FOCUS: The region’s top dealmakers, as selected by the Association for Corporate Growth Detroit Chapter, advanced the local economy last year with new investments, jobs, and expansions. Profiles by R.J. King
PERSPECTIVES: Michigan is home to more than 40 racing venues, ranging from a two-mile superspeedway to dirt tracks, paved short tracks, go-kart tracks, motocross runs, and drag strips. By Tim Keenan
This year’s 30 in Their Thirties class is a diverse group, and represents a wide variety of professions and industries. By Ronald Ahrens, Dan Calabrese, Tim Keenan, R.J. King, and Calli Newberry
How competitive sail racing helped Bobby, David, and Mark Schostak take the helm and expand what is now a century-old business spanning real estate development, digital enterprises, and restaurants. By Dan Calabrese
34 STEM SUCCESS
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New look, long history. For over 30 years, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa has been Northern Michigan’s premier meeting destination. With our nearly $3 million renovation, including upgraded technology, services, and design, we’re bringing the future of meetings to life. Learn more at grandtraverseresort.com/meet.
Owned and Operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Michigan has had its share of success attracting large manufacturing projects in recent years, but with each new announcement, the subsidies have increased.
State leaders say they must offer aggressive incentives when competing for megaprojects with other parts of the country, whether for semiconductors or medical devices. But rather than favor certain industries, Michigan officials should better diversify the overall economy.
The problem is the rising amount of subsidies — $1.7 billion in recently announced assistance for a Ford EV battery factory in Marshall that will employ 2,500 workers represents a record $680,000 per job — masks a deeper problem. Michigan is not competitive with most of its peers.
Fast-growing states like Florida, Tennessee, and Texas, which have no income tax and are ranked higher in “Best States for Business” reports, are growing rapidly. One way to measure that success is through population trends.
In 1970, Florida’s population was at 6.8 million, Tennessee was at 3.9 million, and Texas had 11.2 million people. Michigan, according to the same U.S. Census figures, had 8.9 million people.
Flash forward to the 2020 census, and Florida added 14.7 million people, Tennessee grew by 3 million citizens, and Texas saw a boost of 17.9 million residents. Michigan’s population, meanwhile, rose by 1.1 million people.
Today, the state’s public school outcomes lag in reading and math testing (M-STEP), while fewer high school graduates are enrolling in a community college or a public university. If the state is to be a formidable competitor in the knowledge economy, public educational outcomes must improve.
Consider Ohio, which has an income tax and saw its population grow by 1.1 million since 1970 (the same as Michigan), landed what is considered to be the largest silicon manufacturing plant in the world when in 2022 Intel Corp. announced it would build a $20 billion megaproject for 3,000 workers outside of Columbus.
While Ohio is offering up to $2 billion in subsidies, which works out to some $667,000 per job, the average annual salary for those Intel employees is $135,000. By comparison, many of the jobs Michigan has attracted via its recent subsidy packages will pay an average annual salary of around $44,000.
Put another way, over the course of a year, the collective salaries of 3,000 workers being paid an average salary of $135,000 generates $405 million in total wages, while the same number of employees being paid $44,000 a year works out to $132 million in total wages.
Intel officials said one major reason they selected Columbus for a 1,000-acre campus was ready access to skilled workers, namely residents with four-year college degrees and above. Unless Michigan can figure a way to attract and retain more college graduates, it will have a tougher time competing in the knowledge economy.
One initiative Michigan could build upon is the Greater Grand Rapids Tech Strategy overseen by The Right Place, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the west side of the state. Introduced last September, the plan calls for creating 20,000 tech jobs over the next decade by developing, reskilling, and attracting talent, supporting more entrepreneurs, expanding high-speed fiber connectivity, among other initiatives.
By supporting more entrepreneurs across multiple business sectors, reducing taxes, and retaining and attracting college graduates and skilled workers, Michigan could create much greater growth opportunities for generations to come.
I’m sure you’ve received a lot of positive feedback on the Scaling Minority DBusiness Breakfast Series event that you hosted on Feb. 7 at the Gem Theatre in downtown Detroit, but allow me to add on. It was very well done. Everything from the selection of the venue to the panelists and the moderator — outstanding! I’m also writing to share or reintroduce you to a fund that Pat O’Keefe and I are involved with, Grow Michigan 2 (growmichiganfund.com). We would love to be considered in any future DBusiness publications that include lists. Also, as you develop your “Hustle and Muscle” network, please consider us, as well, as we would love to be a resource for Michigan businesses, including MBEs.
Derron Sanders SouthfieldOur thanks to the editorial team at DBusiness.com for launching the new feature “Hustle and Muscle” to promote startups. Our company, DivDat, a payments company, is proud to be innovation ambassadors from the Motor City. We appreciate the interest from potential investors to assist in sustaining growth as we capture market share locally and nationally. We applaud DBusiness for engaging startups and investors alike.”
Bruce Babiarz Detroit
Brad Ziegler is a Detroit-based commercial photographer specializing in editorial portraiture for magazines, corporations, ad agencies, and other clients. His work is characterized by rich lighting, classic composition, and modern style, and is featured on award-winning Fortune 500 websites and ad campaigns. In addition to DBusiness, Ziegler’s clients include Volkswagen, Minute Maid, Ally Auto, Inc. magazine, CFO magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and Midwest Living magazine. He earned a bachelor of arts in film study from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and graduated with honors from the New England School of Photography. For this issue, Ziegler photographed the winners of the annual ACG Detroit M&A All-Star awards.
Dan Calabrese has been reporting on business in Michigan since 1992. He started at the Grand Rapids Business Journal and became a frequent contributor to DBusiness in 2009. He has written for a variety of trade magazines, including Transport Topics, Pet Age, ICF Builder, and several others. He also has aurhored four novels: “Powers and Principalities,” “Pharmakeia,” “Dark Matter,” and “Backstop.” Calabrese lives in Royal Oak with his wife, Angie, and their son, Tony. In this issue, the graduate of Western Michigan University wrote the cover story — “Triple Net” — about the three Schostak brothers who are following in their father’s and grandfather’s footsteps in the commercial real estate business and other markets.
Ricardo Martínez, who provided the art for the cover of this issue of DBusiness, was born in Santiago, Chile. In the early 1980s he moved to Miami, where he married his American wife and lived for 8 years. Martínez currently is based in Madrid, Spain, where he helped found the daily newspaper El Mundo He created a comic strip called “Goomer” that was made into a movie in 1998. He has been doing editorial cartoons since 1990, and using the scratchboard illustrating technique since 1989. Martínez counts among his clients Coca-Cola, Gillette, American Express, 7Up, The New Yorker, Science, Scientific American, Foreign Affairs, Time, and many others.
R.J. King
Tim Keenan
EDITOR Jim Stickford
COPY EDITOR Anne Berry Daugherty
DIRECTOR Lindsay Richards
ART DIRECTOR Justin Stenson
SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST Stephanie Daniel
JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR Steven Prokuda
ADVERTISING SALES
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cynthia Barnhart, Regan Blissett, Karli Brown, Maya Gossett, Donna Kassab, Lisa LaBelle, Mary Pantely and Associates, Jessica VanDerMaas
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jenine Knox
SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jill Berry
PRODUCTION ARTIST Jonathan Boedecker
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Amanda Kozlowski, GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jim Bibart, Kathryn Dave
WEB
DIGITAL DIRECTOR Nick Britsky
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Matt Cappo
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS Jim Bowser, Marissa Jacklyn, Kevin Pelll
VIDEO PRODUCER Nicole Toporowski
DIGITAL STRATEGY MANAGER Travis Cleveland
DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT Robyn Banks
IT
IT DIRECTOR Jeremy Leland
CIRCULATION
DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Geralyn Wilson
CIRCULATION MANAGER Riley Meyers
CIRCULATION COORDINATORS David Benvenuto, Susan Combs, Jenna Degowski, Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden, Michele Wold
MARKETING AND EVENTS
MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER Jodie Svagr
COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS LEAD Cathleen Francois
MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Jaime Presnail
MARKET RESEARCH
MARKETING RESEARCH DIRECTOR Sofia Shevin
MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR Kristin Mingo
MARKETING SALES COORDINATOR Alex Thompson
MARKETING RESEARCH ASSISTANT Alyssa Fueri
JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexa Dyer
BUSINESS
CEO Stefan Wanczyk
PRESIDENT John Balardo
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS Kathie Gorecki
PUBLISHING AND SALES COORDINATOR Mikala Bart
ASSISTANT OFFICE MANAGER Natasha Bajju
SENIOR ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE Andrew Kotzian
ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATES Sammi Dick, Austin Schmelzle
DISTRIBUTION Target Distribution, Troy
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Ronald Ahrens, Dan Calabrese, Bill Dow, Dr. Joel Kahn, Tom Murray, Calli Newberry, Norm Sinclair
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
24
WHAT IS COLLEGE? AN INSTITUTE OF LEARNING. WHAT IS BUSINESS? AN INSTITUTE OF LEARNING. LIFE, ITSELF, IS AN INSTITUTE OF LEARNING.”
52.8 PERCENT
labor shortage, higher wages, and rising costs are contributing to a decline in enrollment at many colleges and universities both in Michigan and across the nation. According to MI School Data, last year 52.8 percent of local high school graduates enrolled in a college or a university, down from 65.8 percent a decade ago.
At the same time, the number of high school graduates fell by 3 percent over the past decade. Of the 100,765 students who earned a diploma in Michigan last year, 15 percent enrolled in a community college, down from 25.7 percent in 2013. During the same period, enrollment at Michigan’s public universities declined 15 percent.
To stem the tide, legislative and academic leaders must work more closely together to provide a steady pool of college graduates — or Michigan could fall further behind in the knowledge economy.
Consider, the current labor challenge is compounded by the Great Resignation, as millions of workers left the workforce and didn’t return following the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020. In turn, while extra unemployment assistance during the pandemic kept some workers on the sidelines, the aid has been phased out over the last 18 months.
With multiple job openings available today, businesses and organizations are paying higher wages and offering more generous benefits to lure recruits from a smaller talent pool. Entry jobs for electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and technicians that often paid $10 to $15 an hour a decade ago now offer $20 to $25 per hour to start. Wages will continue to ascend, if history is a guide.
AS THE DEMOCRATIC-CONTROLLED Michigan Legislature, in lock step with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, showers Ford Motor Co. with $1.7 billion in subsidies for an electric vehicle battery factory in Marshall that will employ some 2,500 workers, the taxpayer-funded appropriation works out to a record $680,000 per job.
Matt Hall, House Minority Leader and a Republican, points out the largess allows Whitmer “to tell a good story” after she lost out in 2021, when Ford selected Kentucky and Tennessee for new EV assembly and battery plants. Whitmer also has led the charge to award other subsidies to attract EV battery and vehicle production since the start of 2022, including $824 million for General Motors Co., $715 million for Gotion Inc. in China to build a factory near Big Rapids, and $222 million for Our Next Energy Inc. in Novi.
All told, that’s $3.4 billion to create around 10,500 jobs — meaning taxpayers are footing a bill of $323,809 per worker. At the same time, the cost of a new EV has been rising steadily, putting it further out of reach of the average consumer after years of federal subsidies failed to stoke the market. Rather than approve enormous sums to attract a small percentage of jobs relative to the overall economy, it would be far better to lower taxes and prepare shovel-ready sites to attract businesses from multiple industries.
65.8 PERCENT MILLION $250
Source: MI School Data
The nation recorded fewer births during the 2008 global economic crisis, and as a smaller student population moves through public and private schools over the foreseeable future — offset by a slight rise in the birth rate over the last two years — the prospects for higher education will hinge on attracting more out-of-state students, and creating additional financial support in the form of grants and scholarships.
In recent years, Michigan’s business, legislative, and educational sectors have created additional funding options to support students. In 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder began an initiative to provide Detroit high school graduates with access to a no-cost associate degree or a technical certificate at area schools. That effort led, in part, to the creation of the Detroit Promise that today is administered by the Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation, on behalf of the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation.
More recently, the Republican-controlled Legislature, between 2020 and 2021, brought forward Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners — programs that, between them, cover the vast majority of tuition costs at area community colleges. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed both bills, along with approving the Michigan Achievement Scholarship.
The latter initiative, backed by $250 million in state funding and set to roll out this fall, will help cover most college credit costs for many incoming students. To help support and grow Michigan’s future employment base, state and educational leaders should look for other opportunities to train more students, add financial incentives, and lower taxes to keep graduates from leaving for other states and countries.
WITH AIRLINE MISHAPS, close encounters between passenger jets, and computer snafus on the rise, it’s time for Congress to remove the business of air-traffic control from its purview and turn it over to a self-funding organization. Give him credit, in 1993 Vice President Al Gore tried to spur lawmakers to remove air-traffic control from pork-barrel politics, but the effort failed to gain flight.
Since then, more than 60 countries have followed Gore’s direction and turned their air-traffic operations over to separate entities. The nonprofit organizations have the ability to charge cost-based fees to fund improvements like the latest air-traffic control systems. If the U.S. had followed the same path, our air management system would be first rate, rather than the 1980s-era system we have today.
Rather than have airline traffic overseen by a vast, inefficient, and, at times, unaccountable bureaucracy, the Biden administration and legislators should work together to form a more efficient organization that’s immune from political pressures and can work to develop, implement, and utilize the best systems, both now and into the future.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
MARCH 17, 2023
BY JAMES WAGNERMIAMI — On April 23, 1939, Álex Carrasquel, a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators, was summoned from the bullpen in the fourth inning of a game to face Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees. He was the first Venezuelan-born player to appear in a Major League Baseball game and, since Carrasquel, 461 players born in the baseball-crazed South American country have followed in his footsteps, according to Baseball Reference.
None, though, has been better than a right-handed batter who made his major league debut on June 20, 2003. Miguel Cabrera, a skinny 20-year-old prospect who homered that day and helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series later that season, has been crushing baseballs ever since. But the wear and tear of 2,699 regular season games has taken its toll, and there is only so much more Cabrera’s cranky right knee can take. Over the winter, Cabrera, the designated hitter of the perpetually rebuilding Detroit Tigers, reiterated that 2023 would be the last season of his career.
So as Cabrera, 39, gets ready to hang up his spikes, he is soaking up a lot of lasts, starting with his fifth and final World Baseball Classic. Cabrera, who was selected as the team’s captain, said he hoped that this farewell lap would begin with a title in the quadrennial tournament, which Venezuela has never won, despite his participation in every edition since the event began in 2006. He is one of seven players in MLB history to record both 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. Three of them (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray) were voted into the Hall of Fame, two were suspended during their careers for performance-enhancing drugs (Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro), and Albert Pujols, who retired last year, will not be on the Cooperstown ballot until 2028.
ENERGY NEWS NETWORK
MARCH 17, 2023
BY ANGELA LUGO-THOMASAfter Hurricane Maria left millions of Puerto Ricans without electricity in 2017, Casa Pueblo became an energy oasis for the small mountain town community of Adjuntas.
decimated the island’s power grid, I was struck by the many similar challenges facing my birth home and my adopted one.
Both Michigan and Puerto Rico are increasingly plagued by severe weather worsened by climate change. That comes in the form of more frequent and severe hurricanes in Puerto Rico. We see more frequent and severe thunderstorms — and, more recently, thundersnow — and ice storms in Michigan.
And Highland Park and Adjuntas have old, outdated electric infrastructure that is highly vulnerable to severe weather. …
get this with the older technology, and because of that I want to switch,’” Zhang says.
That led to today’s model, which can haul up to 2,235 pounds and tow up to 10,000 pounds, as well as power a home in the event of an outage via Ford’s Intelligent Backup Power system.
The nonprofit is doing what some residents in Highland Park, Michigan, want to do — running an entire neighborhood on a solar-powered microgrid. Groups like Soulardarity and Parker Village in Highland Park want the city to be as resilient as Adjuntas the next time DTE loses power.
I visited Adjuntas in February to learn more, and then came back to Highland Park to face days of power outages after the Feb. 22 ice storm and the March 5 “thundersnow.”
I wanted to know — can Highland Park follow Adjuntas’ lead?
While there are substantial regulatory barriers currently in place in Michigan that prevent residents from implementing many of Adjuntas’ resiliency options — like community solar and microgrids — regulators and advocates are pushing to change that...
Home to Puerto Rico
I’ve lived in Detroit since 1979 and Highland Park since 2000 but was born in Puerto Rico. And like so many in the diaspora who are no longer living there or have never lived on la isla, I still call Puerto Rico home.
When I visited in February, five years after Hurricane Maria
FAST COMPANY • MARCH 2, 2023 • BY JESSICA BURSZTYNSKY
Ford is No. 21 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023.
Since the first Ford F-150 rolled off the production line in 1974, customers have been relying on the rugged pickup truck for help in all manner of situations. But one thing it couldn’t do until 2022 was power your home for up to 10 days during an electrical outage.
Wanting to take on one of its biggest bets and electrify the iconic truck, Ford turned to veteran engineer Linda Zhang to deliver. Zhang, who has been with the automaker since 1996, was tasked in 2018 with leading a team to roll out the company’s first all-electric F-150 pickup, dubbed the F-150 Lightning. The company started delivering models in May 2022.
When it came to reimagining the nation’s top-selling truck in an electric format, Zhang says it was a top priority to leverage the brand of the F-150, building a vehicle with capabilities on par with the original, while adding a host of premium features that justify the $56,000 price (about $20,000 more than the starting price of a standard F-150). “Part of what we’ve tried to do is make sure that, from a vehicle development perspective, we are providing the customer with a great vehicle they can look at and say, ‘I really can’t
Since Ford has never “been in the business of powering homes,” the company had to figure out new ways to test its claims, says Alex Avila, the engineer responsible for the capability. Ford ended up building two model homes on its Michigan campus that Avila essentially moved into to ensure the truck could power a home, as well as flying to Utah to test a home in another state. “When we talk about innovation, I think about it not only in terms of innovating our products, but also innovating how we test our products, how we validate our products,” Avila adds.
Since a bulky engine isn’t taking up the front of the car, Ford included a 14.1-cubic-foot “mega power frunk,” or front trunk that has power outlets and USB chargers, ultimately making it a waterproof, lockable storage space that can hold 400 pounds. The Lightning is also equipped with up to 9.6 kilowatts of onboard power and 11 built-in outlets.
Owners can monitor their vehicle (and find nearby charging stations) via the FordPass app, and can leverage the truck’s new Intelligent Range feature that tells them how long they have until their next charge based on factors like speed and route topography.
existing basin and created stacks of basalt much thicker than average. The Greenstone Flow alone pooled to some 1,600 feet deep. “It was so massive that it differentiated within the rift. You can see it across the green and black rocks of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It’s a fascinating place.”
Detroit would be the largest U.S. city to introduce a so-called land-value tax. Like most U.S. cities, Detroit calculates property taxes by estimating the value of a property’s land and buildings and charging a fixed percentage each year.
communities, not only in Detroit but across the state,” Mr. Tate said.
Other mayors and housing advocates see Detroit as a crucial test case for this tax policy, one that could open the door for other cities to follow.
ILLUSTRATED • MARCH 28, 2023 • BY
CHRISTIAN BOOHERUnder the proposed change, the city would replace some property levies with a single tax on the land value only, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Detroit Lions have become a darling in national circles throughout the 2023 offseason. Head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes will enter the season with much higher expectations than in previous years.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • FEB. 23, 2023 • BY
JACQUELINE KEHOE
A billion years ago, if you’d looked out from the top of Michigan’s now densely forested Summit Peak, you’d have seen a fiery, volcano-lit battleground. Steaming fissures, molten rocks, and lava flows dominated the landscape.
The dramatic scene was caused by one of the Earth’s grandest volcanic events. “Around 1.1 billion years ago,” says Esther Stewart, a geologist for the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, “the continent we call North America started to rip apart.” The Midcontinent Rift caused a nearly 1,300-mile horseshoe-shaped gash from Lake Superior west to modern-day Kansas and east toward Ohio.
Driving along Lake Superior, from Michigan through Wisconsin into Minnesota, visitors can retrace the results of this billion-year-old story via cascading waterfalls, red sandstone sea caves, and towering cliffs. It’s a hidden landscape for most travelers to the Midwest — unless you know what to look for.
A molten history
Geologists agree the Midcontinent Rift was caused by a mantle plume — a chimney of extra-hot rock that rises from deep in the Earth’s interior, stretching the land above until it breaks — similar to how Hawaii was formed. (Imagine a wax bubble inside a lava lamp rising — then splitting the bubble above.) The rift largely produced flows of basalt, runny lava that formed low-lying shield volcanoes. “You’d have fissures, these big long cracks,” Stewart says. “They might have been kilometers long with this runny basalt lava coming out of them.”
But unlike most basalt flows — such as the Columbia River basalts covering Washington State — the lava didn’t make it far. “The Lake Superior area is a very unusual case,” says Tyrone Rooney, professor of igneous petrology and geochemistry at Michigan State University. “Most of the time, flood basalts erupt onto a flat area and then spread out.” Instead, he describes how these lavas filled up an
Some geologists, including Stewart, argue mountain formations to the east reversed the rift; others, like Rooney, believe it was the continent moving at high speeds — much faster than today’s fingernail-esque pace. “When you do that sort of movement,” he argues, “it does all sorts of things to the mantle beneath. It’s still an area of active research.”
Regardless of the reasons why, over roughly 30 million years, the Midcontinent Rift produced more than 240,000 cubic miles of volcanic rock — 44 times the volume of all the Great Lakes combined.
Now imagine what we’d see if the water weren’t there.
“Below Lake Superior, it’s insane,” says George Hudak, says the senior geologist at the University of Minnesota Natural Resources Research Institute.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL FEB. 14, 2023
BY KONRAD PUTZIERDetroit city officials are weighing a radical change to the way the city taxes property, which proponents say will help revitalize the city and become a model for the Rust Belt.
That means owners of vacant land would see their tax bills skyrocket, while the tax bill for many homeowners and commercial-property owners would fall. That in turn would push up home values and encourage more property owners to build, said Roderick Hardamon, a local real-estate developer who supports the change.
Black homeowners have been hit particularly hard by declining values in recent decades, and proponents say the change could help shrink the region’s racial wealth gap.
The tax change has a couple of legislative hurdles to clear. First, it would need state approval. Then it would need to win a majority of Detroit voters through a ballot measure.
There is no clear timetable for either right now. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has said the city is “80 percent of the way to a solution” on a new tax system, a spokeswoman for his office said.
The speaker of Michigan’s House of Representatives, Joe Tate, supports the new tax policy, which is also backed by a number of advocacy groups, economists and property developers.
“Reducing the tax burden creates stronger
Pundits and fans alike are high on the team’s recent success, both on and off the field. Holmes and company followed a strong finish to the 2022 season by adding multiple marquee free agents.
Many believe the Lions will be contenders for the NFC North crown in 2023. This is the belief within the walls of team headquarters, as well. Campbell made it plenty clear during his appearance at the annual owners’ meetings that he expects the team to battle with the best.
“It’s about raising the expectations, you know?” Campbell told reporters. “We need to be thinking that way. Everything about what we do has to have that type of purpose. Our standard has always been about winning, man. You’re trying to win every game. But, ultimately, I think, to take the next step, you’re shooting for the division.”
Detroit’s third-year head coach believes the Lions can do damage in the postseason, provided they earn the right to participate. He’s praised the home-field advantage Ford Field provided in the past, and thinks it could be key for Detroit, should it secure a home playoff game.
He’s set the goals high for Detroit in 2023. The moves in the offseason, paired with the culture already installed, have set the team up nicely to compete heading into next season.
“You do that, you win the division, you get a home game and the rest takes care of itself,” Campbell explained. “Every team should want to go to the Super Bowl, every year, I said that two years ago, of course. I think we are positioned much better to swing with the big boys this year.”…
For more than 400 professional golfers around the world, the confidence they need to make that one crucial putt to win a tournament and millions of dollars in prize money comes from a pastoral office park in Wixom.
The one-story building with an American flag flying out front is the home of one of the golf industry’s hottest products: the SuperStroke oversized putter grips, which some of golf’s premier stars credit for making them more accurate and consistent on the green.
“We started off with one player, K.J. Choi, then we had five, then we had 10, (and) then we had 30,” says Dean Dingman, CEO of SuperStroke USA and a Michigan native. “We had (Phil) Mickelson winning majors, (Jordan) Spieth winning majors, and it just took off.
Historic Book Tower to Reopen
Following $300M Renovation
This summer, Bedrock will open the Book Tower in downtown Detroit, which has undergone a seven-year, $300 million-plus restoration. New uses include residences, the ROOST Apartment Hotel, retail, and office space.
American professional golfer
Jordan Spieth is one of many PGA Tour champions who use SuperStroke oversized putter grips, developed and sold by SuperStroke USA in Wixom.
Corktown Housing Complex
To Open this Fall
A seven-story multifamily housing project, Perennial Corktown in Detroit, will open this fall. It is being developed by Oxford Capital Group, Hunter Pasteur, and The Forbes Co., and includes apartments and retail space.
With the amount of exposure we get every week with the PGA Tour players, it just went gangbusters.”
The company, with 25 employees, had revenue in excess of $40 million last year. Marketing and distribution are handled in Wixom, while the grips are made in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In April 2022, a South Korean private equity firm paid $250 million to buy out Dingman’s two equity partners.
Dingman’s affinity for golf runs in the family. His parents owned a Caddy Shack golf store franchise that they eventually moved to San Diego, and he managed a Nevada Bob’s Golf shop in Dearborn Heights.
In 1998, Dingman and his brother, Darin, acquired a defunct golf company, Tiger Shark, and began manufacturing and marketing golf clubs and equipment under that brand. Soon, the brothers felt the squeeze from major golf equipment companies.
“We thought there wouldn’t be any niche products we would be able to make that they wouldn’t want to have a share of, so we started looking into what could be a parallel business,” Dingman says. “We started selling a Tiger Shark putter grip that was oversized, and it started doing pretty well.”
In 2008, the brothers bought the SuperStroke brand from a failing company, adopted the name, and added a grip selection tool on the website that asks customers about their swing arc, grip style, and putter length. From there, the selection tool recommends putter grips.
“Making one or two more putts might be the difference in winning or losing,” Dingman says. “There’s an edge with our grip, and I think that’s why we have so many Tour players using it.”
Given the company’s success, Dingman says he isn’t tempted to abandon Wixom. “My family is here, everything we’ve built is here. We wouldn’t have anything without my team, so we’re not going anywhere. Besides, I don’t mind the cold and I’m a big fan of the Upper Peninsula.”
LaFontaine Automotive Group
Acquires Lou LaRiche Chevrolet
LaFontaine Automotive Group in Highland Township has acquired Lou LaRiche Chevrolet in Plymouth Township for an undisclosed sum. It is the second acquisition for LaFontaine in 2023.
Rocket Spins Off Rock Events
As Stand-alone Company
Rock Events, a team that provides event services to Rocket Cos. and has managed multiple gatherings in Detroit, has launched as a stand-alone company. Its venues include OCM16, The Madison, The Icon, and State Savings Bank.
ABB to Expand Auburn Hills
HQ and Robotics Facility
Switzerland-based ABB has begun construction on a $20 million expansion of its North American robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills. The project will be completed in November.
formerly known as Steve & Rocky’s reopened in March as Brentwood Grille, an upscale eatery featuring modern American cuisine, after a change in ownership led by Robert Loomis.
“It’s an honor to carry on the legacy of Steve & Rocky’s, and to introduce Brentwood Grille to those who have been loyal to this restaurant for decades,” says Loomis, managing partner of Brentwood Grille. “Our team is dedicated to providing an exceptional dining experience for our guests in a fresh and inviting atmosphere.”
Brentwood Grille retained the restaurant’s entire staff, including former Steve & Rocky’s co-owner Steve Allen, who remains as executive chef and culinary consultant.
The decision to sell Steve & Rocky’s originated from the desire of former owners Charles “Rocky” Rachwitz and Allen to take a step back from day-to-day restaurant operations. With his new role at Brentwood, Allen will continue working at the restaurant, focusing solely on the kitchen operations and menu development.
New lunch and dinner menus will introduce a selection of American dishes including certified Angus steaks, fresh seafood, sandwiches, and entrée salads, along with a rotating selection of seasonal dishes such as rib eye steaks, pastas, and more.
