DBusiness Daily Update: The John Shippen Golf Tourney to Return to Detroit Golf Club, and More

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.
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Anita Uwadia (left) and Shasta Averyhardt won the women’s division of the inaugural John Shippen National Golf Invitational last year. // Courtesy of Intersport/The John Shippen
Anita Uwadia (left) and Shasta Averyhardt won the women’s division of the inaugural John Shippen National Golf Invitational last year. // Courtesy of Intersport/The John Shippen

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.

The John Shippen Golf Tourney to Return to Detroit Golf Club

The John Shippen National Golf Invitational presented by Rocket Mortgage, an event designed to provide opportunities for Black men and women amateur and professional golfers, is returning to the Detroit Golf Club for its second year.

The men’s division of The Shippen will take place July 23-24 at Detroit Golf Club. The winner will once again receive an exemption into the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 28-31).

The women’s competition will be played June 1-2 at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids. The winner will earn an exemption into the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at the same course June 16-19). The winner also gets an exemption into the LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, July 13-16 in Midland and will be able to choose a partner for the two-player team event.

“Building on the impact of the event’s inaugural year, The John Shippen is introducing additional professional exemption opportunities that expand to new markets, creating more year-round exposure and Black representation in golf,” says Jason Langwell, executive vice president of Intersport (which produces The Shippen) and executive director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “The Intersport and Rocket Mortgage teams are passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion and we partner with organizations committed to making a difference with their mission. This is why we’re particularly proud to be announcing the second annual event, which aims to address barriers that have prevented talented Black golfers and aspiring business professionals.”

The John Shippen Sports Business Summit will also return for its second year to address the lack of representation in business and leadership roles in golf and across professional sports for people of color.

The events are named after John Shippen Jr., who was both the first American-born golf professional and the country’s first Black golf professional.

Organizers also announced the second edition of The John Shippen Shoot-Out Presented by Cognizant, an 18-hole stroke play competition for Black women golfers. It will take place at Mountain Ridge Country Club in New Jersey on May 9. The winner of the event will be awarded an exemption into the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup (May 12-May 15) in Clifton, N.J.

Detroit’s Shahida Mausi Named to ‘American Song Contest’ Jury

Shahida Mausi, president and CEO of The Right Productions Inc. (TRP) and manager of the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit, has been named as a jury panel member for the new “American Song Contest” TV Show representing the state of Michigan.

As the president of TRP Mausi, who is one of 56 people selected as jurors, has created marketing promotions, gained, and sustained relationships with such clients as MGM Grand Detroit Casino, the city of Detroit, and the Greektown Casino. In addition, TRP has provided talent and production services for special events including the Super Bowl XL, Winter Blast, Detroit 300, the Detroit Music Festival, and Movement – Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival.

She has produced and booked concerts with great artists including Wynton Marsalis, Della Reese, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Deepak Chopra, Herbie Hancock, Judith Jamison, Fela, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, and Carmen McCrae, just to name a few.

“American Song Contest,” hosted by Snoop Dog and Kelly Clarkston, airs at 8 p.m. on Mondays on NBC.

JVS + Kadima Looking for Metro Detroit Summer Job Coaches for Students with Disabilities

JVS + Kadima in Southfield announced today it will hire approximately 30 summer job coaches to provide training and support to high school students with disabilities in their summer internship jobs.

The students will be working at restaurants, retail stores, golf courses, and parks in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. The summer job coach will be responsible for supervising interns on the job to ensure that good quality and productive work is being completed. Job coach positions vary from 20 to 50 hours per week; rate of pay is $16 an hour with a $200 bonus for coaches who work from July 7 to Aug. 19 with only one absence or less.

“We find that summer coach positions appeal to teachers and teacher aides, college students interested in a career in social work or psychology, recently retired individuals who are looking for fulfilling work while boosting their income, and anyone who is looking to make a difference in young people’s lives,” says James Willis, vice president of workforce development and rehabilitation at JVS + Kadima. “Job coaches are a vital part of our summer internship program, giving high school students who have a disability the opportunity to gain new skills and explore possible job options later on.”

Those interested can visit here.

MSU Researchers Receive $3.7M Grant for Autism Research

A team of researchers at Michigan State University in East Lansing has received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to study language in young children with autism.

This project is designed to provide a greater understanding of how these children process the language they hear from adults, according to Courtney Venker, principal investigator and assistant professor in communicative and sciences and disorders in the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

“Many young children on the autism spectrum have language delays, which can make it hard for them to communicate, make friends and learn in school,” Venker says. “The goal of this study is to improve our ability to offer evidence-based clinical recommendations regarding how best to support language development in young children with autism.”

To conduct this research, Venker and team will bring in more than 100 young children with autism and their families from Michigan to MSU’s Lingo Lab.

“As a practicing speech-language pathologist, I often give recommendations to parents and caregivers about how to support their child’s language development,” says Jenny Johnson, research speech-language pathologist in the Lingo Lab, “This project is exciting because it will help guide those recommendations so that we are providing the best available information to support positive outcomes for children.”

Venker says the research findings will have a “strong impact on theories of language development and clinical best practices for language interventions to help young children with autism spectrum disorder.” These findings also should contribute to their long-term goal of evaluating early language interventions.

For more information, visit here. A video about the program can be viewed here.