Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Shinola Introduces Clue: Shinola Hotel Edition with Detroit Twist
Detroit-based Shinola is introducing Clue: Shinola Hotel Edition, its version of the popular detective games, with a Detroit twist.
To pay tribute to an emerging downtown Detroit landmark and the spirit of midwestern hospitality, Shinola has reimagined the iconic board game inspired by the most-storied suites and corners of the Shinola Hotel.
The deluxe board game is equipped with a white oak cabinet, delicately painted wood movers, and weapons with a gold finish. Illustrated character cards give players a preview of the people they might rub shoulders with during their visit — they should just be sure to note the room in which they meet them in and the object in their hand.
Available in Shinola stores and at Shinola.com beginning Nov. 1, Clue®: Shinola Hotel Edition will retail for $395.
The original Clue was conceived in England in the early 1940s by Anthony Pratt. It made its way stateside in 1949 when Parker Brothers secured the rights to the game.
Detroit Entrepreneur Turns Childhood Shame into Mission to Help Women
Paula Tutman, a longtime TV reporter for WDIV-TV4 in Detroit, has founded the Bra-less Bra company, which offers an innovation to the adhesive bra market that addresses the age-old issue of gravity and large chests with an instant cleavage sculpting solution.
Bra-less uses a specially design-engineered breast tape that lifts, separates, and supports sizes all the way to an N-cup. Tutman says, “it’s bust tape for girls with big girls.”
Tutman’s innovation came from the insecurity she felt as a “big girl” at a young age.
“I started taping my breasts in college,” she recalls. “Scotch tape. Masking tape. Duct tape. Athletic tape. Surgical tape. I didn’t care that it was ripping the skin off my body, as long as I looked great in my clothing. As long as I could wear what the other girls were wearing and fit in, I was fine with it. Until during a routine physical when my physician thought I was being battered because of all of the scars, bruises, and scrapes around my breasts.”
Bra-Less Bra breast-tape is manufactured in the U.S. with domestic materials. The finished product is shipped to Michigan for fulfillment.
Tutman says she is proud to have built a 100 percent female team and that 90 percent of the vendors she works with are female owned and/or operated enterprises.
“We continue to work to close the wealth equity gap for women business owners, even while trying to close it for ourselves,” she says.
For more information, visit here.
Applications Open for State’s Going PRO Talent Fund 2022
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity-Workforce Development has opened applications until Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. for the Going PRO Talent Fund 2022.
The Going PRO Talent Fund awards funds to employers for training, developing, and retaining current and newly hired employees. Training funded by the Talent Fund must be short-term and fill a demonstrated talent need experienced by the employer. Training must lead to a credential for a skill that is transferable and recognized by industry.
More than $30 million is expected to be available for Michigan employers. For more information, visit here and here.
Davenport University offers Military Promise, A Smoother Path to Higher Education
Davenport University in Grand Rapids is offering service men and women, with a high school diploma and at least one year of service, a new fast-track through its acceptance process to the university.
Called the DU Military Promise, service members who have completed at least one year of service as active duty or as a National Guard/reservist with an honorable or general discharge who can provide a DD214 or military transcript may apply. There is no application fee and those who qualify may be able to receive college credit based on their military service.
“Davenport is actively tackling several educational challenges for members of the military,” says Richard Pappas, president of Davenport University. “We’ve developed a three-pronged initiative to address costs, credits, and speed-to-degree. Ease of acceptance was the logical next step toward helping our service men and women achieve their educational goals.
“Providing our active military and veterans with credits for their experience acknowledges the on-the-job training they’ve received,” says Pappas. “This experience should be rewarded.”
Depending on the role a person played in the military and the amount of time they served, the university will review this experience and attribute specific credits, making it easier to earn a college degree.
Davenport recently launched a Military Credit Equivalency Grant offering more than 600 available course equivalency credits for military personnel and veterans. The program enables veterans to earn a four-year degree in as few as three years.
As another tactic to assist service men and women tackle the cost of college, Davenport recently collaborated with the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) to offer a new veteran-friendly employer scholarship to provide additional financial support to an entire workforce to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree or pursue professional training.
