DBusiness | July-August 2021

B AT T L E OF THE TITANS CROSS-BORDER OPPORTUNITY

The Gordie Howe International Bridge reaches halfway mark.

001.Cover.July.21.indd 3

DETROIT CITY AIRPORT

A $150-million plan will boost corporate air travel.

POWERED BY WOMEN

Female leaders from auto, health, tech, and more.

6/16/21 1:17 PM

THIS DIGITAL EDITION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

PUSH22_FP-left_DB 05.21 - digsponsor.indd 1

4/21/21 4:07 PM

2:57 PM

Success won’t wait in your brand’s comfort zone.

It’s time to PUSH PUSH22_SPRD_DB 05.21 - digsponsor.indd 2

4/21/21 3:03 PM

Serving the rapidly changing real estate market since 1968 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Strategic tax planning Audits, reviews and compilations Cost segregation Business valuation Opportunity funds planning and structure Due diligence for property purchases Mergers and acquisitions Purchase price allocation Estate and succession planning Tax controversy representation Cybersecurity risk assessments Professional search and placement Outsourced bookkeeping and payroll services Cash flow analysis Lease reviews and audits Collateral/appraisal reviews

AUDIT | TAX | CONSULTING | BUSINESS ADVISORY

Peninsula Capital_FP_DB_0321.indd 1

5/24/21 9:33 AM

FIVE GREAT LAKES LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU www.uhy-us.com

Peninsula Capital_FP_DB_0321.indd 2

5/24/21 9:33 AM

GOLF SPA SHOP DINE MEET

SAFE MEETINGS Whether you are looking to host a small company retreat, or a large conference, we have ample space for your gathering to meet safely.

From our 19,000 sq. ft. Governors’ Hall to our board rooms, each space can be designed to follow strict physical distancing and safety guidelines. We are committed to providing you a safe and comfortable space for your next meeting or event.

Learn more at grandtraverseresort.com/safemeetings.

Owned and Operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

GTR_FP_DB_0721.indd 1

5/26/21 1:25 PM

we’re here to help you we’re here to help you move forward. move forward.

Tara Bunn, area retail leader, David Mannarino, market president, Vito Gioia, wealth management leader, and Chris Fox, business manage talented teams dedicated Vito to providing expertise and Tara Bunn, area retail banking leader, leader, David Mannarino, market president, Gioia, wealth management leader,

and Chris Fox, business banking leader, manage talented teams dedicated to providing expertise and KeyBank’s mission is to empower our clients, communities, and employees to thrive.

No matter who you are, where you are on your financial journey, or what barriers are ahead of you, KeyBank’s to empower KeyBank willmission help you is move forward. our clients, communities, and employees to thrive.

No matter who you are, where you are on your financial journey, or what barriers are ahead of you, KeyBank will help you move forward.

4000 Town Center, Suite 1260 • Southfield, MI 48075 248-204-6550

4000 Town Center, Suite 1260 • Southfield, MI 48075 248-204-6550 NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE • NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY

Investment products are:

©2021 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC. 210303-974031.02

Investment products are:

NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT BANK GUARANTEED KeyBank_FP_HD_0521.indd 1

•

MAY LOSE VALUE • NOT A DEPOSIT

©2021 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC. 210303-974031.02

• NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY 6/14/21 10:16 AM

COMMITTED TO OUR

CITY AND OUR CLIENTS

ESTABLISHING, MAINTAINING AND GROWING BUSINESSES IN MICHIGAN AND BEYOND.

MICHAEL C. HAMMER 734.623.1696 | MHAMMER@DICKINSONWRIGHT.COM

AU TO M OT I V E | B A N K R U P TC Y & R E S T R U C T U R I N G | P R I VAT E E Q U I T Y | I N T E L L E C T UA L P R O P E R T Y | H EALT H C AR E | COMMERCIA L & BUSINESS LITIGATION | CORPOR ATE & M&A | REAL ESTATE | CROSS-B ORDER & I N T E R N AT I O N A L T R A N S AC T I O N S | E N V I R O N M E N TA L & E N E R G Y | L A B O R & E M P LOYM E N T | TAXAT I O N

500 WOODWARD AVENUE | SUITE 4000 | DETROIT, MI 48226 ARIZONA CALIFORNIA FLORIDA ILLINOIS KENTUCKY MICHIGAN NEVADA OHIO TENNESSEE TEXAS WASHINGTON DC TORONTO | DICKINSONWRIGHT.COM This is an advertisement. Services may be provided by others.

Dickenson WrightFP_DB_0721.indd 1

5/26/21 12:59 PM

Just like you, we’re here for your employees.

Confi dence comes with every card.®

At Blue Cross, we understand you want the best for your employees, which is why we offer a wide range of plans designed to fit any budget. Plans that give them access to the largest network of physicians and hospitals in Michigan wherever and whenever. We offer complete benefits with pharmacy, dental, vision and emotional well-being health for you and your employees. That’s the Blue Cross difference, which all adds up to smarter, better health care. See what a Blue Cross plan can do for your business.

Learn more at bcbsm.com/employers

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

BCB144280_MSG_Print_DBusiness_7-1_Insert_F1.indd 1

5/21/21 12:40 PM

BCBSM_FP_DB0721.indd 1

5/24/21 10:15 AM

July - August 2021 || Volume 16 • Issue 4

TALE OF TWO LEADERS Mat Ishbia and Dan Gilbert have created thousands of fintech jobs in metro Detroit.

41 2021 POWERED BY WOMEN

50 BATTLE OF THE TITANS

- Denise Brooks-Williams, Henry Ford Health System - Collette “Coco” Champagne, Hagerty - Lisa Drake, Ford Motor Co. - Marissa Hunter, Stellantis North America - Olivia Jackson, Accenture - Carrie Jones-Barber, Dawn Foods - Susan Koss, O’Keefe - Deborah Wahl, General Motors Co. Profiles by Bill Dow, Tim Keenan,and Gary Witzenburg

On the way to making metro Detroit the top mortgage market in the nation, and creating thousands of jobs along the way, the top two players — Rocket and United Wholesale — aren’t backing down in their battle for the best talent and technology. By Dale Buss PLUS: The leaders of the top four mortgage firms in Michigan address their success, company culture, and expectations.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JENNY RISHER; COURTESY ROCKET COS.

Features

50

8 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

008.Contents.July.21.indd 8

6/10/21 10:26 AM

T:8.375" S:7.625"

HERE TO HELP MICHIGAN BUSINESSES THRIVE. S:10.125"

No matter what stage your business is in, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is here to help you succeed. By connecting you to the resources your business needs, granting access to necessary capital and introducing you to the right partners, the MEDC helps your business reach new potential.

Find out how we can help propel your business forward with customized support at michiganbusiness.org/pure-partnership

MEDC_FP_DB_0721.indd 1

5/26/21 1:45 PM

Contents || July - August 2021

30

Commentary 17

20

WHEELS UP As Michigan advances its standing as a mobility capital for ground and aerial vehicles, there’s a larger opportunity in developing, testing, and implementing the next generation of integrated wireless communications systems for homes, offices, vehicles, aircraft, and infrastructure.

BATTERIES: Child Labor Woes RESIDENTIAL: Inclusive Neighborhoods COMPENDIUM How outsiders view Detroit.

28

26

REVVIN’ ON THE RED LINE Classic car event organizers and dealers are gearing up for a big summer of activities.

By Tim Keenan DIANE’S KITCHEN How a successful snack company in Birmingham supports mental health.

By Tom Murray NO ROADS REQUIRED General Motors Co. and Lockheed Martin announced a partnership with the goal of producing a lunar rover that can cover more than 5 percent of the moon.

By Jake Bekemeyer INSTANT TUTOR A high school senior, our Young CEO of the Year created a virtual tutoring service. By Grace Turner PDA Q&A: Laurie A. Tannous, cross-border attorney, Tannous and Associates Ltd., Windsor. By R.J. King

GROOMING BUSINESS Personal services prove an apt counterweight to retail pet giants. By Jake Bekemeyer LIGHTNING STRIKES: Ford Motor Co. erases doubts about its commitment to an electric future with the F-150 Lightning. By Tim Keenan

Focus 30

The Ticker 23

59

TAKING FLIGHT A $150-million plan to improve the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit would help draw more corporate flights among businesses, travelers, and entertainers, while helping to train the next generation of aviators, astronauts, and technicians. By R.J. King

Perspectives 34

BALANCING ACT As construction advances, the Gordie Howe International Bridge raises questions, along with the coming ascent of its towers. By Ronald Ahrens

Exec Life 59

64

LOST GAINS New study warns the pandemic may set back working women’s advancements in corporate management. By Bill Dow RETURN ON INVESTMENT Teresa Sebastian learned how to revitalize urban districts after experiencing racism and sexism.

By Tom Murray

66

68

73

PRODUCTION RUN Carol Himelhoch and her family have revived a famed fourth-generation retailer into a digital fashion marketplace featuring designers from around the world. By Grace Turner OPINION Drive and Determination. By Chelsea Gheesling and Courtney Taylor VENTURE DEVELOPMENT STARTUPNATION: Carolyn Cassin found fulfillment in the hospice industry, but when the work became too draining, she changed direction and launched Michigan Women Forward. By Jeff Sloan

Etc. 12 12 14 74

98

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR LETTERS FROM OUR READERS CONTRIBUTORS FROM THE TOP Largest Accounting Firms, Largest Banks and Thrifts, Largest Credit Unions, and Corporate Aviation: Top Regional Airports.

CLOSING BELL Betsy Ancker-Johnson, the first woman vice president at GM, demanded the highest scientific standards and fostered innovations.

By Ronald Ahrens

ON THE COVER Illustration by Brian Britigan

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PROJECT; JOSH SCOTT; ISTOCK

34

10 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

008.Contents.July.21.indd 10

6/10/21 10:26 AM

JIM AND MIKE PURCHASE KAPNICK INSURANCE GROUP Jim and Mike Kapnick purchased Kapnick Insurance from their father, Doug Kapnick, formally perpetuating the firm to the third generation in 2007.

Kapnick Insurance Group is proud to be a third generation, independently owned, family business with a global reach.

Our commitment to private ownership is one of our most defining qualities.

Thank you in kind to our carrier partner and 75th Anniversary sponsor, Centural Insurance Companies.

At Kapnick Insurance Group, we embrace cutting edge technology and partner with forward-thinking carriers, like Central Mutual. With our mobile app and client portal, filing a claim or accessing your policy is just a click away. And if you prefer old school communication? We’re still here to talk locally and have been for 75 years.

BUSINESS INSURANCE | RISK SOLUTIONS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS | PERSONAL INSURANCE CORPORATE WELLNESS | GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

888.263.4656

KAPNICK.COM

ADRIAN • ANN ARBOR • TROY

Kapnick_1-2H_DB_0721.indd 1

6/8/21 3:57 PM

Letters || July - August 2021

Help Wanted

I

t’s time to get Michigan and America back to work. Ask any business owner their greatest challenge today and the response is nearly universal: We can’t fill open positions.

With so many jobs available, a pandemic disappearing in the rearview mirror, and rising demand for goods and services, what has happened to the labor supply? According to a new report from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, between 5 million and 7 million Americans can afford to stay home and earn more than their counterparts who work 40 or more hours a week. That’s due to the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden in March.

The report was prepared by economists E.J. Antoni, Stephen Moore, and Casey Mulligan.

Antoni, in a piece for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, calls the new legislation “one of the largest expansions in government welfare benefits — either for not working, or for benefits not related to working — since the modern-day welfare state was created.”

What jumps out from the study is that in many areas of the country, households can qualify to receive a maximum equivalent of $25 an hour in government subsidies. A family of four with two unemployed parents, conversely, can make $100,000 per year if they tap every benefit available, including child tax credits.

The new act also expanded food stamps and rental assistance.

What’s more, strict COVID-19 restrictions like those issued by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have made it difficult for working moms to re-enter the workforce. Closed schools and day care centers leave mothers with few options, and prevent many of them from returning to worksites. If schools remain closed come fall, the economy will sputter and fail to generate traction.

To expand workforces, employers are offering higher wages and benefits, signing bonuses, and on-the-job training programs. While improved unemployment benefits made sense in the early months of the pandemic, the continued cycle of subsidies that exceed wages has hit numerous sectors of the economy squarely on the nose — including hotels, entertainment venues, personal services, and restaurants.

Biden has signaled he supports allowing the rescue act’s $300 enhanced jobless benefit to expire on Labor Day, as scheduled. But how do businesses that are now paying more to attract workers bring wages back in line this fall? When a free-market economy is restricted by government policies — paying to keep workers on the sidelines, for example — it impacts multiple facets of monetary activity.

Couple that with the manipulation of pandemic data, whether to boost death counts or restrict public access, and it’s clear to see why things are getting more expensive. In the past few months, we’ve seen costs rise for food, labor, hospitality, rental cars, gasoline, airfare, and more. How long prices will ascend is anyone’s guess.

Another factor contributing to inflation is politics. A case can be made that the Democratic Party, with the rescue act, sought to impede the economy and force employers to run up labor costs. The result was a de facto hike in the minimum wage — part of a quest the party reasons will lead to a universal basic income.

As we’ve seen, big government doesn’t necessarily mean good government. The winners of added public encumbrances are workers and bureaucrats. The losers are consumers and anyone who seeks to bolster prosperity through free-market principles. Politicians often say they “follow the science” in making policy changes, but it doesn’t apply to economics.

R.J. King rjking@dbusiness.com

MAY-JUNE DBUSINESS

I have enjoyed every issue of DBusiness, however, I thought this month’s edition (May/June 2021) was exceptionally great. Well done.

Andrew Milia Farmington Hills

CENTURY CLUB

I loved the Century Club in the March/April 2021 edition of DBusiness, and specifically the (coverage of the) original Lincoln Motors location on Holden. We’ve been working on a very cool redevelopment at this same location for a couple of years, and it’s moving forward this spring/ summer as an artist live/work place. I love seeing this type of thing as Detroit continues to re-emerge as a world-class city.

Mike Kulka Berkley

CAP & CONQUER

My name is Madison Novice and I’m one of the co-founders of Cap & Conquer. I wanted to thank you for featuring us in the DBusiness Give Detroit Spotlight. We are so grateful for the opportunity to spread the word on our nonprofit via your website, and the article looked awesome.

Madison Novice Bloomfield Hills

CLARIFICATION Due to an email error, our From the Top list of Chambers of Commerce in the May/June issue had an incorrect name for the president and board chair of the Pontiac Regional Chamber. The correct name is Damany Head.

EMAIL US AT: editorial@dbusiness.com SEND MAIL TO: Letters, DBusiness magazine, 5750 New King Drive, Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098 Please include your city of residence and daytime phone number.

We reserve the right to edit letters for length and content.

12 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

012.Letters.July.21.indd 12

6/10/21 10:26 AM

Get the Plunkett Cooney Perspective

™

Business leaders say they trust the attorneys of Plunkett Cooney to anticipate legal pitfalls, to resolve high-stakes litigation and to craft contracts they can sign... with confidence. See your business differently.

Banking & Finance n Business Transactions n Commercial Litigation n Estate Planning & Business Succession n Healthcare Law n Labor & Employment Law n Mergers & Acquisitions n Real Estate Law n Tax Law n

ATTORNEYS & COUNSELORS AT LAW Thomas P. Vincent President & CEO 248.901.4000 | tvincent@plunkettcooney.com Michigan

Plunket Cooney _FP_DB0721.indd 1

|

Ohio

|

Indiana

| Illinois

|

www.plunkettcooney.com

5/25/21 2:45 PM

Contributors || July - August 2021

CONTRIBUTORS

VOLUME 16 • ISSUE 4 PUBLISHER John Balardo

EDITORIAL

EDITOR R.J. King MANAGING EDITOR Tim Keenan ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jake Bekemeyer COPY EDITOR Anne Berry Daugherty

DESIGN

ART DIRECTOR Austin Phillips ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Alexander Shammami

ADVERTISING SALES

CONTRIBUTION: Cover story writer SEE IT HERE: Page 50

CONTRIBUTION: DBusiness Intern SEE IT HERE: DBusiness Daily News

CONTRIBUTION: Powered By Women Photographer SEE IT HERE: Page 41

DALE BUSS is a contributing editor at Chief Executive magazine and a contributor to Forbes magazine, Corporate Board Member, Automotive News, and many other publications. He also works with CEOs to tell their stories in book form and is founder of the Flyover Coalition, promoting America’s Heartland. Buss cut his journalistic teeth at The Wall Street Journal and spent six years in the newspaper’s Detroit bureau, where he, along with co-workers, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He subsequently served as an editor at metropolitan dailies in St. Petersburg and Milwaukee. In this issue of DBusiness, Buss explores two locally based mortgage heavyweights, Rocket Cos. in Detroit, led by Dan Gilbert, and United Wholesale Mortgage in Pontiac, led

by Mat Ishbia. In addition, the titans are battling area competitors Flagstar Bank and Homepoint Mortgage.

ALEX HARRING, a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, was a DBusiness spring 2021 intern. In that role, he wrote about technology, business, automotive, and health care news for DBusiness’ two newsletters, DBusiness Daily News and DBusiness Tech and Mobility News. He also compiled business lists for the magazine and covered changes in company leadership for DBusiness’ website. At U-M, Harring studies English and political science. On campus, he works as a reporter and editor for the school newspaper, The Michigan Daily, and does marketing for the student-run theater company, MUSKET. He has spent the past two summers interning for CNBC and the Detroit Metro Times. After graduation next spring, Harring plans to work as a journalist covering business or technology. Outside of work, he enjoys watching TV, going to the movies, and spending time with his dog.

EMILY CROMBEZ is a commercial portrait photographer based in Detroit. Specializing in fashion and beauty photography, she shot the portraits of our eight Powered by Women honorees at West Studio in Ferndale, which was selected because it’s a woman-owned space, features good natural light, and is a relaxing environment for the subjects. Crombez started experimenting with photography at a young age but didn’t take it seriously until she was in college, when she was asked to model for a friend.

In addition to her freelance portraiture, her work has been seen in Blac Detroit magazine.

Crombez, who says relationships drive her work, believes good photography relies on a solid connection between the photographer, the subject, and the audience. In addition to her work behind the camera, she’s appeared in front of the camera for companies such as Bissell, Leatherman, and stego.com.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ronald Ahrens, Dale Buss, Bill Dow, Chelsea Gheesling, Tom Murray, Courtney Taylor, Gary Witzenburg CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Brian Britigan, Emily Crombez, Justine Allenette Ross, Josh Scott, James Yang

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jason Hosko AD & SALES COORDINATOR Danielle Szatkowski ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cynthia Barnhart, Karli Brown, Lauren DeBano, Donna Kassab, Mary Pantely and Associates, Angela Tisch

PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jenine Rhoades SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST Robert Gorczyca PRODUCTION ARTIST Stephanie Daniel AD & SALES COORDINATOR Danielle Szatkowski PRS GRAPHIC ARTIST Jim Bibart ADVERTISING DESIGNER Amanda Zwiren DIGITAL AD COORDINATOR Ava Majoros

WEB

DIGITAL DIRECTOR Nick Britsky WEB PROJECT LEAD Matt Cappo WEB PROJECT ASSISTANTS Mariah Knott, Luanne Lim, Bart Woinski SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Travis Cleveland

IT

IT DIRECTOR Jeremy Leland

CIRCULATION

DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Michelle VanArman CIRCULATION MANAGER Riley Meyers CIRCULATION COORDINATORS Barbie Baldwin, Elise Coyle, Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden

MARKETING AND EVENTS

MARKETING & EVENTS COORDINATOR Kelsey Cocke MARKETING & EVENTS ASSISTANT Drake Lambright MARKETING RESEARCH MANAGER Ana Potter MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR Georgia Iden MARKETING RESEARCH SALES COORDINATOR Hannah Thomas MARKETING RESEARCH ASSISTANT Gabrielle Hejnar PRS GRAPHIC DESIGNER Julia McGillicuddy MARKETING AND EVENTS INTERNS Kaitlin Howell, Michelle Kaljaj, Cassandra Morris MARKETING AND RESEARCH INTERNS Shekinah Adams, Katherine Donnelly, Celeste Janson, Maryan Toma

BUSINESS

CEO Stefan Wanczyk PRESIDENT John Balardo PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Kristin Mingo DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS Kathie Gorecki ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATES Natasha Bajju, Andrew Kotzian, Katie West DISTRIBUTION Target Distribution, Troy Postmaster: Send address changes to DBusiness, 5750 New King Drive, Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098 For advertising inquiries: 248-691-1800, ext. 126 To sell DBusiness magazine or for subscription inquiries: 248-588-1851 DBusiness is published by Hour Media. Copyright © 2021 Hour Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. DBusiness is a registered trademark of Hour Media.

WEBEXTRA Check out DBusiness Daily News for exclusive business news, blogs, podcasts, and videos, available for free at DBusiness.com/daily-news.

14 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

014.Contributors.July.21.indd 14

6/10/21 3:34 PM

This is where we are setting the pace of innovation.

An engineering, technology, and aviation campus completely rebuilt and reimagined with advanced laboratory resources and industry-leading corporate partnerships focused on developing the talent that is taking us forward.

We see the future. Can you?

Apply today at www.emich.edu/gacet

OUR AVIATION PARTNERS COMMITTED TO BUILDING PROGRESS THROUGH POTENTIAL

EMU_FP_DB_0721.indd 1 53388 EMU GameAbove Study Aviation Rush Ad 8.375x10.875 APPROVED.indd 1

5/27/21 11:15 AM 5/26/21 5:16 PM

BUSINESS INSURANCE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PERSONAL INSURANCE

Protect Traveling Employees

A.J. SCHEIDT Client Executive Benefits BRAD GARDNER

As COVID travel restrictions loosen up, employers will be

Client Executive Benefits

held liable for the safety of their traveling employees on foreign assignment.

Download our white paper to learn: •

How COVID-19 has changed duty of care.

•

Why global duty of care is difficult to execute efficiently.

•

How to manage duty of care for improved coverage and savings.

We know the risks traveling employees can encounter. Let us help.

Visit hylant.com to learn more.

Download our white paper, Duty of Care: Creating a Holistic Approach to Protecting Traveling Employees

2401 W. BIG BEAVER ROAD, SUITE 400 | TROY, MI | 248-643-8750

Hylant_FP_DB_0721.indd 1

hylant.com

5/26/21 1:42 PM

INSIDE || WHEELS UP | CHILD LABOR WOES | INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS | COMPENDIUM

THE MOST DIFFICULT THING IS THE DECISION TO ACT. THE REST IS MERELY TENACITY. THE FEARS ARE PAPER TIGERS. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU DECIDE TO DO. YOU CAN ACT TO CHANGE AND CONTROL YOUR LIFE AND PROCEDURE. THE PROCESS IS ITS OWN REWARD. — AMELIA EARHART, AVIATION PIONEER

TRANSPORTATION

ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES YANG

WHEELS UP

AS MICHIGAN STRIVES TO ADVANCE ITS STANDING as a mobility capital for ground and aerial vehicles, there’s a larger opportunity in developing, testing, and implementing the next generation of integrated wireless communications systems for homes, offices, vehicles, aircraft, and infrastructure. While most consumers are familiar with 5G — the next generation of cellular technology — it’s one piece of an overall portal needed to accelerate the exchange of vehicle, traffic,

weather, and personal data.

The road to the future, though, has its twists and turns. The Federal Communications Commission ruled late last year that part of the safety spectrum reserved for the transportation industry be allocated to unlicensed private usage. The ruling gave a boost to the mobile phone industry, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of limiting the integration of other platforms like Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC).

Because no one communication or broadcast system solves every challenge in connecting cars, trucks, aircraft, and satellites on or above the road, redundancy is required. The FCC’s decision, however, shouldn’t be taken as an outright victory for cellular. DSRC is a more robust system, offers untold potential by digitally upgrading conventional home and office Wi-Fi systems, and is ultimately safer, given there are few latency issues.

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 17

017.Commentary.July.21.indd 17

6/10/21 3:51 PM

Commentary || July - August 2021

INSIDE THE NUMBERS $ T

1

Value of Wi-Fi in the U.S. by 2023.

WI-FI 6 Next generation of wireless networking technology.

45 TH PARALLEL Northern Michigan position suited to polar orbit launches of satellites via rockets or planes.

Sources: FCC, Michigan Aerospace Manufacturing Association (part of 5G Space-Enabled Communications for Advanced Mobility)

Few people, for example, would entrust control of their vehicle to a cellular network alone. Consider how cellphones can suddenly, and without warning, have connectivity problems, fail to download crucial data, or develop synchronization issues. What’s more, would anyone feel confident the private sector would always put consumers first in an increasingly dynamic industry? Government entities are much better suited to legislate technology that accounts for the greatest levels of protection.

In fact, in the race to provide a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) platform, where ground and aerial vehicles communicate with moving and parked cars, aircraft, traffic signals, pedestrians, retail stores, restaurants, and numerous other objects, cellular communication systems need assistance to operate in the brave, new world of advanced safety and autonomous vehicles.

In most instances, cellphones provide real-time data. But given latency issues and the inability to provide universal coverage — a jogger may leave his or her cellphone at home — more and more vehicles are equipped with LIDAR systems that broadcast laser signals to determine the location of people, animals, vehicles, and other objects and conditions.

The path to mobility supremacy won’t come from just designing, building, and distributing the most advanced cars and trucks. The real bonanza comes from driving revenue from a communication portal that will safely control ground and aerial operations, provide in-vehicle services, and help businesses become more profitable and efficient.

Working together, the business sector, along with academic and governmental organizations, must strive to develop and operate the most advanced vehicle communications network — meshing ground, aerial, and low-earth-orbit technology — and license it. One path forward is a public-private collaboration like 5G Space-Enabled Communications for Advanced Mobility in Sterling Heights, which serves to organize and seize upon vast growth opportunities in the transportation, commercial, and technology sectors.

BATTERIES

CHILD LABOR WOES

ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAY SEEM LIKE A CLEAN, GREEN PANACEA IN comparison to cars and trucks powered by internal combustion engines, but a new analysis by Amnesty International shows child labor is being used to extract rare metals used in the production of lithium-ion batteries. A key component of many such EV batteries used by multiple automakers is cobalt, and 50 percent of the world’s supply of the mineral comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Green Tech Media.

The Congo government reports 20 percent of its annual cobalt output is from unregulated mines, and Amnesty International estimates more than 40,000 children are working at the illegal operations. While industry players and many in the media often claim EVs emit “zero emissions,” they too often fail to tell the whole story of what it takes to produce lithium-ion batteries. Cobalt extraction requires smelting, which emits harmful sulfur oxide. In addition, breathing in cobalt dust can cause hard metal lung disease, which may lead to asthma or death.

In one incident, a child reported to Amnesty International that he would “spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. I arrived in the morning and would leave the following morning.” In addition, the extraction of lithium requires large amounts of water. It’s another troubling storyline of EV battery production that should be shared with consumers as they mull the purchase of so-called “clean” vehicles powered by lithium batteries.

RESIDENTIAL

INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS

IN LATE MAY, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN Development announced Detroit was one of the recipients of its Choice Neighborhoods grant program, which will enable the city to erect more than 500 new units of affordable housing in Corktown, where Ford Motor Co. is building a $740-million mobility campus.

The $30-million grant will help leverage $200 million among private and public funds that will be invested in 840 new units of housing in Corktown over the next six years. One project entails building a 120-unit midrise residential development on what was left field of the former Tiger Stadium (48 of the units will be affordable housing).

The project serves as a harbinger for other urban communities around Michigan and the country; at least 60 percent of the new residences in Corktown (504 units) will be set aside as affordable housing units. As such, other cities in the region and state should follow the Motor City’s lead in making their communities more inclusive.

As planners strive to improve their downtown districts and neighborhoods, it’s important to recognize that, too often, little progress is made in melding low-income residences within the existing urban fabric. While high property values can be an impediment to offering affordable housing in some communities, market conditions shouldn’t preclude the private and public sectors from working closely together to find solutions for integrating residential areas.

18 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

017.Commentary.July.21.indd 18

6/10/21 10:23 AM

We have fresh ideas to move your business forward.

December 2020

has acquired Thanks to an approach built on expertise, teamwork, and collaboration, KeyBank is uniquely positioned goals. Whatever your business objectives, we have the capabilities and solutions to put them within reach.

To move your business forward, contact:

Senior Secured Credit Facilities Sole Lender

Paul Whalen 248-204-6555 key.com/commercialbanking

Banking products and services are offered by KeyBank National Association. All credit, loan and leasing products subject to credit approval.

Key.com is a federally registered service mark of KeyCorp. ©2021 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC. 210426-1028992

Key Bank_FP_DB0721.indd 1

5/24/21 10:03 AM

HOW OUTSIDERS VIEW DETROIT The Wall Street Journal | May 25, 2021

By Andrew Ackerman

BIDEN’S NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION PLAY LOOKS TO DETROIT FOR INSPIRATION

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING TO A SMALL housing program in Detroit as a possible solution to a big problem: Many crumbling homes in blighted neighborhoods remain vacant because the cost of renovations exceeds the potential selling price.

The program, Rehabbed and Ready, aims to help solve the problem by covering the gap, so

renovations are feasible. Seeking to break the cycle of depressed property values and urban decay, the program has renovated about 90 homes since it began in 2015, with plans for 200 more.

Rehabbed and Ready is a rough model for a Biden administration proposal to renovate 500,000 dwellings in a decade by offering $20 billion in tax credits to developers. The plan, aimed at easing the nationwide shortage of affordable single-family homes, is part of President Biden’s broader $1.7 trillion infrastructure proposal.

“It’s a similar approach to a problem that is particularly acute in Detroit but you can actually see it in almost every geography,” said Julia Gordon, an advocate of the Biden plan who is president of the National Community Stabilization Trust, a nonprofit that focuses on neighborhood revitalization.

Much of the Biden administration’s agenda faces opposition from Republicans in Congress. ...

Wired | April 28, 2021 | By Will Knight

FORD’S EVER-SMARTER ROBOTS ARE SPEEDING UP THE ASSEMBLY LINE IN 1913, HENRY FORD REVOLUTIONIZED CARmaking with the first moving assembly line, an innovation that made piecing together new vehicles faster and more efficient. Some hundred years later, Ford is now using artificial intelligence to eke more speed out of today’s manufacturing lines.

At a Ford Transmission Plant in Livonia, the station where robots help assemble torque converters now includes a system that uses AI to learn from previous attempts how to wiggle the pieces into place most efficiently. Inside a large safety cage, robot arms wheel around grasping circular pieces of metal, each about the diameter of a dinner plate, from a conveyor and slot them together.

Ford uses technology from a startup called Symbio Robotics that looks at the past few hundred attempts to determine which approaches and motions appeared to work best. A computer sitting just outside the cage shows Symbio’s technology

sensing and controlling the arms. Toyota and Nissan are using the same tech to improve the efficiency of their production lines.

The technology allows this part of the assembly line to run 15 percent faster, a significant improvement in automotive manufacturing, where thin profit margins depend heavily on efficiencies. ...

Architectural Digest | May 21, 2021 | By Robert Rorke

STEP INSIDE ONE YOUNG FAMILY’S DETROIT HOME — WHICH FEATURES A MUSEUM-WORTHY COLLECTION OF WORKS

BY BLACK ARTISTS

MELANCA CLARK AND HER HUSBAND, MODDIE Turay, prefer a midcentury modernist design aesthetic coupled with neutral color palettes. And when it comes to architecture, she defers to him. (“I trust his eye for all these things,” Clark says.) But Clark’s stamp can be seen throughout their Detroit home in the form of an impressive collection of art by primarily Black artists.

As the daughter of abstract expressionist painter Ed Clark — one of the most notable African-American artists of the 20th century, who died in 2019 — she takes great pride in showing off his “never- for-sale” pieces.

