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.
Corporate Eagle in Waterford Township Earns Top Safety Certification
Corporate Eagle, a membership-based fractional and managed business aviation program in Waterford Township (at Oakland County International Airport), has achieved the highest-level safety certification, International Standard – Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Stage 3, from the International Business Aviation Council.
Following an in-depth audit and rating of the Safety Management System (SMS), Corporate Eagle was awarded the highest level in a performance-based assessment. Less than 10 business aircraft operations in Michigan have received Stage 3 certification, with only 300 falling into this category worldwide.
“This is an incredible accomplishment in the aviation industry and a true testament to the attention to detail every Corporate Eagle team member displays from our maintenance team to flight crew and everyone in between,” says Rick Nini, founder and CEO of Corporate Eagle. “Safety is our number one priority, and this IS-BAO Stage 3 recognition solidifies what we have instilled in our workplace daily for the past 41 years.”
The IS-BAO auditing concentrates on SMS development through a gradual process of advancing maturity:
Stage 1 — Confirms that the SMS infrastructure is established, and safety management activities are appropriately targeted.
Stage 2 — Ensures safety risks are being effectively managed.
Stage 3 — Verifies safety management activities are fully integrated into the operator’s business and that a positive safety culture is being sustained.
“Attaining the highest level of IS-BAO accreditation acknowledges Corporate Eagle’s commitment to continuous improvement and positive safety culture,” says Matthew Brennan, president and COO of Corporate Eagle. “We will remain committed to enhancing our SMS initiatives to ensure we continue to be one of the best and safest operations in Southeast Michigan.
UL Solutions Breaks Ground for Advanced Battery Laboratory in Auburn Hills
UL Solutions, an applied safety science company, has begun construction of its North America Advanced Battery Laboratory in Auburn Hills.
The facility will help enable electric vehicle and industrial battery original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers with shorter development cycles, faster time-to-market, and the ability to be more competitive in the global marketplace.
Several federal, state, and local government officials participated in the June 5 groundbreaking ceremony.
The new laboratory will house dedicated UL Solutions experts and equipment capable of providing thermal fire propagation, electrical, mechanical abuse, and environmental testing based on various UL and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, United Nations (UN) goals and initiatives, and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and OEM specifications.
UL Solutions plans to open its North America Advanced Battery Laboratory in mid-2024. When completed, the facility will be one of North America’s most extensive battery testing and engineering laboratories.
Report: AT&T Leads Internet Providers, Amazon Prime Tops Streamers
When it comes to connectivity, there is no contest: Fiber internet beats non-fiber service.
According to the Ann Arbor-based American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Telecommunications Study 2022-2023, the former outpaces the latter by nine points — 75 to 66 — for customer satisfaction (on a scale of 0 to 100).
“Across the entire customer experience, fiber service shows a strong advantage — from data transfer speed and service reliability to touchpoints like call centers and websites,” says Forrest Morgeson, assistant professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI. “That said, with well over half of U.S. households lacking access to fiber internet, availability remains a sticking point. As such, non-fiber ISP services remain an attractive option for many customers and should not be overlooked by providers.”
Along with internet service providers (ISPs) — fiber and non-fiber — ACSI covers two telecommunications industries in this study: subscription TV service and video streaming service (streaming apps and live TV apps).
Overall customer satisfaction with ISPs climbs 6 percent to an ACSI score of 68. The ongoing infusion of fiber into the market plays a key role in this robust upswing.
AT&T Fiber tops fiber ISPs — and the entire industry — with a score of 80. CenturyLink Fiber is next at 78, followed by Google Fiber (76). The smaller group of fiber ISPs and Verizon Fios, which improves 4 percent year over year, both score 75. Frontier Fiber and Xfinity Fiber round out the fiber ISPs at 74 and 73, respectively.
Among non-fiber ISPs, T-Mobile takes the top spot, improving 3 percent to 73. AT&T Internet finishes second after increasing 4 percent to 72, while ACSI newcomer Sparklight sits in third place at 71. Kinetic by Windstream has the largest gain, rising 13 percent to 70, just outperforming Xfinity (up 3 percent) at 68.
ACSI also measures key aspects of the in-home Wi-Fi experience for both customers who use equipment from their ISP and those who use third-party equipment that they have purchased.
