Crain's Detroit Business, Sept. 14, 2020 issue by Crain's Detroit Business

Kenneth Kelly, First Independence chairman and CEO

First Independence gets big boosts PAGE 6

CRAINSDETROIT.COM I SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Country clubs turn to subdivisions PAGE 3

HEALTH CARE

Former Beaumont trustee speaks out on merger Urges AG Nessel to pressure health system’s board to delay deal, fire top executives BY JAY GREENE

A former Beaumont Health board vice chair and trustee has sent a scathing five-page letter to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asking her to “require or suggest” the 16-member Beaumont board of directors fire CEO John Fox and his top two lieutenants. Mark Shaevsky, who served on the Beaumont board for 17 years until 2014, told Crain’s he has been

frustrated the past several months that a majority of the Beaumont board appears to support the proposed merger with 28-hospital Advocate Aurora Health, a nonprofit health system with offices in Chicago and Milwaukee. He also said he doesn’t believe the board has sufficiently addressed patient safety concerns expressed by doctors and nurses.

NONPROFITS

FROM HOMELESS TO C-SUITE

See BEAUMONT on Page 23

ECONOMY

Pandemic recession hits women harder than men for 1st time

Jennifer Berkemeier is one of many women whose employment prospects have suffered during the pandemic. | LARRY PEPLIN FOR CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

Job losses rise, income falls for women in downturn BY DUSTIN WALSH

Jennifer Berkemeier sells plasma twice a week to help pay off credit card debt and utility bills. It’s also a respite from the hours she spends each day writing cover letters and applying to employers that’ll probably never call back. The 54-year-old single mother to an 11-year-old daughter has worked the night shift as a cashier at Kroger since May when TCF Center in Detroit cut the pay of its workforce.

Event cancellations were mounting well into 2021 and the Army Corps of Engineers was transforming the space into a makeshift field hospital to treat overflow COVID-19 patients. Berkemeier, a sales manager for the convention hall for nearly nine years, was eventually laid off at the end of July as there appeared no chance of events resuming in Detroit any time soon. Since then she’s applied to more than 75 jobs and been rejected by all of them. See WOMEN on Page 25

NEWSPAPER

Rita Fields returned to Lighthouse as chief talent and strategy officer 29 years after her first visit. | NIC ANTAYA FOR CRAIN’S

Lighthouse executive role is ‘intensely personal’ for Rita Fields `BY SHERRI WELCH | On her own and pregnant at age 18, Rita Fields was sleeping behind the Kroger at 13 Mile and Woodward in Royal Oak when she first heard about South Oakland Shelter. She’d dropped out of high school, run away from an abusive mother and her Detroit home before winding up on the streets with her boyfriend when the money for hotels in Oakland County ran out. She was about seven months pregnant when she and her boyfriend learned of the rotating shelter SOS coordinated in area churches and sought help. It would be her first tour at SOS — which now operates as Lighthouse — but not her last. In late August, after serving as a board member at two different points, Fields returned to SOS 29 years after her first visit to join its executive team and help others get the same help she did. See FIELDS on Page 24

NEED TO KNOW

WORKFORCE INCLUSION

THE WEEK IN REVIEW, WITH AN EYE ON WHAT’S NEXT they should continue working remotely through June 2021, stretching their work-from-home setup to as long as 15 months. A “significant number” of employees have returned to their offices safely on a full-time or part-time basis, but the majority of GM’s salaried workforce in the U.S. is still working remotely, spokesman David Caldwell told Automotive News.

AIN’S

` POLITICIANS PRESSURE BIG TEN ON FOOTBALL THE NEWS: More politicians are putting pressure on the Big Ten Conference to reverse the decision to cancel football because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter Tuesday, Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and eight other Republican legislators in the Midwest urged conference commissioner Kevin Warren to restart sports this fall. WHY IT MATTERS: “These athletes are losing a vital part of student life and are becoming less marketable to future employers with each passing week,” the letter said. “Additionally, our local universities stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars that support vital student scholarships.”

` MANY GM WORKERS TO BE REMOTE THROUGH NEXT JUNE THE NEWS: General Motors has told most of its U.S. salaried employees that

WHY IT MATTERS: GM joins other large companies, including Amazon, Google and crosstown rival Ford Motor Co., in allowing employees to work remotely into next year during the coronavirus pandemic. Rocket Companies, downtown Detroit’s largest employer, also has had the vast majority of its employees working remotely.

` GM TAKES $2B STAKE IN EV TRUCK MAKER THE NEWS: General Motors is taking an 11 percent stake in startup electric truck maker Nikola Corp. under a partnership that calls for GM to engineer and assemble Nikola’s first vehicle, the companies said Tuesday. Under the agreement, which is expected to close this month, GM will build the

Autism Alliance takes aim at full employment ` The Autism Alliance of Michigan has set a 10-year goal to create 101,000 jobs for adults on the autism spectrum and secure educational changes to ensure those job candidates are qualified. Hitting the goal would make Michigan the first state in the country to employ people with autism at the same rate as neurotypical workers, the alliance said. It plans to advocate for edu- David Meador cational change to ensure qualified candidates and to work with employers and other nonprofit job creators for adults on the spectrum and other developmentally disabled adults to hit the goal, said Autism Alliance co-founder and Chairman David Meador, who is also vice chairman and chief administrative officer at DTE Energy Co. “Adults with autism should be employed at the same percentage as everyone else. … If unemployment is 4 percent ... there’s no way this population’s employment shouldn’t reflect the broader numbers in Michigan.”

Nikola Badger, an electric and fuel-cell pickup planned for production in late 2022, using GM’s proprietary Ultium batteries. WHY IT MATTERS: The agreement will commercialize GM’s fuel cell technology in high volumes and extends the use of its fuel cell system to the semi-truck market.

` ASTRAZENECA COVID-19 VACCINE TESTING PAUSED THE NEWS: Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient’s “potentially unexplained” illness is a side effect of the shot. It’s unclear how long the pause in testing might last.

WHY IT MATTERS: It’s a setback for progress on the vaccine, which is being tested by Michigan Medicine, the health care organization at the University of Michigan, among several other U.S. sites.

` MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE NAMES ARTISTIC DIRECTOR THE NEWS: The Michigan Opera Theatre has named Yuval Sharon — recognized by Opera America as one of most important producers and stage directors in opera today — as its new artistic director. Sharon, 40, will succeed MOT’s late founder and artistic director David DiChiera who retired in 2017 and died in 2018. WHY IT MATTERS: The recipient of both a MacArthur Fellowship and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts grant B LE 1 Ais in theater, Sharon known L I 202 for A , T AVoperas city-spanning that push the 1S T S art form into new settings outside the U UG theater,Aincluding moving vehicles and warehouses.

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REAL ESTATE

Country clubs to subdivisions: Golf’s decline changes landscape Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township will consider later this month whether to sell the 104-acre property to Pennsylvania-based homebuilder Toll Bros. | LARRY PEPLIN FOR CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

Golf’s popularity scorecard  Nearly 200 courses closed nationwide in 2018 and a little over 200 closed in 2017, while only 12 opened in 2018 and 15 opened in 2017.  There were 16,693 courses nationwide as of Dec. 31, 2018, with 12,354 public and 4,339 private.  During the building boom, 4,923 courses were added, an average of 259 every year.  24.3 million people played golf on a golf course last year and 9.9 million “participated exclusively in off-course golf activities” at places like driving ranges, indoor golf simulators or golf entertainment venues.  2.5 million played golf for the first time last year, the sixth straight year there were 2 million new players.  Year-over-year rounds played increased by 19.9 percent in July, with more than 10 million additional rounds played. Play was up 13.9 percent in June and 6.2 percent in May.  20 million rounds were lost in the spring.  Michigan had at least 1,000 courses in 2000. That number is down to around 750. SOURCE: NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION

Why redevelopment is not always a hole-in-one BY KIRK PINHO AND KURT NAGL

For nearly two decades, there was no stopping golf course development as the U.S. supply rose 44 percent between 1986 and 2005. But a market correction and other factors have prompted hundreds of course closures nationwide since. Those trends keep popping up locally, as the 91 equity members of Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township will consider this month whether to sell the 104-acre property to Pennsylvania-based homebuilder Toll Bros., which would turn the land into a new subdivision. Other golf courses in the state are up for sale, as well. “There is a perception that there

16,693 courses nationwide as of Dec. 31, 2018, with 12,354 public and 4,339 private, the foundation says. During the building boom, 4,923 courses were added — an average of 259 every year. Michigan, long considered a golf mecca, has also seen its supply of courses shrink. By the turn of the century, the state had at least 1,000 courses. That number is down to around 750, according to the National Golf Foundation, and likely to fall further. The last significant course to be built in Michigan was the Loop at Forest Dunes Golf Club near Roscommon in 2016.

has been too many golf courses in the area, therefore people are looking for creative ways to reuse the land,” said Michael Berger, president of Southfield-based Berger Realty Group Inc., which owned Polo Fields Golf and Country Club in Ann Arbor and the former Washtenaw Country Club in Ypsilanti until selling both within the last couple of years to focus on his company’s main business of self-storage and multifamily housing. Nearly 200 courses closed nationwide in 2018 and a little over 200 closed in 2017, according to the National Golf Foundation, while only 12 opened in 2018 and 15 opened in 2017. There were

See GOLF on Page 6

HEALTH CARE

Dentists reopen with full slate of patients, fewer workers BY JAY GREENE

Dental offices are booming in Michigan — with dentists reporting schedule backlogs of six weeks or more for regular maintenance — after more than two months of a partial shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several dentists report they and most of their peers have full appointment schedules, although daily patient volume is down by about 10-15 percent because of social distancing and a shortage of dental support staff. Some dentists have retired, sold their practices, merged with others or shut down, leading to additional capacity issues, said Sadeer Daood, a dental surgeon with Dental Care of Michigan-Oakland in West Bloomfield.

Dr. Joanne Dawley (left) and registered dental assistant Jennifer Rivera of Lincoln Park work with patient Dee Durrell of Southfield at Joanne Dawley DDS General Dentistry in Southfield. | NIC ANTAYA FOR CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

“We have three dentists who are at different stages” of selling their practices, said Daood, who also is clinical market president of the western region of the North American Dental Group, which operates 26 clinics in Michigan. At least one dental group has closed due to the shutdown. The Midwestern Dental Group closed its six offices in Michigan over the past several weeks. Redwood Dental Group, a Troy-based dental practice of about 20 clinics, took over some patient files of Midwestern and leased Midwestern’s shuttered office in Farmington Hills, a Redwood manager told Crain’s. Each of the four dentists Crain’s interviewed told a story of at least one patient who objected to wearing face masks or signing the practice’s

screening questionnaire, which is required before gaining entrance to offices for treatment. Because of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order requiring face coverings, dentists and other small businesses must enforce mask wearing under possible penalty that their licenses could be suspended or revoked, dentists said. “There’s been some struggles because I live in a smaller county where there has only been 70 cases,” said Margaret Gingrich, a general dentist in Big Rapids. “In the beginning patients didn’t want to wear masks. Some patients were quite upset.” Gingrich described the negative reaction one patient had to the mask rules. See DENTISTS on Page 21

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 3

REAL ESTATE INSIDER

UAW center, Roberts Riverwalk Hotel have buyer lined up An investment group has the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources on the Detroit River under contract to buy it. I’m hearing Kirk that Christos PINHO Moisides and Dominic J. Moceri are teaming up on an anticipated purchase of the 420,000-square-foot behemoth at 200 Walker St. as well as a hotel next door. I don’t yet know the sale price for either. (Moisides registered M & M River Properties LLC on Aug. 3 — which I presume means one “M” is for Moisides, and the other is Moceri. Clever.) I texted Moisides, executive member of Detroit-based 400 Monroe Associates LLC, and emailed Moceri, partner of finance and acquisition for Auburn Hills-based homebuilder Moceri Cos., to talk about the possible sale. Moceri said he “cannot confirm nor deny” whether he and Moisides are lined up to buy either property. The Southfield office of Los Angeles-based CBRE Inc. has the listing on the UAW building after being hired by a joint venture between the UAW and GM earlier this year. I left a voicemail with one of the brokers on the deal, who passed me along to a PR person for the firm. As far as the UAW building is concerned, the obvious question is: What the heck would Moisides and Moceri do with it? The union has been the only user since the complex was built in the early 2000s. The building could make sense for medical, educational, governmental or corporate purposes, Brendan George, who is on the CBRE team marketing the site, said in a news release earlier this year. The sale was part of an agreement between the union and automaker reached last year as part of a UAW strike settlement. In addition, you might want to watch Moisides and Moceri in the coming weeks not only on the UAWGM building, but also on the 108room Roberts Riverwalk Hotel at 1000 River Place Drive just to the

Regis in the New Center area. He also owns eight properties in Eastern Market through a pair of LLCs. His company was also tapped to extract more revenue out of the Wayne County-owned Guardian Building downtown. Stay tuned.

Larry Emmons rejoins Newmark Knight Frank

The Roberts Riverwalk Hotel (foreground) at 1000 River Place Dr. was put up for sale in April 2019. It is under contract, along with the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, to an investment group headed up by Christos Moisides and Dominic J. Moceri. | | COSTAR GROUP INC.

The UAW-GM Center for Human Resources is 420,000 square feet along the Detroit River. It is under contract to an investment group headed up by real estate developers Christos Mosides and Dominic J. Moceri. | COSTAR GROUP INC.

west, which was listed for sale in April 2019 for an undisclosed price. I’ve also heard that Moisides and Moceri are working on a deal for the hotel, which would give the two of them control of a large chunk of east Detroit River frontage. Again, Moceri said he “cannot

confirm or deny” that he and Moisides are trying to buy that property, as well. I emailed the hotel owner, Michael Roberts, seeking comment. The Royal Oak office of Chicago-based brokerage JLL had the listing on the property but lost it in

July, I’m told. Moisides has been active in Detroit real estate in recent years as well. He is developing the former Standard Accident Insurance Co. at 640 Temple St. into the $72 million Temple Detroit hotel; and is part of the ownership group of the Hotel St.

Longtime local broker Larry Emmons has rejoined Newmark Knight Frank after almost five years in the Royal Oak office of Chicago-based brokerage firm JLL leading up its local operation. He declined to discuss the reason for his departure at JLL but said he is “pleased to be working here with the guys I have spent most of my 30-plus year career with.” He started a week ago as senior managing director. Emmons “I am very happy and consider it very fortunate for Larry to bring his capital markets and investment transaction expertise to our Detroit team,” Fred Liesveld, regional director of brokerage and management services for Newmark Knight Frank, said in an email to me. “Newmark Knight Frank has strategically grown our national capital markets service lines in the past 10 years and Larry will have many resources to deliver our comprehensive suite of services to our clients.” Emmons joined JLL in October 2015 after a stint as senior vice president of capital markets in the Southfield office of Los Angeles-based CBRE Inc. Prior to CBRE, he had been with Newmark Knight Frank — at the time, known as Newmark Grubb Knight Frank — for three years beginning in 2010. He worked for Grubb & Ellis — a predecessor to Newmark Knight Frank — from 1999 to 2004 before becoming the managing director for First Industrial Realty Trust’s Detroit office. Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

REAL ESTATE

VW slams brakes on plan to move from Auburn Hills to Southfield BY KIRK PINHO

A plan to move Volkswagen of America Inc. from Auburn Hills to Southfield has been scrapped, according to sources familiar with the matter. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Friedman Real Estate had been nearing a deal to move the German automaker to the Galleria Officentre property the Farmington Hills-based company owns near 12 Mile and Telegraph roads and build an addition west of the complex. However, Friedman is now relisting the Galleria for lease and has backed out of a plan to buy the former AMC Star Southfield 20 movie theater at 25333 W. 12 Mile Road nearby as part of a broader redevelopment plan. Emails were sent to Da-

VW was to occupy the 200 Galleria building, which is 250,000 square feet across four stories, and the 100 Galleria building, which is about 242,000 square feet.| COSTAR GROUP INC.

