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.
Metro 94 Commerce Center in Taylor Will Transform Former Landfill
The Metro 94 Commerce Center Redevelopment Project will redevelop approximately 70 acres of former landfill property in the city of Taylor, including the construction of an approximately 531,500-square-foot multi-tenant industrial building for light manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution use.
The project is expected to result in a total capital investment of $40 million, and when fully occupied, could result in the creation of up to 185 full-time jobs.
The site, located east of Inkster Road, north of I-94, and south of Beverly Road, has been underutilized for decades and will advance the revitalization efforts being made in this industrial area of Taylor. This project returns the site to productive use and helps to build Michigan’s site portfolio.
The City of Taylor Brownfield Redevelopment Authority received Michigan Strategic Fund approval of state tax capture valued at $1,928,439 to be used to reimburse for brownfield-related activities at the site. The city of Taylor is supporting the project through the approval of local tax capture valued at $3,506,845. The project also is requesting $10,690,749 in tax increment financing from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to assist with environmental eligible activities.
In addition to addressing the blight and contamination, the reactivation of approximately 531,500 square feet of industrial space is expected to help address the shortage of space Taylor, metro Detroit, and the state. The project is expected to result in an increase of approximately $10.5 million in the taxable value of the property.
The development entity, Metro 94 Commerce Center, LLC, is an affiliate of Ashley Capital and was created in 2022 for the development of the site in the city of Taylor. Established in 1984, Ashley Capital has a successful track record of utilizing available sites or remedying blighted properties to breathe life back into these sites, often before tenants are even secured to fill them.
Farm Meets Fork with Bistro Polaris at Black Star Farms
Bistro Polaris at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay, featuring Mediterranean style cuisine — combining global flavors and food specialties with local ingredients —will open May 25.
Mediterranean inspired, with a focus on local farms and award-winning wines, guests can expect to find global cuisine with a casual vibe in the new year-round bistro. Wine dinners, Neapolitan style wood-fired pizzas, local greens, panini, artisanal appetizers, and local ice cream flavor the menu.
Guest also will find BSF focaccia bites made with the restaurant’s own Pinot Noir wine grape flour.
While enjoying outdoor dining, guests may see the occasional horse canter past, hear goats bleating in the pasture, or watch grapes coming in from harvest.
Bistro Polaris is inspired by Chef John Korycki, who grew up in one of Chicago’s Polish neighborhoods where he enjoyed his mom’s simple, rustic Polish cooking. Now, he specializes in Italian fare. He opened Zazios Italian Restaurant in Kalamazoo in 2004.
For more information, hours of operation, menu, and reservations, visit here.
Am Law Ranks Detroit’s Taft as 82nd Largest Law Firm in U.S.
The Taft law firm in Detroit has been named to the Am Law 100 for the second consecutive year, increasing its ranking by 18 spots as reported by The American Lawyer. Taft is ranked as the 82nd largest law firm in the United States by revenues.
The Am Law list is one of the most prestigious rankings in the legal profession.
Taft increased its 2022 revenues by 32 percent over its 2021 revenues. The increased revenues resulted from 15 percent organic growth and 17 percent from its merger with Detroit-area firm Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, effective Dec. 31, 2022. This growth has allowed Taft to invest in strategic lateral hires and modern initiatives, including its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and innovative solutions to better serve its clients.
With Taft’s 2022 expansion into the Detroit market through the Jaffe merger, together with its robust organic growth, the firm is now comprised of approximately 825 attorneys in eight primary Midwest markets and the District of Colombia.
Ascent in Belleville Earns Cost-cutting Honors from John Deere
Ascent, a Belleville-based global logistics company, has earned recognition for 2022 in the John Deere Cost Reduction Opportunities Process (JD CROP).
JD CROP, a supplier suggestion process, is part of Deere & Co.’s Achieving Excellence program. Ascent received the honor for providing cost-reduction ideas of “outstanding quality” and for demonstrating commitment to continuous improvement. Company employees accepted the recognition during formal ceremonies April 11 in Moline, Ill.