The program currently grants employees at more than 400 veteran-friendly certified businesses and agencies across Michigan scholarships at Davenport in recognition of their employers’ commitment to those who have served our country.
To learn more about the guaranteed admission program and other Davenport initiatives to support veterans, visit here.
Bank of America Partners with CVS to Provide Flu Shots
Bank of America is partnering with CVS Health to fund free flu shots in underserved communities.
As schools and businesses reopen, health experts predict much higher rates of reported flu cases this fall, due in part to higher levels of susceptibility and risk. With flu season fast approaching, we are reminded of disparities in access to preventative care that are prevalent in lower-income households and underserved communities, in particular communities of color.
To help bridge this health resource gap, the no-cost flu shot voucher program to support Detroit-area residents will be made available through local Bank of America nonprofit partners:
- Alternatives for Girls
- COTS
- Focus: HOPE
- SER Metro Detroit
- United Way
Free flu shot vouchers will be available at these organizations and must be redeemed by March 2022. The vouchers can be accessed by reaching out to one of the participating organizations or a local CVS.
This is the second year that Bank of America and CVS Health have offered the no-cost flu shot program. This effort is part of the bank’s ongoing commitment to address health disparities in the communities it serves.
Forgotten Harvest Releases Trailer for Oct. 14 Virtual Cooking Competition
Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park has released the trailer for Chop Down Hunger, a virtual cooking competition hosted by Food Network star Chef Amanda Freitag. The event, presented by the Kroger Co. of Michigan, premieres at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 on forgottenharvest.org.
The event, which celebrates women in the culinary industry, features chef contestants Genevieve Vang of Bangkok 96, Manal Hussein of For the Love of Sugar, Shanel DeWalt of the Kellogg Co., and Allie Lyttle of Lala’s Ann Arbor.
Additionally, “Chopped” champion Crystal Smith-Nichols and Detroit Free Press food writer Sue Selasky join the judge’s panel. Similar to the format of televised cooking competitions, contestants will battle it out using surprise basket ingredients grown on Forgotten Harvest Farms in an effort to become the first Chop Down Hunger champion.
Proceeds from Chop Down Hunger will benefit Forgotten Harvest Farms, the organization’s fully operational, 95-acre farm that grows fresh produce for metro Detroiters in need.
“Our partnership with Chef Amanda Freitag has allowed us to create an event completely different from those in the past,” says Kirk Mayes, CEO of Forgotten Harvest. “Chop Down Hunger will be an exciting and competitive event that allows us the opportunity to provide more nutritious food options for those in need.”
Tickets for Chop Down Hunger are on sale now for $50 per device and can be purchased here. Unique access codes will be emailed to ticket purchasers prior to the event.
To view the trailer, visit here.
MSU Health Care Launches Clinician-led Remote Monitoring Across the State
MSU Health Care in East Lansing now offers remote monitoring to patients with health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, and heart disease through a partnership with Chicago’s Higi Care Everyday, powered by Assure Health.
Higi Care Everyday is a digital health solution that helps patients and providers stay connected and ensures patients receive the care they need, when they need it. Participating patients will receive a free set of devices for at-home use. Credentialed clinicians will monitor their health data on an ongoing basis, reaching out regularly if their numbers indicate a potential issue.
“Health management starts at home, and we must provide smart, digital solutions to empower and connect our patients to their care team,” says Roger Jansen, chief innovation and digital health officer at MSU Health Care. “We believe in the power of digital delivery to positively impact the health of Michigan communities, particularly in our more rural areas.”
MSU Health Care recently announced statewide partnerships with Higi, Everside Health, and Health Alliance Plan to address health care challenges in Michigan. These partnerships aim to:
- Increase access to care
- Improve the health of Michigan residents
- Reduce healthcare costs
- Establish strong primary care relationships
“In my practice as a primary care doctor for adults, blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring are valuable and important indicators that can tell us about problems a patient may be experiencing weeks and months before they are due to be seen back in the clinic,” says Dr. Churlsun Han, an internal medicine provider at MSU Health Care. “Higi has the potential to replace the often weekly and daily calls for blood pressure or blood sugar readings and at the same time improve patient use, in a friendly and personalized way.”
