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.
NFL Alumni Detroit Charity Golf Classic Coming to Wabeek Country Club
The NFL Alumni Association Detroit Chapter’s 44th Annual Charity Golf Classic will be played June 26 at Wabeek Country Club in Bloomfield Township. The event benefits Detroit area student scholarships.
Presented by Exchange Bar and Grill in Northville, the NFL Alumni Chapter of Detroit invites the community to participate in the 10 a.m. shotgun start preceded by an 8 a.m. breakfast.
“This event is not only fun, but it is critical to help student-athletes reach their athletic and academic potential,” says Pete Chryplewicz, president of the chapter and chair of the Golf Classic. “This event impacts our community, and we are proud to bring it back again this year.”
The NFL Alumni Association supports the community through a variety of initiatives, but the Super Bowl of Golf is the nonprofit organization’s cornerstone event. In addition, thanks to the generosity of previous supporters, more than 30 high school student-athletes from Wayne County have been given scholarships since 2012.
This year, NFL Alumni Association Detroit Chapter honors Alumni of the Year Mike Martin. A University of Michigan graduate, Martin entered the NFL as an 82nd overall draft pick in the 2012 Draft.
The Golf Classic also is a qualifier for the 2024 NFL Alumni Super Bowl of Golf, a national event that features a three-day trip.
For more information, visit detroit.nflalumni.org.
UWM Rolls Out Six Fixed-rate Products to Help Brokers, Expands 1% Down Product
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) in Pontiac today announced enhancements to its Conventional 1% Down product in addition to rolling out a suite of six fixed-rate jumbo products.
Brokers now have access to more competitive jumbo pricing, along with transparent investor guidelines and loan qualifications, giving them a leg up on big banks and retail lenders. This will give loan officers the flexibility to tailor a fixed jumbo loan to each borrower’s situation, helping them get into their homes faster, cheaper, and easier, according to UWM.
The company also announced enhancements to its Conventional 1% Down product, allowing borrowers with less than 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) to qualify. Those who qualify will put down 1 percent of the loan toward their down payment and UWM will then pay a 2 percent grant up to $4,000, for a total down payment of 3 percent.
“UWM continues to push the industry forward and today’s updates are huge wins for the broker channel and consumers across the country,” says Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of UWM. “We’ve seen tremendous success with both our previous jumbo products and the initial launch of the Conventional 1% Down program. These enhancements will further expand the loan options independent mortgage brokers have access to and continue to prove that they are the best way for a consumer to get a loan.”
Toyota Honors Aristeo Construction with Top Indirect Supplier Award
Aristeo Construction of Livonia was honored as Toyota Motor North America’s (TMNA) top indirect supplier, having received the 2022 Outstanding Business Partner Award at Toyota’s recent annual award ceremony. Toyota chose Aristeo, one of the nation’s largest general contractors, for this designation out of thousands of indirect suppliers across multiple sectors.
“We are sincerely honored and humbled to receive recognition as Toyota’s top indirect supplier in 2022,” says Michelle Aristeo Barton, president of Aristeo. “I want to thank all of our incredible team members for their hard work and daily commitment to high standards of safety, quality, and customer service. I also want to thank our customers at Toyota.”
Some of the strategic projects Toyota has previously engaged Aristeo to manage include:
- A plant transformation project at Toyota Kentucky without schedule delays and a perfect safety record. Activities included three electrification-related expansion projects totaling more than 460,000 square feet of new space for body weld and paint shops.
- A 114,000-square-foot building expansion for a new four-cylinder production line with the capacity to produce engines for both combustion and hybrid electric powertrains in Huntsville, Ala.
- Kicked off construction for the new Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC) plant.
Community Financial CU Opens Fully Digital ‘Playground’ Branch in Livonia
DETROIT – May 23, 2023 – Community Financial Credit Union (CFCU), based in Plymouth Township, has opened a digital-focused branch called The Playground at 15251 Middlebelt Road in Livonia.
The Playground offers guests an experience that includes vivid mural walls; a studio for members to create video content they can share with family and friends; and playful furniture that invites visitors to relax.
“Our Playground location is just the beginning of an exploration about how we create experiences that connect us deeply with our members and communities,” says Tansley Stearns, president and CEO of CFCU. “For us, the answer to the future of a branch is about embracing the messiness of human experience. It’s human first, fueled by technology, amplified by beauty, and leaves you wanting more.”
The Playground is the 14th CFCU location, all of which are in either southeast or northern Michigan.
Macomb Township’s Triumph Geared Solutions Gets GE Business
The Macomb Township-based Geared Solutions business of Pennsylvania’s Triumph Group has been awarded a long-term agreement from General Electric (GE) to produce inlet gearboxes (IGB) for LEAP-1A, LEAP-1B, and LEAP-1C aircraft engine programs.
With this contract extension, Triumph will supply thousands of IGBs annually to GE into the next decade.
Triumph has partnered with GE on LEAP and CFM56 IGBs for more than 35 years, shipping over 25,000 gearboxes to date.
