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.
Dynami Foundation Raffling Off ’97 Ferrari at Fundraiser
Plymouth-based Dynami Foundation resumes its Uncork for a Cure fundraising event on Nov. 12 at Cauley Ferrari of Detroit in West Bloomfield Township during which a classic Ferrari will be raffled off.
The Ferrari in question is a 1997 F355 Spider featuring a classic Rosso Corsa over beige leather interior with a 6-speed manual transmission, rear challenge grill, and genuine Ferrari floor mats.
The event will feature metro Detroit’s finest chefs, world-class wine, art, and the announcement of the Ferrari winner at 9 p.m. sharp.
“2020 was a devastating year for so many,” says Flora Migyanka, founder of the Dynami Foundation. “We’re proud that as a foundation, we were able to continue to raise funds for our breast cancer mission. As we began to map out the return of this year’s event, we knew we had to up the ante. What better way to make a splash while raising money for breast cancer than with a Ferrari raffle?”
Tickets for the Ferrari raffle are on sale here at $250 each and only 1,500 tickets will be sold.
Event sponsorships are available here.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the foundation’s mission of funding cutting-edge research on invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC), an underfunded and under researched subtype of breast cancer that is the sixth most diagnosed cancer in women in the U.S.
JVS Human Services and Kadima Nonprofits to Merge by 2022
JVS Human Services and Kadima, two Southfield nonprofits that serve vulnerable communities in metro Detroit, will merge and be operational in 2022.
JVS, a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, provides social services and vocational programs, including services for people with developmental disabilities. Kadima provides behavioral health services, including supportive housing, for adults with mental health challenges.
The decision was made to create a new single organization, yet unnamed, to provide a broader continuum of care, more robust and higher quality programs, and overall better outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
Paul J Blatt, current JVS president and CEO will continue in that role with the new organization. Aubrey Macfarlane, JVS executive vice president and COO, also will remain in her role after the merger. Eric Adelman, Kadima’s executive director, will be the executive vice president and chief advancement officer of the new organization.
“From the outset, we were eager to see if a combined organization would be better positioned to positively impact the lives of people in our community,” says Blatt. “Through an in-depth due diligence process, we were able to demonstrate that the new organization will be able to offer a more expansive continuum of services, yielding stronger outcomes for the people we serve. This is an exciting time for JVS, Kadima, and our communities.”
Through shared operational and administrative savings, the new organization will re-invest funds into programs that directly benefit and support underserved community members, such as those with development disabilities, autism, or mental illness. Deeper investments in areas of clinical services and compliance will allow for more data-based decision making and impact measurement, all exponentially enhancing outcomes for people served and the community at large.
The merger also will help to ensure long-term sustainability of vital services for individuals who need them, while positioning the agency for success in the everchanging landscape of public mental health service funding.
“This merger is vital because it will strengthen our operations, allow us to provide more impactful services and enable our new organization to thrive for many years to come,” says Adelman. “By improving services for the people we serve today and ensuring the sustainability of those services for decades to come, we continue to realize our founders’ goals of meeting the needs of vulnerable people in our community.”
EY Announces Winners for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award
Ernst & Young has announced the winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award. The annual awards recognize entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The group of entrepreneurial leaders was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors, and other regional business leaders.
Michigan and Northwest Ohio award winners were unveiled during a virtual celebration on August 5, 2021.
“EY is proud to celebrate these unstoppable entrepreneurs and welcome them into our global Entrepreneur of the Year alumni community,” says AJ Jordan, EY Americas Entrepreneur of the Year Program Director.
The winners for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award are:
- Jason Raznick, Benzinga, Detroit
- Sam Beznos, Beztak Cos., Farmington Hills
- Natalie King, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, Southfield
- Tom Ross, Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing, Grand Rapids
- Brett VanderKamp,New Holland Brewing Co., Holland
- Trina Bediako, New Horizons Baking Co., Norwalk, Ohio
- Ed Harmon, The Harmon Group, Toledo
- Mat Ishbia, United Wholesale Mortgage, Pontiac
- Lisa McLaughlinand Robin McIntosh, Workit Health, Ann Arbor
Nominees were evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation, and future plans. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries throughout the world.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards, to be announced in November 2021 at the Strategic Growth Forum, a gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award in June 2022.
Since 1986, the Entrepreneur of the Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives.