Fiber ISPs (79) outperform both non-fiber ISPs (73) and third-party equipment providers (70) for overall Wi-Fi quality. The former far exceeds the other two in every customer experience benchmark, including strong marks for the security of its Wi-Fi connection (81) and reliability in terms of avoiding loss of service (80).
AT&T Fiber tops fiber ISPs — and all Wi-Fi equipment providers — with a quality score of 84, followed by Google Fiber and the group of smaller ISPs, both at 80. At the low end, Frontier Fiber and Xfinity Fiber score 77 apiece.
The video streaming industry, which includes both streaming apps (77) and live TV apps (76), improves 4 percent to an ACSI score of 77. The smaller group of streaming and live TV apps overall dips 4 percent to 75.
Among streaming apps, Amazon Prime Video sits in the pole position after surging 8 percent to an ACSI score of 80. Amazon’s decision to increase spending on video content in 2022 looks to be paying off, as it sees huge gains in viewer perceptions of its original content.
Peacock moves into second place following a 10 percent increase to 79. Although much smaller than Netflix and other industry giants, the streamer is in growth mode, expanding its content and hitting it big with some of the most-viewed TV titles in 2022. ACSI data show viewers are responding, giving serious love to Peacock’s TV and new film offerings.
Four streaming apps score 78: Hulu (up 4 percent), Netflix (up 5 percent), Paramount+ (up 1 percent), and ACSI newcomer YouTube Premium.
To download the full report, visit theacsi.org.
Vuori Performance Apparel Store Opens at Somerset Collection June 15
Vuori, the premium performance apparel inspired by the active coastal California lifestyle, is celebrating its grand opening at Somerset Collection in Troy from 6-8 p.m. June 15.
During the grand opening, guests will be treated to Vuori’s integration of fitness, surf, sport, and art.
Detroiter Makes NMSDC List of 2023 Emerging Young Entrepreneurs
The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) in New York has announced the eighth cohort of the Emerging Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) program, and a Detroiter has made the list.
Meghan Wilson, of Diversity First Consulting Group, is on the list.
Built in Detroit with offices in Los Angeles, Diversity First Consulting is a boutique consulting firm providing adaptive solutions for our clients rooted in social equity. It firm works with communities and companies to create meaningful change in the world around energy and environmental justice, health equity, and community development.
EYE is a nine-month experience uniquely designed to provide the next generation of minority entrepreneur participants with support to enhance their growing business.
Lawrence Tech Wins Sixth Straight World championship for self-driving cars
For the sixth straight year, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield has won the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition’s (IGVC) Self-Drive Challenge.
The challenge is part of a competition for vehicle autonomy established in 1993 by the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center in Warren, formerly known as TARDEC, and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International Foundation. The competition began Friday and ended Monday.
The IGVC has two parts. The oldest competition, the Auto-Nav Challenge, has small robot vehicles the size of a kiddie car using various autonomy technologies to find their way around a winding, obstacle-filled course laid out on a parking lot at Oakland University in Rochester.
In 2017, IGVC added a Self-Drive Challenge for autonomous passenger cars. Lawrence Tech won that competition — and won it again in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and now 2023. (The IGVC took 2020 off due to the pandemic.)
2023 Michigan Cyber Summit, High School Cyber Summit Planed for October
The 2023 Michigan Cyber Summit will take place Oct. 18, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. The event serves as an annual platform for regional, national, and international thought leadership.
The 12th annual Michigan Cyber Summit will bring together experts from across the country to discuss the latest cybersecurity trends impacting education, business, information technology, economic development, law enforcement, and personal safety. The event is open to the public and will feature information for business professionals, educators, law enforcement, and government officials. The agenda will feature internationally recognized keynote speakers and panelists, as well as experts from across the country, to lead breakout session on a variety of industry topics.
Tickets for the 2023 Michigan Cyber Summit are available now and can be purchased at the summit’s official website. The cost is $95 for attendees, $80 for government employees and members of the military, and $50 for college students and includes a continental breakfast, lunch, and light snacks throughout the day. The agenda will be updated on the summit website as speakers, sponsors, and breakout sessions are confirmed.
On Thursday, Oct. 19, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) will host the first High School Cyber Summit at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. This new event will bring together more than 500 high school students from across the state to take part in a half-day agenda created to educate them on cybersecurity trends and best practices. The High School Cyber Summit will showcase a variety of career opportunities available in cybersecurity and outline the path to land those jobs.