4 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

vid Friedman, executive managing director and founder, seeking comment. The theater and the 22 acres it sits on is now back on the market for $8 million. “We are aggressively trying to find a new buyer for it,” said Robert Mihelich, senior vice president in the Royal Oak office of Chicago-based brokerage house JLL, who is listing the theater property for sale. “I’ve had this under contract for $12 million, $10 million, $8 million. They are aggressively wanting to do something with it,” Mihelich said of Kansas City, Mo.-based owner EPR Properties. “They are not going to redevelop it. We are looking for a developer that is interested in a great mixed-use opportunity.” A spokesperson for VW said the

company doesn’t “comment on speculation.” Dave MacDonald, the managing director for JLL who represents the automaker in real estate matters, declined comment. Terry Croad, Southfield’s planning director, said in March that representatives from Friedman Real Estate said at a public meeting there would be up to 1,800 employees across a new 95,000-square-foot new addition, which would cost at least $8.5 million, and 300,000 square feet-plus at the Galleria. Neither he nor public planning documents identified VW as the planned user, but multiple sources at the time said it was Volkswagen. Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

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FINANCE

Black-owned First Independence Bank positioned for growth Deals include 5 percent equity stake from Bank of America, $2.5M deposit from Comerica BY NICK MANES

Two recent deals with much larger financial institutions have Kenneth Kelly feeling that First Independence Bank is poised to move to a stronger position in the marketplace. Kelly, the chairman and CEO of the Detroit-based First Independence — Michigan’s largest Black-owned bank — said that despite recent headlines of new partnerships with Bank of America and Comerica Inc., conversations had been ongoing between the institutions for approaching a year. In the short term, the deals with Bank of America and Comerica position First Independence to be in a stronger lending position regardless of broader economic challenges. Longer term, Kelly said the deals send a message to the rest of the banking industry that these types of deals are needed to address gaps. “And so my vision would be five years from now, it wouldn’t be just two major institutions, it may be three or four or five of them,” he told Crain’s in an interview. The 50-year-old First Independence Bank, born out of the 1967 riot in Detroit, stands as the 55th largest bank in the state with deposits of $206 million, according to Crain’s most recent list of largest banks.

Kelly’s kind of bank, known as a minority depository institution, is fairly rare in the world of commercial banking in the U.S. As of the end of 2019 there just 144 Kelly federally insured MDIs. Those institutions have combined assets of nearly $249 billion, according to a report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The banks that First Independence has now aligned itself with — Comerica and Bank of America — stand as the second and third largest banks in the state, respectively, each with in-state deposits of over $20 billion. First Independence is a fraction of their size. But the deals have the potential to be a game changer for First Independence and propel the bank into new markets, said Michael Tierney, president and CEO of the East Lansing trade group Community Bankers of Michigan. “I think they’re really poised to really make a big move. They need exactly that kind of help,” said Tierney, adding that such deals could help the bank broaden its reach in areas like financing from the Small Business Administration. “They need some of the banks to

just help them get going in a few of these businesses that they traditionally did not engage in.””

Systemic change Bank of America’s new equity stake of about 5 percent in First Independence — as well as a handful of other minority depository institutions — speaks to what Kelly said he sees as indicative of the start of systemic change when it comes to racial wealth inequalities. “And so that is something that has been talked about really across this country for a long period of time,” Kelly said of the need for minority-owned banks to have increased access to capital. “And so to see a bank like Bank of America really step up and make that type of a bold statement, that sends a signal to the rest of the market that these banks ... like ours are needed in the communities that they serve and that they are viable investments.” The bank executive declined to put a dollar figure on the 5 percent equity investment. Bank of America’s stake in First Independence is part of a broader $1 billion initiative over four years to advance racial equity. “This is more than just corporate

philanthropy,” Matt Elliott, the bank’s Michigan market president told Crain’s in an interview last month. “What we’re really trying to do is make investments, hopefully along (with) like-minded institutions like businesses, philanthropic entities ... that will help us create some self-sustaining business systems that really get at these systemic issues over a long period of time.” Meanwhile, a $2.5 million deposit into First Independence from Comerica is part of a broader $10 million lending effort to MDIs by the Dallas-based bank. That deposit by Comerica will actually have some early costs, but over the long run, will help the bank serve more clients, according to Kelly. “In the long run, it gives us the liquidity to be able to make loans and make money on those at a point in time in the future,” said Kelly. “So while it is not the highest priority for our bank, it is a contribution that allows our bank to continue to grow.” Comerica has said that deposits into MDIs like First Independence come with myriad benefits for larger banks. “MDIs have a unique ability to reach diverse populations, and Comerica wants to support access to capital in diverse communities, particularly those adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Larry Reed, Comerica’s se-

GOLF

From Page 3

But the $84 billion national golf industry, of which Michigan claims a $4.2 billion piece, has had somewhat of an unexpected jolt: The COVID-19 pandemic, which drove people outdoors and farther apart as social distancing measures were enacted and businesses closed under government orders. In short, a perfect recipe for golf. Although it was one of the first recreational activities to be allowed amid the pandemic, courses missed out on sales related to a delayed start to the season, temporary cart bans, and food and beverage restrictions. The National Golf Foundation says that 24.3 million people played golf on a golf course last year and 9.9 million “participated exclusively in offcourse golf activities at places like driving ranges, indoor golf simulators or golf entertainment venues like Topgolf and Drive Shack.” It also says that 2.5 million played golf for the first time, the sixth straight year there were 2 million new players. Year-over-year rounds played increased by 19.9 percent in July, with more than 10 million additional rounds played. Play was up 13.9 percent in June and 6.2 percent in May, according to the foundation. That comes, however, after 20 million rounds were lost in the spring. “If you weren’t able to succeed in this environment, you’re probably going to be looking to sell,” said Chris Charnas, principal of Wilmette, Ill.based Links Capital Advisors Inc., which specializes in golf course sales.

Development challenges After a course is sold, redeveloping it can be tricky. First, often courses are on land

Forest Lake equity members will have an alternative choice: a plan that would renovate the clubhouse in an effort to attract new and younger members. | LARRY PEPLIN FOR CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS

that is difficult to develop because of wetlands and other factors. Neighbors, used to the tranquility of the 18 holes surrounding them, may protest a development bringing in new residents and traffic. In addition, deed restrictions can hinder developments, Charnas said. Chris Monsour of Southfield-based Signature Associates Inc. said that from a development perspective, the promise of large swaths of largely empty land doesn’t always outweigh the hurdles to building on it. “The reason the golf course is put there is because of the challenges, whether there’s wetlands or drainage issues or lack of utilities,” said Monsour, who is associate broker, vice president and principal with Signature Associates. He is also listing the 147-acre Thorne Brothers at Lilac Golf Course in Monroe County’s Newport for sale for $775,000. “It’s not always the best piece of land to develop,” Monsour said. That doesn’t stop developers

6 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

from salivating at the potential, Charnas said. “Developers have always lusted after golf courses because they are 100to 200-acre sites,” Charnas said. “Of 10 calls, two would be to list a golf course for sale and eight would be from developers.”

Forest Lake’s vote In addition to the possible sale, the Forest Lake equity members will have an alternative choice: a plan that would renovate the clubhouse in an effort to attract new and younger members. A budget for that project has not been determined. However, the National Golf Foundation says the average golf course renovation costs $3 million for 18 holes and that almost 1,000 major renovations have been done since 2006. Creighton Forester, Forest Lake Country Club board president, said renovations would be paid for via

membership dues, which wouldn’t be raised as part of the plan. “Forest Lake is on a gorgeous piece of property,” Forester said. “We have, like most area clubs, a clubhouse that needs to be modernized and updated to attract new and younger families. It would bring a new facility to today’s times and needs.” Country clubs are a different business than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Their target customer has shifted from white men with corporate credit cards to diverse families looking for more than just golf. Attracting the coveted millennial member requires significant investments in amenities unrelated to the links, which clubs throughout Southeast Michigan are doing. In Oakland County alone, Orchard Lake Country Club wrapped up a $7.1 million overhaul of its 59,000-squarefoot clubhouse and 6,000-square-foot lake house last year. The new owners of Wabeek Country Club in Bloom-

nior vice president for external affairs and community development, told Crain’s last month.

Coming together The late-May killing by police of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis, stood as a reckoning for much of the corporate business world when it came to addressing racial inequities in the country. Kelly, however, says discussions with both institutions were underway long before Memorial Day. Rather, he said that many of those talks began at conferences last October and November, and Kelly said he expects there to be further such deals down the road. “To kind of consummate these (deals), people see the headlines, but really there’s a lot of work that goes into the conversations,” he said. “There’s a building of trust that has to take place,” Kelly said. “So now to see the fruit of that labor and share my perspective is somewhat rewarding because it’s not just with one or two banks, but it really is across a whole sector that we’re seeing the outcome that’s going to impact those institutions.” Contact: nmanes@crain.com; (313) 446-1626; @nickrmanes field Township are planning a similar level of investment to upgrade its facilities. Meanwhile, nearby Oakland Hills is spending $12.1 million making its signature South Course both tournament-ready and more player-friendly. Both Forester and Kenneth Neuman, a member of the Forest Lake club’s board of directors and a past board president, declined to reveal the proposed purchase price. A majority of the equity members would have to approve the sale. Neuman said declining equity membership and revenue has prompted the consideration of the sale, although Forester disagreed with that characterization. “We have a very steady membership, very passionate membership,” Forester said. “Nothing has led to the sale other than Toll Bros. approaching us, and we felt we had, as board of directors and president, a fiduciary responsibility to take it forward to the equity members.” There are more than 300 total members; the club is capped at 325 equity members, more than triple what it has. “We love this place. We want it to survive. We are faced with a difficult financial reality,” Neuman said. “It is extremely emotional on all fronts.” Berger, the former owner of the Washtenaw County courses, said Forest Lake is a good piece of property that would do well with another use. “That is a perfect redevelopment play and totally appropriate to look at in light of the number of courses in the Bloomfield, Birmingham and West Bloomfield area that already exist,” Berger said of Forest Lake. Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB Contact: knagl@crain.com; (313) 446-0337; @kurt_nagl

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EDITORIAL

COMMENTARY

Lawsuit protections right step for economy

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

Michigan lawmakers are taking positive first steps toward much-needed liability protection for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should embrace the effort and sign off if it reaches her desk. A package of bills pending in the state House would extend a variety of legal protections for businesses that serve patrons, such as restaurants, as well as those that make personal protection products in response to coronavirus. The goal of the retroactive legislation is to shield businesses who are otherwise complying with COVID-related safety protocols from lawsuits seeking to link a coronavirus infection to an employer or public-facing company. The bills rightfully recognize it’s difficult to prove that a patron, employee or customer contracted COVID at a specific place. That’s a reasonable protection during these litigious times, and especially important as stores and restaurants struggle to stay afloat after months of economic hardship. “It doesn’t mean that (accusations) won’t happen, lawsuit-wise,” said Rep. Graham Filler, R-DeWitt, chair of the House Judiciary Committee. “What we’re really trying to do is slow down frivolous lawsuits.” The bills also would shield employers from damages liability if an employee tests positive during an ongoing state of emergency declared by Whitmer. Employers would have to meet a tougher standard to show they are in “substantial compliance” to public health orders, as opposed to current liability law, which requires businesses to act reasonably

A virtual Detroit reunion with a focus on equity

and in good faith. The higher standard is positive for all involved. Patrons could still sue, for example, if restaurant servers fail to wear masks; under these bills, businesses have an incentive to make sure they are meticulous about safety. Public-facing businesses are being buffeted right now by an avalanche of public health directives. Most recognize that customer confidence is paramount as Michigan’s economy re-opens, both for patrons and their own employees. They understand that social distancing, sanitizing and mask-wearing are critical to keeping their doors open. It’s already a brutal environment as businesses try to accommodate the new normal with a fraction of their former customers. They don’t need to add fear of frivolous lawsuits to the list.

Four months into her tenure as COO of Starbucks, Roz Brewer was hit with a crisis: Two Black customers were arrested by Philadelphia police for declining to order a beverage while they were waiting for a third man to arrive to start a meeting. Thanks to cellphone video, the incident in April 2018 went viral. When Brewer arrived from the West Coast the same evening, she discovered that the company had made multiple mistakes that led to the outrageous incident. Its rules were outdated and staff poorly trained. For Brewer — a Black executive, Cass Tech and Spelman College graduate — the episode was also personal. Her own son was 23 years old — the same age as Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, the two men who police eventually released without charges. The company’s response — including shutting down all stores six weeks later for companywide training, an overhaul of rules and ongoing internal conversations at the store level — has since been viewed as a model, and certainly one that many companies have begun to study, especially in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. And it will be part of the conversation when Brewer joins three other nationally known Black executives to discuss racial equity on the opening day of the virtual Detroit Homecoming VII on Sept. 21. Other sessions will include Troy native and ex-Twitter CEO Dick Costolo; Apple’s Deirdre O’Brien, another Troy native and on Fortune magazine’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women, and Byron Allen, perhaps the most successful Black media mogul. The annual gathering of ex-Detroiters, produced by Crain’s Detroit Business, is open to anyone interested in Detroit’s future.

Mary

KRAMER

Group Publisher

Brewer

Allen

With the overall theme, “The D’s Next Decade: Advancing Equity,” we’ll also ask: How can Detroit be a model for creating a future for all Detroiters? We have more than a dozen virtual programs, five neighborhood tours and a handful of restaurants lined up for the week. You can find the program details and register at detroithomecoming.com. Everything is free — except the restaurant meals. Until college football returns, this “homecoming” could be the next best thing to an alumni reunion at halftime.

MORE ON WJR ` Listen to Crain’s Group Publisher Mary Kramer and Managing Editor Michael Lee talk about the week’s stories every Monday morning at 6:15 a.m. Mondays on WJR 760 AM’s Paul W. Smith Show.