There’s also an impressive array of works by the elder Clark’s artist friends Beauford Delaney, Herbert Gentry, Sam Gilliam, James VanDerZee, and more.

“The art for us is what makes our home,” she notes. When the couple moved to Detroit from Washington, D.C., they bought a house in the city’s Indian Village neighborhood, whose history hearkens back to the heyday of the auto industry.

Both Edsel Ford and Henry Leland, the latter of whom founded the Cadillac and Lincoln companies, lived there. The blocks, with names like “Seminole” and “Iroquois,” are shaded by grand homes in diverse styles set back from the sidewalk.

Nonetheless, it was the neighborhood’s strong sense of community that most resonated with Clark, who is president and CEO of the Hudson Webber Foundation, which fosters economic development in Detroit. ...

20 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

020.Compendium.July.21.indd 20

6/10/21 10:35 AM

Compendium || Commentary

National Geographic | May 17, 2021 | By Susan Ager

TOUGH, CHEAP, AND REAL, DETROIT IS COOL AGAIN IN THE HEART OF DETROIT, AMERICA’S POOREST BIG city, Anthony Hatinger is planting seeds in a reclaimed liquor store, a squat building repainted in Disney colors: supersize white fish swimming through happy green reeds in deep blue water.

Wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt and a gray knit cap, bathed in the glow of greenhouse lights, he holds a pen cap, maneuvering its pointy end to scoop three tiny basil seeds from his palm. He drops them onto moist, cakey plugs of soil — “brownie bites,” he calls them — as he works to give them the potential to sprout.

The sweet Italian basil will grow alongside a variety of lettuces. Downstairs, where liquor was once stored, thousands of baby tilapia swim in vats. Their waste, pumped upstairs, feeds the greens, which absorb the nutrients. The water, thus filtered, flows back down to float the fish. The cycle continues.

Once, Kory’s Market was a fixture in this north-central neighborhood, five miles from downtown and not yet on the go-to map in a

long-derided city that improbably finds itself cool.

Tough, real, and cheap, Detroit, with the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy behind it, is suddenly attractive to investors, innovators, and would-be fixers, especially young adventurers.

Hatinger, who’s 25 and has a Black mother and a white father, is a quiet part of that change. A newcomer from central Michigan with a degree in religious studies and a minor in horticulture, he is thrilled to be working for a Christian community development agency helping to change Detroit from the ground up. The fish and greens feed customers at busy new eateries as well as low-income, longtime residents at local markets.

On the day Hatinger was in Detroit to interview for what sounded like a dream job, a gunman took a family hostage in the neighborhood. “We have a shooter on the roof!” he heard on his cabbie’s radio.

He wasn’t deterred.

Every day he walks or cycles past decay and rebirth: homes collapsing, homes being rebuilt, and empty lots where homes have been carted away.

Popular Science | May 9, 2021 | By Rob Stumpf

FORD’S NEW HEADLIGHT TECH USES GPS TO INTELLIGENTLY ILLUMINATE THE ROAD CARS ROLLING OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE TODAY come equipped with technology and safety features which may have seemed otherworldly only a short time ago. From blind spot monitoring to lane centering, automakers have worked to cram as many safety features into new vehicles as possible.

But there’s one often overlooked feature which may be the most important improvement of all through

the years: headlights.

Ford’s engineers have always sought out new ways to improve nighttime driving. Several years ago, the company introduced an adaptive front headlight system which automatically adjusts the direction of the headlight beam based on the driver’s steering wheel input. Now, Ford’s European Research and Advanced Engineering division has found a way to improve upon this tech thanks to the GPS system already built into the car. By using the vehicle’s coordinates and trajectory, the company’s new headlight system can predict the ideal way to adjust headlight output before the car ever reaches a curve.

Current Ford vehicles equipped with the newest iteration of the automaker’s adaptive headlights use both steering input and video captured from the car’s on-board lane-sensing cameras to determine the direction of the beams. ... To improve upon this, engineers turned toward an existing technology already present in most modern vehicles: GPS. Using mapping and precise location data tied to the vehicle’s embedded navigation software, Ford is able to intelligently predict when a car is approaching a curve based on its current trajectory. The car will then move the headlight beam into the turn before the driver needs to rotate the steering wheel. ...

“Detroit has taught me a lot about the spirit, about perseverance,” he says. “It’s incredible to hear some of the stories of people who’ve continued to try to make it work. The heart is so present here. This is the place to be.” …

Bloomberg CityLab | May 10, 2021 | By Rip Rapson

DETROIT SHOWED WHAT ‘BUILD BACK BETTER’ CAN LOOK LIKE

AMERICAN CITIES STAND AT A PRECIPICE. BURDENED by an overwhelming public health crisis, drained of resources by economic stagnation and torn apart by racial injustice and unrest, cities are confronting the reality that conventional formulas of municipal finance and practices of working cannot sustain our urban places. The significance of this moment was not lost on the Biden-Harris administration, which quickly advanced an ambitious mandate commensurate with the challenge: a domestic Marshall Plan called Build Back Better. Already, the first prong — the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan — has helped shore up city budgets, restore desperately needed funding for public transportation and keep businesses open and families in homes. The second leg, the $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, represents a bold shift from short-term recovery to long-term transformation. ...

Anyone who doubts the capacity of American cities to transform themselves needs only look to Detroit for inspiration. In 2013, the Motor City seemed beyond recovery. ...

But rather than ushering in doom, Detroit’s bankruptcy catapulted the city into reimagination, recalibration and renewal. ...

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 21

020.Compendium.July.21.indd 21

6/10/21 10:35 AM

detroit’s most iconic waterfront campus

A RARE OFFERING

This iconic campus represents the strength of Detroit and the center of world innovation.

Perfectly positioned, the ICON is the most desirable building situated along the International Detroit River with breathtaking views of the Detroit Riverwalk, Belle Isle, the Ambassador Bridge, Renaissance Center, and Windsor, Ontario.

This world-class multi-use building sits on 18-acres and offers versatility with a 400,000+sq. ft. campus. The Icon features an eight-story secure office tower consisting of numerous office spaces, and centrally located health center. The three-story conference center offers state of the art AV equipment for presentations.

Serveries for catering and break out areas provide additional functionality.

Icon_FP_DB_0721.indd 1 Moceri_TheIcon_Ad_dBusiness.indd 1

Most spectacular is the conference auditorium that includes a 375-seat professional auditorium with a large 4K screen and a stage fitting for any performing arts or conference.

The Icon amenities include panoramic outdoor terraces and over 880 covered parking spaces.

The full-service café and dining banquet spaces can accommodate a variety of events, exhibits, and celebrations. The building service areas consist of loading docks, technical labs spaces, and high bay storage.

This campus offers an unparalleled combination of a thriving downtown neighborhood, bestin-class amenities, easy access to green spaces, and the Detroit International Riverfront and Riverwalk, making this building and opportunities uniquely iconic.

200 Walker Street, Detroit MI 48207 theicondetroit.com 248.340.9400

6/2/21 1:48 PM 5/24/21 5:11 PM

The Ticker

COURTESY OF THE CITY OF FERNDALE

INSIDE || REVVIN’ ON THE RED LINE | DIANE’S KITCHEN | INSTANT TUTOR | GROOMING BUSINESS | PLUS PDA Q&A AND MORE ...

MOTOR MANIA RETURNS

Classic car events are back in the spotlight.

BY TIM KEENAN

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 23

023.Ticker1.July.21.indd 23

6/10/21 10:35 AM

Ticker || July - August 2021

DBUSINESSDIRECT

MEMORY LANE The Woodward Dream Cruise is one of many classic car events making their return, or debuts, in the summer and fall.

Ford Embraces Closer Customer Relationships Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn says it’s breaking away from the transactional, build-and-sell business model that has typified the auto industry for decades. In its place comes Ford+, which is characterized by developing close, enduring customer relationships, boosting investments in disruptive technologies, and adding more EVs.

Detroit Receives $30M HUD Grant for Corktown

Lakeland Fresh Farms in Chesterfield Township Expands Operations Lakeland Fresh Farms, a producer of hydroponically grown greens in Chesterfield Township, has added an 80,000-square-foot indoor farm. The new facility, which is scheduled to be operational this summer, will expand the company’s distribution via grocers and restaurants throughout metro Detroit.

Specs Howard School Becomes Part of Lawrence Tech in Southfield Lawrence Technological University in Southfield is the new home of the Specs Howard School of Media Arts, which has offered courses in radio and television broadcasting, graphic design, and digital media arts since 1970, and has graduated more than 15,000 alumni in these fields.

Lineage Logistics Acquires Freight Forwarder in Netherlands Lineage Logistics in Novi, the world’s largest temperature-controlled industrial real estate investment trust, closed on the acquisition of UTI Forwarding, a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based freight forwarder.

For full stories and more, visit dbusiness.com/daily-news to get daily news sent directly to your email.

Revvin’ on the Red Line Classic car event organizers and dealers are gearing up for a big summer of activities.

M

BY TIM KEENAN

etro Detroit has been the Motor City for more than a century, but this summer and fall that moniker will be more appropriate than ever, as several events are taking place from downtown Detroit to Pontiac starting in July through the beginning of October.

The green flag drops on the 2021 classic car season with the Hagerty/Concours d’Elegance of America, July 23-25 at the Inn at St. John in Plymouth Township. The event, acquired by specialty vehicle insurance provider Hagerty in March, will feature more than 250 significant classic and historically relevant vehicles, a Motoring Tour, a seminar on women in the auto industry, and more.

A plethera of car-related activities include: AUG. 5-8 — MOTOR CITY CAR CRAWL. A citywide charity event produced by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association and the Downtown Detroit Partnership, the Motor City Car Crawl will showcase new vehicles at six downtown parks including Beacon Park, Cadillac Square, Campus Martius, Capitol Park, Grand Circus Park, and Spirit Plaza.

AUG. 19-21 — WOODWARD DREAM SHOW at M1 Concourse in Pontiac. The inaugural event that runs for three days will see some of the most iconic cars ever created being driven on the venue’s track or on display. “We’re going to try to stand out,” says Tim McGrane, CEO of M1 Concourse, which will be hosting several events this summer and fall. “We’re a unique facility in that (we have) a

driving track. And as an open-air venue, it gives us an opportunity as we transition back to whatever the new normal is going to be.”

AUG. 21 — THE WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE returns to metro Detroit’s main drag after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Woodward Dream Cruise is moving forward with plans for the 26th annual event,” says Michael Lary, president of the Woodward Dream Cruise. Most of the “traditional activities” during the allday vehicle extravaganza will be in place, while private and public gatherings are in full gear.

SEPT. 19 — EYESON DESIGN returns to the Ford House: Edsel & Eleanor in Grosse Pointe Shores with the theme “Marques of Extinction: Significant Designs of Bygone Brands.” An added benefit is a new visitor’s center.

SEPT. 21-26 — MOTOR BELLA at M1 Concourse. A place-keeper for the North American International Auto Show, Motor Bella will offer a tour through the ever-evolving world of mobility and experiences, from offroad SUVs through autonomous electric vehicles and high-powered sports cars.

SEPT. 27 AND 29 — THE MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME OF AMERICA offers two induction ceremonies — 2020 (Sept. 27) and 2021 (Sept. 29). The presentations will take place at M1 Concourse’s new Event Center.

SEPT. 30-OCT. 3 — THE AMERICAN FESTIVAL OF SPEED also takes place at M1 Concourse. The event showcases more than 60 race cars representing almost every form of motorsports, along with numerous other activities.

COURTESY OF THE CITY OF FERNDALE

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has selected Detroit as one of five winners of its $30-million Choice Neighborhoods grant program, which will enable the city to bring more than 500 new units of affordable housing to Corktown, where Ford Motor Co. is building a mobility campus. The HUD grant is supported by $1 billion in commitments from partners, including Ford’s $740-million investment, along with other economic development initiatives in greater Corktown.

24 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

023.Ticker1.July.21.indd 24

6/10/21 10:35 AM

July - August 2021 || Ticker

Diane’s Kitchen How a successful snack company in Birmingham supports mental health.

BY TOM MURRAY

I

t all began as a hobby 20 years ago in Diane Orley’s Birmingham basement.

Her sister had recently returned from a trip to India, and was eager to share the details of a process she’d learned for making delicious and healthy nuts.

“It’s an ancient tradition in India where you soak the nuts in water for two days and then dehydrate them for two days, and that maintains a vital enzyme for digestion,” Orley explains. “So I bought a dehydrator, and began making them for my friends and family.”

It wasn’t long before Orley became an entrepreneur. “It was the smallest little nothing business,” she laughs. “I started with just almonds, then walnuts and cashews, and I would mix dried blueberries and cherries with them and make more of a trail mix. I literally put some nuts in a bag and sold them to friends and neighbors.”

Orley’s “nothing business” changed significantly several years ago, when her niece got involved. Like her aunt, Laurel Orley was a healthy snacks aficionado, and she had a successful background in branding and marketing.

“She just said, ‘Do you want to take this mainstream with me?’ ” Orley recalls. “She told me there was nothing like it on the market, and she wanted to create a category. I said absolutely, and we went full-force.”

Daily Crunch snacks quickly became a reality, and the ladies soon brought in two more

COURTESY OF DAILY CRUNCH SNACKS

No Roads Required

partners. “Diane’s Kitchen is a female-founded company,” Orley proclaims. “We worked on R&D and packaging with a company in Maine, and we launched March 5th last year, right at the beginning of the pandemic.”

That turned out to be a positive during those early, scary days, when virtually everyone in the country was staying behind closed doors and relying on home delivery services.

“We have a large presence on Amazon, (and) we were one of the top sellers in the snack category in the first month or two,” Orley says. “We also have direct sales through our website, and then we have retail. We were already in about 300-plus retail outlets around the country, and we just added 350 CVS HealthHubs. Now Meijer is putting us in 1,500 checkout lines in 150 of their stores, which is huge.”

BOWL OF PLENTY An ancient nut-processing tradition from India has become a profitable enterprise for Diane’s Kitchen in Birmingham.

It’s a stunning success story, but it can’t be fully told without including an unspeakably sad event that occurred during Orley’s rise from basement to pinnacle.

“I lost a child to suicide seven years ago, but what that has done for me is it just powered me up to get busy and be an advocate in the mental health world, and destigmatize mental health,” she says. “We’re giving a portion of our profits to The Support Network, which is a peer-topeer support group. The networks are up on about five or six college campuses, and we’re standing with a lot of schools. Now more than ever, we’ve got to work on those kids and their mental health.”

|| By Jake Bekemeyer

IN MAY, GENERAL MOTORS CO. AND Lockheed Martin announced a partnership with the goal of producing a lunar rover that can cover more than 5 percent of the moon’s surface, which is how much humans have explored across all their trips to the celestial rock. The last visit by earthlings to the moon occurred in 1972.

The rover would be equipped with

more power, temperature-resistant materials, and autonomous capabilities controlled by astronauts, making tasks like sample and data-collection easier and safer. For its part, GM will provide electric technologies and propulsion systems to make the vehicle suited for any hurdle that stands in its way.

GM isn’t alone in thinking off the

ground. At the start of 2021, Stellantis N.V. announced a partnership with Archer Aviation, a company that’s creating an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed for in-city transportation. (There’s no need to worry about aircraft buzzing overhead all hours of the day, as they’re designed to be ultra-quiet.)

The partnership allows Archer to

access Stellantis’ low-cost supply chain, making mass production of the futuristic taxis a reality.

International investment bank Morgan Stanley predicted the sustainable air-mobility market will be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040 in a January 2019 research article. The question is, how big a role will Michigan play in the emerging market?

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 25

023.Ticker1.July.21.indd 25

6/10/21 4:15 PM

“Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.” ~ Mia Hamm | American soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist

O’Keefe would like to congratulate this year’s Powered by Women honorees.

Particularly, we are proud of our own Susan Koss, Partner and Managing Director, for her achievement of this prestigious recognition.

Susan Koss is a leader in the litigation support and restructuring industry making tough decisions based on what’s right, not what’s easy.

Congratulations, Sue! When hands-on guidance and exceptional performance are a must, take action by turning to the experience of O’Keefe. We craft solutions that produce impressive bottom-line results... even in the most complex situations. We invite you to learn more at www.okeefellc.com.

Clarity. Results. Together.

CORPORATE FINANCE | LITIGATION SUPPORT | STRATEGIC ADVISORY SERVICES | TURNAROUND & RESTRUCTURING

Driven Congratulations to Coco Champagne, Chief Operating Officer at Hagerty, on her well-deserved recognition. And cheers to all the women driving growth in Michigan and beyond.

27_DB0721.indd 1

6/9/21 10:58 PM

Ticker || July - August 2021

SyBridge Technologies Acquires Digital Solutions Platform SyBridge Technologies, a Southfield-based global design and production solutions provider, has completed the acquisition of Royal Oak’s ToolStats software, along with exclusive rights for related intellectual properties from CaptureMore.

SyBridge soon will launch SyBridge IoT Cloud, which will provide customers with cloud-based, digital services offering to manage products from design to manufacture, service, and repair.

Ford’s Van Dyke Plant Shifts Production to Electric Vehicle Parts Ford Motor Co.’s Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights has changed its name to the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center, along with updating its production line to produce components for the F-150 Lightning electric pickup and other EVs.

EMU Establishes Joint Engineering College with Chinese University Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti and Beibu Gulf University in China have finalized an agreement to establish the Eastern Michigan University Joint College of Engineering, Beibu Gulf University. The agreement calls for a 15-year cooperative partnership that will begin with up to 300 students being enrolled in the new program annually for the first four years, starting in the upcoming fall semester.

Shaquille O’Neal Invests in Detroit Fitness Startup MAXPRO Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has invested in Detroit-based MAXPRO, a fitness startup that makes a versatile and portable fitness system. The company’s SmartConnect Portable Cable Machine offers up to 300 pounds of resistance and allows users to do a wide array of workouts from nearly anywhere.

Dodge and SRT Team with LEGO on Challenger and Dragster Models Dodge and The LEGO Group have announced a second LEGO Speed Champions collaboration, which will bring Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster and 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A building sets to LEGO.com. The sets feature realistic details and two miniature figures wearing Dodge race apparel and helmets.

For full stories and more, visit dbusiness.com/daily-news to get daily news sent directly to your email.

Grooming Business Personal services prove an apt counterweight to retail pet giants.

S

BY JAKE BEKEMEYER

oon after Jamie Judson opened City Bark, a boutique pet store in Detroit that offers everything from snuggle beds and feeder mats to exotic grains and interactive toys, it was clear that customers also wanted a full-service dog grooming salon and self-wash station.

To meet the demand, the entrepreneur began setting aside capital for the project and brought in an outside purveyor to help get the ball rolling. “We put a temporary Band-Aid on the issue for our customers by partnering with LC’s Mobile Pet Spa and hosting grooming pop-up events biweekly, where we did light grooming and nail trims,” Judson says, “but I knew customers wanted more.”

When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, the funds designated for expanding City Bark’s services were used as a safety net to help the business get through the pandemic.

Even so, Judson didn’t want to let her customers down.

As she searched for a solution, she entered Rocket Mortgage’s Detroit Demo Days competition, which awards more than $1 million annually to early-stage companies. In a stroke of good fortune, a category called “sustain” was added last year, to help businesses that needed support during the pandemic.

After being accepted into the competition, Judson decided to focus on the business’ goals prior to COVID-19.

During her virtual pitch, she noted a grooming salon and self-wash offered a solid growth trajectory, as long as customers and canines found value in the added services.

Her presentation proved to be a hit, and she was awarded one of five $50,000 grants available in her category. One judge called the decision to give her an award “a no-brainer.”

City Bark’s ambitions have now come to fruition with a new dog and cat grooming salon that also accommodates

Lightning Strikes

PET OASIS Jamie Judson, owner of City Bark in Detroit’s Capitol Park, was able to expand her business after landing a $50,000 grant from Rocket Mortgage.

a self-serve dog washing station. The offerings are complemented by a pick-up and drop-off service: Can’t get your pet to City Bark? They’ll come and get your furry friend, then bring them home after their appointment.

Product delivery options are another service available to clients within a 30-mile radius.

Judson and her team are determined to succeed, and they’ve proven to be nimble and flexible. “We were driving to Dearborn Heights, Royal Oak, Warren, all these places, and (our employees were) like, ‘Let me help out any way I can and keep this business moving forward.’ I definitely have to give a lot of kudos to my staff,” Judson says.

|| By Tim Keenan

IF THERE WERE EVER ANY DOUBTS ABOUT Ford Motor Co.’s commitment to an electric vehicle future, they were erased when the Dearborn automaker unveiled its F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup in May. Not only is the F-150 Lightning an EV version of Ford’s top-selling and most-profitable vehicle, but its entrylevel price tag, which is just south of $40,000, is well within the budget of many truck buyers and below the sticker price of rival electric trucks slated to hit the market.

The market quickly responded to the new pickup. Two days after the unveiling, Jim Farley, Ford’s president and CEO, took to Twitter to announce that more than 44,500 customers had ponied up the refundable $100 to reserve their place in line to receive a battery-powered F-150 next year. Many more have signed on since.

“For both Ford and the American auto industry, the F-150 Lightning represents a defining moment as we progress toward a zero-emissions, digitally connected future,” says Bill

Ford, executive chair of Ford. “(The) F-Series (has been) America’s best-selling truck for 44 years, the backbone of work across the country, and a trusted icon for generations of customers. Now we’re revolutionizing it for a new generation.”

The F-150 Lightning is part of Ford’s $22-billion global electric vehicle plan to lead electrification in its areas of strength, starting with zero-emissions versions of its most popular vehicle lines, including the new Mustang Mach-E and redesigned Transit Van.

COURTESY OF ROCK VENTURES

DBUSINESSDIRECT

28 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

028.Ticker3.July.21.indd 28

6/10/21 3:50 PM

Advertisement

TOP LAWYERS MI WOMEN BASED UPON A SURVEY OF THEIR PEERS

Less than 5% of all lawyers licensed in Michigan have received the distinction of being a LEADING LAWYER. Jennifer M. Grieco Jacqueline Asher Kelly Sharon M. Woods Monica Rossi Baylis Sheryl A. Laughren Cheryl A. Bush Alison H. Rodney Karen Libertiny Ludden Lynn Capp Sirich Laura E. Eisenberg Mekel Sebestyen Miller Amy M. Spilman Julie A. Greenberg Barbara Lynn Mandell Ann Marie Uetz Kellie S. Devito Elizabeth A. Favaro Kara S. Ferrara Keela P. Johnson Victoria S. Lehman Jennifer A. Engelhardt Sandra User Green Patricia A. Stamler Sarah E. Kuchon Regina Goyette Staudacher Shirley A. Kaigler Hon. Mary Beth Kelly (Ret.) Michelle D. Bayer Jorin G. Rubin Leila Freijy Barbara B. Smith Sara L. Cunningham Paula K. Manis Michelle C. Harrell Kathleen H. Klaus Julie Chenot Mayer Julie Beth Teicher Irika N. Mellin Kristen L. Robinson Michele P. Fuller Keri Middleditch Amy M. Johnston Leigh D. Moss Linda G. Burwell Deborah L. Brouwer Susan D. Koval Patricia M. Nemeth Stephanie P. Ottenwess Linda D. Kennedy Anthea E. Papista Patricia Kefalas Dudek Harriet B. Rotter Nancy Komer Stone Kari B. Schlaff Kerry Lynn Rhoads Dina M. Ferrari Linda M. Garbarino Sabrina Shaheen Cronin Renee K. Gucciardo Roquia Kamal Draper Nazli G. Sater Donna Marie Medina

Altior Law PC AsherKelly Barris Sott Denn & Driker PLLC Beier Howlett PC Berry Moorman PC Bush Seyferth PLLC Bush Seyferth PLLC Dean & Fulkerson PC Dickinson Wright PLLC Eisenberg & Spilman PLLC Eisenberg & Spilman PLLC Eisenberg & Spilman PLLC Fishman Stewart PLLC Fishman Stewart PLLC Foley & Lardner LLP Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC Goethel Engelhardt PLLC Green & Green PLLC Hertz Schram PC Hohauser Kuchon Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss PC JAMS — Detroit Joelson Rosenberg Law Office of Jorin G. Rubin PC Law Office of Leila Freijy PLLC Law Offices of Barbara B. Smith PLLC Loomis Ewert Parsley Davis & Gotting PC Loomis Ewert Parsley Davis & Gotting PC Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller PC Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller PC Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller PC Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller PC Mellin Robinson PC Mellin Robinson PC Michigan Law Center PLLC Middleditch Law Firm PLLC Miller Canfield Moss Law PLC National Investigation Counsel PLLC Nemeth Law PC Nemeth Law PC Nemeth Law PC Ottenwess Law PLC Panagos Kennedy PLLC Papista & Papista PLC Patricia E. Kefalas Dudek & Associates Rotter & Stone PC Rotter & Stone PC Schlaff Law Group PLLC Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd Tanoury Nauts McKinney & Garbarino PLLC Tanoury Nauts McKinney & Garbarino PLLC The Cronin Law Firm PLLC The Gucciardo Law Firm PLLC Warner Norcross + Judd LLP Warner Norcross + Judd LLP Williams Williams Rattner & Plunkett PC

Birmingham Southfield Detroit Troy Detroit Troy Troy Troy Troy Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham Troy Troy Detroit Troy Troy Troy Troy Troy Ann Arbor Farmington Hills Bloomfield Hills Troy Royal Oak Southfield Detroit Farmington Hills Birmingham Troy Bloomfield Hills Lansing Lansing Southfield Southfield Southfield Southfield Troy Troy Macomb Birmingham Detroit Bloomfield Hills Pleasant Ridge Detroit Detroit Detroit Detroit Troy Detroit Farmington Franklin Franklin West Bloomfield Southfield Livonia Livonia Bloomfield Hills Bingham Farms Bloomfield Hills Bloomfield Hills Birmingham

248.372.9884 248.746.2748 313.596.9304 248.645.9400 313.496.1200 248.822.7801 248.822.7800 248.362.1300 248.433.7200 248.358.8880 248.358.8880 248.358.8880 248.593.3350 248.593.3331 313.234.7114 248.457.7108 248.457.7181 248.457.7136 248.457.7087 248.457.7185 734.769.6838 248.932.0500 248.335.5000 248.619.0700 248.723.0311 248.727.1412 313.872.1100 248.626.9966 248.799.9100 248.817.8280 248.646.8000 517.482.2400 517.485.0400 248.827.1862 248.359.7520 248.827.1872 248.351.7059 248.614.9005 248.614.9005 586.803.8500 248.621.3030 313.496.8479 248.847.3555 248.730.5583 313.567.5921 313.567.5921 313.567.5921 313.965.2121 248.564.1343 313.965.1688 248.254.3462 248.855.5200 248.855.5200 248.320.5978 248.994.0070 313.964.4500 313.964.4500 248.258.3500 248.723.5190 248.784.5081 248.784.5178 248.642.0333

Comm Lit; Ins Cov: Consumer Insureds; Prof’l Malpractice Def; PI: Prof’l Malpractice Employee Benefits Class Action/Mass Tort Def; Commercial Litigation; Professional Malpractice Def Family Employment: Mgmt; Labor: Mgmt Commercial Litigation; Products Liability Defense Class Action/Mass Tort Defense Insurance/Ins Cov/Reinsurance; PI Defense: General; Prod Liab Def; Transport Def Family Family; ADR: Family Family Family Copyright & Trademark Commercial Litigation; Copyright/Trademark; Intellectual Property Bankruptcy/Workout: Commercial; Comm Lit; Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collect Family Commercial Litigation; PI Defense: General; Products Liability Def Trust, Will & Estate Family Med-Mal Defense Personal Injury: General; PI: Professional Malpractice Family Civil Rts/Const; Class Act/Mass Tort Pltf; Emp: Employee; False Claims/Whistle Blow Personal Injury: General Tax: Business Elder; Trust, Will & Estate ADR: Commercial Litigation; ADR: Employment; ADR: Family Employment: Employee; Employment: Mgmt; Health Family Immigration: Employment; Immigration: Individual ADR: Family Construction; Mineral & Natural Resource; Real Estate: Commercial ADR: Comm Lit; Energy; Min/Nat Resource; Pub Utilities; ADR: RE/Enviro/Construct Commercial Litigation; Land Use/Zoning/Condemnation; Real Estate: Commercial Civil Appellate; Comm Lit; Insurance, Ins Cov & Reinsurance; Prof’l Malpractice Def Insurance, Ins Coverage & Reinsurance; Professional Malpractice Defense Bankruptcy/Workout: Commercial; Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections Family; ADR: Family Family; ADR: Family Elder Family Class Action/Mass Tort Defense; Commercial Litigation; Product Liab Def Close/Private Held Business; Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections Employment: Mgmt; ADR: Employment; Labor: Mgmt Employment: Mgmt Employment: Mgmt Employment: Mgmt; ADR: Employment; Labor: Mgmt Health Copyright/Trademark; Intellectual Property; Patent Family; Trust, Will & Estate Elder; Trust, Will & Estate Family Family Family Insurance/Ins Cov/Reinsurance; PI Defense: General; Products Liability Def Med-Mal Defense Civil Appellate; Med-Mal Defense; PI Defense: General Criminal Defense: Felonies & Misd; Family Family Family Family Adoption & Reproductive Technology; Family; Juvenile

A lawyer CANNOT buy the distinction of Leading Lawyer. The distinction was earned by being among those lawyers most often recommended by their peers. For a full description of our research process, a complete list of all Leading Lawyers, and to view profiles of the lawyers listed on this page, go to

www.LeadingLawyers.com

leading lawyers_FP_DB0721.indd 1 dBusiness_JulyAugust2021_8.375x10.875.indd 1

A Division of Law Bulletin Media—est. 1854

6/8/21 3:05 PM 6/2/21 11:37 AM

Focus || Aviation

DEVELOPMENT APPROACH The Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit is finalizing plans for up to $150 million in improvements, including new corporate hangars.

Taking Flight A $150-million plan to improve Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit would help draw more corporate flights from businesses, travelers, and entertainers while helping to train the next generation of aviators, astronauts, and technicians.

T

he Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit was looking at its last flight in 2017, following years of disinvestment and falling demand. Mayor Mike Duggan was actively looking to shutter the historic airfield, which saw its first active airway traffic in 1927, and replace the 264-acre expanse with an industrial park.

But as Duggan made the rounds among potential developers, his plans changed in the months following the opening of Little Caesars Arena in September 2017. “When the Palace of Auburn Hills closed and the entertainers started playing in the downtown stadiums almost exclusively, all of a sudden our jet service traffic

BY R.J. KING |

JOSH SCOTT

jumped 20 percent, and it kept growing through 2018 and 2019,” says Jason Watt, director of Detroit City Airport.

“The city’s improved business climate also played a role. When you look across the world, there are few airports that are located six miles from a central business district. It takes 10 minutes to get downtown from our airport, and it took a lot of hard work from the city and our team to reverse the airport’s fortunes. Now everyone realizes we have a real asset that will serve the city for decades to come.”

With the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, the airport saw its traffic drop considerably, but as the pandemic wanes, Watt says corporate jets have been returning in greater numbers. When

the entertainment industry is back at full force, the airport expects to see takeoffs and landings reach new levels.

Arriving at Detroit City Airport a decade ago, Watt, a former FAA official, began plans to restore the airfield into a modern aviation center for corporate jets, business and recreational pilots, helicopter rides with day and evening excursions, charter flights, and educational opportunities for students in Detroit and beyond.

It’s been a long flight. At the outset, Watt had his hands full. After a quick study of the operation, he noted demand for the airport’s two runways was hampered by aviation fuel that cost two to three times that of competing airports.

