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.
Decanter Magazine Praises Traverse City Riesling Wines
Six Traverse City wineries were recognized in Decanter magazine, one of the world’s top wine publications.
The magazine sent a reviewer to northwest Michigan last year to rank the Rieslings of the region. The seven wines all scored over 90 on a 100-point scale, making them “Highly Recommended.”
“The continued recognition is a testament to our little corner of Michigan, which has an abundance of vineyards on two outstanding grape growing peninsulas,” says Sherri Campbell Fenton, president of Traverse Wine Coast. “The oldest wineries here are 50 years old, and many are much less, yet we all continue to produce better and better wines.”
The wines rated, their vineyards, and ratings are:
- Whole Cluster Riesling – 2021, Chateau Grand Traverse, 93
- Arcturos Dry Riesling – 2021, Black Star Farms, 92
- Dry Riesling – 2021, Verterra Winery, 92
- Select Harvest Riesling – 2021, Rove Estate, 92
- Riesling Reserve – 2021, Brys Estate, 91
- Riesling Reserve – 2022, Brys Estate, 91
- Reserve Riesling – 2020, Shady Lane Cellars, 91
Campbell Fenton notes that while the review was only done on Rieslings there is growing recognition of other white wines like sauvignon blanc and pinot gris along with the red wines of the region.
The full Decanter article is available here.
Bally Sports Detroit Parent Company Files Restructuring Support Agreement in Chapter 11
Baltimore-based Diamond Sports Group, parent company of Bally Sports Detroit and several other regional sports networks, has entered into a restructuring support agreement (RSA) with its largest creditor groups.
Those groups include more than 85 percent of the company’s first lien debt holders, over 50 percent of its second lien debt holders, and more than 66 percent of unsecured bond holders. The RSA provides a framework for a reorganization plan that would enable Diamond to emerge from bankruptcy as a going concern and continue its operations.
The RSA includes a commitment from certain of the company’s debt holders to provide $450 million of junior secured super-priority debtor-in-possession financing. The proceeds of this financing will be used to support Diamond’s operations as the company finalizes a comprehensive reorganization plan and to repay $350 million of Diamond’s existing first lien indebtedness to facilitate the restructuring.
In addition, Diamond’s key creditors have reached agreement on financial terms and a go-forward capital structure that will be the foundation of the reorganization plan to facilitate Diamond’s emergence from bankruptcy as a going concern. Certain large holders of Diamond’s debt have committed to make a substantial investment in the company and exchange their debt into equity to be issued by reorganized Diamond.
Under the terms of the RSA, Amazon also has committed to make a minority investment in Diamond and enter into a commercial arrangement to provide access to Diamond’s services via Prime Video. Under this arrangement, Prime Video will become Diamond’s primary partner through which customers will be able to purchase direct-to-consumer (DTC) access to stream local Diamond channels.
Customers will be able to access all local DTC content, including live MLB, NBA, and NHL games, and pre- and post-game programming, for the teams for which Diamond retains DTC rights, through Prime Video Channels. Additional details regarding pricing and availability will be announced at a later date. In addition, Diamond looks forward to continuing to partner with its existing MVPD distribution partners to broadcast its MLB, NBA and NHL content.
Diamond also announced that it has an agreement in principle with its parent, Sinclair Inc., to settle the pending litigation between the companies and the other named defendants, which settlement is supported by Diamond’s creditors that are parties to the RSA.
Under the settlement, among other things, Sinclair will pay Diamond $495 million in cash and provide ongoing management and transition services to support Diamond’s reorganization and separation from Sinclair’s operations. Under the RSA, the proceeds from the Sinclair settlement will be used to support the reorganization plan and fund distributions to certain creditors.
Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest to Host Q&A Session for Entrepreneurs
Representatives from TechTown Detroit and Comerica Bank will host an open information session for entrepreneurs interested in applying to the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, a small business competition that awards $100,000 in start-up capital and business support to one winning entrepreneur.
Since 2011, the contest has aimed to promote small business economic development in Detroit by providing funds and resources to help one lucky entrepreneur open a brick-and-mortar location in Detroit, Highland Park, or Hamtramck.
“This informational session will assist entrepreneurs, offer opportunities to ask questions and guide interested participants,” says Christianne Malone, assistant vice president for economic development at Wayne State University and chief program officer of TechTown Detroit. “TechTown, through our programs like Hatch Detroit, walks alongside small business owners through their journey to launch a storefront location, and this valuable presentation can help those applicants gain a greater understanding of the entire process as well as how to build an overall business plan.”
