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.
Inn Season Kitchen to Take Over GreenSpace & Go Site in Royal Oak
Royal Oak’s Inn Season Café will open a second, fast-casual location at 32867 Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak on or about May 1, taking over a space formerly occupied by GreenSpace & Go, which closes permanently today.
“I’m so pleased to be able to offer some of Inn Season’s fan favorites like our Budapest Mushroom Soup, the Big Baprawski burger, desserts, gluten-free items, and more in a fast-casual format, and to carry on the plant-based tradition at this location,” says Nick Raftis, owner of Inn Season Café, celebrating its 40th year of serving vegan and vegetarian fare in downtown Royal Oak. “It’s good timing given that Inn Season Café has been closed for renovations since early last summer. We look forward to bringing delicious plant-based food to both loyal and new customers.”
Raftis will assume the lease from GreenSpace & Go owner Dr. Joel Kahn, a preventive cardiologist, author, and Wayne State University School of Medicine professor who also launched GreenSpace Café in Ferndale, which closed last year.
“The joy of our plant-based journey has been to serve hundreds of thousands of healthy meals in the Detroit area since 2015,” says Kahn. “Passing the baton to Inn Season Kitchen continues that commitment and my wife Karen, my son Daniel and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful.”
Detroit Nonprofits Partner to Improve Health of Underserved Youth
Detroit nonprofits Central City Integrated Health (CCIH) and Covenant House Michigan (CHM) announced today they are working together to support youth and young adults seeking stability, health care, and housing in metro Detroit.
HUD data reports that one in 10 young adults ages 18-24 will experience homelessness in a given year. Risk factors for homelessness in this age group include aging out of foster care, involvement in the juvenile justice system, identifying as LGBTQ, or being part of Black and Latinx communities.
“Many of our young men and women who come to Covenant House Michigan have gone without necessary basic needs such as medical and dental services,” says Gerald J. Piro, executive director of Covenant House Michigan. “The partnership with Central City Integrated Health will allow our residents, who have experienced homelessness, convenient access to comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health care.”
CHM empowers young people to overcome homelessness and trafficking, and find hope and progress by strengthening their resilience through relentless support, unconditional love, and absolute respect.
CCIH is a federally qualified health center that provides integrated, comprehensive health and wellness services – including medical, dental, and behavioral – to Detroit and Wayne County residents.
“Our partnership with Covenant House Michigan will provide access to much-needed health care services to the underserved youth in our community,” says Dr. Kimberly Farrow, president of CCIH. “We deeply respect the work Covenant House Michigan provides and are thrilled to support the health and wellbeing of homeless young adults.”
Under the agreement, CCIH agreed to:
- Provide health services to Covenant House Michigan residents, regardless of ability to pay, including: comprehensive primary care, preventive care, and related services.
- Provide all necessary patient information to Covenant House Michigan staff as needed for patient care and to ensure coordination and continuity of care.
- Assist patients who need help facilitating appropriate coverage through assistance programs such as Medicaid.
- Work with Covenant House Michigan staff regarding any clinical or non-clinical issues or concerns.
CHM has agreed to:
- Refer young adults in the Covenant House Michigan shelter and transitional living programs who are in need of routine or emergent physical health care.
- Refer for behavioral health services when youth are experiencing a mental health crisis or in need of behavioral health services.
- Provide access to space when needed, for the Health Center staff to conduct informational health education workshops or health fairs.
- Work with CCIH staff to ensure continuity in health services once youth have discharged from Covenant House Michigan.
For more information about CCIH, visit here. For more information about CHM, visit here.
Detroit Tigers Announce Sponsorship Agreement with BetMGM
The Detroit Tigers announced today that BetMGM, a leading sports betting and digital gaming operator, has become an official gaming partner under the terms of a multi-year sponsorship agreement.
Highlights of the sponsorship in the gaming category include BetMGM branding on scoreboards throughout Comerica Park, fan-focused promotions, integrated social media content, and more.
“We’re excited to expand our relationship with BetMGM to feature the Detroit Tigers and Comerica Park,” says Peter Kent, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for the team. “Our fans will enjoy the enhancements this partnership provides to their experience, both at the ballpark and in rooting on the Tigers from home.”
