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 here.
Detroit Pistons to Tip Off 2023-24 Home Season Oct. 28 at LCA
The Detroit Pistons have announced their 2023-24 NBA schedule highlighted by visits from the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pistons will begin the 2023-24 campaign on the road against the Miami Heat on Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Detroit will square off with the Chicago Bulls in the Pistons’ home opener at Little Caesars Arena at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28.
Home game highlights of the 2023-24 schedule include Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns traveling to Little Caesars Arena on Nov. 5, as well as Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and the Warriors on Nov. 6.
Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets visit the Pistons on Nov. 20. LeBron James and the Lakers make their lone trip to Detroit on Nov. 29. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks travel to Detroit on March 9, while the Pistons play host to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics on March 22.
Debuting this season is the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, where all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup. Each team will play four Group Play games (two home, two road), which will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays from Nov. 3-28. In Group Play, the Pistons will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 10 and the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 14 at Little Caesars Arena.
Eight teams will advance out of Group Play to the Knockout Rounds, which will consist of single-elimination games in the quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Dec. 4-5), semifinals and championship (played in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and 9, respectively).
The Pistons will be launching their 10-game flex plan, a completely customizable ticket package that allows fans to select any 10 or more games, with no exclusions. Benefits of the flex plan include more than 15 percent savings per game with no fees, access to giveaways, access to Pistons ONE rewards and 10 percent off merchandise at pistons313shop.com. The 10-game flex plans can be purchased at pistons.com/flex or by calling 313-PISTONS. More information on all Detroit Pistons ticket products can be found here.
This season’s theme nights include:
- Hoops for Troops presented by United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM)
- Sports Betting Night presented by BetRivers
- Twin Night presented by Bally Sports Detroit
- Kids Day presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
- Women’s Empowerment presented by Ally
December will see the Pistons celebrate the “Season of Giving” presented by Kroger, and Black History Month will be celebrated during each February home game. The Pistons will host Pride Night presented by Allegiant Air on March 24 and will host their Basketball For All game on Dec. 30 in association with UWM and Delta Dental. Detroit will host 313 Day presented by Ally on March 13 vs. Toronto.
The Pistons also will host multiple bobblehead giveaway nights – Pistons Legend on Dec. 26 (presented by Bally Sports Detroit), Thompson Twins on Jan. 12 (presented by Bally Sports Detroit), Cade Cunningham on Feb. 24 (presented by Kroger), and Jalen Duren on March 17.
The Pistons are scheduled to be on national television four times throughout the regular season. ESPN will broadcast the team’s home contest against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 12. NBA TV will broadcast the Nov. 29 matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dec. 21 meeting against the Utah Jazz inside Little Caesars Arena, as well as a road tilt with the Boston Celtics on Dec. 28. A complete radio and television broadcast schedule for Pistons games will be released at a later date.
NIH Establishes Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence at MSU
The National Institutes of Health in Maryland has awarded $24 million in first-year funding to establish Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence around the country, one of which will be at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Part of NIH’s Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, the centers will develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity. The grants are expected to last seven years and total an estimated $168 million, pending the availability of funds.
The MSU center will be called the Maternal Health Multilevel Intervention/s for Racial Equity (MIRACLE) Center. It will be led by Ioan Meghea.
Compared to other high-income countries, the United States has a high rate of maternal deaths, with more than 1,200 such deaths occurring in 2021, the most recent year for which data are available.
Each year tens of thousands more Americans experience severe pregnancy-related complications, which can raise the risk of future health concerns, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental health conditions. There are stark disparities in these maternal health outcomes by racial and ethnic group, age, education, socioeconomic status, and geographic region.
The other centers will be located in Sioux Falls, S.D.; New York City, Jackson, Miss.; Milwaukee, Wisc.; Atlanta, Ga., Stanford, Calif.; New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Salt Lake City.
