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.
Rocket Mortgage Classic Offering Enhanced Fan Experiences for 2023
The Rocket Mortgage Classic (RMC), which tees off at Detroit Golf Club from June 27-July 2, will offer enhanced experiences when they arrive at the club this year.
The RMC has two new viewing decks open to all fans for 2023, and now offers a total of six viewing decks throughout the golf course that are accessible without an upgraded ticket, more than any other PGA Tour event.
The Pitstop presented by Penske Corp. is a new fan deck located at the 17th tee that provides a place for fans to enjoy beverages and generate excitement for the players as they tee off on the par 5 17th hole.
The Birdie Deck presented by Michelob Ultra also is a new addition this year, perched behind the 11th green, where fans have views of holes 11, 12, and 13.
The Treehouse presented by Michelob ULTRA returns for a second year, and offers an even larger viewing deck behind the green at the par-3 fifth hole, also overlooking the seventh green and eighth tee. The Treehouse has been moved closer to the fifth green to provide even better views and create an up-close feel. Tournament officials say the Treehouse is one of the best locations at the RMC for watching golf, offering views of nearly every hole on the front nine.
The High Noon Sun Deck overlooks the 17th green and has been expanded to include more public seating for 2023.
The Craft Cocktail Lounge is the perfect spot to enjoy a Detroit Full Swing signature beverage located above the green at the par-3 ninth hole, also offering views of the first tee.
The Eagle Casino & Sports Lounge is directly in the heart of Area 313. Raised above the tee at the par-3 15th hole, fans can hope to see a hole-in-one while also watching PGA Tour pros tee off on the par-4 16th and catching them coming down the stretch on the 18th hole.
A new Cobra Puma basketball activation in Area 313 Village will give fans a chance to work on their jump shots while also checking out exciting new lines of basketball and golf apparel from Puma.
The RMC’s Fan Shop has been relocated to the main entrance so it is easily accessible as fans enter and exit the grounds.
Also at the main entrance, a bag check has been added. Tournament merchandise can be checked for free, allowing fans to shop for their favorite RMC-branded items before they sell out and then not have to carry those items around the course for the day. Fans also can check oversized bags or other items that they happen to carry with them to the main entrance that are on the PGA Tour’s prohibited items list, for a small fee.
In other RMC News: Rocket Mortgage announced that Thursday, June 29, will be known as “Bow Tie Day” at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Bow Tie Day will honor Nick Gilbert, the late son of Dan and Jennifer Gilbert, as well as raise funds for NF Forward, an organization committed to funding research to advance a cure for neurofibromatosis (NF).
Each caddy bib on Thursday will feature an image of the Rocket Mortgage Classic bow tie on the front. The back of the bib will display the name “Nick Gilbert” in place of each player’s name. Upon the conclusion of play, players will sign each bib, which will be given to NF Forward to raise funds for NF research.
Tickets for Thursday-Sunday competition rounds are available at RocketMortgageClassic.com.
Schedule of tournament events
Saturday, June 24, The John Shippen National Golf Invitational – Round 1 (Closed to all fans)
Sunday, June 25, The John Shippen National Golf Invitational – Final Round (Free access)
Tuesday, June 27, Detroit Community Days, PGA Tour practice rounds (Free access)
- Gates open at 10 a.m.
- First Tee – Great Detroit Youth Clinic at 2 p.m. at the driving range
- Area 313 Celebrity Scramble (Holes 14-16) at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, June 28, Detroit Community Days (Free access)
- Gates open at 6:45 a.m.
- Delta Dental Pro-Am at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (all day)
Thursday, June 29, RMC Round 1
- Gates open at 6:45 a.m.
- Hospitality venues open at 9 a.m.
Friday, June 30, Round 2
- Gates open at 6:45 a.m.
- Hospitality venues open at 9 a.m.
Saturday, July 1, Round 3
- Gates open at 7:15 a.m.
- Hospitality venues open at 9 a.m.
Sunday, July 2, Round 4
- Gates open at 7:15 a.m.
- Hospitality venues open at 9 a.m.
- Championship ceremony on the 18th green immediately after play
Detroit’s Actify Provides Supply Chain Solutions to German Manufacturer
Actify, the Detroit-based provider of visualization and program management solutions for the automotive supply chain, has announced that Germany’s WISA Werkzeug-und Formenbau GmbH adopted SpinFire Enterprise to provide its employees with access to 2-D and 3-D CAD files.
The Actify product is designed to reduce administrative overhead of managing licenses, streamlining documentation workflows, and simplify data exchange with customers, increasing communication and overall job efficiency.
Headquartered in Bavaria, WISA Werkzeug- und Formenbau is a medium-sized company that develops and manufactures technically sophisticated tooling and molds for customers across a variety of industries, including automotive.
