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.
Small Business Group Has Concerns About Governor’s Fall Agenda Announcement
Michigan’s leading small business group, the National Federation of Independent Business, has concerns ahead of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Fall Agenda Announcement.
Two of the issues reported to be on the governor’s fall agenda include mandated paid family leave on all employers and a call to eliminate non-renewable sources of energy in Michigan.
“After a decade of prosperity, small business owners in Michigan, like its citizens, are struggling with increased prices and supply chain issues,” says Amanda Fisher, Michigan state director for the NHIB. “In addition, both big and small businesses continue to struggle with labor shortages that began before the pandemic. Unfortunately, small businesses have less margin and capital to weather the ongoing battering they have taken since 2020.
“Many of the proposed policies of the current administration and legislature will only serve to exacerbate an already tenuous situation. Paid family leave is a double hit to those small businesses who will have to deal with a tax hike and the increased cost and stress of finding temporary replacement workers,” continues Fisher. “The majority of small business owners already do everything they can to provide paid leave and flexibility to their employees — this mandate could either cause small business owners to downsize, or close altogether.”
NFIB members also have concerns about government-mandated elimination of non-renewable fuel sources.
“Small business owners strive to be good stewards of the environment, but NFIB believes the consequences of elimination of fuel sources like propane, natural gas, and other petroleum products on an arbitrary schedule is both unimaginable and dangerous,” Fisher says. “Both the direct and indirect costs of this proposal are staggering, especially given the already high energy prices for which everyone in Michigan is paying.
“We hear time and time again about the poor state of Michigan’s electric grid. It seems irresponsible to add to the burden of the grid prematurely. Reliability and availability of energy when needed is crucial to anyone trying to operate a business.”
Fisher did note one bright spot in the governor’s address: “NFIB has advocated for streamlining of the permitting process for years, so we were pleasantly surprised by the governor’s executive directive earlier this month and would be happy to support legislation that would make these policies permanent.”
CURE Auto Insurance Opens New Detroit Office
CURE auto insurance on Wednesday celebrated the grand opening of its new Michigan headquarters with a ribbon cutting ceremony located at 200 Walker Street in downtown Detroit.
This is the company’s first location since entering Michigan in July 2021 on the heels of the state’s car insurance reform laws. At the event, CEO Eric S. Poe was joined by Mayor Mike Duggan, Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.; Mary Sheffield, president of the Detroit City; Ivy Greaner, COO of Bedrock and others to mark the occasion.
“Opening our office in Detroit should be proof to all Michiganders we are committed to the city and the state,” says Poe. “While we considered a number of locations, including several in the suburbs, we were always drawn back to downtown Detroit. We believe in this city, its residents and the various organizations that make their home here.
“This new office brings job opportunities to a city on the rise. The vision was that the Michigan legislature would enact the reform law and CURE would then pass on the savings directly to consumers — at the same time, maintain our commitment to not use credit scores and provide rates based solely on one’s driving record.”
CURE insures approximately 75,000 cars in Michigan with 58 percent belonging to residents of Detroit. Of the CURE-insured drivers, 94 percent have taken advantage of the new No-Fault PIP options and the average savings per policy was approximately 41 percent.
The new office currently houses 60 employees with up to 100 planned over the next two years, and the former training center for General Motors and the United Auto Workers (UAW) provides expansion opportunities to support CURE’s continued growth.
Fast Company Honors Detroit’s Pocketnest with Top Accolades
Pocketnest, the Detroit-based female-founded financial wellness platform, has been given an honorable mention in Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation by Design Awards.
The fintech earned top accolades in the 2023 award’s Finance category alongside four other financial services and tools, including winner Capital One and finalist Visa. Pocketnest earned the exclusive mention for its human-centered design that helps people manage their money.
Built on behavioral science and psychology, Pocketnest coaches users through 10 themes of financial wellness. Its gamified, almost-addictive approach draws users into the app to keep their financial plan up to date — in three minutes a week. With 44 enterprise customers — and counting — the fintech licenses its white-labeled fintech software to financial institutions to generate qualified leads and identify an average of $575 million in cross-sell revenue for each institution; it also licenses to employee wellness programs to amplify recruitment, productivity, and retention.
“Everyone deserves access to financial wellness, and our industry craves scrappy innovations and insights to reach the masses,” says Jessica Willis, founder and CEO of Pocketnest. “We developed Pocketnest to help real people — not just the wealthy — achieve financial wellness through more authentic and valuable connections with their financial institutions.”
Lime Rock Park Historic Festival Honors Chrysler Brand
The 41st edition the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival in Lakeville, Conn. is spotlighting the Chrysler brand as an honored marque Aug 31-Sept. 4. Ralph Gilles, Stellantis chief design officer, also will serve as grand marshal at the event.
Chrysler vehicles featured at the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival will include the new 2023 Chrysler 300C. The 485-horsepower, 6.4L, HEMI-powered 2023 Chrysler 300C pays tribute to the Chrysler 300 and the end of an era — Chrysler 300 production will end following the 2023 model year. First introduced in 1955 and reborn in 2005, the Chrysler 300 has represented iconic American luxury and performance for decades.
Considered by many to be the first American muscle car, a 1955 Chrysler 300 also will be on display at Lime Rock. Additional Chrysler show vehicles featured include a 1941 Chrysler Newport, 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance, 1957 Chrysler Diablo, 1963 Chrysler Turbine car, 1995 Chrysler Atlantic concept, 2005 Chrysler Firepower concept, and more.
The Lime Rock Historic Festival will include three days of historic racing, a 20-mile competition car parade through the picturesque hills and Sunday in the Park, which combines the Lime Rock Concours with the Gathering of the Marques.
More information is available here.
