Crain's Detroit Business, Sept. 7, 2020 by Crain's Detroit Business

COVID-19 LIABILITY: Lawmakers still debating how to give businesses lawsuit protections. PAGE 3

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COPING WITH COVID-19

Migrant farm workers push back on state’s COVID-19 testing mandate NEWSPAPER

BY CHAD LIVENGOOD AND DUSTIN WALSH

BEAR LAKE — At West Wind Orchards, longtime farm laborer Leo Magana serves as the de facto recruiter of seasonal migrant farm workers to pick apples each fall in orchards along the bucolic M-22 highway in Manistee County. Magana, a year-round employee

of the family-owned farm that dates back to the 1870s, has been trying to recruit 28 migrants for fourth-generation farmer David Smeltzer and other nearby fruit farms. The Mexico-born immigrant uses a variety of contacts to get the laborers Smeltzer needs to hand-pick 100,000 bushels of apples that end up in fresh fruit markets, hard cider from

Tandem Ciders, Gerber baby food and Materne’s GoGo Squeez apple sauce in a pouch. But with the height of the apple-harvesting season just weeks away, Magana has only been able to find 13 workers this year. And there’s no guarantee all of them will show up. See WORKERS on Page 28

NEED TO KNOW

A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP

THE WEEK IN REVIEW, WITH AN EYE ON WHAT’S NEXT tive in Michigan over five years is part of a broader seven-state, $20 billion lending and philanthropic Community Plan laid out Wednesday.

` GYMS CAN REOPEN, BUT MOVIE THEATERS REMAIN DARK THE NEWS: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday that organized sports can resume, and gyms and pools in Southeast Michigan can reopen after nearly six months, starting Wednesday. Her order does not allow movie theaters to reopen. Bowling alleys, roller rinks and ice rinks can open but only for the sole purpose of serving as a venue for organized sports, according to a news release from the state. WHY IT MATTERS: The moves are another step to a fully functioning economy. But Whitmer has also been criticized for a scattershot approach on what can reopen, what can’t, and specifics on the justifications for those decisions.

` HUNTINGTON PLANS $5B LENDING INITIATIVE IN STATE THE NEWS: Huntington Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq: HBAN) plans to deploy $5 billion in Michigan as part of a new initiative to support small business and individuals going through times of tumult. The $5 billion initia-

WHY IT MATTERS: The bank’s plan lays out three areas where it plans to make investments: access to capital for small business, particularly those owned by minorities, women and veterans; affordable housing and homeownership; and community lending and investment.

` ROCKET COMPANIES POSTS PROFIT OF MORE THAN $3B THE NEWS: Rocket Companies Inc. (NYSE: RKT) has reported its first earnings figures since becoming a public company last month. The Detroit-based mortgage lender reported net income of more than $3.46 billion for its second quarter that ended June 30. WHY IT MATTERS: The earnings report shows remarkable ability to turn mortgages into profits in a hot market. Detroit’s automakers have rarely posted a profit of more than $3 billion in a quarter. It remains to be seen what Rocket’s business looks like if interest rates rise and refinancing activity dries up.

` SNYDER ENDORSES BIDEN, CALLS TRUMP ‘BULLY’ THE NEWS: Former Gov. Rick Snyder is endorsing Democrat Joe Biden for

president, becoming one of the more prominent Republicans to urge voters to oust President Donald Trump from office. Snyder, who has kept a low profile since leaving office at the end of 2018, called Trump a “bully” in a guest column published Thursday in the Detroit Free Press and USA Today. WHY IT MATTERS: Snyder sat out the 2016 election, declining to endorse Trump’s bid for the presidency against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

` CORNED BEEF TITAN PLANS EXPANSION THE NEWS: E.W. Grobbel Sons Inc. is planning an expansion in Detroit’s Eastern Market area. The 137-year old corned beef meat processor is nearing a deal to secure roughly 100,000 square feet of real estate to open a “culinary development center” where it will work to develop prepackaged or partially prepared meat products for restaurants and grocers. Leading the new development will be Will Branch, founder and co-CEO of Corridor Sausage LLC. The Eastern Market sausage maker inked a distribution deal with E.W. Grobbel to expand its customer reach to the entire United States. WHY IT MATTERS: The company plans to invest $20 million to $25 million to open the center, which is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2022, Grobbel said.

Detroit Lions sign first sports-betting sponsor ` The Detroit Lions have signed a deal with BetMGM to be the franchise’s first sports betting sponsor as the NFL joins other professional leagues in warming up to sports gambling. BetMGM — a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and sports betting giant GVC Holdings — will be presenting sponsor of Lions Bingo, the team’s gaming platform that has operated without a gambling component. New this season, fans using the platform can win cash prizes and future all-expenses paid trips to MGM properties across the country, according to a Thursday news release from the Lions. Fans will not be able to wager their money on the platform. The deal also comes with signage at Ford Field, broadcast programming and digital assets. The deal builds off the team’s 10-year sponsor agreement with MGM Grand Detroit, signed in 2015. The casino-hotel has naming rights to a premium lounge near the Lions locker room and field entrance tunnel.

The Detroit Lions deal with BetMGM builds off a previous 10-year deal signed with MGM Grand Detroit that includes sponsorship of a lounge near the team’s locker room. | FORD FIELD

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HEALTH CARE

LAW

Why Aurora Advocate wants a Beaumont doctor And why the system wants them to be happy BY JAY GREENE

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COVERED IN CASE OF COVID?

Advocate Aurora Health wants a Beaumont doctor. Actually, it wants 5,000 of them. But if the likely strategy it’s pursuing is going to work, it also needs them to be happy. The Ilinois-based health system is interested in a merger that allows it to contract directly with employers as it seeks to wrap up a deal that has caused consternation for physicians and other staff- Skogsbergh ers at the largest health system in Michigan. Advocate Aurora CEO Jim Skogsbergh told Crain’s in an exclusive interview that he is aware of Beaumont’s issues with physicians and expects them to be resolved without interfering with the timing of the planned merger, which is currently on hold. “We’ve been tracking and talking with (Beaumont CEO) John (Fox) and members of the board,” he said. “It’s my general impression that a lot of this goes back a ways” before the merger was announced, he said. “Beaumont is a great organization. We are pleased Beaumont is taking this time to address and sort out their local issues.” Aside from adding Southfield-based Beaumont’s $5 billion in annual revenue to its balance sheet for economies of scale and scope advantages, Advocate Aurora wants Beaumont’s physicians to expand its managed care contracting strategy with payers and employers to Michigan.

Michigan House debating new liability protections for businesses BY CHAD LIVENGOOD AND DUSTIN WALSH

Manufacturers of hand sanitizer, face masks and other personal protection equipment used to combat the coronavirus would be shielded from product liability lawsuits under retroactive legislation being debated in the Michigan House. A package of bills pending in the House Judiciary Committee would extend a variety of new legal protections for businesses that serve patrons and make health care products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the bills would grant retroactive immunity to PPE manu-

facturers back to Jan. 1 of this year, a proposal that drew criticism from a trade group that represents personal injury attorneys. “It’s trying to immunize things that have already happened,” said Donna MacKenzie, president of the Michigan Association of Justice. “They’re giving immunity no matter whether the person who is making the product knew that the hand sanitizer wasn’t going to be effective and they made it anyway because they wanted to make a quick buck.” House Bills 6030, 6031, 6032 and 6101 seek to prevent lawsuits that try to link a coronavirus infection to an employer or public-facing business, said Rep. Graham

Filler, R-DeWitt, chair of the Judiciary Committee. The most common example is a customer who tests positive for COVID-19 could not sue the owner of a restaurant they frequented if that restaurant followed safety protocols from government agencies, Filler said. “It would be impossible — right? — to prove that,” Filler said. “It doesn’t mean that won’t happen, lawsuit-wise. What we’re really trying to do is slow down frivolous lawsuits.” Patrons would still have the right to sue a restaurant where employees weren’t wearing masks. See PROTECTIONS on Page 5

Donna MacKenzie, president of the Michigan Association of Justice.

See BEAUMONT on Page 29

FINANCE

Michigan angel investors surge forward despite pandemic BY NICK MANES

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic collapse has so far done little to halt Michigan angel investing activity, a key source of capital for growing startups. New angel groups have continued to pop up in recent weeks and existing investors, despite some early hesitancy in the spring, have largely just turned to digital meeting tools as a way of talking with companies. In the coming weeks, the Ark Angel Fund, consisting of members from the Farmington Hills-based Chaldean American Chamber of

Manna

Simms

Commerce, plans to close on up to $2 million that it will deploy in early-stage Michigan companies. The new fund will be managed by Martin Manna, president of the Chaldean Chamber, who’s also an investor in the fund, which anticipates doing

between four and eight new deals per year. The chamber’s members own a wide variety of businesses around metro Detroit, including convenience stores, as Parker well as other retail and hospitality businesses. “We were always intrigued by angel funds and wanted to maybe look at how our community can get more active in supporting angel investments,” Manna said, adding that a presentation from Ann Arbor Spark

served as the catalyst to launch the group. “We then took it upon ourselves, rather than just participate with other funds, to launch our own fund.” The nascent Ark Angel Fund will “focus on economic development, encouraging entrepreneurship and ... really support startup businesses,” he said. The new fund plans to work closely with Ann Arbor Spark as a way of sourcing deals. Skip Simms, senior vice president at Ann Arbor Spark and managing partner of the Michigan Angel Fund, said the organization will operate as an adviser when needed and will pass along

potential deals that it believes Manna’s group may be interested in. Manna’s new group isn’t the only angel consortium to come together in this late summer. Last month marked the launch of the Detroit-based Commune Angels, a group founded by five Black professionals who seek to be the largest angel group in the state within the coming year or so, said Terrence Reeves, one of the Commune Angels co-founders. Reeves is also an attorney at Frost Brown Todd LLC in Ann Arbor who chairs its venture capital practice. See ANGEL on Page 29

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 3

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The former Cadillac Stamping Plant in Detroit is slated to be demolished and turned into a large warehouse development. The city hosted Kirk a virtual meeting PINHO last week to discuss the planned 682,000-square-foot development by Riverside, Mo.-based NorthPoint Development LLC. It is anticipated to cost $47 million. Brownfield incentives and property tax abatements are expected, according to a meeting notice released by the city Monday. A request for comment was sent to the city. The ultimate user is not known, but one real estate source said it is being built speculatively. Tim Conder, a former senior project manager with General Motors Co. who is now with NorthPoint Development, declined comment. GM is among NorthPointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest clients, along with Chewy.com and Tenneco, according to a source familiar with the company. The company has developed in metro Detroit before, with four Beyond Self Storage locations in Sterling Heights, Macomb Township, Rochester Hills and Commerce Township. Its website says it has developed and managed 88 million square feet since 2012. The Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority in November authorized the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. to enter into a letter of intent, development agreement and land transfer agreement with NorthPoint for the plant. It would have NorthPoint pay $1.78 million for the 18-acre site at 9501 Conner St. and develop at least 200,000 square feet. A DBRA briefing memo from November said other development partners include Farmington Hills-based LoPatin & Co. and Bloomfield Hillsbased Larson Realty Group. Eric Larson, head of Larson Realty, said he is no longer involved in the project. Bill Hults, the former would-be buyer of the Packard Plant, lost the 900,000-square-foot-plus property to tax foreclosure and the city acquired it in October 2018, according to the DBRA memo. Hults bought it from Detroit-based Ivan Doverspike Co. in 2013, Crainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reported at the time. An attempt to leave a voicemail for him was unsuccessful. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Crainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Detroit Business reporter Annalise Frank contributed to this report.

The 174,000-square-foot Amazon building is part of a larger 3.5 million-square-foot development that was announced last September as the replacement for the former home of the Detroit Lions. | AMAZON

Amazon facility opens on former Silverdome site The new Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center on the site of the former Pontiac Silverdome has officially opened. The 174,000-square-foot building is part of a larger 3.5 million-squarefoot development that was announced last September as the replacement for the former home of the Detroit Lions, who moved downtown in 2002. The building is employing more than 100 full- and part-time employees, the company said in a news release. The full facility is expected to be complete at some point next year. Toronto-based Triple Properties Inc. bought the Silverdome site for $583,000 in 2010 and the building rotted under its ownership. The company sold the property for somewhere between $17 million and $20 million, sources have said. As a part of the opening celebration, Amazon donated $1,500 worth of school supplies and 12,000 surgical masks to the Pontiac School District.

Memorial garden for late developer Joel Landy Midtown Detroit Inc. is planning a memorial garden around the redeveloped James Scott Mansion on Peterboro Street, spared from demolition and redeveloped by the late longtime Detroit developer Joel Landy. The landscaping plan is expected to be complete this month and planting is expected to begin in the spring.

Susan Mosey, CEO of Midtown Detroit Inc., said the organization is looking to raise $30,000 for the project that would also create a memorial plaque in the shape of his favorite car. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to honoring Joelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy in our neighborhood and in the city of Detroit,â&#x20AC;? Mosey said in a news release. Landy died last month.

Illuminated Mural being replaced with new one A new mural by a Detroit artist is replacing another that was â&#x20AC;&#x153;irreparably damagedâ&#x20AC;? during a buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s redevelopment. Detroit-based The Platform LLC said last week that Sydney G. James is completing her â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Girl with the D Earringâ&#x20AC;? mural on the building at 2937 E. Grand Blvd. in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood to replace the Illuminated Mural, which was damaged during the redevelopment known as Chroma. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slated to be complete in the middle of the month, celebrating Black women, neighborhood businesses and the city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The spirit, aura and soul of Detroit is multifaceted,â&#x20AC;? James said in a new release. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the wide range of music, visual arts, fashion, automotive innovation to everything in between, Detroit has been a city of culture creation. Culture and innovation creates figurative and literal â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chromaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the purity and intensity of color. Though this piece is North End specific, it captures the personality of Detroit, the city.â&#x20AC;? Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

PROTECTIONS

From Page 3

House Bills 6031 and HB 6101 would shield an employer from damages liability if an employee tests positive during the ongoing state of emergency, as declared by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Employers also would have to meet a new standard of “substantial compliance” of public health orders such as mandatory mask wearing for a public-facing business in order to be shielded from a liability lawsuit. Current liability law requires a business to act reasonably and in good faith, MacKenzie said. A substantial compliance standard is a “free pass” to occasionally ignore public health safety measures, she said. “If a business requires employees to wear masks four out of seven days of the week, well that could be substantial compliance,” said MacKenzie, a partner at Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace in Berkley. “Or if you walk into a nursing home and 75 percent of people are wearing masks, that could be substantial compliance.” However, the hurdle for plaintiffs to prove they contracted COVID-19 at any place of business is so high the bills may be useless, said Brian Smith, partner at Dykema Gossett PLLC in Bloomfield Hills and part of the firm’s litigation practice group. “The traceability of the virus is going to always be the biggest challenge to any lawsuit whether the bills become law or not,” Smith said. “How can you prove where you contracted the virus? The vice

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“HOW CAN YOU PROVE WHERE YOU CONTRACTED THE VIRUS? THE VICE VERSA COULD BE TRUE AND THE PLAINTIFF COULD HAVE BROUGHT IT INTO YOUR FACILITY.” — Brian Smith, partner at Dykema Gossett PLLC

versa could be true and the plaintiff could have brought it into your facility.” Smith said business clients are always encouraged to do their own contact tracing and to ask where any employee may have been in the weeks before testing positive. “It’s good practice to protect employees, but it’s also good to establish whether they could have been to another hot spot,” Smith said. Employers are largely protected via worker’s compensation insurance from civil suits from employ-

ees, Smith said. In addition to watering down strict compliance of social-distancing and mask-wearing, the bills do not define which government agency’s guidelines should be followed during the pandemic, MacKenzie said. MacKenzie said that’s “confusing” given the wide variety of guidelines from local health departments to Whitmer’s executive orders and differing guidelines from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. “It opens up the door to saying, ‘Well, this public agency — maybe the president of the United States — isn’t wearing a mask,” MacKenzie said. Ultimately, Smith said plaintiffs would have to prove gross negligence, in which a business is willfully being negligent, such as demanding employees or customers not wear a mask or intentionally did not protect people, to likely be successful in a lawsuit. House Bill 6032 would put into law rules that employers have to follow for the testing of employees. Any worker who displays one or more of the principal symptoms of COVID-19 would be prohibited from reporting to work until they text negative for the virus, three days have passed since their symptoms ended or seven days have passed since they tested positive for COVID-19 or their symptoms first appeared. The bill also extends leaves of absence to workers who have close contact with an individual who tests positive for the virus. Close contact is defined in the bill as being within six feet of a COVID-positive person “for a prolongued period of time.” Whitmer’s current executive order for worker protections defines close contact as being six feet apart for 15 minutes. The COVID-19 business liability bills are supported by Southfield-based real estate management firm Redico, Clemens Food Group, Southfield-based MedShare Inc., MSU Federal Credit Union, Grand Haven-based Harbor Restaurants, the Michigan Community Bankers, the Detroit Regional

Chamber, the Michigan Manufacturers Association and the National Federation of Independent Business, according to the House Judiciary Committee’s Sept. 1 meeting notes. The Michigan Association of State Universities, the lobbying arm of Michigan’s 15 public universities, also supports the legislation, committee records show. The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a second hearing Tuesday on the bills. At last week’s hearing, Democratic state Rep. David LaGrand, who owns Long Road Distillers in Grand Rapids, said as a business owner, he’s not concerned about the threat of “frivolous” lawsuits because he carries liability insurance to guard against such litigation. “I think that’s often a very overblown concern,” LaGrand said. Smith agrees and said whether these bills pass or not, higher courts will likely determine the outcomes. “Smart plaintiff lawyers are always looking for creative ways to create liability to businesses,” Smith said. “There certainly will be some runs made at employers. Some businesses that failed to adequate provide adequate leave or wanted people to get back too soon may be on the hook. We’re going to see it in some context in one way or another in the courts. Outcomes will be different in different states and ultimately, this issue will need to be solved by the higher courts.” Contact: clivengood@crain.com; (313) 446-1654; @ChadLivengood Contact: dwalsh@crain.com; (313) 446-6042; @dustinpwalsh SPONSORED CONTENT

Q&A WITH CENTRAL DATA CEO MIDGE DAVIDSON

Local distributors follow visionary leader to the cloud Every Friday since mid-March, Midge Davidson has presided over an all-hands Microsoft Teams call for employees of Central Data that she calls “Connecting Apart.” It’s a way for employees of the Farmington Hills-based software and services company, many of whom are working from home, to stay engaged in the company’s culture. The calls begin with what has become known as a “reassurance slide”; essentially, CEO Davidson’s visual message to employees that their job is secure. Davidson joined Central Data in 1996 and took ownership in 2002. To her employees – and to her peers in the software/tech industry – she is considered visionary. To her clients, who are all wholesale distributors, she is hands-on. Here’s a look at how she approaches leadership, what motivates her work and what she predicts for the future of her industry. Your team describes you as a visionary leader; what’s next, beyond the cloud, in the software/ IT industry? My vision is simple: look ahead, not back and be there when change happens. We embraced the cloud early against many who thought business software in the cloud was a foolish notion. We continue to share our strategy with wholesale distributors with a mantra of “Get Onto Our Cloud.” What’s next is leveraging these cloud resources

so business can make data-driven decisions, allowing them to be more agile and efficient. Change in distribution software is inevitable; whatever comes our way, we will be ready to embrace on behalf of our customers. Why do some businesses still hesitate to move to the cloud, and what are some factors that force them to finally make the move? There was comfort knowing that your data was sitting on a server on-premise at your location. However, with that server onsite comes costs and insecurity associated with maintenance, administration and the threat of a ransomwareattack that could bring down your business. Owners today want to get out of hosting and maintaining their own infrastructure onsite. A hosted Infor CloudSuite Distribution solution offers security, redundancy and built-in disaster recovery. Software upgrades are a thing of the past as their business software is always version current. Central Data’s niche is working with local wholesale distributors. Talk about their role in today’s economy. Wholesale distributors are at the center of the supply chain; they sit between the manufacturer and the retailer. These businesses need to keep picking, packing and shipping products to keep trucks on the road delivering goods. Since our inception, our mission has been to

enable these distributors with business software to increase productivity, improve profitability and drive growth. Let’s back up: How did you get from studying literature and journalism in college to becoming a national leader in the software industry? My truth is I was a single mom and needed a job. Software in the mid-1980s was not a mainstream industry; when presented with an opportunity to sell software, I jumped on it without hesitation or understanding it would become my career livelihood. Central Data ownership was my third vertical software endeavor and in turn has become a family business with an extraordinary team by my side serving our valued client family. You actually had us at your LinkedIn profile: “Guerilla competitor in my day job; benevolent giver all the time.” At the end of the day, are those two roles hard to reconcile? The balance is never in conflict, it is a concert of my cerebral and heart passions. I lead the business based on core values through the EOS leadership model and follow my heart as a humanitarian element which allows me to give positively to community, charities, and everyday people in need – it all matters. To learn more about cloud ERP, e-commerce and data analytics solutions for your company, visit centraldata.com/our-cloud.

