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.
Eisenhower Dance Detroit to Open New Maggie Allesee Studios Jan. 22
Eisenhower Dance Detroit (EDD) is opening the doors to its new Maggie Allesee Studios for Dance and Arts Innovation in Bloomfield Hills (450 Enterprise Court) from noon-4 p.m. Jan. 22 and inviting dancers and enthusiasts alike to join the grand opening celebration.
Aspiring Eisenhower dancers of all ages can experience what it’s like to be an EDD dancer by participating in complimentary classes taught by Eisenhower Dance Detroit’s company dancers and the School of Eisenhower Dance Detroit teaching artists, beginning at noon. At 2p.m. and 3 p.m., EDD will give live performances. Tour the facility also will be given. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Alfoccino Italian Restaurant of Auburn Hills, from 1-4 pm.
For a full list of grand opening events, visit here.
Farmington Hills’ Gale Receives Platinum and Gold in Modern Library Awards
Farmington Hills-based Gale has received five platinum awards, one gold and an honorable mention award in LibraryWorks’ ninth annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs).
The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry in a truly unbiased format. This is the second consecutive year Gale has been recognized by the MLAs for product excellence.
Products and services were submitted in the fall of 2022 and sent to more than 80,000 librarians at public, K-12, academic, and special libraries. Only customers with experience with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge the products/services, resulting in a truly unbiased score.
Each judge scored the product on a numeric basis from 1-10 on a series of questions regarding functionality, value, customer service experience and overall satisfaction.
“We are truly honored to be recognized by the Modern Library Awards for the second consecutive year,” says Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “Customer feedback plays a vital role in how we develop our products. So, the fact that the MLA judges are actual customers makes this recognition even more rewarding and is further confirmation of the innovation and value that our resources provide to libraries, educators, researchers and young learners.”
Gale’s 2023 MLA award winners include:
Women’s Studies Archive (Platinum): This archive series examines the social, political and professional aspects of women’s lives and offers a look at the roles, experiences and achievements of women in society.
Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School (Platinum): A 21.5-credit, self-paced online high school completion program that allows public libraries to offer accredited high school diplomas to adults who wish to prepare for entry into the workforce, further their careers, or attend college.
Gale in Context: For Educators (Platinum): A curriculum and instruction tool that merges quality, standards-aligned content with lesson plans and personalization features to support everyday teaching and learning.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender (Platinum): The largest historical collection available that supports gender and sexuality studies and education, enabling academic scholars to make new connections.
Thorndike Press – Youth Large Print (Platinum): A viable reading intervention tool, similar in size as standard print with the same cover art. These books have been proven to improve fluency, increase comprehension, and reduce anxiety in young readers.
Gale Presents: Udemy (Gold): Public libraries can connect patrons to nearly 20,000 on-demand video courses for upskilling or reskilling in business, technology, and personal development. Thousands of courses are taught by native speakers in 12 different languages, helping libraries reach their diverse communities.
Gale Digital Scholar Lab (Honorable Mention): A cloud-based research environment designed to transform how scholars and students access and analyze primary source materials.
Gale will showcase and demonstrate these award-winning products at the 2023 LibLearnX Conference, Jan. 28-30 in New Orleans.
ACG Detroit Offers Panel on Scaling Business in a Challenging Environment
ACG Detroit will present a panel discussion on scaling a business from 8-10 a.m. Feb. 8 at The Kingsley in Bloomfield Hills (39475 Woodward Ave.). The panel of professionals will discuss the current period of dynamic change and economic turmoil and share their personal experiences managing rapidly growing businesses.
To register, visit here.
Entrepreneurs Invited to Pitch Business Plans at Washtenaw Community College
The Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor is hosting its “Pitch@WCC” business competition May 11.
The competition begins with companies submitting an application and two-minute pitch video that are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 17. Finalists will be announced in early March. They also will receive group and individual coaching sessions leading up to the live May 11 Pitch@WCC competition.
Three awards will be presented to for-profit businesses based on the development of the business, from the idea stage to the growth stage. The competition also will include an award to a nonprofit business. Additionally, winners will receive a year of mentoring and support through the WCC Entrepreneurship Center.
The competition is a great way to inspire ideas, encourage entrepreneurs and to directly support owners in the early stages of their business,
“This (competition) helping people realize their dreams in a tangible way,” says Michelle Julet, director of WCC’s Entrepreneurship Center. “Becoming a finalist in this is a big deal. It means you are on your way.”
For more information or to review the information session that took place earlier today, visit here.
Middle School Students to ‘Shake’ Things Up at Etiquette Competition
Next month, Notre Dame Middle School in Pontiac will host its second annual Amazing Shake, a two-day event designed as a way to teach students etiquette and the social competency skills necessary for success both inside and outside the classroom.
One of the first things young professionals learn as they head out from college to the working world is that a firm handshake is essential for success in business — and life. A firm handshake makes a good first impression. A firm handshake can open doors.
The Amazing Shake will take place on Feb. 2-3, where approximately 147 seventh and eighth graders will spend the day working the room, negotiating business deals, making presentations and, mastering a proper handshake.
The Amazing Shake program was created nearly six years ago at the Ron Clark Academy, a middle school located in Atlanta that was founded by its namesake and co-founder Kim Bearden.
“We are very excited to host this event at our school,” says Brandon Jezdimir, principal of Notre Dame Middle School. “It’s a huge opportunity for our kids to learn many of the hard and soft skills necessary for success outside of the classroom.”