COMMENTARY

Keep reduced Medicaid payments to health plans BY JOAN BUDDEN

The full effects of COVID-19 from a personal, societal, business and political standpoint will take years to fully understand. However, one indisputable fact that we know right now is that for health insurers, the decrease in the use of medical services Joan Budden is has resulted in a dramatic CEO of reduction in medical exSouthfieldpenses. In fact, utilization based health of non-emergent health insurer Priority care services declined by Health. 30-50 percent over the first half of 2020. When Michiganders moved from the workplace to in-home quarantine, employment statuses changed, and income became uncertain for many. In response, Priority Health, and many other insurers, adjusted premiums and waived cost sharing for many important services and benefits. In the

Affordable Care Act market, Priority Health was one of the first insurance plans in the nation to provide premium credits to small group and individual members. We worked quickly to ensure our members, friends, neighbors and fellow Michiganders could maintain their coverage. The state is also looking for creative ways to support Michiganders. We saw another example of this with their request for health plans to return unused Medicaid funds. In August, the Legislature approved a proposal by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to take back $35 million in funding by implementing the Medicaid risk corridor, which allowed the state to reduce payments to Medicaid health plans. At Priority Health, we viewed this as a reasonable and responsible thing to do. We applaud the bipartisan work of the Whitmer administration and the Michigan Legislature on this budget solution. The funds cut from the Medicaid program were reallocated to help the state tackle its $2.2 billion budget shortfall for the rest of fiscal 2020. Now, as the Whitmer administration and Legis-

CLAIMS THAT THE QUALITY OF CARE FOR MEDICAID RECIPIENTS IS AT RISK BECAUSE OF THESE CUTS SHOULD BE INSULTING TO THE PEOPLE OF MICHIGAN. lature look to address budget shortfalls for fiscal 2021 and 2022 a continuation of the risk corridor is again on the table. Extending the funding mechanism into fiscal 2021 ensures that funding will stay in Michigan and help communities across our state as our legislative partners in Lansing work with the governor to navigate COVID-19’s impact. This proposal hasn’t come without opposition. Numerous for-profit health plans, many headquartered out of state, have opposed these cuts. These same insurers are reporting record profits and shareholder dividends. At a time when unemployment in Michigan has increased to nearly 15 percent and the future for many Michigan families is uncertain, we should be coming together to find ways to give back,

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. 8 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

utilize rainy-day funds, and be a partner to both the Whitmer administration and the Legislature as they seek to find solutions to the unforeseen problems COVID-19 has created. Claims that the quality of care for Medicaid recipients is at risk because of these cuts should be insulting to the people of Michigan. At Priority Health we are confident in our ability to continue providing access to high-quality, evidenced-based care. The quality checks that ensure Medicaid recipients across all plans have access to the care they need will still work. Insurers have a responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars, to work hard to lower expenses and take action to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in Michigan’s health care. We believe that we also have an obligation to operate efficiently to ensure that more money is spent on care and less on administration. We all know the importance of pulling together and helping our neighbors, and this proposal to return unspent tax dollars provides Michigan insurers the opportunity to do our part. Let’s make decisions today that will best position Michigan to come out the other side of this crisis stronger and smarter.

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

The biggest limitation to online learning may be imagination BY RON STEFANSKI

As we let our imagination play itself out regarding the upcoming school year, we need to ask ourselves: Are we going to see children getting a great education Ron Stefanski is or are they going executive to fall behind? director of For parents Centric who balanced the Learning, a demands of doBelleville-based ing their jobs ree-learning motely this past company. spring with children underfoot, often watching them disengage after hours on the computer, many have concluded that remote learning doesn’t work. But is that really true? If your child spent hours without interruption in front of a computer, they may have been watching their teacher and class on Zoom, but they were not necessarily experiencing remote learning. Since the inception of e-learning, technology has delivered increased bandwidth, and more engaging multimedia tools. Innovative instructional methods supported by a growing body of best practice have advanced the efficacy of remote learning. So, if we worry that e-learning doesn’t work, or will re-create educational inequities, perhaps we need to ask ourselves instead: How do we accelerate learning to prepare children for the wired global workplace they will inhabit? Great teachers answer this question readily. They:  Engage students directly in their own learning and help them think independently.  Excite students’ natural curiosity and appetite for learning.  Adapt their teaching to students’ needs and use creative alternative approaches.  Nurture relationships and assist children in doing so. The truth is — this is how effective learning takes place online as well. Multiple options for learning online are now readily available and will continue to evolve. These programs are designed to pair students with highly trained teachers or coaches. The current rise of micro schools and learning pods speaks to the growing interest parents have in ensuring that their children are learning. This will continue to prompt innovation as we marry teaching and technology in forward thinking ways. Research shows that the average adult maintains their attention span for 20 minutes. If true, how can we expect anything different for younger students? Yet in many cases, we left teachers, without training or guidance, to recreate an effective learning environment online with little time. We are also hearing warnings about equity as we transition to online learning. Countless school districts have identified problems implementing online learning for every student when many, especially those in urban and impoverished areas, lack the bandwidth or the devices required. Yet there is a far more pernicious equity issue in play that online learning can actually help us address. Since “A Nation at Risk” was first

published, school districts still see learning and studying leads to better significant performance gaps among outcomes. So how might online students of color. Clearly, numerous learning help close this achievement factors in play contribute to systemic gap? For students falling behind, accelerating learnracism in schools by increasing (higher rates of AS STUDENTS SPEND MORE ing their time on task detention and is the key. suspension top TIME LEARNING ON THEIR By applying among them). gamification in As my col- OWN TERMS, WE CAN learning, an enleague Caesar IMAGINE EDUCATION tire industry has Mickens, a forformed around mer administra- DIFFERENTLY. employing the tor for the Detroit Public Schools, points out a key to similar program logic that engages solving the performance gap is in- children to play video games for creasing “time on task.” In the sim- hours on end. These online resources plest terms, spending more time can be effective because students re-

main engaged longer and begin to catch up and progress. Another extremely promising area for increasing and sustaining student engagement involves project-based learning, which shifts the educational paradigm and focuses on how students learn. Instead of memorizing subject-specific facts, students are posed a series of driving questions. Through guided activities, working with the teacher as an expert guide and facilitator, students are propelled by their own desire to learn. Instead of testing students on their retention of the material, students create projects that demonstrate their mastery. They are assessed on their compe-

tency, rather than their retention or time in class. The result: Increased engagement and learning across the curriculum. As we think about options for engaging students, one thing is clear. The effectiveness of online learning may be limited only by the bounds of our imagination, and not by the technology. As students spend more time learning on their own terms, we can imagine education differently. Our creativity in finding new ways to deliver a high-quality education may turn out to be the biggest breakthrough we see during this pandemic. Imagine that.

YOUR PAST PREPARED YOU FOR NOW. At Wayne State University, we believe nothing should stop you from earning your degree. So whether you’re starting school later or looking to change careers, we can guide you on your journey. With counseling, flexible scheduling and available financial aid, no one has more ways to make a world-class education more affordable, more accessible and more rewarding. Take the first step and you’ll be amazed at how far it can take you. Finish your degree Warrior Strong. Visit go.wayne.edu/degree.

WARRIOR STRONG

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 9

Design surrounds us. Nearly every image and object in our physical environment was designed, blending form and function, art and engineering in ways that are often invisible to the conscious mind. At its best, design just works. And so do our inaugural Notable Women in Design. Our honorees span fields from architecture and graphic design to fashion and industrial design. They run companies, make things happen, and most importantly, create images, objects and ideas never seen before. METHODOLOGY: The women featured in this Notable Women in Design report were selected by a team of Crain’s Detroit Business editors based on their career accomplishments, track record of success in the field, contributions to their community and mentorship of others, as outlined in a detailed nomination form. GETTY IMAGES

Notable Women in Design was managed and written by Leslie D. Green. For questions about this special report, contact Michael Lee at malee@crain.com. To learn more about Crain’s awards programs, visit crainsdetroit.com/ nominate.

MELINDA ANDERSON

LAURA BADE

MEAGHAN BARRY

REBECCA BARRY

TIFFANY BROWN

Event Designer

Director of Graphic Design

Partner and Creative Director

Manager of Architecture

Project Manager

Studio M Detroit

Rossetti

Unsold Studio

Ghafari Associates

SmithGroup

Laura Bade employs her can-do spirit as she directs each graphic design project from visualization to implementation at Rossetti, an urban planning, interior environments and architectural and environmental design firm. “Laura has the uncanny ability to integrate just the right balance of ingredients — sass, attitude, freshness, context, innovation, beauty — into every design project she has done at Rossetti, resulting in an overall amazing design,” said Rossetti President Matt Rossetti. Bade’s projects include the historical Albert in Detroit, the renovated lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank, Comerica Park’s Corner Tap Room, the Daytona International Speedway and the street fair-inspired Monroe Market at Greektown Casino.

Associate Professor of Graphic Design

Rebecca Barry began her career as a draftsman. Now, at Ghafari’s Dearborn headquarters, she oversees more than 41 team members, including those working with Ford Motor Co. to convert unused parts of Fairlane Mall into office space. Barry, who champions lean initiatives that improve company efficiency, was integral to the successful development of the $25.7 million, LEED-certified Wayne County Airport Authority building, erected next to Detroit Metropolitan Airport’s North Terminal. “Becky has worked on some portfolio-defining projects in her career here,” said Kouhaila Hammer, president and CEO of Ghafari Associates. “Her design strengths are considerable, but it was her leadership skills that stood out from the beginning. She is a committed mentor, especially to our younger architects.”

While Tiffany Brown manages multimillion-dollar architectural design, contract management and construction administration projects, she also advocates for equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Brown is particularly proud of projects that improve quality of life for Detroit’s residents, including repairs, upgrades and renovations at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. She also is key to 400 Forward, a mentoring initiative introducing 400 Detroit girls to architecture, construction, landscape design and urban planning. At the same time, they help revitalize residences in the city’s Fitzgerald neighborhood. Brown highlights the city and her work in the documentary “Design for All.” “Everything Tiffany does brings attention to the reality that there are very few African American women in the architectural profession. She has exhibited outstanding professionalism and learning ability, proof that activism and development as an architect should be the expectation we have for all architects,” said Jeff Hausman, senior vice president and Detroit office director of SmithGroup.

Melinda Anderson focuses her practice on ephemeral architecture and temporary design meant to educate the community and leave a lasting memory. In 2019, she won a $25,000 grant from the Knight Arts Challenge for “Electric Fruit,” a mobile art installation. Anderson launched Studio M in 2009 while employed as creative director and director of engagement for Design Core Detroit, for which she helped plan and produce more than 500 events over eight years, including the Movement Electronic Music Festival. “The collaborative, innovative and creative energy that Melinda brings to the team is rare in the event production/design industry,” said Jason Huvaere, founder of Paxahau Events, which puts on Movement.

Oakland University

At Unsold Studio, Meaghan Barry and her partner collaborate with small businesses and nonprofits that don’t have design teams. Barry also leads boot camps for entrepreneurial creatives, teaching them how to write proposals and creative briefs and how design can improve communities. “Meaghan Barry and her work at Unsold Studio are an exemplar of ‘design for good’… Her unique vision of design’s potential lifts our community, one project at a time,” said Kimmie Parker, assistant professor of Graphic Design at OU. As the first tenure-track member of faculty in OU’s graphic design program, she not only provides real-world design experiences for her students but she also advocates for equity. Through collaboration and determination, she successfully advocated for the development of a laptop rental program to put students who don’t own computers on a level playing field with those who do.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 11

KAREN BUSCEMI

LAURA CASAI

President and CEO Detroit Sewn Inc.

Karen Buscemi created Detroit Garment Group in 2012 to help retain fashion-related talent in Michigan. She then founded Detroit Sewn in 2015 to fill a need for cut and sew services in the region. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Buscemi saw value in pivoting its offerings, and Detroit Sewn began solely manufacturing personal protective equipment, such as face masks and isolation gowns. The change has increased Detroit Sewn’s sales, technology investment, capacity and hiring. Detroit Sewn has grown from eight employees at the beginning of 2020 to 20 employees, with further growth expected.

LILIAN CRUM

MICHELLE DAVIS

ELI

Director of Interior Design

ELIZABETH (LIBBY) COLE

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Principal and Chief Design Officer

Own

TMP Architecture

Owner and director

Lawrence Technological University;

Davis & Davis

The Work Department

Partner and Creative Director

Adju Art a

Libby Cole worked her way up from freelance designer to sole owner of the women-led design and strategy studio The Work Department. Among Work Department clients is FoodLab Detroit, a consortium of entrepreneurs committed to growing an equitable food industry. “The Work Department has been our facilitation partner for many years, and they have taught us that problem-solving isn’t making something go away but bringing something into being,” said FoodLab Executive Director Devita Davison. In 2017, The Work Department established a consortium of thinkers, creators, futurists and others to develop and present “Footwork: The Choreography of Collaboration” at the Saint-Etienne Design Biennale in France as part of Detroit’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design.

Unsold Studio

In addition to her role as director of interior design, Laura Casai is studio leader and senior educational planner for TMP, an architecture firm specializing in learning environments. In part, she helps public school districts evaluate their spaces, identify infrastructure and program needs and get buy-in from the community. For example, understanding that learning is about exploration, Casai and her team developed Dexter Community Schools’ new 150,000-square-foot, $24.4 million early elementary complex as two schools connected by a center for innovation, that includes a workshop for hand’s-on exploration and a town square-like marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY AMID CRISIS: RE-EXAMINING HEALTH CARE

“It is no overstatement to say that Lilian’s collaborative firm Unsold Studio is transforming the commercial design scene in Detroit and further,” said Christopher Stefani, associate director of the Detroit Center for Design and Technology. Unsold was selected to attend Singapore Design Week in 2019 as a UNESCO Creative Cities delegate. And, earlier this year, the studio earned a Silver Indigo Design Award in Branding for its work with Spectacle Society, an independent eyewear shop. Lilian Crum, who serves as co-director of mentorship on the board of AIGA Detroit, launched a student-run design studio for Lawrence Tech that services socially conscious businesses and organizations and provides professional development opportunities for her students.

MONDAY

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Michelle Davis has been a principal at interior design and architecture firm Davis & Davis for 30 years. Clients have included Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, CBRE headquarters and work at Greektown Casino’s bar and retail spaces. One significant project was the reimagining of the 13,000-square-foot lobby and adjacent spaces at the Bank of America building in Troy for $700,000. The result expanded the number of tenants and helped the owner flip the property it bought for $35 million and sell it for nearly double the purchase price. “We have been using Michelle Davis and her team now for four years. Ever since their amazing redesign of our common areas for a downtown Detroit property, we saw the value in bringing them to New York for three more projects,” said Hampshire Properties COO Daniel Rosenthal.

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ELISE DECHARD

KIMBERLY DOKES

Owner/Architect, End Studio LLC

Founder and Principal

Adjunct Faculty, Kendall College of Art and Design

Dokes Design Architecture LLC

Elise DeChard not only looks for opportunities to use playful architectural techniques but also to mentor aspiring designers. “I had the opportunity to work with Elise on two installations at Simone DeSousa Edition for Detroit’s Month of Design in 2018 and 2019... Whether in a temporary exhibition or a permanent public installation, her designs invite the public to interact and enjoy,” said Gallery Owner Simone DeSousa. Under her guidance, End Studio balances for-profit design work with pro bono or reduced-cost work for socially minded and culturally driven community nonprofits. Such clients have included Ceramics School, Fisheye Farms, Re-Root Pontiac and trauma-centered healing and advocacy program Just Speak.