CloudSuite Distribution Built for the Cloud. centraldata.com/our-cloud SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 5

COMMENTARY

The alarming story of how state COVID-19 data is gathered Every Monday at 3 p.m., the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is posting data on its website about the number of new and ongoing coronavirus outbreaks by region and setting. This report is giving the Chad public insight into where LIVENGOOD the most outbreaks are occurring — nursing homes, farms, food-processing plants — and detailing places with two or more cases of COVID-19 that are being very closely watched as summer wanes — schools and colleges. The data from this report does not come from the Michigan Disease Surveillance System, the 16-year-old computer system that hospitals and testing labs use to send the state data around-the-clock about COVID-19 test results. “We don’t have that kind of functionality in the MDSS,” Sarah Callo-Lyon, the state’s top epidemiologist, said in an interview. Instead, the state health department is compiling outbreak data using a Survey Monkey online survey that goes out to county health departments each Wednesday, is due on Fridays and doesn’t get published online until late Monday afternoon. You read that right: The most basic cloudbased consumer survey on the internet is being used to compile some of the most important information about where the coronavirus is spreading in Michigan. And this vital information is coming in up to a week after the fact. As the rest of Michigan’s schools open Tuesday, there is no real-time infrastructure for quickly informing the public about students or school personnel who test positive. It’s completely up to the public or private schools and 45 local health departments to inform parents and educators of one, two, three or 50 positive

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

cases of the novel coronavirus. To make things worse, public health professionals can’t take the outbreak survey and look at outbreaks in schools and immediately drill down to the specific school where there are more than two cases linked together. That’s because within the MDSS, there’s no function for taking new cases and analyzing them by outbreak setting within the past two weeks, Callo-Lyon said. “We don’t have a simple way of pulling all of the case information down and sorting it into these different outbreaks,” Callo-Lyon said. The lack of this functionality, which is pretty common for any business that uses data analytics, is blamed on the current disease-tracking system being built in 2004. Building a new disease-tracking computer system would likely cost the state tens of millions of dollars. “Because of the age of the system, we have to do a fair number of workarounds,” Callo-Lyon said. The workaround for tracking coronavirus outbreaks involves a lot of tedious hand count-

ing and sorting of data and using Survey Monkey, which the state’s chief medical executive sheepishly acknowledged last week during a Detroit Regional Chamber webcast. Joneigh Khaldun, M.D., the chief deputy director of MDHHS, said the public is demanding data “immediately” and the state’s system is illequipped to handle the demand. “Our data infrastructure is really outdated and we’re doing a lot processes that are manual — we’re literally doing Survey Monkeys for some things to get the data back from our local health departments,” Khaldun said. In other words, nearly every aspect of economic and human activity that’s been subject to an edict from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over the past six months to suppress and control this virus has been done using a computer system that simply wasn’t designed for the worst public health crisis in a century, much less a sustained threat that could drag on for years. Coronavirus data is being used to decide which businesses can remain open. It’s being used by the governor to set capacity

limits for public-facing businesses such as restaurants, bars and gyms. It’s being used to prevent people from visiting loved ones inside nursing homes. And it will be used to shape potential shutdowns of school buildings and college dormitories this fall. Khaldun made a public plea last week for better funding of public health programs and data-collecting infrastructure “and not just waiting until the next pandemic comes along, because there certainly will be another one.” “I think we have to talk about that long-term, so we can prevent what’s happening with this one,” she said. The reopening of schools and the inevitable spread of coronavirus and new outbreaks means parents are going to demand information from school districts in real time — and there’s a good chance they won’t get it. Crain’s Detroit Business recently joined a statewide coalition of news organizations urging Whitmer “to marshal state government resources to immediately, fully, consistently, and continually release school-related COVID outbreak details — including the names of impacted schools, their locations, and number of cases — to the full Michigan public.” There are already instances of public health agencies in Michigan clamming up about coronavirus outbreaks in specific schools. Whitmer’s Return to School plan did not require school districts to notify any local health officials, employees and students. It just “strongly recommended” they do so, an effective escape hatch for school administrations who are already overwhelmed by onerous state mandates. The state’s outbreak data, gathered via Survey Monkey, show there are five “current” outbreaks at K-12 schools, three of which are in Southeast Michigan. See DATA on Page 7

COMMENTARY

Pandemic underscores need to update bottle return laws BY SPENCER NEVINS AND DEREK BAJEMA

You have undoubtedly seen the images and read stories of Michiganders across the state waiting for hours to return their $25 worth of glass, aluminum and plastic only to come home to a garage full of more returnables. Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself. The COVID-19 pandemic and an 11-week pause in the collection of cans and bottles at retailers may have caused this backlog of more than $80 million in returnables, but in reality this is an issue that has been bubbling to the surface for decades. The infrastructure used to process millions of returnables every year is aging and ill-equipped to handle a large influx of glass, plastic and aluminum because the state of Michigan stopped investing in Michigan’s bottle deposit system in 1989. The pandemic has made two things clear. First, Michiganders wanted their dimes and deserve to get their refunds easily, especially when they have had to wait three

months to get the state mandated deposit back. Second, it’s critical the state reinvests in the aging, outdated infrastructure as we look to bolster the long-term viability of a more than 40-year-old container deposit system. Spencer Nevins That’s why we support is president of bipartisan legislation in- the Michigan troduced prior to the Beer & Wine pandemic that will not Wholesalers only update and mod- Association. ernize Michigan’s bottle bill, but also crack down on fraud and abuse while expanding access to recycling. Sadly, Michigan’s current bottle deposit law doesn’t require the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to put the more than $40 million collected every year in the unclaimed deposit fund toward maintaining and improving the

bottle bill or any type of recycling. None of that money is spent on bottle bill infrastructure or placing recycling carts on curbs. How is the money spent? On EGLE staff payroll, presumably to support contamination cleanup efDerek Bajema forts. Yet there’s little is president information to verify if of the these precious taxpayer Michigan Soft dollars are being spent Drink wisely. Association As a result, Michigan — once a leader in recycling and conservation — has fallen behind our neighbors in the Midwest when it comes to recycling with a dismal 15 percent recycling rate — less than half the national average. House Bills 5422, 5423, 5424 and 5425, awaiting a vote on the House floor, would redirect a portion of the money collected from unclaimed deposits to maintain and rebuild

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 | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

the bottle bill infrastructure and ensure local recycling programs will be supported. They would also crack down on rampant fraud and abuse coming across our borders and ensure law enforcement has the tools necessary to enforce the rules. These commonsense bills will make it illegal for someone to purchase truckloads of soft drinks from a neighboring state or Canada — without paying a deposit — and sell it to retailers in Michigan without initiating the deposit. This blatant disregard for our state’s bottle deposit law is causing companies across the state to lose millions of dollars and is putting hardworking Michiganders’ jobs at risk. Now is the time to support small businesses on the front lines in the fight to reduce litter and protect our Great Lakes so they can make much needed infrastructure improvements to keep this program running strong. We urge lawmakers to act on legislation to update Michigan’s outdated bottle bill, crack down on fraud and abuse and increase access to recycling.

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.

OTHER VOICES

True racial justice requires companies to take action BY QUAID SAIFEE

Several weeks ago in a column for Crain’s, I called on corporate America to distinguish between Black people and non-Black people of color when releasing their diQuaid Saifee is versity reports. I president of want to expand on Troy-based that idea by proinformation viding specific technology and actionable company WIT metrics and goals Inc. that companies should release. It is imperative that companies are transparent about their current status vis-à-vis those goals, as well as their specific plans and actions to achieve them. Corporations are responding to the demands for racial equity and justice in various ways. Executives of some have given bold statements about their desire to see a more fair and just world, some have formed inchoate working groups or committees to delve into how they can become more just and equitable. Few have come out and specified concrete action items to deal with the injustices. I understand that this is a complex matter that should be dealt with through sensitive and deliberate planning and thoughts. But this has long been an excuse for inaction as well. Since the Kyoto Protocol, investors have been increasingly analyzing and rewarding companies regarding their environmental, social and governance initiatives. Companies actively working toward achieving a balance in how they deal with investors, customers, employees and communities are found to be more profitable. The murder of George Floyd put an emphasis on the ‘S’ in ESG. Barron’s just published a list entitled “100 Most Sustainable Companies, Reranked on Social Factors.” This “Social” category is still a pretty broad one, including topics

like Products, Environment, Workplace and Integrity, but the Black Lives Matter movement is forcing companies to think more specifically about the racial justice aspect in particular. There are even exchange-traded funds like NACP (made with the help of the NAACP) to address racial equality. Companies like Microsoft have specified metrics and goals, current versus target, and ways to address racial injustice. Companies have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to racial justice causes and to make their own workforce more equitable. Nonprofit organizations like MoveOn and both presidential cam-

paigns have published their staffs’ demographic information. These are important but first steps — necessary but insufficient. Today, activists are demanding that companies make public their EEO-1 data (racial and gender demographics data about employees at different levels in the organization), which every company with more than 100 employees is required to file with the EEOC. Employee demographic data at different levels of the organization is just one of the metrics. Here are some additional ideas on different metrics corporations can establish to make progress on racial equity: ` Vendor spending data as it relates to

Black businesses grouped by size and type of business. ` Workforce diversity by race at different levels of the organization including board and C-level, including retention rates by race. ` Racial diversity in internships and co-op programs to groom future employees/leaders. ` Training hours for all the employees on the history and experience of Black folks in the U.S. ` Investment dollars and support of Black businesses who can be future suppliers and/or customers. ` Investment dollars in public policy advocacy to reduce racial disparity. ` Charitable contributions in dollars

and volunteer hours promoting nonprofits working on youth development, focusing on knowledge economy, education, empowerment, promotion of entrepreneurship and rehabilitation of previously incarcerated people in the Black community. Hopefully, these metrics will eventually become part of annual reports for all major public corporations. Unfortunately, of the companies headquartered here in Michigan, only two made Barron’s recent list of most sustainable companies ranked on social factors: Kellogg and CMS Energy. Our most prominent industry, automotive, wasn’t represented by a single company.

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From Page 6

But that’s as of Aug. 27 and based on COVID-19 tests that could date back to Aug. 21. The state health department plans to begin publishing specific names of schools with COVID-19 outbreaks on Sept. 14. That’s certainly progress. But unless the frequency of the weekly Survey Monkey is sped up, those outbreak disclosures will still be up to 10 days old when they’re finally published. Simply adding another line to the Survey Monkey for a decentralized network of health agencies to disclose the name of the school and the number of cases a week or 10 days later is not going to cut it. Michigan needs a wholesale overhaul in tracking and reporting the spread of communicable disease to give policymakers, business owners and parents of schoolchildren real-time actionable data that can inform their daily decision-making. Because Dr. Khaldun is right — the next pandemic may be just around the corner.

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Contact: clivengood@crain.com; (313) 446-1654; @ChadLivengood SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 7

Jordan Acker

Racheal Allen

CRAIN’S DETROI

UND Partner and director of business development, Goodman Acker P.C. Vice chair, University of Michigan board of regents After graduating from college, Jordan Acker didn’t plan to go into the family business. “I didn’t have the intention of practicing law in a traditional sense. I wanted to work on Capitol Hill in policy,” Acker said. That desire led him to become the communications assistant at the House Committee on the Judiciary, an associate at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel and an attorney-adviser in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. But eventually he returned to Michigan to start a family and take up a position at Goodman Acker P.C. Now a partner and director of business development at the Southfield-based law firm, Acker said his passion for helping others has been the driving force behind his work. But he didn’t abandon government and politics, getting elected to the UM board of regents last year, where he is now vice chair. On the board, Acker, 35, has worked with his colleagues to eliminate a $50 million direct investment in fossil fuels and put a freeze on future investments in the sector. Acker is also collaborating with the board to change the university’s sexual misconduct policy. At Goodman Acker, a key objective for Acker was changing the way his firm connected with clients by building trust and transparency. He began by revamping marketing efforts to include his father, Gerald Acker, a founder and managing partner. “I have found that one of the things people care most about is that they want to know who their lawyer is and that they can trust that person,” Acker said. “The gimmicks and slick, large checks don’t work with people anymore. People are sophisticated and cynical in a good way; they do the research.” His efforts were instrumental in doubling the firm’s size and opening a new office in Grand Rapids.— Laila Hmaidan

Michael Ambrose Founder and CEO DocNetwork Michael Ambrose is a CEO who is all about solutions. For the past 11 years, DocNetwork Inc., an Ann-Arbor based software company the 35-year-old pediatrician founded in 2009, has been merging technology and children’s health care with its electronic health records system specialized for camps and schools to monitor medications and track allergies, injuries and illnesses. “I’ve always been somebody that’s tried to be a problem solver,” Ambrose said. “At DocNetwork, we’ve really made it our mission to improve the health and safety of children when they’re away from home.” During the COVID-19 pandemic DocNetwork, which grosses $4 million annually and has 30 employees, is widening its reach. The company plans to use its tracking technology to help businesses prescreen, screen and report on their employees’ possible exposures to COVID-19, Ambrose said. 8 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Chief operating officer Marygrove Conservancy Racheal Allen, 37, has a job she could only have dreamed about when she first set off on her professional journey. “If you were to tell me that’s where I would be 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Allen said. As a 2006 Marygrove College graduate, she would catch three buses to get to campus every day. Allen graduated from the program with a B.A. in English and education. Twelve years later, that campus would transition into a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the legacy of the Marygrove campus. The now-closed college became a cradle-to-career educational campus, and Allen is in charge of leading the 53-acre site. Her responsibilities include managing a $50 million endowment by the Kresge Foundation and overseeing campus operations, community engagement efforts and partnerships. Allen’s journey was not always easy. She started out as a high school dropout and teen mother but decided to return to school on a scholarship. At 21, she started her own Farmers Insurance agency and became extremely successful, leading her to launch three additional startups. But something was missing. In 2008, at the height of the recession, she closed her insurance agency. “I found myself unfulfilled and wanted to get back into the classroom because I got a degree in education. That was a pivotal moment,” Allen said. Within three years, she landed a role as the dean of students for Westland-based American International Academy. “Not only did I love being in the classroom, but I loved being in the educational environment,” Allen said. Allen went on to take many executive roles, including with at the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan and the Block By Block Downtown Detroit Ambassador Program. “When I heard about the opportunity at Marygrove, I knew there had never been a better role created for someone,” Allen said. “Not only did I have a connection with them from having graduated there, but I also have the largest ability for impact, because the work extends from Marygrove campus all the way into the neighborhood and into the city of Detroit.” — Laila Hmaidan

CRAIN’S DETROIT It’s the year of the pivot, as business, organizations and individuals make drastic changes on the fly in response to the coronavirus and social unrest across the country. Leadership always matters, but in times like these, it makes all the difference. The 40 leaders profiled in this section — all under the age of 40 — have shown, both before and since the pandemic, that they can get things done, whether it’s building fast-growing businesses, tackling community problems or responding swiftly to a crisis. It’s the kind of leadership that will see us through a difficult time and help define what comes after.