This free informational session, presented in a question-and-answer format, allows entrepreneurs to ask their most pressing questions about the contest, eligibility, and the application process.
The event takes place from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday at TechTown Detroit (440 Burroughs St.) in Detroit. Participants also can join the session via Zoom. To register, sign up in advance at hatchdetroit.com/events.
For additional information on submitting a business proposal to the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest or attending the Q&A informational session, visit hatchdetroit.com.
University of Michigan Developing Magnets for Medical Robots
“Soft robots,” medical devices and implants, and next-generation drug delivery methods could soon be guided with magnetism, thanks to a metal-free magnetic gel developed by researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany.
The material is the first in which carbon-based, magnetic molecules are chemically bonded to the molecular network of a gel, creating a flexible, long-lived magnet for soft robotics. The study describing the material was published today in the journal Matter.
Creating robots from flexible materials allows them to contort in unique ways, handle delicate objects, and explore places that other robots cannot. More rigid robots would be crushed by the deep ocean’s pressure or could damage sensitive tissues in the human body, for example.
“If you make robots soft, you need to come up with new ways to give them power and make them move so that they can do work,” says Abdon Pena-Francesch, assistant professor of materials science and engineering affiliated with the Robotics Institute at the University of Michigan and a corresponding author of the study.
Today’s prototypes typically move with hydraulics or mechanical wires, which require the robot to be tethered to a power source or controller, also limiting where they can go. Magnets could unleash these robots, enabling them to be moved by magnetic fields.
Conventional, metallic magnets introduce their own complications, however. They could reduce the flexibility of soft robots and be too toxic for some medical applications.
The new gel could be a nontoxic alternative for medical operations, and further modifications to the magnet’s chemical structure could help it degrade in the environment and human body. Such biodegradable magnets could be used in capsules that are guided to targeted locations of the body to release medicine.
“If these materials can safely degrade in your body, you don’t have to retrieve them with another surgery later,” Pena-Francesch says. “This is still pretty exploratory, but these materials could enable newer, cheaper medical operations someday.”
Report: Lions-Cowboys Matchup Leads Cable TV Viewing in December
The top telecast on cable television during December 2023 was the NFL matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys on ESPN on Dec. 30, which totaled more than 11 million viewers, according to The Gauge, Nielsen’s monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable, and streaming consumption that occurs via television.
Overall TV viewing levels in December surpassed November levels by nearly 2 percent, making December 2023’s second-highest month for TV viewing behind January, according to the report.
December was a robust month for TV usage. Five days recorded more than 100 billion TV viewing minutes, including the second-highest daily total in 2023 occurring on Dec. 31 (behind Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 12) with more than 105 billion minutes. While all but the broadcast category showed monthly increases in usage, the “other* category” was the only to gain in share in December (+1.8 pts.), partly driven by increased video game console usage among younger demographics.
Following four consecutive months of growth (August through November), broadcast viewing decreased 4.3 percent from November, which brought the category to a 23.5 percent share of TV usage (-1.5 pts.).
Decreased usage was led by viewers 25-34 who watched 13 percent less broadcast programming versus November. Sports remained the most-watched broadcast genre, accounting for 28.5 percent of broadcast viewing, with NFL games accounting for 12 of the top 13 broadcast telecasts during the month. ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” took the 13th spot.
Cable viewing climbed another 1.3 percent in December, but due to the larger increase of overall TV usage, cable gave up 0.1 share point to finish at 28.2 percent of total TV usage. Cable sports viewing was up 8.4 percent versus November, led by both NCAA bowl games and NFL programming.
Streaming usage increased 1.2 percent in December, but like cable, it was not enough to maintain its share and the category fell to 35.9% of overall TV usage (-0.2 pt.). The streaming increase was led by 18-24-year-old viewers, whose usage was up 2.7 percent.
Grandville Public Schools Announces Five-year Partnership with Westwood AI
Grandville Public Schools, southwest of Grand Rapids, has announced a long-term partnership with Westwood AI for naming rights to the district’s new Robotics Competition Center.
Westwood AI supplies solutions that allow companies and governmental units to integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence into their culture. The west Michigan company is providing funds to support advanced robotics development and competition at the Grandville center. Naming rights sponsors for the facility, one of the largest built-for-purpose robotics competition centers in the country, are being coordinated through the Grandville Academic Team Boosters.