Kimberly Dokes is passionate about the big picture and helping entrepreneurs, developers and others understand the building process so they can realize their project dreams. “I have given (Dokes) my vision and they have brought it to life beyond my expectations. They have even incorporated designer touches that are both beneficial and useful without any input from me,” said client Charles Dickerson III, managing partner of CADSIII Management Inc. Previously, Dokes was senior project architect at Kraemer Design Group, where she was project manager of the new Shinola Hotel. Now, she is working on “the most fulfilling” projects of her career, including reimagining and designing facilities to house new academy programs for the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan.

ALHAN JAAFAR

Giving history life “When I think of Tracy, I think of her involvement in our community,” said Jeff Cancelosi, Exhibitions Committee chair at the Detroit Artists Market. “She is doing amazing work at the Historical Society but also sees the bigger picture.” Tracy Irwin joined the Detroit Historical Society in TRACY 2002. There, she IRWIN has overcome a Chief Exhibitions limited budget and Enrichment and limited Officer materials to Detroit Historical design, develop Society and install more than 100 exhibits that tell engaging and educational stories at the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum and off-site locations. Irwin was integral to the design, management and launch of Detroit67: Perspectives, a comprehensive exhibit in 2017 that took more than three years to complete and earned the 2018 Institute of Library and Museum Services National Medal of Honor. The

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Director of Interior Design Hamilton Anderson Associates

retrospective on the 1967 rebellion in Detroit was so comprehensive that Irwin and her team traveled around the world sharing what they learned with more than 40 museums. Because of its expansive and diverse programming, DHS earned the Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History. In the past year, the Detroit Historical Society, under Irwin’s leadership, partnered with the Black Historic Sites Committee to highlight photos from Black Bottom, collaborated with the LGBTQ+ community for a unique LGBTQ photo exhibit, and exhibited artifacts for its show “South West Detroit: More Than a Place.” Moreover, Irwin understands the importance of technology in her industry. She helped develop and produce the Historical Society’s online digital database of more than 40,000 assets. And when the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with the Historical Society’s retrospective exhibit of Orchestra Hall, created for the 100th anniversary of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra this year, Irwin’s team developed a virtual tour and digital program.

DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS

Hamilton Anderson promoted Alhan Jaafar earlier this year from senior interior designer. She handles interior design of mixeduse, higher education, hospitality, corporate and commercial projects with budgets spanning from $20,000 to $50 million. Jaafar, who clients call an “exemplary” interior designer, seeks ways to inject a sense of home in the workplaces she designs. She was integral to adaptive reuse of the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation workplace, the BASCO Broadway Lofts and the reuse and renovation of the Hamilton Midtown. In addition to the restoration of historic flourishes, the project included developing micro-apartment units and integrating modern-day amenity rooms, such as a community room, fitness room and pet grooming center.

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 13

DONNA JACKSON

ROSLYN KARAMOKO

MAUREEN KRAEMER

KATIE KRIZANICH

SAUNDRA LITTLE

Owner

Founder and CEO

Principal

Creative Director

Détroit is the New Black

Kraemer Design Group LLC

Detroit Regional Chamber

Principal, Architect, Director of Diversity and Inclusion

Dire

DMJStudio

After 10 years as brand manager for the Houston Public Library, Donna Jackson decided to focus on developing physical and digital art and design exhibitions. “Donna Jackson not only has a keen eye for design, from art installations to websites, she also has a desire to uplift her community,” said client Rebecca Wenglinski, director of Marketing and Business Development for Kerr, Russell and Weber PLC. Jackson, who serves on the board of the American Institute of Graphic Artists Detroit, is creator, director and videographer of “In Pursuit of Hope,” a 2017 film exhibit of HOPE Village residents sharing stories about race, equity and progress in the 50 years since the 1967 rebellion in Detroit. She is creator, curator and project manager of traveling exhibit “Doors of Opportunity” and graphic designer for “Focus on Detroit,” a community festival launched in 2018 displaying Detroit photographers.

After working as an international buying consultant who grew one company’s revenue by $14 million, Roslyn Karamoko struck out on her own to create a new retail brand. Karamoko’s Détroit is the New Black doesn’t just sell classic T-shirts, it is also a mantra for the city and its diverse culture. A 2019 Crain’s 40 under 40 honoree, she has captured the attention of media worldwide. Time magazine called her “The Motor City’s Hottest Designer.” Because of her work, Wayne State University recruited her to teach in its Fashion Design & Marketing department. “Roslyn has proven herself to be a true innovator,” said notable fashion designer Tracy Reese. “Through hard work and perseverance she has brought her brand to national and international attention as a lightning rod example of the spirit of the new Detroit.”

Maureen Kraemer co-founded the company with her husband in 1996 and launched hospitality and contract procurement firm Intramode in 2000. In the 24 years, Kraemer Design has made a significant impact on Metro Detroit’s landscape. Some of her notable architectural projects include Google Ann Arbor and Birmingham, Ford Estates, Greektown Casino, the Detroit Athletic Club renovation, Shinola Hotel, the David Stott Building and the 108-year-old Birch Lodge Inn and Motel. However notable those projects, Kraemer is most proud of her work with Bridgepointe on La Alacena, a school food pantry in Southwest Detroit that serves more than 100 families in need. “Maureen is always looking for ways to make the process better and more palatable for clients, identifying unique ways for us to provide better service and truly live up to our potential,” said Brian Rebain, a principal at Kraemer.

Katie Krizanich is a creative problem-solver. She produces the animation and presentations for the annual Mackinac Policy Conference, which attracts more than 1,500 attendees, and other chamber-related events. She also provides design and marketing direction for the chamber’s website. “Katie’s institutional knowledge, creativity and ability to use design thinking for problem-solving make her an asset to the chamber team,” said Megan Spanitz, vice president of Resource Development and Marketing at the Detroit Regional Chamber. “In terms of the Mackinac Policy Conference, her impact is visually present from start to finish; from the micro website and registration to the hundreds of onsite details and experiential elements (materials, sponsor recognition, theater staging).”

Quinn Evans Architects

Quinn Evans acquired Saundra Little’s Centric Design Studio in 2019. Now Little leads a team of 24 for QE. Little understands the worldwide impact of black architects is significant and uses her architectural practice to pave the way for minority youth. In addition to numerous other mentorship activities, Little has introduced the architectural industry to more than 200 African American students in Michigan through the National Organization of Minority Architects, where she is National Midwest vice president. She also provides paid, hands-on internships to high school students. In 2016, Little won the Knight Art Challenge Award for Noir Design Parti, a project that researches the history and collects the artifacts that tell stories of Detroit’s Black architects. The project includes a book, ongoing bus tours, podcast and more.

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JULIE PINCUS

Director of Operations

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Faurecia North America

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Chair and Associate Professor of Interior Design

Graphic Designer

Patrick Thompson Design

Heather McKeon waited for someone to rehabilitate Detroit’s historic Metropolitan Building but nothing happened. Then, due to McKeon’s past work leading an interior design department, Patrick Thompson Design was selected to complete the $33 million job. Now, the Metropolitan houses the Element Detroit hotel. McKeon calls herself the office mom. She manages, supports and runs all projects within PTD’s office. Other projects include the new Hammer & Nail restaurant and apartments at the Statler. PTD has seen a revenue increase of 110 percent since McKeon joined the firm in 2016.

Though she’s only been there for two years, Meghan Oesterle is a change agent at Faurecia, which handles the soft trim pattern design of automotive seating. Within a year of her arrival, Oesterle developed and implemented the company’s Sustainable Future Initiative because “the best way to combat waste is to design it out from the beginning.” So far, Faurecia has replaced single-use plastic with compostable items on campus. The company hopes to infuse this sustainability mindset into its design and practices. “Meghan’s exceptional ability translate her passion for sustainability into a strong value proposition for the business was the catalyst for swift and tangible positive change at Faurecia,” said Jill Greene, vice president, general counsel and secretary for Faurecia NA.

“Anna has honed her craft as a designer in her years at Pophouse and truly understands the impact that empathetic design can have on people. As a leader, Anna works to cultivate the entire Pophouse team’s passion for design by planning art hops, gallery visits and trips to museums,” said Pophouse President Jennifer Janus. In 2019, Anna Okerhjelm began managing the redesign of Quicken Loans’ Campus Martius and Chase buildings. With the onset of the pandemic, she quickly instructed her team to reimagine the design, considering the increased need of safety in the workplace and greater number of employees working virtually.

TRACY REESE

BILGE NUR SALTIK

LISA SAUVE

LAURA WALKER

KIANA WENZELL

Fashion Designer

Director,

CEO, Principal and Co-Founder

Associate Design Architect

Director of Culture and Community

Tracy Reese Ventures

Form&Seek Collective

Synecdoche Design Studio

SmithGroup;

Design Core Detroit

Elle, Vogue, Essence, Marie Claire and other notable fashion publications have been underscoring the work of Tracy Reese since she came on the scene in the 1990s. Reese, who champions numerous social causes, has worked at some of the industry’s top fashion houses, including Perry Ellis. Fans of her brand include former First Lady Michelle Obama, actress Sarah Jessica Parker and singer Taylor Swift. Last year, Reese, who serves on the Board of Directors for the Council of Fashion Designers of America, moved back to Detroit and launched Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, a clothing line produced with sustainable fabrics. “Tracy’s lifetime achievement as a black woman in fashion design has inspired my journey,” said Roslyn Karamoko, founder and CEO of Détroit is the New Black.

Director and Assistant Professor of Industrial Design

Lisa Sauve is a licensed architect who works in the architectural industry through her design-make firm Synecdoche, which designs and builds bespoke furniture and installations. She’s also active in the community as planning commissioner for the city of Ann Arbor and her work at the Ann Arbor Art Center. “Lisa’s contributions to the Art Center as a board member and volunteer have positively impacted both the organization and our community,” said A2AC President and CEO Marie Klopf. Sauve is a critical member of A2AC’s Art in Public initiative, which is working to install 10 murals by national, regional and local artists in the city’s creative district.

Co-Founding Principal

Under Kiana Wenzell’s leadership, DCD won a $35,000 grant from Gucci’s Changemakers Impact Fund to implement “Design in the City,” a platform providing fashion and accessory designers with commercial spaces during Detroit Month of Design along with business support, mentorship and other resources. “She is unselfish in elevating designers, artists and creatives, and she expands the city’s design ecosystem through the multi-venue Drinks x Design events and Detroit Month of Design,” said Karen Burton, co-founder and CEO of SpaceLab Detroit. Wenzell leads programming for the annual Detroit Month of Design. In 2019, the festival hosted 150 designers at 55 events, attracted 45,000 people and garnered national attention. Wenzell also curates Drinks x Design, a marketplace and networking event for creative talent. In March, she took the event from a monthly gathering of 300 to 400 people to a digital experience.

a st

Lawrence Technological University

Bilge Nur Saltik is busy. In addition to heading a Lawrence Tech degree program and teaching, she is chair of the Exhibition and Lecture Committee. “She kickstarted a fresh culture in the industrial design program that our students were longing for. Her collaborative approach and creativity related to materials is inspiring the new generation of designers,” said Karl Daubmann, LTU’s dean of College of Architecture and Design. As co-founder of design studio Form&Seek, Saltik organizes exhibits at international fairs, such as Milan Design Week. She also leads the writing team for Tasarlayanlar.com, a Turkish design magazine. One of Saltik’s recent projects includes helping leather goods brand Uniqka improve the sustainability of its product line. Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York and Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam have exhibited Saltik’s work.

Toocandoo

College for Creative Studies

The perception, production and interactions of objects and scenes that evoke emotion captivate Sandra Olave. She brings that fascination to the classes she teaches and provides her students with real-life design problems that help prepare them for future careers. “Sandra … successfully manages the balance between creative freedom and rigorous discipline new interior designers must have a firm grasp of,” said Illuminart Principal Robert White. As a current student herself, Olave is working with a team to design a plan to clean water and soil pollutants that dying industries create. Outside the classroom, Olave worked with Neumann Smith and Pophouse (formerly dPOP) on the lobby design of the First National Building. The project earned an Illuminating Engineering Society Award of Merit.

Other Work

Laura Walker won a Design Build Competition, sponsored by the city of Detroit, for her work on The Design Center in Detroit’s Old Redford community. The center allows pop-up entrepreneurs to test and sell their products. She also won a Design Build Competition, hosted by Design Core Detroit, for an interactive solar-powered streetscape installation in Southwest Detroit. Walker understands how easy it is for employees to feel overlooked in large firms. So, she enjoys engaging with staff as an employee coach through SmithGroup’s Coaching Initiative. “Laura is a champion for inclusivity, at the project and office level, as well as the design community at large. Outside of her work at SmithGroup, Laura has a diverse impact on the profession. Her work… demonstrates her commitment to positively influence multiple facets of the profession,” said SmithGroup Principal Michael Paul Krug.

In 2019, Julie Pincus collaborated with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and author and former music critic Mark Stryker to design “Destiny: 100 Years of Music, Magic and Community at Orchestra Hall in Detroit,” a 150-page coffee-table book developed for the DSO’s 2020 centennial. “She consistently found ways to enhance the expression of my words and reinforce the historical themes of the book in ways that brought home for readers Orchestra Hall’s central role in Detroit culture for 100 years,” Stryker said. Pincus won numerous awards for the 292-page book “Canvas Detroit,” which she co-authored with Nichole Christian. Published by Wayne State University in 2014, the coffee-table book highlights artworks by and about metro Detroit artists. In addition, Pincus, who previously worked as design director for Skidmore Inc., developed lengthy monographs for the Kresge Foundation’s annual Eminent Artist awards over the years.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 15

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Dawn Foods CEO leads third-generation family company’s global growth, profitability The Jones-Barber file

BY RACHELLE DAMICO

Current Role: CEO, Dawn Foods

When Carrie Jones-Barber was 12 years old, a salesman for her family’s company, Dawn Foods, called her home in the middle of the night asking for her father’s help with an issue. Jones-Barber’s father, Ron Jones, was president of Dawn Foods at the time. “I told myself I wanted to do what my dad does someday,” Jones-Barber said. “Help people solve problems.” Today, Jones-Barber is the CEO of the third-generation family company. She’s responsible for making major corporate decisions for Dawn, including managing the overall operations and resources of the company. The 100-year-old company is headquartered in Jackson, where it began as a bakery. Today, Dawn is a global bakery manufacturer and supplier that manufactures and distributes mixes, bases, icings, glazes, fillings and fully baked products and equipment to the food industry. Each distribution center has about 2,000 items, distributing all the ingredients a baker needs, including items like flour and sugar, a variety of flavors and decorating items, and packaging. Dawn employs more than 4,000 people and serves more than 40,000 customers in over 100 countries. Their customers include artisanal and industrial bakers, supermarkets and food service companies. Jones-Barber has been with Dawn for more than 30 years. Since working her way up to CEO in 2006, she has helped establish the company as a global leader in sweet bakery by introducing global strategic planning processes and overseeing one of the company’s largest acquisitions to date in Europe. Today, Dawn is a multibillion-dollar leader in the bakery industry. ` Why did you decide to join the family business? When I’d get together with my family on the weekends, my dad, uncle and grandfather always talked about their work and were so passionate about it. They loved what they did. As a kid, my parents invited salesmen from Dawn over for dinner, and we got to know many of them and their families. When I was about 12 years old, the phone rang in the middle of the night. When I answered, a gentleman on the other end of the phone said he had a problem and needed to talk to my dad. This light just went on in my head. I told myself I wanted to do what my dad does someday, help people solve problems.