By Olivia SedlacekNovi’s Lineage Logistics Opens
Headquarters in Madrid, Spain
Lineage Logistics in Novi has opened a new southern Europe headquarters in Madrid, Spain, highlighting the company’s continued investment in the region and laying the foundation for continued growth.
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling in Warren is starting small, but its local franchisees, Navy veterans Matt and Kay Holtyn, are thinking big, even if big only means helping other military veterans. The Holtyns started JDog last October, remain its only employees, and have yet to break even on the balance sheet.
“(JDog) tells us that we’ll be doing $30,000 in sales every month during the busy season,” Matt Holtyn says. “Our goal this year is to hire and train two reliable employees, preferably veterans. We hope by June to have enough business to add a second crew and another truck.”
Although their balance sheet is in the red, JDog already has done important work for organizations like Vets Returning Home and Homes for Heroic Veterans. In one week, for example, the Holtyns delivered three cubic yards of clothing to Vets Returning Home.
“JDog is a for-profit company but its overarching mission, and its view on things, is what really attracted us,” Holtyn says. “Their first goal is to get veteran unemployment under 1 percent. You have to be a veteran or a child of a veteran to get a franchise. And veteran organizations get the right of first refusal on everything we pick up.”
The arriving material is either recycled, repurposed, scrapped, or sold on Facebook Marketplace at a rate of 60 percent to 80 percent; the rest of the picked up material is sent to refuse yards.
After careers in the military, service continues to be a theme for the Holtyns. The couple met while in the Navy. Kay was a hull maintenance technician and a recruiter, while Matt was a shipboard jack-of-all-trades. He’s currently a civilian firefighter at the U.S. Army’s TACOM facility in Warren.
With retirement looming for Matt, the couple wanted to find a new way to put their service skills to use in their community. That’s when they discovered JDog Junk Removal & Hauling.
Ford to Build Next Electric Truck, Project T3, in Tennessee
Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn says it’s on track with construction at the BlueOval City mega-campus in Stanton, Tenn., and will build its second-generation electric truck, code named Project T3, at the facility.
Wabeek Club Completes $10M
Interior/Exterior Renovation
The Wabeek Club in Bloomfield Township has completed a $10-million interior/exterior renovation that includes dining upgrades and new amenities. Future projects include updates to its 18-hole private golf course.
Headquartered in Berwyn, Pa., JDog Brands was founded by Army veteran Jerry Flanagan, whose military nickname was JDog, and his wife, Tracy. The brand now has more than 300 franchisees from coast to coast.
“I love that JDog Brands is veteran-centric,” Holtyn says. “I also really love their philosophies and business model, because their main focus was similar to my own. As long as we stay true to our mission statement and goals, we’ll find success. I’m really excited about the giving back aspect of JDog ownership.”
Navy veterans Matt and Kay Holtyn launched JDog Junk Removal & Hauling last October in Warren.
Detroit Startup Grounded
Launches Smart Electric RV
Detroit-based Grounded has launched the world’s first fully customizable smart electric RV. The company began delivery of its G1s in April. Consumers have the option of a monthly subscription, an annual lease, or a purchase.
Chevrolet to Discontinue Camaro at End of 2024 MY
After nine years in the market and hundreds of thousands sold, the Chevrolet Camaro will be discontinued at the end of the 2024 model year. The last one will come off the assembly line in January 2024.
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Attending business classes at Wayne State University in Detroit during the late 1980s, Mark Kassa found his business-related coursework was a breeze.
Having grown up in a family of grocers — his grandfather arrived in Detroit from Iraq in 1929 and opened a small food market on the city’s east side in 1936 — Kassa was familiar with payroll, accounting, inventory, and other management skills. So it wasn’t a stretch to say he wasn’t being challenged in the classroom.
“I was running a business already, but my real passion was to go to music school. Without telling my parents, I took the entrance exam at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles in 1990 and got accepted,” Kassa says. “Then I had to tell my folks, and coming from the Chaldean community, which is all about running businesses, they were, shall we say, surprised.
“My mom even asked if I was all right, and I told her that I had never gotten in trouble before, so why would I start now? I stayed for one year — they teach you four years of curriculum during that time — and came home and went back to work at the grocery stores.”
At the same time, he formed a five-piece band called Tower, which played gigs around the region. But Kassa, who played lead guitar, soon left the band he founded and formed a new group called Slight Return, named after “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
by guitarist Jimi Hendrix.His new trio recorded an album that included a
Mark Kassa, right, jamming on stage with P-Funk All-Star George Clinton, left, was recently named “Guitar Player of the Year” as part of the Midwest USA Prestige Awards.
version of “Make A Move” by Cypress Hill. “The song got the attention of the record companies, and we were offered a two-year deal to go on tour, but I told them no,” Kassa says. “With three young daughters at home, I didn’t want to miss their childhoods.”
Still, he never stopped playing, producing albums, and performing, while at the same time running, along with four relatives, independent grocery stores that today include Saturn Market Place in Dearborn Heights, Saturn Super Foods in Detroit, and Hartland Market Place locations in Farmington Hills and Westland. Overall, the four stores have around 230 employees.
Kassa’s grocery partners include his brother, David,
DB: WHERE ARE YOU?
MA: In Miami. I’m here for a number of reasons, one being it’s our midyear strategic planning session with peers in our industry. We do business planning in April, to prepare for midyear, and also in October, as our end-of-year preparation.
DB: WHO DO YOU SERVE?
MA: We work closely with high-profile people in
professional sports and entertainment, along with business owners and C-suite executives. Right now it’s the offseason for NFL athletes, who are training, and that’s another reason why we’re here.
DB: WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?
MA: We deliver financial planning, wealth management, and high-end insurance
services, plus there’s a lot of specialized risk management planning we do for our clients. Our Podium Group, which has been in place for 10 years, has a team of former athletes who competed at a high level and are now financial professionals who work very closely with our clients.
DB: ARE YOU HIRING?
MA: Most definitely. While
along with three cousins: Paul, Phil, and Chris. “The grocery business has its ups and downs due to supply chain problems, but we have a loyal group of customers we appreciate in many ways,” Kassa says.
The same up-and-down rhythm extends to the music business.
“One time I went into Fifth Avenue Billiards in Royal Oak and they said we weren’t good enough to play there, after not even seeing us perform. Two weeks later, we opened for Creedence Clearwater Revival at Pine Knob Music Theatre (in Clarkston). We also recorded with George Clinton, and now we’re in a movie project with Folktellers Studios in Royal Oak.”
To date, Kassa has 17 songs that have been selected for the first round of the Grammy awards. The recognition means he can nominate and vote for recording artists, as well as attend the annual show. “My wife and I travel to the Grammys every year,” Kassa says. “It’s always fun, and if you win something, it’s a surprise.”
our competitors have frozen hiring, we added 54 new advisers and adviser candidates over the last year. In recent years, we combined and enhanced our Farmington Hills and Grand Rapids offices, so we have one unified firm serving the Great Lakes region.
DB: ANY OTHER UPDATES?
MA: We took 8,000 square feet in our Southfield office
and made it a state-of-theart executive business suite and training center for our clients. It’s like a Four Seasons luxury hotel business center, but at our space you arrive, receive first-class treatment, sit in on learning sessions as they relate to building your wealth, and learn more about present and future economic and financial trends. — R.J. King
MANUEL AMEZCUA CEO MassMutual Great Lakes, Southfield
FORMER MICHIGAN STATE University and Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson will be the keynote speaker at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Detroit XCentric 2023, which will take place at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit Oct. 2-4.
Royal Oak-based business law firm Howard & Howard understands the importance of giving back to the community. Jon Kreucher, its president and CEO, encourages attorneys to donate a certain portion of their compensation to assist nonprofit organizations, and many go beyond that call — including Dan Chojnowksi, group chair of the firm’s intellectual property practice and founder of the Inventors Club.
Located at Brewer Academy, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the program, which is entering its third year, guides students through the process of taking an invention from idea to prototype with the help of Chojnowski, other Howard & Howard IP attorneys, and teachers.
Chojnowski’s wife, an elementary school STEM teacher, was doing an assignment about inventors with her students when the idea came to her. “I thought it would be cool if I could take this program and mentor kids,” she says. “It was in the wheelhouse of what I do, I had the support of Howard & Howard, and when I approached DPSCD, they were enthusiastic about it, too,” she says.
So far, 40 students are tasked with thinking of a problem specific to their life and coming up with an invention that could serve as a solution. The role of the
attorneys and teachers is to guide students through the process of taking a concept to prototype and help them work through problems that Chojnowski points out are challenging for adults, let alone fifth- to eighthgrade students.
“It’s a remarkable program. I look at it as being the initial step of being an integrative approach on diversity, equity, and inclusion for our attorneys. You have to think about how you interest kids when they’re young, get them exposed to STEM, get them exposed to what a lawyer does, and get them excited and enthusiastic about it,” says Kreucher, who celebrated his one-year anniversary as president and CEO of the firm in January.
The program also provides the students with an opportunity to participate in the Invention Convention Michigan, hosted by Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Students compete for a chance to take their prototypes to the competition’s national finals. The museum also hosted a free field trip for 80 Brewer Academy students, including club members.
“No one creates success alone,” Kreucher says. “We all need a team to succeed. We need people around us who complement what we bring to the table, (and) who are genuinely interested in each other’s success as much as their own.”
“Our theme coming out of COVID-19 is Amplify,” says Jenny Feterovich, president of EO Detroit and co-chair of XCentric. “We have a powerful group of high-growth entrepreneurs flying in from around the world ready to accelerate their businesses and experience the very best of Detroit. We take very seriously our responsibility to ensure that we provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our guests, and that they return to their respective cities and countries bragging about their time in Detroit.”
Each year, one chapter in EO’s Central Region is selected to plan and host a multi-day event for 600 entrepreneurs. The annual immersive events include notable speakers, off-site experiences, social activities, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities.
Lansing native Johnson is a five-time NBA champion, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, a two-time Basketball Hall of Famer, and co-owner of the Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. He also is founder of the Magic Johnson Foundation, and chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises.
By R.J. KingBrewer Academy students in Detroit take part in the Inventors Club with their teachers, Deborah Carr and Steve Monteleone, left and center, along with Dan Chojnowski, right, an IP lawyer with Howard & Howard in Royal Oak. The students developed a light-up heated vest.
DBusiness invites startups seeking capital to fill out a profile. From there, the profile will be reviewed, and, once approved, it will be sent to investors with a short summary and a profile link. If investors would like to learn more, they can connect directly with the startup via the information provided in the profile.
Our goal with Hustle and Muscle is to assist startups and accelerate economic activity throughout Michigan. All we ask is that the information provided be accurate. In the near future, we’ll provide editorial coverage of select deals once they’re finalized.
Hustle and Muscle is a free program connecting
When Bernd Koerner — the longtime majority owner and former CEO of Fori Automation Inc. in Shelby Township — decided to sell the company, he directed the management team to find a strategic partner in the Midwest that shared the same values and synergies.
“Bernd was emphatic that the buyer come from the Midwest, and that they have the same vision and growth strategy that we have,” says Paul Meloche, who took over as CEO of Fori Automation in January from Mike Beck. “We also wanted a buyer that was well-capitalized to make future investments in the electrified space.”
Approximately a year after an initial letter of intent was signed by Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. in Cleveland, the $427-million acquisition of Fori Automation closed in December. Lincoln Electric is a global leader in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of advanced arc welding solutions, automated joining, assembly and cutting systems, and plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, and
has a leading global position in brazing and soldering alloys.
While the due diligence period was fairly straightforward, Meloche says there were some challenges. “Lincoln is a large global publicly traded company that has a large due diligence team with a deep bench, and we had three to four people in our inner circle who were managing the business full time while overseeing the transaction,” he says.
To help close the deal, Fori Automation worked with UHY Corporate Finance, which served as the investment banker, with legal services provided by Butzel Long in Detroit. On the Lincoln side, KPMG handled the financial diligence, while Cleveland-based BakerHostetler oversaw legal matters.
“The deal was a strategic play by Lincoln to become a major player in the electrified space by acquiring a capability that would take them years to develop internally,” says W. Patrick Dreisig, a shareholder at Butzel. “Fori represents the best of what creative, innovative entrepreneurs can accomplish
where large, well-capitalized publicly traded companies sometimes fall short.
“Lincoln filled the bill on this, and made it possible for our client to feel good about the sale and the future job security of all of its employees. Although certainly not an Apple or Google type deal, this deal nevertheless represents a major high-tech deal in our local economy.”
Since the closing, Meloche says Fori Automation has seen increased orders and added skilled personnel. In turn, the deal allowed the company to expand outside its automotive client base, where it’s a leading designer and manufacturer of complex, multiarmed automated welding systems with an extensive range of automated assembly systems; automated material handling solutions; automated large-scale, industrial guidance vehicles; and endof-line testing systems.
“Lincoln allows Fori to expand into other industries and cross-sell into their customer base,” Meloche says. “It’s a win-win all the way around.”
Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital in Grand Rapids, was 29 years old when he acquired his first company, Quality Imaging Products in Los Angeles. He sold what was a remanufacturer of toner cartridges four years later for a healthy profit.
After several more transactions in the aftermarket imaging supply sector, the Pontiac native returned to his home state and set up operations in Grand Rapids, where he opened Blackford Capital in 2010. “I noticed right away there wasn’t a lot of M&A activity, but slowly yet surely investors came together and the industry became larger,” Stein says.
Part of dozens of deals while working in California, the marathon cyclist long desired to raise the stature of middle-market private equity activity in his home state.
Today, Blackford Capital operates seven portfolio companies that, combined, generate more than $550 million in annual revenue. That’s all part of a career that spans more than 50 acquisitions, investments, recapitalizations, and exits that together are worth $750 million in transaction value.
“The team we have at Blackford combines strategy and culture, but we always say culture beats strategy on any given day,” Stein says. “We work closely with our portfolio companies and ensure we position them to prosper, regardless of what happens. That comes from the glue we have working as
UNDER $50M
a team. We feel good about what we do, and that translates across what we see across the state. We may not be as big as New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, but Michigan is growing and punching above its weight.”
Experience helps, as well. When Blackford Capital’s portfolio company, Aqua Leisure, acquired INYO Pool Products in April 2022, Stein was in his element, having been active in the outdoor recreation space. Aqua Leisure, which was purchased in January 2021, also acquired Airhead Sports Group, a leader in marine towable watersports and winter leisure products.
“We were selling to brick and mortars like Costco, Amazon, and Walmart, but we had a very strong presence online,” Stein says. “After we added INYO, we assessed everything post-COVID-19, from what would happen with remote work to what was going on in the global supply chain, and much more.”
To streamline deliveries from southeast Asia, Blackford Capital relied on its 50-employee team at Greyland Trading Ltd. in Hong Kong. “We worked together to make sure we had the supplies we needed, that we made the products in an efficient manner, and we made sure the products were shipped on time,” Stein says. “We even manage the inventory when it’s on the water. As a result, we now have a 99.5 percent successful shipping rate.”
When American Adventure Holdings in Bay City, which owns and operates RV resorts, sought to acquire a competitor three years ago, they didn’t expect the transaction would be so challenging.
Consider the lead financial institution for the acquisition, Frankenmuth Credit Union — which had an existing relationship with American Adventures — was joined by 27 other credit unions and two banks. To help shepherd the transaction to the finish line and allow the management team to oversee the due diligence while running the business, Element 22 was named a deal adviser.
As the financing was being lined up, one of the stakeholders of Ocean Canyon, which operates eight RV Resorts in the South, passed away. “Once the stakeholder’s family settled the estate, they returned to the deal,” says Jason King, CEO of American Adventures. “In addition, some of the parks we were acquiring were located in hurricane alleys, and some had sustained damage, so we had to negotiate the anticipated repair value.”
In turn, the lenders required individual appraisals of the 17 resort properties owned by the two enterprises. “That takes time, because you have to find a specialized appraiser,” King says. “We also had to deal with some environmental issues with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers, which we were able to do successfully.”
While the cost of the acquisition is private, King says the complexity of working with multiple lenders and properties required a well-organized team that today operates resorts in Michigan, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Overall, there are 3,396 camp sites and rental accommodations offered in multiple resort settings for 27,000 members, many of whom own their own RV.
It helped that King had plenty of institutional knowledge. His grandfather, John, built up an RV resort business that he later sold, while his father, Greg, opened the first Outdoor Adventure park in Standish, near Saginaw, in 1995 (American Adventure is the parent company).
One benefit since the deal for Ocean Canyon closed in May 2022 has been a bump in local tourism. “We’re bringing people to Michigan who otherwise might not have come here,” says Adam Webber, CFO of American Adventures. “When it’s hot and humid in the South, our members can travel north and enjoy our summer weather.
“When you come to one of our properties, you can pop up a tent and have a campfire, park and set up your RV, or rent a frame cabin. There’s indoor and outdoor pools, lakes, hiking trails, and all kinds of activities for kids. Plus, they can make new friends. We offer everything from rustic to glamping experiences.”
As he earned a finance degree from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan, Arjun Murthy knew he wanted to be involved in M&A and investment banking. But before becoming a director at Cascade Partners in Southfield, he learned as much as he could working for PNC in corporate institutional lending before joining Amherst Partners in downtown Birmingham, where he first worked as an analyst before being named a director.
In 2019 he was named a senior manager at TriMas Corp., a large, diversified manufacturer of engineered products in Bloomfield Hills. A year later, he joined Cascade Partners and immediately set to work on a complicated M&A deal that required pulling together what he refers to as “a two-for-one deal.”
“We worked with BHG Ventures, a private investment firm in Southfield, on their acquisition of two leading online sporting goods and equipment retailers — Sportsman’s Guide and The Golf Warehouse,” Murthy says. “We initially focused on the Sportsman’s Guide, but then brought in The Golf Warehouse.
“We kept the same closing time of 120 days, so we underwrote the deal and raised all the financing for it. We were then asked by BHG to be on the board of Crecera Brands in Minneapolis/St. Paul, which oversees several omni-channel retailers, including these two companies. It’s been quite a ride.”
Sportsman’s Guide is a large outdoor sporting goods, hunting, fishing, and camping gear accessories retailer founded in 1976, while The Golf Warehouse started in 1998 and has become a leading e-tailer offering brand names and private label products in the golf, baseball, and softball markets.
“We were the only buyer that approached the seller of the two brands in a two-for-one deal,” Murthy says. “My job was to be like a quarterback. You bring everyone (in a deal) together, you shepherd everything along, and work in the best interest of our client.”
With the acquisition, the terms of which were not disclosed, BHG Ventures plans to capture the accelerating tailwinds within the fitness and recreation industry, particularly the growing demand for high-quality, easy-to-access sporting goods and equipment.
At 32 years old, Murthy is the youngest director at Cascade Partners, an investment banking and private investment firm serving entrepreneurs, businesses, family offices, and investors active in the middle market. In addition to leading the firm’s intern program, he serves on ACG Detroit’s Corporate Development Alliance Committee.
“We have a good team, and we’re very well-organized, which helps when you’re in the thick of a deal,” Murthy says. “I couldn’t be happier working in the M&A and investment banking space.”
Working on more than 30 transactions last year with an aggregate transaction value approaching $1 billion, Pete Roth, a partner at Varnum, where he splits time between the law firm’s Birmingham and Grand Rapids offices, says some deals require complex financial agreements among multiple countries, while others are more about preventing shouting matches between opposing parties.
“In one instance, we were working with a family-owned business, and some members didn’t like each other and they wound up suing each other,” Roth says. “The resolution was to sell the business and hand out the proceeds to the members. It was a fairly large private equity deal that monetized the transaction.
“Sometimes it’s better to have more counsel than to have two brothers yelling at each other. It was better to work through the respective teams, and each brother had their own lawyer, and the overall company had their lawyer. You take the emotion out of the deal by using third parties. I doubt the brothers could have done it on their own.”
On the international front, primarily in Europe, Roth says transactions involving companies from the United States introduce additional layers of legal and financial complexity with regard to M&A laws governing foreign entities. In one instance last year, he represented Granger Energy Services in its sale of 16 landfill gas-to-energy sites across six states to an Australian country.
Closer to home, Roth — whose practice areas include business and corporate, M&A, and private equity — represented a Michigan entrepreneur in the purchase of Schuil Coffee Co. in Grand Rapids.
Roth also has extensive experience with automotive OEMs, along with Tier 1 suppliers and parts-makers further down the supply chain.
His representation has included disputes between OEMs and suppliers, M&A and joint venture transactions, contract negotiations, terms and conditions analysis, price increase “hostage” situations, and securing supply in bankruptcy and distressed situations.
“The sweet spot for our transactions is $150 million, but you can’t do 30 deals a year all by yourself. You need a great support team that’s always looking out for the best interest of everyone,” Roth says. “We keep costs in close mind, too.
“In some instances I do the high-end negotiating and client counseling, while junior partners draft the documents and associates do the due diligence. In this way, we provide lower overall rates to the client.”
Looking back at last year, Roth says M&A was active, but higher interest rates “made things a little more choppy. The pipeline is a little slower, and it’s a tougher environment. It’s harder to get financing and tougher to sell businesses, but we’re still seeing a lot of deal flow.”
At a time when deal flow in the M&A sector was hindered by high inflation and rising interest rates, Bryan Berent, co-founder and managing partner of Blue River Financial Group in Bloomfield Hills, says the firm had its best year ever in 2022. The middle market M&A advisory firm, which represents both buy-side and sell-side transactions, was founded 20 years ago.
Over the years, it’s developed an expertise across many disciplines including manufacturing, health care, and distribution, while cultivating specialties in software and industrial automation markets. Last year, Blue River completed 26 transactions — nearly double the deal flow from the previous year. Despite current economic headwinds, Berent says the firm will close 35 transactions this year.
“One reason we’re successful is that we have open and honest conversations; nothing is isolated,” Berent says. “Everyone collaborates, including in our hiring process. To keep growing, we’re adding professionals, and we continue to invest in technology.”
At the same time, Blue River is reaching a wider audience. “We’re building a better brand,” Berent says. “We hired a really good marketing director, which has led to more external branding. We do more press releases (than we did) before, and we’re on social media. We also had (just) one person leave in the past two years. It helps when
people stick around. It builds momentum, and we’re not seeing people come and go.”
That consistency helped the 36-person team provide advisory services to several notable deals last year, including working with Prime Technologies Inc., a provider of calibration management software, on its sale to TMA Systems, a portfolio company of Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm with $3.3 billion of capital under management.
Mark Simner, CEO of TMA Systems, says the deal, which was announced in October, delivered on several goals, including a reduction in organizational costs, growth in the return on assets, and improvements on “overall time to value.”
In a separate deal, Blue River advised Grommet, an e-retailer and portfolio company of ACE Hardware, in its recent sale to GiddyUp, a performance marketing network that drives online sales among hundreds of popular brands.
“Over the last two years, we’ve been working with ACE Hardware to assist them with their spin-off and acquisition strategies,” Berent says. “Grommet was one of their spin-offs. It was a nonstrategic asset, and we were happy to take it to market. We found a number of interested parties and, as it turned out, Grommet was a very good fit for GiddyUp. Now ACE Hardware can look to invest in other opportunities, such as the service industry.”
Scott Eisenberg • Managing Director, Financial Advisory Services Capstone Partners • Birmingham
While most people move around throughout their career, Scott Eisenberg has been working in the same office building in downtown Birmingham for 28 years — first as a partner with Amherst Partners and, more recently, as managing director of financial advisory services at Capstone Partners.
In a career that includes more than 75 investment banking and 200 financial advisory assignments in manufacturing, services, financial services, and technology, Eisenberg has seen his share of unique deals. One transaction that stands out is the sale of a waste energy business out of receivership in Freeport, southeast of Grand Rapids.
“The company was an anaerobic digester — essentially they would take food waste product and put it in silos and cover it with enzymes that digest the food, which in turn creates methane that powers a turbine, and the excess energy gets sold to the grid,” says Eisenberg, an international board member of ACG and past president of ACG Detroit.
“They had a valuable contract with Consumers Energy, but the company’s operation was shut down due to a number of factors. However, the contract was valuable and required that the company produce at least some electricity over a 12-month period. If they didn’t produce electricity over that time, they would be in default of the contract.”
Knowing a sale to a waiting buyer would span more than a year, Eisenberg and his team
approached the secured lender of the business, a bank, about restarting the operation. Over the span of 10 months, Eisenberg searched for an outside business to bring in to get things going, but he didn’t find any takers.
“Finally we went back to the bank, and ultimately that’s the last thing a bank would allow to happen. But we were persistent, got all of the necessary insurance and approvals, and we started up the facility. We generated enough electricity to light a lightbulb for more than 30 seconds, and we saved the deal.”
Across his career, Eisenberg has served as an international board member of the Turnaround Management Association and was past president of TMA Detroit, past president and board member of the Detroit Chapter of Young Entrepreneur’s Organization, past president of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce of Michigan, and past chairman of the Automotive Supplier Committee of the Michigan Association of CPAs.
“When my wife and I moved here from Chicago in late 1984, I knew no one,” Eisenberg recalls. “I vividly remember watching the Super Bowl (in January 1995), where my team growing up, the Chicago Bears, won, but I was watching it with my wife and her grandmother. From then on, I vowed to volunteer for nearly everything just to meet people and get involved. I keep doing that to this day.”
Thousands of race fans will flock to downtown Detroit June 2-4 to witness the rebirth of IndyCar racing on the city’s streets during the Detroit Grand Prix. In August, meanwhile, tens of thousands will converge on the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn to watch the stars of NASCAR loudly orbit the two-mile, D-shaped oval in the scenic Irish Hills. IndyCar and NASCAR events stand at the top level of professional racing and take place in Michigan annually. Many more grass-roots events are conducted as often as weekly at paved and dirt short tracks at little-known venues as far south as the M-40 Speedway in Jones, near the Michigan-Indiana border, to as far north as the Sands Speedway, in the Upper Peninsula.
“I’ve always had fun racing in Michigan,” says Tony Stewart, a former IndyCar and NASCAR champion who now owns race teams in several motorsports disciplines. “There are some really cool racetracks there. There are obviously different states that have a greater influence in motorsports, but to have as much influence as (there is) in Michigan with sprint cars and late models, and Michigan International Speedway, and the Detroit Grand Prix — all of the different things in Michigan — it’s important to motorsports that the state of Michigan is that active in the industry.”
Some of the smaller tracks in the state have histories that include providing the start for drivers like Brad Keselowski, who went on to win the 2012
Michigan is home to more than 40 racing venues, ranging from a two-mile superspeedway to dirt tracks, paved short tracks, go-kart tracks, motocross runs, and drag strips.
BY TIM KEENAN
NASCAR Cup championship with Team Penske and now is a driver and co-owner of RFK Racing, along with fellow Michigander Jack Roush.
“I just remember being really nervous (when I first started racing as a teenager), just feeling like I was really young, in way over my handlebars,” Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, recalls of his early racing on Michigan’s short tracks. “Then, the little bit of success I had felt like (I had conquered) the world. Especially when you got to the west side of the state, the competition level there was absolutely incredible. I remember teams pulling in with big haulers, while I had a little trailer. It’s quite a scene.”
The west side of the state will be the focus of the racing world Aug. 3 when Stewart brings his SRX Racing all-star series to Berlin Raceway in Marne, near Grand Rapids. He’ll be joined by other big-name drivers like Keselowski, Kyle Bush, Kevin Harvick, fourtime Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves, Hailie Deegan, Bobby Labonte, and Ryan Newman.
“When SRX was first announced two years ago, we knew it was something we wanted,” says Jeff Striegle, general manager of Berlin Raceway. “It’s been an ongoing work in progress between their team and ours, and we’re fortunate to be one of the six tracks selected for 2023.”
All 10,000 seats quickly sold out for the event, and Striegle is anticipating excellent exposure for his facility from 9-11 p.m. that Thursday evening on ESPN, which broadcasts the SRX Racing series nationally.
The 10,000-seat Berlin Raceway near Grand Rapids will host Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) on Aug. 3. Last year’s season champion was Marco Andretti.
“I’ve raced at Berlin before,” Stewart says. “It’s a real technical and unique track, but the great thing is every event that I was ever at up there, the fans are super passionate about Berlin. The fact that it’s already sold out tells us what to expect when we get there — about how excited everybody is that we’re going there, first of all, but what the level of excitement will be for us as the drivers. We feed off that energy, so having a packed house there already makes me smile.”
