Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
ACG Detroit Accepting Nominations for Ninth Annual M&A All Star Awards Program
ACG Detroit is now accepting nominations for its ninth annual M&A All Star Awards program, set to take place May 6 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.
Deals completed in Michigan in 2023 as well as dealmakers, advisors, investment bankers, and rising stars based in the state — whether a buyer or seller — are eligible to be nominated. Factors considered most strongly in the judging process include impact to the local M&A community, complexity, and degree of difficulty and success.
The deadline to submit a nomination is Jan. 31, 2024. Membership is not required to submit a nomination or be nominated. The nomination form can be found here.
Michigan Institute of Urology to Open Dedicated Outpatient Medical Center
The Michigan Institute of Urology is partnering with Prostate Centers USA and opening IR Centers at MIU, a dedicated outpatient medical center for interventional radiology procedures in Troy.
The new center, opening Dec. 27, will provide patients with the option of minimally invasive treatments, which many individuals prefer due to their less invasive nature.
Leading IR Centers at MIU will be Dr. Scott Schwartz, a vascular interventional radiologist who previously served as the division chief of interventional radiology at Henry Ford Hospital. Schwartz specializes in interventional and embolization techniques.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Schwartz leading our efforts to provide more minimally invasive therapies to our patients,” says Dr. Mitchell Hollander, CEO of MIU. “His extensive experience and pioneering work in the field make him an exceptional addition to our team.”
The center will offer a comprehensive range of treatments, including prostate artery embolization for men suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia with very large prostates. Benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as an enlarged prostate, can cause symptoms such as increased urinary frequency, weak urine stream, and difficulty urinating.
During a prostate artery embolization procedure, the interventional radiologist guides a microcatheter into the blood vessels supplying the prostate. Microscopic beads are then injected into these blood vessels, temporarily blocking the blood flow to the prostate gland. This causes the prostate to shrink, soften, and eventually be absorbed over time, providing relief and improvement of symptoms within two to three weeks. Importantly, this procedure does not require surgical incision or the insertion of a device into the urethra.
In addition to prostate artery embolization, IR Centers at MIU will expand their services to include other minimally invasive procedures targeting conditions such as varicoceles for male infertility, uterine fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, and hemorrhoids.
For more information, visit here.
University of Detroit Mercy Receives $3.8M to Help Nonprofits Increase Energy Efficiency
University of Detroit Mercy won a $3.79 million award from the Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Program’s Renew America’s Nonprofits grant program to support energy efficiency in the nonprofit sector.
This program enlists scores of UDM students and faculty to help 13 nonprofits in Detroit and southeast Michigan reduce carbon footprints.
“UDM has a unique opportunity to work with project partners and nonprofits through collaborative work that connects to our vision and mission as one of the best Jesuit and Mercy Catholic Universities in Michigan and our region,” says Donald Taylor, president of UDM. “We are beyond excited to partner with such incredible organizations as the DOE, Focus: HOPE, the nonprofit agencies in our community and the people they serve who will directly benefit from this grant.”
Energy costs are the second-highest operational expense for nonprofits behind salaries. DOE grantees based their projects on helping to reduce energy consumption and expenses, which will free up a percentage of funds and lead to savings that can be redirected to mission-critical work.
The goals of this project include a reduction in energy use, emissions and to lower utility costs in nonprofit facilities. In addition, savings achieved by nonprofits will help build greater organizational capacity and further provide services to metro Detroit constituents.
UDM’s project is titled Sustaining Service Organizations and will work to improve energy efficiency of 13 nonprofit-owned buildings in the Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park communities. The $3.79 million grant will be supplemented by a match of $1.01 million shared among project partners as in-kind resources. This brings the total investment in the project to $4.8 million.
Organizations participating in this project serve hundreds of thousands of community members each day. These organizations include:
- Focus: HOPE
- Brilliant Detroit
- The Avalon Village
- Urban League of Southeastern Michigan
- Detroit PAL
- East Side Community Network
- Franklin Wright Settlements
- Freedom House Detroit
- Garage Cultural
- Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
- Mack Avenue Community Church Development
- EcoWorks
- University of Detroit Mercy’s College of Health Professions
MML, MEDC Partner to Deliver Housing Options in the Great Lakes Housing Design
The Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. have produced a second volume of “Pattern Book Homes for 21st Century Michigan.” Volume II, “The Missing Middle Mixtape,” is available now.