The disparity caused some corporate jet owners

30 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

030.Focus.July.21.indd 30

6/10/21 10:44 AM

Aviation || Focus

to fill their tanks at other airports prior to landing; others used the facility sparingly or left altogether. Within a few weeks of his arrival, Watt worked with his new team to bring the price of aviation fuel in line with market rates.

The move brought back some traffic. Watt went on to clean up forlorn areas of the airfield, renovate and rent out what were empty air hangars, remove discarded equipment, and polish up the former passenger terminal. Today, the terminal includes a renovated pilot and passenger lounge, various flight operations, government agencies, and high-tech workspace occupied by Detroit Aircraft and ASX. The latter two companies are working on building a full-scale electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL, that would operate on batteries and ferry passengers and cargo over short distances.

“The city’s bankruptcy (in 2014) impacted everything in the city, and while we didn’t have many funds to improve the airport, we did have a great staff who went out of their way to make people feel welcome,” Watt says. “Now that we got through the bankruptcy, the potential closing, and COVID-19, we’re making real progress.”

In recent months, the city has been putting the final touches on a two-year effort to bring the airport into full compliance with the FAA’s safety requirements while providing for new facilities.

Following 20 years of receiving waivers, the city is working with the Federal Aviation Administration on finalizing what’s called an Airport

Layout Plan, part of an overall master plan.

The effort, which the FAA must finalize and approve, calls for tearing down many of the airfield’s aging and unusable structures located on the east side of the main runway along Conner Avenue. At the same time, new facilities will be built on the west side of the airport and will be accessible from Van Dyke Avenue. The new area, roughly bounded by Van Dyke, French and McNichols roads, and Grinnell Street, would offer space for 18 large hangars, a new passenger terminal that would span up to 30,000 square feet, related aviation operations, and retention ponds. The latter feature would spare the airport from paying hefty drainage fees.

Today, the east side of the main runway is occupied by a control tower, the main terminal, 14 large hangars, around 130 small hangars, and the Benjamin O. Davis Aerospace Technical High School. They’re joined by Detroit Aircraft, ASX, AvFlight, My Flight Tours (helicopters), commercial tenants, various government agencies, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum.

Part of the Airport Layout Plan proposal calls for removing the airport’s smaller runway, which runs east and west, and potentially replacing it with a light industrial complex. The runway is favored by recreational pilots and flight instructors who are training the next generation of pilots for airline careers that can pay more than $200,000 a year.

“Overall, the Airport Layout Plan is something

we favor, but we don’t want to see the shorter runway go away; rather, it should be enhanced,” says Brian R. Smith, president of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum. “Mayor Duggan may feel an industrial park would offer good jobs to Detroiters, but the demand for higher-paying jobs in the airline industry offers much greater potential.”

Smith says the museum, which trains high school students in a variety of aviation positions before they matriculate to colleges, universities, flight schools, or other related institutions, offers not only STEM training but life skills.

“We’re here to teach young people in aviation, aerospace, engineering, and so many other disciplines,” he says. “The students can go on to become pilots, mechanics, astronauts, get into rocketry programs, and more.”

The longer, main runway, which runs north and south and is 5,090 feet in length, would see the addition of 125 feet at the north end under the layout plan. In turn, McNichols Road, which was cut off by a previous runway expansion, could be connected again via a tunnel. Watt says the airport is in discussions with the Michigan Department of Transportation and other related agencies about the road project.

He adds the proposed extension of the main runway would not impact Mount Olivet Cemetery, located to the north, or Gethsemane Cemetery at the south end.

Overall, the Airport Layout Plan, if approved,

HIGHER EDUCATION A classroom laboratory at the Benjamin O. Davis Aerospace Technical High School at Detroit City Airport.

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 31

030.Focus.July.21.indd 31

6/10/21 10:44 AM

Focus || Aviation

would take up to 20 years to realize and cost upward of $150 million. It would be paid for by MDOT (3 percent), the City of Detroit (6 percent), and the FAA (35 percent). The rest of the funding would come from private sources. “The FAA could take up to six months to approve a final plan. If approved, and after the work is completed, we would be fully compliant with all FAA standards,” Watt says. “When I got here, most everything had a Band-Aid on it. Slowly but surely, we’ve been improving things. Two years ago, the main runway was resurfaced. It’s an exciting time.”

The main runway saw the addition of grooved pavement, to help disperse water when aircraft land. New lighting also was added along the taxiways, along with on-site aircraft rescue services.

Sergio Troiani, owner of My Flight Tours at Detroit City Airport, which offers helicopter tours of the city five days a week, says his business, which got its start at the airport in late February, has been gaining momentum every week.

He started with one, four-seat helicopter, and recently added a second one.

The company, which also offers helicopter tour packages in Grand Rapids, Grand Haven, Mackinaw City, and Harbor Springs, has three packages in the Motor City: Detroit City Quick Hop ($55 per person), Ambassador Bridge Tour ($100), and Detroit Night Tours ($150). The latter option includes a glass of champagne before or after the flight.

“We’re already looking for a second location in the city, specifically in the downtown area, for a helicopter landing site,” Troiani says. “We could do tours from there, and it would serve as a connection point for charter flights, say from Detroit Metropolitan Airport (in Romulus). We started out slow, and now we’re nearly full every week, and the weekends are always booked. The champagne tour is especially popular with couples.

There’s no other service like ours (in the city).”

Watt and others also have been instrumental in bringing aviation-related education offerings back to the airport. Following budget cuts by the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the curriculum at the Benjamin O. Davis Aerospace Technical High School, located just west of the airport, was transferred in 2013 to the Golightly Career and Tech Center, roughly four miles to the east near the Detroit River.

Sensing a closed building would be an attraction to scrappers, Watt and his team worked with the school district to transfer the property to the Detroit Fire Department, which created the Detroit Regional Fire Training Center. Today, the local firefighting team is training fire departments from all over the world at the refurbished complex. Watt adds Detroit Public Schools may construct a new school at the airport to replace the Davis facility.

Rather than see the aviation curriculum leave altogether, Watt worked with the Friends of Detroit City Airport, a quasi-public development

agency, to transform a maintenance building immediately south of the airport’s former passenger terminal into a multifaceted operation that offers a large classroom and laboratory, an assembly room that includes a mural of the Detroit Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, a conference room, a computer lab, and a communications room.

The funds for the renovation came from a $1-million gift from an anonymous donor. In the next year or so, the Friends of Detroit City Airport plans to add a hangar that would attach to the south end of the school. To help bring attention to the reopening of the school at the airfield, Friends, the Civil Air Patrol, the Detroit Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Detroit City Airport officials, and others have hosted a series of programs for more than 300 Detroit youth including field trips, robotics classes, assistance with the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, and an open house (pre-COVID-19).

“What you’ve seen at Detroit City Airport is a complete reversal of fortune,” says Beverly Kindle-Walker, executive director of the Friends of Detroit City Airport, which was set up by former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, for whom the airport is named. “The city has seen the light and is now making significant investments in the operation. The best news is, once we return to normalcy, students from Detroit have a real shot at learning a career that will sustain them for the rest of their lives.”

32 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

030.Focus.July.21.indd 32

6/10/21 10:44 AM

Aviation || Focus

SERVE AND PROTECT A new statue that honors the Tuskegee Airmen is located at the main entrance of the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit. At left is a mural of the Detroit 100th Composite Squadron.

HONORED TO SERVE

A NEW MONUMENT TO THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, A GROUP OF BLACK PILOTS WHO SHOT DOWN DOZENS OF ENEMY fighters during World War II while battling bigotry and racism on and off airfields, was dedicated on Memorial Day — the result of a gift from an anonymous donor.

Located at the entrance to the main terminal at the Coleman A. Young International Airport (the city’s late mayor was part of the Detroit 100th Composite Squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen), the monument of four pilots, cast in bronze, was created from a photo taken in 1942 in which the fighters — Capt. Wendell O. Pruitt and Lts. Andrew Maples, John A. Gipson, and Milton Hall — were walking off the flight line on Morton Field in Tuskegee, Ala., where the men trained.

“The Tuskegee Airmen actually fought two battles during the war — the enemy, and racism from the military and the public at large,” says Beverly Kindle-Walker, executive director of the Friends of Detroit City Airport, a quasi-public development agency established by Mayor Young in 1990. “For everyone who visits the airport, including our youth who participate in Detroit Aero Club, Airport 101, and Detroit Fly Girls, the statue is a symbol of the sacrifice the Tuskegee Airmen made in keeping America and the free world safe.”

To help support the youth programs, the Friends of Detroit City Airport is selling sponsorships and brick pavers that will surround the monument. Donations range from $5,000 for a diamond sponsorship to $5 for young people. A brick paver runs between $100 and $200, based on the number of letters in a name or phrase. For more information, visit friendsofdca.org.

— R.J. King

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 33

030.Focus.July.21.indd 33

6/10/21 10:44 AM

Perspectives || Infrastructure

BALANCING ACT

As construction advances, the Gordie Howe International Bridge raises questions, along with the coming ascent of its towers. Yes, it will benefit industry throughout a wide region, but what about southwest Detroit?

BY RONALD AHRENS

O

n a recent Tuesday, Bridget Espinosa was fighting the onset of her annual springtime allergies and trying not to cough too loudly in La Palapa del Parian, where she was taking a midmorning break. The name suggests a palm-thatched beach hut, but the space at 1633 Lawndale St. in Springwells Village had been used as the commissary to support a fleet of taco trucks before recently becoming, as Espinosa puts it, “a full-fledged restaurant.”

Gazing at the vivid wall murals, she ponders the question of development opportunities in southwest Detroit as construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge approaches the halfway mark.

For the first time, she’s hearing details of the recent study released by the Cross-Border Institute at the University of Windsor, an assessment of the economic impacts and opportunities that may arise after the bridge opens for use in late 2024.

Espinosa’s consulting company, Puente Cultural Integration, guides small businesses in the Hispanic community, where the hopes are to benefit from some piece of the $4.7-billion project, even during its design-build phase.

“I’ve done a lot of small business coaching and really recognize the challenges that our neighborhood faces in order for them to get contracts with agencies as large as the bridge,” Espinosa says.

“There’s a huge barrier with just the paperwork (and) the red tape for a small business or an immigrant small business to access those types of contracts, right? They’re skilled, but they don’t have a back office to manage all the paperwork that’s required.”

Stretching 1.5 miles, the Gordie Howe will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America — and the world’s seventh-longest — when it opens. Rising from a 130-acre site near the Brighton Beach Generating Station on Windsor’s riverbank, it will pass through two majestic A-shaped towers, each 720 feet in height, and swoop past Zug Island into Detroit’s Delray neighborhood, where 148 acres have been cleared for the new port of entry.

34 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

034.Perspectives.July.21.indd 34

6/10/21 10:43 AM

Infrastructure || Perspectives

GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PROJECT

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE The Gordie Howe International Bridge that will connect Detroit and Windsor is scheduled to open in late 2024. Once operational, it will compete with the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which opened in 1929.

Actually, Delray, a neighborhood that sprang to life in the 1850s and was named after Molino del Rey in Mexico, was largely wiped out by the new bridge, although East Delray and West Delray still exist. From the early days, it was favored by Hungarian immigrants before becoming an industrial center due to its proximity to the convergence of the Detroit and Rouge rivers.

The neighborhood’s Mexican community began to grow a century ago, when Henry and Edsel Ford established the Rouge Industrial Complex in Dearborn, one of the largest manufacturing complexes in the world.

One of the new link’s chief merits is that, for the first time, travelers will have a freeway-to-freeway connection — a time-saver the CBI study estimates at 850,000 hours per year for the trucking industry. Leaving the Rt. Honourable Herb Gray Parkway in Windsor and climbing the bridge deck to about 138 feet over the Detroit River, travelers will find a quick connection from the 36 inspection booths to I-75. The bridge will have six traffic lanes, and in 2017 the design requirements were revised to include an 11.8-foot-wide multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Canadian government is paying for the project in a unique public-private effort that’s administered by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a Canadian Crown corporation. It’s structured like a private company and has a staff of about 40 people. Bridging North America, a consortium of design and construction companies, is executing the project. Funds also have been set aside for bridge operation and maintenance over the following 30 years. The WDBA will set and collect all tolls.

“It’s going to be a business in and of itself forever,” Espinosa muses. “So that was one of the things we were doing, is trying to connect especially our contractors, at this point, but print shops and other services that are needed, (and arrange) B2B connectivity with their procurement process. As of right now, I’m unaware of any small businesses in southwest Detroit that are receiving any kind of contracts or substantial business from that.”

Earlier this year, WDBA offered Delray homeowners up to $20,000 each from a $4-million fund dedicated to fundamental repairs. In a construction update, WDBA spokesman Mark Butler points to progress on the Canadian port of entry, with inspection booths and other buildings taking shape.

Because of demolitions and soil remediation, the U.S. side isn’t as far ahead, but that’s to be expected.

“We’re making planned progress,” Butler says. “All together, we’re on target. We didn’t know a year ago that we would be working remotely when the pandemic broke.” He adds there have been “challenges” with such things as delivery of materials, but a “flexible regime” has let work move ahead.

In a construction process that started Oct. 5, 2018, by digging out the site and moving utility lines, it’s been hard to see much progress so far. But footings for the towers on both sides of the river are complete, bridge reconstruction on three Detroit streets will wrap up by midsummer, and before too long the Gordie Howe’s towers themselves will start to become visible as the cranes crawl up to an ultimate operating height of 822 feet. Altogether, the construction will require about a half-million tons of concrete, 22,000 tons of steel, and 5,000 tons of cables.

Meanwhile, ramp work and pedestrian-bridge construction is underway as part of the new interchange between the U.S. port of entry and I-75, causing inconvenience for already-dubious locals.

“There’ll be skepticism until the bridge is open,” says Frank Venegas Jr., chairman and CEO of the Ideal Group, a multifaceted construction business which has its headquarters at 2525 Clark Ave. in southwest Detroit. “One of the other things they’re going to see is a lot of traffic, and a lot of roads being closed and waiting to be fixed.” Despite the nuisance, Venegas is a big fan of the Gordie Howe, saying, “I can’t remember the last time you’d say that the Ambassador Bridge was a good way to go to Canada, because of the truck traffic.”

In fact, amid many uncertainties, the Ambassador Bridge will continue to operate for decades to come. In the last decade it has benefited from a $100-million modernization program that included the installation of a firefighting system.

“We have plans to invest another $40 million to expand and modernize the customs plaza in Canada,” says Dan Stamper, president of the Detroit International Bridge Co. Controlled by the Moroun family, DIBC has owned the 92-year-old bridge since 1979, when — at the time — it outbid Warren Buffet on the sale of the crossing. “Our goal is to offer the best service available for international commerce and travelers,” Stamper adds.

He notes that cross-border traffic has “steadily decreased over the past 20 years” and “macro trends JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 35

034.Perspectives.July.21.indd 35

6/10/21 10:43 AM

Perspectives || Infrastructure

SALUTE TO PROGRESS The footings on the U.S. side of the Gordie Howe International Bridge are nearing completion.

In the coming months, the span will be erected.

GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PROJECT

in the regional economy do not point toward significant future traffic growth.” The latter is due to a regional move away from manufacturing and the rise of Mexican industry. Additionally, as auto parts contribute a significant share of goods transferred over the Detroit River, the increasing production of electric vehicles, with their fewer internal parts, will affect demand for freight services. “In sum,” Stamper says, “we see cross-border traffic remaining static, with potential downward pressure for the foreseeable future.”

Referring to the CBI’s recent study, which he says was read “with interest,” he recalls a 1996 study by the State of Michigan that also touted opportunities for development in southwest Detroit. “We have significant land holdings in and around the geographical areas discussed in the study, and we develop such facilities for our own businesses and for third parties,” Stamper says. “We see business opportunities in this space, as well as further opportunities to cooperate with stakeholders, and we hope they come to fruition.”

The study by five authors, officially the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the Bi-National Great Lakes Economic Region: Assessing Economic Impacts and Opportunities, was commissioned

by WDBA. From its 68 pages emerges an awareness of the importance of trucks. One could hardly be blamed for coming away with the impression the Gordie Howe International Bridge is intended more for trucks and industrial needs, and that cars are incidental. Manufactured goods account for more than half the cross-border shipments of both countries.

“More trucks already cross the Ambassador Bridge in this corridor than at any other Canada-U.S. crossing,” the report states. Supply chains can be delicate, as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, and must be kept intact for just-in-time deliveries to assembly plants as far away as Kentucky and Tennessee. “This calls for more than one bridge to provide redundancy,” the report continues. Another issue — delays — is among the Gordie Howe’s chief selling features. With direct freeway connections, there will be no more grinding along over surface streets. Larger inspection plazas will be more technologically advanced. Easier and quicker crossings will save billions of dollars over many years.

From his office at the University of Windsor, before the pandemic year of working at home, Bill Anderson could watch trucks in the inspection plaza at the Ambassador Bridge. The political science professor also directs the Cross-Border Institute, and his name is at the top of the report. While working remotely, his mind stayed on trucks.

“Our research is very much about trucks,” Anderson says. “I think what people don’t realize is, when you look at that line of trucks going in both directions, through the Ambassador Bridge and down Huron Church Road (into Windsor), you’re seeing one of the most significant trade flows on earth. So for somebody like me who studies transportation and international trade, it’s one of the best locations you could possibly be in. Not everybody loves to watch trucks, but I do.”

The next thought is about what happens to the trucks. “The thing is,” he says, “you’re bringing so many trucks together that it creates opportunities for cross-dock facilities and cold-storage facilities, things like that.” The report spells out what transportation, distribution, and logistics, or TDL, can entail. For example, truck depots are homes to commercial carriers. Intermodal facilities allow the transfer of shipping containers between truck and rail. Warehouses and cold storage serve as temporary destinations. Service plazas allow trucks to refuel and drivers to refresh. Customs brokers and freight-forwarders keep the goods moving.

“The people operating those supply chains across the border, what types of economic services can be beneficial to them?” Anderson asks. And as bridge access routes are realigned, new TDL development will make sense. But the report cautions that “concerted and coordinated effort by public and private sector actors” should control the development. It recommends establishing a new coordinating institution on each side of the river, to prevent service overlaps. “Until such new private-public institutional arrangements are in place, the TDL opportunity cannot be transformed into substantial economic benefit,” it concludes. Furthermore, even before coordinating institutions are set up, an ad hoc committee should be formed to create an “action plan.” Committee members should come from both countries. The membership would be drawn from community and business groups, industrial executives, and economic development agencies. Government officials and infrastructure experts would also be welcome.

Of utmost importance, Anderson says, is to avoid building “giant distribution centers on spec.” He thinks of instances in Canada when government initiatives to create activities clusters ended in failure. “I have a conscience about that. I don’t want to see a white elephant 20 years from now and say, ‘Yeah, that was my idea.’ You gotta make sure the market demands this.”

These aspects of the CBI study strike a chord with Steve Tobocman. A southwest Detroit resident, Tobocman is founder and executive director of Global Detroit, a nonprofit agency that strives to help integrate immigrants into the community and economy. From 2003 to 2008, he represented the 12th district in the Michigan Legislature, serving on the House Transportation and Commerce committees.

36 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

034.Perspectives.July.21.indd 36

6/10/21 10:43 AM

Infrastructure || Perspectives

Bridge Ahead

His response to the CBI report comes in impassioned torrents, as his terms in Lansing coincided with a Michigan Department of Transportation study recommending a publicly owned bridge.

“For many years I was the only state legislator that attended any of the planning meetings,” Tobocman says. “Indeed, I think there’s a lot of soundness in this new report. Having a freeway or crossing in your district and having a bunch of trucks moving through isn’t necessarily a benefit; it actually can create pollution, particularly if there’s idling times. That’s a real threat to health, and that’s what we have with the current Ambassador Bridge.”

Well-managed traffic could be an asset, he reflects, but only if some of it stops beyond the toll plaza. The value — jobs and tax revenue — comes from “opening the boxes” in an assembly plant or advanced logistics facility. “This neighborhood, we’re very aware of that, and in fact saw that with the border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge and sought to create a welcome center.”

The result was the FREC, the Ford Resource and Engagement Center, which opened in 2013 in the Mexicantown Mercado. The center offers services such as legal assistance and tax preparation, relays education and job initiatives, and presents cultural activities. Before that, while still in the state Legislature, Tobocman sponsored HB 6150 to establish a supply-chain commission within the Department of Treasury. The 15-member commission was to advise the governor and state agencies on strategies for better planning, implementation, and control of materials and services. Two commission goals were the elimination of “points of friction at the borders” and “the adoption of efficiencies.” A revised version of the bill passed in the House and Senate, and was signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm early in 2009.

“The idea was that we had not thought very strategically as a state about the TDL industries and the other related industries to transportation,” Tobocman says. “We had these debates about the infrastructure that I didn’t think were tied to the tax base and other things alluded to in that study, and that we needed to get ahead of that and bring transportation planners together with industry leaders.”

For such reasons, he sees timeliness in the CBI’s study, especially as greater technological innovation lies just ahead in logistics. “That is the future, and it doesn’t look exactly the way it looked even 25, 30 years ago, where it was all about getting a plant located in our community.”

After opening for service in 1929, the Ambassador Bridge — and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel soon afterward — hastened the demise of the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Co. On the final sailing of the

JOHN LOMINACK, A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AT Colliers, a Toronto-based professional services company with local offices in Southfield, Troy, and Birmingham, represents large tenants and buyers in the industrial sector. The addition of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the existing Ambassador Bridge, he says, offers the potential to expand the region’s logistical sector.

Q. How is the industrial real estate market in general, and especially in southwest Detroit?

A. Despite COVID-19, it’s managed to stay extremely busy — as with most of the industrial players. Down in that marketplace, two or three guys over the years have done whatever deals have been done. Most of the industrial property is antiquated and obsolete. There’s historically been some level of logistics activity, most of it driven by the Moroun organization.

Q. What’s available for development?

A. There are two deals that I’m aware of. (One is) Bedrock’s recent acquisition of the Sakthi Industrial Campus — 37 acres on West Fort Street. I remember scratching my head, as were a number of people, like, “Oh, Bedrock, they’re not industrial guys. What are they doing buying that campus?” So now you have Mr. Dan Gilbert getting into the industrial real estate business down in that marketplace.

Q. What’s the other deal?

A. Just south of that, in Ecorse, is a site I looked at for a client — the Mill Street Redevelopment Site. It didn’t make sense, based on access. I think the site is around 80 acres. General Development Co. (and Friedman Real Estate) entered into an agreement with the City of Ecorse. Basically, they control it. They’re marketing it for industrial development. In terms of larger sites that are zoned and would have the backing of the municipality, that, along with the Bedrock site, are the two most interesting things.

Q. What’s the big attraction near the two bridges today?

A. Any activity in that market is being driven by the bridges. It has to be. Old companies that had been down in that market forever saw an opportunity, as it relates to the bridge, to get out from under their real estate that (my perception was) had increased in value dramatically. The only reason (for new activity) was the potential of the new bridge coming in.

Q. What’s the rosiest view for 10 years from now?

A. I don’t think you’re going to see high-end residential or retail, and probably not a lot of manufacturing. It’s all going to be logistics-driven, warehouse and distribution space.

— Ronald Ahrens JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 37

034.Perspectives.July.21.indd 37

6/10/21 10:43 AM

Perspectives || Infrastructure

GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PROJECT

POLAR EXPRESS The support podium for the Canadian side of the Gordie Howe International Bridge highlights the nation’s culture.

D&W’s flagship, Cadillac, in 1938, some 2,500 passengers boarded to say good-bye, and passenger service was never restored. When the Gordie Howe opens in 2024, it may kill off the last remaining vehicle ferry plying the half-mile-wide strait.

The Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry has operated since 1990. At 7 a.m. every day, the MV Stormont, a 75-foot harbor tug, leaves the Detroit Terminal at 1475 Springwells Court, just north of the River Rouge and Zug Island. It tows a flat barge on a 20-minute run, delivering oversize vehicles and those carrying explosive, flammable, radioactive, and corrosive substances — which are banned from the existing bridge and tunnel — to the Windsor Terminal slightly downriver. After 40 minutes, it departs Windsor, returning to Detroit. Five daily round trips are made.

“We’re very much a niche player,” Gregg Ward, DWTF’s president, says one evening as he’s just arriving home in Dearborn. “We don’t compete with the Ambassador Bridge or the Detroit-Canada Tunnel. We transport what isn’t allowed on the bridge. We do a lot of the windmill towers, a lot of the heavy equipment. It’s a very simple service, kind of 4,000-year-old technology, Cleopatra pushing across the Nile.” No passengers are allowed; the service confines itself to 40 or 50 trucks daily out of the approximately 8,000 that cross the border.

The longest rig the ferry has handled was 235 feet, with the trailer system bearing a stamping press for an automotive plant. Because of security constraints, Ward can say little about what’s being transferred, but refers to “a very expensive” safety and security program. “After 9/11, we were one of the first companies in the U.S. to get a port security grant. We built a software system where we give U.S. Customs and Border Protection an advance — everybody who’s coming across, the companies, the cargo.”

The truck ferry’s fate depends upon whether hazardous materials will be allowed to pass over the Gordie Howe, a matter that’s still to be determined. With pedestrians and cyclists as part of the mix, what sort of emergency response would be effected? “We’re assuming they’ll figure it out and they'll take hazardous material, and in that case, we’ll be done,” Ward says. “And that’s OK. I’m a great supporter of Gordie Howe. I think the redundancy and resiliency aren’t an argument. It’s a factual need of the manufacturing society that we live in. How do you not have a resilient transportation system?”

Ward hasn’t noted “a lot of economic bump yet” from the Gordie Howe project, but expresses the desire to “be of service to those that are bringing the larger cargoes to the project.” At the same time, it’s natural for people to think ahead, trying to come up with something.

“What should I be putting in?” Bridget Espinosa, of Puente Cultural Integration, asks herself.

“What would be a viable business for people who are on their bikes or walking?” An obvious move was to take advantage of a vacant property at Junction Avenue and West Fort Street, right in the path of the Gordie Howe, and enlist some clients in starting a food-truck court called Food on Fort. “We created a simple website for them, helped set up their social media. We did a pilot last fall to test out the waters, see if it worked. The goal, come spring, is to launch Food on Fort and be able to service the bridge employees for now, and then eventually have some actual traffic coming through there.”

38 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

034.Perspectives.July.21.indd 38

6/10/21 10:43 AM

Infrastructure || Perspectives

Frank Venegas, whose Ideal Group already does steel fabrication on the bridge job, foresees unexpected development possibilities — and some neighborhood consolidation to go with them. “I still think the most important deal is now, we have this bridge. It really extends out to Mexicantown, and comes in over there with Delray. That area, it needs some help, and I believe the bridge will do that.”

He knows of “a lot of land” in southwest Detroit. “You’re going to see more money than you anticipate — it’s going to be the bank lenders,” he says, drawing from his insider’s status as a member of Huntington Bank’s regional board. “I think you’ll see banks down there. I think you’ll see stores. The dream of what it could be — I just know that when you get off a bridge, you gotta to go somewhere.”

Alan Ackerman, a partner in the law firm Ackerman and Ackerman in Bloomfield Hills, which specializes in eminent domain and condemnation issues, says he doesn’t have a problem with the new bridge, but he notes the Canadian government for years slowed down truck traffic on the Ambassador Bridge by not staffing all of the inspection booths.

“In the mid-1990s, the Michigan Department of Transportation worked hand in hand with the Ambassador Bridge to provide for new entry ramps and infrastructure as part of an overall reconstruction of I-75 in that area,” Ackerman says. “But once 9/11 came, the State of Michigan and the Canadian government changed their tunes and they began to literally put up roadblocks to the Ambassador Bridge. “(The late) Matty Moroun bought the Ambassador Bridge fair and square (in 1979), and the State of Michigan, the Canadian government, and anyone else could have bid on it, but they didn’t. Having two bridges is good overall, and it remains to be seen how they will compete. I hope there will be enough traffic for both of them. The best thing businesses and governments can do is work together to get as many jobs as possible on both sides of the border.”

PREP YARD More than 500,000 tons of concrete will be produced and poured in place to complete what will be North America’s longest cable-stayed bridge.

Gordie Howe International Bridge Type: Cable-stayed suspension bridge with supporting cables fanning out to connect directly to the bridge deck Length: 1.5 miles makes it one of the five longest bridges in North America; the main span of 2,799 feet (.53-mile) will be the longest of any cable-stayed bridge in North America Width: 123 feet (six traffic lanes) including an 11.8-foot-wide multi-use path with a green, skid-resistant, reflective surface Approximate height of main towers: 720 feet.

Each A-shaped tower is designed with two “pylons.” The lower pylon, of 460 feet in height, is made of 29 segments averaging 15.5 feet apiece. A tower leg segment uses 247 square feet of concrete and 110,230 pounds of reinforcing steel. The 260-foot upper pylon houses the cables from which the bridge deck will be suspended.

Height of bridge deck: 138 feet above the river Total amount of concrete: 500,000 tons Total steel: 22,000 tons Weight of bridge cables: 5,000 tons Scheduled opening: 2024

Ambassador Bridge Type: Steel suspension bridge with individual suspension cables descending from massive main cables that droop from the main towers Length: 7,490 feet, or 1.41 miles; the main span of 1,850 feet (.35-mile) was the world’s longest suspended central span at the bridge’s completion in 1929, but the George Washington Bridge in New York City surpassed it two years later Width: The four-lane road is 47 feet wide with an eight-foot sidewalk; cyclists and pedestrians have been prohibited since 2001 Height of main towers: 386 feet, based on piers resting 115 deep on bedrock; 37 suspension cables total nearly two miles in length Height of bridge deck: 152 feet above the river Total steel: 21,000 tons Built: 1929, and renovated in recent years JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 39

034.Perspectives.July.21.indd 39

6/10/21 10:43 AM

RRight Now Communications

promotional content

oo often, company spokespersons or organizational interview request, but it’s your time. Make sure you get leaders are caught off guard when the media asks them your message out. to answer “a few questions.” But media interviews 4. Know when to say no. don’t have to be frightening, nerve-wracking, or stressful if you You can decline a media interview. If you aren’t the practice regularly or invest in media appropriate person to speak on the interview training to develop essential topic, saying yes to an interview will communication muscles. Here are some get you and your company nowhere. tools that can help: Does participating in an interview align Media interviews don’t 1. Decide if you want to do the with your communications strategy? If interview. you can’t properly prepare, you have have to be stressful if Think about your level of permission to decline. Never wing it! you invest in training comfort with the angle of the These are essential tools that to develop essential story and the format. Ask about need to be sharpened before you communication muscles. the topic, ask for specifics, ask say yes to an interview. RRight Now how long the interview will be, Communications has decades of and whether it’s live or taped. experience to help you and your team Ask where the story will be tell your own story. Investing in media published — online, the web, on interview training is an undeniable social media, broadcast, and/or print. Remember that return on investment that can save your company money, everything you say will live on forever on many different prevent lousy publicity, and avoid a ruined reputation. Don’t platforms. you think you should consider investing in the tools to help 2. Stay on message. you elevate your message, story, and brand RRight Now? Let’s face it: Most people don’t trust reporters. The common fear is that a reporter will ask a “Gotcha” question and you’ll look shaken, foolish, or off guard.

The easiest solution is to stay on message, no matter what the reporter asks. Preparing for media interviews takes discipline. You can practice by thinking about tough questions you don’t want to answer in advance; preparing and practicing brief, solid responses; practicing Regina Carswell Russo pivoting to the foundational message you want your audience to hear; and saying that over and over and over.

CEO/Chief Strategist 3. Know what you want to say.