As the capital of the auto industry, it should come as no surprise that Michigan is a hotbed of racing. Cars have been racing in Michigan since the early part of the last century, and helped instill confidence in the burgeoning automotive industry. On Oct. 10, 1901, when Henry Ford defeated established driver Alexander Winton at the Grosse Pointe Racetrack behind the wheel of his Sweepstakes racer, the contest helped stamp Ford’s reputation as a serious automaker.
Initially, most car races were run on converted horse tracks. Organized racing in the state began in earnest in 1939 when the Owosso Speedway opened for business in Ovid, north of Lansing. It was followed by Norway Speedway, just east of Iron Mountain in the U.P., in 1942.
Many more followed — Tri-City Motor Speedway opened in Auburn, east of Midland, in 1947, as did Galesburg Speedway, located between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. Birch Run Speedway, north of Flint, debuted in 1948 as Dixie Motor Speedway, while Kalamazoo got its own track, Kalamazoo Speedway, in 1949.
Larger series like IndyCars raced on dirt at the Michigan State Fairgrounds at Woodward Avenue and Eight Mile Road in Detroit from 1949 to 1957, while NASCAR ran there in 1951 and 1952.
The grandstands at the fairgrounds track, which eventually became unsafe, were dismantled in 1971. Plans to resurrect the facility in more recent years were scuttled due to noise concerns expressed by neighbors, and today the former fairgrounds is being built out as a logistics center.
The 1950s and 1960s saw the acceleration of track openings including Berlin Raceway; Mottville Speedway, in White Pigeon; Silver Bullet Speedway, in Michigan’s Thumb, which drew future Indianapolis 500 champions A.J. Foyt and Parnelli Jones; and the Waterford Hills Road Racing Course, in Clarkston.
In 2000, Keselowski was Rookie of the Year at Auto City Speedway and Dixie Motor Speedway (now Birch Run Speedway) behind the wheel of a factory stock car run by his father’s K-Automotive Motorsports team. “I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t get to race at tracks like Auto City up in Flint, Owosso, and Toledo Speedway,” Keselowski says. “Those were three of my favorite tracks growing up. I learned a ton there.”
The lessons learned on the short tracks included “being smooth, not letting things fall off your race car, communicating with your team, and being able to manage a race event from start to finish. Those carry on at every level.”
A staple in California since the 1930s, drag racing took hold in Michigan during the 1960s. US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, north of Kalamazoo, debuted in 1962. Milan Dragway opened its gates south of Ann Arbor in 1967, while Ubly Dragway was unveiled south of Bad Axe in 1967.
Tri-City Motor Speedway, a quarter-mile dirt track in Auburn, was founded in 1967, and Sands Speedway in Gwynn, in the U.P., opened two years later.
The state’s largest track, MIS in Brooklyn, opened the same year.
Due to its proximity to Detroit, MIS became a prime arena for local automakers competing for high-performance supremacy. Over the years, NASCAR Cup drivers powered by Ford, Mercury, Dodge, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Toyota have taken the checkered flag at MIS. More recently, Ford has dominated, winning the last eight races. Since 2010, the winning manufacturer has been presented with the Michigan Heritage Trophy.
Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest team in NASCAR, won two out of the first three stock car races at MIS with legendary driver Cale Yarborough.
“It’s always been important,” says Eddie Wood, president of Wood Brothers Racing. “It’s kind of viewed as the manufacturers’ race. That’s where Ford is and GM is. But there’s no extra pressure to run well or win at Michigan. You want to win every race, no matter where it is.”
MIS also hosted IndyCar events annually from 1968-2007.
Since 2008, IndyCar, now operated by local businessman Roger Penske, has focused on street racing in Detroit, first taking over the downtown street circuit in 1989 from Formula 1, which ran in the Motor City from 1982-88. The race moved to Belle Isle from 19922022, with a three-year hiatus between 2002-2006, and another between 2009-2011. Series officials decided to return downtown to race on a temporary track around General Motors Co.’s world headquarters at the Renaissance Center.
In addition to the IndyCars, support races for the 2023 Detroit Grand Prix include the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, INDY NXT, and the Trans Am series.
According to a University of Michigan study, the Grand Prix will generate some $77 million in economic activity among local hotels, bars, restaurants, and other businesses. Race organizers say approximately 50 percent of the 1.7-mile temporary street circuit will be visible to fans free of charge.
While having a racetrack in one’s backyard can be an economic boon, it also can be a detriment. Such is the case at Cherry Raceway in Fife Lake, near Traverse City. One neighbor was so disenchanted with the unmuffled racing noise that he bought the
Butler Motor Speedway, Quincy (3/8-mile oval, 1952)
Crystal Motor Speedway, Crystal (3/8-mile oval, NA)
Hartford Motor Speedway, Hartford (oval)
I-96 Speedway, Lake Odessa (1/2-mile oval, NA)
Manistee County Fairgrounds, Onekama (oval)
Merritt Speedway, Lake City (oval)
Mt. Pleasant Speedway, Mount Pleasant (3/8-mile oval, NA)
Silver Bullet Speedway, Owendale (1/4-mile oval, 1955)
Thunderbird Raceway, Muskegon (1/3-mile circle, NA)
Tri-City Motor Speedway, Auburn (1/4-mile oval, 1947)
Winston Speedway, Rothbury (3/8-mile oval, NA)
Auto City Speedway, Clio (1/2-mile and 1/4-mile paved ovals, NA)
Berlin Raceway, Marne (7/16-mile paved oval, 1950)
Birch Run Speedway and Event Center, Birch Run (1/3-mile paved oval, 1948)
Corrigan Oil Speedway, Mason (1/4-mile paved oval, 1956)
Flat Rock Speedway, Flat Rock (.25-mile paved oval, 1953)
Galesburg Speedway, Galesburg (1/4-mile paved oval, 1947)
GingerMan Raceway, South Haven (2.14-mile road course, 1995)
Kalamazoo Speedway, Kalamazoo (3/8-mile oval, 1949)
M-40 Speedway, Jones (3/8-mile D-shaped oval, 1997)
Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn (2-mile D-shaped oval, 1968)
Mid-Michigan Raceway Park, Fenwick (oval)
Mottville Speedway, White Pigeon (1/4-mile oval, 1950)
Onaway Speedway, Onaway (1/4-mile oval, 1983)
Owosso Speedway, Ovid (3/8-mile oval, 1939)
Tri-City Motor Speedway, Auburn (1/2-mile oval, 1967)
Waterford Hills
Road Racing Course, Clarkston (1/2-mile road course, 1958)
Bark River International Speedway, Bark River (dirt off-road course)
Kinross Speedpark, Kinross (1/4-mile paved oval, 1995)
Norway Speedway, Norway (1/3-mile paved oval, 1942)
Sands Speedway, Gwinn (1/4-mile paved oval, 1969)
Upper Peninsula International Raceway, Escanaba (dirt oval)
Big Air Motorcross, Newaygo
Grattan Raceway Park, Belding
Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton (1/4-mile paved, 1975)
Milan Dragway, Milan (1/4-mile paved, 1964)
Northern Michigan Dragway, Kaleva (1/8-mile paved, 1970)
Ubly Dragway, Ubly (1/4-mile paved, 1967)
US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin (1/4-mile paved, 1962)
Capitol Quarter Midget Association, Lansing (paved road course for kids)
Jackson Speedway, Jackson (paved road course)
Palmyra Speedway at Hilltop, Adrian (paved road course)
40-acre property in 2015 just to close it down, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
When Fife Lake resident Stephen Batzer purchased the track, he quickly became a villain among the local racing community and a hero to his other serenity-loving neighbors.
“I’m glad it’s gone and I have my peace and quiet back,” Karol Kroupa, whose property lies between the track and Batzer’s house, was quoted in the local newspaper as saying at the time. “I thank my neighbor.”
Although Michigan’s IndyCar and NASCAR races attract national attention and network television time, the majority of the racing activity around the state takes place at smaller dirt and paved short tracks like Birch Run Speedway, where 24 different classes of racing machines compete every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from April 22 to Oct. 28.
Flat Rock Speedway hosts a variety of races every Saturday starting in May, while Kalamazoo Speedway runs modifieds, late models, semi-trucks, and other
Michigan’s racing tracks each offer several different kinds of competition. Among them are late models at Flat Rock Speedway (above), modifieds at Birch Run Speedway (left), and sprint cars at Kalamazoo Speedway (opposite page, above right).
speedy vehicles every Friday and Saturday between May and November.
The schedule at Owosso Speedway, north of Lansing, is busy from April 15 through September. It hosts stock modifieds, pure stock, sport compact, trucks, street stocks, dwarf cars, late-model sportsman, mini wedges, and other racing classes.
In 1944 and 1945, the facility served another purpose: It was used as a prisoner of war camp for captured German soldiers. Camp Owosso was one of 25 POW camps in Michigan. On May 30, 1944, 200 veterans of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps arrived at Owosso. By July 1944, 375 prisoners were held there.
Today’s racing enthusiasts have the option of belonging to private clubs, complete with their own racecourses. M1 Concourse in Pontiac opened in 2016 on the former 87-acre site of General Motors’ former Pontiac West assembly plant. It features a 1.5mile twisty, paved circuit surrounded by some 250 private garages.
The facility also has an events center that hosts numerous programs each year, including the American Speed Festival, and it’s building the Prefix Performance Center, which will offer racing fuels and service for high-performance cars. The center is expected to be finished this summer.
Coming soon, a bit farther to the west, is Motorsports Gateway Howell, which began construction in January. It sits on a 273-acre plot near I-96 and Highway D19, one mile from downtown Howell. Phase 1 of construction, expected to be completed by summer, will include a 2.2-mile performance driving circuit, a paddock, a members clubhouse, track-fronting private garage condos, and a public nature trail. Two additional phases include an automotive innovation park and a mixeduse entertainment zone.
The bottom line, whether someone is driving their expensive car on a club track or just watching a race, is entertainment. According to the Berlin Raceway’s Striegle, there’s no shortage of people in Michigan who look to racing to accelerate their adrenaline.
“There’s something about the fan base in Michigan that makes racing in the state thrive,” Striegle says. “They’re a passionate group of people. They’re loyal. They want to go to a clean, family-friendly facility, and they want a good show when they get there. I think most of the tracks in the state are able to provide that.”
Motorsports Gateway Howell, a rendering of which is shown below, soon will join M1 Concourse in Pontiac as a regional “country club” for motorsports enthusiasts.
DATES: June 2-4
SERIES: NTT IndyCar Series, Indy NXT, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Trans Am Series
TRACK: 1.7-mile temporary street circuit in downtown Detroit
2022 WINNER: Will Power (Belle Isle Raceway)
DATE: Aug. 3
SERIES: Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience (SRX)
TRACK: 7/16-mile paved oval
2022 WINNER: NA
2022 SEASON CHAMPION: Marco Andretti
DATES: Aug. 4-6
SERIES: NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Menard’s Series
TRACK: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, 2-mile D-shaped oval
2022 WINNER: Kevin Harvick
TUESDAY, MAY 2 · 8:30AM - LOCATION: THE DAXTON HOTEL
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DBusiness magazine’s event series are bi-monthly panels & awards shows featuring compelling business content across a wide range of industries and topics. Guests enjoy strolling breakfast, comments from the groups and individuals being featured, and an exceptional opportunity to network with metro Detroit’s top business leaders.
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Photography by Matthew LaVere
Grant Burns was a rookie Detroit police officer in 2018 when he safely disarmed a mentally ill man coming at him with a knife.
His action earned him a precinct District Officer of the Year award from the police union, a rare honor for a freshman officer. Burns’ action also caught the attention of former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who promoted him to his personal bodyguard unit.
Just months into the assignment, Burns drove Craig home after an engagement and was headed home himself when he stopped for a red traffic light. “I was the only one stopped there and I got hit from behind by a semi-tractor trailer,” he remembers. “It crushed the police car. The doors were off the car. I was knocked unconscious.”
A brain injury forced him into eight months of physical and speech therapy. The prospect of a disability retirement loomed. “I didn’t want to quit the department. All I ever wanted to do was be a cop,” he says.
In 2021, Craig announced his candidacy for governor. Sgt. Mark Oliver, in charge of Craig’s police bodyguard unit,
owned a private security company in Southfield and invited Burns to join him in providing protection for Craig.
When Craig dropped out of the race, Oliver and Burns founded Shield Security in Detroit, and began serving the commercial sector.
“Mark and I, we spent every dollar we had on vehicles and radios, and we went three to four months with no pay. I remember having $300 in my bank account and my mortgage was due,” Burns says.
“We hire people full time; everyone gets 40 hours. We offer higher pay (than competitors), and we put recruits through training in a police-structured organization,” Burns says. “We have sergeants, and we have supervisors and managers above them.”
Burns says the 120-employee company has a wide range of clients, including the Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit Lions Sunday tailgate parties, auto manufacturing facilities, and Detroit casinos.
Burns says the first client he landed was the upscale Morgan Waterfront Estates, adjacent to the Detroit River.
“We still man the gate there for the neighborhood,” he says.
— Norm SinclairCEO, Carmela Foods, Fraser
Employees: 150
Revenue: $100M
College: Mic higan State University
Co-Founder and CEO, Shield Security, Detroit
Employees: 120 •
Revenue: NA
College: Oakland University
From the time he learned to walk, Paul Buscemi worked at his father’s party store. Founded in 1956 as a single store by his grandfather, Paul, today the Rose-ville-based business has 45 Buscemi Party Shops, most of which are in Macomb County. All are franchised and operated by a number of different owners.
“I’ve been in the food business all my life,” says Buscemi, CEO of Carmela Foods in Fraser. The latter business was founded by his mom’s brother, Anthony Tocco Jr., in 1992. At first, Tocco sold Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a business started by his uncle in New York City, to merchants across Macomb County.
“He was selling the olive oil literally out of the back of his truck,” Buscemi says. “It was one of the first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils. Over time, he was asked by store owners to bring in more goods, and today we sell 25,000 specialty items in metro Detroit, outstate to places like the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, and in Cleveland, Columbus, and beyond.”
Carmela Foods operates from a 100,000-square-foot facility and, in addition to distributing items to Buscemi Party Shops, the business delivers goods to gourmet markets, grocery stores,
restaurants, casinos, hotels, and country clubs. Such an array of customers came in handy when restaurants closed in March 2002 due to COVID-19.
“I’m glad we were so diversified, because when all the restaurants closed down, retail carried us through,” Buscemi says. “We were actually up in revenue in 2020. It was a good time for us to grow.”
Offering everything from organic beef to seafood, poultry and eggs from Amish farmers, artisan breads, family estate wines, pastas, sauces, and San Marzano tomatoes, Carmela Foods sources its inventory primarily from local and regional farmers, as well as companies across Europe and elsewhere, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine.
To help market the lineup and debut new products, Carmela Foods hosts two major food shows each year and invites all of its customers. In March, the company hosted its first show of the year at the MGM Grand Detroit.
“The show is one of the keys to our success. We get the customers in front of the vendors in a ballroom setting,” Buscemi says. “For Carmela Foods, we’re looking to expand more into Ohio, Indiana, and the Midwest.”
R.J. King
His father’s act of neighborly kindness and his mother’s determination to raise her three sons to succeed, propelled Jesse Dhillon to the top job in a company with the most disparate entities — a national chain of hair salons, two coffee shops, and a digital sports network.
Dhillon, as vice president of Lady Jane’s Haircuts for Men, directs the day-to-day operations of more than 100 stores in 21 states. He also co-founded Birmingham Roast and Royal Oak Roast coffee shops, and supervises the fledging Woodward Sports Network, based in Lady Jane’s Birmingham headquarters. And in addition to those responsibilities, he’s a licensed real estate agent, consulting with eXp Realty.
Growing up, Dhillon’s family lived in Oakland Township, where his father, Paul, who owned two restaurants, built solid relationships with people in the community. Paul personally welcomed newcomers such as Chad Johnson — who with his wife, Jenny, and children had just moved from Boston to the neighborhood — in the early 2000s. Soon after making the move, Johnson acquired two existing Lady Jane’s stores in metro Detroit.
“My father took a full family dinner over (when the Johnsons moved in) and told Chad that if he ever needed anything, to just reach out,” Dhillon recalls.
The families grew close as Johnson revamped and standardized the store layouts and began
expanding the operation around metro Detroit. He hired Dhillon’s cousin, Robby, a computer engineer, to develop the digital infrastructure system for the company.
At the time, Dhillon was a junior in high school. He went on to earn a business degree from Michigan State University and, following graduation, he joined Deloitte, a business consulting firm.
“My mom, Perminder, did everything she could to make sure my two brothers and I were given every opportunity possible (after my dad died),” Dhillon says. “We knew we didn’t want to let her down.”
In 2015, Johnson offered Dhillon a job. Knowing his reluctance to leave Deloitte, Robby encouraged his cousin to accept the offer to become finance director at Lady Jane’s. “There were 58 stores at the time,” Dhillon says. “We’ve doubled in size since my onboarding.”
Two years later, he was named vice president. From there, Dhillon developed the company’s headquarters in downtown Birmingham, which includes a coffee shop owned in partnership with Johnson, along with the sports network in which Johnson is a major investor. They opened the Royal Oak coffee shop in 2021.
Johnson now lives in south Florida. “We talk every day,” Dhillon says. “I run the day-to-day operations and manage all the departments in the company.”
Norm SinclairEmployees: 31
Revenue: $133 7M
College: Wayne State University
Vice President, Lady Jane’s Haircuts for Men, Drink Roast, Woodward Spor ts Network , Birmingham Employees: 1,200+ • Revenue: NA College: Mic higan State University
Ask Sandy Eisho if she’s “a rising superstar,” as claimed by a Connect Media commercial real estate 2021 Next Generation Award, and instead of a lot of razzmatazz she muses about her process improvement and “helping a number of individuals come together” at the Farbman Group in Southfield, a full-service commercial real estate company founded in 1976.
“Day to day, aside from client solutions, I’m overseeing administration,” says Eisho (pronounced “EE-show”). She speaks of wearing her “client-facing solutions hat” and poses a rhetorical question: “Who are you helping today?”
On the one hand, working for Farbman, which handles all facets of real estate transactions, operations, management, leasing, acquisition, and disposition “has given me a chance to grow and find my niche,” she says. On the other, her niche as senior vice president and chief of staff is more like a broad canyon with many arroyos, because “the role really does encompass a lot of different areas.”
Observing her ninth anniversary with the company in June, Eisho says it all started by accident while she was studying at Wayne State University in Detroit.
She joined Farbman full time, doing financial analysis and administration, and led the company on several software implementations, including Workteam for goal-setting by staff.
Much of her attention goes toward strengthening client relationships. Being a “helpful partner” has a broad scope; a number of Michigan clients have portfolios in different states across the Midwest.
“A lot of the focus is strengthening their experience with our company,” she says.
An example of a dream project, Eisho says, is found in Farbman’s creation, in late 2021, of Apex Mechanical Solutions, a business unit that focuses on providing efficient services for clients’ heating and cooling needs. “I would love to lead the transition of another new company under the Farbman Group,” she says.
Meanwhile, she’s started “giving back and helping where I can.” That means serving on the women’s committee of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, the advisory board of Michigan Women Thrive, and being part of the Metro Detroit Best and Brightest. “I’ve found a lot of enjoyment and energy being a part of these boards,” Eisho says.
— Ronald Ahrens Senior Vice President, Chief of Staf f, Farbman Group, SouthfieldFairlane Town Center, Dearborn
Employees: 50
Revenue: NA
College: Henry Ford College
It’s all in the details.
At least, that’s Dan Fayad’s philosophy, and it’s how, in his first 16 months as general manager of Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, he increased the mall’s occupancy to 94 percent from 71 percent.
“I oversee every single thing in the day-to-day operation,” Fayad says. “I’m very hands-on with my managers and directors. I like to be involved from the smallest to the biggest things.”
With 1.4 million square feet of retail space on 110 acres, Fayad calls Fairlane a “behemoth of a property,” which is why every detail matters. “If you’re not involved with even the smallest things, you’ll be out of touch,” Fayad says. “That’s how malls die.”
One of the most important details, he maintains, is the people.
“You’re only as good as the leadership on the ground and how in touch they are with the community,” Fayad says. “You get the best feedback from community members because they’re the day-to-day shoppers. You’ve got to get their input.”
A Dearborn native, Fayad says his genuine care for his community sets him apart as a retail manager. He began with Fairlane in 2011 when, at 19 years old, he became a security officer. Later, he rose to security director before being recruited to manage properties in Cleveland and San Francisco. Within a few years, he got the opportunity to return home, where he soon joined the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce and the Dearborn Education Foundation Board of Trustees.
“I’m very hands-on, not just with my work, but with the community, because (when managing) any shopping center, any mall, if you’re not a pillar in the community and involved in it, it doesn’t make any sense to do it,” he says.
One of his focus areas is local youth. He notes Dearborn is full of potential, as the eighth largest city in Michigan with the third largest school district. To provide more opportunities in neighborhoods, Fayad built a business incubator program similar to Detroit’s TechTown that serves the area’s youth and entrepreneurs with training and resources. Most recently, he welcomed 15-year-old Kassem Elkhechen’s new shoe store to Fairlane’s family of businesses.
“I started from nothing. I started as a security officer and became general manager,” Fayad says. “It’s just showing people you can do it if you put in the hard work and hours, and learn from your mistakes.”
— Calli NewberryCEO, Ancor Automotive, Troy Employees: 50 • Revenue: $12M College: Tecnológico de Monterrey
When Jose Flores became CEO of Ancor Automotive in Troy early last year, the company had a familiar client base.
“We’re a very traditional company that’s been doing the same thing for 40 years. I saw a lot of opportunity,” Flores says. “I’ve always liked working for small- to medium-sized companies, because that’s where the change happens. You don’t have to go through a lot of layers to make things happen.”
And he was ready to make a change. After working for London Consulting Group in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, for several years, where he provided operational expertise across 10 different industries around the world, Flores was ready to settle down and become director of program management at Industrial Automation in Rochester Hills.
“That’s basically when my career skyrocketed. I went through five positions in five years,” he says.
Flores climbed the ladder at Industrial Automation until he found himself at a standstill. He had risen to the position of corporate director of operations, but the company’s leadership wasn’t near retirement. Two years later, he was contacted by a recruiter and, after months of negotiations, Flores took charge of Ancor in March 2022. As a young CEO, he says he faced a challenge leading
older team members. He knew he needed to earn their respect, and he did so with results.
In the first four months, Flores helped acquire 60 new customers and develop two new products, which sparked new life into the company’s culture. Since then, he hasn’t slowed down.
“That boosted the morale of the company,” Flores says. “I’m a very energetic and dynamic leader. I’m always trying to find creative solutions to complex problems, and I do them in a fun approach so people get excited and want to tackle it.”
His latest project is a software innovation hub that’s working to expand Ancor beyond VIN-specific label solutions. Today, the team of developers is exploring ways to help manufacturers save time, money, and materials with programs such as the Monroney Editor, which allows on-site label editing and printing to reflect when equipment gets added to a vehicle.
“After 40 years of doing the same thing, we’re trying to break the status quo. I think the innovation hub is just the middle step for us to grow as a company,” Flores says. “I just want to get stuff done. I need to be working, because that’s part of the fun, and when you’re doing something you love, you don’t have to work a single day in your life.”
Calli NewberryDan Gallagher was doing well in commercial real estate and, at 29, wasn’t looking to move into a different industry. But early in 2022, he started hearing that several large insurance companies were looking to add talent who also had the ability to sell to the real estate market.
Although Gallagher was having success brokering real estate transactions at Avison Young, he was intrigued by the opportunity offered by Kansas City-based Lockton Cos. While Lockton had a strong presence in the Detroit area among industries including automotive, finance, and food, it was lagging behind in real estate and construction.
“I spent January and February 2022 interviewing back and forth between Kansas City and Detroit, and in March 2022 I came on board here,” Gallagher says.
Since then, he’s made significant inroads into the real estate and construction markets, and has helped Lockton grow its Michigan revenue to $20.8 million from its 2019 mark of $13.6 million. For that he credits his work ethic, Lockton’s support team and programs to help manage the accounts, and a strong mentorship effort.
“The Lockton model for producers is a very entrepreneurial model,” Gallagher says. “It’s your business, at the end of the
day, and you run it the way you want to run it. They bring in the service teams to run that account for you, so I don’t have to be the technical expert. I have to know the fundamentals and do a good job on the producer side.”
He also calls on Lockton veterans based in both Kansas City and Detroit who can simply consult or, if needed, join him on calls and visits to clients.
Gallagher, who earned a business degree at Michigan State University, says the effectiveness of his personal efforts hinge on three things: Hard work is the first; being single with no kids is the second, because it allows him to completely immerse himself in his professional goals; and the third is being present in the community, which he does in part by volunteering with Detroit Public Schools Community District and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, and through his involvement in institutions like the Detroit Institute of Arts Founders Junior Council and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s NextGen.
“For my position, about 50 percent of my time is learning what I’m talking about, and 50 percent is going out and winning new business,” he says. “But I also rebranded myself and found the right organization to make the move into a new industry.”
— Dan CalabreseAssociate Producer, Lockton Cos , Kansas City Employees: 8,500 • Revenue: $49M College: Mic higan State University
Chef and Co-founder, Four Man Ladder Hospitality, Bloomfield Hills
Employees: 100 •
Revenue: NA
College: Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
Joe Giacomino has had a rather meteoric rise in the restaurant industry, from a dishwasher as a teenager in his hometown near Madison, Wis., to co-founder of the Bloomfield Hills-based Four Man Ladder Hospitality group in his mid-30s.
“When I was 16, one of the cooks at the restaurant I was working at asked me if I wanted to learn how to make an omelet,” Giacomini recalls. “I figured that was better than washing dishes, so I started doing that. When I was 18, I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago.”
After graduating and doing a couple of internships, Giacomino landed a position at the now-closed Table Fifty-Two in Chicago. He also served as chef de cuisine at Quince Restaurant in Evanston, Ill., and at Jam Restaurant in Chicago. He closed out his Chicago era as executive chef of A10 Hyde Park. That establishment closed in 2018, two years after he came to metro Detroit, where his three business partners were raised.
“We’d been talking about doing our own thing for years,” he says. “Between the four of us, we’ve been part of
opening 24 different restaurants for other people.
“They started talking about the resurgence in downtown Detroit and were really excited about it. I came up for a visit and I could sense there was something happening here, for sure. We found the space Grey Ghost is in and thought it was a good opportunity to get off the ground.”
After Grey Ghost came Second Best Detroit, and now Basan, which recently opened in the historic Eddystone Building near the northwest entrance to Little Caesars Arena.
With more corporate responsibilities, Giacomino’s time in the kitchen is waning. “We have great culinary teams at each location,” he says. “A lot of my day-to-day activities are in more of an advisory role.”
That advisory role is likely to expand as he says the group’s goal is to grow, which shows that his instinct to make the move to the Motor City was the right one. “It was a little bit risky when we first made the move (to Detroit), but it’s turned out to be the best thing we could have done.”
Tim KeenanWhile still a student at Novi High School, Jeff Glover sold overstuffed sofas at Art Van Furniture Inc. and says he was “pretty successful” at it. Noticing his acumen, another salesperson at the store suggested he try real estate.
“As soon as I turned 18, I went for my license,” Glover says. “I sold 32 homes my first year in the business.” He soon took on a managerial role with Coldwell Banker Schweitzer Real Estate, where he was “essentially a broker” in the company’s Livonia office. During his early 20s, he also recruited, trained, and coached agents.
“In January of 2009, I decided to open up my own shop,” he says. The move came just after the national economy took a wicked turn, but proof that he managed to thrive is seen in today’s Live Unreal Cos. (the name comes from the mission to live “unreal” experiences in order to deliver similar excitement to customers). Besides the high-volume Glover Agency, the holding company has six Keller Williams Realty Inc. franchises in Detroit and a seventh in Kalamazoo.
But there’s more: Glover’s shop is one-stop. Titleocity handles title and
escrow work, Spotlight Staging & Design “deliver(s) magazine-worthy staging” of homes for sale, and Glover Group Property Management promises clients a “stress-free” experience. Glover U. is for coaching and training, and Live Unreal Media, a recent addition, provides photography and video services for in-house productions and for clients.
The marketing and media represent “an area of creativity I have that’s unique,” Glover says. A good example of how strong that knack is can be seen in the videos supporting Glover’s Heroes, a nonprofit organization that assists nurses and caregivers, teachers, first responders, and military veterans with the cleanup and renovation of properties.