He credits his father, who started a blinds and wallpaper company that expanded nationally, for instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in him that has led to the growth of his own business. “I’ve always tried to emulate my father’s perseverance and drive in everything that I do,” Ambrose, who also works as a pediatric emergency room physician at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital, added in an email. Ambrose said he hires people who are passionate about his company’s mission and apply that to their daily work. In this regard, his colleagues say he leads by example. “Michael is an inspirational leader and mentor. He is driven to always succeed and finds the best in others around him,” Kristen Pearson, DocNetwork’s COO, said. Ambrose, who received his medical degree from the University of Michigan’s Medical School in 2010, told Crain’s his company’s future is bright, despite the uncertain economic climate. “For us, it’s the continued exponential growth that we’ve experienced,” Ambrose said. “In the midst of the pandemic, we’ve repurposed our product to make sure that people continue to stay healthy and safe.” — Malique Morris

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THE CLASS OF 2020 THIS PAGE Jordan Acker Racheal Allen Michael Ambrose Andrew Blake Stephanie Burnley Stephanie Byrd PAGES 10-11 Alex Calderone Chase Cantrell Nicholas Clark PAGES 12-13 Charity Dean Sarah DeCiantis Katrina Desmond PAGES 14-15 Kevin Desmond Andrew Dickow PAGES 16-17 Denise Fair Jared Fleisher Candice Fortman

PAGE 20 Kumar Kintala Christopher Letts Nicolet Lewis Tom Leonard

PAGE 22 Matthew Loussia Shatica McDonald Beth McKenney Brent Ott PAGES 24-25 Chantá Parker Jonathan Quarles Ankur Rungta Vishal Rungta Ryan Sullivan Eric Van Dam PAGES 26-27 Leslie Walton S. Eliot Weiner Deirdre Young Stacy Ziarko Jacob Zuppke

PAGE 18 September Hargrove Marc Hudson John James Matthew Johnson-Roberson

Stephanie Byrd Co-owner, Garden Theatre, Flood’s Bar & Grill and The Block Neighborhood Bar & Kitchen Stephanie Byrd is co-owner of three family businesses in Detroit: Garden Theatre, Flood’s Bar & Grill and The Block Neighborhood Bar & Kitchen. In 2015, Byrd spearheaded the reinvention of the latter from what was, at the time, The Grille Midtown. It was a life event that she describes as unexpected, but priceless. Byrd had left Detroit at 17 to study marketing and communications at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and “had no interest in the family business or living in Detroit another day.” When her father asked her to come back to help open The Grille Midtown in 2013, she agreed. Unfortunately, the construction of the QLine streetcar track on Woodward Avenue soon had Byrd and her father questioning the upscale restaurant’s viability. “I decided it would be best to shut the doors for a bit and

Andrew Blake comes from a legacy of entrepreneurship. In 1946, his grandfather turned an apple orchard into a business. Today, the 31-year-old president of Blake Farms, a family of companies based in Armada, is expanding his grandfather’s vision, in the middle of a pandemic, with national ambitions. “I’ve really worked to surround myself and my company with people who are more talented than myself,” Blake said. “You don’t need to be the master of all things. You need to be a great team member who wants to support the people working for you.” In 2013, he founded Blake’s Hard Cider Co., a subsidiary of Blake Farms, after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in economics and pre-law. Blake said he initially thought he’d become a lawyer, but he found himself more drawn to the creative outlet that entrepreneurship allowed. After experimenting with brewing hard ciders in his garage, he decided to take a stab at contributing to his family’s business. In the past three years, Blake’s Hard Cider Co. has become the largest craft cidery in the Midwest and 17th in the nation. The company’s product, which is expected to be the No. 1 selling hard cider in Michigan by the end of 2020, is currently stocked in 18 states in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. Now, Blake’s Hard Cider, which Blake said has seen 75 percent growth in sales year over year, is in the process of building a second production facility in Armada, to help expand its distribution into the western U.S. “We’ve been very fortunate to be in a hyper growth mode the last four years or so,” Blake said. “We’ve been able to diversify our business, which has allowed us to have a wider net … in terms of the people we serve.” The young entrepreneur attributes the cider’s commercial success to a management style he refers to as “servant leadership.” “Most of my time spent is having conversations with our team and seeing how I can be of service to help them reach their goals,” which helps the company reach its goals, Blake said. — Malique Morris

Stephanie Burnley got her start in the family business well before she graduated from Wayne State University in 2014 with a degree in business management. In 2007 she began work at the firm, a general contractor and construction manager, as an admin and receptionist, “and since then I’ve worked in every part of the business,” she said. Her father, David Burnley, elevated her to be co-CEO with him last year, with the plan for her to succeed him through a buyout next year, although lingering economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic may slow that down. Her mother, Stella, is a vice president of the business, which was founded in 1998 and now employs 74 with revenue of about $170 million. Burnley has served for two years on the board of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council. “I met Stephanie through her dad, who has been a business partner of Walbridge’s for more than 22 years. When she started working at Devon Industrial Group, she was determined to learn all the facets of this industry, build strong relationships with others in the business and appreciate the nuances and details of great construction,” said Mike Haller, CEO of Detroit-based Walbridge. Part of that learning process was working at Walbridge for two years after she got out of college before rejoining the family business. “She is diligent in her support of diverse suppliers throughout the country and is a strong, hard-working and phenomenal leader,” Haller said. Burnley considers her top achievement her work in introducing young women of color to the world of construction through the Detroit-based Rhonda Walker Foundation. Last February, she held business workshops for young women, teaching about estimating, human resources and accounting. Burnley, 33, bought a bunch of pink hard hats this summer, and phase two was to take the young women to various construction sites, but the coronavirus has put those visits on hold for now. “The Devon Group has been in business for 22 years, and I’m looking to grow it for another 22 years,” — Tom Henderson

take time to reinvent ourselves. It was the best thing we did, “ Byrd said. “Today we are an unpretentious, relaxed environment with a lower price point.” The change struck a chord with the local community. As Byrd continues to suss out opportunities for growth, she stresses that she intends to uplift other Black-owned businesses. “One of the most important lessons my father taught me is to demonstrate compassion. I want to do that not just for our staff and customers, but for everyone,” she said. “Our goal for the future is to flex our muscle more in that area.” Byrd, 37, has had to search for ways to buffer the impacts of COVID-19, which has hit the business on multiple fronts, and not just from shutdown restrictions. “My parents caught COVID-19 in March so we had to delay re-opening because we just didn’t have the bandwidth,” she said. “We’ve lost an employee and some of our customers, who we considered family, to the pandemic as well.” Preserving her family’s legacy as a leading Black business in Detroit inspires her to continue meeting those challenges. “People are pessimistic about the future, and about where Detroit is headed generally, but I’m not one of them,” Byrd said. “Detroit still has a lot of fight in them, and so do I.”— Jaishree Drepaul-Broder SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 9

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Alex Calderone Managing Director Calderone Advisory Group LLC

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A lesson from his father taught Alex Calderone the importance of not looking too long before leaping. Given the chance to leave accounting firm Deloitte in the 1980s to partner with noted corporate turnaround specialist Van Conway in a fledgling business, Fred Calderone opted against. “My father had a good income and a relatively safe career, and he decided against taking that entrepreneurial plunge,” said the 37-year-old managing director of Calderone Advisory Group LLC in Birmingham. “As Van became wildly successful, my father looked back on his decision and asked himself, ‘What if?’” So, after working for 10 years for others — accounting firm KPMG, Conway’s company, Conway Mackenzie, and then in the casino industry — Calderone struck out on his own. The turnaround firm he opened alone in 2014 now consists of seven professionals and has revenue of $2 million. Clients have ranged from Romulus tarp manufacturer Detroit Tarpaulin and Repair Shop, with less than $5 million in

“MY FATHER HAD A GOOD INCOME AND A RELATIVELY SAFE CAREER, AND HE DECIDED AGAINST TAKING THAT ENTREPRENEURIAL PLUNGE.” — Alex Calderone

Chase Cantrell Executive director Building Community Value Chase Cantrell has helped more than 250 residents of Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park learn about real estate development. And the executive director of the nonprofit Building Community Value is about to help more. Cantrell, 36, started offering real estate development classes as part of the Better Buildings, Better Blocks program focusing on small real estate projects in neighborhoods. He was previously a corporate real estate attorney. “There’s such an opportunity to actually bring Detroiters into the process of re-envisioning their neighborhoods,” said Cantrell, a University of Michigan undergraduate and law school graduate. “We often get some very unhappy voice messages and phone calls from people who don’t live in Detroit, but the focus is really on people having agency in their own neighborhoods.” The latest cohort of budding developers brings the total

“THERE’S SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY BRING DETROITERS INTO THE PROCESS OF RE-ENVISIONING THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.” — Chase Cantrell

Nicholas Clark President, Wall Colmonoy Corp. For Nick Clark, all roads lead to home — eventually. After graduating from University of Michigan with an engineering degree, Clark attended the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidates School during the Iraq War. He served two deployments in that country, serving as an air intelligence officer at the Al Asad Airbase. Clark left the military in 2007, but he still wasn’t interested in returning to the family manufacturing business founded by his great-grandfather where his father serves as chairman and CEO. So he entered Columbia University in pursuit of a master’s degree and later joined investment bank giant Jefferies Group as an investment analyst in the aerospace and defense division. “Until I went to business school, it was always ‘What can I do to not work for the family business,’” Clark said. “Business school opened my eyes to the opportunity. I wasn’t quite 30 and my dad didn’t join the company until he was 30, so other private sector experience was important.” Armed with a master’s in operations management and military leadership, Clark returned to the family business, but not home. In

“UNTIL I WENT TO BUSINESS SCHOOL, IT WAS ALWAYS ‘WHAT CAN I DO TO NOT WORK FOR THE FAMILY BUSINESS. BUSINESS SCHOOL OPENED MY EYES TO THE OPPORTUNITY.” — Nicholas Clark 10 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

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revenue, to Radio Shack, during its second bankruptcy filing in 2017, Calderone said. Among the most meaningful assignments was a failing Gladwin County plastics extruder, Loose Plastics Inc. A reorganization saved more than 1,000 jobs, Calderone said. “That was special to me, because Gladwin County doesn’t have a lot of large employers,” he said. “I spent two years with them. Every time I drove up there, I thought, ‘What if this doesn’t work? All those people I see in the factory, if I can’t fix this, what happens to them?’” Calderone, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University, also worked on Pontiac General Hospital’s Chapter 11 reorganization. “I do love what I do,” he said. “The field is very fast-moving. Most of the time, we’re dealing with crises that present opportunities if we can get through them.” The industry also presents difficulties. “Sometimes, (clients) get angry,” he said. “Sometimes, people cry and sometimes people don’t trust us. The job can be a 60-to-70-hour-a-week “pressure cooker,” he said. “(But) every time I come into a situation where I’m able to impact people’s lives, that tends to be rewarding for me,” he said. — Doug Henze

number of enrollees in the program to about 295, Cantrell said. Among those who have gone through Better Buildings, Better Blocks program are Darius Smith, who bought and renovated a third of the homes on his grandmother’s street and sold them for a 700 percent profit; and Ekanem Obong, who purchased and did renovations to a Dexter Avenue property. In addition, Cantrell is working on creating a new social impact equity fund, which is in the process of raising at least $3 million in equity for alumni of the Better Buildings, Better Blocks program, as well as Capital Impact Partners’ Equitable Development Initiative. “The goal is to have truly favorable terms,” Cantrell said, noting that he expects it to be funded and available next year. — Kirk Pinho

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2012, he joined Wall Colmonoy’s U.K. floundering operations as a process engineer. A top executive at the U.K. business left to start a competitor and took much senior staff with them. A new hire manager couldn’t stop the business from walking out the door either. With the business unit bleeding, the family turned to blood and put Clark in charge of the its turnaround. Clark, 38, reduced scrap, secured new relationships, returned the unit to its former glory and exceeded it by growing the workforce by 30 percent. His work in the U.K. led to running the business’ unit in Cincinnati and eventually becoming president of the entire company in 2016 under only his father. As president, Clark’s focus has been on growing the company’s U.S. footprint. Steel and aluminum tariffs from the Trump administration followed by the retaliatory tariffs from China dented the company’s international growth plans, as it shipped metal products to China. But the company coincidentally got a break thanks to the unlikely ally of COVID-19. “Frankly, the coronavirus has had a bigger impact on us now, from a reshoring perspective.” Clark said. “To our people, all year, I’ve been saying that the coronavirus may do what tariffs were never able to do. Companies are identifying the real risk of complex supply chains and really identifying local manufacturing.” To capitalize, Clark is investing heavily in equipment and efficiency gains at its four U.S. plants. — Dustin Walsh

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Charity Dean “MY PRIMARY GOAL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WAS TO ENABLE THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO CONTINUE DOING BUSINESS WHILE FOCUSING ON THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF DETROITERS.” — Charity Dean

“FOR YEARS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGES RETAIL MORTGAGE LENDERS HAVE HAD OVER INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE BROKERS IS THEY ARE RELENTLESS WHEN IT COMES TO CLIENT RETENTION AND MARKETING. BRAND 360 LEVELS THAT PLAYING FIELD AT NO COST TO THE BROKER.” — Sarah DeCiantis

“AS A LAWYER, IT’S HARD TO SEE THE TANGIBLE PART OF YOUR WORK, BUT WITH THIS JOB YOU CAN.” — Katrina Desmond

Director, Department of Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Opportunity, City of Detroit When COVID-19 hit Detroit, Charity Dean received a mission from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan: Help keep businesses afloat. The director of civil rights, inclusion and opportunity immediately set to work to rescue small businesses in the city beset by government-ordered closures and fear of the new virus. “My primary goal from the very beginning was to enable the private sector to continue doing business while focusing on the safety and well-being of Detroiters,” Dean said. Dean, 36, first launched a curbside program, which distributed parking signs to businesses that abruptly had to switch to curbside pickup to do business. The city department also helped hundreds of businesses negotiate the complications of government programs de-

Sarah DeCiantis

Solving the puzzle of how to help small mortgage brokers compete with the marketing muscle of direct-to-consumer mortgage lenders has been a mission for Sarah DeCiantis. DeCiantis, 38, has overseen marketing and advertising for mortgage wholesaler United Shore Financial Services since 2017, a period during which the company’s revenue nearly tripled to $1.09 billion, earning it the top spot on Crain’s Fast 50 list of fastest-growing companies this year. Last year, DeCiantis spearheaded the launch of a portal called Brand 360 for Pontiac-based United Shore’s independent broker customers intended to give them the ability to

2020 40 Under 40 Honoree

RACHEAL ALLEN Chief Operating Officer

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12 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

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Executive vice president and chief marketing officer, United Shore Financial Services LLC

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We are grateful for your leadership!

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Katrina Desmond Principal Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC Disappearing blight and financially sound schools and cities tell Katrina Desmond she’s making a difference. The 34-year-old principal with law firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone PLC in Detroit, helps cities, school districts and other entities borrow money at reduced interest rates. That may be to finance major projects in good times or to improve cash flow in tough times, said Desmond, one of about 100 attorneys nationwide who specialize in Internal Revenue Code Section 103. The section allows public-entity borrowers, such as governments, to offer a lower rate of return to investors when issuing bonds. That’s because interest investors earn on those bonds is tax-exempt. “The ability to borrow at a lower interest rate is really key to be able to build beautiful stadiums and K-12 schools,” said Desmond, of Birmingham. “As a lawyer, it’s hard to see the tangible part of your work, but with this job you can.” One of Desmond’s first projects, after joining the firm in 2011, was the city of Detroit receivership, which ended in 2014. Now, she is helping the city borrow funds for blight removal. “Seeing the city come full circle, where they were in bankruptcy and now are issuing bonds to clean up the neighborhood (is rewarding),” said Desmond said. Desmond also helped arrange financing for the state’s largest hospital affiliations — Henry Ford Health System/Allegiance Health University of Michigan/Metro Health and William Beaumont Hospital/Oakwood/Botsford, she said. Future goals include helping school districts arrange cash-

flow sisti D tion from be c “F one nal side dire F the “Y a tra

signed to see them through, including the Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loan program and others. Another focus of the business assistance program was helping businesses get up to speed on e-commerce, which became a critical lifeline for businesses that couldn’t welcome customers inside their stores during the shutdown in April and May. And she helped lead a coalition of government and businesses to launch the Detroit Means Business portal, a guide to the resources available to help businesses through the pandemic. Dean is a graduate of Oakland University and has a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. Prior to her current role, she was director of the city’s Bridging Neighborhoods Program, whose main function was to use $32 million in community benefits funding to help people being relocated from the Delray neighborhood to make way for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Dean has served on the board of the Grandmont Community Association in Detroit and is a member of the Michigan Women’s Commission. — Michael Lee

brand their operations and compete on that level with big companies that lend directly to consumers. “For years, one of the biggest advantages retail mortgage lenders have had over independent mortgage brokers is they are relentless when it comes to client retention and marketing,” DeCiantis said. “Brand 360 levels that playing field at no cost to the broker. “Brokers can set it and forget it,” she said. United Shore CEO Mat Ishbia has called DeCiantis “a key driving force” in United Wholesale Mortgage’s growth to become the largest wholesale lender in the country. DeCiantis came to United Shore in 2014 from Palace Sports and Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons, where she served as vice president of marketing, among other roles. She came to the Pistons after several years at advertising agencies. The Wayne State University graduate has been recognized as one of the mortgage industry’s “Hot 100” by Mortgage Professional American and “Top 40 under 40” by National Mortgage Professional magazine. — Michael Lee

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flow borrowing to get through the COVID-19 crisis and assisting the state in repairing aging infrastructure. Desmond, who holds a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School, said her job can be challenging. “Financial advisers, underwriters are pushing you to go one direction, but that’s not what will work under the Internal Revenue Code,” she said. “You’re … trying to err on the side of caution, when the entire team wants to go the other direction.” Forging a path for schools and local governments makes the work worthwhile. “You really do feel like you’re helping — moreso than with a traditional legal practice,” Desmond said. — Doug Henze

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 13

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Kevin Desmond

Andrew Dickow

President, A.J. Desmond and Sons Funeral Directors

Managing director Greenwich Capital Group LLC, Townsend Street Capital

Coming from an industry known for being extremely accommodating, one of the biggest challenges of the COVID pandemic and its social restrictions for Kevin Desmond was learning to say, “no.” While it was heartbreaking to delay memorial services or watch survivors mourn without the comfort of dozens of loved ones, keeping his staff and the families they serve as safe as possible was the most important priority for Desmond. COVID altered nearly every aspect of the business, one that is typically slow to evolve. In addition to handling an unprecedented caseload, Desmond, 34, had to adjust operations to minimize the health risk to both visitors and employees, in part by staggering work hours and procuring personal protection equipment. “We are essential workers. My team was aware of the risks but 100 percent committed to our mission of serving families in their time of need,” Desmond said. “No one chose to stay home.” Desmond also adapted the service offerings and pricing strategy to ensure affordability for families. It was the service aspect of the profession that drew Desmond into the family business, a decision he did not make until his final year of college. “It was an opportunity to make a difference and positively

impact people’s lives; to support them during one of the most difficult times,” Desmond said. While COVID may have changed the way people now say goodbye, Desmond believes it has also given perspective on the significance of gathering to memorialize a loved one. “I do believe the importance of ceremony will come back even stronger.” — Laura Cassar

“WE ARE ESSENTIAL WORKERS. MY TEAM WAS AWARE OF THE RISKS BUT 100 PERCENT COMMITTED TO OUR MISSION OF SERVING FAMILIES IN THEIR TIME OF NEED. NO ONE CHOSE TO STAY HOME.” — Kevin Desmond

In five years, Andrew Dickow has taken Greenwich Capital LLC, an investment banking firm that finds buyers for family-owned business with between $25 million and $500 million in revenue, from being a startup to employing 12, and this year launched Townsend Street Capital, a private-equity fund to buy majority stakes in Midwest companies with revenue under $25 million. “Greenwich was setting up to have absolutely its best year ever, but in March COVID stopped M&A activity in its tracks,” Dickow said. It may have temporarily stalled mergers and acquisitions, but despite the turmoil created by the coronavirus, Townsend managed to hold a first close of almost $15 million for his private-equity fund on June 1, with a target of $25 million to $30 million by year’s end. “Having a first close in the middle of a pandemic was crazy,” he said. Dickow, 37, said Townsend has hired its first full-time employee, and M&A activity is getting hot again, in part because owners are thinking it might be better selling now rather than waiting and seeing amid huge uncertainty. “I’ve been really pleased by the amount of deal volume we’re seeing,” he said. The virus had a big impact on a side business of Dickow’s. He and his brother, Randy, own Detroit-based 1701 Hospitality Inc., which owns and runs four restaurants, Calexico, Freshii and Lunchtime Global in downtown Detroit and the Mad Hatter Bistro in Birmingham. All four shut down when COVID hit, but Calexico and Mad Hatter are back up, again. Dickow stresses that Greenwich takes up the lion’s share of his time, but he also has invested personally in several other

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businesses, with a focus on the food industry, including Pop Daddy Popcorn, a Whitmore Lake-based snack company that he says has seen its sales climb rapidly as people look for snacks while stuck at home; and Drought Juice, a Royal Oakbased maker of organic raw juices. — Tom Henderson

“GREENWICH WAS SETTING UP TO HAVE ABSOLUTELY ITS BEST YEAR EVER, BUT IN MARCH COVID STOPPED M&A ACTIVITY IN ITS TRACKS.”