To register for the new 2023 Michigan High School Cyber Summit, visit the event website. The registration price is $35 per person and includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day. The agenda for the High School Cyber Summit will be updated as speakers and sponsors are confirmed.
Mantese Honigman Moves Location of St. Louis Office
Mantese Honigman, a law firm with an office in Troy, has relocated its St. Louis office to a newly remodeled building at 518 S. Hanley Road in Clayton, Mo.
Established in 1994, Mantese Honigman handles complex business litigation in state and federal courts in Missouri and across the United States. In addition to business and commercial disputes, the firm’s award-winning attorneys also handle class actions and health care matters.
Detroit’s Antigen Security Partners to Strengthen Organizations’ Security Posture
Antigen Security, a cyber risk management firm founded in Detroit, is partnering with Ontinue, a California provider of AI-powered extended managed detection and response (MXDR) services, to improve the cybersecurity postures of customers, while reducing their cybersecurity insurance costs by up to 90 percent.
Ontinue and Antigen have produced Titan Defense Complete, powered by Ontinue ION MXDR. Titan Defense Complete is a security solution that helps companies of all sizes effectively manage cyber risk by combining Ontinue ION MXDR with Antigen Incident Response services and financial protection in the form of cyber liability insurance. This joint solution has been vetted and certified by multiple cyber insurance carriers, making customers who use it eligible to save up to 90 percent on their cyber insurance premiums.
“With Antigen Titan Defense Complete, powered with Ontinue ION MXDR, we are providing companies with a vetted security solution that fulfills insurers requirements,” says Steven Legg, co-founder and CEO of Antigen. “This eliminates the time-consuming process to evaluate security vendors and allows customers to move quickly to improve their security postures, protect themselves from business-disrupting attacks and dramatically lower their cyber insurance costs.”
Corium Pharma Solutions Rebrands to Corium Innovations
Corium Pharma Solutions Inc., a Grand Rapids-based full-service contract development and manufacturing organization, has changed its name to Corium Innovations Inc. to reflect the company’s ongoing focus on offering cutting-edge drug delivery capabilities and solutions.
Corium Innovations has decades of experience using transdermal technology to deliver development, manufacturing, and product solutions that lead to improved benefits and outcomes. The company says it’s committed to finding new ways to bring the benefits of its proprietary transdermal, transmucosal, and microarray delivery platforms to different patient and consumer groups in customary or challenging usage situations. Additional details can be found at here.
“As we are focused on building the most innovative and successful specialty contract development and manufacturing organization in our industry, we took this opportunity to ensure that our outward identity reflects our inward focus — starting with our name and corporate branding,” says Mark Sirgo, CEO of Corium. “I’m confident about the promise of our future and excited to introduce the name and visual identity, which bring that promise to life.”
Survey: Opportunities Exist to Improve Efficiency, Scale, Success of AI and Data Projects
Altair, a computational science and artificial intelligence (AI) company in Troy, released results from an international survey that revealed high rates of adoption and implementation of organizational data and AI strategies globally. The survey also revealed that project successes suffer due to three main types of friction: organizational, technological, and financial.
“Organizations today recognize the imperative of using their data as a strategic asset to create competitive advantages,” says James R. Scapa, founder and CEO of Altair. “But friction points clearly exist around people, technology, and investment preventing organizations from gaining the data-driven insights needed to deliver results. To achieve what we call ‘Frictionless AI,’ businesses must make the shift to self-service data analytics tools that empower non-technical users to work easily and cost-effectively across complex technology systems and avoid the friction inhibiting them from moving forward.”
The independent survey of more than 2,000 professionals in 10 countries and multiple industries showed a high failure rate of AI and data analytics projects (between 36 percent and 56 percent) where friction between organizational departments exists.
The three main areas of friction include:
Organizational Friction
- 75 percent of respondents say they struggle to find enough data science talent
- 35 percent say AI literacy is low among the majority of their workforce
- 58 percent say the shortage of talent and the time it takes to upskill current
- Employees are the most prevalent problem in their AI strategy adoption
Technological Friction
More than half of respondents say their organization often faces technical limitations that are slowing down data and AI initiatives. Overall, respondents struggle most with data processing speed, along with making informed decisions quickly and experiencing data quality issues
Almost two-thirds of respondents (63 percent) said their organization tends to make working
with AI-driven data tools more complicated than it needs to be. More than 30 percent cited legacy systems’ inability to develop advanced AI and machine learning initiatives as a recurring technology-related issue that causes friction
Financial friction
Despite organizations’ desire to scale their data and AI strategies, teams and individuals keep hitting financial obstacles.