With so many simultaneous enterprises, it’s natural to wonder if Glover has any spare time. “I definitely spend a good amount of time working, there’s no doubt,” he admits, but he says he also enjoys snowmobiling in northern Michigan, plays golf, and frequents the Detroit Yacht Club. It’s the same formula he wants for his employees: to love life and be proud of their company.
Ronald AhrensOwner, Live Unreal Cos., Plymouth
Employees: 600 agents • Revenue: $38.5M
College: Attended Oakland Community College
Before there was Silicon Valley, Milwaukee Junction in Detroit was considered the brain center of America. Streets such as Milwaukee, Baltimore, Piquette, and others, located in the greater New Center neighborhood, were the birthplace of mass production, the first moving assembly line, and the Ford Model T, among other innovations.
In a nod to that history, Myles Hamby, senior development manager for The Platform, a multifaceted real estate company in Detroit, is overseeing the conversion of a former Studebaker plant, originally built in 1920, into 161 units of workforce housing. Construction on the project, called Piquette Flats — part of a National Historic District — is set to begin this spring. The development is expected to open in summer 2024.
“There’s strong demand throughout Detroit for affordable housing,” says Hamby, who grew up in Southern California, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in global studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. “As the city seeks to grow its population, projects like Piquette Flats offer a great opportunity to enhance the quality of life.”
Before earning a master’s degree in urban planning at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Hamby worked for a college
Christian ministry in Kansas City, where he met his future wife. “After we got married, we moved to Detroit in 2012 when I attended U-M and she was going to Wayne State University (in Detroit),” he says. “I wanted to practice what I was learning in the classroom and apply it to the city.”
In addition to working as food access coordinator at Eastern Market, Hamby and two fellow students took on the redesign of two adjoining structures at Woodward Avenue and Baltimore Street (today Baltimore Station) as part of a final class project. From there, they pitched the project to Peter Cummings, principal of The Platform, and proceeded to offer 23 residential units (a third floor was added) and commercial offerings including a Huntington Bank branch.
“Peter went on to hire all three of us, and now we’re working on projects across Midtown and New Center,” Hamby says. “I have a passion for understanding the role land plays in providing vibrant properties and communities, and what should go on a particular piece of land. I also want to understand the social and justice implications, and how a development plays a positive role in economic development, promotes community engagement, and fits into the fabric of a neighborhood.”
R.J. KingEmployees: 265
Revenue: $70M
College: University of Michigan
Senior Development Manager, The Platform, Detroit Employees: 11 • Revenue: NA College: University of Michigan
At some point in the next 10 to 15 years, Matt Hylant expects to take over the family business, the Hylant insurance brokerage, from his cousin and current CEO, Bubba Berenzweig. “I think that’s definitely a goal of mine,” Hylant says. “Having the opportunity to operate the whole business at some point would be awesome.”
In the meantime, Hylant has his hands full managing Hylant’s Great Lakes Region. He’s tasked with molding six Midwest offices used to working on their own — Detroit, Grand Rapids, Elkhart and Fort Wayne, Ind., Indianapolis, and Chicago — into a cohesive unit.
“These days I’m focused on bringing consistency across that group of offices, which all operated fairly independently and differently from one another until about a year and a half ago,” Hylant says. “We’re making sure we’re working better together and making sure the teams have everything they need to support and grow the business.”
His second short-term goal is to expand the company into new markets around the country. Hylant, who grew up in Akron, Ohio, has his eye on northern Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
If Hylant makes a move into Wisconsin, it won’t be his first foray into the Badger State. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Hylant worked for Epic Software in Madison, where he managed the implementation of an electronic medical records system at eight national health care organizations and oversaw customer service.
Ultimately, he knew he would eventually join the company that his great-grandfather, Edward, started in 1935. “That was something I always planned to do,” he says. Hylant hired in at the Grand Rapids office in 2014 as a client executive, responsible for the development and establishment of long-term customer relationships. In 2020, he became president of the Ann Arbor office, managing the day-to-day operations of the Domino’s Farms-based branch along with setting the vision for strategic growth, client retention, and team development.
In January of last year, he was appointed regional COO of the Great Lakes Region. If he does eventually become CEO of Hylant, he will be at the helm of one of the largest privately owned insurance brokerages in the nation.
— Tim Keenan Regional COO, Hylant, Ann ArborDesign Manager
LIFTbuild, Detroit
Employees: 4
Revenue: NA
College: University of Detroit Mercy
LIFTbuild, a subsidiary of Barton Malow, a large contractor in Southfield, is using its unique top-down construction technology on the Exchange residential tower in downtown Detroit to prove its concept. Bridget Joseph is helping to lead the way.
An architect by education and a designer by previous experience, Joseph was presented with an opportunity to get in on the literal ground floor with LIFTbuild, a company that constructs individual floors at the ground level and lifts them into position from top to bottom via pre-constructed elevator shafts.
“I had an interest in Barton Malow all along,” Joseph says. “They’re just a great company. When I interviewed, I interviewed with their virtual design and construction department. They thought I was a better fit for LIFTbuild and asked if I was interested. I was instantly intrigued and wanted to be part of it. I was really excited when I heard about it.”
In addition to being a design manager, Joseph is acting as a project engineer on the Exchange project, which is being erected on Gratiot Avenue near Greektown. As work is completed on the building’s interior, Joseph is responsible for managing cabinet, flooring, countertop, and custom millwork suppliers’ deliveries and work on-site.
“I wanted to be intimately involved with what was going on on-site,” says Joseph, who started her career working in Asia Pacific dealership design at Ford Motor Co. From there, she became a designer at Gittleman Construction in Farmington Hills.
Prior to joining Barton Malow in 2019 as a design specialist, then LIFTbuild in late 2022, she was a designer and project coordinator at LaSant Building Inc. in Northville, followed by a position as an architectural and design rep resentative at Ciot Stone & Tile in Troy.
The former high school and college cheerleader and Detroit Tigers Energy Squad member says she wasn’t quite sure how her career would evolve. “Before joining LIFTbuild, I felt unsettled,” she says. “When I joined LIFTbuild, it gave me a really clear future. As the company grows, the opportunities grow. The construction industry has so many facets. I never stop learning, and that’s important to me.”
— Tim KeenanAfter growing up in east Dearborn, where as a teenager he helped his father run an auto parts distribution business, Hass Khalife was part of a startup called Helium. The enterprise, which was acquired by Klick, helped clients design and develop digital products and services.
“At Helium, we loved building products, but not so much the business side, and we were fortunate to be acquired,” Khalife says. “It was a great experience because it provided a fast-paced approach to developing new products.”
Following work at two other online businesses, in 2021 Khalife joined Apple in Seattle, where he became global product lead of the company’s worldwide digital channel. There, Khalife and his team designed, built, and rolled out Apple’s content-as-a-service platform that delivered product and marketing content to the company’s global retail partners within minutes of new product introductions.
“As soon as Tim Cook (Apple CEO) announced a new product on stage, we would deliver all the product and marketing content to stores like Best Buy or Walmart almost instantly. It was a great job, and I was considering moving to Cupertino (Apple’s global headquarters in
General Motors Co., Detroit
California), but my wife and I decided to move home to raise our kids and be closer to our families.”
In March 2022, Khalife joined Detroitbased General Motors Co., where he works at the automaker’s Warren Technical Center as global director, marketing technology strategy and solutions. Today, the former entrepreneur feels “like a kid working in a candy shop,” because in addition to assisting with new product launches, he and his 50-person team create custom digital content for individual customers.
“We personalize a customer’s experience with one of our apps, in emails, and on our websites,” says Khalife, who grew up in a family of engineers, many of whom worked for GM. “Based on your past history, we’ll send you content based on your age, driving habits, preferences, and other relevant information. You may even see a different home page than other people — again, based on your preferences.”
By modernizing the way GM markets to its customers in a privacy-first, personalized, and real-time manner, Khalife and his team “deliver personalized content that’s intentional, so it gives you a reason to engage with us.”
Employees: 167,000 • Revenue: $156.7B College: University of Michigan–Dearborn
Mario Kiezi has many memories of the days when, as a 10-year-old, he would roam the corridors of the 1.5 million-square-foot Oakland Mall at 14 Mile and John R roads in Troy. His family owned an ice cream store in the mall in the early 2000s.
Kiezi’s acquisition of Oakland Mall last spring capped his career.
“We didn’t have babysitters, so I went to work with our family after school,” Kiezi recalls of his early days at the mall. “I would wander around Oakland Mall seeing the businesses, arcades, and fun places. I observed my family do business.”
Kiezi, founder and president of MKiezi Investments in Troy, says those experiences sparked his early interest in retail.
“People shopping for clothes in the mall is still viable, but it isn’t the future,” he asserts. “The future is sensory entertainment and family experiences. I promised myself I would wait one year before making any major decisions, so I could learn and understand the property and our guests.”
One year later, in March, he unveiled Choco Town, a chocolate-themed village wonderland — and the first of the sensory
entertaining concepts he plans to introduce. It fills part of the mall’s former Sears space.
“When we opened it, I was kind of nervous. I didn’t know if people would come or not,” he says. “Then l was amazed to see families and kids running in the mall, running to the Sears entrance — such joy. I realized how easy it is in that location to bring families back to the mall, so my whole emphasis now is to bring in entertainment and sensory entertainment for families.”
Kiezi says culling ideas from his 7,000 social media followers is part of his strategy. “Some of (their suggestions) will be implemented into the mall,” he says. “Sometimes those ideas lead to further research, and we tweak them, and then we’ll implement them in the mall.”
Kiezi says he enjoys connecting with young people on social media.
“I often go live for up to two hours, and answer rapid-fire questions. I get 5,000 people who show up in a two-hour period,” he says. “You’d be surprised what a Shark Tank culture there is in the community. Today’s kids, they don’t want to be Spiderman. They want to be a businessman.”
Norm Sinclair R.J. King President, MKiezi Investments, Troy Employees: 36 • Revenue: NANick Leja takes business diversification seriously, and it shows in his approach to owning and operating franchise businesses. The Novi resident is a full or partial owner in Detroit-area franchises of Disc Replay, Plato’s Closet, My Salon Suite, European Wax Center, and Superior Fence and Rail.
It’s quite the array of enterprises. Whereas Disc Replay buys and sells video games, movies, and electronics, Plato’s Closet deals in resale clothing and accessories for teens and young adults. My Salon Suite and European Wax Center are more focused on personal pampering for customers, and Superior Fence and Rail, as the name suggests, is in a different realm entirely.
Despite the differences, there’s a common theme among the enterprises. “I like learning to run different companies and different styles,” Leja says. “With Superior Fence and Rail, everything we’d done before was brick-and-mortar retail, so I wanted the challenge of running more of a service-type business.”
He also gravitates to businesses some would characterize as boring. “I look for the kinds of businesses that aren’t super flashy and trendy,” Leja says. “While
Frankie
something like crypto, which is very trendy, might come and go, people are still going to need fences 10 years to 20 years from now.”
His various business ventures have helped Leja develop a philosophy about management that has to do with what kinds of employees deserve his attention.
“It used to be, if I had a team of people who were rowers — employees who were working to move the ship forward, who come to work and have a positive atti-tude — I used to kind of leave them alone,” Leja says. “Then there are the employees who … come to work and spread problems. I used to spend all my time trying to motivate them, and it’s a waste of time. It’s very hard to motivate them, and my rowers were disenchanted.”
Now he takes the opposite approach, spending more time paying attention to the positive employees. It works so well that his management philosophy has inspired two books: a short story called “The Dark Fairy,” which was published in 2022 and teaches individuals and teams how to be heard and understood, and the upcoming “Journey to Enya: A Story About Managing Teams.”
Dan CalabreseFranchisee: Disc Replay, Plato’s Closet, European Wax Center, Superior Fence and Rail, My Salon Suite, Novi
Employees: 800
Revenue: $50M+
College: Kettering University
Marketing Director, Moceri Cos., Auburn Hills
Employees: 200+
Revenue: NA College: DePaul University
Growing up in metro Detroit, Frances “Frankie” Moceri looked up to her grandmother, also named Frances, who with her husband, Dominic, launched and built up Moceri Cos. in Auburn Hills. Since its founding, Moceri Cos. has created more than 60,000 residences made up of single-family custom manors, luxury apartments, and senior homes.
“My grandmother is a hard worker and my work ethic came from her,” says Moceri, marketing director of Moceri Cos. While her position centers on a single professional field, she also oversees media relations, branding, advertising, and website development — just as her grandmother oversaw multiple activities that ensured every home the company built was visually appealing inside and out.
After working in the family business on and off through high school, Moceri attended DePaul University in Chicago, where she earned a degree in advertising and public relations, with a minor in hospitality and real estate. “I always had in the back of my mind that I would come home and work with my family, but I wanted to get some experience working for other companies,” Moceri says.
Early on, she was a branding intern for Berkshire Hathaway in Chicago, followed by marketing and real estate positions
with other established brands like Compass. She returned to metro Detroit in 2019 and, in addition to taking on numerous tasks, she earned her real estate license, followed by a broker’s license.
Now she’s embarking on a new endeavor, Moceri Real Estate, which will have its formal launch this summer. As the broker for the company, Moceri will provide real estate services to homeowners in metro Detroit. “I’m overseeing the rollout, the branding, and just about everything else,” she says. “It will be good for our current and future clients, help provide housing needs, and it fits with our brand.”
The good news is she has a veteran, seasoned team from whom to seek guidance and advice, including her grandmother, her father, Frank, and her two uncles, Dominic and Mario. She’s also joined by three other members of the family’s fourth generation, including her brother, Dominic F., and two cousins, Paul and Martha.
“It’s a fast-paced business, and that’s what I like,” Moceri says. “Our family is so close, and I remember showing off model homes when I was a teenager, (being) followed (on) social media, and dabbling in sales. I do all of that now, and more, including being involved in the design of new homes.” — R.J. King
Detroit Pistons, Detroit Employees: 88 • Revenue: $92M College: Trine University
Amber Myczkowkiak’s resume reads like the back of an NBA player’s trading card.
She spent eight years with the Indiana Pacers and a year and a half with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Detroit Pistons almost six years ago. “I’ve worked for all three ‘P’ NBA teams,” Myczkowiak says. “That’s my claim to fame.”
She started her front office career in sports as an intern in the sales and premium services department with the Pacers before moving to inside sales after she graduated from Trine University. While in Indiana, she met her husband, a field sales and marketing executive at General Motors Co. whose career path allowed her to tour around the NBA.
“I’ve been fortunate. As we’ve moved around the country with my husband’s job, I’ve been able to stay in sports and grow,” Myczkowiak says.
“When we moved to New Orleans, my management at the Pacers reached out to the Pelicans and a position was created for me with the (NFL) Saints and the Pelicans, since it’s the same ownership group,” she recalls. “A similar thing happened when we moved to Detroit. It was right at the time (when the team was) making the move from the Palace of Auburn Hills down to Little Caesars Arena, and there was a subset of suite holders that needed a service person.”
Since then, she’s become senior director of premium and membership development. In addition to directing the member and premium services platform, she also leads the premium sales department.
Myczkowiak says she appreciates her “extremely supportive” husband, who often has to take care of dinner and bedtime with the couple’s two young children while she’s at Pistons games and other events at Little Caesars Arena.
“I do feel an immense amount of pressure to make this work with a family, because women at some point leave the workforce to take care of the family,” she says.
“There aren’t a lot of women in leadership positions in the sports industry. Because of that, I do get calls about VP positions at other teams and it’s always a conversation at our house.”
Tim KeenanEmployees: 1,000
Revenue: NA
College: Wayne State University
Dan Ngoyi may lead hundreds of people, but when asked, he says he’s just a kid from the east side of Detroit connecting with people and solving problems.
“I just have a passion for diving toward the hard stuff and getting people to see that (ability) in themselves,” Ngoyi says. “I think every single favorite memory of my career is rooted in people and watching people grow.”
The Wayne State University graduate began his career with Detroit-based Rocket Cos. in 2013 as an associate recruiter with Quicken Loans (now Rocket Mortgage). Ten years and eight titles later, he’s now CEO of Rock Connections, which helps companies generate revenue by centralizing contact center services.
Before rising to the top, Ngoyi was vice president of talent acquisition at Rocket Central, a role he took on in 2020. “As an organization, we were growing tremendously,” he says. “We moved from being in-office to working remotely. My job was to redesign our entire (operational) system.”
To make it all work, he created a common understanding of problems and goals, and shared them with team members. As a result, the enterprise helped Rocket Cos. more than double its revenue from 2019.
“If you drive alignment, you can create an organization that moves faster and offers you the best chance for success,” Ngoyi says. “Even today, as CEO, I get to figure out how to strengthen our foundation, make us elite, and ensure that we’re communicating and creating great experiences for clients.”
That’s the basis for his favorite company mantra: Every client. Every time. No exceptions. No excuses.
“My goal is for every single time that somebody talks to somebody from Rocket, they’re blown away,” Ngoyi says. “I think that goes beyond just our external clients. When I think about how we, as leaders, treat our team members and the conversations that we have, we have that same obligation.”
He calls himself the guardian of the company’s culture, creating an environment that motivates and empowers people while still leaving room for fun.
“I’m learning that a lot of people with titles take themselves too seriously,” Ngoyi says. “One thing I’ve told my team is it’s not about who’s right; it’s about what’s right. When you have an environment where ideas are valued, you get the opportunity to create real change.”
Calli NewberryHer journey took some unexpected turns, but there’s no doubt that Shelby Oberstaedt arrived exactly where she was meant to be.
Oberstaedt started out as a pre-veterinary student, eager to bring new knowledge back to her family’s horse breeding business. Two years into her studies, however, Oberstaedt’s family encouraged her to pursue a different career, as the economy began to decline and fewer people were breeding horses.
She pursued a teaching degree instead, and upon graduation from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, she took on a substitute teaching job to close out the school year.
“After three months, I realized I made a really big mistake — I didn’t actually like it,” Oberstaedt says. “What I really liked was the hospitality industry. I liked working with people, I loved the relationships I had built, and I just really enjoyed working.”
Oberstaedt had taken on a second job at Grizzly Peak Brewing Company in Ann Arbor, and that move laid the foundation for the rest of her career. One night after work, she expressed interest in a longer career in the industry to her manager. Within a few days, she was interviewing with the president of Mission Restaurant Group.
“It was field day at school, and I had mud all over when I showed up for the interview,” she recalls.
Regardless, Oberstaedt was brought on to help open and manage her first restaurant in 2012. “I ended up opening Lena Habana in downtown Ann Arbor, and started managing there,” she says. “During the opening, I found I really loved the training side.”
Over the past 10 years, before becoming Mission’s vice president of operations, she has opened and managed new restaurants, created training programs, led teams of people through the COVID-19 pandemic, and even helped host former President Barack Obama at the Jolly Pumpkin in Midtown Detroit.
Oberstaedt says the individual design and menu offerings at each of the 17 Mission restaurants makes her job both exciting and rewarding. She calls the company’s culture a “perfect blend” of positive energy for employees and customers alike.
“I never would’ve thought, when I graduated with an education degree, that this is where I would be,” she says. “Looking back, I wasn’t meant to be that fifthgrade teacher at field day. I like where I’m at, and I love what I do.”
Calli NewberryVice President of Operations, Mission Restaurant Group, Grand Rapids
Employees: 700+
Revenue: NA
College: Eastern Michigan University
Vice President, Pattah Development, Sylvan Lake
Employees: 150 • Revenue: NA • College: Wayne State University
In 2010, shortly after graduating from St. Mary’s Preparatory High School in Orchard Lake, Clark Pattah did what comes naturally in his family: He started his own business.
“I bought two used trucks from a guy who wanted to get out of the maintenance business and I started taking care of my family’s properties,” Pattah says. “Then I started maintaining our larger centers. My company now cleans the parking lots of all the major malls in the area.”
Pattah says his success with Eagle Eye Maintenance and his other commercial real estate ventures is based on an enduring tenet learned from his father, Sam, and three uncles: Build relationships that last throughout the years with everybody we know.
“Now we have 12 trucks; we do Walmart, Lowes, and the big national players because of those relationships,” he says. “I still have four of the drivers I started with way back when.”
His main focus, however, is commercial real estate development and investment. The family owns Pattah Development Co. in Sylvan Lake, which acquires and manages more than 2 million square feet of commercial space.
In 2006, the Pattah group acquired 16 closed Farmer Jack stores, converting some to their
brand, Fresh Choice Markets, and repositioning the rest into drug stores, strip malls, and other businesses. His three older brothers operate the markets.
“I’m in the office handling the real estate with my Uncle Jerry, and he’s been around forever,” says Pattah, the father of three boys, all under 5 years old, who he helps raise with his wife, Vanessa. “Every broker knows who (my Uncle Jerry) is. He’s been a huge part of my life.”
Looking ahead, the company is developing six ground-up sites, including an entire block in Chicago for the U.S. Social Security Administration. This year they added Stadium Center shopping center in Port Huron and Glencoe Crossing Shopping Plaza in Ann Arbor to their roster of clients.
Pattah also co-founded Cosmos Salon Studios, which has nine locations where more than 300 cosmetologists — from hairstylists to Botox specialists — rent space. “We give our professionals an opportunity to own their own business instead of working for somebody else,” he says. “They have their own space with 24-hour access. It’s another brand of real estate.”
Norm SinclairEmployees: 12
Revenue: NA
Detroit-born Steve Ryan spent most of his formative years in the Upper Peninsula, but he returned downstate as a young adult, believing the Motor City would be a better place to make a living. What he didn’t anticipate was the experience he had when working for a Tier 1 tool and die shop.
“I realized the way employees were treated was, for that company, just as an expendable part,” Ryan recalls. “They believed there was nothing the employee brought to them (other than) the fact that they made the CEOs and people like that money. I watched key people get let go for no reason. I was working 100 hours a week, and this wasn’t something I wanted to invest in.”
He decided to start his own company, and he knew he would only take on a partner who was in alignment with his vision. Enter Adam Genei, who teamed up with Ryan to launch Mobwheels. Initially, the partners focused on aftermarket treatments for custom cars, particularly black Lincolns, but eventually they wanted to create real wealth by introducing their own product. In 2013, they developed Detroit Steel Wheel, a large-diameter steel wheel that’s custom-built for each car.
While many people advised Ryan and Genei to utilize overseas manufacturing facilities for the product, they were determined to build Detroit Steel Wheels in Detroit — and find a way to make it affordable. “We continually invest in our infrastructure,” Ryan says. “We’ll go back monthly and ask, How can we do this better and cheaper without cutting out quality or sacrificing corners?”
It looks like a brilliant move today, considering the snarled supply chains between the U.S. and places like China. But it took a lot of commitment to make it work.
“When we started, there was one machine in the country that could even handle the product we make,” Ryan says. “Everything else was shipped overseas, and it was a real challenge to shore up domestic supply.”
The partners were committed to their vision, and today the company is hitting its 10-year mark in a strong position. For Ryan, who never went to college, the journey has inspired him to encourage students to pursue education in skilled trades. “Not everyone learns through a textbook,” he says. “It doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It just means you learn from a hands-on experience.”
Dan CalabreseAstar wide receiver in high school and college, Jimmy Saros didn’t dedicate his entire summers to preparing for the next season. Rather, he replaced roofs for his family’s business, Saros Real Estate in Grosse Pointe, and earned a real estate license when he was 18 years old.
“Growing up, my primary focus was athletics, but my dad worked seven days a week and I was very much around the business,” Saros says. “In 2012, right out of college (at Brown University), I joined Marcus & Millichap in New York City and became an investment real estate broker. It was like earning a business degree in and of itself.”
In 2017, he and his wife decided to return home, and Saros joined the family company full time. Two years later, he was running the majority of the operations, which includes residential and commercial real estate sales, leasing, and research and advisory services. At the same time, he launched D Land Group Property Management in Grosse Pointe, which today maintains more than 500 homes.
“When I took over all of the operations (in 2021), we brought on some
new people, and I’ve been fortunate to surround myself with a very good team,” says Saros, who, over the last decade, has personally closed more than $400 million in transactions. “Coming from Marcus & Millichap, and seeing how they operated and what the structure was, I brought some of that back with me.”
Since he joined the company six years ago, Saros Real Estate has increased annual sales by an average of more than 40 percent. Along the way, he became the youngest member appointed to the Wayne County Building Authority, and he’s also the youngest commissioner on the City of Grosse Pointe Park’s Planning Commission.
“I love the competitive spirit of real estate, and I love supporting our team,” he says. “We have the right people in the right seats, we’ve hired some younger agents, and we have two support team members who each have been with us for more than 20 years. I also brought on a director of operations, who was my first hire. She’s been instrumental to our growth, and she allows me to focus on revenuefocused activities.”
R.J. King
President and CEO, Real Estate, Grosse Pointe Employees: 24 Revenue: NA College: Brown University
Interventional Cardiologist and Medical Director, Women’s Heart Program
Ascension Michigan, Warren
Employees: 139,000
Revenue: $28B (FY) College: University of Nevada-Reno
Arecent Thursday for Dr. Nishtha Sareen started with a 4 a.m. call on the urgent case of a 50-something female heart-attack patient at Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw. As Sareen must remain within a 30 minutes’ drive from the hospital when on-call, she dashed in from her pied-à-terre less than 20 miles away in Frankenmuth.
“I did a heart catheterization on her, and what we found was that she didn’t have the blockage that you open up with stents,” she says. “What she had is something called microvascular dysfunction. It’s very interesting, because that’s the kind of heart disease that affects women disproportionately compared to men, particularly women of color.”
Testing for microvascular dysfunction is generally inadequate, so the chest pains may be misdiagnosed as anxiety or gastric distress, while patients bear increased risk of fatal heart attack or strokes. “We have failed as a medical community to recognize and treat it,” Sareen notes.
The practitioner has risen early since she was 3 years old and lived in Udaipur, India. Before school, her mother, Madhu Sareen, trained young “Nish” and her sisters in two classical dances: Kathak and Bharatanatyam. “She instilled that discipline in us early,” Sareen recalls.
Devendra Sareen, a pediatrician, got his daughter started in medicine. “He would bring me to his clinic and have me listen to these little children who had valve disease from rheumatic fever,” she explains.
After primary studies at the Rabindranath Tagore Medical College in India, she brought her dreams and passion to the United States. Today, as director of the women’s heart program at Ascension Michigan, where she splits time between the St. Mary’s cath lab and an office at Providence Park Novi, she’s opening new clinics this year in St. Johns, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, and — “I’m still working on it” — Macomb County, another underserved area.
“I hope, by 2025, we will be able to spread it nationally. Then we’re partnering with international organizations. Rotary is one of them. So that’s my dream project, by 2028, to have a global impact.”
The accomplishment will be as much the result of her parents’ and mentors’ actions, she says, as her own.
ake Schostak could have simply joined the family business, Team Schostak Family Restaurants in Livonia, and had a fulfilling career. But he’s an entrepreneur at heart, so he decided to start something completely new — Catapult Concepts.
Launched last year with funding from Detroit Venture Partners and others, the virtual company markets its own brands
Founder, Catapult Concepts, Farmington Hills
Employees: 5
Revenue: NA College: Indiana University
Cheese Steak Daddy and Pop’s Meatball Sandwich — which any commercial kitchen can prepare from so-called station-ready kits provided by Catapult.
Restaurants, hotels, bars, entertainment centers, and commercial kitchens looking to increase productivity and capture more sales can participate. More than 20 commercial kitchens currently are part of Catapult Concepts.
Customers place online orders from companies like Door Dash or Catapult’s own website. From there, the orders are routed to a partner kitchen where a courier picks up the finished product and takes it to the customer’s home. Catapult gets a percentage of each order.
“I found that there was an opportunity, now that there are delivery company drivers all over, for anybody to participate in these sales,” Schostak says. “We’re creating very profitable sales for these kitchens.”
Schostak has spent his entire life in the restaurant business, first growing up
surrounded by his family’s interests, then working for restaurant companies in Chicago and Washington, D.C., after graduating from Indiana University. While in Chicago, he worked for Lettuce Entertain You, and in the nation’s capital he gained experience with Sweetgreen and Chipotle’s southeast Asian concept, Shophouse Kitchen.
He came back to work in the family business, and in four years had opened 15 Mod Pizza locations around Michigan, with more to come.
Relying on his experiences, Schostak saw the benefit of establishing a central company kitchen where the commissary staff cooks ingredients to exact specifications and makes menu items at scale before sending them out to partner kitchens via the station-ready kits.