Education: Bachelor of Business Administration, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Career Ladder: After graduating from Western Michigan University in 1982, Jones-Barber worked in medical sales for Foster Medical Supply, a medical supply company in St. Petersburg, Fla. She left the company in 1985 to join Dawn as a sales representative in Florida. In 1990, Jones-Barber was promoted to national sales manager of key accounts for frozen bakery products in the company’s Crown Point, Indiana, office. She left that role in 1995 when she was appointed to lead Dawn sales as the business development manager for western Europe in 1995, where she worked in Dawn’s Evesham, England, office. In 1997, Jones-Barber was appointed Dawn’s chief information officer and moved to Dawn’s Jackson headquarters. She was then appointed president of Dawn Foods International in 2001. In her role, she was responsible for delivering growth and profitability to the company’s international operations. In 2006, Jones-Barber was appointed CEO of Dawn Foods.

` When did you first join the company? I did all kinds of odd jobs at Dawn during summers in college. I started out cleaning pots and pans in our research and development lab. The next year, I got to move up by working in the office taking customer orders. I’m lucky because by the time I got to college, I met a lot of people that just didn’t know what they wanted to do. However, when I graduated from Western Michigan University, I decided to move to Florida and told my dad I wasn’t going to work at Dawn right away. I had to go out and be successful on my own first, or fail on my own first. I never wanted to look in the mirror (while working at Dawn) and say to myself, ‘Are you here because of your last name or can you really do this?’ I had to build my own confidence in business first. ` How did you build on that confidence? I wanted to start in sales, specifically in medical sales. I did odd jobs in the meantime, including selling advertising for an organization in Florida. It was tough. I had just graduated from college at 23 years old. I was given 10 blocks a day to sell advertising by literally knocking on doors. I heard ‘no thank you’ a lot, but I learned persistence. Then, I landed my job in medical sales. One of the things I learned was the importance of knowing my product. I was selling critical things to doctors like medical implants. One day I was in a doctor’s office and a nurse actually said, ‘we’re going to put this implant in, do you want to join us in surgery?’ My face went white. I told her I didn’t want to go. She said, ‘but you’re a nurse.’ I said, ‘no, I’m a salesperson.’ That to me was a good acknowledgment of the fact that I knew my stuff. I was wildly successful in medical sales but after about four years, I knew I had learned what I needed to learn. That’s when I reached out to my Dad about future opportunities at Dawn.

16 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Fun Fact: Jones-Barber is an avid runner, starting nearly every day on the treadmill. “It keeps my energy level up for the rest of the day and helps me manage my stress,” Jones-Barber said.

Carrie Jones-Barber, CEO of Dawn Foods.

` Were there any challenges upon your return? When I joined Dawn, I was the only woman in bakery sales in the state of Florida. When I would walk into the back of a bakery (to pitch products to sell), bakers basically didn’t know what to do with me. When I’d show them a product, I’d run it (through the equipment) myself and you could see the surprised looks on their faces. They’d make comments like, ‘you really do know how to bake.’ One particular baker made his own fillings for his products. He said to me, ‘Why do you keep coming back here? You’ve been here seven times, and I don’t have a need to buy anything from you.’ I said, ‘Someday you’re going to remember I talked to you about (Dawn’s bakery filling) products and how it would save you time and money as opposed to actually making it.’ Six months later he called me up. He was short a baker in his shop and just didn’t have the time to make his own filling. He said, ‘Can I

have eight pails of the raspberry filling you were talking about?’ He tried the product and was sold. We later became good buddies, and he was a great customer for Dawn for many years. ` What were some early leadership lessons for you? You can’t do everything. There are things I need to know really, really well, but I also needed to recognize where I’m not going to excel. Believe me, nobody wants me to be the CFO. Surround yourself with talented people and then trust them to do the right thing. I truly believe trust is something that can be hard for family companies. I’ve worked with other families in business, and I think that’s something that clearly sets us apart. We have a servant leadership mentality. Our leadership is committed to listening to and serving the needs of our team members. We put their needs ahead of our own and recognize the valuable contributions they bring to our

company. Our job is to ask them what they need so they can do the best job they can, remove any barriers and let them do what they are good at. Also, right after I became a mom I also became an executive at Dawn. I went to a women in leadership seminar at Harvard and the woman professors there said, ‘Do not use these words in your life any longer: work life balance.’ They talked about prioritizing your life by being where you need to be when you need to be there. Sometimes that means prioritizing family functions, knowing that the work will get done later. Other times you’ll need to let your family know you’ll be busy doing something important for the short term. Ask for support. This takes the balance concern away. When everyone is on the same page as to timing and focus, we can understand what is occurring, why, and for how long. (That lesson) has made a big difference in my life. See DAWN FOODS on Page 17

DAWN FOODS

a family member that’s on the board and you made a statement, everybody in the organization questions, ‘Are you speaking as a board member or as a family member?’ That was getting a little confusing. We also have a family constitution. If you work for Dawn and want to become CEO in the future, so there aren’t any misunderstandings, there are (milestones you have to reach) in your career in order to get there. It’s the same (process) with the leadership team. You don’t want any misconceptions. Those things never end up good. We also have family meetings. The family constitution dictates how the family meetings are run and what we want to accomplish. We have what we call our family council, which is made up of family members who work in the business and family members who do not. It is a process that allows our family to gather questions, suggestions and input from the rest of the family and discuss them.

From Page 16

` What’s a major decision you’ve made at the company that has driven growth? From a perspective on growing sales, sometimes you need to make difficult decisions to grow. When I became president of Dawn International, we had to shrink to become more profitable. Initially, we had a small team that was spread out across a large geography with variations in profitability. We commenced an analysis of market potential, competitive analysis and investment required to become profitable. It clearly led to the difficult decisions that included exiting some geographies and closing or selling some businesses. These were the difficult but necessary decisions for Dawn International to grow in the right markets to drive great profit. We took the company in less than two years from a negative situation to a positive situation and that business is now still our fastest growing business and our most profitable. Digital is going to be the next one. (Dawn launched an e-commerce platform this year for existing retail bakery customers across the U.S. that allows customers to place their orders online). We have about 10,000 SKUs in our product portfolio. Our sales team members cannot talk about more than a few at a time. Now, our customers can literally see and explore every item in Dawn’s portfolio. I am so proud because we actually launched prior to our launch date despite COVID-19, and we are delivering on the metrics.

Ron Jones, chairman emeritus (left); Miles Jones, chairman of the board; Carrie Jones-Barber, CEO; Sam Jones, national customer service manager; Sarah Richmond, corporate giving president; Aaron Jones, senior manager, credit and collections. | HOLLIS CONWAY

` How has COVID-19 affected the company? We were considered an essential organization because we are a food supply, so all of our manufacturing locations continued. However, our demand dropped precipitously to almost half. Customers closed their doors at greater rates than I’ve ever seen in my entire life. We had to slow down and furlough some people. I’m happy to say everybody who was furloughed is now back. Luckily for us our demand is more in the V shape now. It was exhausting, but I’m incredibly proud of the work and the quick decision-making our team did

to make sure our team members were safe and did everything we could to take care of the customers. For example, our teams did a lot of work to help our customers re-open with fun signage and resources to help them get back to business. We held training sessions to help our customers use social media to promote themselves and create awareness that they are open again. It’s also important that my teams — all 4,500 people in the organization — still stayed connected to our culture, our values, and to each other. During the first 10 weeks of the COVID crisis, Dawn went to weekly virtual townhall meetings to keep team

members connected and informed. Now we have monthly meetings. One of the things I’ve been talking to my team members about is that in this time of our lives, we need to make sure we’re checking in with each other. ` How do you work through issues that inevitably come up when it comes to working with your family? Are there any tactics the company abides by? A non-family member board director has the responsibility for more frequent communication between the board of directors and myself outside of regular board meetings. Previously, if you were

` Do you have any advice for women who are want to be a CEO? Follow your passion in work. Your life will be fulfilled and you will enjoy what you do every day. Take responsibility for your career. You need to know what the next step is (in your career) and be asking for it. There’s a lot of science around the fact that women don’t necessarily ask for what we want or the right pay rate. Surround yourself with talented people. That starts with figuring out what you’re good at and where your weaknesses are. Deploy people that are great strengths in your weaknesses. Then you’ve got to trust people. I trust implicitly the people that I surround myself with and I have a great leadership team. And of course, you’ve got to work hard.

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 17

NONPROFITS

Corporate volunteerism still down for nonprofits needing hands-on help Organizations find skilled, virtual help on rise BY SHERRI WELCH

@CRAINSDETROIT

WHATEVER IS

NEXT For Grand Valley students, next is opportunity and innovation. Next is global, connecting and uniting us. It’s local, shaping the spaces in which we work and live. It’s a commitment to progress. Next is where minds are free to imagine what could be. At GVSU, next is now. And whatever’s next for you, we will help you get there.

gvsu.edu/next

18 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Southeast Michigan businesses froze in-person, corporate volunteerism in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit, and nonprofits say it has yet to come back. That’s got some that rely on handson volunteers scrambling to fill vacancies. But companies say social distancing needs and the slowed pace of business during the pandemic has led to increases in skilled volunteerism in areas like information technology and marketing. And they predict that will outlive the COVID-19 crisis, even as more in-person volunteering returns. “On the skills-based side ... more people are realizing that using your talents in volunteerism is more impactful,” said Nancy Moody, chair of the DTE Energy Foundation and vice president of public affairs for DTE Energy Co. “I think that will stick.” Nonprofits say they are following local, state and federal safety protocols, but corporate volunteerism, for the most part, hasn’t returned. In July, Focus: Hope had just 195 volunteers to help pack and deliver food boxes for senior citizens, down from 826 during the same month of 2019. Before the pandemic, corporate volunteerism accounted for about 70 percent of all volunteers to the Detroit nonprofit. “We typically knew a month ahead of time we have volunteers a month out. Now we see we might have volunteers for the next week, but we don’t know what’s going to happen after that,” CEO Portia Roberson said. Over the past 30 days, Focus: Hope has seen more companies reach out to restart volunteer efforts, including the Detroit Pistons, Ford Motor Co., DTE and General Motors Co., said Khristi Miller, manager of volunteers and community outreach. “Others have shared that they are looking at their protocols and what their new policies around out-of-office activities will look like, including volunteering,” Miller said. A total of 1,300 volunteers helped with food packing at Forgotten Harvest’s operations in Oak Park and Royal Oak in June, said Christopher Ivey, marketing and communications director. That was 333 fewer than the same month last year. The gap widened in July when just 1,090 people volunteered, down from 1,455 during the same month last year. “Individuals are a struggle, but our biggest challenge is lack of corporate volunteers,” Ivey said. DTE has been sending some volunteers, and GM Cares week is this month, which is expected to help, he said. But “we are just not seeing the large groups of 25-30 all coming in together on a regular basis.” Prior to the pandemic, Macomb County Habitat for Humanity was trending at about 90 volunteers a month, President and CEO Helen Hicks said. After dropping to zero in April and part of May, it’s back up to about 13 volunteers per week on

Moody

Roberson

Ivey

Sedlacek

build sites and in its ReStore operations where volunteer need has reached a critical level with record volumes of donated items coming in. “In the past, our volunteers were comprised of large and small businesses, church members and individuals. Once in a while, we (now) see a representative from a small business, but literally, no folks from large companies,” Hicks said. Nonprofits are stepping up recruitment of individual and other group volunteers, like those from churches, through social media and local, traditional media outlets. Focus: Hope has benefited from strong individual volunteerism and help from groups like the Detroit Pistons, who are coming on a fairly regular basis, Roberson said. “But we’ve had some days where we worry (if ) we have enough people … in those long instances we still use our employees to fill in the gap,” she said. Forgotten Harvest is providing more outdoor volunteer opportunities at distribution sites and its Fenton farm and has signed a two-year lease for a second 85,000-square-foot warehouse in Royal Oak to space out volunteers and accommodate increased food volumes. It’s also hiring

“WE 100 PERCENT LOOK FORWARD TO IN-PERSON VOLUNTEERING WHEN IT’S SAFE TO DO SO … BUT RIGHT NOW WE’RE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING (NONPROFITS) VIRTUALLY.” — Jamie Sedlacek, director of operations, Quicken Loans Community Fund

temporary labor to help fill volunteering vacancies and making changes in its operations to minimize gleaning and repacking of food so it can function with fewer volunteers, he said. While some companies are beginning to redeploy employees for in-person volunteering with nonprofits that have the same level of

DTE Energy Co.’s public affairs team volunteers pack boxes for senior meals at Forgotten Harvest in Royal Oak. From left: Devoria Thomas, Danielle Partyka and Addison Mauck. | MARK HOUSTON

safety protocols as the corporations themselves, others like Detroit-based Rock Ventures LLC and the Rock Holdings portfolio including Quicken Loans aren’t sending their employees back out to do in-person volunteering yet. DTE is among the companies limiting where it sends volunteers, Moody said. Currently, they are going to places including food banks and Detroit Public Schools Community District facilities, which have safety protocols in place, she said. But DTE has pulled back on in-person volunteering in schools and domestic violence shelters due to health concerns, she said. Typically, more than half of the company’s 10,000 employees volunteer each year through individual and team projects. Moody said she expects employees to return to more in-person volunteering once the pandemic subsides, but until then, workers have shifted efforts such as mentoring and U.S. Census awareness outreach to virtual engagements and visits with seniors to sending written notes, Moody said. On the plus side, skills-based volunteerism is stronger now than before the pandemic, Moody said, through efforts including helping to raise $23 million for the Connected Futures program in Detroit, providing governance to ensure web-based devices are deployed and providing technical support on Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses through the Detroit Means Business program. That’s something she thinks will continue even after in-person volunteering is safe again. Rock Holdings employees have shifted to virtual volunteering for now, from calling homebound seniors to helping build out websites, said Jamie Sedlacek, director of operations for the Quicken Loans Community Fund and who also oversees

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DTE Energy Co. volunteers Joanne Taylor (left) and Yolanda Shaw (center) train with Chanita Hill, DPSCD IT field service specialist, to help Detroit Public Schools Community District students in picking up their new computer tablets at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. | MARK HOUSTON

the Volunteer Engagement and Giving team for the Dan Gilbert-owned companies. “We 100 percent look forward to in-person volunteering when it’s safe to do so … but right now we’re committed to supporting (nonprofits) virtually,” Sedlacek said. As of July 31, 8,400 or about 40 percent of Rock Holdings employees either volunteered or donated, up from 7,700 during the first seven months of 2019. Ford, another large source of corporate volunteers in the region, has begun offering a select number of in-person volunteering opportunities where safety guidelines mirror its own, along with virtual volunteering, said Todd Nissen, director of global communications for Ford Motor Company Fund and director of the Ford Volunteer Corps. “At the end of the day, it’s our own safety and the safety of the community. We don’t want clients of nonprofits being endangered as

well,” Nissen said. The automaker’s employees are virtually engaged, though, recording books for children, working on census outreach and helping staff United Way’s 211 call center. It’s also offering skilled volunteerism, helping, for example, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe with digital marketing. There’s always going to be a need to help with in-person projects “but at the same time we see a huge opportunity in the virtual space for volunteering,” Nissen said. There is a growing trend to shift away from the traditional day-of-service model to more meaningful, often longer-term volunteer opportunities that enable employees to contribute knowledge and skills for causes that align with their personal passions, Kyla Carlsen, director of programs at Detroit nonprofit resource center Co.act, said in an emailed statement. Through skilled volunteerism, nonprofits can access top talent or

specific areas of expertise and fresh perspective that may otherwise be unobtainable, she said. “As nonprofits navigate the pandemic, we’re seeing the need for capacity support in a number of areas from technology, transitioning to virtual operations and programs, to scenario planning and developing an entirely new operating model,” areas that can benefit from skilled volunteers, Carlsen said. “To be effective long-term, nonprofits need to be prepared to receive this type of volunteerism which can be difficult when managing day-to-day needs, particularly in the midst of a pandemic.” Corporations can help by asking thoughtful questions early on, using project planning tools like any other client engagement, and supporting implementation steps with any recommendations or solutions identified, she said. Contact: swelch@crain.com; (313) 446-1694; @SherriWelch

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 19

Advertising Section

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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 FINANCE

NONPROFIT

First National Bank in Howell

Pontiac Community Foundation

Leslie Brown joins the executive management team as Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, previously serving as VP/Credit Manager. Leslie will report to President/CEO, Ron Long, who stated, “Leslie assumes the Chief Credit Officer role for the bank previously performed by our Chief Risk Officer, who continues with the bank in that role. We look forward to the addition of Leslie’s expertise and leadership on our team.”

