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.
Graphex Group in Warren is Riding the $23B Graphite Boom
The reported inevitability is that everything is going to be electrified, and that batteries are our future is turning into one of the biggest investment opportunities is a lifetime, according to some experts.
While the lithium space has become crowded and chaotic, the lesser-known critical battery component — graphite — is a $23 billion bounty ripe for picking. By 2032, it is projected to be worth an estimated $43 billion.
According to John DeMaio, CEO of Graphex Technologies and president of the Graphene Division of the Graphex Group Ltd. in Warren, many don’t realize that graphite is the largest component by volume in an EV battery “because graphite goes about its business, doing its job quietly, like it’s done ever since the ‘70s.”
This isn’t about pencils. It’s about the most important element of a multi-trillion-dollar energy transition. It’s about yet another 35 percent jump in electric vehicle sales expected for 2023, and more explosive growth to follow. It’s about the raw materials that make the batteries to feed this explosive growth.
Graphite makes up 95-99 percent of the anode (negative electrode) material in lithium-ion batteries, in varying natural and synthetic combinations.
Any given lithium-ion battery can contain 15 times more graphite than lithium, making up some 25 percent of a battery’s total volume. It’s also why Elon Musk once opined that lithium-ion batteries should be called “nickel-graphite batteries.”
There is no immediately viable solution to effectively replace the lithium-ion battery. Industry-wide, the consensus is that graphite will remain the primary anode material in the foreseeable future. And North America has zero commercial production.
Yet, planned North American battery factories represent some 1 million metric tons per year of demand for graphite anode material. That makes this $23 billion market one of the best to be in.
Even more so for Graphex Group, which is creating domestic supply chains of graphite, and is strategically positioned in North America to potentially seize significant market share.
Already producing 10,000 tons per annum, Graphex currently is implementing a large-scale expansion to increase production to 20,000 tons per annum within the next 12 months, with construction completion and production implementation expected to be concluded within that timeframe, subject to typical construction scheduling.
Detroit Auto Show and Shinola Announce New Partnership
Today, the Detroit Auto Show and Shinola announced a new partnership, bringing together two iconic Detroit brands. Less than one month away, Shinola’s new Canfield Speedway Lap 06 clock face will countdown the days, hours, minutes, and seconds to the start of the Detroit Auto Show on NAIAS.com. The Detroit Auto Show runs from Sept. 13 – 24 at Huntington Place in Detroit.
Built in Detroit, Shinola will debut its new Canfield Speedway Lap 06 timepiece at the Detroit Auto Show Charity Preview, a signature fundraising gala for children’s charities, on Sept. 15 at Huntington Place. There will be elements involving the Lap 06 at Charity Preview, as well as opportunities with Shinola Hotel.
“We started a watch factory in Detroit 10 years ago because this city knows how to make things,” says Awenate Cobbina, CEO of Shinola. “The Detroit Auto Show celebrates that same grit and know-how; we are proud to partner with this historic and exciting event this year. We will provide a sneak peek of the new Canfield Speedway Lap 06 at the Charity Preview to benefit their children’s charities.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Shinola, an iconic Detroit brand that brings an exciting energy to the Detroit Auto Show,” says Thad Szott, chairman of the Detroit Auto Show.
The Canfield Speedway collection debuted in 2021 as a testament to racing’s “golden era” in the ‘50s and ‘60s. This automatic chronograph features a vintage racing-inspired tachymeter that measures the speed of a vehicle over the distance traveled. The Canfield Speedway Lap 06 timepiece comes with a 44mm brushed stainless steel case and a perforated leather strap.
FOX TV Stations Restructure Advertising Sales Division
FOX Television Stations (FTS), including FOX 2 in Detroit, is restructuring its Advertising Sales division, merging its local, national, and digital sales efforts into one streamlined unit designed to leverage the power of FOX’s news content, live sports, and digital/streaming platforms.
In making the announcement, FOX Television Stations Chief Executive Officer Jack Abernethy has named Patrick Paolini to executive vice president of ad sales. He will assume this position immediately, reporting directly to Abernethy.
In addition, Sheila Bruce has been promoted to senior vice president of FOX Ad Sales. In this role, she and Tom Fleming will oversee the FTS O&Os overall sales efforts. She joined WJBK FOX 2 Detroit in 1994 and spent two years as an account executive before she was elevated to local sales manager. Since 2001, Bruce has served as vice president and general sales manager for the station.
Throughout her tenure, she has led the most senior sales team in the history of Detroit to grow the most successful FLX sales on both linear and digital, across the entire FTS group. In addition, for the last three years in a row the station has doubled its FLX revenue from the year prior.
Olympic Gold Medalist Becomes Goldfish Swim School Franchisee in Florida
Goldfish Swim School Franchising, based in Troy, is adding four-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy to its roster of franchise owners.
