Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Boyne Mountain Re-opens Renovated Chalet Edelweiss
Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls re-opened its renovated mountainside Chalet Edelweiss opened earlier this month to lodging guests.
With a prime ski-in/ski-out location at the base of Hemlock, this mountainside chalet showcases a new luxe style and arrives as a striking first move in a multiyear plan to elevate the resort with contemporary character.
Formerly known as Edelweiss Lodge, Chalet Edelweiss has undergone and extensive top-to-bottom renovation across its 35 rooms and suites, all recast as modern mountain retreats with Alps-inspired flair.
“Chalet Edelweiss offers our guests premier accommodations, and an elevated and personalized experience throughout the stay,” says Erik Miller, director of lodging at Boyne Mountain. “The location is in the heart of the resort, mere steps from the village, yet it offers a seclusion where you can escape and unwind after a day of adventure with indulgent amenities and sophisticated surroundings.”
Upon check-in, a private valet escorts guests to the chalet’s doorstep. Inside, there is a lobby living area complete with fireplace, plus an onsite Nordic sauna to restore sore muscles with the therapeutic benefits of a hot cold cycle.
Guest rooms set up as double queen and king options, as well as expanded suites, feature European bed sets, in-room pour over coffee, and nosh boxes including a signature Claret. The luxuries carry into the bathrooms with rainfall showerheads and accompanying massage wands, ultra-soft towels and robes, and Babor’s Energizing line of hair and body wash. Modern conveniences can be found throughout with eco-friendly temperature control, ultra hi-definition TVs, and private Wi-Fi.
With its classic architecture, high-touch interiors and finishes, and friendly welcoming, Chalet Edelweiss will be open year-round serving up a supremely satisfying mountain escape in any season.
To make reservations, visit here.
Michigan Legacy Credit Union Opens Prototype Branch in Flat Rock
Wyandotte-based Michigan Legacy Credit Union (MLCU), with five physical locations in Wyandotte, Warren, Flat Rock, Pontiac, and Highland, and 24-7 online accessibility, has opened its new prototype branch in Flat Rock.
Located at 22895 Gibraltar Road, the branch was designed and constructed by Anchorville-based Thompson-Phelan Group, which also designed Michigan Legacy’s other two prototype branches in Warren and Wyandotte, with Wyandotte now serving as MLCU’s headquarters.
“In tracking the changes of member behavior, we have created smaller retail branches with new technology, including video teller services, to make the credit union successful for years to come,” says Carma Peters, president and CEO of MLCU.
“As our member/owners use various digital devices to conduct business, Michigan Legacy is pleased to present our technology-driven options in a flexible environment that also offers traditional service through an ATM and drive-thru.”
Administrative services previously located in each branch have been centralized to MLCU locations in Warren and Wyandotte, which are larger buildings and designed for additional administration purposes.
“These important advances will also allow the credit union to downsize by 28,000 square feet, netting significant operational cost savings,” Peters says. “This is our third new prototype branch, which is a fun and funky design modeled after a ‘50s-style diner but equipped with secure online technology and a layout that allows for social distancing to keep our members and staff safe.”
The Flat Rock branch will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Saturdays (drive-thru only) from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Warner Norcross + Judd Law Firm Opens New Office in District Detroit
The Warner Norcross + Judd law firm, which opened a new office on the third floor of 2715 Woodward Ave. in The District Detroit in April 2021, was designed by the national design firm HED in Southfield.
The space features open workspaces for collaboration and 50 private offices. Crafted through a hands-on, participatory design process, the design team studied the firm’s other eight offices throughout Michigan when creating the office design. Virtual walk-throughs were hosted within the new building’s shell, and Warner employees were able to ask questions and contribute ideas along the way.
The open concept space has accommodated the safe return to the office as Warner employees have transitioned back to an in-person working environment over the past few months. A modern-day law library, a multi-use media room, a full-service kitchen and bar, and a reception space are just a few of the features of this office space.
Butzel Attorneys Discuss ‘Breaking the Code’ During March 11 Virtual Program
Butzel attorneys Jennifer Dukarski and Mitchell Zajac will discuss “special terms and conditions” and more during the 2022 Original Equipment Suppliers Association’s (OESA) “Breaking the Code: Software Ts and Cs,” virtual program from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 11.
The program is designed for supplier professionals in sales, purchasing, engineering, and legal functional roles. Registration fees vary for OESA members and non-members. To register online, visit here.
Special Terms and Conditions (Ts and Cs) for software and related items are becoming more commonplace for OEM customers. Several OEMs already have added software-specific language to their general Ts and Cs. Notably, how suppliers should approach software issues differs greatly from how they approach goods and services in a contract.