You inspire us as a leader, championing our culture vision and helping KPMG bring our values to life for our people and our clients. Learn more about our culture and values at kpmg.com.

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 15

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Denise Fair

Jared Fleisher

Chief public health officer City of Detroit Detroit’s top public health official led an effort to test residents at the city’s 26 nursing homes, where the coronavirus has thrived during the pandemic. Denise Fair and the Detroit Health Department, alongside volunteers and first responders, went through and tested approximately 2,000 elderly residents after the COVID-19 case load climbed to its height in late March and early April. Under her leadership, Fair’s department has since retested the vulnerable nursing home population and gone through 79 other senior apartment buildings to root out outbreaks in the hard-hit city that has accounted for nearly a quarter of Michigan’s COVID-19 deaths. Fair, 37, is leading a more than 250-employee department in which a majority of workers have shifted what they do to respond to this year’s public health emergency. Little did she know what she was in for when she took the job a year ago, when Mayor Mike Duggan appointed her to the job after time in the private sector. She was a Henry Ford Health System group practice director and senior consultant and program administrator for Livonia-based Trinity Health. The Ypsilanti native said she believes Detroit has “been able to successfully beat COVID” so far. But more than 1,500 Detroiters have died. And the threat of a coming flu season and a possible fall COVID-19 resurgence means there’s no reason to celebrate, she added.

Vice president of government affairs and economic development Quicken Loans Inc.

“Now we need to refocus again,” Fair said. “Now we are developing a plan in partnership with local community partners and health systems. ... We want to make sure everyone gets a flu shot. We do know that if Detroiters have COVID plus the flu, it could really be detrimental. ... Last year, about 13 percent of Detroiters were vaccinated. That’s really low. So this is going to be an all-hands-on-deck moment.” — Annalise Frank

“NOW WE NEED TO REFOCUS AGAIN. NOW WE ARE DEVELOPING A PLAN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND HEALTH SYSTEMS.” — Denise Fair

Jared Fleisher is a man of the coasts who found his way to Detroit. A native of Los Angeles, Fleisher was educated at Harvard University and started a career in lobbying in 2008 at the global law firm Squire Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C. Fleisher, 37, got assigned Wayne County and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. as clients “never having stepped foot in Detroit.” In 2010, his trajectory changed. At a conference, he met Kresge Foundation CEO Rip Rapson after giving a presentation on rail infrastructure. “Rip Rapson came up to me after my presentation and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this rail line that we’re trying to build in downtown Detroit to revitalize the (Woodward Avenue) corridor of the city. Can you help?’” Fleisher recalls. Through Rapson’s inquiry, Fleisher met with other big backers of the M1-Rail project to build the QLine — businessman Roger Penske and Matt Cullen of Rock Ventures, then a top lieutenant for Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert — and joined the team. Fleisher’s lobbying work on the Woodward Avenue streetcar project spawned a close relationship with Kresge and Gilbert’s growing business empire. Both decided to split the cost of hiring Fleisher as their shared public affairs consultant. Fleisher resigned from Patton Boggs and split his time between Washington and Detroit in 2014-2016. In the fall of 2016, Fleisher joined Quicken Loans as vice president of government affairs and the company’s top lobbyist in Lansing. Fleisher has worked behind the scenes on some of Michigan’s biggest policy initiatives: Financing the QLine, the failed

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16 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

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2016 transit tax vote, legislation creating new tax breaks for Gilbert’s transformational brownfield redevelopment projects in Detroit and overhauling Michigan’s auto insurance law. It was the no-fault reform legislation where Fleisher made his mark, helping pull together Democrats and Republicans in 2019 to make wholesale changes aimed at lowering the cost of car insurance that had eluded legislators for years. “We saw a broken system that was taking advantage of people resulting in enormous profits for a set of folks and hurting the city,” Fleisher said. Like the brownfield redevelopment legislation, “we lost first,” Fleisher said. But that’s the nature of the lobbying business. “I believe in the bottom of my heart that every push, even if it was unsuccessful, brought us a step closer,” he said. — Chad Livengood

Candice Fortman is working to build a new type of news media that reaches people who aren’t reached by others — and make it sustainable. Fortman became the executive director of nonprofit media company Outlier Media in January of 2019, after meeting founder Sarah Alvarez at a conference. “We had a conversation about how journalism needed to connect with communities, and connect communities with the information they need to survive,” Fortman said. She left a role heading marketing for WDET 101.9 FM to join the fledgling organization Alvarez founded in 2016. “I was incredibly honored,” said Fortman, 39. “I was also incredibly scared.” Outlier Media is a nonprofit news and information service, a core part of which is a text messaging information service that connects users directly with reporters to connect them to the information they need: almost a custom reporting-on-demand service for people who lack easy access to information they need. So far, the mission of keeping the service running and expanding is working, with budget increasing this year from $250,000 to $425,000, and bringing sustainability to a small operation that hasn’t always known where every dollar of its budget was coming from. The organization saw a spike in usage — and a spike in community needs — amid the COVID pandemic, and went to the extent of calling off a merger with another media nonprofit, MuckRock, in April because of the potential to get in the way of that mission. Text messages seeking information on child care,

education and other issues have grown sharply to 700 a week. Besides her role at Outlier, Fortman has served as board president of the Grandmont Community Association, a board member of The Village of Bethany Manor and a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Classical Roots Steering Committee. Fortman is a graduate of Detroit’s Martin Luther King Jr. High School and Ferris State University. — Michael Lee

“WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW JOURNALISM NEEDED TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITIES, AND CONNECT COMMUNITIES WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO SURVIVE.” — Candis Fortman

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Phone 616-582-7225 SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 17

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Matthew Johnson-Roberson

Customers who live within 2.5 miles of a participating store or restaurant can order delivery from commercial customers include Zingerman’s, the Produce Station and Tios Mexican Cafe. Johnson-Roberson, who go his Ph.D. in robotics from the University of Sydney in Australia, is also co-director of the UM & Ford Center for Autonomous Vehicles and founded the school’s Deep Robot Optical Perception Lab, which researches perception for robotic systems. His co-founder is Ram Vasudevan, who is also a UM professor. “I came across a recumbent tricycle almost two years ago and I thought, ‘Hey, maybe that can be a model,’” said Johnson-Roberson. “We began building one in my garage in downtown Ann Arbor, and it turned into a company in six months.” “Matt is phenomenal. He’s world class, amongst a very small fraternity of artificial intelligence people who can build autonomous vehicles. A lot of people are out there trying, but it is a very small group with the experience and skill set to do it,” said Bob Stefanski, a managing director of eLab Ventures in Ann Arbor, which joined in a recent $5 million venture-capital round for Refraction. — Tom Henderson

Co-founder and CEO, Refraction AI; Associate professor of engineering, University of Michigan Matthew Johnson-Roberson co-founded Refraction AI, an autonomous vehicle startup, in 2019 to deliver food using bike lanes instead of sidewalks. The timing was fortuitous, as meal delivery was poised to jump in the pandemic. Refraction AI has 15 vehicles in operation and expects to have 25 by the end of September. Johnson-Roberson, 37, says delivery orders are up three to four times since COVID-19 hit, and the company has restaurants and stores on a waiting list as it builds more vehicles in Ann Arbor. The three-wheeled robotic vehicle, called the REV-1, is legally categorized as an ebike, weighs about 125 pounds, is about 4 feet tall, travels 10-15 miles an hour and holds up to six grocery bags in its compartment.

Marc Hudson

September Hargrove

John James

Co-founder and former CEO Rocket Fiber

Vice president, head of Detroit philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase

By age 33, Marc Hudson had pitched a business idea to a billionaire, and then built, scaled and sold the resulting company. Now he wants to double down on Detroit’s startup technology sector. Before co-founding and serving as CEO of Rocket Fiber, which sold earlier this year to Cleveland telecommunications company Everstream Solutions LLC, the Northville native worked as a user interface engineer at Quicken Loans Inc., where he pitched founder Dan Gilbert on the idea for the broadband internet provider startup. But just because he’s now exited that business — terms of the sale were not disclosed — doesn’t mean Hudson is done. “So I took a little bit of time off, but quickly got really busy,” Hudson said of the last few months since closing on the deal with Everstream. “I accidentally got my plate full again.” In the short term, Hudson has been helping out at Detroit-based coworking space Bamboo Detroit as it prepares to open a second location in Royal Oak, and has plans for more locations. In the longer term, Hudson said he’s ready to dive in “head first” later this year or early next year with a new financial technology concept he’s still working on. “I’m staying in Detroit,” Hudson said. “And I’m incredibly bullish on the ecosystem because we’ve seen all of these other exits and, you know, really significant ... Series B type rounds and significant raises that are going on.” While Hudson and his fellow co-founders, Edi Demaj and Randy Foster, have moved on from Rocket Fiber, their legacy will remain that they were able to build an internet infrastructure company that grew from 10 employees to around 80 at the time of the sale. “And so I think probably the biggest story is (that) a lot of our leadership team is departed,” he said. “There are a bunch of free agents out there with a lot of ... first-hand experience building up a technology company.” — Nick Manes

In 2014, New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced a five-year, $100 million program to invest in Detroit in a variety of ways, including grants and low-interest loans, community-development financing, neighborhood revitalization, workforce development and small-business expansion. In 2017, two years ahead of schedule, that money was fully committed and Chase announced an additional $50 million. That year and in 2018, September Hargrove was part of the Chase team putting that money into the community. “I was flying back and forth from New York to Detroit every week and was taken with the city,” she said. She had been heading up the bank’s economic activity in Detroit on an interim basis. When the bank asked her if she wanted to take the word “interim” out of her title, she jumped at the chance and moved to the city. “Digging into the data and existing research, it became clear to me that Detroit’s greatest liability was the growing economic inequity for African Americans, who make up 80 percent of the city’s population,” said Hargrove, 35. And so she convinced Jamie Dimon, Chase’s CEO, to budget an additional $50 million, to be invested by the end of 2022. She said about $15 million of that has been employed, with a focus on giving Detroiters access to affordable housing, increased home ownership and help growing their businesses. From 2011, when she got her master’s in public policy and urban planning from Harvard University, to 2015, Hargrove had a variety of roles in economic development in New Orleans. “September is passionate about using resources to support underserved business owners,” said Pamela Lewis, director of the New Economy Initiative for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. “She is also fully committed to asking the right questions, insisting on making things better, and collaborating with others to get things done.” — Tom Henderson

President, James Group International; CEO, Renaissance Global Logistics

18 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

When John E. James was working in his father’s trucking and logistics business in the summer between eighth and ninth grade, he remembers complaining one day about having to clean bathrooms. His father, John A. James, had a response that has stuck with his son a quarter-century later. “He said, ‘If you can’t clean up behind people, then you can’t expect to stand in front of them,’” the son recalls. Now age 39 and making his second bid for the U.S. Senate, John James tells that story often about his father — who founded Detroit-based James Group International in 1971 — as an early lesson in leadership he learned years before becoming a West Point-trained Army helicopter pilot. James is president of JGI and CEO of its subsidiary Renaissance Global Logistics, which handles export logistics for Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. His brother, Lorron, is CEO of JGI, and their father remains chairman. James rejoined the family business in 2012. After earning a degree in supply chain management from Penn State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan in 2014, James became CEO of RGL in 2015. Since 2010, JGI’s annual revenue has grown from $29 million to $122 million last year. James said the business has grown through investments in talent, technology and “continuous improvement.” “If you don’t, your competition will eat your lunch,” James said. “You don’t maintain a 50-year relationship in this industry if you’re not good.” Outside of his family business, James has been trying to break through into elected office. In 2018, the Farmington Hills Republican lost a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat against incumbent Debbie Stabenow. This year, James is taking on Gary Peters. — Chad Livengood

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Nicolet Lewis

the Midwest. The experience prepared her for moving the Pistons’ front office and 250 administrative employees to Detroit. The team hired Lewis in April 2019, and she was promoted this past June to senior vice president of human resources with added oversight for community and social responsibility. The most vital part of her role has been creating a playbook to help the organization understand the community, ensuring the transition was as seamless for basketball as it was for the business. “It took a lot of planning and communication, teaching and training, because people are afraid of the unknown,” Lewis said. From launching volunteer programs to helping feed the hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic to building basketball courts throughout the city, Lewis has helped coach the team on making a positive neighborhood impact. Professional sports and the NBA in particular have become platforms for highlighting social injustice in recent weeks. While the Pistons have not been directly involved in player protests and strikes, Lewis said supporting Black Lives Matter on social media has been important for establishing the team’s values. “When we look at the turbulent times we’re facing, just in general in the nation, I think it’s tough for us to make sure that the community knows we’re there for them, and it’s something that we strive to do every single day,” Lewis said. — Kurt Nagl

Senior vice president, human resources, Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons and Nicolet Lewis wanted to return to their roots. For 40 years, the Pistons were “Detroit” in name only. In 2017, the team left the Palace of Auburn Hills to play at Little Caesars Arena, and last year the organization planted a flag in Detroit’s New Center area. The company knew it would take more than a shiny new headquarters to win the respect and trust of the community. So, the Pistons turned to Lewis, a native Detroiter who knew the city. “They needed someone who understood the landscape of the city and somebody who understood the complex nature of what it is to move someone,” Lewis said. “I was born and raised in the city of Detroit and was really excited about the rebirth of the city.” Lewis, 34, formerly a human resources partner with Target Corp. and Flagstar Bank, spent the first half of her career on the road, opening and closing banks and stores throughout

Tom Leonard

Kumar Kintala

Christopher Letts

Government relations, public policy and regulatory practice group leader, Plunkett Cooney P.C.

Director of development Bedrock

Co-founder, The Pine Harbor Group; First vice president, Morgan Stanley

Former House Speaker Tom Leonard had barely settled into his new job as head of the Plunkett Cooney law firm’s government relations practice when the coronavirus pandemic swept into Michigan. Leonard’s first day at the firm was March 2. By the next week, Michigan was headed into a lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, triggering months of daily crises for the law firm’s business clients. “I never really got a full orientation,” Leonard, 39, said. “Literally as I was becoming acclimated in the firm, I was sent home and working in my basement working 17 hours a day working through executive orders with clients.” Bloomfield Hills-based Plunkett Cooney hired Leonard to fill a hole in its practice by establishing a government relations and lobbying presence in Lansing. Neither the firm’s partners nor Leonard could have predicted how important it would end up being during this pandemic, as businesses have had to navigate Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders and federal economic stimulus programs. Leonard has become the firm’s lead attorney interpreting Whitmer’s executive orders, often triaging issues for the clients of other partners in the firm. “I wake up every day and never know what the issue is going to be,” he said. “I spend all day being a problem-solver.” Leonard, a Republican from DeWitt, served three terms in the House, the last in 2017-2018 as speaker. After he lost the 2018 race for attorney general against Democrat Dana Nessel, Leonard started a public affairs consulting firm with Quicken Loans as one of his main clients. He worked on the passage of auto insurance reform last year for the Detroit-based mortgage company. In late 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Leonard to be the U.S. attorney in Grand Rapids. But his nomination was blocked by U.S. Senate Democrats. — Chad Livengood 20 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Kumar Kintala is working on some of the largest real estate development projects in downtown Detroit’s history. But he knows that, as director of development for billionaire Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock LLC, he needs to look at the big picture, rather than micromanaging. So he has helped grow Bedrock’s development team from two people to 11, and hired a pair of managers for two of those large projects: Ryan Schell to manage the $909 million development on the former J.L. Hudson’s department store site, and Sam Rouse to manage the $830 million Monroe Blocks project east of Gilbert’s Rocket Companies Inc. (NYSE: RKT) headquarters. “Last year has been about building a team and giving them reins to execute on projects,” said Kintala, 36, a graduate of the University of Michigan and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “The priority was to grow a team.” Kintala started at the company in 2016 and has worked on the Hudson’s site development, now slated to include a 680foot tower with hotel and residential space, making it the second-tallest building in the state; and the Monroe Blocks project, which has faced design setbacks and other delays but has recently gone through the zoning process for a 535-foot highrise on the site at 32 Monroe St. It’s expected to include a mix of residential, office and retail across multiple buildings. Other projects keeping Kintala busy are the redevelopment of the site that once housed the half-built Wayne County Consolidated Jail project at Gratiot Avenue and I-375. It is now expected to become the Detroit Center for Innovation, a joint effort between Gilbert, fellow billionaire Stephen Ross and the University of Michigan. — Kirk Pinho

Christopher Letts founded the Pine Harbor Group, a wealth management group at Morgan Stanley, six years ago, and has grown it to a staff of five and $825 million under management for some 300 families. Letts, 36, is a 2006 graduate of the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and is the first in his family to graduate from college. A native of the Toronto area, he is a citizen of three countries, including Canada. His mother is Bahamian and Letts is a citizen of the Bahamas; his grandfather is Irish and Letts is a citizen of Ireland. He was in the process of getting his U.S. citizenship, but the pandemic has slowed that process, and it will likely wait until next year. In 2017, Letts began a two-year stint as president of the local chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, at age 33 the youngest president ever of the local chapter and the youngest of any of the ACG’s 59 chapters worldwide. Also last year, he was appointed to the finance advisory board at the Broad College of Business, where he has helped develop the school’s new wealth-management curriculum. “Chris has a gift for connecting with people and an energy and drive that is infectious. I have served on many boards over the years and I have yet to see one function as effectively as the ACG board under his leadership, and leading leaders is extremely difficult,” said Mark Winter, president of Identity, a Bingham Farms marketing firm. — Tom Henderson

“LAST YEAR HAS BEEN ABOUT BUILDING A TEAM AND GIVING THEM REINS TO EXECUTE ON PROJECTS. THE PRIORITY WAS TO GROW A TEAM.” — Kumar Kintala

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SEPTEMBER HARGROVE Head of Detroit Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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to participate in the 2020 Census, you’re an advocate for a brighter future for Detroit. Thank you for all that you do!