“The Missing Middle Mixtape” is a continuation of Volume I, “This Used to Be Normal: Pattern Book Homes for 21st Century Michigan.”
“Volume II was created on the League’s drive to provide more housing options to Michigan,” says Melissa Milton-Pung, program manager with the Michigan Municipal League. “The League has spent the last year talking with communities about Volume I, about the concept of pattern book homes, and how to update zoning and regulation to allow these types on construction.
“Several communities around the state have taken inspiration and the ideation from Volume I and created their own construction plans. We know the proof of concept is there, and Volume II is meant to provide additional construction plans that to respond to the missing middle housing so desperately needed.”
“The Missing Middle Mixtape” is focused on smaller urban lots and builds upon the original two sets of construction documents from Volume I to provide four additional copyright-free construction documents.
The expanded portfolio of Pattern Book Homes construction plans now include an up-down two-family home, a fourplex, an above-the-garage accessory dwelling unit, a barrier free small-scale cottage, a side-by-side rowhome, and an up-down duplex.
Pattern book homes are meant for infill development and can be integrated into larger site plans or built on single lots as the missing stitch in the neighborhood fabric. These guides define missing middle type housing as the housing options between detached single-family homes and midrise apartment buildings.
The new construction plans offer differing finish options to promote stylistic variation and choice; have optional Universal Design elements to make ground floor units barrier-free; and many models have been designed for increased efficiency in both speed of construction and energy usage. Volume II also gives an overview of current energy efficiency measures and potential lenders or other financing programs to assist in implementing the recommended housing concepts.
IPG Expands Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship Program
Interpublic Group in New York has expanded its Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship, a jobs program exclusively associated with IPG’s Detroit-based communications and marketing companies supporting client General Motors Co. This includes Weber Shandwick, MRM, McCann, Jack Morton Worldwide, and Commonwealth/McCann.
Now in its third year, the Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship will continue to recruit applicants specifically from Detroit-based institutions, including Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies. Dedicated to growing relationships with educational institutions across Detroit, the program plays a key role in engaging local talent, facilitating career development, and cultivating collaborative learning.
Unlike traditional internships, the two-year rotational program offers comprehensive and in-depth experiences across various disciplines, providing recruits with a holistic understanding of the communications, marketing, creative, experiential, and relationship marketing. Fellowship candidates also can support multiple vehicle brands including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac, as well as adjacencies like GM Customer Care and Aftersales, CarBravo and OnStar.
With a partnership spanning nearly a century, GM and IPG recognize the significant impact of younger generations on today’s global economy. By investing in emerging talent, IPG is nurturing the growth and success of the next generation, providing them with the resources to thrive and flourish in the advertising and marketing industry.
The Motor City Marketing and Communications Fellowship welcomes both soon-to-be graduates and recent graduates, and the application process is ongoing. For more details about the program and how to apply, please visit ipgdetfellowship.com.
New Sturgeon Discovery in the Grand River Plays an Important Role in Great Lakes Basin
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is sharing the latest updates about a joint project dedicated to lake sturgeon, which has been expanded through grant funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The lake sturgeon is an ecologically crucial and historically significant species that is native to the Grand River. Unfortunately, they have historically faced various challenges, including overfishing and habitat degradation, and are now considered a threatened species in the state of Michigan.
The museum and its partners have conducted lake sturgeon research for the past six years. Last year, with the successful location of juvenile sturgeon in the Grand River, the project expanded to include researchers and graduate students from Grand Valley State University.
This year, with nearly $150,000 in grant support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act, the team was able to expand its work and documented additional lake sturgeon as well as their habitat. The project includes habitat assessment and innovative research to track population dynamics and spawning estimates. Partners include Encompass Social-Ecological Consulting, John Ball Zoo, Grand Valley State University, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Lake Sturgeon are an important part of our aquatic community, both biologically and culturally, in the Great Lakes Basin,” says Chuck Traxler, acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Region. “Working together with our partners on these magnificent creatures, we look forward to learning more and supporting this native species.”
