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.
Jalen Rose and Rev. Wendell Anthony to Serve as Thanksgiving Parade Grand Marshals
The Parade Co. announced today that Jalen Rose and Rev. Wendell Anthony will serve as Grand Marshals of this year’s America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White.
“We look forward to Grand Marshals Jalen Rose and Rev. Wendell Anthony leading America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White down Woodward Avenue on Thanksgiving morning,” says Tony Michaels, president and CEO of The Parade Co. “Both are incredible community leaders who exemplify all things great in our city. It is a thrill to honor them in this year’s parade.”
Born and raised in Detroit, Rose attended Southwestern High School and the University of Michigan. In college he was part of the legendary “Fab Five” where he and his teammates led the Wolverines to back-to-back NCAA Championship game appearances.
Rose was later drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets and had a 13-year NBA career. Post retirement, he is a current ABC/ESPN analyst, New York Times bestselling author and philanthropist. His most substantial outreach initiative to date is the establishment of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy on the northwest side of Detroit. Since opening its doors in September 2011, the open enrollment, tuition free, public charter high school serves more than 400 high school students and nearly 700 alumni annually, with the mission to empower all scholars to develop the strength of character, skills, and knowledge to graduate from college or a post-secondary program and successfully take care of themselves and the people they love.
Anthony serves on the NAACP National Board of Directors, is president of the Detroit Branch NAACP, the largest unit in the nation, and pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit for nearly 40 years. The Detroit NAACP chapter hosts the largest sit-down dinner in the nation, bringing 10,000 people together each year. Anthony is the founder of nonprofit organizations Freedom Institute for Economic, Social Justice and People Empowerment, and Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee.
Educated in the Detroit Public School system, Anthony graduated from Wayne State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Marygrove College with a master’s in pastoral ministry. He attended the University of Detroit Mercy for advanced study in Black theology and is a certified social worker with the state of Michigan.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Our Great City! Detroit!!” It will be broadcast locally on WDIV and syndicated in 185 television markets across the country. WJR-AM and WOMC-FM also will broadcast parade programming.
For more information, visit theparade.org.
Alline Salon Group in Bloomfield Hills Wins Award for Best Recognition Program
Alline Salon Group in Bloomfield Hills, the largest franchise organization for Supercuts, Holiday Hair, and Cost Cutters salons, has won the 2022 Motivation Masters award for best recognition program from Northstar Meetings Group and Incentive magazine.
Augeo, an enterprise engagement and loyalty strategies company, shared the honor with Alline.
Leveraging Augeo’s workplace engagement platform, the ALLINEngage program delivers a custom-branded experience to facilitate connection, expand recognition, and promote retention throughout the Alline Salon Group network. Consolidating engagement initiatives into a central hub enables Alline to advance a culture of recognition aligned with brand values.
“Employee engagement has never been more important,” says Mike Sarafa, co-founder and CEO at Alline Salon Group. “We are excited to have been awarded Best Recognition Program by Northstar Meetings Group.
“Our partnership with Augeo has provided us with a platform to recognize employees who go above and beyond in their performance and reward involvement in charitable giving and wellness challenges. In an environment where employees are looking for better work-life balance, this program has been a homerun for us.”
The program extended gratitude and encouraged cultural alignment throughout the salon network, offering thousands of rewards within the first four months. Timely recognitions, employee spotlights, surprise-and-delight drawings and performance-based awards were central to the program’s success.
“We have the extraordinary opportunity of being in a people-centric business — and our team members are our most treasured asset,” says Torrey Adragna, chief people officer at Alline Salon Group. “It is our ongoing passion to invent unique and better ways to improve their employment experience.
“Our engagement platform is an extension of our core values, which live in the heart of everything we do for our team. Augeo is the perfect partner in helping us realize our dream of building and evolving a platform that provides several rewarding opportunities and ongoing interactions with the Alline family. This platform is an extremely powerful tool and is a distinct market advantage as we remain laser focused on recruiting and retention in a competitive market. We are ALL IN for our team and are extremely proud to be recognized with the Motivational Masters award.”
Participants of the program also were empowered to donate reward points for social good — including nonprofit organizations such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
ACG Detroit Women Presenting ‘Growing with Purpose’ Nov. 3 in Birmingham
ACG Detroit Women is presenting “Growing with Purpose: A Story of Intentional Leadership and M&A Success” from 4-7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.
The event will feature Lauren Sclesky, CEO of VersiCare Group. The discussion will cover strategies to maintain culture in an acquisitive environment as well as touch on the importance of intentional leadership — highlighting Sclesky’s experience evolving a company from private ownership to a PE-backed platform company.
To register, visit here.