As part of the multi-year deal, BetMGM will be integrated across the Tigers’ digital and social platforms, including the MLB Ballpark App. BetMGM signage also will be prominently featured at Comerica Park, including on the out-of-town scoreboard and the speed pitch LED board.
“From day one, it’s been a priority for us to develop deep relationships with Michigan’s beloved sports teams,” says Matt Prevost, chief revenue officer at BetMGM. We look forward to our partnership with the Detroit Tigers and engaging with their fan base to offer best-in-class promotions and benefits only available on BetMGM.”
David Tsai, president of the MGM Resorts’ Midwest Group, says, “The Detroit Tigers are a central part of the Michigan sports scene and bring an undeniable energy to the city. MGM Grand Detroit is ready to welcome Tigers and sports betting fans to our BetMGM Sports Lounge before, during, and after games for an innovative and exciting experience.”
The BetMGM app is available for download in Michigan on both iOS and Android and accessible via desktop here. As BetMGM continues to expand its platforms to new states, responsible gaming education remains a key focus, says BetMGM, which provides resources to help customers play responsibly.
ARCH Cutting Tools Launches Expanded Patriot High Performance Drill Portfolio
ARCH Cutting Tools in Bloomfield Hills is announcing the launch of its newly expanded Patriot High Performance drill portfolio.
According to the company, the new Patriot HP portfolio offers more, and more versatile, high-performance tools from solid carbide to indexable milling options in addition to indexable and solid drilling.
“The newly expanded Patriot HP portfolio is the result of our unique ARCH Cutting Tools development process,” says Bill Orris, director of product development and custom solutions for ARCH Cutting Tools. “Our company’s engineers and craftsmen, using knowledge and proven solutions learned over decades of success, now provide the industry a comprehensive collection of high-performance products that significantly elevate our KEO and Ultra-Dex product portfolios.
“Customers in any industry segment now can get high performance tools, general purpose tools, solid carbide tools, and indexable tools — all from a single, American, expert source,” Orris says.
Orris also emphasized that the Patriot HP portfolio offers 100 percent American-made quality and reliability, increased productivity and operational efficiency, and a potential gain of 20 percent or more in process improvement.
GoFor Launches ‘Shop Local’ Program in Detroit, Offers Businesses 5 Free Deliveries
Canadian last-mile, on-demand delivery, and logistics marketplace GoFor Industries is offering businesses in Detroit a new “shop local” program offering five free deliveries to the first 100 businesses that apply and qualify to test drive its service.
The effort is meant to serve the needs of businesses and their customers who require goods delivered locally, same-day, door to door. To further support the local businesses, GoFor can provide signage and digital marketing tools to help these businesses communicate that they are open and can get their goods in the hands of their valued customers the same day they order them.
“We have witnessed a surge in demand for reliable, same-day delivery as customers increasingly make purchases online and expect rapid delivery,” says Brad Rollo, CEO of GoFor Industries. “Businesses are under more threat than ever and same-day delivery is table stakes in order to compete and stay open.
“GoFor’s delivery business and logistics platform specializes in trucks of all sizes that can deliver within three hours locally on the same-day. We hope this ‘shop local’ effort will help boost local businesses by allowing them to test out our service and provide their customers with goods they might not be able to retrieve quickly as a result of the pandemic.”
GoFor also is offering the program to businesses in Boston, Philadelphia, and Phoenix.
“GoFor understands that local businesses need to compete with Amazon’s level of delivery and that they need to have fast, on-demand, and flexible shipping capabilities,” Rollo says. “We level the playing field for everyone from the small mom and pop store to the big boxes who all need to find a way to meet the shipping needs of their customers. Predictable and quick delivery in hours instead of days is the new standard, so the option to access a three-hour delivery service, has never been more critical, to a business’s survival.”
GoFor recently announced a partnership with the California-based, electric vehicle Fleet-as-a-Service (FaaS) provider, Royale EV and secured $20 million in Series A Funding, late last year, to finance expansion into new cities and boost their presence in existing locations.
