, Dr. Christiane Meyer, on Nov. 8 from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

ChoiceTel is pleased to announce that Karen Hileman joins our team as a Customer Success Consultant. With over 20 years of experience in telecom analytics, customer support, project management, and voice migrations, Karen will be actively engaged with ChoiceTel’s client base as a trusted advisor. Since 1994, ChoiceTel has been helping mid-market to enterprise clients select, manage & ensure their telecommunications/IT products and services and are clearly meeting their needs.

42 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Learning chemistry is hard, especially with visual impairments. This startup is fixing that. By Anna Fifelski

A new education startup is making learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics more accessible to blind and low-vision students. Joe Engalan, Carl Rundell and Julia Winter founded Alchemie Solutions Inc. in 2016, three years after Winter and Rundell hired Engalan to use his experience in software engineering to develop a learning program. Troy-based Alchemie is a gamebased learning program, which students can use to draw bonds between molecules, divide electrons between atoms and more. The alternative text feature and new AI-assistant, Piph, continue to make Alchemie accessible. Accessibility wasn’t always a goal. As former educators, Engalan and Winter knew they wanted to explore a digital learning space, but then they hit the roadblock of accessibility. At first, making Alchemie accessible was just another obstacle, but then Engalan and Winter realized no one was actually getting to the root of the issue. “You could just check a box and put anything into the alt text,” Winter said. “And then we started working with blind people and we really realized that there was a major problem. And when an entrepreneur sees a huge problem within the marketplace that no one is solving, we’re gonna go after it.”

The Alchemie team of Gianna Manchester (left), Debra Nischik, co-founder and CEO Julia Winter and Katherine Rochon work on developments with the app. | ALCHEMIE SOLUTIONS

Test pilot Nicole Kada, 27, a registered dietitian nutritionist, has been an accessibility consultant for Alchemie since 2020, after Alchemie read an article about Kada acing her organic chemistry course at Wayne State University. Kada, who was born blind, said she often struggled with specific concepts because understanding electron placement and the formation of molecules require the ability to visualize. Once the engineers developed a program at Alchemie, they would call Kada to test it and offer feedback on their developments.

Kada graduated from her undergraduate program at Wayne State in 2020 and enrolled in graduate courses until 2022, for which she used Alchemie’s programs. “When I was in school, I would spend 10 to 12 hours a day at school, whereas a sighted person just goes to class and then they go home and do their homework,” Kada said. “I had to spend hours and hours with tutors and scribes to help me understand the concepts that we learned.” Kada said Alchemie offers blind and low-vision students more independence to be able to complete their homework on their

Non-Profit Personnel Network to transfer to new consultancy By Sherri Welch

Executive search firm Non-Profit Personnel Network is transferring its nonprofit executive search business to Mondo Unlimited, an organizational and fundraising strategy consultancy for nonprofits. NPPN President Gary Dembs, 67, will assist in transitioning that book of business to Mondo and its CEO and principal adviser, Trish Dewald, over the coming six to eight months. Built over 36 years, NPPN has annual revenue of just under $500,000, the bulk of it from the nonprofit executive search business, Dembs said. Over the years, he has done local and national searches for top nonprofit executives, chief fundraisers and program officers at foundations for all types of nonprofits from human services to arts and culture and foundations. He plans to keep his Southfield company’s corporate status open to continue to consult on fundraising and marketing, do pro bono work and volunteer, in addi-

tion to writing poetry. Dewald “has her pulse on where the talent is and how the talent is used, both on staff and with volunteers. That’s why I chose her,” Dembs said. “It’s a very competitive search market. I think there’s a broader play here... the ability to analyze and place talent beyond just executive search, whether it’s staffing or how volunteers are used. (Dewald) has been doing a lot of that already. This gives me an opportunity to give it to somebody who understands that.” Among other activities, Dembs, co-chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Detroit Chapter’s National Philanthropy Day event, said he’ll consult with Dewald to help Mondo, a relatively new consultancy, grow its business, primarily around nonprofit search, talent acquisition and placement of corporate executives on nonprofit boards. “I’m thrilled to work with Gary on a gradual succession plan that works for both Mondo Unlimited’s business expansion goals and ensures a seamless transition for