Under the terms of the sponsorship arrangement, Westwood AI will provide $50,000 in annual funding over the five-year agreement.
Common Citizen in Marshall Partners with New York Tracking Platform
Common Citizen, a Marshall-based cannabis company and lifestyle brand, has partnered with Lucid Green, a New York-based item-level tracking platform.
As part of this collaboration, Lucid Green and Common Citizen will implement QR-style tech solutions to enhance transparency in product information access, enabling consumers to make choices better aligned with their preferences and values.
“We are excited to join forces with Lucid Green to reinforce the importance of transparency in the cannabis industry,” says Michael Elias, CEO of Common Citizen CEO. “Together, we aim to set new standards for consumer trust, ensuring that individuals can confidently navigate the cannabis landscape to identify safe, high-quality cannabis products that best meet their unique, individual needs.”
For more information, visit here.
Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic in Troy to Honor First Responders Jan. 26
Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic, a robotic physical therapy clinic in Troy, is conducting its inaugural event honoring first responders from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 26 at its clinic (3250 W. Big Beaver Road – Suite 426).
The event will pay tribute to the service of police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and all those who are on the front lines, ensuring the safety and well-being of the community.
First responders who would like to participate in this honorary event must sign up here and schedule a time to receive a free hour of Robotic Therapy on Jan. 26.
Robotic precision therapy is an advanced form of muscular therapy that non-surgically elongates shortened muscle tissue. The shortened muscle can create imbalances and compression by pulling the body out of proper alignment. Lengthening the muscles takes tension off the bone structure and increases mobility while simultaneously decreasing aches and pains.
Planet Fitness, Detroit Red Wings Announce $10K Shut Out Bullying Contest
The Detroit-area Planet Fitness franchisees and the Detroit Red Wings have partnered to award $10,000 in funding for bullying prevention programming to one Detroit-area educational institution.
Entries for “Shut Out Bullying” are being accepted until Jan. 26, with the winning organization notified by Jan. 31.
Educational institutions interested in being considered for the “Shut Out Bullying” prize are encouraged to enter by answering a series of questions about their organization and how they would utilize the prize money for bullying prevention.
Representatives must be 18 years of age or older and employed full or part-time at an educational institution catering to students in grades K-12 at the time of entry. Entries are limited to legal residents of the state of Michigan. The entry form and copies of the official rules are on DetroitRedWings.com.
Representatives from the winning educational institution will receive their prize at a ceremony prior to the Red Wings vs. Vancouver Canucks game on Feb. 10, at Little Caesars Arena.
For more information, visit here.
Oakland County Employers Receive $4.1M in Going PRO Talent Fund Grants
Nearly 90 Oakland County employers will share more than $4.1 million in Going PRO Talent Fund training grants, awarded during the first cycle of fiscal year 2024 by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
The grants will allow Oakland County employers to hire and train hundreds of new employees, including apprentices, plus expand the skills of 2,291 existing workers, in various fields.
“A key ingredient for Oakland County and its businesses to grow and thrive is a skilled and talented workforce who can adapt to the evolving technology of the future,” says Dave Coulter, Oakland County executive. “We are happy to partner with the state and employers to help connect people to training and workers to the high-paying jobs that will drive the success of our residents and businesses.”
Eisenhower Dance Detroit Collaborating with Life Remodeled to Serve Students
Eisenhower Dance Detroit (EDD) dancers, apprentices, and teaching artists are conducting classes with students at Durfee Elementary in Detroit to reinforce academic concepts.
EDD is collaborating with Life Remodeled/Durfee Innovation Society to make the “Let’s Dance” program a reality. The program is funded by the Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation along with funding from the Abrams Foundation, Community Foundation for SE Michigan, and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
Dance is being used to reinforce classroom curriculum, which makes this a win-win, according to those involved. Students explore the art of dance as a means for them to develop social and emotional capacity and have fun in a nurturing environment. The classes are structured in such a way that students will be able to explore academic concepts through creative movement and learn dance technique in a variety of genres such as ballet, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary dance.
The program runs through May 2024. All classes will take place at Durfee Innovation Society, located at 2470 Collingwood St. in Detroit, next to Durfee School. Each session will have up to 40 students and be divided by age.