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Shatica McDonald

health clients across the continent has been instrumental in generating interest from new customers and cementing the loyalty of existing ones. Additionally, she recently launched a comprehensive career development program at Detroit Central High School with a $50,000 grant from Accenture’s CEO. “It’s really about giving back to the community. I really want to inspire young people and show them that there are opportunities and paths to success,” McDonald said. Last year McDonald’s own career path took a turn when she was promoted to managing director, North American health customer engagement. The advancement also gives her bragging rights as one of the youngest partners in Accenture’s health practice nationally. The position is one she coveted within the first few days of working at Accenture. She recalls an employee orientation presentation where they showed a pyramid of job advancement opportunities. At the top was “Partner.” “I looked at the trajectory and knew right then that I was going to get there,” McDonald said. “I was born in Detroit and was Detroit public school-educated. Growing up in the inner city made me determined from a young age to always go for something more.” — Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder

Managing director, North American health care customer engagement, Accenture When 37-year-old Shatica McDonald started working at Accenture 15 years ago, she had a specific mission. She was going to help national health payer clients give their membership base a top-notch customer engagement experience. “If someone’s grandmother, auntie or parent is calling that 1-800 number on their insurance card, they should speak to a human who gives them a positive, personal experience,” McDonald said. “I entered the health care space to impact people. I wanted to make people feel heard, understood and seen, as it relates to a customer experience.” Over the course of her Accenture career, the Clark Atlanta University alumna has held a number of positions and successfully consulted for numerous clients. Her leadership in defining and implementing customer service strategies for

Brent Ott

Matthew Loussia

Beth McKenney

Vice president of business operations and CFO, The Henry Ford

President Value Wholesale

Principal, Risk Advisory Solutions industry leader, KPMG

Continuous learning is important to Brent Ott, both for himself personally and for the educational experiences that The Henry Ford delivers, focused on ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation. And The Henry Ford is looking not just back at history but also forward, said Ott, 36. “How do you take examples of historical innovation and apply them to today?” “We’re trying to have a deeper impact in the community by engaging young kids into our Invention Convention and into various learning activities,” including those through a partnership with the Detroit Public Schools, Ott said. “My parents were both teachers,” he said. “I believe in education, and education is more than just about being in a classroom. I think it’s always a drive to better yourself.” He also teaches accounting at Wayne State University. Over the last several years, The Henry Ford has become “an entrepreneurial organization that has grown to serve more audiences and more outreach,” Ott said. Now, the COVID crisis has interrupted that. The economic situation has created an unprecedented challenge, but leading the institution through these problems — including planning for reopening — has been what Ott says is his greatest professional achievement. The situation “has challenged all of us to think, analyze and act differently,” he said. “While we are not out of the woods, we have made some very tough decisions that were critical for our survival, and we are working towards a path for sustainability.” Ott is looking forward to opening the “Driven To Win” exhibition on racing, which has been in the works for 20 years, and bringing the reconstructed Detroit Central Farmers Market to Greenfield Village. “It’s great to be part of these projects that are preserving history and reshaping what the museum and the village look like for the future,” he said. — Allison Torres Burtka

Matthew Loussia started working at his family’s business, Value Wholesale, straight out of high school. And he hasn’t looked back. “When my father John saw that college wasn’t for me, he didn’t push. He knew that I was interested in business and could really do well,” Loussia says. “I was lucky to learn the ropes from him for about 16 years.” Loussia’s father passed away in 2016 from prostate cancer at the age of 61. Loussia, who had been running the Oak Parkbased grocery and merchandise wholesaler’s daily operations for a few years prior, had to step up and attempt to fill his father’s shoes. He’s led the company to growth. In 2019, he added a 50,000-square-foot addition to the company’s existing 110,000 warehouse in Oak Park. During the same time that the $4 million construction project was completed last October, he closed on a deal to purchase a local competitor, Liberty Wholesale. Between the warehouse expansion and the acquisition of Liberty Wholesale, Loussia, 35, has increased revenue of Value Wholesale by 50 percent. He refuses to take full credit, however. “It’s my dedicated staff that has made everything possible. The 60 great people that I have working for me is why our company has thrived.” Currently, Loussia and his staff are gearing up for more expansion. They are working on a new website that will be launched next year. “We’re making a big push to create a wholesale shopping experience similar to an Amazon for our consumers,” he says. “It will be simple. Because, one thing I have learned through everything is that simplicity is the key to making people want to purchase from your company.” — Jaishree Drepaul-Broder

Beth McKenney loves problem-solving. “Being able to tackle a challenge with a client and get to a solution and look back and say, ‘Gosh, we did this, we solved it, and now we’re in a better spot’ — that’s what motivates me,” she said. McKenney was recently promoted to Risk Advisory Solutions industry leader at KPMG, overseeing the industrial manufacturing accounts and helping clients manage risk for the global accounting firm. Since she took on this role, she has helped the company secure a number of new clients. “Knowing that I am able to bring ideas to the table and help our teams bring the best solutions to our clients is really rewarding,” she said. The current economic climate has presented some daunting challenges that McKenney is helping clients work through. “We are focused on: How do we bring more data-driven and digital solutions so that our clients can manage these really big disruptors and risks in a more agile and proactive way?” she said. McKenney, 39, also works to empower and support other women at the company, both professionally and personally, through KPMG’s Network of Women. She leads its Detroit network, which hosts various events, such as a networking event held last year, where fellow leaders helped women professionals practice their elevator pitches and build confidence. Outside of KPMG, McKenney has helped support girls in STEM clubs through her work with the Michigan Council of Women in Technology. “It’s really great to help these young girls build their skills in technology. This is important because in some STEM programs that serve both girls and boys, the girls can get a little discouraged,” she explained. “The organization helps support a safe space so that these girls can really become more confident, be themselves, and learn about different career opportunities in technology.” — Allison Torres Burtka

22 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

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CONGRATULATIONS Leslie Walton, DO, MBA Corporate Medical Director American Anesthesiology of Michigan in Warren North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA)

Crainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2020 40 Under 40 Your colleagues at NAPA, and our hospital partner Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren Campus, salute your outstanding service to your hometown Detroit community. Thank you for going above and beyond to deliver an exceptional experience for every patient, every day.

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As of May 6, 2020, North American Partners in Anesthesia has acquired American Anesthesiology.

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Ankur Rungta

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President and CFO, C3 Industries Michigan’s legalization of recreational marijuana cleared a path to big business growth for two brothers, Ankur Rungta, 37, and Vishal Rungta, 34. Ankur is CEO and Vishal is president and CFO of C3 Industries, founded with partner Joel Ruggiero, which is rapidly building a manufacturing and retail presence in Michigan and other states. They started their company in 2016, Within three years, they were going head-to-head with some of the largest U.S. cannabis operators. The partners began their endeavor by raising over $25 million in equity capital and since opening have grown exponentially, with revenue rising more than 15 times since 2018, the year voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis.

Jonathan Quarles

Ryan Sullivan

Chantá Parker

Founder and CEO Quartz Water Source Inc.

CEO Xenith LLC

Managing director, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit

Ma Co

When Jonathan Quarles founded the BTL Group, a Detroit-based international business development consultancy and investment firm, he didn’t intend to get into the business of water. But in 2018, he waded into the Flint water crisis when helping a company get its water generation technology deployed. Then Quarles considered what a larger-scale solution might look like. “I wanted it to be done right because it’s personal, and it’s home — I’m a Flint native,” said Quarles, 38. So he founded Quartz Water Source, partnering with an atmospheric water generation technology company, Watergen. Its machines extract fresh water directly from the air. The air gets filtered and flows through patented heat exchange technology, where condensation occurs. The largest machine can produce up to 5,000 liters per day, and the environmental footprint is small. “The cleanest, tastiest water in the world comes from the air,” Quarles said. Quartz intends to bring this technology to Flint and other cities with water challenges. “We found in our research that there’s a lot of need in North America,” because communities are dealing with water shutoffs and high levels of contaminants and lead, Quarles said. “We view ourselves as a ‘second-line’ clean water solution, supplementing municipal water — kind of like a water insurance policy.” The company plans to expand internationally, as 1 in 3 people around the world lack access to clean drinking water, Quarles noted. Quartz operates with a triple bottom line, Quarles said, focusing on financial, social and environmental impact. A portion of profits goes back to water-related projects through a fund controlled by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. Quarles has also written a book, “Making Dollars While Making Change,” about using business and entrepreneurship to do good. “I want to be an example to my three daughters, for them to know that you can actually be a successful business owner and also do good,” he said. — Allison Torres Burtka

Wall Street did not provide a ton of opportunity for the type of community enrichment Ryan Sullivan wanted. Sullivan, 36, was recruited out of Michigan State University in 2006 to do investment banking in New York City. He chose that path over Teach for America and made a comfortable living in the world’s financial capital. But he missed home and was looking for work with a little more meaning. “I knew it was important for me to go there and get that experience, but I knew ultimately I wanted to be back here in Detroit,” he said. Sullivan joined Rock Ventures LLC in 2010, helping to build out Dan Gilbert’s gambling operation in Ohio. In 2016, Gilbert made him CEO of Xenith LLC, a growth-phase football helmet maker in the Rock portfolio of companies. “I’m passionate about economics and helping businesses grow, but at the same time, I am interested in helping foster communities and helping people develop,” Sullivan said. “One of the things I truly love about my job is that it kind of merges those interests and passions.” Xenith makes helmets and shoulder pads to protect athletes. Its primary customers are youth football teams in Michigan, California and Texas. The company provides underfunded school districts subsidized equipment and frequently runs programs introducing kids to career opportunities. One of its latest initiatives is working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan to launch a youth football league. Many youth sports, however, are sidelined this fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That has Sullivan staring down big revenue declines this year. Harnessing his Wall Street experience during the financial crisis of 2007-09, Sullivan is leading a restructuring of the company he believes will position it for growth. “We have support from our ownership group for this new business model, so we’re very confident in the outlook,” he said. — Kurt Nagl

Chantá Parker began her career as a public defender in New Orleans in 2008. There, she said, “I learned the power of public defense to catalyze culture change and improve representation for all.” Parker, 39, came to Detroit last year to help establish a new public defender’s office in Wayne County, the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit. Its approach differs from that of some traditional public defenders: It uses a client-centered model that puts clients at the center of their legal team and works to understand clients’ needs beyond their criminal case, “to assist them in avoiding future contact with the criminal legal system,” Parker explained. While some public defenders get overloaded with cases, NDS’s approach gives them the resources they need and allows them to get to know their clients. “Our clients know the criminal legal system can be unjust, particularly to people of color,” Parker said. “But they trust us because we leave no stone unturned in their defense, and we build relationships with them and their families. This kind of community-based public defense makes our legal system more just.” Since NDS opened its doors, “COVID and racial uprisings for Black lives really changed the ground on which we were building,” Parker said. “This current moment amplifies what folks have been saying for quite a while about the size of our system, the overly punitive nature of our system, and the way it harms individuals and communities. We sort of see those things in real time.” Most of NDS’s clients are Black, and “they face disparate treatment in the system,” including higher bail, harsher sentences and less access to resources, Parker said. “I’m really proud that NDS levels that playing field.” As a public defender, Parker believes it’s important to treat clients with dignity and respect. “I believe that nobody’s as bad as the worst thing they’ve ever done,” she said. — Allison Torres Burtka

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24 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Both brothers graduated from Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with a bachelor of business administration degree. Ankur also attained a law degree at the University of Michigan Law School and became an attorney before moving on to become an investment banker. Vishal worked in investment banking and private equity for four years and at Google Inc. for two years before the brothers came together to start their company. “I put a lot of value on spending time in the corporate world. The five years I spent there really prepared me,” Ankur said. As for young entrepreneurs, he said, “Don’t just rush into it.” The company currently employs roughly 170 employees, of whom more than 100 are in Michigan. They now operate four retail locations and two manufacturing facilities, one of which is a 36,000-square-foot space in Webberville that is expanding to just over 100,000 square feet. The second facility is located in Oregon. Currently under construction is a third facility in Massachusetts, while a fourth in Missouri is in the planning phase. C3 retail locations in Michigan are in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grant and Buchanan, with locations under development in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Pontiac and Flint. — Laila Hmaidan

Eric Van Dam

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When Eric Van Dam was at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business, he knew that investment banks typically looked to Ivy League schools when hiring. So he was one of the people who helped start the Financial Markets Institute, essentially an honors program to help Broad students pursue financial services careers on Wall Street. Van Dam also became the first person from MSU to get an investment banking position at Lehman Brothers out of undergrad. Now a managing director at Cowen and Co. in Birmingham, Van Dam, 35, is on the FMI’s board of directors, and he has mentored and coached many students. And the FMI has helped put MSU on the map with Wall Street firms: Many of them now recruit on campus. When Van Dam was 34, he became one of the youngest individuals to be promoted to managing director at Cowen. His focus is mergers and acquisition advisory, and he has worked on over 50 transactions that represent more than $11 billion of enterprise value. “Helping business owners sell their businesses and raise capital to grow their business is one of the most important life events they will ever go through,” Van Dam said. “To be able to have such a meaningful, positive impact on a business and the owners is what attracted me to the investment banking industry.” Van Dam’s work to expand opportunities for financial services professionals from Michigan continues at Cowen. The company has made it a priority to recruit people with Michigan ties. “We’re continuing to recruit individuals from all over the country back to the Michigan market, and we’re hiring some of the top undergraduates out of Michigan State and Michigan to try to keep top talent in the state of Michigan,” Van Dam said. — Allison Torres Burtka

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CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

@crainsdetroit

CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 25

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Leslie Walton

Corporate medical director, North American Partners in Anesthesia

Ex Ed

When COVID-19 hit, anesthesiologist Leslie Walton had a surplus of patients at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital. But she learned that one of the practices in her network was imploring providers to travel to even harder-hit areas in the Northeast, and she felt compelled to answer the call. “I’m not an adventurous person whatsoever,” she said. “There was something in my heart that led me to go there.” She traveled to New Jersey and treated coronavirus patients for five weeks, including some of the sickest patients. “It was initially overwhelming, but my team and I strategically treated each patient one by one,” she said. “We were able to see a lot of patients move in the right direction.” While in New Jersey, Walton, 39, worked with several other practitioners who had come from around the country. “It was really life changing,” she said. The experience changed her practice as a clinician, as she

Deirdre Young

Stacy Ziarko

realized the importance of patience and compassion. “From now on, I will never rush. I will never go anywhere until a patient understands what’s going on,” she said. “The emotional component is just as important as the clinical skill.” This experience also reminded Walton why she became a physician: to serve the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Walton has seen COVID intensify a problem she wants to address: social and racial inequities in health care. Although race and ethnicity affected health care well before COVID, the pandemic has “exposed race and ethnicity as a factor in patients’ ability to fight against the virus,” she said. “When you start looking at inequities, they contribute to mortality.” Walton said she is “committed to bringing awareness to close some of these social gaps and improving health care for everyone.”— Allison Torres Burtka

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Chief diversity officer and assistant dean for institutional equity and inclusion, College for Creative Studies

President and CEO, Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Executive vice president, COO and board member, AutoPets

Deirdre Young has always been aware of racial and ethnic disparities in the health care system — even as a child growing up in Detroit. “When I would go to different health care providers, seeing the lack of empathy, the lack of cultural awareness, or the lack of responsiveness to the social determinants of health was alarming,” said Young, 39. “I did not know what all those words were when I was younger, but I knew something wasn’t right.” She became a dentist and decided to do something about it — specifically, to bring in more health care providers from historically underrepresented groups who can help reduce these disparities into the profession. Young is a traveling mentor for Tour for Diversity in Medicine, an organization that educates, inspires and cultivates future physicians and dentists of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. She recently heard from a woman she mentored as an undergraduate, who is now a doctor and has joined Tour for Diversity herself. “That’s why I’m doing this,” she said. “I am doing it so the next future doctor, with a similar lived experience of humble beginnings, can now take their story to inspire the next group.” While working at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, Young developed a pipeline program for high school and college students, secured grants and established a summer enrichment program. Young said she had benefited from similar opportunities herself. Young’s work toward equity continues in her role as chief diversity officer and assistant dean at the College for Creative Studies. Her work includes improving the recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations in the college’s faculty, staff and students. “A part of my ‘why’ is that I love our city,” Young said. “As we reimagine what things look like in the middle of the pandemic and beyond, I’m here for it. I am present.” — Allison Torres Burtka