“Our (participating) kitchens don’t even have to do extensive prep work,” Schostak explains. “They don’t have to add any labor to the schedule. These are truly incremental sales.”
Although Catapult Concepts started in metro Detroit, Schostak has a lofty goal for expanding his gastronomical startup beyond Michigan; the company opened an outlet in Toledo in March. “We want to be able to say that we have 1,000 kitchens that we’re working with and providing new sales for those businesses by 2030.”
Tim KeenanKevin Smith, 38
When Boston Consulting Group (BCG) partner Kevin Smith advises automotive OEMs and suppliers on strategy and operations, it comes from a man who’s dealt with his share of surprises in the business world.
Completing a bachelor’s degree in finance at Michigan State University and then landing his first job with Lehmann Brothers on Wall Street was a pretty strong start to a career in finance. At least it was in 2007.
When Lehmann Brothers declared bankruptcy 15 months later, Smith was out of a job. He quickly pivoted and helped establish a new private equity firm from the ashes of Lehmann.
“Things were going really well, the trajectory and the future were bright,” Smith recalls. “But I started to ask myself a lot of questions. Was this really what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? Were there other challenges I wanted to experience?”
Soon after, Smith returned home to Detroit to help drive a unique entrepreneurial startup. Its mission was to produce and sell bicycles with automatic transmissions. The product was well-received, but distribution proved to be a problem.
“I spent a couple years building this business, doing the typical entrepreneurial hustle, and ultimately reached a point where we concluded it wasn’t happening as quickly as we had hoped,” Smith says.
Facing reality, Smith decided to enroll at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he earned an MBA and gained considerable knowledge about the automotive industry and the world of consulting. It led him to BCG.
Another pivot came soon after. In 2018, Smith was providing consulting services to decision-makers within the auto industry when BCG loaned him to the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. to help lead the pursuit of a second national headquarters for Amazon (which landed in Washington, D.C.) and work on other economic development initiatives.
“My role at BCG allows me to engage with OEMs and Tier 1 auto suppliers all across the supply chain to solve the biggest problems they’re facing, and help them think about strategy for the next five to 10 years,” Smith says. “I’m also very involved with economic development all across the region, and my role at BCG enables me to do both.”
Dan CalabresePartner, Boston Consulting Group, Detroit Office
Employees: 10,254 • Revenue: NA
College: University of Chicago
Employees: 70+
Revenue: NA
College: Georgetown University
The modern game of tennis developed from handball matches popularized in England and France in the 12th century, and today millions of recreational players take to the sport for exercise and comradery.
“So many of my ties, and influential people who have made a difference in my life, are through the tennis community,” says Britton Steele, who played the sport at Michigan State University in East Lansing and Wayne State University in Detroit. “They’re good people — tennis people.”
After his days at MSU, Steele, whose aunt worked in human resources for Liberty Mutual Insurance, landed an internship at the company’s sales department in Chicago. When he returned to Detroit to pursue an MBA at Wayne State (and play more tennis), he stayed with Liberty. After completing business school at age 26, he started his own company.
“I just kind of wanted to do my own thing and felt there was opportunity in the marketplace,” Steele says. “I built the business deal by deal, guy by guy, salesman by salesman, to what we have today. It (insurance) is a great business. Very few young people are in the business. I really capitalized on that.”
In early March this year, when Alain Squindo returned to Grosse Pointe from The Amelia, a Concours d’Elegance classic car show near Jacksonville, Fla., he says he felt affirmed in the conviction that had led to launching Broad Arrow Group with partners in 2021. Broad Arrow had just presented The Amelia’s official collector-car auction as a fine-art experience.
“We did $31 million in sales, which we’re very pleased with, set a number of new world records, and are really, really happy with how things turned out,” Squindo says. Hot auction tip: Squindo suggests considering cars desired by “young-timers,” such as the 1991 Mercedes-derived AMG 6.0 “Hammer” coupe, which sold at The Amelia for $885,000, including fees.
On top of that, Broad Arrow announced its next auction will be June 10 at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, as the official auction for Porsche’s 75th anniversary. “So that’ll be a lot of fun, as well,” he says. “We’re off to a pretty strong start.”
Formed by a group of RM Sotheby’s alumni, Broad Arrow was acquired in 2022 by Hagerty, the specialty insurance provider and automotive lifestyle brand from
Traverse City. After an early stake of 40 percent, Hagerty took the remaining 60 percent of Broad Arrow last August in a $64.8-million stock transaction.
“We had a vision for wanting to be the premier marketplace for car enthusiasts,” Squindo says. He explains that Broad Arrow focuses on private sales, financing, and auctioneering high-end classic cars. “It forms part of Hagerty’s Marketplace, which also offers live auctions,” he adds.
Squindo is a Swiss-American whose family moved to Miami when he was 10 years old. His father and grandfather were car enthusiasts. “This industry really and truly is all I ever wanted to do,” he says. At Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., he combined his love of history with inspiration from David E. Davis Jr., the automotive editor, and wrote auction catalog entries.
He met his wife, Sunny, a Grosse Pointer, at Georgetown, and it was he who instigated the move back to Michigan. “Being in the classic car space and surrounded by automotive history, and the remnants, there’s no more perfect place for me to be, personally and professionally.”
Ronald AhrensFounding the Provision Insurance Group, his approach was to build a youth culture. “If you can make insurance fun, and put in a good environment, and allow people to create careers, young people will come to the business and succeed. There’s nothing sexy about it, but it’s a recession-proof, time-tested business. Each family has a large annual spend on it every year; everybody has to buy the product.”
Once Provision was well set up in the Detroit market, the next place it “needed to go” was Grand Rapids, where a branch opened three years ago. The market there was expanding, and things have been going “really well.”
Now Steele’s eyes roam over Michigan: “We’re looking at other deals to open additional offices,” he says.
In the shorter term, though, he looked southeastward. The former Liberty Mutual employee — and now a client — found himself at “a little dinner,” and the hosts said, “We’re taking you guys to The Masters in a few months.” Having had the tuneful TV jingle drummed into their heads, like everybody else, Steele says, “We were like, ‘Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!’”
Ronald AhrensFounder and CEO, Provision Insurance Group, Bingham Farms
Employees: 50
Revenue: $45M
College: Wayne State University
Two decades ago, Simon Thomas went into Detroit to sell foreclosed homes for multiple banks. From there, he found his professional calling.
“I wanted to start making money immediately, so I got into real estate for the money and once I got into it I realized, man, this is a great profession, and I started taking it seriously,” Thomas says. “I stayed in it, and grew it to where we are today.”
By his third year selling homes and properties for various real estate companies, he hit $20 million in annual home sales. In 2018, he founded his own company, DOBI Real Estate in Birmingham’s Rail District, to put his own spin on a real estate brokerage.
“Our success is looking at agents as clients, not as a buyer or a seller,” Thomas says. “Our space, our training, our culture, and our staff is all geared around them. Our decision-making is supporting the real estate agent to be the most successful they can be. They have our unbelievable marketing team, where turnaround time is really fast — 24 to 48 hours. That’s why, in the last four to five years, we’ve grown to 110 agents.”
Instead of a traditional office building, DOBI operates in a compact, 4,000-squarefoot space featuring the “pit,” where 20 or more agents can drop in and plug in laptops, a café where a second-year agent can network with a 20-year agent, a few traditional offices that are used as needed, and an outdoor patio.
“It’s a hospitality feeling versus just coming into an office. We’re making sure (agents) are always taken care of in a collaborative atmosphere that’s addictive,” says Thomas, whose family is in the hospitality business. “We actually have menus and food. We celebrate closings rather than just having the client come in, sit down, and sign papers,” he says.
Thomas is bullish on the local real estate market. He says high interest rates aren’t discouraging buyers whose mindset is to refinance when rates go down. “Houses are still selling very fast, but there aren’t that many for sale,” he says.
As the business grows, Thomas is actively seeking new sites for expansion. “The goal is to get five offices in five cities in the next five years with 1,000 agents,” he says.
Norm SinclairEmily Thompson, 36
While most people recognize that a public university is a source of high-level education, Emily Thompson sees more. She sees an “anchor institution” — the sort of entity everyone can be confident will be around in 20, 30, or 50 years. She also sees a major employer, a generator of community benefits, and a source of knowledge.
That makes Wayne State University in Detroit an ideal organization to impact the growth of the local economy, which is why Thompson finds it so natural to embrace her role as WSU’s director of economic and community development.
“We’re not a business that might, in 10 years, get up and move,” Thompson says. “We’re far too ingrained in our footprint and physical location.”
Thompson joined Wayne State in 2015, after taking on multiple roles in the office of then-U.S. Rep. John Dingell. At the same time, she earned a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan. From there, she worked for the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, where she learned how to work with multiple communities, and how to
approach civic engagement and economic development differently.
“It was that nonprofit work that I would credit for my entrepreneurial spirit, which attracted me to Wayne,” Thompson says. “I was focused on the questions: How do you do what you want to do? And how do you fund what you want to do?”
One of her leading initiatives at Wayne State has been Transit Pass, a partnership with the university’s Parking and Transportation Division to provide free DART and MoGo passes to enrolled students and employees.
Thompson also led the 2022 development of the school’s Economic Impact Strategy, which contains specific goals and metrics for Wayne State to pursue with respect to economic impact on the region.
“In creating it, I often got the question, What does my work have to do with economic impact?” Thompson says. “Personally, I would love to get to the point where everybody at Wayne understands how their role connects to the impact of the university, they’re able to communicate it, and they’re excited about it.”
Dan CalabreseDirector of Economic and Community Development, Wayne State University, Detroit
Employees: 7,700 • Revenue: $941M
College: University of Michigan
Abby Ward began her career recording history, but now she’s helping make it at Flagstar Bank, which has its regional headquarters in Troy.
“I came to Flagstar after I started in accounting,” Ward says. “I wanted to become more involved in the forward-thinking aspect of business as opposed to accounting, where you’re often looking back on what happened in history and trying to record those events.”
Ward is the divisional director of planning and analytics at Flagstar Bank, a position she’s held for more than four years. Her analysis helped Flagstar through its recent merger with New York Community Bank; the new entity is the 24th largest bank in the country. “Flagstar previously had 150 branches, but now that we’ve combined with NYCB, I support 400 branches,” she says.
Beyond the business of banking, Ward serves as a mentor for Flagstar’s intern program, and she’s a member of the bank’s Women’s Employee Resource Group Executive Committee. Right now, the committee is helping to implement the integration of NYCB’s branches.
“I think it’s important to make sure people feel heard and understood. These groups give people that opportunity,” Ward says. “Sometimes you may not feel comfortable going to your boss with something, but if you’re a part of the Employee Resource Group, you can find a group of people who can relate to the struggles or adversity you’re facing.”
Ward says she’s grateful for the support she’s received from Flagstar. Six weeks after having her second child, she returned to work during the COVID-19 pandemic to help with the Paycheck Protection Program. “I think that’s when I became really proud to work at Flagstar, after seeing how they showed up for the community and supported me having a young child,” she says.
She volunteered to distribute money to applicants, one of which happened to be an organization she had volunteered with in high school. “I wrote a note to the pastor about how wonderful it felt to be able to get them that money, and play a role in making sure they could continue through the pandemic,” says Ward, who also volunteers at the Grosse Pointe Public Library.
By donating her time to help the community, Ward says she’s serving as a role model for her children. “I’m proud to say they see their mom is really active in their community.”
Calli NewberryEmployees: 4,764 (does not include NYCB)
Revenue: $2.9B (pro forma) College: University of Michigan
How competitive sail racing helped David, Mark, and Bobby Schostak helm and expand what is now a century-old business spanning real estate development, digital enterprises, and restaurants.
BY DAN CALABRESE | ILLUSTRATION BY RICARDO MARTÍNEZ
onventional wisdom says it won’t work.
Start with a multifaceted company that employs 7,000 people and is run by three brothers. What’s more, no one has controlling interest, so there’s no mechanism for two brothers to outvote the other when a decision needs to be made.
Not only does it sound like a recipe for gridlock, but considering the family element, it has the potential for some tense meetings.
But Schostak Brothers & Co. in Livonia hasn’t thrived for 102 years — through changes in markets, ventures into new lines of business (some planned, some not), and the natural challenges of growth — without figuring a few things out. While the company is celebrating its centennial two years late, due to COVID-19, it’s still enjoying the ride as a diverse, prosperous business focused on real estate development, restaurant operations, and venture capital.
Now based at the Laurel Park shopping and office complex the Schostak family developed in the 1980s, the company was headquartered for many years in Southfield. But it started in downtown Detroit — first in Cadillac Tower, a block east of Campus Martius Park, followed by the historic Guardian Building in the financial district.
When the brothers’ grandfather, Louis, started the company as a residential brokerage with his own two brothers in 1920, he certainly didn’t have a plan that would put the company in those specific lines of business a century later. That evolution has been a combination of careful plans and a willingness to seize an unanticipated opportunity when it was staring the family in the face.
Today, Brothers Bobby, 66; David, 65; and Mark, 60; each oversee an operation — Bobby leads the venture capital side, David runs the real estate portfolio, and Mark manages the restaurant group.
In tandem, 39-year-old Jeff Schostak (Bobby’s son) is president of Schostak Development, where he leads all new projects and acquisitions. He’s being trained by David to eventually take on the leadership role within the company.
The brothers operate by consensus, rather than democratically. There’s no such thing as majority rule. The consensus often takes the form of the brothers trusting the one who’s closest to the issue under consideration, and suggestions are always welcome.
“When David comes to me looking for input, I tell him, ‘You’re close to the action. You’ve got to go with
BUSINESSES: Real estate, digital enterprises, and restaurants
PRINCIPALS: Bobby, David, Mark, and Jeff Schostak
HEADQUARTERS: Livonia
EMPLOYEES: 7,000
REVENUE: NA
what your instincts tell you,’ ” Mark says. “There are some issues where we all have to come together, and we use each other as sounding boards. But at the end of the day, it usually ends up with, ‘Whatever you think.’ ”
The brothers’ way of running things is based, in part, on their upbringing, as well as what they learned from their father and grandfather. Louis began to gradually retire from the company he founded in the mid-1950s, and his son, Jerome, took over a greater leadership role. “Our dad, for 15 years or so prior to my grandfather leaving, was really running the business, with his father being semi-retired,” Bobby says. “Dad had a vision to take the company into the development business, which is different from the brokerage business, and to a third area of opportunity in leasing.”
After Louis passed away in 1970, his three grandsons began to move into entrylevel roles.
Very entry-level.
“Our job was sharpening pencils and stuffing envelopes, and from there we began to learn the business,” Bobby recalls. “In high school, when we had driver’s licenses, we were all messengers or delivering packages.”
But the greatest teacher of commerce for the brothers wasn’t part of the business world at all. It was being crew members on their father’s sailboat. Jerome was an avid sailor, and that gave the boys some intense lessons in teamwork before some of them had even become teenagers.
“No matter how big the boat is, there’s not a lot of room for a lot of people when you’re operating the sails,” Bobby says. “We learned together how to win races, lose, get frustrated, and get angry. And fight back.”
The three brothers had little choice but to learn under the pressure of a sailboat race. And anyone who didn’t want to cooperate would quickly find there was nowhere to escape.
“For the three of us in particular, it defines how we collectively come together and how we view success,” Bobby says. “To be challenged by the elements in these long, overnight races in multiple parts of the country, and the whole experience with others out there fighting for the same things we were, was inspiring and challenging at the same time.”
WAVE RIDERS Jerome Schostak and his three sons help command the family’s sailboat, Fujimo, in a race in 1988.proposition. “ ‘You folks own the land,’ ” Mark recalls a Burger King official saying. “ ‘Why don’t you become the franchisee?’ ”
woman, to get a loan over 50 years ago,” Mark says. “The bank wanted her husband to co-sign the loan, and he wouldn’t do it.”
Today, their success in running a large, multifaceted company comes from lessons learned working together as a team. The same discipline extends to the company’s culture, which not only serves to attract good people, but to keep them on board over the long term.
“One reason for our success is all the people we’ve associated ourselves with over the years — our teammates,” David says. “And the real tell-tale sign is the length of tenure of the people working for us. We have people who have worked for us 30 and 40 years. It’s a family atmosphere.”
The company has 50 employees on the real estate side; 6,500 workers among the restaurants — Applebee’s, Del Taco, MOD Pizza, Olga’s Kitchen, and Wendy’s; and several dozen more among the portfolio companies on the venture capital side.
One might not expect a real estate development company to get into running restaurants — and the Schostaks didn’t expect to go in that direction, either. But success often means being willing and ready to say yes when an opportunity presents itself.
In 1981, the family developed a shopping center in Alpena. It was anchored by Kmart and JCPenney, along with room on the outskirts of the parking lot for a gas station, a bank, or a fast-food restaurant — “outlots,” in real estate parlance. At the time, Burger King Corp. was particularly keen on putting a franchised restaurant there.
But with interest rates at more than 17 percent at the time, the restaurant chain couldn’t find a franchisee. So they came to the Schostaks with an interesting
Running restaurants had never been part of the family’s portfolio, but the Schostaks were never ones to pass on an idea because it was new to them. “My dad felt it was important that we added more legs to the table,” Mark recalls. “He had three boys who were going to be in the family business — separate but equal tracks — so my dad was creating another track.”
This particular course proved to be a fast one. By 1992, the Schostaks were running a dozen Burger King locations; in 2015 they sold the entire operation.
But today, while running five different restaurant brands, they say they’re still learning.
“The business changes all the time,” Mark explains. “The last few years, through the pandemic, the business has switched pretty dramatically. That change, for us, was understanding how important culture was and how important it is to have the right systems to train and develop people, and to reward achievement and reward the doers.”
While it may be harder to create a family atmosphere among 169 restaurants than it is in a professional office setting, the Schostaks were determined to find a way by mastering the simple things: making sure people had the schedules they wanted, every facet of the operation was clean and well-managed, and there were opportunities to grow.
The restaurant group took a major step forward in 2015 when it bought Olga’s Kitchen out of bankruptcy. The acquisition came 11 years after the brothers had contracted with the company to build a series of Greek American restaurants in the area.
Mark says he and his family took a keen interest in the story of founder Olga Loizon, and what she had gone through to build the company. “She started the business herself and it was difficult for her, or any
Eventually, he says, a bank agreed to lend Loizon the money to start the company at a small stand in the former Continental Market in downtown Birmingham (just north of the Daxton Hotel).
Loizon was no longer the owner of the company when it faced bankruptcy in 2015, with more than $4.5 million being owed to creditors. But after the Schostak acquisition, Loizon returned to play a public relations role until her death in 2019 at 92 years old.
In her honor, the Schostaks set up the Olga Loizon Foundation to provide grants to female entrepreneurs. Members of Loizon’s family serve on the foundation’s board.
The restaurant venture is relatively new by Schostak standards — 40 years old — but Schostak Brothers & Co. has long been synonymous with malls and shopping centers. While there remains a great deal of opportunity in that space, the marketplace is constantly in flux due to shifting shopping habits, especially with online sales.
The Schostaks sold their last mall in 2005, but they’re far from finished with commercial real estate. The focus now is on the acquisition of well-located shopping centers. To that end, the company recently acquired more than $300 million worth of real estate parcels in 17 states, with high priority going to centers adjacent to Walmart stores.
The traditional mall may be fading in the rear-view mirror, but new opportunities are presenting themselves in places such as logistics operations, urgent care centers, fitness facilities, and salons.
“Historically, we were shopping center people,” David says. “We had a big shopping center presence. What people would call the death of the shopping center, and the death of malls, has clearly had an impact
Bobby, Mark and David review a site plan while their late father, Jerome, left, and company founder and grandfather, Louis, right, look on.Louis Schostak and his brothers start a residential brokerage business in downtown Detroit.
Jerry’s son, Mark, joins the company. Becomes the developer of Oakland Technology Park in Auburn Hills, which becomes the headquarters for Chrysler Corp. The company starts developing mixed-use properties like Laurel Park Place, Pointe Plaza, and Maccabees.
A commercial brokerage is added.
Company acquires the Light Guard Armory, Northville State Hospital, and Salem Springs. Begins acquiring and operating 75 retail projects near Walmart shopping centers in 25 states.
Louis’s son, Jerry, joins the business and launches it as a full-service commercial and industrial brokerage company.
Schostak develops and becomes the leasing agent for Wonderland Mall, Livonia Mall, Macomb Mall, Oakland Mall, and Somerset Mall.
Brokers the property for the first Kmart store in Garden City.
Company begins developing for Kmart in Michigan and the Midwest, building more than 40 stores. Jerry’s sons, Bobby and David, join the business.
Opens its first Burger King in Alpena, the first of 70 units.
Opens first Del Taco in Dearborn Heights.
Purchases 65 Applebee’s in Michigan.
Buys Olga’s Kitchen out of bankruptcy. Fourth-generation family member, Jeff, joins the company. The company sells its Burger King locations.
Buys 55 Wendy’s restaurants in Michigan and acquires the Palace of Auburn Hills for redevelopment.
Celebrates the company’s 100th anniversary two years late, due to COVID-19, with a million-dollar Detroit Giving Campaign.
Joy Road Warehouse, Detroit
Madison Park, Rochester Hills
Northville Park Place, Northville Township
Salem Springs North, Salem Township
Salem Springs South, Salem Township
Lofts of Merchants Row, Detroit
The Century, Southfield
Executive Hills, Auburn Hills
Laurel Park Place Office Center, Livonia
Mack Office Building, Grosse Pointe Woods
Masco Headquarters, Livonia
Northville Health Center, Northville Township
Palace Research and Technology Park, Auburn Hills
Pistons Former Practice Facility, Auburn Hills
Applebee’s (62)
Del Taco (8)
MOD Pizza (12)
Olga’s Kitchen (32)
Wendy’s (55)
RETAIL
Bad Axe Shopping Center, Bad Axe
Canton Corner, Canton Township
Northpointe Shopping Center, Utica
Pointe Plaza Shopping Center, Grosse Pointe Woods
Redevelopment sites, Belleville and Livonia
St. Johns Shopping Center, St. Johns
SOURCES: Schostak Brothers & Co., TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants
on brick-and-mortar real estate. But it isn’t the death knell of brick-and-mortar real estate by any stretch.”
The evolution of the shopping center, he believes, will involve giving shoppers a type of experience that transcends the mere purchase of products.
“Has the mall business been the most impacted by the change in buyers’ habits? The answer is yes,” David says. “Eastland Mall in Harper Woods was torn down to build an industrial park. Northland Mall in Southfield was closed and torn down (local officials are overseeing a mixed-use redevelopment). But is the Somerset Collection in Troy going anywhere? No. Somerset isn’t going anywhere.”
Meanwhile, the family’s venture capital operation, led by Bobby, invests and supports cloud-based solutions that are disruptive to the industries they serve such as banking, auto lending, or freight hauling — and founded by an entrepreneur with a track record in that space who’s willing to put his or her own capital at risk.
The venture capital side of the business developed, in part, because Bobby left the family business in 2010 to pursue opportunities in politics. When he returned, he says the real estate and restaurant operations didn’t seem to need him.
“My role in the venture capital space isn’t just to vet a potential investment, but once we make an investment, to utilize my network to help the companies succeed,” he says. “I’m on the board of seven of the nine companies we’re invested in.”
The primary venture is MadDog Technology, which has offices in Birmingham and Pontiac, and where Bobby works closely with Peter Karmanos Jr., co-founder and former CEO and chairman of Compuware Corp. in Detroit, along with a small team of principals.
The former site of the Palace of Auburn Hills (the arena was demolished in 2020), is being marketed as the Palace Research and Technology Park.
The Schostaks were also in the middle of one of metro Detroit’s most high-profile redevelopment projects in recent years: the Palace of Auburn Hills. When the Detroit Pistons decided to sell the arena to facilitate a move back downtown in 2017, despite having very recently renovated what was one of the nation’s most successful entertainment venues, the Schostaks saw an investment opportunity.
What most people thought would happen — a demolition followed by plans for redevelopment — didn’t immediately come to pass. But what isn’t as widely known is that it wasn’t a foregone conclusion when the deal closed. “We looked for a while to see if there was another use for it,” David says, “but we didn’t want it to be the Silverdome (that sat empty for years before being demolished and redeveloped).”
In other words, they didn’t want the Palace to sit as a dinosaur as one implausible scheme after another presented itself. Once it was clear that the 110-acre property at I-75 and Sashabaw Road would perform better if it was redeveloped, the venue was imploded in July 2020; it’s now being marketed as the Palace Research and Technology Park.
NEW GUARD
Rather than throw a big party to mark the company’s 100th anniversary, the Schostak family and its employees are making gifts to benefit the community.
One of the things no one teaches about long-term success is how to celebrate a century in business. Many companies that turn 100 throw a big birthday party; of the few that reach that milestone, it would be unlikely to find many that didn’t at least have some sort of celebration.
Even two years late, the Schostaks were prepared to recognize their longevity by making a mark in metro Detroit. With the help of employees, the company chose more than a dozen local organizations to receive donations with the money that would have gone to pay for a birthday bash.
“Most people just throw a big party and it’s fun,” David says, “but what have you really done, other than maybe feel good because you threw yourself a party? So we came up with this approach where we would give back to the community — but not what Bobby, Dave, and Mark would choose. Rather, we (looked for) unique causes (that Schostak employees) would choose, and we could have volunteer opportunities for all of us to make an impact.”
Each charity recipient receives, on average, around $100,000. While some donations haven’t yet been finalized, one the brothers were willing to talk about is Life Remodeled, a nonprofit organization in Detroit that repurposes vacant school buildings to serve as hubs of skilled training, community services, reading labs, after-school programs, and recreational and event space.
The organization has special meaning for the Schostak brothers, as their father attended Durfee Middle School (next to Central High School), which Life Remodeled took on and redeveloped into the Durfee Innovation Society. It’s now home to 40 businesses and nonprofit organizations like Beyond Basics.
“We’re pretty proud of the culture,” Bobby says. “It’s something we spent a lot of time on. And the reason we’re in Detroit and investing our 100th anniversary resources is that we wanted people to have the chance to make a difference.”
The Schostaks have also set up an internal fund to take care of employees who may have an unplanned need or experience an emergency in their lives. It started as an informal effort, but the company quickly recognized it required a formal structure in order to take care of such a large group of employees.
“The restaurant business is a very people-intensive business,” Mark says. “Over the years, we would have people come to us with what I would call unexpected, catastrophic events that would happen to them. It could be a sickness, marital problems, or maybe they had a fire or a flood and didn’t have insurance.
“So, we would raise money. The family would put in money and the employees would rally around and put money in, and we would go ahead and give a grant to that employee. That worked out well when we had 13 or 14 employees, but when we grew it became difficult to manage.”
The company responded by creating a care fund that’s supported by employee contributions the family matches. To date, it has awarded more than $800,000 in grants and has taken the form of a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, with a board consisting entirely of company employees and no members of the Schostak family.
Just as the three brothers had to learn under their father before taking on company leadership roles, Jeff has worked closely with David to learn the ropes and look for opportunities. In recent years, he’s been bringing the company into the complicated field of global logistics.
One of Jeff’s projects has been to lead an initiative to redevelop older manufacturing buildings around metro Detroit into warehouse and distribution spaces. The effort has met a market need and has
given Schostak Development one more avenue for growing its portfolio.
“This whole new logistics, warehousing, and distribution space, and in particular what Jeff has been successful in doing, has been amazing with the construction of the warehouses,” David says. “Because we’re an old industrial town, there are lots of older stock industrial buildings. We’ve been active buyers in that, and we’ve been able to renovate some of them and show them some love — clean them up, make the systems more state-of-the-art.”
David says his prodigy is proving his readiness for a leadership role. “I tell him now, ‘Jeff … it’s your turn,’ ” David says. “Success really comes from having the foresight to realize it’s the next generation’s opportunity. It’s Jeff’s time.”
Where the company will go under the fourth generation is anchored by a solid foundation built over a century of change, but also opportunities. “We need to be flexible and open-minded,” Bobby says.
The enterprise will always possess a risk-taking philosophy, which isn’t for everyone. “We like to think we take measured and calculated risks,” Mark says.
One possible direction going forward is to retrofit former commercial sites that no longer meet their intended use — along the lines of the work Jeff has done in redeveloping or renovating old industrial properties for warehouse and distribution operations.
The move is timely in a red-hot logistics market with tight warehouse capacity, and the company is looking for as many options as possible to help improve the journey of moving goods from place to place for businesses and consumers.