- 25 percent of respondents cited financial constraints as a point of friction that negatively affects
- AI initiatives within their organization
- 28 percent said leadership is too focused on the strategies’ upfront costs to
- Understand how investing in AI and machine learning would benefit their organization
- 33 percent aid the “high cost of implementation” — whether real or perceived — is one of their organization’s shortfalls when relying on AI tools to complete projects.
To read the full Frictionless AI Global Survey Report, visit here.
Focus: HOPE to Host Sneakers & Speakers June 8
Focus: HOPE in Detroit is hosting Sneakers & Speakers: ‘Advancement through Artistry’ from 5:30-8:30 p.m. June 8 at its main campus (1400 Oakman Blvd.).
It is expected to be an evening of community impact and connection, featuring a fireside conversation moderated by Rochelle Riley, director of Detroit Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship.
The conversation will explore the meaning of ‘Artivism’ (Art and Activism) and how artists from all genres are raising awareness through their vision.
Sneakers & Speakers also will feature a silent auction, mural art in photos by Hubert Massey “Rising Strong,” and live demonstrations from Pingree Detroit, who will be creating a shoe live onsite. Additionally, Leaked Customs and Detroit Dye House Brightly Twisted will host booths with live interactive demos. Music provided by DJ Two Times and food by Cooking with Que. Beer and wine will be served.
Michigan Science Center and Toyota Partner to Expand Traveling Program
The Michigan Science Center (Mi-Sci) and Toyota Motor North America are partnering to extend Mi-Sci’s state-wide Aramco Traveling Science Program (TSP) to 10 additional counties this summer and fall. The first of these events will take place at the Ypsilanti District Library from 2- 4 p.m. on June 10. Registration is not required to attend this event.
The partnership stems from Mi-Sci’s mission to put Michigan residents at the center of science by extending its reach outside its facility and bringing interactive programs into community spaces throughout the state. In honor of Mi-Sci’s 10-year anniversary in 2023, the center sought support to expand their popular outreach program to 10 new counties in the state, as part of their Powers of 10 campaign.
“It’s been amazing to see our Traveling Science Program continue to grow in popularity,” says Christian Greer, president and CEO of the center. “With generous support from Aramco Americas, and now Toyota Motor North America, we can broaden our reach and elevate our impact as we help to foster a love of STEM in students and families across Michigan.”
Since its launch in 2014, Mi-Sci’s TSP has delivered high-energy science education to over half a million people in schools, libraries, and community centers in Metro Detroit and across the state. With the help of these local partners, TSP has reached 58 of Michigan’s 83 counties over the last six years. The final list of counties included in this expansion has not yet been determined. Stay tuned for a second press release, which will detail Mi-Sci’s finalized travel plans and participating schools.
Mexican Professional Soccer Club Coming to Southwest Detroit
Querétaro FC from Liga MX, Mexico’s top level professional soccer league, will be sending club coaches, trainers, and ex-professional players to metro Detroit in mid-August for a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity for Metro Detroit kids. The club will be conducting training and tryouts for its professional youth teams.
The Gallos Blancos Detroit event will feature Querétaro FC club representatives training and scouting local players between ages 10-18 years old on Aug. 16-19 at Adams Butzel Complex in Detroit.
The clinic will cover fundamental skills, advanced skills, tactical strategy, physical conditioning, and mental preparation to help the players learn what it is like to be a professional soccer player. Also included will be a welcome kit with a Querétaro FC authorized jersey, a certificate of completion signed by Querétaro FC coaches and players, photo opportunities, drawings for prizes and autographed memorabilia, tickets to Querétaro FC games and more.
Select players will get the chance to head down to Mexico to train with the club at the professional facilities and have the opportunity to train and sign with the youth pro teams.
Early registration is available at $497. Prices are set to rise closer to the event. Space is limited for the event to ensure the coaches can work with the players on a one-on-one basis.
More information and registration can be found at gallosblancosdetroit.com.