In Related News: The Chrysler brand has donated a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica all-wheel-drive minivan to Michigan State University’s Safe Ride program, providing safe area travel for students in need of after-dark transportation.
“The safety of students at Michigan State University is paramount, especially in light of the tragic event that affected the entire university community in February,” says Chris Feuell, CEO of the Chrysler brand. “Chrysler wanted to have a meaningful role in providing support where it would have an immediate and lasting effect.”
The donation also includes two Calm Cabin packages. Introduced earlier this year, the Calm Cabin package helps those with autism feel calm, safe, and comfortable, and aligns with MSU’s commitment to support a diverse population, including neurodivergent students.
Oakland County to Host Virtual Six Elements of a Leadership Mindset Workshop Sept. 19
Oakland County Michigan Works! is hosting a virtual employer workshop titled Six Elements of a Leadership Mindset led by an expert committed to helping organizations create thriving workplace cultures.
The program will take place online from 10-11:30 a.m. and include topics such as:
- Impact of the right mindset on personal happiness, health and well-being, goal achievement and success.
- Importance of mindset to foster a leadership skill set that influences how one behaves at work, from interacting with colleagues to problem solving and decision making, to viewing the future.
- Six elements of a leadership mindset: growth orientation, resilience, drive, future focus, accountability, and inclusivity.
For more information, visit here. To register, visit here.
MotorCities Now Accepting Nominations for 25th Anniversary Awards of Excellence
The annual MotorCities National Heritage Area Awards of Excellence are accepting nominations from all projects from 1998 to the present, and past recipients from the previous nine years are eligible to receive this special anniversary edition of the awards.
The deadline for nominations is 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. Self-nominations are permitted.
The awards recognize organizations and individuals who have delivered outstanding projects in the following areas:
- Auto or labor heritage tourism
- Education/interpretation
- Revitalization
Finalists will be announced in each of the three categories by Oct. 20. The awards will be presented on the annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day on Wednesday, Nov. 8 as part of MotorCities’ 25th Anniversary Gala at Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores.
Nomination forms are available here.
American Cancer Society Announces Local Hero of Research Award Winner
In recognition of their efforts to improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, the American Cancer Society honored General Motors Women in Finance’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team with the Hero of Research Award.
This award honors teams that raised at least $175,500 for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in 2022. As one of only three teams nationwide to achieve this award, the GM Women in Finance team had the opportunity to name an existing post-doctoral fellowship research grant and will get to virtually follow the progress of their named research project.
“GM Women in Finance continue to be an inspiration in fulling ACS’s mission to end breast cancer as we know it,” says Chris Rettich, senior development manager at the American Cancer Society. “We are so grateful for the time and generosity that Lisa, Mari and the entire team dedicate to Making Strides each year.”
The research grant named will be named the GM Women in Finance Legacy Grant (Breast Cancer Nectin-4/Metastasis study) and is being conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Nakasone at the University of Hawai’i Cancer Center. Nakasone’s research is focused specifically on understanding how physical interactions between cancer cells allow them to share important signals that drive tumor growth and metastasis.
The ultimate goal of this work is to lay the foundation for developing more effective multidrug treatment strategies that can eventually be translated to patient care to eradicate cancer.
GM Women in Finance team already has started fundraising for the 2023 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Detroit presented by Chevrolet, which will take place Oct. 7 at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.
For more information, visit here.
Henry Ford College’s Kathy Dimitriou Wins Award from Community College Association
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) recently announced that Henry Ford College (HFC) Executive Assistant to the President Kathy Dimitriou will be presented the Professional Board Staff Member Award for the Central Region at its fall meeting.
This national award is presented to a board staff member in recognition of exemplary service to a governing board. Dimitriou has provided service to the HFC Board of Trustees for many years. The board oversees not only HFC, but also the Dearborn Public Schools. HFC is the only remaining community college in the state of Michigan to be directly affiliated with a P-12 school district.
“I’m honored and humbled,” says Dimitriou. “I have really enjoyed working in the education field, helping to fulfill the HFC mission of student success. It has been a joy to watch students learn, graduate, and move on with their lives successfully.”
This award also highlights Dimitriou’s service to three college presidents and to the college community as she concludes her career Sept. 29 after 46 years in a variety of roles with the college and the school district.
Zekelman Holocaust Center to Celebrate 39th Anniversary Benefit Nov. 12
The Zekelman Holocaust Center (The HC) in Farmington Hills will host its 39th Anniversary Benefit Dinner on Nov. 12, 2023, at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit.
This year, the organization’s largest fundraiser will honor Cynthia and Marvin Zucker who have made Holocaust education central to their philanthropy.
Cynthia Zucker retired as president of the Highland Lakes campus of Oakland Community College. Throughout her career, she has been influential in promoting Holocaust education to raise a generation of critical thinkers who can apply the lessons of the past to create a better world. Marvin Zucker, whose parents met at a Russian labor camp and survived the Holocaust, is the retired managing director of the Zucker Dines Investment Group at Wells Fargo.
“It’s our privilege to honor Cynthia and Marvin Zucker for their unwavering dedication to Holocaust education and their remarkable contributions to our community,” says Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Holocaust Center. “Their commitment to fostering understanding and combating hatred aligns directly with our mission, and we invite the public to join us in celebrating their inspiring work.”
The event will commence with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by a seated dinner and program at 6:30 p.m.
The evening will feature keynote speaker Dana Bash, CNN anchor and chief political correspondent. Bash is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, and in her role as a journalist, brings a unique perspective to her reporting about rising antisemitism in America and the significance of Holocaust education today.
Registration for attendance at the benefit is required. To purchase tickets or for additional information, call 248-536-9601 or visit here.