Stacy Ziarko, 38, has always been a commercial matchmaker. “Hold on, I know someone,” is one of her favorite things to say. When the opportunity to become the ultimate connector for her community and lifelong home became available, she had to apply. She was hired as president and CEO of the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry in September. For six months, Ziarko held events, connecting people, helping businesses, doing all the things chambers typically do, and some new things — like engaging with manufacturers — that chambers typically do not. During this time the chamber saw growth in events, membership expansion and an increase in sponsorship dollars. “In the end of February, I was at a chamber event and everyone was saying, ‘2020 will be the year for Macomb County,’” Ziarko said. “Then the bottom fell out ... COVID.” COVID changed the chamber, but it didn’t shut it down. Ziarko found new ways to support the community and communication was key, whether it was showcasing small businesses, initiating a “Macomb is Open” campaign or providing Covid-Casts to business owners on subjects like, how to apply for loans or utilize digital marketing. “So many people rallied around the chamber,” Ziarko said. “We were doing anything that might help our members. Some darts hit the board, and some fell to the floor. We just kept doing what we thought was right in the hope it would help people keep their doors open.” The chamber, with 1,100 members, will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2021, and Ziarko knows it will play an important role in the rebuilding of small businesses post-COVID. “We are a very community-based chamber. I’m looking forward to seeing people again and getting back to business.” — Laura Cassar

As an entrepreneur, Jacob Zuppke, 32, always dreamed of having a physical product to sell. As a self-proclaimed “dog person,” he never imagined that product would be for cats. In March 2015, Zuppke was brought on at AutoPets in a consulting role to rebrand the 15-year-old self-cleaning litter box business and position it for the digital age. Zuppke led a complete overhaul of AutoPets’ direct-to-consumer brand marketing strategy, introducing influencer marketing, social initiatives, data-driven e-commerce marketing and a focus on search engine optimization. “After 15 years in business, Brad (Baxter) had built the best product on the market,” Zuppke said. “That was our aha moment; to see what is possible when you are digital forward.” The results of these efforts were an 80 percent revenue growth in 2016 and an invitation to stay on as vice president of business development. Zuppke, who had along the way fallen in love with the business, accepted. Zuppke’s role at AutoPets has continued to evolve with the company’s needs, including stepping into the chief operating officer position to align the business with its growth. “In 2020 we will produce nine times as many robots as we did in 2015, and yet we cannot keep up with demand,” Zuppke said. AutoPets went from $6.7 million in revenue in 2014 to more than $40 million in 2019. The year 2019 also saw the launch of revenue-generating Litterbox.com and a $31 million recapitalization. With 130 employees, AutoPets is now more than triple the size it was when Zuppke came on. “I am most proud of building an amazing culture where people feel empowered and excited about their work,” Zuppke said. “They can be the professionals they want to be and have autonomy in their roles.” — Laura Cassar

26 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

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“SOME DARTS HIT THE BOARD, AND SOME FELL TO THE FLOOR. WE JUST KEPT DOING WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS RIGHT IN THE HOPE IT WOULD HELP PEOPLE KEEP THEIR DOORS OPEN.” — Stacy Ziarko

“THAT WAS OUR AHA MOMENT; TO SEE WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN YOU ARE DIGITAL FORWARD.” — Jacob Zuppke

“GETTING TO KNOW OUR TEAM IN THE FIELD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, AND UNDERSTANDING HOW WE CAN MAKE THEIR JOB BETTER, IS SO CRITICAL.” — S. Eliot Weiner

ARCHITECTURE

FINANCIAL SERVICES

MANUFACTURING

Quinn Evans

Rehmann

Kors Engineering

Devan Anderson, AIA, has been promoted to senior associate in Quinn Evans’ Detroit office. Anderson has more than 20 years of architectural experience and is currently serving as project architect for the modernization of Detroit’s iconic Michigan Central Station. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Detroit Mercy. Anderson is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the City of Detroit Historic District Commission, and the board of the Detroit Synergy Group.

Steven Gibson joins Rehmann’s wealth management team as Principal in the Ann Arbor office. In his position, he will develop creative strategies to help clients work toward meeting their financial goals, integrating retirement plan design, consulting, administration and investment advisory services with overall business and financial plans. He will work with a cross-functional team to guide each client considering tax law and efficiencies, estate planning, and accounting needs.

Kors Engineering, a premier service provider for manufacturing and industrial organizations, is proud to announce Brian Gillespie as its new Chief Sales Officer. “Brian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our executive leadership team. We are really excited to have him drive our global customer and partner efforts,” said Tony Kaczmarek, CEO, Kors Engineering. “We are confident that Brian can take the business forward at an even faster pace and magnify our on-going success.”

AUTOMOTIVE

Ziebart International Corporation Jason Theisen has been named Ziebart International Corporation’s Director of Franchise Operations. During his 16-year career at Ziebart, Theisen has worked his way up from store technician to management and, eventually, corporate sales. As Director of Franchise Operations, he will be responsible for U.S. regional sales, product sales/ technical support, and customer service to help Ziebart solidify its place as a key profit opportunity for the brand’s franchise owners and car dealer partners.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

TCF Bank TCF Bank has named John Hairston business banking market manager. Hairston, based in Detroit, will lead the growing Business Banking Team in Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio and will serve as a strategic partner in developing TCF’s business banking product set. Hairston and Trisha Hale, market manager, will play key roles supporting TCF’s $1 billion five-year loan initiative for minority communities and PROMOTE. minorityand women-owned Why not? small businesses. Celebrate your Success with Reprints & Recognition Products!

PROMOTE.

September 2, 2019 | crainsdetroit.com

Why not?

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Dandridge Floyd, 37

UNDER

Assistant Superintendent of Human Relations and Labor Relations, Oakland Schools

hroughout Dandridge Floyd’s careers — whether as a social worker, attorney or assistant superintendent of Oakland Schools — making change has always been a center point. When United Way pitched a framework to Oakland Schools for a countywide breakfast program to address poor nutrition as a way to improve academic achievement, Floyd — who experienced food insecurity growing up — knew firsthand the powerful impact it could have. To secure the needed funds, Floyd led a team that earned support from all 28 local districts to finance the program — despite the fact that a majority of them would see no benefit. “The local districts were phenomenal,” Floyd said. “The biggest surprise was how quickly it happened. Education is a democratic system and democracy can be very slow, but this happened in six to seven months. That showed how committed people were to making sure the students of Oakland County have everything they need to be successful.” In a county where over 7,000 children suffer from hunger, and only two in five eligible students access a school breakfast, Floyd said a common misperception is that “Oakland County is rich.” “That makes this program all the more important, because if that is the bias or the thought process people have about Oakland County, then these kids would have never gotten help.” In a groundbreaking public/nonprofit partnership between the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Oakland Schools and United Way, Oakland County is Better with Breakfast was born. “I’m impacting lives now,” Floyd said. “I know the effect food insecurity had on me and my peers growing up, and this was an opportunity to make a change that I wish an adult could have made for me.” — Laura Cassar

October 30, 2017 | crainsdetroit.com

UBS to open downtown Detroit office By Annalise Frank

October 30, 2017 | crainsdetroit.com

• UBS plans to open wealth management office in Detroit in mid-2018 • Office to include 6,000-squarefoot space30,nonprofits and civic October 2017 | crainsdetroit.com groups • UBS plans to open wealthcan use free of charge • Bedrock-owned buildings office in Detroit “I’m impacting lives now. management I know undergoing renovations in mid-2018

UBS to open downtown Detroit office

By Annalise Frank

UBS to open downtown Detroit office

6,000-squarethe effect food insecurity• Office had onto includeUBS plans to open an office in downfoot space nonprofits and civic Detroit in mid-2018, the company Annalise Frank growing groups meByand my peers up, andcan usetown free of charge announced Monday. • Bedrock-ownedUBS buildings Group AG’s U.S. and Canadian UBSan plans to open wealth this•was opportunity toundergoing make a renovations wealth management business, New Jermanagement office in Detroit sey-based Wealth Management change I wish an adult UBScould plans to open an office UBS in downin that mid-2018 Americas, to lease 13,000 square UBS will lease 13,000 feet from Bedrock LLC starting around mid-2018 in two buildings: the Grintown Detroit in mid-2018, theplans company • Office to include 6,000-squarefeet on the connected sixth floors of nell Building (center left) at 1515 Woodward Ave. and the Sanders Building (center right) at 1529 have made for me.” announced Monday. foot space nonprofits and civic buildings at 1515 Wood- Woodward Ave. Group AG’sneighboring U.S. and Canadian groups can use free UBS of charge ward Ave. and Fourteen metro Detroit employees don’t really have adequate resources wealth management business, New 1529 Jer- Woodward Ave. • Bedrock-owned buildings The twoManagement buildings built around 1900 are will move to the downtown office to or adequate office space to host dosey-based UBS Wealth undergoing renovations by Detroit-based will lease LLC 13,000 feet from Bedrock LLC starting around mid-2018 buildings: Grin- meetings or things nor events the or board start, but the office has the capacity toin two Americas, plans toowned lease 13,000 square UBSBedrock nell Building (center at 1515 Woodward andnew the Sanders Buildingalong (centerthose right) at 1529 Bush said. and are undergoing said left) lines,” hold another six toAve. eight staff memon inthe connected sixth floors of renovations, Reprinted with permission from Crain’s Detroit Business. © 2019 Crain Communications Inc. All RightsUBS reserved. plans to open anfeet office downAve. for bers, Bush said. It will act as an extension John Bush, 60, WoodMichiganWoodward market head UBS’s investment in the new ofneighboring buildings at 1515 Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD1134 town Detroit in mid-2018, the company UBS Wealth ManagementFourteen Americas.metro of fice will resources be “significant,” he said, as its the other wealth management offices. don’t really have adequate Detroit employees announced Monday. ward Ave. and 1529 Woodward Ave. “The real impetus open atonew The twoCanadian buildings built around 1900 arefor us “uniqueness Bush is based Birmingham office space to hostcomes do- at a price.” He said willto move the downtown office out to ofortheadequate UBS Group AG’s U.S. and office inBedrock Detroit is to support what’s owned by Detroit-based LLC he could or not yet provide an estimate but travels to to the will meetings norothers eventsand or board things start, but the goofficeoffice, has the capacity wealth management business, New Jering renovations, on in the city, ” saidhold Bush, a Detroit and are undergoing said on the be spending in thealong Detroit branch. those lines,” Bush said.cost of the build-out, as some another six to eight new stafftime memsey-based UBS Wealth Management nativemarket who grew City. “We John Bush, 60, Michigan headup forin Garden have yet The location have atheless UBS’s investment in the new of- to be finalized. said. will act asDetroit an extension fromBush Bedrock LLCItstarting around mid-2018 in twowill buildings: Grin- contracts Americas, plans to lease 13,000 square UBS will lease 13,000 feetbers, UBS Wealth Management Americas. really felt like we wantedofto have a physfice will be “significant,” hecompany said, as its the other wealth management offices. The plans to start its buildtraditional, more “urban” feelright) than 1515 Woodward Ave. and the Sanders Building (center atthe 1529 feet on the connected sixth floors of nell Building (center left) at “The real impetus for us to open new ical presence downtown to reinforce “uniqueness comes at saidnext year, depending Bush is based outothers, of the he Birmingham outa price.” processHe early said. New York-based architecAve. a neighboring buildings office at 1515 Wood- toWoodward in Detroit is our support go-particular vision what’s for this areatravels and toture he will could not yet an estimate office, but the firm others and will Cale on when renovations on the buildings Verderame design the provide ward Ave. and 1529 ing Woodward don’t really have adequate resources Fourteen metro Detroit employees on in theAve. city,”tosaid Bush, a Detroit reinforce our on Barton the cost of the build-out, as some be spending time inspace; the Detroit branch. are complete. Southfield-based Malow The two buildings builtnative around 1900 areup in adequate office space to have host dowill moveCity. to tothe officelocation to or will who grew Garden “Wedowntown commitment contracts finalized. The Detroit have aon less based in Switzerland, employs Co. has signed as general contractor.yet to beUBS, owned by Detroit-based Bedrock nor events or board or things start, thea physoffice has the capacity really felt likeLLC we wanted tobut The company plans to startacross its buildtraditional, moreto“urban” than the outmeetings the city. ” have 60,000 54 countries. About 34 UBS feel plans to rent about half of the and are undergoing renovations, along those lines,” Bush said. early next year, depending hold six to eight new he staff memical presencesaid downtown toWealth reinforce others, said. New office York-based architecUBS another — 6,000 square out feetprocess — at no cost percent of them work in the AmeriJohn Bush, 60, Michiganour market head UBS’s investment the renovations new of- on the buildings bers, said. It will act an extension vision for for thisMparticular oninorganizations, when tureasfirm VerderametoCale will design theother a n aBush g e marea e n tand cas, according to a news release. UBS nonprofits and UBS Wealth Management will beMalow “significant,” he said, as its of the other also wealth management offices. ficeBarton to Americas. reinforce our Americas are be complete. space; Southfield-based Bush said. The space will called UBS Wealth Management Americas em“The real impetus for commitment us to open a new “uniqueness comes at a price.” He said is based thehas Birmingham to has Bush based signed on as Woodward general contractor. metro De- out ofCo. ploys 280employs in Michigan, 225 of whom Gallery. Its UBS, design and in artSwitzerland, office in Detroit is to support what’s go- office, but travels to theUBS heabout couldhalf not an estimate others and the city. ” 60,000 across 54 countries. 34 Detroit. plans towill rent will out of yet the provide troit offices in are basedAbout in metro aim to showcase Detroit’s history ing on in the city,” said Bush, on the cost the build-out, asthem somework in the Amerispending Detroit branch. UBS a Detroit Wealth B be percent office — 6,000 square at noofcost irm i n g h a time m , in the The wealth management business andfeet a— hub-and-spoke layout ofwill renative who grew up in Garden contracts have yet tocas, be finalized. M a n a gCity. e m“We e n t Troy, The Detroit locationtowill have a and less other according to a news release. UBS nonprofits organizations, Farmington recorded operating income of $2.13 flect the city’s road system. really felt like we wanted to have a physAmericas also Hills, The plans to startManagement its buildtraditional, more “urban” Wealth Americas em- quarter of 2017 — a Bushfeel said.than The the space will becompany called Plymouth in the third “Some of theUBS organizations that op- billion ical presence downtown reinforce has tometro De- others, he said. New York-based outdesign process early year,280 depending architecploys in Michigan, 225 of whom Woodward Gallery. Its and art next John Bush erate and Dearborn. and provide services in the city 7 percent increase over last year. our vision for this particular area and troit offices in ture firm Verderame Cale when renovations the buildings the onDetroit’s in metro Detroit. willwill aimdesign to showcase history areonbased to reinforce our B i r m i n g h a m , space; Southfield-based complete. Malow arelayout The wealth management business andBarton a hub-and-spoke will reReprinted with permission from Crain’s Detroit Business. © 2019 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. commitment to Troy, Farmington Co. has signed on as general UBS, basedis prohibited. in Switzerland, employs income recorded operating contractor. flectFurther the city’s road without system. duplication permission Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD936of $2.13 Hills, Plymouth the city.” billion in About the third “Somehalf of the organizations that op60,000 across 54 countries. 34quarter of 2017 — a UBS plans to rent out about of the John Bush and Dearborn. UBS Wealth 7 percent and provide city work percentinofthe them in theincrease Ameri-over last year. office — 6,000 squareerate feet — at no cost services Management to nonprofits and other organizations, cas, according to a news release. UBS Reprinted with permission from Crain’s Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. Americas also Wealth Management Americas emBush said. The space will be Detroit calledBusiness. UBS © 2019 Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD936 has metro DeWoodward Gallery. Its design and art ploys 280 in Michigan, 225 of whom troit offices in will aim to showcase Detroit’s history are based in metro Detroit. Birmingham, The wealth management business and a hub-and-spoke layout will reCRAINSDETROIT.COM I MARCH 9, 2020 I Troy, Farmington recorded operating income of $2.13 flect the city’s road system. Hills, Plymouth THE CONVERSATION “Some of the organizations that op- billion in the third quarter of 2017 — a John Bush erate and provide services in the city 7 percent increase over last year. and Dearborn.

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Albert Berriz talks workforce housing, Ann Arbor and Cuba

Reprinted with permission from Crain’s Detroit Business. © 2019 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. | BY KIRK PINHO Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD936

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 27

MCKINLEY INC.: Ann Arbor-based real estate company McKinley Inc. saw the writing on the wall for its retail portfolio a few years ago and cut bait, turning its focus primarily to its large crop of tens of thousands of workforce housing units across the country. One of the people at the helm of that decision was Albert Berriz, CEO and managing member, who came to America as a young boy fleeing Cuba and now steers a large company with a portfolio valued at more than $4 billion. `Crain’s Detroit Business: Can you talk a little bit about how the McKinley portfolio began and where it’s at today? Berriz: McKinley started in 1968 in Ann Arbor, and it was founded by (former U.S.) Ambassador Ron Weiser. It started in the student housing business and eventually transitioned into more traditional multifamily housing, and in addition to that, office and retail, as well. Today, we’re primarily a workforce housing multifamily operator. We have essentially disposed of our retail and office assets in an effort to really focus on multifamily and also focus on an asset class that I think is more in line with our current goal, which is to have a generational multifamily real estate enterprise and a pool of assets that really are long term in nature. ` Explain workforce housing versus affordable housing. We’re not in luxury housing. Our residents are working. They’re going to wake up tomorrow morning and go to work. Our average rents are, for example, in Washtenaw County, about $1,100 to $1,200 or in Orange County, or Seminole County, Florida, $1,400 or $1,500. So these are affordable rents. And the difference between us and affordable housing is our buildings are not subsidized. They’re all market rate, and they’re all privately owned. The owners are not receiving any form of subsidy, nor are the residents. However, if you wanted to sort of assess residents and low-income housing tax credit deals compared to ours, they’re probably not too dissimilar, the median incomes. The McKinley residents in, let’s say, Washtenaw County, when you look at the numbers are probably not going to be too much different than what you would see in a traditional LIHTC deal. But again, our buildings, the primary differences, our buildings are market rate and they’re not subsidized any way.