NPPN’s clients, over time,” Dewald, 44, said. “We’ll maintain the same personalized and thoughtful approach Gary has instilled and combine the executive search offerings with the current services Mondo provides. I’m looking forward to how the combined capabilities of our two companies will contribute to growing my business while continuing to serve in the nonprofit sector.” Dewald said she’ll spend the first six months to a year learning how Dembs does a nonprofit executive search. “He has a good book of business and repeat clients, but he (also) has intellectual property wrapped up in his process,” she said. “Learning from him is really the biggest part of the transition — how do you do it? What do you promise? How do you work with both the clients and the candidates to make sure it’s a good fit for everybody?” A strategic nonprofit adviser, she launched Mondo a year and a half ago to consult with nonprofits on organizational and fund development strategy.

own, rather than having someone explain it to them. “Right now, there aren’t many tools to make it possible for blind people to succeed in STEM,” Kada said. “It is possible, but it takes so much time. I think Alchemie is going to transform education.” Engalan describes Alchemie as a program that is “born accessible,” which means that there is no alternative package or “add-on” that blind or low-vision students need to purchase to use the software. “We also think it’s just part of the Detroit way,” Engalan said. “It’s, ‘No one’s fixing this stuff. We can do it. Let’s just do it.’” In March, Alchemie was awarded a $250,000 National Science Foundation grant to build automatic alternative text for its learning programs. By May, Alchemie developed Epiphany, or Piph, an AI tutor that students can ask questions about the process they’re learning. At the end of August, Alchemie was performing research studies to prove the effectiveness of Piph. Winter described Piph, denoted in the program as a cartoon sun, as a “pedagogical support for learning a process,” which uses large language models like ChatGPT to be friendly and behave like a human. Winter said Piph is designed to be compatible with the independent large language models that the company’s customers are developing and Alchemie is in the

process of developing “guardrails” to keep Piph and the LLM it uses private from third parties.

Putting it into practice Alchemie’s Mechanisms app is available for free on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store with in-app purchases. Michael Evans, a senior academic professional at Georgia Tech, requires it for his organic chemistry courses. “One reason I’ve stuck with the product for so long is that the full set of problems is only $10,” Evans said. “I tell students it’s well worth the cost because they’re going to get every puzzle, they won’t just get my assignments, they’ll get a bunch of practice mechanisms to work through for extra practice.” Evans integrated Alchemie into his courses five years ago after another app he used was no longer available. He said he was seeking something that would “game-ify” the learning process. The app allows him to take on a facilitator role in the classroom, he said, and give students the space to make connections and discover without him, though he will use the app himself to give demonstrations. “One of the things that I love about Alchemie that is consistently true is that their products are very well designed,” Evans said. “Just beautiful, appealing to use, fun to use. And that’s why I’ve stuck with them all these years.”

Advertising Section

CLASSIFIEDS To place your listing, contact Suzanne Janik at 313-446-0455 / sjanik@crain.com

JOB FRONT POSITIONS AVAILABLE

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 43

MORTGAGES From Page 1

fordability problem, according to Andy Walden, vice president of enterprise research at ICE, the housing data firm. “Affordability pressure is not coming from interest rates alone, though,” Walden said in a statement. “The last time affordability was this bad in the '80s, rates were in the double digits and the average home was about 3.5 times median income, in stark contrast to today’s price-to-income ratio of nearly 6-to-1.” Another ICE report, released last week, found that the priceto-income ratio needed to purchase the median-price home in the U.S. — which is now around $430,000, according to federal government data — is up $144 per month in the last 30 days and topped $2,500 for the first time ever last month. While housing affordability challenges are likely to persist and will likely lead to higher levels of delinquency in the months to come, Cecala with Inside Mortgage Finance said it's still in the early innings. The upshot, according to Ce-