Program participants will gain added insight on the five major OEM Software Ts and Cs issues including:
- The Reality of Software Warranties
- Ownership under Software Ts and Cs
- Regulatory Risk and Guidance
- The Risk of Open-Source Strategies
- Software Specifications and What Is a Defect?
An interactive Q&A session with Dukarski and Zajac will follow the presentation facilitated by Ginger Juncker, vice president of programming for OESA.
Pope Francis Center to Honor Dr. Asha Shajahan, Vinnie Johnson at 2022 Gala
The Pope Francis Center in Detroit will honor two people who have dedicated themselves to serving others and creating a better world at its 2022 Building Bridges Gala on April 29.
The 2022 honorees are Dr. Asha Shajahan, director of Community Health at Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe and associate professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, and former Detroit Pistons star Vinnie Johnson, who now is founder, chairman, and CEO of Piston Group.
“We are immensely proud to call attention to the selfless work that Dr. Shajahan and Vinnie Johnson have done for our community,” says Fr. Tim McCabe, SJ, executive director of the Pope Francis Center. “These two individuals exemplify our values that every person deserves to be treated with love, dignity and respect.”
The honorees will receive the Zito-Brender Legacy Award, established in honor of Mark Zito and Kristin Brender to recognize people who share Pope Francis Center’s values of serving and empowering others, especially the poor and marginalized.
SME PRIME Expands STEM Education Opportunities in Michigan
The SME Education Foundation was awarded $6 million last year by the state of Michigan to expand manufacturing and engineering education programs through its SME PRIME initiative in high schools across the entire state.
That initiative is underway as 16 schools in the state will be offering nearly 17,000 students STEM and career education and training opportunities at Michigan high schools, including:
- Airport Community Schools, Carleton
- Alpena High School, Alpena
- Bay City Western High School, Bay City
- Cheboygan High School, Cheboygan
- East Jackson High School, Jackson
- Ecorse Community High School, Ecorse
- Edwardsburg High School, Edwardsburg
- Genesee Career Institute, Flint
- Hancock High School, Hancock
- Innovation Central High School, Grand Rapids
- William D. Ford Career-Technical Center, Westland
- Rudyard High School, Rudyard
- Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology, Southfield
- Three Rivers High School, Three Rivers
- Troy High School, Troy
- West Ottawa High School, Holland
The SME PRIME school presence has increased nationally since the beginning of 2019, from 47 schools to 81, 33 of which will be in Michigan. Communities in 22 states now are home to SME PRIME.
U-M Tops Public Universities for Fulbright Scholars
Students and faculty scholars at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor were offered 22 Fulbright grants for the 2021-22 academic year. The university is among the top-producing institutions in the country.
The grants — one of the U.S. government’s most prestigious awards — will fund the research of 18 students, the most among public universities, and four scholars overseas for up to 12 months.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright program seeks to increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries, as well as help the recipients achieve their academic goals.
Nearly 1,100 U.S. students, artists, and young professionals from 100 different fields are offered Fulbrights each year. During the 2020-21 academic year, 28 U-M students and 12 scholars received the highly competitive award.
“Since its creation in 1946, the Fulbright Program has been essential in promoting international and regional studies to American scholars and students,” says Mary Gallagher, director of the U-M International Institute. “Research and teaching on global issues are impossible without access to study and research abroad. In addition, this program promotes foreign language expertise, deep area studies knowledge and experience, and a broader worldview. We need these skills now more than ever.”
School of Education professor Stephen DesJardins is one of the awarded scholars. Last fall, he spent four months working on grade inflation, college access, and success in Porto, Portugal.
“I was impressed by how Fulbright really could help me make connections with higher education economists in the country who have similar interests,” he said. “When that happens, you have potential for some long-lasting kinds of relationships and can help to make connections with other people. So that’s a big benefit.”
Ross Bernhaut is a doctoral candidate in his fourth year of the Ph.D. program in the history of art, specializing in South Asia’s art and architectural history. He will begin an 11-month Fulbright in May, pursuing a long-term study of the architectural development of the fortified hilltop city that towers hundreds of feet above the congested urban sprawl of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India.
His project endeavors to reconstruct the original appearance of the hilltop by analyzing dislocated sculptures, reconstructing iconographic programs, investigating the adaptation and transformation of structures over time. It will also utilize textual and material evidence to postulate which buildings may have once stood but no longer remain.
“I want to understand how subsequent interventions responded to existing structures on Gwalior hill,” Bernhaut says. “Ultimately, I hope to expand our understanding of the role Gwalior hill has played in the political, social, religious and architectural landscape of northern India, and contextualize its specific history within regional developments in hill fort urbanism.”