Skinphorea Facial Bar and Spa Opens in Corktown
Skinphorea, a premier facial bar and spa that was the recipient of a $30,000 Motor City Match
grant, celebrated its grand opening this morning in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.
The 4,000-sqsuare-foot facility located in the heart of Corktown on Michigan Ave. offers various spa and skincare services, such as an acne clinic and laser hair removal, along with beauty products and a signature happy hour feel to help clients relax and unwind. Co-owner Jessie Hayes-Stallings and Shareese Shorter plan to hire 22 employees for the new space, including managerial and esthetician positions.
Along with offering various spa and skincare amenities and services, the company’s Detroit location will serve as the brand’s flagship and home base for its apprenticeship program, Skinphorea University. Created in 2016, the program partners with the State of Michigan to provide esthetician licensing for emerging skincare professionals.
Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders Expands into Roseville
Farmington Hills-based Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (MIND) is expanding into Roseville to a facility at 25100 Kelly Road, near 10 Mile Road.
Located in the space formerly occupied by Michigan Neurology Institute, MIND Roseville joins the private practice’s Farmington Hill’s headquarters and a Dearborn Heights satellite office.
The new 10,000-square-foot Roseville facility offers diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, neuromuscular disorders, headache and migraine, spinal disorders and brain trauma, along with a wide variety of other neurological conditions.
It replaces an 1,845-square-foot office previously located in Madison Heights. Services and treatment options in Roseville are now very comparable to those offered in Farmington Hills.
“The timing was right and we’re able to not only assist patients of the former Michigan Neurology Institute in Roseville but bring expanded capabilities to them and their neighbors as their physicians retired,” says Dr. William Boudouris, president of MIND.
For more information, visit MINDonline.com.
U.S. Auto Museums Join Forces to Drive Car Culture
The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, northwest of Battle Creek, has joined America’s Automotive Trust with two other U.S. car museums to offer members reciprocal “On the Road” memberships.
The partnership is designed to help eliminate the silos that many museums work in by collaborating and encouraging members of one organization to explore another in other areas of the country.
In addition to the Gilmore Car Museum, America On Wheels Museum in Allentown, Pa., and LeMay — America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash. (near Seattle), are the participating institutions.
“The best way to perpetuate car culture is by working together to break barriers, enhance experiences, and offer frictionless ways for passionate enthusiasts to enjoy cars,” says Tabetha Hammer, CEO of America’s Automotive Trust. “Our ‘On the Road’ membership and the partnership between these three incredible museums is an important first step in what I believe can become a revolutionizing way we think about and enjoy auto museums in the future.”
Current members of each participating museum are encouraged to take advantage of the reciprocal benefits, and are entitled to receive:
- Free museum admission
- Free parking
- 10 percent discount on museum store merchandise
“We’re thrilled that our Gilmore members will be able to enjoy memorable visits to these other spectacular destinations when traveling throughout the country,” says Josh Russell, executive director of the Gilmore Car Museum. “It’s a terrific benefit for our valued members, who should also plan to join us when America’s Automotive Trust’s The Drive Forward rally stops for a celebration at the Gilmore campus in Hickory Corners on Friday, Sept. 17.”
When visiting each museum, members should bring and show their current membership card from their home museum at guest services, to receive free entry.
Michigan Women Forward Hosting Pitch Challenge for Female Entrepreneurs
Michigan Women Forward is hosting the “53 Voices” pitch challenge sponsored by Fifth Third Bank. The challenge addresses income inequality through entrepreneurship by providing anyone with an idea access to the capital, training resources, and social connections needed to remove barriers, take an idea and turn it into a viable business.
Rather than relying exclusively on their ability to put pen to paper, applicants will be asked to submit audio business pitches. Each applicant has up to 53 seconds to verbally describe their idea or existing business for consideration.
53 Voices is open to all individuals – even those without a background in business, higher education or training. This supports Michigan Women Forward’s mission to expand economic opportunity for female entrepreneurs in the state.
Applications are open here through Aug. 18 and must also include a one-page concept paper. Only women who currently live in Michigan are eligible to apply.
“Too often, women — particularly women of color — get overlooked and underestimated in pitch competitions. We’re excited to hear the passion and inspiration in applicants’ voices,” says Alexis Dishman, chief lending officer at Michigan Women Forward. “Though we cannot completely remove our personal biases, we can all hold ourselves responsible for reducing them. Our 53 Voices challenge was created to help women and girls reach their full potential.”