Industry experts say that while the delinquency numbers are worth watching, they remain low enough that there’s little cause for concern at the moment. Historically, a delinquency rate of 2% or less is seen as little cause for alarm and Detroit-based Rocket and UWM in Pontiac remain well under that figure. “If it gets to 5%, then I’ll turn on some alarm bells,” said Guy Cecala, executive chairman of Inside Mortgage Finance, an industry trade publication. The most recent earnings report from UWM, released Wednesday, showed that 1.09% of borrowers were more than 60 days behind on payments at the end of the third quarter, a 10% jump from the previous quarter. A UWM spokesperson declined to comment for this report. Likewise, a filing from Rocket on Thursday evening showed a quarter-over-quarter increase of about 2.7% to 1.13%. A Rocket spokesperson also declined to comment. — Guy Cecala, Inside Mortgage Finance The upswing in delinquent borrowers comes amid a cala, is that underwriting by difficult period for the mortgage mortgage lenders has tightened sector, as well as the broader significantly over the last decade housing space. While mortgage and the return of a 2008-type rates saw their largest decline in crash remains unlikely. “The real question is how high a year last week, the elevated interest rate environment contin- will (delinquencies) rise, and we ues to contribute to the challeng- don’t know,” Cecala said. “But I think the industry is better preing market. But interest rates make for pared to deal with delinquenonly one part of the housing af- cies.”

“I think the industry is better prepared.”

Whitmer starts roundtable tour focused on jobs for women By Anna Fifelski

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer attended the first of a series of roundtables by the Michigan Women’s Commission Nov. 6 geared at getting more women in high-paying jobs. The first roundtable focused on highlighting companies that have created opportunities in technology and was hosted at the Accenture office at 1001 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. “From the budgets that I’ve signed, the policies that we’ve promoted, and gotten enacted, it’s really focused on how do we make sure that every person has a path to prosperity, and recognizing that women historically have faced a lot of unique barriers,” Whitmer said at the meeting. The roundtable featured speakers from NPower Detroit, the Michigan Women’s Commission and alumni of the Accenture Apprenticeship Program. The Michigan Women’s Commission will be hosting roundtable discussions across the state, partnering with companies addressing concerns from pay equity to accessible child care. It ties into the state’s desire to attract and retain younger people as a way to boost population. In June, Whitmer announced the Growing Michigan Together council and appointed Hilary Doe as the state’s first-ever chief growth officer. Lisa Cawley, the office managing director for Accenture and commissioner for the Michigan Women’s

Whitmer joins (right to left) Lisa Cawley, Kaleena Louis, Kendra Quinlan, Daisy Pointer, Josie Wheeler and Faye Nelson at the Michigan Women’s Commission roundtable with Accenture in Detroit. | ANN FIFELSKI

Commission, said Accenture’s apprenticeship program is 50% women and has a majority of people from diverse backgrounds. In 2016, the Accenture apprenticeship program began allowing applicants without four-year degrees to apply, which allowed the company to diversify its program, Cawley said. “What really came to the forefront, in particular, (was) just the explosion of opportunity in Michigan with all the economic development work and with the kind of apprenticeships that we do, which is around technology,” Cawley told Crain’s. “If you look at what’s coming, it’s batteries, it’s EVs, it’s mobility, it’s everything that has that technology component. And so that all sort of came together in a way that we thought, ‘Why don’t we make

this one of the priorities for us?’” Cawley said there is not a date or a location set for the next Michigan Women’s Commission roundtable. Accenture is in the process of adjusting its workforce. In October, the company filed a WARN notice with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, stating that it planned to lay off 83 employees and close its location at 1515 Woodward Ave. Whitmer also traveled the state with the Michigan Women’s Commission for the organization’s Gender Equity Conversations from Fall 2019 until Spring 2020 to hear what women believe are the most pressing issues they face. Women cited pay equity, child care and a pathway to higher-paying jobs as their overwhelming concerns.

BANKRUPTCY

tion stoppages due to the United Auto Workers strike played in preventing the company from regaining its footing. GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said,“We’re monitoring the situation but do not expect there to be a material impact to our overall operations.” Stellantis declined to comment. James Plemmons, attorney at Detroit-based Dickinson Wright PLLC representing Stellantis and Yanfeng in the case, declined to comment. On a call with investors a year ago — the last time the company addressed Wall Street other than through SEC filings — CEO Doug Cain expressed optimism about getting its debt in order and winning new business. About 90% of revenue is tied to automotive, with the rest composed of home appliance and consumer off-road. Like other automotive suppliers, Unique Fabricating was struggling with production volatility, shrinking volumes and inflation, according to executives. Cain said a year ago that Unique Fabricating had recently won a takeover project to supply electric vehicle maker Rivian with shaped foam HVAC ducts. That project was to launch last December, but it is unclear if it did. Crain's inquired with Rivian about the status of that agreement and what the bankruptcy means for the company.

