Here is a roundup of the latest news concerning the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to announcements from local, state, and federal governments, as well as international channels. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
FCA and Peugeot S.A. Become Stellantis with Merger Completion
The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Auburn Hills became effective on Friday creating Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker.
Stellantis’ common shares will begin trading on Euronext in Paris and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario in Milan today, and on the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 19, in each case under the ticker symbol “STLA.”
Also, the Stallantis Board of Directors of Stellantis was appointed and the company’s articles of association became effective.
The board is composed of two executive directors, John Elkann (chairman) and Carlos Tavares (chief executive officer), and the following nine non-executive directors, Robert Peugeot (vice chairman), Henri de Castries (senior independent director, acting as the voorzitter under Dutch law), Andrea Agnelli, Fiona Clare Cicconi, Nicolas Dufourcq, Ann Frances Godbehere, Wan Ling Martello, Jacques de Saint-Exupéry, and Kevin Scott.
In addition, the new board appointed an Audit Committee, a Remuneration Committee, and a Governance and Sustainability Committee comprised of the following people:
Audit Committee: Ann Godbehere (chairperson), Wan Ling Martello, and Henri De Castries.
Remuneration Committee: Wan Ling Martello (chairperson), Andrea Agnelli, Henri De Castries, Fiona Cicconi, and Robert Peugeot.
Governance and Sustainability Committee: Henri De Castries (chairperson), Andrea Agnelli, Fiona Cicconi, Nicolas Dufourcq, and Kevin Scott.
Seven Detroit Companies Tapped to Demo 1,380 Properties
Seven Detroit-based companies have won bids to perform the demolition of nearly 1,400 blighted properties in response to the passage of Proposal N in the November election.
Proposal N requires the city to issue the majority of demolition contracts to Detroit companies with more than half of its employees who are Detroit residents.
Contracts, which amount to $30 million, will be submitted for approval to city council this week. If swiftly approved, preliminary work can begin immediately and first demolitions will begin in spring.
The companies selected include Detroit next, Inner City Contracting, Juniors Jr., Moss Co., RDC Construction, Rickman Enterprises, and SC Environmental.
“I am happy about the amount of vendor interest we received in this first release of Proposal N demolition properties,” says Boysie Jackson, chief procurement officer for the City of Detroit. “We received more than 180 bids from a large number of companies — old and new to the program — and the seven companies selected scored highest in the process.”
A full list of the 1,380 properties to be demolished can be found here.
J.D. Power Launches Career Development Certification
Troy-based data analytics and consumer intelligence firm J.D. Power has launched a new certification program to recognize brands that provide an “exceptional onboarding, training, and career progression experience” to their employees.
The first organization to receive the J.D. Power Career Development Certification Program designation is The Academy at Bank of America.
The program draws on J.D. Power’s deep data and real-world experience analytics to evaluate talent development initiatives at companies in every industry on a nationwide basis. In addition to tracking the existence of defined training and career development programs, the J.D. Power certification process also evaluates an employer’s focus on clear accountability for career advancement, strong cultural commitment to employee development, and measurements of success towards these commitments.
“The Career Development Certification Program will help brands who’ve shown a strong commitment to employee growth showcase their employee-facing initiatives,” says Bob Neuhaus, vice president, banking, and credit card intelligence at J.D. Power. “By applying a rigorous, standardized process to career development evaluation — based heavily on the real-world experiences of employees — we are creating a critical new metric for defining corporate cultures that are rooted in employee growth.”
To qualify for the program, brands must rank among top performers in the most recent J.D. Power Career Development Satisfaction Index. Benchmark rankings are based on overall employee satisfaction with the career development experience across 55 industries. In addition, qualifying brands must pass a comprehensive evaluation of operational best practices, collateral review, and leadership validation interviews conducted by J.D. Power in collaboration with the Kincentric leadership assessment and development company. Factors reviewed in the best practices evaluation include training and development; culture; career pathing; accountability; and general talent management.
Once certified, a brand is permitted to market its achievement for 12 months with such marketing tools as a J.D. Power Career Development Certification emblem, online marketing collateral and in-store merchandise displays. Certified brands also will be listed on jdpower.com for consumers to search while shopping.
ARCH Global Precision Acquires California Medical Equipment Company
Bloomfield Hills’ ARCH Global Precision has acquired LISI Medical Jeropa Inc. of Escondido, Calif.
A subsidiary of LISI Medical, the Jeropa plant is a leading contract manufacturer of high-precision medical implants, instruments, and other devices serving a variety of segments in the orthopaedic, dental, and cardiovascular markets.
The newly acquired plant and operations will join ARCH Medical Solutions, bolstering ARCH as a diversified supplier noted for growth and scale within the medical device market.
“LISI Medical Jeropa broadens the portfolio of products and end markets served by ARCH Medical Solutions,” says Paul Barck, president of ARCH Medical Solutions. “We are excited about this new location, which becomes ARCH Medical Solutions — Escondido, and the capable team that will be joining AMS. The added capabilities in micro-machining, tight-tolerance instrument assemblies, and operations that span prototype to production scale dovetail nicely with our growing customer base and medical device contract manufacturing service offerings.”
Little Caesars to Conduct Job Fair at All Metro Detroit Stores Jan. 20
Little Caesars is hosting its second job fair in as many weeks to fill full-time and part-time positions at all of its metro Detroit stores on Jan. 20.
Each employee hired during the job fair, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will receive one free pizza per week for a year while employed by Little Caesars.
Available jobs include full-time managers and co-managers as well as part-time crew members and assistant managers. Interested applicants will have the chance to interview and be considered for on-the-spot hiring. Qualified candidates must have identification and fill out an I-9 form to be hired on-the-spot.
Those interested are encouraged to fill out applications in advance. Visit here and select “Store Jobs” under the “Careers” section at the bottom of the page. Once a store location is selected, applicants will be directed to either fill out an online application or print one and bring to bring to the job fair. Those who are unable to apply in advance must inquire at a store.
JVS Human Services Offers Free Virtual Support for Recent College Graduates
JVS Human Services in Southfield is launching the Recent College Graduate Success Group, a virtual support group for new college graduates in Michigan trying to find work in a severely challenged job market due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our new college graduates started their academic journey at a time when the economy was doing well,” says Jason Charnas, director of business and career services at JVS Human Services. “Now, in these unprecedented times, they are faced with a new reality that the competition to secure jobs is very steep. In addition, they are also presented with unusual challenges like virtual interviews and obstacles to networking, so our program will provide them with some vital tools for the job search process.”
The new series begins Jan. 27, and runs from 11 a.m. to noon, for four consecutive weeks, and is open to recent college graduates between the ages of 21 and 25. Topics to be covered include:
- Week 1: The art of resumes and cover letters.
- Week 2: Networking your way to success.
- Week 3: Creating a smart job search plan.
- Week 4: Perfect pitches and mock interviewing.
There is no cost to join the group and graduates can find out more information here. Virtual one-on-one meetings with employment specialists are also available by emailing employmenthelp@jvshumanservices.org.