What do you want your audience, clients, customers, RRight Now Communications or the public to know? Practice forming answers to P.O. Box 8696 any potential question that will give you space to relay Cincinnati, Ohio 45208 your desired message. A professional tip: It may be their

RRightNowCommunications_FP_DB_0721_v2.indd 1

rrightnow.com

6/10/21 5:34 PM

Powered by Women || Feature

THE 2021 CLASS OF POWERED BY WOMEN, SELECTED FROM READER NOMINATIONS, NAVIGATED THE WORST PANDEMIC IN MORE THAN 100 YEARS, ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY, AND EMPLOYEE ANXIETY. TODAY, WITH COVID-19 ON THE WANE, THEY’RE HELPING TO LEAD THEIR RESPECTIVE CORPORATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS INTO A SAFER AND MORE PROSPEROUS FUTURE. PROFILES BY BILL DOW, TIM KEENAN, AND GARY WITZENBURG PHOTOGRAPHS BY EMILY CROMBEZ ICON ILLUSTRATIONS BY JUSTINE ALLENETTE ROSS

JULY - AUGUST 2020 || DBUSINESS.COM 41

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 41

6/10/21 3:54 PM

Feature || Powered by Women

Senior Vice President and CEO North Market Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Employees: 30,000 | Revenue: $6.5B or Denise Brooks-Williams and other hospital executives throughout the world, the most serious health crisis in 100 years created unprecedented challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed disparities and the fragility of health care systems that required strong leadership to navigate through uncharted waters. With nearly 30 years of experience as a hospital administration leader, Brooks-Williams, senior vice president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System’s North Market, proved up to the task.

“So many people were counting on us as leaders to make sure our clinical teams had personal protection equipment and policies that supported a safe environment. I’m so proud of how they did such a heroic job in caring for our community,” says Brooks-Williams, who personally spent hundreds of hours meeting with staff, patients, and families

throughout the crisis.

Prior to her current position, the native Detroiter — who graduated from Cass Tech High School and the University of Michigan, where she received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in health services administration — served as president and CEO of Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. Before taking that position in 2013, she was president and CEO at Bronson Healthcare in Battle Creek, and she previously held leadership positions at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.

Brooks-Williams says major developments that arose from the

pandemic included the significant increase in telehealth medicine and the exposure of the disparity in health care for minorities.

“Telehealth will remain with us, as demand for it has created more access, particularly for those who previously may not have been comfortable with it, while the disparity in health care for minorities that has always been there was highlighted and exacerbated by the pandemic,” says Brooks-Williams, who, during the height of the health crisis, was appointed to the Racial Disparities Task Force for COVID-19 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

While noting there is more heightened awareness of the problem, she reports action is taking place. “Our task force has advanced the idea and implementation of unconscious bias training at hospitals,” says Brooks-Williams, who continues to champion social justice initiatives in the hospital system.

“At Henry Ford, we’ve had a really strong diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda, but now we’ve added justice, in light of the unrest surrounding police brutality, because that’s also a public health issue in terms of preventable death,” she explains.

When asked what makes an effective health care leader, Brooks-Williams says the key to her accomplishments comes from developing strong relationships with her staff. “Throughout my career, I’ve worked closely in developing partnerships with physicians and the clinical care team members,” says Brooks-Williams, who was named one of the Top 25 Minority Executives in Health Care by Modern Healthcare magazine. “Being a resource and a partner is critically important because I have to understand (others’) needs and what environment they need in order for us

to deliver care safely to the community we’re serving.”

For years, Brooks-Williams has actively participated in community, charitable, and professional organizations, both locally and nationally. She is a board member at Authority Health, New Detroit, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, and Friends of African and African American Art through the Detroit Institute of Arts.

She previously served as the president of the National Association of Health Services Executives, one of the premier minority health professional organizations in the United States. The executive also found that being a mentor to others entering the health care administration field has been particularly rewarding.

“I’m blessed to be in the role I’m in as a Black woman, and I believe I have an obligation to mentor, support, and bring others into the profession,” she says. “There are a lot of dynamic Black health care leaders, but some don’t get there without significant bumps in the road. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had great mentors throughout my career.”

What advice does she have for young women entering the business world?

“You have to believe that you can do whatever role you choose to be in, and it’s important to have mentors and sponsors, and to stay engaged with them,” she says. “Also, if you desire to be an executive and raise a family, don’t be intimidated by what you think it might mean for career development, because you can make it work. The pandemic has reinforced, for all of us — including employers — that life is precious and very short, and we need to live our lives more fully and in a balanced way.”

— Bill Dow

42 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2020

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 42

6/10/21 3:54 PM

Powered by Women || Feature

COO | Hagerty, Traverse City Employees: 1,600 globally | Revenue: NA ike her customers, Collette “Coco” Champagne has a classic vehicle that she feels very strongly about: a 1935 3/4-ton Chevrolet pickup that was on her family’s fruit farm for generations. The vehicle helps drive her work as COO of Traverse City-based Hagerty, the world’s largest provider of specialty insurance for classic, vintage, and enthusiast vehicles.

“I love people, so I get to learn all the stories about their cars, and that’s really my big attraction to (the business),” says Champagne, who has spent 22 years at Hagerty. “It’s rare that somebody doesn’t have a story about why they collect their cars. That’s what makes it so much fun.”

Champagne also extends her personal skills to the Hagerty team, where she is leading the company’s transition to a digital enterprise. In fact, before she became COO nearly three years ago, her title was senior vice president and chief people officer.

“It’s good to build good relationships with people, (and) learn about what motivates them,” she says. “The more you

learn about people, the easier it is to get together and solve problems. I’m very empathetic and have a strong understanding of people and what motivates them. That’s probably my superpower. “(As COO) I spend a lot of time talking to people, and trying to

empower them to make good decisions and helping remove some obstacles they may have,” she explains. “I look at our teams and make sure they have the resources they need to execute their work. I work with the technology teams (to) make sure they have really good communication with our business teams on their prioritization, and how we can work together.”

In addition to leading digital growth, Champagne keeps an eye on the performance of the business, looking at things that drive profitability and revenue, and ensuring Hagerty is meeting its annual objectives and goals. She’s also overseeing an effort to make the company a better place to work, especially for other working mothers.

“As I look back on my career, I’ve always tried to make things better for people,” she says. “I’ve focused a lot on working moms and working families, (and making) it easier for them by extending paid time off after they have a child and implementing an extended gradual return-to-work policy. It’s important, from a business perspective, to allow working moms to come back to work gradually — if they choose to come back.”

Twenty-two years ago, when Champagne was first recruited to join Hagerty to develop its sales processes and practices for its inbound call center, the company had 70 employees. Now it has 1,600 workers and offices throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Over the past four years, Hagerty has grown 22 percent year over year.

“I want to keep Hagerty growing and make a difference for the women leaders who are here,” Champagne says. “I really want to make a difference for all of our leaders, making sure they’re

inclusive and reaching their potential.

One of the things we always talk about is looking at issues with a growth mindset.

I love the idea of thinking about additional job creation with our growth.”

To perpetuate that rise, Hagerty has implemented other noninsurance programs. “We don’t look at ourselves just as an insurance company; we look at ourselves as an automotive brand with the higher purpose of saving driving and keeping car culture alive, which is exciting for Hagerty and exciting for the state of Michigan.”

Hagerty programs include a 620,000-member Hagerty Drivers Club, which has a YouTube channel that features programs like “The Barn Find Hunter” and “Redline Rebuilds.” There’s also a DriveShare program, where classic car owners can rent out their vehicles, as well as classic race car insurance programs.

The classic Chevy truck owner and gardener started her career as a loan officer at the National Bank of Detroit after graduating from Michigan State University with bachelor’s degrees in communications and agriculture. She also studied human resources at the University of Michigan.

Fortunately for Champagne, she hasn’t had to face any discrimination based on her gender during her career.

“Being a woman isn’t an issue at Hagerty,” she says. “The owners are very inclusive and have been paving the way for women to have more responsibility.”

Responsibility is something Champagne learned growing up on a working farm, one requirement of which was learning how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission — which leads back to the 1935 Chevy pickup. “It’s all original,” she says. “I had the body cleaned up and a new paint job. It’s adorable.”

— Tim Keenan JULY - AUGUST 2020 || DBUSINESS.COM 43

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 43

6/10/21 3:55 PM

Feature || Powered by Women

COO | Ford North America Employees: 186,000 globally | Revenue: $127.1B echanical engineer Lisa Drake says the most challenging job in her career was chief engineer for Ford Motor Co.’s battery and hybrid electric vehicles. In that position, which she held from 2007 through 2010, she led development of the Ford Focus and Ford Transit Connect electric vehicles, and Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, and Ford C-Max Energi hybrids. “That team was so excellent that I really had to stretch my technical competency, sharpen my skills, and get to know a lot of electrical engineering,” she recalls.

“It was during the recession, with a small team in an off-campus building, so you can imagine (how hard it was) to spend any money at that time.”

For that effort, Drake earned the Automotive Hall of Fame’s 2008 Young Leadership and Excellence award, in recognition of her “contributions and leadership in the growing field of electrification.”

She says the group she led back then has mostly stayed together. “A lot of those folks who worked on that technology all those years ago have now delivered the Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning,” Drake says. “They kept researching battery cells and developing in-house motors, even when we didn’t have vehicle programs. When we got really

serious about electrification a couple years ago — and even more serious now — they were ready. They love what they’re doing, and that’s why they’re so good at it.”

Drake’s most physically demanding job was as Mustang Plant Vehicle team manager at the Dearborn Assembly and Dearborn Truck plants. “You have to be in by 6 a.m. for startup, the days are long, the speed is fast, you’re on the floor all day, and when dealing with a problem, you can’t schedule a meeting for the next day. You need to be right there, deciding what to do as those vehicles are rolling off the line,” she says. “The production environment is very tough and taxing, and I give our teams a lot of credit for going there and doing those jobs day in and day out. They’re real troupers.”

Among her other notable

assignments have been assistant chief engineer, F-Series Super Duty; chief engineer, Lincoln MKC; program manager, Explorer and Expedition; and F-150 product and launch manager during the construction of Ford’s Rouge Center Dearborn Truck plant.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, where she earned a mechanical engineering degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Drake moved to Michigan to take her first job as a Ford powertrain engineer.

Initially aspiring to be a doctor, she started as a biology major but liked math and physics much better. “I had great physics professors, and one saw me as a problem-solver who would like engineering,” she recalls, “so I switched to mechanical engineering in my sophomore year and absolutely loved it.”

From there, she earned an MBA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Throughout her career, Drake says she’s been fortunate to be successful as a woman in a male-dominated field. “I’ve been blessed with mentors, and because there weren’t that many females around me early in my career, almost all of them were males. I don’t like to gauge the challenge for women in this industry through my own singular personal experience, because for every female who succeeds, there are hundreds just as capable. We’re making progress, but aren’t exactly structured to allow that as easily as I’d like. And, of course, I pay it forward. I do more mentoring than I probably should, but I

can’t resist doing it. I mentor every level, male and female, as much as I can.”

One major mission of Drake’s current position is improved profitability through cost and waste reduction. The two most important areas for accomplishing that, she explains, are improving product quality to reduce warranty costs and lowering material costs — and she says those goals can be complementary. For example, both material cost and warranty risk can be reduced by integrating some typically “set-and-forget” features into the infotainment system’s touchscreen system instead of having them controlled by mechanical switches and wiring.

What would be her advice to women in business, and specifically in the auto business? “First, seek out mentors and advocates. Never worry that someone is going to say they don’t have the time.

You’ll be surprised at how many of us will make the time to talk to individuals. Whatever they do in any company, everyone has to network, especially women in male-dominated spaces — and network at the right level. It’s difficult when an employee whose work I don’t know asks me for advice. I can give general advice, but people should find the right mentors who are close enough to their work to best be able to help. ... I have people I can go to when I need advice or guidance, and other people I can go to with tough engineering questions.”

— Gary Witzenburg

44 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2020

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 44

6/10/21 3:55 PM

Powered by Women || Feature

arissa Hunter scored a major win with an ad that ran during the 2013 Super Bowl and went a long way toward establishing the Ram Truck brand after it split from Dodge. “When the two brands split, I elected to work on Ram,” Hunter says.

“We needed to build it from the ground up, and give it its own personality and value proposition. One of my proudest moments was the day we delivered that ‘Farmer’ Super Bowl commercial, (featuring) Paul Harvey’s ‘So God Made a Farmer’ speech — not just because it was a Super Bowl commercial, but because the message had such great impact on a lot of people, even beyond what we expected.”

It wasn’t long after that when she aced what she laughingly calls the “longest job interview in my career.”

After leading Ram brand advertising for nearly five years, she was offered a chance to move up to director of all brand advertising and communications.

The transition took nearly three months.

“What I needed to demonstrate was my ability to be a leader among my peers. In reflection, I appreciate that the organization took that approach,” she says. “That long runway taught me a lot about leadership, and understanding how to get the best out of people and provide them the resources and support they need while appreciating that every person is different, everyone is motivated and inspired differently, and (everyone) has different needs for recognition, reward, and encouragement.”

During that time, she adds, “my co-workers saw me as someone very supportive and an active listener who wanted to find creative ways to solve business problems. I did ultimately get that position, and still have it — along with the one I was given two years ago of overseeing the marketing group at large. The camaraderie and the way that team was able to work together was something that I’m very proud of. It was challenging in the beginning, but the company was very patient and

allowed me to learn and grow.”

Born in Bay City, Hunter moved with her family at age 10 from Unionville, in the Michigan “thumb,” to Westland. The daughter of collegiate teachers and coaches, she earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State University in 1997 and joined BBDO Advertising, where she progressed over 10 years to serving as Dodge brand and motorsports account director. Following Chrysler’s bankruptcy, she moved to the new company that would evolve into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2009.

“Those years at BBDO were when my love of automotive really developed,” she says. “I have a deep passion for what I do. I love my job, and I’m so privileged to be able to work with all the people at Stellantis and the marketing team that I’m privileged to lead. I consider myself fortunate to get up and go to work, whether virtually or in the office, (and) kick off the day with the team and see what we can do to innovate and think about ways to build our brands.”

Has her gender presented a challenge? “I don't think I’ve experienced challenges that I didn’t (also) observe male counterparts experiencing,” she says. “I think I’ve been given equal levels of challenge, and have been equally recognized for the loyalty and performance I’ve given the company, and the way I’ve been able to lead my team.”

Hunter credits a “wonderful mentor” named Katie at BBDO for having had a profound impact on her life and career. “I have a tendency, sometimes, to not be very patient,” she admits. “But Katie was very wise, professional, and patient. We had some really good sessions, and she helped me understand the importance of taking your time, not wanting to get somewhere too fast. I really appreciated her wisdom, and still do now. It’s a long career — a marathon, not a sprint. You need to be ready for the next step before you take it, or even ask for it. I often think to myself, in dealing with a situation or working through

Vice President, Marketing | Stellantis North America Employees: 300,000 globally | Revenue: $163.6B something with the team, ‘What would Katie do?’ It’s good internal guidance that has never failed me.”

Hunter extends the same open policy to her colleagues. “Everyone on my team and in other departments we work with knows that I’m very approachable and open to doing one-on-ones and mixed-level meetings to try to help people with their networking within the organization, and with external advertising and marketing groups. I think the concept of ‘pay it forward’ is very important in business, particularly for women, to help them understand the possibilities in their careers.”

What advice does Hunter offer to women in business? “Be confident in

your ability to have valuable contributions in your work.

Remind yourself that you deserve a seat at the table. Active networking is extremely important, and don’t be afraid to fail. It happens to everyone, and you’ll learn some incredible lessons that will make you better moving forward.”

She also sees work/life balance as work/life integration.

“We deal with partners on the West Coast, in Europe, and in Asia and Australia, so there are nights and early mornings when we’re in meetings. The days may not start and stop at the same time, and your family schedule may not be consistent all the time. It’s not necessarily how you spend specific hours in a day, but balancing your priorities and making sure to take time for yourself and your family, and it’s so important to have a strong support system and a flexible family unit. I’m extremely fortunate that my husband is able to take on a little more time with our 4-year-old son, leaving us both room to shift, depending on what the other needs.”

— Gary Witzenburg

JULY - AUGUST 2020 || DBUSINESS.COM 45

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 45

6/11/21 1:51 PM

Feature || Powered by Women

Managing Director | Accenture, Detroit Employees: 1,000 | Revenue: $44.3B efore graduating from William and Mary in 1998 with degrees in international relations and economics, Olivia Jackson had dreamed of becoming a diplomat or a lawyer.

The Virginia native’s plans changed after attending a career fair where she met representatives from Andersen Consulting. She was subsequently hired by the firm that would later become Accenture, a leading Fortune Global 500 company that provides management consulting, technology, services, and outsourcing worldwide.

“My intention was to work at the company for two years and then maybe go to law school, but here I am 23 years later and I couldn’t be happier with the work I do,” says Jackson, who serves as a managing director at the Detroit office. “I’m a people person. I like to solve problems, I love

technology because it’s always changing, and I love to learn.”

Her climb up the corporate ladder at Accenture began with a stint as an analyst based in Washington, D.C., where she helped implement a large inventory system for field offices at a federal agency. She then became a consultant and was assigned to a government project that included the testing of various website designs.

Following the 9/11 attack, Jackson was promoted to manager, with the assignment of deploying more accurate fingerprint-matching technology

for a federal security agency.

Twelve years ago, when Jackson was transferred to Detroit as a senior manager assigned to a local banking client, she began to raise a family of three boys with her husband — and faced the biggest challenges of her life.

“Our first son is a special needs child and our second son was diagnosed with cancer, so we had a lot of life thrown at us,” says Jackson, who adds that she’s grateful that she works for a progressive company that allowed her to work part time for eight years until her home situation was stabilized.

“I was inspired by a co-worker who previously had asked and was allowed to work part time, which was very unusual back then,” Jackson says. “I learned to speak up and not be afraid to ask for what I needed. During that difficult time, Sheryl Sandberg’s book, ‘Lean In,’ was helpful. I realized that I didn’t have to opt out and quit my job. It doesn’t have to be either I’m a partner or I stay home with the kids, because life is a journey and there are so many options in between.”

Three years ago, Jackson returned to work full time and, within a year, was promoted to her current position as a managing director at Accenture’s Detroit office. She’s also the inclusion and diversity lead for her technology group, and it’s a role that she relishes.

“When we lift others, we all get lifted, and I think it’s important to have people who don’t think like us and have different perspectives and life experiences,” says Jackson, who this past year has been conducting unconscious bias training, and participated in inclusion and diversity recruiting events with university students as part of Accenture’s recruitment initiatives.

Jackson also leads an effort to ensure that mentorships are implemented as part of Accenture’s corporate culture. “I feel very strongly about the need to have a support system so people can help and advocate for you, because I’ve been the grateful recipient of those kinds of allies and advocates,” she says. “We spend a lot of time on making sure we’re inclusive in who we’re mentoring and that it’s not just people who are like us, but everyone.”

As a working mother and corporate executive, Jackson has clearly demonstrated that a female can climb the corporate ladder while holding both roles.

“I think generally, in this country, there’s been a lot of progress in women being able to move up into top executive positions, but we still have a long way to go,” acknowledges Jackson, who works for a company committed to ensuring there’s greater gender equality in executive positions.

So, what’s Jackson’s advice to young women aspiring to become corporate leaders?

“As part of my higher purpose as a professional female, I encourage women to speak up, ask for support, be yourself, and make your own story. Find a place to work where you do what you love and can truly bring your best self to work every day. I’m so fortunate to have found a place like that for me at Accenture.”

— Bill Dow

46 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2020

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 46

6/10/21 3:55 PM

Powered by Women || Feature

arrie Jones-Barber knew at a young age that she wanted to follow in her father’s, uncle’s, and grandfather’s footsteps at bakery supplier Dawn Foods in Jackson.

“There was one particular triggering event,” Jones-Barber recalls. “I was 12 years old, and I answered the phone late at night and a baker needed … my dad to help him with a problem.

The next day, I decided I wanted to do what my dad did — solve people’s problems.”

From a donut mix with a 100-year-old secret blend of ingredients to gourmet chocolate, ready-to-serve cakes, and frozen muffins, Dawn Foods supplies a complete line of mixes, bases, icings, glazes, fillings, frozen dough, and fully baked products and equipment to food industry customers across the globe.

“I started working here part time when I was in high school,” Jones-Barber says. “I started in the lab, washing pots and pans. Even earlier than that, I got to know the business by going to trade shows with my grandfather and dad. That’s what propelled me to know that’s what I wanted to do with my career.”

After graduating from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and then obtaining a master’s degree in management from Northwestern University, she started her career in medical sales. Ultimately, however, she decided to return to the family

business. She joined the sales team in 1985, became chief information officer in 1997, and took over as president of Dawn Foods International, which is based in London, England, in 2002.

“When I came back to work sales for Dawn, there were no women in bakery sales,” Jones-Barber says. “I would walk into the back of a bakery and they would look at me and go, ‘What are you doing, and why are you here?’ What I learned is that I had to really know my products.”

Even today, she says, the baking industry is pretty much a man’s world, and people often will start talking business to a man she’s standing next to rather than her.

“It’s changing pretty rapidly,” Jones-Barber quickly adds, explaining that she’s part of the Society of Bakery Women, which is trying to get more women into the culinary space via internships and other avenues.

At home in Jackson, meanwhile, she’s striving

to continue the company’s growth and work culture, which she says is the envy of the baking industry.

“Growth has always been really important to me, as well as innovation,” she says. “We haven’t done as good a job as we can in telling people about the areas in which we’re being innovative.”

To change that message and transform its organization, Dawn Foods is focusing on e-commerce and digital communications. “Our customers spend time on our website getting ideas for their own bakeries,” she says.

CEO | Dawn Foods, Jackson Employees: 4,000 globally | Revenue: NA

According to Jones-Barber, the workplace culture at Dawn Foods is a differentiator between the company and its competitors.

“I want to continue to make Dawn the great place to work that it has always been — and that means I have to be able to attract the best people and give them the opportunities to develop, focusing on diversity and inclusion,” she says. “We work in a bakery. We bring fun moments into people’s lives. I really want to make sure we’re laughing and enjoying and recognizing that we make great treats for people to enjoy every day, or (for) great celebrations.

“Without question, we believe we have a unique culture. It involves the circle of excellence that includes people, product, and customers. We get the best people. We keep the best people. We make sure they have great career opportunities and choices.”

Dawn Foods was founded in 1920. Jones-Barber’s grandfather, E. Marlin Jones, worked as a bookkeeper for the company and bought out the founders in 1955. Her father, Ron Jones, and uncle, Miles Jones, took over the company in the 1960s. JonesBarber took the reins in 2006.

Jones-Barber says her father and uncle are still active in the company. “How lucky am I that I have the same mentors I’ve had since joining the company?

That’s a luxury a lot of people don’t have, and I don’t forget it.”

— Tim Keenan JULY - AUGUST 2020 || DBUSINESS.COM 47

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 47

6/10/21 3:55 PM

Feature || Powered by Women

usan Koss has been in accounting long enough to have participated in the transition from paper forms to automated systems. Now, as partner and managing director of the O’Keefe consulting firm in Bloomfield Hills, she advises clients on how to adopt the latest fintech into their operations.

O’Keefe provides a range of advisory, consulting, or interim leadership roles to organizations in a diverse mix of industries.

Due to the firm’s wide spectrum of clients and businesses, Koss is never bored.

“Because I work in consulting, I work on an engagement-by-engagement basis,” Koss explains. “It varies day to day. It’s always different, with different clients. I do a lot of litigation support work as an economic or damages expert on cases. I work on all kinds of stuff.

It could be a divorce case, a shareholder dispute, (or) two companies suing each other.”

She also performs business valuations utilized in estate tax resolutions and merger and acquisition transactions, and participates in breach of contract, lost profits, and fraudulent conveyance matters.

Additionally, she prepares complex financial analyses utilized in business turnarounds and bank workout assignments for clients. Her restructuring expertise includes a variety of industries including distribution,

real estate, and manufacturing, and she’s involved in the quantification of economic damages for large product recalls and warranty matters.

Koss, who spends time on administrative duties as well as marketing activities for the firm, grew up in the Utica-ShelbyTownship area and attended Oakland University in Rochester Hills.

While at OU, she interned in the international accounting and cost accounting departments at DaimlerChrysler Corp. (today Stellantis), where she first started learning about computers in accounting.

“That was actually great experience and very eye-opening,” she says, “because it was such a big company and you’re working in such a finite area. I thought that working for a smaller company would give me experience in all the different areas of accounting.”

After graduating from OU in 1994, she became a staff accountant at Macro Computer Products. She earned her CPA and joined a public accounting firm before returning to Macro as accounting manager and then controller. When Macro was acquired by SER Solutions in 2000, she became its divisional controller.

All the while, Koss was amassing experience in various areas of accounting, to be able to advise clients. She joined O’Keefe in 2001. “At first I didn’t think I should go to a consulting firm since I didn’t have that kind

Partner and Managing Director O’Keefe, Bloomfield Hills Employees: 20 | Revenue: NA

of experience,” she remembers thinking. “It turns out most consultants get their knowledge by working in companies.”

She also has observed and participated in the digital transformation of accounting. “It’s so different. A lot of stuff is handled by computers now, and we’re leaning more and more to that.”

Koss says she’s fortunate that she hasn’t had to deal with gender discrimination during her career.

“When I went through the interview process after college, I think there were a couple of instances where there were

some inappropriate questions asked, like was I engaged,” she recalls. “I feel I’ve been treated fairly.

I do the work and have been rewarded, but I know that’s not always the case.”

Koss is accredited by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts as a certified valuation analyst, and she holds Accredited in Business Valuation and the Certified in Financial Forensics credentials from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

She’s involved in the Michigan Chapter of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, and is a member of Oakland University’s Accounting and Finance Advisory Board.

When not focusing on O’Keefe matters, Koss enjoys watching her daughters’ volleyball games, biking, traveling, skiing, walking her two dogs, photography, bowling at the Detroit Athletic Club, and visiting the cottage she and her husband, who works for GM, own in Michigan’s thumb.

“I’m excited to continue working with our clients and individuals at the firm to grow the firm,” Koss says about her future. “As a partner in the firm, I have an interest in seeing it be as successful as possible. I’ll continue growing professionally. I like to learn new things, and to stay on top of the things and issues that will impact my work with clients.”

— Tim Keenan

48 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2020

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 48

6/10/21 3:55 PM

Powered by Women || Feature

Global Chief Marketing Officer General Motors Co., Detroit Employees: 155,000 globally | Revenue: $122B s global chief marketing officer at General Motors Co. in Detroit, it’s Deborah Wahl’s job to convince drivers around the world to consider switching to electric vehicles so the automaker can make good on its promise to sell nothing but EVs by 2035.

“I spend a lot of time thinking about how we create a movement throughout the world for an all-electric future,” says Wahl, who has been in her position since 2019. “The majority of people haven’t had the opportunity to drive an electric car and know how much fun it is to drive. I’d put it up against any other driving experience. Part of my role now is to help people see that, understand that, and start to feel some of

that excitement. We’ve already seen consideration (of buying an EV) more than double in the last two years.”

Wahl says she’s all in on the transition to electric vehicles.

“We’re (rapidly) building the software, architecture, and platforms that really will change the ownership and driving experience, which I think really hasn’t happened since we changed over from horse and carriage. I think it’ll be that dramatic and exciting,” she says.

“The first phase of EVs were only people who were really green. Now we’re moving into the next phase, of people learning about how fun they are to drive. The interiors are fun, the interactivity, the lighting.”

Wahl’s career started at GM, when she was selected for a position as a college intern. She then crossed the Atlantic Ocean, where she worked in Paris for another company after graduating from Wellesley College with a bachelor’s in economics and receiving an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Her true introduction to the auto industry came when she joined Ford Motor Co. as advertising manager for Ford do Brasil in 1995.

“When Ford picked a bunch of us up at the airport who were interviewing for positions and took us straight to the test track, that’s when I knew the automotive industry was going to be way more interesting than any other marketing job,” Wahl recalls.

From Ford do Brasil, Wahl took marketing jobs of increasing responsibility at Mazda, Ford’s Lincoln Mercury Division, Toyota, Chrysler, and PulteGroup before changing gears and going to McDonald’s.

“I’m a gal who loves a challenge, so I had the task of transforming an iconic American brand that had come into some really challenging times in its brand and reputation,” Wahl says of her decision to head for the golden arches.

“It was really similar to auto because it’s a franchised business. It’s a faster pace.

That was an incredible experience, but hard and challenging every day.”

While at McDonald’s, Wahl was instrumental in removing a lot of the preservatives and artificial coloring from the food. She also helped launch the all-day breakfast, led the team that developed the company’s U.S. digital strategy, and launched the first U.S. McDonald’s app. She says she still treats

herself to a Quarter Pounder with cheese and a Shamrock Shake occasionally, but otherwise avoids fast food.

Wahl returned to the auto industry and GM in 2018, when she became global chief marketing officer for Cadillac. In 2019, she added the title of global chief marketing officer for the entire company.

“When I left McDonald’s I had two ambitions,” Wahl says. “I really wanted to come back to my roots in Michigan and be part of all the excitement happening here, and I also wanted to work for Mary Barra (GM chairman and CEO).”

Once almost exclusively a man’s world, the automotive industry has become much more diverse. “Like business across the board, (the auto industry has) really changed,” Wahl says.

“What’s really refreshing is that diversity drives creativity. It drives innovation. It drives solutions to all kinds of different needs that appeal to different audiences.

Then there’s more growth, more opportunity. I think it makes the whole environment better for everyone.”

Having a job with a global focus is different from most positions at most companies.

“It can lead to a lot of early mornings or late nights, depending on if we’re working with China or Europe,” Wahl says. “What’s fascinating about this role, especially at this time, is the ability to help shape the transformation to a world of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. Since we announced that four years ago, I see my role as making sure people know what change has happened, what the new avenues for growth are, and to help pave the way for the company to do that.

“I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had and facing new, big, meaty challenges every day.”

— Tim Keenan JULY - AUGUST 2020 || DBUSINESS.COM 49

041.FT.PBW.July.21.indd 49

6/10/21 3:55 PM

B AT T L E OF THE TITANS

50 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 50

6/10/21 10:38 AM

Mortgages || Cover Story

On the way to making metro Detroit the top mortgage market in the nation, and creating thousands of jobs along the way, the top two players — Rocket and United Wholesale — aren’t backing down in their battle for the best talent and technology.

S

ROCKET COS.

By Dale Buss | Illustration by Brian Britigan

SURE, DETROIT IS THE MOTOR CITY. BUT IT’S ALSO BECOME Mortgage City USA. Four of the nation’s top 10 mortgage lenders now are headquartered in southeastern Michigan, making the region an unparalleled mecca for home lending nationwide.

The geographic concentration of the mortgage business here resembles the previous rise of the insurance business in Chicago, the oil business in Houston, the music business in Nashville, the software business in Seattle, and the acting business in Hollywood. And, yes, the auto business around here.

“We hear ‘Michigan’ and we hear ‘mortgages,’ ” says Mike Kortas, CEO of Nexa Mortgage, a national broker located in Chandler, Ariz. “It used to be Southern California was the mortgage headquarters, where all the subprime lenders had their names on the top of buildings. Now they’re gone and that’s changed. Now it’s Detroit.”

The rise of the mortgage trade here “sort of happened through osmosis over the years, similar to the auto industry,” says Lee Smith, executive vice president and president of mortgage for Flagstar Bancorp Inc. in Troy.

“Now we’re at the point where we all sort of benefit from the collective knowledge being centered here.”

HOME CULTURE Rocket Cos. in Detroit, the nation’s largest mortgage enterprise, has developed multiple technical tools to speed the digital side of its business, as well as provide its 19,000 team members with flexible work schedules in light of COVID-19.