From Page 3

Connecting Talent with Opportunity. From top talent to top employers, Crain’s Career Center is the next step in your hiring process or job search.

Get started today

CrainsDetroit.com/CareerCenter

44 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The company's board decided to terminate all employees across all subsidiaries due to insufficient capital to continue operations. The company had 915 full-time and 58 contract workers as of the end of 2021, according to its most recent annual report, filed in March 2022. About half of the employees were in the U.S. The company paid Delaware-based Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP $674,672.19 to serve as its counsel. Crain's inquired with the firm for more information. Unique Fabricating disclosed in April that it was facing insolvency after falling into default with its lender Citizens Bank NA, which halted automatic advances under its revolving line of credit. At the same time, the company came under fire in Mexico for allegedly "obstructing workers' freedom of association and right to collective bargaining," prompting an investigation by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement's Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement. In May, GM, Stellantis and Yanfeng agreed to bail out the insolvent supplier with price increases and investment of up to $15 million to tide over the company. It is unclear what role, if any, produc-

CHURCH

here from Florida, Los Angeles and other places. Still, it needs more room in Troy, Habib said. St. Mary and St. Philopater Coptic Orthodox Church, which operates from the larger of the two buildings on the campus, broke ground this summer on an $8.5 million, 36,000-square-foot expansion that will connect to the existing church, fellowship hall and day care center. The two-story building will include a gymnasium with a basketball court for Coptic community sports programs and serve as a multipurpose space for church gatherings and events, a commercial kitchen, meeting rooms and a dozen new classrooms to provide dedicated space for Sunday school, premarital counseling and for the greater community to rent out, Habib said. To speed up construction, it’s making use of precast concrete panels supplied by Fabcon Precast, a Grandville company, and trucked to this side of the state to be used for walls, flooring and roof panels, said Harold Remlinger, principal architect at Birmingham-based DesignTeam Plus Inc. The goal is to complete the shell of the building by year’s end and the entire project by fall 2024, he said. The church plans to make its new gym and spaces available for community use on a donation basis to help cover operating costs. “I hope when we have this gym will be able to accommodate many people in the community,” he said. “We’ll have a kitchen connected to

it if somebody wants to use it for a celebration” or for youth sports practices. The Troy church, which operates on an annual budget of $150,000$160,000 with three staff members and three priests, has about $2.5 million saved for the project, Habib said. It’s looking to fundraise the remainder of the project’s cost but is negotiating for a construction loan in case it’s needed. It has less than $1 million left to pay on the original loan of $6 million-$7 million taken out in 2000 to renovate the church, Habib said.

Contingent on the Coptic church’s ability to secure funding, an even larger capital project is planned for 38 acres in Monroe County. That site doesn’t have a large local population of Coptic church members. It’s home to the St. Mary and St. Anthony Retreat and Conference Center in Newport, which serves children and adults coming for retreats from the church’s Ohio, Michigan and Indiana Diocese. The church on the property at North Telegraph and Newport roads was formerly Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church and operated as part of a Lutheran school on the property. The Coptic church purchased the property about six years ago and leased it back to the Lutheran church up until a year and a half ago, Remlinger said. The same firm working on the Troy expansion, DesignTeam Plus, converted the former high school

into a retreat center and then, this summer, completed a roughly $85,000 interior renovation and reconfiguration of what is now St. Mary and St. Anthony Coptic Church to increase its seating to 240 to accommodate retreat attendees. The Coptic church will invest another $40,000 to add Coptic church artwork this month, he said. The architectural firm has now developed a master plan for the surrounding acreage to be completed in phases, as funding is raised, Habib said. It will include a 150-unit, senior living community offering the full continuum of care, from independent living to memory care, for elder members of the Coptic church and others from the surrounding community. The current retreat center for church retreats will be expanded to include a new hotel with 60 rooms in the first phase and a convention center with capacity for 300 initially and double that in a later phase. The plan also includes a working farm to support the convention center business and an indoor sports arena with a swimming pool. The goal with the Monroe County project is to generate revenue to help support the growing church, said Habib, who leads the construction committee for the diocese. The conference center would be roughly 20 minutes from the airport, putting it in good proximity for events, he said. The church is talking with one of its congregants, an executive at the Pontiac/Opdyke Road Marriott, about managing it and tapping existing relationships to help attract conferences, Habib said. The master plan, which is in the very early stages given the costs, will be something to bring in revenue and at the same time, something interesting for people from the Coptic church who come for retreats, he said. The main purpose is to serve the diocese and community with that site, Habib said. “We want to make this project sustain itself and not have to go to other churches for money.”