Report: Amway’s People-powered Values, Charitable Investments Charted
Corporate social responsibility initiatives, investments in community, and charitable efforts are among the work detailed in a new U.S. Impact Report issued by Amway, an entrepreneur-led health and wellness company based in Ada, near Grand Rapids.
The report spotlights several longstanding efforts supported by Amway and co-led by independent business owners (IBOs) across the country.
“Amway is built on a passion that fuels our people to innovate products that help people live better, healthier lives,” says Milind Pant, CEO of Amway. “All the while inspiring others into inclusive entrepreneurship that makes the Amway business accessible and meaningful for everyone.”
As detailed in the Impact Report, Amway delivers health and wellness products to consumers while fostering relationships between employees, more than 130,000 U.S.-based independent business owners and the communities in which Amway operates.
Among the company’s investments in communities, the longstanding partnership between Amway, several IBOs, and the U.S. Dream Academy continued this year, connecting DreamKids — children whose parents are incarcerated — with nurturing mentors. Powered by Amway employee and IBO volunteers, the program’s weekly virtual mentorship sessions cover three key elements: skill-building, character-building and dream-building.
Amway’s decades-long relationship with EasterSeals continued to provide support services to empower people with disabilities. Through hosting events and targeted giving campaigns, Amway Corp. and Amway independent business owners have helped raise more than $35 million.
Over the last year, Amway’s farms have invested in weeding technology and other regenerative agriculture practices to recycle nutrients through regenerative agriculture. Amway also has prioritized reducing packaging waste for products and working to make packaging recyclable.
Amway’s corporate social responsibility pillars of health, nutrition, and wellness; and empowerment and engagement were on display at the 2022 Amway Cares event, where more than 400 employees served 17 non-profit organizations across several cities near Ada. In 2023, the numbers increased to 600 employees supporting 41 community projects.
The new Impact Report also details The Amway Promise, the company’s comprehensive consumer protection offering to business owners and customers. Amway believes in zero purchase requirements for IBOs and minimal costs associated with starting a business, to ensure the opportunity is available to all Americans.
“This business continues to blossom as a longstanding collaboration between the founding families, employees, and business owners — across the globe and right here at home,” says Andrew Schmidt, managing director of North America for Amway. “People are the soul of our company and their success is at the heart of everything we do.”
Retirement Planner Mike Heckman Keeps the Spirit of Big Sable Pointe Lighthouse Alive
Mike Heckman, managing wealth advisor at Sable Pointe Wealth Management in Ludington, is the host of “The Wealth Dock Podcast,” which offers professional advice and insight to business owners, medical professionals. and retirees.
Inspiring Heckman are the stories of Homer Meverden, his great grandfather, who was a lighthouse keeper at the black-and-white striped, 112-foot Big Sable Pointe Lighthouse at the Ludington State Park, which stands on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Growing up hearing inspiring stories about Meverden from his now 87-year-old grandfather, Heckman believed that he understood the importance of guiding through risk and adversity — and aimed to build his wealth management organization around the symbolic power of the lighthouse, rooted in the many generations of Heckman’s family has lived in the region.
Whether Heckman is helping people build their businesses, sell their companies at maximum profit, do asset mapping for professionals or ensuring that retirees achieve income from guaranteed and stable sources, his ultimate aims reflect this lighthouse aesthetic. He’s focused on the safety and comfort of his clients, overcoming challenges, and giving them confidence about achieving financial freedom.
G2 Consulting Group in Troy Secures As-Needed Contracts with Michigan Municipalities
G2 Consulting Group, a Troy-based geotechnical, environmental, and construction engineering services firm, has contracted with the City of Novi as the latest Michigan municipality to join its growing portfolio of “as-needed” engineering contracts.
G2 Consulting works with dozens of Michigan cities, townships, counties and state agencies under as-needed engineering contracts that typically have multi-year terms. G2’s services are wide ranging, however, are mostly centered on infrastructure where the firm provides environmental and geotechnical engineering and materials testing services on projects including storm water and sewer, roadways, bridges, utilities, dams and more to their municipal partners.