`I don’t think it’s overblown to use the word “crisis” for Ann Arbor’s affordable housing situation. Give us your perspective on how the city should go about addressing it. I think it’s a supply issue. The reality is that Ann Arbor has not really welcomed solutions from the private sector and has only sought solutions from the public housing side or the community nonprofit side. And both of those groups, while I think they’re very well intentioned, don’t have the capital and the expertise to resolve the problem at the scale it’s needed. To put it in perspective, you know, the Washtenaw County study that came out had a need of about 3,000 units. And if you look at the cost per unit today, and let’s say $250,000 or $300,000 per unit to build a brand new unit today, you know, it’s an $800 million to a $1 billion problem, so I don’t think that’s a problem that gets resolved on the public side or on the community nonprofit side. You know, they have to go to places to seek capital and there just isn’t enough capital, nor do they have enough resources or expertise to resolve the problems. So the city I think, by and large, has attempted to do this in those ways because they really haven’t welcomed the private side. And there is a lot of expertise and there’s a lot of capital that could do this, from the private side perspective. It just hasn’t been the way that Ann Arbor operates, so you see what has happened in Ann Arbor year over year, decade over decade is there’s a lot of conversations about affordable housing, but there’s no solutions. `You were talking a little bit earlier about how McKinley got out of retail and office. What led to that decision and how has that reflected or shaped your business strategy? It was a risk profile that we were just not comfortable with. We are a generational business and so we look at our assets in

a way that we never expect to sell them. We expect to invest in them so they last for long term, and we just couldn’t see that on retail. We saw a significant degradation of our rent rolls. We had buildings that were, let’s say, 70 percent to 80 percent investment-grade credit tenant composition and then we saw that we saw that quickly degrade. We just didn’t see a place where we could really have an asset class retail that would last for the long run. And then office in many ways, the same way. The way people are shopping and the way people are occupying offices today, the risk profile is very different than it was, let’s say, when we were making those investments 20 and 30 years ago, so for us, it was the right move. It’s paid off because, had we held many of the assets today, they would be significantly compromised. I think they would be worth a lot less. We started those sales about six years ago, and we sold a lot of that early on, so we sold them still at a time they were being valued significantly more than they would be worth today, in our opinion. And we sold some big buildings. I mean, these weren’t small buildings. We sold a 1 millionsquare-foot shopping center, for example, in Norfolk, Va., which is one of the largest power centers in the state of Virginia. So these weren’t small assets. So they were important for us to move them out at the right time, and for people that thought that was there was a good upside for them, so we actually sold them at good prices, and certainly we couldn’t have sold them at those prices today.

trajectory was to where you are today in terms of the head of McKinley. I left (Cuba) compliments of Fidel Castro in early 1959 because of the Cuban Revolution. We had to flee. It was survival to leave the country at the time and my parents relocated to Miami. We were fortunate for that. We’re fortunate to have left alive, fortunate to have resettled in what is without question the greatest country on the planet. I was not born here. I was born in Havana and I emigrated as a Cuban refugee just before I was 4 years old with my parents. `What consumes your day outside of the office? My wife and I walk. We like to boat, so those are the two things. In our summers we live at Saugatuck, and it’s a great place to live. We’d live there year-round, but it’s a little too cold in the winter.

`Can you give thumbnail sketch of coming here and what your

September 2, 2019 | crainsdetroit.com

Albert Berriz, CEO and managing member, McKinley Inc.

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UBS to open downtown Detroit office By Annalise Frank

October 30, 2017 | crainsdetroit.com

• UBS plans to open wealth management office in Detroit in mid-2018 • Office to include 6,000-squarefoot space30,nonprofits and civic October 2017 | crainsdetroit.com

UBS to open downtown Detroit office By Annalise Frank

groups • UBS plans to open wealthcan use free of charge • Bedrock-owned buildings

office in Detroit “I’m impacting lives now. management I know undergoing renovations in mid-2018 6,000-squarethe effect food insecurity• Office had onto includeUBS plans to open an office in downfoot space nonprofits and civic town Detroit in mid-2018, the company Annalise Frank growing groups meByand my peers up, andcan useannounced free of charge Monday. • Bedrock-ownedUBS buildings Group AG’s U.S. and Canadian UBSan plans to open wealth this•was opportunity toundergoing make a renovations wealth management business, New Jermanagement office in Detroit sey-based Wealth Management change I wish an adult UBScould plans to open an office UBS in downin that mid-2018 Americas, to lease 13,000 square town Detroit in mid-2018, theplans company • Office to include 6,000-squarefeet on the connected sixth floors of have made for me.” announced Monday. foot space nonprofits and civic

UBS to open downtown Detroit office Bedrock LLC

— Deirdre Young

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

UBS will lease 13,000 feet from Bedrock LLC starting around mid-2018 in two buildings: the Grinnell Building (center left) at 1515 Woodward Ave. and the Sanders Building (center right) at 1529 Woodward Ave.

buildings at 1515 WoodGroup AG’sneighboring U.S. and Canadian groups can use free UBS of charge ward Ave. and Fourteen metro Detroit employees don’t really have adequate resources wealth management business, New 1529 Jer- Woodward Ave. • Bedrock-owned buildings The twoManagement buildings built around 1900 are will move to the downtown office to or adequate office space to host dosey-based UBS Wealth undergoing renovations by Detroit-based will lease LLC 13,000 feet from Bedrock LLC starting around mid-2018 buildings: Grin- meetings or things nor events the or board start, but the office has the capacity toin two Americas, plans toowned lease 13,000 square UBSBedrock nell Building (center at 1515 Woodward andnew the Sanders Buildingalong (centerthose right) at 1529 Bush said. and are undergoing said left) lines,” hold another six toAve. eight staff memon inthe connected sixth floors of renovations, Reprinted with permission from Crain’s Detroit Business. © 2019 Crain Communications Inc. All RightsUBS reserved. plans to open anfeet office downAve. for bers, Bush said. It will act as an extension John Bush, 60, WoodMichiganWoodward market head UBS’s investment in the new ofneighboring buildings at 1515 Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD1134 town Detroit in mid-2018, the company UBS Wealth ManagementFourteen Americas.metro of fice will resources be “significant,” he said, as its the other wealth management offices. don’t really have adequate Detroit employees announced Monday. ward Ave. and 1529 Woodward Ave. “The real impetus open atonew The twoCanadian buildings built around 1900 arefor us “uniqueness Bush is based theadequate Birmingham office space to hostcomes do- at a price.” He said willto move the downtown office out to ofor UBS Group AG’s U.S. and office inBedrock Detroit is to support what’s owned by Detroit-based LLC he could or not yet provide an estimate but travels to to the will meetings norothers eventsand or board things start, but the goofficeoffice, has the capacity wealth management business, New Jering renovations, on in the city, ” saidhold Bush, a Detroit and are undergoing said on the be spending in thealong Detroit branch. those lines,” Bush said.cost of the build-out, as some another six to eight new stafftime memsey-based UBS Wealth Management nativemarket who grew City. “We John Bush, 60, Michigan headup forin Garden have yet The location have atheless UBS’s investment in the new of- to be finalized. said. will act asDetroit an extension fromBush Bedrock LLCItstarting around mid-2018 in twowill buildings: Grin- contracts Americas, plans to lease 13,000 square UBS will lease 13,000 feetbers, UBS Wealth Management Americas. really felt like we wantedofto have a physfice will be “significant,” hecompany said, as its the other wealth management offices. The plans to start its buildtraditional, more “urban” feelright) than 1515 Woodward Ave. and the Sanders Building (center atthe 1529 feet on the connected sixth floors of nell Building (center left) at “The real impetus for us to open adowntown new ical presence to reinforce “uniqueness comes at saidnext year, depending Bush is based outothers, of the he Birmingham outa price.” processHe early said. New York-based architecneighboring buildings at 1515 Wood- Woodward Ave. office in Detroit is our to support go-particular vision what’s for this areatravels and toture he will could not yet an estimate office, but the firm others and will Cale on when renovations on the buildings Verderame design the provide ward Ave. and 1529 ing Woodward don’t really have adequate resources Fourteen metro Detroit employees on in theAve. city,”tosaid Bush, a Detroit reinforce our on Barton the cost of the build-out, as some be spending time inspace; the Detroit branch. are complete. Southfield-based Malow The two buildings builtnative around 1900 areup in adequate office space to have host dowill moveCity. to tothe officelocation to or will who grew Garden “Wedowntown commitment contracts finalized. The Detroit have aon less based in Switzerland, employs Co. has signed as general contractor.yet to beUBS, owned by Detroit-based Bedrock nor events or board or things start, thea physoffice has the capacity really felt likeLLC we wanted tobut The company plans to startacross its buildtraditional, moreto“urban” than the outmeetings the city. ” have 60,000 54 countries. About 34 UBS feel plans to rent about half of the and are undergoing renovations, along those lines,” Bush said. early next year, depending hold six to eight new he staff memical presencesaid downtown toWealth reinforce others, said. New office York-based architecUBS another — 6,000 square out feetprocess — at no cost percent of them work in the AmeriJohn Bush, 60, Michiganour market head UBS’s investment the renovations new of- on the buildings bers, said. It will act an extension vision for for thisMparticular oninorganizations, when tureasfirm VerderametoCale will design theother a n aBush g e marea e n tand cas, according to a news release. UBS nonprofits and UBS Wealth Management will beMalow “significant,” he said, as its of the other also wealth management offices. ficeBarton to Americas. reinforce our Americas are be complete. space; Southfield-based Bush said. The space will called UBS Wealth Management Americas em“The real impetus for commitment us to open a new “uniqueness comes at a price.” He said is based thehas Birmingham to has Bush based signed on as Woodward general contractor. metro De- out ofCo. ploys 280employs in Michigan, 225 of whom Gallery. Its UBS, design and in artSwitzerland, office in Detroit is to support what’s go- office, but travels to theUBS heabout couldhalf not an estimate others and the city. ” 60,000 across 54 countries. 34 Detroit. plans towill rent will out of yet the provide troit offices in are basedAbout in metro aim to showcase Detroit’s history ing on in the city,” said Bush, on the cost the build-out, asthem somework in the Amerispending Detroit branch. UBS a Detroit Wealth B be percent office — 6,000 square at noofcost irm i n g h a time m , in the The wealth management business andfeet a— hub-and-spoke layout ofwill renative who grew up in Garden contracts have yet tocas, be finalized. M a n a gCity. e m“We e n t Troy, The Detroit locationtowill have a and less other according to a news release. UBS nonprofits organizations, Farmington recorded operating income of $2.13 flect the city’s road system. really felt like we wanted to have a physAmericas also Hills, The plans to startManagement its buildtraditional, more “urban” Wealth Americas em- quarter of 2017 — a Bushfeel said.than The the space will becompany called Plymouth in the third “Some of theUBS organizations that op- billion ical presence downtown reinforce has tometro De- others, he said. New York-based outdesign process early year,280 depending architecploys in Michigan, 225 of whom Woodward Gallery. Its and art next John Bush erate and Dearborn. and provide services in the city 7 percent increase over last year. our vision for this particular area and troit offices in ture firm Verderame Cale when renovations the buildings the onDetroit’s in metro Detroit. willwill aimdesign to showcase history areonbased to reinforce our B i r m i n g h a m , space; Southfield-based complete. Malow arelayout The wealth management business andBarton a hub-and-spoke will reReprinted with permission from Crain’s Detroit Business. © 2019 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. commitment to Troy, Farmington Co. has signed on as general UBS, based in Switzerland, employs recorded operating income of $2.13 contractor. flectFurther the city’s road system. duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD936 Hills, Plymouth the city.” billion in About the third “Somehalf of the organizations that op60,000 across 54 countries. 34quarter of 2017 — a UBS plans to rent out about of the John Bush and Dearborn. UBS Wealth 7 percent and provide city work percentinofthe them in theincrease Ameri-over last year. office — 6,000 squareerate feet — at no cost services Management to nonprofits and other organizations, cas, according to a news release. UBS Reprinted with permission from Crain’s Crain Communications Inc. All Rights reserved. Americas also Wealth Management Americas emBush said. The space will be Detroit calledBusiness. UBS © 2019 Further duplication without permission is prohibited. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com. #CD936 has metro DeWoodward Gallery. Its design and art ploys 280 in Michigan, 225 of whom troit offices in will aim to showcase Detroit’s history are based in metro Detroit. Birmingham, The wealth management business Bedrock LLC

“THAT’S WHY I’M DOING THIS. I AM DOING IT SO THE NEXT FUTURE DOCTOR, WITH A SIMILAR LIVED EXPERIENCE OF HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, CAN NOW TAKE THEIR STORY TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GROUP.”

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Bedrock LLC

— Leslie Walton

Advertising Section

PHOTOGRAPH BY JACOB LEWKOW FOR CRAIN’S

“I WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE UNTIL A PATIENT UNDERSTANDS WHAT’S GOING ON. THE EMOTIONAL COMPONENT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE CLINICAL SKILL.”

Bedrock LLC

s to e for

Bedrock LLC

s to Alfore as a aid. e to

hired him nearly a decade ago. “He’s 88 years young. He still comes to work every day and has the most sound moral compass I have ever witnessed,” Weiner said. “It’s like having your favorite college professor around.” Another is his father, S. Evan Weiner. “My dad is my best friend, and he has done a tremendous amount to create our safety culture and to grow the business to what it is today,” he said. “We represent three generations working together. This unique circumstance is one of my life’s greatest fortunes.” As Weiner sees it, the future growth of the company, which employs about 2,500 people, is not so much about the next contract. “It’s not about securing a lower price with this supplier or a higher price from this customer. It’s about how we make sure that we continue to grow in the right places, how we support our customers, and how we continue to be a great neighbor and member of the community.” — Allison Torres Burtka

PHOTOGRAPH BY JACOB LEWKOW FOR CRAIN’S

me a

Relationship-building is woven into the fabric of Levy, a construction materials and steel mill services company, and it’s also one of the things Eliot Weiner likes most about his work as executive vice president. “My focus is connecting with our people about what’s important to them, whether it’s their son’s baseball talents or brainstorming ways to make their job safer or more efficient,” Weiner said. “Getting to know our team in the field on a personal level, and understanding how we can make their job better, is so critical.” Weiner, 37, sees these relationships — built among people in various roles across Levy’s business — as essential to the company’s success, so “earning the respect and trust of the Levy employees is my greatest professional accomplishment,” he said. Two of Weiner’s mentors at the company founded more than 100 years ago are actually family: His cousin, Ed Levy Jr.,

Bedrock LLC

rom paonal

WORKERS

From Page 1

“WHEN THEY FIND OUT THAT’S GOING ON, THEY DON’T WANT TO COME. THEY SAY ‘WHY ONLY US ARE THEY GOING TO DO THAT TO?’”

Magana and his boss blame the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ public health order that all migrant farm workers be tested for COVID-19 before they work and live on a farm for an apple-harvesting season that will come and go in less than two months. “When they find out that’s going on, they don’t want to come,” Magana said. “They say ‘Why only us are they going to do that to?’” It’s a question at the heart of a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s detailed requirements for testing migrant workers who move from farmto-farm during the spring and summer growing seasons. “We find what the governor is doing really discriminatory,” Smeltzer said.

— Leo Magana, longtime farm laborerand de facto recruiter of seasonal migrant farm workers

Discrimination or protection? The Aug. 3 emergency order from MDHHS Director Robert Gordon requires testing of all agriculture workers living in on-farm premises to be tested within 48 hours of their arrival. The order applies to workers at seasonal farms and nurseries, as well as meat, poultry and egg processing plants. “The industry and groups identified are highly concentrated within the Latino population,” said Rob Anderson, manager of government relations with the Michigan Farm Bureau. “A vegetable processor is not required to do testing by itself, but a vegetable processor that hires migrant workers is required. Our concern about that is this singles out a segment by race.” Farms, greenhouses and food processors in Michigan employed more than 49,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers in 2013, the latest data from the State of Michigan Interagency Migrant Services Committee. That’s 52 percent of the total 94,167 farmworkers and accompanying non-farmworker household members in the entire state. The state mandated the testing due to several outbreaks on farms throughout Michigan. In mid-July, Oceana County along the Lake Michigan coast about an hour south of West Wind Orchards was reporting the most new COVID-19 cases per population per day, largely due to outbreaks on several farms. Between May 1 and early July, there were 102

Leo Magana, a Mexico-born year-round farm worker at West Wind Orchards in Manistee County, says mandatory COVID-19 testing is putting aCcrimp onDrecruiting RAIN’S ETROIT BHispanic USINESSmigrant workers to pick apples this fall in West Michigan. | PHOTOS BY CHAD LIVENGOOD/CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS Page

cases linked to two farms in the county, Bridge Magazine reported. Farm camps near the fields are linked to the outbreaks, as workers typically sleep in tight quarters inside double-wide trailers or cinder-block buildings while working the crops. “These are just extraordinary highrisk types of work, and I think we had evidence in Michigan — and there’s evidence nationally — about the high-level of risk for these workers,” Gordon told Crain’s. Magana, who is Latino, said many of the workers also of Hispanic descent feel stigmatized by the testing requirement because it presumes they may be infected. “We’ve been hearing comments ‘Oh, the Mexicans, they’re the corona carriers,’” he said. Despite concerns about potential racism involved in the order, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a preliminary injunction to block the order brought by a lawsuit from immigrants’ rights organization, food processors and farmers, including Smeltzer. The federal appeals court said in its ruling that not testing farm work-

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“WE FIND WHAT THE GOVERNOR IS DOING REALLY DISCRIMINATORY.” — David Smeltzer, West Wind Orchard owner and fourth-generation farmer

ers “poses a substantial risk of harm to others given that identifying and isolating COVID-19-positive workers limits the spread of the virus. The virus’s effects on individual and community health is well documented.” Fewer than 8,400 of Michigan’s more than 115,000 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 are identified as Hispanic of Latino. That amounts to an 8 percent infection rate among the population, which is disproportionate compared to the overall 5.3 percent of the Michigan population that is identified as Hispanic or Latino. Gordon’s order is not entirely clear about whether full-time, year-round agriculture workers who work alongside migrant laborers have to be tested. But a DHHS spokeswoman said they do have to be tested, though family members of the farm’s owners are exempt. Since issuing the order for agriculture workers, Gordon also has issued an order requiring state prison workers to be tested for COVID-19 as a condition of continued employment. Gordon’s June 15 order requiring regular COVID-19 tests for nursing home employees allows workers who refuse a test to be segregated from residents. The initial testing, which began Aug. 3 and ended on Aug. 23, identified 23 additional outbreaks at farms in the state, up from 11 prior to mandatory testing. An outbreak, however, is de-

fined as two or more cases with a link by place and time indicating a shared exposure outside of a household. “These outbreaks are known only because of testing,” Gordon told Crain’s in a separate statement. “Without the testing, there’d be these same outbreaks — and they’d be widening. With the testing and our efforts with our community and business partners, we are able to take actions that contain spread and save lives.”