Ascent is a supplier of unplanned, time-critical logistics to support Deere & Co.’s inbound JIT supply chain across North America. Ascent previously received a Supplier Innovation award in 2015, was named a John Deere Supplier of the Year in 2016, received Hall of Fame recognition in 2019 and has earned recognition as a Partner-Level Supplier for eight consecutive years.
Mitsubishi Motors to Launch World’s First Real-time Cinematic Vehicle Configurator
Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., which has an R&D facility in Ann Arbor, announced an extension to its existing partnership with ZeroLight, this time to launch a world-first real-time cinematic configurator experience.
This system is designed to empower customers to configure their ideal 2023 Outlander Plug-In Hybrid on the move as it travels through an epic, photorealistic mountain pass. MMNA is using the ZeroLight visualization platform to show potential customers what their new Mitsubishi Outlander could look like as they change colors, trim levels and factory accessories.
“Our goal is to elevate the customer experience with every interaction a consumer has with the brand,” says Kim Ito, vice president of marketing at MMNA. “Enhancing that experience through digital innovation is both a competitive advantage and a customer benefit.
“Through our ongoing partnership with ZeroLight, we can now offer a smarter, more compelling and connected way for consumers to shop and purchase Mitsubishi vehicles. It dovetails nicely with our existing ClickShop digital showroom experience and is the latest evidence of our drive to lead the industry through advanced technology.”
During phase one of MMNA’s ZeroLight partnership as part of the launch of the then-new 2022 Outlander SUV, the Zerolight platform powered an interactive real-time 3-D experience that allowed customers to explore their new Outlander in five virtual environments.
For phase two, the experience now offers a real-time cinematic configurator experience — a world’s first, according to the automaker. This will enable customers to configure a 2023 Outlander Plug-In Hybrid on the move as it travels through a photorealistic mountain pass, changing exterior colors and trim levels, and adding or removing accessories.
Once customers have arrived at their preferred specification, they can access a personalized interactive microsite that features automatically generated images and videos of their chosen vehicle, ready to be shared on social media.
The experience is engineered with an advanced data layer that will empower MMNA and their partner agencies to personalize every customer journey. This capability gives MMNA countless creative opportunities to surprise and delight customers with all subsequent touchpoints, while providing a seamless experience that places each customer at the center of their own buying journey.
One of the key technology breakthroughs that enabled this world’s first is that the digital experience is streamed in real time from the cloud, rather than reliant upon the processing power of the customer’s device itself to create and display the content. Because the ZeroLight technology is web-based, it is universally accessible and is expected to perform consistently on any device, wherever the user may be. In some cases, this can effectively multiply the device’s processing power by up to 10x.
To experience the new technology, visit here.
Meijer Pharmacies Prepare to Collect Unwanted Medications April 22
As part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22, Meijer pharmacists are preparing for an influx of customers to come in and dispose of their unused and expired medications.
The retailer is encouraging its customers to take advantage of the program that collected 3 tons of medications during the spring 2022 event.
“Although spring cleaning is top of mind right now for many people, it’s easy to forget about clearing out medicine cabinets,” says Jackie Morse, vice president of Meijer Pharmacy. “The Meijer Drug Take Back Program helps our customers remove the risk of an unforeseen medication accident and helps keep medications out of our waterways and environment, by providing a secure place to dispose of them. It adds a convenience to one-stop shopping and is a great way to dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medications.”
Items that are not accepted as part of the program include needles or other sharps, inhalers, mercury thermometers, medications that contain iodine and illicit drugs.
Once the medications are dropped into the kiosks, Meijer pharmacists follow procedures to properly document, transport, and dispose of medications on a regular basis. The Meijer Drug Take Back Program complies with the rules and safety guidelines established by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and HIPAA privacy laws.
To find a Meijer Pharmacy, visit here.
