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.
Detroit Auto Dealers Announce Sweepstakes for Corvette, Challenger, Bronco Raptor
The Detroit Auto Dealers Association in Troy has launched the DADA Education Foundation Sweepstakes featuring a red, white, and blue trio of the industry’s most-sought-after high-performance vehicles.
Sweepstakes participants can choose to be eligible to win a 2023 Corvette Z06 Convertible 70th Anniversary Edition, 2022 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, or 2022 Bronco Raptor.
Sweepstakes tickets are available now online at WinThisVette.com, WinThisHellcat.com, and WinThisBroncoRaptor.com. Donation amounts determine the number of entry tickets received, with a starting amount of $25 for 10 tickets.
To kick off the sweepstakes, the DADA is inviting participants to enter to win now and use the promo code CARSHOW to get 25 percent more entries.
The three lucky winners will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 25, at Huntington Place. Winners need not be present to win.
Proceeds from the sweepstakes will support the DADA’s Education Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable entity that promotes the next-generation of mobility innovators while advancing new, clean energy pathways, motor vehicle safety, and social responsibility.
“The foundation provides young people with real-world experiences to encourage careers in the auto industry while helping to promote good stewardship of our environment and one another,” says Thad Szott, president of DADA.
The three featured sweepstakes vehicles boast wide audience appeal, from off-roading enthusiasts to high-performance aficionados to muscle car fans. The Pearl White 70th Anniversary Corvette Z06, equipped with the Z07 Performance Package, is considered the ultimate supercar experience; the TorRed Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is touted as the quickest, fastest, and most powerful muscle car ever; and the Velocity Blue Metallic 418 hp Bronco Raptor is Ford’s desert-racing, rock-crawling most powerful street-legal Bronco.
“We expect these three incredible vehicles will drive plenty of sweepstakes engagement and support for our Education Foundation,” Szott says. “Can you imagine jumping into the driver’s seat of one of these vehicles and calling it your own?”
The sweepstakes is open to anyone 18 years of age or older.
V1 Sports Announces Partnership with Former MLB Player and Hitting Coach
V1 Sports in Novi, which develops video and ground pressure analysis, and online lesson technologies for coaches and athletes across multiple sports, has formed a partnership with former MLB player and hitting coach Dave Hansen.
Hansen currently is a minor league hitting coordinator for the Cincinnati Reds and operates the Dave Hansen Baseball Academy based in San Clemente, Calif., offering online lessons for players of all levels.
As a V1 Pro Baseball Coach, Hansen will travel the country integrating the V1 Pressure Mat and V1 Pro mobile baseball software into his instructional curriculum.
V1 says its V1 Pro Mobile Software and Pressure Mat is the most powerful, portable, and affordable integrated video analysis and ground force interaction tool for baseball/softball players and coaches that measures pressure, velocity, and vertical dynamic force. The mat is equipped with sensors and measures the quantity and quality of forces that an athlete is applying within their hitting, pitching, and fielding mechanics.
These measurements sync with high-speed video captured with proprietary V1 Pro Baseball software to create a combination of motion and ground force data that enable coaches to more accurately evaluate and assess movements, then provide immediate feedback to help athletes improve performance.
To complement the integration of ground force technology, the combination of live video capture, analysis through graphic overlay, comparison and overlay tools, and lesson creation and delivery tools with V1 Pro coaching software is a turnkey solution that will enable Hansen to expand his online lesson programs.
“I’ve watched some of the most accomplished golf instructors in the world utilize V1 technology for 20 plus years to help their students improve performance — from PGA Tour players to newcomers,” says Hansen. “The baseball application is really a gamechanger from a teaching standpoint, and the ability to deliver online lessons, allows me to stay connected with pro players and amateurs in person, or on the go, anywhere at any time.”
The Statler French-American Bistro in Downtown Detroit Now Open for Lunch
The Statler French-American Bistro at 313 Park Ave. in downtown Detroit is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The menu is designed to offer guests an elegant French-inspired encounter, whether they dine indoors or experience Detroit’s ambiance on the outdoor patio.
The lunch menu has been curated by Joe Vicari Restaurant Group Certified Master Chef Daniel Scannell and provides an elevated variety of food options for the person looking for a lite lunch or a hearty meal. Guests can choose from various hors d’oeuvers like steak tartare and Buffalo cauliflower or a selection of cold salads such as the French country salad of Lyon or the Nocoise salad. The bistro burger and croque madame are other sandwich options. The fish n’ chips and gnocchi Parisian are main course options.
For more information, visit statlerdetroit.com.