But the distinction that has built a new Mortgage City USA is much richer than some mere accretion of market share and concentration of competencies that have shifted the ballast of the national industry to southeastern Michigan over the last decade.

The development also is full of drama, pitting the man who arguably is the economic savior of downtown Detroit, Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rocket Mortgage, America’s No. 1 mortgage lender, against a worthy rival 30 miles north off Woodward Avenue in Pontiac: Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, the No. 4 mortgage lender overall.

Rocket Mortgage has grown explosively over the last several years by harnessing digital technology to make the mortgage process much faster and friendlier for individual homebuyers nationwide, an accomplishment the company highlights every year in Super Bowl TV advertisements that have starred Detroit’s own Keegan-Michael Key and, most recently, the comic Tracy Morgan. By now, if there’s a household name in mortgages for Americans, it’s Rocket.

Meanwhile, United Wholesale Mortgage, or UWM, also has grown explosively — but by only servicing mortgage brokers who also are pursuing individual homebuyers as customers, then selling their loans to lenders. Homebuyers themselves can’t get a “UWM mortgage.” But while Rocket built its business as a retail brand, recently Gilbert’s company also has veered heavily into the wholesale business, as its trade with brokers now accounts for around 30 percent of Rocket’s overall lending volume.

There’s the saying that you don’t tug on JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 51

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 51

6/10/21 10:38 AM

Cover Story || Mortgages

UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE

ROCKET COS.

HEADQUARTERS Pontiac

HEADQUARTERS Detroit

BUSINESS UNIT United Wholesale Mortgage

BUSINESS UNITS Rocket Mortgage (formerly Quicken Loans) Rocket Homes Rocket Loans Rocket Auto

FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN Mat Ishbia EMPLOYEES 6,800

FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN Dan Gilbert

NET INCOME $3.4B (2020)

EMPLOYEES 19,000 NET INCOME $9.4B (2020)

TIMELINE MAT ISHBIA

DAN GILBERT

DBRIEF

1986

Initially a branch-based lender, the company launched Rockloans.com in January 1999, which quickly positioned the company as one of the fastest growing online direct mortgage lenders on the internet.

In October 1997, Rock Financial became affiliated with title insurance company Title Source Inc. (now known as Amrock), to help support its residential lending business.

1996

1997

In May 1998, Gilbert took Rock Financial public, launching a successful IPO underwritten by Bear Stearns Inc. and Prudential Securities.

1998

In December 1999, Intuit Inc. (makers of market-leading software TurboTax and QuickBooks) purchased Rock Financial. The company was renamed Quicken Loans.

1999

2000

2001

United Wholesale Mortgage is established; run separately from Shore Mortgage.

LEFT: JENNY RISHER; RIGHT: ROCKET COS.

1985 Shore Mortgage founded by Jeff Ishbia.

• 2 team members • $10M in production volume

Dan Gilbert founded Rock Financial in 1985, which would become known as Quicken Loans.

52 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 52

6/10/21 3:53 PM

Mortgages || Cover Story

Superman’s cape, and Gilbert clearly is Superman in this town. He invested hundreds of millions of dollars in downtown Detroit when no one else would, as he moved what then was Quicken Loans from the suburbs to the city.

His determination and success served as a major catalyst for the revival that has followed.

Now, Gilbert is building a new skyscraper to rival the Renaissance Center. And he survived and is pushing through the aftermath of a stroke that made people appreciate even more just what a precious resource he has been to the economic renewal of this region.

At the same time, Ishbia has huge fans in the local business community. UWM was the original major sponsor of the United Shore Professional Baseball League, the instructional-league outfit founded by Andy Appleby that’s been playing each summer for five years at Jimmy John’s Stadium in Utica.

“After the first year of our agreement, Mat actually tore up our contract and wanted to give us more money based on the value he felt UWM received,” says Appleby, who is chairman of General Sports and Entertainment in Rochester Hills. “In 35 years in this business, I have never had that happen before.”

In any event, by this spring, Ishbia had had enough of seeing his company’s lifeblood — its relationships with mortgage brokers — threatened by anyone. He also alleged Rocket was “hurting” independent brokers, as was another lender, Fairway Independent Mortgage in Wisconsin.

So, in March, UWM’s chief issued a stunning ultimatum during a company update on Facebook to hundreds of mortgage brokers across the country who represented multiple clients: Pledge fealty and your business only to our company, and don’t do business with our rival, or we won’t do business with you anymore.

Rocket pushed back with a letter to brokers from executive vice president at Rocker Pro TPO Austin Niemiec, saying, “If you feel you have no choice but to sign UWM’s addendum, you will be

signing away your freedom.” But more than 10,400 broker shops complied with Ishbia’s demand; 600 refused to sign the addendum.

“I was just competing,” explains Ishbia from his office at UWM’s headquarters in Pontiac. “I’m a competitor. We don’t get along. I respect them and appreciate what they do, and I have nothing but positive thoughts about Rocket. But we want to compete with them.” Gilbert and Rocket both declined to comment on Ishbia’s move.

Of all things, Michigan State University basketball has become another forum for the growing rivalry. Ishbia was a backup point guard for the Spartans and makes much of the leadership lessons he learned from the school’s legendary men’s basketball coach, Tom Izzo. Ishbia also has sprinkled his executive and management ranks with former teammates. In February, Ishbia made a $32-million donation to the MSU athletic department.

But Gilbert also is an MSU alumnus, having earned his real-estate license while still an undergrad there; Rocket CEO Jay Farner is a Spartan, too. Gilbert gave the university $15 million in 2016, and Rocket has been a longtime major sponsor of MSU basketball. Then, in March, Rocket announced a new five-year deal that includes the school’s relabeling of the fabled Breslin Center as “MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage.” Rocket’s name also will be on the team bench, highlighting the rivalry between Izzo’s beloved former player and a major sponsor every time the coach stops yakking at a referee and returns to his seat.

David Hall agrees that the companies’ rivalry over MSU and Ishbia’s ultimatum to mortgage brokers are just business. “I don’t think there’s anything personal going on” between the two mortgage titans, says the man who served as one of Gilbert’s right hands for 13 years and was the face of Rock Financial in local TV ads — then, after a falling out with Gilbert, worked for Ishbia at UWM for several years. After starting his own company, Hall Financial in Bloomfield Hills, in

in 2016, Hall has been another significant figure in the rise of Mortgage City USA. Besides Rocket and UWM, the other two major players in the regional rise of the mortgage business have been Flagstar, the savvy regional bank whose ascent to the nation’s sixth largest bank mortgage originator recently made it an attractive acquisition for New York Community Bancorp Inc., and Homepoint, a spunky startup in Ann Arbor that has grown fastest of all of them, to the No. 9 mortgage lender, according to Inside Mortgage Finance.

“The real sumo match in this industry is between UWM and Rocket,” says Henry Coffey, a mortgage-industry analyst with Wedbush Securities Inc., a privately held investment firm in Los Angeles. “They absolutely dominate the business.”

The backdrop for the explosion of the mortgage business in this area is the national renaissance of home lending since the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, which burst the housing bubble that had sustained so much of the U.S. economy since the turn of the century. And while the economic recovery of the past decade fueled a surge in home-buying, the cheap-money policy of the Federal Reserve also prompted millions of American consumers to refinance their existing mortgages — sometimes more than once — to take advantage of persistently and historically low interest rates.

At the same time, there were sea changes in the industry that was providing mortgages and refinancing. Big banks that had been the traditional major home lenders took huge financial losses from the recession and a foreclosure crisis.

They got wary. “Non-bank” banks such as Rocket came in to take on much of banks’ previous role, gobbling up huge chunks of the last decade’s robust market. They were assisted by the growing role of the federal government — through agencies known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and through the Veterans’ Administration — in guaranteeing Americans home mortgages.

In August 2002, Gilbert led a small group of private investors in purchasing the Quicken Loans Inc. subsidiary back from Intuit.

The company retained all Quicken Loans branding and marketing initiatives.

2002

2003

During the turmoil in the mortgage industry in 2008 and 2009, Quicken Loans was able to grow its market share significantly, due in large part to the company’s past refusal to originate subprime mortgages.

2004

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Shore Mortgage operated out of a former Farmer Jack grocery store (555. S Adams Rd. in Birmingham) , and Mat Ishbia joined UWM following graduation from Michigan State University.

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 53

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 53

6/10/21 10:38 AM

Cover Story || Mortgages

In August 2010, Quicken Loans moved its headquarters and 1,700 full-time team members to downtown Detroit.

In November 2010, Quicken Loans received its first J.D. Power award for client satisfaction in mortgage origination. To date, the company has earned 16 total J. D. Power awards – 10 for mortgage origination (2010-2019), and six for mortgage servicing (2014-2019) – the most of any mortgage lender in the history of the report.

2009

In October 2011, Quicken Loans moved an additional 2,000 team members to Detroit. Later that year, the company completed the move of all its Michigan-based team members to the city. Today, more than 17,000 team members from the Rock Family of Companies call Detroit home.

Quicken Loans ended 2011 with a company record of $30 billion in closed loan volume.

2010

Mat Ishbia named President of United Wholesale Mortgage • UWM the No. 75 wholesale lender in the U.S. • 225 team members • $2.7B in production volume

2011 United Shore Financial Services, LLC signed a lease to work on the second and third floors of Maple Corporate Center.

Quicken Loans closed $70 billion in residential mortgages in 2012, beating the previous record set in 2011 by more than 133 percent. The organization also significantly entered the mortgage servicing business, announcing it had built an $80 billion – and growing – servicing portfolio as of the end of calendar year 2012.

2012 UWM became the No. 12 wholesale lender in the U.S.

COURTING TALENT United Wholesale Mortgage in Pontiac offers multiple perks to boost its corporate culture, including an indoor gym that can be used for basketball games or other company activities.

entirely on a smartphone in minutes, instead of involving repeated visits by a homebuyer to the office of a mortgage lender.

“Our focus has been on technology,” Farner says. “Companies like us that have embraced technology and how it can assist mortgage clients Quicken Loans became the largest provider of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages for the first time. It’s a distinction the company still holds.

In July 2014, Quicken Loans was ranked highest in customer satisfaction among home loan servicers included in a study by J.D. Power. The award was Quicken Loans’ first for mortgage servicing, and it came in the company’s first year of being eligible for the honor. To date, the company has earned 17 total J. D. Power awards – 10 In March 2013, Quicken Loans for mortgage origination announced it purchased $34 (2010-2019), and seven for billion in mortgage servicing mortgage servicing rights from Ally Bank, (2014-2020) – the most of any expanding its servicing portfolio mortgage lender in the history to exceed $125 billion. of the report.

2013 The United Shore brand was introduced. Mat Ishbia named president and CEO of United Shore, UWM became No. 4 wholesale lender in the U.S.

2014

2015

UWM became No. 1 wholesale lender in the U.S. with $13.1B in production volume

In June 2015, Quicken Loans opened the doors of its state-of-the-art technology center in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, the company’s first ground-up development.

In August 2015, Quicken Loans partnered with the Detroit Land Bank on the “Rehabbed and Ready” public-private campaign to renovate homes, increase occupancy, and bring pricing stability to Detroit’s neighborhoods. To date, 60 homes have been renovated through the program.

In November 2015, Quicken Loans introduced Rocket Mortgage, the first end-to-end completely online mortgage

2016 United Shore celebrated its 30-year anniversary.

• 1,800 team members • $23B in production value

UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE

“Before the financial crisis, these loans were only 50 percent of the market,” says Guy Cecala, editor of industry researcher Inside Mortgage Finance. “but now they’re over 90 percent of the market.”

Another change that favored — and, in large part, was fueled by — Rocket and UWM was the rise of digital technology to streamline the mortgage application and fulfillment process into a scenario that now can occur

54 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 54

6/10/21 10:38 AM

Mortgages || Cover Story

have won. That has put us ahead of a lot of our competitors across the country. And we tell analysts that we’re only in the second or third inning when it comes to digitizing the entire real estate experience for consumers.”

At the same time, wholesale brokers were telling Ishbia that they wanted to make their application and approval processes “faster, easier, and cheaper,” Ishbia says. “I thought about what was the best thing for our Quicken Loans partnered with the United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC) and eight community development organizations to launch an extensive education effort addressing the pervasive issue of tax foreclosure in Detroit.

In December 2017, Quicken Loans introduced a new skill for the Amazon Alexa, allowing clients to make their mortgage payment with just the sound of their voice.

Quicken Loans became the nation’s largest residential mortgage lender in the 4th quarter of 2017 – surpassing close to 30,000 lending institutions across the country.

2017

2018

ROCKET COS.

United Shore moved to Pontiac.

• 2,500 team members • $41.5B in production volume

2019 Quicken Loans unveiled a new logo for Rocket Mortgage, the first completely online mortgage experience.

Additionally, Quicken Loans’ sister companies Rocket Homes and Rocket Loans – and the newly launched Rocket HQ – unveiled their new branding marks.

2019 United Wholesale Mortgage broke the wholesale industry record for mortgage loan volume.

AMAZE AND GAIN Rocket Cos. was one of the first businesses in the region to offer its employees a dramatic and flexible work environment. The investment has led to higher productivity and worker satisfaction, according to company officials.

2020 In August 2020, Rocket Cos., parent of Rocket Mortgage and other FinTech brands, celebrated its debut on the New York Stock Exchange as a publicly traded company. The Rocket Cos. stock began trading under the ticker symbol “RKT.”

2020 United Shore adopts corporate name to become United Wholesale Mortgage. Purchased Ultimate Soccer in Pontiac and renamed it the UWM Sports Complex.

2021 United Wholesale Mortgage goes public on NYSE (UWMC). The companyalso opened the longest enclosed pedestrian bridge to create a connected campus. The UWM Sports Complex training center opened.

clients, and the business would follow.” A few years ago, for example, UWM built a technology platform called YouClose that gives brokers the digital levers to close a loan within 15 minutes instead of the traditional days or weeks. It’s just part of an overall digital-tech platform that UWM relentlessly advances. “No one has come close to duplicating it,” Ishbia says.

That kind of responsiveness has endeared Ishbia and UWM to hundreds of brokers nationwide who are as fiercely devoted to him as he has been to Spartans teammates from the 2000 national championship team who now work for him, including Mateen Cleaves and Charlie Bell.

“When Mat told us to make our choice, we had to make a decision what was best for our clients and our company, and that was to choose UWM,” says Lisa Lund, owner of Lund Mortgage in Scottsdale, Ariz. “They’ve been the leaders in putting brokers first. They provide us with the technology, and with pricing specials. It was an easy decision.”

The flip side of brokers’ respect for Ishbia is their wariness of Rocket. The way many of them see it, Rocket is not only interested in helping them serve their customers, but also wants to take over those relationships with individual borrowers and get them into the larger ecosystem that Farner describes, where Rocket can provide them mortgage refinancing at some point and, in the company’s new diversification effort, a car loan.

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 55

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 55

6/10/21 10:38 AM

“Rocket gets that mortgage loan from the independent mortgage broker one time, and they keep that customer for the rest of their life cycle,” says Justin Kelly, founder and CEO of CPF Mortgage, a wholesale broker in Trinity, Fla. “Rocket’s interest is on the retail side; UWM’s interest lies on the side of consumers and independent mortgage companies.”

Cecala, of Inside Mortgage Finance, says, “Big banks were accused of doing the same thing years ago. But the way they and Rocket see it, the brokers are only acting as loan officers for the lender; they’re not funding the money or taking the credit risk or anything else down the road. So, Rocket wants to control that relationship with the borrower.

“But from the brokerage standpoint, you don’t want to be hunting for new business every day,” Cecala explains. “The service they offer someone is a little more personalized. They’d like to be able to follow up with that customer when they want to refinance or buy another home. And, candidly, a lot of people will tell you that they get better service out of a broker than from the lender who services the mortgage.”

In addition to clashing business models and headline-grabbing moves by Rocket and UWM, a big part of the rivalry among Detroit’s mortgage titans is fought every day in the war for talent. Qualified labor is in short supply practically everywhere in southeast Michigan and throughout the country, and seemingly in every industry. But in a business growing as fast as the mortgage trade, the competition is intensified. UWM, Rocket, Homepoint, and Flagstar have been adding thousands and thousands of employees locally for the last several years.

“I’ve worked in other finance ecosystems like Dallas, but because there’s been so much displacement of people in the auto industry in Michigan over the years, there’s actually a lot more talent to retain and grow,” says Phil Shoemaker, president of originations at Homepoint, which employs about 4,000 people. In fact, he says, the “manufacturing mindset of Detroit creates natural talent. When you’re making loans, you’re also being systemic, repeatable, and efficient. Knowing how to do that sort of thing has lent Detroit to becoming what it is today in our business.”

Still, mortgage companies must convert whatever latent talents and skills exist out there in the local marketplace into labor they can use. The key to staffing Homepoint’s needs, Shoemaker says, has been in its system for “taking people who are novices to mortgage and bringing them in and teaching them mortgage. Right out of high school or college, we train them

UNITED WE STAND Mat Ishbia took Shore Mortgage, a company his father, Jeff, started, and turned it into a fintech giant.

The company, now called United Wholesale Mortgage, went public earlier this year.

how to close a loan in a short period of time.

We’re not dependent on recruiting another lender’s talent; we create our own.”

UWM takes much the same approach. “When you’re bringing in hundreds of people a week, there’s a process,” Ishbia says. “We hire people who don’t know mortgages and don’t have those skills. But we look for a great work ethic and attitude. We put them through six weeks of training, and they get indoctrinated so we know they can last here for years — not just lasting, but thriving.”

This approach can mean that some of UWM’s employees may be rough around the edges.

“There are circumstances where our people say they’re tired of dealing with someone who was working at Taco Bell last week and now they’re underwriting our loan,” says Kortas, “but I tell our team that because UWM makes it so fast to resubmit a question and get it cleared up, I’d rather have that person give me the wrong answer — and then get it escalated to someone with more experience to resolve it — than have it take two days with some other investor.”

For Rocket’s part, work culture is crucial as well. “It’s the foundation of everything that we do,” says Farner, who points to recent designations of Rocket as No. 3 in America’s Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes and as No. 5 in Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For. “Our culture of innovation and execution is what makes everyone come to work and say, ‘How do I make things better and improve them for our clients and team members?’ ” Cultural differences between the companies extend to how they treat the workday. Rocket operates call centers and mainly deals with individual consumers who — as the company’s advertisements beckon — may need help, advice, clarification, and resolution at all hours of the day. By contrast, while UWM and brokers do talk at all hours, Ishbia tries to enforce a policy of requiring that his employees work hard during the day, then knock off after eight hours and enjoy the rest of their lives.

“Both companies spend heavily on capacity, on having more people around than they need, so they can process things quickly,” Coffey says.

“UWM has done a better job of that than Rocket.

But Rocket is heavily invested in new digital strategies and building out new products on the engineering and software side of the business.

They have high fixed costs, whereas United has built its model around people and tech which happen to be more variable-cost.”

Right now, there’s plenty of business for everyone in Mortgage City USA, promising continued short-term growth for all four of the area’s major mortgage lenders. The COVID-19 virus provided a mere pause in the resurgence of home-buying and house-building in this country. Amid this

UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE

Cover Story || Mortgages

56 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 56

6/10/21 10:39 AM

Mortgages || Cover Story

year’s raucous housing spree, millions of Americans are scrambling for new places of shelter in a market that features a sparse supply of available homes, continued low interest rates, and ever higher prices.

That means thousands of people across metro Detroit, in the offices of the four big lenders and in work-from-home settings, have been scurrying like mad legions of gerbils churning their legs on wheels just to keep up with all the applications.

But that could change significantly as inflationary pressures and the red-hot U.S. economy influence the Fed to raise interest rates, which could rapidly cool off the torrid housing market.

Already, investors have been downgrading prospects for the newly publicly traded UWM and Rocket for those reasons. Some analysts see Rocket as more vulnerable than UWM to higher rates because Rocket’s business has been so strong in refinancing, which is the first activity to disappear from the mortgage market because it’s essentially elective.

Originating home loans, where UWM specializes, is less dependent on low rates because people must live somewhere, and home purchases are motivated by a variety of factors including a growing household, economic opportunity, and migration.

“Higher rates are natural, but that’s where we win — we win in the purchase market,” Ishbia says. Rocket is “overwhelmingly refinancing, but there’s nothing to refinance if rates rise to 3.5 percent instead of 2.5 percent. That will impact my main competitor more than us. We’re a lot less cyclical than everyone else.”

But as in everything else about this rivalry, Farner gives no ground. “We’ve seen rates go up and down over the last 26 years, and you always have to shift,” he says. “We’re the second-largest purchase retailer in the country, and we will be the largest in the next 24 months. But we also still love refinancing. We’re seeing people invest more in their homes than they ever have, pulling cash out, paying back high student debt. So, we can still grab market share and grow.

“And one of (Gilbert’s) missions has always been to have a fortress-like balance sheet so the ups and downs don’t affect us. That’s where we are today.”

Coffey, from Wedbush, believes market stresses soon will begin testing the paradigm used by each of the two titans. “Last year was the best year in mortgages in 20 years, and this year will be the second-best,” he says. “As things slow down, which company falls further? These issues will play themselves out over time. That’s what happens when two high-quality people and companies try to dominate the same space.”

PRINCIPAL AND

INTEREST JAY FARNER is vice chairman and president of Rocket Mortgage, having risen through the company as a close associate of Dan Gilbert and cementing his key role by guiding Rocket in the wake of Gilbert’s stroke in 2019. Rocket went public with Farner’s guidance last August.

Q: How does Rocket handle competition?

FARNER: How can we disrupt the business we’re in and bring value to our clients? If we’re doing that, then most of the work we do here is focused on executing our own strategies and less on what the competition is doing.

Q: Can this cluster of mortgage companies leverage their concentration here for the greater good of our area and state?

FARNER: I don’t know about collective effort, but we can leverage our work for the greater good on a variety of fronts. Our mission really isn’t mortgages, per se, but how to build a technology platform that transforms complicated transactions. We also pour our success and profits back into the community.

MAT ISHBIA started at his father’s small company as the 12th employee, running faxes and making $18,000 a year. By 2013 he was CEO, and he has exploded UWM to an employer of 9,000 people. Ishbia took it public in January 2021.

Q: How did you come to grow into the company after your father, Jeff Ishbia, started it?

Ishbia: In 2009, we began growing bigger than he’d expected, and over the next couple of years I bought the company and took over from my father. He has his fingerprints all over the business; he taught me how to treat people. He’s a smart businessman and has started lots of businesses. This one turned out to be very, very large.

Q: What’s the key to the UWM culture that attracts so many job applicants?

Ishbia: We’re all part of something special together. It’s not just the amenities here, the basketball court and library and massage room and arcade. The important thing is how we treat people, how we all lunch in the cafeteria. We take care of people and treat people well.

PHIL SHOEMAKER gained his spurs in the mortgage business in Texas, but he was intrigued

by Willie Newman, founder and now president and CEO of Homepoint. Shoemaker joined the company in 2019 and is now president of originations. The company has 2,600 employees.

Q: What intrigued you about Homepoint, causing you to leave Caliber Home Loans?

Shoemaker: A couple of things were unique. We’re big on culture and creating a company that has a little more balance among the different constituents. There are investors, associates, and partners. Often, companies are too focused on the investor side.

Q: What’s different about the Homepoint business model?

Shoemaker: We scale, doing a decent amount of production that gives us efficiency across our fixed cost structure. We do it with a sales and support team that’s in each market, dispersed across the country. That gives them closer connections with partners, and it’s a nice alternative to what UWM and Rocket offer.

LEE SMITH joined Flagstar Bank in 2013, and in 2020 moved from COO to president of mortgage operations. In April, Flagstar announced a merger with New York Community Bancorp, which will keep the Flagstar brand in the Midwest and a regional headquarters in Troy, including mortgage operations.

Q: Why does Flagstar have such an outsized mortgage business?

Smith: Other banks haven’t focused on the mortgage business. The difference showed itself in a low-rate environment like 2020. Sixty percent of our earnings are generated from our mortgage-services businesses, which was one of the focuses of the merger. That amount used to be 90 percent. With our partner, we’ll be a bigger and more diversified bank.

Q: How would you describe the Flagstar culture?

Smith: It’s very team-oriented, transparent, and communicative. You can never over-communicate here. We’re stronger together. Anybody can talk with anybody about anything, any time. There are no silos. We believe in great service, trust, and accountability. We don’t micromanage; we give our team the tools and platform to be as successful as possible.

— Dale Buss JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 57

050.CT.CoverStory.July.21.indd 57

6/10/21 3:53 PM

FrancoPR_FP_DB_0721.indd 1

5/26/21 12:14 PM

Exec Life INSIDE || LOST GAINS | RETURN ON INVESTMENT | PRODUCTION RUN | OPINION

A SECOND WAVE? The COVID-19 pandemic hit working women particularly hard, especially among mothers who were unable to access day care services due to safety concerns.

ISTOCK

RISE UP The first female recession occurred in 2020, due to COVID-19. It was marked by double-digit unemployment caused by higher workloads between the home and office.

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 59

059.ExecLife.July.21.indd 59

6/10/21 10:36 AM

Exec Life || Lost Gains

Lost Gains

A new study warns the COVID-19 pandemic has set back working women’s advancements in corporate management.

BY BILL DOW

so disheartening was the scale of the problem, and that senior-level women are feeling additional pressures,” Thomas says. “They’re having to work harder than men at the same level and, therefore, are more likely to be burned out and say they’ll leave the workforce.”

When McKinsey & Co. and leanin.org publish their Women in the Workforce 2021 report in September, they hope to obtain a more accurate account of what further consequences may have resulted from the pandemic.

“In part, we’ll be looking to see if fewer women have been promoted over the last year and whether they were provided accommodations to ensure that they could rise to the occasion for a new and demanding role,” Thomas says. “You do worry that the ‘motherhood penalty,’ which has always been a problem for women, will be worse.

One also wonders if young women, early in their career, having seen what working mothers are

going through, will think, ‘I don’t ever want to sign up for that.’ ” Prior to the pandemic, Thomas and others were feeling good that the representation of women in corporate America was slowly trending in the right direction, especially in senior management positions.

The 2020 McKinsey/leanin.org study found that between 2015 and 2020, the share of women grew to 28 percent from 23 percent in senior vice president roles, and to 21 percent from 17 percent in C-Suite roles.

At entry-level management positions (“the first rung”), however, women held 38 percent of available positions, while men held 62 percent, according to the study. “If an organization really wants a sustained pipeline, they have to be laser-focused at the early manager level and get more equitable outcomes. But I also tell companies to study their data to see if there are

COURTESY OF BRITTANY CYCHOLL

W

hile the COVID-19 pandemic may have forever altered how organizations conduct business, it also has undercut many of the advances women have made in recent years in reaching the C-Suite, sitting on powerful boards, and running a business. Working mothers with young children have been especially negatively affected by the virus, due to school and day care center closings.

Last fall, McKinsey & Co., in partnership with leanin.org, released its sixth annual Women in the Workplace study based on data gathered from 317 companies, surveys of more than 40,000 people who were asked about their workplace experiences, and 45 in-depth interviews.

Among the findings was that “one in four women considered downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce and that women in senior roles, working mothers, and working women of color were most at risk.”

The study issued a warning to corporate America due to the stresses and lack of child care options created by the pandemic: “Companies risk losing women in leadership — and future women leaders — and unwinding years of painstaking progress toward gender diversity.”

During President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress, broadcast live in late April, he told the nation that 2 million women dropped out of the workforce because they “didn’t have adequate care for their children or elderly parents.” Some pundits have called this trend a “She-Cession.”

Rachel Thomas, CEO and co-founder, along with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, of leanin. org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “offering women the ongoing inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals” through education and coordinated peer groups around the world called Lean in Circles, says she’s perplexed by the wave of job losses.

“We knew that women would be proportionately hit hard from the pandemic, but what was 60 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

059.ExecLife.July.21.indd 60

6/10/21 10:37 AM

Lost Gains || Exec Life

HELPING HANDS Brittany Cycholl of Franklin has been working at home while her husband, Danny, is a stay-at-home dad for their son, Gus.

other broken rungs elsewhere up the ladder,” Thomas says.

Numerous studies have indicated — and, increasingly, companies are witnessing — that there’s an economic advantage to having women in management positions.

McKinsey & Co. stated in its 2018 report, Delivering Through Diversity, that “companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 21 percent more likely to outperform on profitability and 27 percent more likely to have superior value creation.” In a 2019 study produced by S&P Global, Dr. Daniel Sandberg found that “firms with female CEOs and CFOs have produced superior price performance compared to the market average, and the firms with gender diversity on their board of directors were more profitable and larger than firms with low gender diversity.”

Lori Costew, chief diversity officer and

director of people strategy at Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, says she isn’t surprised by the most recent findings. “When you dig deeper into the research, you find that women leaders tend to be more collaborative, empathetic, and team-focused — all attributes that lead to innovation, decision-making, and employee engagement,” she says.

Ric DeVore, regional president for Detroit and Southeast Michigan at PNC Bank, has a 26-person leadership team evenly split between men and women, but female business leaders hold top positions in a variety of areas at the financial institution. “We believe our commitment to developing and promoting outstanding women leaders gives us a competitive advantage,” he says.

“Pay equity also pays a critical role in creating a culture, and attracting and retaining diverse talent so that we can better compete in the marketplace. We’re proud that on average, among our employees, women are paid 99 percent of what men are paid within like roles.”

Many observers believe the pandemic has finally revealed that this country’s inadequate child care system caused many women to leave work to take care of their children, as numerous providers had to halt their services temporarily.

In one forecast last year, the Center for American Progress estimated that as many as 4.5 million child care slots could be permanently lost due to the pandemic.

“For women it’s a vicious cycle where, if we don’t have child care policies or workplace policies to support caregivers, it’s harder for women to be part of the workplace,” says Julie Kashen, senior fellow and director for women’s economic justice at the Century Foundation. She notes that during World War II, the U.S. had a national child care system while men were fighting the war and women were working in arsenal factories.

“After the war we got rid of it, and haven’t had it since,” Kashen says. “Fifty years ago, Congress passed a comprehensive child care bill, but President Nixon vetoed it. That was the last time we were able to talk about developing a child care infrastructure.”

However, during his recent address to Congress, President Biden proposed the “American Families Plan,” which includes $225 billion toward covering some child care costs for low-income and middle-class parents with children age 5 or younger, and another $225 billion for a national paid family and medical leave program for partial employment assistance for three months, allowing parents to be with a new child, rehabilitate from an illness, or care for a disabled family member.

He also advocated a minimum wage of $15 an hour for child care workers, who historically have been underpaid.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Congress has passed several COVID relief packages that include millions for emergency paid leave, family leave, sick pay leave, funds to help stabilize the child care sector, and child care tax credits.

Still, Kashen says, “The relief packages were just Band-Aids, because we still need to build a comprehensive child care system that should have been in place before the pandemic. The reality is we haven’t created the systems or policies to truly support working parents. Many just say, ‘That’s your own individual problem to solve.’ Instead, they should be asking, ‘How can we solve this together?’ ” Brittany Cycholl of Franklin, an associate principal and head of the change management team at umlaut, a global consultancy and engineering firm specializing in automotive, telecommunications, energy, and aviation, has been working from home while her husband, Danny, a former engineer, serves as a stay-at-home dad for their almost 2-year-old son, Gus. “Danny and I decided that he would be the principal caregiver, and we thought that was best for our family,” says Cycholl, who is pregnant.

“Many families depend on two incomes, but we decided we were willing to trade my husband’s income for more family time. I’ve also been lucky because I work for a company that has flexible working hours and strongly believes in promoting and supporting women leaders. I’ve been able to switch between ‘mom Brittany’ and ‘corporate Brittany,’ and to communicate what my needs are,” says Cycholl, who wasn’t only promoted after the birth of her son, but she successfully convinced umlaut to change company policy by adding four weeks of paid maternity leave.

