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.
State Launches Pure Michigan Regional Advertising Campaign
The Pure Michigan advertising campaign has returned targeting audiences across the Midwest to inspire travel in Michigan this year.
In addition to the broadcast commercials, travelers can plan their vacation with the help of various digital platforms and resources available on michigan.org.
The regional and in-state Pure Michigan warm weather broadcast and connected TV advertising campaign will run in key markets through Aug. 31. The campaign will include two new television commercials, “On the Street” and “On Repeat,” highlighting the many diverse destinations and experiences Michigan offers while also encouraging travelers to pursue their own experiences. Additional commercials featured include “14 Clubs,” “Along the Way,” “Perfect Summer,” and “Wish You Were Here.”
The ads will be seen in out-of-state markets including Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Fort Wayne, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, South Bend, Toledo, Atlanta, Louisville, and St. Louis. In-state markets include Alpena, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Marquette, and Traverse City.
The campaign also will utilize online video and digital ads, social media, and radio ads including “Road Trip,” “Field Trip,” “First Tee,” “Gone Fishing,” “Songs of Summer,” and “Soul 2.” In addition, 96 static billboards will be seen in regional and in-state markets from April 11 through May 8 inviting them to plan a Michigan getaway. Pure Michigan branding also will be displayed on a double-decker bus in downtown Chicago April 11-May 8.
The summer campaign will feature a Motown Radio station takeover of Pandora’s Motown station beginning April 11. Pure Michigan will be featured on the Motown station playlist, reaching an organic audience of more than 300,000 Motown music listeners every month.
The 2022 Pure Michigan Travel Guide will be available both as a free magazine and as a universally accessible digital guide in April. Marquette’s Presque Isle Park is showcased on the cover of the stunning four-color, 90-page guide. Features include Great Outdoors, City Escapes, Along the Shore, Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture, Eat and Drink, Beach Plus, Summer of Your Dreams, Make it Marquette, and Golf Paradise.
This year’s total warm weather advertising budget is $16,694,642. The campaign will include 22 industry partners contributing a total of $1,520,000.
City of Detroit, Enterprise Community Partners Ease Affordable Housing
As part of the Preservation Partnership initiative, Enterprise Community Partners and the City of Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department announced today new, no-cost services to help reduce barriers and increase the preservation of affordable housing in neighborhoods across the city.
Through working with Enterprise to proactively preserve affordability and maintain high-quality, safe housing, developers of affordable multifamily properties now may be eligible to receive no-cost predevelopment services, such as capital needs assessments, financial modeling, Phase 1 environmental assessments, energy assessments, and tenant communications services to assist their recapitalization and affordable preservation efforts.
Enterprise and the city also are welcoming new firms to the Preservation Partnership team. Development Finance Associates Inc., East Jefferson Development Corp., and Ethos Development Partners have joined the partnership as financial modeling providers. Natura Architectural Services, NPC Group, and On-Site Insight will be providing capital needs assessments, and PM Environmental and TEG Environmental Services will be providing Phase 1 environmental assessments.
Elevate will continue to provide energy/water assessments, benchmarking usages and projected cost savings, and information regarding rebates, grants, and incentives. United Housing Community Coalition will continue to provide assistance with tenant engagement/communication and Uniform Relocation Act compliance.
“Providing developers and landlords with the right tools to preserve affordable homes is critical to solving Detroit’s housing shortage, and we are honored to continue our partnership with the City of Detroit by spearheading this latest program,” says Melinda Clemons, vice president and Detroit market leader at Enterprise. “We look forward to our continued work with owners and developers participating in the Preservation Partnership, and to finding new partners who are committed to preserving affordable housing across the city.”
Michigan Orthopaedic Surgeons Open New Clinic in Shelby Township
Michigan Orthopaedic Surgeons (MOS) has opened a new orthopedic, physical therapy, and urgent ortho care clinic located at 45816 Schoenherr Rd. in Shelby Township.
The 6,000-square-foot facility was purchased by MOS and includes space for physical therapy and occupational therapy. More than 20 physicians will be utilizing the space to treat both new and established patients for various orthopedic related injuries and conditions. The clinic will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. An afterhours Urgent Ortho Care will be added in the coming months.