Co. in May authorizing an earth change on seven acres of the 11acre site. Searching for a second site, Tiberina preferred to own the land and build themselves but could not make it work due to tight timeline of its customer, said Joe Kemp, senior associate at CBRE who represented the company in the Gateway deal. The deal is a win for Innovo, a developer incorporated in Traverse City with a presence in Kalamazoo and ambitions to grow in Detroit. It entered the market with the purchase of the Gateway complex in 2020 from Andra Rush, who in 2018 sold her stake in Detroit Manufacturing Systems, which remains a tenant there. Rush heads up Dakkota Integrated Systems, another major supplier to Stellantis that opened a Detroit plant in response to the automaker's expansion. The 1-million-square-foot building at Gateway was 40% vacant

when Innovo took over, said Brian Mullally, principal and co-founder of the development company. It is now fully leased with tenants including Quaker Houghton, Lear Corp. and Quality Team 1. As industrial leasing boomed and supply became further constrained coming out of the pandemic, Innovo constructed a new 421,000-square-foot spec building at Gateway, which was completed in April. Mullally said the company spent north of $10 million on the new building and renovations to the existing structure, including new roofing, windows, flooring, HVAC system and addressing other deferred maintenance. “We’re excited about what we’ve been able to do at Gateway in terms of the renovations and improvements and lease up.” Tiberina is the second automotive supplier to confirm big expansion plans in the market in as many weeks. Crain’s reported last

week that Thai Summit Corp. will be the first new tenant at the redeveloped Eastland Center site where it plans to operate a 297,000-square-foot plant. Industry experts are expecting more projects to come through at the end of the year and beginning of next after the United Auto Workers strike iced deal flow. There is interest from potential tenants in the remaining 260,000 square feet at Gateway but nothing signed yet, Cavanaugh said. The 70-acre site has a rich manufacturing legacy. It originally was home to a Massey Ferguson tractor plant, which opened in the late 1940s and closed in the early 1990s. “We think the west side of Detroit is going to see continued investment in industrial,” Mullally said. “We’re hopeful that we and other developers are going to continue to find opportunity there to bring some of those lots back to life. We’re definitely looking to grow.”

From Page 1

The two churches share a board of directors, administrators and budget but operate from separate buildings on the campus. “Right now, what we are trying to establish (is) a church in Ann Arbor instead of renting, and we’re trying to establish a church between Grand Rapids and Lansing to put the two communities together,” Habib said. “We’re trying to find a place a small place to buy...so each side can drive half an hour or so and be in one church, so we will be able to sit with them every week instead of every other week.”

Significant growth Those areas are the latest the church is targeting for new sites. The Coptic Orthodox church in Troy was the congregation’s first in Michigan, Habib said. It began holding services in 1965 but didn’t incorporate until 1972, he said. Up until 2001, it had about 200 member families. But the joint church, located on Livernois Road between Big Beaver and East Wattles Road, saw a significant jump in members — mostly Egyptian Christians — around 2009, he said, doubling its numbers. And it continued to grow in the years in between to its current level of about 800 families, Habib said. “We found that it is overpopulated and we started to make (new) locations...where they live,” he said. The church established permanent locations in Troy, Farmington Hills, Shelby Township and Fraser and satellite sites in spaces rented from other churches in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. Its sites in Farmington Hills and Fraser were originally Catholic churches bought from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Habib said. In total, the Coptic Orthodox Church has about 1,000 families across its Michigan locations today, he said, noting growth in recent years is coming from Egyptian families and students moving