Murphy, in partnership with his parents, Pat and Katy Murphy, and grandfather, Mike Sullivan, will bring Goldfish Swim School to Saint Johns, Fla.
“In my own life and in my time visiting Goldfish Swim School locations across the country, I’ve seen the positive impact that learning to swim can have on children, making them not only safer but more confident,” says Murphy. “The opportunity to bring Goldfish’s unique experience and curriculum to the community where I learned to swim was too good to let float by.”
Murphy has been a supporter of drowning prevention and awareness for years, serving as an ambassador for the USA Swimming Foundation and Speedo. From visiting Goldfish Swim Schools to participating in W.A.T.E.R. safety demos and, recently, helping to get more than 16,000 kids and adults to take the 2023 Safer Swimmer Pledge, Murphy says he’s passionate about promoting water safety and swimming skills for kids across the country.
Most recently, Murphy competed in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan where he served as co-captain for Team USA’s men’s team and earned four medals including the Gold in the 100-meter backstroke and 4×100 medley relay, Silver in the 200-meter backstroke and Bronze in the 4×100 mixed medley relay.
“Ryan has been a strong supporter of the Goldfish brand,” says Chris McCuiston, co-founder and CEO of Goldfish Swim School. “We know that the Murphy family’s passion for both the skill and the sport of swimming will make them exceptional school owners.
“This will be our ninth location in Florida and the first in the Jacksonville area. In a place where water activities are a part of everyday life, we’re proud to have one of our nation’s greatest swimmers joining us to help more children enjoy the water safely.”
The new Goldfish Swim School in Saint Johns will eventually create approximately 50 jobs in the area.
Progressive Insurance Awards $250K to Black Entrepreneurs
Progressive Insurance has announced the 10 recipients of its 2023 Driving Small Business Forward grant with Hello Alice in support of Black entrepreneurs, including Dr. Alecia Gabriel/Deirdre Roberson, co-owners of The Lab Drawer in Detroit. Each small business owner has been awarded a $25,000 grant for use toward the purchase of a commercial vehicle for their business.
Recipients were selected, in part, due to their strong applications showcasing the impact their business has on the local community.
For more information, visit here.
Hospice of Michigan Receives $50K Grant to Support Music Therapy
Hospice of Michigan in Ann Arbor recently received a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to help provide music therapy services to patients and families across the community through the Lillian E. Delmar Music Therapy Program.
The grant will help serve adult and pediatric hospice patients who reside in Oakland and Wayne counties.
Through its Integrative Therapies Program, the not-for-profit offers music therapy to provide patients with comfort and peace at the end of life. Music therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety, pain, and feelings of loneliness and depression in patients. Not only does music therapy address the needs of the patient but can also improve the quality of life for the entire family.
Through music-based interventions, Hospice of Michigan music therapist’s tap into the music that is a part of a patient’s unique story. Last year, Hospice of Michigan served 1,066 adult hospice patients and 17 pediatric hospice patients in Oakland and Wayne counties.
“This gift from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan will help us continue to ensure our patients and their families experience comfort and peace during one of life’s most sacred times,” says Roxanne Kiesling, philanthropy manager at Hospice of Michigan. “Hospice of Michigan’s Music Therapy Program offers more than just a soothing tune – it brings the beauty of the human experience to our patients through music. If it weren’t for the generosity of donors, we could not hold these visits to provide comfort and ease pain.”
For more information, visit here.
Washtenaw Community College Fall Semester Begins Aug. 28
Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor is gearing up for the 2023-2024 academic year starting Aug. 28.
Registration for classes remains open, and prospective new students may apply at any time.
The college offers flexible scheduling options and more than 135 programs to prepare students for rewarding careers or transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree. Fifty programs are fully online.
At $99 per credit, WCC’s tuition is among the lowest in Michigan for in-district students. Many scholarships are available to assist students, including the new Michigan Achievement Scholarship for 2023 high school graduates and the Michigan Reconnect scholarship. Reconnect is offered to eligible students who are age 25 and older and who do not already have a degree.
WCC’s Student Welcome Center staff members are available to assist with applications, registration and to answer questions to help current and future students, as well as parents and high school counselors and teachers.
The fall semester offers four starts, beginning with Session I on Aug. 28. Students may register for later sessions up until the time classes begin. They are Session II Sept. 20, Session III Oct. 4, and Session IV Oct. 20.
Courses with later start dates cover the same material at an accelerated pace.
New academic offerings include an associate of applied science in digital media arts and two photography certificate programs.
Advance Ypsi is a new jobs and education initiative launching this fall. The program is funded with a $2 million grant and is designed to boost the quality of life and outcomes for underrepresented populations in Ypsilanti, including 200 adult learners over a three-year period.
For more information, call 734-973-3543 or visit wccnet.edu.