Whatever happens, though, one thing will never change for Schostak Brothers & Co.: People will always need buildings. “We still do our ground-up development,” David says. “If we keep anticipating change, take care of our customers, work as a team, and help our employees and the community, we’ll be successful.”
FLAVORS AND FINISH
Over the course of more than three decades, Sam Simon and his family researched and built a winery that today is savored by critics and connoisseurs alike.
BY R.J. KINGSam Simon’s journey from developing an appreciation for wine to establishing Simon Family Estate, a well-regarded winery in Napa Valley, took him all over the world — Italy, France, specifically Bordeaux and Burgundy, the Mendoza region of Argentina, and various wine regions in California.
Simon, who at a younger age had developed a taste for cognac, namely Hennessey, says he encountered his first “true” bottle of wine in the late 1980s while buying diesel in New York City for Atlas Oil, a fuel distribution company in Taylor he established in 1985 with one truck and a driver — namely, himself.
“I was meeting with one of our suppliers, the Koch family, and following our discussions they took our small group out to dinner and they opened up a bottle of wine, and I remember just loving it,” says Simon, founder and chairman of Simon Group Holdings in downtown Birmingham, which today includes Atlas Oil, Simon Sports, Soaring Pine Capital, and Canopy Insurance Group, as well as partnerships with two aerospace businesses, ETI Tech and Starwin Industries.
“I even took the cork home. From there, I began educating myself. I would learn about the different grapes, different soils, different elevations. Basically, I learned everything I could, and how to do winemaking with best practices, develop a palate, and really listen to and learn from the experts.”
Sam and Nada Simon, and their twin sons, Michael and Peter, have each played a role in winemaking — including the selection of varietals and fruit, the fermentation process, and bottling design and distribution at Simon Family Estate in Napa Valley.
The bottle that kindled his passion was a 1982 Beringer “Private Reserve” Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The vintage Simon enjoyed that night at dinner in New York City, from one of the few wineries born in Napa Valley when Jacob and Frederick Beringer set roots across 215 acres in 1875, showed, according to its producer, “clarity of fruit concentration with aromatic violets on the nose, cherry, spice and mint flavors, and considerable tannin.”
In a place where seemingly every square inch has been scored for its elevation, soil, sunlight, and climate, securing prime land to grow grapes in Napa Valley isn’t a walk in the park. What’s more, while Simon envisioned producing his own wine in the region one day, he wasn’t going to rush.
“People have been making wine and spirits for centuries, so that tells you that patience is called for,” he says. “If I was going to put our family name on something, it better be of the highest quality, otherwise why do it? I wanted to create something special and, as it turned out, bring my family into the process.”
As he learned more about the business and pondered his next move, Simon followed a suggestion and was invited to join The Napa Valley Reserve, a private club of winemakers that’s made up of some
600 couples from 37 states and 16 countries. In addition to enjoying their shared passions together, members can create wines they can call their own on small plots spread across 80 acres.
In 2003, Simon secured five rows of vines at The Reserve that he and his family — his wife, Nada, and twin boys, Michael and Peter — cared for throughout the growing season before learning to pick, crush, and destem the grapes, and select the French oak for barrels prior to bottling and labeling. In the first year, they produced around 30 cases of cabernet sauvignon that they would enjoy themselves or give away as gifts.
In 2017, as the family continued to produce wine, Simon met Maayan Koschitzky, the director of winemaking for Philippe Melka, a prestigious wine consulting company in Napa Valley specializing in small-batch, handcrafted wines. Gathering for the first time over dinner, the pair became immediate friends, “almost like brothers,” Koschitzky says.
After growing up on a produce farm in Israel, Koschitzky attended the University of Tel Aviv in pursuit of a degree in mechanical engineering, which led him to focus on wine equipment. During his studies, he became an intern at a winery and, from there, he never looked back.
First drawn to Napa Valley 20 years ago, the young winemaker learned the craft by joining Screaming Eagle Winery, followed by Dalla Valle Vineyards, before taking on his current role. As
Forbes magazine noted last November: “Koschitzky is one of the most highly regarded winemaking consultants in the valley.”
As the dinner went into the wee hours, Simon and Koschitzky decided to take the family’s winemaking prowess to another level, and Simon Family Estate was born. In 2019, the estate produced 80 cases of Simon Family Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which was aged in new French oak.
The wine, now available for sale, “over-delivers on its $125 price tag with beautiful dark fruit (made up of) complex aromas of blackberry, plum, spice, and earth, (which) give way to a fine-textured palate with appealing acidity,” according to a recent article in the Robb Report
“When I first met Sam and his family, you could tell they were very passionate about wine, and I really saw it as a journey of fun,” Koschitzky says. “We get together every few months, and if one of us calls the other, we call back right away. Everyone agrees we want the winery to be here for 100 years and beyond.”
While 2019 proved to be a good year for winemaking in the valley, no wine was produced the following year, due to the fires that swept through the region. The next year brought better weather and the return of production, while 2022 saw a severe heat wave in early September. As a result, last year’s output was 1,500 cases.
During its first four years, Simon Family Estate has spread its wings, debuting a 2021 Tigress Rosé of Grenache, which is favored by Nada, along with a 2019 Golden Ore Sauvignon Blanc, a 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and for the Simon twins, Double Blessings — two distinct cabernets that reflect each son’s personality.
“We’re working on a cabernet Franc, and Michael will be staying in Napa for three months following (spring) graduation from college to better learn the wine business,” Simon says. “What I would say overall about our shared passions (is) where else but America could you see two immigrant families from the Middle East come together to make wine?”
As a final toast, and taking license with the famous Paul Masson commercial starring Orson Welles, Simon hopes his family’s wines are enjoyed as a cherished pastime, all manner of playtime, and most of all, for peacetime.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MAKING WINE AND SPIRITS FOR CENTURIES, SO THAT TELLS YOU THAT PATIENCE IS CALLED FOR.”
SAM SIMONTANNINS THAT BIND Maayan Koschitzky — winemaker at Simon Family Estate and director of winemaking for Philippe Melka, a wine consulting firm in Napa Valley and Simon source fruit from pedigreed vineyards to craft small-production, luxury wines.
Brent Sheena channeled his hometown hustle to develop some of the first software that tracks and shares inventory, including sales, commissions, timekeeping, and scheduling.
BY TOM MURRAYBrent Sheena is having a blast these days. The entrepreneur can barely contain himself as he describes one of his many investments, a restaurant in South Carolina.
“It’s inside a nuclear power plant,” Sheena says with a laugh. “You have to have a psychological test, a drug test, and probably a three-week background investigation to get in there. So our only clients are the people who actually work at the power plant.”
He laughs again, as giddy about the goofiness of the location and clientele of the restaurant as he is over his good fortune and remarkable success.
The journey began on Anne Drive in West Bloomfield Township, where Sheena grew up in the 1980s. “It was a close-knit neighborhood, and we would always be outside playing basketball or street hockey with the neighbors, or riding bikes,” he recalls. “It was a growing neighborhood, and because the area kept overpopulating the schools, they had to build new ones.”
By the time Sheena reached eighth grade, he’d attended three different schools. “I started at Maple Elementary, and then they built a new school called Pleasant Lake Elementary. I was in the first class to go through there, and also in the first class at Walled Lake Middle School.”
Growing up, Sheena had ready role models. His mother was just beginning her long — and still active — career in real estate, while his father owned and operated his own business, Farmington Hills Wine & Liquor. “My dad worked crazy hours, probably 90 to 100 hours a week,” Sheena says. “The only time I could see him was when I was 13 and started working at the party store.”
As he moved on to Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Township, followed by the University of Michigan–Dearborn, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in economics, Sheena continued pitching in at the store.
“There was this one guy who worked at General Motors,” he says. “Well, he came in one day and said, ‘We’re looking for some interns at a new division that we’re starting. Would you like to join?’ And I’m like, ‘Heck, yeah!’ That was my dream, to work for one of the Big Three. I got the internship and I was planning on working there my whole career. I graduated early from college, in three and a half years.”
But Sheena’s timing was terrible: His graduation took place three months after 9/11. “And the auto industry crashed, and GM said ‘You’re not a student anymore and, by the way, we’re laying off like 40,000 people next week and it would look really bad if we hired you.’ So they basically said my internship was over. I couldn’t find a job for over two years.”
Returning to work at his dad’s store, he got creative. “I did odd jobs, like I sold life insurance,” he reveals. “I started a website that sold watches, called TheCheapWatchStore.com I worked at a restaurant. And I finally said to myself, I can’t keep doing this.”
That was around the time a friend told him about a possible opportunity. “An IT guy was looking for somebody to build a website for him,” Sheena says, “and he actually started giving me a whole bunch of business. That’s what led to me starting Spider Development.”
Why that curious name?
“I was sitting in the house I grew up in thinking about a name for my company, and there’s spiders everywhere, right? I’m building websites, and this spider right in front of me is building a web. Spider Development was named after that. This was back in 2003, right? Websites weren’t even common, and my initial slogan was ‘Building the Web of the Future.’ ”
Before he knew it, Sheena was doing a lot more than just creating websites for his customers. “Whenever you’re in the technology business, people always want tech support from you. So I also included IT support in Spider Development.”
It turned out Sheena wasn’t just good at building websites; he had a knack for fixing them, too — and that prompted an unsolicited phone call.
“This guy said, ‘Hey Brent, I know you’re an IT guy,’ ” Sheena says. “He tells me he’s opening up two T-Mobile wireless stores, (one each) in St. Louis and Kansas City, and can I help him out with the IT and building a website? I built a website for them and did all their IT, and they started growing like crazy. They went from two locations to about 20 within two years.”
By 2008 there were 60 stores, and Sheena saw an opportunity to expand his responsibilities. “I was working in their office in Bloomfield Hills, off of Woodward and Long Lake. They had a warehouse in Indiana, and one of the owners says, ‘Hey, why don’t we bring the warehouse to Michigan?’ And suddenly, there’s $100,000 worth of cellphones stacked up between the cubicles.”
Soon after, Sheena overheard the owners discussing options for leasing local warehouse space. “And I said, ‘Hey guys, I’m looking for another business,’ ” Sheena says, laughing. “I’d never done distribution in my life before, but within a few weeks I rented a warehouse.
“The place was a dump. I did all the renovations and started operating with probably a million dollars’ worth of cellphones that were shipped to me. Then, I shipped them to T-Mobile stores across the country. I had to carry a gun because I didn’t want to get robbed.”
It was a great arrangement until T-Mobile changed its business model for selling phones. “They began distributing the cellphones directly to their stores,” Sheena says. “They didn’t need a middleman like me and my warehouse.”
But Sheena was ready with a contingency plan.
“What I identified was that they needed a system to run their stores,” he says. “Over the years I wasn’t only building websites, I was already working on a system for retail store owners to manage their locations. I called it Viva Tracker, and it was kind of like my baby. I started building systems for T-Mobile store owners across the country, so I could not only track inventory,
but also sales, commissions, timekeeping, scheduling, and communication in all their stores.”
As Sheena’s business grew, so did his family, and in 2013 he and his wife relocated to South Carolina to be closer to her parents.
“I had two children when we moved, and there are four now,” he says. “I had five employees based out of Waterford Township when I left. I would fly, or drive for 12 hours, up there every month so that I could manage everything correctly.”
All the hard work paid off. After starting Viva Tracker from scratch, and with no outside capital, Sheena’s “baby” recorded more than $2 million in annual revenue by its fifth year of operation.
From there, the business took a sharp turn.
“T-Mobile did something no other company has done in the history of the world,” Sheena maintains. “They opened up 1,500 locations in six months, so they went from around 1,000 locations to around 2,500 within a year, and I had a majority of the market already. It exploded my business overnight. My revenue tripled, for nothing that I did, and along with the jobs Viva Tracker was doing for other companies, that’s really when I hit it.”
In November 2021, iQmetrix, a leading provider of telecom retail management software, acquired Viva Tracker for an undisclosed sum.
“I sold it so I can spend more time with my family,” Sheena says, “but also to diversify into other businesses. Between January and June of 2022, I opened or bought six companies.
“Have you heard of Jamba Juice?” he wonders. “I have two North Carolina locations, in Charlotte and Boone. I acquired a gym in Fort Mill, S.C., called Snap Fitness, and I also bought The Big Salad.”
The Big Salad, an eatery in the “fast casual” restaurant niche, was launched by John Bornoty in Grosse Pointe Woods in 2008. Today, there are nine locations in five states, including South Carolina, where Sheena
Sheena grew up in West Bloomfield Township and today lives in North Carolina, where he’s an investor and operator of multiple businesses, including two Jamba Juice locations, along with Snap Fitness, Canteen at Catawba, Snappy Eats, and Infinity Venture Partners.
also owns the Canteen at Catawba, the restaurant in the nuclear power plant.
Following up on another idea to better share profits, the entrepreneur launched Infinity Venture Partners. “I put $250,000 into it, and I gave every single one of my 10 original employees a piece of it. We’re building a scheduling system for logistic companies, like for Amazon and its drivers. I own 18 percent of it right now. The rest of the team puts their faith in me, and it means a lot to me. My goal is to make them millionaires one day.”
Sheena also owns a company, hatched years before online food delivery became a global phenomenon, that he presciently dubbed Snappy Eats.
“We started working on Snappy Eats in 2003,” he says, “and launched it in 2005. We only did online ordering back then, and we started doing delivery in 2019. We stopped our delivery in 2020, due to COVID19 and all the restrictions and labor issues.”
When the pandemic hit, Sheena was in Charlotte, N.C., and stayed there.
“Working from home was cool,” he says. “But then it got really secluded and boring, and you just want to talk to somebody. My highlight of the day was going to get lunch. I just wanted to leave this office in my house, right?”
Sheena pauses here, unleashing another laugh. “I bought an office building and started working from the office, which is where I am right now.”
But he readily admits he’s homesick.
“I love Michigan,” he says. “There’s definitely a culture in Michigan of working hard and growing. We’re very down to earth, we work hard, we create, and we make a difference for people. No offense to Michigan, but the weather isn’t great. So the people there are true hustlers, true go-getters, who put up with all that snow. That shows dedication, humbleness, and grit. And that’s what I love about Michigan. I wish I could move back.”
For now, though, the 42-year-old Sheena says he’s happily settled in Charlotte. “I have a lot of people down here, and I still have a team in Michigan, at my office in Waterford Township.”
And there’s one particular member of that Michigan team who keeps a particularly attentive eye on a vital part of Sheena’s businesses.
“My father is still in Michigan,” he says. “He takes care of all my accounting, paying all the bills, the payroll, and so forth. He loves working.”
Downey’s Potato Chips in Waterford Township has made great strides since its humble beginnings in the Waterfall Plaza strip mall in 1984.
Back then, the hand-crafted kettle-fried chips were sold to local clients the day they were made. They were packaged in individual resealable bags and sold while the day’s supplies lasted. Now, from a 5,000-square-foot operation a couple of miles down Highland Road (M-59) from the original store, Downey’s produces 3,000 bags of chips per week and delivers to 228 stores in southeast Michigan.
Rosemary Downey Hogarth and her family founded the company, which eventually outgrew the strip mall space and moved to its current location.
In 2012, the Hogarth family sold Downey’s to Waterford Township’s Bagley Land Holdings Building and Development Corp., owned by Patrick J. Bagley. He’s also co-founder of Bagley & Langan, a general law practice in the township.
Under Bagley’s ownership, Downey’s continued mild growth until the FDA, in June 2018, required that all processed and packaged foods in the United States remove partially hydrogenated oils from their ingredients, citing the move would prevent thousands of heart attacks and deaths each year. As Downey’s changed its recipe, some customers found the new chips lacking in flavor, and sales slipped.
Looking to spark a turnaround, Downey’s tested multiple different oils and combinations and finally landed on sunflower oil, which is healthier and of higher quality than the ingredients it replaced.
Soon after, Bagley’s daughter, Kali, graduated from Michigan State University and, after testing the waters of public relations, she decided she’d rather join the family business.
“As I was getting my feet wet in PR, I came to realize it wasn’t my passion,” Kali Bagley says. “I never thought potato chips would become my passion, but I love this job and I love this company. It’s invigorating and challenging to run a small business. I love what we stand for. I love our connection with customers and our devotion to incredibly high-quality products.”
Kali Bagley, general manager of Downey’s Potato Chips in Waterford Township, relaxes in the company’s root room, where Michigan-grown potatoes begin their journey to become potato chips.
Kali Bagley started as a social media manager in 2019, but soon took on more and more responsibility, eventually becoming general manager.
“When I got here, I realized we could be doing so much more with this business,” she says. “We did a rebrand in 2021 to really try to relate to customers what our values are — hand-crafted, family owned and operated, transparent. That came from the Downey’s. We kept the name because there’s so much community support and brand awareness in this area. We want to embrace their legacy.”
Part of the Downeys legacy is the end product: a gourmet potato chip that looks like a standard chip but is solid enough to hold its own in the dip bowl. The company currently produces four core chip flavors: Original Sea Salt (which accounts for more than 50 percent of total sales), Sea Salt and Vinegar, Barbeque, and No Salt.
“It took a lot of fine-tuning to get the chips just right,” Kali says. “It was a process. We have an inertial slicer whose blade must be set at a specific width. When I first got here, we were still trying to make that perfect width of a chip. Not too crunchy, not too thick, but also not too light and flimsy where it would just break.”
The production of Downey’s Potato Chips starts with the main ingredient — Michigan-grown potatoes. “Getting the perfect chipping potato, with none of the defects, light skin, good gravity (potato mass to water), is incredibly challenging,” Kali explains.
Downey’s sources its potatoes from Walther Farms, a third-generation, family-owned business in Three Rivers, south of Kalamazoo. The farm produces more than 18,000 acres of commercial and seed potatoes for both the potato chip and fresh produce markets. It also has 150 employees, as well as operations in southern Indiana, the Nebraska panhandle, southern Texas, western Oklahoma, western Kansas, southwest Georgia, and western South Carolina. Seed operations are conducted in northern Michigan.
Once the potatoes arrive at Downey’s, they’re placed on a conveyor that sends the spuds into an automated peeler/washer. Peeler operators inspect the peeled potatoes and remove any that could make an undesirable chip. From there the potatoes hit the slicer and are automatically put into the fryer at 300 degrees for four to five minutes.
“While the chips are frying, they’re being watched the whole time,” Kali says. “They get turned over by a worker with a food-quality rake, and the frying is complete when the worker thinks the chips look done.”
369,850
143,566
Bagley says the key to product quality is “making our chips the old-fashioned way” using automation, but still involving the human touch to sort and select the finest potatoes.
Once the frying process is over, a conveyor removes the fried chips from the oil and takes them to another set of inspectors. Chips that make the grade are moved via a vibrating conveyor to the seasoning drum, which rotates while oil and seasonings are applied.
“We used to season by hand but now we have an industrial-size seasoner because it gives us uniformity and reliability,” Kali explains. “Seasoning by hand just wasn’t giving us that consistency.”
From there the chips go to a packaging machine, which measures eight ounces of chips and drops them into bags to complete the process.
“Every single batch of our chips is fried and inspected by hand before it goes into a bag,” Kali says. “It takes a lot of love and care.”
Once Bagley had the Downey’s chips where she wanted them, she set about getting them into more people’s hands.
Between August 2022 and January 2023, Downey’s delivered to 227 stores, up from 136 locations. The growth spurt was primarily due to Downey’s expansion into all of Kroger’s stores in southeast Michigan,
Once potatoes become Downey’s Potato Chips, they’re inspected (upper left), flavored (upper right), and sorted before packaging (lower left). The chips are sold at grocery stores throughout metro Detroit.
and higher sales among stores like Westborn Market, Papa Joe’s, Nino Salvaggio, Vince and Joe’s, Hollywood Market, Holiday Market, and a few Meijer outlets.
It took several months after the Kroger decision was made to deliver chips to all of the stores. To meet the schedule, Downey’s boosted production by 67 percent and augmented its in-house delivery department with a distribution company.
“When we were getting ready for the Kroger expansion, I wanted to make sure we were completely buttoned up and ready to under-promise and over-deliver,” Kali recalls. “We had to add a couple thousand extra pounds of potatoes, but other than that we didn’t have to stretch too much. I think that says a lot about the capacity we have here.”
To meet the increased demand, the company bought a new peeler/washer last year that had a $30,000 price tag. According to Bagley, in its current space and equipment, Downey’s could pump out as many as 6,000 bags of chips per day.
She may need that capacity if her expansion plans come to fruition.
“I would love to make our way across and up Michigan,” she says. “I would like to make a bag of chips accessible to every Michigander.”
Q: What are some key elements of a comprehensive financial wellness program for your employees?
A: According to The KeyBank 2023 Financial Mobility Survey, the share of Americans facing financial challenges grew to 55% over the past year, a nearly 20-point increase from the year prior. A number of banks, including KeyBank offer complimentary workplace financial wellness programs to companies of all sizes. Of course, not all bank-provided programs are the same. To help you assess your banking partner’s program, here’s a checklist of key elements that can make your program successful.
A comprehensive workplace financial wellness program includes:
• A financial education curriculum with money management strategies that can be put into practice to address both short- and long-term financial goals.
• Covers beginning and advanced savings and budgeting strategies and practices.
• Addresses crisis preparation and provides strategies for managing through unexpected occurrences.
• Strategies for paying down debt.
• Helps your employees plan for retirement. KeyBank’s complementary Key@Work can help bring financial wellness to your workplace.
David Mannarino is President of KeyBank’s Michigan Market. He can be reached at (248) 2046550 or David_Mannarino@keybank.com.
This material is presented for informational purposes only and should not be construed as individual financial advice. KeyBank does not provide legal advice. KeyBank is member FDIC. ©2023 KeyCorp.. CFMA #230111-1871633
Q: How do you view your role as a trusted advisor?
A: From the initial conversation to the final resolution, I always focus on the client, their needs, goals, and expectations of me as their lawyer. Most legal disputes and the worries surrounding them surface before the attorneys get involved. Litigation can be stressful, disruptive to lives and businesses, expensive, and unpredictable. When clients retain me, they trust and invest in me to find a solution and give them peace of mind. I work with my clients, not for them, and listening is my
most valuable lawyering skill. Every client wants to feel heard and supported. Besides the what and the how, I make sure they know the why when we form strategies and make decisions. Whether the client is an individual or a large company, to them, I’m the same person at the end of the case as I was at the beginning. It’s the reason many clients have been with me throughout my career – what you see is what you get. Transparent and compassionate, with no drama.
KeyBank Michigan
David Mannarino
President & Commercial Sales Leader KeyBank Michigan Market 248-204-6550
David_Mannarino @keybank.com
Maddin Hauser
Michelle C. Harrell Shareholder and Chair, Complex Litigation and Risk Advisory Group 28400 Northwestern Hwy. Ste. 200 Southfield, MI 48034 248-827-1861
mharrell@maddinhauser.com maddinhauser.com
Robert Pauli Scherer toiled three years in the basement of his parents’ home in Detroit before developing a rotary die press to produce soluble elastic gelatin capsules at scale.
BY NORM SINCLAIRUnlike many inventors whose patents never earn them lasting fame or fortune, Robert Pauli Scherer revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry in the 1930s with his rotary die encapsulation machine that manufactured soft gelatin capsules for medications and dietary supplements.
His invention became the engine for a worldwide business empire he established in Detroit.
Scherer, born in 1906, was 24 years old when he filed a patent application for his rotary machine in 1931, his first submittal. His breakthrough creation came out of a three-year effort in a metal workshop his father had set up in the basement of the family’s home at 67 Kirby St., just north of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
His father, Dr. Otto Scherer, an eye specialist, and his mother, Josephine, sent their son to public schools before he enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned degrees in chemical engineering and the arts.
Following graduation in 1928, Scherer signed on as a $30-per-week employee with a pharmaceutical company — an experience that sparked his interest in how drugs and medicines were processed and shipped. He lasted three months before resigning.
“The job had no future but it gave me an idea,” he told his father, according to a profile of him published in 1942 in The Detroit News During his brief stint at the company, he studied the plate process machines used for making capsules.
“I can make a better one because these machines belong in the horse-and-buggy days. This field is untapped,” he told his father.
“What are you going to do about it?” his father asked.
“I’d like to go to work on my idea in your basement workshop,” Scherer replied.
The production shop was tied to Otto’s long-held theory on education; in addition to earning college degrees, his four sons’ schooling wouldn’t be complete until they learned to labor with their hands.
In the 1930s, Detroit inventor Robert Pauli Scherer revolutionized the health care industry by developing a rotary die encapsulation machine to mass produce soluble elastic gelatin capsules.
For three years, young Scherer toiled in the basement, developing his idea for making soluble elastic gelatin capsules using a rotary die process. Needing additional room, he rented space on the sixth floor of a railroad terminal building that he could use only at night.
As brilliant as he was as an inventor, young Scherer would prove he was equally talented as a businessman. In 1933, despite the collapse of banks during the Great Depression, he went ahead with his plans to open Gelatin Products Co. featuring his newly invented machine. To finance his new venture, he tapped his father for a $3,000 loan. His mother-in-law chipped in $2,000 in auto stocks.
Despite the investments, the debut of his new machine didn’t go as planned — it broke down in its first major demonstration, prompting a skeptical executive of a large pharmaceutical company to walk out.
Realizing his capsule-making machine was too bulky to carry without mishap into the offices of drug makers, Scherer hired a crew to make 10 minutes of moving picture film showing his machine in operation.
The effort worked, and pharmaceutical companies were impressed with his soft gel capsules filled with doses of medicine that were easier to digest. At the same time, encapsulating what could be foul-tasting drugs made them easier for patients to consume.
In short order, Scherer hired four employees and the team set up a capsule factory in a small store his father owned on Gratiot Avenue. His first capsule sale, a $30 order, came from his first employer. Next was a $500 order for capsules from a larger company.
In September 1933, as word spread about Scherer’s capsule-making machine, the president of Parke Davis Co. in Detroit offered him $250,000 — a fortune in Depression-era dollars — for exclusive rights to his machine for 10 years. As part of the deal, Scherer would abandon the capsule market for that period.
Scherer decided to reject the bid as he and his wife were on their way to the post office to mail an acceptance letter. “This machine is my baby,” he reasoned to his wife. “I’ve worked on it too long. I can’t part with it, and besides, what else could I do?”
Tearing up the letter, Scherer quickly expanded the business, converting three storefronts on Gratiot into his factory. A second-floor apartment served as an office and display area.
One morning in the spring of 1934, as he was sitting down for breakfast, his brother Henry called, shouting excitedly into the telephone: “Bob, we just got an order for 5 million capsules.”
It was the inflection point Scherer had dreamed of in those years spent toiling in his father’s basement, and during the long nights working in the sixth-floor workshop. After his brother’s call, multimillion-dollar orders began flowing in.
By 1947, with an impressive list of major drug manufacturers as customers, Scherer changed the name of the business to R.P. Scherer Co. As it continued to dominate the American drug capsule market, R.P. Scherer expanded into Canada, Europe, and South America, setting up manufacturing plants and distribution centers in more than a dozen countries.
The company would eventually capture more than 60 percent of the worldwide market for soft elastic gelatin capsules. Scherer had similar success
when he began producing two-piece fused hard shell capsules, popular with the growing market for vitamin supplements.
In 1951, Scherer, his wife, Margaret, and their four children, two boys and two girls, moved from their Palmer Woods home in Detroit to a new 7,050-squarefoot house set on three lots along Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe. The manor was designed by noted architect Hugh T. Keyes.
Overlooking Lake St. Clair, the Scherers’ new home featured a heated four-car garage, a heated in-ground swimming pool, a fully equipped metalwork and woodworking shop in the basement, and expansively landscaped grounds.
In 1955, as a measure of his success, Scherer’s original encapsulation machine was enshrined at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Scherer’s meteoric rise from novice inventor to an international business titan living among the Fords, the Dodges, and other area industrialists was relatively short-lived. In midsummer 1960, after a brief illness, he died of lung cancer at age 53.
If Scherer’s career was a magical ride of brilliance, the future of the company and Scherer’s heirs was more like a television drama. At age 27, his son, Robert P. Scherer Jr., took over the company as chairman. Over the next decade, the Scherer Co.’s monopoly of the soft gelatin market propelled it to new heights with 18 manufacturing plants in 12 countries.
Robert Jr. also diversified Scherer with a series of acquisitions varying from medical supplies to hair care companies. He took the company public in 1971, when the stock price topped $40 per share.