TIBERINA From Page 1

The new location at Gateway is expected to employ around 80 when production launches in the first part of next year, but that number could increase depending on contract wins. Workers at the plant will make chassis and frames for Stellantis NV, which in 2019 opened the first new assembly plant in the city in 30 years. Tiberina is investing millions of dollars in the buildout but declined to provide a figure. The company is also planning to move soon on expanding its U-form plant to accommodate more business from Stellantis, but details are being kept tight as the company works through permitting, Arends said. A permit was issued by Wayne County Department of Public Services to Madison Heights-based Kemp Building & Development

A rendering showing the Coptic Diocese center master plan in Newport. | DESIGNTEAM PLUS

Larger project

GYM From Page 3

Dabish said a broker brought the space to his son Victor’s attention about a year and a half ago, kicking off negotiations that wrapped up in July with a signed lease. “This has double the demographics of our Novi, West Bloomfield and Northville super gym locations,” Dabish said, noting that there are about 16 Powerhouse Gym locations in metro Detroit. “We pull a certain percentage from the five-mile radius, so taking that into consideration, we should have a ton of members at Partridge Creek.” Carmen Spinoso, founder and CEO of Syracuse, N.Y.based Spinoso Real Estate Group LLC, which was appointed as the mall’s manager and leasing agent following Starwood’s default, pointed to other new tenants like Kids Empire, Windsor and JD Sports as signs of momentum at the open-air mall that opened on the busy Hall Road corridor in 2007. Others include Box Lunch and Lovesac. Melissa Morang, general manager of Partridge Creek, called Powerhouse Gym a

“The retail landscape has changed over the years.” — Melissa Morang, Partridge Creek “unique anchor” for the mall. “The retail landscape has changed over the years, so to bring this unique experience to the mall, that is really what we’re trying to create in Partridge Creek,” she said. Partridge Creek secures $725 million in CMBS debt along with three other Starwood malls: the Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington, Fla., MacArthur Center in Norfolk, Va., and Northlake Mall in Charlotte, N.C. The current balance is $646.6 million, according to CMBS data posted to CoStar Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service. That portfolio’s appraised value increased at the end of 2022 to $279.3 million, up nearly 35 percent from the $207 million value at the end of 2021. The precise appraised value of Partridge Creek by itself is not known. Starwood bought both Dearborn’s Fairlane Town Center, which is 1.4 million square feet, and the 600,000-square-foot Mall at Partridge Creek, from what was then Taubman Centers Inc. (now Taubman Co. LLC) as part of a $1.4 billion deal that included five other malls in 2014. Powerhouse Gym was founded in Highland Park in 1974 and today has 300 licensed owners in 39 states, plus locations into 20 different countries around the world. Brothers William and Norman Dabish started the company. NOVEMBER 13, 2023 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 45

THE CONVERSATION

Todd Sachse on the biggest issues construction is facing in 2024 SACHSE CONSTRUCTION: Todd Sachse’s eponymous Detroit-based construction firm has had its hands full building prominent buildings in the city and its suburbs. Today, just to name a few, it is building three multifamily buildings — The Brooke, and a pair of buildings at City Modern in Brush Park — plus a new 10-story hotel on Woodward. It’s also constructing the new RH store in downtown Birmingham, a new Bloomfield Hills office building and a large west Oakland County multifamily project. Sachse started his company in 1991 and has since completed millions of square feet in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. He spoke about construction industry challenges, his outlook for 2024 — and how he became an avid potter. | By Kirk Pinho What are the big issues facing commercial construction in Detroit and the suburbs today? If you’re talking execution, it’s the same thing that’s been going on for a long time, which is the availability of both the quantity and quality of the skilled trades, and I think it’s important to recognize both. There’s a shortage of actual people and there is a shortage of people that are available with the level of skill. We lost a generation or two of skilled people (to other professions or retirement) and it takes a long time for an 18- or 20-year-old to go from being able to do it, to being highly skilled in any of the skilled trades, whether you’re a carpenter, a pipe fitter, an HVAC tradesperson or electrician. This is not a criticism. It’s just a matter of experience. Somebody who has been doing it for 20 years is more skilled than somebody who has been doing it for two. It’s what I refer to as the IKEA concept. If I handed you a dresser with the instructions, it would take you an hour and a half to build it. To build the same thing again, it would be an hour and 15 minutes. If you did five of them, it’ll take you 45 minutes. It’s the exact same thing for a carpenter or somebody else. It just takes a long time for somebody to become highly skilled at what they do and be productive. The city and region have been working to get more young people in the trades. How have those efforts been going? Have you seen any improvement? There’s been improvement. However, the gap is so large, I