Pontiac Community Foundation (PCF), a nonprofit dedicated to creating a brighter future for the City of Pontiac, Michigan, is pleased to welcome Scott Stewart, MPA as its Senior Director of Programs and Development. Stewart has extensive nonprofit leadership experience in areas such as health care, human services, small business, etc. In this role, Stewart will focus on strategically developing and expanding PCF’s programs and building the fundraising infrastructure as the right hand to the CEO.

FINANCE

First National Bank in Howell George King named to the newly created position of VP/ Livingston County Market Manager at First National Bank in Howell. He previously served as VP/Commercial Lender. First National President and CEO, Ron Long stated, “George’s new responsibilities recognize his consistent high performance and demonstrated leadership proficiency. He assumes leadership over a portion of our commercial lending team while continuing to manage his portfolio and generate new business.”

TRANSPORTATION

Pilot Freight Services Lindsey Nichols has been appointed as regional sales director for Pilot Freight Service’s central region, where she will be responsible for helping execute long-and short-term goals for the company’s sales team. Lindsey will work in supporting, educating, and developing local sales in the region. Lindsey joined Pilot in 2009 as an account executive in western Michigan and continued to take on increasing responsibility leading her to the sales manager role for Pilot Detroit in 2018.

WHAT’S YOUR COMPANY’S NEXT MOVE? Create your own headlines with Companies on the Move

20 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

OBITUARY

‘Mr. Stadium’ entrepreneur Dan Kachadourian dies at 86

His Ann Arbor coin laundry gained cult-like following BY KURT NAGL

A lover of Detroit and Ann Arbor, Dan Kachadourian was always fascinated by how people connected with the cultures of each city. The serial entrepreneur succeeded in the restaurant, real estate and retail industries by tapping into that collective desire for belonging and making people feel welcome. His commercial success culminated with Mr. Stadium Coin Laundry in Ann Arbor, which he started in 1972. The laundromat gained a cult-like following after a T-shirt advertising the business made its way into Hollywood and thousands of wardrobes in Michigan and beyond. Kachadourian died Aug. 31 at Select Specialty Hospital at Ascension St. John in Detroit due to complications from pneumonia. The Grosse Pointe Shores resident was 86. “Mr. Stadium,” as he came to be known, was more of a suit-and-tie guy, but he fed off the unlikely popularity of a laundromat that became much more than a place to clean clothes. “He always used to marvel at how everyone wanted a piece of Michigan,” said his daughter, Gail Kachadourian Howe. “He understood how much people loved the culture of the University of Michigan. He was proud that he could offer people the idea of being part of that.” Kachadourian, the son of Armenian immigrants, was born in Highland Park. As a child, he suffered from polio but eventually relearned to walk and went on to play and coach baseball. His first job was at his parents’ restaurant Satisfactory Lunch in Detroit, where he served factory workers from Ford Motor Co.’s Highland Park Assembly Plant and learned to love the city and service industry. In 1960, Kachadourian and his brother John opened Parkmont Party Store behind the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The store since closed. A piece of the property, a parking lot for the time being, is still owned by his family. “That piece of property means

Dan Kachadourian started Mr. Stadium Coin Laundry in Ann Arbor in 1972.

more to us than anything in the world because it was so important to my dad to own a piece of property downtown,” Howe said. “In the back of his mind, I know he was always thinking of, ‘How can we put something there again?’” After studying at Detroit College of Law, Kachadourian partnered with local businessman Carl Kneip to open the Ann Arbor laundromat. Kachadourian had no direct tie to the University of Michigan, but he loved Ann Arbor and had a business plan he was sure would work. He was also fond of advertising. The first ad campaign for the business involved mysterious placements across several local newspapers that declared, “Mr. Stadium is coming,” without context. To drum up support after opening, Kachadourian started printing T-shirts that said, “Mr. Stadium…Since 1972.” The shirts became a favorite for fraternities and intramural sports. They were given big screen exposure in 2005 when Kevin Costner wore the shirt during a couple of scenes in “The Upside of Anger.” One of the scenes in which Costner wore the shirt was fea-

tured in a subsequent issue of Playboy. “He was so proud that people had that sort of cult-like following for the T-shirt,” Howe said. “He would send them out left and right.” Mr. Stadium remains a family-run enterprise still highly regarded by the Ann Arbor community — a review on AnnArbor.com calls it the “Cadillac of Laundromats.” Kachadourian was the past president of the Detroit Masonic Temple’s board of trustees, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner. He raised funds for the Shriners Hospitals and promoted the Masonic program for dyslexic children. Proud of his Armenian heritage, Kachadourian was a member of the 100 Hyes organization, which raises money for Armenians becoming new U.S. citizens. Kachadourian is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lillian; daughter, Gail Kachadourian Howe; grandsons Jack and Paul Howe; and brothers John and Robert.

 McKenna, Northville, a community planning, design and building services firm, added Armada Township, Athens Township, Chelsea, Grandville, Saginaw in partnership with Spicer Group, and St. Johns as clients. Website: mcka.com

 Baldwin Capital Management Inc., Northville, a financial manager, and Langdon Capital Management Inc., Clarkston, a financial planner, joined LPL Financial LLC, Fort Mill, S.C., a retail investment advisory firm. Websites: Baldwin-Capital. com, LangdonCapitalManagement. com, lpl.com

Contact: knagl@crain.com; (313) 446-0337; @kurt_nagl

DEALS&DETAILS  CONTRACTS The Quell Group, Troy, a marketing agency, added Amcor plc, Bristol, United Kingdom, developer and producer of responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home- and personal-care products; InterClean Equipment LLC, Ypsilanti, designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty and commercial vehicle wash systems; Phoenix EDT Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, distributor and manufacturer of electronic, electrical and automotive wire and cable in North America; and MJ Foley Co., New Baltimore, manufacturer of industrial sewing, spreading, cutting and finishing equipment for the automotive, marine, furniture, apparel and luggage industries, as clients. The Quell Group will provide branding services, internal communications, graphics and marketing. Website: quell.com

 EXPANSIONS  Gardner-White Furniture Co., Auburn Hills, bought a 48,000-squarefoot former Art Van Furniture store at 1032 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills. Website: gardner-white.com

 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS  MGA Systems Inc., Melville, N.Y., a software developer for the brokerage industry, merged with NetRate Systems Inc., Okemos, a commercial insurance rating platform. Websites: mgasystems.com, netrate.com

 NEW SERVICES  Young & Associates PC, Farmington Hills, a law firm, launched an appellate consultation and mock oral argument service. The program, headed up by Judge Henry William Saad, Young & Associates of counsel and former chief judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals, will provide attorneys the opportunity to argue their appeal in a mock trial setting prior to their court date. Website: youngpc.com

DENTISTS

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From Page 3

“He didn’t feel that the COVID was real. He threw a fit. He took his cell phone, threw it at his vehicle and broke his windshield,” she said. “We looked at him and said, ‘So now are you ready? Otherwise, you can reschedule after COVID, which we figure is going to be 18 months from now.’” After cooling down, Gingrich said, the patient put the mask on and came inside for treatment. Most dentists said few patients have been turned away because they had COVID-19 or presented symptoms. They say most patients stay home if they feel feverish or are sneezing. But Gingrich said she has had a few patients who tested positive, stayed home, and then were cleared for treatment later. Supplies of personal protective equipment, including face masks, shields, gowns and caps, are sufficient for now. Karen Burgess, executive director of the Michigan Dental Association, said Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan have been directing supplies to dentists. Steve Meraw, a periodontist with Professional Periodontics and Implant Services in Warren, said after two days of staff training and preparation in late May, appointments came in slowly, but quickly took off and volume is nearly at pre-COVID-19 levels. “Once we got our systems in place, we were back at full speed and have been running at full tilt ever since, said Meraw, who also is president of the Michigan Dental Association. Gingrich, who heads up Gingrich Dental PC and is a past MDA president, said she reopened with six employees in early June four days a week, then added a fifth day, which lasted until August. “It got to be too much and we went back to four days. I hired an extra hygienist who comes in three days” to take care of the additional patients, she said. “Wearing N-95 masks is really different. I feel like I lacked oxygen. There are times I just have to go in a room, shut the door and take it off so I can breathe. We needed time to build up our endurance.” Gingrich also has seen a flood of new patients calling for appointments. “I talked to four other dentists and they all said the same thing,” said Gingrich, whose new patient load is up 20 percent. “I am not sure if people are taking this opportunity to change dentists or if they can’t get appointments elsewhere.” Daood said four of North American’s dental offices remained open during the main COVID-19 surge for emergency cases. He said that experience helped them safely reopen the other offices. “We scaled up slowly for several of our practices, but by the end of June, all my practices in metro Detroit were fully open,” Daood said. Joanne Dawley, a general dentist in Southfield, said her two months off gave her time to think about retirement. After a 44-year career, during which she has treated multiple generations of patients, Dawley said she changed her retirement plans, for now. “When we closed down, probably the first two weeks, I thought, why don’t you just stop doing it? I’m 67 and thought I would retire soon,” she said. “But other personal things came up and I changed my mind. I love my work and being around patients. I

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Dawley

Gingrich

won’t do this forever, but I want to work now.” Dawley employs five workers, including two hygienists and a part-time contract worker. Upon reopening, she lost the part-time worker, who wasn’t comfortable returning. She has had difficulty replacing her. “We are really super busy, but of course we are still down 18 percent from this time last year,” she said. “A few patients still don’t want to come in, but we are backlogged and still not at 100 percent capacity.” Burgess said the number of dentists retiring this year is up over most years. “Generally, it’s people who were towards the end of their practice life and were going to retire in the next year or two anyway. They just didn’t want to deal with the changes and felt they are in a good position to retire and sell their practice,” she said.

Problems worsened Dentists predicted in April that delaying regular oral health maintenance and procedures could result in more severe problems such as teeth extractions, implants and advanced periodontal disease. Meraw said some teeth that may have been salvageable two months ago now need to be replaced with a dental implant and crown. “We’ve had a few that just kind of tipped over the edge and now they need extraction,” he said. Dawley said many of her patients presented with problems related to lack of preventive care. “My gum disease patients, especially the ones due for treatment, got caught in bad timing,” she said. “I see them three times a year to control the disease. A lot of them are much worse.” Gingrich said several patients who had minor dental problems before the March shutdown needed root canals or extractions. “I was very surprised how many patients that I hadn’t seen in a while come in,” she said. “Some said they wanted to get in just in case (the state) shut us down again. I was like, ‘Really? OK. Well, I guess that’s a good a reason as I need to bring you in the door.’” Daood said North American clinics are also picking up many new patients, and hired seven additional hy-

gienists. “We strictly adhere to our social distancing rules and we alternate rooms,” he said. “Our capacity is lower, so we have expanded our hours to make Meraw sure that we accommodate everyone.” Another problem facing dentists is a shortage of dental workers, either because of retirements or concerns they may contract COVID-19 and spread it to relatives at home. Burgess said many dentists are advertising for dental assistants, hygienists and front office workers, she said. “Part of that is due to employees who do not want to come back into the dental office right now. It also may be because schools are closed and people are now having to home school their kids,” Burgess said. Blue Cross is providing $1 million worth of free safety kits to dentists, staff and patients. Each protective safety kit will contain National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved KN-95 masks, disposable isolation gowns with cuffs and hair caps. “Most dental offices have reopened and as a result dental claims have steadily increased to near preCOVID-19 levels,” said Helen Stojic, a Blue Cross spokesperson, in a statement. “We are now experiencing service levels 80-90 percent of preCOVID-19 and expect claims could exceed pre-COVID-19 levels.” Gingrich said she is still having some issues getting cleaning supplies and N-95 masks. “We wear them for a week at a time. For a while, we were sending them to the (Michigan State Police) to get them cleaned,” she said. “Now we just dispose of them after a week.”

Second surge this fall? Dentists worry that if the fall season brings a second surge of COVID-19 along with influenza that PPE supplies might run short again and the state could order another shutdown of non-emergency cases. Gingrich said she hopes that doesn’t happen. She said patients are telling her they feel safer walking into a dental office than a hospital or restaurant. Daood said dental offices are safe because of screening and infection control procedures. “We feel we have the experience and safety measures in place where we don’t need to be shut down,” he said.