Historically, the company exchanged drawings and parts lists with customers in paper form. Increasingly, however, the information it needed to successfully produce complex tooling and molds was contained in 2-D and 3-D CAD files.
“The move away from paper towards digital files made it all the more important for every employee to be able to look at and access this data,” says Torsten Decker, managing director of WISA. “Not everyone who wants to check a few dimensions in a CAD file needs the full functionality of an expensive CAD tool, especially since it’s not necessarily that easy to use either. In addition, customers provide us with data in a wide variety of formats, and we were sometimes unable to read them in – we needed to find a better way to handle visualization of CAD data.”
For more information, visit actify.com.
Pennsylvania Company Acquires Zeeland’s Industrial Control Service
Pennsylvania-based Motion & Control Enterprises has acquired Industrial Control Service Inc. in Zeeland in west Michigan. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Industrial Control, founded in 1975, is a distributor of machine automation products and equipment specializing in vision systems, robotics, bar-coding, sensors, motion control, networks, material handling, and safety.
Motion & Control Enterprises (MCE) is a value-added distributor of flow control, fluid power, air compressor, automation and hydraulic repair products, and services. The company serves more than 23,000 MRO and OEM customers from 39 facilities located in 13 states.
Eaton’s eMobility Business Receives $600K Grant from State of Michigan
Intelligent power management company Eaton in Southfield announced that its eMobility business has secured a $600,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s “Jobs Ready Michigan Program” to invest in three of its sites within the state.
The funds will be used at Eaton’s Marshall, Southfield, and Canton Township campuses to expand the testing and research and development of electrified vehicle (EV) solutions.
“Michigan is a global leader in the future of mobility and high-tech innovation, and we are very pleased to receive funding from the state on this project,” says Mark Schneider, president of the eMobility business for Eaton. “Support from the grant will allow us to accelerate plans to expand our eMobility capabilities within Michigan. It is a testament to the importance of the state to the automotive industry that it was chosen for the project over competing sites in the U.S. and abroad.”
With the help of the grant, Eaton plans to expand its facility in Marshall to include a new lab for conducting development, environmental, validation, and durability testing for a wide range of EV components, including power electronics, battery protection systems, terminals, connectors, inverters, converters, and power distribution systems.
“We are also preparing to add 100 high-wage jobs in Michigan focused on electrification research, which will include a mix of new hires and legacy employees transitioning to electrified vehicles across our Michigan locations,” Schneider says.
Furthermore, Eaton continues to explore further expansion and investment opportunities in Michigan in the coming years, including the addition of proving grounds test space geared towards autonomous vehicle, electric vehicle and alternative fuel testing; updated test equipment focused on e-axle, e-gearing, e-transmission and e-differentials for the ePowertrain business; additional on-site charging stations; solar farms for sustainability and demand reduction on current infrastructure; and aligning opportunities at Eaton Aerospace facilities.
ESD Call for Submissions for Student Writing Contest
The Engineering Society of Detroit and the intellectual property law firm Fishman Stewart PLLC are calling for submissions for the annual TechCentury Student Writing Contest.
All students attending Michigan universities and studying within any of the engineering disciplines or related fields are eligible to participate. The top three entries will be published in the January 2024 issue of the ESD’s TechCentury magazine. The top award-winning essay author will receive recognition at the 2024 Gold Award Reception and a $1,000 scholarship.
ESD 2023 TechCentury Student Writing Contest parameters include:
- The student will write a 750-word essay on one of four topics.
- The student must be studying an engineering or related discipline at an accredited Michigan university.
- Entries must be received by the close of business Dec. 1.
- The TechCentury Editorial Board will review entries and the top three essays (along with a student profile) will be published in the Winter 2024 issue of TechCentury, both print and online.
- The top essayist will be recognized at the 2024 ESD Gold Award Reception as well as receive a $1,000 scholarship.
The contest entry and submission forms and additional details can be found on the ESD website.
Eastern Michigan University, CenTrio Finance 50-year Infrastructure Partnership
Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti has closed on a 50-year infrastructure partnership with CenTrio that includes a $115 million upfront payment to the university and $50 million for energy conservation measures and immediate infrastructure improvements.
This partnership is designed to deliver significant and lasting enhancements for facilities, students, faculty, staff, and the broader Ypsilanti community.
Eastern Michigan has entered the partnership with Eagle Energy Partners (EEP) as the concessionaire, owned by CenTrio, which will bring deep energy-sector expertise to modernize utility systems and improve sustainability efforts. Eagle Energy Partners was engaged for the partnership by Gilbane, EMU’s master development partner. Gilbane is the development and construction firm leading the University’s new $212 million residential housing transformation, “Welcome Home 2025.”