don’t know how well it’s being felt just yet. I can’t speak with absolute data, but I would say more holistically, as fast as people are retiring, people are coming into it. Are we actually increasing in numbers? Maybe, maybe not. But even if we are neutral or increasing numbers, as I said, there’s gaps in skill. The 55-year-old has been doing it for 35 years and retires, the 20-year-old comes in and the 55-yearold was able to do two times what a 20-year-old can do in the same amount of time. This isn’t me talking, but if you study the data, construction might be the only industry where productivity has gone down the last 30 years. Think about that. To build the exact same thing today takes longer than it did 15 years ago. Large cost increases for materials like lumber and other things have been a staple of the pandemic. How has that been playing out more recently? Material costs are starting to come back to normalcy. Todd Sachse is CEO of Sachse Construction

Procurement is not nearly as bad as it was. There are still some areas — appliances, HVAC equipment, electrical switch gears — with difficult and long lead items, but it’s way better than it was 18 or 24 months ago.

What’s your outlook for 2024? Just speaking for ourselves, we are very optimistic for 2024; 2023 will be a great year for us, and 2024 we are actually expecting to be better. Beyond that, maybe even parts of 2025. We are bullish. Twothirds of our projects are outside the state Michigan. Revenue is about 65% local and 35% out of state. We do more projects out of town, but they are smaller in revenue and size. There is

still a pipeline out there. There are still opportunities out there. I was a little surprised to learn that you are an avid potter. Talk to us about that and how you got into it. When I was 10 years old, who knows why or where or how, I asked my parents if I could take a pottery lesson. Don’t know why I asked that question. They enrolled me in a little pottery class at Cranbrook after school ... I did that all the way through my senior year in high school and I taught adult classes. When I was 13, I set up a studio in my parents’ basement with a kiln and the glazing and all that. Long story short, I went to college and I stopped doing it for a long time until I really started again in 2007. So from 1981 to 2007, I didn’t touch it. Then when I built my house in 2007, I said, “I’m going to build a studio in my house.” What’s the draw of it? There are three things to pottery: The art, the science and the craft. The craft is the physical making, working on the wheel. There is the science, the glaze formulation and firing. And then there is the art, which is how creative you are. Great potters are great at all three. It’s like a golfer. To be a great golfer, you have to be able to hit your woods, your irons, your short game and your putter. To be a great potter, you have to be great at all three. I’m good at two. Which two? I’m good at the science and the craft. I’m OK at the art. I’m not a great potter, but I love to do it.

Read all the conversations at CrainsDetroit.com/TheConversation

RPT to lay off nearly 100 ahead of merger By Kirk Pinho

Layoffs are coming to New York City-based real estate investment trust RPT Realty, the company that was formerly Farmington Hills-based Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, in advance of a $2 billion merger. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed with the state on Oct. 27 says 99 RPT employees are expected to be laid off, with 51 of those

coming from the company’s Southfield office. The remaining 48 are in offices in other states. It’s not known whether that represents all of RPT’s employees, or the entirety of its Southfield office. An email was sent to representatives from both RPT and Jericho, N.Y.-based REIT Kimco Realty, which is buying RPT in an all-stock deal, seeking additional details. The notice says some of the layoffs will begin starting Jan. 2, or

46 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 13, 2023

within two weeks of that date. Some will continue working during a 30-, 60- or 90-day transition period, with those employees to be laid off within 14 days of Feb. 1, March 2 or April 1. RPT’s Southfield office is in the Oakland Commons complex on Civic Center Drive east of the M-10/John C. Lodge Freeway and south of I-696. According to CoStar Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service, RPT takes about

8,000 square feet in the 168,500-square-foot building. In late August, Kimco said the deal, which has yet to close, would bring its enterprise value to $22 billion. The company also said the deal is expected to boost earnings, give Kimco an added presence in Sun Belt and coastal markets and access to RPT’s existing joint venture partners, in particular with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.