Troy Chamber to Host 17th Annual Nonprofit Management Conference Nov. 3
The Troy Chamber of Commerce and its Non-Profit Network (NPN) will host the 17th Annual Nonprofit Management Conference, presented by DTE from 8 a.m-2 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Oakland University.
The conference returns to an in-person format and marks 17 years of revenue sharing given to nonprofit Troy Chamber organizations, made possible by the conference’s sponsorship and ticket sales.
This event is presented by DTE and supported by Oakland University, Oakland County Business Forward, SMART, IFF, Detroit Philanthropy, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Guiding Force Consulting LLC, Trion Solutions, and Cinch IT.
“This is one of my favorite events of the year,” says Tara Tomcsik-Husak, president and CEO of the Troy Chamber of Commerce. “Not only does it provide great educational sessions for our nonprofit organizations, it also provides our nonprofit members additional funds to support their missions, as the profits of this event go directly back to their organizations.”
The NPN Management Conference provides educational resources and networking in a one-day event that can be used to help nonprofits adapt and grow their skills. Not only should participants expect to leave armed and inspired with more knowledge, they should leave with a donation to their organization, made possible by the conference’s profit sharing, says the chamber.
The conference begins with a presentation from keynote speaker Caroline Altman Smith, Deputy Director of The Kresge Foundation. Her presentation will paint the picture of where philanthropy is today and focus on ways local organizations can partner with foundations to increase their impact.
The conference then continues with nine speakers divided into three educational sessions. Attendees have the option to select one presentation in each of the three sessions. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Session topics include:
- Data for Nonprofits
- Marketing/Communications
- Public Relations
- Fundraising/Grants
- Engaging Donors/Board Members
Tickets for the conference are $50 for Troy Chamber members and Michigan Nonprofit Association members and $80 for non-members. This year, the chamber is offering a free ticket to nonprofits who join the Troy Chamber before Nov. 1 For more information on joining the Troy Chamber, please contact Surab Deb at surab@troychamber.com.
For more details on the event, including speakers and session topics, visit here.
Genisys Credit Union Launches Commercial Kitchen Renovation and Fundraising Effort for Lighthouse
Lighthouse, a Pontiac-based nonprofit building equitable communities that alleviate poverty, is pleased to announce a partnership with Genisys Credit Union to renovate and restore a commercial kitchen at Lighthouse’s headquarters, located at 46156 Woodward Avenue in Pontiac.
The kitchen, which has not been used in more than a decade, will be brought up to code with a new layout and new appliances to provide meals for emergency shelter residents. Since Lighthouse does not currently have a commercial kitchen, all meals for the shelter are being brought in or cooked off site at other commercial kitchens.
An open house to showcase renovation plans will take place Wednesday, October 19 from 8 – 10:30 a.m. at the Lighthouse Community Room (Door C), 46156 Woodward Avenue in Pontiac. Speakers from Lighthouse and Genisys Credit Union will be on hand to talk about next steps and the importance of this project.
“With the drive and passion to do so, Lighthouse is making fundamental change possible in our communities through their commitment to partnership and advocacy,” says Jackie Buchanan, president and CEO of Genisys Credit Union. “Standing alongside them, we share in their mission of eliminating homelessness in our communities with projects like the commercial kitchen and we are grateful to offer support to move their mission forward.”
Genisys Credit Union provided an initial $60,000 gift to support the kitchen project. They have since raised additional funds with their employees and are working to raise another $25,000 to purchase appliances, food, and other equipment needed for the kitchen.
This latest project is an extension of Genisys Credit Union’s ongoing support and partnership with Lighthouse. Over the last three years, the credit union has donated $164,000 to Lighthouse including financial support for its Thanksgiving program which distributes turkeys to more than 2,000 households annually, sponsorships, and more.
Genisys employees have also rolled up their sleeves and put in more than 140 hours volunteering to pack and deliver food and renovate a smaller kitchen at Lighthouse’s new Family Emergency Shelter. In addition, Genisys has engaged its partners to give financially, including acting as a catalyst for the Michigan Credit Union League to support Lighthouse through their annual golf outing.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the need for emergency food and shelter in our community has skyrocketed and that need always escalates during the holiday season and the cold winter months,” says Lighthouse CEO Ryan Hertz. “Having committed partners like Genisys Credit Union is what it will take to alleviate homelessness and tackle this massive problem in our community — we cannot do it alone. Restoring our commercial kitchen so groups and congregation volunteers can prepare meals for our shelter guests, and even teach cooking classes, will enable us to better serve the community. We are truly grateful to the dedicated team at Genisys Credit Union for providing the support needed to make it happen.”
A timeline and other details for the commercial kitchen project are still being finalized. Anyone who would like to contribute to the renovation effort can do so here.