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BEAUMONT

From Page 1

“I am very, very concerned the proposed acquisition, and I call it an acquisition, is very, very detrimental to the community,” Shaevsky said Thursday. “We have a significant community asset and if the merger is completed it will not really be controlled by the community.” Shaevsky said Southfield-based Beaumont Health could continue to exist and thrive without being part of a larger system. “I don’t think bigger is better. I don’t see where the benefit would be to Beaumont,” he said. In his Sept. 4 letter to Nessel — received by her office on Sept. 8 — Shaevsky detailed why he believes the proposed merger makes no sense. “Beaumont’s annual revenues are nearly $5 billion,” wrote Shaevsky, an attorney who now heads Mark Shaevsky & Associates, LLC — Management Advisors in Farmington Hills. “If sold, the proceeds of $5 billion would go into a community foundation to support the health needs of the community. If the $5 billion would produce annual income of 5 percent, that would mean $250 million would be available for the betterment of our citizens every year indefinitely — and still have the $5 billion foundation. So, why would the citizens of Michigan transfer 100% ownership of a $5 billion community asset to another institution in return for promises of expenditures of slightly over $1 billion and a minority interest in a combined hospital system?” Shaevsky told Crain’s he is not in favor of Beaumont selling to a for-prof-

it company like Tenet Healthcare or HCA Healthcare, where the sale proceeds would go to create a community foundation. He said he used the example to illustrate how a nonprofit like Advocate Aurora would assume the assets and leave very limited reserved powers for local control. “You have a valuable asset built up over the years. It is tax-exempt and belongs to the community,” Shaevsky said. Fox has said that Advocate Aurora will make a $1.1 billion investment in Beaumont for capital, equipment and clinical program improvements over the next three years, if the merger is approved. Shaevsky wrote the capital promise comes “without guarantees” and could be disregarded or delayed. Advocate Aurora CEO Jim Skogsbergh has told Crain’s the system is committed to the funding, but that it could take more than three years to complete because of the COVID-19 pandemic and projected system losses of $500 million this year. “The reality is Beaumont has the financial resources to pay for all the projects allegedly promised by Advocate,” Shaevsky wrote, adding that Beaumont has more than $2 billion in cash reserves and a top credit rating for tax-exempt bonds. Contacted by Crain’s, Nessel’s office said she has received numerous letters about the Beaumont-Advocate proposed merger and that a preliminary review is underway. Nessel must approve the merger, a process that could take months. Mark Geary, a Beaumont spokesman, said the system received a copy of Shaevsky’s letter Thursday after-

noon. “It contains multiple fact errors that we will clarify with the attorney general in due course,” he said in a statement. Shaevsky said Nessel’s office acShaevsky knowledged his letter. He said he has no confidence in the board taking action and felt Nessel might intervene on behalf of the community. “I have talked with some donors and board members about my concerns, but I didn’t tell anyone I was writing the letter (to Nessel),” he said.

Multiple efforts for change Last week, a group of powerful donors at Beaumont Health, an eight-hospital system based in Southfield, met with board vice chair Stephen Howard to talk about problems with Beaumont, Howard confirmed to Crain’s Thursday. Two sources, who asked for anonymity because of their connections to Beaumont, said donors are preparing a letter to ask that the board fire Fox, COO Carolyn Wilson and chief medical officer David Wood, replace them with interim management and halt the merger for at least 12 months. The sources say the donors also want the board to immediately appoint more doctors and nurses to the board, which has three physicians, including Wood. In two text messages to Crain’s, Howard said he wasn’t aware of any T:10" letter being composed by donors. He

said the donors he met with made no demands, just wanted to talk about the problems and seek his thoughts. “I thought it was a productive discussion and enjoyed being with this group,” Howard wrote. “Health care is in uncharted waters at the moment, especially with post pandemic stresses of employee and physician and nurse burnout from the horrific pressure they experienced. And certainly we can expect price pressure from the government because of all the Cares Act (money) expended.” Shaevsky said he spoke with Howard about the merger in late June, after the initial announcement of the letter of intent. He said he felt Howard was repeating Fox’s talking points about the benefits of the merger. “He told me what he thought the board wanted,” he said. “I didn’t get the impression the board was asking hard questions.” Over the past several weeks, physicians and nurses have expressed dissatisfaction with Fox, Wilson and Wood over a number of management decisions they say have led to low morale, inadequate staffing, lack of supplies, changes in anesthesia services and departures of top doctors and nurses. In separate surveys, 76 percent of 1,555 physicians said they have no confidence in corporate management and 70 percent expressed opposition to the merger with Advocate. An even greater percentage of the 681 nurses who filled out the survey expressed lack of confidence in management (96 percent) and opposition to the merger (87 percent). Beaumont has 10,000 nurses. Some donors appear to be concerned about a decrease in the quali-

ty of the medical staff, as more than a dozen top doctors have resigned, been fired or retired from Beaumont over the past year, said the sources. In a statement Wednesday, Margaret Cooney Casey, Beaumont’s senior vice president and chief development officer, said Beaumont’s donors are important to the health system that appreciates their investments to support operations and clinical initiatives. “Over the past few months, we have been working closely with our donors to keep them informed (of the proposed merger), answer their questions and address their concerns, if any, through phone calls, emails and meetings,” Cooney Casey said. “We will continue to have an open dialogue with our donors and welcome feedback, comments and questions from them.” In response to physician complaints, the Beaumont board in early August agreed to postpone a vote on the merger until issues with the doctors can be worked out. Howard said he is taking the physician and donor concerns seriously. He said he agreed with the decision to delay a final merger vote until the board’s late fall meeting. “Since the physicians are our customers, it’s critical to have their concerns heard front and center,” Howard wrote. “Beaumont has been a very special place for a long time because it was a great mix of private and employed docs who worked side by side as clinicians, researchers, teachers, department bosses, system chiefs, philanthropic rainmakers.” Contact: jgreene@crain.com; (313) 446-0325; @jaybgreene

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FIELDS

“I’m so excited to be able to share the wisdom I’ve gleaned,” says Rita Fields, shown at Lighthouse in Pontiac.

From Page 1

“Even now, it’s intensely personal for me,” said Fields, 47. “I remember what it was like to be in the shelter; the first meal with sloppy Joes, I couldn’t eat it because I hadn’t eaten for a week.” In the ensuing years, she’s earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, held executive roles at health systems, launched a human resource consultancy and defense contractor 313 Industries, been to 27 countries and taught human resource management, health care administration, and business at several colleges and universities. “To me it feels like all the work I did, all of the consulting, all of the insight, all of the giving back to the community as much as I could, the teaching, all prepared me to be perfectly aligned with what this organization (Lighthouse) needs at this time.”

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Finding shelter It was 1991. Fields was able to remain in the rotating shelter for a month, the limit for the program at the time. She’d planned to return to the spot where she slept behind the grocery store and the nearby park, which were walking distance to William Beaumont Hospital when she went into labor. “One of the case workers at the time was pretty blunt. She told me I couldn’t be homeless and have a baby,” Fields said. “I realized I didn’t have a choice. I had to go back to my mother, so I did it.” But she was intent on doing things differently with her child. After giving birth that September, she returned to Highland Park High School and completed her entire senior year by December, earning her high school diploma. She was on welfare and still living with her mother, neither of which were pleasant experiences, she said. “But I had this human being who was reliant on me.” Her son’s father left when the boy was 2 weeks old. She didn’t know anyone who’d gone to college but thought an education might better prepare her to get off welfare, so she signed up at Marygrove College. As an enrolled student, her welfare assistance was cut. But she was able to get by through a federally funded work-study program and later a job at The Westin Hotel Renaissance Center (now Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center). Her son, who was a year old when she entered Marygrove in September 1992, stayed with her mother in the beginning. But she started bringing him to class with her when he was 2, bribing him to behave with gummy bears. “His favorite class was film class … maybe because there were movies and he had snacks,” Fields said. She and her son moved out of her mother’s house for good when he was between 3 and 4 years old. “I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was a pretty intense situation. It wasn’t safe for me or my son,” she said. She set a goal of completing college by the time her son was in elementary school and had to work extra hard to double major in psychology and English. In May 1996, she graduated from Marygrove with her undergraduate degree. Her son moved on to a classroom of his own that fall as he entered kindergarten. But the classroom experience there paled in comparison to class with his mom at Marygrove.

Rita Fields enrolled at Marygrove College in 1992, when her son was a year old. CONTRIBUTED

“He wanted to quit,” Fields said, because there were no movies and no classroom discussions to capture his attention. “He wanted to go back to college. I had to tell him he was too short.” After graduating, Fields did temp work for a while, taking nine buses a day from Six Mile in Detroit to jobs at the GM Tech Center in Warren and then Farmington Hills. Before work each day, she’d drop her son off for full-day, private kindergarten that she paid for because other programs would only keep him for a half day. “It would take me hours to get to work,” Fields said. “I didn’t have a car because ... when you’re in a situation where you have an abusive childhood ... you don’t learn how to drive.” The “shocking” gift of a car from a colleague she’d helped land a job in Indiana prompted her to learn to

“HAVING EATEN FROM A GARBAGE CAN, AND BEING HOMELESS AND BEING IN SITUATIONS THAT WERE DIRE, I DON’T GET INTIMIDATED BY PEOPLE WITH A TITLE.” — Rita Fields

drive when she was 22. From there, Fields’ career was like a train that just kept on going. She got into full-time recruiter roles, starting at Covansys in 1997 and running through 2005-06 as a senior physician recruiter for Henry Ford Health System before moving into positions of increasing responsibility at the health system.

24 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

“I discovered I had a talent for connecting with people, but I didn’t know what that meant,” Fields said. “Having eaten from a garbage can, and being homeless and being in situations that were dire, I don’t get intimidated by people with a title. “When you have that perspective, it wasn’t difficult for me to talk with people and it still isn’t, which is great.”

Career takes shape Over the next eight years, between 2003 and 2011, Fields rose from director of workforce diversity and affirmative action/equal employment opportunity compliance at Henry Ford to vice president of human resources at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, where she helped develop the workforce strategy for the hospital. She held the same role at McLaren Health for two more years before she decided to change career tracks. “My entire life I’d lived ... either responding to my mother (or) responding to my son. I didn’t even have the time to daydream about what I wanted,” Fields said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I just knew I didn’t want to do what I was doing.” She took a series of adjunct teaching roles during her corporate career, teaching health care management at the University of Phoenix, human resource management at Marygrove and the University of Maryland and health care administration at Central Michigan University. But in 2013, when she left corporate life, she took

a full-time job teaching business at Madonna University (where her son was able to get free college tuition) before teaching business and human behavior and organization at the University of Michigan. One of the things she learned when she quit working a regular job was that she needed intellectual stimulation. “I found that consulting and teaching ... scratched different parts of my brain,” Fields said. She launched Copper Phoenix Consulting LLC in 2013 to provide talent and operations management expertise. The Washington, D.C.based National Immigration Forum was a client for four years through 2019. In between, she joined Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit as executive vice president from 2015-2017 and started defense contractor 313 Industries with her husband at the end of 2016, the same year they were married. She also joined the boards of nonprofits, including the Coalition on Temporary Shelter in Detroit, Sinai Grace Hospital and South Oakland Shelter (now Lighthouse) first in 2002 before taking a break and returning in 2011. “I felt compelled to start to programmatically give back to the community,” Fields said. “Teaching helped me do that in one way, and serving on nonprofit boards helped me fulfill that in another way.” As a board member at SOS, Fields forged a close relationship with CEO Ryan Hertz. He would call her if he needed to vet human resource issues or bounce other business concerns off her. “I recognized early on he had the goods; he cared about the people, the organization,” Fields said. When Lighthouse’s former chief administrative officer left after helping merge South Oakland Shelter and Lighthouse over the past year, Hertz and Fields began spitballing what that position might look like going forward. With its shift to focusing on a talent development strategy, Fields became an ideal candidate for the new chief talent and strategy officer role, Hertz said. But he still put her through five rounds of interviews before she was in-

vited to join the executive team to make sure her appointment made sense to the Lighthouse teams who would utilize her expertise. Fields “has both the lived experience of being a client of our organization ... but more importantly ... she has an incredible career with significant success in the areas we need,” Hertz said. She joined the executive team at Lighthouse in late August, bringing both her personal and professional experiences to bear. She’s honored, she said, “to be a voice among our clients in terms of expressing what their true needs (are).” The experience Fields gained with people and organizational systems, the knowledge she’d gained about the important of culture, her role as a trusted adviser to CEOs over the years and experience in launching companies have enabled her to walk into the role at Lighthouse with a high level of preparedness, she said. “I feel like if I didn’t have all of that I would find this role to be overwhelming. Lighthouse is a major player, and we’re in the middle of a pandemic, which makes our work even more critical.” Typically there are 30 homeless people in the rotating shelter coordinated by Lighthouse. Currently, Lighthouse is providing shelter for 100 through “hoteling,” or putting people who need shelter up in local hotels, Hertz said, along with increased food distribution and other emergency needs and supportive assistance, even as it develops affordable housing through a subsidiary. As she takes on the new role at Lighthouse, Fields also joined the Marygrove Conservancy this summer as the first executive-in-residence of the new nonprofit incubator launched on its campus. There she is facilitating the incubator program, meeting with the nonprofits monthly and serving as a mentor for the leaders. Her deep connections to the Marygrove campus along with her extensive leadership experience made her a natural choice, said Racheal Allen, COO of the Marygrove Conservancy, in an email. Nonprofits participating in the incubator “have already shared how her authentic leadership style and inspiring personal story is motivating them to be better leaders,” Allen said. SOS and Marygrove “were anchors in my life at a time I really didn’t think I had any value whatsoever,” Fields said. “I’m so excited to be able to share the wisdom I’ve gleaned.” Contact: swelch@crain.com; (313) 446-1694; @SherriWelch

WOMEN

“I applied for a senior executive assistant position at one of the Detroit Three after 11 p.m.,” Jennifer Berkemeier said. “By 12:05 a.m., I had already gotten a rejection email.”

From Page 1

Meanwhile, the more than $3,200 in mortgage payments she was able to defer for three months are due in December. “My low point happened yesterday,” Berkemeier told Crain’s earlier this month. “I applied for a senior executive assistant position at one of the Detroit Three after 11 p.m. By 12:05 a.m. I had already gotten a rejection email. I was determined to have a job by the end of August. It’s now September. We’re not starving, certainly, but it’s not looking great.” The COVID-19 pandemic is an economic vampire, siphoning more than 1 million jobs out of the Michigan jobs market in March and April before slowly recovering in the summer months. Women were the hardest hit — the first time in history women fared worse than men in an economic decline. By July, unemployment for women 20 years and older in Michigan hit 17 percent, up from just 2.8 percent in February. For men 20 years and older, unemployment reached 15.7 percent in July. Jobs for both men and women have recovered but it’s been uneven. Nationally, the unemployment picture has gotten rosier in recent months, though women remain in a worse position. The unemployment rate for women over 20 years old was 8.4 percent in August, compared to 8 percent for men. With school starting, much of it virtually, the September jobs report out next month is expected to be even more bleak for women, according to experts. “What’s unusual is the initial stage of the recession impacted women more,” said Betsey Stevenson, economist at University of Michigan and former economic adviser to the Obama administration. “What’s normal in this recession is the ongoing negative effects tend to hit women. They face a double whammy, adding that to this massive child-care crisis in the country.”