“G2’s mission is delivering ‘Smart. Results. Fast,’” says Mark Smolinski, principal at G2 Consulting. “We’re able to do that especially well for our ‘as-needed’ partners since we have a relationship in place — we know the people and understand their systems and preferred approaches. We’re ready to immediately jump in if there’s an urgent issue, or we can strategize with clients on the best ways to schedule and implement planned maintenance and improvements. It’s really a win-win.”
Without an as-needed contract, municipalities are left to create unique proposal packages for each project, then review the bids, determine if the supplier is up to the challenge, negotiate price, then educate the supplier on the existing systems — all before the work begins. Even then, there’s no guarantee of satisfaction.
“Municipalities face incredibly tough, complex engineering challenges. Our as-needed contracts are usually the reflection of a longstanding relationship with the client – we’ve proven that we can help their community with innovative solutions through all facets of a project’s lifecycle,” Smolinski says. “As-needed contracts are becoming increasingly commonplace as municipalities better understand the synergies they provide. Trying to find a new partner for each project is a crapshoot, and rarely saves time or money in the long run.”
Smolinski adds that G2’s scope of work differs for each locale. Although G2’s individual project profit margins are typically lower compared to a one-off project, the firm benefits from the certainty of work and predictability which helps it manage its business.
The efficiencies go both-ways. The client doesn’t have to navigate a cumbersome bid process with unknown suppliers. And, their as-needed contractor, G2, enters each project with a clear understanding of its goals and likely challenges both on the job site itself and in the broader municipal infrastructure ecosystem.
For more information, visit www.g2consultinggroup.com.
Human I-T on Seven Mile to Give Away 50 Free Laptops From Aug. 21 – 28
Just in time for the new school year, Detroit residents, including families and students, will have the chance to get a free laptop computer at a new digital equity retail store, Human I-T on Seven Mile, located at 6375 W. 7 Mile Road in Detroit.
Now through August 28, Human I-T on Seven Mile is giving away a total of 50 laptops, five per day, and thousands of $50 gift cards during a special grand opening celebration. The giveaway is made possible thanks to generous support from General Motors Co.
“We believe access to technology and the internet is a right, not a privilege, and we are thrilled to get computers into the hands of Detroit residents who need them,” says Jennifer Jambor, Human I-T’s senior manager of partnerships.
“We’re especially excited that many of the computers will go to families with children who are about to start the new school year. Having the right tools for learning is an important first step toward success. Our team can also assist with low-cost internet, digital skills training, and tech support.”
In Detroit, approximately 200,000 residents, many of them school-aged children, do not have internet access, a digital device that is not a mobile phone, or the skills needed to effectively leverage the benefits of today’s digital world.
The first five income-qualified Detroit residents to visit the store each day will receive a free laptop. Up to 5,000 income-qualified Detroiters who come into the store and speak with the staff will get a $50 Human-I-T gift card.
WHEN: August 21-28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., (and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday)
WHERE: 6375 W. 7 Mile Road in Detroit. Parking is available on the street nearby.
Human I-T is a nonprofit social enterprise that refurbishes donated technology, making high quality devices available at a lower cost. All proceeds from the digital equity retail store go directly toward funding Human I-T’s mission of diverting millions of pounds of e-waste from landfills while empowering hundreds of thousands of people across the globe with access to affordable technology and internet plans.
For those who can’t make it into the store, Human I-T is also offering discounts online at store.human-i-t.org.
“We are extremely proud to support and celebrate the opening of Human I-T on Seven Mile,” says Terry Rhadigan, vice president of corporate giving at General Motors. “Since coming to Detroit just three years ago, Human I-T’s work has supported thousands of students and families. Now, through this store, Human I-T is truly opening its doors to the community to provide residents with the tools they need to succeed – in school, work and life.”
For more information, visit www.human-i-t.org.