In the spirit of trying to assist other working mothers with the challenges they face, she regularly posts resources and advice on a blog, and wrote a children’s book, “Freckle Faced Gus and A Stay-at-Home Dad.” She shares 5 percent of the book’s proceeds with working mothers, to help defray expenses for those who don’t receive maternity leave from their employers.

“For any mother working from home with young kids, my heart goes out to them because, as they tell me, they’re having to be ‘on’ at all hours of the day,” Cycholl says. “I tell them through my blog that they have to be more vocal about what they require during these tough times, so they can have a career and a family.”

One company that appears to have not just “talked the talk” but also “walked the walk” is Ford. “Fortunately, at Ford we haven’t seen an increase in attrition with women, and I think it’s because we stay close to our teams by regularly holding listening sessions to understand what people need,” Costew says. “The pandemic put us all in the same ocean, but we’re all in different JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 61

059.ExecLife.July.21.indd 61

6/10/21 10:37 AM

Exec Life || Lost Gains

boats — so we find out what people need to survive this pandemic. When you have great talent, you don’t want to lose it.”

She adds that 89 percent of employees surveyed were satisfied with the company’s pandemic response, including several support programs for salaried employees that help secure retention, such as a “Safe at Home” program that provides back-up care with costs partially subsidized by Ford, tutoring service discounts, and up to an hour of complimentary homework assistance in select subjects through Sylvan Learning Centers.

The automaker also offers flexible work arrangements, including alternative 40-hour work schedules, part-time work with a prorated salary, and enhanced sabbaticals allowing employees to take up to three months off while continuing to receive 25 percent of their salary and continued benefits. There are also additional family care options and well-being programs that support mental health, including virtual mindfulness meditation sessions.

In March, Ford added to the offerings by introducing a new hybrid work model that incorporates both remote and on-site workdays as needed. Overall, around 30,000 white-collar office workers can continue to work from home indefinitely, with flexible hours approved by their managers.

“I’m personally happy that I don’t have to do an hour commute every day because that gives me more time to do whatever I need to do, whether it’s my work, family, or doing something for myself like exercise” says Costew, who’s now in her 28th year at Ford.

Years ago, when her children were much younger, she was able to retain her position as a

Ford manager and work fewer hours. “I was part time for about seven years, and was still able to take on challenging assignments and progress in my career,” she notes.

Sylvia Veitia, executive vice president in charge of operations and customer experience at Ford Credit in Dearborn, learned firsthand the challenges of working remotely during the pandemic with her husband, Scott Baker, a music copyright litigation attorney, and their children, ages 11, 20, and 22, who were all at home, learning remotely.

“It’s been very challenging working 16-hour days while addressing the company’s many international pandemic-related issues and, as a mother, (dealing with) the added responsibilities I didn’t have pre-pandemic, with all three children together,” she says. “We all had our unique challenges — like the ones in college, who had internships canceled, lack of social interactions, and dinner every night with mom and dad, which I’m sure isn’t the dream of every 20- and 22-year-old. We all became very agile at solving problems we had never (experienced) and became appreciative of a new level of quality time that we didn’t have before.”

Because she’s responsible for 4,000 Ford employees across the globe, Veitia didn’t utilize Ford’s flex time options and other offerings to help employees face the pandemic, but she did hear from many employees who benefited from them and expressed appreciation.

“One that stands out came from a father who said that if Ford hadn’t provided the sabbatical option, he wouldn’t have been able to stay with the company where he had worked for nearly 20 years because he has a child with special needs,” Veitia says.

“We didn’t have any significant attrition in any area because of a lack of flexibility, and I think we’ve earned a huge amount of loyalty from our employees,” she adds. “Any employer who accommodates an employee’s specific needs, be they women or men, gets 10 times your energy back.”

Rachel Thomas says she’s hopeful that the greater public discourse on the challenges faced by working mothers during the pandemic will lead to some reforms and that we’ll see more opportunities for working mothers to advance into leadership positions at companies.

“A lot of companies have been stepping up, and we need more of them to support and advance women, but we also really need to fix the child care infrastructure and get the fundamentals right,” Thomas says.

FEMALE SUPPORT

leanin.org offers numerous resources for women during the pandemic, including: • How to advocate for yourself at work during the pandemic.

• How to be a good coworker and leader during the crisis.

• Staying connected to your community while physical distancing.

• Juggling work and home life during the pandemic.

• Reframing personal and professional success during COVID-19.

• Managing stress and anxiety in an uncertain world.

• Finding opportunities for self-care during COVID-19.

• Supporting others through the pandemic.

• How to cope with job loss during the pandemic.

COURTESY OF LEANIN.ORG

EMPOWERING WOMEN More than 11.6 million businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, and they collectively generate $1.7 trillion in revenue, according to the National Association of Women Business Owners.

62 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

059.ExecLife.July.21.indd 62

6/10/21 10:37 AM

2020 Was the Year of Holding On to Clients

2021 WILL EMERGE AS THE YEAR OF THE HUNT

HOW DOES YOUR TEAM STACK UP IN THE HUNT FOR NEW CLIENTS? Learn How Competitor Organizations Are Finding New Clients!

Gerry Wineberg_FP_DB_0321.indd Weinberg_FP_DB_0721.indd 11 Garry

5/26/21 1/29/21 1:33 1:21 PM PM

Exec Life || Return on Investment

A Step Forward Teresa Sebastian learned how to revitalize urban districts after experiencing racism and sexism growing up in Detroit and in corporate America. always adventurous,” she laughs, “and occasionally I said, ‘I’m going to walk on 12th Street,’ because I just wanted to get a feel for the different.”

Her mother had experienced the “different” aspects of the neighborhood when she arrived at Durfee Junior High School one morning to enroll Teresa and her sister for the school year. “She walked into the lobby and she turned around and walked right out,” Sebastian says. “She didn’t even make her way to the principal’s office to register us. She said, ‘There’s no way that my girls are going here,’ and she enrolled us at St. Agnes Catholic School, which was near the intersection of West Grand Boulevard and 12th Street.”

First as a student at St. Agnes, and then at Immaculata High School at West McNichols Road (Six Mile) and Wyoming Avenue, Sebastian reveled in her surroundings.

“I was enthralled with music, and I’d go to the record stores and buy 45s and peek in the windows of the Motown headquarters,” she says. “I enjoyed sneaking off campus to Lou’s Deli on Six

Mile. They make some of the best sandwiches, and I was introduced to a pastrami with mustard on rye bread.”

Sebastian is the youngest of four sisters; both her parents were educators. “My mom got her master’s in education and was a teacher in the Detroit school district, and my father got his Ph.D. and taught at Shaw College in Detroit,” she says.

Not surprisingly, when it came to education, the bar was set very high for Sebastian and her sisters. “We knew graduating from high school wasn’t the end; it wasn’t a big accomplishment in my family to graduate from high school. Going on to college was like going from middle school to high school, and our job was to make sure our generation (took) a step forward and (did) better than the last. That was our duty.”

That sense of commitment was established by Sebastian’s father, Archibald Mosley, whose teaching career was only one of his many life accomplishments. “He was a Methodist minister at St. John AME Church in River Rouge,” Sebastian says. “He was very much involved in civil rights; he gave speeches and initiated protests. And he was one of the first black Marines ever in this country.”

Mosley was among the recruits who comprised the legendary Montford Point Marines. Beginning in June 1942, soon after the United States entered World War II and continuing until 1949, some 20,000 African-American recruits completed training at Montford Point, N.C., just up the road from Camp Lejeune, where the white recruits were assigned.

“He fought at Iwo Jima, and got the commendations for that, and he fought in many of the intense battles of the war against Japan,” Sebastian relays.

Racial segregation wasn’t officially abolished in the Armed Forces until 1948 — way too long after Mosley’s extraordinary service to his country.

He could have been angry and bitter about that, and so much more. He was anything but.

TERESA SEBASTIAN

A

fter a long and successful career at the highest levels of corporate leadership in both business and law, it made complete sense when Teresa Sebastian decided it was past time to work for herself.

She had a very specific idea in mind for her newly launched venture: Invest in early-stage startups and small businesses that would not only provide a return on the money she put in, but also have a positive impact on the neighborhoods where they were located.

“We focus on revitalizing urban communities,” says Sebastian, founder, president, and CEO of The Dominion Asset Group. “We take a very social approach, more than just seeking a particular return on investment, right? It’s about seeking a return through social improvement.”

Sebastian’s focus on improving the quality of life in urban environments goes all the way back to her childhood in Detroit in the 1960s.

“We lived on Atkinson Street, between LaSalle Boulevard and 14th Street, which is a couple of blocks off of Chicago Boulevard (and the Boston-Edison Historic District),” she recalls. “We had Berry Gordy’s mansion several blocks away, on the other side of the Lodge Freeway. You had a number of notable people who lived in that area, and I remember being very impressed by the large homes with the very intricate type of architecture, the use of marble, and just the majestic look of those homes.”

But Sebastian was also struck by what she saw nearby, in another part of her neighborhood.

“Just a few blocks away, on 12th Street, is where part of the Detroit riots took place,” she says. “So, if I walked out my front door, I could turn left and walk up 12th Street, through that area. Things were still in a bad state at that time. Or I could turn right and walk where all the beautiful, stately homes were.”

Sebastian’s mother forbade her from ever making that left turn out of her house. “But me being me, I was

BY TOM MURRAY

64 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

064.ROI.July.21.indd 64

6/10/21 10:47 AM

TERESA SEBASTIAN

Return on Investment || Exec Life

“My parents taught us that any adversity could be overcome by their core values and beliefs,” Sebastian says. “They instilled in us to approach all situations with thoughtfulness, the highest level of character, and utilizing the intellect acquired through our education.

“I was in a Brownie troop, and there were times when my color did become an issue,” Sebastian continues. “The meetings had to take place at the homes of some of the white children, and I wasn’t invited to attend. My parents just said, ‘OK, this is what it is. You’re just going to overcome this through education, by studying, and by having confidence in yourself.’ We never thought too much about it. I’m not complacent.

My dad taught us to call discrimination when we see it, and push back against it, and I always have.

But (we were to) keep moving forward. We knew our duty was to achieve.”

Sebastian was still in middle school when she figured out exactly what she wanted to do with her life.

“One day I told my parents I was going to be a corporate lawyer,” she says. “Now, I didn’t know a single person who was a corporate lawyer, but I liked to watch shows about lawyers, beginning with ‘Perry Mason,’ and I liked solving problems and I liked making money.”

She did the usual odd jobs around the house, and when it came to her earnings, she was scrupulous beyond her years. “When I got money, I put it in my piggy bank, and then I would loan it out to my sisters and tell them that they had to pay me back more than what I gave them. I didn’t know anything about charging interest. All I knew is I needed more back.”

The dream of becoming a lawyer was still very much alive when she enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, “but there were other things at the University of Michigan that kind of opened up a door to me to other professions,” she says. “My father became an administrator for the City of Pontiac and we would talk about the revitalization work that was taking place, and that drew my attention away from law. I received a bachelor’s in general studies with sociology as a focus, and started the master’s program for architecture and urban planning because I wanted to see inner cities grow and prosper. I never I finished because I met a gentleman and got married, and moved out of Michigan.”

The marriage wouldn’t survive, but while Sebastian was living in Florida, she earned her MBA and began a career as a financial analyst, which continued with Morgan Stanley and DTE Energy. The latter stop brought her back to Michigan. “I worked very closely with lawyers, and being a lawyer was always still in the back of my head.”

Shortly afterward, Sebastian turned her childhood dream into reality. “I was accepted by the law schools at U-M and the University of Detroit Mercy, but Detroit College of Law was the only one that gave me a full scholarship, and I became a corporate lawyer,” she says.

For the next 20 years, Sebastian was an integral part of executive management in an array of industries, mostly in Michigan, but also in Illinois, Ohio, and Florida. Her responsibilities included overseeing global legal strategies for corporations focused on everything from energy and food service to manufacturing, banking, and data technology. It was an exhilarating and heady time for her, but also challenging and frustrating.

“There were times when the men would walk in the room and think that I was somebody’s secretary or the stenographer, or something of that sort,” Sebastian says. “I did find myself being the only woman in the room, being the only Black female, and negotiating million- and billion-dollar deals. I had to assert myself. I used what I call the 150 percent rule. I had to study and work 150 percent harder to get a fraction of (what I wanted), whether it was pay or recognition.

“There were times when I would go home and cry, but I never did that in front of anyone,” she goes on. “I didn’t let the white guys see it. I didn’t let the white women see it. I didn’t let my African-American contemporaries see it. It was hard.”

Undaunted and determined, she pressed on.

And it was that attitude, and the financial independence she attained largely because of it, which inspired Sebastian to launch The Dominion Asset Group in 2015, just as her home city was emerging from bankruptcy and beginning its renaissance.

“I was fortunate and blessed enough to be able to say at that point in my career, OK, what do I want to do? I didn’t want to practice law 24/7 anymore. My goal was to be a catalyst for job creation in Detroit.”

The Dominion portfolio certainly suggests that goal has been accomplished: Investments and partnerships include the purchase, management, financing, and leasing of single and multifamily

homes, a boutique hotel (in a restored former firehouse), an apartment building, and a recording studio.

“Our portfolio of investments is private, but beyond what’s on the website, we have investments in major notable developments in Corktown, downtown, and on the historic Atkinson Avenue of Detroit. We also have investments in Berkeley and Los Angeles (in California), among others,” she says.

Sebastian oversees her company from Nashville, where she moved in 2017. She lost her dad last summer, but her 92-year-old mother lives nearby in an assisted living facility. In addition to serving on an eclectic array of corporate boards — running the gamut from Kaiser Aluminum to Juul Labs, the electronic cigarette company — Sebastian is an adjunct professor at both Vanderbilt and U-M law schools.

Her resume takes up three full pages, but the job that may well make her proudest of all isn’t listed — it’s continuing the long-established family tradition of ensuring the next generation takes a step forward from the last.

“As a result, my nieces and nephews, who grew up knowing this family mantra, are doing better things than my generation,” she says with pride.

“My daughter is a deputy editor at The Washington Post. My niece graduated with a Harvard MBA and has her own business. I have another niece who’s a reporter at CNN, and a nephew who’s a scout for the New England Patriots, and he’s moving up there.”

All will undoubtedly soon be looking out for their own kids, nephews, and nieces, following a traditional and firmly entrenched commitment forward, year after year, decade after decade, from one generation to the next. For Teresa Sebastian and her extended family, any other way simply isn’t an option.

FAMILY TIES Teresa Sebastian, lower left, is the youngest of four children. Her family lived south of Detroit’s Boston-Edison Historic District. To her right are Gerri Susan Mosley (Howard) and Vicki Mosley (Miller). Above are her sister, Elizabeth Mosley (Lewin), and her parents, Jerolene and Archibald Mosley.

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 65

064.ROI.July.21.indd 65

6/10/21 10:47 AM

Exec Life || Production Run

A STITCH IN TIME The Himelhoch family opened their first store in 1876 before establishing a presence on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit in 1907 (shown).

Growing to multiple locations, the business eventually closed in 1979, but today lives on as an online fashion house featuring multiple designers. Carol Himelhoch, opposite page, stands in front of the company’s former bricks-and-mortar location just south of the David Whitney Building, which has since been converted into a residential and commercial development.

Fashion Rebirth

Former famed Detroit department store experiences online renaissance. fourth-generation leader of the business. She surmises her father, Charles Himelhoch, started running the store in the late 1940s and continued in that role after he was promoted to CEO in the 1950s; he held both positions until the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 1979.

Fast-forward some 40 years, and the online store launched with a selection of specialty coffees. It has since added clothing for women and men; accessories; clothing for children and babies; skin, hair, and personal care products; fragrances; home goods; and additional food and beverages.

The brand’s main draw is its clothing, just as it was when it first moved to Detroit in 1907.

Himelhoch began the search for the designers represented in today’s store by working with Design Core Detroit, a department in Detroit’s College for Creative Studies that champions design-driven businesses in the city. The organization connected her with a list of apparel designers in the area, and Himelhoch contacted them to find out whether they would be good matches for the company.

“Our collection is very unique and filled mostly with merchandise from emerging designers,” she says. “They have this fresh perspective.

We love supporting small businesses and their

creativity, and we want to be able to help them get the recognition they deserve.”

Himelhoch says growing up working in the store helped her develop an eye for beautiful styles that will sell. The entrepreneur also must make sure prospective designers are able to scale to keep up with demand.

While most of the designers have products in stock, some offer made-to-order goods. One such proprietor is Lavanya Coodly, a designer based in New York who hand-embroiders and beads formal gowns that sell for up to $6,500.

Most of the purveyors, however, are based in metro Detroit, including Deviate, a Detroit designer who sells accessories and casual clothing for men and women. To keep the fashions they offer fresh, Himelhoch’s works with a range of global design firms, including MJ Room in Casablanca, Morocco, which tans its own leather to make shoes, bags, and apparel, and Pretty You London in Britain, which offers nightwear and slippers. Himelhoch says many of the designers the company works with offer sustainable products and try keep their carbon footprints low.

Now that Himelhoch’s is growing, some designers have started to approach the company, she adds.

Himelhoch earned a Ph.D. in organizational

CAROL HIMELHOCH

H

imelhoch’s Department Store, which started out as a pushcart in Caro, moved to downtown Detroit, expanded to multiple locations, and ultimately ended up as a luxury online retailer, has embodied retail evolution since its establishment in 1876.

Carol Himelhoch, her husband, Steve Ball, and her brother, Charles (Chip) S. Himelhoch Jr., dreamed up Himelhoch’s latest iteration in November 2018. Ball serves as the company’s accountant, and Chip Himelhoch is an adviser.

The online retailer is based in Detroit and offers clothing by up-and-coming designers from around the world, just as Himelhoch’s did when it operated out of its bricks-and-mortar location on the same block as the Hudson’s Department Store in downtown Detroit.

“It first kind of seemed like a crazy idea, but the more we thought about it, we thought we (could reimagine) the department store for this day and age, juxtaposing that on the traditions of Himelhoch’s, and where we came from, and being true to our identity,” Himelhoch says.

“That’s what led us to want to focus on emerging designers.”

Himelhoch, the company’s president, is the

BY GRACE TURNER

66 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

066.ProductionRun.July.21.indd 66

6/10/21 10:47 AM

Production Run || Exec Life

behavior and management from the University of Michigan and teaches management courses at Siena Heights University in Adrian. She plans to retire from teaching at the end of the next academic year to focus more on the store.

“When the (bricks and mortar) store closed in ’79, I think I shut down a part of myself and my own identity because I grew up working in the business,” she says. “This is a new era, and I think I’m really being true to my legacy and carrying forth the Himelhoch’s tradition in the online world — and I’ve been really amazed how energized I am. I really feel like this is me. I feel like I’ve stepped back into the identity that I had shut down when the store closed. I’ve taken to it like a fish to water; I feel like this is my calling, and I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Wolf Himelhoch, Carol Himelhoch’s greatgrandfather, immigrated to Michigan from Latvia and started the business on a pushcart in Caro in 1876 with his four sons: Herman, Zella, Moses, and Israel. Carol Himelhoch says she can only guess that they sold fabric and other materials to make clothes.

The family later opened a storefront in Caro, which burned down in the early 1900s. They rebuilt it shortly before relocating to Detroit.

With the physical stores came a shift to finished garments. Himelhoch’s carried mostly women’s apparel, cosmetics, and accessories; it also carried a smaller selection for men; children’s clothing; a bridal department; and home goods.

There was also a toy department for a short time.

In 1923, the store outgrew its original location and moved a couple of blocks north into the Washington Arcade Building at 1545 Woodward Ave., immediately south of the David Whitney Building, where its main store remained until the business closed.

Charles Himelhoch, Israel Himelhoch’s son, introduced a strategy in which workers would set up products from different departments in the same display, showing shoppers how they could pair items. This created a boutique feel in the department store, Carol Himelhoch says.

She adds that salesworkers received training across departments, allowing them to help customers more holistically — previously, salesmen and women only knew about the offerings in their own very specific departments, such as women’s trousers or men’s shirts.

Himelhoch’s was also among the first stores to offer a juniors department for teenage shoppers — a trend the store started with baby boomers, and which continues at most department stores today.

The company expanded and opened additional locations in the suburbs, including Ann Arbor, and had more than 600 employees in its heyday, Himelhoch says. However, she says her father believed the additional stores eventually overstretched the company and helped lead to its demise, along with a decreased focus on little-known designers and products that other department stores didn’t carry.

Charles Himelhoch passed away in December 2020 at the age of 101. Himelhoch says that after the last store closed, her father worked as a property manager for A. Alfred Taubman, of The Taubman Co. in Bloomfield Hills, started a consulting business, and taught retail management at Wayne State University and other area colleges. He also loved to run, swim, and play tennis.

“I take after my dad in this respect: I think life is always a growth process, and it’s just fun to be energized and grow,” Carol Himelhoch says. “I see no reason to slow down.”

THE RUNDOWN

Items offered by Himelhoch’s today

The company works with more than 60 designers

Himelhoch’s has been in business for four generations

IN GOOD CO. DETROIT

The company’s history spans 145 years

Sources: himelhochs.com, Carol Himelhoch JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 67

066.ProductionRun.July.21.indd 67

6/10/21 10:47 AM

Exec Life || Opinion

Drive and Determination

BY CHELSEA GHEESLING AND COURTNEY TAYLOR

ccording to fundera.com, 40 continued to work our day jobs to ensure finanpercent of U.S. businesses are cial stability for our families, and we’ve spent owned by women, and collec- many late nights talking about the future of our tively they’re responsible for company. We’ve never let obstacles get in our putting $1.8 trillion into the way, and we always believed in what we could accomplish while working hard American “WE’VE NEVER LET every day to make others believe economy each year. Yet last year alone, American business experi- OBSTACLES GET IN OUR in our company.

WAY, AND WE ALWAYS To ensure continued growth enced an exodus of female leaders BELIEVED IN WHAT WE and success, we’re constantly evaland entrepreneurs, as nearly 3 COULD ACCOMPLISH uating ourselves and our processmillion women left the workforce during the coronavirus pandemic. WHILE WORKING HARD es, and always pivoting to reach EVERY DAY TO MAKE our goals. We try to “ignore the While there still are 114 perOTHERS BELIEVE IN noise” and surround ourselves cent more women entrepreOUR COMPANY.” with people who not only lift us neurs than there were 20 years ago, it’s imperative now, more than ever, to encourage and support women who want to drive innovation.

In 2015, Bundled was created with the mission of becoming a premier online gifting company while supporting Michigan-based businesses and brands (99 percent of the products in the company’s bundles are purchased from Michigan-based small businesses). As the name suggests, the company offers hand-packed, curated gift “bundles” of any kind, for any occasion — seasonal, novelty, personal, build-your-own, or custom corporate packages.

As with many ideas, Bundled started out small.

As equal partners and sisters, we each originally invested $2,000. Since then, we’ve never taken a penny of outside investment. We’ve proudly put every dollar back into the business, not paying ourselves for years, but employing a team of incredible individuals through a partnership with Services to Enhance Potential (STEP), a nonprofit organization in Wayne County.

With this great team in place, Bundled began to grow. In 2020 alone, the company experienced a 1,200-percent revenue increase yearover-year, and more than 60,000 bundles have been shipped worldwide since its launch.

Over the past five years, we’ve worked with so many women entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas and creative ways to impact our communities. Being honest about the process and our personal experiences has been the key to reaching new heights.

For most of these past six years, we both

up, but also question us on a level that makes us want to work harder.

At Bundled, we’ve built a team of women and mentors who do this for one another every day.

Our best advice for other women entrepreneurs?

Keep going. It’s cliché, but success truly doesn’t happen overnight. Building Bundled took many years, and it’s not done — growth is

CHELSEA GHEESLING and COURTNEY TAYLOR are partners in Bundled, an online gifting company based in Commerce Township.

an ever-evolving process.

Remain financially strong. No one cares what your office looks like. Bundled was started in a basement and eventually transitioned into a space that checks most of the boxes, but we’ve been very careful not to stretch ourselves or the business financially.

Ask questions. Lean on people and mentors who have been through the process. There’s incredible knowledge out there.

Focus. Figure out what makes your heart sing and follow that. We’ve all heard that you should find a job or career that doesn’t feel like work, but sometimes you have to create it.

Get on social media. Create profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, et cetera, and stay consistent in your message. Be true to yourself and find a way to get people engaged; this will help build a strong brand.

For women considering starting their own business, simply keep going. Keep ideating.

Keep fighting for your vision. The path to success is never straightforward or obvious — it’s entirely reliant on you and your drive.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: CHELSEA GHEESLING AND COURTNEY TAYLOR

COURTESY CHELSEA GHEESLING AND COURTNEY TAYLOR

A

With more than 3 million women leaving the workforce during COVID-19, how can female business owners and professionals regain their momentum?

68 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

068.Opinion.July.21.indd 68

6/10/21 10:47 AM

DBusiness Breakfast Series

|

Presented by UHY

|

Tickets $75

|

DBusiness.com

WEDNESDAY

Join DBusiness for a panel discussion featuring the honorees from the July/August issue’s Powered by Women list. This list recognizes the female business leaders who are driving profits, adding employees, and opening new opportunities in the region.

Limited tickets available at DBusiness.com

7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

8/25

AUGUST 25

panel discussion

Powered by WOMEN Carrie Jones-Barber, Dawn Foods Susan Koss, O’Keefe Collette ‘Coco’ Champagne, Hagerty Insurance Olivia Jackson, Accenture Deborah Wahl, General Motors Lisa Drake, Ford Motor Co. Marissa Hunter, FCA-North America Denise Brooks-Williams, Henry Ford Health System

The Icon 200 Walker St., Detroit PRESENTING SPONSOR MAJOR SPONSORS GOLD SPONSOR SILVER SPONSORS

DBBreakfast_FP_DBiz_0721.indd 1

5/27/21 2:09 PM

P R O M OT I O N A L CO N T E N T

REAL ESTATE Q&A Q: What impact has the pandemic had on the Detroit real estate market?

A: COVID-19 has created challenges for the downtown Detroit real estate market, as well as individuals and businesses, but opportunities are now outweighing those obstacles. As our state’s economy begins to rebound, there are strong signs of Detroit’s continued resurgence.

Many will be surprised by the strength of the economy post-pandemic. In the fourth quarter of 2020, asking rents for

Detroit office space increased nearly 9 percent. And while the pandemic slowed demand temporarily, it did not stop interest in office space or residential living in the city.

Metro Detroit home/condo sales prices were up 17 percent in the past year, and the volume of sales was up 4 percent.

Downtown Detroit Partnership

Eric B. Larson CEO; Founder/President/CEO, Larson Realty Group One Campus Martius, Ste. 380 Detroit, MI 48226 313-566-8250 downtowndetroit.org

Q: What are you starting to see post-pandemic in the southeast Michigan real estate market?

A: I’ve never seen anything like this in nearly 20 years in real estate.

It was difficult to sell homes during the height of the pandemic — although at Cindy Kahn Real Estate, we had a record-breaking year. But the market we are seeing now is stunning. Low inventory and low interest rates are causing the craziness.

Many people have been working from home and are now realizing they want a house to be conducive to that.

Families have been together a long time this past year and they now want a home that offers

more amenities such as more space, pools, home offices, bigger kitchens, and yards.

Lately, potential buyers are up against multiple offers. They write “love letters” as to how they fell in love with the seller’s home and offer over the asking price, and still don’t get the home.

On the other side, sellers can’t just throw their home on the market without it looking good and well maintained. Offers are coming in over asking price, but the house still needs to be priced right.

It’s important to have a professional and knowledgeable real estate agent such as Cindy Kahn Real Estate to guide you through this process.

Hall & Hunter Realtors Cindy Kahn Realtor 442 S. Old Woodward Birmingham, MI 48009 248-568-7309 cindykahn.com

Advertisement on page 95

Q: With the real estate market so hot right now, can’t anyone sell a house?

A: The real estate market is super hot right now, and it’s more important than ever to have a great agent working on your behalf. Buyers are struggling to get offers accepted and sellers are often leaving a lot of money on the table.

With a high frequency of multiple offer situations occurring at the moment, having an experienced agent who can help guide you through that process and negotiate on your behalf can possibly save you tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Our team invests heavily in marketing each and every one of our properties to ensure that we maximize our clients’ profits on the sale of their homes.

Whether it’s a $50,000 home or a $5 million home, we believe everyone deserves our luxury experience. Hence, our motto: “Treat yourself to the best. You deserve it.”

Indulge Property Group at KW Domain Logan Wert Owner, Realtor 210 S. Old Woodward Ave., Ste. 200 Birmingham, MI 48009 248-590-0117 indulgepropertygroup.com logan@logansells.com

Advertisement on page 96

Q: Is the City of Lansing and the region concerned about the “remote worker” impact?

A: Yes, not just for Lansing, but for all the downtowns in Michigan. The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) is proposing a $200-million, ARP Downtown High Rise Conversion Boost concept for all the downtowns in the state.

Fundamentally, LEAP has created a goal for Michigan that will address the possibility of empty historic high-rise buildings and

ExpertsQA_section_DB 0721.indd 1

assist main street businesses dependent on those full buildings.

Additionally, LEAP will keep and create new taxes to supplant lost income tax and create genuine affordable housing apartment options. The goal is to attract 200,000 new residents to live in our downtowns in Michigan downtowns by the end of 2026.

Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP)

Bob Trezise President & CEO 1000 S. Washington Ave., No. 201 Lansing, MI 48910 517-702-3387 purelansing.com

6/11/21 11:39 AM

P R O M OT I O N A L CO N T E N T

REAL ESTATE Q&A Q: How are you seeing developers and employers adjust to the reimagining of office space and residential space after the pandemic?

A: Michigan is placed well to support workers and companies coming through the pandemic with new arrangements for remote work and hybrid teams People have seen that they can work and live anywhere in the country, so we are promoting Michigan as a home for that opportunity, with our friendly business climate and high quality of life.

We’re promoting commercial opportunities, and we’ve seen communities looking to reimagine spaces based on lessons they learned from the pandemic and things that will continue.

Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Michele Wildman Senior Vice President, Community Development 300 N. Washington Sq. Lansing, MI 48913 517-241-4950 michiganbusiness.org wildmanm1@michigan.org Advertisement on page 9

Q: What is the hottest sector in the commercial real estate market today?

A: Multifamily housing is the most sought-after real estate in the country. The demand for both individual complexes and large portfolios for institutional investors is at an all-time high.

Nationally, there is significant capital on the sidelines looking for investment opportunities with very little inventory in the marketplace. Well-maintained properties are experiencing lower vacancies and cap rates are at a 10-year high.

The combination of the highest population of probable renters — 18- to 34-year-olds — and the economic uncertainty during the pandemic made the demand for rental units desirable and led to the current trend of historically low vacancies and higher valuations. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with the continuation of limited inventory and the vast amount of capital nationally looking for opportunities.

O’Keefe

Russell D. Long, CPA/ABV/CFF Partner and Managing Director 2 Lone Pine Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 248-593-4810 okeefellc.com rlong@okeefellc.com Advertisement on page 27

Q: The Urban Land Institute has a strong presence in southeast Michigan. What will be the focus of the organization during the post-pandemic period?

A: At the Urban Land Institute, innovation and inclusion top the list for post-pandemic development. Skilled labor shortages, lumber prices, and construction delays are shaping how we build in Michigan.

In response, modular concepts, automation, new property technology, and adaptive spaces are all increasing efficiency in construction and creating flexibility for future use.

Deciding who will build it, and for whomstet it is being built, are critical. In Michigan, we’re seeing an emerging developer ecosystem with intentional opportunity for minority developers and a strong focus on meeting affordable housing demands.

