DBusiness Daily Update: Tigers Great Willie Horton Named Honorary American League All-star Coach, 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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The Comerica Park statue of Willie Horton, named an honorary American League coach for the All-Star Game. // Photo by Tim Keenan
The Comerica Park statue of Willie Horton, named an honorary American League coach for the All-Star Game. // Photo by Tim Keenan

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.

Tigers Great Willie Horton Named Honorary American League All-star Coach

All-Star Team Manager Dusty Baker of the Houston Astros has named Detroit Tigers legendary outfielder Willie Horton as an honorary coach for the American League for the Mid-Summer Classic to be played July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Horton, special assistant to general manager Al Avila, played 18 years in the Major Leagues, including from 1963-1977 with the Tigers, and batted .273 with 325 home runs and 1,163 runs batted in. He was an All-Star in 1965, 1968, 1970, and 1973 in the city where he was raised.

Horton was a key part of the Tigers’ 1968 World Series Championship, batting .285 with career-best totals of 36 home runs and a .543 slugging percentage in the regular season. In the Fall Classic, he batted .304 with a double, a triple, a home run, three RBI, five walks, and six runs scored in the seven-game victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The outfielder and designated hitter ranks fifth in Tigers’ history with 262 home runs and 10th with 886 RBI.  Horton’s number 23 was retired by the Tigers in 2000, when a statue in his likeness was unveiled at Comerica Park. Horton also played for Texas, Cleveland, Oakland, Seattle, and Toronto.

New Economy Initiative Announces $1.2M in Grants to Support Inclusive Small Business Growth

The New Economy Initiative (NEI) has announced nearly $1.2 million in grants to provide small businesses inclusive access to capital, practical assistance, information, and connections to business resources in southeast Michigan.

“Small businesses remain the best catalyst to drive economic growth and build resilience, but inclusion is the multiplier we need for this region to realize its full potential,” says Wafa Dinaro, executive director of NEI. “Through trusted community-focused nonprofits, these grants will help underserved small business owners and entrepreneurs access the capital and resources they need to expand and create opportunities in their community.”

The funds are part of NEI’s Inclusive Small Business Support Network Fund launched in May 2021 to drive small business growth in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and other Wayne County communities. Ten nonprofit business support organizations will receive the total of $1.195 million in grants, which individually range from between $75,000 and $150,000. They include:

  • Black Leaders Detroit
  • Detroit Economic Growth Association
  • Eastside Community Network
  • East Warren Development Corporation
  • Endeavor Detroit
  • Fair Food Network
  • Great Lakes Women’s Business Council
  • Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance
  • Michigan Small Business Development Center
  • Opportunity Resource Fund

Buddy’s Pizza’s New Chesterfield Township Location Will Be its 22nd

Buddy’s Pizza will open its new Chesterfield Township carryout restaurant (50670 Gratiot Ave.) at 11 a.m. on July 11.

Buddy’s will donate all opening-day sales to the Chesterfield Township Library.

The restaurant marks the company’s 22nd location and 18th location in southeast Michigan. The in-store design features a layout specifically engineered for the customer carryout experience, including a grab-and-go system for online orders and a redesigned kitchen optimized for carryout. It also includes features decor elements that incorporate the Chesterfield community.

“For 76 years, families and friends have gathered together to enjoy our original Detroit-style pizza, and we’re excited to now bring this tradition to the Chesterfield community,” says Wes Pikula, chief brand officer at Buddy’s. “By partnering with the Chesterfield Township Library, we hope to fully engrain ourselves into the community and give back to the community members who dine with us.”

The Big Salad Opens in Farmington Today

The Big Salad is opening its seventh Michigan location today in Farmington, at 23342 Farmington Rd. The first 50 customers will receive a $10 gift card.

The fast-casual restaurant, founded in Grosse Pointe Woods, serves signature salads, wraps, sandwiches, and soups, and allows customers to customize salads or wraps in countless combinations of lettuces, with free unlimited vegetable toppings and dressings made in-house.

The Big Salad also has a variety of smoothies and coffee Chillers, as well as freshly baked chewy chocolate chip cookies.

For more information, visit here.

Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest Unveils Five Finalists

The first round of votes in the Hatch Detroit powered by TechTown competition are in five entrepreneurial teams will advance to the program’s final stage, which includes another round of public voting and the opportunity to compete at the July 21 Hatch Off.

Final round public voting will be open until July 7.

“The public’s vote is critical in the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest,” says Vittoria Katanski, executive director of Hatch Detroit. “The people that are casting votes are the community members that will be patronizing and frequenting these businesses for years to come. Hatch Detroit prioritizes investing in Detroit’s small businesses by elevating entrepreneurs and giving them the counsel and resources needed to thrive in our community.”

The finalists vying for the $100,000 grand prize are:

COLFETARIE: A European dessert and pastry shop, specializing in Romanian desserts and pastries. Their goal is to bring together the cultures of Detroit and Romania, while offering a taste of Europe, in the heart of downtown Detroit.

Detroit Farm and Cider: A 4.9-acre commercial farm on Detroit’s west side with plans to build a cider mill and offer youth day camps and horseback riding classes.

Gajiza Dumplins: A dumpling shop that specializes in Asian style eats and handmade dumplings from scratch. The dumplings come in more than 30 flavors and range from traditional pork and shrimp Shumai to contemporary western style, including miso cheeseburger gyoza or goat cheese and leek. Their focus is based on Asian street food.

Lily’s & Elise: A luxury tea lounge on the Avenue of Fashion whose primary focus is in the premium service of European-style afternoon and high tea with fresh pastries and small plates to accompany orders.