Forgotten Harvest Receives $25M Gift, Will Optimize Food Security Network
Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park, which received a $25 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s $25 million gift in December 2020, announced today that the next phase of strategic planning is underway to address critical areas of community need, focusing on additional ways of creating a sustainable emergency food security network for metro Detroit.
This will include establishing a flexible distribution model that meets the everchanging needs of the community.
Forgotten Harvest says it will continue to optimize the food rescue and sourcing from its diverse supply chains to assure a nutritional mix of food and plans to make additional data investments to improve business decisions to align community need with supply.
“We are honored, humbled, and deeply grateful to be selected from such a large group of nonprofits for this gift and see it as an independent endorsement at the highest level of our strategic vision, community impact, and operational sustainability,” says Kirk Mayes, CEO of Forgotten Harvest. “The need in metro Detroit is great and unfortunately continues to grow. The money will allow us to look at large-scale opportunities to impact the food security network and create a sustainable & innovative model of food rescue.
“As a community-funded organization with a 30-year history serving metro Detroit, we take stewardship of our donor’s contributions very seriously. We are committed to improving the access and supply of fresh, healthy, nutritional food for our community’s most vulnerable populations, including many people now facing need due to the pandemic, including children, seniors, and veterans. We know that we have more work to do. This extraordinary gift will help us as we plan for additional strategic initiatives, including assuring a dynamic distribution model that addresses the ever-changing needs of our community.”
Rick DiBartolomeo, chairman of the board of Forgotten Harvest, says, “Ms. Scott’s thoughtful approach to identifying organizations discovered what our long-time donors have always known — Forgotten Harvest has a proven track record of taking care of the community. The staff’s response to the overwhelming challenges caused by the pandemic is spectacular. I see this gift as recognition of Forgotten Harvest’s dedicated hard work and effective impact. We are extremely grateful for Ms. Scott’s investment in Forgotten Harvest’s mission.”
Birmingham’s Our Town Art Show and Sale Goes Virtual
The 36th Annual Our Town Art Show and Sale, which benefits local artists, will take place virtually April 22-May 6.
The Community House, which organizes the show, decided to take the event online, allowing art enthusiasts the opportunity to appreciate the skills and the talents of the region’s many artists and to purchase a work of art.
The annual juried art show includes more than 200 works of art ranging from paintings, pastels, sculptures, photography, fiber works, jewelry, and mixed media, all created by Michigan artists. Sixty-five percent of the proceeds from the art sales will go directly to the region’s artists.
When the show goes live April 22, art enthusiasts may view and purchase art by visiting here.
Cannabis Center of Excellence at Lake Superior State Installs New Equipment
The Cannabis Center of Excellence (CCoE) at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie recently upgraded its cannabis analysis instrumentation in ways that benefit not only the industry but also environmental science.
The newly installed Agilent 1290 Infinity II UHPLC and Ultivo QQQ mass spectrometer, in conjunction with the repurposing of existing equipment Agilent 6470 QQQ, allows the CCoE to analyze residual pesticides and mycotoxins in cannabis products and the Center for Freshwater Research and Education at LSSU to identify persistent pollutants such as perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFAs).
“This is a game-changer in one more than field,” says Benjamin Southwell, assistant professor of chemistry and coordinator of the CCoE. “The opportunity to enhance our cannabis analysis capabilities and leverage our existing facilities to promote freshwater science is the latest example of the value of the high-impact experiences LSSU is known for.”
The residual pesticides and mycotoxins are regulated by the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Authority in the cannabis products sold throughout the state. The Ulitivo separates and detects 72 pesticides and five mycotoxins in less than eight minutes.
“LSSU continues to set the bar when it comes to hands-on education and preparation for the next generation of cannabis and environmental scientists,” says Cameron George, sales director and cannabis program manager for Agilent Technologies.
Rodney S. Hanley, president of LSSU, says, “In 2019, we established the first cannabis chemistry program in the nation, and this latest step forward epitomizes part of our vision statement to be innovation-driven and transformative. It furthers our imperative to stand at the forefront of student learning and development, sustainability, and community partnerships, all pillars of our strategic plan. And it follows our mission statement to equip graduates with the knowledge and practical skills to craft a life of meaningful employment while improving the quality of life of the Great Lakes region and the world.”