Two steps back Women’s share of the U.S. labor force began its steady upward climb in the 1970s. In December of last year, women held more jobs than men — holding 50.04 percent of nonfarm payroll positions — for the first time during a period of economic growth. Over the entire year of 2019, women took on a greater share of positions traditionally held by men, making up 13.8 percent of mining and logging jobs, up from 12.6 percent a year earlier, and a growing share of manufacturing work. But women’s dominance in retail, hospitality, education and health services proved to be the Achilles’ heel during COVID-19. Government-led shutdowns of public-facing sectors, such as bars and hotels, led to rapid declines in female employment. More than half of the 700,000 U.S. jobs lost in March and 7 million of the 20 million jobs lost in April were in the leisure and hospitality sector, according to a report by Stevenson published in July as part of the Brookings Institution’s The Hamilton Project. Women accounted for 57 percent of the job cuts in that sector in March. As hospitals transitioned to treat COVID-19 patients in the spring and elective procedures were canceled or patients forwent other medical appointments, job losses in the health sector climbed. In April, Beaumont

| CRAIN’S/LARRY PEPLIN

Health laid off nearly 2,500 workers and permanently eliminated 450 positions, for instance. Women accounted for 78 percent of the jobs in education and health services workforce in February, according to Stevenson. That sector accounted for 11 percent of the 20 million job losses in April, but women were 82 percent of all the losses in that sector. “The industries that got hit are ones that are typically not cyclical industries,” Stevenson said. “We don’t normally see education and health services shut down due to a recession. But this recession was not driven by a decrease in demand, but a desire to avoid catching COVID-19. That definitely changed the mix of what jobs faced temporary layoffs.” Men typically face more job loss during a recession because male-dominated industries, such as automotive, tend to be more cyclical. Temporary layoffs in March and April were staggering in the Michigan auto sector. But automakers and suppliers quickly developed “playbooks” to bring workers back to the factory. By August, the industry had recovered 62 percent of the more than 181,000 jobs lost in March and April. But automotive isn’t back per se, and the many support industries around the sector continue to suffer. The North American International Auto Show and classic car show Autorama are two of TCF Center’s biggest events. Without those, and boat shows and bridal shows, etc., the expo center didn’t need sales staff like Berkemeier. In fact, there is a drought of events jobs across the U.S., leaving Berkemeier in a professional pickle. Prior to working in events, she spent 13 years as an executive assistant. She had her resume professionally re-written to focus her noted skills on her previous career. Berkemeier is currently exploring enrolling in education programs to get project management certificates in hopes of making her more appealing to employers. “I’m in overdrive to explore all my options,” Berkemeier said. “But I’m at a certain level in my career. I can’t go back 25 years, financially or otherwise.” The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly hard on women of color, especially Hispanic and Asian

“I’D LOVE FOR ANY COMPANY TO SEE MY CHILD AS A BENEFIT, NOT A DETRIMENT TO MY WORK CAPABILITIES.” — Jennifer Berkemeier

women. The unemployment rate for white women 20 years and older in the second quarter of 2020 spiked to 12.7 percent from 2.8 percent during the same quarter in 2019. But that figure skyrocketed to 17.9 percent for Hispanic women from 3.8 percent in the second quarter of 2019 and to 15.6 percent for Asian women from 2.1 percent. Black women also were hit harder than white women, recording an unemployment rate of 15.4 percent in the second quarter compared to 4.9 percent a year earlier. Hispanic or Latino workers made up 17.6 percent of the total U.S. labor force in 2019, but accounted for nearly 50 percent of all maids and house-

Women’s unemployment rate passes men’s In recessions, the increase in the unemployment rate among men historically has been steeper in the early stages than that among women. So far in the COVID-19 recession, that has not been the case: Michigan’s 2020 unemployment rate Men 20 years and older July: 15.7% February: 3.5% Women 20 years and older July: 17% February: 2.8% SOURCE: MICHIGAN BUREAU OF LABOR MARKET INFORMATION AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

US 2019 Q2 unemployment rate 2019 Q2 Men: 3.2% Women: 3.1% 2020 Q2 Men: 11.4% Women: 13.4% SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS GRAPHIC

keepers, painters and roofers, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Roughly two-thirds of all hotels in the U.S. remain below 50 percent occupancy, leaving four out of 10 hotel workers unemployed, according to an Aug. 31 report by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

The motherhood recession? The Great Recession of 2008-2009 was initially labeled a “mancession” for its outweighted impact on men — i.e. manufacturing. Economists like Stevenson now predict this recession to be one where mothers feel the long-term impacts. “Women are not done losing jobs in this recession,” Stevenson said. “We’re going to lose jobs in state and local government … and we’re going to lose jobs as we deal with the fall child-care crisis. We have not seen the full extent of jobs lost or hours cut back due to child-care issues.” The unevenness of the virus on mothers became apparent in the spring as school closures across the country forced mothers to become teachers and tech support. Employed mothers scaled back their work hours by two hours a week, while fathers maintained a consistent work schedule in April and May, according to a June research study on the virus and the gender gap. For comparison, during the Great Recession of 2008-2009 women’s work hours were cut by only 30 minutes. “The foundational problem is the inequality for the responsibility for domestic chores,” said Janine Lanza, associate professor at Wayne State University specializing in women and the history of work. “Not every household is equitable. Some households, men earn more so they are going to keep working. Child care is de facto a women’s responsibility and has really caused a problem for women trying to work and hold everything together.” In the spring when she was still working, Berkemeier left her daughter home alone to manage school. It didn’t go well. Now she’s home during the day as a technical assistant as the challenges of virtual schooling rear their head. For now, that’s a good thing, she said.

“When I was working, she was here by herself trying to navigate internet going down and had to do that all on her own,” Berkemeier said. “It was just awful. She couldn’t understand it. The silver lining is that I’m home and can help her.” Others are left juggling full-time careers and duties of home instruction. And for some families, the decision for a woman to pull out of the labor force on her own is inevitable, said Terry Barclay, CEO for Detroit-based women’s professional organization Inforum. “Women are still the primary caretakers for children and the elderly,” she said. “The decisions facing families for returning to work are difficult and heart wrenching.” But Barclay said there’s a potential upside to the outsized voice of women impacted by the coronavirus recession. To keep top talent, companies are becoming more flexible for mothers and when the labor market tightens in the future, those who adapt to the needs of mothers may be get better hires. “In an odd sort of way, this could do some good in the end, as we’re seeing employers doubling down on equity and inclusion strategies for working mothers,” Barclay said. “One of the things about women and that whole need for flexibility at work is that women hesitate to ask for what they need. They will turn themselves inside out to adapt to what the employer needs. It’s heartening to see situations where women are asking for what they need and for employers to listen. Here, now, is an opportunity to transform and do better going forward.” Stevenson, however, believes these changes will only occur at the top of the workforce food chain. “The problem with relying on companies has always been that companies are always only willing to provide this type of benefit for higher wage workers, who are more expense to recruit and retain,” Stevenson said. “The challenges that all American families need requires a government solution. Not just companies that step up to the plate for some families, government needs to step up to the plate to make it easier for all families.” For Berkemeier, a job, any job is the top priority. But if she had more options, working from home more often to aid her child through this strange school year would be top priority. “I’m really looking for flexibility with working from home, even just a couple of days a week,” Berkemeier said. “I just want some understanding from an employer. I’d love for any company to see my child as a benefit, not a detriment to my work capabilities.” Contact: dwalsh@crain.com; (313) 446-6042; @dustinpwalsh

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | 25

THE CONVERSATION

Detroiters deliver science education at home in a box THE LAB DRAWER: Alecia Gabriel and Deirdre Roberson, co-founders of The Lab Drawer, are two Detroiters who left Michigan to get educated in fields of science and worked their way back to Detroit. In their careers, they both often found themselves the lone women of color in their workplaces. That inspired them to start the Motor City S.T.E.A.M. Foundation in 2015. Within that work, they created science experiment kits that they’ve now commercialized and spun out into a for-profit business, The Lab Drawer, a subscription-based science experiment and arts project box that is sent monthly by mail to middle school students, that’s turned into a growing business. | BY CHAD LIVENGOOD ` Alecia, tell me a little bit about your background and how you came to get involved in this startup. Gabriel: I am a trained bio-organic chemist. I studied biochemistry as an undergrad at Xavier University in New Orleans. Then I pursued my Ph.D. in bio-organic chemistry at Louisiana State University. I’m from Detroit, I’m a Cass Tech grad and I’ve always been interested in science and the arts. My roles and responsibilities have stemmed from doing research in various countries around the globe. I’ve done stints in Ghana, Zambia, China, Mexico, Germany, Italy. I’ve also gotten into the automotive and aerospace areas as well doing quality engineering ... training and even operations. My interests in all things technical has basically been what drives me and what’s gotten me to really make sure that I do something in the community. The Lab Drawer started originally with our nonprofit, Motor City S.T.E.A.M. Foundation. And we started this conversation about five years ago. One of the things I noticed in the corporate space was that I was the only woman and, of course, the only woman of color and only African American there, and one of the ways in which we thought is how can we change this narrative and how can we really make a difference in our community is by starting this nonprofit, Motor City S.T.E.A.M. Foundation. And then also with that, The Lab Drawer was birthed out of that idea because we said, ‘Well, how can we make sure a product or something gets to the homes of youth all over the country, is something that’s interactive, is something that’s engaging and is something that’s a combination of STEM and the arts.’ So that’s how The Lab Drawer was born. And we’ve been working on that ever since — and we’ll just keep on going.

about your background and how you got involved in this project. Roberson: Just to give a little more before story, me and Alecia both attend Cass Tech High School — she’s a year above me — and we actually met and became friends in high school. She would give me advice about colleges. She went off to Xavier University in Louisiana, which is actually one of the No. 1 schools in producing Black doctors and scientists in the country. I went to Xavier as well in New Orleans and majored in chemistry, with a minor in biology. I then attended the University of Detroit Mercy for my master’s in chemistry, with an emphasis on biochemistry and medicinal chemistry. During that whole time, we’ve stayed in contact and were looking at how there’s very little representation of Black people, minorities and especially women that intersects at both of those, and we were like ‘What can we do about it?’ We both had a background in STEM and the arts,

and we wanted bring those two worlds together because we believe crossfunctional learning is the key to how we grow students in STEM and how they develop their skillset — because it was so important to us. I grew up doing metalsmithing, sewing. My company Eumelanin merges fashion, science and style. My work has always centered around S.T.E.M, the arts and activism. ` Conceptually, how did The Lab Drawer come together? Roberson: The whole concept is it looks just like a science lab drawer — we want the student to feel like the scientist. If you’re ever in a lab class, it has that slate black top, you have your name, you have your drawer. It was designed to ... have students visualize themselves as scientists. The idea was we needed funding (for Motor City S.T.E.A.M. Foundation). ... But The Lab Drawer grew into a company of its own. ... And now it’s turned into an ed-tech company that we’re doing a lot of growth with. So we’re going from there. Deirdre Roberson (left) is chief technology officer and Alecia Gabriel is CEO and of The Lab Drawer | LARRY PEPLIN FOR CRAIN’S

` And Deirdre, tell me a little READ ALL THE CONVERSATIONS AT CRAINSDETROIT.COM/ THECONVERSATION

` Alecia, what’s your growth look like? How many of these drawers are you now producing and shipping around the country? Gabriel: This summer we shipped and impacted probably 1,500 students just in summer virtual STEAM camps — and that’s the largest growth we’ve seen since we started. It’s just been so monumental for us. We’ve gotten recognition from other organizations, such as the Skillman Foundation. We actually won the My Brother’s Keeper Detroit Innovation Challenge last year. That allowed us to get some focus group information with the young people. And they were just brutally honest with what their expectations were for a product like this. That really actually helped us change and modify and iterate on the product that we already had. ... In terms of the growth, we see ourselves continuing not just with making sure the box remains interactive ... but we want to expand on that. What we learned in the TechTown Start Studio program is that we also want to make sure that the parents are heavily integrated and have their perspectives and their needs met, as they’re really our paying customers. ` Deirdre, how have you developed the curriculum for these boxes at TechTown? How have you utilized TechTown to launch this company? Roberson: TechTown has been very pivotal in how we look at our business now. During this Start Studio, it made us really go into detail and examine our customer, examine their wants, examine their needs. We had ideas of our company that were somewhat on track. But being a part of Start Studio helped us get a full understanding of what our customers want — and that’s both customers. What is the parent looking for if their child is utilizing The Lab Drawer? What things do they want sent? What type of engaging questions do they want prompted to their email so the can actually ask their students? These are things the parents let us know.

RUMBLINGS

Statler name gets a revival in planned restaurant The Joe Vicari Restaurant Group, which owns the Andiamo chain of Italian restaurants, is planning a restaurant in the new apartment building on the site of the former Statler Hotel. The new restaurant, to be called the Statler Bistro, is planned to specialize in American/French food and is targeting a January 2021 opening, the company said in a press release. The 800-room Statler Hotel, built in 1915, fell into disrepair and was demolished in 2005. Jonathan Holtzman’s Farmington Hills-based City Club Apartments redeveloped the site into a 288-unit apartment

A rendering of the City Club Apartments devleopment on the site of the former Statler Hotel. | CITY CLUB APARTMENTS

building with first-floor retail and restaurant space. The 175-seat restaurant would occupy half of the first floor of the

26 | CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

building at Washington Boulevard and Grand River Avenue, Joe Vicari Restaurant Group said in a press release. The plan also includes a mar-

ket where customers can buy groceries or packaged meals. “We are excited to bring this new concept to the city of Detroit. We think our vision for a great American and French bistro coupled with an amazing market will be something that will be well received in the market,” John Vicari, vice president of the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group, said in the release. Besides Andiamo, Vicari Restaurant Group also operates Joe Muer Seafood, Brownie’s on the Lake in St. Clair Shores and other brands. Statler Bistro would be its 22nd restaurant, the company said.

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Taking action on our commitment to Detroit We know we must do more to address the very real consequences of systemic racism that exist in society today. The impact is clear for communities across the country, including where our teammates live and serve our clients. To drive progress, Bank of America has committed to invest $1 billion over four years to advance racial equality and economic opportunity, building on work we’ve had underway for many years. We’re partnering with community and corporate leaders to create sustainable change. Our actions will help address critical issues and long-term gaps that have only been widened by the coronavirus and amplified by the most recent acts of injustice. Our efforts include: • connecting workers to new skills and enhanced job readiness • increasing medical response capacity and access to health care and nutritious food • powering small businesses owned by people of color through access to capital • helping people find a place to call home

My teammates and I here in Detroit are committed to doing more, and doing more now.

Matt Elliott Detroit Market President

Working together Here in Detroit, we are proud to already partner with local organizations to advance racial equality and economic opportunity, including: Detroit Economic Growth Association SAY Detroit Connect Detroit

To learn more, please visit bankofamerica.com/community.

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The Pursuit

Kendall knew her why. She just needed a little help with the how. Kendall’s love of the arts and helping people led her to pursue a dual major in dance and nursing. With Western’s help, she achieved success in both. Along our students’ journeys to craft their purpose, our faculty are there, inspiring a passion for learning and offering support inside and outside the classroom. Maybe that’s why 92% of Broncos felt instructors cared about them as a person. And why Kendall now works as a nurse and created a nonprofit that makes the arts more accessible to minorities and young artists in Detroit. Preparing you for a career and a lifetime of purpose. That’s Rethink Smart.

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