Ten years later, however, problems emerged with some of the acquisitions. Competitors and economic headwinds cut into Scherer’s monopoly. Board members grumbled about Robert Jr.’s management style, including his personal use of the company’s Lear jet.
The directors included his sister, Karla Scherer Fink, and other family members. In 1979, Robert Jr. left the company, and Karla’s husband, Peter Fink, was installed as CEO.
In 1988, Karla filed for divorce from Peter, and with her brother, John, launched a proxy fight to force the sale of the company. Soon after, a subsidiary of Shearson Lehman Hutton Holdings Inc. paid $407 million for the company. In 1998, Cardinal Health Inc. acquired Scherer for $2.4 billion in stock and assumed debt, and folded it into its holdings.
The family’s history, though, remains. The home that Robert Pauli Scherer grew up in at 67 Kirby received a Michigan Historical Marker in 1984, and now houses the Hellenic Museum of Michigan. His Lake Shore Drive house didn’t last, and was torn down in 2010 to make room for two new houses.
Over the course of his life, Robert Pauli Scherer was granted 52 patents.
“My dad was what some would consider a genius,” says John Scherer. “We couldn’t measure his IQ becasue everytime he took an IQ test, he got a perfect
score. He also had an uncanny ability to provide a solution to a problem even before someone completed their thought process to him.”
The son adds the company had numerous milestones, including being the first U.S. company to enter into the German market following World War II with a local partner. The German plant, which opened in the early 1950s, was one of the company’s most successful operations.
“My dad rarely traveled to the foreign plants, because he felt if they were being run correctly, there was no need to visit them on a continual basis. In addition, my uncle, William Scherer, was an architect, and he designed our plant in Argentina.”
Apart from revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry, Robert Pauli Scherer’s machine raised worldwide health and nutritional standards.
Scherer continued to improve upon his original encapsulation machine and was issued several patents for his work.
Precision medicine — and the technology that powers it — offers more advanced medical care and can identify potential problems much earlier than traditional means.
BY DR. JOEL KAHNDespite all the efforts in the past 50 years to advance medical care, heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.
The main preventive medical tool for health care is an annual physical exam, which has changed little over the decades — whether it’s administered locally in metro Detroit or at referral centers like the Mayo Clinic or the Cleveland Clinic.
I’ve written before about how to avoid the “Widowmaker Heart Death” with a simple heart calcium CT scan and a few advanced lab studies (DBusiness Daily News, 2019 blog).
Now, medicine has advanced to true precision medicine measurements, highlighted in Tony Robbins’ 2022 book, “Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life and Those You Love.”
The good news is you can access precision medicine testing in Detroit and get the “New Executive Physical” without traveling. Below is a list of what testing is available. Rather than recommending any one company, I suggest that you search on the internet or consult your doctor.
This examination of the heart arteries is a quantum leap ahead of coronary calcium CT scoring, and involves injecting contrast material known as dye. The amount of plaque, degree of narrowing, and type of plaque (calcified vs. soft) can be measured in cubic millimeters by Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. A grading system, like cancer grading, is offered to represent the stage of heart disease present. The test takes less than five minutes and requires healthy kidneys and no allergy to iodine dye.
Only a few cancers are screened for during a routine physical exam, including breast, colorectal, prostate, and cervical cancers. A blood test, often called a liquid biopsy, is available and screens for 50 different cancers. It’s effective in identifying cancers at stage 0 or 1, enabling earlier therapy and, often, a cure. Ask for the Galleri test, available at clinics and online.
I traveled to San Diego in 2017 for a head-to-toe MRI scan, without contrast, at the Health Nucleus clinic. Today, this test is available in the Detroit area. About 5 percent of studies reveal an unknown aneurysm in a blood vessel or a tumor hidden in the body at an early stage.
A recent analysis indicated that up to 50 percent of Americans have undiagnosed sleep apnea that’s at least moderate in severity. A home sleep study is now easy to complete in one night.
the presence of heart
The mineral content of the bone and bone strength can be assessed in minutes and without pain, and the DEXA scan can track bone health over time. New AI software can predict the presence of heart disease, too.
Simple blood work can determine if “heavy metal” toxins like mercury are circulating in your bloodstream, causing damage. Saliva or blood testing can identify more than two dozen gene variants predicting heart disease.
A predictor of health and cognition are precise AI-driven measurements of brain volumes. If a shrunken brain is detected, healing options include therapeutic measures like fasting programs, reduced alcohol intake, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. A non-contrast brain MRI can involve a two-step process, locally and in Europe.
While this may not seem as high-tech as the other examinations, more peo ple die worldwide of hypertension than any other illness. Having an upper arm blood pressure cuff in the office and at home is a good idea
Medical care in the greater Detroit area is worldclass, and will improve with more “precision medicine” tools using AI-powered measurements. Without leaving the region, a state-of-the-art Executive Physical exam can be arranged that competes with any of the better-known referral centers. Investing in your health is a far better plan than investing in treatment for advanced medical problems.
DR. JOEL KAHN is a cardiologist and expert in plant-based nutrition and holistic care. An author, he lectures across the country and practices at the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity in Bingham Farms.
is a far better than in treatment advanced Exec Life 88 DBUSINESS || May - June 2023
TimothyMasterswasonlyfifteenwhenhestumbledacrossthemutilatedcorpse ofPeggyHettrickinafieldonhiswaytoschool.Almostassoonasthepoliceset eyesonhim,theyweresurehewasthekiller—evenwithnothingbutacollection ofgorydrawingshe’dcreatedasateenagehorrorfanasevidence. Fortenyearstheyhoundedhim,until—withthehelpofanastoundingamount ofmisconduct—theyfinallysucceededinputtinghimbehindbars. In DrawntoInjustice,Timrecountshisjourneytoexoneratehimselfforacrime hedidn’tcommitand,intheprocess,laysbarethecorruptionthatenabledthe criminaljusticesystemtorailroadaninnocentman.
DRAWN TO INJUSTICE
PATRICK GLORIA
Beyond Basics hosted its annual Coming Together for Children event on at the Detroit Athletic Club on March 3. The nonprofit organization has a team of certified tutors who provide literacy training for students and adults. Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour followed by a sitdown dinner and an awards and recognition program.
1. Callee Newhouse, Erin O’Mara, Barrett Young
2. Kay Von Granberry, Djenaba Wilson, Timothy Grandberry, DaJuan Grandberry
3. Kristi and Mike Rogers
4. Camille Stawicki, Tiffany and William Griffin, Kelly Gray
5. Michelle Arnwine Frias, Stephen Cahoon
PATRICK GLORIA
The Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund, a Bloomfield Hills-based nonprofit organization, hosted its 18th annual dinner and auction on Saturday, March 4, at the Townsend Hotel in downtown Birmingham. The event included a seated dinner, drinks, live and silent auctions, a keynote speech by veteran Kirstie Ennis, and entertainment from NUCLASSICA. Funds raised at the event support Michigan-based soldiers who were wounded or the families of the fallen.
6. Gen. Darren and Melissa Werner, Brig. Gen. Rolf and Linda Mammen
7. Rob Grimaldi, Janelle and Steve Bubnes
8. Don and Tammy Whitaker
9. Ret. Gen. Rogers Burrows, Sally and Mark Strait
10. John and Pauline Rodemaker
PATRICK GLORIA
The Flagstar Strand Theatre, a destination for live entertainment and arts education in downtown Pontiac, hosted a celebration of its 102nd birthday on March 4. Funds raised from the event benefited the nonprofit Strand Art Children’s Theatre and performing arts opportunities for Pontiac youth.
11. David Porath, Renee S. Voit-Porath, Alex Resnik
12. Glenn and Lia MacIntosh
13. Daniela Walters, Jessica Juhasz
14. Easten Marshall, Francesca Tamburo
15. Dan Walsh and Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz
May 11, 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Niki’s Nightlife, 743 Beaubien Blvd., Detroit sanctumhouse.networkforgood.com/events/49418-exclusive-women-s-social-fundraiser
The annual Yellow Rose Charity For Women’s event moves to Niki’s Nightlife, a larger venue with more food, fun, music and a bigger fundraising goal for the renowned Sanctum House, a sanctuary for survivors of human trafficking. Sanctum House is a home where women can reimagine their lives with newly taught life skills, education, career training, job placement and improved physical and mental health. You may not know that Michigan ranks 5th in the USA in reports to the National Human Trafficking hotline. Of the victims reported, 90% are female. (Source: 2021)
Each year, Yellow Rose identifies one charity dedicated to helping girls and women whose lives have been impacted by crime and circumstance. This year, Yellow Rose is proud to support and continue to build on the Community Project Funding that Representative Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14) has so successfully secured for Sanctum House.
May 13, 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Marygrove Conservancy, 8425 McNichols Road, Detroit detroithorsepower.org
Join us for Detroit Horse Power’s annual gala to support our summer camps and after-school programs that teach Detroit youth how to ride and care for horses! This year’s gala will be hosted at the beautiful Marygrove Conservancy with cocktails, dinner, raffles, and an awards ceremony to honor Detroit Horse Power’s champion students. You’ll hear firsthand how Detroit Horse Power has opened new opportunities for them, and you’ll meet with all the amazing and unique partners of Detroit Horse Power!
May 13, 7 p.m. - 11 p.m., Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood St., Detroit promremodeled.org
Have you ever wished you could get a do-over for certain major life events? Prom Remodeled will be a chance to redo or relive your prom experience as we bring together the who’s who of Detroit’s philanthropy community and the influencers of Detroit neighborhoods for an incredible evening benefiting Life Remodeled and its neighborhood revitalization work. Experience the debut of what will be one of Detroit’s most iconic, must-attend annual events, featuring two national headlining entertainers and a “Taste of Detroit” showcase highlighting some of Detroit’s premier restaurants. Get your prom dresses and tuxedos ready for when you roll up in a limo, walk the red carpet, and enjoy a variety of strolling hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at the Durfee Innovation Society. Will you go to the prom with us? This is an invite-only event, but sponsorships are still available. Please contact Omari Taylor at omari@liferemodeled.org or 313-744-3052, ext. 1001.
May 21, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., Hillel Day School, 32200 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills hillelday.org/hdsgala23
Hillel Day School’s Annual Gala, its most important fundraiser, attracts more than 500 guests and generates essential funds for the school’s tuition assistance program. This celebratory event will take place on Sunday, May 21, at 5 p.m. on Hillel’s beautiful campus and includes an extensive silent auction, a strolling dinner, and dessert. Paula and Louis Glazier will be honored as this year’s Dream Makers, Todd Fink will receive the Rabbi Jacob E. Segal Award, and Greg Kaplan will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. RSVP at hillelday.org/hdsgala23.
May 19, 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., The Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit
Join Detroit Cristo Rey High School for our annual Spring Gala celebrating our core educational belief: Caring for Creation. Guests will enjoy a strolling dinner with a program highlighting the students. Detroit Cristo Rey High School provides excellent college-preparatory Catholic high school education, in the Cristo Rey Model, to students from economically disadvantaged families in Detroit. The school emphasizes faith, morals, and service to the community.
Through its work-study program, the school fosters skills and attitudes important in the workplace, such as responsibility, determination, and respect for self and others. In the finest tradition of Catholic outreach, we welcome families of all denominations. With a challenging and supportive college preparatory program, we equip students with the core knowledge and competencies needed for college and the workplace. Our ultimate goal is to enable students to gain the skills to be successful in life and the commitment to make a difference in their families, their neighborhoods, and the world.
June 20, 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., M1 Concourse, Woodward Entrance, 1 Motorsports Drive, Pontiac nextsteps4seniorsfoundation.org
Join us for an exhilarating evening at M1 Concourse on June 20 to raise money for low-income seniors in our community who are in need of proper housing and care. Prepare for a high-energy evening in M1 Concourse’s brand-new, state-of-the-art venue that overlooks the 1.5-mile Champion Motor Speedway performance driving track. Wendy Jones, our founder and president, will share with you the impact your support has made to change the lives of hundreds of families. Your ticket includes a chance to win one of 40 full-speed thrill rides around Champion Motor Speedway in a performance vehicle driven by a professional race car driver. Your experience also includes full-motion simulators, gourmet food stations, and cocktails. Space is limited; reserve your spot today!
Next Steps 4 Seniors Foundation bridges the financial gap for seniors in need of proper housing and care. Your financial support helps change the life of a low-income senior.
CHRISTINE M.J. HATHAWAY
The 19th annual Metro Detroit Go Red for Women experience, organized by the American Heart Association’s division in Southfield, took place on March 10 at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. The event raised funds to support the fight against heart disease and strokes in women and included a silent auction, an expo, networking, a lunch, and speaker presentations.
1. Tracey McNeil-Robinson, Denise BrooksWilliams, Rhonda Walker, Tyra Evans
2. Liz Maier, Victoria Bair, Mellissa Zuzga
3. Liz Brisley, Alexis Scott, Rumia Ambrose-Burbank
4. Shatica McDonald, Akil Williamson, Monica Weaver
5. Andrea Roberson, Gerard Gibbs
PATRICK GLORIA
The McLaren Macomb Foundation hosted its 2023 Crystal Ball on March 18, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Detroit. The black tie gala featured a cocktail reception and a gourmet dinner, as well as music and dancing. At the event, the organization recognized its long-serving physicians and its nurses who have won the Daisy Award, which honors “extraordinary nursing faculty.”
11. Kim Zazula, Glenn Burton, Renee Peck, Ingo Rautenberg
12. Randal Pagel, Marcia Dikowski, Mickey and Ryan Kittredge
13. Dr. Joseph and Kim Cuppari
14. Jenna and Matt Sahr
15. Vibs and Neel Patel
PATRICK GLORIA
Radio station 760 WJR-AM hosted its 37th annual Paul W. Smith St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17 in the lobby of the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. The region’s business, civic, political, and religious leaders gathered to celebrate Ireland and the return to an in-person event for the first time since the pandemic.
6. Tricia Keith, Steve Grigorian, Amy Peterson
7. Hon. Thomas Hathaway, Lorna Utley, Fr. John Phelps
8. James Kuhl, Jamie Budgett
9. Tony Michaels, Gov. Rick Snyder, Mark Hackel
10. William Young, Frank Zolenski, Bill Young
May 22, 8:30 a.m., Pine Knob Golf Course, 5580 Walden Road, Auburn Hills progolfplanners.com/store/category/godfathers
Join us for the third annual Godfather’s Charity Golf Outing, where portions of the proceeds will benefit the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which supports service members and their families all around the world. Included in your ticket price are green fees, a golf cart, range balls, a continental breakfast, lunch at the turn, a golfer gift bag, dinner, and the awards ceremony. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., and shotgun starts at 9:30 a.m. Tickets and sponsorship packages are available now through Professional Golf Planners of America. Tickets can be purchased in advance online.
May 31 - June 25, Meadow Brook Theatre, 378 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester Hills mbtheatre.com/noises-off
This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance toward the end of a debilitating run. Progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members, slamming doors, falling trousers, and flying sardines in their final performances, audiences are treated to a hilarious behind-the-scenes peek that truly challenges the age-old saying “The show must go on.” *MBT Rating: Middle school & up
June 6, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., Fred M. Alger Center, 32 Lakeshore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms
Celebrate Michigan’s military with the premier annual event benefitting Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs. This year, we will celebrate our ninth annual CMM event with an extraordinary dinner, an open beer/wine bar, a meet and greet with Guardian Angels service dog teams, and a special keynote by retired Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc and his Guardian Angels service dog, Victor!
This year, just as in years past, 100 percent of the proceeds generated from CMM 2023 will be donated to Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs for training and pairing medical service dogs with Michigan veterans. The cost to train each dog is over $25,000, but the ability to change or save the life of a veteran is priceless! Our goal this year is to raise enough money to pair 10 dogs, which will then be donated to their recipients thanks to our wonderful CMM 2023 sponsors!
Please join us at the Fred M. Alger Center in Grosse Pointe Farms on June 6 at 6 p.m. for an unforgettable experience celebrating Michigan’s military and the newly installed “Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge” sculpture, dedicated to the Allies who landed on Omaha Beach in 1944.
The freedom, independence, and relief that service dogs provide is simply incredible, and the results are undeniable. Please come see for yourself!
June 15, 8:30 a.m., Zero Net Energy Center, 1358 Abbott St., Detroit 2030districts.org/detroit/event/detroit-energy-challenge-breakfast
Please join us as we award the Detroit 2030 District building members who have reduced their energy consumption the most from 2021 to 2022 and those who have shown exemplary efforts to create a high-performance building by reducing carbon emissions in Detroit. Guest speakers will be announced in the future, and information will be sent out. This is an in-person event, and there will be a full breakfast. Industry exhibitors will be available.
Agenda: 8:30-9:30 a.m.: Registration, full breakfast, industry exhibitor, networking | 9:30-10:30 a.m.: Awards and guest speakers | 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Industry exhibitors and networking.
June 16 - 18, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., The Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe eyesondesign.org
Attend world-class car show EyesOn Design at Ford House on Father’s Day, Sunday, Sept. 18, in Grosse Pointe Shores. Grand marshal is Tom Gale, retired vice president of design at General Motors Co., and honorary chairman is Henry Ford Health President Bob Riney. Together, they preside over the annual show themed “Design Revolutions,” so look for a field filled with game-changing cars of the past, present, and future. Mingle with auto industry insiders during the elegant Champagne brunch. Weekend events include a Friday driving tour of southeast Michigan and the Vision Honored Gala at Conner Center in Detroit celebrating Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles. Saturday symposiums feature Corvette design legends at the GM Design Dome and Viper designers at the Stellantis North American Design Center in Auburn Hills. Proceeds support the visually impaired through the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. This event is the ultimate Father’s Day gift and a must-attend for every car lover. Visit eyesondesign.org to reserve your tickets today!
June 22, 100 Townsend St., Birmingham derekdickow.com
Derek Dickow has built a reputation as a power connector and master networker by producing high-level events and facilitating introductions to leaders within his vast network. Previous Derek Dickow events have attracted some of the most successful CEOs and business leaders in our state — and arguably the country. This powerful, packed business-to-business event connects professionals throughout the commercial real estate industry and will include the industry’s largest 1-1 speed networking event. Attendees will have opportunities for structured networking with more than 300 industry leaders, investors, developers, bankers, and elected officials. This is a fantastic opportunity to build your network and create powerful, long-lasting connections that can positively impact your career, business, and life.
PATRICK GLORIA
As part of the USA Boxing National Qualifier that was held at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit from March 20-25, the USA Boxing Alumni Association hosted the Michigan Celebration Banquet on March 19, at the Fort Pontchartrain Detroit, a Wyndham Hotel.
1. Hon. Craig Strong, Robert Paul, Sylvia Steward-Williams, Diane Steward Jones, Montie Browne
2. Frank Garza, Spence Carpenter, Bob Every, Dave Packer
3. Milton and Derine McCrory
4. Mary Jo Sanders, John Rhaesa
5. Brentnoll Bovell, Sonic Luna
PATRICK GLORIA
Detroit Adcraft hosted its 2023 Women’s Leadership Conference on March 21 at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The event featured six speakers who addressed a variety of topics to help today’s women executives navigate the increased complexity and competition of the media business world, while fostering a work environment that inspires and shapes the next generation of industry leaders.
6. Laura Bishop, Julie Crorey, Tracy Adragna
7. Derek Ferris, Kellie Black, Eric Frisinger
8. Brooke White, Katie Barnes
9. Marla Skiko, Donna Speciale, Andrea Brimmer, Alicia Jeffries
10. Kelly Majauskas, Katie Sullivan, Allison McConeghy
PATRICK GLORIA
The 2023 Detroit Tigers kicked off their April 6 home opener by playing the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park. While the Tigers lost 6-3, multiple companies and individuals hosted Opening Day parties, including Campbell Ewald at Ford Field, Jeff Glover & Associates Real Estate at the Gem and Century theatres, UHY, UHY Cares, and YGQ at Music Hall, La Casa Cigar Lounge, Visit Detroit at Detroit Opera, and Michael Higgins, co-owner of the Broderick Tower.
11. Meghan McDonald, Justina McCormick, Taylor Fowler, Megan Anton, Jess Bush
12. Drew and Michelle Clora, Dave and Kathy Petoskey
13. Kim Mattes, Lauren Mattes
14. Tony Catalina, Paul Boehms, Tom Alongi
15. Opening Day Ceremony
MARRIOTT EAST LANSING AT UNIVERSITY PLACE
300 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing 517-337-4440 marriott.com/lanea
Rooms: 181
Meeting rooms: 9
Dining: Bistro 43, Great Room Restaurant and Lounge Meeting capacity: 12,927 sq. ft.
AMWAY GRAND PLAZA HOTEL, CURIO COLLECTION BY HILTON 187 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 616-774-2000 amwaygrand.com
Rooms: 664
Meeting rooms: 42
Dining: Ruth’s Chris Steak House, MDRD, Lumber Baron Bar, Rendezvous, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, Woodrows Duckpin, Starbucks Meeting capacity: 47,120 sq. ft.
CITYFLATSHOTEL
83 Monroe Center St. NW Grand Rapids 616-608-1720
cityflatshotel.com
Rooms: 48
Meeting rooms: 4
Dining: CitySen Lounge Meeting capacity: 6,000 sq. ft.
EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN 710 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 616-512-5700 hilton.com/en/embassy
Rooms: 250
Meeting rooms: 6
Dining: Free breakfast and evening reception, Whitewater Lounge, Big E’s Sports Grill Meeting capacity: 6,176 sq. ft.
JW MARRIOTT GRAND RAPIDS 235 Louis St. NW Grand Rapids
616-242-1500
ilovethejw.com
Rooms: 331
Meeting rooms: 9
Dining: Margaux, Jdek at Margaux, Starbucks Meeting capacity: 15,756 sq. ft.
RADISSON HOTEL GRAND RAPIDS RIVERFRONT
270 Ann St. NW Grand Rapids
616-317-6874
radissonhotel.com
Rooms: 162
Meeting rooms: 3
Dining: River Rock Restaurant and Lounge Meeting capacity: 4,950 sq. ft.
CITYFLATSHOTEL HOLLAND, TAPESTRY COLLECTION BY HILTON
61 E. 7th St.
Holland
616-796-2100
cityflatshotel.com
Rooms: 56
Meeting rooms: 3
Dining: CitySen Lounge, CityBru Coffee Meeting capacity: 3,846 sq. ft.
RADISSON PLAZA HOTEL & SUITES AT KALAMAZOO CENTER 100 W. Michigan Ave. Kalamazoo
269-343-3333 radisson.com
Rooms: 340
Meeting rooms: 22
Dining: Old Burdick’s Bar & Grill, The Morning Dish, Brick and Brine, Starbucks, room service
Meeting capacity: 44,000 sq. ft.
GRAND HOTEL
286 Grand Ave. P.O. Box 286 Mackinac Island
800-334-7263 grandhotel.com
Rooms: 388
Meeting rooms: 17
Dining: Grand Hotel Main Dining Room, Grand Luncheon Experience, Grand Coffee & Provisions, Esther Williams Pool Bar, The Jockey Club, Woods Restaurant, The Gate House, Fort Mackinac Tea Room, Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor. Cocktails available at Audubon Wine Bar, Cupola Bar, Geranium Bar, and Bobby’s Bar at Woods.
Meeting capacity: 24,878 sq. ft.
MISSION POINT RESORT
One Lakeshore Dr. Mackinac Island
906-847-3000
missionpoint.com
Rooms: 241
Meeting rooms: 20
Dining: Chianti, Round Island
Kitchen, Bistro on the Greens, Boxwood Coffeeshop & Café, Lily’s Lemonade, Strait UP Coffee
Meeting capacity: 38,000 sq. ft.
THE H HOTEL
111 W. Main St. Midland
989-839-0500 thehhotel.com
Rooms: 130
Meeting rooms: 8
Dining: ONe eighteen, Café Zinc, Oxygen Lounge, 24-hour room service Meeting capacity: 10,000 sq. ft.
SOARING EAGLE CASINO & RESORT 6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd. Mount Pleasant GPS address: 2395 S. Leaton Rd. 989-775-5777
soaringeaglecasino.com
Rooms: 514
Meeting rooms: 17
Casino tables: 70
Dining: Ascend Sportsbook Bar and Lounge, Siniikaung Steak and Chop House, Legend’s Diner, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Central Deli and Slice, Native Grind Coffee Shop, Little Eagle Café Meeting capacity: 70,000 sq. ft.
THE INN AT HARBOR SHORES 800 Whitwam Dr. St. Joseph 269-983-1111 harborshoresresort.com
Rooms: 92
Meeting rooms: 4
Dining: Plank’s Tavern on the Water, Plank’s Dockside Bar, Rise and Vine, Torch and Tapas Meeting capacity: 13,000 sq. ft.
GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT AND SPA
100 Grand Traverse Village Blvd. P.O. Box 404 Acme 231-534-6000 grandtraverseresort.com
Rooms: 525
Meeting rooms: More than 20 indoor and outdoor venues
Dining: Aerie Restaurant & Lounge, Sweetwater American Bistro, The Grille, Jack’s Taproom, The Den Bar, Grand Lobby Bar, Marketplace, in-room dining Meeting capacity: 86,500 sq. ft.
INN AT BAY HARBOR 3600 Village Harbor Dr. Bay Harbor 844-827-1959 innatbayharbor.com
Rooms: 105
Lakeside cottages: 23
Cottages at Crooked Tree: 15
Meeting rooms: 6
Dining: The Sagamore Room, Inn Café, Vintage Chophouse Wine Bar, Cabana Bar (summer only), The Links Grille (summer only) Meeting capacity: 11,425 sq. ft.
HOTEL WALLOON 4127 N. M-75 Walloon Lake 231-535-5000 hotelwalloon.com
Rooms: 32
Meeting rooms: 4
Dining: Barrel Back, Walloon Lake Inn, Hearth Room and Bar Meeting capacity: 3,700 sq. ft. of customizable space
CAESARS WINDSOR CASINO AND HOTEL 377 Riverside Dr. E. Windsor, Ontario 800-991-7777 caesarswindsor.com
Rooms: 758
Meeting rooms: 10
Casino tables: 85
Dining: Neros Steakhouse, Legends Sports Bar, Spago Trattoria, Café 377, Johnny Rockets, Tim Horton’s, room service Meeting capacity: 100,000 sq. ft.
Source: DBusiness
(SELECTED BY AAA AND DBUSINESS FOR HOSPITALITY EXCELLENCE)
1. BARTON MALOW HOLDINGS 26500 American Dr. Southfield
248-436-5000 bartonmalow.com
2022 revenue: $4.8B
2021 revenue: $3.43B
Regional employees: 3,000
Top local executive: Ryan Maibach, president and CEO
2. WALBRIDGE 777 Woodward Ave., Ste. 300 Detroit 313-963-8000 walbridge.com
2022 revenue: $3.6B
2021 revenue: $2.26B
Regional employees: 1,500
Top local executive: Michael Haller, CEO
3. BELFOR HOLDINGS INC.
185 Oakland Ave., Ste. 150 Birmingham
248-594-1144
belfor.com
2022 revenue: $2.1B
2021 revenue: $1.96B
Regional employees: 1,577
Top local executive: Sheldon Yellen, CEO
4. COMMERCIAL CONTRACTING GROUP INC.
4260 N. Atlantic Blvd. Auburn Hills
248-209-0500 cccnetwork.com
2022 revenue: $633.5M
2021 revenue: $376.2M
Regional employees: 259
Top local executive: Stephen Fragnoli, president and CEO
5. ARISTEO CONSTRUCTION 12811 Farmington Rd. Livonia
734-427-9111 aristeo.com
2022 revenue: $488.2M
2021 revenue: $412.4M
Regional employees: 550
Top local executive: Michelle Aristeo Barton, president
6. IDEAL CONTRACTING 2525 Clark St. Detroit 313-843-8000 idealcontracting.com
2022 revenue: $478M
2021 revenue: $214M
Employees: 376
Top local executive: Frank Venegas Jr., CEO and chairman
7. ALBERICI CONTRUCTORS INC.
26711 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 255 Southfield 734-367-2500 alberici.com
2022 revenue: $307.9M
2021 revenue: $172.2M
Local employees: 21
Top local executive: Aaron Walsh, general manager and market leader
8. AUCH CONSTRUCTION* 65 University Dr. Pontiac 248-334-2000 auchconstruction.com
2022 revenue: NA
2021 revenue: $256M
Regional employees: 120
Top local executives: Vincent DeLeonardis, CEO; Jeffrey Hamilton, president
9. TURNER CONSTRUCTION CO. 535 Griswold, Ste. 1525 Detroit 313-596-0500 turnerconstruction.com/ office-network/Detroit
2022 revenue: $186.07M
2021 revenue: $188.4M
Regional employees: 79
Top local executive: Robert D. Bowen Jr., LEED AP, general manager
10. SACHSE CONSTRUCTION
3663 Woodward Ave., Ste. 500 Detroit 313-481-8200 sachseconstruction.com
2022 revenue: $150M
2021 revenue: $134M
Regional employees: 150
Top local executive: Todd Sachse, CEO
*Did not respond to request for information.