Jezdimir says the first part of the exercise involves two days of “The Gauntlet,” which includes a series of scenario stations manned by adult professionals where points are earned based on charisma, confidence, poise under pressure, common sense, eye contact, and their handshake.
Twenty-five stations will be set up in the gym at Notre Dame for the first round of the event. Middle school students begin by running through the stations with scenarios ranging from a corporate job interview and a guest appearance on a TV talk show to a press conference and even walking the fashion runway.
Some of the local businesses participating in this year’s event include: Health Alliance Plan (HAP), OPC Rochester, McLaren Oakland/St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, DOBI Real Estate, Imprezza, The Silver Shamrocks, FANUC America Corp., Stellantis, Graff Family of Dealerships, Taubman Realty Group, Spark Talent Acquisition, Pica Marketing Group, and Lee Industrial Contracting.
On Feb. 7, the top 60 students proceed to round two, called “Circle of Doom,” “Work the Room,” and a “Debate,” where 15 of the professional volunteers will dive even deeper into interviewing and assessing the students. The top five students will proceed to Emagine Theatre in Troy, where they will pitch a new marketing plan to Paul Glantz, co-founder and chairman of Emagine Entertainment Inc.
The top three will proceed to the final round, “HR Corporate Interview,” with a senior director and HR business partner at Taubman. Ultimately, after two more rounds, one seventh or eighth grader is declared the winner and he or she will be registered to compete in Atlanta to represent Michigan against the top performers from around the country at the national competition in March.
For more information about the program, visit here.
Zekelman Holocaust Center to Host Virtual Therapeutic Cooking Demonstration Jan. 31
The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills will host a virtual cooking demonstration, “From Kisvárda to the Kitchen: A Story of Survival and Healing,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 led by culinary art therapist Julie Ohana.
The granddaughter of a Hungarian Holocaust survivor, Ohana will use food as a vehicle to discuss her family’s experiences during the Holocaust. She will prepare her grandmother Dorothy’s diosh, a traditional Hungarian pastry often enjoyed by her grandfather with his morning coffee. Ohana will be joined in the kitchen by her mother and daughter to highlight the importance of sharing memories across generations.
Popular food blogger and cookbook author Chanie Apfelbaum of Busy in Brooklyn also will make an appearance.
“Food is a way to connect to your loved ones past and present,” says Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Holocaust Center. “Demonstrating this recipe brings to life the vibrancy that existed in pre-war Europe — getting a glimpse of that culture helps us to appreciate the magnitude of the loss of Jewish community during the Holocaust. It also is a symbol of triumph for survivors who remade lives for themselves in the United States, and who can now transmit their family history to the next generation. That’s a powerful statement of survival.”
To register for the program, visit here. A confirmation email will be sent with an ingredient list to bake along with Ohana upon registration.
Organizations Commend Extension, Redesignation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status
In anticipation of the expiration of Yemen’s TPS designation, which was scheduled for March 3, the National Network of Arab American Communities (NNAAC) and MASA Group partnered to draft a letter from Congress led by Reps. Mark Pocan and Debbie Dingell, with 43 signatures of House Representatives and the support of 107 organizations, to call on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend and redesignate TPS for Yemen.
Now, 1,400 Yemanis will safely remain in the U.S.
On Jan. 3, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and DHS announced the 18-month redesignation of Yemen for TPS, guaranteeing current TPS holders and potential first-time applicants the right to remain in the US and the ability to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
“ACCESS commends the Secretary of Homeland Security in redesignating TPS for Yemen,” says Maha Freij, president and CEO of ACCESS “Throughout the 18-month extension, we can be assured that Yemenis in America are safe from deportation and the threat of returning to a country experiencing conflict and famine. ACCESS is pleased for the Yemeni American community we work alongside here in Dearborn, and the 1,400 Yemenis under TPS status across the United States.”
Lora Adams, campaign coordinator of the TPS-DED AAC, says: “We are glad to see the administration make the right decision for Yemenis living in the United States. TPS is an essential and life-saving component of a comprehensive humanitarian response to countries in crisis and an essential safety net for anyone who may fall through the cracks of our asylum system. After 30 years of bipartisan use, TPS continues to be a common-sense policy of not returning someone to a life-threatening situation.”
SkyMint Announces ‘Free Weed for a Year’ Sweepstakes
SkyMint Premium Cannabis in Ann Arbor is launching a sweepstakes with the prize of “Free Weed for a Year.”
The contest is now open to Michigan residents. One winner will be selected at random and receive free weed for a year in the form of a $500 in-store credit every month from Jan. 31, 2023 through Jan. 31, 2024. Plus, an additional 24 winners will receive a 10-gram Giant Joint.
“Cannabis has the power to change lives, and all of our cannabis is grown right here in the state of Michigan,” says Summer Ransom-Cleveland, chief retail officer at SkyMint. “Through this program, we want to share our love of cannabis and what it can do for us, our friends, our families, and our communities across the state.”
To enter, fill out an entry form here or use the code “FREE WEED” with any online order as many times as possible for extra entries
No purchase is necessary to win. A purchase will not increase anyone’s chance of winning. Legal residents of Michigan who are 21 years of age or older are eligible to participate. Limit one entry per individual. “Free Weed for a Year” sweepstakes begins ends Jan. 30. The winner will be notified on Jan. 31.