ULI Michigan

Shannon Sclafani Senior Director 4219 Woodward Ave., Ste. 203 Detroit, MI 48201 248-807-1600 michigan.uli.org shannon.sclafani@uli.org

Q: What are opportunity zones, how do they work, and who qualifies for them?

A: Opportunity zones were created as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, with the intent to incentivize investment into low-income areas. Although available for most businesses, we primarily see it utilized in the real estate space, as the various requirements are easier to meet.

A taxpayer who realizes a capital gain has the opportunity to reinvest that gain into a qualified opportunity fund within a specified time period, allowing them to defer the tax on that gain until 2026. The fund then needs to invest that capital into qualified property located within an opportunity zone.

ExpertsQA_section_DB 0721.indd 2

The real benefit is if that fund investment is held for at least 10 years, any future appreciation is completely tax-free on exit, which is what makes these funds so attractive. In the real estate space, there are requirements that must be met in order for a purchased building to qualify.

The building must have either been vacant for a specified period or the building must be substantially improved. The long-term nature of the investment is a main reason why we tend to see this so frequently in real estate. Many of our clients also see this as a better alternative to like-kind exchanges.

UHY Advisors

Jonathon Schumaker Senior Tax Manager 27725 Stansbury Blvd., Ste. 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-204-9321 uhy-us.com jschumaker@uhy-us.com Advertisements on Cover 2 through page 3

6/11/21 11:40 AM

P R O M OT I O N A L CO N T E N T

REAL ESTATE Q&A Q: How is the Pontiac Regional Chamber expanding its influence and impact on real estate and the quality of life in Pontiac?

A: The Pontiac Regional Chamber created the Pontiac United Education Coalition as a novel cross-sector approach to enhance real estate values and the quality of life of Pontiac residents.

The Coalition is comprised of businesses, nonprofits, and community and school leaders who focus on improving education and workforce development across the city.

The Coalition just launched Pontiac READS!, a local chapter of the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, to champion the goal of every Pontiac child reading at or beyond their grade level.

This work is supported by the Pontiac Angels,

who reside in Pontiac and uplift literacy education opportunities for our children.

Pontiac Angel leaders Tanya Christ, Ph.D., from Oakland University and Early Literacy Consultant Ashelin Currie, Ph.D., from Oakland Schools work alongside Center for Success CEO Andrea Meyer to guide the work of Pontiac READS! The two organizations underpin the opportunity to fully realize the potential intersection of educational opportunity, workforce development, and the Pontiac Promise Zone to drive residential real estate growth.

Pontiac Regional Chamber of Commerce Damany Head Board Chair 402 N. Telegraph Rd. Pontiac, MI 48341 248-464-9754 pontiacrc.com

Advertisements on pages 90-91

Q: Real estate values seem to be astronomical and many people are considering selling their commercial property. Is there any tax advantaged strategy they can use regarding the tax bite on their gain?

A: Yes, IRC Section 1031 allows an entity to defer but not avoid entirely all or a part of the gain on sale of commercial real estate.

In order to use this section, all or part of the proceeds must be paid to an “intermediary” and then used to purchase other commercial real estate. There are even ways to use some of the proceeds for construction.

You also need to follow the rules as far as identifying property (45 days after the sale) and closing on the purchase (180 days after the sale). This section only applies to commercial property, not residential.

The amount of the gain that is not taxed reduces the “cost basis” of the new property so when that property is sold — unless IRC 1031 is used again — the amount of the gain becomes taxable.

Howard Goldman is a senior attorney with Plunkett Cooney based in its Bloomfield Hills office. He has more than 35 years experience as a practicing real estate lawyer.

Plunkett Cooney

Howard B. Goldman Senior Attorney 38505 Woodward Ave., Ste. 100 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48313 248-433-2310 plunkettcooney.com Advertisement on page 13

Q: The U.S. has long been in the grips of a low-income housing crisis. What can be done to address this?

A: We have a shortage of about 7 million affordable rental homes for people whose household incomes are at or below the poverty line. It is a crisis. One of the biggest things that can be done is to push for more housing credits. Housing credits provide the capital needed to pass lower rents on to the populations being served.

Over the past four decades, housing credits have financed 3.2 million affordable housing units, leveraging $190 billion in private investments, that has provided housing for more than 7.4 million people.

ExpertsQA_section_DB 0721.indd 3

The reintroduction of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019, which has bipartisan support and support from the Biden administration, would increase the number of credits available by 50 percent. This would help promote more housing developments around the country.

The more we can create better pathways for people to elevate out of survival mode and thrive financially, the more we can promote inclusion and shared prosperity.

Affordable housing is where it starts.

KeyBank

David Mannarino Michigan Market President 4000 Town Ctr., Ste. 1260 Southfield, MI 48075 248-204-6550 keybank.com Advertisement on pages 5 and 19

6/11/21 12:35 PM

SPONSORED BY STARTUPNATION

A Life of Purpose Carolyn Cassin found fulfillment in the hospice industry, but when the work became too draining, she changed direction and launched Michigan Women Forward.

S

ome people are born into the world and are fortunate to happen upon a calling that ultimately shapes and defines their story. Others come into this world with a force that drives them from day one to make sure the life they lead will be defined by the mark they’ve made.

Such is the case with Carolyn Cassin.

Cassin, through her work as president and CEO of Michigan Women Forward, a nonprofit organization, aims to achieve equality and empowerment for women and girls.

The organization’s three primary initiatives include accelerating women’s entrepreneurship, developing the next generation of young women leaders, and celebrating and honoring the accomplishments of Michigan women.

Growing up as an only child, Cassin learned the value of being of service to the community around her from her parents’ example. Her mother and father instilled in her the notion that we all have the responsibility to leave the world a better place. With those values forged centrally into her way of life, Cassin set out to live a life that was meaningful and fulfilling to her, and which contributed to the greater good of the world around her.

The Vietnam War captured Cassin’s focus as a teen growing up in the 1960s. She wanted to put a stop to what she saw as the reckless and misguided participation of our country in the war, and wanted to see the U.S. pull out of it.

What she quickly learned, however, was that a young woman in her teens wasn’t likely to have a powerful enough voice to create such change, and she instead made it a point to pursue causes in which she knew she could be impactful.

When she was 16, Carolyn lost her father suddenly and it was this tragic loss, coupled with her experiences as a Kellogg Fellow traveling the world studying end-of-life care, that brought into clear focus what Cassin believed was to be her life’s purpose. She thought there must be a better way for all of us to face death and the process of dying, and committed to making hospice a way to improve the circumstance we all inevitably will

073.VentureDev.July.21.indd 73

BY JEFF SLOAN

one day face: the end of life.

“For the next 30 years, I spent every waking moment trying to change the world for dying patients by doing that, starting first in the nonprofit space, (and) then in the for-profit space,” Cassin says, adding that today 80 percent of all Americans get at least a day of hospice care before their death.

While incredibly fulfilling, the work was also very draining, and eventually Cassin knew it was time to do something else. While it would certainly be reasonable, on the heels of her entrepreneurial success and having contributed to the greater good through her work, to slow down and revel in her accomplishments, the urge to do more still burned brightly. Through a series of recommendations made by her friends and colleagues, she found herself pursuing her next great cause: tackling the issue of gender and racial inequality.

Today, Michigan Women Forward helps women succeed not only by providing loans, but also by offering educational resources and teaching the fundamentals of how to run a business.

To achieve this mission, Cassin is applying many of the same principles she learned in hospice to gender bias: working for incremental, fundamental change and following the data to close the inequity gap not only between men and

women, but also between women of color and other women.

“I have to say, I’ve never had a job I didn’t like. I’ve never done work that I didn’t think was valuable. And if you stay true to the mantra ‘Did I do something today that left the world a better place?’ it’s pretty easy to feel fulfilled about what you’re doing,” Cassin says.

Michigan Women Forward offers access to capital and mentorship that’s critical to educating and empowering women to pursue their business dreams and succeed at achieving them. With 17 staff members, thousands of volunteers, and 4,000 annual donors across Michigan, the organization is creating an inclusive economy for the state so all women and girls can reach their full potential.

“You don’t really know how the story ends until you get to the end of it, and when you get there, you want to be able to look back and smile at the end of it, right?” she asks.

“You want to look back and feel good about it: good about your life, good about what you’ve contributed, (and) good about the relationships you’ve made. I just want to look back and smile at the women who are in a better place because of the work that we’ve done.”

Given her life’s work on causes like improving the end-of-life phase and addressing the ability for everyone to have an equal opportunity to achieve and succeed, regardless of race or gender, Cassin has much to smile about these days.

JEFF SLOAN is founder and CEO of StartupNation and Aria Ventures, both in Birmingham.

6/10/21 10:46 AM

From the Top || Largest Accounting Firms in Metro Detroit

Largest Accounting Firms in Metro Detroit 1. DELOITTE 200 Renaissance Center, Ste. 3900 Detroit 48243 313-396-3000 deloitte.com Top Local Executive: David Parent, Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 1,140 2019: 1,217 Michigan Employees: 2021: 1,313 2019: 1,406 Number of CPAs: 2021: 320 2019: 330

5. REHMANN 1500 W. Big Beaver Rd. Troy 48084 248-952-5000 rehmann.com Top Local Executive: Ryan Krause, Regional Managing Principal Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 305 2020: 291 Michigan Employees: 2021: 693 2020: 669 Number of CPAs: 2021: 310 2020: 313

2. PLANTE MORAN 3000 Town Center, Ste. 100 Southfield 48075 248-352-2500 plantemoran.com Top Local Executive: James Proppe, Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 1,290 2020: 1,249 Michigan Employees: 2021: 1,738 2020: 1,757 Number of CPAs: 2021: 778 2020: 710

6. KPMG 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 1900 Detroit 48226 313-230-3000 kpmg.com Top Local Executive: Kevin Voigt, Office Managing Partner, Detroit/Grand Rapids Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 316 2020: 320 Michigan Employees: 2021: 384 2020: 392 Number of CPAs: 2021: 86 2020: 85

ISTOCK

3. ERNST & YOUNG One Kennedy Square, Ste. 1000 777 Woodward Ave. Detroit 48226 313-628-7100 ey.com Top Local Executive: Angie Kelly, Detroit Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 787 2020:786 Michigan Employees: 2021: 913 2020: 906 Number of CPAs: 2021: 338 2020: 309 4. UHY Chrysler House 230 E. Grand River Ave., Ste. 700 Detroit 48226 313-964-1040 uhy-us.com Top Local Executive: Tom Callan, Great Lakes Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 435 2020: 403 Michigan Employees: 2021: 457 2020: 421 Number of CPAs: 2021: 196 2020: 174

7. DOEREN MAYHEW 305 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 200 Troy 48084 248-244-3000 doeren.com Top Local Executive: Chad Anschuetz, Managing Shareholder Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 243 2020: 239 Michigan Employees: 2021: 243 2020: 239 Number of CPAs: 2021: 107 2020: 107 8. BDO 2600 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 600 Troy 48084 248-362-2100 bdo.com Top Local Executives: Matt Manosky, Kevin Patterson, Andy Zaleski, John Marquardt, Tony Lawrence, Managing Partners Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 156 2020: 158 Michigan Employees: 2021: 630 2020: 398 Number of CPAs:

(ranked by metro Detroit-area employment)

NET INCOME Deloitte has its Detroit offices in the Renaissance Center.

2021: 205 2020: 213 9. BAKER TILLY US 2000 Towne Center, Ste. 900 Southfield 48076 248-372-7300 bakertilly.com Top Local Executive: Patrick Killeen, Michigan Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 94 2020: 114 Michigan Employees: 2021: 105 2020: 125 Number of CPAs: 2021: 37 2020: 47 10. GORDON ADVISORS 1301 W. Long Lake Rd., Ste. 200 Troy 48098 248-952-0200 gordoncpa.com Top Local Executives: Paul J. Arment, Maureen M. Moraccini, Executive Committee Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 68 2020: 68 Michigan Employees: 2021: 68 2020: 68 Number of CPAs: 2021: 31 2020: 31 11. CLAYTON & MCKERVEY 2000 Towne Center, Ste. 1800 Southfield 48075 248-208-8860 claytonmckervey.com Top Local Executive: Rob

Dutkiewicz, President Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 77 2020: 70 Michigan Employees: 2021: 77 2020: 70 Number of CPAs: 2021: 39 2020: 37 12. COLE, NEWTON & DURAN 33762 Schoolcraft Rd. Livonia 48150 734-427-2030 cndcpa.com Top Local Executive: Christopher Boloven, Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 47 2020: 46 Michigan Employees: 2021: 47 2020: 46 Number of CPAs: 2021: 20 2020: 17 13. MRPR GROUP, CPAS AND ADVISORS 28411 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 800 Southfield 48034 248-357-9000 mrpr.com Top Local Executive: Angie Mastroionni, President & Managing Principal Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 23 2020: 32 Michigan Employees: 2021: 50 2020: 55

Number of CPAs: 2021: 30 2020: 30 14. SHINDELROCK 28100 Cabot Dr., Ste. 102 Novi 48377 248 855-8833 Chrysler House 719 Griswold, Ste. 270 Detroit 48226 shindelrock.com Top Local Executive: Steve Rock, CPA, CHBC, Managing Partner Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 19 2020: 18 Michigan Employees: 2021: 19 2020: 18 Number of CPAs: 2021: 12 2020: 12 15. EDWARDS, ELLIS & ASSOCIATES 2155 Butterfield Dr., Ste. 305 Troy 48084 248-643-4545 eeacpas.com Top Local Executive: Jeffrey B. Ellis, CPA Detroit-Area Employees: 2021: 29 2020: 27 Michigan Employees: 2021: 29 2020: 27 Number of CPAs: 2021: 11 2020: 11 Source: DBusiness research

74 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

074.FTT.July.21.indd 74

6/10/21 10:45 AM

THURSDAY AUG 19, 2021

PINE KNOB GOLF CLUB Call 248.853.7862 or visit auburnhillschamber.com for more information.

AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

GOLF OPEN 18 HOLE SCRAMBLE • PRIZES • GREAT AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OFCONNECTIONS COMMERCE

GOLF OPEN LEAD SPONSORS

Congratulations to our

CEO NICK GREEN on 23 Successful Years Your extraordinary dedication and leadership built one of the largest Neurosurgical practices in the United States. Growing Michigan Head & Spine Institute from 8 to 30 physicians plus 9 advanced providers.

Along with the vision to expand from 4 to 20 locations including diagnostic imaging and physical rehabilitation services.

A Retirement Well Deserved!

www.MHSI.us

75_DB0721.indd 1

248-784-3667

6/9/21 11:03 PM

From the Top || Largest Banks and Thrifts in Metro Detroit

Largest Banks and Thrifts in Metro Detroit (ranked by 2020 assets) 1. TCF BANK (merger with Huntington Bank closed on June 9, 2021) 333 W. Fort St. Detroit 48226 866-258-1807 tcfbank.com Top Local Executives: David Provost, CEO, TCF Financial Corp.; Tom Shafer, CEO, TCF National Bank Assets 2020: $47.8B Assets 2019: $46.7B Net Income 2020: $222.8M Net Income 2019: $295.5M Total Loans 2020: $34.5B Total Loans 2019: $34.5B 2. FLAGSTAR BANK 5151 Corporate Dr. Troy 48098 248-312-2000 flagstar.com Top Local Executive: Alessandro P. DiNello, President & CEO Assets 2020: $31B Assets 2019: $23.2B Net Income 2020: $566.2M Net Income 2019: $241.1M Total Loans 2020: $25.6B Total Loans 2019: $18B 3. COMERICA BANK 411 W. Lafayette Blvd.

Detroit 48226 313-222-4000 comerica.com Top Local Executive: Michael T. Ritchie, Michigan Market President Assets 2020: $12.3B Assets 2019: $13.2B Net Income 2020: $204M Net Income 2019: $370M Total Loans 2020 (FY average): $11.6B Total Loans 2019 (FY average): $12.6B (These figures reflect Comerica’s Michigan banks.)

4. STERLING BANK AND TRUST One Towne Square, Ste. 1900 Southfield 48076 248-355-2400 sterlingbank.com Top Local Executive: Thomas M. O’Brien, Chairman, President & CEO Assets 2020: $3.9B Assets 2019: $3.2B Net Income 2020: $12.4M Net Income 2019: $40.3M Total Loans 2020: $2.5B Total Loans 2019: $2.9B 5. LEVEL ONE BANK (Acquired Ann Arbor State Bank in 2020) 32991 Hamilton Court Farmington Hills 48334

248-737-0300 levelonebank.com Top Local Executive: Patrick J. Fehring, Chairman, President & CEO Assets 2020: $2.4B Assets 2019: $1.6B Net Income 2020: $22.7M Net Income 2019: $17.1M Total Loans 2020: $1.7B Total Loans 2019: $1.2B 6. BANK OF ANN ARBOR 125 S. Fifth Ave. Ann Arbor 48107 734-662-1600 bankofannarbor.com Top Local Executive: Tim Marshall, President & CEO Assets 2020: $2.2B Assets 2019: $1.8B Net Income 2020: $22.9M Net Income 2019: $32.9M Total Loans 2020: $1.6B Total Loans 2019: $1.3B 7. CHOICEONE BANK (Lakestone Bank and Trust merged into ChoiceBank in 2020) 109 E. Division St. Sparta 49345 810-395-4313 choiceone.com Top Local Executive: Kelly J. Potes, CEO Assets 2020: $1.9B Assets 2019: $673.9M Net Income 2020: $18M Net Income 2019: $7.1M Total Loans 2020: $1.1B Total Loans 2019: $430.3M 8. FIRST STATE BANK 24300 Little Mack Ave. St. Clair Shores 48080 586-775-5000 fsb.bank Top Local Executive: Gene Lovell, President & CEO Assets 2020: $926.9M Assets 2019: $772.1M Net Income 2020: $7.6M Net Income 2019: $8.1M Total Loans 2020: $516.6M Total Loans 2019: $530.8M 9. OXFORD BANK 60 S. Washington St. Oxford 48371 248-628-2533 oxfordbank.com Top Local Executive: David Lamb, President & CEO Assets 2020: $698.1M Assets 2019: $505.3M Net Income 2020: $7.1M Net Income 2019: $5.4M Total Loans 2020: $537.1M Total Loans 2019: $338.1M

BRICKS AND MORTAR A stand-alone branch of TCF Bank.

10. UNIVERSITY BANK 2015 Washtenaw Ave. Ann Arbor 48104 734-741-5858 university-bank.com Top Local Executive: Stephen L. Ranzini, President & CEO Assets 2020: $552.2M Assets 2019: $357.8M Net Income 2020: $30.8M Net Income 2019: $3.9M Total Loans 2020: $303.9M Total Loans 2019: $201.7M 11. FIRST NATIONAL BANK IN HOWELL 101 E. Grand River Ave. Howell 48843 517-546-3150 fnbh.com Top Local Executive: Ron Long, President & CEO Assets 2020: $550.6M Assets 2019: $431.1M Net Income 2020: $6.6M Net Income 2019: $6M Total Loans 2020: $379.7M Total Loans 2019: $354.6M 12. CHELSEA STATE BANK 1010 S. Main St. Chelsea 48118 734-475-1355 chelseastate.bank Top Local Executive: Joanne Rau, President & CEO Assets 2020: $379M Assets 2019: $297.1M Net Income 2020: $4.7M Net Income 2019: $4.9M Total Loans 2020: $210.9M Total Loans 2019: $173.5M 13. FIRST INDEPENDENCE BANK 7310 Woodward Ave., Ste. 101 Detroit 48202 313-256-8400

firstindependence.com Top Local Executive: Kenneth Kelly, Chairman & CEO Assets 2020: $287.4M Assets 2019: $296M Net Income 2020: $2.5M Net Income 2019: $2.8M Total Loans 2020: $161.1M Total Loans 2019: $166.9M 14. DEARBORN FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK 22315 Michigan Ave. Dearborn 48124 313-565-3100 mydfsb.com Top Local Executive: William R. White, Chairman/President Assets 2020: $269.8M Assets 2019: $255.8M Net Income 2020: $541K Net Income 2019: $1.2M Total Loans 2020: $182.9M Total Loans 2019: $200.2M

Assets 2020: $120M Assets 2019: $68.2M Net Income 2020: $-1.5M Net Income 2019: $-2.2M Total Loans 2020: $94.4M Total Loans 2019: $42.4M Total financial results are listed for banks headquartered in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Washtenaw counties. For banks headquartered outside this area, local results only are provided. Many national banks do not release results for individual markets; therefore, major institutions are not included on this list. Total loans also account for leases.

Sources: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and DBusiness research

15. HURON VALLEY STATE BANK 130 S. Milford Rd. Milford 48381 248-684-9626 hvsb.com Top Local Executive: Jack Shubitowski, President & CEO Assets 2020: $192.2M Assets 2019: $155.7M Net Income 2020: $1.6M Net Income 2019: $1.9M Total Loans 2020: $149.4M Total Loans 2019: $134.1M 16. MI BANK 3707 W. Maple Rd., Ste. 100 Bloomfield Township 48301 855-642-2651 mi.bank Top Local Executive: Rob Farr, Chairman & CEO

76 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

074.FTT.July.21.indd 76

6/10/21 10:46 AM

Largest Credit Unions in Metro Detroit || From the Top

Largest Credit Unions in Metro Detroit (Ranked by 2020 assets) 1. DFCU FINANCIAL 400 Town Center Dr. Dearborn 48126 888-336-2700 dfcufinancial.com Top Local Executive: Mark Shobe, President and CEO Assets 2020: $5.8B Assets 2019: $4.9B Total Income 2020: $168.6M Total Loans 2020: $906.6M Total Loans 2019: $1.01B 2. GENISYS CREDIT UNION 2100 Executive Hills Blvd.

Auburn Hills 48326 248-322-9800 genisyscu.org Top Local Executive: Jackie Buchanan, CEO Assets 2020: $3.55B Assets 2019: $3.5B Total Income 2019: $165.4M Total Loans 2020: $2.25B Total Loans 2019: $2.04B 3. MICHIGAN SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT CREDIT UNION 40400 Garfield Rd. Clinton Township 48038 586-263-8800 msgcu.org Top Local Executive: Peter D. Gates, President and CEO Assets 2020: $2.77B Assets 2019: $2.3B Total Income 2020: $118.25M Total Loans 2020: $2.09B Total Loans 2019: $1.9B 4. CREDIT UNION ONE 400 E. Nine Mile Rd. Ferndale 48220 800-451-4292 cuone.org Top Local Executive: Gary A. Moody, President and CEO Assets 2020: $1.65B Assets 2019: $1.4B Total Income 2020: $69.8M Total Loans 2020: $1.08B Total Loans 2019: $1.1B 5. COMMUNITY CHOICE CREDIT UNION 31155 Northwestern Hwy. Farmington Hills 48334 877-243-2528 communitychoice.com Top Local Executive: Robert Bava, President and CEO Assets 2020: $1.39B Assets 2019: $1.1B Total Income 2020: $68.1M Total Loans 2020: $989M Total Loans 2019: $958M 6. MICHIGAN FIRST CREDIT UNION 27000 Evergreen Rd. Lathrup Village 48076

800-664-3828 michiganfirst.com Top Local Executive: Michael Poulos, President and CEO Assets 2020: $1.3B Assets 2019: $980M Total Income 2020: $92.4M Total Loans 2020: $842.3M Total Loans 2019: $668M 7. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN CREDIT UNION 340 E. Huron St., Ste. 100 Ann Arbor 48104 734-662-8200 umcu.org Top Local Executive: Tiffany Ford, CEO Assets 2020: $1.18B Assets 2019: $953M Total Income 2020: $47.1M Total Loans 2020: $837.3M Total Loans 2019: $754M 8. COMMUNITY FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION 500 S. Harvey St. Plymouth 48170 734-453-1200 cfcu.org Top Local Executive: William Lawton, CEO Assets 2020: $1.16B Assets 2019: $1.01B Total Income 2020: $59.5M Total Loans 2020: $1.03B Total Loans 2019: $945M 9. VIBE CREDIT UNION 44575 W. 12 Mile Rd. Novi 48377 248-735-9500 vibecreditunion.com Top Local Executive: Allan McMorris, President and CEO Assets 2020: $1.06B Assets 2019: $913.8M Total Income 2020: $52.3M Total Loans 2020: $694.6M Total Loans 2019: $659M 10. MICHIGAN EDUCATIONAL CREDIT UNION 9200 N. Haggerty Rd. Plymouth 48170 734-455-9200 michedcu.org Top Local Executive: Robert Sandercock, President and CEO Assets 2020: $1B Assets 2019: $876M Total Income 2020: $27.4M Total Loans 2020: $486.5M Total Loans 2019: $536.4M

Top Local Executive: Julie Kreinbring, President and CEO Assets 2020: $749.8M Assets 2019: $613.9M Total Income 2020: $34M Total Loans 2020: $388.8M Total Loans 2019: $374M 12. CHRISTIAN FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION 35100 Van Dyke Ave. Sterling Heights 48315 586-772-6330 christianfinancialcu.org Top Local Executive: Patricia L. Campbell, President and CEO Assets 2020: $723.2M Assets 2019: $429M Total Income 2020: $31.9M Total Loans 2020: $382.3M Total Loans 2019: $290M 13. ALLIANCE CATHOLIC CREDIT UNION 26913 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 520 Southfield 48033 877-950-2228 allianceccu.com Top Local Executive: Robert Grech, President and CEO Assets 2020: $559.6M Assets 2019: $462M Total Income 2020: $22.4M Total Loans 2020: $193.4M Total Loans 2019: $200.8M 14. DIVERSIFIED MEMBERS CREDIT UNION 1480 E. Jefferson Ave. Detroit 48027 313-568-5000 dmcu.com Top Local Executive: Kathie Trembath, CEO Assets 2020: $460.1M Assets 2019: $399M

Warren 48092 586-276-3000 extracreditunion.org Top Local Executive: Deidra M. Williams, President and CEO Assets 2020: $290.3M Assets 2019: $236M Total Income 2020: $19.8M Total Loans 2020: $133.6M Total Loans 2019: $141.2M

Total Income 2020: $17.9M Total Loans 2020: $212.4M Total Loans 2019: $174M 15. CORNERSTONE COMMUNITY FINANCIAL 2955 University Dr. Auburn Hills 48326 248-340-9310 800-777-6728 ccfinancial.com Top Local Executive: Heidi Kassab, President and CEO Assets 2020: $329.9M Assets 2019: $289.4M Total Income 2020: $16.3M Total Loans 2020: $62.9M Total Loans 2019: $258M

19. LOC FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 22981 Farmington Rd. Farmington 48336 248-474-2200 locfederal.com Top Local Executive: Stephen Grech, President and CEO Assets 2020: $280.9M Assets 2019: $227M Total Income 2020: $9.6M Total Loans 2020: $140.5M Total Loans 2019: $124M

16. PEOPLE DRIVEN CREDIT UNION 24333 Lahser Rd. Southfield 48033 248-263-4100 peopledrivencu.org Top Local Executive: Renee Demarco, CEO/Manager Assets 2020: $325.4M Assets 2019: $272M Total Income 2020: $13.1M Total Loans 2020: $178.6M Total Loans 2019: $181.2M 17. OUR CREDIT UNION 3070 Normandy Rd. Royal Oak 48073 248-549-3838 ourcuonline.org Top Local Executive: Tina Dix, President and CEO Assets 2020: $316.2M Assets 2019: $269.3M Total Income 2020: $13.6M Total Loans 2020: $199.4M Total Loans 2019: $185.2M 18. EXTRA CREDIT UNION 6611 Chicago Rd.

20. FREESTAR FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION 37570 S. Gratiot Ave. Clinton Township 48036 586-466-7800 freestarfinancial.com Top Local Executive: Drema D. Isaac, President and CEO Assets 2020: $260.7M Assets 2019: $226M Total Income 2020: $12.6M Total Loans 2020: $171.4M Total Loans 2019: $177M Sources: Michigan Credit Union League and Affiliates, and DBusiness research Total financial results are listed for credit unions headquartered in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Washtenaw counties.

CENTRAL FUNDS Credit Union One in Ferndale.

11. ZEAL CREDIT UNION 17250 Newburgh Rd. Livonia 48152 800-321-8570 zealcreditunion.org

JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 77

074.FTT.July.21.indd 77

6/10/21 10:46 AM

From the Top || Corporate Aviation — Top Regional Airports

Corporate Aviation GENESEE COUNTY BISHOP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (FNT) G-3425 W. Bristol Rd. Flint 48507 810-235-6560 bishopairport.org Tower: Yes Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 2 Longest Runway: 7,849 ft.

Total Operations 2020: 32,959 Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A), maintenance, hangars, tie-downs, aircraft parking, ground power unit, de-icing, public phone, restrooms, showers, flight planning, satellite weather, passenger lounge, passenger terminal, on-site rental cars, lavatory service, air stairs, pilot lounge, crew cars, limo service, catering, business services, pilot supplies, internet, conference room, U.S. Customs, flight training, air freight, military landing rights FBOs/Other Services: Avflight Flint, 810-235-0681 Hours: Open 24 hours daily PRICE’S AIRPORT (9G2) 15057 Lindbergh Ct. Linden 48451 810-735-6569 horizonlakesairpark.net Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 4,000 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Self-serve fuel (100 LL), maintenance on call, snow removal, hangars, tie-downs Hours: Open 24 hours daily

LIVINGSTON COUNTY BRIGHTON AIRPORT (45G) 8664 Hyne Rd. Brighton 48114 810-599-1747 brightonairport.org Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: No Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 3,120 ft.

Total Operations 2020: 3,800+ (est.)

Services: No fuel available, tie-downs Hours: Open 24 hours daily (irregular)

(Top Regional Airports 2021)

LIVINGSTON COUNTY SPENCER J. HARDY AIRPORT (OZW) 3399 County Airport Dr. Howell 48855 517-546-6675 co.livingston.mi.us/airport Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 5,002 ft.

Total Operations 2020: 50,000 Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A), maintenance, repair, inspection, charter, rentals, flight training, hangars FBOs/Other Services: Airservice Enterprise Inc., 517-546-7379; Fuel After Hours, 517-861-1856; Crosswinds Aviation, 517-552-1101 Hours: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday

MACOMB COUNTY RAY COMMUNITY AIRPORT (57D) 59819 Indian Trail Ray 48096 586-612-9910 go2ray.com Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: No Number of Runways: 2 Longest Runway: 2,495 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Fuel (100 LL), flight instruction, mechanic on call, hangar, tie-downs FBOs/Other Services: Berz Flight Training, 586-731-6750 Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily ROMEO STATE AIRPORT (D98) 15340 32 Mile Rd. Romeo 48096 586-336-9116 airnav.com/airport/D98 Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 4,000 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Self-serve fuel (100 LL, Jet A), on-call maintenance, airport management, rental cars, flight training, charter, aircraft rentals, hangars, hangar leasing/ sales, passenger terminal, passenger lounge, tie-downs FBOs/Other Services: St. Clair Flight School, 586-536-0773 Hours: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Monday-Friday

OAKLAND COUNTY OAKLAND COUNTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (PTK) 6500 Patterson Parkway Waterford Twp. 48327 248-666-3900 oakgov.com/aviation Tower: Yes Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 3 Longest Runway: 6,521 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A), aircraft parking, maintenance, repair, parts, detailing, pilot/ passenger lounges, rental cars, limo service, catering, ground power units, de-icing, lavatory and oxygen service, flight planning, live weather radar, U.S. Customs, heated FBO hangars, conference rooms, wireless internet, showers, catering, concierge, passenger/freight charters, military landing rights FBOs/Other Services: Michigan Aviation, 248-6663440; Oakland Air, 248-6664300; Pentastar Aviation, 248-666-8230; Royal Air, 248-666-3070 Hours: Open 24 hours daily OAKLAND/SOUTHWEST AIRPORT (KY47) 57751 Pontiac Trail New Hudson 48165 248-437-2333 oakgove.com/aviation Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 3,128 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Self-serve fuel (100 LL), pilot/passenger lounge, hangars, tie-downs, internet and computer for flight and weather planning. American Aces offers flight training and aircraft rentals.