In the first round of the pitch challenge, a group of judges will review the concept papers and voice submissions to select the top 53 applicants. Finalists will receive $100 and be invited to three training workshops. Completion and attendance of all workshops are mandatory to progress in the challenge.
During round two, the judges will identify the top 10 finalists. Each contestant will submit a 53-second video to receive $250. The videos will be voted on by the community for the chance to win the first prize of $5,000. The second-place winner will receive $2,500 and the third-place winner will receive $1,000.
“This is a chance to make your voice be heard,” says Tawnya Rose, vice president and community development manager at Fifth Third Bank. “Fifth Third Bank is proud to support Michigan women as they manifest their ideas and work towards their dreams.”
The winner of the 53 Voices pitch challenge will be announced Oct. 19.
Downtown Detroit Markets Application Now Open
Bedrock, the Rocket Community Fund, and the Downtown Detroit Partnership are inviting local entrepreneurs and small business owners to apply for a spot as a Downtown Detroit Market vendor.
As a vendor, the Downtown Detroit Markets allow local entrepreneurs the opportunity to sell their products in a diverse marketplace and experience a brick-a-mortar retail establishment in the heart of downtown Detroit.
Eighteen businesses will be chosen to set up shop in Cadillac Square from November 2021 through January 2022.
Applications are now open through Aug. 19 and can be found here. All applicants will be notified of their selection in early September.
Vendors must be selling a product (no services), products cannot contain alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or weapons. If selected, vendors must pay an upfront $1,000 deposit and 10 percent of gross sales over $10,000. Vendors cannot be a current Bedrock retail tenant or be currently employed by the Rock Family of Cos.
Wayne State Researcher Awarded $3.3M from DOE
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a researcher at Wayne State University in Detroit $3.3 million to advance quantum information science research to better understand the physical world and harness nature to benefit people and society.
Aaron Rury, an assistant professor of chemistry in Wayne State’s College of Liberal Arts and Science, is the recipient of one of 29 projects securing a total of $73 million in funding from DOE.
Rury’s award — in collaboration with researchers at the University of California-Irvine, the University of California-San Diego, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory — will study “multi-component cavity polaritions for tunable intermolecular entanglement and controlled photo-to-electron quantum transduction. The team aims to understand how the entanglement of quantum excitations appears and evolves temporally in complex chemical systems. While we all live in a chemical world, the many-body interactions that dominate the behavior of molecules at room temperature have stymied researchers’ ability to use them in emerging quantum technologies.
“To aid in overcoming these challenges, our team will theoretically and experimentally study multicomponent entanglement driven by the strong coupling of room-temperature molecules to the photons of nano- and microscale electromagnetic resonators,” says Rury. “Researchers on our team will formally define entanglement in the presence of many-body, interacting sub-systems, connect these definitions to spectroscopic observables in model physical systems, measure how entanglement evolves on ultrafast time scales experimentally, and correlate polariton-mediated intermolecular entanglement with changes to the dynamics of photo-excited molecules.”
MotorCity Casino to Host Career Fair Aug. 12
MotorCity Casino Hotel will host a Career Fair from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2021 at Sound Board.
The Career Fair is in partnership with Autism Alliance of Michigan’s Upbound at Work, Michigan Works’ SER Metro-Detroit, and other agencies. Career opportunities are available in culinary, casino operations, security, hotel, internal maintenance, entertainment, and valet. All applicants must apply online prior to the event and bring an updated resume to the Career Fair.
Qualified candidates may be asked to interview on the spot. Candidates should be prepared to quickly communicate their skills, talents, and past experiences. Dress code is business casual.
Career seekers should bring a valid driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, or passport. Candidates must successfully pass a drug screening and background check before hiring and/or successfully acquiring a Michigan Gaming license, if applicable. Candidates must be at least 18 years old to apply (Note: some positions may require that applicants be at least 21 years of age). MotorCity Casino Hotel is an equal opportunity employer. Parking is available on the surface lot south of Sound Board theater; cross streets are Brooklyn and Spruce.
Pop-up Detroit Historical Museum Exhibit Features Items from ‘RESPECT’
For the month of August only, the Detroit Historical Museum is featuring a selection of screen-worn costumes and accessories from “RESPECT,” a new biographical film based on the life of Aretha Franklin.
On display now in the Motor City Music gallery, the exhibit has garments worn by actress Jennifer Hudson to portray the Queen of Soul, along with photos from the film. Items from the Detroit Historical Society’s collection are included to add context to Franklin’s life story.