Zoom Drain Announces First Franchise in Metro Detroit Area
Zoom Drain, an operator of drain and sewer services, is preparing to open its 18th franchise, which will be the first in metro Detroit and the state of Michigan, serving Oakland County.
The owner of this Zoom Drain location is Justin Jeris, an alumnus of Michigan State University who grew up in the region.
Set to open Summer of 2022, Zoom Drain of Metro Detroit will provide commercial and residential service specializing in drain and sewer cleaning, sewer pipe inspections, grease trap maintenance and more – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“To contribute to this community, providing an expert service, to do it well and represent a brand, like Zoom Drain, as the best out there, means a lot — it’s something to brag about,” Jeris says.
With trained specialists for both emergency service and planned maintenance service, Zoom Drain handles everything involved in wastewater management, from clogged sinks to main sewer line blockages, utilizing five different drain cleaning machines and a hydro-jetter to tackle any sewage issue that arises.
For more information, visit here.
Ann Arbor’s Motawi Tileworks’ Sunflowers for Ukraine Raises $40K+
Ann Arbor’s Motawi Tileworks has announced that its Sunflowers for Ukraine fundraiser brought in more than $40,000 for the Doctors Without Borders’ Emergency Relief Fund.
From March 16-April 30, Motawi pledged to donate 75 percent of its Sunflower art tile sales to Doctors Without Borders. (The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine.) Local and online response enabled the company to donate more than $40,000.
“Supporting Doctors Without Borders and the Ukrainian aid effort was important to me and the Motawi Tileworks staff,” says Nawal Motawi, owner and artistic director at the company. “When we announced our plan, we were quite literally overwhelmed by the response. Our kilns were firing nothing but sunflowers at times. It was amazing, and we are grateful to the customers who made this donation possible.”
Founded in 1992, Motawi Tileworks makes handcrafted tile as art pieces for residential and commercial installations.
Beaumont Health Foundation to Host Golf Event at Oakland Hills to Benefit Oncology Services
On Monday, July 11, Beaumont’s Drive for Life Invitational will take place at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills. The event will benefit programs and services at the Walter & Marilyn Wolpin Comprehensive Breast Care Center at Beaumont, Royal Oak and the Wilson Cancer Resource Center at Beaumont, Troy.
This year’s event is presented by Beaumont Urgent Care by WellStreet.
In addition to a round of golf on Oakland Hill’s world-class championship courses, including the newly renovated tournament South Course, guests will enjoy meals, a cocktail reception, and pro shot and tips by PGA player and member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Tom Gillis.
Chris Emde of Bloomfield Hills and Karen Glorio Luther of Ann Arbor are the co-chairs for this year’s event, working alongside a fundraising committee of community leaders.
“This event is personal to me,” says Emde. “Members of my family have been touched by cancer, including my mother. I know firsthand the importance of having access to programs that help detect, treat and cope with the disease. That is why, for more than 30 years, my family has been supporting events like this and other Beaumont cancer programs.”
During the cocktail reception, the Beaumont Health Foundation will honor Walter and Marilyn Wolpin for their decades of philanthropic support of Beaumont patient programs and their outstanding community leadership to engage others to make investments in the future of health care. The Wolpins will receive Beaumont’s Distinguished Leaders of Philanthropy Award. Recognition will also be given to honorary committee members for their years of support in growing this event into the successful fundraising outing it is today.
Sponsorship packages for golf are still available. To find out more, or to become a sponsor, call 947-522-0092 or visit here.
Art & Apples Festival Returns to Rochester Municipal Park Sept. 9-11
Paint Creek Center for the Arts (PCCA) in Rochester is gearing up for its annual Art & Apples Festival Sept. 9-11, with the support of presenting sponsor Genisys Credit Union.
A juried group of 250 artists and artisans along with more than 80,000 attendees are expected to converge on Rochester Municipal Park, near downtown Rochester, for a three-day celebration of fine art. In addition to one-of-a-kind art pieces for purchase, there will live performances from community music and dance groups, food vendors offering a wide array of options, the Meijer Kids Art Zone offering children’s art activities, and the Creation Station featuring live art-making demonstrations.
“Our Art & Apples Festival has always been uniquely positioned as a combination of art and community — and many artists and festival-goers return year-after-year for this awaited homecoming,” says Shaun Hayes, executive director of Paint Creek Center for the Arts. “We are continually recognized for the popularity of our show and the caliber of the fine art presented; in fact, we are proud to be ranked ninth on the list of 200 Best Fine Art and Design Shows for the decade of 2010–2020 by Sunshine Artist magazine.”
A variety of sponsorship packages are also available. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit here. More information about the festival in general can be found here.