For more information, visit here.
Park West Gallery Raises $500,000 for Ukrainian Relief Efforts
“Art can make a difference.” Those were the words of Park West Gallery’s Founder and CEO Albert Scaglione as he kicked off the March 11-13 livestreaming online art auctions to benefit the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Scaglione’s words were quickly proven true. By the time the weekend was over, Park West had raised more than $500,000 for the Ukrainian Red Cross, which has been providing much needed aid and assistance to families on the ground in Ukraine.
“We were completely knocked out by the response we received,” Scaglione says. “I’ve never seen our collectors so enthusiastic and engaged about an auction. Everyone was incredibly passionate about helping the Ukrainians during this dark time.”
The online art auctions featured a wide variety of classic and contemporary artists, many of whom had personal ties to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
The auctions unveiled works from two acclaimed artists from Romania — the former child prodigy Alexandra Nechita and the late abstract artist András Markós. Her works fetched more than $150,000 for the Ukrainian Red Cross, the highest total of the auction. Markos was similarly embraced by the collectors, bringing in more than $60,000.
Anatole Krasnyansky and the late Igor Medvedev — both artists originally from Ukraine — brought in a combined $100,000.
Art superstar Mark Kostabi — who comes from Estonian roots and was a contemporary Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat — brought in more than $60,000 with his published painting “The Eternal Now” and a limited graphic edition of “The Eternal Now” with hand-signed drawings.
By the time the final gavel dropped on March 13, Park West had sold more than 470 works in support of the Ukrainian Red Cross, raising more than $500,000.
Further donations can be made by visiting here.
Walsh College to Host Financial Futures Event April 19
Walsh College in Troy is hosting an in-person and virtual “Financial Futures” event from 8-9:30 p.m. April 18.
This free event will feature a panel of industry leaders including:
- Ryan Drews, director of investments and planning at Private Fund
- Jeffrey Leithauser, senior vice president at Fifth Third Bank
- Selena Passano, financial management analyst for the U.S. Army
- Vince Vitale, president of the CFA Society of Detroit
To register for event, visit here.
Autocam Medical Recruiting at March 22 West Michigan Job Fair
Autocam Medical, a contract manufacturer of precision surgical and medical components and devices in Grand Rapids, is recruiting for a number of positions at the Montcalm Community College Job Fair on March 22.
The company is looking to hire CNC machinists, manufacturing engineers, and secondary operators that aspire to become Machinists.
While the event is being conducted at Montcalm Community College, it isn’t limited to their students. Anyone can attend the job fair, which will take place in the Sidney Campus Gymnasium from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for anyone that wants to make a career change and those that are just entering the workforce,” says Kristy White, human resources director for Autocam Medical. “High school seniors can walk across the stage to collect their diploma and immediately progress down a career path where they could make over $100,000 as a CNC Machinist after five years. They’ll have the opportunity to learn a high-paying, in-demand trade in a pristine, air-conditioned work environment that’s outfitted with the most innovative equipment.”
In addition to the generous compensation and training, new hires can look forward to receiving premium-free health insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, quarterly incentives, a 401K match of $3,000, and tuition reimbursement.
The company will be expanding its footprint with a new 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and global headquarters in Kentwood. The new expansion will create 250 jobs.
For more information, visit here.
JVS + Kadima Webinar Offering Free Advice for Michigan Parents
JVS + Kadima in Southfield is offering a free interactive webinar — “Parents and Paychecks” — at 1 p.m. on March 30 aimed at helping Michigan parents from low- to moderate-incomes cope with the financial pressures of raising a child.
“Families who make salaries which are decent but are considered somewhere between middle class and low income, are not eligible for State benefits. Now that the pandemic has eased, kids are back at school and needing soccer uniforms, musical instruments, and fees for other activities which really takes a toll on their finances,” says Laltsha Cunningham, financial capability supervisor at JVS + Kadima. “With inflation up 7.2 percent in January 2022 alone, we are all experiencing a surge in cost of goods and services and for some families it is a major struggle; now we can help them with advice on how to manage spending to offset that inflation.”
To register for the webinar, email financialhelp@jvshumanservices.org.