Little Liberia: An Afro fusion pop-up restaurant looking to find a permanent space to introduce Liberia’s rich multicultural cuisines to the people of metro Detroit. It serves authentic Liberian dishes, a cuisine whose heritage is a mixture of African, Caribbean, and Antebellum-South African American influences.

Voters can vote once every 24 hours here.

New PTSD Treatment Advances Towards FDA Approval

MMS Holdings, a data-focused contract research organization (CRO) in Canton Township, has been selected by MAPS Public Benefit Corp. as its CRO for the development of a new drug application (NDA) for MDMA-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

MMS will support the NDA submission by providing regulatory strategy, biostatistics, statistical programming, medical writing, medical review, publishing, and submission project management support.

“Part of our mission at MMS is using our decades of experience to bring life-changing therapies to positively improve patient lives worldwide,” says Uma Sharma, chief scientific officer at MMS. “While PTSD was identified decades ago, we remain woefully behind with therapeutic treatment options. This collaboration with MAPS PBC and their groundbreaking therapy may change the course of PTSD treatment and could greatly impact those with the disorder.”

More than 350 million people, including 12 million Americans, are estimated to experience PTSD from accidents, war, interpersonal violence, or other causes, yet underdiagnosis is common, particularly among marginalized populations.

For more information, visit maps.org.

New Steve’s Mediterranean Express Launches at Kroger Supermarkets

Madison Heights-based Steve’s Mediterranean, a metro Detroit family-owned company that produces Mediterranean food, now will offer new ready-prepared meals to Kroger customers in Michigan with the launch of Steve’s Mediterranean Express.

There are nine ready-to-eat meals with traditional chicken and beef choices as well as vegetarian options. Meals feature signature Mediterranean dishes including chicken shawarma; kefta kabob (seasoned beef skewers); fattoush salad; and vegetarian favorites such as veggie-stuffed grape leaves, falafel, mujadara, and more. The meals are at three price points: $10.99, $12.99, and $15.99.

“These ready-to-eat meals are a delicious new option for convenient at-home dining, full of Mediterranean flavors, just in time for the July 4 holiday,” says Pierre Chammas, the owner and CEO of Steve’s Mediterranean.

Steve’s Mediterranean line of products now is sold in 250 stores in Michigan including Kroger, Meijer, Nino Salvaggio, Papa Joe’s Market, Holiday Market, and Vince and Joe’s Gourmet Market. It has recently expanded distribution into northern and western Michigan and many restaurants and hotels serve the brand, including Leo’s Coney Island, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, and MGM and MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation Sponsors Sustainability Course

The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, in partnership with EVERFI Inc., helped design and launch a new digital education program, dubbed Sustainability Foundations, which is aimed at teaching students about the impact humans have on the environmental systems around them.

To date, more than 2,700 students in 118 schools across Michigan have participated in the sustainability program.

The program, Sustainability Foundations, is made available to students and educators at no cost through the foundation and its relationship with the nation’s leading Impact-as-a-Service education innovator, EVERFI Inc. Developed by EVERFI, the program encourages students to draw their own connections between environmental and human systems, helping to build an understanding of our responsibility for the planet.

“One of the key components of Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is to educate individuals about sustainability and the steps that can be taken towards creating a community that is free of hunger, waste, and helps to converse natural resources,” says Rachel Hurst, corporate affairs manager of The Kroger Co. of Michigan. “The Sustainability Foundations program, in partnership with EVERFI, helped us take another leap towards our goal of positive generational change throughout our communities.”

The Sustainability Foundations curriculum ties into the mission of The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, a program with more than 300 additional partnerships to support the mission of creating communities free of hunger and waste. In this course, students had the opportunity to expand their knowledge on building a sustainable future and help solve the issues of today.

Through a series of four interactive virtual lessons that incorporate real-world scenarios, students have the opportunity to learn about important topics such as global systems, as well as individual and collective responsibility for the world around us.

For more information, visit here.

RHP Properties Partners with Red Cross on Home Fire Campaign

RHP Properties, a Farmington Hills-based operator of manufactured home communities, is partnering with the American Red Cross Michigan Region in its “Sound the Alarm” campaign in 21 communities spanning 17 Michigan cities.

The campaign included a $10,000 donation to American Red Cross Michigan Region and is the first of a larger initiative with the American Red Cross to provide such programs in RHP communities nationwide.

In addition to the donation, RHP Properties employees throughout Michigan teamed up with American Red Cross volunteers to provide fire safety training, test fire alarms, and install new ones. In total, 581 new smoke alarms were installed in 341 homes, and 866 manufactured home community residents received fire safety training.

“The safety of the residents of our communities is a top priority and providing smoke alarms and training is proven to be life-saving,” says Ross Partrich, CEO of RHP Properties. “We are proud to join forces with the American Red Cross Michigan and would like to thank the volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this happen.”

25th Anniversary David E. Rutledge Charity Golf Outing Slated for July 11

The Alzheimer Association Michigan Chapter’s 25th annual David E. Rutledge Charity Golf Outing is scheduled to be played July 11 at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti Township.

The event’s namesake is David Rutledge, a former state representative from Ypsilanti, former president of the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees, and the Griffin Endowed Chair of the Political Science Department at Central Michigan University. Rutledge continues to commit himself to the outing to honor his mother, Ida Lee Rutledge, who died of Alzheimer’s.

“My mom taught my brothers and I that as an individual, you can’t do everything but everybody can do something,” Rutledge says. “All I’m trying to do, as just one person, is do what I can, while I can, that might help somebody along the way on their journey.”

So far, the event has raised more than $1.2 million for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Registration for the 2022 event opens at 7:30 a.m. and a continental breakfast will be served. The tournament begins with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Participants also will have lunch on the course, a helicopter ball drop, games, and prizes. An awards dinner will begin at 3 p.m.

To learn more about the event and donate visit here.