“A VEGETABLE PROCESSOR IS NOT REQUIRED TO DO TESTING BY ITSELF, BUT A VEGETABLE PROCESSOR THAT HIRES MIGRANT WORKERS IS REQUIRED. OUR CONCERN ABOUT THAT THIS SINGLES OUT A SEGMENT BY RACE.” — Rob Anderson, manager of government relations with the Michigan Farm Bureau.

The state’s worry is not only spread among the farmworker population, but also of secondary spread throughout the state or elsewhere as nomadic workers bounce to different crops and during the growing season. But only 8 percent of farmworkers

are follow-the-crop workers, said Diane Charlton, an agricultural production, labor and development economist at Montana State University. “Most farm workers are settled,” Charlton said. “Most farmworkers are not traveling all over the country working on different farms.”

‘Institutional prejudice’ Gordon’s order requires newly arrived workers to be quarantined for 14 days in a separate living space if there are other workers living in a farm camp. Farms can get relieved of this requirement if the worker wears a cloth mask indoors, except when eating, drinking and bathing. The mandatory COVID-19 testing and earlier signs of a migrant worker shortage in West Michigan has farmers on edge, worried one of the state’s largest agricultural exports will go unpicked as traveling farm workers opt to remain in a state with less stringent work rules. At Heritage Blueberries LLC in Bangor, 30 miles West of Kalamazoo, 14 employees walked off the job to avoid testing, Michigan Farm News reported. Rex Schultz, owner of Heritage Blueberries, told the Farm News the company will be forced to machine harvest its blueberries, which would be pro1 cessed for juices, pies, etc. The process market pays farmers significantly less. “The impact (of losing workers) for the producer could be huge ... if they can’t sell produce fresh to market, they are going to see a highly reduced price,” Charlton said. “There’s already been shocks to the food chain during the pandemic and producers are probably very concerned about this mandate.” For workers, the stakes are even higher. If the workers test positive, they don’t get paid. Blueberry pickers are paid by a piece rate — often a set amount per pound picked. No pounds of berries, no pay. Magana lives on Smeltzer’s farm with his family. He spends the winters trimming the orchard’s 110 acres of apple trees and 30 acres of cherry trees. Recruiting temporary workers for the apple harvest is usually not a problem. It’s the last harvest of the season in Michigan following peaches, blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and asparagus in late spring. “He’s been treating everybody right,” Magana said of Smeltzer. “When they have a problem, he listens to them. Everybody wants to go to work where they’re being treated good, you know?” Magana said some migrants who have worked at West Wind Orchards in prior years are concerned that being subjected to a COVID-19 test will lead to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement inquiring about their immigration status. A coronavirus testing requirement that singles out migrant workers who live in labor camps creates a form of “institutional prejudice,” Smeltzer said. Smeltzer doesn’t see the difference between a college dorm and the 1970s cinder block bunkhouses on his farm where migrant workers stay each September and October for the apple harvest. “Are we testing incoming freshmen at Hillsdale College? No, we’re not,” Smeltzer said. “Why are we testing incoming Hispanic workers to my labor camp?” Contact: clivengood@crain.com; (313) 446-1654; @ChadLivengood Contact: dwalsh@crain.com; (313) 446-6042; @dustinpwalsh

ANGEL

From Page 3

The new fund, according to Reeves, has been designed with inclusive principles in mind to ensure there’s ample diversity among those doing the investing and those receiving it. The membership group will have three different “buckets” of investors with various years of angel investing experience. While there’s no set amount to the fund at this time, Reeves said they anticipate an average investment of around $25,000 per member each year. Commune Angels, he said, is built around the “thesis” that there are lots of individual investors already out there writing checks, and the hope is to bring many of them together.

“There are a lot of angel investors out there that just need a place to call home, and in a way that allows us all to leverage our diverse experiences,” Reeves said.

Angels hold steady The emergence of two new funds in the region comes as deal flow has remained fairly steady for existing angel groups such as Birmingham Angels, the Michigan Angel Fund and the Michigan Capital Network, which operates a variety of venture funds and angel groups around the state. Having a wide variety of groups to pitch to allows founders to have more “shots on goal” in their quest to find funding, Simms said, noting that they still need a good business plan and product. However, more options also help startups in another way. “I think the angel groups are

working more closely than ever in terms of sharing deal flow because one thing that hasn’t changed — and probably won’t — is the need to syndicate,” Simms said. “An entrepreneur isn’t going to get 100 percent of their funding from one group.” In 2019, there were 1,322 individuals who invested a combined $73.6 million in 106 early-stage tech startups, as Crain’s reported in May. It’s unclear just how those numbers may change this year with a pandemic-induced recession. But sources contacted for this report say that while there was a brief pause in the spring while everyone took stock of the pandemic’s impact, high-net worth individuals have largely resumed their investment activities. “Everyone is protecting their wealth and being very careful on the kinds of deals they’re looking at,”

said David Weaver, chief investment officer for the Birmingham Angels. “They may come in at more deals at a lower level than they would in the past, but they’re still making deals. There’s still a lot of money sitting on the sidelines.” The Birmingham group is now between 15 and 20 members, Weaver said, and has continued to meet virtually throughout the summer. As of July, the group had closed 11 deals totaling just more than $1 million in investment, according to a report Weaver provided to Crain’s. Tim Parker, president of the Grand Rapids-based Michigan Capital Network, which operates a combination of venture capital funds and angel groups throughout the state, expressed a similar sentiment. Combined, the funds are roughly on pace for the same level of deals and investment as in 2019. Last year

Parker’s venture funds invested $1.1 million, while angel funds did $2.8 million, he said. This year, so far, VC investment has reached $1.8 million, while angel investments stand at $1.3 million, Parker told Crain’s. The shift toward slightly less risky, later-stage venture capital investment makes for the largest shift he’s seen so far in how investments are trending. “So I think our angels have oriented to slightly later-stage investing than pre-seed type of investment,” Parker said. “I think that’s normal during economic times like this. Unfortunately, that’s not good for these startups. What we really need to do is find ways to continue bringing funding for pre-seed type of rounds. That’s a gap that needs to be filled.”

Crain’s they don’t believe. Employed doctors say the plan is simply to cut their compensation to reduce system expenses, boost system profit margins, prepare for the merger and value-based contracting that will initially result in lower physician base payments for services. Fox rejects those theories. He said Beaumont’s 2018 settlement with the Department of Justice over excessive compensation to induce patient referrals and procedures required Beaumont to rework its employment compensation program. Last month, two groups of physicians, including eight hospital medical staff presidents and leaders representing private doctors, presented the Beaumont board with a list of grievances and physician and nurses surveys that showed overwhelmingly lack of confidence in management. Afterward, Beaumont’s 16-member board agreed to pause final negotiations with Advocate Aurora until the physicians issues are resolved. Skogsbergh confirmed the pause and said the two systems have halted merger planning.

“Our overall strategy is to make us so good on cost and quality that we are invaluable” to payers and employers,” Skogsbergh told Crain’s. By 2025, Skogsbergh said he wants to boost the Downers Grove- and Milwaukee-based chain’s revenue to $27 billion from $12.2 billion, slash $1 billion, or 30 percent of costs, and more than triple its patient base from 3.3 million to 10 million. If approved by the boards later this year as executives hope, the combined 34-hospital Advocate Aurora Beaumont Health system would create a $17 billion revenue company with 4,500 employed doctors and 650 outpatient sites across three states. It would become the nation’s seventh-largest not-for-profit health system by revenue, behind Livonia-based Trinity Health. However, Attorney General Dana Nessel must approve the merger, a process that could take months. Crain’s has reported at least one potential problem involving restrictions on the sale of three of Beaumont’s Downriver hospitals.

shared savings contract offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Some 18 other health care organizations signed the innovative risk-sharing contract, including Henry Ford Health System, Ascension Michigan, Trinity Health Michigan and Michigan Medicine. In 2018, Henry Ford signed a direct health services contract with General Motors Corp. for its 24,000 salaried employees. The Michigan Blues will be third-party administrator, but will use pricing agreed upon by Henry Ford Health and GM rather than the Blues’ fee schedule. Beaumont and Ascension Michigan were finalists with GM, but sources told Crain’s the two systems were not as ready as Henry Ford. GM has said it could expand its direct contracts. Allan Baumgarten, a health care consultant based in Minneapolis who is familiar with the Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan markets, said Advocate Aurora’s managed care strategy could work in Michigan if they can convince Beaumont doctors to sign up. “They could do the same value-based contracting” with the Michigan Blues, “but they need buyin from physicians,” Baumgarten said. “They don’t exert the same control over doctors as Advocate Aurora does. Bringing in the machinery is one thing, but changing the physicians from a troubled relationship is another thing.”

Contact: nmanes@crain.com; (313) 446-1626; @nickrmanes

BEAUMONT

From Page 3

A look at how it does business in other states offers insight into the deal and why Skogsbergh said Advocate Aurora has developed close working relationships with its doctors, mainly through employment arrangements. “Our (Advocate Physician Partners medical group) in Illinois has been sort of our secret sauce” to contract with payers, Skogsbergh said. “We’ve got a number of independent physicians as well. When you get those folks all working together, that’s kind of magic. We have some structures in place, at least in Illinois, that have worked pretty well for us. We would certainly want to do the same thing in Detroit.” But those relationships are crucial to making an arrangement where physicians and the health system work together to get paid more for quality care work. Advocate Aurora’s managed care approach with payers and employers in Illinois and Wisconsin, where it operates 26 hospitals, is also attractive to Fox. Along with a promise to spend $1 billion for capital and equipment in Beaumont, Fox has said Advocate Aurora’s managed care contracting experience is partly driving the merger, plans for which were announced in June. Skogsbergh told Crain’s that the nonprofit system has different managed care approaches for Illinois and Wisconsin because of the market dynamics and relationships with payers. He said the system would bring its contracting expertise to Southeast Michigan, although a specific strategy hasn’t yet been created. Experts say Aurora could be seeking to package Beaumont physicians into risk-based, value-based or capitated contracts as it does with Blue Cross in Illinois or Wisconsin. But it all starts with the physicians. Building a new network of doctors in a new market is difficult. Value-based contracts usually include shared saving provisions that offer doctors and hospitals financial incentives for hitting patient quality and health outcomes targets along with reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and diagnostic procedures. Under capitation, hospitals and doctors agree to cover a set of services for monthly per-member, per-month rates. Both types of contracts are also designed around narrow, health system-owned provider networks where patients must choose a hospital or

Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. | BEAUMONT

doctor in the network or pay greater costs to go outside. Many leading health systems over the past several years have been striving to partner with their doctors and create internal efficiencies to successful contracts in alternative payment arrangements with insurers, said Andreas Dirnagle, managing director and head of global health of health care research with New Yorkbased Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Dirnagle said some health systems have been successful with working with physicians in contracts that pay more for quality, and some have not. “Physicians want to feel like they are included in that process, that it’s not just the guys with the green eyeshades in the back room who are making these decisions,” Dirnagle said. “(The disconnect) is physicians are driven by clinical data and payers are driven by financial data. ... You have to take your time when bringing in doctors to these shared risk contracts.” Advocate Aurora has 3,300 employed physicians with another 5,000 private doctors participating in many of the contracts. Beaumont has 1,300 employed physicians and another 3,700 private doctors on its hospital medical staffs. But Beaumont’s physicians are disgruntled over a number of issues, including a new physician compensation plan they say cuts their salaries, lack of support staff and nurses, supplies and equipment. Fox says some doctors’ pay will be increased and some decreased, leading to an overall wash, a claim doctors tell

Growth plans At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference in January, Skogsbergh outlined Advocate’s vision as a “multimarket consolidator” that features the health system reducing costs, improving operations, acquiring hospitals and health plans in multiple markets and developing new “customer facing” products and services.

Efforts to modernize Over the past three years, Beaumont has been trying to improve its managed care contracting with payers to keep up with competing systems that have closer relationships with their physicians. Since 2018, Beaumont has signed several limited narrow network contracts with Priority Health and UnitedHealthcare. But earlier this year, Beaumont declined to participate in a value-based,

Contact: jgreene@crain.com; (313) 446-0325; @jaybgreene

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 29

THE CONVERSATION

Stefanini CEO sees pandemic escalate digital transformation for industries STEFANINI NORTH AMERICA: Work from home is here to stay. So says Spencer Gracias, the CEO of Stefanini North America. A Brazilian business and technology consulting firm with its North American headquarters in Southfield, the company has seen firsthand over the last six months how work — and where its done — is set to change permanently. The company, with more than 550 employees in Michigan and $274 million in annual revenue for its North American and Asia/Pacific region, is also seeing the “digital transformation” underway for years now being | BY NICK MANES completed. Gracias spoke with Crain’s on how these changes are impacting his company and clients. ` How has Stefanini’s thinking about work from home changed over six months, both for its own employees and for clients? You know the old saying that the challenges and concerns shift. Like any other company, we were thinking (work from home will) take two to four weeks or so. And right now we are actually seeing that could be, in some degree, could be permanent. It’s not temporary anymore. So what we need now is to make sure that this is sustainable (for a) long time. So we have been thinking about our people. ` What does that entail? How do we make sure everybody’s OK and conditions are good for long-term working from home? So we evolved in our tools and in the way that we are organized and the way that we interact with our teams, making sure that tribal way of thinking is preserved. We don’t want a bunch of strangers that works for a company, (so) how do you keep that feeling of being part of something? We have been putting a lot of energy on that, keeping the engagement, making sure that we have the appropriate management, (and) how we track productivity, how we track and manage performance. ` What has the pandemic meant for the company’s overall business? What we have seen is, you know, we really experienced growth throughout the crisis. In business, in revenue. So, since we started that we were able to engage customers in a sales cycle, and close deals, and implemented operations. So we have probably three or four examples (where) we have been increasing our business during the COVID crisis. I’m glad to say that Stefanini will keep investing ... and acquiring companies. We just announced an acquisition in Brazil. Our acquisition movement never stopped, so that is good.

` How has the crisis been impacting some of Stefanini’s clients around the country? Some of our customers were hit more drastically by the COVID, and I can tell you, retail customers that we have — they are now starting coming back — but they were suffering a lot with all the stores closed and everything else. They were reduced to e-commerce only, so they were affected pretty bad. And of course, we adapted, helping them ... to shrink business ... (and) helping them be flexible. And so as they were coming back, we were, you know, coming back as well with them. But the new business that we acquired was sufficient enough to offset and ... not only keep us afloat, but keep us growing. So, we definitely are foreseeing growth in 2020, which is, due to the circumstances, is kind of amazing. ` To your point about e-commerce, how are companies viewing that as they emerge from the pandemic? So we’re seeing much more engagement on the digital projects, and digital transformation has gained way more priority within the industry. So like e-commerce, some of the customers are like, ‘yeah we have an e-commerce (presence), but our real sales (are) face-to-face in the stores.’ So what we are seeing in our portfolio of solutions are the digital solutions that we offer are being way more received from the prospects and also from the customers ... because they realize this is the new world. So the money on investment to technology should allow for digital projects and accelerating digital transformations, which is, I think, good for everybody. At the end if we can see a positive side of this COVID-19 crisis, it is that industries are now really into the digital transformation.

` To what extent have you seen that working from home — whether for Stefanini’s employees or for clients — has truly changed how business gets done? In some of the areas that we serve our customers, the change was radical, and some others, nothing changed. For example: help desk, the contact center. People are sitting getting calls, nothing changed. If you have a problem, you call, it doesn’t matter if you’re working from office or working from your home. There was a radical change of when we have to apply tools and techniques now to support and fix the things remotely. (Now) we have the logistics to send them by mail a new computer, and they will send the broken one to us. So in our area of operation, the thing that changed is really supporting the industry facilities that have been closed and now are reopening. So our engineers are back in to the

field (after) a couple months. Our field engineers were working from their homes as well, doing all the remote support instead of doing a physical presence support. That was the big change for us. ` So if you look in your crystal ball and we reach a time period where COVID-19 is no longer the health and economic crisis that it is today, what will business look like? So we told our employees already, you have three options: you can be permanently working from home, you can go to the office if (you want), or you can have a hybrid-type of solution. What I’m seeing is the customers doing the same. They are really considering permanent arrangements for working from home. For us ... some of the limitations are gone. Like I look for talent now, not only in the Detroit metro area, I look for talent in all the states.

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RUMBLINGS

Children’s Leukemia Foundation to change name after 68 years The Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan is changing its name after 68 years to reflect its broader mission of serving adults, as well as children, and people afflicted with all types of blood cancer. The Farmington Hills-based organization is operating as The Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan. The shift has been a long time coming. The organization began serving adults as well as children and expanded to provide services for people with all types of blood cancer in 1957, just five years after it was founded, President and CEO Heidi Grix said. Today, 84 percent of

the 3,000 patients it serves each year are adults, she said. “After years of questioning whether we should change our name, we feel the time is Grix right now, based on feedback from key stakeholders,” Grix said. “We believe our new name will make it easier for adult patients and patients with all forms of blood cancer to find our organization, and that it will help us attract and estab-

30 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

lish partnerships with new sources for patient referrals and funding.” The nonprofit worked with Royal Oak-based agency Berline to develop market research and messaging around the new name. The company’s chairman, Jim Berline, is board chair of The Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan. It provides financial help, emotional support, case management and therapy referrals and social support to help families to get out and have fun, often with others in same situation they are in. A diagnosis often translates to loss of income when an adult in

treatment or parent of a patient has to leave their job, Grix said. “Very often, (they) can’t afford to go out to the movies ... dinner ... Christmas presents,” she said. The organization provides them with tickets to the theater or a sporting event and other donated items. During the pandemic, The Blood Cancer Foundation has transitioned to remote service delivery. It’s operating on a $1.2 million budget, following the loss of 35 percent of its revenue with the cancellation of a spring fundraiser, but reserves have kept it on solid financial ground, Grix said.

Crain’s Detroit Business is published by Crain Communications Inc. Chairman Keith E. Crain Vice Chairman Mary Kay Crain President KC Crain Senior Executive Vice President Chris Crain Secretary Lexie Crain Armstrong Chief Financial Officer Robert Recchia G.D. Crain Jr. Founder (1885-1973) Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. Chairman (1911-1996) Editorial & Business Offices 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2732; (313) 446-6000 Cable address: TWX 248-221-5122 AUTNEW DET CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS ISSN # 0882-1992 is published weekly, except the last week in December, by Crain Communications Inc. at 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit MI 48207-2732. Periodicals postage paid at Detroit, MI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 07925, Detroit, MI 48207-9732. GST # 136760444. Printed in U.S.A. Contents copyright 2020 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content in any manner without permission is prohibited.

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