Visitors also will have the chance to put their hands in the Franklin’s handprints, captured in 2017 and newly installed for permanent display outdoors on the museum’s Legends Plaza.
The “RESPECT” exhibition is included with museum general admission and runs through Aug. 29. It is presented in partnership with United Artists and MGM.
State Anheuser-Busch Distributors Golf Marathons Benefit Folds of Honor
The second of several golf marathons involving Anheuser-Busch wholesalers on the west side of the state will tee off Aug. 9 to raise $150,000 for Folds of Honor scholarship recipients in Michigan.
Folds of Honor provides scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members.
The Folds of Honor Golf Marathon 100 Hole challenge is simply to play 100 holes of golf between sunup and sundown on Aug. 9. It can be an individual or team effort. Donors sponsor the golfer or team per hole or for completion.
According to Folds of Honor, Michigan has 72 scholarship recipients this academic year equaling more than $356,000. Unfortunately, 28 fully qualified Michigan applicants went without awards in 2021 due to lack of funding. Although Folds of Honor provides scholarships across the nation, every dollar raised by the Michigan wholesalers will go to Michigan recipients.
Every year, $1 per case of special Budweiser packages goes directly to Folds of Honor, funding hundreds of scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members. The patriotic cans can be found in most markets.
“I want to thank the Anheuser-Busch distributors in Michigan for stepping up and being the first wholesalers to take on this challenge,” says Kasey Davis, regional development officer of Folds of Honor. “I have no doubt their commitment will inspire other wholesalers across the country to hit the links and raise money to help support spouses and children of fallen or disabled servicemen and women who have made enormous sacrifices for our country.”
Woodhouse Day Spa 5K Fun Run Slated for Aug. 28
The Woodhouse Day Spa in Rochester Hills is staging its Color of Wellness 5K Fun Run to benefit New Day Foundation for Families starting at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 28 at Rochester Municipal Park.
Participation can happen in person or virtually. To register, visit here.
Proceeds will benefit New Day Foundation for Families, a Rochester Hills nonprofit that offers financial grants in the form of short-term bill payment services, along with financial navigation services and emotional support programs for families as they face the burdens that accompany the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
This is the third Color of Wellness event hosted by Woodhouse Spa to benefit New Day Foundation for Families
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the event through New Day via barb@newdayff.org. For more information on the 5K Fun Run, call Woodhouse Spa at 248-564-9577.
Lung Association Launches Vape-Free Schools Scholarship Fund
The American Lung Association in Madison Heights has begun the Vape-Free Schools Scholarship Fund, a new effort to fund schools’ implementation of the Vape-Free Schools Initiative so that more kids can access cessation, support, and education.
In Michigan, high school tobacco use rates are 27.6 percent and nearly one in five teens are vaping.
The scholarship drive seeks to raise funds to give schools across the country access to the program. With a cost of $400 per training seat, the goal is to raise $400,000 to serve 1,000 schools in need by the end of 2021. Through this scholarship drive, the Lung Association will enable faculty and students in Michigan to access the Lung Association’s proven vaping intervention and cessation programs.
“With 27.6 percent of Michigan high school students using tobacco products, our communities need help to support students impacted by tobacco use,” says Maureen Rovas, executive director of the American Lung Association in Michigan. “As the nation’s trusted champion of lung health, the American Lung Association is proud to off offer Michigan schools, parents and students proven approaches to end youth vaping in our communities and help local students quit their addiction and prevent future generations from getting hooked,”
The Vape-Free Schools Initiative provides school administrators and educators with training to offer an alternative-to-suspension program for students found vaping, smoking, or chewing on school property, and a voluntary vaping/tobacco cessation program for youth wanting to quit for good.
Alternative to Suspension (INDEPTH) an alternative for students who face suspension for violating school vaping and tobacco use policies. As teens continue to get hooked on vaping, this is a supportive program that teaches students about nicotine dependence and establishing healthy boundaries, rather than focusing solely on punitive measures.
Vaping Education and Tobacco Cessation Program (Not-On-Tobacco N-O-T) is a teen smoking/vaping cessation program for students that want to quit. The 10-session program provides the tools, information, and support for teens to end their addiction to tobacco.
To donate, visit here. To get more information about the Vape-Free Schools Initiative or submit your school for scholarship consideration, visit here.
