Business Features

When a 50-year-old dormitory at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor developed severe plumbing problems — water flow had slowed to a trickle — a school management team budgeted $11 million to replace the entire system.

Forget expensive prototypes. Realtime Technology in Royal Oak can project a 3-D image of a concept vehicle and make it appear to hug a hairpin turn or accelerate through a straightaway.

Jason and Michael Teshuba are used to navigating different business models. In 2002, the siblings designed and built websites for a variety of clients. Two years later, they began offering language-learning services, although publisher royalties cut into their profits.

For years, Habitat for Humanity Oakland County rolled out its affordable home program with little deviation — put out a call for corporate donors, gather volunteers, build or renovate dwellings, and hand the keys over to needy families.

Executive Vice President, Luna Entertainment, Novi; President, Celani Family Vineyards, Napa Valley, Calif.

In business or in battle, David T. Maccagnone isn’t afraid to advance. The CEO of Multi-Bank Securities Inc. in Pleasant Ridge, which invests funds on behalf of banks, credit unions, and other institutions, says the success of his firm — it was cited in Inc. magazine’s 2010 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies — is due, in large part, to his military experiences.

Is it possible to buy a car using an Apple iPad? The answer is yes, thanks to Mercedes-Benz Financial in Farmington Hills, which developed an online sales tool for the German automaker’s 355 dealerships in the United States — an industry first.

In January, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson is scheduled to be elected chairman, replacing Ed Whitacre. GM remains the No.1 car company in the United States. In 2010, for the first time it sold more vehicles in China than in America.

What happens when metro Detroit’s large, nonprofit hospitals suddenly get an infusion of private sector competition? The region is about to find out.

A breakdown of Metro-Detroit hospitals and office buildings.