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.
Somerset Collection Welcomes Santa to His Holiday Castle Nov. 27
The Somerset Collection in Troy will kick off the holiday season Nov. 27 with Santa’s return to his castle, where he will hear the holiday wishes of the more than 20,000 children he sees annually.
The Somerset Collection also is introducing two new traditions — the 24 Days of Gifts and Surprises, welcoming guests to open holiday windows to gift cards and flash sales, and an evening of Santa posing with pets.
Santa’s will be holding court from Nov. 27-Dec. 23 at his castle in the mall’s North Grand Court. Santa will be on the castle balcony for selfies and visits on Monday and Tuesday, from 11 a.m.-1:25 p.m. and 4:30-6:55 p.m. The traditional photo visits include six different images on a flash drive for $30 and are available Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m.-6:55 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5:55 p.m.
Reservations are required for photos with Santa and can be made here.
On Sunday Dec. 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Somerset Collection will host a special evening of pet portraits for guests and their furry four-legged friends for a picture with Santa. Pet portraits are given to guests on a keepsake flash drive and are available for a $30 donation to Leader Dogs for the Blind.
Somerset Collection’s 24 Days of Gifts and Surprises will display two holiday homes on North Level Three and South Level Two with windows that open each day to reveal gifts and surprises between Dec. 1-24.
These giveaways behind each window are a collection of the “must haves” curated by Somerset Collection’s styling team. The “24 Days of Gifts and Surprises” displays are located on Somerset Collection.
Detroit-developed Opus IVS Diagnostic Tools Approved for Use by Subaru
Detroit-based Opus IVS has announced that Subaru of America Inc. has approved its DriveSafe and ScanSafe diagnostic tools for use within the Subaru Certified Collision Network.
The DriveSafe and ScanSafe devices both utilize OEM Subaru SSM3 and SSM4 software and the OEM Denso DST-vehicle communication interface.
Opus IVS provides a dedicated support team to the collision sector, which includes scanning, ECU programming/coding, ADAS calibration, and brand-specific technical support. The Opus IVS tool suite also is integrated with CCC One Estimating software, providing a streamlined and consistent workflow solution.
“Opus IVS is excited to be selected as an approved partner with Subaru of America Inc.,” says Brian Herron, president of OPUS IVS. “For over 20 years our rich heritage of engineering and software development with OEMs, combined with industry leading technical support, has allowed us to assist independent repair shops with the repair of modern, complex vehicles. The collision sector continues to be on the front lines of technical repairs and the usage of up-to-date OEM scanning software, service information and repair procedures is essential in ensuring a vehicle is returned safely to the motorist.”
Opus IVS operates five offices in North America, employing more than 400 full-time associates, dedicated exclusively to the auto repair industry.
Comcast RISE Expanding to All Women-owned Businesses Nationwide in 2022
Comcast Corp. is expanding its Comcast RISE program to all women-owned businesses nationwide, furthering its efforts to advance digital equity and help provide underrepresented small business owners with access to the digital tools and funding they need to thrive.
In its first year alone, Comcast RISE has provided more than $60 million in grants, marketing, and technology services to more than 6,700 small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian Americans. Of the 6,700 Comcast RISE recipients to date, nearly 70 percent have been businesses owned by women of color, spurring Comcast to take a deeper look into the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.
“As we continue to rebuild and emerge from the effects of the pandemic, small businesses will continue to be the backbone of our economy — and we must take every opportunity to help them thrive,” says Teresa Ward-Maupin, senior vice president of the digital and customer experience for Comcast Business. “Looking forward, this expansion will enable Comcast RISE to further empower and strengthen even more small businesses that are the heart of our local communities across the country.”
Comcast RISE, which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength, and Empowerment, is part of Project UP, Comcast’s initiative to advance digital equity and help provide underrepresented small business owners with access to the digital tools and funding they need to thrive.
Over the next 10 years, Comcast has committed $1 billion to programs like Comcast RISE and other partnerships that will reach an estimated 50 million people with the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world
Comcast recently announced its fifth round of Comcast RISE recipients, which includes 1,400 small businesses owned by people of color, that will receive a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv or computer equipment, internet, voice, or cybersecurity from Comcast Business.
For more information, visit here.
The New Black Vanguard Photography Exhibit coming to DIA Dec. 17
The Detroit Institute of Arts is presenting works by 15 emerging Black photographers in the exhibition The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion, Dec. 17-April 17, 2022.
The New Black Vanguard features color portraits, conceptual images, and fashion editorial photographs curated by New York writer and critic Antwaun Sargent. This exhibition is free with museum admission, which is always free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. All museum visitors must make an advance reservation by phone at 313-833-4005 or online.
This exhibition includes more than 100 photographs by “The New Black Vanguard” photographers, a global movement of emerging artists working throughout the African diaspora, in Africa, Europe, and the U.S. It features Detroit-area photographers Mishira Davis, Justin Milhouse, Christian Najjar, Ray Rogers, Corey Turner, and Bre’Ann White, as well as known artists like Campbell Addy, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Micaiah Carter, and others.
“New Black Vanguard curator Antwaun Sargent highlights the work of gifted young image-makers who forge new narratives about photography, fashion and Black identity to Detroit and the walls of the DIA for the first time,” says Nancy Barr, curator of photography at DIA. “This is a must-see exhibition for all.”
The New Black Vanguard is a traveling exhibition organized by the Aperture Foundation of New York. Visitors also can see the Aperture Foundation’s Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite through Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022.
Mission Capital Debt and Equity Arranges $64M in Financing for Godfrey Hotel Detroit
Mission Capital Debt & Equity (MCDE), part of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC), a leading provider of commercial real estate capital markets financing solutions with an office in Southfield, has arranged $64 million in financing for the development of The Godfrey Hotel Detroit.
An MCDE team led by Jordan Ray, Steve Buchwald, and Jamie Matheny, exclusively represented the sponsor, a joint venture between longtime client Oxford Capital Group and Hunter Pasteur Homes.
“Great projects get financed. The Godfrey will be the best place to stay, eat, and drink in Corktown, and it’s 100 yards from the Ford Innovation campus which is the new and needed job hub for metro Detroit,” says Ray. “There is a wave of investment and jobs coming to Detroit, but very few other hotel projects slated to break ground. This, combined with the Sponsor’s proven track record, made this a compelling financing.”
This shovel-ready project is in an Opportunity Zone in the rapidly appreciating historic Corktown neighborhood in Detroit. Now under construction at Michigan Avenue between 8th and 9th Streets, the luxury lifestyle hotel will span 145,000 square feet and include 227 rooms.
Amenities will include a 9,600-square-foot indoor-outdoor bar and lounge, a 7,100-square-foot chef-driven restaurant, a 9,000-square foot ballroom and meeting space, another 6,200-square-foot ballroom, and a fitness center.
The project is part of a master development that will include two adjacent apartment complexes. The residential component is not part of this financing.
“There is an encouraging trend of growing lender demand right now,” says Matheny. “The financing interest in Detroit-based projects is also inspiring for the market, particularly as the city fared comparatively well during the pandemic. This loan will allow the sponsors to develop a project that will benefit from a dearth of new, higher-end hotel options in the market.”