“With this award, Triumph remains GE’s preferred partner for inlet gearboxes in the single aisle market,” says Pete Gibson, president of Triumph Geared Solutions. “This extension is the result of Triumph’s investment in production capacity and the Macomb team’s quality, schedule, and cost performance across a wide range of gear and gearbox applications on GE engines.”
Kalamazoo Firm to Help Develop Enzyme for Advanced Beverage Ingredient
Kalamazoo-based food manufacturer Kalsec Inc. is working with California’s Willow Biosciences Inc. to to develop an enzyme used in biocatalytic production of a new, advanced ingredient used in natural beverage applications.
This marks the second collaborative development program the two parties have engaged in following the announcement of a master services agreement on Nov. 8, for which Willow has successfully achieved development goals.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with Willow and leverage each party’s significant domain expertise toward what we believe will be successful commercial-scale production in 2024.” says Roger Nahas, executive vice president of global R&D and chief innovation officer at Kalsec. “This work also supports Kalsec’s purpose of unlocking the potential of people, nature and science to nurture the world.”
Willow’s FutureGrown technology platform is a fully integrated, proven solution for rapid enzyme and strain engineering, process development, and scaled-up manufacturing that incorporates the latest technologies available for precision fermentation. Kalsec’s projects focus on yeast, which, among other applications, is an ideal host for production of numerous ingredients for the food and beverage sector. By working closely with its customers, the development team at Kalsec says it has identified multiple potential opportunities for collaboration and innovation in this space.
Allison Transmission Debuts Next Gen Hydraulic Fracturing Transmission in China
Allison Transmission, which has an electrification engineering center in Auburn Hills, is introducing the Allison FracTran to the energy market in China during the 23rd China International Petroleum and Petrochemical Technology and Equipment Exhibition (CIPPE) May 31-June 2.
Designed from the ground up to meet the demands of the fracturing industry, the FracTran was initially introduced in North America in 2021. Its expansion into China signifies the demand Allison is experiencing outside of North America, particularly in the energy sector, and represents an incremental growth opportunity of $100 million in annual revenue for Allison’s global off-highway end market.
“Fracturing pumps are mainly used for shale oil and shale gas extraction,” says Kartik Ramanan, executive director of global off-highway and customer support and service engineering at Allison Transmission. “In China, these resources are located deep underground. Powerful equipment is required to get fracturing pumps to the well subsurface faster and deeper. The FracTran meets the needs of energy customers by delivering high reliability and powerful performance under pressure leading to increased productivity.”
Comerica Recognized in Top 50 Community-minded Companies in U.S.
Comerica Bank has been named a 2023 honoree of The Civic 50 by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, in recognition of its support for local communities.
This marks the eighth consecutive year and ninth time overall that Comerica has earned the honor since the award’s inception in 2012, making Comerica one of only a small group of companies that have consistently achieved such high marks throughout the program’s 11-year history.
The Civic 50 is a national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how leading companies are moving social impact, civic engagement, and community to the core of their business. The Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs: investment of resources and volunteerism, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement.
“Comerica is successful when our local communities thrive, and with the support of our colleagues, we continue to work with our community partners to establish innovative programs and services,” says Wendy Bridges, executive vice president of corporate responsibility at Comerica Bank. “For 174 years, Comerica has built strong relationships with our local communities, and we look forward to continuing our legacy of making a difference in the communities we serve.”
To view the full report and see the complete list of The Civic 50 2023 honorees, visit here.
Vince & Joe’s in Clinton Township Presents $17.5K Check to Hope Network Center
Vince & Joe’s Gourmet Market in Clinton Township presented a $17,500 check on May 22 to Hope Network Center, which focuses on autism awareness and helping families navigate mental health for as young as 18 months and up to 21 years old.
The donation came from sales of Emma’s Hope sauces during 2022 and customer donations during April 2023.
Emma’s Hope sauces, named after Co-owner Joe Vitale’s autistic granddaughter, have raised more than $50,000 to date.
For more on Vince & Joe’s and the Emma’s Hope sauces visit vinceandjoes.com.
Blood Cancer Foundation to Host Scavenger Safari and Walk at Detroit Zoo June 3
The Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan (BCFM) is conducting its annual Scavenger Safari and Walk starting at 7:30 a.m. June 3 at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak.
The event is BCFM’s premier annual community event and fundraiser. It offers an opportunity to interact, team build, honor loved ones, and have fun outside while supporting thousands of local blood cancer patients.
Participants have the option to participate in a scavenger hunt or enjoy a fun walk around the zoo at their own pace. The day includes admission to the zoo, raffle, giveaways, lunch, and free parking. Participants can register as a team or as individuals. For children ages 5-13 registration is $35. For participants ages 14 and up, registration in $50. Children younger than 5 are free. Additional fundraising beyond the registration fee is encouraged and prizes are available at various fundraising levels.
Funds raised from Scavenger Safari will help the more than 3,000 patients and family members served by BCFM each year throughout Michigan, fueling programs and services that meet their needs throughout the blood cancer journey — including, disease education and resources, social work-based emotional support, financial assistance, and opportunities for social connection.
For more information and to register, visit here.