Under the terms of the partnership, the university will receive considerable revenue and resources to improve sustainability, implement new energy conservation measures, reduce energy usage, modernize its energy grid, accelerate decarbonization, and address critical deferred maintenance while also receiving significant funds to directly assist students and support faculty, retention, recruitment, satisfaction, and a positive campus experience among other strategic initiatives.
EMU and Eagle Energy Partners have identified a series of projects that will reduce energy use and operating costs while enhancing the redundancy and reliability of the University’s electrical grid and its capacity.
Under the agreement, certain infrastructure improvements will begin immediately. The demolition of the shuttered Jones and Goddard residence halls is among the first and most significant and visible projects, scheduled to take place later this year. Other potential projects, short-and long-term, include the addition of smart meters; an energy use dashboard with live web display of on-campus energy consumption; building automation system upgrades (improved zone/room lighting, space conditioning, and automated sensors); water conservation; a new central chilled water plant for improved efficiency; and potential conversion of the campus steam system; and LED lighting upgrades.
“This is a significant milestone for Eastern’s future,” says James Smith, president of EMU. “I’m proud Eastern is leading the way in a partnership that supports environmental sustainability, academic programs, strategic enrollment, and retention initiatives while including a remarkable opportunity for the EMU community to participate in sustainability research and to develop projects to support enrollment and retention objectives. This partnership will help Eastern develop future leaders for green jobs while reducing our resource consumption.”
Mike Morse Law Firm in Southfield Adopts Full Zoom Platform
The Mike Morse Law Firm in Southfield has adopted a new technology strategy by going “all-in” with Zoom’s full platform, which includes Zoom Meetings, Zoom Contact Center, Zoom Phone, and Zoom Whiteboard, among others.
The firm takes more than 500 phone calls a day from clients and potential clients, requiring a reliable phone system to handle the high volume. After experiencing glitches and dropped calls, firm chief information officer John Georgatos knew it was time to find a solution, utilizing the latest cloud technology.
“Once I saw what Zoom had to offer, I was eager to dive in because Zoom is the pioneer of videoconferencing and has the most integrations with Microsoft,” says Georgatos. “Zoom is forward-thinking and has allowed us to upgrade the firm’s entire communication and collaboration technology.”
Zoom has offered Mike Morse Law Firm solutions to known problems and has helped it uncover and address problems they didn’t even know existed, most notably, the need to provide a seamless experience for client-employee interactions.
Using the chat feature within Zoom’s omnichannel contact center, intake agents are able to communicate with paralegals and attorneys simultaneously to get quick answers while still chatting with a prospective client. Agents also can set their availability status directly inside the contact center, eliminating the need to toggle between screens and applications.
“When a potential client calls the Mike Morse Law Firm, they are most likely experiencing a stressful situation,” says Georgatos. “It’s important to be sympathetic to their needs and not keep them on hold during a crisis, and Zoom’s streamlined technology allows us to do just that.”
With Zoom One, employees at Mike Morse Law Firm now have the ability to communicate both internally and externally, using Zoom Chat in place of email for quick collaboration. In addition, each department also has a dedicated channel for messages. Also notable are Zoom’s real-time analytic and reporting features, which track average wait times and call queues to calculate the cost of each call and increase efficiency.
Detroit-based Architecture Firm Iannuzzi Studio wins BUILD Magazine, AIA Michigan Awards
Iannuzzi Studio, a Detroit-based architectural firm, has won several awards including BUILD Magazine’s Best Commercial Architecture Firm in Detroit. The firm also has won two AIA Michigan Awards for L.A. Dance Project in Los Angeles and Briarcliff in Franklin in the Interiors and Housing categories, respectively.
The emerging practice has steadily gained recognition for envisioning authentic and innovative projects within several Detroit neighborhoods and other cities around Michigan.
“It is very gratifying to be recognized by our peers for two projects that are seemingly quite different,” says David Iannuzzi, founder of Iannuzzi Studio. “Regardless of the size or type of project, we keep people and place at the core of our solutions.”
Historical Salvador Dalí Exhibit Opens at Park West Gallery in New York
The Park West Gallery SoHo in New York, an extension of Park West Gallery in Southfield, is displaying Salvador Dalí’s expansive collection of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy (c. 1308-20) for a limited time.
One of the few institutions in the world to have this historic collection, Park West invites the public to view its newest gallery located at 411 W Broadway. Featuring all 100 wood engravings, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see The Divine Comedy in its entirety, in the heart of New York City.
“We’re delighted to present The Divine Comedy at our SoHo gallery,” says John Block, executive vice president for Park West Gallery. “In this exhibit, Salvador Dalí’s illustrative works depict Dante’s imaginary travels toward salvation, but you will see how Dali reveals his own evolution as an artist. That’s what makes it so compelling.”
For more information, visit parkwestgallery.com.
