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.
Michigan Panthers Tickets on Sale Now for USFL Season
Tickets, starting at $10, are on sale now for Michigan Panthers USFL games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit that begin April 30.
Group savings start at 10 fans and those larger than 50 will have access to exclusive on-field experiences that include getting a high five from the Panthers, playing and taking photos on the field and other post-game activities. Family plans and partial plans will be announced closer to the start of the season.
The pricing for Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars is as follows:
- Corner individual game tickets: $10
- Sideline individual game tickets: $25
- Club individual game tickets: $40
Season tickets that include access to all nine USFL games at Ford Field:
- Corner season tickets: $25
- Sideline season tickets: $75
- Club season tickets: $100
Led by Coach Mike Nolan, the Panthers first home game is slated for Sunday, April 30 against the New Jersey Generals. Tickets and the schedule for all home games are available by visiting here.
123NET Provides Dual Paths of Fiber Internet to Fenton Community
Southfield-based fiber internet provider 123NET announced that it is expanding its presence in the Fenton community with new fiber construction to provide better connectivity and reliability to the city’s businesses, neighborhoods, and underserved areas.
This latest fiber investment follows 123NET’s July 2022 announcement of a new 130-mile fiber route along the I-75 corridor from Southfield to Bay City to be built in partnership with Peninsula Fiber Network. 123NET is building from that backbone to connect the Fenton route, which will provide dual service paths through the community and dramatically improves service for those who connect.
Options for connectivity along the I-75 corridor are sparce, with many areas like Fenton only offering Charter Communications service options.
The Fenton path adds more than five miles of new fiber while also replacing outdated copper circuits that were still in use in some parts of the county. Construction will be built concurrently with the Southfield to Bay City route, which in its entirety will be completed near the end of 2024.
“As 123NET continues to invest in our long-haul fiber network, we open new opportunities to better serve the state’s municipalities, businesses and residents along our routes,” says Chuck Irvin, vice president of 123NET. “We’re really excited about Fenton as it is one of the largest business hubs between Pontiac and Flint and is growing rapidly.”
123NET fiber offers up to 400 gigabits per second with speeds up to 100x times faster than cable. Businesses that are interested in fiber connectivity are encouraged to review 123NET’s Network Map. The closer a business is to 123NET’s existing fiber, the easier, and more affordable, it is to connect. 123NET has fiber hubs in southeast Michigan, including metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Flint, Port Huron, and Kalamazoo.
Capital Impact Partners Awards $415K in Grants to Developers of Color
Capital Impact Partners has awarded $415,000 in grants to 16 real estate projects led by developers of color in the Detroit area.
Those 16 projects are being led by 19 alumni of the Equitable Development Initiative. This Capital Impact Partners program helps local real estate developers of color take a leadership role in shaping Detroit’s redevelopment landscape — including more affordable housing and space for small businesses — so that projects that affect the local community are led by people who are actually from the community.
The projects are expected to rehabilitate or develop more than 293,000 square feet of new and rehabbed space; 262 residential units, including the creation of 93 units at or below 80 percent of the area median income; and 29 commercial units throughout Detroit and Highland Park.
The awards, ranging from $10,000 to $75,000, are designed to provide crucial early-stage capital — often some of the hardest capital for developers to come by — to help EDI alumni move their projects forward.
Since 2021, Capital Impact Partners has delivered a total of $546,500 in grants to developers of color in Detroit.
These grants help the developers secure pre-development services — giving them a better understanding of whether a project is viable, helping them expedite the timeline for the project, and alleviating their equity burden and early-stage risks.
The awards were made possible with funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.
The developers receiving grants are:
- Anthony Askew
- Darius Bennett and Cecily King Plummer
- Chase Cantrell, Damon Dickerson, and Brandon Hodges
- Edward Carrington
- Ponce D. Clay
- Yvonne Cross
- Charles Dickerson III
- Rashard Dobbins
- Samantha Jenkins
- Karasi Development Group
- Bobby D. Lewis
- Alisha Moss and Jeffrey Policicchio
- Chad Rhodes, Clayton Neal, and Kishon Harbert
- Tanya Stephens
- Luis Antonio Uribegan
- Terence Willis
TeamUp in Ann Arbor and WIFA Announce Strategic Partnership
Fitness management software company TeamUp in Ann Arbor, a DaySmart company, and the Women in Fitness Association (WIFA) are celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day by announcing their new strategic partnership and commitment to empowering female fitness business owners.
In 2022, WIFA launched a global study that revealed 70 percent of self-employed gym owners identify as male, whereas only 29 percent of self-employed gym owners identify as female. WIFA has made it their mission to not only advocate for more opportunities for women in fitness, but to provide education, support, and resources for women to develop personally and professionally in the fitness industry.
“At TeamUp, we hear from our customers all the time about the need for industry-specific education and training, and especially so from our women-owned businesses,” says Jessica Armstrong, community and partnerships manager at TeamUp. “WIFA’s aim to see more women in the boardroom and give all females in fitness a voice, is an initiative we at TeamUp are proud to champion and support.”
Sharnae Ellis, community health and wellness program manager at the American Council on Exercise, says: “We admire TeamUp’s commitment and investment to empower all women in fitness to achieve their goals. Together, we hope to foster career growth for our shared communities through providing WIFA membership opportunities, hosting open networking events, and sharing tools and resources that promote personal and professional development.”
To kick off the partnership and celebrate Women’s History Month, TeamUp is sponsoring 15 memberships for female fitness business owners to join the WIFA community, providing access to members-only events and experiences designed to support their business growth. TeamUp and WIFA are also hosting a free webinar for all females in the fitness industry and allies on Empowering Women in Fitness.
For more information, visit goteamup.com.
Northville’s Tipping Point Theatre to Present ‘Steel Magnolias’
Tipping Point Theatre (TPT) in Northville continues its 15th season at 8 p.m. April 13 at with “Steel Magnolias.”
Based on author Robert Harling’s real-life observations of his mother’s and sister’s weekly “disappearances” into the “forbidden world” of the neighborhood beauty salon, Harling recalled that the women seemed to emerge from the salon transformed — not only in physical appearance but spiritually, holistically, having shared a secret, sacred space with other women.
The beauty salon was a world that embodied “feminine mystique” in a way that was simply alien to men.
“Steel Magnolias” also was written to honor Harling’s sister who died at an early age from type-1 diabetes.
The production is directed by TPT Co-Producing Artistic Director Jamie Warrow, her first time directing for the organization.
For show times and tickets, visit tippingpointtheatre.com.