CrainsDetroit.com President and CEO KC Crain Group publisher Jim Kirk, (312) 397-5503 or jkirk@crain.com Executive editor Mickey Ciokajlo, (313) 446-0319 or mickey.ciokajlo@crain.com Managing editor Michael Lee, (313) 446-1630 or malee@crain.com Director of audience and engagement Elizabeth Couch, (313) 446-0419 or elizabeth.couch@crain.com Creative director Thomas J. Linden, tlinden@crain.com Audience engagement editor Matthew Pollock Assistant managing editor Beth Reeber Valone Assistant managing editor Lauren Abdel-Razzaq Assistant managing editor-special projects Leslie Green Projects editor Stacy Sominski Associate creative director Karen Freese Zane Digital design editor Jason McGregor Art directors Kayla Byler, Carolyn McClain, Joanna Metzger Senior digital news designer Stephanie Swearngin Design and copy editor Beth Jachman Research and data editor Sonya Hill Notables coordinator Ashley Maahs Newsroom (313) 446-0329 REPORTERS Jay Davis, restaurants, retail and small businesses, (313) 446-1612 or jason.davis@crain.com David Eggert, politics, policy and energy, (313) 446-1654 or david.eggert@crain.com Anna Fifelski, banking, investment and innovation anna.fifelski@crain.com Jack Grieve, audience engagement, jack.grieve@crain.com Nick Manes, residential real estate and mortgage industry, (313) 446-1626 or nmanes@crain.com Kurt Nagl, manufacturing, law and courts, (313) 446-0337 or knagl@crain.com Kirk Pinho, real estate, (313) 446-0412 or kpinho@crain.com Dustin Walsh, health care and cannabis, (313) 446-6042 or dwalsh@crain.com Sherri Welch, nonprofits, philanthropy and higher education, (313) 446-1694 or swelch@crain.com ADVERTISING Senior vice president of sales Susan Jacobs, (312) 649-5492 or susan.jacobs@crain.com Sales director Bernie Barnes Munk, (206) 310-0313 or bernice.munk@crain.com Michigan events director Samantha Flowers Senior account executives Maria Marcantonio, Sharon Mulroy Account executives Ainsley Burgess, Zack Phillips People on the Move manager Debora Stein, (917) 226-5470 or dstein@crain.com Classified sales Suzanne Janik, (313) 446-0455 or sjanik@crain.com Sales assistant Rachel Smith Inside sales Tawni Sharp CRAIN’S CONTENT STUDIO Senior director of Crain’s Content Studio Kristin Bull, (313) 446-1608 or kbull@crain.com Crain’s Content Studio manager Clare Pfeiffer Content marketing specialist Allie Jacobs PRODUCTION Vice president, product Kevin Skaggs Product manager Tim Simpson Media services manager Nicole Spell CUSTOMER SERVICE (877) 824-9374, customerservice@crainsdetroit.com Reprints Laura Picariello, (732) 723-0569, lpicariello@crain.com

Crain’s Detroit Business is published by Crain Communications Inc. Chairman Keith E. Crain Vice chairman Mary Kay Crain President and CEO KC Crain Senior executive VP Chris Crain Chief Financial Officer Robert Recchia G.D. Crain Jr. Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. Chairman (1911-1996) Editorial & Business Offices 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2732; (313) 446-6000 Volume 39, Number 43 Crain’s Detroit Business (ISSN 0882-1992) is published weekly, except no issues on 1/2/23, 7/3/23, 9/4/23, 11/27/23 nor 12/25/23, by Crain Communications Inc. at 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2732. Periodicals postage paid at Detroit, MI and additional mailing offices. © Entire contents copyright 2023 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content in any manner without permission is prohibited. Subscriptions: Classic Print+Digital $189/yr. | All access + Data $499/yr. www.crainsdetroit.com/membership or (877) 824-9374 Group and Corporate Membership Sales Deb Harper, (313) 446-1623 or dharper@crain.com. GST # 136760444. Postmaster: Send address changes to Crain’s Detroit Business, Circulation Department, 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, MI 48207-2732.

S:10.35"

You’re doing business like a AT&T Business Fiber now with Hyper-Gig speeds. Upload charts, labs, and x-rays faster than ever before. Limited availability in select areas. Learn more at att.com/businessfast or call 1.844.740.FAST

S:14"

With upload speeds so fast they deserve a T-R-E-A-T