Source: DBusiness research
1. AMERISURE 26777 Halsted Rd. Farmington Hills 800-257-1900 amerisure.com
2022 revenue: $806M
2021 revenue: $711.9M
2022 premium volume: $824.3M
Local employees: 304
2. MARSH MCLENNAN AGENCY 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 2300 Troy 248-822-8000 marshmma.com
2022 revenue: $47.9M
2021 revenue: $48.3M
2022 premium volume: $1.9B
Employees: 165
3. KAPNICK INSURANCE GROUP 769 Chicago Rd., Third Floor Troy
248-352-4455 kapnick.com
2022 revenue: $42.1M
4.
2021 revenue: $83M
2022 premium volume: $192M
Employees: 100
7. RALPH C. WILSON AGENCY INC. 26026 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 100 P.O. Box 5069 Southfield 800-638-1174 rcwa.net
2022 revenue: $14.4M (est.)
Employees: 155
5.
2021 revenue: $11.3M (est.)
2022 premium volume: NA
Employees: 50+
8. KOROTKIN
michiganfinancial.com
2022 revenue: $27.6M
2021 revenue: $28.9M
2022 premium volume: NA
Employees: 111
6. BROWN & BROWN OF DETROIT INC. 5250 Corporate Dr., Ste. 200 Troy 586-977-6300 bbrown.com
2022 revenue: $18M
26877 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 400 Southfield 248-350-5801 korotkin.com
2022 revenue: $9.3M
2021 revenue: $8.5M
2022 premium volume: $83M
Employees: 60
9. ALLIANT INSURANCE SERVICES 1050 Wilshire Dr., Ste. 210 Troy 248-540-3131 alliant.com
2022 revenue: $5.8M
2021 revenue: $5.1M
2022 premium volume: $95M
Employees: 24
10. GOODMAN VENEGAS 2800 Livernois Rd., Ste. 170 Troy 248-740-9090 goodmanvenegas.com
2022 revenue: $4M
2021 revenue: $4M
2022 premium volume: $35M
Employees: 15
Source: DBusiness research
BARTON MALOW, SOUTHFIELD
13. DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF MICHIGAN 4100 Okemos Rd. Okemos 800-524-0149 deltadentalmi.com
Assets: $747,139
Surplus: $577,283
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $626,242
Michigan Market Share: 1.63%
Type: HMDI
14. HUMANA DENTAL INSURANCE CO.
humana.com
Assets: $134,474
Surplus: $47,260
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $353,436
Michigan Market Share: 0.92% Type: HMO-P
18. PRIORITY HEALTH INSURANCE CO. 1231 E. Beltline Ave. NE Grand Rapids 833-489-5443 priorityhealth.com/about-us
Assets: $138,887
8. BLUE CROSS COMPLETE OF MICHIGAN 100 Galleria Officentre, Ste. 210 Southfield 800-228-8554 mibluecrosscomplete.com
10. HUMANA INSURANCE CO. 26600 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 220 Southfield 800-486-2620 humana.com
Assets: $8.917,293
Surplus: $4,113,960
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $860,158
Michigan Market Share: 2.24%
Type: LH-STK
11. PRIORITY HEALTH CHOICE INC. 1231 E. Beltline Ave. NE Grand Rapids 833-489-5443 priorityhealth.com/about-us
Assets: $365,837
Surplus: $215,177
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $762,282
Michigan Market Share: 1.98% Type: HMO-NP
26600 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 220 Southfield 248-234-1352 humana com
Assets: $294,420
Surplus: $143,250
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $143,250
Michigan Market Share: 1.63% Type: LH-STK
15. AETNA LIFE INSURANCE CO. 28588 Northwestern Hwy. Southfield 248-357-7766 aetna.com
Assets: $25,501,247
Surplus: $6,134,851
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $588,812
Michigan Market Share: 1.53%
Type: LH-STK
Surplus: $69,368
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $328,693
Michigan Market Share: 0.85% Type: LH-STK
19. UPPER PENINSULA HEALTH PLAN 853 W. Washington St. Marquette 906-225-7500 uphp.com
Assets: $133,843 Surplus: $59,747
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $321,866
Michigan Market Share: 0.84%
Type: HMO-P
9. MCLAREN HEALTH PLAN INC. G-3245 Beecher Rd. Flint 888-327-0671 mclarenhealthplan.org
Assets: $450,183
Surplus: $237,362
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $1,050,076
Michigan Market Share: 2.73%
Type: HMO-NP
12. UNITED HEALTHCARE INSURANCE CO. 26957 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 400 Southfield 877-832-7734 uhc com
Assets: $22,699,387
Surplus: $7,379,570
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $712,143
Michigan Market Share: 1.85%
Type: LH-STK
16. AETNA BETTER HEALTH OF MICHIGAN INC. 28588 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 380B Southfield 313-465-1500 Aetnabetterhealth.com/Michigan
Assets: $193,044
Surplus: $65,197
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $399,909
Michigan Market Share: 1.04% Type: HMO-P
17. HUMANA MEDICAL PLAN OF MICHIGAN 26600 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 220 Southfield 800-486-2620
20. ALLIANCE HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE CO. (Part of Health Alliance Plan of Michigan) 2850 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit 313-872-8100 hap.org
Assets: $152,677
Surplus: $41,123
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $316,142
Michigan Market Share: 0.82%
Type: LH-STK
SUBTOTALS
Assets: $78,212,424
Surplus: 29,742,977
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: $33,770,137
Michigan Market Share: 87.82%
KEY/DEFINITIONS:
HMDI (Health, Medical, Dental Indemnity): Nonprofit insurance carriers governed under specific Michigan laws.
HMO-P, NP (Health Maintenance Organization – For Profit/Not for Profit): Deliver health care through contracted providers.
LH-STK (Life and Health –Stock Companies): Stockholder-owned companies authorized to sell life insurance or health insurance.
Assets: Investments, cash on hand, items of value.
Surplus: Assets minus obligations.
Michigan Direct Premiums
Written: Premiums written directly to Michigan consumers from insurance companies.
Source: Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, 2022 Annual Report (for 2021 activity)
1. HONIGMAN 2290 First National Building 660 Woodward Ave. Detroit 313-465-7000 honigman.com
Total attorneys: 300 (metro Detroit), 352 (firmwide) Specialty: 60+ practice areas
2. BODMAN 1901 St. Antoine St. 6th Floor at Ford Field Detroit 313-259-7777 bodmanlaw.com
Total attorneys: 168 Specialty: 50+ practices and industries
3. DICKINSON WRIGHT 500 Woodward Ave., Ste. 4000 Detroit 313-223-3500 dickinson-wright.com
Total attorneys: 165 (metro Detroit), 209 (Michigan), 485 (firmwide) Specialty: 40+ practices
4. BUTZEL 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 100 Detroit 313-225-7000 butzel.com
Total attorneys: 147 Specialty: 67 practices, 24 specialty groups
5. CLARK HILL 500 Woodward Ave., Ste. 3500 Detroit 313-965-8300 clarkhill.com
Total attorneys: 129 (metro Detroit), 163 (Michigan), 711 (firmwide) Specialty: 21 practice areas, 24 industries (metro Detroit); 27 practice areas, 27 industries (firmwide)
6. DYKEMA 400 Renaissance Center Detroit 313-568-6800 dykema.com
Total attorneys: 127 (metro Detroit), 154 (Michigan), 377 (firmwide) Specialty: 100+ practices within five departments
7. TAFT DETROIT 27777 Franklin Rd., Ste. 2500 Southfield 248-351-3000 taftlaw.com
Total attorneys: 121 (metro Detroit), 800 (firmwide) Specialty: 26 practices
8. MILLER CANFIELD 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 2500 Detroit 313-963-6420 millercanfield.com
Total attorneys: 120 (metro Detroit), 156 (Michigan), 201 (firmwide) Specialty: 100+ practices
9. KITCH DRUTCHAS WAGNER VALITUTTI & SHERBROOK
1 Woodward Ave., Ste. 2400 Detroit 313-965-7900 kitch.com
Total attorneys: 104 Specialty: 104 practice areas
10. CANTOR COLBURN 201 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 1101 Troy
248-524-2300 cantorcolburn.com
Total attorneys: 100 Specialty: Intellectual property, patent, trademark, copyright, litigation, transactions, post grant
11. PLUNKETT COONEY
38505 Woodward Ave., Ste. 100 Bloomfield Hills 248-901-4000 plunkettcooney.com
Total attorneys: 95 (metro Detroit), 135 (firmwide)
Specialty: 28 practices in business, 34 practices in litigation (metro Detroit and firmwide)
12. GARAN LUCOW MILLER
1155 Brewery Park Blvd., Ste. 200 Detroit 313-446-1530 garanlucow.com
Total attorneys: 76 Specialty: 24 practice areas
13. BROOKS KUSHMAN
1000 Town Center, 22nd Floor Southfield 248-358-4400 brookskushman.com
Total attorneys: 74 Specialty: 10 practice areas
14. HOWARD & HOWARD ATTORNEYS
450 W. Fourth St. Royal Oak 248-645-1483 howardandhoward.com
Total attorneys: 61 Specialty: 16 in practice expertise, 11 in industry expertise
15. GIARMARCO, MULLINS & HORTON Columbia Center, 10th Floor Troy 248-457-7000 gmhlaw.com
Total attorneys: 61 Specialty: 16 practice areas
16. KERR, RUSSELL AND WEBER 500 Woodward Ave., Ste. 2500 Detroit 313-961-0200 kerr-russell.com
Total attorneys: 60 Specialty: 38 practice areas
17. COLLINS EINHORN FARRELL 4000 Town Center,Ninth Floor Southfield 248-355-4141 ceflawyers.com
Total attorneys: 57 (metro Detroit and firmwide) Specialty: 11 practice areas
18. SECREST, WARDLE, LYNCH, HAMPTON, TRUEX AND MORLEY 2600 Troy Center Dr. Troy 248-851-9500 secrestwardle.com
Total attorneys: 56 (metro Detroit), 62 (firmwide), 73 (firmwide, including of counsel)
Specialty: 20 practice groups
19. HARNESS IP 5445 Corporate Dr., Ste. 200 Troy 248-641-1600 hdp.com
Total attorneys: 43 (metro Detroit), 91 (firmwide) Specialty: Intellectual property law
20. MADDIN HAUSER 28400 Northwestern Hwy., Second Floor Southfield 248-354-4030 maddinhauser.com
Total attorneys: 44 Specialty: 18 practice areas
Source: DBusiness research
AMERICAN ARAB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE*
12740 W. Warren Ave., Ste. 300 Dearborn 313-945-1700 americanarab.com
Members: 1,500
Focus: Local, national, and international
Meetings: Networking events, monthly seminars, annual Celebrating Success dinner, Arab-American Golf Open, Building Economic Bridges banquet, quarterly Business Builder series, international delegations
Dues: $250-$5,000
Employees: 21
Founded: 1992
Contact: Fay Beydoun, executive director
ANN ARBOR/YPSILANTI REGIONAL CHAMBER
2010 Hogback Rd., Ste. 4 Ann Arbor 734-665-4433 a2ychamber.org
Members: 1,300
Focus: Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti region
Meetings: Monthly networking meetings, Foundation Gala
Dues: $395-$5,000
Employees: 9
Founded: 1919
Contact: Diane Keller, president and CEO
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P.O. Box 54 Clawson 248-430-5855 apacc.net
Members: 3,000+ in Michigan and U.S.
Focus: Asian/Pacific Islander American and U.S. businesses
Meetings: Networking, personal, and professional development
Dues: $200-$1,200
Employees: 3
Founded: 2000
Contact: Duc Nguyen Abrahamson, executive director
AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P.O. Box 214083 3395A Auburn Rd. Auburn Hills 248-853-7862 auburnhillschamber.com
Members: 400
Focus: Uniting organizational leaders in driving a world-class business community
Meetings: 100+ educational and networking events per year; several scheduled each month
Dues: $295-$1,950
Employees: 6
Founded: 1991
Contact: Jean Jernigan, president
BERKLEY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P.O. Box 72-1253 Berkley 248-414-9157 berkleychamber.com
Members: 155
Focus: Berkley, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Royal Oak, Southfield
Meetings: Monthly networking events, State of the City, Berkley Art Bash, Berkley Pub Crawl, Berkley Street Art Fest
Dues: $120-$500
Employees: 2
Founded: 1984
Contact: Darlene Rothman, executive director
BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD CHAMBER
725 S. Adams Rd., Ste. 130 Birmingham 248-644-1700 bbcc.com
Members: 730
Focus: Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin Meetings: Vine and Dine, Village Fair, Forecast Breakfast Series, Professional Edge Workshop, Business After Hours, member coffees, Community Leadership Luncheon, Legislative Reception
CONTINUED
28 First St , Ste B Mount Clemens 586-493-7600
macombcountychamber com
Members: 1,000
Focus: Macomb County
Meetings: Monthly networking and economic development and public policy meetings; Lake St Clair
Appreciation Day, Macomb County Hall of Fame; Athena Awards; aerospace and defense meetings
Dues: $335 to $1 680
Employees: 6
Founded: 1892
Contact: Kelley Lovati, CEO
HEIGHTS/HAZEL PARK
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
300 E 13 Mi e Rd
Madison Heights
248-542-5010
madisonheightschamber com
Members: 300
Focus: Hazel Park, Madison Heights
Meetings: Three monthly networking events, auction, State of the Cities annual address, go f outing, BRAND referral group
Dues: $10-$1,000
Employees: 1
Founded: 1969
Contact: Nancy Smith executive director
1700 Harmon Rd Auburn Hills
248-792-2763
mhcc org
Members: 200+
Focus: Hispanic business enterprises, supplier diversity automot ve professionals, financial entrepreneurs, small businesses and more
Meetings: Monthly third Thursdays, Economic Forum Breakfast Supplier
Diversity Matchmaker, annual golf outing annual Fiesta Gala
Dues: $25-$3,000
Employees: 4
Founded: 1989
Contacts: Mark A Moreno, executive director; Laura Huber, business manager; Raquel Adam, business development and communications director
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS –GREATER DETROIT CHAPTER
26677 W 12 Mile Rd
Southfield
313-961-4748
nawbogdc org
Members: 200
Focus: Southeast M chigan; some out-of-state membership Meetings: Monthly networking events, annual Top 10 Michigan Businesswomen s Awards, Women on Board, Circle of Learning education program, golf outing, holiday reception
Dues: $239-$479
Employees: 1
Founded: 1975
Contacts: Nico e Lewis, chapter president
NATIONAL BUSINESS LEAGUE INC
1001 Woodward Ave , Ste 910 Detroit 313-818-3017
nationalbusinessleague org
Members: 3 500
Focus: To economically empower and sustain African American bus nesses as enterprises by advocating for economic development through entrepreneursh p, procurement, community reinvestment programmatic and professional development, and capitalistic activity throughout the Un ted States and Black/Diaspora
Meetings: To be determined
Dues: $19 and up
Employees: 3
Founded: 1900
Contact: Ken Harris president
NORTHVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
195 S Main St Northville 248-349-7640 northville org
Members: 400
Focus: Northville and surrounding communities
Meetings: Coffee Connections after-hours gatherings, new member receptions Northville Community Awards Dinner, State of the Community
professionals, ambassadors, golf outing No VI Dinner Tour holiday luncheon, Toast of the Town Business Awards Gala luncheons after-hours mixers, mult -chamber mixers
Dues: $165-$792
Employees: 2
Founded: 1967
Contact: Janet Bloom, president
ORION AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
1335 Jos yn Rd Ste 100
Lake Orion
248-693-6300
orionareachamber com
Members: 300+
Focus: Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Orion Township, Oxford
Meetings: Monthly morning and evening networking meetings, monthly luncheons, two annual commun ty expos, Women in Business Conference, annual go f outing
Dues: $35-$1,800
Employees: 3
Founded: 1950
Contact: Joyce Donaldson president and CEO
OXFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P O Box 142
22 W Burdick St Oxford
248-628-0410 oxfordchamber net
Members: 170
Focus: Addison Oaks, Clarkston, Lake Orion Lapeer Metamora Oxford Meetings: Mixers with neighboring chambers annua Women’s Expo annual Chamber Challenge 5K and 10K
Dues: $150
Employees: 1
Founded: 1950
Contacts: Nicole Stirrett, executive director; Amy Desotell, administrative assistant
PHILIPPINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – MICHIGAN*
17356 Northland Park Ct Ste 200 Southfield
586-774-1800
pccmichigan org
Members: 90
Employees: 5
Founded: 1954
Contact: Wes Graff, president
PONTIAC REGIONAL CHAMBER
402 N Telegraph Rd
Pontiac
248-335-9600
pontiacrc com
Members: 250
Focus: Pont ac and surrounding communities
Meetings: Weekly, monthly, and quarterly networking; professional development events; and speakers
Dues: Varies by company size (minimum $99/year, maximum $5,000/ year)
Employees: 2
Founded: 1904
Contact: Damany Head president and board chair
ROCHESTER REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
71 Walnut St , Ste 110 Rochester 248-651-6700 rrc-mi com
Members: 800
Focus: Oakland Townsh p, Rochester, Rochester Hills
Meetings: Community Outlook
Breakfast Legislative Affairs Committee, Sunr se Pinnacle Awards
Ceremony Coffee Talk Networking
Ambassador Network, Preferred Client networking groups, Peer Solution groups, Women in Business Luncheon, Rochester Area Hometown Christmas
Parade, Leadership Greater Rochester, Youth Leadersh p of Greater Rochester
Dues: $275-$1 500
Employees: 5
Founded: 1955
Contact: Maggie Bobitz, president
ROYAL OAK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
200 S Washington Ave Royal Oak 248-547-4000 royaloakchamber com
Members: 500
Focus: Royal Oak and surrounding communities
Meetings: Monthly luncheon meetings, Run Warren Center Line 5K, Cruisin’ 53 Boat Outing Chesterfield 5K, North Gratiot Cruise, MCREST Good Samaritan Awards, MCREST Homeless
Children s Christmas Party
Dues: $250-$10,000
Employees: 5
Founded: 2013
Contact: John Johnson, CEO
SOUTHERN WAYNE COUNTY REGIONAL CHAMBER
20904 Northline Rd Tay or 734-284-6000 swcrc com
Members: 500+
Focus: Twenty-one southern Wayne County communities
Meetings: Monthly morning and evening networking events, legislative and business forums Young
Professional group, Chamber Connection groups Black Tie Gala and Expo, golf outing, Taste of Downriver, Women of Achievement Awards and more
Dues: $255
Employees: 4
Founded: 1967
Contact: Ron Hinrichs, president
SOUTHFIELD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
20300 Civic Center Dr Ste 1102
Southfield 248-557-6661 southfieldchamber com
Members: 300
Focus: Lathrup V llage, Oak Park, Southfield
Meetings: Monthly networking events, golf outing, State of the City, education series, Taste of Southfield
Dues: $300-$15,000
Employees: 1
Founded: 1953
Contact: Jasmine Patton executive director
STERLING HEIGHTS REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
12900 Hall Rd , Ste 100 Sterling Heights 586-731-5400 shrcci com
Focus: Enhance trade, commerce, and investment between the Detroit region and Sweden
Meetings: Three major events per year pub nights and company tours/ visits
Dues: $50-$1 000
Employees: 0
Founded: 1988
Contact: Andreas Wal er, president Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Greater Detroit* 6636 Maple Creek Blvd West Bloomfield 48322 248-681-4068
Members: 75
Focus: Southeast Michigan
Meetings: Chinese New Year Banquet, annual professional development seminars picnic golf outing, banquet
Dues: $200
Employees: Volunteer board
Founded: 1996
Contact: Roger Huang, president
TROY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2125 Butterfield Dr , Ste 100N Troy 248-641-8151 troychamber com
Members: 670
Focus: Troy
Meetings: Monthly morning, afternoon and evening networking events; Tee Off Fore Troy golf outing; Top of Troy Women in Leadership event; Your City Your State Government Relat ons event, Made in Michigan Holiday Luncheon; quarterly CEO Ser es; TC Business Excel ence Awards; economic development forums; diversity summit; Nonprofit Management Conference; outdoor summer series; young professional mixers Troy Restaurant Week
Dues: $325-$3,045
Employees: 5
Founded: 1959
Contact: Tara Tomcsik-Husak, president and CEO
VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
49575 Bog Rd , Ste 3 Belleville
734-740-0807
veteranownedbusiness com
Members: 302
Focus: Supporting veterans, veteran-owned businesses, and veteran-supporting businesses
Meetings: Monthly at member locat ons
Dues: $255
Founded: 2021
Contact: Tracy Congdon, executive director
Luncheon Farmers Market Veteran Banner Program, flower sale, Memorial Day parade, Fourth of July parade, Victorian Festiva , Streets of Treats, Holiday Lighted Parade, Greens Market, holiday party, golf outing
Dues: $85-$650
Employees: 2
Founded: 1964
Contact: Douglas Wallace executive director
NOVI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
41875 W 11 Mile Rd Ste 201
Novi
248-349-3743
novichamber com
Members: 350
Focus: Greater Novi area
Meetings: Various networking events/month educational seminars sales leads groups, young
100 DBUSINESS || May - June 2023
Focus: Michigan Meetings: Monthly board meetings; networking and educational events; leadership, management, and organizational events
Dues: $200-$1,200
Employees: Volunteer officers and board
Founded: 2008
Contact: Betsy Henry-Vincenzetti, pres dent
PLYMOUTH COMMUNITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
850 W Ann Arbor Trail
P ymouth
734-453-1540
plymouthmich org
Members: 670
Focus: To stimulate growth and prosperity for a healthy business
community
Meetings: January and November
Dues: $265-$1,350
Meetings: Three monthly networking events; three community events each year: Royal Oak in Bloom, Roya Oak Live Summer Concert Series; three networking groups that meet bimonthly/monthly: Business Women’s Network, Network First, and ROYAL (Royal Oak Young Ambitious Leaders)
Dues: $275-$465
Employees: 4
Founded: 1936
Contact: Shelly Kemp, president
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
59 Walnut Ave , Ste 206 Mount Clemens 586-214-9116 semchamber org
Members:
Focus: Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Eastpointe, Lennox, Macomb Township, Mount Clemens, Roseville, Richmond, and the Village of New Haven
Members: 1,200
Focus: Clinton Townsh p, Fraser, Macomb Township Shelby Township Sterling Heights, Utica, Warren
Meetings: Weekly Business Resource Alliance Group (leads groups) networking ambassadors Public Policy Committee, Tourism and Hospitality group Health and Wel ness group, Nonprofit Network
Dues: $325 (different rates for nonprofits, certain industries)
Employees: 5
Founded: 1961
Contact: Stacy Ziarko, president and CEO
SWEDISH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DETROIT
2000 Town Center Ste 1800
Southfield saccdetroit org
Members: Around 100
WATERFORD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2309 Airport Rd Waterford 248-666-8600 waterfordchamber org
Members: 650
Focus: Clarkston, Waterford, White Lake
Meetings: Monthly and bimonthly networking events, periodic luncheons, annual State of the Township breakfast, annual Business and Home Expo, Business Success Conference, annual dinner and awards annual golf classic United Professionals Network
Dues: $225
Employees: 3
Founded: 1998
Contact: Nikki Tippett, executive director
*Member of the Council of Ethnic Chambers of Commerce
The race to the best is on, and the winner's circle is now open! Hour Detroit's Best of Detroit Party is BACK on June 2nd, bringing back the can't-miss event of the summer to downtown Detroit. The Best of Detroit Party was created to celebrate Hour Detroit's annual June issue, which announces the highly anticipated results of our readers' survey. The party attracts the metro area's best crowd, who come to indulge in delicious food, drinks, and dance their way through Hour Detroit's Best of Detroit list.
You can taste food from dozens of restaurants, including Aratham Gourmet to Go, Bar Pigalle, Brie & Bamboo, Cacao Tree Café, Green Lantern Pizza, Prime Concepts Detroit, Priya, and Spun Sugar Detroit.
Dance the night away to music on three floors featuring Annmarie Jo, Sound Cocktail, Spot Lite Detroit resident DJs Vincent Patricola and Jesse Cory, plus more!
Don't miss out on this chic soirée.
General Admission 7p-11p $95 VIP 6p-11p $165
With support from Chevrolet, the All-American Soap Box Derby became an enduring national pastime.
When Chevrolet Division General Manager Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen lunched with newspaper publisher John S. Knight one day in October 1962, the menu for discussion included gravity-powered cars.
Knight promoted the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, and helped to establish Derby Downs as the pre-eminent course in the United States. Chevrolet first sponsored the Derby in 1936. As Knudsen’s diary reveals, “John wanted to report on soap box derby. Gave us some fine ideas.”
It also records his August 1964 visit to Akron to present the Derby winner’s trophy. The task remained part of the Chevrolet leader’s job until a subsequent divisional chief, John DeLorean, ended sponsorship in 1972 on the grounds that it was old-fashioned.
“Practically from the day I got to Chevrolet I was determined to discontinue the Derby,” DeLorean told the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Derby became a huge event during the mid-century, and hosted as many as 60,000 attendees each August. After originating in Dayton in 1934, the event for which boys made their own cars out of soap crates and other scrap — moved to Akron in 1935. The qualifying formula drew youngsters from around the country for competition in three classes (there are four today).
Completed in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project, the three-lane Derby Downs track stretched 1,175 feet, but has since been pared to 989 feet. The cars launch on a steep 16-percent ramp, and then the course follows a 6-percent grade for 530 feet
BY RONALD AHRENSCHECKERED FLAG
Racers cross the finish line at the 1963 Soap Box Derby at the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio. As an early sponsor, Chevrolet’s involvement supported family comraderie and helped attract future recruits. Chevy dealers, meanwhile, held clinics on design and racing techniques.
before finishing on a 2-percent decline. With no propulsion except that provided by gravity, the racers approach 35 mph.
Detroit contributed to the classic event in 1935 when Horton Leonard won the first Detroit News Soap Box Derby on a course in Rouge Park. Later, local racing took place at Dorais Park, near 8 Mile and Mound roads. The News flew Leonard to the Akron finals in The Early Bird, the paper’s Lockheed Orion, but he didn’t win. In 1940, though, Tommy Fisher placed first in Detroit, advanced to Akron, and took the national title.
A testament to the sport’s enduring popularity was seen in a 1963 display window at the Kresge’s store in downtown Detroit. For the Soap Box Derby theme, the display included the car of past Detroit champion Frank Hradil III and featured packages of six toy Derby cars for 39 cents per pack.
Girls joined the sport in 1971, and years later Lauren Flynn represented Detroit in a series of regional rallies and then at the 2000 national championship, where she was eliminated. Her father, Joe Flynn, had competed for three years during the 1960s in the Detroit Derby along with his brother, Tom.
“We never really won anything, but very much enjoyed working on the cars,” Joe Flynn, of Harrison Township, says. The family always built their cars from scratch, doing the work themselves with parental supervision, as the rule required. “We obeyed it to the letter,” Flynn says.
Besides the excitement of racing, he says, there was “a meaningful close relationship with my dad.” Making additional help available to all competitors, Chevrolet dealers held clinics on car construction and racing strategy at their facilities.
In 2001, after Lauren Flynn’s accomplishment, her 12-year-old brother, Michael, known as Mick, took his turn. “We studied it very intently,” Joe Flynn says. Mick “managed to build a car that had very good aerodynamics and a precise suspension system and alignment.”
Tucking in behind the cowl of his sleek No. 17 at Derby Downs, Mick gazed through a quarter-inch slot that served as the “windshield,” which denied him a view of the track surface. He gauged his position by fixing on the bridge over the finish line. Crossing the stripe first, he claimed the Masters title. With the victory he received a tall trophy, a $5,000 college scholarship, and a ride in the Goodyear blimp.