Other Services: Flight school only, American Aces, 248-446-9734 Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

OAKLAND/TROY AIRPORT (KVLL) 2672 Industrial Row Troy 48084 248-288-6100 oakgov.com/aviation Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 3,549 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Self-serve fuel (100 LL, Jet A), hangars, tie-downs FBOs/Other Services: JDS Pumps-N-Go, 248-288-6100; 2HRFUEL.com, 248-655-1474 Office Hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily

WASHTENAW COUNTY ANN ARBOR MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KARB) 801 Airport Dr. Ann Arbor 48103 734-994-2841 airport@a2gov.org Tower: Yes Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 2 Longest Runway: 3,505 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A), maintenance, repairs, parts, aviation accessories, rental cars, public telephone, restroom, limousine service available 24 hours a day, parking/tie-downs, auxiliary power units, jump-starting, computerized weather and flight planning, aircraft parking, aircraft rental, aerial tours/aerial sightseeing, rental/crew cars, oxygen, pilot lounge, shower, internet, passenger lobby, catering, refreshments, aircraft rental, flight training, hangars, glider towing, tie-downs FBOs/Other Services: Ann Arbor Aviation Center, 734-662-6806; Solo Aviation, 734-994-6651; Bijan Air Inc. (helicopter), 734-769-8400 Hours: Nov.-March 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; April-Oct., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily; terminal open 7 a.m.-dusk WILLOW RUN AIRPORT (YIP) 801 Willow Run Airport Ypsilanti 48198 734-485-6666 willowrunairport.com Tower: Yes Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 3 Longest Runway: 7,543 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A), flight planning, de-icing, aircraft lavatory service, satellite weather, U.S. Customs services, parking (ramp and tie-down), hangars, passenger terminal, pilot lounge, catering, concierge,

rental/crew cars, high-speed wireless internet, business services, freight/cargo handling, military landing rights FBOs/Other Services: Avflight Willow Run (East), 734-4822621; Avflight Willow Run (West), 734-483-3531; Odyssey Aviation, 734-547-7359; Flagship Private Air, 734-926-2000 Hours: Open 24 hours daily

WAYNE COUNTY CANTON-PLYMOUTH-METTETAL AIRPORT (1D2) 8550 North Lilley Rd. Canton Twp. 48187 734-459-0012 airnav.com/airport/1D2 Tower: No Instrument Approach Procedures: Yes Number of Runways: 1 Longest Runway: 2,302 ft.

Total Operations 2020: Unavailable

78 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

074.FTT.July.21.indd 78

6/10/21 10:46 AM

Corporate Aviation — Top Regional Airports || From the Top

BLUE YONDER Oakland International Airport in Waterford Township.

Services: Fuel (100 LL), hangars,

maintenance, cleaning, de-icing,

Tower: Yes

GROSSE ILE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

Ile Municipal Airport,

maintenance, repair, parking,

hangars, weather/flight planning,

Instrument Approach

(ONZ)

734-675-0155

tie-downs, flight school, aircraft

tie-downs, charter, courtesy

Procedures: Yes

9601 Groh Rd.

Hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

rental, high-speed wireless

transportation, aircraft lavatory

Number of Runways: 6

Grosse Ile Twp. 48138

Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

internet, lounge, computerized

service, passenger terminal, pilot

Longest Runway: 12,003 ft.

734-675-0155

Saturday

weather, flight planning

lounge, rental cars, limo service,

Total Operations 2020:

grosseileairport.com

Hours: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily

catering, aircraft sales, aircraft

238,574

Tower: No

Sources: Michigan Office of

cleaning/washing/detailing,

Services: Cleaning, fuel (100 LL,

Instrument Approach

Aeronautics, AirNav.com,

COLEMAN A. YOUNG INTERNATIONAL

conference rooms, concierge,

Jet A), hangars, office rental,

Procedures: Yes

DBusiness research

AIRPORT (DET)

military landing rights

weather/flight planning,

Number of Runways: 2

11499 Conner Ave.

FBOs/Other Services: Avflight,

tie-downs, passenger/pilot

Longest Runway: 4,846 ft.

Detroit 48213

313-527-6620; Active Aero,

lounges, lavatory and potable

Total Operations 2020:

313-628-2146

734-547-7359

water, GPU, ground handling,

Unavailable

detroitmi.gov/Government/

Hours: Open 24 hours daily

rental/crew cars, de-icing, exec

Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A),

Departments/airport.aspx

terminal, crew lounge, wireless,

hangar leasing/sales, tie-downs,

Tower: Yes

catering, limo service,

computerized weather, pilot

Instrument Approach

DETROIT METROPOLITAN WAYNE

conference rooms, on-site hotel

lounge, plane wash, rental/crew

Procedures: Yes

COUNTY AIRPORT (DTW)

and concierge, military landing

cars, charter, aircraft lavatory

Number of Runways: 2

Wayne County Airport Authority

rights

service, conference room,

Longest Runway: 5,090 ft.

11050 Rogell Dr., Bldg. 602

FBOs/Other Services:

concierge, catering, restaurant

Total Operations 2020:

Detroit 48242

Signature Flight Support,

and lodging on-site, flight

Unavailable

734-247-6878

734-941-7880

training, military landing rights

Services: Fuel (100 LL, Jet A),

metroairport.com

Hours: Open 24 hours daily

FBOs/Other Services: Grosse JULY - AUGUST 2021 || DBUSINESS.COM 79

074.FTT.July.21.indd 79

6/10/21 10:46 AM

Untitled-3 1

6/11/21 9:40 AM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

FIND THE FACES OF: Charitable Fundraising ................................. 82 Compassionate Human Resources Leadership .................................. 83 Friendly Administrative Assistance ............. 84 Dental Benefits … And Beyond ..................... 85 Integrated Communications ........................ 86 Indoor Growing .............................................. 87 Lingerie .......................................................... 88 Mortgage Banking......................................... 89 Pontiac’s Future Workforce .......................... 90 Pontiac’s Empowerment .............................. 91 Private Investigations ................................... 92 Private Equity ................................................ 93 United Green … We Are Here to Help You Grow 94 Real Estate Excellence .................................. 95 Your Next Realtor .......................................... 96 1

Faces.DBusiness.JulAug.21.indd 1

6/10/21 5:58 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

CHARITABLE FUNDRAISING PATRICK A. RUGIERO, CAPITAL CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN - BASILICA OF STE. ANNE DE DETROIT

1000 SAINTE ANNE ST., DETROIT, MI 48216 | 313-539-5000 | STE-ANNE.ORG The Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit, an architectural masterpiece in the heart of Detroit, serves as a symbol of the city’s rich past and a beacon for its future. Patrick A. Rugiero, Chairman of the $26 million capital campaign to restore the iconic structure, wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant symbol of perseverance for years to come.

Rugiero is well known in the city for his philanthropic work. He sits on the National Kidney Foundation, Beaumont

BasilicaOfStAnne.fp.DB.0721.V5.indd 1

Hospital, Life Directions, and Beyond Basics boards, and has a long history of fundraising for good causes. This campaign, dedicated to the Basilica’s restoration, is no exception.

As the second-oldest parish in the U.S., founded in 1701, and the only Basilica in Detroit, its significance is worthy of investment. As Rugiero embarks on the fundraising campaign, he seeks to inspire others to get involved, donate, and join him in this endeavor.

6/9/21 4:43 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

COMPASSIONATE HUMAN RESOURCES LEADERSHIP TRACEY KENTY, VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES – STRATEGIC STAFFING SOLUTIONS 3011 W. GRAND BLVD., STE. 2100, DETROIT, MI 48202 | STRATEGICSTAFF.COM

When it comes to leadership, making connections, and helping people to achieve their potential, Tracey Kenty is a master.

Kenty’s passion for helping people, combined with her talent for workplace human relations are always underscored, as she ensures that all S3 employees develop their careers in a supportive environment. She manages payroll and benefits as well as S3’s onboarding team and its Ambassador Program, which is charged with increasing retention across 3,600 consultants.

StrategicStaffing-Kenty.fp.DB.0721 V3.indd 2

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Kenty collaborated across many S3 departments to communicate health guidelines, policy and instruction for both the corporate overhead team and for S3’s consultants. She is also responsible for creating and executing S3’s Covid company-wide vaccine clinics and authoring S3’s pandemic preparedness policy, proving yet again what CEO Cynthia Pasky says about her is true: “Tracey is more than our VP of Human Resources, she saves lives every day.”

6/7/21 3:56 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

FRIENDLY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE DANIEL BROWN, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – STRATEGIC STAFFING SOLUTIONS 3011 W. GRAND BLVD., STE. 2100, DETROIT, MI 48202 | STRATEGICSTAFF.COM Daniel Brown is the friendly voice that answers the phone at Strategic Staffing So lutions, or be tter st ill, it ’s hi s bi g wa rm smile that greets guests and visitors. Brown is also known to always lend a hand whenever and wherever it is needed throughout the organization.

When Brown joined S3, he had never even touched a computer before, but that wasn’t an issue. Many who join S3 do so via its “Green Pathway” program, where new hires may

StrategicStaffing-Brown.fp.DB.0721 V2.indd 1

not have staffing industry experience or even a degree, but instead have a strong work ethic and a desire to learn. Brown has both in vast amounts, and a huge heart.

After a crash course in computers, Brown now operates S3’s nerve center. “All the jobs I’ve had before were manual labor,” Brown says. “For S3 to give me this opportunity it’s a true blessing and I want to do that much more because I’m so grateful.”

6/7/21 3:27 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

DENTAL BENEFITS … AND BEYOND DELTA DENTAL OF MICHIGAN

4100 OKEMOS RD., OKEMOS, MI 48864 | 248-489-2058 | DELTADENTALMI.COM Delta Dental is the market leader nationally in dental benefits with market share nearly three times that of the next closest competitor. With more than 7,300 customer groups in Michigan, Delta Dental’s employees are laser-focused on delivering exceptional service to clients and agent partners.

Delta Dental Account Executive Sara Hayter is one of the many faces of Delta Dental, with 20 years selling in the southeast Michigan market. Hayter attributes her sales success to these pillars of the company: • The largest, wholly owned dental networks of contracted dentists

• Network discounts that deliver competitive savings for customers • First-contact resolution customer service • Science-based, innovative plan designs Delta Dental’s core business, of course, is selling dental benefits — that’s what they do. Why they do it is to build better communities where customers and their families can thrive.

Delta Dental of Michigan believes that building relationships and communities is what building business is all about.

85

DeltaDental.fp.DB.0721 V4.indd 2

6/11/21 2:29 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS FRANCO

400 RENAISSANCE CENTER, STE. 1000, DETROIT, MI 48243 | 313-567-2300 | FRANCO.COM Franco has been a leader in Detroit public relations since 1964. While the agency is rooted in PR, its approach has evolved to combine marketing, social media, digital, design, video, and analytics to deliver integrated communications programs that drive organizational performance.

The agency works with clients in various industries, from award-winning pizza and changemaking nonprofits

service firms. Franco utilizes a unique approach that combines analytics and insights with relationships and instincts to produce meaningful results for clients.

The Franco team delivers “big agency” programs while simultaneously being attentive, nimble, and costefficient. Clients say Franco is a “true partner” that’s reliable, accessible, and results-driven. Why does Franco do what they do? Because its team has an unwavering commitment to people, clients, and the community.

6

Franco.fp.DB.0721 V1.indd 1

6/7/21 9:52 AM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

INDOOR GROWING MARK SAVAYA – FUTURE GROW SOLUTIONS

500 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 833-347-6275 | FUTUREGROWSOLUTIONS.COM The cannabis industry in Michigan is growing at an exponential rate with nearly 500 licensed cannabis growers across the state. Recreational sales reached nearly $510 million in 2020 and that figure is expected to increase this year. For businesses looking to cash-in on this green wave, it helps to have an ally who knows about the cannabis industry from the inside out.

Mark Savaya, CEO of Future Grow Solutions, a commercial indoor growing services provider, has been involved in the cannabis industry for a number of years and is knowledgeable about starting a growing project from the ground up. Future Grow Solutions provides for leaf and bud provisioning centers.

Savaya and the Future Grow Solutions team can assist interested growers in finding appropriate and affordable facilities, navigate the extensive licensing and paperwork, as well as lease clients one of the most efficient growing system, The CropTower. The indoor vertical growing system uses customizable LED lights and recycled, filtered water to yield large amounts of any cash crop, multiple times a year. Savings are extensive on water, fertilizer, energy, and labor costs.

For more information, visit www.futuregrowsolutions.com.

87

FutureGrow.fp.DB.0721.V1.indd 2

6/11/21 2:28 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

LINGERIE LISA HARDY HAMILL & KIM HARDY HICKSON — HARP’S LINGERIE

265 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-642-2555 | HARPS-LINGERIE.COM A customized fit a nd e xtraordinary l ingerie a re t he s ecrets to a happy customer. Keeping the tradition alive, the granddaughters of Betty Harp, founder of Harp’s Lingerie — Lisa Hardy Hamill and Kim Hardy Hickson — know that what you wear underneath your outfit i s j ust a s i mportant a s t he clothes themselves.

Lingerie determines your silhouette and your comfort, ensuring you’ll look and feel your best. At Harp’s Lingerie, you’re showered with excellent customer service and fit perfectly for

HarpsLingerie.fp.DB.0721.V3.indd 1

undergarments that will accentuate your figure. Harp’s carries a wide variety of intimate apparel for your everyday, bridal, and special occasion needs.

Hard-to-fit sizes are Harp’s specialty; they carry band sizes from 32-54 and cup sizes from AA-N. Experience the Harp’s difference and see why, for more than 70 years, they’ve proudly earned the loyalty of generations and repeat customers. Harp’s strives to make everyone feel beautiful and special when they walk out the door, just as Mrs. Harp did so well.

6/4/21 9:05 AM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACES OF

MORTGAGE BANKING HARRY GLANZ & DAN BURKE — CAPITAL MORTGAGE FUNDING

17170 W. 12 MILE RD., SOUTHFIELD, MI 48076 | 248-569-7283 | CAPITALMORTGAGEFUNDING.COM Since 1992, Capital Mortgage Funding has been a leader in Michigan’s mortgage banking industry. Led by Harry Glanz and Dan Burke, two of the state’s most well-respected mortgage banking luminaries, the company is driven by a simple but effective philosophy. “We’re a relationship-driven organization; our focus is on our clients’ experience and making the process as smooth as possible,” says Glanz, who brings more than 30 years of experience to the business, as does Burke.

“We have some of the most experienced mortgage

bankers,” Glanz adds. “We’re proud of our award-winning mortgage team and state-of-the-art process that customizes and efficiently completes the right mortgage for each client.”

CMF specializes in residential loans, and proudly celebrates its 29th anniversary in 2021. Capital Mortgage Funding is powered by Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. NMLS No. 2289. Equal Housing Lender. Harry Glanz, president/cofounder NMLS No. 61034. Dan Burke, VP area manager/cofounder NMLS No. 61101.

89

CapitalMortgage.fp.DB.0721 V2.indd 2

6/11/21 2:27 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACES OF

PONTIAC’S FUTURE WORKFORCE PONTIAC REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

402 N. TELEGRAPH RD., PONTIAC, MI 48341 | 248-335-9600 | PONTIACRC.COM

The Pontiac Regional Chamber formed the Pontiac United Education Coalition with a powerful vision to enhance the community’s real estate values by increasing the prosperity of all Pontiac residents.

The Coalition is a novel cross-sector approach and is comprised of business, non-profit, community and school leaders who focus on improving education and workforce development across the city.

Towards this effort the Coalition just launched Pontiac READS!, a local chapter of the national Campaign for GradeLevel Reading, to champion the goal of every Pontiac child

reading at or beyond their grade level.

This work is supported by the “Pontiac Angels,” a group of Pontiac advocates who uplift literacy education opportunities for the children of the city. Pontiac Angel leaders Tanya Christ, Ph.D., from Oakland University and Early Literacy Consultant Ashelin Currie, Ph.D., from Oakland Schools, join with Center for Success CEO Andrea Meyer to guide the work of Pontiac READS! The two organizations underpin the opportunity to fully realize the potential intersection of educational opportunity, workforce development, and the Pontiac Promise Zone to drive residential real estate growth.

90

PontiacChamber1.fp.DB.0721 V1.indd 1

6/11/21 2:29 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACES OF

PONTIAC’S EMPOWERMENT PONTIAC REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

402 N. TELEGRAPH RD., PONTIAC, MI 48341 | 248-335-9600 | PONTIACRC.COM

The Pontiac Regional Chamber, led by Damany Head, and MSU Federal Credit Union are partnering to empower area businesses and community member’s financial success.

“We are pleased to partner with the Pontiac Regional Chamber, one of the state’s longest-existing chambers,” says April Clobes, MSUFCU president and CEO. “Through this partnership, we will provide financial education, products, and services to community members and business leaders to help them realize their financial goals and achieve their dreams.”

Head says the Pontiac Regional Chamber’s mission is to empower members to successfully operate their businesses,

deliver extraordinary customer service, and uplift the communities they serve. The partnership between MSUFCU and the Chamber will help fulfill this commitment to building strong local and regional economies.

MSUFCU provides information about financial topics, sustainability, and overall financial literacy to community members through free webinars, presentations, and its podcast, Wallet Watch. When individuals are empowered to make informed decisions about their finances, the result is a stronger and more vital community. To learn more, visit msufcu.org.

91

PontiacChamber2.fp.DB.0721 V1.indd 2

6/8/21 11:34 AM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACES OF

PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS ASG INVESTIGATIONS

370 E. MAPLE RD., THIRD FLOOR, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-781-3650 | SHERLOCKPI.COM At ASG Investigations, the goal is to help clients get answers to difficult questions, or to gather intelligence (the actionable kind) to help clients make better, more informed decisions.

It’s less about hiding in the bushes (although sometimes that’s done) and more about real, deep-dive background checks, performing due diligence, connecting the dots, and collecting evidence.

The agency, run by expert investigator Paul Dank, is one of the largest in the Midwest, and has offices in Birmingham, Novi, and Clinton Township. Because of its size, expertise, and diversity, ASG is the industry leader when it comes

to producing meaningful investigative results for a client base that includes business owners, corporate counsel, HR professionals, attorneys, private individuals, and executives.

ASG is also very discreet. What most people don’t know is that in Michigan, a private investigator’s confidentiality, or “privilege,” is as strong as those that doctors and attorneys practice under.

For more than 25 years, ASG Investigations has been working with Detroit’s smartest businesses and wealthy individuals to conduct unrivaled investigations, background checks, and intelligence.

9

ASGInvestigations.fp.DB.0721 V3.indd 1

6/4/21 12:06 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACES OF

PRIVATE EQUITY PENINSULA CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC

500 WOODWARD AVE., STE. 2800, DETROIT, MI 48226 | 313-237-5100 | PENINSULAFUNDS.COM Peninsula Capital Partners, LLC, is an internationally respected private equity investment firm that has had nearly $2 billion of committed capital in seven investment partnerships since 1995, and has invested in more than 135 middle-market businesses throughout the United States and Canada. The firm was instrumental in the development of a private equity industry in Michigan, and is well-known for pioneering a unique and more flexible investment approach that combines elements of buyout, private debt, and growth capital to off er highly customized capital solutions to companies seeking funding to complete acquisitions, support growth, buy back stock, or address other special

situations requiring junior capital, as either a controlling or non-controlling investor.

Peninsula has always rejected the rigid investment approach that’s employed throughout much of the private equity industry and requires a company and a transaction to fit into a predefined set of criteria. Instead, the fi rm follows an investment approach that’s based on common sense, practicality, and, most of all, flexibility.

Founded in downtown Detroit 26 years ago, Peninsula has been part of the economic renaissance of the city and looks forward to continuing to grow and contribute to Detroit’s resurgence.

9

PeninsulaCapitalPartners.fp.DB.0721 V6.indd 2

6/4/21 1:43 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

UNITED GREEN … WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU GROW CRAIG PETERSMARK – UNITED GREEN

3252 UNIVERSITY DR., STE. 142, AUBURN HILLS, MI 48326 | 947-886-2427 | THEUNITEDGREEN.COM Craig Petersmark is a hands-on, business-driven entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in owning and operating a variety of different sized companies. He owes his success to hard work, exceeding expectations, communicating at a high level, and truly appreciating his achievements.

One of those triumphs has been the founding of United Green in 2018. The firm assists companies across the country by connecting top industry talent to aid in a company’s growth. Petersmark’s goal is to help the cannabis and hemp

industry leaders bring more health options to end-users throughout the United States.

“Our team believes in the healing effects of CBD and THC, and we want to help establish companies grow in order to bring the best products and services to market,” Petersmark says.

“At United Green, we are here to help you grow!”

And United Green is also growing, recently hiring their 1000th employee in the cannabis industry.

9

TheUnitedGreen.fp.DB.0721 V5.indd 1

6/9/21 1:50 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

THE FACE OF

REAL ESTATE EXCELLENCE CINDY KAHN — HALL & HUNTER REALTORS

442 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-568-7309 | CINDYKAHN.COM Cindy Kahn has lived in Michigan most of her life. In fact, she and her husband raised their two daughters in the same community where she has dedicated her life to marketing and selling the finest residential properties in southeast Michigan.

Kahn’s reputation for honesty and perseverance, together with her market knowledge, have led to a long and growing list of referral business. Her dedication to clients is shared by her assistant, Elaina Ryder, and the latest addition to the

team, Kahn’s daughter, Emily Kahn.

There’s a simple reason why Kahn has been Hall & Hunter Realtors’ Top Producer 2016-2020, and continues to be an area top agent year after year, and is among the top 1 percent of Realtors nationwide: She’s devoted to helping clients meet their objectives in a discrete and professional manner. Kahn is an extraordinary agent who provides extraordinary results.

9

CindyKahn_FP_DB_0721.indd 2

6/9/21 11:23 AM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

YOUR NEXT REALTOR INDULGE PROPERTY GROUP AT KW DOMAIN

210 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., STE. 200, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-590-0117 | INDULGEPROPERTYGROUP.COM Logan Wert and his team at Indulge Property Group have a slogan that they live by and want everyone they work with to live by: “Treat yourself to the best, you deserve it.” With his only focus being on looking out for his clients’ best interests and giving them the best possible service, Wert has built his entire business solely on referrals. Once you work with Wert and his team, it would be hard to imagine working with another

real estate agent. His professionalism, market knowledge, and a desire to be the best in the business have landed him in the top 1 percent of all agents in metro Detroit. “This is just the beginning,” he says. Wert has consistently doubled the number of families he has helped with buying and selling homes every year. With a goal of assisting 200 families this year, odds are he will be your next agent.

96

LoganWert.fp.DB.0721 V3.indd 1

6/11/21 2:26 PM

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

2021

THE FACE OF

YOUR NEXT REALTOR LOGAN WERT - INDULGE PROPERTY GROUP AT KW DOMAIN

210 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE., STE. 200, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 | 248-590-0117 | INDULGEPROPERTYGROUP.COM Logan Wert and his team at Indulge Property Group have a slogan that they live by and want everyone they work with to live by: “Treat yourself to the best, you deserve it.” With his only focus being on looking out for his clients’ best interests and giving them the best possible service, Wert has built his entire business solely on referrals. Once you work with Wert and his team, it would be hard to imagine working with another

real estate agent. His professionalism, market knowledge, and a desire to be the best in the business have landed him in the top 1 percent of all agents in metro Detroit. “This is just the beginning,” he says. Wert has consistently doubled the number of families he has helped with buying and selling homes every year. With a goal of assisting 200 families this year, odds are he will be your next agent.

96

LoganWert.fp.DB.0721 V4.indd 1

6/10/21 8:41 AM

EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES SPONSORED BY DBUSINESS

ASSOCIATION FOR CORPORATE GROWTH The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Detroit Chapter is a 430-member nonprofit business organization of professionals from corporations, lenders, and private equity firms that invest in middle-market companies, as well as accounting, investment banking, law, and other firms which offer advisory services. We are planning a summer full of professional and social development events, both in person and online, including panel discussions and networking opportunities. Attendance for members at regular events will be free of charge for the remainder of 2021. To learn more about our event calendar and how to become a member, please visit acg.org/detroit.

BEAUMONT HEALTH Beaumont Health’s Grosse Pointe Golf Classic supports the renovation of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Founded in 1983 by a group of Beaumont’s closest friends, Grosse Pointe’s golf outing has raised more than $4 million for important programs that benefit the health of our community. Please join us at the Country Club of Detroit (Harry S. Colt course), on July 26. Co-chaired by Christopher and Anne Blake, the outing will also feature lunch, cocktail hour, dinner, and gifts.

For event details, sponsorships and registration, visit beaumont.org/gpgc.

DETROIT FISH HOUSE STEAK & OYSTER BAR The Detroit Fish House Steak & Oyster Bar in Shelby Township is hosting its third annual Charity Golf Outing on Monday, June 19, at Cracklewood Golf Course. Registration will open at 9 a.m. Tee-off is at 10 a.m. The cost is $150. This includes 18 holes of golf, a riding cart, five drink tickets, lunch at the turn, a two-hour open bar, and a New York strip steak dinner at our awards banquet. Awards will be given for the first, second, and third place winners in each category: Men/Women, Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive, Hole-in-One Challenge.

Proceeds benefit two organizations. The Butterfly Collective is an organization that raises awareness about domestic violence and promotes healing through a monthly support group survivors receive emotional and financial help. Macomb Family Services’ mission is to enhance the health and well-being of others by promoting personal and social change. For more information, contact Cheryl Steinhurst at 248-904-5847.

MICHIGAN HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (MHCC) is hosting a Tercer Jueves Business Networking event at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac on Thursday, July 15, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

As a nonprofit business association, the MHCC has been highly successful in fostering business relationships, promoting diversity, and connecting its members, both corporate and MBEs, through business-to-business supply-chain networking opportunities. This is our first in-person event of 2021. Guests can enjoy networking, an introduction to the M1 Concourse and its facilities, thrill rides around the track with professional drivers, product showcases, and food and beverages, as well as a mini car show. For more information, please visit mhcc.org.

ADV E RTI SE ME NT

OutOnTheTown.fp.DB.0721.indd 1

6/8/21 6:24 PM

Department || Automotive

New Standards

Betsy Ancker-Johnson, the first woman vice president at General Motors, demanded the highest scientific standards and fostered innovations. bore her complaints. Worst was the National Enquirer — or, as she expressed it, “that rag that’s at every supermarket checkout stand.”

Questions about her marriage and family struck her as “outrageous.”

Seeing grease under her fingernails, Ancker-Johnson’s father used to kid, “We’ve been cheated. We didn’t get a little girl at all.” She fiddled with appliances and tinkered with bicycles.

She was one of four physics majors at Wellesley College and the only female (and American) in the doctoral program at the University of Tübingen, in Germany. Her career path led through research and teaching positions at the University of California-Berkeley, RCA Corp., Boeing Co., and the University of Washington. She also was U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for science and industry.

GM was the final stop. On her get-acquainted tour, she visited a Delco microchip factory, which shattered her stereotypes. GM was more hightech than she thought. Aircraft and moon rockets had plenty of redundancy in electronic components, but cars were produced at low cost.

Credit for innovation would soon come her way. She started by insisting on succinct reports, declaring, “We’ve got to write this in English.”

Meanwhile, she instituted the first local-area network in business use. Plant audits could now be done on laptops. It was quite a breakthrough, yet the efficiency was supposed to result in a

RESIDENT MECHANIC As a child, Betsy Ancker-Johnson said she spent more time taking apart her bicycle than riding it. Growing up in the Depression era, “we didn’t have a lot of new things,” she said.

20-percent staff reduction.

“The reality of having to reward success by firing people really was a tough proposition, you know,” Ancker-Johnson said. “That’s the real world, which I wish more people in Washington had to face. I didn’t have to lay off anybody, as it turned out, because our responsibilities grew so rapidly in that period.”

Among other missions was lobbying for a database of global technical standards. She encouraged her engineers’ innovative means of cleaning up EPA Superfund sites. Testifying before Congress on diesel emissions was also part of her job.

So was battling Joan Claybrook, of the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency, about airbag use.

Ancker-Johnson retired at age 65, when “GM was in so much difficulty.” The environmental activities department was broken up and absorbed into others. She lived 38 more years, competing in international swimming events into her 80s. On July 2, 2020, she passed away in Austin, Texas. If her philosophy could be distilled into an essential remark, it may be what she told that “rag,” the Enquirer: “Aiming at excellence is absolutely essential.”

ALAMY

B

etsy Ancker-Johnson had much to learn upon joining General Motors as vice president for environmental activities in February of 1979. The distinguished physicist, 51 years old, had worked in academia, industry, and government while raising four children with her husband, Hal Johnson, a mathematician.

As a rare outsider joining the corporation at its famed Warren Technical Center, she was to look after a range of matters.

“I had line responsibility for the plants and a worldwide responsibility for emissions control,” Ancker-Johnson told science historian Orville Butler in 2008. “Water, soil, air, the whole shooting match — and, of course, we had horrendous problems.”

First, she had to learn what GM did. Given the use of a company plane for six months, she visited the Electro-Motive Division and operated a train. At the Terex Division, she drove an earthmover and “had a ball.” Stamping plants were another revelation: “Man alive, you just had no idea about the noise.”

Stamping presses are one thing, but the national press was another. Reporters wanted to write about the first woman vice president at the world’s biggest corporation. A member of the automaker’s public relations staff walked her through a series of “stupid” interviews and

BY RONALD AHRENS

98 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2021

098.ClosingBell.July.21.indd 98

6/10/21 10:45 AM

BACHELOR | MASTER | DOCTOR ATE

Earn more than your business degree.

Learn from the experts providing business education for over 100 years. Learn from experienced faculty equipped with an internationally-accredited business curriculum. Learn from a pioneer in online education with over two decades of expertise.

Success requires more than a college degree. The wisdom, resources, and support you need are all available to you at Baker Online.

baker.edu/business Baker College_FP_DB_0721.indd 1

IACBE ACCREDITED MEMBER | U SDL A CERTIFIED

5/26/21 9:08 AM

photograph: Joseph Thekale

PROUDLY DETROIT PENINSULA CAPITAL PARTNERS L.L.C. is a Detroit-based firm that has fought hard to make a name for itself in the global private equity industry. Since its founding in 1995, Peninsula has raised seven investment partnerships totaling approximately $1.9 billion, each providing customized capital solutions to middle-market businesses seeking funding to complete acquisitions, support growth, buyback stock or address other special situations requiring junior capital. We pioneered the development of a new, more flexible investment approach in the private equity industry and are recognized as a leader in our market, earning us the patronage of major institutional investors both in the United States and Europe. Our unique investment approach combines elements of buyout, private debt and growth capital funds, allowing us the rare flexibility to craft tailored capital solutions for businesses, including both debt and equity, and either as a controlling or non-controlling investor. Since 1995, we have closed over 130 platform investments, about half of which have been in partnership with independent sponsor groups. Please keep us in mind the next time you require a junior capital provider; we’d love to bring some Detroit muscle to your transaction.

PLEASE ALLOW US TO SHARE OUR CAPITAL STRUCTURING EXPERTISE WITH YOU — 313.237.5100 | WWW.PENINSULAFUNDS.COM

Penisula Capital_FP_DB0721.indd 1 PCP_21001_DB_v1.indd 3

6/14/21 10:19 AM 11/23/20 8:24 AM